Chapter 324 Phantoms, Part ①
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Harmond Pelant.”
That was the name of the missing heir to the House of Viscount Pelant.
”No… I’m just Harmon,” the man replied, his voice low. “I’ve got nothing to do with any House of Viscount Pelant.”
”Are you really going to force me to recount my own past while you try to outrun yours?” the Phantom asked.
”Outrun? What the hell are you talking about? I don’t have some grand, tragic backstory like you. You’ve got the wrong guy, I’m afraid.”
The Phantom let out a thin, weary sigh at Harmon’s insistence that he was a stranger to the noble bloodline.
”How half-hearted of you.”
”The hell did you say?”
”If you truly intended to feign total ignorance, why keep a name like ‘Harmon’? It’s a ghost of your former self. You might have severed your ties with the house, but it seems you couldn’t quite cut the strings to your late mother, Harmoni…”
Harmon—no, Harmond—stiffened at the mention of his mother. Realizing just how much the figure in front of him actually knew, he finally dropped the act.
”Fine. My name is Harmond. But I’m just Harmond. Not once since the day I was born have I ever called myself a Pelant. I was born the child of a commoner, and that’s who I am.”
Though he had been born into nobility, he hadn’t spent a single second living like one.
There wasn’t a shred of deception in his words; he truly believed, deep in his soul, that he was a commoner.
Neil had completely misread the situation when he first heard Harmon’s story at the “Toys of Preference¹.” When he’d learned that Ralmond Pelant had an older brother, he’d blindly assumed the man was older simply because of the word “brother.” In truth, Broome Pelant had been looking for “spares” to ensure his own survival.
He’d used Pediros to force himself on his servants, but he hadn’t waited for them to take turns.
He’d impregnated two servants at the exact same time—Harmond’s mother, Harmoni, and Ralmond’s mother, Ramaris.
Technically, they were half-brothers, but Harmond had always described their bond as one of sworn brothers.
To him, acknowledging a blood relation meant acknowledging Broome Pelant as a father, a reality he refused to accept.
To keep his soul intact, Harmond had made a vow with Ralmond that they were the children of servants, not the spawn of a noble.
Because of that specific framing, Neil had never managed to connect the dots and realize Harmon was the very heir the world was looking for.
”I don’t particularly care how you view yourself,” the Phantom said. “The world doesn’t look at you through your own eyes. As long as the House of Viscount Pelant exists, you are its heir. That is a fact. Even if the house were to collapse, you’d simply be the fallen heir of a dead house. You can try to let go of the past all you like, but the past isn’t going to let go of you.”
”Hah… I see. So you’re just another one here because you’ve got ‘business’ with the Viscount’s son,” Harmond said.
”I won’t deny it. But I didn’t come here relying on your title. I came here relying on your memory.”
”My… memory?” Harmond looked visibly thrown by the answer. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
”Exactly what I said.”
”That’s not an answer! I’m asking what specific memories you’re talking about and what you plan to do once you have them!” Harmond barked.
”I can’t discuss that until I have your firm commitment to cooperate.”
”And if I say no? If I tell you to get lost, are you just going to let me walk?”
”That would be… problematic. I don’t believe success is impossible without you, but your cooperation is indispensable if I want to guarantee the outcome. It is quite reluctant on my part, desuno, but I suppose I’ll simply have to persuade you.”
”Reluctant to persuade me? What, are you surprisingly bad with words or something?” Harmond cracked the joke to lighten the heavy air, but his mind was racing.
(This definitely isn’t a verbal persuasion… A little while ago, I might have just rolled over, but—)
During the exchange, Harmond had been subtly testing the Phantom.
He’d shifted his stance, widening his feet and letting his hand drift toward his sword hilt.
Anyone with even a lick of combat experience would have bristled or gone on guard, but the Phantom didn’t react at all.
(Does this person think I’m that much of a non-threat? Or are they just an assassin who only knows how to strike from the shadows and has zero experience in a real fight? What’s the play? Do I take them out?)
Any objective that couldn’t be explained upfront was bound to be trouble. If he got involved, he’d either never walk in the light again, or he’d end up dead.
The Phantom clearly needed him alive for now, so even if he fought back, his life probably wasn’t in danger. It was now or never.
”…Fine. You win. I’ll help you,” Harmond said.
He pulled his hand away from his sword and relaxed his stance, trying to shake off the violent thoughts.
”I know it sounds strange coming from the person who just threatened you, but are you sure about making such a quick decision?” the Phantom asked.
”Half-threatened? No, that was a full-on threat. But look, if you’d wanted to, someone with your weird presence could have slipped behind me and put a knife to my throat before I even blinked. Instead, you chose to talk. You’ll use force if you have to, but you’d rather keep things quiet. I could see that, so I figured you weren’t such a bad person.”
”You think I am not a bad person? I, who call myself “The Dream of the Eternal End (Somnil)²“—the one who has claimed the lives of dozens of Empire nobles?”
”Doing bad things doesn’t automatically make you a bad person,” Harmond retorted. “By that logic, a hero who slaughters hundreds of enemy soldiers in a war is a monster. Besides… ‘Even if you try to let go of the past, the past won’t let go of you.’ You were talking to yourself there, weren’t you?”
The Phantom went silent.
”You don’t look like someone who kills because they want to. And the fact that the bodies stopped piling up the day Duke Olbranche fell… I’m betting that’s because the guy giving the orders finally died. How many people have you killed because you wanted them dead?” Harmond asked.
”…Only two,” the Phantom whispered.
Only two. Hearing that, Harmond’s mind immediately went to the Duke and his heir—the men who supposedly committed suicide, leading to the House of Olbranche being dismantled.
”No way. Those two were…”
”My father. And my brother.”
”You’re kidding me…”
Harmond breathed. Since there had been a suicide note, it was officially handled as a self-inflicted death.
At the time, Duke Olbranche was in the middle of a golden age because ‘The Dream of the Eternal End’ was busy erasing all his rivals.
There was no reason for him to kill himself, so the rumors of an assassination had flown wild.
But with no evidence and no known cause of death, the investigation was dropped.
For twenty years, the truth of the mystery and the identity of the legendary assassin had remained in the dark.
Now, faced with the weight of that secret, Harmond found himself actually worried for the Phantom.
”Was it really smart to tell me that?”
”I exposed your past. It would be unfair if I kept mine hidden,” the Phantom replied.
”You… people ever tell you you’re too stiff for your own good?” Harmond asked.
The tension had completely drained out of him.
”I promised to help, and I’ll tell you what I can remember, but we should move. We can’t talk here.”
They were standing in the middle of a street. It was night and the streets were empty, and from a distance, they just looked like two people chatting, but there was no reason to linger.
”The dining hall isn’t great for secrets, and if I talk at the inn, things will get messy when the others get back.”
”If that is the case, I know a suitable place. This way,” the Phantom said.
They walked to the eastern edge of the frontier settlement, arriving at a vacant storefront. It had clearly been a shop once, but the sign was gone and the front was hollow.
”What is this place?” Harmond asked.
”It was a produce shop once. But between the terrible location on the edge of town and the fact that they were trying to sell vegetables in a place where everyone grows their own, they folded pretty fast.”
”Well, obviously,” Harmond grunted. In a settlement where fresh food was harvested every day, a middleman shop was a joke. Plus, everyone entered through the North Gate or headed South to the forest. Nobody came out East.
”They likely rushed into the investment without doing their homework. They bought the land in a panic because of the settlement’s boom, and then realized no one was coming,” the Phantom explained.
”Does that firm still own the place?”
”No, it was sold to the House of Count Atmiras. There are no plans to re-sell it yet, so it’s the perfect spot for a private conversation,” the Phantom said, leading the way inside.
They moved to the back of the shop, where a few dusty desks and chairs were still sitting. Harmond sat across from the Phantom, the desk between them.
”So, what kind of memories do you need from me?”
”I want to know the location of Viscount Pelant’s true bedroom.”
Harmond’s eyes widened. “What?! How did you know I—no, wait. If you’re looking for that, then…!”
”As you have surmised,” the Phantom said, their voice calm and flat. “My objective is the assassination of Viscount Pelant.”
Harmond leaned back and stared at the ceiling. The assassination of Viscount Pelant. It was something he had wished for a thousand times, but hearing it out loud from someone actually planning to do it stirred up a mess of emotions.
”Viscount Pelant trusts no one but himself,” the Phantom continued. “When it is time to sleep, he clears the entire mansion. He sleeps in a fortified, secret chamber. He hires mercenaries from far away—people who don’t know him well enough to hate him—and even then, he keeps them outside the walls. He is obsessively thorough.”
”Hah… sounds like the bastard hasn’t changed. But why did you think I’d know where he’s actually sleeping?”
”I heard that right before you vanished, you did something to earn the Viscount’s absolute wrath. Something that made him mark you for death.”
”If you dug into me, you’d know that much. I pissed him off and he came for my head. That’s why I left. But I never told a soul why he was angry, and that guy isn’t the type to spread rumors that make him look weak.”
”Precisely. And that silence allowed me to make an educated guess. He wanted you dead, yet the moment you vanished, he backed off. That means he judged that as long as you weren’t nearby, the threat was gone. Furthermore, the moment you left, several firms were brought in to renovate the mansion. They moved the secret entrances to the basement and overhauled the “Blood-Lock Door³.”
A ‘Blood-Lock Door’ was a specialized security gate that used blood as a key.
A small needle would prick the user, reading the blood pattern to see if it matched the registered owner.
It wasn’t 100% perfect—it had to account for changes in health or age—but it was as secure as it got.
”The pieces fit. Because you carry the Viscount’s blood, you were able to unlock those doors, weren’t you? You stepped into the one place no one but the Viscount is allowed to go. Whether it was on purpose or an accident, I don’t know. But the reason he stopped hunting you once you vanished is that the person capable of walking through his front door was gone.”
”…Damn. You really are a detective,” Harmond muttered.
”No. I didn’t find this information myself. There are limits to what one person can dig up.”
(Which means there’s someone big backing this person… someone who wants that bastard dead as much as I do,) Harmond thought.
”I’ve been in that basement,” Harmond admitted. “I saw the room with the bed. But knowing him, he’s probably moved it to a different spot down there. There were plenty of rooms to choose from.”
”Can you remember the layout? The number of rooms? Any detail would be invaluable,” the Phantom asked.
”I could… but I’ve got one condition.”
”A condition?” the Phantom asked, their voice sharpening with a hint of suspicion.
Harmond leaned in, his gaze burning with a twenty-year-old grudge.
”I’m the one who gets to finish him off.”
—
Summary:
Harmond and the Phantom navigate a tense negotiation regarding their shared pasts and mutual enemies. The Phantom reveals their true identity as the child of Duke Olbranche and their role in the Duke’s mysterious death. The conversation shifts toward a concrete plot to infiltrate Viscount Pelant’s mansion using Harmond’s genetic access.
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Trivia:
- Harmond and Ralmond are the same age due to the father impregnating two servants simultaneously.
- The ‘Blood-Lock’ is not foolproof; it accepts blood from direct relatives due to genetic similarity.
- The Phantom’s alias ‘Somnil’ has been inactive since the Duke of Olbranche’s death because the person giving the orders died.
- The vacant shop in the east of the frontier settlement is owned by the House of Count Atmiras
—
Character Insight:
Harmond shows significant character growth by moving from defensive denial to a proactive stance. His desire for closure regarding his father outweighs his fear of the legendary assassin.
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The author noted that this chapter was split into two parts due to time constraints, suggesting the next part may be longer than planned.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Harmond – Harmond, the eldest son and heir of House Viscount Pelant, vanished and lived as a commoner named Harmon. As Harmon he is an experienced hunter and guard, part of the hunting group with Demar, Dominic, Jott, Victor and Kilk, knows Nick and Lewya, and discusses business ideas with Nick. He harbors a deep grudge against his father, Broome Pelant, and first appears in Chapter 220.
• Harmon – Harmond, the eldest son and heir of House Viscount Pelant, vanished and lived as a commoner named Harmon. As Harmon he is an experienced hunter and guard, part of the hunting group with Demar, Dominic, Jott, Victor and Kilk, knows Nick and Lewya, and discusses business ideas with Nick. He harbors a deep grudge against his father, Broome Pelant, and first appears in Chapter 220.
• Phantom – A legendary assassin known as ‘The Dream of the Eternal End’ (Somnil). Revealed to be the child of Duke Olbranche, having killed their own father and brother.
• Broome – A Viscount of the Empire’s northernmost territory. He is a portly man in his sixties with an extremely selfish worldview, caring nothing for his family name or territory’s prosperity. He is known as the noble other aristocrats most wish to avoid.
• Neil – A young Empire noble managing the frontier settlement.
• Count Atmiras – MC’s family
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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