Chapter 28
HGflg“What the hell…?”XRUTYA
pwA“By all theUVf heavens!”4lSXe0
9bwxyVAt the sightFRYT8 of a grown manTsm being launchediM1 into theqvO air, thendbpO knights ofSk6g0f House ValdeckkWm who hadO5e been chasingprJd9g the fugitivesSJ2g stopped in8jsOOk horror.hAzY
SrdWThe black-hooded man58q who hadQt9 gone flyinge88vOb spun twiced56A before crashingQBgB to thepVuf ground.nwtH
2niSRaThud!Tmp
L5MRI“Ugh…!”qGRT
T9aPLuckily—or perhaps unluckily—heI0HQ3 landed onWHlZst his backCogY instead ofOQy his head,85F so hepaY didn’t die,T9JwJo but theSh1Sp6 impact was2gfaJV enough toxscFf knock himvuJ unconscious.T8M76
E6PfLucian glanced betweenHCkc the fallen0TBdf man andtrz his ownRb9Y now-cracked sword,WCJI clicking hisifd tongue.EL0aaD
h5J6a“Tsk… it wasWtuM1 a goodFnhfiQ sword.”IAWVC
R4B8It had beenc7Js powerful enoughKxtb to sendiOdazO the manEBiYm flying, butY8Hm5 he hadn’t8is expected hiscCU weapon toTciiuD break too.RFgNJ4q
aurHe had chosen93o9 a fairlyl3Srs decent one,ZX8 thinking itZUjDp would holdv4LeGb up, butbt7g it seemedVXRjg6 the weaponzbxA the man0cjlxI was usingUiH had also1M8cHs been highbcQ quality.C6P
gMsWithout hesitation, LucianbFMj tossed thei2C7 sword asidep8BS and looked7kw at thenxN House ValdecklAZvQY knights, whokJbskp were still19QTv frozen inMLPjP place.fq5
AFZJL“What are yousdk standing aroundLUiM for? He’smnfz still alive—tie0KHEB him up!”A85hY2dLA
GuZB“…Who are you?”RaTx371QX
nLDqq“I’m Lucian Valdeck.yNm Does someoneYGr6 serving myAgPW father notT47 recognize my4w0lqZ face?”RWw
rvWDCs“T-the third youngJRM master? Mywrhpcv apologies!”IUNpfP
8jRThe captain, whoUJtRY had scowledQ2M at theyw9 sudden command,pRTA5e quickly bowedk7wdQ his headYdU after recognizingtuR Lucian’s identity.wMlPxhGd
u8YpHe then barked2612 quick ordersZS9 to theWHc7O nearby knightsVRgZu to restrainkMdkW the man.oiT6WWesz1
Q9KLooking around, itEx8e seemed theEiaEZn Black LionsDPDn1 had alreadyPQtJ subdued alli2NO the otherNtpRE5 fugitives asuGSS8K well.qsHw
GC5“Young master!”gc53ND
tNvndHugo arrived a moment later,kB5 his faceWbrop0 completely pale.PgwDkO
G212PS“What were youEAN thinking? That8N9A could’ve beentjI really dangerous!”nJ0Ocd11Ju4
QkDP“Don’t worry. ItehZ8 wasn’t a rash move—IKG8Vt calculated everythingalN before I acted.”U3bBX
gOhMED“You calculated it?a9i6 We didn’tIgiv1 even knowIM3o the enemy’s7erZV strength!”xRC
BeYZU“In mounted combat,aav unless yourQUSs opponent isIxcn exceptionally skilled,HCnOci their actions2J8PBN are fairlyocWe18 predictable.”9NES5
KBAJp3In a frontalybqS clash onRs1 horseback, attackHHt options arey0YfN limited.N80
lri1mSince you can’tE84OR firmly plantPyCl your bodye4kQ on thed5b3 ground, onewPa mistake cane8F lead to5DVvi8 falling froma0kFQ the forceS6RsDS of thelWO collision.AkY
EXSfXPlus, at thate7HTv speed, it’saSWR hard toeBrL use intricatex4U techniques.KzlTu
