Chapter 160

“Don’t be so scared. Anyone would think I’m the thief here, not them.”

“I-I’m very sorry, sir.”

Malcolm reacted late and, together with his son, offered deep words of gratitude.

He had shown distrust even toward the knight who had saved their lives, an enormous lack of respect.

However, Vincent waved his hand as if he did not care much.

“It’s fine. It’s enough that you know it. A knight doesn’t covet money like a bandit.”

“Very apt words.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean I’ll refuse a reward if it’s offered willingly.”

Vincent made a small circle with his hand and tilted his head.

Malcolm, hardened by life, immediately understood what he meant and put on an awkward expression.

He didn’t have any money to reward him.

“I’m sorry, sir. I’d like to give you something, but we truly have nothing.”

“Hmm, truly nothing? Even so, I am your savior.”

“To be honest, our travel funds are almost exhausted. There’s a real possibility we’ll run out of money before even reaching our destination, so we’re cutting back even on food expenses.”

“…Damn it.”

At Vincent’s curse, Malcolm and his son flinched.

A knight without money could sometimes turn into a bandit knight.

Fortunately, Vincent only let out a long sigh and did nothing else.

“If you’re already cutting back even on food, there’s not much that can be done. Where are you headed?”

“To Asagrim, in the north.”

“Ah, there… I see. Then I wish you a safe journey.”

“Thank you, sir. May the Eight Gods bless your path.”

Fearing that Vincent might change his mind, Malcolm and his son left almost at a run toward the next territory.

Vincent watched their backs recede while scratching his head in frustration.

“Nothing really goes right today. What kind of people travel without carrying money on them?”

“It’s this kind of world. That’s why they don’t carry money.”

As if answering his monologue, three shadows emerged behind him. They were Martin, Jude, and Widrow, former members of the Black Lions along with Vincent.

“When security is this bad, travelers tend to be of two types. Either they have plenty of money to hire escorts, or they’re so desperate they have no choice but to take the risk. The ones just now were clearly the second type.”

“Do you think I don’t know that? Even so, I thought they’d have at least a few coins.”

“Then was there any gain? I think you’ve already saved three people of that second type.”

At Widrow’s comment, Vincent looked away.

If they had been people pretending to be poor, maybe, but he had only run into people who truly didn’t have even a single coin.

When he didn’t answer, Widrow let out a deep sigh.

“I knew it. What was that about at least we won’t go hungry, follow me? We don’t even have money to eat tomorrow, and you’re talking about food?”

“…But up until now we’ve eaten every day.”

“These past few days we haven’t eaten anything but pieces of rye bread, not a single stew!”

“As long as it fills the stomach, it’s enough. In any case, I didn’t lie.”

At Vincent’s brazenness, Widrow brought a hand to his head.

That the Black Lions, who once made the entire east tremble, were now begging for food was too sad.

Remembering the old days only made the current situation feel even more miserable.

“If the second young master hadn’t taken over the Valdeck family, I wouldn’t have followed you.”

“See? It’s better than working under the second young master, right?”

“That just means it’s less bad than the worst, not that it’s something good.”

Though he reproached him, Widrow couldn’t completely deny Vincent’s words. Wandering like this was still several times better than working under Jordi.

When they served the former grand duke, Sigmund, even if they did dirty work, there was pride. The pride of keeping the Empire stable and protecting the lives of common people.

But that pride evaporated completely when Jordi rebelled.

Since then, all orders had been nothing more than a way to fill Jordi’s pockets.

‘Even now, I think we did right by leaving. Rather than obeying orders like that, better to starve to death.’

The only regrettable thing was that they had not been able to recover the money they had accumulated during their time as Black Lions.

If they had all tried to retrieve their assets at once, Jordi would have noticed.

To escape safely, they had to abandon everything in tears.

They did not regret the decision, but they also couldn’t go on living as beggars forever.

“Hyung, let’s go to the third young master… no, to His Excellency the duke. If we appeal to the old days, somehow—”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Look at His Excellency’s movements. He’s gathering all kinds of justifications possible. Do you think he’d simply accept the Black Lions?”

Gathering justifications meant, in other words, keeping as much distance as possible from dirty work.

No matter how much of a relationship there had been before, it was doubtful that the current Lucian would accept those who had handled such tasks.

“Captain Raymond officially became the duke’s escort knight before departing for the north, so there’s no problem there. But we only crossed paths with His Excellency during missions. If someone digs into the past, we won’t know how to respond.”

“Maybe when he was still the third young master, but now that he’s a duke, is he really in a position where he has to worry about that kind of questioning?”

“It’s not that there are no losses, it’s just that they’re acceptable losses. The question is whether His Excellency would be willing to assume even that for us.”

“….”

Faced with such a difficult question to answer, Widrow fell silent.

The Black Lions were, objectively, valuable talent, but looking at Lucian’s current situation, it couldn’t be said that he lacked capable people.

Moreover, the bond they shared was nothing more than a passing encounter.

‘If it goes well, he might receive us gladly. But if it goes badly, he might kick us out.’

Both sighed at the same time. Everything depended on Lucian’s mood, and they had no way of knowing it, which made the situation all the more frustrating.

