Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Valentin Count's Territory
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Valentin Count's territory.
"Arpen's probably already been taken down."
"That arrogant fool who thought his nose was up to the heavens. A dimwit proud of his family—he must've fallen easily."
Gathered there were Count Valentin along with a group of viscounts and barons.
Most were fuming, though some looked pale with fear at a glance.
The reason they were all assembled here, faces twisted in various shades of displeasure?
It was all because of the Heretic Inquisition's Sixth Squad.
And their captain, Kallias.
"That wastrel bastard—I never dreamed he'd go around chopping off nobles' heads so shamelessly. To think he had no sense to that degree..."
"This is enough to make every noble in the kingdom rise up, isn't it? Even if he's one of the four great nobles, acting like a thunderbolt crashing down..."
"But... the royalists are backing him. And the neutrals have a pretext, so they won't rise up..."
Kallias's actions were indeed radical. But the royal cover and solid justification perfectly compensated for that extremism.
"How long can that injustice last...? This just benefits the royals. We nobles should be banding together as it is...!"
"Exactly. We're doing this for the kingdom, bending the law a little and doing it smoothly. But this? And us? We're not doing it just for ourselves—we're trying to prosper together, survive together. Isn't this too much?"
The nobles present all nodded in unison.
The underlying thought was that things like this could happen when handling state affairs.
Laws were just laws.
There were always things more important than laws.
"In any case, things are heading in a bad direction, and we can't do much about it."
"Right. That's why we've gathered like this."
As the discussion wrapped up, all eyes turned to the count silently seated at the head of the table.
The lord of Valentin Count's territory.
Count Hogeltan de Valentin.
"Your Excellency, he won't come charging into this place, will he?"
Kallias's methods were simple.
He'd push forward first, then use the Judgment Sword to uncover hard evidence.
So if he couldn't break through to them, even a judge couldn't do a thing.
"That's why we've fortified ourselves thoroughly. He'll come only if he's looking to die. Otherwise, he won't come easily. The garrison here numbers over a thousand. With more than three hundred knights among them—what more needs saying?"
And one more thing.
"The Golden Lion is here. No matter how wild the wastrel is, if he values his life, he won't come."
"As expected of Count Valentin. Calling in the young lion of Lloydren. I, Viscount Ilen, am deeply impressed."
The captain of the Southern Golden Lion Knights.
Golden Lion Luen.
With him here, the wastrel wouldn't dare approach recklessly.
A master of the Five Stars, said to be endlessly close to true mastery—who was this punk to draw his sword if he feared for his life?
"Jerban's Wolf would fear the Golden Lion too. Even if he pierced Arpen's viscounty, he won't come here easily. So. In the meantime, we must each adopt our own stances."
"Stances, you say...?"
It was then.
A messenger came rushing in, panting.
"Y-Your Excellency!"
"What is it?"
"A man claiming to be Count Jervan has arrived at the county!"
"......!"
Most of the nobles, who had been leisurely sipping tea, shot up like they were having fits.
Some spat out their tea or coughed. In any case, to them, Kallias was no different from the grim reaper.
"Have you ever seen such a madman! To think he'd dare come here..."
"What did he say?"
"He requested a meal."
"This shameless...!"
"What will you do?"
"You mustn't let him in. That man..."
He had the Judgment Sword.
If he suddenly drew it and judged the truth of lies, they couldn't stop him.
Exercising the right to silence would only prove their own guilt.
As they agonized.
"Why not invite him in?"
"Golden Lion Captain."
Short-cropped golden hair and a tall, handsome impression made him striking.
His light armor bore a lion emblem.
Captain of the Golden Lion Knights, the South's top noble, Lloydren's eldest son, and the powerhouse occupying the last seat among the Five Stars.
He was Luen von Lloydren.
"He seems to have come intending to fight."
"......"
"So, letting him in here shouldn't be a problem, should it?"
Coming alone, without his Heretic Inquisitors, into this place? Despite the thousand-strong garrison and the Golden Lion?
