Chapter 197
Chapter 197
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: Designated Squire
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It was a bizarre turn of events, but at least one silver lining was that the Iron-Blooded Duke didn't seem to sense anything off about me.
Or maybe he was just too flustered to notice...
Either way, it was debatable whether this was good for me right now, but it looked like I'd dodged the immediate crisis.
"Ugh..."
I pressed my temple while staring at "Naru" in the mirror.
I desperately wanted to rip off the mask right then and there, but it felt like a waste to abandon this identity so soon.
Middle Name.
From their speech patterns, most of the members seemed to be Dark Cult specialists...
Though I had no idea what they specialized in.
Tracking, scouting, survival. Or maybe hunting, like the Iron-Blooded Duke.
In any case, from a long-term perspective, it made sense to keep hiding my appearance for now.
'Running away is out of the question.'
Since the Iron-Blooded Duke already knew my real identity, acting suspicious would only draw more doubt.
I let out a sigh and stepped out of the bathroom.
"..."
Whoa.
The Iron-Blooded Duke was standing right in front of the door, looking at me.
Did he still have more to say?
"R... Naru."
"...Yes."
"Separate from your personal tastes, creating a false identity was a good judgment."
"..."
It's not about taste.
I suppressed my irritation and asked,
"It seems the Family Head approves as well."
"Quite a few do."
"A lot?"
"It's down to about twenty now."
"..."
Even memorizing that many names would be tough.
The Iron-Blooded Duke continued in his flat tone.
"Are you planning to register in Heros?"
"Probably."
It was my top next destination, but I wasn't certain.
I figured I'd gauge the Middle Names here today, and once I was confident I could hide the instrument, I'd decide.
If even the monsters here couldn't detect it, fooling average foes would be a breeze.
The Iron-Blooded Duke nodded.
"Good thinking. Heros has a structured ranking system, and missions match your level. There's risk, but if you survive, you'll grow much faster than training alone."
"I see."
"And."
His signature violet eyes turned to me.
"From now on, you're my squire."
I blinked and asked,
"...Your squire?"
But the Iron-Blooded Duke turned and left without another word.
Some things never changed—he said his piece and bounced. Though he had lingered longer than expected.
'Squire...?'
Did he mean a knight's attendant?
But that system had died out ages ago.
It was just a title wandering knights used to exploit kids for errands, preying on their admiration.
Squire sounded way cooler and more respectable than slave.
In truth, a knight's squire was essentially a trainee knight, so it made sense the institution vanished.
Times change.
These days, knights trained at specialized academies.
So, would I learn what squire really meant once I got to Heros?
"Hmm..."
I swallowed a sigh and groan, then followed behind the Iron-Blooded Duke.
* * *
The good news was that my steps felt a bit lighter heading back to that den of tigers.
The transcendent presences filling the room wouldn't change, but the biggest threat among them had been the Iron-Blooded Duke.
Knowing he'd already uncovered my identity brought some mental relief.
Not that I could let my guard down yet...
But the moment I returned to the room, I was surprised for a different reason.
'...What's this now?'
The room had more people inside somehow.
My heart skipped, thinking more Middle Names had arrived, but that wasn't it.
Some youthful-looking guys— at least one, up to three— stood behind each existing Middle Name.
Like aides or something.
On second look, most of the young ones were around my age... and surprisingly, I recognized some faces.
'Those guys...'
Two behind Maxim: Haro and Jial.
"Huh?!"
Haro spotted me and yelped in surprise, then bowed his head as eyes turned his way.
Maxim asked,
"What's that? You know him?"
"Y-Yes. A bit earlier..."
Haro glanced at me with a flushed face, but I ignored him and sat in a chair.
The brows of the guys standing behind twitched.
Especially the one behind the thug, with a tattoo on his temple—his glare was vicious...
Roughly translated, it was something like, 'Who the hell are you to sit down?'
'Sue me.'
I was dying to plop down hard right then.
I smirked instead, and a vein popped on that guy's temple.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"...Nothing."
At the thug's words, his lackey bowed his head. Like a mob boss and his goon.
'Anyway, what are these guys?'
Not a single normal-looking one in the bunch.
The aura radiating from them naturally...
It was overshadowed by the Middle Names, but even accounting for that, they were top-tier experts.
Considering their ages, they were way beyond normal.
As I scanned the room, I noticed a side door on the left, separate from the main entrance.
'Ah. So they've been waiting in that room until now.'
I nodded to myself in realization...
And at the same time, I started to get a vague idea of what the Iron-Blooded Duke meant by squire.
"The Cult Leader's traces are somewhere in the academy."
Right after the Iron-Blooded Duke sat, Maxim spoke up.
The Iron-Blooded Duke had the biggest presence here, but Maxim seemed to hold almost equal authority.
