…What the hell did that vermin just say?
The third prince of Esrin, who had never in his life heard such insults, was at a loss for words.
“How dare you speak such insolence to His Highness…!”
“Do you want to die?!”
The furious voices of the knights rang out, but they barely registered with him.
‘That I should know my place? That Esrin doesn’t compare to Pellenberg?’
Impossible. Esrin, while perhaps not comparable to the Empire, was undoubtedly one of the continent’s great powers.
A mere duchy couldn’t even dream of rivaling it.
The prince squinted, trying to think calmly.
‘That Esrin’s support is worthless?’
Fine, that he could accept. For an Elector Prince of the Empire like Armian, support from an equal would always outweigh that of a foreign nation.
But that wasn’t because Esrin was weak—it was simply due to differing circumstances.
In that, Fernan’s words held merit.
But the next part did not.
‘A mere merchant family compared to Esrin’s standing army?’
No matter how many mercenaries Pellenberg hired, they were still just mercenaries.
Esrin, on the other hand, maintained a permanent army of fifty thousand—a true military power.
In both quality and quantity, the gap with Pellenberg’s mercenaries was immense.
‘Though sending them into the Empire would be another issue.’
That was the real problem.
Imperials might fight each other over whims, but when facing foreign invasion, they always united.
Sending regular troops into the Empire would be seen as a declaration of war. And hiring tens of thousands of mercenaries for someone else’s conflict? Pure madness.
Plus, after a civil war, the cost of rebuilding the kingdom would be enormous.
‘Fine. I’ll concede that point too.’
In the end, Fernan was right about that as well.
It hurt to admit it, but he had to.
However, on the third matter, he was certain.
‘…Pellenberg’s wealth.”
There was no room for debate. Not only the greatest on the continent, but in the world.
It was joked that selling the Pellenbergs could buy the entire continent.
‘…Damn it.’
Tulwin clenched his lips.
What infuriated him wasn’t just the insults—it was the fact that he couldn’t refute a single one because they were true.
‘I swear I’ll ascend the throne and make Esrin a great power…’
He would turn Esrin into an empire. And then he’d exterminate that arrogant House Pellenberg.
That his eyes landed on Fernan Pellenberg in that moment was no coincidence.
‘Yes, the Pellenbergs are a great lineage.’
So what?
Did that power and wealth serve him here, right now?
No. Definitely not.
Tulwin’s eyes glinted with madness.
Perhaps he was witnessing a historic moment—the fall of the “gold of the Empire,” House Pellenberg,
and the rise of Esrin.
“…You’re right. Compared to Pellenberg, Esrin is much more limited.”
He spat the words as if chewing poison, staring at Fernan with absolute hatred.
‘Fernan Pellenberg… you’ll die today.’
Today, he would fulfill his purpose.
***
“So he stayed silent because he was mulling it over. I see he’s finally accepted it as truth.”
That unexpected admission, combined with those eyes full of bloodlust, made Fernan’s smile twist slightly.
“At least I’m glad you’ve finally recognized your place.”
“But tell me, so what?”
“Excuse me?”
“That your arrogance made you commit a blunder.”
Pff, pff—Tulwin Esrin let out a short laugh.
“No matter how grand the Pellenbergs may be, what can they do here and now? If you die here, what will become of your house?”
He didn’t expect Fernan to tremble in fear or apologize. He just wanted him to lower his head a little and acknowledge the difference.
But—
“After hearing that, I now understand why Esrin will always be beneath Pellenberg.”
The response was even more insulting.
“…What did you say?”
“With such short-sighted thinking and poor judgment, of course you can’t progress. I suppose that’s why you turned to the foolish decision of allying with the corrupt.”
“What?”
“Did you really think I came unprepared?”
“How did you listen to what I just said? There are only six of you in total!”
This wasn’t the Empire—it was Esrin. Fernan couldn’t have brought his elites or a mercenary army.
If he had, Tulwin would have known.
“And did it not occur to you that the first prince might be helping us stay hidden from your view?”
“No. There are countless demonic creatures in this area. If there were another force here, it would have already been discovered.”
And that was true. The creatures hadn’t detected anyone other than Fernan’s group.
“Am I wrong?”
“No, Your Highness. You’re right.”
Fernan clapped softly, as if admiring the deduction.
“I must confess my admiration for Your Highness’s insight.”
The mocking tone twisted the prince’s expression.
“There’s no point in bluffing.”
“Bluffing? No, I didn’t bring Pellenberg’s elites or hire mercenaries either, as Your Highness correctly stated.”
But there’s one detail.
“We are not just six, Your Highness. We are no less than six.”
No, I was wrong. Fernan corrected himself.
“To be exact, it’s no less than one.”
“…One?”
“Shall I tell you a little story?”
Fernan continued without waiting for a reply.
“Perhaps the corrupt already told you. Not long ago, I traveled to Alprosen and exterminated another of them.”
He risked his life in that battle, saving none other than the crown prince of Alprosen.
“The crown prince, unlike you, understands honor and gratitude. As payment for saving his life, he promised me much. Do you know what I asked in return?”
“And why should I care?”
“Oh, you should.”
Fernan took a step back.
“Because it’s something that will help you understand your place.”
One of the hooded figures stepped forward.
“That payment will show you in person.”
“…What?”
The cloak slowly fell.
“Treating a person as payment? You’re definitely a Pellenberg to the bone.”
The voice was old, marked by experience.
“…That face… C-Can it be?!”
“…You are…?”
The expressions of the prince’s knights hardened as they recognized him. One after another, they all identified him.
Even the corrupt and Tulwin himself paled upon realization.
“Heh… I haven’t shown myself in public in some time. It’s an honor that the prince of Esrin still remembers this old man.”
“H-How are you here?”
“Didn’t young master Fernan already say? This is the payment for saving the crown prince’s life.”
The old man took another step forward. Without exerting any pressure, the knights and the prince instinctively stepped back.
“And since those corrupt vermin tried to kill the crown prince, I also have a personal score to settle.”
“…A knight of Alprosen infiltrating Esrin and raising your sword to a prince! Even you will have to answer for this!”
“Prince? No. I only cut down the corrupt. And no one will reproach me for it.”
More than anything because—
Swoosh—
The old man drew his sword.
“I just accompanied my grandson to visit some friends from the Academy. Old age leaves too much free time, you see?”
“You expect us to believe such a ridiculous excuse?!”
The prince shrieked in desperation, but the old man’s gaze was no longer on him.
It had settled on the two corrupt ones flanking him.
“The rank 66 demon, Kimaris, right? The same one Albinos and Garrett barely managed to defeat together.”
The old man took a stance.
“I may not be equal to the two of them combined, but…”
He slashed with a simple movement.
A cold wind blew.
A second later—
─────!
A sword gust split the air. Five nearby demonic creatures were cleaved in two without even managing to scream.
“At the very least, unless you summon a demon of that level, you won’t be able to stop me.”
The First Knight of Alprosen was beginning to unleash his true power.
***
“…This is absurd!”
Count Daniel let out a scream.
It made no sense. Two rank-1 Rahnas and, on top of that, the elite forces commanded by the third prince.
They had prepared the perfect trap to catch Aint and were waiting for the right moment, but suddenly Fernan appeared.
Up to that point, it was still comprehensible. But then a Royal Knight appeared too.
If it had only been a Royal Knight, he might have still managed, even if he had to burn all his books and sacrifice everything.
If, on the other hand, the Royal Knight hadn’t shown up, he also might’ve had a chance.
What should never have happened was Aint and a Royal Knight existing on the same battlefield. And that was exactly what had occurred.
“Fernan Pellenberg! Fernan Pellenberg! How did you break the hypnosis?!”
