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“It’s been a while since we’ve shared a drink. Shall we?”

Marquis Foltaine, who was still in the forest, shook a bottle of liquor.

Duke Herman smacked his lips, seemingly tempted.

“To commemorate seeing such a rare sight?”

“Heh heh. That too, but don’t you think there’s a certain charm in having a drink in a place like this?”

The warm sunlight filtered through the green trees, shining on the two of them.

Birds chirped continuously around them.

“…Sounds good.”

At the same time,

Swish!

Marquis Foltaine slashed something with his sword.

Crack! Thud!

The force of the sword strike, spanning several meters, cleanly cut through a large tree.

Using the tree stump as a table, he spread out a mat and sat down.

“Have a drink.”

“What a well-prepared friend you are.”

Seeing the two glasses, Duke Herman promptly sat down beside him.

“People would be astonished to see this side of you. To think that the wealthy old man is also a strong one.”

“You’re the only one who knows so far, Duke. Please continue to keep my secret.”

“Haha. Well then, to satisfy my curiosity, how about you tell me a little something?”

“Now, shouldn’t I be the one to get the payment for the drinks?”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that.”

Anyone who saw this scene would be shocked.

Outwardly, the two had little in common and weren’t particularly close.

But in reality, they thought of each other as ‘friends’, transcending both status and age.

“That kid.”

“Are you talking about Ancelot?”

“You even remember his name.”

“I’ve taken an interest in him.”

Duke Herman made a peculiar expression.

“That’s exactly what piques my curiosity. Just a few hours ago, weren’t you the one singing on about how you would cut him to pieces, calling him a brat? And now, not only have you forgiven him that easily, but you’re even thinking of adopting him? What changed that cunning heart of yours?”

“Likewise, I never dreamed you would give away that precious mana pill.”

Despite being on a battlefield, the two casually shared a drink.

“Isn’t it natural not to want to lose talented people? Hahaha!”

“I almost feel like I’m being robbed of my own belongings. And since my opponent is of higher rank, there’s nothing I can do. I can only soothe this bitterness with alcohol.”

“Cut me some slack. I didn’t make an issue out of your ‘you’d only know after a fight’ remark, did I?”

“Because it’s true, isn’t it?”

At Marquis Foltaine’s retort, Duke Herman grinned, showing his teeth.

“Shall we have a go at each other here?”

“Sure.”

The two locked eyes in a staring contest for a moment before both burst into chuckles.

“Let’s just drink.”

“Alright. By the way, how do you feel?”

“Why are you worried about me, and not yourself?”

“Weren’t you robbed of that precious item of yours? I’m talking about the mana pill.”

“My friend, why use the word ‘robbed’ instead of ‘invest’? Trying to make me feel worse?”

Duke Herman laughed again and took another drink.

“Well, it’s alright. It wasn’t a family heirloom passed down through generations, just a mid-grade item you could find on the market.”

“So you tricked him!”

“That’s why status matters. Since I’m a duke, everyone naturally assumes it must be a treasure, don’t they? Hahaha! Most importantly, if such an item can win over that kid, it’s a small price to pay.”

Duke Herman would never have reacted like this if he had known the real intentions of the other party

“Come to think of it, that’s actually better for me.”

“Huh?”

“If the kid feels cheated, he’ll come to me instead of you.”

“But you didn’t give him anything.”

“Me stepping back from the battlefield would be the greatest gift for him right now.”

Duke Herman’s eyebrows twitched.

“Speaking of which, are you really alright with this?”

“What do you mean?”

“This is a matter of your pride, isn’t it?”

The entire kingdom already knew.

The Marquis of Foltaine was humiliated by the Count of Arsene.

That’s why, against royal orders, he set out to make an example.

If he returned empty-handed, it was obvious what would happen next.

“As you know, in this world, reputation is everything.”

“I’m a businessman before I’m a noble. I value practicality over pride.”

“What do you mean?”

“The White Lion Brigade captured over there are quite valuable subordinates to me too.”

“Haha, so you’re trying to protect your assets? But I heard those assets have already become defective goods. There are rumors that the captain and vice-captain are crippled.”

Marquis Foltaine clicked his tongue, as if genuinely finding it a shame.

“I intended to make the culprit pay, but… someone intervened and ruined everything.”

“That’s another problem. Trying to recruit an enemy as an ally. Your subordinates must feel quite disappointed.”

By now, a flicker of fire was in the eyes of Marquis Foltaine.

“Everything, including reputation and subordinates, has a price. I am a merchant who moves strictly according to value.”

“In other words, your desire for that kid exceeds all the values you just mentioned.”

“Yes. So please, indulge me.”

Duke Herman shrugged.

“Sorry, but I can’t. Let’s settle this fair and square.”

“This time, I won’t lose to you.”

“Moreover…”

For the first time, Duke Herman’s expression turned serious.

“What about the Empire?”

“…It’s time to sort things out with them too. Truth be told, if I had known Duke Kairos would come over to our side so easily, I wouldn’t have bothered allying with them.”

