After some time passed and the heightened emotions died down, Eugene explained the attack behind Black Lion Castle.
Cyan had encountered the Death Knight in the Samar Rainforest. He reacted in shock at the mention of the Death Knight.
"Wasn't that guy killed back then... Sir?" Cyan asked.
"Why are you talking like that?" Eugene responded.
"Ahem.... I keep getting distracted..." Cyan admitted, a bit embarrassed.
"If it bothers you so much, maybe we should stop calling each other brothers," Eugene suggested half-jokingly.
"That bastard. He was supposed to be dead, wasn't he?" Cyan blurted out, then suddenly realized the presence of Ancilla and Gilead in the room.
Gilead didn't seem too bothered, but Ancilla shot a sharp look at Cyan the moment he spoke, making him shrink back. His mother was once more fearsome than anyone else, and her nature was not lost on him.
"Death Knight...."
Those who hadn't been in the forest; basically everyone apart from Cyan, were unaware of this entity. Eugene had previously asked for secrecy regarding this matter to avoid chaos in the main family.
But even when the soul inside was a fake, the body itself belonged to Stupid Hamel. Revealing this to the main family would have only caused chaos, so keeping it a secret seemed a reasonable course of action to Cyan at the time.
How could it be that the body of a great hero was desecrated and turned into a Death Knight?
Furthermore, the Death Knight had turned into an existence close to a Demon King and attacked Black Lion Castle.
It was a shocking and difficult truth to accept. Perhaps in an era of war, but in these times of peace, undead crafted from human corpses were virtually nonexistent.
"Ahem..." Gilead cleared his throat while looking ahead.
The identity of the assailant paled in comparison to the revelation of Eugene's true identity. Since the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, Gilead had thought the child exceptional, unbelievably talented, a gift from the heavens…. Of course, that was to be expected. Who could have imagined that Eugene was the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel?
"Uh… Ehem… Eugene?" Gion spoke up hesitantly. He gave the same bright smile as usual as he continued, "I can understand that… you are the reincarnation of Sir Hamel, but I.… Well, is it still okay for us to treat you the same as before?”
Eugene replied, "I told you already. Apart from my reincarnation, I am still the same as before.”
"Hahaha. Right, you are still Eugene, regardless of the reincarnation…. Um, yeah,” Gion replied nervously.
He had asked once more, a bit redundantly, because Ancilla and Klein still looked uneasy with the newfound truth. His brother, Gilead, on the other hand, would not be bothered much; in fact, he did not seem to be bothered by Eugene being a reincarnation of a great hero.
The same held true for Gion. He had looked after Eugene ever since he was young.
Of course, it could no longer be said that he “looked after” Eugene after learning of his true identity, but in any case, he shared many memories and a strong bond with Eugene. Neither Gilead nor Gion cared much about Eugene’s true identity.
It was similar for Carmen. She was unexpectedly strict and sensible yet accepted Eugene just as he was. On the other hand, it was harder for Klein to come to terms with the revelation.
His expression was gruff, voice heavy, and as he glanced furtively at Eugene, a cold sweat ran down his spine.
Eugene was the reincarnation of a hero and of the notoriously ill-tempered Hamel at that. Klein did not believe Eugene's demeanor thus far had been an act or a deception.
But still, if it was that Hamel, a thought crossed his mind... might he casually overturn all established relationships now that the truth was out…? Such thoughts were inevitable, given that the Hamel of the fairy tales Klein read as a child was a character of extremely foul temperament.
It was an unavoidable circumstance. It had been over two hundred years since Sienna and Anise published those fairy tales. The curse-laden first editions could only be found in libraries like Akron, and over the centuries, the book underwent several revisions to fit the times.
In particular, for renditions targeted at children, many portrayed Hamel as a bad-tempered fool, for the story to serve as a cautionary tale. It was aimed to educate children not to grow up like him.
"This is complex," Carmen murmured while stroking her chin. "The Stupid Black Lion…."
