The Adventure Begins (2)
Nitzsch Village, located in the western part of the Lheinhatz Kingdom, was a modest town with a population of two hundred thousand.
Until a short while ago, the city had been eerily quiet due to the war with the Croisen Empire. But as the two nations entered peace negotiations, it had regained its lively atmosphere.
“Oh, why do you look so old, Pessius?”
Pessius, former vice-commander of the Lawrence Knights, teased the stern-faced William, the current vice-commander.
“I saw your image on video call earlier, didn’t I?”
“When I see it in person, it’s completely different from the video.”
“Pessius doesn’t age at all. You still look in your early thirties.”
“I’ve been through quite a bit.”
And so the two exchanged the conversations they had missed, chatting about their well-being and recent news.
Were their parents healthy? How tall had their children grown? Had their sword skills improved much?
At times they laughed, furrowing their brows, and spent a genuinely enjoyable time together.
But that was only after the topic arose.
After about ten minutes, when there was nothing more to say, the unnecessary smiles vanished from both their faces.
Their eyes turned cool, filled with the pressure of their positions.
“So, what’s the reason you called me here?”
William had chosen an inn that ordinary civilians could use as their meeting place.
It was the best room in the inn, but the heart-shaped bed made it clear that the space wasn’t suitable for two middle-aged knights facing each other.
William glanced around the room and cautiously opened his mouth.
“I have no intention of leaving the future of the fiefdom to Anna and Cedric. So I’m gathering like-minded allies.”
“I had a feeling you’d say something like that… But is there a plan? Even if Anna and Cedric are greedy beyond their abilities, the Raven Marquess stands behind them.”
“The Raven Marquess’s power is indeed great. However, as a marquess, he cannot freely move his army. Once we seize the Lawrence barony, we can handle the aftermath however we like.”
“Why?”
“There are many who don’t want the Lawrence barony to become a satellite of the Raven Marquess. Douglas, the marquis of our Rockfort region, is the prime example.”
The marquess held the title of marquis, but as a border lord protecting the kingdom’s borders, he was comparable to the dukes and counts of the kingdom’s real power in terms of military strength.
Before the mighty military force of the marquess, a mere barony was like a candle in the wind. But that was only a problem if a violent clash occurred.
William argued that if they fell behind in military power, they should use politics to deal with it.
“Even if Douglas the marquis dislikes the Raven Marquess, he won’t move without compensation.”
“If that’s what you want, I’ll hand it over.”
Pessius felt a sense of unease at William’s overly easy words.
“Are you thinking that as long as you can drive out only Anna and Cedric, the rest doesn’t matter?”
William’s answer was simple.
“There will be some losses for the time being, but in the long run, we can recover everything.”
“It’s better to be an independent fiefdom than a satellite of the Raven Marquess. But even if you push out Cedric, if there’s no proper successor, your wish will be a half-finished revolution.”
Realizing that William shared the same conversation but their focus was different, William waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s not just about being better than a satellite fiefdom. If Lord Adrian takes hold of the fiefdom, it will develop even greater than before.”
Pessius blinked in disbelief.
“Did I hear wrong?”
Pessius scratched his ear, looking as if he had misunderstood. A deep sense of distrust toward Adrian seeped from his expression.
“In the end, weren’t you planning to support Adrian’s branch family?”
“Is that the same thing?! I thought you were coming to side with the lord! But you came here to ask for help to get rid of a mischievous brat?! I never should have met you!”
William flared up at the insult to Adrian, but soon recalled that he had been in a similar position until recently and calmed down.
“Lord Adrian is a prodigy.”
“I’ve heard that he fought in the war. But don’t you think one achievement isn’t enough to trust him?”
A chuckle slipped out unconsciously as William spoke of “quality.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to mock you. I just remembered that until recently, I was in the same position as you, Pessius.”
“What?”
“It seems you think that Lord Adrian got lucky and scored one goal.”
Pessius nodded without denying it. William wiped the expression from his face.
“It’s never been like that. In fact, what’s publicly known is only the tip of the iceberg.”
“…”
“Unlike you, who heard about Lord Adrian’s achievements through others, I am someone who personally heard his orders and acted on them. I can confidently say that Lord Adrian is a genius unmatched in this country.”
“Huh…”
William then poured out all the stories from his battlefield experiences.
“Predictive power that catches the enemy’s movements faster than reconnaissance gear.”
“Insight that finds the enemy’s weaknesses and strikes precisely.”
“Calculation that allows no moment of laxity, like a fortress.”
“Courage to handle all sudden situations with ease.”
“Tolerance to care for civilian soldiers.”
“A generous spirit that doesn’t covet personal gain and shares its own achievements with comrades and subordinates.”
An unbelievable story unfolded from William’s mouth.
But as the vivid scene descriptions proved it was no lie, even Pessius, who had been uninterested, found himself interested.
By the time William finished, Pessius had to show a look of chagrin.
“It’s not a lie, is it?”
“You can’t know unless you experience it yourself. Even the knights who pledged allegiance to Cedric trusted and followed Lord Adrian during the war.”
“Mm…”
“How could I not say that Lord Adrian’s achievements are just the tip of the iceberg?”
“If he had kept all those achievements to himself, he wouldn’t have dreamed of becoming a lord… So why?”
“I thought it was because of the poison. Thanks to that, Lord Adrian built many connections.”
Once Pessius realized that all the clumsy appearances Adrian had shown had been acts, he felt a chill run down his spine.
