“… What just happened?”
A single word someone blurted out represented everyone’s state of mind. I couldn’t even see it moving.
In the blink of an eye, Luke rushed right in front of the opponent, and before he knew it, the knight was flying through the air.
“What is this… … ?”
“Does this even make sense, no matter how Bernstein?”
“Hey, he didn’t even pull out his sword.”
A murmur was heard among the awake. Those who did not know much about swordsmanship only tilted their heads, but those who knew even a little were different.
In particular, those who caught even a part of Luke’s movements spit out astonishment inside.
‘Closing that distance with just one leap?’
‘How about the strength to blow away an armored knight in one shot?’
‘A monster came out of Bernstein.’
It is said that Bernstein is famous for his sword, but even that is a story told in the human category. The only exception is Leonic, the first head of the family.
But isn’t Luke’s movement truly at the level of a dragon slayer’s return? The swordsmen each trembled and swallowed dry saliva.
“Eh, what is this… … .”
Gerard opened his eyes and opened his mouth. When the duel started, Roberto lay down on the ground, and Luke was shaking his hands.
“What? The duel is over.”
“… This is a trick!”
Reflexively, Gerard shouted. Luke smiled at the expression that he couldn’t understand.
“What trick?”
“I-I don’t know about that, but it’s a trick! Does this make sense!?”
“It actually happened, so it makes sense.”
Gerard gnashed his teeth at Luke’s smirk. No matter how you think about it, this was something that could not have happened in common sense. He must have cheated on something!
‘Is it elven magic? Or something relic? We must ask for a fair investigation… … .’
“What are you doing now!”
Then, someone shouted outside the circle of people. The people all turned to the direction from which the sound had come and swallowed the wind.
“Lee, Lord Leon!”
“How could the deputy count… … .”
Leon Winslow. The representative of the currently absent Herning family and the pinnacle of power wielding virtually omnipotent power.
At the appearance of such a Leon, everyone from commoners to nobles froze.
“I came after receiving a report that someone was causing trouble in the territory. Back off everyone!”
“Yes, yes!”
The sea of people split open. I felt the fear of not knowing what would happen later if I hated the person in charge of the elven trade.
Leone, who had led the soldiers, frowned at Gerard.
“Is it you again? You often cause trouble.”
“Go, ball. I mean, it’s not… … .”
“noisy! His excuses are endless.”
Gerard’s face turned red at Leon’s remark. In terms of age, Rion is younger than Gerard, but her current title is Acting Count.
Even if there is a possibility of threatening your family in the future, it is still far from the Cataldi family. Not to mention Count Herning, the loser of the West.
“Who are the guys who caused a commotion like you… … !”
Leone’s gaze, turning his head, met Luke’s.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Leon rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing something wrong. However, no matter how much he rubbed it, Luke’s shape did not disappear.
“Lou, Sir Luke?”
“Long time no see.”
“Yeah, that’s right. But the fact that the Lord is here… … .”
As if the neck of a broken doll was turning, Leon moved his gaze. From Luke to Bruno, from Bruno to flame-red hair.
Eventually, when he met Ray’s cold eyes, the blood drained from Leon’s face. Leon quickly got down on his knees and shouted with respect.
“Meet the rightful owner of the Herning family, Leon Winslow, Deputy Earl!”
“… … !”
Everyone in the plaza opened their mouths at Leon’s remarks about the bomb.
* * *
“The rightful owner of the Herning family?”
“The Count, who is said to be absent… … !”
People’s eyes turned to Ray all at once. Not much is known about the current Herning household.
It is because those who know the detailed information kept their mouth shut. The only known information is that she is the adopted daughter of the former count and that she has made great contributions to the elven trade.
The elves’ trade is actually done through the count, so even rumors spread that even Leon, who had full power, would not dare to assume the position of count.
“Stand up.”
“yes!”
At Ray’s cool tone, Leone stood up quickly. Stares flocked to her from all sides, but she felt no shame whatsoever.
It’s shame, it’s nabal, and shouldn’t life be attached first.
“You seem to be managing the estate well. The lord praised you.”
“Go, thank you.”
“And you must have benefited a lot. It is wealth and power that are undeserved of you.”
At the cool voice, Leon swallowed his saliva. I tried my best not to catch the pod as much as possible, but it was of no use if I was determined and Ray tried to catch it.
Anyway, the ruler of this territory is Ray. After a short but long silence, Ray opened his mouth.
“But this, too, must be what the lord needs.”
Leon let out a deep sigh of relief. It seemed that the passing line had been crossed.
“Let’s go to the castle first. For the sake of His Excellency, the rightful owner, the office is always left empty.”
“i get it. Previously… … .”
Ray’s gaze turned to Gerard. When Gerard met Ray’s gaze, his legs gave out and he almost collapsed.
Your Excellency Count? Is that woman none other than the real count? If it was a dream, it was a nightmare that I wanted to wake up from right now.
“Gerard Cataldi.”
“Yes, yep!”
