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It had already been over ten minutes since the subordinates were dismissed. Despite this, a deep, unsettling silence filled the surroundings.

Both Milon and Narakas, who were essentially outsiders in this negotiation, were on the verge of going crazy.

One was a fellow citizen of the Hart Kingdom, and the other was the leader of the Mask of Night, who oversaw the flow of information across the entire continent.

How could they not know the history between Marquis Foltaine and Verdant Veil?

‘It’s been over ten years now.’

Narakas thought, smiling bitterly. At that time, the trade convoy of the Marquis of Foltaine had been ambushed.

Of course, it was a massive incident back then. After all, even the family of a marquis had fallen victim to banditry. Fortunately, everyone in the convoy had made it out alive, but……

‘Later, when it was revealed that the marquis’ eldest son had abandoned the rest of the group and fled, putting his life before theirs, the marquisate became a laughing stock of the entire continent.’

Later, the marquis, swallowing his tears, executed his own son. It was a decision fitting for the head of a family, prioritizing the future of the house over familial ties.

He made it clear that rank held no sway over justice. That even family shouldn’t be complacent. He personally ensured discipline was enforced.

As a result, the other children redoubled their efforts to avoid suffering the same fate, and the family servants took their duties more seriously.

Following the incident, the marquis also doubled the rewards for those who performed well.

Without such decisive action from the marquis, the Foltaine family wouldn’t be where it is today.

‘……In many ways, he’s an extraordinary person.’

Ultimately, that event became a turning point for the Foltaine family, propelling them forward.

But still, who could possibly tell the marquis that he was fortunate?

“How do you intend to compensate?”

The long silence was broken as Marquis Foltaine spoke.

“First of all…… I offer my sincerest apologies.”

Thud!

Krong knelt before him, bowing his head deeply.

“There is…… no excuse I can give for what happened to your child.”

However, to Krong’s surprise, the marquis shook his head quietly at this point.

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“……What do you mean?”

“I’m asking about compensation for my living child, not the one who’s already dead.”

“……!”

Krong’s eyes widened in realization.

“I’ll ask again—how do you intend to compensate?”

“By living child…… do you mean Prince Andrew?”

“Ancelot.”

“……What……?”

“Ancelot de Foltaine. Soon, that will be the name of my child.”

Krong fell silent, overwhelmed.

‘Now that I think about it, what’s the relationship between those two?’

A prince of the Meeke Principality and a marquis of the Hart Kingdom. In the first place, it didn’t sound like a natural connection.

‘……But the nature of their relationship is not what’s important right now.’

Krong quickly refocused.

“By the way, if that child of mine wishes to pursue a future alongside you, I will gladly forgive you. Of course, adequate compensation must be made.”

“I-Is that true?”

“Of course. But be warned, if the compensation is inadequate, not only will you face an uncertain future, but you will also have to reckon with my wrath.”

Given the gravity of the situation, Krong realized he needed to approach this with utmost seriousness.

“What is it you want from us?”

“The thirsty man must dig his own well. That’s the basics of any negotiation, isn’t it?”

As expected.

Marquis Foltaine was no easy opponent.

“To be frank…… Currently, we don’t have much to offer. Although I’m not sure you would believe us.”

“Hmm.”

“B-But our desire to improve our relationship is genuine. If you would kindly offer wise advice, we will do our best to consider it.”

The marquis stroked his chin thoughtfully, though his expression remained unimpressed.

Soon after, he spoke again.

“……I’d beg to differ”

“Sorry?”

“I don’t think you have so little to offer. There’s still a very large gift you can give.”

“What do you mean by that……?”

“The dwarves.”

“……!”

Krong’s expression changed drastically.

“Marquis, that decision is not ours to make. We’re already intruding on them as uninvited guests. How can we ask for more from those who have already saved our lives?”

Krong’s response was only natural. It would be like saving a drowning man, only for him to demand his belongings afterward.

“In that case, this negotiation is over. Tch. I even gave you a chance to say it first.”

Marquis Foltaine rose from his seat without hesitation.

“W-Wait! Please, hold on, Marquis!”

“Is there anything else to discuss?”

“M-May I ask just one question?”

“What is it?”

Krong hesitated for a moment before his face showed a resolute decision.

“What exactly does Prince Andrew—no, your child—desire?”

“Power.”

The marquis responded without a hint of hesitation.

“P-Power? Does that mean…… he plans to seek revenge on the Meeke Principality?”

At that, the marquis fell silent.

That’s what he had thought at first as well. However, considering all the extraordinary things he had heard on their journey here……

“……No. He does seek revenge, but the target is different.”

“Excuse me?”

“The Empire.”

“……!”

Krong’s eyes widened to the point of tearing.

“Heh heh heh.”

The marquis couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

Yes.

This was the reason the prince intended to enter the Master Tournament.

At first, I thought it was just a warning to his homeland—something like, ‘Look how much I’ve grown, you’d better watch out!’

But it turned out, he was looking much further ahead than that.

‘Will I be able to see the overturning of the heavens before I die?’

Marquis Foltaine smiled, wider this time, as he raised two fingers.

“There are two conditions for this deal. First, a life for a life. I agree with that. You did try to harm that child, so you’ll have to support him for life.”

