22. I’ll Let You Leave Gracefully
The Duke’s office.
Unlike the grand door, the inside was quite simple.
Or perhaps I should say it was neat and elegant.
The only expensive thing was the old shield that was the symbol of the Duke’s family.
‘It’s still the same.’
Of course, it was a very familiar place to Joo-yeon.
It was exactly the office he had set up.
The Duke realized the identity of Joo-yeon, who had suddenly appeared.
“How dare you speak informally to me?”
Even though it was the first time he had met him, he was confident.
There was only one person who would be confident in front of the lord of the Edmer family, the greatest family in the North.
“So it’s you. The guy called ‘that guy.’”
Not only his appearance, but it was really strange.
“How in the world did you get in here?”
It wasn’t the lord’s office for nothing.
Not only the office, but the defenses along the way to this place were solid.
There were also knights in charge of security.
It was difficult to break through without even triggering a single trap.
But none of them had informed him of Joo-yeon’s visit.
The Duke opened his mouth to the familiar guy behind Joo-yeon.
“Bayner, it was you. You’re the one who brought that guy here secretly.”
“I…… I apologize, Your Grace.”
“No, you did well.”
“……!?”
Bayner stepped back in surprise.
It was because the Duke, who he thought would punish him, was letting it go.
But the Duke was sincere.
“Vayner, that son of a b*tch is a coward.”
He had quite a lot of magical knowledge.
However, he was a typical snob who was only strong against the weak and weak against the strong.
That such a guy brought him?
“I wonder what happened to the assassins.”
You could tell just by looking at the slight bloodstain on Jooyeon’s pants.
For some reason, all the assassins were dead.
“And Vayner brought such a guy here.”
It made sense that he had broken through the tight security.
The Duke was one of the few who knew that Vayner had the ＜Cloak of Shadows＞.
It would have been possible if he had used the secret passage and the magic that he had told him about.
However, Vayner broke out in a cold sweat.
‘He seems to be seriously mistaken about something.’
Surely he doesn’t think I used magic to bring him here?
And even using the secret passage?
Surprisingly, he had never guided Jooyeon to this place.
He had only told him where the Duke would be by now.
Then Jooyeon nodded.
[Really? Then follow me. I think I’ll get lost because it’s been a long time since I’ve been to the office.]
[Huh? What do you mean… . ]
Jooyeon quickly disappeared from his sight.
He had no choice but to use magic to track him and follow him.
And he was able to see an amazing sight.
Swish!
[Hmm? Did something just pass by?]
[What would pass by? I don’t even see an ant.]
[Am I a little sensitive? It seems like the wind just blew.]
[Anyway, it’s useless… . ]
Jooyeon had completely figured out the guards’ patrol routes.
When they would change shifts.
And where to move to avoid their视线.
It was natural to pass the guards and head to the office.
He seemed to know exactly how to break through the security of the Duke’s family.
So it was no wonder Vayner was surprised.
‘Most of the Duke’s soldiers are highly trained veterans.’
Even such people didn’t notice him at all.
They acted like blind fools even when he passed right by them.
And Jooyeon escaped their surveillance with perfect timing.
‘Even I wouldn’t have been able to follow him without the ＜Cloak of Shadows＞.’
Fortunately, he had stealth magic.
If I had tried to fly or just follow, I would have been caught by those soldiers.
That wasn’t the only surprising thing.
[Knight? You can’t just pass through here?]
I breached the seemingly impenetrable defenses using clever methods.
There were various methods.
[If you go this way, the rooms are connected.]
[If you throw a stone here…the guards will turn to the side. Now’s our chance. Let’s go.]
[We’ll break through above. Follow me quietly so we don’t get caught.]
It was as if it were Joo-in’s own home.
The more I learned, the more frightened I became.
It felt like I had provoked someone I shouldn’t have.
But there was something even more frightening.
[Follow me quickly. Why are you so slow?]
[Y, yes, sir. Ah? This place is….]
[The Edmer family’s secret passage. It leads to the Lord’s office.]
[How on earth did you….]
Bayner was genuinely taken aback.
Originally, I was supposed to guide him through the secret passage.
However, Joo-in, claiming to know it well, was instead leading me.
‘I definitely heard that he was a slave.’
There was no way a slave could do such a thing.
The thought that I might have provoked the wrong person lingered in my mind.
‘Please don’t cause a scene.’
If he were the Duke, he might wield his sword as soon as he saw me.
I wanted to warn the Duke in advance, but I couldn’t.
It was because of the sudden pain in my head.
Kuung!
‘Ugh…even though I only thought about it, the pain is this bad.’
All my thoughts were already being controlled by the暗示.
Even the slightest thought of harming Joo-in brought such intense pain that it felt like my head would burst.
It was like being caught in an inescapable collar.
Suddenly, Bayner’s body, which had been looking around, froze.
‘What the…we’re already here?’
In an instant, we had breached the heavy defenses and arrived before the Duke.
It was no wonder Bayner was looking at Joo-in with eyes full of shock.
However, the Duke, unaware of this, was deep in thought.
Is this guy [that person]?
He was definitely the one who had sent assassins to kill me just a moment ago.
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However, the moment he saw Joo-in, his mind changed.
‘There’s no way he wouldn’t have been caught by the soldiers on his way here.’
It wasn’t difficult to deal with the eyewitness.
