◈ REAPER SCANS ◈

Translator: Regressed Translator

Editor: leef

Discord: https://dsc.gg/reapercomics

◈ Return of the Disaster-Class Young Lord ◈

Chapter 24 | Sorting Out

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In the Centuriate Cities, countless races existed—so many that no one could possibly know them all. Hence, people generally classified every race into three broad categories:

Lesser Races—races like elves, where awakened individuals were almost nonexistent.

Lower Races—races like orcs or beastkin, where the rate of awakened individuals was average but their birth rate was high.

Higher Races—races like the demonkin or giants, who were small in number but almost guaranteed to be born with a class and traits.

Of course, there were always exceptions—like the idiot from a mage-noble house’s direct line who never awakened, or the rare fairy high awakener. But overall, destiny in the Centuriate Cities tended to hinge on the race one was born into.

In that sense, vampires were somewhat unique. Whether a vampire was pureblood or mixed—and how potent that bloodline was—could qualify the same race as either a higher or a lower form.

Nonetheless, what never changed was the raw might of vampires in the Centuriate Cities. With the disappearance of sunlight in a world devoured by labyrinths, their greatest weakness had vanished. Even the lowest-ranked vampire still possessed awakened-level powers.

So it was little surprise that House Vlad, the Blood Night Mage lineage, maintained a top-tier rank among the Hundred Great Houses.

Crunch!

“Ugh…!”

The guard captain gritted his teeth.

When he first heard that two intruders had overpowered the gate sentries, he’d assumed the crisis would be quickly resolved. This was the Sleepless Castle, the direct stronghold of House Vlad, housing over a hundred vampires. In other words, at least a hundred awakened combatants could be mobilized at a moment’s notice.

And yet…

Crack!

“Does no one here know offensive spells? Stop that man somehow!”

“It’s no use—ugh!”

“Ordinary attacks aren’t working! Keep your distance… Deploy the net…!”

Arms snapped, legs twisted, and screams echoed from every side. One by one, dozens of vampire defenders collapsed like leaves in a storm, the scene so nightmarish it hardly seemed real.

Especially from the vantage of their guard captain, who could only watch, his limbs broken.

This is… impossible…!

He might have understood if normal weapons had no effect—races and awakeners with Physical Resistance weren’t unheard of. He could even swallow the possibility that enthrallment or other vampire abilities failed to work on this invader. But…

I poured all my aura into a single lethal strike, and he blocked it barehanded with no injury at all! Who is this monster…?

As a high-level 3-star awakened, the guard captain had unleashed his best aura slash—enough to wound or kill even a high-level if they didn’t dodge. Yet this monster had stopped it with his bare flesh, leaving the captain disarmed and maimed.

No matter how much he tried to deny it, reality was unmistakable. Even thousands of low-tier awakened fighters wouldn’t be able to bring this monster down. Possibly not even a “high-level” awakener could.

So, as he watched the intruder rampage through the Sleepless Castle as though it were deserted, the guard captain despaired.

“Move aside!!!”

Still, the rest of the guards refused to give up. While some hurled themselves at the intruder to slow him down, others hauled in a massive ballista—so heavy that it took five powerful vampire soldiers to drag it.

They aimed at the intruder and fired a siege bolt, the size of a pillar, armed with an explosive spell. When it struck—

Kwoom!

“Yes, we got him!”

“We’ve finally—”

Step.

They nearly cheered, believing they’d pinned him beneath a weapon powerful enough to pierce a fortress wall.

Instead, the intruder strolled out of the fiery blast, unscathed. Not a scratch.

The vampires froze in place, their eyes meeting his. Their throats went dry.

Boom!!!

A sudden red streak came crashing down from above—so heavy that the intruder raised an arm to block this time. The impact forced him to his knees, burying them into the ground.

The guard captain’s eyes widened.

Here was finally an attack so powerful that even this monster had to use his hands instead of relying solely on his body.

