Inheriting the Ebony Sword

After burying his uncle Nathan Garrett in the family cemetery behind the castle, Dane glanced at the pitch-black night sky and gave Oaks, standing beside him, a deep bow:

"I’m sorry, Chairman… On behalf of my uncle…"

"No. He has already paid the price."

Oaks stopped Dane, patting the young man on the shoulder with a sigh.

"This afternoon, I was even looking forward to the classical noble-style tea party your uncle had told me about. Who would have thought…

You can choose to take revenge on me, or you can choose to atone for your uncle. Either way, I respect your choice."

"I won’t choose revenge, Chairman."

Dane took a deep breath, his tone firm.

"My uncle told me everything. The crimes he committed… went beyond this."

"Hm?"

Oaks was genuinely surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"My uncle failed to inherit the Ebony Sword of our ancestor, Sir Percy, so he had always been unwilling to accept it—

But in truth, even without your appearance, Chairman, my uncle was already a thoroughly wicked man."

Seeing Oaks’ eyes widen, Dane gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

"Publicly, he was a renowned geneticist in academia. Secretly, he was the supervillain known as the Black Knight—

That name had become notorious throughout England ten years ago, but with the Battle of New York and the Avengers becoming active, he disappeared without a trace.

My uncle told me that was because he saw your performance in the Battle of New York, Chairman, and devoted all his energy to researching the ancient inheritance he had obtained."

"…"

What could Oaks even say? So this guy was a repeat offender!

"The reason my uncle and I didn’t get along was his extreme nationalism in private—

He believed that the Anglo-Saxons, enemies of King Arthur, now spread across the land of Britain, were a desecration of our ancestors…"

Dane spread his hands helplessly.

"A frustrating idea, isn’t it? But my uncle was stubborn to the core.

That was why he did these things as well: to obtain extraordinary power and ‘purify’ Britain…

Only just now did he realize his mistakes and leave the task of atonement to me."

"…"

Oaks covered his forehead. There was even this kind of mess involved?!

Garrett wanted to "purify" Britain?

Good thing he hadn’t spared him for Dane’s sake!

"Modern British people don’t even care about that themselves… After more than a thousand years of change, the legend of King Arthur has been altered beyond recognition by the dynasties of every era to serve their own rule."

Oaks shrugged, torn between laughter and tears.

"This king of Britain from Celtic legend was even called a devout believer in God by the Church. By that logic, as an inheritor of the ancient Druids, should I go flatten the Vatican to clear King Arthur’s name?"

"Uh… That’s why the conflicts between my uncle and me were always quite serious. That was only one aspect of it."

Dane sighed.

"So next, we need to take a look at the troublesome thing he left behind…"

He scratched his head in distress.

"My uncle said that sword was extremely sinister. I don’t know whether I can pass its test."

"Give it a try."

Oaks patted his shoulder.

"At least while I’m here, you’ll be much safer—and even if it doesn’t acknowledge you like it didn’t acknowledge your uncle, it won’t at least endanger your life."

"That’s true."

Dane nodded and led Oaks back to the castle.

At least while the Chairman was here, he should be very safe.

After rummaging through things for a while, Dane found an ancient, long wooden box.

The box was carved with exquisite reliefs, and at its center was an emblem of a red bird in flight.

"This thing… just looking at it feels eerie…"

Dane took a deep breath, used the key his uncle had left behind to unlock it, but gave up just as he was about to open the box.

"I… I don’t think I’m ready yet…"

Dane took two steps back and rubbed his hands together, his face filled with both nervousness and confusion.

"A few hours ago, I was still preparing to become a clerical worker and manage the affairs of an entire continent for the Society. Now I’m supposed to come into contact with magic?"

He looked to Oaks for help.

"Chairman, isn’t this a little too sudden?!"

"At this point, why are you still worrying about whether it’s sudden or not?"

Oaks rubbed his chin, then casually slapped him…

A handprint-shaped mark flashed across Dane’s head, instantly making him feel his physical condition and mental state improve across the board!

"How about now? Think about it—you’ve trained in swordsmanship since childhood. Doesn’t it feel perfectly natural for this day to arrive?

Don’t worry. You’ll still be a branch president doing clerical work."

Oaks smiled as he urged Dane on.

"Hurry up and open it. You should know this is a magical weapon crafted by the great mage Merlin… Well, at least enchanted by him. Even Avalon doesn’t have goods this good!"

"…"

Dane bared his teeth, but Oaks’ Wild Blessing had at least given him considerably more confidence.

So he gritted his teeth, stepped forward two paces, and slowly opened the wooden box—

"Death… is a reward to me…"

An ethereal voice came from within the box, making Dane’s expression change as he stumbled several steps back.

