Chapter 88
Chapter 88
----------------------------------------------------------------- Translator: crow Chapter Title: EP.23 – The Knight Holds a Meeting (6) ----------------------------------------------------------------- This bastard moves fast. 'No wonder he climbed the ranks so quickly despite looking so young.' Sycophantic or not, he knew when to stand tall and when to bend just right. On any other day, Lee Han probably would have thought highly of him. Even if others called it bootlicking, he would have seen it as a smart survival strategy. But right now, not a shred of fondness stirred in him. Bad first impressions tended to stick around forever, and that's exactly how Lee Han felt at the moment. 'If you're so quick on the uptake, you shouldn't have sent that thug anywhere near my kid.' Huuuk. A murderous aura rose alongside his disgust. It came from the [Unmeasurable Tier] elixir he'd consumed, leaving him still clumsy at controlling the ebb and flow of his presence. Plus, he saw no need to rein it in front of these guys—he was letting it loose on purpose. Crack! Glass cups and windows nearby shattered with sharp cracks. A ferocious aura like this became a tangible force all on its own. Items made of relatively fragile glass screamed in protest, while Simon and his secretary screamed even louder inside their heads.
Hmm, no clue." "It's an incredibly famous house, though..." A knight who didn't know House Tristan? That seemed like a problem. "So, is that a problem right now?" "...
N-No, of course not. You wouldn't know, sure." Right! He might not know! Sure, House Tristan was one of the founding nobles, one of only three marquis houses left in the capital—but who cared about that? If this man didn't know, it was Tristan's failing, obviously! Displaying the perfect sycophant's flair, Simon pressed on. "Ahem. Well, anyway, House Tristan is a formidable house. Not on the level of Lionel or Galahad, of course, but they command considerable scale and maintain a hundred knights. Aside from the White Silver Lion Knights, hardly any house boasts that many." "A hundred, huh..." Knights varied personally, but each one was a gem sifted from the rough. Many swordsmen mastered Fighting Techniques, but only one in thirty might truly become a knight. Rural nobles might field lesser ones, but knight orders under capital-based great nobles were on another level entirely. The elite of the elite. Think of one handling dozens of seasoned soldiers solo. And this house commanded a hundred such knights? The economic might to sustain a hundred knights—each worth a warhorse—and the palace's tolerance of it spoke volumes about their authority. "And the current head, Marquis Jenmia, still has no heirs. From the house's perspective, it's a crisis on the horizon, so they're working day and night to arrange his marriage as soon as possible." House Tristan's failure to produce heirs carried heavy implications. As elders of the royalist faction, they were deeply tied to the royals. Meaning they were a major pillar supporting the crown. If their leader failed to secure succession, it would evaporate about thirty percent of the royalists' noble strength. The faction couldn't afford that. "So why hasn't this important marquis bastard gotten married or popped out a kid yet?" "B-Bastard...?" He's still a marquis, you know. "Answer slower—?" "Ah, yes!" Ahem. He had a point—it was puzzling. Why hadn't the head of a marquis house, blessed with noble blood, power, and influence, sired an heir yet? The reason was...! "To show his loyalty and purity to the kingdom...?" "Spout more bullshit and I'll cut your tongue out first." "Loyalty my ass! The men of House Tristan lose their masculine function the moment they father a child. Their libido vanishes. And Marquis Jenmia remains vigorous, infamous for his indulgence in wine and women. So he has plenty of mistresses, but no legitimate heirs." "What a load of crap. How old is the guy?" "He's 53 this year." "......" "Ahem." Simon looked down, embarrassed even as he said it. And Lee Han? "That old man's got fire." Admiration edged out contempt. Impressive that he was still going strong at that age. But. "So what's this Tristan whatever got to do with my kid?" No real meat to the story yet—Lee Han pressed for answers. All that buildup meant the main point was coming. He shot a warning glance, and after hesitating, Simon continued. "M-Marquis Jenmia sent a matchmaker from the Pollet family. He's finally ready to marry..." "...
And who to, just so we're clear?" "......" "No way?" "Ahem." "......
Fuck?" Lee Han spat a thick curse he hadn't uttered in a while. He didn't need to hear the answer to know who the matchmaker had targeted. Lee Han was floored. "-B-But to reiterate, we're just matchmakers. The marquis wanted a meeting, and the guild only bridged the gap, that's all." "Why come to you guys for matchmaking?" "Surprisingly, we handle a lot of noble matches. Sure, houses often arrange marriages via betrothals, but... you get it, right? Even nobles have problems—no one's immune to lacking libido. Broken engagements from unspoken reasons are routine, and infertility from affairs or abuse is commonplace." Nobles couldn't afford scandals. So they buried ugliness, preferring discreet resolutions. Money spent in preparation was fine if the outcome was clean. "The marquis is the same. He needs to marry and secure an heir soon, so while scouting suitable women, he set his sights on Lady Levy Polt. But for social face, he can't admit sending matchmakers to such a young lady. The guild's doing its utmost to make this marriage happen." "......" "...
