Chapter 390: Wild Horse (4)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 390: Wild Horse (4)

In a way, the marquess's mindset was similar to that of a person visiting a zoo. These people looked at wild beasts locked up in cages and called them cute and pitiful. However, it didn't take a genius to recognize this was arrogance. All those iron bars needed to do was disappear. The moment the division between them vanished, humans began to see the true nature of the beast, just like the marquess was right now.

Of course, the marquess was different from ordinary people. Despite my aggressive, if sincere, declaration, he flinched only slightly and quickly regained his composure. Well, it wasn't like the steel bars had actually disappeared. I couldn't kill the marquess, and he knew that better than anyone.

"Is that enough of an answer?" As if my statement was purely an answer to his question, I nonchalantly ended our standoff. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to see that proud marquess's mask crack, though. For now, I had no choice but to be satisfied with this.

"Don't worry," the marquess responded. "I fully understood what you were trying to convey."

"I'm glad."

This was a warning. I was willing to accept a mutually beneficial relationship, but if he ever crossed the line, I was prepared to break through these bars and charge at him at any time.

"If I've sated your curiosity, I want to hear the second condition now."

"Ah, about that. This is the second condition." The marquess glanced at the dragonian woman beside him and then said, "Help Ms. Ravien kill the Dragon Slayer, Regal Vagos."

"The Dragon Slayer...?"

"That's a different reaction from what I expected. I heard from Ms. Ravien that you hated the man?"

I mean I do, but this request is just really unexpected... I guess he knows about what happened between me and the Dragon Slayer because of that lady?

That suddenly made me wonder: what kind of relationship did the marquess and this dragonian woman have? Since killing the Dragon Slayer was his second condition, that meant he definitely had some kind of close connection to her. Was it a business relationship?

"Now, will you give me an answer?"

Curiosity welled up in me, but it was time to give him my verdict first. After I asked one more thing, anyway. "You made me wait until tomorrow just for this?"

"Ms. Ravien was not home at the time. I thought it was only right to have this conversation with her present."

Hmm, if you say so.

"Fine, I was already planning to kill that bastard with my own hands someday, anyway."

"That's that, then."

"I haven't reached a satisfactory agreement with you about this yet, though," I said while holding out my wrist.

The marquess chuckled. "Let's stop here for today and meet again tomorrow morning. These days, I have such a hard time the next day if I miss my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bedtime by even a little."

"...All right."

When the conversation came to an end, the marquess got up from his chair and turned around. The dragonian woman put the chair back into sub-space with the air of someone very familiar with this song and dance.

"Baronet Yandel, don't be too reckless," the guard warned me in a low voice.

What, is this revenge for what I said earlier?

That was my first thought, but it didn't take long for me to realize that wasn't the case.

"If you die again, my sister will be sad."

"Sister? Ah, are you...?"

The dragonian woman neither confirmed nor denied it. She simply turned around and followed the marquess, but that alone was answer enough.

Huh, no wonder her features looked familiar. Penetasaur.

Pen was the dragon shaman and the daughter of the ancient elder dragon, also known as Dragon Kid for short. So this was her older sister, the woman who could have become my teammate.

***

When Eltora Tercerion, the only child of the marquess, came to, the first thing he saw was his father.

"Are you awake?"

"...I'm sorry." Eltora did not ask any questions about what had happened. Instead, the first thing he did was apologize.

The response he received in return was cold. "Do you think I waited by your bedside all night to hear that? Tell me what happened—every single detail."

At his father's words, the memories slowly returned to the forefront of Eltora's mind and he gave a brief summary of what happened at midnight. There wasn't much to it. He had broken into that man's room as per his father's instructions and was immediately grabbed by the neck and beaten so hard that he passed out before he could even explain himself. That was all.

"Pathetic fool."

Eltora swallowed back his humiliation and said nothing. This time, there was really no room for excuses. Then a question suddenly occurred to him. "But why did you choose to do it like this? If you wanted to confirm whether he was an evil spirit or not, there must have been a surer way..."

At first, he thought it was simply because his father hadn't wanted to offend Baronet Yandel. After all, he saw the man as a useful tool. But when he thought about it, the method he went with was a little strange. No, there had to be another reason.

"You can't even figure out something like that yourself?"

"...Please teach me."

When Eltora bowed his head submissively, the marquess frowned but answered his question. "The enemy's weakness can only be of real value to us if they do not know we hold it."

"Because we hide weaknesses that haven't been exposed yet, but work hard to fix the weaknesses that already have."

