Chapter 414 - 411: Whispers

Chapter 414: Chapter 411: Whispers

The eerie events from before, the mysterious voice, the boiling in his veins, and the scorching heat from his legacy pendant—it all made Hilbert’s heart pound.

As he opened the cover to the first page, the family crest of the Chakus Clan—a lion’s head biting a Treasure Pearl—came into view.

"ROAR~"

A phantom roar echoed in his ears.

Hilbert’s heart rate instantly shot to its limit.

’This has to be an incredibly important lost artifact of the Chakus Clan!’

’It might even be critically linked to the family’s Bloodline Power and awakening Magic Power!’

He could barely contain himself and wanted to return at once. Forcibly suppressing the urge to read it right then and there, he closed the book and put it away securely.

Fos and the two other rookies arrived at the bookstore just a few seconds later.

"Captain, Captain! What did you find?!"

All three were on high alert, forming a defensive triangle and occupying a tactically advantageous corner of the bookstore. Fos was even making hand signals to the soldiers at a distant watchpost who were looking their way.

Hilbert, having just put the book away, snapped out of his daze and saw this. He quickly stopped them.

"It’s nothing, stand down. I found a lost family artifact and got a little excited for a moment. No Demons, no emergency."

Although he had lost his composure in front of the rookies, Hilbert was now in high spirits. He had the distinct feeling, almost an illusion, that restoring his family’s honor was just within his grasp.

With no other choice, Fos had to go to the British Army watchpost himself to explain the situation and report a false alarm.

The patrol had to continue. As they walked, Hilbert’s steps were unconsciously much lighter.

He even found himself looking at the three rookies in a more favorable light.

"Your reaction just now was swift, and your handling of the situation was spot-on. That’s commendable for a first mission. Hmm, I’ll add a point for that response."

’An extra point? Doesn’t that mean we’ll get at least a seven?’

The three rookies were instantly energized. They had heard that most people only got a passing score of six points on their first mission, and that nearly half failed outright, having to make up for it on later missions.

A score of seven wasn’t just a bigger buffer for their overall average; it also represented a high starting point.

At the very least, it gave them some serious bragging rights!

They didn’t dare dream of eight points or more. The captain might add a point because of his good mood and their performance, but he would never inflate their scores.

Zhao Kai’s team, naturally, hadn’t found any issues either. Besides the parasitic host captured by the military, there wasn’t a single other Demon in the entire shelter.

On the ride back, influenced by Fos and his two companions, a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere filled the air among the six rookies in the back.

’The first mission was a complete success. Passing shouldn’t be a problem.’

Up front, the driver, Zhao Kai, once again started playing a real-life version of Need for Speed.

"VROOOM... VROOOOM..."

The vehicle’s engine roared madly down the road as the scenery blurred past. The wind whipping through the open window felt like a hurricane.

Qin Xiaoxia, sitting on the roof of the vehicle, couldn’t help but let the corner of his mouth twitch. He, the big boss of Dawn, was finally getting a taste of Dawn’s resident street racers.

"Hilbert, what’s that you’re holding?"

It was a wonder that Zhao Kai, driving like this, could still spare the attention to notice what Hilbert was doing.

Back in the vehicle, Hilbert couldn’t hold back any longer. The moment they were clear of the shelter, he eagerly took out the Black Leather Book.

Zhao Kai was a good friend, so Hilbert didn’t bother hiding it, even with the rookies in the vehicle.

"An important, lost tome of the Chakus Clan..."

The moment he took out the book, his bloodline began to burn, and the pendant on his chest grew searing hot.

Gazing at the Magic Patterns on the cover, Hilbert continued in a soft voice.

"The Book of the Cage and the Oath."

His tone could easily mislead someone into thinking he knew the book well, when in fact, Hilbert himself knew nothing about it.

The name struck Zhao Kai as odd for a book, but since it was an important tome of the Chakus Clan, he didn’t press the matter.

Hilbert, however, had already opened the book. He remembered the strange voice from before and wanted to understand just what "Kingsmay" meant.

The entire book was filled with Magic Patterns, making it a great struggle for Hilbert to read.

"Kingsmay... controls the Oath... Scion of the Chakus Clan... be wary... what... power... what..."

Reading it gave Hilbert a headache. Some of the Magic Patterns were quite obscure. As someone who relied on rote memorization to understand Magic Patterns, it wasn’t that he didn’t recognize the individual symbols. Rather, the way they were combined made it difficult for him to grasp their meaning.

After a short while, he felt a mental strain that prevented him from reading any further.

