Chapter 58

The Arbenia Ducal Family.

In front of Osman Arbenia, the master of the ducal family, a knight bowed his head and spoke.

“As you commanded, Lady Dieta has been taken to the villa. Reliable knights have been sent to guard the villa, so there should be no need for concern.”

“Is that so.”

Osman, with his chin propped up, responded.

“Have the orders been conveyed to the knights and servants?”

“That too, has been done as you commanded.”

“Well done, Sir Griffin.”

“May I ask a question?”

The knight, Griffin, who had been bowing his head, raised it. Griffin appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties, but Osman knew he was older than that. Griffin had been a knight by his side since he was young.

The captain of the Arbenia Ducal Family’s knights.

Sword Seeker, Griffin.

He posed a question to his master.

“I wish to inquire about the rationale behind your orders.”

A question that might be deemed rude.

If posed by an ordinary knight, it might have been brushed off with a laugh or left unanswered… but Griffin was Osman’s most trusted knight, almost like a long-time friend. Therefore, Osman willingly answered.

“It’s because it’s dangerous.”

Osman smiled.

“Griffin, do you remember when I was young?”

“I do.”

Osman, who was the third son of the family.

Pushed out of the succession competition, he was a person no one paid attention to. Yet, in the end, it was Osman Arbenia who took the seat as the head of the ducal family.

Eliminate obstacles. Pull down those climbing high, and once they are pulled down, ensure they are broken and can never rise again.

By the end of the fierce succession battle, Osman was the only one standing. The rest were either crippled, had lost their will, or had fled somewhere.

Griffin had witnessed the whole process up close. Mulling over the memories, Griffin nodded.

“That means…”

“Dieta, that child, has the makings of a powerholder. As much as me, or perhaps even more talented than I am. I do not deny that fact.”

Osman said, propping his chin.

“Agesio, and the other children, are not without talent, but compared to that child Dieta, they fall significantly short. It’s regrettable. That the one who inherited my blood the strongest is, unfortunately, that child.”

Osman Arbenia looked at his own eyes reflected in the teacup. The yellow eyes. These eyes, which assess value, were his most cherished.

“That child is right. The value of that child is too precious to be sold off in a mere seasonal trade. Give it another 5 years? That child’s trading company will grow even more, to the extent that even the ducal family cannot easily intervene. Surely it will.”

“Then…”

“That’s why, Sir Griffin.”

Osman narrowed his eyes.

The yellow eyes shimmered like a serpent’s.

“While the child’s value is high.”

He tapped the teacup lightly.

“It’s not something I can swallow. The larger it grows, the more it becomes a serpent that will swallow me.”

The child resembled him more than anyone else.

Those eyes were like his, who had eliminated all competitors and secured the seat as the head of the ducal family. That child would surely sink its fangs into my neck one day and swallow the ducal family.

It was a conviction and trust.

Just as Dieta considered Osman a kin, Osman also regarded Dieta as someone akin to himself.

“So, shouldn’t I swallow it while I can?”

“I don’t have the hobby of raising a beast that will bite my neck one day,” Osman laughed out loud.

To raise a beast, one must pull out its claws and teeth, and whenever it tries to climb up, beat it to imprint who is above. And Osman knew very well how to do that.

Still unripe petals.

A beast that has not yet fully grown.

Osman Arbenia had trampled and destroyed such beings several times to sit in this position.

“Crush it thoroughly so it can never rise again. You know how, don’t you?”

Osman muttered indifferently.

“People break easier than you think.”

Especially girls of that age.

“Lady Dieta has fallen into a trap.”

Kneeling in the muck, Pasion spoke.

Najin listened attentively to his words. Pasion relayed the internal affairs of the Arbenia ducal family and the situation Dieta was currently in.

At the end of the explanation, Pasion drew a conclusion.

“The goal wasn’t just to swallow the trading company. The trading company is just a bonus; Duke Osman’s true aim is to crush Lady Dieta.”

Having overheard the duke’s orders, Pasion was certain. The duke was not underestimating Dieta. Rather, it was the opposite.

He considers her a threat and wants to crush her.

Therefore, Dieta’s safety is in danger now that she has been moved to the villa. Dieta might be plotting a more long-term goal and waiting for an opportunity, but if the duke’s plan proceeds, that opportunity will never come.

