Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Disaster (5)
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Leon was starting to develop neurosis just from hearing the word "report."
Lately, he couldn't recall any good news coming from so-called reports.
And sure enough, this one was no different.
"Did I hear that wrong? The Black Line... that ship was hijacked by the court mage?"
"Yes. So now, Aide Simon is personally assembling and leading a pursuit team."
Leon's train of thought came to a screeching halt once more.
"What? What were the navy doing? Why Simon?"
"Well, the whole group came down with food poisoning... It seems someone must have spiked the lunch."
Leon's face hardened like stone as he listened to the rest of the report.
"So, there was an intruder in the barracks in broad daylight, and no one even noticed?"
"Yes... It appears so."
"You call that a report?!"
It was a relief that it ended with mere food poisoning.
What if the tainted food had been laced with a lethal poison?
If word of this reached the capital, it would be a grave scandal that even Leon, as lord, couldn't escape reprimand for.
"How is it that not a single one of you can do your jobs properly? At this point, is the problem me? Is that it?"
"N-No, sir! It couldn't be!"
Leon glared with eyes bloodshot from rage.
But what fault lay with the messenger, who had only come to deliver the news?
Besides, after being toyed with over a mere chicken just moments ago, he was in no position to criticize.
"...Come to think of it, what about Lian? Simon must have gone to capture him, right?"
"Ah, I don't know about that far..."
"Enough. Dismissed."
Leon pressed his fingers hard into his furrowed brow, trying to calm his fury.
But the heat boiling inside him showed no signs of subsiding.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Aigoo! My lord, please calm down! You'll only hurt your hand!"
"You think this hand matters? My insides are rotting away as we speak!"
Was all this karma for treating mages as mere convenient tools?
Of course, Leon knew full well how important a court mage position was.
That's why he'd tried to keep tight control over it—but it had backfired spectacularly.
"Damn it! So this is what happens when a mage turns against you for real? How the hell is Lian supposed to handle these demonic freaks...?"
And now, there wasn't even a backup candidate to replace the court mage.
It was only because Madella was in the rear that they were safe; if it were near the border, they'd be easy prey for an enemy kingdom's mage.
Just look at today—completely played by a single old mage.
"I need Lian after all. I have to win him over, no matter what it takes."
Of course, that very Lian was the true culprit behind all this.
But Leon had completely erased that possibility from his mind.
Lian stared absently at the small vial filled with pumpkin-colored liquid.
The last remaining task.
He had no idea how to deal with the nobles already ensnared by this sap's magic.
"Should I take this to the alchemists and have them whip something up...?"
Alchemy was the field closest to magic.
It might be worth trying to develop a vaccine or antidote based on this sap—but there was also the risk of an even greater catastrophe.
"Tch. The guillotine it is, then."
As the mage had said, chopping off their heads might be the best solution after all.
And while at it, lopping off Leon's head too would make everyone happy, wouldn't it?
Leon could finally bond with his late father and resolve their father-son conflict, even if belatedly.
What a happy ending that would be!
"Hey? Lian! You gotta come see this!"
Just then, Pablo interrupted Lian's musings and called him to the window.
"What's up, Pablo?"
Lian leaned out the window and looked down.
The sight before him left him speechless in every way.
A group of about twenty knights clad in resplendent silver armor.
And among them, escorted toward the inn where Lian was staying, was a familiar figure.
"What the hell. This time he came in person?"
"What do we do? Secure an escape route?"
"Hmm. Let's see."
There were generally two reasons a lord would venture out personally like this.
Either for purely personal errands,
Or to handle matters directly, wielding his authority.
In the latter case, he would march with the family banner prominently displayed as a symbol of authority.
Like when Francis had visited the Delico Matron's mansion to demand her handover.
But no banner was visible now, so probably the former.
"Let's go down for now."
"You sure?"
"What's the point of running from here? That sleazy bastard would chase us all the way to the south harbor."
Better to face him head-on and show there was nothing to hide.
Just in case, he hid the vial of sap in his luggage bag.
Then Lian headed down to the first-floor dining hall to confront the uninvited guest.
"Even if it's past mealtime, is it okay to disrupt someone else's business like this?"
The dining hall looked like Leon had rented it out entirely.
All tables but one had been pushed aside to the corners.
"Ah. There you are, Lian. I was just about to send someone up to fetch you."
"You seemed pretty busy yesterday. More free time than I thought?"
"Even I need a breather now and then."
Yeah. Your life's been suffocating in all sorts of ways.
Lian nearly let a smirk slip but barely held it back.
"Stop with that look. I came to share a drink in reconciliation."
"Pulling this right after yesterday doesn't look good, does it?"
"Better to dissolve grudges before they harden. Don't you think?"
"Fair point, but it doesn't inspire much trust."
"Well, honestly, we have no reason to fight anymore."
He wasn't planning to beat around the bush or interrogate ambiguously.
Lian retracted his glare and sat across from Leon.
"What do you mean?"
"That old court mage wrecked my garden and fled. The one with the magic—you know it."
"Oh dear. Even trouble with him?"
"A bit."
"I see. So that's why Aide Simon was..."
Leon gave a wry smile and gestured to his attendant.
The attendant placed silver goblets before Lian and Leon.
Not from the inn, but brought directly from the castle.
"Hm? Do you always carry your own goblets?"
