The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 254: Five Stars (2)

[★★★★★]

The quests of five stars ended disappointingly easily.

‘I thought it would be easy for me, but… this was hella trippy..’

Just as Vikir turned away with a disappointed heart, Hugo called out to him.

“Hey. Son. Since you’re home after a long time, how about getting a ‘promotion’ before you leave?”

Hugo, while petting Pomeranian, spoke to Vikir, causing one of Vikir’s eyebrows to twitch.

Promotion. It literally means rising in the position within the family.

“From now on, you are appointed as a ‘Senate Member.'”

Hugo casually made an extraordinary statement.

“….”

Vikir remained silent for a moment.

What is a Senate Member?

Unlike the House Members who mainly handle family affairs and take care of numerous hunting dogs, Senate Members hold significant power, overseeing both internal and external matters. In fact, apart from the Patriarch and the Young Lord, Senate Members are practically at the top, even surpassing the Marquis and Elders.

Considering that Marquises and Elders need to climb up to Count and House Members to reach the level of Senate Members, Senate Members can be considered the true leaders of the family.

“Probably, even if you dig into the family history for about a hundred years, you would be the youngest Senate Member.”

“Thank you. I will do my best.”

Vikir nodded quietly at Hugo’s words.

Even though he seemed a bit foolish since the arrival of Pomeranian, Hugo was indeed a determined person. In promoting Vikir to a Senate Member, he had also thought about Vikir’s future responsibilities.

“Even though you’ve become a Senate Member, you can freely roam around for a while. Your duty remains as the ‘Special Envoy.'”

Currently, Vikir was not recognized as an ‘Academy Student’ within the Baskerville family but was working as a ‘Special Agent’ in the Academy. While HighBro, MiddleBro, and LowBro had genuinely gone to the Academy for their studies, Vikir’s task was to identify and covertly eliminate forces opposing Baskerville in the Academy.

Being a ‘Colosseo Academy student’ was just a cover among the various disguises of an agent.

Hugo continued speaking.

“I’ll extend the mission period as much as you want. However, if you determine that the mission is complete, come back to the family and take up official duties. The position of the Magistrate of the Underdog city is still vacant.”

“Yes.”

With this, Vikir became a real powerhouse at the age of 18, a Senate Member.

As a Senate Member, he could enjoy tremendous privileges.

Firstly, he could appoint up to 8 aides at his discretion without reporting to anyone.

If someone became an aide, he would be officially recognized as a member of the Baskerville family and could use the Baskerville surname. However, appointing more than 8 aides required reporting to the family and obtaining permission, but it was not impossible.

To his aides, Vikir can teach Baskerville-style martial arts up to 4th style, and they are provided with all conveniences related to medicine, food, and housing. They enjoy generous salaries, vehicle support, full transportation coverage, tax exemptions, and privileges such as the authority to access Imperial military secrets of Grade 2 and above, as well as the power to recruit civilians for war duties.

They can independently command conscripted or dispatched military personnel, forming their own armed forces.

Now that Vikir has become a Senate Member, he can establish his own Task Force (TF). He already had some members in mind.

“Cindywendy, Chihuahua, Minipin… I should recruit them first.”

With CindiWendy’s economic acumen, Chihuahua’s administrative expertise, and Minipin’s mastery of terrain and monster ecology, the team would be significantly strengthened.

“And there are many talented individuals among Ballak tribe as well.”

The first face that came to mind was Aiyen, with her archery skills that could shoot down mosquitoes hundreds of steps away. In addition to her, there were warriors and sorcerers in the red and black mountain area who were exceptionally skilled, enough to surprise the Empire.

Vikir closed his eyes, envisioning events far into the future.

“First, CindiWendy. I’ll need her help soon.”

Although Vikir had previously declined CindiWendy’s assistance, even in urgent financial situations, it seemed that he would soon need her financial support. It was the intuition of a seasoned hunter.

At that moment, Hugo interrupted Vikir’s thoughts.

“So, did you achieve anything in the Academy?”

Vikir gave the answer Hugo was expecting.

“As I reported earlier. I assassinated 174 key figures in various factions plotting against the Baskerville family in the last quarter. These include the false report submitted to the Emperor by the Seth Faction that tried to cut off Baskerville’s financial resources through embezzlement and tax evasion, and the key personnel of the Information Guild who attempted to extract Baskerville’s military secrets. All were eliminated across three quarters, with no incidents, deaths, or traces left behind, of course.”

All 174 individuals were demons or collaborators with demons. Vikir hadn’t laid a finger on those who were simply hostile to Baskerville without allying with demons. Yet, even this achievement was staggering.

Hugo nodded with a satisfied smile and then added something peculiar.

“Besides that…”

“?”