The story of young Adrian, the genius, becoming a monster after eating poison was from when he was seven years old.
That meant that even at such a young age, he had set his survival strategy and continued to execute it until now.
Even setting aside William’s boasting of Adrian’s intelligence, Pessius could not deny his patience and perseverance.
“You’ve become a complete devotee of the second lord.”
“I have no choice. You wouldn’t know unless you met him in person.”
“That’s irresponsible… So, what’s the reason the little lord has finally revealed his true self?”
“It seems he’s preparing something on his own.”
“Preparing?”
“Even when I swore loyalty, he didn’t look particularly happy. He seemed to accept the proposal, thinking it wasn’t bad. This is my guess, but I think he would have revealed his blades for revenge even without my support.”
“Huh…”
Pessius pondered for a long time, then clicked his tongue and continued.
“Of course, it’s not like I’ll believe every word. But this one thing is certain. Lord Adrian is a person who should never be buried.”
Lies would be exposed quickly.
Therefore, Pessius thought William’s story might be exaggerated, but it was not nonsense.
Pessius let out a small sigh and asked,
“So, what do you want from me?”
“To persuade the neutral vassals to lend their strength to Lord Adrian.”
“That’s a heavy responsibility…”
But his face looked quite cheerful despite the vague answer.
“It’s fun.”
“You’ve made a good decision.”
“What do you mean? I haven’t decided yet.”
“What?”
“Before making a decision, shouldn’t I meet Lord Adrian?”
Although he had already sorted out his thoughts in his heart, Pessius wanted to meet Adrian in person.
As if reading his mind, William smiled and checked the time on the personal terminal hanging from his wrist.
“Lord Adrian is coming soon.”
“Really? Now I see that I moved according to Lord Adrian’s intentions, not yours.”
Pessius looked astonished, but his mood didn’t seem bad.
“So when does he come?”
“I heard he’s coming soon… Let me call him once.”
“Alright.”
William manipulated the bracelet-type terminal similar to Earth’s smartphone and soon heard the call sound attempting to connect with Adrian.
And after a moment, when the call connected, William immediately got to the point.
“Yes, this is William. If you’re coming now since the talk is over…”
“Click.”
But the call did not end properly.
The signal suddenly cut off with the call termination sound.
“Ha, ha ha.”
Pessius looked somewhat awkward as William let out a meaningless laugh.
Pessing the two’s eyes, William saw that Pessius didn’t seem particularly worried and quickly tried calling Adrian again.
“Tuuu. Tuuu.”
But the call still didn’t connect.
William looked doubtful, and Pessius tilted his head, unable to understand the situation.
Then.
“Patak!”
Suddenly, a massive aura surged in the center of the room they had rented.
Taken by surprise, both drew their swords and stood up with movements like lightning.
The phenomenon in front of them was a sign of spatial teleportation.
Moreover, the amount of aura was enough for a seventh-circle teleport. They had no choice but to be startled.
“Paat!”
In less than a second, the aura reached its peak, and soon a pure white light enveloped them, materializing their figures.
“Lord!”
The person who appeared was none other than Adrian and Arsia, who looked like his shadow.
Pessius, who had been ready to swing his sword at any moment, let out a sigh of relief at Adrian’s grand entrance while furrowing his brows.
Using a seventh-circle scroll to make a good first impression was too excessive a waste.
But what followed was Adrian’s embarrassment.
“From your expression, you seem not to know that you are now surrounded.”
“What?”
“I understand. Those brazen fellows are covered from head to toe in artifacts.”
Adrian shook his head left and right while looking at the two doubting men.
“Handle it.”
Arsia’s figure blurred, and pieces of the ceiling, walls, and doors exploded.
“Kyaa!”
“Kyaaa!”
The ceiling, walls, and doors were shattered into tiny fragments, and debris scattered, making it look like an explosion had occurred.
But apart from the strangers’ screams, no loud sound echoed, for the room remained quiet.
After a moment.
“I have eliminated five assassins.”
Arsia appeared like a mirage again, swinging her bloodied sword to brush off the dirt on the floor and sheathed it.
Adrian nodded at Arsia’s report and spoke to Pessius and William, the two middle-aged men still with astonished expressions.
“Did I have high expectations? I heard you two are among the strongest in our fiefdom, yet you couldn’t even sense the assassins’ approach.”
His tone and behavior were light, but his criticism was blunt.
Normally they would have blushed and lowered their heads, but the two, who couldn’t understand the situation, gaped like fish with their mouths open.
Did the listeners find Adrian’s words annoying?
Arsia flicked her fingers toward the two.
“Ugh!”
Pessius and William, high-level Aura Experts, only felt a mild shock like a punch, and Arsia’s attack caused no injury.
Adrian smiled and said,
“Arsia, you should know how to respect the elderly. That wasn’t an attack on an old man.”
“Sorry. I thought they were unconscious while standing still because they didn’t move.”
“Old man” was more appropriate as “middle-aged,” but Pessius and William, whose minds were in disarray, didn’t notice.
“L-Lord?”
William, who had pledged to serve Adrian as his lord, shook his eyes and asked for an explanation.
What kind of situation was this? And what was that monster with a calm expression beside his lord…
Adrian narrowed his brows and said,
“Since the day I ate the poison, I have lived dreaming of revenge for thirteen years. How could I not have prepared? I have at least one Aura Master in my guard.”
It sounded like a joke, but it was not a joke.
But Pessius, who had tried to assess Adrian’s level by meeting him in person, realized he had made a presumptuous mistake.