Chapter 117: While Staying in the Capital (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 117: While Staying in the Capital (1)
Following the end of the war with Hector, news spread that Roman Dmitry was returning to the capital. The moment Hans heard, he sought Baron Romero’s permission and immediately departed for the royal capital.
At the time, the full extent of Roman’s achievements had not yet reached the public. Deeply worried about his son, Baron Romero hoped that sending Hans would at least provide Roman with someone to look after him.
Thus, Hans arrived in the capital.
He began preparing the lodgings provided in advance by the royal family. While tidying up, he received an unexpected visitor.
"...Young Master Lauren?"
"Hans."
It was Lauren Dmitry.
Still possessing the same youthful face from when he first left Dmitry, Lauren hovered around Hans, making small talk. He started by asking about the family’s well-being—how his father was doing, and if his mother was alright. But Hans knew Lauren had already contacted the family just a few days prior. It was obvious the young master wanted something else.
Hans waited. He let Lauren take his time.
Only after a long stretch of meaningless chatter did Lauren finally speak up, his voice cautious.
"By the way, Hans."
"Please speak, Young Master."
"Did something happen to Brother Roman while I was away? The Brother Roman I remember had absolutely no interest in swordsmanship. But just a moment ago, I saw him returning to the capital escorted by royal guards. People are saying... that Brother Roman defeated a ranker from Hector."
He hesitated multiple times as he spoke, clearly struggling to believe the rumors. Even after seeing the grand return with his own eyes and hearing the tales with his own ears, Lauren simply couldn't reconcile this image with the Roman he knew.
Hans smiled gently.
"While you were away, Young Master Lauren, many things have indeed happened in Dmitry. I'm sure you've heard the rumors spreading across the continent. He broke off his engagement with the Lawrence family, waged war against the Barco family, defeated Homeros, and now, he has achieved brilliant exploits on the Southern Front. Those who used to know Young Master Roman think it's all a lie, but there is not a single shred of falsehood in any of it."
"...Is that really true?"
"Yes. How could I ever lie to you, Young Master? Thanks to the new path Young Master Roman has taken, Lord Romero has been truly happy lately. Rather than just hearing about it from me, why don't you meet him in person? I was told he will be arriving at these lodgings this evening. If you speak with him yourself, you will see just how much he has changed."
At the suggestion, Lauren averted his gaze.
"No. It's fine."
It was an unconvincing refusal. Though his words were dismissive, his hesitant demeanor and the way he carefully watched Hans's reaction told a different story.
In the end, Lauren never stated his true purpose for visiting. After lingering awkwardly for a long time, he told Hans to take care and left the lodgings.
* * *
Hans had served the Dmitry family for many years. Although he had spent the vast majority of that time attending to Roman, his long tenure allowed him to deeply understand the personalities of all the Dmitry young masters.
Something is wrong.
Lauren Dmitry was a soft-hearted boy.
The three sons of Dmitry had been born with vastly different temperaments. Roman and Rodwell had inherited their father's fiery, unyielding nature to some extent. However, Lauren—perhaps influenced by his father's early wish for a daughter—had grown up quite differently from his older brothers. To be precise, he took after his mother. He was cautious in everything he did and never acted rashly. But at times, he was so frustratingly timid that it caused genuine worry.
In Hans's eyes, if Lauren had sought him out in person, there had to be a major problem.
So, he took it upon himself to investigate. By asking around the Royal Academy, he easily uncovered what was troubling the young master. Hans immediately relayed his findings to Roman.
"It seems Young Master Lauren is being bullied by his classmates at the Academy. Even when he was little, Young Master Lauren was the type who wouldn't utter a single word of complaint, even if he fell and scraped his knees raw. Yet, he came all the way here to find me and spent a long time asking about you, Young Master Roman. It seemed like he desperately wanted to ask for help, but he couldn't bring himself to say it, and I couldn't force it out of him."
The Royal Academy.
Roman had heard of it. It was an unavoidable gateway to success, a place where every noble in the Cairo Kingdom sent their children. It was the gathering ground for the kingdom's future power. Perhaps because of this, interpersonal conflicts never ceased within its walls. The children of the Central Government nobles openly discriminated against others, flatly refusing to treat those from the fringes—like Lauren Dmitry—as their equals.
Things might have been different if Lauren had proven his martial skills like Rodwell Dmitry, but Lauren had neither exceptional talent nor a powerful backing.
The situation was painfully obvious.
Hans pleaded in an earnest voice.
"...Young Master. This may be presumptuous of me, but could you perhaps meet with Young Master Lauren?"
Meeting Lauren was not in his plans. Roman had intended to return to Dmitry shortly, but this unexpected variable had suddenly appeared.
Lauren Dmitry. My youngest brother. There's quite an age gap between us.
Roman searched his inherited memories. Their relationship hadn't been bad.
Rodwell Dmitry, the second son, had fiercely denied Roman's existence, determined not to concede a single right as a successor. A fratricidal war for succession had sparked between them early on. In the midst of that fierce competition, the original Roman had hit his limits and ultimately fallen into the abyss of despair.
