Chapter 144
Chapter 144
A night with a bright moon hanging in the sky.
Contrary to what one might expect from a nation plagued by war, the capital city of Gran was enveloped in silence.
A middle-aged man gazed out the window of his stately mansion at the quiet streets below before suddenly furrowing his brows and turning away.
"Who's there?"
A low voice, accompanied by an overwhelming pressure.
The fierce aura of the kingdom's strongest aura user coiled tightly around the shadowy figure that had stealthily slipped into the room.
Then, from beneath the black mask covering the intruder's face, a familiar voice emerged.
"It's me, Master."
"...Logan?"
The Sword Duke's voice was incredulous as the oppressive aura dissipated. The shadowy figure immediately removed his mask, revealing Logan's brown hair and brown eyes beneath. Felix Esperanza, the Duke, wore a complicated expression.
"What's with this getup?"
"I had business that required avoiding prying eyes."
"Hah... I didn't teach you Ghost's Shadow for this kind of nonsense."
"It was necessary. That's why I came to see you, Master."
"Tch. I see. So it's not a request you can make openly. Sneaking in like a thief—typical."
Clicking his tongue, the Sword Duke scoffed and scolded his disciple, but Logan's next words wiped the amusement from his face.
"Yes. I've come to ask something I cannot request openly."
"...What is it?"
"First, I want to say this: if you agree to my request, please don't be angry. Just... think deeply about it once."
"Why the grand prelude? This isn't like you. Just say it."
"Do you remember when I asked you to protect the Third Prince? You told me then that you would grant my request."
"...Yes. I did say that."
"You can refuse, but I ask that you at least consider it deeply, as you promised."
"The more you emphasize it, the more uneasy I become."
Given how carefully Logan was speaking, this was clearly no ordinary request between master and disciple.
A sense of foreboding tightened the Sword Duke's brow.
"You may or may not know this, but I've just returned from deliberately provoking the main forces of the First and Second Prince factions into open conflict. And in the chaos, I plan to rally neutral factions to strike at the weakened factions from behind."
As expected, his ominous premonition was correct.
"And I want you, Master, to be the focal point of that movement."
At his disciple's request, the Sword Duke could only exhale deeply.
The kingdom's situation was already deteriorating rapidly, and now Logan was pouring oil onto the flames.
The Sword Duke was shocked—and deeply disappointed.
"You're asking me to intervene in this war."
"...Yes."
"I have already publicly sworn not to involve myself in the succession conflict. And it was you who suggested I take that stance! Have you forgotten?"
"At the time, it was the best course of action—to protect the Third Prince. And now, my request is ultimately no different. It is still for his sake."
"What?"
For a moment, the Sword Duke wondered if he had misheard. But Logan's earnest gaze confirmed the truth, and he let out a hollow sigh.
"Hah... Do you truly believe this is possible? Even if things go as you say, your MacLaine family will have to withstand attacks from both factions."
"If you help, it will be easier. If not... then harder."
"...What?"
"At worst, even if I have to sacrifice everything—my life, my family—I can at least ensure the deaths of the First and Second Princes."
The Sword Duke's expression darkened at Logan's unshakable words.
"Blasphemy! Logan! Do you even realize what you're saying—?"
"Yes, I do. That's why I'm asking. If you help, the path will be smoother, and less blood will be spilled."
"Hah..."
"Either way, if my plan succeeds, with the First and Second Princes' heirs still young, the throne will pass to the Third Prince by royal law. And when that happens, you will have to fight the factions to protect him."
The Sword Duke shuddered at the cold certainty in his disciple's voice.
"Are you threatening me now?"
"I'm stating reality."
The Sword Duke's frustration only grew as he listened, but his answer was already decided.
"...Even so, no. I have already sworn an oath, and I will not break it."
"I expected that answer."
"What?"
"That's why I'm asking. The kingdom may collapse entirely. Please reconsider your oath."
"How dare you—?!"
The Sword Duke's face flushed with anger, but Logan remained unshaken.
"I don't know how heavy your honor weighs, Master. But surely it is not heavier than this kingdom's fate. Please, look at the state of our nation."
"...I'm disappointed, Logan. Leave."
"Master!"
"You are disregarding my very way of life."
"...What?"
The Sword Duke fixed Logan with a piercing gaze.
"Why do you think everyone steps back at my word? Because Jordan and Juan are fools? Or because the strength I've built over a lifetime is so insignificant that it can be ignored?"
"That's not—"
"Honor is not just words, Logan. It is not stubbornness in refusing to change one's mind! Honor is the life I have lived—my entire existence."
"Master..."
The Sword Duke took a deep breath before continuing.
"I have spent my entire life keeping every word I've spoken. No matter how trivial, I have strived to uphold my promises. For the important ones, I would stake my life—and I have. That is how I've lived."
"..."
"Because I have lived seventy years this way, people trust my word. Even those who disagree respect it, and that respect has become my strength, my honor. That is my life, and my life is my honor."
"But—"
Logan tried to interject, but the Sword Duke cut him off with a shake of his head.
"To ask me to break an oath is not just asking me to change my words! It is asking me to deny and shatter the life I have lived. Do you understand?"
"Master!"
