There are many things that don't require personal effort. Once Regulus Black let the townspeople know he was Duke Black, and that Sleepy Hollow had become his territory, the pair of little girls he had taken a liking to were naturally brought to him by some eager townsfolk.
"If it's convenient, I'd like to ride around the area a bit. After all, familiarizing myself with my own domain seems quite necessary."
Regulus Black meant to borrow a horse and take a casual ride—which, of course, no one would refuse.
The mayor lent the duke his best horse for Regulus Black's use.
Riding the horse, Regulus Black began wandering aimlessly, while the mayor immediately took the sheriff and the priest with him to persuade the cook. To be favored by a duke—even just to serve as a little maid—was an opportunity to leap to a new life. And if the three of them could help make it happen, they would certainly leave a good impression on the duke.
Silently, Regulus Black observed his panoramic map system. As he moved, his grasp of Sleepy Hollow became increasingly clear.
Sleepy Hollow was connected to the outside world by a single road. Beyond that, the surrounding terrain was unsuitable for road construction—either sheer cliffs and rivers, jagged rocky mountains, or vast stretches of bizarre forests.
Although plant life in Sleepy Hollow could still grow, it carried a strong aura of death. The pale and withered branches had few leaves, and many were knotted with strange growths—some even oozing pus and emitting a foul stench.
Thus, the few arable plots of land became particularly valuable—they were among the rare areas untouched by magical contamination.
After surveying the entire environment of Sleepy Hollow, Regulus Black arrived before a peculiar tree.
It was an ancient juniper that had continued growing even after toppling over. Even in daylight, its branches shimmered with a ghostly white hue, and under moonlight, it took on the appearance of bleached bones. The trunk had split open, revealing dark red, bloodlike wood inside.
The reason he had come here in the end was because this place marked the origin of Sleepy Hollow's transformation.
The crack in the tree's trunk was, in fact, a rift that connected to Hell. Infernal magic had been slowly leaking from here, spreading throughout the valley. However, the magical output was so low that it hadn't attracted attention from the wizarding world—or if it had, they simply didn't care.
The surrounding trees had been warped by the influence. Within a hundred-meter radius of the central tree, all the trees had grotesque, ghostly face-like patterns on the sides facing the center—distorted, agonized expressions that seemed to scream silently.
"What a fantastic piece of land! So many magical plants, so much alchemical material—and yet it's gone undeveloped all this time. Such a waste."
Regulus Black took a deep breath. For someone like him—a Yin Corpse by nature—this kind of magic was more than just a tonic; to call it nourishing would be an understatement. Still, the rift couldn't be left to expand unchecked. It had to be utilized, but also contained.
"Clop clop clop… clop clop clop…!"
Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves approached.
Under the gloomy sky, a headless horseman clad in black armor appeared, clearly heading straight for Regulus Black.
The hundred-meter distance was quickly closed. The horseman drew a battle axe and short sword in each hand and charged at Regulus Black.
"Leg-lock! Freeze dead!"
Regulus Black waved his hand and cast a leg-locking spell on the horse. The horse abruptly halted, and the headless horseman flew forward over its head, crashing heavily to the ground. If it had been an ordinary person, their bones would've shattered.
But the horseman, being a classic representative of the undead, simply got back up as if nothing had happened and resumed his charge.
"Petrify!"
Regulus Black cast a petrification spell to freeze the opponent's movements. Yet the headless horseman was indeed a seasoned killing machine—just before the spell struck, he threw his axe and short sword.
"Barrier Up!"
Regulus took a step back and cast a barrier spell. The axe and sword struck what felt like an invisible wall, clattering to the ground.
"Looks like I've touched the root of it. I must've crossed someone's line."
Gazing at the fallen horseman, Regulus Black pondered many things. Aside from the two little girls, it seemed there were other inheritors within Sleepy Hollow.
Thinking carefully, it made sense. As a pre-established legacy system, anyone who met the set criteria should be able to receive an inheritance. That way, the original designer's intent wouldn't be wasted.
It was likely that ordinary women born here, once they were sufficiently exposed to magic, would also qualify to receive this soul inheritance.
"What a convenient inheritance this is! Let me give it another try—come, dance with my subordinates!"
With a wave of his hand, Regulus Black summoned the seven skeleton soldiers from his skillset.
Axe-Wielding Skeleton, Scepter Skeleton, Shackled Skeleton, Scythe Skeleton, Javelin Skeleton, Staff Skeleton, and Claw Skeleton.
These were the skeleton soldiers of the Seven Professions: Barbarian, Paladin, Druid, Necromancer, Amazon, Sorcerer, and Assassin.
When the Headless Horseman was surrounded and attacked by these professional skeleton soldiers, the scene became quite awkward for a time. Each of the skeletons could fight the Headless Horseman with equal fervor, and as long as they avoided getting shattered, they could keep going endlessly.
Since both sides were undead, neither could be truly killed. To destroy one, you'd have to find and extinguish the source.
If the opponent had only this one Headless Horseman, then it was simply a matter of time before Regulus Black launched a counterattack.
Mounting the borrowed horse, Regulus Black began heading back toward the mayor's house. The Headless Horseman did everything in his power to break through the encirclement, but was held firmly in place by the skeleton soldiers. As Regulus Black departed, the battle became a chaotic tangle of violent combat.
Mayor: "Mrs. Cook, for your daughters to be favored by His Grace the Duke—this is their good fortune."
Sheriff: "Yes! Yes! This is something countless others could never hope for. Why won't you just think it over more seriously?"
Priest: "Duke Black clearly appears to be a good man, Mrs. Cook. You must believe this is the will of God."
"Get lost! I will never let my daughters leave with anyone!"
After enduring a long round of persuasion, Mrs. Cook finally snapped and cursed them out. Ever since meeting Regulus Black, she'd been cornered in her own home by the town's three leaders. Though she shut them out at first, they'd spent over an hour talking through the door without the slightest intent of leaving. Duke Black would no doubt be quite pleased with their "brainwashing" effectiveness.
They had already been at it for over an hour. Their mouths were dry, their voices hoarse, and now they'd been cursed at—but the mission wasn't complete, and frustration took its toll. This woman was just too stubborn, too inflexible, and completely unreasonable.
Why did Duke Black have to fancy her daughters, of all people? Why couldn't it have been their own daughters?—Wait, no... they didn't even have daughters. That made things a lot more difficult!
"Mom, why won't you let us follow Duke Black?"
Karenna Cook, as the older sister, naturally felt a responsibility to protect her younger sister and their family. Following a nobleman meant receiving his protection. Even at just ten years old, she already understood this.
But their mother's constant refusal confused her. Compared to her more innocent little sister, Karenna knew she had to be the one to ask.
"Mom's missing Dad again. Every time she gets sad, she holds onto Dad's skull."
Katherine Cook reached out and touched the skull cradled in Mrs. Cook's arms. It was their father's skull—the only part of him left after he died in an accident shortly after the girls were born.
Each time their family had faced hardship, their mother would hold that skull and pray—and they would make it through.
It was also thanks to that skull that the sisters had, unintentionally, awakened and inherited the soul legacy of the Headless Horseman.
"Mrs. Cook, I believe there are some things we need to discuss privately."
Regulus Black's calm voice came from outside the door, yet it threw Mrs. Cook into a state of panic.
Elsewhere, the skeleton soldiers continued hacking the Headless Horseman into pieces—again and again. No matter how he tried to heal, they just kept cutting him apart.
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