Lauren, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing to do with the struggle for power. Regardless of the age difference, Lauren had merely followed his older brothers around, showing zero ambition for the family seat.
There is no need to look after him simply because he is my brother.
However, they were immediate family. It wasn't that Roman suddenly wanted to play the affectionate older brother based on memories he had never personally experienced. But as someone who had inherited the name of Dmitry, he figured Lauren was at least worth meeting once. It would be an opportunity to evaluate him.
In his past life, Baek Joong-hyuk had ruthlessly slaughtered all his brothers who threatened his life to reach the absolute peak. But conversely, he readily embraced new connections that proved their worth and loyalty, just as he had with Hans and Baron Romero.
He would set his own standards of judgment in this new life. Roman wouldn't blindly solve Lauren's problems just because he carried the Dmitry name.
"Understood. I will meet him."
"Young Master!"
Hans smiled brightly.
Looking at him, Roman thought that perhaps he had agreed precisely because it was Hans who had asked.
* * *
While Roman rested, someone else was moving busily through the capital.
Recruiting Roman Dmitry has been postponed indefinitely. However, there is still a way to score points with Marquis Benedict.
It was Count Fabius.
After actively pushing to win Roman over to his faction, he had been left high and dry by Roman's firm rejection. In the wake of that failure, he had devised a new solution.
Everyone is only keeping an eye on Roman Dmitry, but in truth, the subordinates who follow him are also formidable talents. At first, I was truly bewildered. Dmitry is a mere baron family from the fringes, yet talents that are hard to find even in the capital are following Roman. If I can win them over, Marquis Benedict will surely be highly pleased.
In the middle of the battlefield, Count Fabius had seen it clearly. As soon as the order to assist Roman was given, those subordinates had slaughtered the Hector soldiers with overwhelming martial prowess.
Chris, especially, stood out.
He might have been known as Dmitry's genius swordsman, but in the capital, he was a nobody. Yet, the sight of him cutting down Hector's Aura Swordsmen sent shivers down Fabius's spine. No matter how he looked at it, Chris didn't seem to be past his early twenties. In truth, the only reason Chris's brilliance had been overshadowed was because Roman Dmitry had defeated Butler at the mere age of twenty-five. On his own merits, Chris's growth vastly surpassed any of his peers.
It was an undeniable fact. Chris was a talent that any noble in the capital would welcome with open arms.
This is the value of field experience. If I hadn't personally gone down to the Southern Front, I would have thought Roman Dmitry was the only prize that could please Marquis Benedict. Let's target Roman step-by-step. First, Chris and Roman's other subordinates. If we bring them over to our side and use them to slowly sway Roman, I will instantly become Marquis Benedict's most trusted confidant.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
A sly smile crept onto his face. He didn't even consider the possibility of rejection. Why? Because he was confident he could make an offer that a country bumpkin like Chris could absolutely never refuse.
Roman and his subordinates—winning them over was now only a matter of time.
* * *
Roman had given Chris and the rest of his subordinates a vacation.
After such a fierce war, they deserved to be rewarded. Armed with a massive amount of vacation pay, the soldiers scattered across the capital to enjoy their rest.
Chris, however, remained alone in the training grounds. With the memories of the Southern Front still burning in his mind, he simply couldn't bring himself to rest.
When I first met my lord, he was definitely within my reach. That was why I vowed to surpass him someday. But in such a short time, my lord has ascended to a realm on a completely different level.
It was staggering.
The duel with Butler. Common sense dictated that Roman should have lost, yet for some inexplicable reason, Chris had believed his lord would win. Sure enough, Butler had collapsed, spraying blood. The 5-Star Swordsman that Hector so proudly boasted of had been slain by Roman Dmitry—a man who, just half a year ago, hadn't been much different from Chris himself.
Just how was such a thing possible?
He tried to comprehend it, but no logical answer came to mind.
What is certain is that I am growing rapidly by his side. I have merely followed him, chasing after his back. Yet, over the past half-year, I have achieved a leap in power that even I find hard to believe. I still don't fully understand it. My lord is showing a rate of growth that defies common sense, and the martial knowledge he shares with me is nothing short of absolute treasure.
Lightning.
It was not the kind of technique a mere baron family from the fringes would possess. If it had belonged to Dmitry from the beginning, the family would have undoubtedly made a name for themselves as a prestigious household of the sword long ago.
Which meant only one thing: Roman had created it himself.
Just as he had shattered the established principles of Aura, Roman Dmitry possessed the qualities of a pioneer forging an entirely new path.
Therefore, Chris knew his choice was correct. He was certain he would reach new heights just by following Roman Dmitry. Now, feeling himself grow stronger with each passing moment, he refused to stop. If he showed even the slightest complacency, he feared Roman would advance into a world forever beyond his reach.
His goal to defeat his lord was sincere.
That was why, in the empty training grounds where everyone else had left to celebrate, he continued to swing his sword.
It was then.
"Are you perhaps Sir Chris?"
It was a familiar voice.
Turning his head, Chris saw Count Fabius looking at him with a genial smile.