Chapter 229

The Romance of Travel

I had been suspicious from the moment I realised Aura Users were mixed in with the bandits.

Of course, just as some mercenaries awakened aura, there had to be commoners outside the knightly and noble classes who became Aura Users as well.

But there had been nine of them.

Nine.

That was practically enough combat power to rival the knight order of a viscount’s house.

And the strangest part was that this knight-order-level force had shown almost no interest in the wagons filled with silver or the knights protecting them.

They had been obsessively focused on one young man.

This stinks.

The scent of conspiracy was practically overwhelming.

No matter how I looked at it, the bandits attacking the silver wagons had been nothing more than camouflage.

Their real objective had clearly been this young man.

I had fought seriously because I had no intention of dying, but I hated being dragged into conspiracies without even knowing what was happening.

“...”

The young man remained silent after my question.

Instead, his eyes moved subtly around the battlefield.

I followed his gaze.

Among the mercenaries in the rear, everyone except his group and ours had been wiped out.

About half the soldiers had died as well.

The five knights, meanwhile, were all alive and still racing around slaughtering the remaining bandits like executioners.

The reason was obvious.

Every Aura User among the attackers had concentrated on the mercenaries, and especially on this young man.

The soldiers and knights had only faced ordinary bandits.

“Don’t worry.”

I tightened my grip on the young man.

“I’ll keep whatever you tell me to myself.”

Judging by the way he kept looking around, he was clearly worried that his identity might spread to the others.

I stared at him sharply.

“I’m not going to spew nonsense about how all those dead people died because of you. They were strangers to me.”

His expression stiffened.

“But I nearly died because of you too.”

I continued.

“And I saved your life on top of that. I think that gives me the right to hear what this was about.”

Maybe because he was still young, his eyes shook visibly at my words.

“Haa...”

Eventually, he sighed.

“When you put it that way, I suppose you’re right.”

After hesitating once more, he finally spoke.

“My name is Van Swellen Ludwig. I’ve been travelling under the alias Vans.”

Oh?

Ludwig.

That surname obviously meant he belonged to some noble house called Ludwig.

There was only one problem.

“...Where exactly is House Ludwig?”

How was I supposed to know the names of human noble families?

Vans’s otherwise calm face flushed slightly.

He looked almost insulted.

“Are you mocking me?”

He stared at me.

“You truly don’t know House Ludwig?”

“Ahem. I’m not particularly knowledgeable about noble families.”

“The ducal House of Ludwig of the Kingdom of Winston.”

He straightened slightly.

“I am its second son.”

A duke’s son.

Interesting.

Wait.

The Kingdom of Winston?

That was the kingdom where the Gray Magic Tower was located.

Various possibilities immediately began forming in my mind.

Then Vans narrowed his eyes.

“And what exactly are you?”

My identity?

An orc Grand Chief.

Naturally, I did not tell Vans the truth.

The expression on his face when I simply answered, “Secret,” was quite memorable.

By the time I learned his identity, the battle was nearly over.

The knights rampaging across the field had finally slaughtered the last of the bandits.

Wow.

Not one of them thought to leave a survivor?

Wouldn’t it normally make sense to capture someone and find out who had dared attack a caravan full of silver?

Fortunately, the knights’ conversation soon answered that question.

“This one is the leader of the Red Snake Bandits.”

“Louis, head of the Louis Family, is over there as well. I also found Jiggs, leader of Ogre Blood.”

“Every one of them was wanted.”

One knight clicked his tongue.

“Did three criminal groups really think joining forces would let them defeat knights like us?”

“This is why commoners are hopeless.”

Another scoffed.

“Look, squad leader. All but six of the mercenaries are dead.”

“Eleven soldiers are dead too. Only nine survived.”

They were speaking quietly among themselves.

Unfortunately for them, my hearing was far better than a human’s.

Well, from their perspective, only ordinary bandits attacked them.

The night attack had happened before dawn.

