Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: 6번째 후보 (2)
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Theo told Cecilia and the others to wait a moment before stepping aside with Naban.
“I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon.”
At Theo’s words, Naban crossed his arms and let out a cynical snort.
“You didn’t forget, did you?”
“No, how could I?”
Theo flinched for a split second but answered as calmly as possible, trying not to show it.
Even if he explained that he’d been too busy collecting the two relics and the sword’s orb, it would only irritate Naban more.
“From the looks of it, you still don’t know what happened afterward. Well, it hasn’t been properly announced to the public yet.”
Naban seemed to have pieced some things together but didn’t press the issue.
“The Backus family is done for. The family head and all the key retainers were dragged off to Winterer on rebellion charges. Thanks to that, the other family members have been whining to me nonstop these past few days, which has been a real hassle.”
“‘Hassle’ doesn’t quite fit when you look so pleased.”
Naban touched the corner of his mouth with his index finger and chuckled.
“Was it that obvious?”
“Very.”
“Well, I’ve got no intention of hiding that the main house deserved to crumble.”
Naban snorted lightly and continued.
“Anyway, I was a hostage the whole time, and most of the suspicions against me have been cleared. They’ll probably just impose a few restrictions soon and install me as the new head of the Backus family.”
Naban’s gaze fixed directly on Theo.
“Everything went exactly as you wanted, right?”
Theo smiled without a word.
A faint furrow formed between Naban’s brows.
“No matter how much I showed signs of switching sides midway, the Ragnar family’s suspicions about rebellion are known to drain the life out of people. Especially Black Snow’s tenacity is legendary. Yet I was released far too easily. Almost as if someone up top had given special orders.”
“…….”
“And it feels like your hand was in it.”
“If that’s how it looks, then maybe it was.”
“So you won’t show your hand easily.”
Naban clicked his tongue in exasperation and went on.
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Thanks to you, I got rid of that damned father and the old fogeys. What better revenge than for a mere bastard to seize the family? But.”
Theo had a feeling he knew what Naban would say next.
“Such things are pointless if they don’t last. The promise? When do you plan to keep it?”
The promise.
He meant the vow to cure Naban’s incurable disease.
Theo’s eyes darkened deeply.
Naban Backus was born a rebel.
Winning this man’s true loyalty started now—and it was the most crucial part.
Flick!
Theo pulled something from his pocket and tossed it to Naban.
Naban caught it reflexively.
It was a potion.
“This is……?”
“It’s the cure. I wrote down the recipe too, so check it out. Just a heads-up: it tastes awful.”
“……!”
Naban examined the paper wrapped around the potion and widened his eyes.
It listed a formula using common herbs easily available on the market.
‘Blood Sword Emperor’s special celery juice. With an elixir that restores vitality like this, it should steadily alleviate even Naban’s incurable disease.’
Naban’s illness gradually gnawed away at a person’s vitality until it finally devoured their life force.
Bolstering that vitality while improving his constitution would be enough to overcome it.
Theo—no, Black Snow in his previous life—had learned this because of the time gap between Naban’s death and the Blood Sword Emperor’s emergence.
Meanwhile,
‘He’s just giving it away like this……?’
Naban was dealt a massive mental blow.
He’d braced himself for the possibility that Theo might dole out the medicine bit by bit to use him.
That notion was thoroughly kicked aside.
“……What do you want? You’re too smart to think handing this over would win my heart so easily.”
“Put the other way: even if I used the cure to control you, you wouldn’t serve me sincerely, right?”
“…….”
“Or you might even get fed up and smash the back of my head, cure or no cure.”
‘This guy knows me too well.’
Even though they’d first met at the Ceres Merchant Company.
‘Was he watching me long before? Or did he see right through me right there?’
Whichever it was, it didn’t change how terrifying Theo was.
“So I won’t force Naban into a corner. I just thought showing you first that I’m worth following was the priority.”
“‘Worth following’…… How do you plan to prove that?”
“Keep watching me.”
“…….”
“Then decide. Whether to keep following me or not. In the meantime, Naban.”
Theo’s eyes darkened deeply.
“Rebuild the crumbling Backus family on solid ground. Make it somewhere worth me taking in personally.”
“……!”
Thump, thump, thump!
Naban’s heart began to pound wildly.
It had been cooling like that of a dying man for so long.
Now it thrashed as if stretching awake, infusing vitality throughout his body.
His mind sharpened in a flash.
‘You want me…… to prove it? Prove my worth. Or you’ll discard me.’
Arrogance born of utter self-confidence.
Naban loved Theo’s attitude.
“Fine. I’ll seize Backus properly with these hands. So no one but you, my liege, can stand to lose it.”
“Good.”
Theo and Naban smiled together.
The grins of these two, bound in a lord-vassal bond, somehow resembled each other.
* * *
“Elder Council Leader, you’ve had too much to drink. It’s time to call it a night……!”
“What? Are you mocking me too?”
Elder Council Leader, ‘Origin Dragon’ Wolfgang, paused mid-sip from his glass, his slightly flushed face glaring at the elder trying to stop him.
“N-No, how could I dare……!”
“Then quit fussing and get lost!”
“Y-Yes, sir…….”
The elder backed away, thoroughly cowed.
Wolfgang snorted at the sight.
“Hmph! Every last one of them, just waiting to tear into my throat like jackals! But watch. I won’t hand it over so easily.”
The crowds that once buzzed constantly around Wolfgang were nowhere to be seen.
Ever since the Troyvan incident, suspicion had begun pouring onto Wolfgang, who had been close to Ed.
No formal summons or announcement from Black Snow yet.
But considering Wolfgang’s history of clashing with the Black Dragon, it was a thread that could snap at any moment.