"From the moment I started to walk and could pick up a book to read on my own," Eugene said, glaring at Sienna with a murderous look.
Catching his gaze, Sienna casually turned her head and hummed to herself, pretending not to notice his gaze.
"I hated being called Stupid Hamel,” he said.
"Isn't judgment the right of posterity?" countered Carmen.
"It's not posterity's judgment! It's all because of this—"
Eugene was about to point at Sienna while shouting. However, he was suddenly silenced. Sienna's eyes sparkled like gems, and in an instant, her magic sealed Eugene's mouth and restrained his movements.
"What's important now is not whether Hamel... or Eugene is stupid,” said Sienna.
The ending of the fairy tale had remained the same through dozens of revisions. Hamel confessed his feelings to Sienna as he died. What if it became known that Sienna was the author? She didn't want to face the consequences.
"Hmm... indeed," Carmen nodded. "I think 'The Stupid Black Lion' sounds quite noble. But Eugene, if you dislike it, I won't call you stupid. What I know of you is far from stupid.”
What kind of magic was this? Eugene marveled and panicked at the magic restraining him.
When he first heard that Sienna was aiming to become the Goddess of Magic, he thought she might have finally lost her mind after three hundred years... but it seems it wasn't just talk.
"The Reincarnated Black Lion... that won't do either. Nor 'The Returned Black Lion,' since you don't want your reincarnation to be known..." Carmen muttered.
"....." Eugene could just listen to her mumblings, unable to react.
"Then, regrettably, Eugene, I shall simply call you 'The Black Lion,'” Carmen finally concluded.
Eugene decided to stay quiet, not voicing his opinions. The nickname 'Black Lion' might overlap with the Black Lion Knights, but honestly, he didn't dislike the moniker.
"But still. While we can overlook it for now, I believe a fitting alias must eventually be discussed and bestowed upon you. For now... as Lady Sienna said, there are more pressing matters,” said Carmen.
"Yes," Sienna agreed.
"The Death Knight,” declared Carmen. Her expression immediately changed. She clenched her fists as she recalled the battle with the Death Knight. "Even if he is a fake, the skills he used are Hamel’s that were forged from his remnant memories. I, too, have sparred several times with Sir Genos and am well-versed in those techniques. But—"
"He never once used those techniques,” Genos interjected, his voice tinged with humiliation. "Had he employed Hamel style, I would have surely recognized it."
"He had no need to use them, or he deliberately refrained. Both, I suppose. The bastard dared to show me consideration,” said Eugene.
His lips twisted into a wry smile.
"And after committing such vile acts,” Eugene finished.
"Hmm."
Carmen looked back and forth between Eugene and Genos. Genos had known about the reincarnation in advance.
It was somewhat expected. Genos's lineage was the legitimate heir to the Hamel style. Carmen was curious about exactly when the relationship between the two blossomed but didn’t press for answers right then. She could always inquire later, slowly, step by step.
"...His dark power was unsettling and ominous."
There were other matters at hand.
"If the dark power mixed within him was that of Destruction, then that unsettling and ominous force must have been it. But... I have felt that dark power before,” said Carmen.
She couldn't let go of that nagging question. Eugene had said that the sword he wielded against the Demon King of Fury was an artifact he stumbled upon during his travels.
She hadn't been completely convinced even then. The light emitted by the Moonlight Sword was too sinister. But it was undeniably lethal against the Demon King of Fury, and the one who wielded that light was a kinsman Carmen could trust and rely on in battle.
That was why, despite her doubts, she hadn't probed further. Frankly, she had faith that Eugene, being who he was, would handle it well. But now, that was no longer an option.
"I understand what you are wary of, Lady Carmen,” Eugene said with a deep sigh.
Carmen abruptly stood up in response to his words. Her eyes widened as she stared intently at Eugene.
"What…. What’s wrong…?" asked Eugene.
"Lady Carmen..." muttered Carmen.
"What is it?" inquired Eugene.
"Please address me once more," Carmen asked with an earnest face.