The intruder spoke for the first time.

“This is quite the sorry welcome.”

“Regrettably, our House has no rule that demands we treat uninvited guests as honored ones.”

Footsteps clicked against the stone floor. A row of cloaked knights parted, revealing a girl with brilliant blonde hair and a lavish crimson dress. She narrowed her eyes at the intruder as he stood again.

“It has been quite a while, Mad Demon.”

The guard captain gasped. At that moment, he finally understood how this intruder could be so monstrously powerful. And why it was only natural they couldn’t stop him.

This dark-haired young man was the Iron-Blooded Mad Fiend, one of the Eight Renowned and Six Malevolents. A monster who, upon coming of age, had invaded Iron-Blood City alone, slain its former lord, and become its new City Lord.

Or, more formally—

“Or should I call you Fifth Young Lord of House Unlicht?”

“Call me as you wish.” Ren Unlicht, direct scion of the famed House Unlicht, sneered. “My exalted nature remains the same.”

“That arrogant confidence of yours hasn’t changed one bit, I see.”

Whether due to his personal might or his house’s prestige, one simply did not provoke Ren Unlicht.

The onlookers swallowed, fear clenching their hearts.

Only the blonde girl, meeting his gaze head-on, spoke languidly.

“So, what’s the reason for this rampage in my castle?”

“You have to ask?”

“Of course I do. If I knew, I wouldn’t bother humoring you with a conversation.”

She implied that if she had known why he was here, she would have hacked off his limbs first and asked questions later—even if he was an Unlicht.

Ren’s face chilled.

“Such arrogance from a princess who has yet to inherit her rightful rank, Princess of Scarlet Blood fully.”

“Aren’t you forgetting where you are?” Her crimson pupils flashed. “This is Remnant Moon City. By all means, keep flaunting your family name if you wish.”

Their glares clashed, cold tension thickening the air.

Ren’s aura weighed down heavily. The girl’s own oppressive presence responded in kind. The vampires nearby gritted their teeth under the crushing pressure from both sides… until a maid, trembling behind Ren, hesitantly spoke up.

“M-My lord, perhaps you should, um… moderate yourself? We can’t lose sight of why we came.”

“You’re telling me to back down?”

“N-no, not at all! It’s just that… if you end up fighting the Princess of Scarlet Blood, we might forget our main objective.”

“Hmph.” Ren scoffed but reined in his killing intent. With an imperious sneer, he addressed the blonde girl.

“Fetch your fiancé at once. Then I’ll overlook the insolence just now.”

She blinked.

“Why are you suddenly looking for that idiot, Dion?”

“Surely you know the rules of the Centuriate Cities. If kin commit an offense, their house must punish them. You haven’t heard what trouble your fiancé caused?”

"Don’t tell me you caused all this fuss because he killed a few of your servants?"

Her eyes narrowed. Ren gave a short, derisive laugh.

“I don’t mean that.”

“Then what, exactly?”

"Your worthless fiancé killed the lord of the Little Magic City’s son, as well as his soldiers, and fled with a group of prisoners."

Silence fell across the Sleepless Castle. The princess’s crimson eyes widened. Her guards and attendants, and even the wounded lesser vampires sprawled on the floor, gaped in disbelief.

The Princess of Scarlet Blood finally voiced what they were all thinking.

“Are you seriously telling me to believe that nonsense?”

Ren said nothing.

“What’s with that face?” Elize demanded.

“You really had no idea,” Ren muttered.

Princess Elize would surely have known if Dion were actually staying here. And judging by her reaction, she clearly thought he was spouting nonsense.

Realizing at last that Dion wasn’t hiding here, Ren’s lips curled in scorn.

“Using his own fiancée as a lure. Typical of that little brother of mine.”

A cold silence lingered between them before Ren straightened.

“Enough. Out of respect for House Vlad, I’ll withdraw for now. Consider yourselves lucky that I chose only to break your limbs and not to slaughter you all.”