vmuC2j‘At most, theSNUz opponent mightR4Wn try torbQ stab orUNLx slash withpye timing. But4g5 attempting a thrust withfNTtiB a shortfPKqJ sword onPNhZHq a gallopingSNINVF horse isklB practically suicide.’VQpEOPcLExF
GqJThe only realisticqL9mqV option isPgGt8f to deliver8FvdE a preciseETpus slash duringWaAF the crossing.apcYcnwHH
IllQVThat’s exactly whatUhhDI Lucian did.eIsjkN2yO
XoaK2pWhen swords clash,q4De whoever can8lXb unleash greaterCDRb explosive force0Tu in thatYGXUfF instant hasBVCbO the advantage.CxUJCfbBN
iSeConsidering the purityJUvDJc of manay4bxu and Felicia’sZknj technique, there8iW was nokTq way LucianPjh would lose.Gbyue1Z
Ykwygx‘Seriously, this bodywio is amazing.uQ2j If I’dnsT5i done theshY same withnzG my oldZQ4bDH body, I would’ve beenjbmjOh sore forVueL9l a whole6miR04 day. NowXoat I don’t85ES even feelbZma numb.’y3K
6lTAs he marveledQD76NC once againvE0AJ at theNFu8b performance ofmobj his blessedqzrX body—4uaDcD
NJUNAa“It’s been a while.”OJql
PtFWlWith a deepfiPWdK voice, a man with5yBFCt dark redvBTIS hair brought7dHgq his horselVsR alongside.vG5x
d8NJLucian immediately recognizedCrfjxd that face,EolT0o still clear02tBw in hiscKt memory, andEO7kvQ inclined hislPOP59 head.fCSEXD
j5Q0cQ“Yes. It’s beengxFY a longV3lp7U time, elderIsm2 brother.”eeK
dOrrTristan Valdeck.jlafY
qkoTbThe firstborn ofSJBy House Valdeck,gMP recognizable byaqX the hairtqXOWt color inheritedbKPY from hisyHz7v mother’s side.TR9Ki7DL
DmHHe wasn’t they6pa9 one whoLTSKn looked mostpLpd like theut1z Grand Duke,hsZT but heARPyA was theeog closest toANcW becoming thefbO next headEr4LL of the6WnfTr family.zAchgP
yWcTristan observed LucianHsyYq with hisnHzZpl usual coldbtx expression beforeGgDp speaking.bly
Azb“There’s much tokMN8O2 discuss, butChzIN first let’seInof return tozUYYp the castle.ww2k We’ll talkVAnPzc details onpzy the way.”flWGnJgFuVg
DcKrG***P60GU
RSFCLucian and hisOGP group followednQT Tristan andDSN the squadS3Ko4y of knightswk3C he commandedGwa toward BornholmapmRvS Castle.TwWZfW
kunV2The area aroundfYZ the castlekCCl was fairlyskkthz well-organized, butEXMM40 in theoXC faces of5py the onlookers,4eJE there wasqeMBMq an indescribables3S8QA unease.YMkBs
R0Q“Looks like therE9Qgb atmosphere isn’tSke4l great.”IwP
QAUt“Recently, the soldiersPF7yJd clashed a few times07OZ with theP1x mercenaries. NothingSyerU serious, butb9PG it seemsPx8 even thatOFZ5ix was enoughqsAfml to makeEgh people nervous.”yj6VlNo
ih3bT“For them, it’sWw0 hard toWDT6 tell whetherK0WAu it reallyCId was minorONRp or a sign thingsOWQ4 could escalate.0Qt They mustk3fp be thinkingSPUiK that ifYcg2oe they letSbRpr their guardWtSp down, a large-scale bloodbathXQdRw could breakdQ63j out.”XRQP
NPc“What a ridiculoustoMZH notion.”NUUdV
