Episode 4. The duke’s incompetent son (3)
Duke Willius Berth.
The great prince who rules the empire’s western territory, Belias.
Beyond the simple status of a duke, this is what the world calls him.
‘Guardian of the Continent’
A hero who stopped the invasion of demons for a long time based on his outstanding magical power and skill in dealing with people.
People say in unison that without him, the continent would have been taken over by demons long ago.
But do you know what?
The most difficult life in the world is that of a hero.
Since ancient times, a hero is a being with a difficult destiny to protect all the people in the world.
Protecting the entire world with a human body, let alone protecting one’s own body?
In the end, it is a life of no benefit to oneself.
The person who chose that life for himself was my father.
“Whoa… … .”
The moment I arrived in front of the office, escorted by Yulken, I sighed involuntarily.
We hadn’t seen each other since he died during the invasion of the Demon King’s army, so it was a reunion for the first time in almost 15 years.
-smart
When I knocked on the door with a calm mind, I heard a deep voice coming from inside.
“Come in.”
Yulken appeared to be waiting outside.
I opened the door without hesitation.
-Squeak
The duke was observing my appearance with a refined gaze.
He paid no attention to this and bowed his waist to show respect.
“Sian, the youngest child of the Bert family, meets your father.”
“There is no need to give a stiff greeting. Please take a seat.”
The Duke instructed them to sit down in the prepared seats.
“… … .”
It may seem like immorality, but this is how I want to describe my father.
‘drip.’
A foolish man who took upon himself the duty of a hero that no one had forced upon him, and hoped that his children would also carry out that duty.
A man who possessed massive power that even the emperor could not touch, yet did not have the slightest desire for power.
All he wanted was one thing: peace on the continent.
In fact, to put it nicely, it is peace, but if you look at it closely, it is nothing more than a service that only does good things for others.
The reason he wanted a strong and capable child was also to raise a successor who could continue the current peace.
In my past life, I was far from that kind of successor… … .
“Have you learned swordsmanship?”
His first question was definitely about sparring.
“Rather than saying I learned it, I just trained on my own every night.”
“Who taught you?”
“There was none.”
“Have you been doing it entirely on your own?”
“yes… … .”
Of course it’s a lie.
The reason I was able to learn swordsmanship in my past life was because I had a helper.
“I knew that you were a child who had no interest in swordsmanship, let alone any talent for it. If you had such skills, why did you hide it from those around you?”
If you were interested and had talent, you could do as much as you wanted.
Moreover, he could have received all kinds of support from the duke.
As a duke, I wonder why he didn’t do that and why he continued to live like an incompetent child.
What I was hiding was something bigger, but there was no need to tell it.
I answered with a natural face.
“Well, I just didn’t want to stand out. Since I have a position in the family, I thought I shouldn’t stand out in many ways… … .”
“Are you conscious of the gaze of others?”
“yes… … .”
The Duke looked at me with pity as I hesitated.
It seemed like the child-like appearance was somewhat misleading.
“Okay, if that’s the case then it would be my fault. That won’t happen in the future. If you want to sharpen your sword, practice freely. If you want, I can add a training center as well. “No one will be able to say anything to you.”
“thank you. father!”
It was an unexpected favor.
It wasn’t really necessary, but there was no reason to refuse.
“I had high expectations for you before we started sparring today.”
“You mean anticipation?”
“You made eye contact with me before we started sparring, right?”
I swallowed my saliva momentarily.
I never thought I would have been clearly aware of it, and not just a passing glance.
“Do you know what you saw with your eyes then?”
“W-what did you see?”
“confidence.”
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The duke smiled and continued.
“When dealing with Kranz, I saw the confidence that he would win unconditionally. And you demonstrated that confidence admirably.”
To catch that in a split second, should I say he is my father?
But it doesn’t matter.
If I was able to redefine my perception of myself, that would be a good thing.
“but… … .”
It only took a moment for the atmosphere to change.
The duke’s tone suddenly turned grave.
“Wasn’t the subsequent action unnecessary?”
subsequent actions.
This refers to the brutal assault on Kranz.
“With the weapons suppressed and the odds already set, there was no need to create Kranz like that, right? Why did he look like that?”
The Duke’s face was full of seriousness as he asked quietly.
He wants to check.
What is contained in the container called ‘me’?
Depending on your answer, it will determine how your existence will be perceived by the duke.
It won’t be difficult.
Just give the best answer you can in this situation.
“I thought it wasn’t enough.”
“It wasn’t enough?”
“If I had pointed my sword at Kranz, who was kneeling at that time, and finished it, Kranz would never have admitted defeat.”
The duke’s brow furrowed somewhat.
I continued speaking without hesitation.
“I learned that the meaning of swordsmanship sparring is to compare your skills with your opponent and gain the upper hand. However, it would be meaningless if one side did not acknowledge it. That’s why I did that. I thought knees were not enough for Kranz… … .”
There was silence for a moment.
I could see how much he was struggling by stroking his beard.
