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Chapter 30

“Ah, yes.”

It was dangerous to get close to a cave-in like this.

It wouldn’t be strange if there was a second or even third cave-in.

“But how...”

Arzan didn’t finish her sentence.

It seemed she didn’t understand why the cave had collapsed like that.

She had probably only recently regained consciousness and hadn’t heard the screams of the cave like I had.

“You don’t have to be so surprised. The cave showed signs of collapsing—”

Before I could finish, I stumbled and fell over.

“Young master!”

Arzan hurriedly ran to me.

I tried to nod to signal to her that I was fine, but even that was difficult.

So this was what it meant to have not even the strength to lift a finger.

I took deep breaths as I said, “Butler. You were pretty charismatic.”

“Pardon?”

“‘Duck!’... was it? My head dropped before I even realized.”

“Ah. Th-that’s...” Arzan’s face became tinged with red. “My apologies. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“It’s fine. It would be more stupid to try and force manners in a situation like that. More importantly, are you okay?”

“I think we should worry about your state first, young master—”

“You need to be fine so that you can carry me, butler.”

“...Oh.” Arzan nodded. “I have enough strength to carry you.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you. I’ve reached my limit. I think if I collapse now, I won’t wake up for at least a few days.”

“Please command me.”

“Go down the mountain and take me to the main house. If we are quick about it, we’ll arrive on time.”

Arzan closed her mouth.

“Are you worried about Calzark?” I asked.

“That’s...”

“I understand. I feel the same way.”

“...”

Arzan looked at me as if she was observing me.

“But we still need to go. This is not a matter of morality, and even less so of efficiency.”

I thought back to the last thing Calzark had shouted.

“This is what Senior wanted. In that instant, he understood the situation and made a decision.”

Honestly, I was pretty surprised.

Grand master, Instructor of Swords and Blades.

I hadn’t really been underestimating him, but I might have been unintentionally looking down on him.

I had subconsciously compared him to my master and other senior brothers of Spirit Mountain.

It truly was the thought of a frog in a well.

Physical strength wasn’t the only gauge of power.

What Calzark had shown in that moment was enough for him to be engraved in my mind as a “strong person.”

“Waiting around here or going back to the cave would be an insult to Senior. That’s why we need to follow his will and go down the mountain. Understood?”

“...Understood.”

“All right. Then...”

How many days did we have left?

We’d spent three days in the cave, so how many days had we spent in the mountains...?

Ah...

This was a big problem. I was instantly overwhelmed by drowsiness now that my nerves had relaxed.

I wanted to take out the map, which was in my pocket, but my vision started to fade. Even thinking was becoming difficult.

“My pocket... has the map...? The one taken from the assassin... Use that to find the road... Ah, and the gold... just use it and don’t worry...”

“Young master!”

I lost consciousness before I could finish my sentence.

I even had a thought.

Maybe I’ll wake up at the main house.

***

The Blessing Ceremony.

The greatest event in The Empire, which only those who possessed the blood of the Great Houses could attend.

However, in the modern day, the Blessing Ceremony wasn’t just a place to receive incredible talent from the gods. In truth, nearly all of The Empire’s influential and powerful figures attended it.

At first, the goal of the event had been to personally see the future of The Empire through the young talents, without any other distractions...

But now, it had grown so large that the nobles who boasted great power would come to scout each other’s positions and exchange pleasantries and promises of cooperation.

In any case, as this had become the place where the influential powerhouses of The Empire gathered, politics were inevitable.

There was now even a saying: “If you wish to know the true hierarchy of the nobles of The Empire, see who sits where during the Blessing Ceremony.”

Of course, as the Blessing Ceremony was significant to The Empire both historically and traditionally, its preparation could also not be given to some random normal house.

There were only three great noble houses that were allowed this honor, including the imperial palace.

House Bednicker.

Currently, they were one of the houses that wielded absolute strength in The Empire.

This territory, which held the name of The Earth in the language of the ancient fairies, held some of the most beautiful scenery and bountiful land in The Empire.

Each year, visitors from both The Empire and beyond visited these lands.

There was a part of this territory that neither those tourists nor the people who had lived their entire lives here could approach.

The place was called the Forest of the Butterfly.

The main house of Bednicker, the masters of this land, had been built in the deepest part of this forest—impossible to reach through conventional means.

There were only two ways to not get lost in the Forest of the Butterfly.

Either one needed to be of Bednicker blood...

