Kail, upon confirming the letter of engagement dissolution, immediately dashed to the room with the communication orb. There, he attempted to establish a connection with the Duke’s territory.
At first, the Duke’s territory ignored his communication attempts, but after Kail persisted with relentless determination, they finally relented and accepted his call with an air of exasperation.
Through the orb, the stern-faced Duke Grace appeared.
[What is it? Kail Meyer.]
“It’s been a while, Father-in-law.”
[By now, you should have received the letter of dissolution… Are you still addressing me with that term?]
Realizing the sharpness in the Duke’s words, Kail hesitated briefly before cautiously meeting the Duke’s gaze through the orb.
Even from hundreds of kilometers away, the chilling aura emanating from the other side of the orb felt as if it were right in front of him.
“I don’t quite understand what I’ve done wrong.”
[You don’t know, you say? That truly is a masterpiece of an answer.]
“I’m simply stating the facts.”
[Should I bother explaining the reason to an ignorant swordsman who wouldn’t understand even if I did?]
No matter how noble a Duke might be, such rude and hostile behavior was unexpected. Kail wondered what could have caused this reaction.
But as he continued to meet the Duke’s gaze without any clue, the Duke let out a light sigh and explained why he sent the letter of dissolution.
[Yuri was crying.]
“…Pardon?”
[My daughter, she was crying. Kail Meyer. Did you think you’d get away unscathed after making my daughter cry?]
The Duke glared at him with eyes that seemed ready to rip his throat out at any moment.
But Kail, for his part, had no time to gather his thoughts. Yuri cried? The Yuri Grace?
“—Was she really crying?”
[Are you suggesting I would lie about that?]
“No, I trust Your Grace’s words. But… I cannot trust the information Your Grace received.”]
[…What do you mean by that?]
“What I mean is, perhaps Your Grace didn’t see Yuri crying directly—maybe you heard it from someone else. For instance.”
It must have been the Duchess.
Kail recalled the Duchess, whose chest was so large it seemed like it might explode. Whether or not this guess was correct, the Duke merely grunted and didn’t refute it.
Following that, Kail pressed on further.
“How well does Your Grace really know Yuri?”
[She is my daughter. Do you think there’s something I wouldn’t know about her?]
“At most, just her name and birthday. I am different.”
[Hah, Kail Meyer. Are you saying that after spending only a few months with my daughter, you know her better than I, who has been with her all her life?]
“Yes.”
[Insolent…]
The Duke gritted his teeth, but deep down, it was true. At best, a biological father who sired a child. He probably knew her name and birthday, but it was hard to imagine he knew much beyond that.
In contrast, what about himself? Kail was confident he knew everything about Yuri. Her height, weight, bust size, likes, dislikes, traumatic memories, and even secrets she couldn’t share with others.
He was a resident of the world where Yuri was created, living in the same world as the creator who brought her into existence.
That’s why he could be certain.
“Yuri did not cry.”
[Hah, what nonsense.]
“I’ll tell you in person. Until then.”]
Kail ended the communication and immediately began preparing to leave. The Count, who had been fretting over what Kail might have done to warrant the dissolution of the engagement, panicked upon seeing Kail hastily packing.
“Kail? Where are you going…?”
“I’ll be heading to the Duke’s territory. Ah, Father, would you like to come along?”
“…No, I’ll stay here.”
“I’ll borrow a carriage too.”
“Alright… Kail.”
The Count stopped Kail, who seemed ready to strip the house bare. Kail turned back and tilted his head in confusion.
“What is it?”
“—Make sure you succeed and return.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”]
With a casual wave of his arm, Kail climbed into the carriage and set off toward the North. To the territory of the Duke Grace, his former fiancée’s family.
* * *
The cold of the Northern Territory never lifted, even in midsummer. Kail slightly shivered as the chill seeped into the carriage, exhaling a breath.
‘Is it winter here 365 days a year?’