The knights had been too busy fighting the ordinary criminals to notice the unusually skilled men slaughtering the mercenaries.

The people targeting Vans must have planned around exactly that.

Recruiting bandits and underworld gangs probably had not been difficult either.

All they needed was to use the silver wagons as bait.

If the criminals were told nine Aura Users would be fighting alongside them, even reckless thieves might have believed they had a real chance.

“The sun will rise soon!”

One of the knights who had just been insulting the dead mercenaries and soldiers raised his voice.

“Clear the road and prepare to depart immediately!”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Guts muttered.

“We finish fighting and immediately start marching?”

“As unpleasant as it sounds, reaching Betony City is probably safer than staying here and risking another ambush.”

Burke glanced toward the forest.

“We lost plenty, but more than sixty bandits died. Do they even have enough men left for another attack?”

They complained quietly, but none of them was foolish enough to argue loudly with the knights.

In the end, we dragged the corpses of bandits, soldiers, and mercenaries away from the road so the wagons could move.

Then the caravan resumed its journey.

“How’s your body?”

I looked at Vans, who was walking beside me.

His original mercenary companions appeared to have been completely wiped out during the ambush.

Hardly surprising.

With a group of Aura Users specifically targeting Vans, any ordinary mercenaries nearby would have had little chance of surviving.

“I can walk.”

His answer was noticeably curt.

Apparently, he was still irritated that I had refused to reveal my identity.

His body had been covered in wounds and blood earlier, but he had already recovered considerably.

As expected of a noble son, Vans had brought emergency potions.

While the knights were finishing the surviving bandits, he had quietly taken one from inside his clothes and poured it over his wounds.

He had even handed me what remained afterward.

Apparently, being annoyed that I hid my identity and repaying someone for saving his life were two separate matters to him.

The wound I had taken while rescuing him healed quickly thanks to the potion.

I could have slipped into the bushes later and used Healing instead, but there was no reason to refuse free medicine.

We had departed around dawn.

It was not until sunset that the caravan finally reached Betony City.

“Tch.”

Immediately after our arrival, one of the knights clicked his tongue while handing Guts our payment.

His displeasure was obvious.

Almost all the hired mercenaries had died.

“Fucking bastard.”

The moment we were far enough away from the knights, Elin swore viciously on Guts’s behalf.

“Forget him.”

I patted her shoulder.

“We’re all in a terrible mood. Let’s find an inn, get some drinks, and wash the taste of this day away.”

Then I casually pulled Vans closer.

“This fellow looks like he wants to join us. Any objections?”

“Ahem.”

Guts looked at him.

“If Vans doesn’t mind, I don’t.”

Vans had initially looked startled when I dragged him into the group, but once the others accepted him, a smile appeared on his face.

He really was a young noble who had run away to experience the world.

Apparently, the idea of drinking with ordinary mercenaries appealed to him.

Everyone had already realised that Vans was some kind of noble anyway.

But no one kept their distance.

Unlike the knights from the caravan, Vans never acted arrogant.

Just as they had done with me, they seemed content to pretend they had noticed nothing.

If anything, the contrast with the knights made Vans look even more likable.

Eventually, the six of us found an inn and settled around a table on the first floor.

Food arrived.

So did several mugs of beer.

After a few rounds, I leaned toward the others.

“Would anyone mind if we continued this conversation upstairs?”

“In a room?”

Elin raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“Hehehe.”

I laughed.

“Wouldn’t it be troublesome if someone overheard us insulting our esteemed knights?”

Everyone remembered the attitude of the knights from earlier and chuckled.

So we gathered the food and alcohol and moved upstairs.

For a while, we enthusiastically complained about the knights.

Then, as though the thought had only just occurred to me, I casually asked,

“By the way, do any of you know much about the ducal House of Ludwig in the Kingdom of Winston?”

Pfft!

Vans sprayed the beer he had been drinking.

