“He must have cheated on something!”
Michael vented his anger in the Bernstein family garden. His reddened face was full of disbelief and doubt.
“Even if you make up words, there must be a limit! This is way over the line!”
Michael considered himself well aware of Luke’s abilities. A guy who demonstrates genius in many fields and has an extraordinary mind when it comes to strategy.
But at the same time, the level of force is slightly higher than that of a normal knight.
“But you killed seven dragons? Besides, six of them fought in a series of battles? There is no such thing as bullsh*t!”
“Hmm.”
“It’s not ‘hmm’! ‘Hmm’!”
Michael knocked on the round table at the carefree voice coming from the front. No matter what I said, nothing changed.
Why the hell are you so relaxed? Someone who should be as angry as himself!
“Say something properly, brother! Are you going to leave him alone like this?”
“Hmm”
“His hum… … !”
A stunned Michael tore his hair. However, Julihi showed no reaction to his brother’s appearance.
After watching Michael’s light flash for a while, Julich opened his mouth.
“So what do you want to do?”
“yes?”
“Luke. He cheated, so what, what? Are you saying you want to investigate and find out everything?”
“Of course!”
“Yeah, good job. You can work hard on your own.”
“older brother!?”
Michael was shocked by Julich’s unexpected answer. He is a person who needs to work hard to cut down Luke more than he does.
Isn’t that the successor? Even though Luke’s position is much higher than that of the heir, are you going to go over without checking it once?
“Why are you doing this? Even if the two of you work together to shoot him down, it won’t be enough!”
“ha.”
Julich sighed deeply and looked at his younger brother.
“Aww, listen carefully to this hyung.”
“Why are you setting the mood again? … .”
“Shut up and listen. I’m sick of seeing your glow now.”
Michael was taken aback by the annoyed voice. Yulihi glared at his brother with sharp eyes and opened his mouth.
“You seem to be mistaken, but I have nothing to lose just because Luke is doing well.”
“What kind of small grain is that!?”
“Think about it. If Luke had accomplished such a great feat, would he compete with me for successor? Or will he become the head of the family by setting up a branch outside? I’m like the latter.”
“… … !”
Michael’s eyes twinkled. I had never even thought about it.
“Boo, Bunga. It’s not like that… … .”
“You’re saying it because it’s not to a certain degree.”
Branching is when someone who is not an heir establishes a new family outside. Being the founder of a family is a feat that is rarely seen.
First of all, it was difficult for the imperial family to recognize the creation of a new family. But what about Luke now?
“Sir Ray rose to the position of Marquis of the West, and also formed a relationship with King Bjorn. We are even discussing marrying an elf princess.”
“That’s a trick! It’s clear that he bewitched everyone with his tricks… … !”
“It’s cheating and nabal, what do you know? They say they like Luke.”
Michael, who was stabbed to the point, opened his mouth. In fact, cheating and all is just an excuse to crush Luke.
No matter how much you try to sing a song that is a trick, it can’t affect the people you have a relationship with.
“Regardless of the circumstances, Luke gained popularity, made a contribution, and gained enough standing to establish a branch. But why do I have to confront him?”
“He might be aiming for an heir!”
“That is so scary. Did your father obediently allow it?”
“… … .”
Michael couldn’t bear to answer that. Earl Leonard was a stubborn man, close to a wall window when it came to old notions and traditions.
The succession sequence is one of them. If Julihi were to drop out of the position of successor due to disqualification, Michael would be put ahead of Luke no matter how much he did.
“I would have been nervous too if Luke had no other options than this Bernstein family. Because there is a possibility that he will cause a rebellion. But do you think he has only one option right now?”
West, North, Cult, Elf. You can immediately get a decent position within the competitive sphere of influence anywhere.
Under this circumstance, do you dare to conflict with Count Leonard and aim for the heir position? It’s nonsense.
“So I have no job. If you’re going to uncover a trick or something, do it yourself.”
“You will regret it later, brother.”
Seeing Michael gnashing his teeth and giving him a warning, Julich laughed.
“You do well. The last chance to become the successor has also been blown away, so shouldn’t we find out quickly from Jin?”
“Keugh!”
Michael turned his back with a distorted face. Julihi, who looked at her back for a while, was soon lost in thought.
‘I said that, but to be honest, I’m not too relieved.’
It is true that there is no concern about the position of the successor. However, in the chaos that will come later, if Luke comes to the point of crushing Julich.
If even the opportunity to soar to the sky is taken away from the present dark period. At that time, even Julihi wouldn’t be able to escape from Luke’s huge shadow.
“It is terrible.”
Yulihi involuntarily trembled. Still, there will be a chance. Isn’t it only a year since Luke left?
‘If I work hard to conserve strength until the chaotic times approach, I’ll see the possibility of a reversal.’
Julich, who had comforted himself like that, took up the cooled teacup. Not even realizing that that hope was shattered a long time ago.
* * *
“Damn it! The next successor is blind to the future!”
Michael sighed and spat out a series of swear words. I believed that they would cooperate in the face of a common enemy, so the heat was further extended.
“You can see the belated regret! I will regret hitting the ground!”
