Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Translator: Penny
Chapter 43
Agron had finalized his contract with Raioner.
As his vassals watched the Ring of Spirits glow on his finger, they clapped and offered congratulations.
"As expected of you, Master! Your ability to subdue spirits is truly magnificent!"
"Congratulations, Agron. Now you possess a new weapon. With your martial prowess combined with the power of spirits, no one can stand against you."
"Hmph, such a treasure should be offered to the King."
Elena glared sharply at Lawrence and snapped, "Shut your mouth, you whelp! What our Master finds belongs to him! Even the King's possessions are his!"
"W-what?! Do you even realize that's treason?"
"So what? If Master commands it, I could conquer this entire continent and offer it to him."
"That's ridiculous—"
"Is it? Want me to show you?"
Elena's crimson eyes flashed, and Lawrence swallowed hard, unable to retort. He knew this Agron fanatic was capable of anything. Rather than provoke her and make things worse, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, the Secretary, Majordomo, and Collector entered Agron's chambers.
"Preparations are complete, Your Excellency."
"Hmm, good. Did you get any information from Ludicain?"
"We ordered him to reveal the secrets of the Fief's hidden vaults and tax evasion schemes before selling him into slavery. He confessed everything on his own."
"Good work," Agron said.
The Majordomo, who had learned interrogation techniques from Jacob, replied with a proud expression.
Agron turned to the Collector and asked, "Speaking of Sachsen, wasn't it the region with a different number of serfs when I received my first report after arriving at the fief?"
"Uh... ah, I believe that was the case."
"I seem to recall ordering the Sachsen serf administrator to be summoned back then. What happened?"
"He reported that the serfs had fled. It's a rare occurrence, so I simply acknowledged the report and filed it away," Collector Charles replied, his face tense.
"Investigate whether they truly fled or if Ludicain or Theo were involved."
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
They departed to stabilize the Sachsen Fief, which had been left without a Lord, and to clean up the mess Theo had made.
"What will you do about the vacant Lordship of that fief?" Baek Woon asked, his curiosity piqued.
Normally, the second son of the family would inherit the title, but Ludicain had no second son.
"What would you do, Elder?"
"Hmm... I'd probably look for the closest relative of Ludicain with the highest seniority in the family. If they don't have their own fief, I'd bring in their eldest son. If they do, I'd bring in their second son."
"But wouldn't that mean we wouldn't see the Warrior's Soul?"
"...The Warrior's Soul?"
For a moment, Baek Woon wondered if he had misheard.
Why would the "Warrior's Soul" suddenly be relevant in this situation?
"Why do we need that now...?"
"Every Lord of a Fief should possess the Warrior's Soul."
"Why...?"
"Because a Lord is essentially a warrior."
"...??"
Baek Woon frowned and glared at his opponent, but Agron's expression remained impassive, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
"So what are you suggesting...? Are you going to summon each of my relatives one by one and twist their wrists while asking, 'Are you a warrior?'?"
"Ha ha ha, Elder, you're quite the comedian. What kind of farce is that?"
This bastard...?
Veins bulged on Baek Woon's hand as he gripped his staff.
"We should summon them for a deep discussion on how to govern the fief."
"You'd actually do that?"
"Yes, of course. I'm known for my rational and calm demeanor, aren't I?"
"Well..."
Baek Woon trailed off, about to retort but stopping himself.
Come to think of it, Agron had never once shown himself to be emotional, easily agitated, or hot-tempered.
He truly was as rational and calm as he claimed.
If this is the truth, why does it feel so frustrating and irritating?
Baek Woon clicked his tongue, unsettled by this uncomfortable truth.
"Once the Majordomo and Secretary return, I'll have them gather the Minor Heads of House who don't hold fiefs or whose clans are weak."
"Good, that should work. But aren't you thinking of governing the fief yourself? After all, you've already been exposed for plotting treason."
No one would object if Agron declared his intention to rule Sachsen directly.
Neither the neighboring lords of Sachsen nor the Veilain Council of Elders would dare utter a word of protest.
"Yes, I have no interest in it."
Yet Agron chose not to make such a decision.
Seizing control of that turbulent region would only add to his troubles, thanks to the mess Theo had left behind.
Right now, he was already struggling to deal with Kotaru alone.
It would be far wiser to send a capable member of his family to Sachsen, win favor with the locals, and cultivate an image of selfless ambition among his peers.
"Why? Doesn't it tempt you? Or do warriors have no interest in worldly possessions?"
"Huh? What do you mean? Warriors love land and treasure just as much as anyone else."
"...But why?"
"If I take Sachsen here, wouldn't the families associated with Ludicain bear a grudge against me?"
Ludicain had once been the First in the Collateral Line.
His followers likely outnumbered Agron's, and there might still be those secretly connected to his family.
If Agron were to strike down Theo and seize Sachsen, it wouldn't sit well with Ludicain's former supporters.
Moreover, Sachsen, though small, was strategically located and boasted fertile, productive farmland.
Many would covet such a prize.
"Bestowing favors is good, but avoiding resentment is equally important."
"Oh... I didn't realize you were capable of such calculations."
"Of course. I won't make unnecessary enemies."
