Chapter 160
b0QUN“Don’t be so scared. Anyone would think I’m the thief here, not them.”Qpm
gwMv0f“I-I’m very sorry, sir.”Bf0qG
nNnMtZMalcolm reacted late and, together with his son, offered deep words of gratitude.9XNpmVM
86LHe had shown distrust even toward the knight who had saved their lives, an enormous lack of respect.2pg7Ow
nd9ioHowever, Vincent waved his hand as if he did not care much.fTivt
LRA0“It’s fine. It’s enough that you know it. A knight doesn’t covet money like a bandit.”Tii
ttViz9Q“Very apt words.”R8MPk4
9jc14C“Well, that doesn’t mean I’ll refuse a reward if it’s offered willingly.”DdxReIu
nS6AIlVincent made a small circle with his hand and tilted his head.L2PRDc
KS4fMalcolm, hardened by life, immediately understood what he meant and put on an awkward expression.oTVbg4
gCa1He didn’t have any money to reward him.mxdUV6a
nU0Usu“I’m sorry, sir. I’d like to give you something, but we truly have nothing.”etZED3
rdiN23“Hmm, truly nothing? Even so, I am your savior.”SKl
1zAerB“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.”oVOxQeD
nZesWs“…Damn it.”XL8SH
uZ6bAt Vincent’s curse, Malcolm and his son flinched.Oeil
8NFPA knight without money could sometimes turn into a bandit knight.m8UdIxK
RwqFortunately, Vincent only let out a long sigh and did nothing else.BS0gGhm
s1Bo“If you’re already cutting back even on food, there’s not much that can be done. Where are you headed?”hdNhz
dCogH7“To Asagrim, in the north.”U7uKUfp
L4KAq“Ah, there… I see. Then I wish you a safe journey.”A0uqF
7vDbi“Thank you, sir. May the Eight Gods bless your path.”mdXzW9
a95S1h9Fearing that Vincent might change his mind, Malcolm and his son left almost at a run toward the next territory.FpbM
OEjCVincent watched their backs recede while scratching his head in frustration.1jTaR
0Ezot3U“Nothing really goes right today. What kind of people travel without carrying money on them?”qO09QK
zmPYk“It’s this kind of world. That’s why they don’t carry money.”TDIs7s
YgqRfAs if answering his monologue, three shadows emerged behind him. They were Martin, Jude, and Widrow, former members of the Black Lions along with Vincent.vRE7PV
2cHK“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.”SMhWrO
2Kl3qK“Do you think I don’t know that? Even so, I thought they’d have at least a few coins.”LvKJs
xLvKV“Then was there any gain? I think you’ve already saved three people of that second type.”fz0MI
FWYAt Widrow’s comment, Vincent looked away.tROM
aWXFEIf 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.t2Z
uQTx8oWhen he didn’t answer, Widrow let out a deep sigh.bpjW8K
dFZ5Yi“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?”Mcf
wJjzy“…But up until now we’ve eaten every day.”oA3zjV
FQu9“These past few days we haven’t eaten anything but pieces of rye bread, not a single stew!”QTo
gXjSqp“As long as it fills the stomach, it’s enough. In any case, I didn’t lie.”whIvPK
LqNRimxAt Vincent’s brazenness, Widrow brought a hand to his head.jKSl
A15eThat the Black Lions, who once made the entire east tremble, were now begging for food was too sad.WQZblTC
5RSRemembering the old days only made the current situation feel even more miserable.fOaew
HxdD“If the second young master hadn’t taken over the Valdeck family, I wouldn’t have followed you.”xVTRC
rwgPaBY“See? It’s better than working under the second young master, right?”RNySoFa
ZeUwVBM“That just means it’s less bad than the worst, not that it’s something good.”dIbNf
10RThough he reproached him, Widrow couldn’t completely deny Vincent’s words. Wandering like this was still several times better than working under Jordi.WSW
GKsWhen 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.vqSs6vr
