Count Rodan was in pain.

    There were dozens of reasons why he was in pain, but the one that was making his head ache so much right now was…

    “Husband! We need to resolve this matter quickly! How can he not be expelled after he messed with our child! We need to pressure the Knight Order! Immediately!”

    His wife, who had spoiled their youngest son dead while she was raising him, yelled at him to punish the knight who had hurt their son. All those ridiculous words she said really fitted her upbringing as a daughter of a wealthy marquis—someone who knew jack about politics.

    Does she really not know what’s the consequence to pressure—no, to pick a fight with the Silver Lion?

    …Back when he was younger, the count decided to marry her because he found her pretty, but seeing how she was acting right now, he regretted that decision. He thought that he should’ve listened to his late mother when she tried to stop him from marrying her.

    Thankfully, he could just ignore her rambling to some extent, as he only needed to pacify her later, but the same method wouldn’t work on another source of his pain.

    “Since knights are people with a brimming vitality, his life shouldn’t be in danger, my lord. However, it will take at least a year for him to recover… Though, it might take less if we have the fresh blood of a troll with 80% purity…”

    This was the other headache-inducing problem that the count was troubled with; the recovery of his vice-commander, who was supposed to lead his knights after the old commander retired.

    Knight families, free knights, and mercenaries who were looking for fame, all would go to Paulet and request a duel to them every single day. Accepting those duels was the pride of the Knight of Paulet.

    And yet one of their most notable knights was out of commission. The same knight who was considered as the champion of the territory.

    It was only natural that the count’s feelings were in so much disarray.

    Troll blood? Where can we even get something like that…?

    The healer said that the vice-commander’s recovery would be faster if he had the blood of a troll with 80% purity, but that wasn’t an easy thing to get.

    After all, troll was a monster that rarely popped up, even if one were to venture deep into the forest. Even if one were to successfully hunt it, it was said that at most, one would only be able to harvest 30% purity of their blood. This was because the blood would either get clotted or saturated the moment the monster died.

    If he wanted to obtain blood with 80% purity, he would have to bring an Aura User with him to the hunt. In other words, it was something that was impossible for him to obtain.

    My head hurts…

    This problem alone was enough to make his head throbbing nonstop, yet…

    “My lord, if you wish, I will bring you his head right now.”

    “Father! I will go and do it myself!”

    “…Why are you guys like this too…?”

    Both the knights who were supposed to protect his territory and his eldest son who was supposed to be his successor were furious about this incident and were more than ready to draw their swords out.

    Just watching their antics already made the count feel dizzy.

    Are they stupid?

    It was still understandable for his wife to spout this kind of nonsense because she didn’t know a single thing about politics and all matters related to knights, but it was different with those guys. Because they should at least know what implication did it have to touch someone from the Silver Lion—the people whose duty was to protect the royal family and the whole kingdom.

    Did they forget that our Paulet Family is a member of the royal faction?!

    If they truly didn’t know what it meant to touch someone from the Silver Lion, then cutting their heads off right there would be the right thing to do. Because they would just drag the family’s name through the mud otherwise.

    …Maybe I am to blame for this…

    My decision to not involve myself in the family affairs after the three-year war with Britain might have been a huge mistake.

    Only now did he realize that he was surrounded by idiots. Count Roden reflected on his past actions, thinking that he must have treated them wrong.

    I should have been more strict with them.

    If I had, they wouldn’t even think to behave like this.

    In any case, which problem should I resolve first…?

    His worry deepened as his contemplation went on.

    At that moment…

    “—You seem deeply troubled, Count.”

    “…”

    “Hehehe, it isn’t an easy task to rule a family, so I understand your plea.”

    “…”

    “Hm? Why didn’t you answer me? Did you come to hate this old man so much? You’re hurting my feelings, Count.”

    “…”

    At that moment, Count Roden couldn’t even draw his breath properly. No, rather, his body refused to respond at all. At the same time, his hands and feet started shaking like a leaf being carried by a typhoon.

    How long has he been there?

    In front of him was an old man, walking slowly in the dark shadows, his back facing against the bright moon.

    Based on his appearance, he looked like a kind old butler, but Rodan would never be fooled by that.

    He wouldn’t be fooled by his soft voice and his kind face.

    Then again, how could he, when he could never forget the tragedy that ‘the old man’ had caused?

    After a while, he finally ‘dared’ to utter the old man’s name in a trembling voice.

    “S-Sir Albert…”

    “Hahaha! What a great honor that the count remembers the name of an old man like me!”

    “…S-Sir Albert! W-We have done nothing. T-Thoughts of going against the royal family never  crossed our minds!”

    Count Roden cried out as he made excuses and those excuses kept coming without stopping.

    That was how ‘terrified’ he was of this person.