"This…"

He stared fixedly at the ancient words carved into the underside of the lid, only managing to tear his gaze away after considerable effort.

Inside the box was a black velvet lining, upon which lay a black knight’s two-handed sword tightly wrapped in strips of Rune Cloth.

"This is… a magical seal?"

Oaks narrowed his eyes. He could see the purpose of those Rune Cloth strips. Though the magic on them had become very weak, it was still functioning.

And that voice just now sounded very much like some kind of… consciousness dwelling within the Ebony Sword.

"…"

Dane swallowed. The sword looked exquisitely made, and faint, intricate patterns seemed to be visible on the blade through the gaps in the Rune Cloth.

His breathing gradually grew heavier as he slowly extended his hand toward the exposed section of the blade—

As his fingers approached, the intricate patterns on the blade suddenly began to move, surging toward his hand!

Oaks’ gaze sharpened beside him, while Dane seemed to be drawn in by something. A strange light flickered in his eyes as his right hand slammed down onto the Ebony Sword!

"Bzzzz—"

A strange hum erupted. The Rune Cloth seals around the Ebony Sword burst apart, and the fine patterns on the blade flowed like water, covering Dane’s entire body in the blink of an eye!

"This thing… has such powerful enchantments!"

Oaks frowned. Dane’s vital signs were stable, so he could tell that this was not an evil weapon that drained life or anything of the sort.

Still, the powerful magic on the Ebony Sword secretly alarmed him.

It truly deserved to be Merlin’s work—Merlin, who might have been the Sorcerer Supreme. With this sword’s enhancement, an ordinary person like Dane should have the ability to fight Steve!

The seal had vanished, and Oaks could clearly sense the aura of a soul from the sword.

That should have been the source of the voice from the Ebony Sword just now.

"Urgh…"

Wrapped in black patterns, Dane seemed to be in some kind of mysterious "inheritance ritual," letting out unconscious groans.

A moment later, the Ebony Sword burst forth with light—

Oaks suddenly discovered that the longsword had vanished from the wooden box, then appeared in Dane’s hand, held by its hilt!

At the same time, the black patterns on Dane’s body abruptly disappeared, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"It can be summoned automatically… like Mjolnir?"

Oaks smiled and was about to step forward to congratulate him when Dane let out a low roar and fell to his knees in agony!

"Aah!!"

One of his hands seemed unable to let go and remained tightly clenched around the hilt. His other hand clawed painfully at his hair, his eyes even turning bloodshot as his breathing became ragged!

"Kill… more…"

A deep, agonized roar came from Dane’s mouth, but it sounded like a different person speaking.

Oaks’ expression turned grave, and he directly slammed magic onto Dane’s body.

With Oaks’ magic helping him, the bloodshot color in Dane’s eyes faded slightly. He struggled to speak in his own voice.

"Chairman… this sword… is tempting me… to kill… Aah…!!"

Green light swirled around Oaks’ hands as he mobilized the immense Nature Force around them, turning it into calming magic in an attempt to dispel Dane’s abnormal condition.

However, the powerful dispelling effect could only keep Dane clear-headed for a few seconds before the bloodthirsty sensation swallowed him again!

"This is a curse… a powerful curse from the Ebony Sword. We need to deal with the sword itself—

Dispel!"

Oaks tried casting dispelling magic on the Ebony Sword, but he suddenly discovered that the sword possessed powerful resistance to magic!

The dispelling magic didn’t work!

Oaks snorted coldly. While maintaining the calming spell on Dane, he opened a portal to Avalon beside them.

A mass of vines stretched out from the portal, tightly binding Dane before dragging him directly inside!

Oaks turned and stepped through the portal, gathering every bit of Nature Force he could summon—

"Dispel!"

After unleashing an even more powerful dispelling spell than when he had cleansed the Sacred Oak, the curse on the Ebony Sword finally failed to withstand it!

"Thank you… Druid…"

The Soul Fragment dwelling within the sword dissipated into the air with a soft murmur, making Oaks narrow his eyes.

"Puff, puff, puff…"

Dane knelt on the lawn before the Sacred Oak, supporting himself with the Ebony Sword as he panted heavily. It took him a long while to recover.

"Ancestor…"

With the curse dispelled, he had completely mastered this divine weapon passed down through his family.

"The curse just now… was Sir Percy?"

Oaks’ voice came from nearby, and only then did Dane notice that his surroundings had completely changed.

"It was my ancestor’s corrupted soul…"

Dane slowly opened his mouth wide. He remembered being in the castle.

"This… where is this?!"

"Your uncle’s dream, a secluded utopia—Avalon."

Oaks patted his shoulder.

"The true future headquarters of the Benevolence Society!"