The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 212

“Considering that the eldest son has returned, shouldn’t we at least give him a proper welcome?”

Seeing the two brothers leaving in different directions, Elder Song gave Butler Hwang a look of gentle reproach.

Butler Hwang’s expression dimmed. “It was my mistake. I failed to recognize the eldest young master and missed the opportunity to greet him.”

“You failed to recognize him? He might be a bit thinner, but his appearance hasn’t changed that much from eight years ago.”

“Perhaps not, but the feeling he gives off is... Well, different. ”

“Mm.”

Elder Song didn’t know Kang Dae-Seong well, so he hadn’t been distracted by the differences. Meanwhile, Butler Hwang had watched Kang Dae-Seong grow up. There had been a time when he’d looked after him no differently from how he looked after Jae-Hyeok now. That past familiarity clashed heavily with Kang Dae-Seong’s current self—to the point that Butler Hwang hadn’t immediately recognized him.

Elder Song hesitated, then asked, “In the first place, wasn’t he always a psychopath?”

Kang Dae-Seong’s behavior today had been bizarre and cruel, but hadn’t it been the same in the past? To Elder Song, it seemed like Kang Dae-Seong was the same as he’d always been—and, truth be told, it was hard for him to sympathize with that character of his.

Butler Hwang explained, “If it were the Eldest Young Master of the past, he wouldn’t have threatened Second Young Master’s friends like that.”

Kang Dae-Seong’s love for his little brother had always been deep and delicate.

He could act like a madman with others, but when it came to Jae-Hyeok, he’d always been sensitive and took great care not to make mistakes.

The Kang Dae-Seong of the past would never have doubted and threatened people Jae-Hyeok favored enough to celebrate with—well, at least not openly.

If it had been in the past, at most, Eldest Young Master would’ve gone to beat them up secretly.

Butler Hwang realized it then: These last eight years had changed Kang Dae-Seong. The hell he’d endured over the past eight years had to have been as cruel and wearing as the hell Jae-Hyeok had experienced after being left behind.

Young Master...

Watching Jae-Hyeok’s retreating back, Butler Hwang prayed.

Please save your older brother someday. Even if he’s made mistakes, above it all, he’s always loved you.

After Jae-Hyeok had cut down his family’s greatest nemesis and became a National Treasure candidate, Butler Hwang had openly accepted Jae-Hyeok as his new master. But in his heart, he’d acknowledged Jae-Hyeok much earlier. After all, how could he not respect a boy who could still treat others with warmth after enduring so much suffering?

Butler Hwang believed that Jae-Hyeok’s broad heart would prevail once more.

***

“The captain has always planned to make his younger brother the head of the family and serve him, right? What’s the big deal about his attitude now?”

The six men and women following Kang Dae-Seong.

Jea, the Russian girl that Kang Dae-Seong’s group rescued from the Bering Strait, was the only one who couldn’t understand why the group was agitated after hearing Jae-Hyeok announce that he was the successor.

The Hispanic man struck his chest in frustration. “Of course it’s a big deal. There’s a big difference between the captain yielding the position and having it taken away. The captain’s prestige in the Kang family might suffer later!”

“That’s right, which is why we definitely must rescue White Night. The boss needs a big achievement to threaten his brother’s position as the heir. Only that way will everyone know how magnanimous our captain is when he passes on his rightful position.”

“Achievements, achievements—it’s all because Kang Jae-Hyeok became a National Treasure candidate too soon, now we’ve got to run around competing in achievements so the captain can reveal his selfless spirit... Sigh. I just didn’t expect South Korea to be worse than I’d heard. Seriously, how could the Association president get killed by a sixteen-year-old kid? If I were the Association, I’d bury my head in the sand after that.”

“I don’t know if you should dismiss his achievements like that. Didn’t Kang Jae-Hyeok even break through a thunder tribulation right after?”

“I mean, it’s definitely impressive, but achieving something like that is possible if you’re lucky enough to have a high level of lightning resistance...”

“Kukuk!”

Dae-Seong had been walking in front, listening to hear how far they would go. Now, he couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

“W-what? Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”

Kang Dae-Seong’s teammates were terrified.

Up until now, they had never seen the captain laugh out of happiness or amusement. Usually, when he laughed, people died. And right now, they were the only ones around.

His colleagues nervously backed away. Kang Dae-Seong stopped walking and turned his head toward them.

“Wow.”

“C-crazy...”

Upon seeing Kang Dae-Seong’s face, everyone went pale.

Kang Dae-Seong’s eyes were curved like crescent moons. They’d never seen Kang Dae-Seong smile like that. Were they really about to die, or could it be... genuine?

Kang Dae-Seong questioned his puzzled colleagues.

“Did none of you realize how much Jae-Hyeok loves me?”

“......?”

“He said I should go and find Seol Su-Ah. Then he will forget about the past and accept me as a family member again.”

“......”

“He wants to give his older brother a chance. That sweet kid... Isn’t he very generous?”

It looked like hearts were about to pop out of his eyes. The ominous, beastly gleam that normally lurked in his pupils was nowhere to be seen.

“Ugh!”

A woman struggled to hold back her nausea. Their captain, of all people, was grabbing his cheeks and chuckling dumbly, looking like a love-sick girl.

“Heheh... Alright, let’s hurry it up! Hurry, hurry, hurry! I must repay the favor shown by the future king.”

“What damn king? Last I checked, he isn’t the Black Dragon King, building a full-blown kingdom inside a gate...”

Despite their grumbling, Kang Dae-Seong’s teammates followed after him.

After all, they owed their lives to the captain. They’d sworn a long time ago to follow him to the end—

Even if that meant going head-to-head with the Baus family’s transcendents..

