◈ REAPER SCANS ◈
Translator: Regressed Translator
Editor: leef
Discord: https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
◈ Return of the Disaster-Class Young Lord ◈
Chapter 31 | Visit (2)
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Reputation.
It’s worthless as raw currency, yet at times, it’s also the most priceless thing of all.
Even awakened of the same caliber earn vastly different fees depending on their renown, and for nobles, reputation itself is power. That’s why the top figures in the Centuriate Cities, the so-called Eight Renowned and Six Malevolents, are highly sought after—and why countless nobles spare neither money nor effort to join their ranks.
“So you’re claiming I’m actually Dion Unlicht…”
If fame is profitable, then infamy becomes a liability.
From that perspective, Naru’s statement was beyond bold—downright shocking, in fact.
The white-masked young lord was no small figure. He had distinguished himself by passing the Disaster Bride’s Groom Selection and was rumored to be from one of the Hundred Great Houses. To suggest that such a person was actually the disgrace of the infamous Unlicht family, once regarded as the greatest laughingstock in the Centuriate Cities, was outrageous.
Had Naru been speaking to any other noble, he might have been run through on the spot for such an affront.
“That’s quite a wild guess,” Dion said.
“It’s simply a rational deduction.”
“Oh? In what way?”
“First off, there’s the matter of your alleged ‘noble birth.’”
Despite the audacity of his claim, Naru didn’t back down. He exuded confidence as he explained, “If you really were from one of the Hundred Great Houses, I can’t imagine why you’d hide it.”
“Perhaps to avoid interference from my siblings?”
“Even so, revealing your House is typically more advantageous. You’re suggesting your case is outside the ‘typical’ scenario, meaning you carry such a severe stigma that you’d prefer to hide it. And the only House from the Hundred Great Houses with such a notorious shame would be the ‘Disgrace of Unlicht.’”
“Not necessarily the only possibility,” Dion mused, “but you think it’s the most likely?”
“Yes. The direct heirs to the Hundred Great Houses were already well-known. It would be rare for someone to stand out suddenly, and even rarer for them to conceal their identity.”
Moreover…
“Above all, the dark elves are the key piece of evidence,” Naru added.
“How so?”
“Did you know there was a mass disappearance of dark elves from Little Magic City not long ago?”
“I didn’t.”
“Well, you likely know your personal maid is a dark elf. If the dark elves now residing in Sleeping Dragon Manor are the same ones who went missing from Little Magic City… that points to you.”
Naru cast a glance at the veiled dark elf maid standing behind Dion. Given the rarity of elven races—especially an entire group of dark elves—there could be no other explanation for the manor’s new residents.
After quietly listening to Naru’s reasoning, Dion chuckled softly.
“Even if your theory is a stretch, you do have keen ears.”
Little Magic City and Unnatural City were far apart. One had to pass through multiple gates and cities to travel between them. Even with the paths relatively synchronized, the journey would take weeks. If the timing was off, it could take months.
It was impressive for Naru to have gathered such intelligence. Not only had he learned of the dark elves’ disappearance from a distant domain, but he had also pieced together flimsy clues to break through “common sense” and identify the white-masked young lord as none other than the rumored disgrace of Unlicht.
Dion regarded him with interest.
“Which brings us to this point. You want to ‘provide me with information’ because…?”
“Simply put, we want a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
“A mutual arrangement?”
“Yes. You plan to use Sleeping Dragon Manor as a base of operations for mercenary work, to expand your power, right?”
Parsha narrowed her eyes. Turning the manor into a mercenary group had been one of Dion’s stated goals from the start.
At first, it had seemed like a pipe dream. Yet with Dion’s rise to a high-level awakened and his recruitment of some 30 awakened slaves, that plan had become feasible.
He had already demonstrated his strength by subjugating so many bandits and wanted criminals.
Furthermore, awakeners were valuable assets in any domain. Sending them out for short-term assignments could fetch a hefty price.
The only catch was…
“Which means that what you need most right now is a broker. Someone who can secure jobs and pass along reliable info.”
Simply having the power to do the work didn’t mean jobs would magically fall into his lap. An ordinary noble would rely on familial connections. But Dion was hiding his identity. He couldn’t count on his family’s network.
Moreover, he had no allies or supporters in the region around Unnatural City.
That was precisely why he had been selling captured bandits to Kettlik and hunting wanted criminals. It served as an “advertisement” to lure in people with the information he lacked.
“We, the Guild, can fill that role for you.”
“In return, when you need our help, I lend my power?”
“That’s right. Our Guild lacks awakened. Especially noble-born partners.”
In the Centuriate Cities, there were non-noble organizations formed by the lower classes, united by profession rather than blood.
For instance…
The Hao Gate of the Martial Capital.
The Temple of Odd Gods in the Outskirts Capital.
The Scramble of the Spirit Capital.
The Imae Mangryang of the Phantom Capital.
And the Guild of the Magical Capital.
These organizations had fewer awakeners, but plenty of ordinary folk. Unlike nobles bound to their domains, they spanned multiple cities, granting them broader information networks.
If Dion collaborated with them, it would be a great boon.
Dion tapped his finger lightly against the table, then finally nodded.
“It’s not a bad offer.”
“Right?”
“But that doesn’t mean I have to partner with you guys.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. For all the Guild’s wide info network, it lacks the depth of a true aristocratic house. That’s why you came crawling to me, a masked nobody, instead of forming connections with established nobles.”
“Well, but—”
“Plus, I have another option.”