Eugene found her gaze and expression awkward. But he complied with the request. It wasn’t anything difficult.
"Lady Carmen,” he called out.
"Ah..." Carmen moaned and trembled with a strange thrill. It was none other than the great hero, the Stupid Hamel, who was addressing her as such.
Eugene couldn't quite grasp why Carmen seemed so satisfied as she sat down once more.
"Explaining it all would be tiresome,” Eugene said, then cleared his throat as he rose from his seat. He felt Sienna and Kristina's worried gazes. He gave a slight nod to assure them, then drew the Moonlight Sword from his cloak.
"This is Vermouth's—." Eugene stopped abruptly.
A minor irritation nagged at his mind. Just moments ago, he had assured everyone that he remained Eugene Lionheart. He was unchanged from who he was. In other words, the people before him were still the elders of the clan, and Eugene, as always, would respect them as such.
What then of Vermouth? When talking to those unaware of the circumstances, he had always referred to Vermouth with honorifics. But what about now?
"Um... does it bother anyone if I call Vermouth just Vermouth...?" asked Eugene.
No one quite knew how to respond to that, and naturally, all eyes turned to Gilead, the family head. Gilead felt a tinge of resentment under their gazes and gave an awkward smile.
"Eugene. You are also… Sir Hamel, so feel free to address the founder comfortably,” he said.
"Well, yes. I guess that’s true."
Even if it were bothersome or inappropriate, Eugene intended to keep calling Vermouth by his name. He continued while infusing mana into the Moonlight Sword.
“This sword was used by Vermouth three hundred years ago,” he explained.
Fwoosh!
A pale, ominous moonlight wrapped around the blade.
"...It's a bit... different,” Carmen observed the Moonlight Sword with surprise.
The light she saw now and the one during their battle against the Demon King of Fury weren't entirely the same. If she had to compare, the light from the battle against the Demon King of Fury seemed closer to the Death Knight’s dark power.
"It's because quite a bit of my power has been mixed with it,” Eugene responded, then extinguished the light of the Moonlight Sword.
Gilead had been gawping at the sword. He shook his head and spoke, "There was no such sword in Lionheart's treasury—"
Suddenly, he recalled a memory. The memory was of the day Eugene first entered the treasury. Gilead's eyes widened as he looked at the necklace Eugene was wearing.
"Could it be…? Like your necklace?" he asked.
"This necklace is indeed something Vermouth had hidden, but the Moonlight Sword was not from the treasury,” responded Eugene.
Though it strayed from his guess, Gilead appeared relieved. Ten years had passed, and it was reassuring for the Patriarch to finally discover the origin of an unknown artifact.
"I've never heard of the… Moonlight Sword,” Klein murmured while tapping his temple.
He became lost in thought. All the famed weapons used by Vermouth were stored in the treasury. But he had never heard of the Moonlight Sword. The name was completely alien to him.
"Vermouth intentionally hid the existence of this sword. He left no name of it anywhere, and the sword was hidden in my... well, Hamel's tomb,” explained Eugene.
The concealment of the Moonlight Sword's existence wasn't just Vermouth's doing. The fact that even the demons hadn't spread the name suggested the Demon King of Incarceration might have cooperated too.
The Demon King collaborating with a hero — a few years ago, such a notion would have been dismissed as ludicrous, but the current Eugene couldn't think that way anymore.
Then, how should he explain it?
Eugene organized his thoughts as he sheathed the Moonlight Sword and placed it back into his cloak.
"The Moonlight Sword is a weapon of the Demon King of Destruction,” he said.
In that aspect, it was similar to the Annihilation Hammer or the Demon Spear, which were former weapons of the Demon Kings. But the notion that it was a weapon of the Demon King of Destruction caused everyone’s expressions to harden. Amidst the silence, Eugene continued.
He didn't know how Vermouth could wield the Moonlight Sword.
But considering Vermouth's actions, the peculiar nature of the Moonlight Sword, and various unspoken truths, he could make a conjecture that Vermouth had a close connection with the Demon King of Destruction.