***

Arriving at the end of the six-lane road, the group was confronted with the sheer size of the structure looming not far from them.

The triumphal arch stood forty meters tall, thirty meters wide, and fifteen meters deep—what’s more, from base to crest, the entire arch was constructed of a special jade that could endure hundreds, if not thousands, of years of wind and rain without sustaining damage.

Named the White Jade Gate, the enormous monument was in fact the Shinra family’s front gate, which doubled as a cultural symbol.

During the Great Upheaval, the Shinra family had played the biggest role in preventing South Korea’s collapse. The conspicuous entrance to their domain was meant as a reminder of their great deeds and profound power.

White-robe gatekeepers ran over.

“You over there! Stop!”

They were understandably cautious of the convoy of vans that had arrived unexpectedly.

“I am Park Chang-Cheon of Guardian.”

“Oh, greetings, Master Park Chang-Cheon. I’m pleased to learn the rumors are true. Welcome back. May you be blessed with good health from here on. Now that the Shield of South Korea has recovered, the people can rest easy.”

The gatekeepers showed a notable change in attitude after learning who they were speaking to through the passenger window.

Gu Suk-Jeong interrupted from the backseat, “Hmph, if you people really thought that, you should’ve come to heal the guildermaster long ago.”

The gatekeepers glanced briefly at Gu Suk-Jeong before returning to Park Chang-Cheon.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to help the Shinra family.”

“What type of help are you talking about?”

Jae-Hyeok spoke up from the back. “There are people targeting Shinra Kyeong.”

The gatekeepers’ brows twitched. At first glance, there were only children in the back seats, but they kept interrupting the adults.

As expected, the kids raised in guilds lack manners, unlike those cultivated in prestigious families.

“Who would dare to target the young master of the Shinra family? Also, don’t address him casually. A fellow citizen, you ought to show respect to a National Treasure candidate of South Korea.”

Do-Jin stopped finicking with his seatbelt and spoke then, “Don’t be ridiculous. Do you think friends from the same school should use honorifics? It feels like bullying Kyeong.”

“Friends?”

The expressions of the gatekeepers suddenly changed.

The window of the back seat rolled down, and Do-Jin stuck his face out. His smile was mischievous, and his light freckles and sharp molars further complemented his naughty look.

He said, “In fact, I’m not a friend. I’m his senior.”

“?”

“As you can tell from my mature face, I’m a second-year student.”

“Ah, yes...”

The gatekeepers glanced at Park Chang-Cheon.

As high-level players, they had a keen instinct for danger. Something about this red-haired boy’s strange words rang alarm bells in their heads, as if standing next to a landmine. They looked at each other, then they turned questioningly to Park Chang-Cheon.

“What? You don’t believe I’m a senior? Am I short?”

One of the gatekeepers turned back to Do-Jin and opened his mouth, but before he could make a critical mistake, his colleague patted his shoulder while addressing Park Chang-Cheon.

“Master, why have you brought students from Lion’s Castle with you?”

“Haven’t I already said? Shinra Kyeong is in danger, and we’re here to help,” Jae-Hyeok repeated blandly.

Several gatekeepers couldn’t take it. One slapped away his colleague’s hand and questioned, “Master Park Chang-Cheon, what type of manners are these? Are you just going to let these children continuously interrupt without offering a proper explanation? Do you hold some type of grudge against the Shinra family?”

“I think you’ll find it’s you who’s been discourteous.”

Park Chang-Cheon shrugged. At the same time, someone rolled the rear window all the way down.

“Gasp.”

The gatekeepers sucked in a breath.

Inside the car, two eyes stood out. Just a few hours ago, those eyes had been deeply etched in the minds of all South Koreans.

“Kang Jae-Hyeok!”

They didn’t call him the youngest son of the Kang family or the son of the Yaksha, for Jae-Hyeok’s own status stood tall on its own.

The gatekeepers were so startled that they made several incomprehensible noises before belatedly bowing.

“We greet the new National Treasure candidate!”

This was what prestigious families were like. They valued reputation—respecting the status of others and expecting others to do the same.

Jae-Hyeok nodded and urged the gatekeepers. “This time it’s urgent. I’ve shown up unannounced, so I don’t dare to request an audience with the head of the Shinra family. Just let me meet with Shinra Kyeong.”

“You can do so.”

The reply came from ahead, where a massive being stood like a statue beside the White Jade Gate. It bowed in Jae-Hyeok’s direction and gave an order to the gatekeepers.

“This is the young master of the Kang family! Hurry and open the way for him.”

That must be the Rakshasa.

Jae-Hyeok identified the otherworlder as the Rakshasa, a being that served as the guardian deity of the Shinra family. And indeed, its status wasn’t low, as with a word, it had granted passage to their convoy of a dozen vans.

“Wow.”

After passing through White Jade Gate, everyone’s eyes were riveted on the sights outside the car window.

Whether it was the players of Guardian, who’d experienced all types of things, or the untainted students of Lion’s Castle, they were all awed by the sheer size of the Shinra family.

Jae-Hyeok was no exception.

The Shinra family...

Formed through the union of two families, it was South Korea’s number one family. It was so great that it made even the heads of the Kang family feel inferior. Could the Baus family’s assassins really invade a place like this?

The sudden question made Jae-Hyeok shake his head.

Yes, they could.

The Baus family was the most powerful family in Austria, a country vying for supremacy in Europe. It was unfortunate, but the Shinra family was still at a significant disadvantage in front of the Baus family.

They will definitely come here. In fact, they might’ve already arrived...

The sky dyed, dyed red in the setting sun, felt ominous today.