How a Two-Life Scoundrel Lives - Chapter 122
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 122】
“What on earth are you doing this for?”
Carlisle, who had stepped back with a start, asked Gorbad.
“What are you doing this foooor?”
Gorbad glared with eyes that seemed incredulous.
“Born a Sigmund, yet showing your back to an enemy commander, and you still say such things!”
Screech–!
“Ugh.”
Carlisle instantly heard ringing in his ears and contorted his face in pain.
Gorbad’s thunderous roar was so fierce that his eardrums nearly burst.
“What was your reason for turning your back on the enemy?”
“There was no benefit to it.”
“Benefit?”
“It was already a won battle anyway, so why obsess over one-on-one combat and risk my life? It would only increase the chance of loss.”
“You bastaaaard!”
Screech–!
“Urgh.”
Carlisle covered his ears and writhed in agony.
Trickle…
As if his eardrums had burst, blood flowed steadily from his ears.
“You truly seem desperate to die, you wretch.”
“What did I do wrong to deserve this?”
“How are you any different from those Lauren bastards!”
“…?”
“A bastard who supposedly carries Sigmund blood not only shows his back to the enemy, but speaks like those Lauren bastards!”
Gorbad seemed to be reminded of the calculating and cunning Lauren Family from Carlisle’s words and actions.
“I’ll thoroughly fix that wicked habit of yours.”
“There’s really no need to…”
“Die!”
Gorbad swung her staff once again.
“…!”
Startled, Carlisle instinctively lowered his stance.
Flash!
A brilliant light flickered, and something chilling swept over Carlisle’s head.
And then…
Crack, craaack!
The wall behind Carlisle, the thick stone wall, split in two and began to crumble.
* * *
Crash, boom!
Rumble rumble rumble!
Clatter crash!
The inner castle was thrown into chaos by the sudden commotion.
“Deploy!”
“Move swiftly!”
The Knights of Decaron came rushing out in droves and raced toward the incident site.
And it wasn’t just the knights.
The retainers and direct bloodline of House Sigmund also rushed to the scene faster than anyone.
And the sight they witnessed was truly devastating.
“My, my goodness.”
“What on earth happened…!”
The scene spread before their eyes was nothing other than [ruins].
Wooden fragments that were once furniture were scattered everywhere, the building had collapsed completely leaving only debris, and thick dust severely limited visibility.
It was a scene sufficient to make anyone mistake it for the aftermath of high-level attack magic.
“Young Master, Young Master!”
“Young Masterrr!”
“Big brother!”
Just as Maranello, Evangeline, and Beatrice were calling out for Carlisle and trying to approach the incident site.
“Stop.”
Gorbad, holding her staff, blocked the path of Maranello’s group.
“Elder…?”
Maranello recognized Gorbad and was startled.
“It’s been a long time, Sir Maranello. You’ve grown quite old yourself now.”
“What brings you here, Elder?”
“What brings me here, indeed.”
Gorbad smiled wickedly.
“I heard some good-for-nothing was tarnishing our family’s honor, so I kicked off my coffin lid and crawled out.”
“Haha…”
Maranello understood Gorbad’s meaning and let out a hollow laugh.
Gorbad was someone who had left Decaron a few years ago, saying she wanted to see the world before dying.
For such a Gorbad to return to Decaron meant she had heard rumors about Carlisle and her blood had boiled in reverse.
As the family’s elder and eldest member, she surely couldn’t stand to watch a good-for-nothing like Carlisle damage the family’s honor any longer.
“Great-aunt!”
“Grandmother!”
Selena and Frey, who arrived late, recognized Gorbad and shouted.
“Oh my, my dear children. Have you been well?”
Gorbad smiled broadly and sent affectionate gazes toward Selena and Frey.
“Right now this old woman needs to give that good-for-nothing a proper beating, so let’s talk a little later. Hohoho.”
Just then.
“…Urgh!”
Carlisle pushed aside the collapsed stones and raised himself up.
Carlisle’s appearance was truly a sight to behold.
His hair was disheveled, his clothes were torn and tattered, and his entire body was covered in bright red bruises.
Moreover, he was bleeding from various places, making it clear he had suffered serious injuries.
“Did you all come to watch the show? Stop paying attention here and go back to your training.”
Gorbad waved her hand dismissively at the gathered crowd, shooing them away.
“You have our gratitude. Well then, we’ll be going now. Haha.”
Maranello obediently withdrew.
When a great elder of the family was going to correct a scoundrel’s behavior, it wasn’t his place as head servant to interfere.
Starting with Maranello, all those who had gathered departed, leaving only Carlisle and Gorbad at the scene.
“Already getting up? You should have taken a nice long nap while you were at it. For a good-for-nothing like you, sleeping forever would have been fine.”
“…Damn, shit.”
Carlisle couldn’t help but let out a curse.
And for good reason, as from Carlisle’s perspective, Gorbad’s behavior was nothing but one-sided violence.
He was working hard for the safety and prosperity of House Sigmund in his own way, yet this old hag who appeared out of nowhere was using violence against him.
“Tsk. Such foul language.”
Gorbad sneered coldly.
“It seems you haven’t learned your lesson yet. How dare you curse at this old woman.”
“What’s there I can’t do. Damn it.”