Chapter 230

The Romance of Travel

“Where exactly have you been living all your life, Mr. Karath?”

“Seriously. How can you not know the famous House of Ludwig?”

My question was apparently so absurd that Vans’s reaction went mostly unnoticed.

“The ducal House of Ludwig is one of the founding houses of the Kingdom of Winston,” Guts explained.

“They’re called the Sword of Winston.”

Burke nodded.

“They’re probably the most famous knightly house in the kingdom.”

Elin leaned back in her chair.

“Most nobles talk about being noble while behaving like filth, but House Ludwig is different. They’re practically worshiped as the embodiment of chivalry.”

“Mercenaries spend plenty of time insulting nobles.”

Guts lifted his mug.

“But you almost never hear anyone insulting House Ludwig.”

The group briefly explained what they knew.

Vans tried very hard not to react.

He failed miserably.

Every time someone praised House Ludwig, the corners of his mouth crept upward.

He looks delighted.

Then Guts seemed to remember something.

“Come to think of it, I heard a story a few years ago.”

He scratched his beard.

“Wasn’t the second son of House Ludwig supposed to be some incredible swordsmanship genius?”

“I heard that too.”

Wiggins nodded.

“He awakened aura at fourteen. People expect him to become an Aura Expert before twenty-five.”

He looked impressed even while saying it.

“Some even think the Kingdom of Winston might eventually produce a new Aura Master because of him.”

Elin frowned in thought.

“What was his name again?”

Guts answered slowly.

“Van Swellen Ludwig...”

Their gazes gradually shifted toward Vans.

“...”

Silence filled the room.

A swordsmanship genius.

The second son of a ducal house.

It sounded like the setup of one of those fantasy stories I used to read back on Earth.

“Ah.”

I broke the silence.

“This is purely hypothetical.”

I placed particular emphasis on the final word.

“Suppose that genius second son happened to run away from home. Would there be many people interested in targeting him?”

“Ah! Then that ambush earlier was...!”

Wiggins suddenly exclaimed.

“What are you talking about?”

I stared at him.

“That ambush was clearly committed by bandits trying to steal silver.”

I emphasized the word bandits.

“I’m asking about a purely hypothetical situation.”

“Ah.”

Wiggins finally caught on.

“Ahem. Of course. Hypothetical.”

The others also understood.

As before, we would simply pretend not to see what was directly in front of us.

“Well.”

Guts stroked his chin.

“If the second son hypothetically ran away, there would certainly be plenty of people who might target him.”

“House Ludwig is one of the most powerful noble families in Winston,” Burke added.

“Even here in the Kingdom of Partan, someone might try to use him for diplomatic advantage.”

“And enemies inside Winston might try to weaken House Ludwig through him.”

Elin frowned.

“But attacking Count Reynold’s caravan while simultaneously targeting the second son of House Ludwig?”

She considered it.

“You’d probably need someone around the rank of marquis to attempt something that dangerous.”

They discussed the possible conspiracy with Vans sitting directly beside them as if the matter had nothing whatsoever to do with him.

I listened quietly.

Something bothered me.

I felt as though we were overlooking something.

Ah.

After thinking for a moment, I realised what it was.

“Didn’t you say House Ludwig is considered the model of knighthood?”

I looked around the table.

“Would such a family really surrender everything simply because one of its children was kidnapped?”

The others went quiet.

“Especially if the kidnappers were criminals using hostage-taking as leverage.”

I remembered the Aura Users from the ambush.

“And I don’t think the people who attacked us intended to kidnap the second son anyway.”

“They intended to kill him,” Wiggins murmured.

“Exactly.”

Guts frowned.

“Assassinating a genius who might become an Aura Master one day...”

Burke’s expression changed.

“That wouldn’t only enrage House Ludwig. The entire Kingdom of Winston might react.”

Everyone looked at me with surprise.

Until now, they had apparently decided I was some battle-obsessed fool who knew nothing about geography, politics, or noble families.