“Don’t remember today.”
That word was enough. Gerard sat down on the floor, unable to stand up any longer. Leaving Gerard and the spectators alone, Luke and his party headed for the castle.
Everyone just looked at the departing party in shock.
* * *
“Aren’t you kidding me too much? I won’t be able to sleep for months.”
“It would be perfect as a lesson for a kid who couldn’t understand the subject.”
At Ray’s words, Luke burst into laughter.
“Well, that would be better than running wild like that and then going crazy.”
If you struggle with nightmares for at least a few months, your arrogance will be tempered. After entering the castle, the party immediately arrived at the VIP room.
“Sir Max will be arriving soon.”
“kyung? Max is not an aristocrat.”
“I arbitrarily gave you an honorary knighthood.”
Max is a commoner, not an aristocrat. But the problem was Max’s location. Isn’t it none other than Luke’s henchman?
Depending on the report when Luke returns, at least one family may be blown away. Of course, since he was a commoner, he didn’t dare to treat him badly.
“Originally, it would be right to consult with Sir Luke first, but the situation was not favorable. Because those who don’t know the circumstances really have a chance to make mistakes.”
So, is it an honorary article that came up as a compromise? Only the appearance is at the level of a nobleman, but at least it’s a title that can’t be treated carelessly in a vacant position.
Understanding the situation, Luke nodded.
“Well, that can’t be helped.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
From noble mtl dot com
After a while, the door opened with a loud bang. It was a rude act, but no one bruised anyone.
“Lord! Sirs!”
“Max… … !”
Everyone jumped up, delighted at the voice they hadn’t heard in a long time. And the moment they saw Max’s face, the three bodies stopped.
Something was different from before. The cheeks were plump and the body was round. Perhaps recognizing their gaze, Max scratched his head with an embarrassing expression.
“Hmm, the hospitality was too good.”
“… … .”
Man, you’ve been a lot more comfortable than I thought.
* * *
When Max entered, Lyon moved away. Because he knew that he was not in a position to listen to private stories together.
As Leon left, Luke narrowed his eyes and looked at Max.
“Did you suck the honey well?”
“It’s honey. Even after seeing this, I couldn’t sleep at night because I was worried about the lord and the ministers.”
“I guess so.”
“Because it’s real. The North is a place where news is not heard at all.”
“Then what is that age?”
“It is the result of binge eating to relieve anxiety.”
What the hell, if you can’t speak. Luke stuck out his tongue at Nucksal who didn’t die at all.
“But really, I haven’t heard from you until now. What has happened so far in the North?”
“Before that, I heard your report. Is it going well here while we’re gone?”
“It went very well.”
It wasn’t that there weren’t attempts to steal trade routes with the elves. However, the Grand Duke of the Elves had no intention of trading with anyone other than Luke.
He is a grand duke who does not trust humans from the beginning. There was no reason to abandon Luke, the only one he judged to be trustworthy, and join hands with someone he had never seen before.
“To be honest, even the guys who made the offer didn’t expect much. It must have been a stabbing feeling. The real bad mood came from the issue of distribution of trade goods.”
“Looks like it ended well.”
“Yes, Mr. Leone concedes a lot. I was also surprised while observing.”
No matter how publically he is an acting count, Leone belongs to the Winslow family. People tend to press down the competing families and try to support their own family.
However, Leone obediently reduced the Winslow family’s share and distributed it to other families. Thanks to Leon’s unconventional concession, the harsh atmosphere quickly disappeared.
“I am not a nobleman who will follow the cause. how it happened.”
“Well, you must be well aware of your position.”
Trade routes are maintained only thanks to Luke. All of the legitimacy of the territory is possessed by Ray. Everywhere, wolves who want to take their place flash their eyes.
Even this is not enough, even Ray, the count, hates Leone, so if you want to live, shouldn’t you crawl on your own?
“What else? Wasn’t there any other accident?”
“There was nothing in particular, but something strange happened.”
“A strange thing?”
Max glanced at the door, then muffled his voice. And whispered very quietly.
“It looks like the elven grand duke wants to form a marriage alliance with the lord.”
“Poop!”
“… … !”
Bruno spits out the tea he was drinking, and Ray stiffens as if his entire body is paralyzed. Luke, the person in charge, wondered what he had heard wrong.
“Are you kidding?”
“I am not kidding.”
“An elven marriage alliance with a human? Does that make sense?”
An elf who pierces the sky because of his high self-esteem. Basically, humans are treated as a sub-species, but marriage alliances?
Rather, it would have been fortunate if he hadn’t tore and killed the human who spoke out. Max scratched the back of his head as if he was aware of the nonsense he was talking about.
“I didn’t believe it at first either. But why do you keep calling me and giving me hints?”
“What hint?”
“In the past, humans and elves of a special lineage were married, and that it was possible to have children between the two races. They even said that it wouldn’t be strange if something like that happened again.”
Luke’s face hardened. If he really said that, he couldn’t see it as Max’s misunderstanding.
Mantap