I get it might chafe from your position, but Lady Levy Polt is already prime goods eyed by many nobles. She's beautiful, and despite her youth, she shows exceptional swordswoman talent. Knight houses see high potential in heirs from her—plenty want her." "......" "Huuuuh." Simon sighed deeply, eyes hollow like he'd aged years. He'd exposed not just the guild's flaws, but a great noble's too. One might say marriage issues weren't dire flaws, but that's knowing half the story. It could paint them as forcing unions via power, inviting finger-pointing as honorless. If this leaked, backlash was inevitable. Nobles, who prized honor and authority like life itself, would do anything to silence it. 'Well, they can't brute-force that monster, so they'll try sweet-talking or something.' A treasure in weak hands is misfortune; in strong ones, fortune. Simon had traded the guild's trust for great nobles' weaknesses, repaying his member's blunder somewhat. 'You worthless shit! I'll kill that bastard myself!' Simon ground his teeth. He'd ordered distant protection for Lady Levy, not close babysitting. To avoid scandals, precisely. So some guild rat had defied orders and stuck someone on her. A real piece of trash, at that. And shockingly, the guild was full of idiots bucking his commands. Obvious. Some noble house craving Levy Polt had probably bribed a member to tarnish her value. The idiot had taken the bait. ...
Like a moron. 'I'll kill him for sure!' Simon resolved. If he survived this, he'd hunt the culprit and tear him apart. Make him regret being alive. And the knight holding his life? "You've got a bard's talent. Decent at spinning a yarn." "?" "Hmm, yeah, that should do it." He muttered cryptically, stood abruptly, and turned to leave. Simon blinked. "Uh, are you just... leaving?" "What, should I smash the rest?" "N-No, that's not what I—!" Words he desperately wanted to say tickled his throat like a cough. After his explanations, shouldn't they hash out guild reconciliation—or at least some accord? Maybe more apologies? Demands? ...
Want more on Levy Polt's situation? -Etc. Such questions bubbled up. This knight already had justification, power—everything. Yet cashing a few excuses and info bits, then bailing? Simon wouldn't. He'd squeeze till there was nothing left. Until they begged for mercy. As those tangled thoughts surfaced. "The rest is probably my kid's family affairs. No need to hear that from an outsider's mouth. Privacy matters, even for disciples." "...
You've intruded plenty already..." "Different story. If they'd actually touched my kid, I'd have lopped off your head and everyone else's here breathing. I'm not magnanimous enough to forgive harm to my people." "......" "But you're lucky. I nipped it in the bud, came to settle things. Some pests blocked my path, but they'll be hospitalized a while—so I'll let it slide at this." "Kuh...!" "One last thing, you. You hide bits when you talk, but no outright lies. That's why you're still breathing." "Y-You think my words rang true?" "Felt that way to me. ...
Wrong? I'll come back and take your head. Don't get a third chance." "...
Haha, the guild isn't that easy a mark." "We'll see. Didn't seem that way to me." He left a meaningful smile and exited through the wall he'd wrecked. Without a trace of lingering. Watching him go, Simon— "Ha, what kind of guy's that?" His head spun endlessly. Leaves so cleanly it's anticlimactic. Entered like he'd burn everything, now calm as a still lake. Simon figured him for a bizarre type he'd never met, and unwittingly followed toward the exit. Something felt off letting him go like this. -But. Rustle... Whoooosh! "━━." Simon, checking outside, lost words for a different reason. His trailing secretary yelped and fell on her butt in shock. "...
Th-This isn't a swarm of large beasts barging in, right?" The secretary's mutter matched Simon's thoughts. It was all collapsed. Only rebar and pillars holding the 150-pyeong building stood intact; everything else teetered on ruin. But scarier still—know what that was? 'This disaster... solo... in just 10 minutes?' It took under 10 minutes from raid alarm to reach Simon's room. Yet this mess. Like seven large beasts hitting at once. Dizzying. Goosebumps. Even more terrifying. 'N-No deaths?' Injured, yes—but no dead comrades. Someone once said it: Sparing lives while subduing is harder than killing. This knight had pulled it off in that short time. ...
Without a single wound. Simon felt his legs give. 'Overhyped skills? Don't make me laugh, you morons!' Yesterday, execs had doubted the knight who'd foiled the terror plot. Called it exaggeration, lies, inflated... Simon wondered if they'd spout that crap after witnessing this. He slumped. "Haha, no wonder he left so cleanly." Confidence he could sweep them anytime, even if they attacked out of grudge. Simon gave a wry smile. What could he do against a guy like that? As guild master, he pondered. "...
Who'd win between those two?" "P-Pardon?" "...
Talking to myself." "??" A mere knight versus House Tristan. He shook his head at the foolish fancy he couldn't voice. ...
Leaving a sliver of possibility.