Chapter 81: Hero of the Setter Family

Chapter 81

Hero of the Setter Family

The creation of the demonic beasts was complete, and the Setter family had arrived, along with the Cherine family, the Fernal family, and the Hart family. Additionally, 2 high-ranking priests were present. This was now a major event that everyone in the kingdom was aware of. If not handled properly, it could become a disaster for the Church.

Many villagers wondered if, when such incidents occurred among the nobles, they would be punished in the same way as the commoners. Of course...the commoners themselves couldn’t easily come up with such observations. They were immersed in the belief that the upper and lower classes would be treated differently. However, when stimulated by the "Setter family," many villagers began to adopt new perspectives.

And yes! It was the Setter family who stirred up this issue to become a widespread controversy...

The heads of the various families were under such intense pressure that they had to come here themselves. Steven was not to be outdone either. To get answers about this slanderous scheme, he appeared alongside everyone, showing that the Setter family would not be easily bullied. The conflict between the 3 families was already a significant problem. With the Setter family pressing for justice, the situation became even more exasperating for them.

Ah...although everyone thought the Setter family had come to create trouble for the three families, Ellie knew well why they were here.

"Esteemed Mage, my son has now fully recovered! After drinking the potion made from the Tezetrons flower and leaves that you provided, his condition is almost like that of a normal person. Although Owen cannot come here himself to thank you, he has worked hard to create an important weapon to present to you."

Steven’s face was filled with joy, so much that his cheeks turned rosy with excitement. His ears and cheeks reddened like those of a blushing maiden, but this was an expression of his utmost happiness.

The fact that Owen was able to create the legendary weapon that Aman had mentioned earlier also indicated that his condition had significantly improved. Ellie looked at the weapon in Steven’s hand and accepted it. Knowing that there were 10 demonic beasts hiding in the forest, a weapon capable of defeating them was truly essential.

"Thank you very much, both to you and to Lord Owen."

"Thank you? Not at all, Esteemed Mage. Saving my son’s life is a debt that cannot be repaid merely with this." Steven shook his head, firmly refusing to accept gratitude from his benefactor.

"I think so too. Therefore, Father should give her the best reward," Aman, who was listening nearby, smiled with joy. Finally, his older brother was truly healed.

"The best reward?" Although Steven wasn’t keen on conversing much with his troublesome son, his words were intriguing.

"Yes. The best reward in our Setter family is my brother. So, I think you should give her my brother."

Smack!!

"You little rascal! How dare you speak so rudely to the Esteemed Mage?" Steven couldn’t help but use his sword to smack Aman’s head in shock. Although deep down he agreed, how could Aman just say it outright like that!

When it comes to matters of love and marriage, the opinion of the young lady in front of him must be considered first. In truth, if there were more time, after Owen fully recovered, he would let his son meet Ellie often, hoping that they could build a relationship and eventually become a couple. By that time, marriage would not be an issue. However, with Aman brazenly making such a remark, what if Lady Ellie became frightened and distanced herself from Owen?

Steven looked at Ellie’s face, trying to gauge her reaction, but he saw only a weary expression on her face.

"He says things like this every time he sees me. Let this rude person be for now. I have other matters to discuss with you," Ellie dismissed Aman’s words as she always did.

The interaction between these two children slightly surprised Steven. Usually, Aman never got close to anyone. No! Even if the rascal boy wanted to befriend someone, his inherent malevolence would drive everyone away, leaving him with no friends by his side. It’s not surprising that Aman only had subordinates or followers but no companions to joke around with.

Still, the dynamic between Ellie and Aman was quite unusual. Although the young girl often seemed displeased with Aman, she never seriously reprimanded him or tried to avoid him with disgust. Perhaps...he needed to ask Koross more about this, as Koross was present whenever Ellie and Aman met. What exactly was the nature of their relationship?

“What is it you want to tell us?” Steven was slightly surprised, pulling his thoughts back to the matter that made Ellie look so serious.

“It’s about the demonic beasts.” Upon hearing this, everyone’s demeanor changed. Fortunately, they had used magical devices to prevent being spied on. Moreover, their initial discussion was about Owen, so only the important members of the Setter family were present in the tent. Even Koross hadn’t entered.

Steven, as the family head, was there, and Aman, the stubborn one who refused to leave no matter how much he was told to. Ellie, the owner of the tent, and one other person, the guard of the family head named "Jayden." If he claimed to be the 2nd most loyal to the family head, anyone would not dare claiming to be the first.

Jayden had often come close to dying in place of the family head, but they always managed to survive. His loyalty was unmatched, and his combat skills and ability to assist the family head were second to none. Thus, in such a dangerous situation, it was no surprise that Jayden was here to protect Steven and bring him back safely.

The 3 of them looked at each other in silence, waiting for Ellie to continue about the demonic beasts. As mentioned earlier, the Setter family suspected that there was a creator of these demonic beasts nearby. They noticed some abnormalities in the increasing number of demonic beasts and had been trying to find the creator. However, they had yet to identify the culprit.