At the mention of ‘Kairos’, Duke Herman clicked his tongue.

“That cunning old man. As soon as the tide turned, he clung to us like a ghost.”

“This is what we call practical politics. Personally, I think it was a wise decision.”

“Be on guard. The Empire won’t just let this slide. They’ll try to recoup their investment somehow.”

“Yes, their goal is to weaken our national strength. They must be furious that their plan to escalate our civil war through Duke Kairos didn’t even start.”

Duke Herman nodded.

“We can’t afford to have that backfire on us.”

“As a temporary measure, strengthening relations with other countries might be an effective method.”

“Speaking of which, isn’t there an upcoming diplomatic exchange?”

The Master Tournament was held every four years, hosted by the Empire.

Separately, all kingdoms except the Empire held a conference every four years to exchange views.

Of course, the main purpose was to check the Swallow Empire, the continent’s strongest power.

That was occuring this year.

“This time, I’ll attend and meet the representatives from the Duchy of Meeke.”

“Oh. Come to think of it, that kid is from the Duchy of Meeke, right?”

“Yes, someone like him wouldn’t come from an ordinary family.”

“You have quite a nasty character. Seems like he ran away from home because he didn’t like it.”

“If it’s a worthless family, I can just buy their child with money.”

Marquis Foltaine smiled faintly as he took his last sip.

“For now, let’s wait and see. We should listen to that kid’s answer first, shouldn’t we?”

“That is true.”

***

When I returned to my room, four suits of pitch-black armor were neatly arranged on the table.

“These are the Blackworm armor you requested previously.”

A voice immediately came from behind me.

“…Narakas, you knew, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“That Duke Kairos had defected to the other side.”

“Of course not. I’m not a god. How could I know all the happenings in the world?”

I quietly stared at Narakas, who spoke shamelessly.

I had my suspicions, but no evidence.

“…Is this how you intend to get back at me?”

“Even if it’s a misunderstanding.”

The corners of my mouth twisted upward.

“Then I can’t entrust any more work to you. This incident has made it clear that my partner is lacking in capability.”

“If you truly consider me a partner, may I offer one piece of advice?”

“Advice?”

“I’ve told you multiple times already; stop going against the Empire.”

Narakas’s voice was deeply serious.

“If the Empire recognizes your existence, there will be no turning back. You could… actually die.”

“And the information I asked you to find?”

“What?”

“The child of the great hero. And the five subordinates.”

“…I can’t tell you that, not to someone as weak as you are now.”

“So, you do know.”

This slightly wounded my pride.

When was the last time I heard something like this?

‘…Fine. I’ll advance my plan.’

Originally, it was a ten-year plan at minimum.

“I have one more request. Since I’ve lost some trust in you due to this incident, prove your abilities so I can continue to rely on you.”

“What kind of request?”

“Use all the resources of the Mask of Night to spread a rumor that the ‘Empire’ is intervening in the civil war of the Hart Kingdom. How about it? Simple, right?”

A voice full of disbelief soon pierced my ears.

“…If we get caught, we’ll be executed by the Emperor. Simple, my ass.”

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Translator – San]

[Proofreader – Abstract]

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* * *

This time, I ventured alone into enemy territory.

Even the White Lion Brigade, who had come out to meet me just as a gesture, looked at me with astonishment.

Of course, I didn’t even glance at those small fries.

“The Count has decided not to participate in this fight.”

“A wise decision.”

“But, there’s one more condition that the two of you need to fulfill.”

“…?”

Duke Herman and Marquis Foltaine both tilted their heads in confusion, as if wondering what nonsense this was.

“Condition?”

I continued without hesitation.

“Duke Herman, you said you would compensate for the damage done by elevating Count Arsene to a Marquis, correct?”

“Indeed.”

“Let’s postpone this fight for five years. On that day, a representative from Marquis Foltaine and Count Arsene will face each other one-on-one. If the Marquis loses, he will voluntarily relinquish his title.”

“…!”

Both of them widened their eyes simultaneously.

“What?”

“We need to uphold the traditions of the Kingdom of Hart. That’s the rule of this land, isn’t it? The loser will exchange positions with the winner. Furthermore, the losing side will become the vassal of the winning side.”

“Huh…?”

“Even if it was an accident, you killed his child, more precious than life itself. You should at least give up something as valuable as your power. Serving the victim with a lifetime of atonement and dedication is the least you can do.”

At some point, a smirk had formed on one corner of Marquis Foltaine’s mouth.

“…Fine. Let’s say I relinquish my title. But what if the representative from the Arsene family loses? If the vassalage condition is mutual, then they should also put something valuable on the line.”

“The Arsene family will not lose.”

I smiled confidently.

“Because the representative of the Arsene family will be none other than me.”

“…!”

I had already decided.

I would make the Arsene family the strongest in this country.

In that regard, if this kingdom was ruled not by the royal family but by the three ducal houses and five marquis houses…

‘I will make all of you vassals of the Arsene family.’