Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Translator: Penny
Chapter 47
Agron reluctantly agreed to attend the banquet with Lawrence.
He had received an invitation after Lawrence, and Baek Woon had persuaded him that ignoring the Central Great Lord's invitation would be a breach of a warrior's honor.
"Who was Viscount Fabia again?" Agron asked with a brazen expression. "I make it a point not to hold pointless grudges."
Lawrence scoffed in disbelief. "He was the guy who came to your banquet and started ranting about who would eat monsters."
"Hmm, I don't remember. So, what did I do?"
"I stepped in, and when he started making ridiculous excuses, I dramatically kicked him out."
"What? So you're the one who did it, not me."
"...Viscount Fabia tried to trick you, and that's what happened."
"But I didn't do anything. I endured it like a true warrior."
"...I took the action, but it was all for you..."
"Then why do you keep doing things that make people resent you? You're not a child."
This bastard!
Lawrence barely managed to swallow his surging anger, vowing to hire Agron as his royal coachman when he ascended the throne.
"What kind of person is Count Kopellus?"
"He's just... a typical noble. Loves to flaunt his power, show off, boss around his subordinates, and indulge in pleasure."
"Hmm, I wasn't asking about you. I was asking about Count Kopellus."
Lawrence clenched his jaw. Agron had a knack for twisting people's insides.
"I wasn't talking about myself either, you bastard! I was talking about Count Kopellus!"
"Ah, my mistake. They're so similar..."
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
"No, of course not. By the way, is he a warrior?"
Lawrence's face turned deathly pale at Agron's question.
What is this madman planning by asking such a question?
"You... you... you... absolutely, absolutely must not grab his arm and test him! He's a Central Noble! If he were just a Baron, it might be different, but if you do that to a Count, even the Kingdom will have no choice but to punish you!"
"Do you think I'm crazy? Going around twisting people's arms and asking if they're warriors?" Agron replied, his brow furrowing as if offended.
But Lawrence, who had witnessed Agron's insane antics firsthand, had a different perspective.
"Well... it kind of seems that way, doesn't it?"
"Hmm, you make some unfunny jokes sometimes."
"It's not a joke, it's the truth. Ask around."
"Is that so? Then I'll ask myself. Elena."
At Agron's curt summons, shadows rippled, and Elena materialized.
"You called, Master?"
"I summoned you because I have a question."
"Please, ask anything."
"Do I ever do crazy things?"
Elena shook her head vehemently at her Master's question.
"That's impossible! Our Master acts with wisdom and benevolence beyond anyone else! He's practically the reincarnation of a saint!"
"Hey, this is cheating! Why did you have to summon her of all people...?"
"Elena is the vassal who has observed me most closely. I trust her words."
"Master, did that brat really say he was going to do something... crazy to you?"
"To be honest, Agron is kind of like that— Hic! Put that hand down and let's talk!"
Lawrence hid behind Agron, pointing at Elena's sharp fingernails.
"Come out from behind Master, you brat! I'll show you what color your blood really is!"
"A-Agron! Stop her! That crazy woman is trying to kill me!"
"Hmm, Elena is too kind-hearted to kill anyone."
"She's kind-hearted just like you, Master."
These two are completely insane.
As Lawrence watched them, he realized that true madness resided here.
Before departing, Agron decided to take a quick tour of his fief.
Traveling to Count Kopellus's territory wasn't a matter of a quick ride on warhorses; it required a multi-day journey by carriage with a large retinue. He had set aside time in advance for this purpose.
"What made you delay our departure for this tour?"
"I'm curious to see if the children are keeping the streets clean."
"Oh, right. I was wondering about that myself. Let's go take a look together."
Agron led Lawrence, Baek Woon, Elena, Jacob, and Wolf into the alleyways.
Lawrence grumbled about getting his clothes dirty, but he followed along even when told not to, suggesting he didn't really mind.
As they entered the alleyways, they gaped in awe at the dramatically changed scenery.
There was no sign of animal waste scattered about, nor any trace of human vomit. Even the homeless people who used to sprawl across the streets were nowhere to be seen.
"It's remarkably clean now, ha... A commendable effort."
Baek Woon burst into hearty laughter, his face beaming with satisfaction.
Agron nodded in agreement, his expression noticeably lighter.
"The children must be working hard at cleaning."
"Indeed."
"Josef seems to have trained them well."
"That's right, Your Excellency. According to Josef, they come out to clean the streets regularly throughout the day. Thanks to their efforts, the initial public opposition to building the orphanage has almost completely subsided."
Wolf, walking a step behind, shared what he knew.
When the plan to build the orphanage was first announced, the surrounding community's reaction was lukewarm at best.
Even with the City Council's approval and the Lord's personal involvement, it was impossible to completely eliminate discontent.
Perhaps because of this, when the children initially volunteered to clean the streets, the prevailing reaction was suspicion: "What kind of mischief are those brats up to now?"
But as one day turned into two, two into three, and soon ten days had passed, a transformation began to unfold.
The dirty, unsightly alleys of Kotaru had been miraculously transformed into clean, orderly spaces.
The people cheered at the changes in the streets, and when the children stopped causing trouble, they began to support them.
