Chapter 133: Those Who Harbor Poison (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 133: Those Who Harbor Poison (1)
At Joshua’s secret villa in the Huphester Alliance.
With ten black-robed knights standing behind him, Joshua looked down at the two figures kneeling before him.
Kuzan Marius and Beris Marius.
Their eyes were still red and swollen from weeping as they awaited Joshua’s judgment.
“I see… So Taimun disowned you.”
“Yes…”
“Lord Joshua, I’ll do anything. Please help us. Please, just this once, help us change Mother’s mind. The two of us are nothing without her…”
As Beris pleaded, crawling toward Joshua on her knees, the Guardian Knights stepped forward and ground their boots into her shoulders.
“Do not approach His Lordship so carelessly.”
Beris frantically whispered apologies and burst into tears again, while Kuzan swallowed a wretched sigh.
“Beris, even Mother never acted so disgracefully before Lord Joshua. Don’t forget that acting like this brings shame upon her. Stop crying and pull yourself together.”
Beris choked back her sobs at Kuzan’s sharp rebuke.
Just as the Guardian Knights were about to drag Beris back to her original position, Joshua raised a hand to stop them.
“That’s enough. Leave them. I hope you two can understand; my knights are understandably on edge right now.”
“Hic, ugh… Thank you. Thank you, Lord Joshua.”
Joshua wore a bitter smile as he met their eyes.
Calling her ‘Mother’ when they aren't even related by blood. They probably have no idea that to the deceased Taimun, they were nothing more than hounds. It’s pathetic to watch.
However, Joshua had been eyeing these pathetic fools for some time. Taimun had treated her right and left hands as trivialities, but Joshua placed a high value on their ‘loyalty.’
Talented dogs are easy to find. But a dog that would set itself on fire if I ordered it? Those are rare.
To Joshua, Beris and Kuzan were exactly that. They were the kind of dogs who would carry out even a painful suicide without hesitation if their master commanded it.
The problem, however, was that their loyalty was directed toward Taimun, not him. Taimun was Joshua’s subordinate, but Kuzan and Beris were not.
They worked only for Taimun. Even when they occasionally assisted Joshua, they never acted unless it was Taimun’s order.
Taimun was the same. She would have betrayed me if I had ordered her to harm Sister Luna instead of the youngest.
Taimun’s heart belonged to Luna, and Kuzan and Beris’s hearts belonged to Taimun.
Joshua had disliked that arrangement for a long time. Taimun knew many of his secrets yet never offered him absolute loyalty; she was someone he would have to eliminate eventually.
And now, the opportunity had arrived.
An opportunity to dispose of Taimun and make these pitiful hounds truly his.
“Kuzan, Beris.”
“Yes, Lord Joshua.”
“Regrettably, I cannot grant your request.”
“Ah…”
“And seeing as you’ve come to me like this, you must not have heard the news. You said Taimun disowned you in a great hurry?”
“That is correct. We have never failed to complete Mother’s orders before. To think she would cast us out over a single failure…”
“That’s not why.”
“Pardon?”
“…I see now how much your mother cherished you. She certainly didn’t cast you out because she was disappointed.”
“P-please, tell us more.”
Kuzan’s voice trembled. Beris grabbed Joshua’s ankle, her eyes shaking uncontrollably.
“Mother… then why did Mother…?”
“Sigh. Taimun… she…”
Joshua shook his head as he continued.
“…was murdered. By that mysterious magic swordsman you fought. To be precise, I heard that his guardian dragon, the Black Dragon, took Taimun’s life.”
“Ah, aah… Aaaah! That can’t be. Mother… truly?”
“Taimun sent an urgent request for help, so I dispatched five of my Enforcement Knights. They were all killed fighting the Black Dragon, and the knights I sent after them nearly met the same fate.”
Beris collapsed as if she had fainted. Thick tears of blood began to stream from Kuzan’s eyes.
They couldn't even imagine it was a lie. To them, Joshua was their mother’s liege and a reliable benefactor.
“Mother’s final moments… were they peaceful?”
“I can only pray they were. Haa… no. I should be honest with you. She died resisting so fiercely that not even her body remained.”
“That magic swordsman… Who is he, Lord Joshua?”
“We are searching far and wide, but we still don't know. Taimun must have known—the moment you two crossed paths with Solderet’s contractor, she knew her own life was forfeit. She likely wanted to save the two of you. She must have known you would come to me after being disowned.”
“Why… why on earth did he harm Mother instead of us?”
“Who knows… He was investigating your surnames, so perhaps he held a grudge against Taimun from the past. It seems he encountered you when his guardian dragon wasn't with him, but his target was likely Taimun from the start.”
“He hid his face, but he didn’t seem old. A grudge with Mother…”
“Perhaps he, too, lost his family to her in the past. Then he gained power by contracting with Solderet and came for revenge… I suspect it’s something like that. We’ll have to keep investigating.”
Kuzan bowed his head. As his shoulders began to heave, Joshua pulled him into an embrace.
By then, Beris had lost consciousness and was twitching on the floor.
“I will find him and kill him this instant…!”
