As soon as Lucian finished speaking, Hugo was completely frozen.
It was as if a stalactite had been driven into his spine.
His entire body was paralyzed, to the point that he couldn’t even breathe properly.
Before the unmoving Hugo, Lucian gave a cold smile.
“What’s wrong? Laugh. Just a moment ago, you were laughing so well, weren’t you?”
“….”
“You’re like this on such a joyful day—it’s almost uncomfortable. You saddled the son of a grand duke with a gambling debt, so you should be thinking fast about how to use it. If it’s you, I’m sure you’ve already picked the perfect moment to blackmail me.”
“Huup.”
He tried to open his mouth to say something, but not even that would obey him.
The breath he was about to exhale got stuck in his throat, as if someone were choking him.
His reason screamed at him to come up with an excuse, but his instincts gave the opposite warning.
That the moment he slipped up with even a single word, he would be dragged straight to the gallows.
Hugo barely resisted his instincts and managed to say a single word.
“Young master.”
“What?”
“I believe there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
Lucian smirked mockingly and leaned back in his chair.
After thinking for a few seconds, his voice came out cold.
“Do you think that if you just get through this moment, everything will be fine? Of course, you even prepared a secret passage, so you must think you can escape without issue.”
“…!”
“To be honest, I was surprised you even installed a mechanism in the armrest of the chair. You did quite the clever job. Where’d you find the technician?”
‘W-what the hell—how do you know that?!’
Hugo was so shocked he felt like his heart had dropped.
The mechanism that opened the passage when the armrest was turned a certain way was a secret only he knew.
He hadn’t told the others in that room, not even his most trusted men.
How the hell did he find out?
Seeing the look of someone possessed by a ghost on Hugo’s face, Lucian held back his laughter.
‘How do I know? Because I was the one who discovered it when I came to capture you.’
Two years from now, Hugo would be caught distributing drugs.
The grand duke, enraged, would order his capture, and Lucian would come with other guards.
Since Hugo had detected the pursuit in advance and escaped in secret, they wouldn’t get any results—but not knowing how he escaped, they thoroughly searched this very casino.
Though they searched for three days without finding anything, Lucian, frustrated, ended up hitting a chair, and by that impact, the mechanism activated by accident.
‘You have no idea how much I panicked when the wall suddenly moved sideways.’
After that, pressured by the guard captain, Lucian had to follow the passage to the end.
Of course, he already knew exactly where it led and what was inside.
“Near the wall by the north gate, right? You chose the location well. You sell horses nearby, and there are lots of branching paths, so even if someone searched for a day or two, they’d lose your trail. I admire your thoroughness.”
With each word from Lucian, Hugo’s mind grew hazier and hazier.
Just how much did this young master actually know?
If he kept talking, he might even guess what he’d eaten for lunch and the color of his underwear.
‘It’s over.’
A feudal lord can’t help but hate drugs.
Not out of concern for the people’s well-being, but because the losses are massive.
When someone becomes addicted, a healthy person becomes a human wreck.
Not only does labor force and tax revenue plummet, but they also stop following orders.
Blinded by drugs, instead of obeying the lord, they end up serving the supplier.
That’s why, when lords catch a dealer, they execute them with the most brutal methods.
It’s said even poor rural lords take out loans to hire expert torturers.
In other words, once captured, a drug dealer shouldn’t pray to live—but to die quickly.
And yet, he had been caught red-handed by this young master right as he was about to begin selling.
‘Do I kill him?’
If he killed the young master right here and buried him, wouldn’t he buy some time?
For a moment, a murderous glint flashed in Hugo’s eyes—but seconds later, it turned into a hollow laugh.
‘Idiot. What the hell were you thinking?’
The crime of killing a grand duke’s son was even worse than selling drugs.
For the latter, you might be able to run for ten years and be left alone—but for the former, they’d chase you to the ends of hell.
“Fuu…”
With no way out, his mind strangely calmed.
You only worry when you still don’t know where to run to avoid being caught.
But now that he was caught, down to his bones, what was the point of thinking any further?
In the end, only one option remained.
Thump.
“Please, spare my life.”
Hugo dropped to his knees.
When that massive body collapsed, the room echoed with a thud.
As everyone flinched in surprise, Hugo bowed even deeper, slamming his forehead against the floor.
“If you order me to be a dog, I’ll be a dog. If you order me to bark, I’ll bark. If you order me to crawl, I’ll crawl. So please, spare my life.”
“F-forgive me!”
“Please, forgive me, young master!”
Seeing Hugo’s posture, the other subordinates, realizing the situation, also dropped to their knees in unison and slammed their heads to the floor.
As the four of them continued bowing over and over, Lucian gave a mocking smile.
“Well, having a dog isn’t so bad. I was actually short on hands I could use.”
At those words, Hugo let out a sigh of relief.
Yes, as long as he lived, he could always find a way forward.
He didn’t know how long he’d be bound by this leash.
Maybe just a few years, or maybe he’d crawl for over a decade.
But as long as he was alive, there would always be a chance.
For now, the simple fact of not dying was already a blessing.
“Thank you, young master. I’ll devote my entire life to you…”
“But tell me something. Isn’t it a bit pathetic to just be a dog? You don’t seem like someone who’d settle for so little.”
“Huh?”
“Hey, Hugo.”
Lucian crouched down and whispered in his ear.
“Would you like to become a knight—just once?”
Hugo’s eyes widened.
Maybe this was what it felt like when the devil whispered to you.
His heart started pounding wildly.
Become a knight?
‘If I could, I’d sell my soul.’
Having talent or learning sword techniques meant nothing.