“Another option?”
“Marriage.”
Marriage was the classic way for nobles to forge alliances, whether with commoners or aristocrats.
After all, Dion already had a potential fiancée, so why bother partnering with the Guild? He asked this in an almost playful manner.
At that, Naru paused, blinking a few times before his eyes darted to Dion’s expression, as if realizing something.
“If you’re referring to marrying the Disaster Bride, I’m afraid that might be difficult.”
“Why?”
“Remember the rumor that triggered all those bandit raids on the manor—the one that said you were a swindler?”
“Yeah.”
Even though it ended up being a “blessing in disguise,” that was only because the Sleeping Dragon Manor had far greater capacity than people imagined. A weaker domain might have suffered serious losses, or even been wiped out.
Naru nonchalantly revealed the source of that ill-fated rumor.
“That rumor was actually spread by the lord of Fallen Wolf City.”
◈ REAPER SCANS ◈
Translator: Regressed Translator
Editor: leef
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The Fallen Wolf City
An orc sat within a massive tent deep inside the city, nursing a drink.
Far larger than other orcs and sporting a white beard, the elderly orc set aside his oddly shaped wine cup. As a maid stepped forward to refill it, he spoke in a low, rumbling voice.
“So the Sleeping Dragon Manor still stands?”
“Indeed, my lord,” the maid replied.
“Kruhuhu. I see.”
Kneeling before him was a strikingly beautiful woman with a blindfold—Pandora. She answered politely, and Urk, the lord of Fallen Wolf City, nodded.
“As expected, your instincts were correct.”
“They hardly compare to Father’s wisdom, I assure you.”
“You can drop the modesty. To be honest, I had my doubts when I heard he’d turned down your… shall we say, enticement.”
“That failure only speaks to my own shortcomings.”
“Hardly. It merely shows how cunning that young lord must be—to fool even you.”
Taking a hearty bite of a chicken leg, Urk let out a gravelly chuckle.
“Though he wields significant power, he still pretended to be so scared of bandits that he’d run away, only to capture and sell them all. On top of that, he started hunting wanted criminals. That isn’t just might—it’s slyness worthy of a great noble.”
He downed his cup of liquor in a single gulp and set it aside.
“It’s not bad.”
“But there’s no definitive evidence the white-masked young lord actually hails from the Hundred Great Houses,” Pandora pointed out.
“Which is all the better. If he isn’t from the Hundred Great Houses, it’ll be that much easier for us to pull him into our fold.”
She remained silent.
Urk leaned forward slightly. “So, Pandora, try getting closer to the white-masked young lord.”
“To find out which House he belongs to, you mean?”
“Exactly. If I conclude that he’d be of use to our House, I don’t mind forging even deeper ties.”
He spoke with a casual air.
The Hundred Great Houses ruled the Centuriate Cities from behind the scenes. Even high-ranking nobles had to be cautious when forging ties with them. But Pandora’s personal approach posed no risk.
Pandora and the white-masked young lord had already crossed paths during the Groom Selection. Moreover, it was only natural for two young people to develop a friendly rapport, especially when they found each other appealing.
If there was any potential snag…
“So what if, in the end, we decide he isn’t useful?”
Pandora posed the question delicately. If the white-masked young lord wasn’t from the Hundred Great Houses—or even if he was, but offered no benefit to Fallen Wolf City—what then?
Urk didn’t reply right away.
He simply set his empty cup down with a heavy thud and returned a question.
“Surely there’s no need to ask that?”
“…No, my lord.”
“Then off you go. We’ll discuss the white-masked young lord once this Hunting Festival is over.”
“Yes, Father.”
Pandora bowed and departed the tent of bone and hide.
Urk watched her go for a long while, his hollow gaze trailing after her. Then, he reached for the grotesque cup made from the skull of the previous Lord of Fallen Wolf City—Pandora’s adoptive father, now long dead. His fingers traced its rough surface as he sank deep into thought.
* * *
Back at the Manor.
“I know that already.”
“…You do?”
Blink.
“Wait, you knew Lord Urk was behind spreading that rumor?”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t?”
Naru stared at him with a confused look.
“C’mon, how many people do you think know about the presence of dark elves in my domain?”
The dark elves had moved to the Sleeping Dragon Manor under utmost secrecy—practically smuggling themselves in. Both Arsha and Dion had been extremely careful not to leave a trail of clues.
Even in the Fallen Wolf City, so near the manor, only a handful of people knew the truth…
People like the soldiers who controlled the gates… or the Cortel family, who had access to those records. And among that select group, only a few would dare pull a stunt like this.
“Of course the prospective father-in-law would test the ‘thief’ who took over his domain, right?”
“I... I guess that makes sense?”
Naru’s expression revealed his confusion—aristocratic logic was clearly baffling to a commoner. Dion narrowed his eyes.
“So?”
“…So, what?”
“Is that all the Guild knows about that rumor? You haven’t gleaned their real intentions?”
“T-Their real intentions…?”
“Hmph… so you don’t know.”
Dion made a show of looking disappointed. That was enough to rattle Naru, who had been so self-assured until now.
“Sorry, but if the Guild’s intel is only at that level, there’s not much value in working together.”
“Whaaat?!”
“In other words, I need to give you a little test.”
“A t-test?”
Naru’s bunny ears twitched in alarm at Dion’s unexpected remark.
Dion, his face brimming with amusement, leaned forward and asked,
“How much do you know about the upcoming Hunting Festival at the Devil’s Tree Manor?”
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