My Disciples Became Scoundrels - Chapter 109

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A subtle smile played at the corners of Dein’s mouth as he regarded Merlin. Now it became clear.
‘Dein encouraged the Duchess to hold this gathering?’
Not that understanding changed anything. Merlin bowed his head to the Duchess.
“My apologies for the late arrival, Your Grace.”
“Not at all. Please, sit wherever you’d like.”
A strange tension hung over the dining table, mingling with the fragrant aroma of black tea. None of the Guild Masters had yet touched their teacups.
Among them sat Greta, master of the Rending Lions.
She had recently climbed back to Gold Grade after establishing solid results. Her expression, too, was decidedly uneasy.
‘Did the others come expecting sponsorship without knowing what this was about?’
They all wore the faces of those who believed patronage awaited them. The Duchess absently stroked the head of the black panther at her side.
“As I mentioned in my letter, I’m searching for a new sponsorship recipient. You see, Dein declined my patronage.”
Several Masters turned their heads toward Dein. Even Greta, who had kept her gaze fixed forward, felt her shoulders stiffen. Merlin, too, could not hide his surprise.
‘He refused the Morvan Duke House’s sponsorship? But why?’
Dein alone remained unhurried. The Duchess poured milk into his teacup as she continued.
“I hadn’t particularly intended to sponsor elsewhere, but then Dein made me a most amusing proposition.”
An almost childlike light gleamed in the Duchess’s eyes.
“He says he’d like to reach Gold Grade, but there’s no vacancy. So I thought, if one of you might be willing to yield your position……”
None dared affirm or refute. No matter that the proposal came from the Duchess herself, it was not something any could simply accept.
Just as the Masters held back from outright refusal, Greta broke the silence.
“I’m afraid that’s impossible. My guild members and I have sacrificed greatly to reach this point.”
There was not the slightest hint of deference in her tone—an answer bordering on disrespect. Yet the Duchess merely laughed.
“How spirited. I do love lions. I kept one once, years ago. Only lasted a year, though.”
The black panther rumbled from where it lay at her feet, sounding for all the world like an enormous cat, yet the vibration held an unmistakable threat.
“Of course, I don’t mean for you to simply yield. If you were to defeat Dein in a contest, and should one of you win……”
The Duchess’s fingertips traced gently along the panther’s jaw.
“I would become that guild’s patron.”
The gleam in the Masters’ eyes shifted. They looked now like gamblers taking their seats at a table.
The patronage of the Morvan Duke House was a tempting prize. In the warming air, the Duchess smiled with satisfaction.
Merlin quietly fidgeted with the handle of his teacup.
‘He’s turned her nature against her so skillfully. To her, all of this is merely a game, but……’
A woman who keeps beasts for amusement and guilds for curiosity. A woman who pours vast sums into her pets’ welfare.
Greta, who had been silent a moment, finally spoke.
“What is the nature of this contest?”
“Conquering the Cradle Dungeon. Whoever defeats the Boss and brings back proof wins.”
The Cradle Dungeon. A Platinum Grade dungeon—one tier above Gold.
“Oh, and only guild leaders will go. You’re all strong enough, so that shouldn’t be an issue, yes?”
As the Duchess picked up a sugar cube with tongs, it clinked against the bowl. Into the ensuing quiet, Merlin raised his hand.
“I shall participate.”
There was some burden to tackling a high-tier dungeon alone.
Yet he had ventured into the Cradle before as a support member. More than that—it was a dungeon uniquely favorable to him.
‘The Cradle spawns Spirit-form creatures. A mage’s hunting ground turned playground.’
Monsters stripped of flesh and bone, drifting as pure essence. With no body to cut and no bones to break, blades and blunt weapons held no purchase.
Only attacks infused with magical power had any effect. For mages, the dungeon was less a trial than recreation.
‘I have a real chance at this. For swordsmen, it’s treacherous ground. But……’
Not a ripple disturbed the tea in Dein’s cup. He merely gazed at the assembled company with perfect calm.
‘There’s something beneath the surface with Dein Balanus.’
Even with that suspicion, Merlin did not lower his hand. Rather, it was Greta who raised hers.
“I should like to participate as well.”
“Splendid. So the two of you?”
With Greta committed, the rest fell into line one after another.
Soon all six had raised their hands. The Duchess’s face bloomed with satisfaction.
“Such fighting spirit in all of you. Wonderful. Then do come to the Cradle on the appointed date.”
The gathering was over. Only two teacups sat empty on the table—the Duchess’s and Dein’s. Only two remained in the dining hall.
“Dein, are you certain? Spirit-form monsters, and six contestants……”
The Duchess spoke through a bite of biscuit, her tone tinged with concern yet bright with excitement.
Dein sipped his milk-sweetened tea.
“More people should make it more interesting for you, so I’m quite pleased.”
“But what if you lose?”
“Has a beast chosen by Your Grace ever lost?”
The cookie snapped and crumbled. The Duchess laughed with half of it still in her mouth.
“This is why I can only raise beasts.”
* * *
The entrance to the Cradle was a ruined fortress.
The stone walls built by craftsmen had collapsed. Tapestries that once hung beautifully were fraying, their threads unraveling and crumbling away.
No one remembers the castle’s former master now. People simply call it the Cradle.
A black void filled what remained of the central hall. It was the entrance to the Dungeon.
I sat on a broken wall and inspected my sword. I rubbed the blade with an oil-soaked cloth.
The other Guild Masters were silent, checking their equipment. Then someone abruptly spoke up.