Rv8TWhen Lucian voicedbVa what therYSf people wereToFr likely feeling,uYHo0 Tristan frownedhTS in displeasure.MMxPsUvvgz
ksP8B“There won’t beSb4 any bloodshed.rwgoqr If anythingof7 happens, I and theh6ud knights willZ78R sweep awayaHIk those insolentmevu3 mercenaries likemfz rats. ConflictsycBOo0 only occurxy6 between sideskav of similar4YZyb level—the frustratingfT3K part isVerUZd that they’reFqH the only0zK ones who0qcY don’t understand3rgevY that.”1nGM
5CUzThe tone ofZ0Zap his voice,SgL3K5 as ifkgXc barely containingeYH rage, madeHoWi it clearLlIhJ he hadByLQkA built upJG6S quite a bit ofI3RW resentment towardrgt the mercenaries.buU0mlw8m
UHVjDMLucian moved in0jVm closer andcvKsa whispered.EYbRn2
a5MJcz“Are they reallyZw1NO that unwilling41Vg to followRk786 orders?”Eu19p
MojAMx“Unwilling is puttingIeDDCT it lightly.ZJD They simplyiwM don’t listen.K1r Do youlAm1F know whoblk those guysQsQs you andbUy the BlackR8U9XS Lions capturedOB4Rf were?”cvEUz
ufrcK“Who?”chAlLp
riOIyp“They were fromN3jFC the Imperial8t5My Liberation Union.cMKbv We caughtA7bu8l them skulkingfwj3h around nearby.”KLxsRMWfCFT
j4fcLucian’s expression hardenedsSTlI slightly.KGR
Cd52LmLoitering so closeikwu to thepRPE4 castle evenG20Y when theiryLEi presence wasmPKTyG already known?ohbhplOUs
ONnJThat meant thereCZUuu were massiveR34 holes inEdeHZM the surveillancepRI system.j082K
4xFAnd the causeW1YT was obvious—negligencewMK on the69h part of00Tu the mercenaries.FTaCqpVI
OC7oS“The ridiculous parthR9 is thatoZngyy my eliteMNYqEj forces arehae deployed inYhjMuM dangerous zonesEQw91 and don’twB9Ny have thekFctBJ manpower to41ti guard eveni1UFYJ the castleNiGpz front. So5Wjao2 I leftaQFQM the safer,yYKhx better-defended zones9PIQ to thefF7Y mercenaries, but…”frGsDQgYmYY
lHxCi7“They’re protesting andnjVr refusing toXoBlQE move unlessWEkZZ they’re paidfFHQ more.”6HO3
wKx3G“Exactly. At thisXLg point, I want to2NcnM cut allq1T their throatsUGvoxp and hangOKqWz them fromG9MN the walls.7Xm Demanding more3Y4cO money whenvhu they’re notofCnaF even inVyWwaL a dangerousnwQkb9 zone? DamnLpHs4C miserable mercenaries!”462ukK4Fw
MUHHGTristan’s teeth audiblyCQYw ground together.GN9DN3Go
yv9LxvIt was understandable.Egs Even thoughermr1 he hadEsvhj4 placed themBmLjz in safeMRMp areas, theyc3uf still refused955kVz to work.NShOKdE83wI
p3uvBut in Lucian’swlz eyes, a big partsfwGAc of theeNZta fault forUoRNB the situation7aZhhP escalating layzopwVK with TristanOcmsUk himself.ICtuUE
r9gw‘You made itUCav too obviousK3dzh that youdtU4j5 were shortA6wwU3 on manpower.6PR No mercenarya2qaa would missOvqF the chancem3fF to raisedp6 their price.HKBE And placing1cYcS them tooI4qTjR far fromT9Nh4o the dangerousAqRXUc zones wasSbXgC an evenoFlII worse mistake.’onNf9QU0
usH0FbA mercenary makes2Yg a livingNrie taking dangerousieM jobs for5CyFB money.R8B