Or they needed to have been given the right by the family head.

“Fuu.”

Luan Bednicker’s mother, Lucia, was of the second variant.

Being one of the Lord of Blood and Iron’s wives did not make her an exception.

As she was of some other noble blood, the blood of Bednicker did not flow through her.

Maybe that was why... but Lucia always felt uncomfortable whenever she stayed in the main house.

Another sigh was heard.

“Fuu...”

It had been about a month since she’d returned to the main house. That was it.

I honestly feel it’s been a year at this point.

Although she’d come all the way here for the sake of her son, her life here was anything but smooth.

Cough. Lucia coughed up dust.

She had been assigned a room that was no different from a shabby storage room.

Lucia knew that even the servants of the main house had better rooms than her.

Her body had always been weak. More recently, her neck was itchy and headaches assaulted her mind.

The small window wasn’t big enough to allow airflow into the huge room.

She had no servants to clean her room for her, and it was too large for her to try and clean herself.

Lucia at least tried to keep her bed clean, but it didn’t make any discernable difference.

“How childish,” Lucia said as she sternly shook her head.

She knew the reason she was being treated like this.

The wives of the Lord of Blood and Iron.

Those women who—with one exception—couldn’t even be called “the lady of the house” were trying to keep her in check through childish means.

Those women who hadn’t been able to do anything while the Lord of Blood and Iron had been present in the main house.

However, ignoring their antics, Lucia couldn’t help but concede that their torment was resilient and concentrated.

It had started with small things, at first.

“I apologize. We cannot spare any of the guest rooms because of the upcoming Blessing Ceremony...”

Or so they said, even though she could clearly see empty rooms.

Whenever she went to the kitchen, they would make excuses about how no food remained.

“We’ve used all the ingredients we had today. We have some plain bread left, if you would like? It’s a bit hard, however...”

It wasn’t just cleaning her room, she even had to do her own laundry.

“Apologies, my lady. We currently don’t have any vacant manpower, so there is no one we can assign to you.”

And the next day when she said that her dress was ripped, they laughed wickedly while handing her the clothes of a servant girl.

“Your dress was ripped? But we only have this left...”

It was always little things.

Lucia thought such harassment was trivial.

To begin with, Lucia hadn’t come from a well-off noble family.

In the land of the far north, her home territory was Colland, once called the Kingdom of Ice.

Although Colland was currently part of The Empire, due to how distant it was, some might say it was an entirely separate entity.

The farther one was from the center of The Empire, the less influence The Empire had over them.

Honestly, this was natural. Their environment was different, their culture was different, and they even looked different.

Although they’d joined under the banner of The Empire due to the great enemy called the Church of Darkness, that was the extent of it. Most of the people of The Empire considered them outsiders and discriminated against them.

Though, it was better than the treatment received by those races that looked completely different...

All in all, Colland was closer to a small kingdom than a frontline territory. Lucia had been what could be considered a princess of that small land, though she did have ten or so siblings in line before her.

In any case, the reason the Lord of Blood and Iron had become interested in a daughter of such a house was that House Colland had once produced the strongest swordsman in The Empire.

But that had been several hundred years ago.

* * * * *

* * * * *

Lucia smirked.

Colland’s palace was smaller than this Bednicker mansion.

Sleeping in the storage? It wasn’t bad. Being warm without having to light a fire was a boon.

No food? Plain bread was delicious. If she got tired of it, she could borrow the kitchen and cook her own food.

She was already quite familiar with cleaning her own room and washing her own clothes. If her body was healthy, then she could probably make this entire room sparkle.

Be it clothes or shoes, if they ripped or tore, she just needed to sew them up.

Indeed, for Lucia, these insults and humiliations meant nothing.

Yes, they were tiring, and yes, they hurt her ego somewhat...

But for Luan, her one and only son, nothing was unbearable.

This was the reason she clung to the main house even while being humiliated so.

I truly hope Luan can attend the Second Blessing Ceremony this year...

Every fifth year, two Blessing Ceremonies happen, once in the first half of the year and once in the second half.

Since Luan had been kicked out of the family this year after not receiving a single blessing, it would be difficult for him to attend the Second Blessing Ceremony.

A total of only five people could attend the Blessing Ceremony from each house.

Because the Lord of Blood and Iron had sired so many children, the competition for the Blessing Ceremony was brutal.

Depending on one’s talent, they could attend up to two Blessing Ceremonies.

