Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: A Matter of Principle
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The commander of the Iron-Blooded Knights and the younger brother of the Iron-Blooded Duke.
Luke Bednicker was a man of discipline.
What was disciplined about him? Everything.
His sleep and meals, of course, but also his rest, hobbies, and even his desires were all strictly controlled.
Even a man of faith who preached temperance as a virtue would have to concede defeat before him.
Of course, he wasn't born this way, nor was he forced into it by anyone.
Luke's disciplined nature was a choice he had made for himself.
He believed it was the surest path to the ultimate strength he sought.
Moreover, great discipline often goes hand in hand with deep patience...
which was also why he had only now intervened, despite having noticed the commotion outside the auditorium long ago.
“…You. What in the world are you doing?”
Luke strode forward and looked at Hector.
Hector's body trembled slightly under his gaze.
“Hector Bednicker.”
“Yes.”
“I'm asking for confirmation. Did you receive permission from the main family to draw your sword?”
“No, I did not.”
“Then was this situation so urgent that it required you to break the rules?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then why did you place your hand on the hilt of your sword?”
“…I apologize.”
“I'm not asking for an apology. I'm asking for a reason. Why? Were you going to draw your sword and cut Ruan down?”
Hector bowed his head low, but Luke maintained his chilling expression as he spoke.
“Do you think you have that right? That you've reached a position where you can ignore the rules of the main family?”
“I would never think—”
“Mark my words.”
Luke said in a low voice.
“There is only one person who can exist above the laws of the main family. Do not equate yourself with the Family Head.”
Hector's face flushed with shame.
The fact that his actions had insulted the Iron-Blooded Duke shamed him far more than being humiliated by Luke.
Luke sighed inwardly.
He had spoken so sternly because he didn't want to escalate the situation.
If word of this reached the ears of the Council of Elders, who nitpicked every little thing, it would become a hassle.
“I'll pretend I didn't see what just happened. You may go now.”
“What?”
“……”
“…Understood.”
Hector bowed his head and left.
He didn't forget to glare at Ruan one last time, but Ruan ignored him with a blank expression.
“…Ruan Bednicker.”
“Yes.”
Luke fell silent at the nonchalant reply.
The scene he had just witnessed was still etched in his mind.
The sight of Ruan following Hector and striking the back of his head.
“Why did you do it?”
There was much he wanted to say, but the first thing that came out was a question.
Only then did Ruan's gaze turn toward him.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Why did you strike Hector?”
“Because he deserved it.”
Luke's eyes gleamed at the unexpected response.
“He deserved it?”
“Right in front of my eyes, he struck my subordinate's cheek.”
Luke's gaze shifted to the butler, Arjan, standing beside Ruan.
Arjan wore a blank expression, but her lip was slightly split.
“I believed my brother, Hector, had crossed a line, so I paid him back. That's all there is to it.”
“For that reason, you struck your brother on the back of the head and then on the cheek?”
At this, Ruan stared intently at Luke. Receiving that transparent gaze was enough to send a slight shiver down his arm.
He didn't know why.
“Does the fact that he's my brother matter?”
“What?”
“I won't stand by if anyone damages what's mine. A debt must be repaid threefold.”
Whether it's good or bad.
Ruan added in a listless voice.
“…You talk a good game. But do you have the right to say such things?”
Luke gave him the same chilling look he had given Hector.
“What would have happened if I hadn't intervened just now? Killing intent was rolling off Hector as he gripped his sword. He would have been disciplined by the main family for breaking the rules, but you would have been crippled at best. In that case, who would have suffered the greater loss?”
“……”
“You lacked discipline, and as a result, you almost died. Therefore, your actions cannot be painted as courage, Ruan Bednicker. What you did just now was foolish.”
“You're not entirely wrong.”
“Meaning I'm not entirely right, either?”
Ruan affirmed this silently before speaking after a pause.
“Would my subordinate have simply stood by and watched Hector draw his sword?”
“What?”
“In that situation, Arjan and I could have served as justification for each other. I retaliated against Hector for striking Arjan, and if a crazed Hector had then drawn his sword and charged, Arjan would have joined the fray.”
“……”
“You spoke of loss? If I had endured it just now, I would have lost this friend.”
“That's an exaggeration. Not even Hector would commit murder here. All he did was slap her cheek.”
“I'm not talking about her life. Let me ask you this instead. If you, Commander, suffered a great humiliation to protect your master, but that master just smiled obsequiously... could you truly offer your loyalty to such a person?”
“……”
Luke closed his mouth, but he felt a small ripple spread through his chest.
It was a rare sensation for him.
“…Hmm. Well, regardless, I understand your concern, Commander. I'll be more careful from now on.”
This time, Luke almost let out a dry laugh.
He was dumbfounded by the tone, which seemed to be saving his face.
*Who's lecturing whom here?*
As he shook his head inwardly, Ruan spoke.
“If you have nothing more to say, may I be excused?”
“…Yes. You may go.”
Having no further reason to hold him, Luke nodded, and Ruan returned the nod before leaving.
Luke watched his retreating back for a moment.
*…Ruan Bednicker.*
When the Iron-Blooded Duke had personally summoned Ruan, he'd felt something was amiss, but meeting him in person was more surprising than he'd expected.
*Was he always like that?*
He didn't know.
Luke had no particular memory of Ruan.
Of course, he had often heard of Ruan's notoriety, but Luke was the type of man who believed in judging someone only after meeting them face-to-face.
So, considering this their first meeting, if he were to score him on first impressions alone...
Ruan would score at least a nine out of ten.
*When I have the chance, I'd like to hear my brother's opinion.*
For now, he liked his nerve, and he also possessed the capacity to lead his subordinates.
*Why am I only realizing this now?*
*I thought I had a good grasp of all the promising children.*
Of course, a hasty judgment was unwise... but if possible, this was a boy he wanted to keep by his side and observe for a while.
As a squire of the Iron-Blooded Knights—
“Hmm.”
*That's getting ahead of myself.*
Luke shook his head.
He wanted to talk with Ruan more and get to know him, but he restrained himself.
For a man whose motto was discipline, it wasn't a difficult task.
***
My back was tingling.
Luke must have been staring at it.
The itchy feeling on the back of my head only disappeared after I entered the mansion.
Only then did I let out a sigh.
“Why did you do that?”
Arjan suddenly asked.
“As for the reason, I already told Sir Luke.”
“You said you would have lost someone. That cannot be the answer. I was never your person to begin with.”
“Ah. Right.”
“…This is not something to be taken lightly.”
Arjan said with a stiff expression.
“You know Young Master Hector's position in the family. If he holds a grudge against you over this and decides to retaliate—”
“Then next time, I won't end it with just a slap to the back of the head or the cheek.”
I looked at Arjan's surprised eyes.
“Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't do it for you; I did it because I felt too damn awful to just stand by. I know what I've done, and I know what you're worried about. And I can roughly guess the fallout from this.”
“……”
“Don't worry. I have a plan.”
The Martial God, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interjected.
[Successor, do you truly have a plan?]
*No.*
*Of course not.*
*But I can't just say I hit him because I was pissed off.*
[Hoh.]
*I don't regret it. In the long run, this was the right choice.*
[What do you mean?]
*I mean that in the main family, acting like a Bednicker is the most important thing.*
You could say the Bednicker main family has eyes and ears everywhere.
If I showed that I couldn't manage my own things and my own people, a report would quickly reach the higher-ups, whether it be the Council of Elders or the Family Head...
That alone would earn me negative points.
“So, Butler, how was it?”
“Pardon?”
“I'm asking how you felt when I slapped Hector on the back of the head and on the cheek. Did it feel good or bad?”
Arjan hesitated.
“You can be honest. There's no one else here to listen.”
“…I think I felt a little relieved.”
I grinned.
“Then that's all that matters. What about your face? It won't scar, will it?”
“Just a small cut inside my mouth.”
“Your glasses seem a bit cracked.”
“It's fine. They don't have a prescription anyway.”
I looked at Arjan, shocked by her words.
So, that monocle was just for fashion?
After a moment of hesitation, Arjan belatedly bowed her head.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
“Enough. It's embarrassing.”
“Still, please be careful. Young Master Hector will certainly not let this go.”
“I'm sure he won't.”
I had no intention of avoiding a conflict with him.
But for some reason...
I was more concerned about someone else than Hector, with whom I had just clashed.
The one from the Garshia bloodline who had been looking at me with those dark eyes just before.
His name was...
***
Returning to his room, Hariba immediately kicked a nearby table.
Crash!
The table shattered as if it were made of rotten wood.
His anger still not appeased, Hariba proceeded to destroy all the furniture in the room.
Even as he did so, the face of the brat with pale blond hair would not leave his mind.
And also the silver-haired girl that brat had dared to approach.
“……”
In the center of the wrecked room.
Hariba stood panting with a blank expression, then opened his mouth.
“Father.”
“……”
“I told you, didn't I? We have to be certain.”
“Certain? Are you suggesting we actually kill him?”
Reagan, who had appeared at the door at some point, retorted.
“In any case, today was just the final check. The real Blessing Ceremony is tomorrow. All we need is for Ruan Bednicker to be unable to attend.”
Hariba's eyebrow twitched.
“How, exactly? You said killing him was not an option.”
“Murder isn't the only solution in this world.”
Reagan chided in a stern tone.
“Son, why can't you understand that in scheming, murder is the lowest of the low?”
“……”
“The important thing is that he doesn't participate in the Blessing Ceremony. We don't need to get our hands dirty. For instance, it wouldn't matter if he chose not to attend of his own free will.”
“What do you mean?”
Reagan's eyes narrowed.
“You will soon find out.”
With those words, Reagan left.
Hariba stared intently at the door through which Reagan had departed.
After a brief moment of thought, he came to a conclusion.
*I can't entrust my fate to that man.*
His breathing now steady, Hariba took something out from his coat.
It was a glass vial containing a red liquid.
“……”
Hesitation flickered in Hariba's eyes as he looked at the vial, but only for an instant.
Pop.
Hariba opened the vial.