Chapter 429: Hunting the Traitors
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 429: Hunting the Traitors
CRASH!
“Are you out of your mind?!”
A fierce-looking man slammed his hand on the desk and shouted at Baron Bipolun.
His name was Kairban de Alestro.
He was the head of the Alestro family and one of the Grand Duke's closest confidants. He had recently led an army for the Galloway Territory Recapture Operation but was forced to retreat due to the betrayal of Marquis Bellastir's family, returning to the Ducal Castle just the day before yesterday.
He was also the one who had rushed over the moment he received news of Amelia's return from a letter sent by Baron Bipolun a few hours ago.
His loyalty to the Grand Duke was second to none, so he was eager to meet Amelia and pay his respects immediately.
However, upon hearing that she had brought an outsider for an audience with the Grand Duke, and that the baron had not stopped her, he had lost his temper and become enraged.
“Allowing an outsider an audience! And you still call yourself the Captain of the Royal Guard?!”
“I have no authority to grant an audience. As a subject, I simply follow the wishes of Her Highness, the Princess.”
“Sophistry!”
CRASH!
Count Alestro, who had a naturally hot-tempered personality, couldn't contain his anger and slammed the desk again.
It was a violent outburst unbecoming of a high noble, but no one present pointed it out.
Instead, they were all looking at Baron Bipolun with the same accusatory gaze as Count Alestro.
However.
“Calm yourself, Count Alestro.”
There was one exception.
“...Baron Dorasilb.”
At that moment, the eyes of everyone in the meeting hall turned to Baron Dorasilb.
Despite this, the baron seemed completely unfazed, continuing with a meaningful smile.
“Of course, it is an undeniable fact that Baron Bipolun was hasty. However, considering the great service Sir Hyun-woo has rendered, I believe there is no major issue with him having an audience with His Highness the Grand Duke.”
“I've heard about that as well. They say he played a crucial role in ensuring Her Highness the Princess's safe return.”
Count Alestro scoffed at Baron Dorasilb's words. His gaze changed completely.
A murderous glare, reminiscent of a ferocious beast, was directed at Baron Dorasilb.
“However, this is a special situation. His Highness is in no condition to reward him, and one can easily imagine what might happen if a mere commoner with no title learns of the Grand Duke's state. In the worst-case scenario, we might have to kill him to ensure his silence.”
“Even if it comes to that, it is not for us to debate. The final decision on all matters rests with His Highness the Grand Duke and Her Highness the Princess, the legitimate successor of the ducal family.”
“And what if something happens to His Highness? What will you do then?”
Rumble—
Count Alestro unleashed his aura, pressuring Baron Dorasilb.
But Baron Dorasilb simply smiled and brushed off the count's pressure, then pointed at Baron Bipolun with a relaxed expression.
“In that case, wouldn't it be enough for Baron Bipolun to take responsibility with his life?”
“...What?”
“Am I wrong, Baron?”
Baron Bipolun asked back in disbelief, but Baron Dorasilb just smiled as usual and repeated his question.
For a moment, he was speechless at the sudden demand to stake his life, but he soon nodded with a solemn expression.
“Yes.”
CRASH!!!
“Bullshit!”
In that instant, Count Alestro shattered the desk as he shot up from his seat.
“How dare you think your life holds the same value as our lord's safety?!”
A red aura erupted from his massive frame like steam, and a dense pressure began to crush the meeting hall.
A few nobles, as if they had expected this, had already backed away.
“If anything happens to our lord, I will personally annihilate three generations of your family—”
“Now, now, that's enough.”
Snap!
In that moment, the storm of aura raging through the hall subsided in an instant.
Immediately after, a man stepped forward, his cloak fluttering.
“As Baron Dorasilb said, let's all calm down for a moment. Things have gotten a bit heated.”
His name was Orpheleon Velasque Castrel.
He was the head of the Castrel family and a high-ranking mage who had reached the 6th Circle.