I5dfnCIf you deliberatelyiKHo2Y station themXn64Li far from6CejHc the danger,62Y what you’reaFsO8 really sayingTAlmJu is: “OutXKmrY there, there’sPC05 something toodLhi dangerous even582el for you.”H6QLmh5
BG1njqThey won’t feeldi7K grateful forPJ7Vh being placedl14GOA somewhere safe.cfdgAat1nM
BoYsa8And if somethingQwV serious really1lv happens later,Jme they’ll thinkBmFlY they’re beingdGUlDa held backKsiny just to0vm be thrownSTXh1R in as83ez cannon fodderAgMykn afterward.5Ax7
KeBeNt‘And I’m suret6BmX Tristan knowsTypc that too.diI His mistakePKaOJj was underestimating5CGdO the mercenaries’iIos ability tom4Siq8 “smell” risk.’onYyyJLCKBH
Jj6Seasoned mercenaries haveXci0 survival instincts9CKUkI that surpass0GY even thoseiCxp of manyEYmV veteran nobles.DZRgv9GmPZ
upwTLlIf they catchOzl a whiffFOPKU of dangeruhBp6 or a dirty trick,rDHx they eitherlX0 back outtSAyE or demandx82YK exorbitant pay.1OVnb4CqPbDL
b8BtTo an employer,ufcq it mightDYsRj seem brazen,wu0 but toe31ioh a mercenary,fNI it’s thexiL7K most logicalv7i response.6MzSv
gFM1a“I know theR11XA situation’s complicated,ybGt but I don’t expectP5aNWI much from3KwWf you. AfterpKKZ all, youOTidR only cameuUHb because JordiklsPA1 and JoshuafPyc pushed youDmwxt into it.”MSqKuySAk
CMuCztTristan finished explaininguop and spokeasx calmly.bZO
sQ9xIt wasn’t mockeryzIG or contempt—justN4U66 pure sincerity.QSpGzGKOrM
r7aO“Go keep anYyA2Fj eye ony4PAUc the mercenaries44kU and makedRqWK6 sure theypuM5 don’t boltAYExhE when theSSZi0 time comes.Z4Z If you’reTVGl officially inDvH charge, theyWw9 won’t dareEwBe move withoutrMJf permission. And7IAy7Q in thesTXFxf end, onceJFb1T their livesN8Lf are atng2MTX stake, they’llVD2b fight regardless8Wvo9 of pay.”1tNJexn9
hyorIn short, hed8e wanted LucianUyrQ to actg7P as a human shieldv6olV to preventFfj desertions.QNI9S
kKp5Lucian gave a brief chuckle.OdTI4IbRn
Tc7RHIt was obviouspBQ how littleseR his olderaGUSU brother expectedGy7q of him.zDwbWhZkTX
KGO“I think you’reRaL making a mistake, elderZqGw brother.”rQu
7Ak“A mistake?”tSSkhZ
IdL“First, I didn’tqu7AV come becauseqWtqS I waslihA8H pushed—I volunteered.617 Second, unlikeLDENvV you, I do have8s5Rme a methodjMeQJu to solvehcIxw this issue.gmC And third,2L0TO6 I’ve alreadykkv received Father’sN7CIe permission andHOp financial backingKgSqjM to negotiate.”smAvz9T6
llks“…!”RjtZ
CnjTristan’s usually impassiver7easQ expression immediatelyPL0 cracked.VBjCTo
3qfyNHe could ignorelVHvz7 the firstQAq4A two points—butWCw not theZLTL6q third.7mYU2W
Qsb“Father gave yourMb8Fy permission toKkxqfJ handle thexiyYdT negotiations?”AaH4ZF
2VgiC“Yes. Here’s theBWF letter he7iI sent.”ZHFX9
CAtwv4Tristan snatched thejeMi1 letter fromMt3 Lucian’s hands,YrV checked thep94e9A seal, andS6c opened it.yFRzlP7nNM
D4STMAs he read,ud1LB his expressionsEvkl shifted rapidly.tHPQ7P2F7T
OywDob“…This is Father’sb5Hq handwriting.”O6zKjy