Nmu7But that pride evaporated completely when Jordi rebelled.XJ0
3TWZ2Since then, all orders had been nothing more than a way to fill Jordi’s pockets.EMkN
NIRN2xR‘Even now, I think we did right by leaving. Rather than obeying orders like that, better to starve to death.’JXuRg
qv1The only regrettable thing was that they had not been able to recover the money they had accumulated during their time as Black Lions.l1nk
EETOf6TIf they had all tried to retrieve their assets at once, Jordi would have noticed.Xh1zO
qkWpTo escape safely, they had to abandon everything in tears.FesWxso
CMULThey did not regret the decision, but they also couldn’t go on living as beggars forever.Wr3c2
Cj1“Hyung, let’s go to the third young master… no, to His Excellency the duke. If we appeal to the old days, somehow—”L412GvG
vRm6Y“No.”MDx5UO
fEB“Why not?”xpoFF7
4lxoINL“Look at His Excellency’s movements. He’s gathering all kinds of justifications possible. Do you think he’d simply accept the Black Lions?”ew7QvoC
f1HRQGGathering justifications meant, in other words, keeping as much distance as possible from dirty work.s2aoK
36vfkdvNo 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.1Vk0
SZNipU“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.”FPr
nQH“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?”94jq
L6xXCMF“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.”1iM0
Ah51tE“….”WKV
b2mFaced with such a difficult question to answer, Widrow fell silent.8yVoZzH
GMwThe Black Lions were, objectively, valuable talent, but looking at Lucian’s current situation, it couldn’t be said that he lacked capable people.YyGZVCe
Cp1Moreover, the bond they shared was nothing more than a passing encounter.g882oSN
Th6oLE‘If it goes well, he might receive us gladly. But if it goes badly, he might kick us out.’slNX
URSBoth 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.sk9tjos
WXqHs“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.”fVJ
XbCSMi“And is that excuse ever going to appear?”tdWW9
WW3“I don’t know, damn it. If you don’t like it, go ask to be accepted by yourself.”17tA0z
rPw6“…Let’s wait for an excuse to appear.”h5XwJw
jijPFinally in agreement, both looked at each other and nodded.MUw74X4
GfCz2FIf they openly offered themselves and were rejected, even if an opportunity arose later, they would no longer be able to bring it up again.hCTGbhj
IdJsTYIt was better to leave room, even in the case of rejection.55uwl
mkrQkC***crf2E21
VEE3After the silence of the Empire, a true era of chaos descended upon the territory.d4IcJu
WKPKYKhAmbition and betrayal, wars and conspiracies erupted everywhere, and security worsened with each passing day.ga1cyT
x4KeThe lives of common people became increasingly harsh, popular discontent grew, and bandits appeared everywhere.iVsh
78VThe only territory that enjoyed peace and prosperity was Asagrim, in the north.4zo
H7PQTrade became more active day by day, the people overflowed with vitality, and the army was powerful.pVfGy
PQdLately, moreover, the revelation of the legacy of the northern royalty was attracting new talents.05AXZ
toeHowever, despite enjoying a peace that anyone would envy, the atmosphere in Asagrim was not good.ALPJ
ZWvQLucian’s benefactor, the hegemon of the north and a giant of an era, was about to leave this world.evK
7qh“Sir Eisen.”HCW
UeRey“…Your Excellency.”0eRD
3wE45At Lucian’s call, Eisen, lying in bed, half-opened his eyes.Vg4O6dw
Hs9wEven responding seemed to take effort; his voice was rough and broken.J61
Uvjo8qThere was no trace left of the Swordmaster who had once surpassed hundreds of knights.xM75g
9Vx“Are you feeling well?”hAk
uAE9GQX“No. It seems I don’t have much time left.”rytLZly