“That’s……”

“By the way, this is a pretty favorable condition for you as well.”

The seasoned Marquis Foltaine continued smoothly.

“You need a hideout, don’t you? How long do you plan to inconvenience your non-human friends?”

“……!”

“When I say ‘support him’, I’m really saying just live in his house without having to walk on eggshells. If you’re ‘family’, then you can do that. You’ve probably heard, but the prince has his own territory within Black Swan.”

Crong had indeed heard about that.

“Are you…… Telling us to become the first settlers in that land of death?”

“If you earn his trust, you won’t just be settlers. You could become his close confidants.”

Marquis Foltaine was determined to hit two birds with one stone.

‘It always bothered me, that kid struggling alone on barren land.’

The most important thing for any territory is its population—that is, manpower.

And.

“Second. Convince the dwarves to build a proper ‘city’ on that land.”

“M-Marquis, as I mentioned earlier, that part is……”

“If you can do that, both my child and I will completely forget about the past.”

“……!”

Crong was left speechless, while Marquis Foltaine smiled warmly.

“I’ve given you the framework. Now, you fill in the rest, you fool.”

Step, step, step.

‘What should I talk about first?’

I quietly observed Trevor walking ahead of me. He seemed pretty accustomed to his wooden leg, as he walked without much difficulty.

‘There’s so much I want to ask……’

But out of everything, the thing I was most curious about was……

‘……The traitor.’

Which one of the five betrayed us?

Though Narakas had given me a rough account of the situation, my thoughts remained unchanged.

‘There definitely is one.’

So, at the very least, I had to hear from the culprit why they betrayed us. As my thoughts led me down that path, the direction of the conversation naturally became clear.

“Why did you betray your comrades?”

Trevor stopped in his tracks. When I thought we’d gained some distance, I opened my mouth again.

“Don’t try to change the subject or lie. If you do, we won’t get anywhere.”

Trevor slowly turned his body. And he silently stared at me for a long moment.

“Who…… exactly are you, Prince?”

“I ask the questions.”

With that response, Trevor clamped his mouth shut, his expression unyielding and unconcerned with life. It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“If you don’t answer, I won’t either.”

“You’ll talk when the sword’s at your throat.”

“If anyone’s going to die, it’d be you, Prince.”

I couldn’t help but scoff at his obvious bluff.

“In that state?”

“……Even if my body’s like this……”

“I’m not just talking about your limbs. You’re poisoned, aren’t you?”

“……!”

Trevor’s eyes widened in shock.

“Your fingernails are blue, and your eyebrows are missing. Above all, your eyes have bulging blood vessels, visible even from here.”

“Those are classic symptoms of poisoning by ‘Wind Flame Poison’, developed by the Poison Master Raven.”

Trevor’s pupils shook violently. Wind Flame Poison wasn’t especially fatal to normal people. But for knights who use mana, it was a different story.

The poison would lay dormant, but if they tried to use their mana, it would cause unbearable pain throughout their entire body.

“And yet, you’re trying to intimidate me?”

“……I’ve always been good at enduring pain.”

In other words, he had no intention of answering.

‘That stubbornness of his hasn’t changed.’

I shook my head, deciding to at least answer his question in return.

“Well, calling myself a successor might explain it.”

“A successor……?”

Trevor’s brow furrowed deeply at that.

“Nonsense!”

“It’s not nonsense.”

“Here’s why that’s ridiculous. First, my lord never went to the Meeke Principality in his life. He didn’t even see his own newborn child properly, spending his entire life on the battlefield with us. I know that for certain.”

“He could’ve gone without you knowing.”

“Second, even if he had gone to Meeke, the man I knew wouldn’t leave something as important as his legacy to a complete stranger. He was always cautious, knowing how dangerous it was to give power to someone unworthy.”

Trevor’s voice was filled with conviction.

“And most importantly, based on your age alone, the timing doesn’t even make sense.”

“……You really admire him, don’t you?”

“What?”

“Despite being called a Great Hero, he was just a fool, used and discarded. Isn’t that what happened to your lord?”

Boom!

In an instant, an overwhelming killing intent filled the air, making even me tense up.

“……Prince. I’ve felt this from the beginning, but you need to watch that mouth of yours.”

“Bluffing again?”

“Even in this state…… Do you think I couldn’t handle a whelp like you?”

His tone shifted, becoming rough.

“Hmm……”

I observed him with a strange expression before shrugging.

“Don’t get too worked up. That’s just what I think.”

“……Third. That right there.”

“Huh?”

“Even if my lord had left a legacy behind, it wouldn’t have gone to an ill-mannered brat like you. He valued respect above all.”

I tilted my head in confusion. I’d never particularly stressed the importance of respect to Trevor.

‘I even smacked around those who didn’t get the message.’

Of course, there was no helping it.

I’d lived my whole life on a battlefield, where a single mistake could cost you everything.

‘It’s going to be tough convincing this guy.’

I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

‘So, what should I do?’

It’s a touching reunion straight out of a novel. The title could be something like, ‘The Miraculous Reunion of a Lord and His Subordinate’.

But explaining everything wasn’t going to be easy.

‘……Aha!’

Suddenly, a brilliant idea came to mind.

***