More than how he had broken the enchantment, what he wanted was to rip that detestable face off, shred it, and feed it to the hounds of hell.
But he couldn’t. Before thinking about killing Fernan, he had to worry about his own survival.
When the Royal Knight moved, Count Daniel screamed in desperation.
“Stop him! Stop that crazy old man!”
──!
The two Rahnas rushed forward. Three swords clashed, and demonic magic and aura mixed, unleashing a shockwave.
Just from that exchange, Count Daniel understood even more clearly that there was no hope.
“We have to run.”
Amid the chaos, Roderick approached him and whispered.
“I think the same.”
“With these monsters, even with Aint Armian and a Royal Knight here, we’ll have time to escape.”
“And the third prince?”
“If we leave him behind, our chances of survival go up.”
Now that the third prince had been exposed for making a pact with the corrupt, he’d fight with everything he had. That would buy Daniel and Roderick some time.
Nodding briefly, the two began to retreat quietly, hiding their presence as much as possible.
They managed to reach the cave’s exit without anyone noticing their absence.
No one, except one.
“How rude, my dear Count. After so long without seeing each other, you leave without saying goodbye?”
They didn’t know how or when, but Fernan Pellenberg was already waiting for them at the exit, blocking the path.
“…Fernan Pellenberg.”
“Seems like you’ve changed a bit. Perhaps now that you’ve been exposed as corrupt, you think courtesy is no longer necessary?”
“So the hypnosis…?”
“I broke it. A while ago.”
Fernan clicked his tongue in feigned disappointment.
His original plan had been to keep pretending, infiltrate the corrupt more deeply, and extract vital information from them.
‘No helping it.’
Everything has its priorities.
Playing spy was useful, but letting Aint die would’ve been sheer folly.
That would be putting the means above the end.
“How did you…?”
“Do I really have to explain it to you? Though I must admit I’m surprised, Count. You must be quite busy with your distilleries, and yet you still find time to meddle in another country’s civil war. Knowing that, if discovered, it wouldn’t be a simple matter to resolve.”
A foreign count involved in another kingdom’s succession wasn’t just simple interference.
No country would tolerate it; it would be grounds for condemnation across the continent.
“After thinking it over, there are only three possibilities.”
Tap, tap— Fernan drummed his fingers on his thigh.
“Either you were confident you could crown the third prince as king of Esrin. Or, you believed that even if you failed, you wouldn’t be discovered. Or, the third option…”
He paused briefly.
“…You wanted to be discovered.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you find it an interesting picture? An imperial noble interfering in another kingdom’s civil war. And then the criticism raining down from all other nations.”
No kingdom would dare declare war on the Empire, that colossal force.
Maybe the entire continental coalition together could attempt it, but who would risk their nation’s existence over Esrin?
Even so, they wouldn’t sit idly by.
Foreign relations would fracture, the Empire would be diplomatically isolated, and when the demons made their move in earnest, it would be a massive obstacle to forming an alliance led by Armian.
“Isn’t that right?”
“No.”
“Oh, but it will be. Because you’ll die here today.”
“How dare you…!”
Well, though he didn’t plan to kill them immediately.
Fernan struck the ground with his staff.
“Leave here all the information on the corrupt and demons.”
A steel wall rose up, completely sealing the exit.
“And march.”
To the underworld.
“Luina, I leave them to you. Senior, the same to you.”
Fernan stepped back. Two of the hooded figures beside him let their cloaks fall.
“With pleasure.”
Luina Bercheff drew her sword.
“It’ll be my pleasure. I’ve never fought against the corrupt before. Did you really try to assassinate the crown prince?”
The Royal Knight’s grandson, Rob Kaelin, showed his teeth in a feral grin.
“Perfect.”
Roderick growled, gripping his weapon.
“I’ll kill them all and get out of here!”
He thrust his spear. Luina’s sword met it.
───!
At the same time, Rob Kaelin launched a surprise attack on Count Daniel.
The battle had begun.
____
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