Under Eisen’s gaze, Jordi took a step back without realizing it. The calm he had shown just moments before had vanished; cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
“As expected of you, Lord Eisen. You truly possess strength worthy of the title of Swordmaster.”
“That’s something everyone knows. What’s surprising is that the second young master didn’t know it.”
“….”
“Even more surprising is that the second young master has received help from a mage.”
With a complicated expression, Eisen looked at the mage reduced to a shapeless mass.
Eisen knew better than anyone the Empire’s obsession with mages. Even for Jordi, being found to have hired one was not something that could go without consequences.
And yet, he had allowed him to attack so brazenly, right in front of everyone.
“Who on earth is cooperating with the second young master? No, rather, who is he serving?”
“I…!”
Jordi opened his mouth, irritated, but although he seemed about to shout, he couldn’t utter a single word. Seeing him close it again, Eisen clicked his tongue.
“Can’t even bring yourself to say His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Lord Eisen.”
“That’s enough. Doesn’t seem like I’ll get anything more useful out of you.”
Eisen threw away the broken hilt of the sword he had used to strike the ground and picked up another one.
It was just a common wooden training sword, but in the hands of the Swordmaster, it looked more terrifying than any sharpened blade.
“I’ll say this one last time. Step aside.”
At that final warning, Jordi trembled with humiliation and moved aside.
The knights who followed him also stepped back in unison, clearing a path. Eisen walked down the opened path and stopped next to Jordi.
“Oh, second young master. Where are the trusted men of the third young master? I’ll be taking them with me as well.”
“Th-that…!”
Jordi raised his voice unintentionally and froze. The Swordmaster’s eyes—within striking distance—were icy to the core.
After moving his lips for a moment, Jordi shut his eyes tightly and said,
“…I locked them up in the underground dungeon not long ago. Do as you wish.”
“Ha. The underground dungeon?”
A dry laugh escaped Eisen’s lips. Didn’t that mean he had been using the clan’s facilities however he wanted even before starting the rebellion?
He had asked the question without thinking too deeply, but the more he dug, the more reasons to sigh he found.
“Second young master, remember this well. The only reason I haven’t cut you down is because I didn’t have permission from my lord, the duke.”
“….”
Jordi twisted his face in humiliation, unable to reply. Leaving him behind, Eisen silently made his way toward the underground dungeon.
There was no reason to remain in that place any longer.
***
“…And it was in the prison where we found them. I was worried they might have been tortured, but luckily, they looked in pretty good shape.”
At Eisen’s joke, Hans scratched the back of his neck with an awkward expression.
“To my surprise, they fed us pretty well. It was stifling, but since they didn’t do anything to us, it was bearable.”
“You should consider yourselves lucky. If His Highness hadn’t become a border marquis, things could have turned out horribly.”
“In that case, I think they wouldn’t even have brought us back—they would’ve just let us go…”
Perhaps because they’d grown a little closer during the trip north, Hans and Ian joked around. Eisen also gave a faint smile, as if it didn’t bother him.
However, even in that warmer atmosphere, Lucian couldn’t smile at all.
Still, Lucian couldn’t smile.
“Sir Eisen.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Why didn’t you kill Jordi?”
With those words, the cozy atmosphere froze instantly. Only Eisen, as if he had anticipated the question, replied with a bitter smile.
“Because I do not know the will of the duke.”
“My father’s will?”
“When someone faces death, countless thoughts pass through their mind. It’s not unusual for values or convictions to change after surviving a miracle.”
If Duke Sigmund had remained alive, perhaps he would have cut him down immediately.
But the duke was dead, there was no designated heir, and no one knew what he had thought in his final moment. For Eisen, it was impossible to know what the right action was.
“Interpreting the will of the dead for one’s own convenience is a privilege of the living. But as a vassal, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“Do you believe my father wished for Jordi to live?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he ordered his execution on the spot, or perhaps he hoped that, amid the family’s chaos, even the second young master could serve as a support.”
“You feared that, depending on the outcome, it might seem you interpreted your lord’s will to your own convenience.”
“Shamefully, yes.”
Seeing Eisen bow his head with a guilty expression, Lucian closed his eyes. It was a decision made by a truly loyal vassal who refused to twist the will of his lord.
But for Lucian, who knew the truth, it was a decision bitter beyond words.
“It was an unavoidable choice given your lack of knowledge, but it’s a decision you’ll regret for the rest of your life.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I heard a few things about my father’s death directly from His Majesty the Emperor.”
Lucian spoke in a low voice, staring Eisen straight in the eyes.
“He said that what killed my father was a black tentacle that emerged from the shadows.”
“…!”
***
Lucian explained everything.
The conversation with the emperor through a magical artifact.
The mysterious black tentacle and the death of Duke Sigmund.
