Suffolk Duke (4)
“You fool! Swinging a real sword in the middle of a match! Drag that idiot here right now!”
The Surpuk Duke had Austin arrested by his soldiers immediately after declaring a private audience with Owen.
“That bastard Russell was whining about his son, but I already knew you were worthless. But to this extent! You son of a bitch who’d have his teeth pulled out!”
Only then did Austin realize what he’d done, his face going slack with shock.
If he’d just stayed quiet, it would’ve ended with him losing face in the match.
But he’d broken the code of conduct and ruined a tournament hosted by the Surpuk Duke.
There was no room for excuses.
But Austin’s problem was his loose tongue.
“Your Grace… It’s that arrogant bastard who—!”
“You fool! You still dare look down on your opponent after getting beaten like that!”
In the end, Austin took a slap across the face from the Surpuk Duke.
Slap!
“Throw this idiot in the dungeon! And send word to the Russell family. Tell them we won’t release him until his father comes himself!”
“Yes, sir! Right away!”
The precious young heir of a noble house was suddenly bound in ropes and dragged off to the dank underground prison.
“Your Grace! Please forgive me!”
Austin begged the Surpuk Duke for mercy over his punishment, but when the soldiers grabbed him, his demeanor flipped.
“You scum! How dare you lay hands on a noble! Let go! I’ll walk on my own!”
To the bone, he was a noble, barking orders even in this situation.
It perfectly revealed his character: weak against the strong, strong against the weak.
He probably thought it was noble pride, but those around him just clicked their tongues.
“The Russell family’s future looks grim.”
“The father’s impressive, but the son’s a total disappointment. Yep.”
“Tsk tsk. I hear they have a heroic daughter instead?”
In stark contrast, Owen drew high praise.
“That Leire boy over there is truly outstanding. Really.”
“Did you see him send that Russell punk flying with one strike when he charged with a real sword?”
“So calm. Still just a kid, but he fought like a seasoned warrior.”
The citizens mostly discussed the match itself, but the nobles saw it differently.
Their lives were politics.
“Where’s the Leire family these days? I should send my regards.”
“You? You never contact anyone.”
“Ahem! I’m not that heartless.”
Owen remained composed amid the shifting atmosphere around him.
He’d experienced every scheme and intrigue as one of the Empire’s highest nobles in his past life.
Both favors and grudges were familiar to him.
He’d made enemies of the Russells, but he stayed unruffled.
If you hold back, you achieve nothing.
What mattered was who held the hilt of the sword.
Now under the Surpuk Duke’s spotlight, Owen had no intention of losing that favor.
There was no need to explain how monumental a private audience with the Surpuk Duke was.
Two hours later.
Dressed in fine attire, Owen walked the duke’s palace halls, feeling it keenly.
Rumors spread faster than galloping horses.
The gazes of the officials and nobles in the palace had changed instantly.
They whispered cautiously as he passed.
“That young man?”
“Yes. Owen of the Leire family.”
“We should keep an eye on him.”
“Hmph, the Russells will be grinding their teeth. How long will he last?”
“If His Grace backs him, the Russells can do nothing.”
Some whispers reached Owen’s ears, but he ignored them.
It was only natural to be the talk of the town after a big incident.
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Even he, who’d handled it with poise, was a bit surprised when he saw the path the attendant led him down.
“Isn’t this toward the rear garden?”
“Oh? Have you been here before?”
Owen held his tongue at the attendant’s question.
He had been here in his past life.
The Surpuk Duke summoned only the most important figures to the rear garden, not his office.
“No.”
“Of course not. Even I rarely guide nobles here.”
Stepping into the Surpuk Duke’s rear garden required certain qualifications.
Only the duke himself knew the criteria, but Owen from his past life had certainly met them.
To think I’d return to that picky old man’s secret garden.
Moments later, he spotted the Surpuk Duke standing alone in the beautiful garden.
The duke was feeding the fish, wearing a gentle expression rarely seen on the cold-blooded lord.
“Heh heh heh! Eat up, you lot.”
For now, he looked just like any grandfather watching his grandkids play.
“You’re here.”
“Yes.”
The Surpuk Duke said nothing for a moment.
Owen stood beside him, watching the fish.
Then, in a casual tone, the duke asked,
“Do you know why I like fish?”
Owen had heard that question in his past life too.
Back then, he’d learned the duke’s deepest thoughts.
—Fish don’t betray you like people do. These are the only ones I can give my heart to.
Owen felt pity for the Surpuk Duke anew.
This overlord of the East, this cold-blooded man, had no one he could truly trust.
He’d risen to his position through hegemony and schemes, so it was inevitable.
Recalling that memory, Owen answered,
“Because they don’t betray you even if you give them your heart.”
“Hm?”
The Surpuk Duke suddenly stopped his hand.
He looked at Owen with mild surprise, then laughed.
“Well, well. A young pup talking like an old sage. No, you’re not at that stage yet.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
“Still, it’s satisfying to have at least one who gets why I like fish.”
Chuckling heartily, the Surpuk Duke led Owen to a nearby chair.
The garden wasn’t flashy, but it was filled with sturdy, precious trees.
A place that reflected the duke’s tastes.
“Bobert’s been raving about you, and Drun too.”
The Surpuk Duke pulled a letter from his bosom and waved it.
“Truly hard to believe tales.”