Baek Woon wore a proud expression as he gazed warmly at Agron.
"Heh heh, you really seem all grown up now—"
"By the way, have you found any information about Ananta yet?"
"...Not yet."
"Elder, you're slower than you look. Have you finished making the potions?"
"Didn't you just say you wouldn't make unnecessary enemies?"
"Huh? This isn't unnecessary."
"You..."
"What are you waiting for? Go find the information and finish the potions already."
"Uwaaah!"
Baek Woon slammed his staff against the ground repeatedly before storming out of the room.
"Why does that kid act like that sometimes?"
"He seems to have a lot of anger. If only he could be calm like me."
Agron shook his head sadly, watching Baek Woon's retreating figure.
Rust-colored water dripped from cracks in the dungeon walls, mingling with the acrid stench of blood and mold that permeated the air.
A group descended and approached the newly arrived prisoner.
Theo von Veilain.
His arms were suspended from chains hanging from the ceiling, while his legs were bound by chains rising from the floor, stretching his body taut.
"He's in good condition," Agron remarked, his voice dismissive as he glanced at Theo.
Behind him, the knights who had accompanied him stood silently, attending to Agron.
"Is this a time for reflection?"
"Ugh... Krr... I-I was wrong..."
"Normally, we'd take you to court, imprison you there, and keep you there until the trial concludes. But we have the Prince's testimony."
The Prince hadn't merely overheard; he had witnessed it all with his own eyes.
Thanks to this crucial testimony, Agron could interrogate Theo at his leisure before the trial even began.
In truth, if Agron had invoked the Nobility Law, Theo's actions alone—impersonating Agron to sell drugs to other factions and ordering the abduction of children—would have warranted immediate execution.
After all, how dare a mere Baron impersonate the authority of a Count, a Great Lord?
"I... I also have the right to be tried in a... a noble court..."
"Hmm, my apologies. You're no longer the Baron of Veilain. The moment you tried to kill me, everything you had vanished like smoke."
Agron convened the Council of Elders and, with Lawrence and Bajes as witnesses, publicly declared that Theo had attempted to assassinate him using dark magic.
The Veilain Council of Elders immediately struck Theo's name from the family's genealogical records. This decision was relayed to the court, and the Royal Palace stripped him of his Baron title.
Thus, the man hanging before Agron was now nothing more than a commoner, dangling like a slab of meat in a butcher's shop.
"Ugh... my, my ring...!"
Theo glared at Agron's hand, his bloodshot eyes narrowed.
On the index finger of Agron's left hand rested his own Magic Ring, imbued with a Spirit.
"Hmm, is this ring yours?"
"G-give it back...!"
"That's odd. I thought it was mine. Perhaps we should ask the ring's Spirit. Raioner."
At Agron's summons, the ring flashed brightly, and the Lightning Spirit materialized.
Zzzzt...! How dare a mere human... Ah, no, Master!
Raioner, maintaining his usual arrogant and solemn demeanor, abruptly bowed his head the moment his eyes met Agron's.
Had he hesitated for even a second longer, Agron might have seized him and wrung him out like a rag.
Theo's eyes widened with confusion at the sight.
Master...? That great spirit calls a human "Master"...?
"Hmm, Raioner. I was just speaking with Theo, but I need your opinion on something."
W-what is it, Master?
"Tell me, who is the owner of this ring?"
Raioner glanced back and forth between Agron and Theo, who was chained and bloodied.
Theo's eyes burned with intense longing and fury.
Lord Spirit, please return to me... I will replenish your magic with the highest quality mana...
It was as if Raioner's inner thoughts were audible.
Raioner gazed into Agron's calm, steady eyes.
Hmm, if you spout any nonsense, I'll twist your body apart, shatter the ring, and toss the pieces into the fire.
Of course, Master Agron is the rightful owner of the ring!
Raioner didn't hesitate.
He didn't dislike Theo, but Theo wasn't worth risking his life for.
If Theo was a matter of preference, Agron was a matter of life and death.
"N-no way... Lord Spirit...!"
"A good answer, Raioner. Now, return inside."
Zzzzt, thank you, Master!
Raioner vanished into the ring in a flash.
Theo's eyes followed Raioner's retreating form.
"What... what was that...?"
"Shouldn't someone who tries to steal from others be prepared to have their own things stolen?" Agron asked, a bitter smile playing on his lips as he took another step closer to Theo.
"Now, I'm going to ask you questions, one by one."
"W-what... kind of... questions..."
"Let me make this clear: you have no right to ask me questions. Just answer. No repeating my questions back to me—that won't be tolerated."
"..."
"Why did you kidnap the children? Where did you get the drugs? How did you sell them? Answer everything you know."
"W-wait... if I tell you... I'll be killed for sure..."
"Hmm, I don't think you understand."
Agron pulled a lever beside him.
With a clank, the chains jerked, violently yanking Theo's body up and down.
"Ugh... Aaaah!"
"For every question you refuse to answer, I'll tighten the chains by one centimeter."
"Aaaah...!!"
"I'll ask again: drugs and human trafficking. Answer everything you know."
Agron's icy voice hung over Theo's neck like a blade.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny