Chapter 118: While Staying in the Capital (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: While Staying in the Capital (2)
There was no reason to drag out the conversation.
Count Fabius stated his purpose bluntly.
"I would like to recruit you, Sir Chris. Let me state our terms first. For you, we will—"
"That won't be necessary," Chris cut him off flatly.
Seeing Chris turn his gaze away entirely to immerse himself back in training, Fabius's expression contorted.
"What? Rejecting it without even hearing the terms? I am Marquis Benedict's man—the leader of the Noble Faction and the true power in the Central Government. Living in the Cairo Kingdom, there is no way you don't know how massive of an opportunity this is. This is a life-changing chance. What is it you want? Money? We can provide enough wealth for you to live comfortably for the rest of your days. Honor? There is no greater honor in Cairo than serving Marquis Benedict. If you wish to become a noble, the Marquis will personally bestow a title upon you. Just name it. There is nothing we cannot give you in the Cairo Kingdom."
His voice overflowed with pride. And there wasn't a single lie in his words.
People said that three factions shared power beneath the puppet king, but within the Cairo Kingdom, Marquis Benedict's influence was absolute. If one intended to live in Cairo, following the Marquis guaranteed a smooth, prosperous life filled with countless benefits.
Receiving no response, Count Fabius added more weight to his voice.
"If you are worried that this is a betrayal of Lord Roman Dmitry, you can lay those fears to rest. Lord Roman will also become Marquis Benedict's man sooner or later. Since we are destined to become one anyway, what is the harm in moving up the timeline? This is simply a matter of timing. Will you follow Lord Roman later and join us then, or will you take our hand a bit earlier and earn our trust? That is the only difference."
Chris smirked.
Six months ago, he might have been tempted by Count Fabius's offer. But now? No offer in the world could sway him.
"How can you be so sure that my lord will become Marquis Benedict's man?"
"Isn't that the obvious outcome? In the Cairo Kingdom, no one rejects the reigning power."
It was laughable. Count Fabius clearly didn't know Roman Dmitry at all.
The man Chris had observed was not someone who would ever bow his head to another. He might shake hands in a reasonable compromise, but if someone tried to stand above him, he was a man who would not hesitate to go to war. Roman had declared that he would one day rise to the top of the continent, and Chris didn't doubt those words in the slightest.
Therefore, Count Fabius's premise was flawed from the start.
"No matter what terms you offer, I have no intention of leaving my lord's side," Chris said. "You say Marquis Benedict can do many things for me, but I assure you, no one can replace my lord."
Roman's teachings. The knowledge of an entirely new world. What he had already received was beyond measure.
And above all, Chris did not want to make any choice that would disappoint Roman.
Barco and Hector. Back then, everyone had said they would surely win, but those who stood against Roman were utterly crushed by an overwhelming margin. What if Roman did not choose Marquis Benedict? The terrifying thought of one day standing on the opposite side of Roman gave Chris a powerful conviction that could not be shaken by any temptation.
Faced with such an unwavering attitude, Count Fabius was at a loss for words. He had been confident he could recruit Chris, never expecting to run into such fierce resistance.
"...If you insist on putting it that way, very well."
He turned around. He wanted to throw a fit, but he wasn't foolish enough to attack Roman's man.
As Count Fabius walked away, Chris's voice rang out behind him.
"If you are planning to win over my other comrades, you had better give up. None of us will ever make a choice that goes against our lord's wishes."
At the time, Count Fabius didn't pay much heed to Chris's warning.
* * *
Chris was right.
Fabius's next target was Kevin. Having seen him fight like a demon on the battlefield, Fabius made the exact same offer he had given to Chris.
However...
"Never make such an offer to me again. To me, my lord is my entire life. If my lord says he will follow Marquis Benedict, I will lay down my life for him. But if you force me to turn my back on my lord and choose someone else, I would rather choose death. Please, do not test me."
It was a highly aggressive statement. Kevin was only suppressing his anger out of consideration for Roman; he was clearly furious at Count Fabius's proposal.
That wasn't all.
The next targets were Puki and Volkan, the former mercenaries who had shown incredible performance using Aura. They waved their hands in sheer horror at the offer.
"Has this been discussed with our lord? I have absolutely no intention of making a decision that goes against my lord on my own. Therefore, I will pretend I never heard what you said today."
"Count Fabius, I am well aware of how great those terms are. But if you plan to make the same offer to our other comrades, I hope you realize that our lord is not someone we hold lightly. We are truly grateful that you think highly of us. However, we would be nothing if we hadn't met our lord. Betraying him is utterly unimaginable to us."
Fabius had clearly emphasized that it wasn't a betrayal. Yet, even though he had framed it as a simple matter of timing, not a single person drooled over his offer.
Lastly, he thought Henderson, who was of commoner origin, might show some temptation. But Henderson blocked his ears entirely and avoided his gaze.
It was a blatant snub. He didn't even bother to reply.
Even when facing a noble of Cairo, they refused to compromise in the slightest.