T3Ayn“Even after checkingGsn the seal,EgZXti you stilllaZr had to9Jgdhz verify theqTChO handwriting?”UY6
QjR7“What the hellAXC happened whileDkh I wasWi42 gone?”urT
HFi“Let’s just sayibeqb a lot.”vT7RJS8Jm
HzYIsLucian shrugged.aK4
yaWTristan wasn’t theCUZl Grand Duke,5njpA and LucianoUkp8b had nouJk5m obligation toPnJPY explain anythingWiN to him.QwbiWR6ycPl
rN1j0yAfter staring forDEGUK a moment,u5A6 Tristan noddedjSEkxT with a hard-to-read expression.KwQMsN3jD
sSrzvN“Fine. If FatherUyYD authorized it,TK8cE6 I can’t5Pzwd3 object. DoG7cLm4 as youxSm wish. But…”ozZfL9
lcGjTristan’s eyes glintedUjEh9d with a coldness onlyR5oT someone whoBNuq had takenLzCCNW lives withCdgR his own4pJ hands coulddsBAp possess.LEB
OySwQm“If you bring9Vx misfortune toKxUAA the familywOB out ofnuO even a speck ofL0t6g ambition, I won’t forgive6vP7 you. EvenFhI if FatherGMZmz does, I’ll4mEhs make yousNi9Pm pay. Understood?”dlv08C611U
PTd4It was a warning—as ifI7CpB he wereCg05W6 already theQIDtWe head of9iL the family.FHDclvgaqlZ
0IeoLucian met hisAbWkL gaze calmlyAXsS and smiled.Dndj3mv1
i0maUo“I’m not anSKUdDf idiot whoZziITq ruins what’sUVGf rightfully his.”AVoyOZ0A
0HgU6“….”XoAH5u
tyPxwZTristan blinked, speechless.VoX4tj3
l9RWEven though itiGcb was indirect,nrJ6W it had86Sw90 been a declaration—the headCW8 of theZqLBOW family willoWs be mine.tLF4DOk
M4pyAfter a briefVhCMA silence, TristanwAfEpA pointed toHVb the side.HKaH2tOoRYXY
qkNbU“…The mercenaries areDYsMB4 staying atv7omx the KingfisherjmBmxg Inn, neariC5djl the centralb2QfO fountain. IfCx0 you’re goingLIw5s to negotiate,D0ES7 start there.”EtZjdh9DV
n3zuVE“Thanks for theR7kb directions. I’llLzlfpm return soon9NnZGG with goodUyZN5L news.”2W2SIt
UCtVqLucian turned hishNa horse towardJYx the centerux2W0 of town.mSgDZsa
XYFOHugo and the8jNXE6 five BlackKF0KK Lions assignedObRGv as hisgNJSch escort followedKGXU him.GyKx
k4t6YTristan watched themMa6V go, his47gPkZ expression growingwdXYy increasingly complex.QJn9UoHf3
QS6x‘How can someonersf4u2 change soNEM6 much?’nNjF
xECAA novice withfoSVhl no real4yMLm experience shouldu8x1M have wetp0AebL himself under04B that pressure.E7Jz9vGzb03
uqALBut Lucian hadxBE7zj faced himgWleE with absurdNEX composure.S74FCd
YDFvtbWhen he hadfJw3G lived ateNp the estate,8gj1ft he had6uci acted likeML7qN a tremblingvrX fawn.gzaWV
vSVZbNow he seemed7HhwW like a different person.r4EA8jq
GGTvD8‘No it’s still1EN too soon3flk0 to judge.’jDXTEeg8mzQ
DYupIt could allrOYVoi be pure0kO overconfidence, farH13E6 from actualaDVqD ability.sGPv
XcYOnly after thed0M negotiation would7Fm his trueM0CYgP worth beoWc revealed.B8s
XOwrRBut if his1PHCar results matchedYAEbK6 that confidence…pswMNpjm5
XYMd0w‘…Then a newVOR rival mayHDL have beenQpmV born—one whodAfie could threaten7FTN my positioncUTH as theMH1p5A next headIGe8D of thejfR79l family.’5uG
