Chapter 44

"Lieutenant Yaan, are you inside?"

Not long after the knock, the door opened and Yaan appeared.

"Did you call for me?"

"I did. Nobles looking for you are spread all over Vailsar."

Saying so, Cain entered Yaan's room with a look of disgust.

Already waiting there was Ren, dressed in comfortable clothes and munching on street food she had bought.

"Ah, Lady Diana. Pardon me."

Nod.

Ren nodded quietly and moved to sit beside Yaan, who was perched on the edge of the bed.

"I am merely a knight who received his knighthood today."

"A knight who had a private audience with His Imperial Majesty right after the ceremony. Do you know how significant that is in noble society?"

"I do not."

As if dumbfounded, Cain pressed a hand to his forehead.

Seeing Yaan calmly unbuttoning his coat to hang it on a hanger, Cain sighed.

"Yaan."

"...."

"You're unbuttoning those wrong."

Hearing Ren's quiet voice pointing it out, Cain's gaze shifted.

He was trembling.

The hand of the great Yaan Verkut was trembling so much he couldn't even unbutton a single coat button properly.

"You...."

"Yes. I'm trembling. It's similar to when I first joined the Penal Corps... no, even worse."

Letting go of the button he had been undoing, Yaan sighed.

Still unable to calm down, faint tremors remained in both hands.

"I saw Count Belkuth's face. Had there been a sword in my hand, I could have slit his throat right then."

"Don't be impatient. We'll get closer to him gradually."

"The moment Glaepnir's repairs were finished, I planned to kill Count Belkuth."

Cain's eyes widened at the unexpected bombshell. To cause a rampage with a colossus in the middle of the capital?

Madness!

"If you do such a thing, how many civilians would be hurt...!"

"Count Hiram Belkuth. If I can kill him, I would gladly kill every person in this city to do it."

"...!"

He was serious. That made it even more chilling.

Yet after revealing that plan, Yaan sighed and clasped his head.

"But now it's all come to naught. Because I drew His Imperial Majesty's attention, all eyes are on me, aren't they?"

On Yaan's desk lay an invitation. A personally written invitation sent by Count Hiram Belkuth.

"That concentrated attention might actually provide an opportunity."

The moment Cain said that, a knock sounded at the door.

"Sir Yaan Verkut. Are you there?"

A polite voice. After a moment, the knock came again and the attendant identified himself.

"I am an attendant of the Belkuth family. I have come for your reply to the invitation."

"What will you do?"

His arm still trembled.

However, Yaan closed his eyes tightly and remained motionless for a while.

After some time passed, when the trembling had completely stopped, Yaan flexed his hands and then spoke toward the door.

"Prepare the carriage. I shall go shortly."

***

Clip-clop! Clip-clop!

A carriage drawn by two horses raced through the streets of Vailsar in the dead of night.

A ball held to celebrate the knighting of fifteen new Belkuth knights. Yaan had been invited there.

"You didn't have to come along."

"It's easier to bring a lady as my companion. Otherwise it gets troublesome."

"Troublesome?"

At Yaan's question, Cain chuckled and shrugged as if resigned.

"You'll understand when you see me in a while."

The Belkuth mansion they arrived at was so grand it couldn't compare to Diana viscounty's estate that Ren used.

"It's jaw-droppingly huge."

Though Yaan said so, Cain looked at the Belkuth mansion with a bitter smile.

"They concentrated all of the family's resources in the capital rather than their territory. It looks splendid from the outside, but if they don't manage the territory that forms the family's foundation, it's all just an empty shell."

"Commander, you're saying that right in front of the Belkuth gates?"

Yaan asked incredulously.

The face of the Belkuth gatekeeper standing behind them turned red, but Cain didn't care at all.

"Do you know how often duels occur between Lorenz and Belkuth people?"

"About ten times a year, wouldn't it be?"

"Ten times a month."

Urging the speechless Yaan, Cain stepped inside the Belkuth mansion.