Just then, the legacy pendant on his chest grew increasingly hot. A faint smell of burning appeared. The eight occupants of the vehicle all had exceptionally keen senses of smell and immediately turned their attention to Hilbert.

He hurriedly pulled the pendant out, but it had already burned a charred black hole in his clothes.

"Holy crap, it’s that hot? You didn’t feel anything wearing it?"

Zhao Kai couldn’t help but make a snarky comment.

"I just felt that the pendant was hot, I didn’t realize the temperature was this high... At least, I didn’t feel any burning pain."

His clothes were scorched. At that temperature, even someone like Hilbert should have had his skin burned.

He looked at his chest. There was nothing wrong. His skin wasn’t even red.

’Wait! How did the pendant change like this?’

The pendant, still radiating heat in his hand, had lost its original rough texture. The old, dull parts now shone brightly, and every strand of the lion’s mane seemed vividly alive.

While its shape was the same, it was utterly different from how it was before.

"So, your name is Hilbert."

As Hilbert stared in astonishment at the pendant’s transformation, the hoarse voice sounded again. This time, he wasn’t startled; he already knew the voice came from the book.

’And judging by the reactions of the others in the car, apart from their curiosity about the pendant, they hadn’t heard the voice.’

"What exactly does Kingsmay mean?"

He voiced the question that had been puzzling him, not expecting the voice to respond so quickly.

"You mean to tell me you don’t know of Kingsmay?"

The voice was filled with surprise and another strange, unidentifiable emotion. A second sentence quickly followed.

"Kingsmay is the special Lion Heart King’s Sword of the Chakus Clan."

Traditionally, the Lion Heart King’s Sword was a typical medieval Cross Sword. The most famous examples were the Cross-shaped Guard Swords of the Crusader Knights.

Hilbert had also read the *Association Secret History*. He knew that several generations of the Baron Lion Heart had been proficient with two-handed Cross Swords. However, even the *Association Secret History* didn’t record the sword’s name. Its entry on the blade simply stated, "Presumed lost. For details, inquire with the direct line of the Chakus Clan."

Hilbert, too, had believed the sword was lost.

’So the lost sword had a name after all?’

"Hilbert, are you talking to that book?"

Zhao Kai was astonished. Although the Association was full of magical things, he had never heard of anyone actually talking to a book.

"Lost? Heheheh. Lost?"

Hilbert nodded at Zhao Kai. Seeing this, the others in the vehicle instinctively fell silent, careful not to disturb him.

At that moment, the hoarse voice spoke again, sounding as if it were suppressing a laugh.

"Isn’t Kingsmay right there in your hand? Kuhan would have never dreamed his descendant would turn out like this. Hahahaha..."

Hilbert’s heart skipped a beat. He knew, of course, that Kuhan was the first Baron Lion Heart, and the Lion Heart King’s Sword...

He glanced at the perpetually hot pendant. ’This is the Lion Heart King’s Sword of the Chakus Clan?’

"Hilbert, you don’t want to be an unworthy son of the Chakus Clan, do you? You can’t read the Magic Patterns? Let me help you decipher this Book of Oaths! I can feel it—your family’s blazing Bloodline Power. You are destined to restore the Chakus Clan! Let me help you, just as I helped Kuhan!"

The voice was exceptionally sincere, carrying the warmth of an elder’s concern for a junior. Hilbert’s breathing grew heavy as he listened. The day’s events had indeed filled him with a sense of Hope.

Although no one had ever said it to his face, Hilbert could feel it. At the Silent Knight Training Camp, during missions, whenever people in the Association learned his surname was Chakus—they all held special expectations for him.

He could even recall a period during his time at the training camp when Baru, the commander of the Knight Order, had paid special attention to him.

But as the heir to the Baron Lion Heart title, while he performed better than many, he was still only upper-middle-tier. Others might be proud of such a standing, but he could not be.

The pride he felt from the respect people gave the Chakus Family was matched only by the torment of his own mediocrity, a pain that grew sharper with every failed effort to rise above it.

Hilbert had felt the disappointment in Baru’s gaze and endured the worship of the uninformed. More than once, he had clenched his fists so hard his nails drew blood from his palms.

The words "What should I do?" were on the tip of his tongue.

"TSSSSS..."

"HISS!!"

The pendant in his hand suddenly became even hotter, causing Hilbert to feel a sharp pang of pain.

"You see! Kingsmay has sensed your resolve! Hilbert, the Hope of the Chakus Clan rests in your hands!"

P.S. Thursday’s second Chapter.