And Tristan, driven mad with rage.
“….”
When he finished the account, Eisen stared into space with a vacant look, as if half out of his mind from the impact.
The Swordmaster’s silence lasted so long that someone was about to speak when—
Whoosh!
“Father!”
At Felicia’s shout, everyone—including Eisen—flinched. When they turned their heads, they saw a black energy creeping up Eisen’s thigh.
“Sir Eisen!”
“Hng!”
huaaaak!
With a short cry, Eisen tensed his thigh, and the black energy dissipated again.
Shaking off the remnants of his corroded trousers, he gave a sorrowful smile.
“I’ve shown you something shameful. Then again, I suppose there’s nothing more shameful left to show.”
“Sir Eisen.”
“All I had to do was swing my sword once. And yet, out of concern for my lord, I let my lord’s killer slip away right before my eyes. Ha.”
Eisen let out a laugh that bordered on tears. While everyone remained silent, Lucian stepped forward.
“What was that black energy just now?”
“It’s nothing serious. Just a scar left by that mage. A small cluster settled in my mana pathways and has been trying to devour my body little by little.”
“Are you going to be alright?”
“If I keep suppressing it, it’ll disappear in a few days. Though it’s meaningless now…”
Eisen murmured, eyes dim. Although he looked fine, it was clear that guilt was tearing him apart from the inside.
“Sir Eisen, take this.”
Lucian pulled out the last nectar he had. Eisen, who was about to refuse thinking it was an ordinary potion, widened his eyes when he saw the softly glowing liquid.
“What is this?”
“It’s something that young man created. A treasure with the highest efficacy among all existing potions.”
Lucian pointed at Ian.
Ian scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
“It’s the masterpiece of my life.”
“Ho…”
Eisen let out a short exclamation, but did not reach for it. Lucian spoke first, noticing his hesitation.
“See for yourself. If you’re afraid a potion made by a novice could harm you, I won’t insist.”
“…You leave me no choice.”
With a bitter smile, Eisen reached out his hand. Although he had only saved them because they were close to Lucian, a certain closeness had developed during their journey.
“I’ve no choice but to try it. If His Highness praises it so much, it must be an excellent potion.”
With a formal compliment, Eisen uncorked the potion.
At that moment, his once-lifeless eyes flew wide open.
“This is…!”
The mana emanating from the potion left him stunned. What elixir in the world released mana even before being drunk?
Rumble.
The moment Eisen drank the potion with trembling hands, a pure energy exploded, cleansing the mana pathways.
For a Swordmaster whose pathways were already fully developed, the effect wasn’t drastic, but he instinctively understood it.
By drinking this alone, most knights could surpass decades of training.
Whoosh.
‘The cluster…!’
The energy, cleansing the pathways like a waterfall, swept away even the residue left by the shadow.
While Eisen was left speechless by the overwhelming clarity—
“What do you think?”
“Truly… impressive.”
It was a poor expression, but he found no better one. Lucian smiled upon seeing his astonishment.
“Yes. And the one who created this impressive potion is precisely that young man.”
“….”
“Sir Eisen, you have saved the continent’s future.”
Eisen closed his eyes. He knew it was a consolation, but they weren’t empty words. That potion truly had the potential to speak of the continent’s future.
“Third young master… what do you plan to do with this?”
Even forgetting to address him as “Your Highness,” Eisen asked with a faraway look.
Lucian shrugged lightly.
“Anything. But first, shouldn’t I avenge my father?”
It was a promise to correct with his own hands the mistake Eisen had made.
Consumed by remorse, Eisen closed his eyes like a sinner who had found a chance at redemption.
And with a voice barely held together, he managed to say one sentence.
“…Thank you, third young master.”
Lucian said nothing and gripped both of Eisen’s hands tightly, hoping to ease the regret of the old vassal, even if just a little.
***
There were many stories built up between them, but the mental exhaustion was even greater. The duke’s death, Jordi’s rebellion, and the mysterious collaborator.
They were far too heavy to resolve in a single day.
“You must still be tired from the journey, so rest well. Choose any good room.”
“Are you sure that’s alright?”
“If the lord of the White Palace allows it, who’s going to object?”
At Lucian’s assurance, Hans, Ian, and the others erupted in cheers. Their lord had gone from being a young noble of a great house to becoming a duke.
“Don’t care what others think. You’re all his youngest subordinates. If anyone mistreats you for having been servants, discipline them immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The attendants replied firmly and dispersed. Only after no one remained nearby did Lucian follow Eisen with a serious face.
“Sir Eisen.”
“Yes, third young mast… Your Highness.”
“There’s actually something I didn’t say before.”
Eisen looked at Lucian’s face and smiled faintly.
“I know.”
____
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