The Saint's Chess Match (3)
Regardless of gender, anyone would gasp in admiration at that stunningly handsome appearance.
Looking at Adrian, who resembled a youthful boy full of vitality and innocence, one would find it difficult to believe that he was a noble of the Duchy rank.
Yet his status could not be doubted.
At the very least, no one in the Lheinhatz Kingdom was unfamiliar with the name Adrian Lawrence, the Duke.
After all, he was the hottest figure currently gaining massive popularity in this world.
He had killed his own stepbrother and mother, annihilated the main forces of the Border Duke, wiped out four entire noble families, and even defeated an Aura Master-ranked Vanguard knight.
These events had all unfolded within a mere two months, so one could never dismiss him as an immature child.
No, rather, he was the most terrifying noble one must never offend.
“Y-Your Grace?”
Evriel and her parents, relatives, and in-laws, who had never imagined that such a prominent figure would personally visit this insignificant place, stared in utter shock.
“I-I-It’s an honor to meet Your Grace.”
Evriel, who had finally come to her senses first, led the entire family in bowing deeply.
“Enough.”
But Adrian snapped his fingers with clear irritation.
Everyone was forcibly pulled upright as if yanked by invisible strings.
Among the relatives who had been proudly standing just moments ago, not one dared to look directly at Adrian.
The man before them possessed a status so elevated that no one could even meet his gaze, and he was the kind of person who could casually kill a commoner with a single word.
Moreover, his words had already carried clear accusations toward them, forcing their mouths shut in fear.
Yet Adrian seemed particularly interested in Evriel’s relatives.
“Do you know what’s good about becoming a Great Duke?”
Adrian walked up to Evriel’s grandfather and hurled an absurd question.
Evriel’s grandfather rolled his eyes desperately before quickly dropping to his knees on the floor.
“S-Sorry. How could a lowly being ever understand Your Grace’s intentions?”
It was the exact opposite of the stiff posture he had held moments ago, yet it was a pitiful sight.
Unfortunately, such flattery held no effect on Adrian.
“I can deal with trash like you however I please.”
“Kuh!”
And Adrian seized the old man by the collar.
The magical power that should not exist for a mage surged from Adrian’s grip, lifting the grandfather helplessly into the air.
Evriel’s grandfather finally met Adrian’s eyes.
The terrifying gaze, laced with madness, pierced straight through his entire body.
It was the stare of a predator that had never seen before.
Frightened beyond reason, the grandfather trembled like a leaf in the wind.
Adrian tossed him away like garbage.
The force sent the old man flying, slamming him brutally against the opposite wall with a loud crack.
“Hey, you there. Come here.”
“Y-Yes? Me?”
“Mhm.”
The uncle of Evriel’s who had been called next, following the grandfather.
He approached Adrian with a terrified shuffle.
“KWAANG!”
“Kuh!”
He was hurled beside the grandfather and crashed into the wall, leaving a massive crack in the old house’s structure.
Seeing the two of them sprawled on the floor and groaning in pain, the relatives all dropped to their knees and begged for forgiveness.
“Do you know what you did wrong? Or are you simply begging to be spared?”
“W-We were blinded by greed and caused their suffering…”
But their excuse fell far short of satisfactory.
“Wrong. That’s not it at all.”
“Eh?”
“You dared to harm my people. Isn’t this a declaration of war against me?”
A declaration of war directed at Adrian Lawrence, the Duke?
The relatives, who had never imagined their actions would be interpreted this way, turned pale.
“W-We, lowly commoners…”
But Adrian ignored them entirely and gave instructions to his guards.
“Arrest every single one of them.”
“Yes! Your Grace!”
Blocking their mouths with a silent magic spell as if he could no longer stand their voices, he ordered the relatives forcibly removed from Evriel’s house.
“I overheard more than I wanted to.”
“We will handle the debt they placed on Evriel’s family through forced labor, paying spiritual compensation along with interest.”
“T-Thank you…”
Seeing the Great Duke appear right out of a broadcast, Evriel’s parents stiffened in guilt.
Adrian offered a kind smile and personally helped them to their feet.
“Please come visit the Duke’s residence. Now that you have such a splendid daughter, you should enjoy the fruits of your labor.”
“N-No? But…”
“That is for the sake of Miss Evriel.”
“If Your Grace says so…”
Evriel’s relatives were dragged out one by one like sausages, leaving the space free of any unpleasantness.
Adrian flashed a small smile at Evriel and extended his thumb.
She stared at him with a dazed expression, her face turning bright red as she lowered her head deeply.
“I never imagined that Your Grace would actually visit this shabby place…”
“Aah, I had some matters to attend to.”
As he spoke, Adrian’s eyes scanned the surroundings with noticeable tension.
Yet that serious demeanor only made him appear even more handsome to the teenage girl before him.
He had not only changed her entire life but also neatly resolved the issues that had tormented her household for years.
He was her benefactor and life guide, so falling for him was only natural.
And that affection sparked a small change within Evriel’s heart.
She wanted to become someone who could help Adrian more.
Her strong-willed personality would likely have dismissed her as a minor if she had openly expressed her feelings.
But assisting him as a helper was perfectly acceptable.
What if they helped each other for five or ten years?
“Good.”