As Count Valentin's face wavered, the Golden Lion smiled and spoke.
"I've wanted to meet him someday. This is a good opportunity."
* * *
Rumble—
The county's sturdy gates opened.
"This way."
"Hm."
Kallias rode after the soldier's guidance.
His deputy captain, Diego, drew close beside him and cautiously asked.
"Are you sure about this? It's like walking into the tiger's den..."
"If you're scared, get lost. Hand over the deputy position."
"Is worrying a crime now?"
"Hmm..."
Kallias pondered.
What gave this guy the guts to mouth off to his superior like that?
Did he truly not realize that Kallias could kill him on grounds of a sparring accident and face no repercussions?
"W-Why? What?!"
Unlike his bluster, when Kallias silently stared, his eyes trembled slightly in fear.
I see.
He was the type who knew better than anyone that his bravado was empty.
And the resentment underneath stemmed from the original captain, Druma.
'Druma must've done better than expected.'
Thinking he should hear the story between them sometime, Kallias looked ahead and calmly gave the answer Diego craved.
"No issue. They can't harm me."
"Why not?"
"It's not just the large garrison that keeps me from attacking the county. According to my scout's intel, the Golden Lion Knights are stationed here."
"Golden Lion!"
At the mention of the Golden Lion Knights, Deputy Diego and the Sixth Squad startled.
Who were the kingdom's strongest knights?
The Golden Lion Knights were invariably named among the top contenders.
And their captain, Golden Lion Luen von Lloydren, was one of the four great nobles of the South.
Lloydren house's firstborn.
The North's firstborn and the South's firstborn.
In time, it would be a meeting between the future lords of North and South.
"If the Golden Lion's sided with Valentin, shouldn't we be running instead?"
"Did you not understand my words? Your comprehension's worse than Brans's."
"No, comparing me to that servant..."
Diego glared at Brans in displeasure. Brans bulged his eyes back as if to say, what of it.
They didn't get along, apparently.
"With the Golden Lion here, we can't strike Valentin, but they can't strike us recklessly either."
The Golden Lion was renowned for his righteousness and manliness.
He didn't know why they were here, but without pretext to lure him into attacking Kallias, there was nothing to fear.
On the contrary.
'A powerhouse holding the lowest seat among the Five Stars—someone worth meeting. Not bad at all.'
It was welcome.
Hard to meet since they guarded the southern frontlines, but he'd come here himself—what better chance to exchange sword insights?
Stuck at a wall right now, he might even offer help.
'Plus, if it's Count Valentin at this point, he might be scheming something with him. Fifty-fifty chance.'
Valentin Count was a classic villain role, so Kallias added evil deeds accordingly.
The problem was not knowing exactly what. Multiple routes existed.
To uncover it, entering was necessary.
The moment he grasped the evil deed's clue, the Golden Lion would be on his side.
"Let's go."
After riding awhile, a grand mansion came into view.
Practically a castle.
The count's knights ahead parted left and right, clearing the path.
Knights of the count, viscounts, and barons gathered to welcome the Sixth Squad—a grand sight.
'Not sure if it's welcome or wariness.'
It felt like stepping into a tiger's jaws, sending chills down his spine.
At the end stood one burly old man, flanked by sycophant-like figures, and at the edge, a man with hair like the sun.
That must be the Golden Lion.
"We welcome the young wolf's visit."
Count Valentin.
Viscounts and barons stood beside him.
Though the count said something, Kallias's full attention was on the Golden Lion.
The youngest knight captain, possibly ascending to master youngest, occupying one of the Five Stars' seats.
Among Carpe's knights excluding the five masters, one of the top five powerhouses.
Golden Lion Luen.
Luen von Lloydren.
Kallias went straight to the Golden Lion and extended his hand.
"Pleased to meet you, Golden Lion."
"Likewise, Count Jervan."
"What the...?"
"Insolent."
Ignoring Count Valentin to shake hands with the Golden Lion first drew murmurs and curses.