As before, Ren remained expressionless as she clung tightly to Yaan's arm, gazing at the Belkuth mansion.

"Welcome, Sir Yaan Verkut. Sir Cain Lorenz."

"I apologize for the intrusion of an uninvited guest. Count Belkuth."

"Hahaha, not at all. It is the family's honor to host the Empire's greatest knight."

Seeing Yaan bow formally, having nothing particular to say, Hiram smiled bitterly.

"I didn't know such a beautiful lady would accompany the knight. May I ask her name?"

"I am Diana Ren."

Lifting the hem of her pure white dress, Ren curtsied. So perfect it could have come straight from a textbook, the Count's eyes sparkled.

'I thought I had a good grasp of society's information, but such a young lady existed?'

Count Belkuth was confused by the appearance of this unknown snow-white girl, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

'At first I thought he was just Lorenz's lackey or hunting dog, but now the situation has completely reversed.'

Before him stood a knight who had had a private audience with the Emperor upon his first knighting.

For such a person to be with Cain Lorenz was, from Belkuth's perspective, unwelcome news.

'If I fail to win him over at the first attempt, he'll become a thorn in my side... and I have no material to win him over with.'

Having come from the Penal Corps, there was no information about his background or family.

It wasn't classified; it had been completely destroyed as useless information.

No matter what information network he used, he couldn't find a clue about the knight's hometown or parents.

'Even if I try to ask his comrades, everyone who might have known his origins is long dead.'

He was a man who had literally appeared out of thin air.

'First, I should monitor those around him and gather information. Starting with that woman.'

Thinking thus, Belkuth began questioning Yaan formally while maintaining his smile.

"I hear the frontier front lines are quite demanding..."

But at that moment.

"Found you, bastard! The one who killed Brother Randel!"

"Hm?"

Hearing that name for the first time in ages, Yaan turned his head.

There stood a young man with well-groomed brown hair. His face flushed with rage brought back memories of a dearly missed someone.

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you're saying."

"Don't play dumb! I know you conspired with that woman to kill my brother! And you dare show your face here...!"

"Randel! What is the meaning of this--!"

At Hiram's shout, the commotion in the hall was instantly suppressed.

'A shout laced with mana. He's no ordinary opponent.'

Having faced countless elves and orcs with mana, Yaan could instantly gauge his ability.

He was not someone to be taken lightly.

"U-Uncle! That man--Randel hyungnim--!"

"Silence! Do you call it the duty of a noble to intimidate a guest knight with no shred of evidence?"

At Hiram's bellow, the young man called Randel looked ready to burst into tears.

"U-Uncle doesn't know! After our proud Randel hyungnim passed away, and Father collapsed--"

"Can't you see what you're doing now only further disgraces your dead brother!"

'So the shock of his son's death laid the father low as well?'

Thinking so, Yaan gave a silent chuckle. He hadn't expected the butterfly effect to play out like this.

"I--I have evidence! Hyungnim sent this letter! Here!"

What Randel produced was a blood-soaked letter. Seeing it, Yaan let out a long sigh.

'Forged.'

Before crushing Randel's corpse with Glaepnir's fist, Yaan had searched the belongings thoroughly, just in case.

The letter in that man's hand was fake. Yet the moment he called it counterfeit, he would admit to Randel's murder.

'The brothers were both mad for forgery.'

While Yaan kept silent, merely watching Randel, Count Belkuth--trembling with rage--drew a deep breath and shouted.

"Stand down at once! As head of this house, I cannot allow such intimidation of a guest with worthless proof!"

The surrounding nobles nodded as they watched Count Belkuth sternly scolding his son-in-law before everyone.

"It can't be easy to rebuke one's son-in-law in front of a guest."

"That shows how much the family's honor matters."

With things turning this way, Randel's face crumpled and he began to glare at Yaan.

Yaan watched him for a moment.

"I find that very hard to hear, Sir Randel."