However, there was bound to be a problem if he dealt with all the soldiers.
The best option here wasn’t to kill the guy.
‘Even if I kill him, I should do it where no one else can see.’
The first thing to do was get rid of him from this place.
He even had to tolerate Joo-yeon’s unpleasant informality.
“I see. ‘He’ certainly deserves it.”
Anyway, he wouldn’t see him again after today.
The Duke opened the drawer.
He threw what was in it toward Joo-yeon.
Clatter.
The pouch that fell to the floor opened, revealing its splendid contents.
It was various jewels, including gold.
This time, Joo-yeon tilted his head.
“What is this?”
“It’s the mercy I’m giving you.”
“Mercy?”
At Joo-yeon’s tilting head, the Duke answered with cold eyes.
“I heard you lived as a slave in a labor camp.”
“So?”
“It’s probably wealth you won’t be able to touch even if you work for the rest of your life. Take it. It’s yours from now on.”
“……?”
Joo-yeon’s eyes turned to the pouch for a moment.
He roughly estimated the value of the contents with the eye of an appraiser.
“This isn’t a small amount of money. It’s enough to buy at least a nobleman’s mansion in the heart of the capital.”
“You seem to know its value well. How about it? Is that enough for you?”
“……”
It was more than the wealth in the warden’s safe.
But strangely, he didn’t feel like taking it.
‘Why do I feel so dirty?’
Because it felt like he was receiving ill-gotten gains.
The Duke read Joo-yeon’s expression.
“Is that not enough for you? After all, the lowly are always full of greed.”
Then he uttered words that would horrify anyone else.
“Do you want to become a knight? If you want, I’ll write you a letter of recommendation. With the name of Duke Edmer, you can become a knight of any noble.”
The Duke’s body gradually leaned forward.
He clasped his hands together and looked at Joo-yeon.
“If you want to become a wizard, I’ll send you to the Magic Tower. With the reputation of the ducal family, any Magic Tower will welcome you with open arms.”
He could even become a noble.
“If you want to live quietly, I can even prepare a manor in the countryside. I’ll make sure you live comfortably for the rest of your life.”
That was one hell of an offer.
It was an opportunity that any ordinary civilian would’ve jumped at without a second thought.
However, Jooyeon’s gaze was cold.
He had noticed what the Duke was trying to say.
“So what do I have to give you in return?”
“Go away. This is no place for the likes of you.”
“The likes of me?”
The Duke’s cold voice returned to Jooyeon, who was taken aback.
“Just because you burned the slave document yourself doesn’t mean you’re not a slave. It would be troubling if ‘that person’ your father has been looking for for so long turned out to be the likes of you.”
In short, he didn’t want to let Jooyeon, who had been a slave to the previous Duke, meet Aiden.
Of course, his true intentions were that he didn’t want to give Jooyeon the position of Lord…….
Anyway, he was saying that as a former slave, Jooyeon should be grateful for the treasure he was offering him.
“If you leave quietly right now…… You’ll be able to return home alive and well.”
Clank!
At the Duke’s signal, the knights raised their weapons.
A sharp murderous aura was emitted towards Jooyeon, as if they would charge at him any moment.
It seemed that if he wanted to leave this place alive, he had to accept the Duke’s offer.
Duke Edmer pressured Jooyeon with an impassive face.
“If I make a gesture, you’ll be hacked to death right here.”
“Wow. The Lord of the great Edmer family is resorting to threats?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Thwack!
The Duke raised his hand.
Then, the knights who had been at the end of the room disappeared.
The moment he blinked.
Clang!
Before he knew it, the knights were pointing their swords at Jooyeon’s neck.
Jooyeon was taken aback.
He may have spoken kindly, but the Duke’s true intentions were like this:
‘Take this and get lost. If you don’t, I’ll kill you.’
He was telling him to take the money he was offering him and disappear discreetly.
‘I was going to let you go since you’re the son of my old comrade and all, for old time’s sake.’
But this was too much.
It seemed that his friend’s son had become quite spoiled after not seeing him for so long.
In a way, Jooyeon was like his own son.
‘Shouldn’t I discipline a disobedient child properly?’
Beating him to his senses was something only a beast would do.
Jooyeon smiled meaningfully.
“Alright. I’ll leave if that’s what you want.”
The Duke had an expression that said he had expected this.
The nature of the lowly is that they are helpless.
“Indeed. Since your life is on the line, you must have thought it wise to accept whatever is offered and scram.”
Truly, these men were easy to deal with.
Although the Duke’s words were vulgar beyond belief, he decided to show mercy to Jooyeon.
“So what is it that you desire?”
A knight’s title?
A mage’s credentials?
A local lordship?
He only had to ask.
Anything could be granted.
Of course, it would not last long.
As soon as he was out of the Duke’s reach, he would vanish without a trace.
Unbeknownst to Jooyeon, the Duke signaled to the knight.
‘Kill him as soon as he steps outside the manor.’
Nod.
The knight understood his intentions and nodded. Unlike the butler he had killed earlier, this man was reliable.
However, what Jooyeon desired was none of those things.
His hand soon pointed to one side of the room.
“Yes, fine. Give me that one thing and I’ll leave quietly.”
The Duke’s eyes widened.
Jooyeon’s hand was pointing at none other than…
The shield that was said to have been wielded by the previous Duke.
It was a treasure of the family.