Ch.264EP.59 – The Knight Fear People More Than Ghosts (2)

# Great Noble.

In the Empire, it would be a title worthy of being called a warlord or feudal king—a designation for houses that had built up a history no one could ignore, with sufficient influence, military power, and financial strength. Among the countless thousands of noble families in the south, only 19 houses could claim this name.

For nearly 20 years, rumors had spread that merchants, guilds, and mercenaries had grown in power, even overwhelming the nobility. But no matter how much these three forces grew, they could never surpass the name of a Great Noble.

They were, how should I put it.

[Nobles above nobles.]

They even had the nickname “the Wailing Wall that cannot be overcome,” and could be called the true power holders, unlike puppets such as the Noble Assembly.

Literally, they were individuals who held power equivalent to “kings” within their own houses and territories.

Of course, being a Great Noble didn’t necessarily mean having overwhelming military and economic power. Some became Great Nobles through accumulated history, ability, and achievements, so they weren’t unconditionally powerful.

However, the top ten houses among the Great Nobles undoubtedly possessed the aforementioned power, and one of those top Great Nobles was none other than,

“-Mordred.”

Swoosh.

“Commonly known as the ‘Madness’ Mordred. One of the few houses that received blessings, like Galahad blessed by the Lake, Lionel blessed by the Lion King, and Guinevere blessed by the famine crops.”

“There seems to be something strange at the end.”

“Are you dismissing famine crops?”

“…My favorite foods are potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn.”

“I like them too.”

Though he spoke as if joking, Simon’s expression remained unchanged.

“Among the Great Nobles, they’re the most dangerous house by risk assessment. Long ago, they received a blessing from some great entity to gain power, and since then, it’s said that generation after generation has been able to communicate with ghosts. Thanks to this, they possess various talents using ghostly powers, but because they risk having their bodies stolen by ghosts, everyone in the family is said to always live with madness.”

“…At that point, isn’t it a curse rather than a blessing?”

“That’s not quite right. It’s not evil like a curse, and if they use the ability well, they can obtain the powerful strength of ghosts.”

“In another sense, that means there’s a risk of being swallowed by the ability?”

“……”

“No matter how I look at it, it seems more like a curse than a blessing…?”

“Ahem!”

Inwardly, Simon agreed with that opinion, but he was careful not to speak carelessly.

After all, one should be cautious about gossiping about Great Nobles, even in their absence.

If such talk were to reach their ears, a guild association would crumble as easily as a sandcastle.

“Sigh, anyway, as suggested by the part about handling ghostly powers, Mordred is the most dangerous house among the Great Nobles.”

Simon clearly showed that he wanted to avoid getting involved if possible, while Ihan responded indifferently.

It wasn’t that he took the Great Nobles lightly.

It was simply.

‘Ah, so there’s something like that too.’

That kind of impression.

‘No matter how scary ghosts are, can they be scarier than people….’

Ihan was already more afraid of the madmen breathing in this world than souls wandering in the afterlife.

‘Like spell casters who perform human experiments, or spell casters who steal others’ faces, or 400-year-old spell casters.’

See, aren’t the living more creepy?

“…Isn’t that just because you’ve only seen strange humans, Sir Ihan?”

“That’s not the important part. What I’m trying to say is don’t be too afraid. My goal is to catch the vampire bastard, not to fight Mordred.”

“Y-yes, that’s true.”

“Well, if I somehow end up fighting them, it can’t be helped.”

“……”

“I said it can’t be helped, don’t look at me like that.”

“…Sir Ihan, please.”

Please understand that the guild has nothing to do with it if such a situation arises─.

It was a resolute statement, and Ihan clicked his tongue.

“…Really heartless.”

As expected of a fake sect leader, he has no loyalty.

* * *

In reality, it was a strange situation.

Despite having information, Ihan, along with Simon, showed wariness toward Mordred with 100% certainty.

But this was understandable in a way.

Perk!

Flinch!

“Here, I sense something here!”

“It’s the exact same presence as the ominous blood the mister gave us! It’s clear…!”

The twins, or rather the mystical beastkin race, were sending such signals with their <Sixth Sense> ability, leaving no room for doubt.

The twins growled feebly, revealing animal ears and tails that couldn’t exist in ordinary humans.

However, to others, that appearance would by no means look feeble.

[[Grrrr-!]]

The aura emitted by the two siblings using their abilities was as powerful as that of real wolves.

Though they looked cute on the outside, if you were deceived by appearances, your wrist might get torn off.

Since arriving near Mordred’s territory, the twins had maintained such a combat stance, and just as they were about to instinctively dash forward…

Grab!

“These little brats are being annoying.”

“??”

“???”

They were subdued in an instant, caught by the nape of their necks.

Due to the powerful pressure emanating from his grip, the twins couldn’t even resist.

Despite their situation, they couldn’t express any complaints.

They could only whimper like puppies held by the scruff.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have brought them…”

Perhaps because they were still young, they seemed to have difficulty controlling their emotions.

Not only did they not listen, but they also rushed forward like this.

“…But I suppose what’s important is that we can be certain now.”

“I guess so…?”

“Sigh, this is truly maddening.”

Simon clutched his head and groaned.

Because the certainty they gained made him even more troubled.

