Chapter 40: Preparations
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 40: Preparations
The long shadows stretching from beneath the eaves slowly vanished. The sky had already grown dark.
After locking the guild doors, Andrei headed to his office. Piole followed him, a sullen look on her face.
“Father asked you to? Why?”
When Allen had asked Andrei to look after Aenya, Andrei had asked for Piole in return. There were several reasons for this.
“Didn’t you say you found the guild environment uncomfortable?”
Piole glared out the window, her eyes like daggers. She was staring at where Allen had been, though he was long gone.
“That bastard snitched on me?”
“Don’t misunderstand. Your voice was so loud I could hear everything from outside. In any case, the Tobalts family estate has a training ground for knights. It should be on par with what we have here.”
“I’m not going.”
Piole was resolute. She continued, not missing a beat.
“Even if it’s as good as the swordsmanship guild, Father won’t be there for me to ask for lessons, and I won’t have any comrades to spar with. Besides, how am I supposed to see Allen’s face every morning? The very thought is horrifying!”
“And who was it that waited for Allen by the main gate every day?”
While Allen was absent handling family matters with Roland, Piole had waited for him at the main gate every single day, refusing to leave.
“Th-that was because I was pissed off! Because I was pissed off!”
Andrei watched Piole in silence. She flinched and quickly averted her gaze. The silence didn't last long.
“Did you not learn anything from your last duel with Allen?”
Piole fell silent. She had thought Allen was just slacking off with his consecutive absences. She had resolved to punish him when he returned, but in the end, she was the one who had been put in her place.
Allen had returned, having grown unbelievably strong in such a short time. If the reason was talent, she would have just cursed the unfair world and its gods and moved on, since that’s just how he was.
‘This feels like a difference in experience.’
Allen had cited experience as the reason.
Experience wasn't an unattainable factor like talent. That was why it had been an even greater shock to Piole.
A bitter smile touched Andrei’s lips as he watched Piole’s expression darken.
“Right now, you are a frog in a well.”
“What…!”
“And that is my fault.”
Only after watching the duel between Piole and Allen did Andrei realize he had been keeping his daughter locked in a cage.
He thought he was cherishing her, but the result was that Piole had grown up like a hothouse flower. She looked sturdy on the outside, but inside she was endlessly soft, a flower that would easily topple.
“Father! What are you talking about!”
“I always say that nothing is more important than experience, yet I never gave you the chance to gain any. This is undeniably my mistake.”
Andrei knew better than anyone that nothing was more important than experience. Had he not reached his current position by overcoming countless hellish battles himself?
His desire to keep Piole safe, and the selfish wish to keep her by his side, had ended up holding her back.
Andrei was filled with regret.
Fortunately, it wasn't too late.
“This will be a chance for me to correct my mistake, and for you to recover your stalled growth.”
“But you were against it when I said I wanted to work as a mercenary before!”
“That’s because mercenaries are not a trustworthy lot. My opinion on that hasn’t changed.”
Piole asked back, her face a mask of disbelief.
“And you can trust that scoundrel Allen?”
“The Allen of today? Yes.”
Allen had certainly changed. His talent remained, and he had used effort as fuel to convert that talent into skill. The speed at which he’d done it was beyond imagination, surprising even Andrei himself.
And was that all? Andrei had secretly done some digging on Allen. As a result, he was able to surmise that Allen had eliminated his political rivals one by one and taken control of the manor.
He had decided to entrust his daughter to Allen, but his insistence on confirming everything to the very end proved he was every bit a concerned father.
“You, of all people, should know that Allen has changed.”
Piole was the one who had called Jin a prostitute to her face during their first meeting.
That’s how clear-cut her likes and dislikes were, yet she had been consistently friendly to the new Allen. Even if she still had feelings for him, it would have been an impossible attitude to maintain if Allen were still the same old scoundrel.
“I still don’t want to. It’s like I’d be working under him.”
Piole flinched and muttered, avoiding Andrei’s gaze. Her lips were pursed in a pout.
“A knight must sometimes do things they do not wish to for their lord. This is also for the good of Quaran.”
There was no way Piole, who was always going on about being a knight, would let that slide. Her ears perked up. Her body turned toward Andrei, and she even snuck a sideways glance at him.