"I'm glad you seem to understand that, at least. Then go, now. I must think."

"Yes, Father..." Eltora limped over to the door, about to follow his father's orders to leave, when he stopped. Another question suddenly popped into his head. "Um... Father?"

"If you have something to say, say it quickly."

"You mentioned the enemy's weakness earlier... Does that mean you've identified Baronet Yandel as your enemy?" It seemed his father had perhaps revealed his hand by accident.

However, Eltora was not able to confirm his theory. "That's none of your concern. You may leave."

"Yes, Father..." After Eltora left his father's office, he headed to his bedroom. Even as he did, though, his mind was loud.

Baronet Yandel is the marquess's enemy...

Just what kind of dark scheme was the marquess plotting? As he was contemplating this, Eltora's feet soon stopped in front of his destination.

Tremble.

For some reason, his fingers were shaking around his key. Even though this room was not the same one he had opened earlier but the room he had been living in for several years, it felt as if the moment he opened this door, he'd find a beast sleeping inside. He could even hear it.

"Sister? Ah, are you...?"

The dragonian woman neither confirmed nor denied it. She simply turned around and followed the marquess, but that alone was answer enough.

Huh, no wonder her features looked familiar. Penetasaur.

Pen was the dragon shaman and the daughter of the ancient elder dragon, also known as Dragon Kid for short. So this was her older sister, the woman who could have become my teammate.

***

When Eltora Tercerion, the only child of the marquess, came to, the first thing he saw was his father.

"Are you awake?"

"...I'm sorry." Eltora did not ask any questions about what had happened. Instead, the first thing he did was apologize.

The response he received in return was cold. "Do you think I waited by your bedside all night to hear that? Tell me what happened—every single detail."

At his father's words, the memories slowly returned to the forefront of Eltora's mind and he gave a brief summary of what happened at midnight. There wasn't much to it. He had broken into that man's room as per his father's instructions and was immediately grabbed by the neck and beaten so hard that he passed out before he could even explain himself. That was all.

"Pathetic fool."

Eltora swallowed back his humiliation and said nothing. This time, there was really no room for excuses. Then a question suddenly occurred to him. "But why did you choose to do it like this? If you wanted to confirm whether he was an evil spirit or not, there must have been a surer way..."

At first, he thought it was simply because his father hadn't wanted to offend Baronet Yandel. After all, he saw the man as a useful tool. But when he thought about it, the method he went with was a little strange. No, there had to be another reason.

"You can't even figure out something like that yourself?"

"...Please teach me."

When Eltora bowed his head submissively, the marquess frowned but answered his question. "The enemy's weakness can only be of real value to us if they do not know we hold it."

"Because we hide weaknesses that haven't been exposed yet, but work hard to fix the weaknesses that already have."

"I'm glad you seem to understand that, at least. Then go, now. I must think."

"Yes, Father..." Eltora limped over to the door, about to follow his father's orders to leave, when he stopped. Another question suddenly popped into his head. "Um... Father?"

"If you have something to say, say it quickly."

"You mentioned the enemy's weakness earlier... Does that mean you've identified Baronet Yandel as your enemy?" It seemed his father had perhaps revealed his hand by accident.

However, Eltora was not able to confirm his theory. "That's none of your concern. You may leave."

"Yes, Father..." After Eltora left his father's office, he headed to his bedroom. Even as he did, though, his mind was loud.

Baronet Yandel is the marquess's enemy...

Just what kind of dark scheme was the marquess plotting? As he was contemplating this, Eltora's feet soon stopped in front of his destination.

Tremble.

For some reason, his fingers were shaking around his key. Even though this room was not the same one he had opened earlier but the room he had been living in for several years, it felt as if the moment he opened this door, he'd find a beast sleeping inside. He could even hear it.

"Eltora Tercerion."

It was a deep, rumbling voice that sent shivers down the listener's spine, coupled with eyes that seemed to be looking down on you.

"...I hope you came prepared to die."

He had the strange feeling that if this man wanted to get him, he wouldn't be able to escape him no matter what he did. The unpleasant sensation of déjà vu caused Eltora to instinctively think of another man.

Well, he could never be him, though.

"The first time I came to this community was twenty-two years ago."

Bjorn Yandel wasn't even born back then.

"Even Goblin would laugh at me if he ever found out about these delusions."

Eltora chuckled and shook his head. Then he inserted the key and opened the door.

Click.

It was a typical nobleman's room decorated with armor, a longsword, and a stuffed deer head on the wall. As always, it was not at all to his taste.