“In any case, if we go without thinking and get rejected, there’ll be no turning back. At least let’s wait until we have an excuse to visit Asagrim, and then drop by discreetly.”

“And is that excuse ever going to appear?”

“I don’t know, damn it. If you don’t like it, go ask to be accepted by yourself.”

“…Let’s wait for an excuse to appear.”

Finally in agreement, both looked at each other and nodded.

If they openly offered themselves and were rejected, even if an opportunity arose later, they would no longer be able to bring it up again.

It was better to leave room, even in the case of rejection.

***

After the silence of the Empire, a true era of chaos descended upon the territory.

Ambition and betrayal, wars and conspiracies erupted everywhere, and security worsened with each passing day.

The lives of common people became increasingly harsh, popular discontent grew, and bandits appeared everywhere.

The only territory that enjoyed peace and prosperity was Asagrim, in the north.

Trade became more active day by day, the people overflowed with vitality, and the army was powerful.

Lately, moreover, the revelation of the legacy of the northern royalty was attracting new talents.

However, despite enjoying a peace that anyone would envy, the atmosphere in Asagrim was not good.

Lucian’s benefactor, the hegemon of the north and a giant of an era, was about to leave this world.

“Sir Eisen.”

“…Your Excellency.”

At Lucian’s call, Eisen, lying in bed, half-opened his eyes.

Even responding seemed to take effort; his voice was rough and broken.

There was no trace left of the Swordmaster who had once surpassed hundreds of knights.

“Are you feeling well?”

“No. It seems I don’t have much time left.”

“….”

At Eisen’s calm reply, Lucian did not know what to say. Eisen smiled gently, as if he needed no answer.

“Could you call Felicia?”

“Of course. Please wait a moment.”

Lucian gestured to the servant at his side. The servant bowed slightly and, as soon as he closed the door, ran off.

A moment later, footsteps reinforced with magical power could be heard in the distance.

Bang!

“Father!”

“Shh.”

When Felicia burst the door open, Eisen raised a finger to his lips.

That simple gesture made Felicia’s chest tighten with pain. He barely had the strength even to scold his daughter’s reckless actions.

“Sit down.”

Felicia dragged a nearby chair over and sat down without saying a word.

Eisen watched her in silence for a long while. Finally, the Swordmaster opened his mouth.

“Felicia.”

“Yes, Father.”

“I have failed as a knight.”

“Sir Eisen.”

Eisen shook his head toward Lucian, who was trying to intervene.

The expression on his face made it clear that this was not the time for consolation.

Lucian was forced to remain silent, and Eisen continued.

“They say that half of a life is decided by how one lives, and the other half by how one dies. Seen that way, the end of my life has been truly clumsy.”

“….”

“I couldn’t protect my lord, I wasn’t even able to recognize who killed him, and I couldn’t even avenge him with my own hands, leaving it instead to Your Excellency. It is truly shameful.”

‘But his life was truly brilliant. He served Valdeck for three generations, magnificently protected two heads of family, and left his name in history. He only made a very small mistake at the end.’

Lucian wanted to say that, but he could not. Even if he said it, it would be no consolation to Eisen.

“Do not become a knight like me.”

“Father…”

“Protect Your Excellency. Protect him no matter what. I am not telling you to become a great knight. If, even while having power to spare, you lose your lord because of a moment of foolishness, you will end up shedding tears of blood.”

Instead of answering, Felicia tightly gripped Eisen’s hand.

Feeling the iron determination transmitted through her fingers, Eisen smiled gently.

“Good, that is enough. As long as you do not forget that weight, you will not fail as I did.”

“….”

“Just one more thing.”

Eisen paused briefly and caressed the calluses on Felicia’s hand, as if tracing the marks he had left in this world.

“Although I failed as a knight, I succeeded as a swordsman. Because I was able to leave behind such an exceptional heir.”

“…!”

“Do not cling to my shadow. Show the world who Swordmaster Felicia is. I no longer wish to remain in this world as a Swordmaster, but as the father who raised the strongest Swordmaster.”

At those words filled with affection, burning tears streamed down Felicia’s cheeks.

At first, the relationship between father and daughter had begun to secure Felicia’s identity, as she was an illegitimate child, and to sever ties with the house of the Marquis of Roglan.

But even if there were any blood ties, there would be no one who could become Eisen’s true daughter as Felicia was.

All the more so if it is said that a child is the reflection of their parents.

After holding Felicia’s hand tightly for a long while, Eisen turned his gaze toward Lucian.

“Your Excellency.”

“Yes.”

Lucian silently awaited Eisen’s next words. Surely, as with Felicia, he would offer some valuable advice.

But what he heard exceeded all expectations.

“Fulfill your great work.”

“…!”

Lucian felt his breath stop. Eisen had served the Valdeck family and the Empire throughout his entire life.

And now, that very Eisen was affirming Lucian’s ambition.

He was telling him to fulfill his will, even if that meant bringing down the Empire.

They were words completely opposed to the values he had followed his whole life.

Feeling the weight of those words, Lucian replied in a trembling voice.

“I will. No matter the cost.”