He expected it, but isn't this a little too effective? Andrei suppressed a laugh that threatened to burst out and continued.
“The Tobalts family’s manor is close to Quaran. We are bound to influence each other. Establishing a friendly relationship will benefit Quaran. The problem is that the opposite is also true.”
“But we’ve just ignored them until now, haven’t we?”
Piole was no fool. She suspected Andrei was making things up to persuade her.
“That’s because there was no cause for conflict. But the situation has changed, has it not? Dresden has been constantly provoking us. They must be trying to somehow make up for the blow they suffered from the temporary change in herring grounds. The problem is the relationship between Dresden and Baron Rasino.”
Piole slapped her palm with her fist. Her eyes had gone wide.
“Ah, the Baroness’s family is…!”
“Yes. The House of Count Dresden. The current head’s youngest daughter is the Baroness. If the conflict with Dresden escalates, the Tobalts manor becomes extremely important. Isn’t its location perfectly positioned to stab us in the back?”
In the worst-case scenario, Dresden’s fleet could attack the coast while the Baron attacked from the rear. Attacked from both sides, Quaran would not be able to hold. Andrei made a cold, calculated judgment.
“However, if we can win Allen over, we could be the ones to launch a counterattack.”
Andrei knew that Allen and the Baron were not on good terms. Piole stared at him blankly, her mouth agape.
“Then your decision to lease the fishing rights to Allen was also…?”
“There is always a good reason for lending out fishing rights that could become a seed for future conflict.”
In truth, none of the vassals had understood the lord’s decision at first. It was only after Dresden’s provocations intensified and the possibility of using Baron Rasino was mentioned that they realized.
The lord must have known things would turn out this way. As expected, the royal bloodline is truly different.
Gulp.
Piole’s throat bobbed as she took in the full story. Her eyes sparkled as if they held starlight.
“So, this is a mission?”
“A very! A very important mission. If, on the other hand, the fishing rights were to fall into Count Dresden’s hands, he would use it as a pretext to try and swallow Quaran whole.”
“And you want me to help Allen to prevent that?”
Her excitement was brief; Piole’s face clouded over. She thought the mission was too much for her to handle.
Andrei let out a hearty laugh.
“Do you think I would entrust such a grave mission to you when you’re not even a knight? Your role is simple. By simply staying by Allen’s side, you will imply to everyone that the relationship between Allen and Quaran is deep. That alone will be enough to make the Baron wary of Allen.”
It was a mission that required her status as the daughter of Andrei, a vassal of Quaran, not her swordsmanship. Piole, glancing at Andrei, spoke with an even darker expression.
“Isn’t that… a ploy to sow discord?”
“Allen is aware of it and has accepted. With his relationship with the Baron deteriorating, he’s probably thinking of switching allegiances. Wouldn’t serving under a princess be better than being the knight of a stingy, mere baron?”
“…”
Piole remained silent. It was because she realized Andrei didn't know Allen's true goal.
Andrei interpreted her silence differently.
“Hmm, if you really don’t want to, then I suppose it can’t be helped.”
“Wh-what will you do?”
“I’ll have to ask another vassal’s daughter. But I don’t know if she’ll accept. We know he’s changed, but to others, he’s still a scoundrel.”
Andrei had unwittingly revealed that he needed a woman, not a knight, but the flustered Piole didn't notice the difference in wording.
“That wouldn’t be good for Allen either. There are no other vassals’ daughters who have trained as properly as you. But what can be done? It’s all the price for his own misdeeds. It’s what you call karma.”
Quickly recovering, Andrei stood up. He counted silently to himself as he leisurely walked out of the office.
‘3, 2…’
He didn't need to finish the count.
“Ah, damn it. Fine, I’ll do it. Me.”
Andrei took his hand off the doorknob he had been holding and turned around. Piole was staring off at a distant mountain, feigning indifference.
“Ugh, why does he have to make things so complicated and bother me like this?”
Andrei smirked.
‘So it was love-hate after all.’
The image of Piole, who acted as if she couldn't wait to tear Allen apart yet never considered leaving his side, flashed through his mind.
She seemed to think she hated Allen, but from Andrei’s perspective, it wasn't just hatred. The problem was that she herself didn't realize it, but by spending time together, she would inevitably come to know.