Hearing me reason through the situation did not fit that image.

I ignored their expressions.

“Yet all of you spoke as though House Ludwig would surrender everything if its second son were taken hostage.”

I leaned forward.

“That makes little sense.”

My gaze drifted toward Vans.

“He isn’t even the official heir.”

I continued calmly.

“Why would a ducal house that represents knightly honor abandon everything merely because its second son was captured?”

“That’s because the second son is an incredible swordsmanship genius.”

“Yes.”

Elin nodded slowly.

“And even though he’s the second son, perhaps he could eventually become the next duke...”

Her voice trailed off.

The others began to understand.

Shock gradually appeared in their eyes.

“So that brings me to the real question.”

I looked toward Vans.

“Are the eldest son and second son of House Ludwig close?”

I had directed the question toward everyone.

But only one person could properly answer it.

“...My brother and I are very close.”

Vans spoke through clenched teeth.

He looked as though I had insulted something sacred.

I calmly accepted his glare while arranging the pieces in my mind.

This could be much bigger than I thought.

A succession struggle inside one of the most powerful houses in the Kingdom of Winston.

Suppose I involved myself.

Suppose I helped Vans become the eventual successor.

The chance of creating an allied human state would increase.

Of course, there were plenty of people in the world who happily accepted help before stabbing their benefactors in the back.

But Vans was still a naive boy in his late teens.

A fool romantic enough to run away from home simply because he wanted to experience the world.

What if I started guiding him now?

What if I gradually influenced someone who might someday become both a duke and a great Aura Master?

And the Gray Magic Tower was located in the Kingdom of Winston as well.

Getting involved with Vans could create an opportunity to contact the tower along the way.

Several objectives at once.

Not bad.

Once the larger picture formed in my mind, I kept my expression perfectly neutral.

“The eldest and second sons may genuinely care for each other.”

I shrugged.

“But excessive loyalty exists too.”

“Excessive loyalty?”

“The eldest son may never have ordered anything.”

I continued.

“But what if some retainers decided on their own that eliminating his younger brother would secure his succession?”

“Ah...”

Guts and the others nodded.

The possibility sounded believable.

Vans’s defiant expression faltered.

He remained silent for several moments.

Then, seemingly having reached a decision, he spoke carefully.

“...That is actually why I left my family.”

Everyone turned toward him.

“There were ridiculous rumors spreading through the house that I intended to compete for the ducal succession.”

He sounded like the tragic protagonist of some dramatic tale.

I smiled faintly.

“What are you talking about, Vans?”

He blinked.

“Ducal succession?”

I tilted my head.

“We were discussing a hypothetical situation.”

We had been working so hard to pretend not to notice the obvious.

He really had no sense for this sort of thing.

Which only made him seem even easier to influence.

Chapter 231

The Romance of Travel

“...”

Silence filled the inn room.

That was understandable.

Even if everyone had agreed to pretend this was hypothetical, we were discussing a succession struggle involving a ducal title.

That was far beyond the sort of matter ordinary mercenaries should casually involve themselves in.

Better to keep the conversation moving.

The larger the scale of a problem, the more intimidating it became.

And intimidation gave people time to imagine all sorts of terrifying possibilities.

“So.”

I continued before anyone could retreat into those thoughts.

“For that completely unrelated second son to survive, wouldn’t the best option be to return to his family as quickly as possible?”

There could still be assassination attempts after he returned.

Poison.

Sabotage.

Other forms of intrigue.

I did not mention those possibilities.

Returning home would still be safer than remaining somewhere his enemies could openly send killers after him.

“The problem is that these excessively loyal retainers probably won’t allow the second son to return safely.”

I smiled.

“So he would need capable people to protect him until he reached House Ludwig.”

I deliberately stressed the next words.

“Experienced mercenaries, for example.”

Guts and the others visibly stiffened.

“Mr. Karath, we...”