It was the moment that had finally given Evriel, who had followed the flow until now, a sense of purpose.
***
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Attention. The Francis Duchy’s movements are suspicious.
That message had been delivered by Duchess Olivia Riberdale of the Lucias Kingdom.
While intelligence networks in our nation had not yet been properly established, she possessed the information-gathering power befitting the head of a world-class mage tower.
The reason she had passed on information about the Francis Duchy was that we currently maintained a temporary alliance for the Saint Chess Match.
Meaning the Francis Duchy’s actions were directly linked to the Saint Chess Match.
It was safe to assume that Duke Francis had begun a scheme to make his third daughter, Evelyn Francis, the Saint.
The problem was that no one could predict how those possessing enormous power would react.
“In our current situation, what effective strike can we deliver?”
Considering the bigger picture, three possible responses came to mind.
1. Sever our connection with the Riberdale Duke.
2. Directly attack me.
3. Attack Evriel.
Among these, the simplest yet most effective would be to attack Evriel, I thought.
They could create rumors to tarnish her reputation, threaten her family, or launch a direct assault on her.
All were serious options, but among them, the one with the greatest impact was clearly the last.
“A direct attack on Evriel.”
Precisely, it would be an assassination attempt.
That was why I moved with thorough caution to eliminate variables.
I doubled the security forces in the city, switched the guards’ shifts to two-person teams, and ordered the assigned watchers to monitor their stations ceaselessly.
I even deployed six Sky Fortresses around the Duke’s residence for transformation magic detection and effective intruder defense.
Most importantly, I had an ace up my sleeve that others did not possess…
***
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Target: Titus Barnet. Affiliation: Commoner of the Lheinhatz Kingdom, Lochtail Baron Domain. Agent of the Francis Intelligence Department.
Target: Roka Artmann. Affiliation: Commoner of the Lheinhatz Kingdom, Lawrence Duke Domain. Agent of the Francis Intelligence Department.
That was none other than the existence called Mankyung.
While secretly guarding Evriel, I had discovered that her grandfather and uncle were agents of the Francis Intelligence Department.
I carefully observed the surroundings.
But had my search been only for purpose?
I found no other individuals related to the Francis Duchy nearby.
I would have to bring them in and interrogate them for details, but there was one clear harvest.
It was that the Francis Duke’s target was definitely Evriel.
“I wonder what kind of attack they’ll launch… but I picked the wrong opponent.”
After all, I was likely the most difficult person for anyone to scheme against in the entire world.
That made me even more curious.
Exactly how much trickery would a Great Duke-level noble bring to the table?
***
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It appears the war between the Brigham Empire and the Prius Republic has begun in earnest.
Today at 1 PM, the first clash between the two forces occurred on the seas of the Ice Sea.
The Prius Republic, which had shown confidence against the Brigham Empire at first, was forced into a one-sided defeat the moment the war started.
The Brigham Empire has permitted the Prius Republic to land after the defeat.
This war marks the first deployment of a new weapon called the Trident by the Brigham Empire.
The Trident consists of three Sky Fortresses connected together…
Typical knights guarding a noble’s estate had three types of duty.
The first was escort duty, following nobles around for close protection.
The second was guard duty at a fixed station.
The last was standby duty, where knights were always ready to respond.
Standby duty usually involved twelve-hour rotations of twenty people, requiring armed readiness, yet it was far more relaxed than the other two forms since only prompt response was needed.
Some watched broadcasts while others played games on handheld terminals.
Even some slept while fully armed, but as long as they avoided major mistakes, this level of laxity was generously overlooked.
“Hey, the standby duty in the Lawrence Duke’s estate is pretty nice.”
“Sure is. When your lord is strong, guard duty feels much lighter.”
“Exactly. An assassin would need to be at least an Aura Master to make an impact, so who would even dare come here?”
Although the Lawrence Duchy had recently strengthened its security, Adrian did not squeeze the existing personnel like other nobles; instead, he increased the number of guards.
This eased the burden on the knights significantly.
“The Duke I used to work for in the Baron domain was a loan shark type, and with so many enemies, standby duty was brutal there.
“Compared to that, this place is heaven. Everything is new, and the Duke is young, so he actually listens to us.”
“That’s true. You nobles have a completely different mindset.
“Other nobles would lengthen the duty hours to grind the knights, but our Duke only increases the number of personnel and strictly adheres to the contracted hours.”
“Exactly. Only someone who truly rises through their own efforts would do that.”
Adrian was a man who valued principles greatly, yet he enjoyed an exceptionally high reputation among his subordinates.
The reason was that every small action clearly showed his consideration for his people.
Compared to nobles who simply thought “I pay them so they obey,” his satisfaction level was vastly superior.
“Last time, Damian Knight got so emotional eating dinner that he cried.”
“Right. The food here is amazing.”
“Hey, Damian Knight. Are you still crying while eating?”
“Hahaha! Damian Knight has become the butt of jokes for life.”
While everyone was basking in this untimely Adrian praise time.
Despite the continuous calls from his comrades, Knight Damian sat with his head bowed, completely motionless.
His comrades thought he was embarrassed, but…
“Did you take it too far? Damian Knight? Did I make you upset?”
One knight stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Ah, sorry. Were you talking to me?”
Knight Damian lifted his head and said something incomprehensible.