Having opened with that, Yaan raised his voice toward him.

"Sir Randel never doubted my skill, though I hail from the Penal Corps. He stood at the vanguard with me--a knight to be emulated. And you, his own brother, would now sully that noble sacrifice!"

"Wh-What did you say!?"

Hearing those words, Cain hurriedly covered his face with a hand.

Seeing that, several people began to comfort him, worried.

"Don't grieve too much, Sir Cain."

"That's right. It isn't your fault."

"The Empire's greatest knight must not shed tears in such a place."

Thus the noble ladies pressed in, offering words.

"N-no... *ahem*... that's not it...."

'Ah, so that's what "it'll be a pain" meant.'

Yaan watched Cain, surrounded by ladies and not knowing what to do, with something like pity.

Soon Yaan turned to Randel again and raised his voice in reproach.

"Even if all others defile Sir Randel's honor, his own flesh and blood must not doubt his death! Why can you not understand that!"

"Sh-shut up! In the duel with hyungnim you--his face--!"

'Ah, the floor is finally showing.'

Thinking so, Yaan let out a sigh as if suppressing a laugh.

Then, with a pitying gaze, Yaan spoke quietly to Randel.

"After the duel born of misunderstanding, it was Sir Randel who first offered the hand of reconciliation. Will you now deny even that heart of his!"

"Guh!?"

When Randel snarled again, the ladies stepped aside with distressed expressions.

For a knight to weep was a grave dishonor.

Watching Cain flee along the path the ladies opened to spare his honor, Yaan now faced Randel's final outburst.

"Sh-shut up! A filthy Penal Corps bug dares lecture a knight! You should be rotting quietly on the frontier! How dare you set your dirty foot in the sacred capital!"

At Randel's cry the hall fell silent.

In an instant the air turned icy.

Count Belkuth, witnessing the disaster, felt he could kill Randel on the spot.

'It's over.'

It was over. To insult a knight who had seen His Imperial Majesty's face was to insult the Emperor who had granted that knighthood.

"W-wait, that's not what I meant...."

"Sir Randel."

Today was truly a delightful day.

He could slay a member of House Belkuth right before Count Belkuth's eyes.

Thus, inwardly laughing with delight, Yaan stepped forward.

His face was twisted with fury.

No--if he did not contort it so, laughter would surely burst out at once.

'Never knew holding back laughter could be this hard...!'

Shing!

Yaan's sword slid from its scabbard.

No one present failed to know what it meant when a knight drew his blade.

Never had he thought the day would come when he would use against Randel the very method Randel had used on him.

"For the honor of my comrade Randel Belkuth, I challenge you to a duel."

From Yaan's cold-set mouth came a voice filled with resolve.

At that iron tone no one in the hall dared raise an objection.

"Tomorrow at noon. If you have any honor, come yourself--no champion."

Having spoken, Yaan turned away and sheathed his sword. Ren caught his arm as he left the ballroom, soothing him, and the three moved toward the carriage where Cain waited.

'If I had clumsily taken Randel's side, I would have disgraced the entire house.'

Count Belkuth, thinking thus, looked at Randel's blank, collapsed face.

"Pathetic wretch."

At his gesture the Belkuth guards seized Randel and dragged him from the hall with rough hands.

"U-Uncle! I was wrong! Please--save me! Uncle! Un-cleeeee!"

Thud.

The door slammed shut, and Randel's voice was heard no more.

The ball resumed.

Yet even then Count Belkuth visited every guest in person to apologize for the unpleasantness, upholding the dignity of a noble.

Rattle--!

From the halted carriage stepped Cain and Yaan--and Ren.

With stern faces they entered the Lorenz quarters, shut the door, locked the windows, and drew the curtains.

Checking for any tail with Ren's scanner, over and over, the two men finally--

Pfft--!

"Puhahahahahaha!"

"Hahahaha! A-hahahahaha--!"

They burst into the laughter they had held back, unable to stop until the sun rose.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.