Though he was over seventy, he looked no different from a middle-aged man.
“Count Castrel...”
“More importantly, wasn't the reason we gathered here today because of the surrender letter sent by the rebel army?”
At Count Castrel's words, a few nobles flinched.
The day before, a messenger from the rebel army had appeared before the castle gates with a letter advising them to surrender.
Count Alestro had strongly insisted they should immediately behead the messenger and send him back, but he was overruled by the majority of the nobles, including Count Castrel.
“A surrender letter is not even worth considering.”
“Then a war for the capital will soon break out. A large-scale siege, at that.”
“We can just lead the army out and face the enemy on the plains.”
“Are you suggesting an all-out war against a two-hundred-thousand-strong army? In contrast, even with reinforcements from the Bipolun territory, we'll have a hundred thousand at most.”
“Isn't that something your mage unit can handle? Who was it that always went on about mages being the 'flowers of the battlefield'?”
While it was true that mages were at a disadvantage against knights in one-on-one combat, on the battlefield, they boasted a power far beyond comparison.
Count Castrel met Count Alestro's sarcasm with a pleasant smile.
“That's impossible.”
“What?”
“Because the enemy army also has a 6th-Circle mage. In fact, he seemed to have the upper hand on me when it comes to combat. Furthermore, they appear to be operating their own independent mage unit, so any large-scale magic we use will be immediately countered.”
“So you're saying your unit is just a bunch of useless mouths to feed?”
“You should just be grateful fireballs aren't raining down on your head during battle.”
The two men glared at each other, continuing their tense war of nerves.
Everyone in the duchy knew that the Alestro and Castrel families were like cats and dogs.
Rumble...
Amidst the tension of clashing aura and mana, it was Count Castrel who backed down first.
He turned his gaze toward Baron Bipolun.
“Baron, there's something I'd like to ask. Why did that man wish to have an audience with His Highness?”
At Count Castrel's question, Count Alestro also withdrew his aura for a moment.
The other nobles were also curious about the reason, so they naturally began to listen in.
Baron Bipolun hesitated for a moment, but realizing that hiding it wouldn't solve anything, he slowly opened his mouth.
“...He said he would cure His Highness the Grand Duke.”
Thump!
In that instant, an immense pressure began to bear down on the entire meeting hall.
“...That's a poor joke.”
For a rare moment, Count Castrel revealed his killing intent.
“A mere commoner claims he can accomplish what even renowned doctors and a cardinal of the Sun Cult have failed to do. To my ears, that sounds like nothing less than an assassination attempt on His Highness. Am I wrong?”
“He is a mage.”
“...A mage?”
At Baron Bipolun's words, Count Castrel's intensity subsided for a moment.
However, the other nobles reacted differently.
Shing—
“Baron Bipolun.”
Count Alestro, in particular, was on the verge of losing his mind with rage at the thought of a mere commoner daring to offer treatment to the Grand Duke.
A distinct Aura Blade formed over his sword.
Of course, Count Alestro's level was that of a lower-grade Aura Master, no match for Baron Bipolun, who had reached the intermediate grade.
But to him at that moment, such a gap was a trivial matter.
“I will now execute you on the spot for the crime of treason.”
Count Alestro's killing intent and aura exploded outwards.
The force was so unexpectedly ferocious that Baron Bipolun also placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
It was clear that bloodshed was now unavoidable.
In the tense atmosphere, the two knights glared at each other.
Just as Count Castrel, who was watching from the side, was about to intervene...
“Enough.”
“?!!!!”
At the voice that commanded an instinctual reaction, everyone immediately prostrated themselves.
Count Alestro and Baron Bipolun, in particular, instantly withdrew their auras, like misbehaving puppies becoming docile before their master.
“You may raise your heads.”
“Ah, ahh...!!”
The moment permission was granted and he raised his head, Count Alestro, contrary to his large build, shed tears.