P5RLLj“….”P4hLP
Khl3yCVAt Eisen’s calm reply, Lucian did not know what to say. Eisen smiled gently, as if he needed no answer.DRStxEf
kf0OqL6“Could you call Felicia?”hgJQE
75Fkyi“Of course. Please wait a moment.”Mf6E
7q2Ro6Lucian gestured to the servant at his side. The servant bowed slightly and, as soon as he closed the door, ran off.TaWXbe
xS4tA moment later, footsteps reinforced with magical power could be heard in the distance.q0dO7
b1kHPBang!HOFp
YZE“Father!”Xt8G8Zn
RYXAVW“Shh.”OFcM4DA
GZ1When Felicia burst the door open, Eisen raised a finger to his lips.Pks
lshQ4reThat simple gesture made Felicia’s chest tighten with pain. He barely had the strength even to scold his daughter’s reckless actions.JBNlkq
IIwH“Sit down.”DJL
N4lFelicia dragged a nearby chair over and sat down without saying a word.MSv
PI4TEisen watched her in silence for a long while. Finally, the Swordmaster opened his mouth.MVT
HIXg“Felicia.”tXhJqO1
2reNKAU“Yes, Father.”tOas
IgXS“I have failed as a knight.”bO7X
0ohA0U“Sir Eisen.”SmQ
02pEisen shook his head toward Lucian, who was trying to intervene.mKZKgRr
xMdCOThe expression on his face made it clear that this was not the time for consolation.NaI3yyG
GwnIWLucian was forced to remain silent, and Eisen continued.NAf
CoxOcHh“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.”fVVCo
tiMcoG“….”ytBJ
HBJqX“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.”YmxF0
w7Cdfv‘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.’JcgI
Pv0Lucian wanted to say that, but he could not. Even if he said it, it would be no consolation to Eisen.s2a9
acee3“Do not become a knight like me.”BR3KTh
c1Rzd“Father…”M4x
u2Xn8A“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.”klVp
oPTscInstead of answering, Felicia tightly gripped Eisen’s hand.pAyanV
jxi1Feeling the iron determination transmitted through her fingers, Eisen smiled gently.62l
0su6f7T“Good, that is enough. As long as you do not forget that weight, you will not fail as I did.”aCle
2yI“….”UYpIb5
P3Uz“Just one more thing.”jdtz
RexO7vcEisen paused briefly and caressed the calluses on Felicia’s hand, as if tracing the marks he had left in this world.to7n
BTqwhs“Although I failed as a knight, I succeeded as a swordsman. Because I was able to leave behind such an exceptional heir.”tm6PD
GDMyE“…!”gTP
Yb2e“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.”qAiaC
Ahy9b5bAt those words filled with affection, burning tears streamed down Felicia’s cheeks.DUPySYt
9tCIh5At 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.2ku2FLw
GJyPwBut even if there were any blood ties, there would be no one who could become Eisen’s true daughter as Felicia was.xPp
CV7G6All the more so if it is said that a child is the reflection of their parents.vZT
t3CCbEAfter holding Felicia’s hand tightly for a long while, Eisen turned his gaze toward Lucian.gS63My
fIQHX“Your Excellency.”TWdCS
UnCk“Yes.”c7hoz4M
AcxJG8pLucian silently awaited Eisen’s next words. Surely, as with Felicia, he would offer some valuable advice.OOLWU
F34gLBut what he heard exceeded all expectations.Jhv
6kgq“Fulfill your great work.”NJW
8SbT5“…!”399
YpNOUgLucian felt his breath stop. Eisen had served the Valdeck family and the Empire throughout his entire life.yZUOgS
sY6And now, that very Eisen was affirming Lucian’s ambition.JAsN
u9zPCHe was telling him to fulfill his will, even if that meant bringing down the Empire.vtuPWg
eVJ4nqZThey were words completely opposed to the values he had followed his whole life.COo
wj3Feeling the weight of those words, Lucian replied in a trembling voice.lsX1ijM
pXluf“I will. No matter the cost.”BXviHqE
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