“As you know, I have the ability to track targets. A few days ago, I noticed that Nara had an unusually close relationship with the Camp Leader. So, besides Nara, I used my power to observe the Camp Leader. To my surprise...he entered a stratagem and created all 10 of the demonic beasts.” Ellie shared her findings with the members of the Setter family, shocking them.

“Are you saying the Camp Leader is the one creating the demonic beasts?”

“Yes, and he’s not even the real Camp Leader. I saw him wearing a human-skin mask on his face. His actual face is so disfigured that it’s unrecognizable,” Ellie explained further.

"That! If what you’re saying is true, then...you mean there are another 10 demonic beasts out there?" Aman exclaimed in shock. Earlier, he had felt relieved after tricking Nara into killing that demonic beast. But who would have thought that the other party would create 10 more demonic beasts afterward?

Creating these demonic beasts...was it really that easy?!!

It seemed Ellie understood everyone’s thoughts. They weren’t shocked about the existence of 10 demonic beasts or that the Camp Leader was the one creating them, but rather they were alarmed by the speed at which the demonic beasts were being created.

“At that time, I followed him closely and learned the method he uses to transform normal beasts into demonic beasts.” As Ellie mentioned this, Steven’s expression grew even more serious, though it was already serious to begin with.

“He imprisoned normal beasts and let them feed on human flesh. When he went to meet with them at that time, they were in a frenzied and ravenous state.”

“That’s a method used by many criminals to make beasts crave human flesh rather than seeking food in the forest,” Aman added, and the others nodded in agreement.

If such a bold action was carried out by ordinary criminals, they would train the beasts to recognize only human flesh to satiate their hunger. Hence, when the beasts craved human flesh, they would hunt humans for food, causing significant trouble for many people.

Otherwise, by their nature, if beasts knew humans were dangerous, they would seek food in the forest, eating smaller animals. To prevent beasts from behaving this way, they were trained to go into a frenzy and focus only on human flesh. This method wasn’t surprising to them, but it also wasn’t how the beasts were transformed into demonic beasts.

“After they went into a frenzy, the criminal suddenly took out a staff and cut himself, dripping blood. Then he placed a strange black crystal in front of the cage. I saw him mumble something, and a black magic circle appeared. At the same time, the black crystal released an odd energy that merged with the magic circle. When it entered the beasts’ bodies, it turned them into demonic beasts.”

"I surmise that in that process, the other party must have used their own magic power to transform the beasts into demonic beasts as well. After successfully transforming the beasts, he took out a power restorative potion to drink. Another observation is that he only used low-level beasts, about level 1, and no higher-level beasts."

“Are you suggesting that the level of the demonic beasts depends on the level of their creator?”

“Yes, Lord Steven. It seems to be related to the creator’s magic power level as well. Currently, the creator might be of a low level, so he can only create low-level demonic beasts. However, if there is another creator with a higher level, perhaps...” Ellie didn’t need to finish her sentence; everyone immediately grasped the danger she was hinting at.

For the imposter Camp Leader that Ellie had discovered, the path to becoming a high-level demonic beast creator seemed blocked. However, if creating demonic beasts wasn’t difficult, as long as one had the 3 components—staff, black crystal, and magic power—one could become a demonic beast creator.

“My lord, could it be that 30 years ago...” Jayden, who had been silent, suddenly mentioned something from the past.

Steven’s face paled slightly at these words. It seemed they had a dark history with demonic beasts...The head of the great family looked at Ellie and Aman before finally deciding to share the truth from the past.

“You might not know this, but the previous family head, before your grandfather, also faced issues with demonic beasts.”

“Father, do you mean great-grandfather?”

“Yes. I was very young at the time and couldn’t do anything to help. Your great-grandfather was incredibly strong, both physically and mentally. Back then, the Setter family faced a sudden invasion of demonic beasts. We encountered two demonic beasts at level 1 and level 2 simultaneously.”

“At that time, we didn’t know about the existence of demonic beast creators like we do now. We believed that the land the Setter family had taken over was the original habitat of these demonic beasts. Because they were high-level demonic beasts, letting other people fought them posed a significant risk. The toxin of a level 2 demonic beast is not like that of a level 1; it doesn’t only affect the person who kills it.”

“While the toxin enters the body of the killer, others only suffer from low-level toxin, which won’t affect their mind and can be treated with holy water from the priests. However, the toxin of a level 2 demonic beast had already taken many lives from other families. The family head at the time, or your great-grandfather, decided to end everything himself.”

"He didn’t let anyone in the family help eliminate the demonic beasts. He single-handedly defeated both of them, and afterward...your great-grandfather took his own life. This act dispersed the demonic aura into the air, ensuring no one in the Setter family would suffer any more misfortune. The strength and bravery of your great-grandfather are still etched in the hearts of our descendants. Therefore, we have a ceremony to commemorate him to this day, akin to a lesson passed down: for the Setter family, everyone must be ready to sacrifice."

Lord Steven spoke with pride. With his grandfather’s will still lingering, the Setter family, for which he sacrificed his life, had become the great family he envisioned...He could only hope that his grandfather was watching and witnessing his grandson’s success...