“If a vampire is truly hiding in Mordred, or if a vampire has taken control of Mordred, imagine how catastrophic this could become…”

The combination of ghosts and vampires—there couldn’t be a worse combination.

Moreover, the bigger problem was:

“It’s also a problem that we have no way to enter the closed-off Mordred house.”

Whether due to madness or the power to handle ghosts, Mordred’s territory was extremely isolated.

Would you believe that despite being a Great Noble’s territory, there weren’t even merchants coming and going?

The reason Mordred could remain isolated despite this was said to be due to their self-sufficient environment, but no one knows the truth.

That’s how closed off they were.

“Thanks to the information Sir Ihan gathered, we’ve somehow learned about Mordred’s recent situation, but…”

Mysterious information about Mordred, obtained somehow.

Well, even if it was mysterious, most of it was just everyday stories from Mordred, but even this information was as valuable as gold.

…Do you perhaps know an information merchant personally?

“Why?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

As if he had eyes on the back of his head, he immediately noticed Simon’s gaze and spoke, causing Simon to tremble slightly.

Still holding the twins in both hands, Ihan focused his gaze toward where Mordred’s territory was located.

And then.

“Don’t you think I’m going to too much trouble?”

“Pardon?”

“If there’s a vampire, I could just report it to the royal family, right? You’re wondering why I’m volunteering to step forward, aren’t you?”

“…Well.”

He didn’t deny it.

Indeed, he was going out of his way to face trouble.

Perhaps because Ihan brought up the sensitive matter that Simon himself found difficult to mention, Simon revealed his sincere thoughts for the first time.

“T-to be honest, I don’t understand. Sir Ihan, you’ve already brought down more than ten enemy forces in just two weeks, which is a significant achievement, and quite a lot of evidence has been gathered. In other words, you have more than enough justification to request support or help not only from the royal family but also from other Great Nobles. Especially since I understand Sir Ihan has connections with some Great Nobles. So you could certainly ask for their help…”

Why doesn’t he do so?

It was a genuinely sincere question, and to this inquiry:

“…Consider what I’m about to say as mere speculation or delusion.”

“?”

From his mouth came:

“I think one of the high-ranking individuals in the Pendragon family is cooperating with the fanatics.”

“!!?”

An absurd statement emerged.

“I told you, treat it as a delusion,”

Ihan laughed casually as if telling him not to take it too seriously, but Simon couldn’t possibly take that statement lightly.

Rather…

“M-my heart aches, truly…”

His heart was not just fluttering but pounding at the speculation coming from Ihan’s mouth.

“You’re overreacting. Well, it’s nothing special. Given the situation so far, I honestly don’t think it’s strange that someone, whether from the royal family or Great Nobles, is cooperating with the fanatics. As you know, ‘religion’ and ‘ideology’ are like cockroaches or flies. They emerge from anywhere and spread somehow.”

“…Are you saying others have accepted the Blood Crusaders’ ideology? That they’ve betrayed the kingdom!?”

“I don’t know that much, but whenever the kingdom was attacked, it was strangely defenseless. If it happened once or twice, I might understand, but…”

The instances Ihan knew of already exceeded ten, so it was impossible not to be suspicious.

“So I’m suspicious of everyone right now. That’s why I’m not specifically requesting help. Well, my sister and those gentlemen aren’t foolish enough to cooperate with fanatics, but who knows about the people under them. That’s why I’m not asking for help. If I tell someone and the information leaks, all my hard work could be in vain.”

“T-then why tell me?”

“Because even if you betray me, you’re easy to deal with?”

“……”

“I’m joking. Just think of it as trust.”

“…That doesn’t sound like a joke…”

Simon objected, yet he unconsciously understood.

‘This person was monitoring the guild too!’

Just as Simon had been figuring out what kind of person Ihan was while working with him, Ihan had also been observing Simon and the entire guild association.

Checking if there might be any suspicious individuals hiding.

‘Really…! He’s different from how he looks.’

Simon was impressed and simultaneously relieved.

He was impressed by Ihan’s observational skills and ability to think ahead, and relieved that there were no traitors in the guild.

The very fact that Ihan shared such thoughts with him was proof of that.

“…Ha, there are days in life when I’m surprised like this. I don’t think anything will surprise me anymore.”

The strategic aspect of a knight who seemed like he would solve everything with force alone—

There could be nothing more surprising than this anywhere in the world.

“I wonder, there might be more surprises?”

“Pardon?”

“I told you, I’ll do it alone without anyone’s help in the end. So I need to sneak into Mordred or wherever.”

“Y-yes?”

Just as Simon was wondering what mysterious method he was going to use to say such things, a strange sound was suddenly heard.

Crack!

…The sound of bones, that is.

“But I’m a bit too conspicuous to sneak in, aren’t I?”

Crackle!

“Even disguising has its limits.”

Snap!!

“So what can I do but change my entire body?”

“……”

“So I squeezed out a personal idea, what do you think? Wouldn’t this be perfect?”

“……”

“Why aren’t you answering? Is it strange?”

“……”

“…This guy fainted while standing?”

Ihan was disappointed.

He wanted to hear an opinion about ‘this appearance.’

“It’s not even that amazing.”

…Why would he faint just because Ihan cast [Bone Contraction] and [Reverse Dragon Technique]?