***

The next morning, I joined the marquess for breakfast. When I arrived, there were only two people inside the dining room where the food was being served: the marquess, who was seated, and the dragon tribe guard behind him.

"Your son?"

"He will be resting today."

Don't these guys usually invite their sons to attend events like this?

The question came to mind, but having fewer people around was better for me anyway. Was he being considerate?

"Let's eat."

We started eating and conversation naturally followed. There was something he had to finish discussing with me today—the agreement mentioned yesterday.

"If there is anything you'd like as compensation for our mistake, tell me."

"Before that, I want to check something."

"Go ahead."

"How long will it take to get my name back?"

"I'm thinking about three months. We have to pull this off perfectly."

Three months, huh? It sounded long at first but I was sure the marquess couldn't do much about it. He would have to falsify a flawless paper trail showing Bjorn Yandel had been given a royal mission to infiltrate Noark for two years start to finish.

"Until then, you have an important job to do. If your identity spreads before we are ready, others will get suspicious and start their own independent investigations into you."

"Marquess, can't you stop that?"

"If things come to that, I will do my best to prevent anything from happening, but I can't guarantee the information won't leak. That's how the palace is. No single person has complete control."

Put simply, unless you were the king and ruler of this country, it was impossible to have total control over state institutions. This was a weird thing to hear coming from the man who had a bad reputation for turning the king into a puppet, but it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. In truth, the prime minister was nominally the kingdom's second-in-command, but that didn't mean he didn't have any rivals.

A prime example was Duke Kealunus. His was a great noble family with one branch of his bloodline controlling the Magic Tower. Historically, they had actively participated in labyrinth-related businesses and had secured a strong influence over large clans. To be honest, the duke's family had much more diverse and broader areas of influence than the marquess's family, whose only leverage was the position of prime minister.

"Eltora Tercerion."

It was a deep, rumbling voice that sent shivers down the listener's spine, coupled with eyes that seemed to be looking down on you.

"...I hope you came prepared to die."

He had the strange feeling that if this man wanted to get him, he wouldn't be able to escape him no matter what he did. The unpleasant sensation of déjà vu caused Eltora to instinctively think of another man.

Well, he could never be him, though.

"The first time I came to this community was twenty-two years ago."

Bjorn Yandel wasn't even born back then.

"Even Goblin would laugh at me if he ever found out about these delusions."

Eltora chuckled and shook his head. Then he inserted the key and opened the door.

Click.

It was a typical nobleman's room decorated with armor, a longsword, and a stuffed deer head on the wall. As always, it was not at all to his taste.

***

The next morning, I joined the marquess for breakfast. When I arrived, there were only two people inside the dining room where the food was being served: the marquess, who was seated, and the dragon tribe guard behind him.

"Your son?"

"He will be resting today."

Don't these guys usually invite their sons to attend events like this?

The question came to mind, but having fewer people around was better for me anyway. Was he being considerate?

"Let's eat."

We started eating and conversation naturally followed. There was something he had to finish discussing with me today—the agreement mentioned yesterday.

"If there is anything you'd like as compensation for our mistake, tell me."

"Before that, I want to check something."

"Go ahead."

"How long will it take to get my name back?"

"I'm thinking about three months. We have to pull this off perfectly."

Three months, huh? It sounded long at first but I was sure the marquess couldn't do much about it. He would have to falsify a flawless paper trail showing Bjorn Yandel had been given a royal mission to infiltrate Noark for two years start to finish.

"Until then, you have an important job to do. If your identity spreads before we are ready, others will get suspicious and start their own independent investigations into you."

"Marquess, can't you stop that?"

"If things come to that, I will do my best to prevent anything from happening, but I can't guarantee the information won't leak. That's how the palace is. No single person has complete control."

Put simply, unless you were the king and ruler of this country, it was impossible to have total control over state institutions. This was a weird thing to hear coming from the man who had a bad reputation for turning the king into a puppet, but it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. In truth, the prime minister was nominally the kingdom's second-in-command, but that didn't mean he didn't have any rivals.

A prime example was Duke Kealunus. His was a great noble family with one branch of his bloodline controlling the Magic Tower. Historically, they had actively participated in labyrinth-related businesses and had secured a strong influence over large clans. To be honest, the duke's family had much more diverse and broader areas of influence than the marquess's family, whose only leverage was the position of prime minister.

"If you understand why it will likely take that long, I'd like to hear your request now."

"I want to meet with the barbarian tribe's shaman."

"Your reason?"