“Ah!”

I cut Guts off before he could finish.

“Naturally, that would be the second son’s decision.”

I leaned back.

“But surely the son of the famous House Ludwig, a family praised as the ideal of knighthood, would not offer some pitiful reward.”

Guts slowly stopped speaking.

“This is an escort mission directly connected to a ducal succession struggle.”

I continued cheerfully.

“Surely a great ducal house of knights wouldn’t simply hand out a little money and call the matter finished.”

Their expressions began to change.

“At the very least, wouldn’t they grant knighthoods?”

“!”

“And perhaps teach those knights a mana cultivation method worthy of their new position?”

Every mercenary at the table stared at me.

Mercenaries often insulted knights.

Even Aura Users among them sometimes claimed they would never become knights.

But most of that came from resentment toward the attitudes of existing knights.

How many people in this era would truly reject an opportunity to rise in status?

And this would not be knighthood under some obscure minor lord.

It would be knighthood under a ducal house.

“Mr. Karath?”

The person most shocked by my suggestion was Vans himself.

“I...”

He hesitated.

“I don’t think that is something I... I mean, that a runaway second son would have the authority to promise.”

“Tch, tch.”

I clicked my tongue.

“Then I suppose that second son should simply die quietly in the wilderness so his beloved brother can become the next duke.”

“What?!”

“Isn’t that what you’re saying?”

I stared straight at him.

“His enemies are openly trying to kill him, but he refuses to do this and refuses to do that.”

My voice hardened.

“So he can surrender everything, including his life.”

I paused.

“And in the process, he can ensure his beloved brother becomes known as the shameless man who inherited the ducal title after his younger brother was murdered.”

“You go too far!”

Vans slammed a hand down.

“No.”

I growled back.

“The one going too far is that foolish second son whose head is filled with flowers.”

His eyes widened.

“Listen carefully, Vans.”

I leaned toward him.

“Peace is something you can secure only when you possess strength.”

The room went silent.

“A close relationship with an older brother can survive only when both brothers can stand in a relationship of relative equality.”

“If he wanted anything else, then he should have pretended to be stupid.”

I continued mercilessly.

“He should have pretended to be incompetent.”

“But he didn’t.”

“He showed everyone exactly how talented he was.”

Revealing every advantage you possessed and then expecting no one to covet or fear it was no different from walking through a crowded street covered in jewels and expecting no one to steal them.

“So that second son has two choices.”

I held up two fingers.

“He can continue surrendering everything until he eventually surrenders his life.”

“Or he can build strength.”

“...”

“If he refuses to die, then he needs power.”

I did not slow down.

“If his brother’s position inside the family is already secure, then he should develop influence outside the family.”

“I am not telling him to betray his homeland or invite foreign powers into a family dispute.”

I pointed toward Guts and the others.

“I am telling him to recruit capable free knights and experienced mercenaries.”

“To nurture them.”

“To create people whose loyalty belongs to him.”

Vans’s eyes continued shaking.

“He has no authority?”

I scoffed.

“Where does authority come from?”

“If you possess strength, status follows.”

“If you possess status, authority follows.”

“And before any of that matters, he needs to remain alive.”

I met his gaze.

“If he dies, then as I said earlier, all he accomplishes is turning his precious brother into a man remembered as someone who inherited the ducal title after his younger brother was murdered.”

Vans stared blankly at me for several moments.

Then something changed.

Determination gradually appeared in his eyes.

“Haa...”

He took a slow breath.

Then he turned toward the others.

“Mr. Guts. Ms. Elin. Mr. Burke.”

He straightened in his seat.

“Allow me to introduce myself again.”

“My name is Van Swellen Ludwig.”

“The second son of the ducal House of Ludwig.”

His expression became completely serious.

“Will you help me return safely to my family?”

Guts swallowed.

“That...”

“If you help me return to House Ludwig, I swear upon my life and honor that I will see all of you made knights of House Ludwig.”