    Why was that so? Was it because he was one of the three Aura Users in the kingdom?

    No.

    While he was indeed powerful, the count wasn’t afraid of him because of that.

    The actual reason was…

    “Don’t worry, I’m not here to interrogate any heretics. I’ve been retired from my job for a while. Aren’t you aware of it already, Count? Hehehe.”

    Because he remembered just how terrifying he was at his ‘former job’.

    Heretic Inquisitor John Ray Albert.

    A murderer who ‘exterminated’ a whole family by killing all of its ninety members in the past!

    Roden still remembered that sight. With a cross on his back, this old man skewered countless people.

    Yet now he just laughed it off, as if that sight was nothing but an illusion in the past.

    “It’s all in the past nonetheless. I’ve washed my hands clean now, so there’s nothing you need to worry about, Count. Let everything in the past stay in the past!”

    What nonsense—!?

    “…All the elders who remember those days would wet their pants at the mere mention of your name. Not only that, they’d also scratch their heads until they bleed out of fear. And you’re saying that it’s all in the past…?”

    “I was still young back then. Everyone has something they’re passionate about when they’re young, no? In this old man’s case, it was the teachings of God. It was basically my whole life back then. Now, I’m just an old man who has burned all of his youth. I’m nothing but skin and bones now.”

    “…”

    “Hahaha, that was such a dry reaction, Count! This is the time where you should laugh at my jokes! How can you hang out with the young’uns when you are this tactless!”

    Albert touched the count’s face as he said that. People might ask whether it was acceptable or not for a baron to touch a count’s face, but there was no way that they’d dare to ask such a thing to this old man’s face.

    Before the count knew it, Albert already forced the corner of his mouth to curve upwards, trying to create a smile on his face. Meanwhile, his eyes became so moist, as if dew was forming in it.

    Every time the old man’s body moved a single muscle in his face, his whole body let out cold sweat. He even shivered, as if he couldn’t overcome the coldness.

    When the old man finally formed the shape of a crescent moon on his lips…

    “Mm, now that’s a nice smile.”

    He removed his hand while nodding in a satisfied manner.

    “…M-May I ask why did you come all the way here, Sir?”

    The count asked in fear. He needed to know what he did wrong so that the old man would never show up in his house ever again.

    “Hehe.”

    Seeing how pleased the old man looked, Count Roden thought that he had made the correct decision, a clever judgment worthy of his position as the head of the family.

    Meanwhile, after hearing that question, Albert decided to change his ‘original purpose’ of coming here and opened his mouth.

    “Oh, it’s nothing special. Recently, this old man just found an interesting young man and I heard that he’s been involved with your family, Count. That’s why I came here to pay you a visit.”

    “T-That isn’t the—!”

    “Count, you are a great nobleman. Unlike those fools of the noble faction who think that they own the world, or the lunatics of the neutral faction, you’re a member of the royal faction who knows the current situation well. So, please. Don’t let this old man carry the cross anymore. Can you do that for me?”

    “…”

    “Hehehe, I’ll take your silence as a yes.”

    Woosh-!

    In the next moment.

    The old man disappeared just as suddenly as he appeared.

    “….”

    Roden was still silent, as if he had just seen a ghost. However, the warmth on his forcefully raised lips still lingered, reminding him that everything was real.

    Not only that, he found more evidence of the fact that the terrifying old man had indeed come to see him.

    “…Blood?”

    Yes, blood. To be exact, it was fresh blood.

    He knew it wasn’t his and there was no way that it’d be Albert’s.

    Which meant, it was…

    The blood of others—!

    Flinch-!

    This made him realize something that he didn’t even want to know; the fact that the old man was already covered in blood before he came to him.

    There’s no way it’s his, it’s definitely someone else’s—!

    Roden slowly lowered his head and his shoulders started to shake slightly. Now he realized what would have happened to them had he not immediately lowered his head to that old man.

    And that outcome was too scary for him to even think about—

    Bang-!

    “Husband! I told you again and again, we have to take this matter to the royal family right— Husband…?”

    “…”

    “H-Husband? What happened to you? Husband?”

    “…”

    “A-Are you crying?”

    Seeing how his husband broke into sobs, his wife was taken aback.

    What she knew about her husband was that he was someone who was so upright and stubborn, and she had never seen him cry even once in their entire marriage.

    But there was no way she understood that he was crying out of relief since he found out that he—no, his entire family, had avoided certain death.

    For a while after that, the count continued to cry, while his wife, who was still dumbfounded, could only comfort him.

    In the next morning, the count received news about more than six newspapers and a group of merchants that sponsored them were burned to ashes in a single night. After hearing that, he silently went to find his son with a wooden sword in his hand.

    Such was the conclusion of a ‘trivial incident’ that had occurred on a certain moonlit night.


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