That’s what he said, but in fact Michael knew. That Luke had no reason to aim for the Count.
The reason why Michael was trying to crush Luke right now was because of bad feelings. Inferiority, envy, father’s stain.
I didn’t like the reality that such an existence was revered as a hero.
‘If you don’t help me, I’ll have to go out on my own!’
After thinking, Michael quickly wrote a letter. It was a letter to her mother, Helena, who was still recuperating at her mother’s house to cure her tantrum.
-I don’t know if your mother is listening to the news of the bastard. It is truly deplorable that his reputation is undeservedly revered in the world. Anyone with a strong will should step up and reveal the deceit, but my older brother has no intention of stepping out… … .
It is Michael who has no faction of his own. Since he did not have the strength to press down on Luke, he had to draw strength from another place.
Currently, the only place Michael can draw strength from is his mother’s family. Fortunately, Helena responded quickly.
-If mother became like this because of that damn thing, how could Julihi be like that? You too, release my anger! Even if he’s a hero outside, he’s a child of a thousand things at home, so tell him what to do!
“As expected, your mother knows the story.”
Michael looked at the secret visitors from the outskirts of the estate and raised his eyebrows. A series of knights wearing scarred and tattered armor.
The ‘Bloody Wolf Crew’, which is said to consist entirely of mercenary knights. They were famous for being the only mercenary knights in the empire.
Rumor has it that it costs a thousand gold to move once, but it seems that the mother put a lot of effort into it.
“Are you Halken Rugos, the leader?”
“That’s right. My friends call me Halken the Red Wolf.”
The fierce-looking mercenary knight grinned. Every time he changed his expression, the huge scar on his cheek wriggled as well.
The already ferocious impression was made all the more terrifying by the scars.
“The payment has already been received. Just tell me anything and I’ll take care of it neatly. Whether it be war, plunder, or assassination.”
“Hoo.”
It was an honorless remark, but Michael liked the faithfulness. Even though it cost a lot of gold coins, how many people couldn’t pay the price even after receiving the money.
“That sounds really nice, but unfortunately this time we have a showdown.”
“A confrontation?”
“Yes, because the incompetent bastard gained excessive falsehood through deceit.”
“Aha, I see what you mean.”
It was an occasional request, but one I had received several times. If you are forced to duel, run away, or try to escape outside help, the entire mercenary team will step in and stop you.
Then, by beating the opponent so badly, they drop their honor to the floor. Even if the opponent is really strong and wins, it doesn’t matter.
You just have to keep challenging your opponent until they are exhausted and defeated.
“That is our specialty. Just leave it to me.”
“Okay, let only the Lords believe.”
“Wonderful. It’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. I will have to put more effort into this.”
Halken smiled cruelly. Daegeum is also Daegeum, but I personally liked this request quite a bit.
* * *
Michael, who hired the Red Wolf, moved quickly. There was already a letter from Luke announcing his return, so it was not difficult to find the route.
‘You’re lucky. My father was more willing to let me go than I thought.’
Upon hearing of Luke’s arrival, the family prepared a welcome banquet. In the meantime, Michael sneaked out with a suitable excuse.
-I’m feeling stuffy in my chest. Would it be okay if I ran around the estate?
-That’s it.
The Count knew right away that Luke and Michael had a bad relationship. The welcome banquet itself might be distasteful to Michael.
So, the count readily agreed. From Michael’s point of view, it was the best thing ever.
“Okay, wait here for him to come.”
“It’s a less crowded road than I thought.”
“Because the road itself is narrow. It’s a short cut, so it’s good for a small number of travelers, but the caravan and wagons can’t come this way.”
That’s why it was a better place. If it was here, there would be no reports going into the family until everything was over.
From noble mtl dot com
‘Hey, it’s time to pay the price for falsehood.’
The corners of Michael’s mouth went up. Having done this, I will not be able to escape my father’s reprimand. But the aftermath that Luke will bear is more than that.
A human who caught a dragon gets beaten up by a mere mercenary? Isn’t it really a disgrace among disgrace?
In the midst of a pleasant imagination, I saw Luke and his party in the distance.
“come!”
“I thought I was tired of waiting. What kind of face is it… … ?”
Halken’s face hardened as he smiled cruelly. Eventually, each time Luke got closer, his face turned pale and cold sweat broke out.
As they got closer to the point where they recognized each other’s faces, Halken spoke in a barely squeezed voice.
“I’m sorry. The request will be stopped.”
“What!? What are you talking about now!?”
“I will properly pay the penalty. So please forgive me.”
“Captain, are you crazy!? How much money is that, but I heard that they ask for twice as much… … !”
“shut up! These idiots don’t even know what’s going on!”
Halken opened his eyes and shouted at the member. The momentum was so intense that not only the members but also Michael had to step back.
“If you have eyes, you should know the moment you see them! That’s a monster! A real monster! Get ready to run away before everything is lost… … !”
“Brother! What a grand welcome!”
Halken groaned at Luke’s cry from behind. Michael listened to the sound and thought.
They say it’s like a wolf with a dragon in front of it.