Why are you asking such an obvious question? Oh, does he not know since he's not a barbarian? There is only one reason for a warrior to meet with a shaman.

"To get a Spirit Imprint."

For various reasons, my Spirit Imprint had plateaued at stage six. I even bought the supplies needed to get to stage seven but I wasn't able to get the imprint before getting dragged to the past out of the blue. Thankfully, Raven had held onto Soul of the Dead after getting it as part of her inheritance from me, so as long as I solved the identity issue, I'd be able to receive the imprint.

"As I said before, it'll be troublesome if your identity leaks before the preparations are complete—"

I interrupted the marquess. "That's why I'm asking you to deal with it. So that I don't have to worry about it."

"So this is the compensation you want."

"Yes, I don't know what's going to happen in the labyrinth in the near future, and three months is too long."

The marquess closed his eyes for a moment and contemplated my request. I guessed he concluded that increasing my combat power wasn't a bad idea considering he wanted me to participate in a war. "Fine. I will do whatever I can to get you a meeting with the shaman within the month."

"That's good." I didn't bother asking how he was going to summon the shaman or convince him. That was for the marquess to worry about. Judging by how good he was at getting things done, I was sure he'd manage.

Tap.

By the time we reached an agreement, we were done eating. We left the empty plates where they were and kept talking. After all, there was still a lot we needed to talk about.

"You mentioned you're forming a unit with me at the center. Do you already have something in mind?"

"I'm going to form a unit of thirty people."

"So there will be five teams in total. Have you decided who will fill the slots?"

"No, but I have identified some candidates."

The marquess proceeded to list the names of the prospective members, and as I listened in silence, I was quite surprised. There were many names even I, someone not up-to-date on the latest news, recognized. A member of the Seven Powerful, an ace from a large clan, a renowned paladin, a rumored up-and-comer in the military—was the marquess trying to assemble some sort of dream team?

"But will those people really join the unit?"

"They will. Most of them. Because I plan to promise them a large reward in return."

"...If you say so." I did wonder whether that was actually feasible but seeing as he was this confident, that had to mean it was somewhat within the realm of possibility. And so we discussed what would follow.

"Baronet Yandel, you will be in charge of one of the five teams. Among your team members will be Ms. Ravien."

"Then there's space for four more people besides me."

"You plan to bring those two with you, correct?" It was obvious who he was referring to—Erwen and Amelia.

So, he knows about Amelia too. He doesn't know she's from Noark, though, does he?

Even as I worried about that, I nodded. "I plan to."

"Then there are only two spots left. If you don't have anyone in particular in mind, tell me who you want from the names I mentioned earlier. I'll make sure to offer the best deal possible if it means I can get them for you."

Additional members, huh?

The first person that came to mind was Raven. We'd need a wizard on the team and she wasn't lacking in either skills or reliability. But what about our navigator? I definitely couldn't fill the remaining spot with that guy. Should I leave him in the basement until the war was over?

I'll have to discuss it with Amelia later. And I'll have to ask Raven about her willingness to join before I mention her to the marquess.

After taking a moment to think, I said, "I'll tell you after some more thought."

"Sure." That concluded our conversation today. Or so I thought. Just as I was about to get up, the marquess spoke. "Ah, I have one more thing to tell you. I'm not establishing this unit on my own."

"What does that mean?"

"In brief, that means the interests of many different factions are at play here. The only thing within my power is ensuring you'll be able to command one of the five teams."

"So? What are you getting at?"

"The commander in chief hasn't been decided yet."

In other words, the position of party leader was vacant. "Why?"

The marquess met my gaze head-on. "These are not the type of people to obediently follow orders just because they came down from above. And even if they do, that doesn't mean their supporters will accept them."

So, it was politics. If even the marquess was limited in the amount of say he had, I guessed there were quite a few influential people involved in the creation of this unit. That was good news for me, though. I was starting to understand what the marquess was implying.

"Anyway... We decided that once all thirty people are gathered and the team leaders are chosen, we'll have any willing candidates compete to choose the right person. If this unit achieves great things in the war, then the person who sponsored the commander-in-chief will also share in many of those achievements." The marquess stopped for a moment to study my expression. "What do you think, is it doable?"

This blunt question made his intentions very clear. I found myself chuckling. That was because it was foolish of him to ask whether this was doable.

"No reason it wouldn't be, as long as there are guaranteed rewards."

To be honest, the people he mentioned earlier were all great... but I didn't think any of them could beat me.

"If you understand why it will likely take that long, I'd like to hear your request now."

"I want to meet with the barbarian tribe's shaman."