“Of course. They’re hard to swallow. Two of my four swords under me vouch for you. But I trust only what I see and hear.”
The duke set the letter on the table and asked,
“I know your skills well. But I must ask this: Why do you seek to serve me and become a Dragon Knight?”
This answer was crucial.
Owen opened his mouth carefully.
“To wipe out every orc in the East.”
“What?”
“As I said. To guarantee peace, we must exterminate the orcs, humanity’s enemies. For that, serving under Your Grace, overlord of the East, is ideal.”
“Hmmm… So you think I can drive back the eastern orcs?”
Owen thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“Not as things stand.”
“What!”
The Surpuk Duke bristled immediately.
It struck at his lofty pride.
“I’ve already crushed the orcs once and scattered them. You think time passing means I can’t do it again!”
Indeed, the current relative peace in the East stemmed from the Surpuk Duke’s victory over the orcs twenty-five years ago.
Back then, the orcs had lost their great chieftain and plunged into chaos with brutal civil wars until recently.
“Of course Your Grace is exceptionally capable. But recall: how many Dragon Knights fought in that war twenty-five years ago?”
“What?”
“The one who slew the orc great chieftain was Duke Owen, a Dragon Knight. The man who shares my name.”
“How do you know that!”
The Surpuk Duke looked genuinely shocked.
And rightly so—it was known that he had killed the orc great chieftain.
“My father told me. Duke Owen yielded the honor of that feat to you, to maintain order in the East under Your Grace.”
“Ha! Now that you mention it, your father fought valiantly back then too!”
The duke slapped his knee as it came back to him.
“Yes. I heard there was a great number of Dragon Knights then. But what about now? After His Majesty’s great purge, their numbers have plummeted. Meanwhile, the orcs ended their civil war a few years ago and have been rebuilding their strength. Do you really think past and present are the same?”
“But we have far more powerful cannons now than before. We won’t fall easily.”
“If cannons can hold back the orc hordes, I’d ask for nothing more.”
“Hmph……”
The Surpuk Duke’s face darkened.
He, who’d fought orcs more than anyone, knew cannons wouldn’t suffice.
“Your Grace, what makes orcs fearsome is their indomitable courage. Only dragons can fill them with terror. Cannons are mighty, but they won’t break orc resolve.”
Faced with Owen’s point-by-point arguments, the duke fell silent.
It was his own concern too.
But the duke didn’t want to avoid raising Dragon Knights.
“As you know, His Majesty opposes it.”
“I know.”
“And yet you’d have me increase Dragon Knights? That’s treason!”
Owen shook his head, but his tone sharpened.
“Your Grace also holds the rights to the East’s gold mines. Considering gold mines belong to the emperor by imperial law, that’s remarkable.”
“His Majesty granted them to cover the East’s defense costs.”
“I know. And many other rights to protect the East. All measures needed for defense. So why invoke His Majesty as an excuse?”
“……”
“The orcs chose a new great chieftain years ago. Their thirst for revenge is obvious—how long will you tiptoe around His Majesty? My reason for seeking service under you is simple.”
“Speak.”
“You have the power and justification to raise Dragon Knights despite His Majesty’s will. Had I known you’d just watch his moods, I wouldn’t have come!”
Owen couldn’t hide his anger.
He was quite sincere.
Perhaps because this Surpuk Duke differed from the one in his memories.
Peace has ruined that lion-hearted man!
He had the strength to defy the emperor.
Yet here he was, prioritizing imperial moods over the East’s defense.
Disappointed, Owen reached for the letter on the table.
“I’ll take the letter back. I can’t serve a lion without teeth.”
“Wait!”
The Surpuk Duke quickly grabbed his hand to stop him, then gave a wry smile.
“Yes, this Suffolk has grown old. Getting scolded by a brat like you.”
“Forgive my impertinence.”
“Enough. You’re not wrong. I’ve been hesitating. Sigh… If that Dragon Knight who shared your name were still alive, things would be different.”
The duke reminisced briefly, realizing the courage that had swept away orcs wasn’t solely his own.
“Yes… Dragons Knights. Lots of them. To keep the East from being destroyed.”
The duke hardened his resolve inwardly.
He’d been agonizing since hearing of the new orc great chieftain.
Shameful, fretting over the emperor in my old age. That dead friend would point and laugh.
Collecting his thoughts, the Surpuk Duke asked Owen,
“What do you want to do under me?”
“Stand at the pinnacle of the East’s Dragon Knights.”
“Heh heh…”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
“Fine. If that’s your desire, prove your worth. I’ll issue orders in a few days.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
“You’re dismissed.”
The audience ended there.
The duke had originally planned to question Owen about the fight with Austin, but Owen’s sharp rebukes had derailed that entirely.
Realizing it, the duke chuckled wryly.
Getting reined in by a young punk. It’s been ages since I felt this.
After Owen left, the Surpuk Duke sank into thought alone.
“Do you approve?”
Then his butler, like a shadow of himself, appeared and spoke.
The duke shook his head slowly.
“No ordinary boy. His eyes were just like the late Duke Owen’s. Staring straight at me—my heart skipped for a moment.”
“That much?”
“Heh heh. Let’s test him. If he passes, I’ll entrust those monsters to him later.”
The butler understood immediately.
“Those dangerous ones? Skilled, but uncontrollable.”
“Exactly why I’ll give them to him. If he can’t handle that, how can he lead the East’s Dragon Knights?”
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