He could not understand. He had assumed Roman Dmitry was simply blessed with the good fortune to command such outstanding talents. But in truth, just as Roman's subordinates had said, they would have been nothing without him. Of course, Chris had been naturally gifted from the start. But Kevin and Henderson, who came from commoner backgrounds, and Volkan and Puki, who had lived as lowly mercenaries, firmly believed they were only able to grow this much because of Roman's help.
In fact, even Chris had only grown into a talent coveted by Marquis Benedict because of Roman.
Count Fabius stared up at the sky with a dazed expression.
"...Just why are they so fiercely loyal?"
Suddenly, Count Fabius found himself growing even more curious about the man named Roman.
* * *
At that same time, Lauren Dmitry was training hard ahead of his exam.
"Hup!"
Thwack!
Gritting his teeth, he struck the straw dummy.
Projecting William Castro's face onto the motionless dummy, he aimed for its vital points with bold, aggressive attacks—completely unlike how he fought during his practice spars. It was a clean strike. Though he was pathetically terrible in real combat, Lauren Dmitry was executing quite powerful swordsmanship in this imaginary duel.
How long had he been immersed in training?
Even as the sun, which had been high in the sky, began to slowly set, Lauren didn't stop.
"Pant, pant."
He gasped for breath. His arms and legs trembled, and his face was flushed red. He wanted to collapse right then and there.
But every time he recalled his conversation with Hans, he couldn't bring himself to stop.
"Yes. How could I lie to you, Young Master? Thanks to Young Master Roman's changed ways, Lord Romero has been truly happy lately. Instead of just hearing about it, why don't you go see him yourself? I heard he is coming to the lodging this evening. If you meet him in person, you will be able to see for yourself how much Young Master Roman has changed."
Those words. Above all, the thought of his father being happy lingered in his mind.
As Lauren grew up, he felt like he was slowly becoming a source of shame for his father. Yet his older brother, who used to be called a fool, had been reborn as a completely different person.
Just what happened to Brother Roman?
Lauren believed Hans. The servant was not one to lie, and since he knew Roman Dmitry better than anyone, Lauren didn't think the rumors were false. However, there was a limit to what common sense could accept. The Roman that Lauren remembered was an irredeemable good-for-nothing, yet his reputation had completely flipped to the point of causing cognitive dissonance.
The Hero of Cairo.
The youngest ranker.
The genius swordsman who defeated Butler.
How did any of this make sense?
If it had been Rodwell Dmitry, he would have accepted it calmly. But because it was Roman, he couldn't.
Brother Roman has changed too. Then why am I... why am I still as pathetic as I was before?
Deep down, Lauren had always thought he was at least better than Roman. Because he had "The Fool of Dmitry" as a point of comparison, it had been fine to lag behind the others. But now, he was the only pathetic loser left.
"Aaaaargh!"
Thwack! Thwack!
He swung his sword. Forcing his trembling arms to move, he struck the dummy like a madman.
Then—
He stumbled. Losing his balance, he tumbled to the dirt.
Sprawled on the ground, Lauren swallowed his tears as he stared up at the darkening sky.
"...This really isn't right."
The third son of Dmitry. The trash William Castro spoke of was him, and him alone. While his other brothers were proving their worth, the Dmitry family was being looked down upon solely because of him.
Tears welled up in his eyes. He covered his face with his arm. Even though no one was watching, he didn't want to show his crying face.
But then...
"What are you doing here?"
It was a voice both familiar and unfamiliar. When he looked up, Lauren saw his brother—a man who looked completely different from the one in his memories.
* * *
Taking in the surrounding situation, there was no need for an explanation. It was the textbook appearance of a loser.
Roman spoke in a voice devoid of any warmth.
"I heard about you from Hans. He said you came looking for me. If you have something to say, you may say it now."
Roman skipped the preamble. Even though Hans had made the request out of worry, and Roman already knew that Lauren was being bullied at the Royal Academy, he didn't utter a single word of comfort.
He simply stood there, quietly watching Lauren, waiting. Instead of offering the answer the boy so desperately wanted, he wanted Lauren to speak for himself.
"...It's nothing."
Lauren avoided his gaze. To him, this situation was incredibly embarrassing.
His face flushed red at the thought that Roman had witnessed his pathetic struggles, unable to overcome reality. If only he had asked in a slightly gentler tone, Lauren might have poured out his troubles.
But the brother he was meeting after so long was too different. He didn't show a shred of affection for him. That was why he couldn't be honest. He just wanted this moment to pass. Fearing that Roman might see the tear stains on his face, Lauren couldn't even lift his head.
"Pathetic."
The word was tossed out coldly.
Roman turned to leave. He had no intention of lingering to hold Lauren's hand.
Seeing Roman walk away without a hint of hesitation, Lauren suddenly cried out in a panicked voice, acting before he could even think.
"Brother Roman!"
The word 'pathetic' had pierced him like a dagger. Because Roman, too, had once been in the exact same position as him.
"I'll tell you! Why I came to find you... I'll tell you everything!"
He mustered his courage. He exposed his most shameful side.
Only then did Roman stop in his tracks and look back at Lauren.