Acting as though he were graciously sparing them, Ren turned and swept away, the terrified maid scurrying after him.

Elize, Princess of Scarlet Blood, merely watched their retreating backs with cold eyes.

◈ REAPER SCANS ◈

Translator: Regressed Translator

Editor: leef

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Wham!

“That damned Mad Demon…!”

After restoring a semblance of order to her chaotic castle, Elize slammed a fist into a cushion in her private quarters, practically shredding it.

“Just wait. You’ll regret this rampage in my castle for a long, long time!”

She would have cut off an arm or two before letting him leave if she didn’t have to keep up appearances in the ongoing succession struggle. But picking a fight with House Unlicht carried too many political ramifications.

She let out a vexed sigh, then redirected her fury elsewhere.

“ What idiotic stunt has he pulled now?!”

Ren’s claim that Dion had killed a 3-star awakened, the son of the lord of the Little Magic City, along with his soldiers, was absurd.

Even factoring in Parsha, Dion’s personal maid, it sounded impossible. True, Ren was known as the “Mad Demon,” but he wouldn’t show up over some nonexistent rumor.

If that story was true, it meant…

"He finally decided to show off his real abilities. Fine, but how could he do something this drastic?!"

She recalled the Bat List Dion—information on her castle’s spies—had left for her. Thanks to him, she’d managed a clean sweep of traitors. At the time, she’d grown more convinced that Dion’s longtime act as a no-talent buffoon was just that. An act.

This new “accident” of his only cemented that certainty.

The idea that Dion had suddenly “become stronger” after struggling with Gerald mere days ago was ridiculous. It was far more plausible that he’d been hiding his power all along.

This made him far more promising than before, but…

“Haah… Whether then or now, the idiot always finds ways to complicate matters.”

Elize pressed a hand to her temple.

Even if Dion possessed hidden ability, it only mattered if it benefited her. If he went around stirring up trouble, it would do the opposite.

Just as Ren had stormed her castle today, Dion’s newfound power might attract further involvement from his siblings. That was the last thing she needed.

“I guess I should secure another candidate fiancé just in case.”

Fortunately—or unfortunately—her success in rooting out “Bats” had also revealed a critical trap set by her older sister, who had blocked off other prospective engagements.

Had she broken her engagement with Dion earlier, she might have been scrambling to find a new fiancé, which would have left her vulnerable. She’d narrowly avoided that snare.

Even so, she couldn’t remain fiancé-less forever. For a future heir, lacking a suitable partner was a serious problem. And if Dion got himself killed, she’d be stranded.

There was only one real issue.

“...No matter how I look at it, there’s no decent man on this list.”

She clicked her tongue, scanning the fiancé candidates her butler had compiled. She needed someone from at least the Hundred Great Houses, but most of those men were already married, with official wives and multiple concubines.

Her scheming older sister had already taken any exceptions, so the only ones left were deeply flawed.

As she eyed their details with a dissatisfied grimace, one particular entry caught her notice.

“They passed the Disaster Bride’s Groom Selection? And apparently didn’t marry her, but still ended up with a domain from it? Supposedly betrothed to a member of a Great House, so presumably from a Great House himself… Always wearing a mask from the lord of the Delightful Drama City, so people call him White-Masked Young Lord...?”

His background, race, and lineage were all mysteries. Yet his deeds made it clear that he was quite accomplished.

Elize’s eyes gleamed with interest.

Of course, it wasn’t without problems…

“If I can arrange to make him break off his engagement, he wouldn’t be a bad candidate.”

If someone let their fiancé enter the Bride’s Tournament, that meant either sheer incompetence or a bad relationship. She could probably dislodge an unworthy fiancée.

So, depending on his pedigree, maybe Elize could divorce Dion and marry this White-Masked Young Lord instead.

Contemplating the possibility, she allowed herself a self-assured smile.

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