"Do you think I want to stand idle as the kingdom crumbles? If destroying my honor and my life could save it, I would hesitate no more. But will it? I see no answer—yet you speak with such certainty. Why?!"
A long sigh carried the frustration he had long suppressed.
Feeling the raw emotion in his master's words, Logan revealed a fragment of the truth he had kept hidden.
"It's not certainty, Master. It's necessity."
"Why—?"
"If we don't end this civil war quickly and purge those blinded by power, this kingdom will be devoured by the Empire."
"...What?"
The Sword Duke froze, caught off guard by the unexpected claim.
"The late king's death—wasn't it suspicious?"
(Of course, there was no proof the Empire was responsible—neither in his past life nor this one.)
"And what happened at the Grand Noblesse afterward. The civil war ignited too swiftly. Doesn't it seem orchestrated?"
(He omitted the fact that he himself had accelerated some events.)
"Not long ago, I infiltrated the Empire in secret. There, I confirmed it."
(He had really just gone to eliminate a future enemy mage in the countryside.)
"The Empire is preparing for war."
That much, at least, was true.
The culmination of every reckless move he had made since his return.
The catastrophe he sought to prevent at any cost—
Where most of the kingdom's people would be exploited or sold into slavery, and the entire nation turned into a testing ground for the Empire.
That was why Logan could speak with conviction, even while weaving half-truths.
The Sword Duke studied his disciple's eyes for a long moment before sighing softly.
"...Fine. There have been many unsettling signs. But what you're suggesting is too grave to accept blindly."
"You don't have to believe me immediately. Just look at the chaos consuming our kingdom. I have a plan to stabilize it as swiftly as possible."
"...Speak, then."
Good. That's enough.
Clenching his fists, Logan steadied himself and laid out his plans calmly.
Every detail of his strategy.
His grand vision to crown the Third Prince and restore the kingdom—holding nothing back.
Hoping it would be enough to persuade his master.
But even after Logan's lengthy explanation, the Sword Duke's expression remained hardened.
And after a long silence, his response was far from what Logan had hoped for.
"...Even so, all I hear is you deepening the civil war. Your reasoning is flimsy."
"Master..."
"Even if everything goes as you say—just as Jordan and Juan manipulate the First and Second Princes, you would do the same with the Third Prince. And I would be left a broken old man who betrayed his oath."
"...What?"
The accusation struck a nerve—because it wasn't entirely wrong. Logan hesitated before responding.
"That's not my intention. I would never—!"
Realizing his mistake too late, he bit his lip, but the Sword Duke's resolve was firm.
"You'd deny it, of course. But it's no different."
"Master!"
"Juan was always that kind of man, but Jordan wasn't. In fact, he was much like you are now."
"...What do you mean?"
"Always brimming with ambition, knowing how to move people to his will. And he always spoke of reforming the kingdom for the better. At least back then, I believed he was sincere."
Logan was stunned into silence.
"He changed after inheriting his dukedom and seeing his daughter bear the prince's child. Power corrupts—that saying became real to me because of him. So tell me, how can you be so sure you won't follow the same path?"
"I won't."
"Yes, but how can you know?"
"Because I've seen too many of those wretches."
"What?"
This time, Logan's answer caught the Sword Duke off guard.
The more one possesses, the more one has to lose.
The more comfort and joy wealth brings, the greater the fear of losing it.
And so, to protect what they have, men often take desperate measures—commit atrocities.
The most common path of corruption for ordinary men.
The fall.
Especially for those with the power to conceal their misdeeds.
('Duke Jordan was like that too, surprisingly.')
In his past life, Logan had seen countless nobles like that.
The notion of not harming others for personal gain—
A basic morality for common folk, yet one that blurred for those in power.
And Logan—a mercenary, an independence fighter—had spent half his life in the darkest corners of society.
He had suffered bitterly at the hands of such men.
That was why he could say with certainty:
"I can't swear I won't change—no one knows the future. But even if I do, it won't be in the way you fear."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because no man becomes what he despises."
The conviction in Logan's eyes was unmistakable.
The Sword Duke studied him for a long moment before finally sighing.
"...Jordan said something similar once."
"...He did?"
"If things go as you say... I hope you don't change. Though you don't seem the type to falter easily."
There was still hesitation in his voice, but his tone had softened.
Logan clenched his fists—
But the Sword Duke's next words dashed his hopes.
"Even so, I'm still not convinced. I don't know if what you propose is worth breaking my oath for."
"Master!"
"And more importantly, if you truly wish to make the Third Prince king, shouldn't you seek his opinion as well?"
"Ah... Yes. Of course."
Caught off guard by the shift in conversation, Logan blinked before nodding hastily.
Before he could gather his thoughts, the Sword Duke continued.
"He is staying at my estate now. I will arrange a discreet meeting. Go and hear his thoughts."
"...Thank you."
"Go now. Tomorrow at this same hour, the Third Prince will be here. And as far as I'm concerned, we never spoke tonight. Understood?"
With that, the Sword Duke turned away, allowing no further argument.
Left with no choice, Logan departed, frustration gnawing at him.
Long after he had gone, the Sword Duke remained, lost in thought.
"I don't know what the right path is... If that boy is correct, then I..."
A heavy sigh, laden with regret, was all that escaped him—a reflection of his turmoil.