“Did you prepare well, Dein? I’m curious how you’ve gotten ready.”
It was the Duchess. She wore a lavish dress that seemed at odds with the ruins. I turned my blade slightly to show her.
“I’ve kept the edge sharp.”
“Hmm. If you channel Mana and attack, you can cut Spirit-forms too, right? But you know you can’t win with just that.”
The Duchess tapped beneath her eyes with her index finger.
“Without Magic Eyes, how will you face Spirit-forms with only a sword?”
All magical beasts have a core. Even Spirit-forms have a vital point called a Spirit Core.
But it’s difficult to see with the naked eye. It’s a mass woven together by Magical Power.
Only sorcerers have Magic Eyes; most people don’t. We can only gauge Magical Power by the energy that brushes against our skin.
“Did you happen to buy Magic Eye Liquid? I suspect most others have.”
Magic Eye Liquid temporarily opens the Magic Eyes. As the Duchess said, most likely everyone had purchased some.
The Duchess’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. At that interest, I smiled silently.
“If I tell you beforehand, it won’t be fun. You’ll see it all through the Memory Stone anyway.”
“That’s true. I’m disappointed I can’t watch directly, but I’m excited nonetheless.”
The departure time had come. The Guild Masters, finished with their preparations, approached the black void.
Everyone’s eyes tangled in midair. They looked like predators thrust into the same cage. The Duchess waved her hand.
“Have fun out there!”
With those words, everyone leaped into the darkness.
When I opened my eyes, the ground beneath my feet was solid. A castle interior appeared before me—pristine and unblemished, utterly unlike what lay above.
No collapsed sections, no cracks anywhere. A ceiling that stretched impossibly high, brightness flooding in from fixtures scattered throughout.
A carpet lay long across the corridor, clean of dust or stain. It seemed as though an elegant noblewoman in a fine dress might walk out from beyond it at any moment.
Beside me were Merlin and a Guild Master with a bow. The others were nowhere in sight.
The two of them broke into a run the moment they assessed the situation. I quickened my pace as well.
Though I was visiting the Cradle for the first time, I had Bella.
「Master, I’ve gathered information about the Cradle. I even have a map. The Boss emerges from the Audience Chamber, so you just need to head there.」
Thanks to Bella, I’d memorized the entire map. When it came to information, that girl had no equal.
I ran forward without hesitation. Merlin, whose physical abilities were inferior, fell furthest behind.
Then the air down the corridor shimmered. Someone draped in a translucent veil floated up into the void. The space beyond its torso showed through.
「The main creatures that appear are Spirit-form beasts—Ghosts.」
―Aaaaaaaa!
The Ghost shrieked, dragging a tattered dress behind it. The sound was loud enough to rupture eardrums.
Blue hands crawled out from the walls, the floor, the gaps between columns. A slimy cold washed over me.
I raised my sword. The archer leaped straight up, his foot pressing against a column. His weight clung to the marble as if gravity had forgotten him.
―Crash!
An arrow curved through the air and pierced the Ghost. The moment the Spirit Core shattered, its form scattered in an instant.
As arrows rained down, blue hands surged to within inches of my face.
I closed my eyes, then opened them. A scorching sensation flooded my pupils, and the color of the world transformed.
Blue veins like cords appeared on the translucent bodies. The tendrils radiated outward from a single point.
In human terms, something resided roughly at the solar plexus.
A clump of pale blue light. A Spirit Core. The instant I aimed my blade at them.
―Boom!
An explosion erupted, filling the corridor with violet metallic dust.
Microscopic particles burrowed into my eyes. A sharp sting pierced through. The archer yelped and stumbled backward.
“Ugh, the Magic Eyes…?!”
My unobstructed arrows abruptly ceased. At the same moment, the Ghosts began to rampage.
―Aaaaa!
They erupted from all directions, targeting the archer and me. He fired in rapid succession, frantic. The Ghosts struck by arrows only flinched; they didn’t vanish.
Violet particles streamed from between Merlin’s fingers. A powder that nullified the effects of Magic Eye Liquid.
He smiled wickedly and moved his hands.
―Boom!
The moment Merlin formed the hand seal, an explosion detonated. The Ghosts twisted and writhed, burning in the flames.
My breath caught in the sudden heat. While the Ghosts faltered before the flames.
Merlin bolted toward the opposite exit. He meant to dump them on us and run.
I had no intention of letting him. The Ghosts blocked my path, but that hardly mattered.
Slash!
The moment my blade sang through the air, the Ghosts split cleanly in two. Their Spirit Cores shattered with them.
“You brought expensive goods, Merlin. Must have stretched yourself thin, given your circumstances.”
My reflection flashed in the steel—my eyes blazed. Opalescent light rippled across my pupils.
Our gazes locked. Merlin’s face drained of color.
“Dein Balanus—you had Magic Eyes from the start?”
I didn’t answer. I’m not the type to explain myself piece by piece.
And the Duchess had her own share of crooked nature.
I learned the Dungeon to conquer was the Cradle the same day as the tea gathering.
I had no Magic Eyes. There was a way to buy Magic Eye Liquid, but others could purchase it just as easily.
Any path everyone can see crumbles just as easily. So I chose a different way.
The day I returned from the gathering, I summoned my disciples and spoke.
“I’m going to awaken my Magic Eyes. Help me train.”
“That training will take considerable time—can you manage it within the deadline?”
Arkel looked skeptical. I nodded firmly.
“It’s possible. Just drive me for twenty-four hours straight, ten days running.”
There is one advantage to having a broken body.
I cannot sleep.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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