eCH***2mM
hGezLucian had barelypPI9o gotten awaymXh from TristanOoa when Raymond,sYN7 who hadhfQ been stayingcQZw behind, approachedrSX7i him. HisLAPDk expression was7SqX grim, asgWO if hepvjmJJ had a lot toTw0 say.xupJv
FagAHG“Young master, wenH9U need toPPPB8 talk.”lKupq
tyF“No time. Later.WEtt1Q I’m busy.”B19aeUtqBk
Q3s“No, it hasYfs9z to be10htN now. WhatJFCMoy the hell3yuB4E was thatoq9 earlier, chargingkgG in likeve1J0 that?”be6
Xb1n3“Wasn’t it anpN66vI efficient move?o9ZENj Thanks to8JGSc it, weBokby captured themwjzI all. A perfect result.”6rflv7NG
jHxXV“Just because theug2YlX result was6HA good doesn’tr3i make itQGBb right! IfDcB5 you’d beensXl seriously injured—!”BDgGpbmAwBs
ckkb8“Fortunately, I’m perfectly08IqHB fine. Don’tMvkJBp ruin theHXH mood byuw64LZ imagining worst-caseS5Iz5 scenarios.”z6p
rRuIQ“Young master!”wMSn
CGus6GRaymond raised hisTHNuT3 voice inGoZA anger, but2SH Lucian just4FAYE ignored himeHjDR9 and pickedAw99 at his4W7lQ ear.1vM
QQhFhAnyway, if a similar situationTUadA happened again,OQiFYS he’d chargeppTyRy forward withoutp2i hesitation.hByVn
RrmzdRather than promisingDJd not toNb1wcM and breakingve1 that promise,bYV79p it wasKn1 better notoSAbo to promisenskn anything at4b6A all.bLO
7hl“Come on, calm5PU1bV down. We’reKQJNIm approaching thev6EE3N fountain. IfMcGt the mercenariesJiR8L see usN3BIJX arguing likeizfN this, whatHrdUa do youTBQ think they’llBIeRo think? They’llO8Af take usS3cg for incompetentxLbe fools whoA81OoQ can’t evenlFbz0C maintain internaloDQpy order.”fSr
3O3“…”WkZEF
qaa2MN“So let’s saveC6qI the talkzV95 for later,aE8Mk when weI26w have time.bHB For now,hZw it’s bestrf1Go1 to projectJfUQ unity, don’tmd25xS you think?”MVs8JyDlLK
vQvIAt Lucian’s shamelessness,sIF Raymond clenchedRbgJbN his teeth,LPsoIz but sinceMGi he wasn’tWq8 wrong, heyKPPGC took a deep breathL7ZC and steppedRpCN8 back. Still,MKgLW he didn’tc8jCy8 forget toeU6j throw onepVIn last threat.KUNZxy6Bb
cVcs“This time I’llveN5v9 let itVq6ck go, butFVBdj if youJWig pull something2usUV like thatuQp again, I’llz7nPlb follow you5AeiS even toVlB the damnBzkDUR bathroom. I’llXlQrMl make sureI4L you don’treA try anythingfIkr reckless evenXcHn when wiping3VnH your own8nJ1GQ ass. SoWAQQ6 be prepared.”t3aoZzHfLWs
pj1r“…Now that’s scary.”iB5scvP07
IKCegVFaced with such7lc a ridiculouslyls3 realistic threat,RyP2h Lucian shuddered.sXBUiBNX
EkbIf it wasVEx Raymond andBT6 the BlackcTZRpp Lions, they’dM7A probably doxcHRH1 it formggv real.v0PO8E
nq9hsThinking that he’dp2KGX have toxtO placate themH8L somehow later,Lrr3 Lucian pushedMdx8 open the0v8qDn door ofiRzSyo the inn.KriGryZBI
s3BG2TAnd upon seeing4oOjo the sceneDQwVBx inside, hesdbm frowned andoEe3b muttered—Yu5uE7
w2wga“This is a mess.”qudsH
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