Allen was the son of a knight who would one day inherit the manor, and he possessed the talent to climb even higher than Piole.
His notoriety as a scoundrel tarnished all those merits, but was there a single perfect person in this world?
Just look at Piole. Few families would want to pair their heir with a woman who ran around brandishing a sword. That was likely why she was the only one of her peers still unmarried, despite being well past the marriageable age.
In that sense, Allen, who supported her, was the abnormal one. In fact, that was the part that had swayed Andrei’s heart.
‘A married couple is a relationship where they fill in each other’s shortcomings.’
Of course, he had no intention of forcing it. The reason Piole was still single was that Andrei had respected his daughter’s choice.
Andrei limited his own role.
He would only help Piole realize her own feelings.
However.
‘Why… why did he only tell me?’
From the moment she realized she was the only one who knew of Allen’s dream to become a Grand Lord, Piole’s heart had been pounding pleasantly. The memory of his rough hand grabbing her breast flashed through her mind.
#
While the father and daughter were making moves with similar yet different thoughts, I was entering the brothel. It had been a while, and the place was much more crowded than before. This, too, was likely due to the lord’s competence.
That wasn't the only thing that had changed. Zaken, who always used to be at the counter, was nowhere to be seen. In his place was a new armchair, upon which Jin was lounging and people-watching.
It seemed she had taken Zaken’s place in that short time. Just as expected of the Godmother who would one day take over Quaran’s underworld.
“Jin.”
“Oh my, Lord Allen? It has been a veeery long time. I thought you had stopped gracing us with your presence. Pray tell, what brings you here?”
Her words were reverent, but her tone was nothing short of blunt. She reminded me of a pouting Aenya.
“I came to see you.”
“Surely you don’t mean you wish for my services? Hah, what to do? In truth, I have retired from selling my body. I am focusing solely on management now.”
Jin looked smug, her expression saying it was too late for regrets. Then, she glanced around before grabbing my shoulder and pressing herself lightly against me. Her sweet breath brushed against my earlobe.
“However, if Lord Allen were to ask me, I might reconsider…”
Having spent some time in the brothel, Jin now exuded a certain allure.
A flicker of lust stirred within me. I took Jin’s chin and lifted her face. Her ashen skin, ebony hair, and dark, blue-tinged eyes were like pearls from the deep sea.
Despite being the one to tempt me, Jin’s eyes trembled minutely. Then, her eyelids began to slowly droop. Her full lips jutted out slightly. I gently pushed her forehead away with my index finger.
“…Am I not to your liking, my lord?”
The sweet atmosphere instantly turned murderous. Her half-closed eyes flashed menacingly. It seemed the repeated rejections had wounded her pride. I shook my head.
“Of course not. If I had my way, I’d lock you in my room to look at and enjoy all by myself. However, I’m holding back because I don’t think this is the right time.”
Was that too blunt? Her ashen skin began to flush. She subtly averted her gaze.
“Not the right time…?”
“It’s true for me, but you shouldn’t have the leisure to be interested in the opposite sex either.”
If I indulged her now, Jin might do something rash again. I already had experience with that. I once thought I could use her as I pleased, but that was a delusion.
‘One mistake is enough.’
Piole, who wasn't even an extra, and Jin, a named character with a significant role in the story, were in completely different positions. This meant I shouldn't touch her until she had fulfilled her given role.
However, I wouldn't have to wait long. If my plan went accordingly, Jin would soon pay the price for her clumsy seduction.
Jin distanced herself, her expression displeased.
“Then, what business brings you to me?”
“I came to ask a favor. No, to make a deal.”
“A deal, you say?”
“My sister will soon be entering Quaran’s castle. I would like you to protect her. Is that possible?”
She would be safe under the Lord of Quaran, but what in this world was perfect? I needed a guardian for her, just in case.
“That would depend on the price.”
“I’ll help you with your revenge.”
The moment I finished speaking, Jin’s eyes turned sharp. If not for the bond we had formed, she might have drawn a knife on the spot. The atmosphere grew even colder. Her voice, too, became as icy as a frozen sheet.
“Revenge?”
“If you only intended to evade pursuit, you would have left from a port city closer to the Eastern continent long ago. The fact that you chose this place as a hideout instead is proof that you intend to go back, is it not?”
Jin’s eyes grew sharper still.