For Luan, who hadn’t managed to receive even a single blessing after being given such a prestigious opportunity, he would receive no mercy.

That was why Lucia had changed her plans.

The Blessing Ceremony happened over two weeks.

During that time, she would attend the Exchange.

The grand masters will be in attendance.

The ten honored guests who possessed great influence within House Bednicker, the powerhouses that the Lord of Blood and Iron had personally picked from within The Empire would be attending this Exchange.

If one was lucky, they might catch the eye of one of these instructors and become their disciple.

In truth, many people attended the Exchange with this goal in mind.

The Exchange begins today.

Lucia stood in front of her mirror and tidied up her outfit.

Never have I thought that I am ugly...

Maybe it was because of her clothes, but something looked a little off.

The aura of poverty that she exuded wasn’t befitting of the wife of a powerful noble house.

That was why she straightened her back even more.

If she didn’t even have confidence, then what did she have?

As Lucia opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, she saw the servants moving diligently.

Moving past them, she went to the place where the Exchange was being held—the main hall on the first floor of the mansion.

When she arrived, she saw many nobles in fancy clothes.

Tables were separated at set distances, and fragrant wine and scents were accompanied by gentle music.

Even though there were so many people present, the hall was quite calm, as if to show the level of education and refinement of everyone present.

Lucia felt herself shrink a little, but she held her heart and stepped forward.

At that moment, someone blocked her way.

“Excuse me.”

Judging by his outfit, he was a butler of the main house.

“Is there something you wish to say?” she asked.

“I’m checking the attendees before they enter. Which house have you come from?”

“...”

Lucia felt like her head was spinning.

Checking the attendees?

“Do you... not know me?”

“Unfortunately... Ah.”

The butler saw Lucia’s face and lowered his head, but his expression didn’t change at all.

“My apologies. Mistress Lucia.”

A small giggle echoed out from the hall.

When Lucia looked over, she found a familiar scene.

The second and third wives of the Lord of Blood and Iron.

They were laughing while covering their mouths with their hand fans.

“It is the Exchange, after all. It’s good that the exchange ended there.”

“I say. That’s why she should show her face more often.”

“Well... More importantly, I don’t particularly like her dress.”

“I do agree. A dress sewn up like that... I don’t think even my servant girl would wear that—even if I told her to.”

They were talking too loudly to be considered merely gossiping.

It also seemed that the music had stopped, and Lucia felt her face flush. 

Regardless, she stood tall as if she couldn’t hear them.

It was just another act of humiliation.

She couldn’t step away from here, for Luan’s sake.

“...If you have confirmed my identity, may I enter now?”

However, the butler didn’t seem to have any intention of stepping away.

“Hm. My apologies, but did you come alone, Mistress?”

“What do you mean?”

“Far more houses are attending this Blessing Ceremony than we anticipated. As a result, to reduce the chance of unnecessary confusion if a situation were to occur, the House has implemented a new condition for attending the Exchange.”

An annoying smirk appeared on the butler’s face.

“If you do not have an entourage to aid you, then you cannot attend the Exchange this time.”

“What?”

“Please excuse me, Mistress, but return for today.”

As Lucia stood there in a daze, she heard another stifled laugh.

“Pft.”

There was one difference this time.

That laughter wasn’t just from the wives of the Lord of Blood and Iron.

“I was wondering who she was, but it’s her. That, you know, Colland native...”

“Aah. I was wondering why she looked a little plumper.”

“Look at that hair. How scary.”

“Hah. It’s good that she’s being sent back.”

“...”

Lucia had never expected that she, a member of House Bednicker, would be insulted directly to her face like this.

Her face started to become pale, and at that moment, the butler reached out.

Lucia’s expression froze solid.

Was he going to drag her away by force?

This is...

Going much too far over the line.

Grab.

But someone else grabbed the butler’s outstretched hand.

The huge hand in a black glove easily covered the butler’s hand.

“Keuk...”

The butler frowned a little at the grip on his hand before his expression froze.

He couldn’t even get a word out. He only repeated, “Uh, uhm.”

“For her aid, I am here.”

It was a low and strong voice.

“I shall be Lady Lucia’s entourage.”

The hall suddenly became quiet.

Everyone’s attention was directed toward an old man.

A surprising person, one Lucia had never expected.

“Will that be fine?”

The Collector of Blood and Iron.

A small smile appeared under Kayan’s mustache.