“We need to inform her of this fact, and Lady Dieta needs someone to act on her behalf.”

The isolated Dieta.

What she needs now is someone who can move in and out of the villa and act as a messenger. However, Pasion, who should be fulfilling this role, is under surveillance, and it’s not easy to find another capable person who can be trusted with such a task.

Someone who will stand by Dieta.

And someone with at least Sword Expert level skills.

While finding someone who meets the second criterion is easy, finding someone who meets the first is hard. Especially in this city full of gold-chasing adventurers, it’s unlikely to find someone willing to take the risk of crossing the ducal family for such a task.

“I know it’s an unreasonable request.”

An unreasonable and dangerous request.

The benefits of undertaking it are minimal, and the risks involved are too high. Pasion did not hide this fact. Now, kneeling and asking for help, it was only right for Pasion to provide truthful information to the person before him.

“Evading the knights’ surveillance to sneak into the villa and establish communication is a difficult task. Of course, I will provide the map of the villa and the location of hidden passages, but the benefits you gain by undertaking this task are…”

Therefore, the explanation becomes difficult.

Adventurers weigh benefits and risks. Pasion knows that such a request would not be accepted. Pasion bowed his head a little more.

“…I cannot guarantee anything right now.”

If things go well and Dieta returns to the trading company, there would be many benefits to guarantee. However, Pasion couldn’t know how things would unfold. He was even considering the possibility of fleeing with Dieta.

He clenched his teeth.

What can be offered on the scale now is not visible benefits. The only thing he can offer right now is one thing.

“The only reward I can guarantee is my personal honor and everything.”

As collateral, he offers his life.

“Regardless of the success or failure of the task, if you end up being pursued by the ducal family, I will take all the blame…”

“So.”

Najin cut off Pasion’s words.

What’s at stake is honor and everything.

Having heard that much, there was no need to listen to the rest. Looking up and meeting Pasion’s gaze, Najin continued.

“Where is it? That villa.”

“…What?”

“Where is it, the villa?”

Najin extended his hand towards Pasion.

As if to help him stand up. Pasion, with a bewildered expression, took Najin’s hand and stood up.

“…Are you accepting the request?”

“Let’s not call it a request, but accepting a favor.”

Najin picked up the knight’s sword lying in the mud.

While picking up Pasion’s sword, Najin said,

“I’ve accepted a knight’s oath and a favor. That’s enough. As for the rest… we’ll figure it out.”

“It’s not something to say from the position of asking for a favor, but this is a task that might put you at odds with the ducal family…”

“If we don’t get caught, that’s the end of it.”

Infiltration is one of my specialties.

Muttering so, Najin then let out a smirk, reminded of his master who had prepared to oppose the whole world for the sake of keeping one oath.

“And one more thing.”

Shaking off the mud from Pasion’s sword,

And handing it back to Pasion, Najin said,

“I have a promise to keep too.”

A debt to repay.

Najin, who had promised Dieta to repay that debt, still remembered that promise.

-So, you’re going to do it?

“I plan to.”

Infiltration route and the villa’s layout,

And even the location of the villa were all relayed to Najin, who was organizing the information in his head. He needed to have a plan before setting out.

-Infiltrating the ducal family, you know it’s madness, right?

“It’s not the ducal mansion but a villa, isn’t it?”

-Whether it’s a villa, an outbuilding, or even the ducal stables… It’s all the same when it comes to opposing the ducal family. You’re aware of that, aren’t you?

“I am.”

Najin didn’t know the full extent of the ducal family’s reputation, but he was aware of what they could do under the guise of justice. If they set their minds to it, beheading a wandering adventurer would be no trouble at all.

The gap between adventurers and the ducal family.

It’s no different from the gap between the residents of the underground city and those living above.

-And yet, you still intend to do it?

“Yes.”

-Why?

“Like I said, because I promised.”

Merlin’s response was one of incomprehension.

To this, Najin let out a long sigh.

“Merlin, you already know it, right? That I’m not the type to be hung up on justice or to risk my life to correct wrongs.”

Najin had lived in the underground city.

To survive, he had killed countless people and didn’t hesitate to commit evil deeds when necessary. Just because he pulled Excalibur and left the underground city didn’t erase all that.