Support for Bishop Blanc, who had pledged to cover the entire construction cost of the orphanage, was an added bonus.
"When will the building be finished?"
"It should be completed around next month. For now, we've rented an abandoned house as temporary lodging and are living there."
"Are the guards still on duty?"
"Yes, we even caught some local thugs trying to cause trouble and a thief who broke in to steal the children's money."
"Hmm, well done. Keep a close watch from now on."
Agron, mindful of the still-unstable security in the back alleys, had stationed several of his family's soldiers as guards for the orphanage.
Even though they were rounding up the vagrants, Agron knew that word would spread, drawing more from other districts.
As they arrived at the temporary shelter, the children playing in the courtyard spotted Agron's group and came running, shouting excitedly.
"It's the uncles!"
"No, we have to call them 'Lord'!"
"Uncle Lord!"
"Hehe, the pretty sister's here too!"
The children, beaming with joy, surrounded Agron's group, radiating warmth and laughter.
"Ah, hello..." Ritz, the caretaker of the orphans, approached Agron hesitantly and bowed.
Having been unaware of Agron's true identity, Ritz had only recently learned during a conversation with Josef that he was the Lord of Veilain.
Having never met a noble before, Ritz couldn't gauge the Count's exact status, but seeing Josef's cautious demeanor, he decided to treat him with equal deference.
"How have you been, Ritz?"
"Y-yes, yes. I've been well... thanks to you."
"It's good to see your complexion has improved. Your siblings look healthy too."
"Th-thank you... Lord." Ritz replied awkwardly, bowing deeply.
"Is cleaning difficult?"
"You've provided all the necessary tools... and more importantly, the villagers have welcomed us warmly... It's been quite enjoyable."
Agron chuckled, watching the children playing with Lawrence.
"Hey! I'm the Prince of this country— cough!"
"Wow! This guy's belly is so squishy!"
"Kyahaha! Run for your lives! He's coming after us!"
"You little brats—! If I catch you, I'll throw you all in jail!"
Lawrence chased after the children with a fierce expression, while they giggled and darted around, dodging him.
I can't tell if he's actually playing with them or genuinely angry, Agron thought.
"Is there anything else you need?"
"Ah, no, nothing at all! We're already so grateful for the food, shelter, and clothes..."
"I see. Once the orphanage is finished, I plan to send teachers."
"Tea...chers?"
"You can't spend your whole lives just cleaning alleys, can you? People need to learn."
Ritz stared at Agron, his face bewildered. "B-but we're illiterate! We can't read or write. This is too much, Lord."
"Don't worry. This isn't an act of charity; it's an investment."
"An investment?"
"If they become exceptional talents, I plan to employ them at my mansion."
Agron believed that books were the most powerful tool for human transformation.
Hadn't he himself amassed knowledge through books in the desolate Northern Demonic Realm, where nothing else existed?
Of course, having exceptional mentors like Dumurka and Baek Woon was essential, like having a guiding star.
He wanted to give the children at the orphanage the same opportunity.
"Learning doesn't guarantee a righteous life, but denying them even the chance to learn would be unjust, wouldn't it?"
Agron patted Ritz, who was staring blankly, on the shoulder before approaching the children.
He had to rescue Lawrence, who was trapped beneath them, screaming for help.
The procession was far larger than Agron had anticipated.
Even excluding Lawrence's entourage, the procession included about a hundred people: the Majordomo, cavalry, infantry, maids, tailors, cooks, physicians, scholars, and more.
"I was planning to travel with just a few vassals," Agron muttered.
"Hey, are you kidding me? For nobles, dignity comes first, second, and third. What do you think would happen if you entered the mansion with only three or four vassals?"
"Hmm, they'd think I'm frugal?"
"...They'd think, 'That Lord has no ability and no followers,' and they'd dismiss not just you but your entire fief. Would you be okay with that?"
"I don't care—"
"Don't even start with that 'warriors don't care about such things' nonsense. If that were true, why bother being a Lord? Just go out and swing your sword."
Lawrence's sharp retort made Agron and Baek Woon's eyes widen.
"Why are you staring like that? Was I cool?"
"It just hit me that you're actually a Prince."
"..."
"But you're not wrong. Even a worm can roll over sometimes."
This bastard!
Lawrence glared at Agron, but conscious of Elena clinging to his side, he turned away.
Knock, knock.
"What is it?" Lawrence asked the person knocking on the carriage door.
"Your Highness, an urgent letter has arrived."
"Agh, what now?"
As Lawrence read the letter line by line, his expression grew increasingly grim.
"What's wrong?"
"Haa... My second brother and younger sister have already arrived."
"So what?"
"Hey, that place is a war zone. Who knows what tricks they'll pull to recruit people to their factions?"
Lawrence sank deep into his chair, then abruptly stood up, threw open the window, and shouted to Hunts.
"Hey, Hunts! Gather the fastest runners! Agron, I'm heading up first."
"Alright, go ahead."
"Don't get too bored without me."
"That won't happen. Just go."
"Vanish, you blood-sucking leech."
Damn annoying couple, Lawrence cursed inwardly.
📝 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