Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: A Father's Interest
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What kind of question would he ask?
I waited, tense, but the Iron-Blooded Duke didn't speak again.
He simply shifted his gaze to the bonfire and stared.
“……”
Should I stay quiet?
Or should I say something else?
As I hesitated for a moment, Ludwig stood up, gathered the chains, and held them out to me.
“Want this?”
“Pardon?”
“Why so surprised? An older brother can give his long-unseen younger brother a gift.”
A gift from my brother?
I felt bewildered, hearing those words for the first time in my life.
“You're giving me a divine relic?”
“Yep.”
“……”
“Look at this kid. It wouldn't be strange if you were ecstatic, but your face is souring instead.”
“I was taught to be wary of kindness without reason.”
“You're no fun.”
Ludwig said, shaking his head.
“Do you even know what a divine relic is?”
“A treasure among treasures, with only ninety-nine in existence.”
To be precise, they were the relics of the seventy-two gods, thirteen evil gods, nine spirit gods, and five kings.
In the grand scheme of things, the Seven Sins Sword I had obtained from the altar was also a divine relic.
“Right. A treasure you might not be able to buy even with dozens of carriages full of gold coins.”
“I know. Still, there's no such thing as a favor without a reason.”
“Listen to the way you talk.”
Ludwig let out a cheerful laugh, then looked at the Iron-Blooded Duke.
The gesture seemed to be asking for permission.
When the Iron-Blooded Duke nodded, he spoke again.
“Strictly speaking, it's not a relic. It's a replica.”
“A replica?”
“Yep. Of course, that doesn't mean its performance or value is any less. It costs an astronomical amount to make.”
“Was it made by the Dark Cult?”
“No.”
Ludwig nudged the chains with the tip of his foot and continued.
“These chains… I borrowed them from the Cult for this mission. If I take them back as is, they'll confiscate them nine times out of ten. It'd be a shame to lose a replica like that, so I was planning to report it as lost and hand it over to the family.”
“You're going back to the Cult?”
“Yes.”
“Isn't that dangerous? It seems you failed the mission.”
Ludwig snickered.
“Do you even know what the Cult's mission was?”
“Wasn't it to secure someone who received a Blessing?”
“You're quick on the uptake.”
Ludwig said with a grin.
“That mission wasn't a failure.”
“Pardon?”
“I've already secured someone. One of the participants in the Blessing Ceremony.”
“……”
I thought for a moment before speaking.
“You wouldn't abduct a perfectly fine scion, so is he someone with a dirty background?”
“…That's right.”
This time, he seemed genuinely surprised, as he answered a beat later.
“He's one of the rats who infiltrated the family. I can't reveal the details, but let's just say he's an enemy of the Bednickers.”
“If he suddenly disappeared from the main house, wouldn't that draw suspicion this way?”
“Do you think the Bednickers' methods are that sloppy? We'll wait until he's returning home. Not a shred of evidence will be left behind.”
I understood then that this cheerful-looking young man was also a Bednicker.
Handing someone over to the Dark Cult was practically the same as killing them.
In fact, it would likely be far more horrific.
And yet, this man's expression showed no hesitation, no guilt.
Instead, he seemed to consider it just retribution.
If it was an enemy who meant to harm the family, he didn't care in the slightest what happened to them.
What was slightly surprising was that my own disposition was quite similar to theirs.
“When I return to the Cult, I'll probably be praised for my accomplishment. The two guys who came with me died, but I completed the mission anyway. I'll get reprimanded for losing the chains, but there won't be any real punishment.”
“They'll still try to retrieve them.”
I looked down at the chains and shook my head.
“So, I must refuse.”
I didn't know what the future held, but for the time being, I planned to live quietly.
I had no desire to attract attention by carrying around something as significant as a relic.
“Interesting guy.”
Ludwig chuckled and said.
“Family Head, this one could work under me later.”
Come to think of it, Ludwig treated the Iron-Blooded Duke more casually than the other children.
I had a feeling that the Iron-Blooded Duke's internal evaluation of Ludwig was higher than that of someone like Hector.
It felt like I had just witnessed the Iron-Blooded Duke's closest confidant, one who had operated in the shadows.
“If you ever come to Ulkua, look for Biggs's Workshop. That is, if you need help.”
“I doubt I'll have any reason to go there…”
Still, I stored the name "Biggs's Workshop" in the back of my mind.
Just then, the Iron-Blooded Duke spoke.
“Return to your room and rest well today.”
“Pardon?”
“Avoid running into anyone if you can, and go straight back to your room.”
For some reason, it felt like the first time the Iron-Blooded Duke had given me a forceful command.
I might be stirring up trouble for no reason, but I couldn't help but ask at this point.
“…Aren't you going to ask more about my martial arts?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I have no interest in the origin of your martial arts.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke said, still gazing at the bonfire.
“What's important is how strong you, who have learned such outstanding martial arts, can become.”
“……”
“I have high expectations.”
Was this a compliment?
I nodded, feeling a subtle emotion that was hard to describe.
“I will take my leave now.”
“Farewell.”
Ludwig waved his hand with a flippant air.
I glanced back at the Iron-Blooded Duke, my attention still focused behind me, but he remained silent, as if he had already lost interest in me.
Only after the Iron-Blooded Duke was out of sight, after I had left the forest, climbed over the wall again, and returned to my room…
did it finally sink in that the long day was over.
* * *
Ludwig watched the spot where Ruan had disappeared, then spoke.
“This isn't all of it.”
“……”
“Hariba Garshia must be just one of countless pawns. He has neither the power nor the brains to plant someone in the Fang Knights.”
“Mm.”
“The movements of the Council of Elders are a bit suspicious…”
As the Iron-Blooded Duke remained silent, Ludwig continued.
“For now, I've finished the investigation into Hariba's biological father, Reagan Garshia. He has had contact with the Dark Cult, but it was all just a few deals with small fry. I was thinking it might be a good idea to leave him be until he makes connections with someone more important.”
“No. Deal with him immediately.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke commanded impassively, and Ludwig simply nodded without further questions.
“Yes.”
“Anything else to report?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“Alright. Good work.”
The conversation between them paused for a moment, and only the crackling of the bonfire could be heard.
It was Ludwig who spoke first again.
“He's an interesting one.”
“He is.”
Ludwig lifted his head and looked at the Iron-Blooded Duke.
He had spoken to him, but he'd said it as if talking to himself.
He never expected the Iron-Blooded Duke, of all people, to agree.
“Father, have you also taken an interest in him?”
“He proposed a deal to me.”
“He did?”
“He devised a plan to lure out the Cult by using himself as bait.”
“……”
Ludwig fell silent.
He had been monitoring Ruan's every move on his father's orders.
The two who were with him were also members of the Dark Cult, but they belonged to a different sect.
The Dark Cult worshipped the six Calamity Gods, and they had a total of six factions. Including the minor ones, there were probably dozens.
In any case, that was why Ludwig hadn't recklessly revealed himself.
In truth, attacking Ruan midway and joining forces was not part of the original plan.
Those guys had intervened late.
“So it was his plan, not yours, Father. Pfft. Should I call that fearless?”
“He must have been confident he could protect himself.”
“Is that why you didn't press him further?”
It was obvious what Ludwig was referring to.
“How he became so strong.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke reached out his hand.
The firewood in the bonfire shifted on its own.
“That is the most trivial question in the world. And power is utterly pure. It will transparently reveal whatever purpose one holds.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke murmured lowly.
“We will soon find out what thoughts Ruan harbors.”
“Is that all? Your impression of Ruan, Father.”
“What else would there be?”
“But he's the youngest, isn't he? He still has some baby fat on his face. Don't you want to hear him call you 'Dad'— I'm sorry.”
Ludwig quickly bowed his head.
The Iron-Blooded Duke, who had been looking at Ludwig with a blank expression, spoke again.
“When will you be returning?”
“I should get going soon. Those bastards are damn quick on the uptake.”
“I will await your next report.”
“Yes. Take care of yourself, Family Head.”
With those final words, Ludwig departed.
He wasn't particularly worried.
Ludwig's greatest talents were survival and adaptation.
The Iron-Blooded Duke knew that even if he threw that boy into the middle of a warzone, he would survive just fine for several months.
Left alone, the Iron-Blooded Duke stared at the bonfire and muttered.
“…Dad?”
The word felt gritty on his tongue, like grains of sand.
The Iron-Blooded Duke soon erased Ludwig's nonsense from his mind.
* * *
I opened my eyes in bed.
I was a bit taken aback right after waking up, because my body and mind felt incredibly refreshed.
“What the?”
Had my condition been this good recently?
It felt as if I had done nothing but sleep for three days and nights.
I sat up and did some light stretching.
I opened the window, enjoyed the warm sunlight for a bit, and took in the view outside.
For some reason, the mansion felt quiet today.
*Grumble…*
After stretching for a while, I was struck by a tremendous hunger.
Would they give me food if I went to the dining hall now? More importantly, what time was it? This room was overflowing with useless furniture, but it didn't have a clock.
*Knock, knock.*
Just then, the door opened with a knock, and Arjan appeared at the perfect moment.
Arjan looked slightly surprised to see me, then quickly bowed her head.
“My apologies. I didn't realize you had awoken—”
“It's fine. But why are you so surprised?”
“It's just—”
Arjan hesitated, which was unlike her.
I felt a sense of unease at her behavior and asked.
“Did I perhaps sleep for a long time?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Today is the fourth day since the Blessing Ceremony. In other words, Young Master, you have slept for three straight days and nights.”
So I really did sleep for three days and nights.
Right. Even though I was out for a few days after that ordeal, sleeping on Arjan's back couldn't have been a proper rest.
My physical fatigue must have finally vanished completely.
“No wonder my stomach feels like it's stuck to my back. Food. I'm hungry.”
“I will prepare it at once. But, Young Master, before that, there is something I must tell you—”
Just then, there was another knock and the door opened again.
This time, it was Keian who appeared, and he too seemed somewhat flustered to see me awake.
“My apologies. I didn't realize you had awoken—”
“I've already heard that line, so you can skip it.”
Keian closed his mouth.
For some reason, his expression seemed even stiffer than usual.
“What's wrong? Did something happen?”
“It is nothing. It is just that you have awoken at a very peculiar time.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Council of Elders has made its move.”