Though their reactions varied slightly, the other nobles were just as stunned.
“Your... Your Highness!!!”
The person who had appeared before them was none other than the master of the Orsia Duchy, hailed as the Southern Continent's Greatest Swordsman, Grand Duke Kyle Ashburn Orsia.
Although he was emaciated to the point of having no visible muscle and had to rely on a cane like a patient, his eyes had not faded in the slightest.
Seeing him, Kang Hyun-woo wore a weary expression.
'I only gave him enough emergency treatment to keep him from dying on the spot, but he just gets up and walks to the meeting hall on his own...'
It was an unbelievable sight for someone who had been hovering between life and death in bed for a year due to Qi Deviation.
“Your Highness, what on earth...”
“Enough. Save your questions for later.”
The once-ferocious Count Alestro became silent as a mouse at the Grand Duke's single command.
“Baron Dorasilb.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
At the Grand Duke's call, Baron Dorasilb hurried over faster than ever and knelt before him.
However, the Grand Duke's gaze as he looked down at the baron was chillingly cold.
“Are you a subject of this duchy?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Clang—
The Grand Duke took a dagger from his coat and dropped it before him.
“Then take your own life.”
In that instant, the meeting hall was plunged into silence.
But there was one exception.
“I will obey your command.”
Shing—
Baron Dorasilb immediately drew the dagger and, without a moment's hesitation, thrust it toward his own neck.
The faces of the nobles watching this scene were filled with horror.
“Stop.”
Flinch!
But as soon as the Grand Duke's command was given, the dagger stopped, having only lightly pierced the baron's neck.
Blood beaded on the dagger and dripped to the floor.
If it had gone any deeper, it would have pierced his carotid artery, but the baron's expression remained unchanged. He simply wore his usual meaningful smile.
“You foolish man. Did you really intend to die?”
“I am prepared to gladly accept any command given by Your Highness.”
“Tsk.”
The Grand Duke handed Baron Dorasilb a handkerchief and then shifted his gaze to the others.
“Baron Bipolun, Count Alestro, Count Castrel.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Are you subjects of this duchy?”
“Of course.”
“I, Kairban de Alestro, dare to swear it on my family's honor.”
“I, too, will swear it upon my mana circles.”
Each answered, firm in their resolve.
Seeing the three men's unwavering composure, the Grand Duke nodded.
“Then kill everyone in this room, with the exception of Baron Dorasilb.”
“Your-Your Highness?!! What do you mean—”
“We obey your command.”
Immediately after, a storm of blood raged through the meeting hall.
The screams and shrieks of the nobles echoed everywhere, and the pieces of their flesh and blood scattering through the air created a foul stench.
With the exception of a few who were away on the battlefield, everyone present was a key figure in the Duke's faction.
There were even a few who could be called the Grand Duke's closest confidants.
But they were all dead.
No one dared to escape.
Kang Hyun-woo covered Amelia's eyes and ears, watching the scene in silence.
Thirty minutes earlier.
After the Grand Duke regained consciousness, Kang Hyun-woo had passed on the information about the traitors he had obtained from Lavinia's memories.
Truthfully, he should have given the man time to rest, but at this rate, the capital was about to fall into the traitors' hands, so he had no choice.
The Grand Duke expressed his gratitude for having his life saved, but that didn't mean he believed every word Kang Hyun-woo said.
After all, wariness and suspicion of others are virtues of a ruler.
However, the evidence Kang Hyun-woo presented was all so conclusive that it was impossible not to believe.
“Seeing blood as soon as you wake up is bad for your mental health, Father-in-law.”
“...Who are you calling Father-in-law?”
The Grand Duke frowned at Kang Hyun-woo's words, but Hyun-woo simply gave a pleasant smile and pointedly took Amelia's hand.
Seeing this, the Grand Duke couldn't help but lament the fact that he no longer had the strength to lift a sword.