Carlisle used Grimgand as a staff to lift himself up.
“Butler, are you okay?”
The baby dragon fluttered over, asking worriedly.
“I’m not okay. Can’t you see? Ugh.”
“Should I help?”
“No need.”
Carlisle shook his head.
“I’ll handle it myself, so stay back. Don’t get hurt unnecessarily.”
“But…”
“I said stay back.”
As Carlisle spoke, purple flames blazed in his eyes.
Thump thump thump!
His heart rate rapidly increased.
Crackle, crackle!
Electric currents flowed around Carlisle’s body.
Berserker State.
It was the privilege of those with Sigmund bloodline.
Slowly…
The wounds all over Carlisle’s body began to rapidly regenerate.
“Tsk.”
Gorbad didn’t even blink despite Carlisle activating Berserker State, and instead clicked her tongue.
“To activate Berserker State just to heal such minor wounds. You’re truly pathetic.”
“…”
Carlisle didn’t respond to Gorbad’s mockery.
“I don’t know what you’re clinging to this world for, but I’ll send you to your coffin myself, old hag.”
Saying this, Carlisle closed the distance with Gorbad at tremendous speed.
Whoooosh!
Grimgand broke the sound barrier with a roar, aiming for Gorbad’s neck area.
Sonic Loyalty.
It was the ultimate thrust Carlisle had created through training with Maranello.
Swish, Gorbad slightly twisted her body to dodge Sonic Loyalty.
Though it was a thrust so fast it was barely visible, she evaded it with minimal movement.
“Ho, you may lack in other areas, but your thrusting technique is first-rate. Did you only eat and practice thrusting?”
“…!”
“But you know…”
Gorbad flicked Grimgand’s blade away with her staff and said.
“Can you really call yourself a Sigmund with just that much!”
Crack!
Crunch!
“…!”
Carlisle was in too much pain to even scream.
Gorbad’s staff had shattered his shoulder and split his collarbone in half.
Of course, the wound regenerated instantly thanks to Berserker State, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel the pain.
‘Why the hell did this damn old hag show up. If things had gone as originally… Ah.’
Carlisle realized why a person named Gorbad had appeared.
If history had flowed as originally intended, Carlisle van Sigmund should have died in an accident.
If that had happened, Gorbad would never have heard rumors about Carlisle and returned to Decaron.
But because Carlisle survived due to the possession, Gorbad heard the news and eventually made her way to Decaron.
In other words, Gorbad’s appearance was purely a variable caused by Carlisle’s survival.
“Before I die, I’ll make a proper person out of you and then enter my coffin. Ho ho ho.”
Gorbad smiled eerily and swung her staff toward Carlisle.
* * *
That night.
Grand Duke Guntram had a private conversation with his aunt Gorbad.
“I’m truly sorry for causing you trouble, Aunt.”
“Causing trouble? How can the head of the family say such things?”
“As someone who bears the title of family head, I failed to properly educate my child and caused you trouble. How could I not feel sorry?”
“Don’t say such things.”
Gorbad shook her head.
“How can child-rearing go as one wishes? Still, you saved two of them, so you can’t call it failed parenting.”
“However…”
“Stop worrying. This aunt will thoroughly correct that boy’s manners.”
“I understand your intentions, Aunt, but completely reforming him is nearly impossible. If you push him too hard, he might choose death instead.”
“Then I’ll just beat him daily, but not enough to kill him.”
“Pardon…?”
“This old woman has her ways, so the family head can rest easy. I’ll make reforming that boy as a member of House Sigmund my final life’s wish.”
“Haha…”
Grand Duke Guntram could only laugh.
There was no doubt that Carlisle was an incorrigible and irredeemable scoundrel.
However, Gorbad was also famous for being stubborn and having a violent temperament.
With such a Gorbad determined to grab Carlisle and fix his manners, his head already ached thinking about how chaotic things would become.
“Don’t worry too much. The reform I speak of doesn’t mean fixing his temperament.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Having one scoundrel in our family? I’m not particularly opposed to that.”
“Pardon…?”
“I don’t know what the family head thinks, but this old woman believes our family has lived too honestly. Isn’t it true that since the Chaos King, we’ve become the royal family’s loyal dogs, only being used?”
“…”
“Despite having great power, how long have we spent bowing our heads, watching the royal family’s mood, and trembling with fear of being caught?”
Gorbad’s voice was filled with anger, as if the mere thought made her furious.
This was close to the average sentiment of Northerners regarding their history of humiliation.
The resentment about being subordinated to and exploited by the royal family.
“I think it’s not bad for our family to have one heretic like him.”
“Why do you think so?”
“As you well know, the world isn’t so beautiful. Because of that, there are countless things we can’t do under the Sigmund name. But what about him?”
“…!”
“Since the world already sees him as a disowned child, wouldn’t it be perfect to claim whatever he does has nothing to do with our family?”
In other words, she expected Carlisle to take on the role of a killing sword, handling the dirty work that House Sigmund couldn’t do.
“But he lacks the qualifications for such a role. The reform I speak of means gaining the capability to take on that role. Namely, the ‘strength’ befitting a Sigmund.”
A meaningful smile appeared on Gorbad’s wrinkled lips.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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