“...”

A strange silence formed between Vans and the mercenaries.

Then Wiggins awkwardly raised one hand.

“Um...”

Everyone looked at him.

“I’m a mage.”

The tension shattered.

Elin was the first to laugh.

Then everyone else joined her.

Vans recovered quickly.

“Naturally, I would support you as well, Mr. Wiggins.”

He nodded seriously.

“I would ensure that you could devote yourself to magical study without needing to work as a mercenary. I would provide whatever material and financial support I reasonably could.”

“Hahaha!”

Wiggins brightened immediately.

“If that is the case, then despite my humble abilities, I would be happy to help.”

He adjusted his clothes as though preparing to deliver a highly rational argument.

“At my current rate, I would need to continue mercenary work for several more years simply to earn enough money to continue studying at the Magic Tower.”

“And mercenary work already puts my life in danger regularly.”

“So if I must risk my life either way, perhaps it is more rational to gamble everything on one opportunity.”

He laughed.

Listening to him, I decided Wiggins should never be allowed anywhere near gambling.

Guts sighed.

“Well, let’s try it.”

He smiled faintly.

“I’ve wandered around as a mercenary for twenty years. Maybe it’s time I finally settled somewhere.”

“If Captain’s doing it, I’m in too.”

Elin grinned.

“I’d like to know what that wonderful aura everyone brags about actually feels like.”

Burke chuckled.

“Me, a knight. Never thought I’d see the day.”

Watching them, a small smile appeared on my face.

Perhaps this was why matchmakers enjoyed their work.

I had successfully obtained what I wanted without offering anything myself.

Chapter 232

The Romance of Travel

“Mr. Karath.”

Vans turned away from the others and looked at me.

“Will you help me too?”

“Hahaha.”

I laughed.

“Would I have started this conversation if I had no intention of joining you?”

Something strange entered Vans’s gaze.

“Mr. Karath, you are already an advanced Aura User.”

He studied me carefully.

“The mana cultivation method used by our family’s knights would probably offer you little.”

“And judging by the fact that you refuse to reveal your family, you clearly have circumstances of your own.”

He continued.

“You also don’t strike me as someone hoping to become a knight of House Ludwig.”

His eyes sharpened.

“Then what exactly do you want from helping me?”

Oh?

I had thought he was merely a naive boy.

Yet he had identified the most important question.

Whenever someone offered help, understanding what they truly wanted in return was essential.

Help that made no sense economically usually concealed another motive.

My real objective is to use you as a bridge between the alliance and a human nation.

And while I was at it, I intended to establish contact with the Gray Magic Tower.

Naturally, I could not tell him any of that.

Those were the objectives of the Orc Grand Chief.

So for now, I would answer not as Grand Chief...

But as the supposedly sheltered young noble who had run away from home in search of adventure.

“Rescuing the second son of a ducal house from danger and crushing a mysterious conspiracy?”

I spread my arms.

“What could be more romantic than the sort of adventure that usually exists only in stories? Hahaha!”

“...The plan failed?”

Inside a dark room, two men wearing black robes spoke beneath the dim light of a small lamp.

“Yes.”

The younger man lowered his head.

“It appears some of our information was incorrect.”

“Incorrect?”

The older man frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“The second young master’s strength exceeded our expectations.”

“Exceeded...”

The old man’s expression sharpened.

“Do you mean he has already reached the advanced level?”

“Yes.”

The older man’s wrinkles deepened across his forehead.

The ducal House of Ludwig was known as the Sword of Winston.

And even among that extraordinary family, Van Swellen Ludwig was called a genius.

Awakening aura at fourteen had already been astonishing.

Reaching the advanced Aura User level at only eighteen was an extraordinary pace of development.

Especially because, before leaving the family estate, he had supposedly still been stuck at the intermediate level.

But the old man’s surprise lasted only briefly.

“Even if he reached the advanced level, it should merely have delayed matters.”