Having lived in Korea, where the four seasons were distinct, this was the hardest thing to adapt to after coming to another world. The central region had somewhat defined seasons, but the South was always hot, and the North was perpetually cold.
Living in such a place must explain their rigid expressions. Kail endured the cold by recalling how the environment can shape personality changes.
The coachman and horses also seemed to be trembling from the cold, as the sound of their complaints reached inside the carriage.
“Ugh… Hyah, hyah-!”
After advancing for a short while to the weak voice of the coachman, the carriage suddenly came to a halt. Kail roughly estimated the time passed and realized he had finally arrived in the North.
He thought passing through wouldn’t be a problem. The carriage bore the emblem signifying it belonged to Count Meyer, and surely the soldiers of the North would recognize it.
But no matter how long he waited, the carriage didn’t move forward. Feeling puzzled, Kail belatedly opened the small window inside the carriage and found himself face-to-face with soldiers from the Grace territory surrounding them.
“What’s going on?”
As he stepped out of the carriage and spoke, a knight who appeared to be the soldiers’ commander stepped forward and bowed to Kail.
“Lord Kail Meyer. I am Knight Al-S, serving under His Grace Duke Grace.”
“And? I’m on my way to see His Grace. Step aside.”
“I apologize, but it is His Grace’s order. You are absolutely not to be allowed entry.”
At those words, Kail let out a dry laugh. So they were resorting to such petty tactics, were they? Well, he had his own plans.
Kail looked around and picked up a mistletoe buried in the snow—a branch fitting for the term ‘switch.’
“Come at me.”
“…What are you doing?”
“I need to pass through, and you need to stop me. Simple, isn’t it?”
When two people with opposing views attempt to enforce their wills, what’s needed isn’t power or wealth, but brute force.
Only brute force achieved with one’s own two arms could resolve all problems.
“Try to stop me. It’s going to hurt.”
“…Everyone, stop Lord Kail. Try not to injure him.”
As Kail watched the soldiers and knights draw their swords, he began pondering how many minutes it would take to finish them off.
After a brief contemplative hum, he realized there were about thirty soldiers. That made it easy.
100 seconds.
He would settle them all within that time.
With that thought, Kail charged toward the soldiers.
* * *
Kail kept his promise of 100 seconds. He successfully defeated all the soldiers and knights within the time limit. Al-S, who had fallen from just a mere switch, stared up at Kail with an expression of disbelief.
“How did you… Even among Experts, how could a mere switch penetrate armor…”
Al-S caught himself pointing out the absurdity and realized what it implied, falling silent. Sensing that similar incidents might occur again if he stayed in the back, Kail climbed up next to the coachman.
Encouraging the coachman driving the carriage, Kail entered the Duke’s territory, feeling the gazes directed at him from all sides and adopting an arrogant posture.
The North was the domain of warriors. The cunning hunters’ territory, where showing weakness would lead to being mercilessly overrun. On the flip side, acting like you had something significant was advantageous.
“Uh, Master? Doesn’t it feel colder all of a sudden…?”
“Aah, it’s just your imagination. Let’s go in.”
It wasn’t his imagination. The murderous intent radiating from the warriors reflexively made the coachman tremble. Kail marveled at the coachman’s impressive senses before quietly turning his head.
In the distance, the great wall was visible. The boundary separating the North from the Barbarian Tribe’s territory. And right in front of it stood the Duke’s castle, emanating an overwhelming magical power.
Feeling the magic power on the verge of bursting forth, Kail rose from the coachman’s seat.
“Hey, cover your ears.”
“Huh? What?”
“I said cover your ears.”
After warning the coachman, Kail sucked in all the surrounding air and shouted loudly.
“Father-in-lawoooooo! I’ve arrived! Your son-in-law!”
The coachman beside him clutched his ears, feeling as if they would burst. Whether the Duke inside the castle heard it too, the magic power shot straight toward Kail.
Brushing aside the menacing magic power, Kail smirked.
I’ve come to see you, Yuri Grace.
Your fiancé.