Krantz grew up with expectations from those around him from birth, so his pride was sky-high.
Those guys usually don’t want to admit defeat once they’ve broken.
If he had ended up kneeling, Kranz would have continued to attack him several times.
The desire to break it and make it submit was manifested and I kicked the guy’s head.
If Kranz wakes up now, he won’t even be able to make eye contact with me due to the trauma.
“Did you want to bring Kranz into submission?”
The duke immediately understood my intention.
I answered in a restrained voice.
“yes. Even if we were blood brothers, I wanted to subdue him.”
I know.
That the words and actions I said and did now were in no way suited to an innocent ten-year-old child.
Even the average person would think that this is not a normal child.
But who is the person in front of me?
This is Duke Berthe.
I’m not the type of person to worry about trivial things like personality.
Look.
His smile vaguely visible through his covered hands… … .
“excellent! Yes, the meaning of sparring is to show your superiority to your opponent. “There is no need to get caught up in the personal feelings of family love!”
The Duke was truly satisfied.
They must be very happy that they have a child who can inherit the family’s ideology.
From the beginning, he only thinks of children in that way.
“Your cool-headedness for someone your age stands out! “I will be a strong supporter to help Eshel in the future.”
“… … !”
For a moment, it felt like I had been hit on the head with a hammer.
what?
Whose reinforcements will you be?
Are you saying things like that because you know who killed me?
As my fist gained strength, a disgusting feeling rose up in a corner of my heart.
Another reason why I called the duke a fool.
This is because he was extremely obsessed with his eldest son, Eshel.
Eshel is not the child of the current duke’s mistress, Margaret.
My son from my first wife, who is said to have died long before I was born. No matter how much he loved his first wife, his father’s love for Eshel was truly excessive.
It’s as if there’s some kind of deception… … .
Well, I’m not going to tell anyone else.
Actually, I was the one who looked after him the most… … .
But it’s over now.
The moment Eshel’s sword penetrated my heart, an imprint was engraved on my body.
A life just for me.
All actions being taken now will become the cornerstone for the future.
“It’s okay to call it a prize, but I still want to give it as compensation for sparring. “If there’s anything you want, just tell me.”
What to hope for.
An unexpectedly big opportunity came.
In a short period of time, I had to think about which choice would be most beneficial to me.
All I have now are memories and sensations from my past life.
In order to regain its original strength, time for growth is still needed.
At the same time, I need to develop an even stronger strength that even my past life self cannot surpass.
Yeah, there’s no need to think hard about it.
First of all, I have felt for a long time that you need strength to do anything.
I don’t care about risks.
All you have to do is pursue the surest and most effective method in the current situation.
“I want to go to the front, father!”
* * *
An underground space where light does not penetrate.
A faint, fog-like thing that cannot be grasped by hand fills the surroundings.
It was a very unique place, with the surrounding terrain clearly visible despite the absence of any light.
-Tap, tap, tap.
A woman appeared from the fog.
A woman with her face hidden behind a black hood was walking along the fog that extended beyond the hallway.
Steps as if trying to find something.
Eventually, at the end of the hallway, I saw a table emitting a faint light.
There was an unidentifiable black box sitting on the table.
The woman opened the box naturally, as she always did.
“… … !”
The inside of the box was empty without any dust.
This is the disappearance of something that should have been there.
The woman who was looking around the honey box soon smiled with joy.
“The time has come!”
The woman hurriedly packed the box and went back the way she came.
A vast underground space spreads out at the end of the hallway we returned to.
The woman looked at the so-called ‘members’ wearing hoods identical to hers.
They were enjoying various entertainments such as drinking, gambling, and sleeping, and even though they saw women, they did not pay any attention.
She walked to the center without showing any signs, and immediately threw the box she was holding in front of the crew.
-Clink
The box rolled with a loud clanging sound.
Soon, all the crew members’ eyes turned to the box.
“The Mist Stone has disappeared.”
A woman announces that the contents of the box have disappeared.
There was no member of the crew who did not know what it meant.
“… … .”
The noisy atmosphere suddenly became quiet.
At the moment of silence, a member of the team asked a question.
“Has the heir returned?”
The woman says with a smile.
“I’ll have to check now.”
The woman reached for the box she had thrown away.
As the magic power rose, a black mist rose from the fingertips and immediately enveloped the box that had fallen to the ground.
-Whew.
Unidentifiable white smoke leaked from the empty box.
The smoke spread upward, gradually taking on an unknown shape.
-Dismissal!
The color of the smoke changed to black along with an unknown sound.
After a while, the smoke completed the shape of a child, and then disappeared without a trace.
After finishing the confirmation, the woman raised her hands and said.
“The day of revelation has dawned! “As of now, Mist’s activities will resume!”
As soon as the command was given, all members disappeared without a trace.
The only thing left in the vast underground space is the woman and the box.
“… … .”
The woman was looking at the box with a meaningful smile.
(Continued in the next part)