Visibly irked, Count Valentin cleared his throat loudly.
"Have you come as the Heretic Inquisition's Sixth Squad, or as a count?"
"First, as a count."
"I see. Come in, then. You've traveled far—we should at least offer tea."
A short while later.
Seated at the mansion's large round table, he could see all the nobles' faces.
None worth remembering.
As he sat, his deputy stood guard-like, and though Kallias considered sending him out, he let it be.
A maid soon filled the teacups.
Steam rose gently from Kallias's cup, but he didn't touch it.
"Not to your taste?"
"Thoughtless. No liquor?"
"Demanding drink right away—don't you think that's rude to the count?"
"A mere viscount butting in is ruder. Shut your mouth."
"Wh-What...?!"
"......"
The nameless viscount flushed red and trembled, while the other nobles dared not speak.
As Kallias said, his status was count—and not just any count, but a special one.
A count among the four great nobles carried weight beyond mere rank.
Even a marquess wouldn't trifle lightly.
Because the four great nobles were akin to ruling petty kingdoms, guarding and leading regions.
"The rumors aren't exaggerated."
"Has 'wastrel' taken on a new meaning...?"
Nobles observed mutual courtesy as an unspoken rule.
Yet Kallias crushed them with rank, leaving the nobles glaring with bitter faces.
In any case, Kallias eyed the bland tea, then feigned reaching into his cloak to pull a box from his Subspace.
Thud.
Placing the box on the table drew questioning looks from the nobles.
"What's this?"
"A gift."
At "gift," some nobles wrinkled their noses.
The metallic tang of blood hung heavy.
They knew what it was without opening.
Likely Arpen's head.
"A worm eating away at Carpe—I executed him. He dared commission my assassination. Upon interrogation, he'd done more than one or two misdeeds, so summary execution."
Gulp.
Arpen was a noble of a storied house.
His viscounty had amassed wealth and formidable forces, yet Kallias spoke as casually as catching a petty thief on the road.
"......"
"......"
The room fell into heavy silence, as if overwhelmed.
Those impassive ash-gray eyes made knees weaken even for the innocent.
"Even so, in this era of strict national law, arbitrarily beheading a noble is insolence. If His Majesty knew, he'd grieve greatly."
As no one spoke, Count Valentin replied calmly.
He peeked into the box containing Arpen, then quickly closed it with a grim look.
"It was in His Majesty's stead. Plus, personal grudge. He sent assassins at me—I couldn't stay idle. Call it domain warfare."
"If circumstances and evidence are clear, it's hardly an issue."
"......"
The nobles, about to erupt at the Golden Lion's nodding arms-crossed stance, hesitated.
"Count Jervan. I understand that matter well. But what relation does it have to visiting my territory now?"
"What do you think?"
Even dodging with vagueness, Count Valentin remained utterly composed.
"I see... But if I were Count Jervan, I wouldn't have come here."
"Why not."
"Arpen wouldn't commission assassination alone. Not his style, nor did he bear grudge deep enough against you, as far as I know."
Kallias let out a hollow laugh.
"So the count means several hid behind him to order it."
"Correct. And if so, the survivors would prepare to strike the count to save themselves."
"For example?"
"They'd erase everything around you."
Thus.
"You'd best return swiftly, Count. Though it might already be too late."
Valentin smiled chillingly.
Kallias glanced around to see the nobles smirking smugly and vilely.
The sight was amusing enough for Kallias to chuckle too.
"Why laugh."
"Amazed at how well you know."
"Just a guess."
"But unnecessary worry. I'm no fool without countermeasures—I made arrangements in advance."
The wastrel made requests?
"My superior visits my residence often due to duty, so your concern is unfounded, Count."
"Superior? If a superior..."
Count Valentin tilted his head briefly, then his face hardened in an instant.
Kallias von Jervan.
Carpe's Heretic Inquisition Captain.
He had only one superior.
"...No way?"
There.
Heretic Inquisition Captain Jenos was waiting.
"No need to worry."