He was leading the meeting, at any rate.
"You called in six Middle Names just to chase some faint traces?"
The pirate woman snarked.
She kept anxiously drumming her nails on the table, and it really did seem like she was busy.
"Eight. The other two are checking places outside the academy."
"Ah— thanks for the correction, priest."
Her tone sounded sarcastic.
But surprisingly, her expression showed none of it.
If anything, she seemed to defer to the priest even more than the Iron-Blooded Duke...
Come to think of it, sailors were surprisingly theistic. And superstitious ones even more so.
A pillaging pirate believing in God was laughable, but contradictions were human nature, so nothing odd there.
Maxim said,
"Cleanup matters after the Dark Cult sweeps through. You know about the [Crystalrow Disaster], right? The Empire thought they'd successfully averted the Demon King's descent and got complacent. They discovered the corrupted holy relic too late. Cost them twenty-seven hundred lives—or worse than death."
All mirth vanished from Maxim's voice. The pirate just scowled, unable to retort easily.
"Besides, the Demon King's followers under the Blood Moon are called an assassination cult for their stealth mastery. More than enough reason to summon eight Middle Names..."
"...Fine, whatever."
The pirate threw up her hands dramatically.
"But land isn't my turf. I was sailing nearby, so I dropped in, but I'll shove off tomorrow. No complaints, right?"
"If you give it your all until then."
"When I commit, I go all in. That's my motto, so no worries."
Maxim nodded, and this time the thug spoke up.
"I'll pull my weight too, but my goal this trip is to make an impression on the big shots."
"..."
"So I gotta ask: the Martial Tournament—is it still on as planned?"
His gaze went not to Maxim, but the Iron-Blooded Duke.
Odd.
The thug Middle Name had disrespected everyone else here, but showed manners only to the Iron-Blooded Duke.
'And what's a Martial Tournament?'
As I tilted my head, the Iron-Blooded Duke replied.
"Yes. Schedule and prizes unchanged."
"Good enough."
The thug nodded satisfied, then stood.
"I'll take my leave then. Contact me if you find Dark Cult leads."
The thug and his lackey left.
The lackey didn't forget to shoot me a hostile glare right up to the end.
From an unseen angle, I flipped him off in return.
Once the thug left, the pirate and priest stood and vanished too.
"..."
Finally, a sticky gaze lingered on me—the witch.
This woman had been giving me creepy looks since I first appeared...
I noticed her attendants now. All pretty boys.
That explained the persistent stare, maybe.
"Hey, kid. What's your name?"
"Naru."
"Naru. Cute name."
The witch chuckled, snapped her fingers, and something appeared in her hand.
A fancy gem.
"Want it?"
"Out of nowhere?"
"No pressure. I like to gift things to kids who catch my eye."
I wasn't one to refuse kindness easily, but this felt suspicious.
I shook my head.
"No thanks."
"Pity."
The witch smiled sweetly, and the gem turned into an apple.
Crunch. She took a bite, then stood.
"See you, Naru."
Her laughter echoed faintly, then eerie mist enveloped her.
When it cleared, she was gone.
Now, only me, the Iron-Blooded Duke, Maxim, and his two disciples remained.
The mood lightened, but I had nothing to say. Honestly, I wanted to slip out naturally too.
Then Maxim spoke.
"What are your plans now?"
"Heading to the Imperial Palace."
"Business there?"
"Personal errand. Too embarrassing to share."
"Always so secretive... Not much of a substitute, but can you answer something else?"
"If I can."
"Is that kid entering the Martial Tournament?"
Maxim pointed at me.
"I figured you two knew each other from your attitudes. Sorry if you were hiding it."
"No issue. And nothing's decided on the tournament."
"Really? Time's running short."
"Not a big deal to me."
Maxim let out an incredulous laugh.
"More importantly, I've got a proposal."
"You, to me?"
"Thinking of joining the [Abyss Auction]. Would you come along?"
Maxim sounded surprised at the Iron-Blooded Duke's abrupt words.
"Entering an auction is surprising enough... asking for company is wilder. After something specific?"
"Can't say what."
"Didn't expect you to. But didn't you say palace first?"
"Too late today. Palace tomorrow morning."
"Then Abyss Auction right now, huh."
Maxim grinned.
"No issue, but my disciples too?"
"Of course."
"If we spot something good..."
"Pick away."
"Gifts from the Iron-Blooded Duke. Priceless."
We—Jial, Haro, and I—kept silent as the two heroes talked...
But hearing "Abyss Auction" twisted my expression slightly.
I'd heard of it.
Rumors said only those with membership could attend, though I didn't know the requirements.
It wasn't just about having money, that much was clear.
The reason for my grimace: among the many items at the Abyss Auction, its slave auctions were especially infamous.