It was possible that Vermouth might not even be human.
"What kind of nonsense...!" Gion burst out, his face pale as he staggered to his feet. "The founder... the Great Vermouth not human…? It's preposterous—"
"Sit down, Gion." Gilead, too, was pale, but unlike Gion, he didn't shout. He commanded in a low, cold voice. Gion hesitated before sitting down.
"...And these unspeakable secrets are?" asked Gilead.
There was the incident in Hamel's tomb where Vermouth attacked Sienna.
Vermouth had issued a warning about the Nur.
Eugene didn't want to disclose such things. Sienna felt the same.
‘I’m telling you, I almost got killed by your founder with a gaping hole in my chest.'
'It's not like Vermouth is a bad guy, but he was kind of... off, you know….'
How could they say such things in front of Vermouth’s descendants, especially given how serious they were right now? Sienna and Eugene quickly exchanged glances.
"An unspeakable secret is just that — something that can't be revealed,” said Sienna.
Everyone nodded with heavy expressions.
"Well, the idea that Vermouth might not be human is just a conjecture. For now, I’m saying that our... uh... Lionheart blood is special, that's all,” Eugene said.
"Could it be... even Ciel's Demoneye?" Ancilla asked while clutching her head.
Eugene quickly observed her expression before continuing, "Yes, well, it seems so. The Lionhearts handling relics of the Demon King... this Moonlight Sword included."
"The Sword of Destruction..." Carmen murmured. "If your words are true, then my body carries special blood. The blood of a Demon King. Not evil, though..."
"Yes, exactly," Eugene seized upon Carmen's words, finding an opening in the challenging explanation. "While Vermouth's true nature is unknown, and the Moonlight Sword is indeed the Sword of Destruction, he was not evil. In fact, he was more heroic than anyone. Just as I was not stupid."
Eugene made sure to emphasize his last words.
"Vermouth made a pact with the Demon King of Incarceration to usher in an era of peace. He deceived everyone into believing he was dead and personally sealed the Demon King of Destruction. Even at this very moment,” continued Eugene.
"Sealed...!" Carmen's eyes sparkled.
"Sealed? What do you mean by that?" Gilead asked urgently.
"The Demon King of Destruction lies dormant in the depths of Ravesta. There’s a temple in the heart of Ravesta. Vermouth is sealing him there. It's probably part of the pact he made with the Demon King of Incarceration," continued Eugene.
"Are you saying the founder is still alive!?" Genos shouted while jumping up from his seat.
The Great Vermouth was still alive and sealing the Demon King of Destruction! The news ignited a fire in everyone's eyes.
"Yes," Eugene affirmed with conviction.
"Aaaah!" Carmen exclaimed while raising her hands in astonishment.
The Great Vermouth might not be human. The blood of Lionheart might be mixed with some demonic essence.
It didn’t matter! Carmen never felt an evil urge, not once in her life. The only sensation she felt from the Sword of Destruction was a nauseating ominousness. She had no doubt about her righteousness and was always ready to sacrifice herself for the Lionheart family and the world.
"If the founder is alive, sealing the Demon King of Destruction by himself, and if this era of peace is due to his sacrifice...! I am a Lionheart first and then the head of the main family. I want to rescue the founder,” Gilead declared resolutely.
It was a tumultuous revelation. He found nothing easy to comprehend or accept. But, if the founder was sacrificing himself for the world, as his descendants who knew his legend and glory, they ought to act on his behalf.
"I don't know why Vermouth did what he did," Eugene said, "but he reincarnated me. Ever since I first read the fairy tale and learned about the current world, I've had one constant thought."
Over twenty years had passed.
But Eugene's purpose had never changed from the time when he lived as Hamel.
"I will kill all the Demon Kings,” he declared.
Just as Hamel had desired, so did Eugene.
Sienna, Anise, and Molon — they all wished for the same.
"And I will rescue Vermouth."