Najin had no intention of sugarcoating himself. He didn’t plan to cry out for justice while acting hypocritically, nor did he plan to preach his values to others.

Whether they commit evil deeds or not, that’s none of my business. I have no intention of correcting them. If they haven’t wronged me, what right do I have to judge them or impose justice on them?

Especially when I’m no saint myself.

But, just one thing I can’t stand.

“There’s just one thing I can’t stand.”

Najin handled his sword.

“Knights.”

Those who uphold honor and pride.

And the stars he saw in the underground city.

“I can’t stand seeing those who bear the title of knight acting like that. I hate it when the name of a knight is tarnished and when knights are taken lightly.”

It felt like his dream was being sullied.

The stars and knights he dreamed of in the underground city weren’t like that. Perhaps this was the stubbornness of a boy who could let go of everything but his dream.

“Keep the words you speak. Don’t take oaths and promises lightly. Act on what you believe is right.”

The code of knights.

The knight Najin wanted to become.

“I just wanted to witness that being upheld. So, I intend to keep the promise I made. Besides, I don’t particularly like that Arbenia ducal family.”

Did that make any sense?

With those words, Najin spoke. When no response came from Merlin, Najin laughed bitterly.

It must seem foolish.

For someone without a knight’s title, acting this way to uphold the code of knights is laughable. Even among knights, those who uphold the code are called ‘foolish.’

-You’re obsessed with something worthless.

Merlin, who had been listening to Najin’s monologue, spoke up.

-You try to uphold something that doesn’t need to be upheld. Even though there’s nothing to gain from it, you risk your life to protect it. Yes, as you said, it’s foolish.

Merlin said.

-But you know what?

She smiled.

-The king I served was the most foolish person in the world. The person who now hangs the highest star in the sky was a fool, a foolish knight.

Merlin continued.

-What I wanted to confirm wasn’t whether your actions were right or wrong.

“Then?”

-Whether you made that choice knowingly. Whether, even knowing the risks, you’re determined to carry out your beliefs. That was it. Now that I’ve confirmed it, that’s enough.

A short exhale.

Then, with a satisfied voice, Merlin whispered.

-Do as you wish.

-The path is yours to walk, and preparing for the worst is the guide’s role.

Najin chuckled. Draping the robe he received from Pasion over himself and covering his face, Najin moved on.

Ruining a person is simple.

Dieta was acutely aware of that fact.

She numbly stared at her ankle. Remembering what the knights did to her as soon as she was brought into the villa, Dieta couldn’t even muster a smile anymore.

The moment she entered the villa, the knights changed.

The moment the villa’s door closed with a creak, the knights grabbed Dieta’s limbs. They forced her to kneel, stuffed a cloth in her mouth, and then drew their swords to slash at her ankles, severing the tendons.

An injury that could be healed with potions and priests. But for Dieta alone, it was an irrecoverable injury. Until she could leave this prison-like villa, Dieta wouldn’t be able to walk without someone else’s help.

To this extent, to go this far.

“Ah…”

Dieta’s lips twitched.

She thought she had donned a mask and armed herself with an iron will, but at the moment her ankle was slashed, she let out a disgraceful scream. She had no resistance to pain.

From that moment on, Dieta had to realize.

This place was meticulously designed to trample and break her. A cage to break a bird’s wings. In this villa, Dieta had to doubt everything.

The sleep disturbed by the throbbing ankle. The unidentifiable food. The harassment from the servants and the windows nailed shut to prevent even sunlight from entering. The empty room slowly gnawed away at Dieta’s sanity.

…Ruining a person is easy.

No matter how strong her will was, Dieta was just a young woman who had just reached adulthood. She wasn’t a knight trained to withstand countless tortures, nor was she resistant to pain.

If they were determined, breaking her was no difficult task.

Osman’s mocking laughter seemed to echo in her ears. Her mask was shaking. The means at her disposal were diminishing. She knew she needed to find new methods, but her mind wasn’t functioning properly.

Dieta clenched her teeth.

She couldn’t even tell how much time had passed in the solitary cell; she was merely clinging to her slipping mask.

What she didn’t know was.

Behind the villa, in a small forest, flames were rising. Unaware of the servants rushing out to extinguish the unexpected fire. And amidst the chaos, an adventurer was moving…

She was unaware.