The situation frustrated Wolfgang to no end.
Hadn’t he personally dragged down his own brother, the Radiant Dragon Emperor?
He’d lived his entire life for the Ragnar family’s glory, and now to face such suspicion—it was infuriating.
But,
No matter where he vented these feelings, if no one listened, it was pointless.
‘It’s all because of that vulgar bastard, Theo Ragnar……!’
Thus, Wolfgang hated Theo more than Ed for stirring up the family like this.
He wanted to snap his neck right then.
But the boy was under Julius, the Plum Palace Lord, and now even the Black Dragon’s protection.
The reality that he couldn’t touch him recklessly only fueled his irritation.
‘Make one mistake, you rat. That day will be your last.’
It was then, as murderous intent flickered in Wolfgang’s eyes.
“That bitch……?”
Something familiar caught his eye at the entrance.
Heavily made up and decked out in a dress, utterly out of place.
But that vulgar face couldn’t be hidden.
‘Perfect timing. I can vent some of this frustration.’
With that thought,
Wolfgang sneered coldly.
* * *
‘Is it really okay to go in looking like this……?’
At the entrance to the banquet hall.
Evelyn lingered in front of the full-length mirror provided for last-minute adjustments before entering.
She was wearing a dress.
One that gleamed like the midnight sky.
Its clean lines were beautiful.
It was a gift from Cecilia, who’d said it would suit her perfectly.
But it felt terribly unfamiliar to Evelyn’s eyes.
She’d spent her life in training clothes and armor, after all.
And with all the accessories and makeup on top, she wondered if she’d overdone it.
What bothered her most, though, was something else.
‘I only mustered the courage because you said it wouldn’t look out of place at all…….’
Evelyn touched her prosthetic arm, exposed between the sleeve that fell only halfway down her forearm.
After several checks, the sensation was now fully like a real arm,
But the cold, unyielding metal touch still felt alien.
Especially in a glamorous place like this banquet hall—it seemed mismatched.
‘Should I just turn back?’
Yeah. What’s the point of me like this.
She was about to head back to the training grounds when,
-I’ve said it a million times, but Evelyn needs to realize just how beautiful she is. Got it? Be confident. Be proud of yourself, and others will see you that way too.
Cecilia’s words suddenly came to mind.
Be proud of yourself.
Somehow, those words turned Evelyn’s feet back toward her original path.
‘Right. I came this far, so at least let me see Theo and the captain’s faces.’
Step-
As she entered with somewhat lighter steps,
“White Dragon Knights’ Squad 5 Leader, Senior Swordmaster Evelyn Nereville entering—!”
With the announcement, countless gazes swiveled her way.
-Evelyn?
-Sounds familiar……
-Oh, right. The sword instructor who taught Theo Ragnar.
-Ah……! The one who clashed with the Elder Council Leader and the White Dragon Knights’ Captain before?
She heard things she didn’t want to, but Evelyn strode forward confidently.
“Oh my, Evelyn! You look stunning.”
Cecilia rushed over in one bound and grasped both of Evelyn’s hands.
“You’re wearing the dress I gave you. I told you, didn’t I? It would suit you perfectly. See? My eye never fails.”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I got to try something like this.”
“Wear it often. Dress up as much as you want. Whenever you like, Cecilia here will help.”
The Wellington and Erika siblings chimed in too.
“Honestly, I almost didn’t recognize you, Leader. Holcus, right?”
“Uh, y-yeah?”
「Get it together?」
Erika elbowed Holcus, who’d been spacing out, and he finally snapped to and chimed in.
“Y-Yeah! We should take a picture of you like this! The squad mates would lo-love it!”
「Smile. Corners of your mouth up.」
「L-Like this……?」
Holcus was irked that Naban— who’d dared call Theo “liege” first, shoving aside him, the rightful No. 1 swordsman candidate—but he forced a smile without showing it.
Tremble-
His lips twitched.
“Sh-Should I grab a camera or something?”
“Erika, Holcus. Cut the nonsense. Especially don’t tell Selphard or Arin, got it?”
Evelyn warned Erika and Holcus, who were about to cause trouble.
Playful Selphard would tease her endlessly, and Arin…… was a bit dangerous. No, very dangerous.
‘Should I sneak a photo anyway? Bet I could sell it to Senior Arin for a fortune.’
Erika seriously pondered Arin’s new hobby—‘collecting Evelyn memorabilia’—which she’d learned while getting close lately.
“But where’s Theo?”
“Ah! Young Master is……!”
As Cecilia started to reply,
“I really need to have a word with the butler. Letting a one-armed cripple muddy the waters at such a fine social gathering. Tch, tisk!”
Evelyn turned her head the other way—and her body went rigid.
Traumas she thought she’d buried long ago.
Traumas she thought she’d forgotten.
They flashed through her mind in an instant.
-Hey, wench. You really think your captain will protect you?
-Don’t make me laugh. In the end, people will believe my word over yours.
-Fine. If you want to live as a cripple forever, be my guest.
-In the end, vulgar blood can’t be hidden.
Wolfgang’s cold laugh in the darkness overlaid his current face.
“If you’re a cripple, stay holed up at home. What’s this place that you’re wandering around? And what’s with that arm?”
As Wolfgang sneered and reached for the prosthetic,
Suddenly, a hand snatched his wrist mid-motion.
“Looks like the beating you took back then wasn’t enough. I warned you: touch my girl again, and I won’t let it slide. Don’t tell me you forgot? Alzheimer’s already?”
Wolfgang and Evelyn’s gazes whipped toward the voice.
Julius’s eyes glinted coldly.
“You that eager to get beaten half to death, Elder Council Leader?”