He frowned.

“There was no reason for the operation to fail.”

“We sent nine Ravens.”

“That is...”

The subordinate hesitated.

“There was an unexpected fighter among the mercenaries travelling nearby.”

“An unexpected fighter?”

“Yes.”

“He was also an advanced Aura User.”

The old man’s eyes narrowed.

“And there is more.”

“The axe he wielded appears to have been unusual.”

“Unusual how?”

“According to the reports, every time the Ravens crossed weapons with him, their blades were broken in a single collision.”

The old man’s expression darkened.

An Aura User at the advanced level could coat a weapon in aura.

When an aura-coated weapon collided with an ordinary one, it was natural for the weaker weapon to lose.

But that normally meant chips, cracks, and gradual damage.

Being cut completely in half with a single collision was another matter entirely.

“What are the chances he was an Aura Expert?”

“There were no reports of him projecting aura away from his weapon.”

Some special axe?

The evidence suggested that explanation.

Yet the old man could not rid himself of his unease.

“Was that man originally travelling with the second young master?”

He was considering whether the head of House Ludwig might secretly have assigned a hidden escort without his knowledge.

“Probably not.”

The subordinate shook his head.

“According to our observers, they acted separately until the attack began.”

“Hmm...”

The old man silently organised the information.

Then he made his decision.

“Leak the second young master’s location to Viscount Tex.”

“V-Viscount Tex?”

For the first time, the subordinate’s emotionless voice cracked with surprise.

That reaction was understandable.

Viscount Tex was not a noble of the Kingdom of Winston.

He belonged to the Kingdom of Partan, where Van Swellen Ludwig was currently travelling.

More importantly...

“Wouldn’t that become dangerous if the head of the house discovered it?”

Viscount Tex held a deep grudge against the current Duke Ludwig.

More than twenty years earlier, when the current duke was still the heir of House Ludwig, a minor border conflict had erupted between Winston and Partan.

During that conflict, Duke Ludwig had severed Viscount Tex’s right arm.

Tex was not merely a noble.

He had been a knight and warrior first.

For a man like him, losing his dominant arm had been worse than death.

Most warriors who lost the arm they relied upon would fall into despair and become broken men.

Tex had chosen another path.

Instead of collapsing, he became obsessed with revenge.

And now the old man was proposing that they deliver Duke Ludwig’s second son directly into the hands of that embodiment of hatred.

“The moment we sent the Ravens after the second young master, there was already no path back for us.”

“...”

“If that is the case, wouldn’t it be better to use the most reliable piece available?”

The old man had considered the worst possible situation before choosing Viscount Tex.

The unidentified mercenary with the strange axe might continue travelling with the second young master.

But if Tex moved personally, that would cease to matter.

Even if the enemy possessed two advanced Aura Users and one of them carried an extraordinary weapon...

There was an enormous gulf between an Aura User and an Aura Expert.

And Viscount Tex was no ordinary Aura Expert.

He ranked among the five strongest knights in the entire Kingdom of Partan.

“But what if the second young master seeks protection from the Kingdom of Partan?”

The subordinate asked cautiously.

“That will not happen.”

The old man answered without hesitation.

A direct descendant of House Ludwig, the family praised as the embodiment of knighthood, seeking protection in a foreign kingdom simply because assassins threatened his life?

While House Ludwig itself remained strong and secure?

Such an act would stain the Ludwig name.

For knights and nobles who lived by honor, it was unthinkable.

“A lion’s cub is still a lion.”

A sinister gleam passed through the old man’s eyes.

“He will not disgrace his family merely because his life is in danger.”

The old man’s voice dropped.

“That is why we must cut down that cub before it grows into a true lion.”

“Understood.”

The subordinate bowed.

“I will leak the information to Viscount Tex.”

“Good.”

The old man stared at him.

“You understand that everything we do is for that person.”

“There can be no mistakes.”

“...I will be careful.”