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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Gate Opening Ceremony
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"...."
Tadak, tadak!
The remnants of the campfire crackled faintly, scattering embers over Yohan's corpse, which had been reduced to a pile of ash without a trace left behind.
Ian scratched his cheek as he gazed at the ashes.
"Hmm, his loyalty was pretty impressive. That wasn't pain anyone could just endure."
It was the intense heat harbored within the Solar Absolute Meridian, after all.
The scorching agony that tore at flesh and boiled blood was something even he had struggled to withstand easily.
"Well, even if he'd talked, I wasn't planning to let him live anyway."
This was a man who had dared to draw a blade against him. Death was inevitable, but Ian had at least expected to learn who was behind it.
"I wonder who sent him. The Eldest Young Lord, maybe?"
Considering the faint killing intent he'd sensed earlier that day, the Eldest Young Lord seemed the most likely culprit behind the assassination attempt.
'Not that it matters much.'
Even if it wasn't the Eldest Young Lord but some other powerhouse from the Martial Clan, it made little difference.
No matter who sent them, Ian had no intention of dying quietly if they came for his life.
Back when he ruled the Northern Continent, ambushes had been almost a daily occurrence. Digging out every single mastermind behind them was nearly impossible, so Ian quickly pushed the recent attack from his mind.
In fact, the assassin's timely assault had actually helped him avert a crisis, so there was no reason to dwell on it.
'That was a close one. Can't underestimate the Solar Absolute Meridian, or it'll be trouble.'
Yohan couldn't have imagined it, but until moments ago, Ian's condition had been on the razor's edge.
As the energies of the Blood Nether Iron Lock Technique and the Solar Absolute Meridian clashed, his inner state had been steadily overheating, gradually raising his body temperature to a dangerous level.
If that had continued just a bit longer, this untrained, fragile body of Ian's wouldn't have withstood the overwhelming force and would have melted away without a trace.
Yes, just like Yohan's corpse now reduced to ashes right before Ian's eyes.
If the already-dead Yohan knew, he'd be pounding the ground in regret, but what could be done?
Ian lived, and Yohan died. The result was set—what happened couldn't be changed.
"Guess I should thank whoever sent the assassin."
Thanks to that, he'd been able to safely vent the excess heat from unraveling one strand of the Solar Absolute Meridian's chains—heat he hadn't fully assimilated.
"Well, you came here to kill me anyway, so don't feel too hard done by."
Swish, swish!
Ian used the cleaning tools by the fireplace to sweep up Yohan's ashen remains.
Druruk!
He opened the window, let the wind scatter the ashes, then calmly turned in for the night.
To him, who had faced countless assassination attempts in his life as the Overlord, a visit from an assassin was just another part of his everyday routine.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next morning.
Despite the assassination threat the night before, Ian was sleeping soundly, fortune favoring him.
Knock, knock!
Someone knocked on the door, disturbing his slumber.
"Young Master Ian, it's Hans. May I come in?"
The aged voice came from just beyond the door.
It belonged to Hans, the butler who had attended him faithfully since the moment Ian was born.
"Come in."
Slide!
Thanks to proper oiling and maintenance, the large door opened silently without a single creak.
"Yawn... morning already?"
Ian muttered as he gazed at the brightening sky.
"Young Master, the Gate Opening Ceremony is today. Normally, I'd let you sleep longer, but not this time. I hope you understand."
'Oh, right.'
Alex had mentioned it yesterday morning. The ceremony was originally scheduled for then, but they'd postponed it by a day out of consideration for him.
Clap, clap!
With Hans's light applause, maids waiting outside rushed in to check Ian's attire.
"Pardon the intrusion, Young Master."
Swish, swish!
After meticulously tending to every strand of his hair, they helped him into a black ceremonial robe.
The fabric looked expensive at a glance, with such elasticity and flexibility that it could double as combat attire without issue.
"Butler, the young master is dressed."
As the maid finished speaking, Hans opened the pocket watch on his chest.
Click!
"Good, if we leave now, we won't be late. Shall we go, Young Master? Time's a bit tight until the ceremony, so we'll head straight to the Patriarch's Hall."
Step, step!
The Aslan Kingdom stood as the sole power dividing the Southern Continent alongside the Great Tree Sea.
True to its status as one of the kingdom's premier martial forces, the Lichtenauer Martial Clan's compound was enormous.
Even setting out early, by the time they reached the Patriarch's Hall, the sun had already climbed to its zenith.
Compared to noble houses on other continents, it was less a mansion and more a full-fledged castle.
'Impressive. A renowned house even across the entirety of Agera.'
Back when Lucas's Alexandor Empire dominated the Northern Continent.
Rumors had circulated among the continent's people that the Lichtenauer family deterred the Northern Overlord's ambitions southward—which gave some idea of the clan's prestige.
'Not that I ever planned to conquer the Southern Continent anyway.'
The Northern Continent alone boasted a vast territory.
He'd watched his prime minister, Stion Ballanty, grow white hairs just managing it.
There was no reason to covet the distant Southern Continent.
Step!
As he neared the Patriarch's Hall, Ian felt an intangible pressure bearing down on his shoulders.
It was laughable to Lucas, but burdensome enough to Ian.
"Only blood relatives of the Lichtenauers and the captains leading our elite strike teams may enter beyond this point. Good luck with the ceremony, Young Master."
Stopping one step short of the boundary where the pressure emanated from the hall, Hans spoke to Ian.
His demeanor was so precise it bordered on cold, but Ian appreciated it.
It showed Hans fulfilling his duty as a servant perfectly, inspiring trust.
"Thanks for the early escort, Hans. I made it on time thanks to you. Go rest now."
