Episode 117
It was a shell without a shred of energy left.
“Dimes, take care of these.”
Dimes stored the Divine Fragments in a dark space.
-Hahahaha! I am the God of Blood! Follow me! I will give you strength!
“… … You became a god?”
Blood cells were running wild and didn’t answer my question. Iredem, who was nearby, shook his head.
It was beyond common sense for a spirit to become a god. I had never heard of anything like it in any of the ancient books. I had only recently learned of the existence of spirits of blood, darkness, and death.
-The truth will set you free!
Brecha appeared, beating the drum. He was trying to place his spoon on the table, and unfortunately, there was no way for me to refuse.
‘Unless you dig up the three-wheeled vehicle… … .’
If it weren’t for the Three Wheels, it would have been impossible to deal with Byzar, so it can’t be said that Brecha’s contribution was completely insignificant.
The power of Brecha came upon me.
The three-wheeled eye opened regardless of my will.
‘Has the Samryunan expanded?’
I saw more things. I saw a wider world than before, and my forehead felt tingly. It felt like my eyes were wide open.
Something stirred in the gaping third eye. As I tried to feel it with my fingertips, something was touched. It wasn’t the Trickster’s scar. It was something alive.
“Brecha, what on earth are you trying to do?”
As if to answer my question, I heard a sob.
-Beep!
It was a clear bird’s song. Something came out of the tricycle with a whoosh, soared into the sky, then lowered its altitude and circled around me.
“The golden bird… …? The bird of Brecha! Could it be the bird of wisdom, Macia?”
It was a legendary bird handed down in ancient legends. In ancient times, the bird of wisdom, Machia, was worshipped as a god, but as time passed, the tradition was lost. Naturally, no records of Machia were left after that.
Machia was a servant of Brecha, the god of wisdom. I could communicate with Machia through the three-wheeled eye, and I could even share vision with her.
“They say that Machia sees through the world, so this is what they mean.”
Machia flew higher and higher. He looked down at Jade Barondom, and it was full of corpses. There were horrific corpses, crumpled like paper, lying around, bleeding.
‘There are living beings.’
I discovered something I had never seen before. There were people who survived in that hell. They had broken limbs, but they were still breathing.
They were people who would live their entire lives with a curse that would leave them disabled.
‘I guess I have to kill him.’
They were cursed. They were even commoners whose lives were worthless. None of them had any chance of survival.
‘Then what choice would you make?’
In a situation where everyone was moving according to the rules, there was one person in power who broke the rules and moved. I was curious about him.
“Machia, summon His Highness Gaius. Bring him to Jade Barondom.”
Machia turned. Even though I hadn’t told him where Gaius was, he read my thoughts and headed towards the Viscount Dario’s territory.
“Okay. It’s over now. Yang, let’s go home.”
Baaaaaaaaaaaa.
* * *
“Louis de Hebron is hereby created Count.”
“Your Majesty, I am so grateful!”
Since it was a risky undertaking, the reward was certain.
While I was destroying the temple of Baizar, the Hebron army invaded the nearby territory. They claimed to be related to Baizar, but they overwhelmed the lords with their overwhelming fighting power and immediately took their account books.
It was a precaution in case I failed or failed to prove the connection between the lord and the Byzar. Since none of the barons were good at keeping books, it was not a problem to charge them with tax evasion just by sweeping the books.
King Zeno granted me the title of count, along with five provinces that the Hebron army had taken. He also gave me a gift.
Ownership of the Jade Barondom Iron Mine.
The Jade Barondom and Hebron were so far apart that operating an iron mine seemed impossible. I was not obsessed with iron ore, but rather sought out nobles who would buy mines at a reasonable price.
The king also held a ceremony for my investiture over two days and made Hebron’s name known to the world in other ways.
“I will make Hebron’s accounting system the standard for the kingdom of Zeno!”
The aftermath was significant. The royal family and the great nobles had similar accounting styles, but the estates below the viscounts used rule of thumb to manage their books. This was unified by designating it as national law. This would greatly increase the demand for accounting professionals, and in particular, the popularity of the talents raised in Hebron would skyrocket.
When the investiture ceremony was over and the royal party began, a familiar voice was heard.
“Papa! Papa!”
“Dinaya!”
It was Dina who was in her father’s arms who called me. Dina was two years old, but she was developing faster than her peers. It was only natural that she had awakened to the Ora training method soon after she was born.
“Dad, Mr. Bae.”
Dina called me Count Oppa, and I couldn’t help but love that sight.
Dina wore a custom-made dress that her father had made for her. It was a shade of blue that stood out because it was a reproduction of a dyeing technique used in ancient kingdoms.
I walked around the hall, holding Dina in one hand. I met many people, and I was happier when they complimented Dina on her beauty than when they congratulated me on my title of count. I kept in my memory those who sincerely complimented me.
‘If you are a person who has a keen eye for people and knows how to say the right thing, you must definitely remember this.’
I put off my one-on-one meeting with Gaius, who had been secretly looking at me for a while. Right now, there was someone I had to meet first.