"Your reason?"

Why are you asking such an obvious question? Oh, does he not know since he's not a barbarian? There is only one reason for a warrior to meet with a shaman.

"To get a Spirit Imprint."

For various reasons, my Spirit Imprint had plateaued at stage six. I even bought the supplies needed to get to stage seven but I wasn't able to get the imprint before getting dragged to the past out of the blue. Thankfully, Raven had held onto Soul of the Dead after getting it as part of her inheritance from me, so as long as I solved the identity issue, I'd be able to receive the imprint.

"As I said before, it'll be troublesome if your identity leaks before the preparations are complete—"

I interrupted the marquess. "That's why I'm asking you to deal with it. So that I don't have to worry about it."

"So this is the compensation you want."

"Yes, I don't know what's going to happen in the labyrinth in the near future, and three months is too long."

The marquess closed his eyes for a moment and contemplated my request. I guessed he concluded that increasing my combat power wasn't a bad idea considering he wanted me to participate in a war. "Fine. I will do whatever I can to get you a meeting with the shaman within the month."

"That's good." I didn't bother asking how he was going to summon the shaman or convince him. That was for the marquess to worry about. Judging by how good he was at getting things done, I was sure he'd manage.

Tap.

By the time we reached an agreement, we were done eating. We left the empty plates where they were and kept talking. After all, there was still a lot we needed to talk about.

"You mentioned you're forming a unit with me at the center. Do you already have something in mind?"

"I'm going to form a unit of thirty ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠people."

"So there will be five teams in total. Have you decided who will fill the slots?"

"No, but I have identified some candidates."

The marquess proceeded to list ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the names of the prospective members, and as I listened in silence, I was quite surprised. There were many names even I, someone not up-to-date on the latest news, recognized. A member of the Seven Powerful, an ace from a large clan, a renowned paladin, a rumored up-and-comer in the military—was the marquess trying to assemble some sort of dream team?

"But will those people really join the unit?"

"They will. Most of them. Because I plan to promise them a large reward in return."

"...If you say so." I did wonder whether that was actually feasible but seeing as he was this confident, that had to mean it was somewhat within the realm of possibility. And so we discussed what would follow.

"Baronet Yandel, you will be in charge of one of the five teams. Among your team members will be Ms. Ravien."

"Then there's space for four more people besides me."

"You plan to bring those two with you, correct?" It was obvious who he was referring to—Erwen and Amelia.

So, he knows about Amelia too. He doesn't know she's from Noark, though, does he?

Even as I worried about that, I nodded. "I plan to."

"Then there are only two spots left. If you don't have anyone in particular in mind, tell me who you want from the names I mentioned earlier. I'll make sure to offer the best deal possible if it means I can get them for you."

Additional members, huh?

The first person that came to mind was Raven. We'd need a wizard on the team and she wasn't lacking in either skills or reliability. But what about our navigator? I definitely couldn't fill the remaining spot with that guy. Should I leave him in the basement until the war was over?

I'll have to discuss it with Amelia later. And I'll have to ask Raven about her willingness to join before I mention her to the marquess.

After taking a moment to think, I said, "I'll tell you after some more thought."

"Sure." That concluded our conversation today. Or so I thought. Just as I was about to get up, the marquess spoke. "Ah, I have one more thing to tell you. I'm not establishing this unit on my own."

"What does that mean?"

"In brief, that means the interests of many different factions are at play here. The only thing within my power is ensuring you'll be able to command one of the five teams."

"So? What are you getting at?"

"The commander in chief hasn't been decided yet."

In other words, the position of party leader was vacant. "Why?"

The marquess met my gaze head-on. "These are not the type of people to obediently follow ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠orders just because they came down from above. And even if they do, that doesn't mean their supporters will accept them."

So, it was politics. If even the marquess was limited in the amount of say he had, I guessed there were quite a few influential people involved in the creation of this unit. That was good news for me, though. I was starting to understand what the marquess was implying.

"Anyway... We decided that once all thirty people are gathered and the team leaders are chosen, we'll have any willing candidates compete to choose the right person. If this unit achieves great things in the war, then the person who sponsored the commander-in-chief will also share in many of those achievements." The marquess stopped for a moment to study my expression. "What do you think, is it doable?"

This blunt question made his intentions very clear. I found myself chuckling. That was because it was foolish of him to ask whether this was doable.

"No reason it wouldn't be, as long as there are guaranteed rewards."

To be honest, the people he mentioned earlier were all great... but I didn't think any of them could beat me.