That cursed lineage had always blocked his path.
He’d risen to be called an underworld boss, but that was all.
Hugo knew better than anyone that even that career, to the eyes of the common people, was nothing but a source of scorn and ridicule.
A dream he once chased desperately, but eventually buried and left behind.
And now, this young master was digging it back up, right before his eyes.
“…Could I really achieve that?”
Hugo asked, voice trembling.
He feared that after filling him with hope, he’d be mocked and told it was impossible.
But Lucian, instead, nodded firmly.
“Right now, it would be difficult—but with enough effort, it could be possible. Though first, you’ll have to fulfill two conditions.”
“Tell me what they are.”
“First. You’ll swear absolute loyalty to me.”
Bang!
Hugo slammed his head into the ground harder than before.
Warm blood began to trickle from his forehead, but he felt no pain.
“As long as you promise me that, I’ll obey any order—except to die.”
“And second. Actually, this one’s more important.”
Lucian showed no reaction to the oath of loyalty.
After all, if Hugo didn’t fulfill the second condition, Lucian wouldn’t make him a knight—no matter what.
“Have you sold drugs to anyone? Not just now, but ever before.”
Despite the cold voice, Hugo’s mouth curled into a smile.
The second condition was already fulfilled—maybe the gods hadn’t abandoned him after all.
“This was the first time. I’d only just finished building the workshop—I haven’t even requested the materials yet.”
Only then, hearing that answer, did Lucian finally smile.
Luckily, Hugo was still at a stage where he could be repurposed.
***
“Starting today, I will serve the young master. My name is Hugo. At your service, sir.”
“….”
Hans nodded with an awkward expression as he watched Hugo smile.
Seeing someone with a body capable of easily killing two or three people bow like that was something he couldn’t get used to.
“Young master, what exactly happened up there?”
“I convinced them they were useful and got them to work under my command.”
“So you’re planning to use these people as servants?”
“Why not? Is there a problem?”
Hans glanced at Hugo and the men behind him.
Five men, all just as fierce-looking, were following Lucian.
They each had two or three scars on their faces or arms, and even gave off a faint murderous aura.
No matter how he looked at them, they didn’t seem like servants, but men who had lived their lives rolling through the underworld.
And now they were to be used as household staff?
“I… young master… I may be overstepping, but one should never trust people from the underworld.”
“Why not?”
“They always weigh the profits. The moment they feel it’s no longer worth it, they turn on you immediately. When they need you, they bow deeply, but once they get what they want, their gaze changes.”
“That’s true. But they could never betray me.”
“Have you got some leverage on them?”
“That too, but more importantly, because only as long as I exist can they keep what they desire.”
Why would a knight be willing to give his life for his lord?
Because the fastest way to rise is to serve someone above you.
Power and status are only acknowledged by others when received from legitimate authority.
No matter how much power one gains, if it lacks justification, it will always be challenged.
If even nobles face that, how much more so for commoners—and especially those from the underworld?
Without a lord to constantly validate their legitimacy, no one would recognize their position.
‘That’s why, even after declaring himself a baron, Hugo had to endure relentless attacks.’
Though he repelled them all with his capabilities and retained the title of baron, it didn’t mean his position was accepted.
They merely left him alone because they lacked the strength to bring him down. No one truly saw him as a real baron.
Even if he formed a faction, without knights willing to serve under him, he was doomed to fall eventually.
Whether in his past life or this one, Hugo knew this very well.
Which is why he couldn’t pass up the chance to be granted a title and become a true knight.
‘Even if he becomes a knight, betrayal is impossible. Without me, no one would recognize that status.’
Without Lucian’s backing, it would take up to the fourth generation—son, grandson, great-grandson—for anyone to be called a noble.
In practice, as long as Hugo didn’t give up his dream, betraying Lucian in his lifetime would be impossible.
When Lucian arrived with Hugo and his group, the guards tensed up.
“Young master, those men behind you…”
“The new servants I hired.”
“Servants? With those faces?”
“What’s wrong with their faces? They look fine to me.”
The guards looked uneasy, but eventually stepped aside.
No matter how they looked at them, they didn’t seem suited for servant work—but if their superior had hired them himself, there was nothing to be done.
Lucian passed through the open gate and entered the inner castle.
Seeing Lucian return so late with such a group, the servants were visibly startled.
“Y-young master. Who are these people?”
“Servants.”
“Huh?”
“I said they’re the new servants I hired. Say hello.”
With those faces, servants?
Looking at the other servants who still hadn’t reacted, Lucian gave a mocking smile and said.
“They’ve greeted you now, right? Then go bring the head maid.”
“Why are you calling the head maid too?”
“What else? She has to greet them too, doesn’t she? Go get her, now.”
“….”
Once again, the servants only glanced at each other.
It was obvious none of them wanted to take the blame if something went wrong.
Seeing their hesitation, Lucian’s smile deepened.
“That’s exactly why I hired new servants. There’s no one here who listens to my orders.”
“Young master, please consider our situation too. What power do we have to…?”
“Hugo.”
“Yes, young master.”
Lucian abruptly cut off the servant and turned to Hugo.
“Memorize the ones who aren’t following my orders. They’re the ones you’ll need to train.”
“Looks like I’ll be busy for a while. Beating them without killing them is also a skill, but training them one by one will take time.”
“I’ll give you all the time you need. Take it slow.”
“Thank you. I’ll make sure to engrave the word loyalty into their heads so deeply they won’t forget it, even in their dreams.”
Hearing the conversation between the two, the servants froze in place.
An ominous feeling, that something was going terribly wrong, ran down their spines.
____
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