“Are you attending the academy properly?”

Hugo’s subtle gaze lingered on Vikir.

“Did you meet any girls at school?”

“??”

“Other young lords go to the academy and have relationships. They call it CC (College Couple) or something.”

“???”

Vikir unconsciously furrowed his brow. However, Hugo just chuckled.

“Osiris seems to have some girl he’s meeting, but he won’t spill the details. No answer even when asked. That’s why I don’t know when I’ll get a grandson.”

“….”

“You should do better too. Early marriage is the answer.”

Vikir felt an eerie shiver down his spine at Hugo’s display, which seemed so unfamiliar. Even with memories from a past life, it felt too different—alien, even. So, Vikir quickly changed the topic.

“…By the way, how about the favor I asked?”

“Hmm. Talking about erasing the past?”

Hugo stroked his neatly braided beard.

Vikir had requested Hugo to erase any traces of his past, such as the statue erected at the Red Castle and the existence of Vikir as a Baskerville hunting dog, before he left for the academy.

“Well, I’ve already been carefully controlling rumors about your past. According to public opinion, ‘Vikir of the Baskerville Clan’ is treated as a baseless rumor created by the Baskerville family to show off.”

Upon hearing Hugo’s words, Vikir nodded his head. Among Baskerville’s hunting dogs, many figures would briefly appear and then suddenly disappear.

So many are born, and so many die, as it goes. Of course, with Vikir appearing and Hugo’s personality changing, such drastic changes no longer occurred. However, Vikir was briefly mentioned as a fleeting rumor during that short moment of change.

The commendation received from the imperial palace was also distributed in the hundreds or thousands each year, and originally, awards like that were something only the recipient remembered, with others quickly forgetting.

Although the residents of the Underdog City still missed and commemorated Vikir, it wasn’t something Vikir paid much attention to.

“Regardless, it seems my past has been thoroughly erased.”

“That’s right. With the special task force agents still working, you no longer need to worry about being exposed due to rumors. Well, few loose-lipped troublemakers have already been dealt with.”

Hugo left the decision of whether to keep his Baskerville identity hidden and when to reveal it entirely up to Vikir.

The promotion ceremony ended simply and discreetly.

“Uncle!”

Pomeranian suddenly barged into the conversation.

“I want to go for a walk!”

Vikir looked down at Pomeranian’s hand, wondering what was going on.

Pomeranian held a small book.

[100 Favorite Myths for Children]

Pomeranian opened a chapter, revealing a faded myth.

[The Return of the Magic Hound of Morg]

It was a fragment of an ancient myth that had now been forgotten, a tale from the obscure corners of history, covering the story of ‘Trece Morg,’ one of Morg’s distant ancestors.

Pomeranian showed Vikir an illustration in that part.

There, a withered tree, drawn in a dark shade.

‘Ghostwood,’ a legendary artifact that every black mage would dream about. The strange tree allegedly planted by the master sorcerer Trece.

“I want to go for a walk!”

Pomeranian looked at Vikir with sparkling eyes.

Feeling uneasy, Vikir turned his head slightly, and there he saw Hugo, looking intently at something.

“I don’t know what it is, but bring it back, son.”

“…”

“I’d go myself, but I can’t leave due to the current tension with Morg. It’s a good opportunity for us as Baskerville to expand our influence during this chaos.”

Hugo threw something at Vikir.

…Thud!

It was the ‘Crimson Horn,’ a formidable item that could control all military power of Baskerville.

Vikir, caught off guard by the unexpected situation, hesitated for a moment, but Hugo was serious.

“If needed, send out the entire Knight Order. Go and bring back what Pomeranian wants. Oh, that should substitute for the quest scroll.”

Vikir let out a light sigh.

Did Hugo know what this was and was instructing him to bring it back?

‘Ghostwood is a real artifact.’

Moreover, due to memories from before the regression, Vikir even knew where it was located.

‘Surprisingly, it’s in a place close to the Baskerville territory. I was planning to visit it at least once because…’

Vikir is now at the 7th level of Baskerville style.

The hints for the next level were expected to be there.

So, while he was visiting his home, he also planned to stop by the place he had intended to visit.

‘The level beyond Swordmaster. And the clues about Baskerville 8th Style are hidden there.’

Since he was already going to investigate that place, receiving the Baskerville military authority was just an added bonus.

The quest on the scroll was already resolved, and now only the meeting with Decarabia remained. Before that, obtaining hints about 8th Style would be a great idea.

In the end, Pomeranian turned out to be a fortunate twist of fate.

“Well then, I’ll leave immediately.”

Vikir patted Pomeranian’s head and turned away.

Swift and decisive.

With the plan to wrap up everything within three days and return to the academy.