“The two of you can’t handle him as you are now. You may have fought him on equal terms because his guardian dragon was absent, but with the Black Dragon by his side, it would be a dog’s death. Do you think Taimun cut ties with you because she wanted that?”
Kuzan could not answer.
“Wait for the right time with me. I, too, have a debt to collect from the man who killed Taimun and my knights. Furthermore, once the existence of Solderet’s contractor is revealed, the Zipple will begin to move. They will either try to make him theirs or kill him.”
“No one else. Even if it is the Zipple.”
Kuzan gritted his teeth as he continued.
“No one else has the right to take his life. Only Beris and I can kill him.”
Joshua suppressed a laugh as he met his gaze.
“Very well. I shall provide what little help I can for your vengeance.”
“…We shall withdraw for today. Please give us a little time to compose ourselves.”
“Of course. But do not stay away for too long. I worry that I might lose you two to him as well.”
As the two left the villa, Joshua pulled a cigarette from his breast pocket and lit it. The glowing cherry highlighted his dark eyebrows and straight nose.
“Lord Joshua, will this be alright? If those two talk nonsense somewhere, or if they cause a scene demanding immediate revenge…”
“Hehe, don’t worry. Planting blind obsession is the best way to handle a hound. They’ll be back by my side soon enough, brimming with venom.”
Sssss.
As the cigarette smoke drifted, Joshua thought of his sister, who was surely about to arrive.
It doesn't matter how much information that old hound spilled before she died. If Sister Luna and the youngest strike me recklessly, without evidence or justification, I’d actually be grateful. In the end, everything will flow according to my will.
*
CRUNCH!
Under the force of Luna’s fist, the massive steel gate buckled, tore, and shattered into pieces.
“What is the meaning of this, 1st Flagbearer!”
Simultaneously, the Runcandel Guardian Knights stationed inside the mansion drew their swords and blocked her path.
A hundred Guardian Knights already lay unconscious along the path Luna had just traveled. All of them had been struck down for trying to stop her.
“Is Joshua here?”
“Please, calm down first! Why are you doing this? If you come any further, we will have no choice but to take this as a declaration of war!”
“Answer only what I asked. Is Joshua here?”
“Even if the 2nd Flagbearer is here, we will not open the way. Even if this is a succession war, coming here like this deviates too far from Runcandel’s laws—”
Luna lunged forward and seized him by the throat. It wasn't a speed so fast that it was impossible to dodge, but the Guardian Knights were so overwhelmed by Luna’s aura that they couldn't bring themselves to counterattack.
“Laws? Joshua’s knights should never mention that word again. If you want to stop me, then swing your swords and face me. I will not punish you for it later.”
Immediately, the knights lunged at Luna, thrusting their blades.
Luna didn't even bother to dodge. She simply tossed aside the Guardian Knight she was holding and continued walking toward the inner chamber.
Clang! Shiiing!
The moment seven blades struck Luna’s body and were deflected, the Guardian Knights couldn't help but recoil instinctively.
Even if they tried to attack again, the result would be the same; they were already struggling just to avoid the fragments of Aura swirling around her body.
“So you’ve come, Sister.”
By then, Joshua, who had been watching the scene unfold, appeared in the mansion’s central hall.
Once again, ten knights in black robes stood behind him.
“You look quite terrified, Joshua. I didn't expect you to have all the family’s Black Knights on standby.”
“Since you are so enraged, Sister, I had to prepare at least this much defense. What brings you here?”
“Pfft…”
Luna suddenly burst into laughter.
“Did you actually think I would kill you for what you did? To think your heart is so small… it’s enough to make me feel ashamed for you. I wonder if I came here for nothing.”
Joshua gave a thin smile.
Luna knew better than anyone that this was the face her younger brother made when he was trying to hide his humiliation.
“My, to say such things after beating down all my knights… It seems something has upset you, Sister. As your brother, I can overlook this for today. Please come back another time when you are in your right mind.”
No matter how powerful Luna was, she couldn't handle ten Black Knights at once.
That was why Joshua hoped Luna would draw the Krantel from her back right now. He had no intention of killing her, but he wanted to use this incident as a pretext to bring her power under his control.
If Sister strikes me now, Mother will have a justification to control her directly. Sister must remain alive until I become the Patriarch. She needs to play the role of a deterrent against the Zipple.
The sword that protects the family.
Joshua believed he still needed that. Furthermore, he was filled with anticipation. Though it wasn't a one-on-one duel, he had seized the opportunity to humiliate Luna for the first time.
Everything was going as expected.
Just as Joshua was about to throw out another provocation—
“Brother. Even if you are trash worse than a dog, you are still my flesh and blood and the family’s 2nd Flagbearer. That is why I came here today to give you a warning out of affection.”
Luna spoke with total sincerity.
She looked at Joshua with eyes full of pity.
“When that child eventually returns to the family, you will never be able to withstand him. So, I advise you to run away before it’s too late.”
Luna turned and began to walk away, then stopped once more to let out another laugh.
“Can you not even draw your sword when your sister shows you her back? Even after bringing all these Black Knights? Truly, you haven't changed a bit since you were a child.”
Until the moment Luna stepped over the fallen Guardian Knights and exited the mansion, the smile did not leave Joshua’s lips.
That smile that was barely suppressing his humiliation.