"Old family custom. To guard against poisoning, I suppose. Personally, it's a hassle. But being lord doesn't mean I can do whatever I want."
Lian eyed the silver goblet before Leon.
No signs of tampering, visible or otherwise.
"Truth be told, I suspected you in yesterday's incident. My apologies."
"No need. It was a natural conclusion. Especially right after our argument."
Lian studied Leon's face intently.
No hint of remorse, but everything he'd said so far rang true.
"Anyway. I wanted to formally invite you to dinner again, but with lingering resentment, it seemed pointless. So I came myself."
"Good call."
"Plus, frankly, introducing you to my lovely wife makes me a bit jealous and scared."
Leon said it lightly, jokingly, but it was undeniably sincere.
Lian belatedly realized why Leon had never introduced his family before.
"So, will you toast to reconciliation now?"
At Leon's words, the attendant poured wine into the goblets.
Still no suspicious aura from the cups.
Even so, Lian wasn't keen.
"I'll just take the goblet for now."
"As expected, not an easy one. That's your charm, though."
Leon gave a wry smile at Lian, who merely held the goblet without drinking.
He fidgeted, twirling his goblet idly, then finally spoke with difficulty.
"Lian. You make me jealous in so many ways."
"I'm pretty exceptional, yeah."
"Hahaha! True enough. Even my enemies treat you kindly. You solve problems I couldn't, like you already knew the answers."
Leon downed his goblet in one gulp, as if swallowing bitter emotions.
"When I suddenly inherited the lordship without preparation, everything was chaos. I made a lot of mistakes because of it."
"Good that you realize."
Was he really here with genuine remorse, baring his soul?
Lian stared at Leon, then slowly brought his held goblet to his lips.
"I want our relationship back to how it was... no, better. Forgive my hasty errors?"
Lian nearly choked on his sip of wine.
Incredibly, this was a heartfelt apology.
"Forgive? I never dreamed those words would come from you."
But sincere or not, he couldn't trust this man.
Teehee-
The spirit's mocking laughter on the shoulder of one hiding secrets.
Even as he bared his heart, he concealed some scheme.
"I'm only saying this because it's you. So, another toast?"
The attendant refilled Leon's empty goblet.
Lian hesitated, then drained his own.
Another attendant promptly refilled Lian's.
'Of course...'
This time, eerie laughter emanated from Lian's goblet—and the bottle the attendant held.
The Delico Matron's sap.
Leon had kept some in reserve after all.
"My lord. Does your plea for forgiveness include future misdeeds as well?"
Pour...
Lian tilted the goblet sideways, spilling its contents.
Leon's expression chilled rapidly as he watched.
"You deliberately lowered my guard, then struck at the moment I relaxed? Clever attempt."
"I figured it wouldn't work. The Mage Hunter moniker is well-earned."
"Your sincere apology earlier makes this all the creepier."
Clang!
Lian smashed the empty goblet on the floor.
A firm declaration that reconciliation was impossible.
"Pity. I hoped for a peaceful end..."
Leon clicked his tongue and gestured to the knights.
"Force it down his throat. Gently—no injuries."
"Yes, sir!"
Clank! Clank!
The twenty-odd knights moved in unison, forming a wall of silver.
Blocking all escape in an instant.
Three knights approached Lian slowly, hands on sword hilts.
"You bastards! Touch a finger to Sir Lian and you're dead!"
"Pablo. Don't draw rashly."
"But...!"
"Even scum like him is the lord here. Don't fall for the provocation."
It chafed that they couldn't respond in kind to his abnormality—but rules were rules.
Drawing first would give him cause for formal arrest.
No doubt part of Leon's plan.
"So we just take it?"
"Of course not."
Lian glared at the terrified attendant standing far off.
He didn't know how much sap Leon had left, but that bottle was all there was here.
No need for a brawl with the knights—just snatch it, and it was over.
'Just deal with that bottle!'
Lian pointed at the bottle in the attendant's hand, then crooked his finger.
The bottle flew from the attendant's grasp like it was repelled, smashing to the floor.
Crash!
"Aah! The bottle!"
The attendant paled at the shards by his feet.
Leon's neck flushed redder than wine, veins bulging.
"You! What do you think you're doing?!"
"B-But my lord! It's not my fault! The bottle just...!"
"Excuses?!"
Shing—
Unable to contain himself, Leon drew his sword, eyes spitting fire.
"Eek! Spare me!"
"M-My lord! Calm down! You can't do this!"
"Calm? If you lot had done anything right, I wouldn't be this furious!"
"Aigoo!"
The attendants scrambled to restrain the enraged Leon, plunging the room into chaos.
The knights, bereft of the bottle, hesitated and held position without advancing.
"...What did you just do?"
"Who knows? Better think of slipping out while we can."
Lian played innocent and eyed the inn entrance.
Then, the firmly shut door burst open.
"Lord Leooon!!"
A middle-aged man appeared, inexplicably shouting Leon's name.
Leon momentarily forgot his rage, staring in confusion.
"Sir Manuel? What are you doing here...?"
Manuel Salazar.
There was no reason for a representative of Madella's noble houses to show up here...
"Ooh! Lord Leon! Heh-heh! Hee-hee! I've been desperately searching for you! Please! Please save me!! Hoo-hoo-hoot!"
And in the deranged state of a madman, no less.