I wanted him to approach me first, but he was not an easy person. He was not alone. He had a secretary by his side, and he was sharing his wisdom. How I should treat him would also be decided by that secretary’s influence.
I approached the man first and bowed.
“See the sword of Zeno.”
The handsome man looked much better than he had before. He was dressed simply, but if you look closely, there was not a single material that was not luxurious.
Adolphe de Breiot.
The eldest son of the Duke of Breiot was still superior. He had a different expression from the beginning. A man who had everything from birth, he succeeded in standing at the top of Zeno not only by bloodline but also by skill. Unlike Luis de Breiot.
Adolf looked down at me with cold eyes, handing the wine glass he was holding to the servant.
“There is only one person worthy of that title.”
“Yes, and I heard that there is only one person who can inherit that title.”
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‘……older brother.’
I was sparing with my words.
I could tell that the man was secretly pleased, even though he didn’t show it. The slight movement of his lips was proof of this. It seems that everyone has habits that they can’t shake off no matter how much time passes.
I straightened my back and faced the man. I was quite tall, but nothing compared to Adolf. He was a man who couldn’t help but look down on others because of his height.
Adolf held out his hand to me. His expression seemed to be one of special permission.
“Adolphe de Braiot.”
“This is Louis de Hebron.”
I held Adolf’s hand and watched his expression change. There was not a single waver. Whether it was because the name Luis was common, or because he had forgotten his younger brother Luis, I was displeased. No, I was saddened by the fact that Luis de Breiot had been completely erased.
“The Duke sent me. He asked me to meet you.”
“It is the honor of the family.”
“Honestly, I laughed at the thought of the Hebron family. But after meeting you, I realized my misjudgment. I apologize.”
He apologized verbally, but his expression showed no sign of remorse. He still looked down on me.
‘If we were dealing with Adolf and not the Duke of Breio… … .’
I created a fantasy in my head. Since I didn’t know Adolf’s skills, I adjusted the Duke of Breyo’s skills down based on his performance.
‘I win.’
No one but Duke Braio could stop the lightsaber. If I were to use that technique recklessly, I would collapse from exhaustion.
“No. No one would have expected that anything good would come out of Hebron, where they eat grass. I understand.”
Adolf laughed softly.
He seemed to like my answer.
“It seems like you’ve greased your mouth. The way you speak, and the way you look… … .”
Adolf trailed off.
I thought I knew what he was trying to say.
Adolf changed the subject for no reason.
“I heard you’re good at swordsmanship too?”
“I’ve learned a little bit, but I’m better at theory than practice.”
“That won’t do. When will you return to Hebron? Before you do, I will teach you swordsmanship.”
Adolf was a warrior with a fierce spirit. Every time he took knighting lessons, he lived under the pressure of having to become a knight on par with the Duke of Breyot. However, his talent was not that of a genius, but of a talent level. It was a life where he could never become a swordsman no matter how hard he tried.
“I appreciate your sincere consideration, Your Majesty, but unfortunately I must leave for Hebron tomorrow. I plan to march on the Kingdom of Kayle in two weeks.”
Typically, when a high-ranking nobleman of the rank of count or higher was born, a long party was held for about a week. The first three days were held at the palace, and the next four days were held at the lord’s estate.
However, this celebration was shortened to two days because the Hebron army was about to go on a campaign.
Before I was Earl of Hebron, I was Commander of the South. I was responsible for leading the southern army and advancing on the Kingdom of Kyle.
The mission assigned to me was to provide rear support. The main force, including the Breio Duke Army and the Haryan Holy Knights, was dealing with the branded monsters at the front.
“I see. I guess I was in too much of a hurry. When I saw you, I was reminded of someone I used to know.”
Adolf thought of his dead brother. I had stimulated his longing, but a strange feeling welled up in me at the fact that he had not forgotten me. It was longing and… . . anger.
‘There are only four people who can kill Luis de Breiot without Zeno’s notice: the Duke, the Duchess, and the eldest and second sons.’
Gaius, who had been asked to investigate, began to investigate, but even he was unable to find anything because all the evidence, including Luis’s body, had been completely erased.
“Let’s meet in Kyle. I’ve decided to go with the Duke.”
“I guess I’ll be able to watch over the two pillars of Zeno from the side. I’ll be waiting with anticipation.”
“Then let’s meet then. It seems like there is someone who is eagerly waiting for you.”
Adolphe de Breyot looked over my shoulder and greeted me politely. There was Gaius.
Gaius said, holding my hand tightly.
“Thank you. I really wanted to tell you that.”
“No. I apologize for failing to protect the people of Jade Barondom, Your Majesty.”
“No. It happened because of my lack of strength. You are not responsible.”
After I defeated Barzai, Gaius was summoned by Machia. He arrived at Jade Barondom and found several survivors.
-Hold on. It is the king’s command! In the name of Zeno, I will not let you die. I am Gaius de Zeno, the son of a noble man! I will protect you!
Gaius was running around like a madman.