Pat, pat!
Like Lucas in his past life, Ian lightly patted Hans's arm in approval before sending him off and heading into the Patriarch's Hall alone.
"...?"
Hans felt an odd sense of dissonance from Ian's changed demeanor.
He hadn't noticed yesterday since Ian had gone straight to bathe and rest upon returning.
It felt strangely mature—like glimpsing the Patriarch in his youth.
Hans watched Ian's back as he strode confidently into the hall, defying the pressure from its experts.
"...I have a feeling something interesting will happen at this Gate Opening Ceremony."
He couldn't explain why, but that's how it felt.
And Hans's instincts, honed over many years, rarely missed the mark.
A subtle anticipation curved the butler's lips as he adjusted his glasses.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
'The Gate Opening Ceremony...'
Ian silently endured the pressure pouring from all sides as he walked the hall's corridor.
'Looks like a pretty big deal, that's for sure.'
Anyone not a fool could see that much.
The question was what the ritual actually entailed.
Gate Opening.
Literally, it meant opening a gate.
Ian figured it was probably some kind of coming-of-age ceremony.
'Given it's a Martial Clan... they'll probably want a display of martial prowess. Wonder how it'll go?'
Maybe reveal his cultivation level to prove his talent, or spar with someone to show fighter's spirit.
'If they want my level, I don't have much to show yet. If it's a duel... I can just toy with them enough without causing issues.'
Ian had reached the pinnacle of the continent in his past life.
Though his current aura was dust-like, the Blood Nether Iron Lock Technique offered endless utility.
He doubted even the famed Lichtenauers would struggle him against mere ordinary warriors.
'Not that defeat's even on my mind.'
Shing!
As he pondered the ceremony and withstood the intangible pressure from the hall's warriors, Ian soon arrived before the audience chamber doors.
"Second Young Lord Ian Lichtenauer enters the Patriarch's Hall!"
As if pre-arranged, the knights guarding the doors announced his arrival to those inside upon his approach.
Rumble...
The massive doors, over 5 meters tall, swung open, filling Ian's view with the chamber's interior.
At the center stood an empty jade throne, flanked by direct and branch family warriors of the Lichtenauer Martial Clan, along with captains of the elite strike teams.
'...Ho?'
A glint entered Ian's eyes as he surveyed the warriors.
'Well, look at that. Their caliber is... higher than expected.'
Were they core officers permitted in the audience chamber of a clan renowned continent-wide for its martial arts?
Not a single ordinary figure among them.
Each could lead a sizable mercenary band or captain a great noble's knight order.
'...Maybe the rumors aren't entirely exaggerated.'
If Lucas had truly led the Alexandor Empire's forces to conquer the south in his past life.
It might have been more than a little troublesome—perhaps even a failure without the empire's full might.
Step, step!
As Ian slowly walked the carpeted floor toward the center, murmurs from the lined warriors reached his ears.
They made no effort to hide their talk from him, whispering openly without using aura messages.
"Hah! We're swamped watching the Great Tree Sea, and they delay the ceremony a whole day for the likes of the Second Young Lord? Ridiculous..."
"The Eldest Young Lord specially requested it."
"Tsk tsk. The Eldest Young Lord's great in every way, but his love for his brother is a bit much."
"Isn't that his strength? That soft charisma."
"Heh, true enough."
Praise for the Eldest Young Lord, Alex.
And mockery of Ian.
"Tsk tsk! Look at that scrawny frame. Building zero muscle perfectly takes effort. How badly did this 'great' Lichtenauer neglect his training leading up to the ceremony?"
"What else do you expect from the Second Young Lord's reputation?"
"Pfft! Fair point."
Some openly ridiculed Ian in his position.
From this stark divide in opinions, Ian could precisely gauge Alex's standing versus his own.
Of course, he wasn't one to care about such petty jabs.
He knew the Blood Nether Iron Lock Technique wouldn't betray him once he truly began cultivating it.
Lions, kings of beasts, are weak as cubs.
For now, as a cub, he could ignore the yapping dogs.
A true lion wouldn't be swayed by the barks of pups.
Reaching the chamber's center, Ian slowly knelt on one knee.
How much time passed?
Eventually, as his knee began to tremble faintly, a knight outside shouted again.
"The Master of All Weapons, Pillar of the Southern Continent Bestrika, Marquis Paon Lichtenauer enters!"
With the knight's cry, the chamber's murmurs vanished as if by magic, silence descending.
Step.
Just one footfall.
Yet it filled the vast chamber with overwhelming presence.
The man slowly ascended to the blue-tinged jade throne at the center as everyone held their breath.
"We greet the Patriarch!!"
The elites' salute rang out as the man sat upon the throne.
Swish!
With a bored expression and indifferent demeanor, he propped his chin on one hand.
This man was the lord leading the Lichtenauer Martial Clan, a colossal force on the Southern Continent.
Paon Lichtenauer.
Master of all weapons on the continent and one of its strongest, rivaling the Northern Continent's Overlord Lucas.
Unlike his indifference to the yapping pups around him, Ian focused every nerve on Paon atop the throne.
He could gauge the man's realm just from looking.
'...This guy's strong.'
Astonishingly, Paon Lichtenauer had reached a half-step beyond Lucas from his past life.
Whether from ten years of growth or innate superiority, Ian couldn't say.
But one thing was certain.
In the current Southern Continent Bestrika—no, across the entire Mid-Realm Agera.
This man was undoubtedly one of the pinnacle warriors.
Regardless of Ian's assessment, Paon's lips slowly parted from the throne.
"Skip the pointless formalities. Let's begin."
With Paon's declaration, Ian's Gate Opening Ceremony commenced.