In mid-February, the river wind remained cold and fierce, but for the man standing at the bow, this level of wind was merely the gentle breeze of spring.
Duke Seberik of the North was leading a fleet of hundreds of ships, traveling north along the river.
The strong wind blowing from behind stirred his navy blue hair and thick uniform once more.
‘Valenciaunos.’
He was a man with white hair and golden eyes, giving him an inhuman impression in many ways.
Rumored to be a villain so formidable that even ordinary infiltrators would flee, he still wielded power despite the widespread gossip.
Seberik was well aware that Valenciaunos possessed a certain kind of competence from that fact.
‘The areas where that name is frequently mentioned are the slums and the red-light district.’
These were the two areas that caused the most headaches for any lord.
The poor produced nothing, and the red-light district only consumed.
With rising populations, both were swollen, and the capital became the largest metropolis on the continent.
He anticipated that the red-light district and the slums of the capital Silentalouon were irredeemably inhuman magical realms.
However, the reports brought back by the undercover knights he sent back differed greatly from his expectations.
The slums had grown so prosperous that it was embarrassing to even call them slums, wielding high population density to take on large manufacturing contracts.
In the much smaller red-light district than expected, there were no slaves and no suspicious drugs or tobacco to be found.
‘They say there were those who appeared daily to enjoy hunting humans and indulged in unspeakable games. Is the only true part of that “they appeared daily”?’
Seberik recalled Valenciaunos’ words from a few days ago at that upscale tavern.
‘As an ordinary knight and administrative officer, I dare to speculate. Isn’t the Imperial Court trying to economically subjugate the North?’
If that were the case, he might have panicked and said something foolish, used his status to intimidate, or drawn his sword to escape the situation.
Of the three options above, the first would not even qualify as a proper response, while Seberik was better at the second and third options.
‘If Valenciaunos had been merely the scandalous villain of rumor, he would have suffered greatly right there.’
Seberik and Lysena would have taken Valenciaunos with them to meet Emperor Jeilliris, questioning the Imperial Court’s attitude to secure even more support.
Yet he had said this.
‘Yes. Everything was as I instructed.’
‘You hit the nail on the head. I had been trying to economically subjugate the North forever.’
With his inhuman golden eyes shining calmly.
In that moment, Seberik and Lysena understood.
It was a solid logic as unyielding as the massive fortress of the North.
There would be no outcome from adding any more words; it would merely lead to crashing against the iron wall and sinking into a mire.
If the opponent were an expert in the dog fights of struggling in a mire, there was no need for them to engage.
In any case, they needed to refill the remaining granaries of the North before they emptied.
Lysena approached from the side.
“The South is still breathing out steam. The South I know was a place where sunlight beat down throughout the year.”
“Our hometown never lacks for steam, does it? The South you’re thinking of is quite a way down even by the capital’s standards.”
“I must visit someday. With Your Excellency.”
Lysena said this without a smile and began her report.
“The maid named Rudi seems to be closer to a maid-turned-assassin. She always carries an ancient weapon, the Magical Gun, which has long since lost its lineage. That young knight with the red hair also seems to be skilled enough to match the armor.”
Seberik looked at the splitting river.
“If you were to fight her, could you win?”
Lysena contemplated for a moment and shook her head.
“Skill is one thing, but the difference in equipment is too significant.”
“I see.”
That was enough.
Seberik nodded calmly.
It was the duty of a lord to shoulder what his subordinates could not handle.
“How is Duke Valencius?”
“He hasn’t left the cabin since boarding the ship. He seems to be meditating all day.”
“Call him this evening. We’ll soon be entering the territory of the infiltrators.”
Valenciaunos was nominally the overall manager of the transport convoy assigned by the Imperial Court.
Of course, it was just a nominal position, but still, he had to be informed.
There might be a bit of help to expect.
The eyes of Valenciaunos, seated across the table, sparkled with enthusiasm.
“Just leave it to me. I won’t let a single ship approach even near this vessel.”
Seberik was taken aback by his unexpectedly proactive attitude.
It almost felt like he was feeling guilty about the plan to economically subjugate the North.
Of course, seeing those golden eyes made it clear that he was not a creature capable of feeling guilt.
‘Is he completely mad?’
Lysena thought that Valenciaunos would relish the fact that he could kill someone.
‘He’s unpredictable. Is he someone who is solely committed to the moment? If that’s the case, I can understand it a little.’
Seberik believed Valenciaunos to be a staunch principled person.
Of course, both would have laughed helplessly if Valenciaunos had heard their thoughts.
‘In this situation, I need to show my worth to recover some of my image. Looking back, those words at that time were merely a pretext to gain the initiative; I was too tense, unlike myself.’
Just demonstrating that I am not to be trifled with in a power struggle is sufficient.
If I push too hard, I’ll be labeled a madman.
‘Let’s not think too highly of myself. I’ve always preferred to prove myself through action rather than words. Now that the infiltrators are coming out, I must show it clearly.’
I hope we can get along well.
That evening, the fleet entered a vast lake.
It was a large enough lake to see the horizon from all sides.
Valenciaunos had been on deck since early evening, wandering around, and Tenitia and Rudi kept by his side.
Tenitia swallowed her rising questions and shared what she had heard from Lysena.
“They say the lake is very large, with many islands, and that it will be difficult to jointly hunt down the infiltrators due to various houses surrounding it. There are many pirates attacking merchant ships that are either permitted or even sponsored by lords while dealing with houses that are in opposition.”
“The armament or size of the ships must be pathetic. One fireball spell would sink them all. Be careful. If you fall in, you’ll sink right away.”
“There are always measures. Knights are brave but not foolish. Do not worry too much.”
However, mentioning knights rekindled the suppressed doubts in Tenitia.
“Duke Valenciaunos.”
Tenitia took a step closer while swallowing hard.
“Don’t lower your voice. It’s scary.”
Valenciaunos leaned against the railing, smiling absentmindedly and joking.
“Why did you lie?”
“When did I ever lie?”
“You have nothing to do with the grain support for the North, do you?”
Sacrifice and glory.
A knight disappearing while shouldering the lord’s disgrace was one of the romances Tenitia thought of regarding knights.
However, Valenciaunos was a man so distant from chivalry that he could even poke out an opponent’s eye during a fight.
Such a man couldn’t suddenly engage in endlessly ‘loss-bearing’ actions.
“Why do you think I have nothing to do with it? Didn’t I say that I instructed everything?”
“The actions of the Duke after returning from the Saint’s kidnapping incident were just meeting with the ‘eight survivors’ and loafing around all this time, weren’t they?”
“……”
Tenitia continued to question, not understanding.
“You have rights and duties. From what I know of Your Excellency, I think you would try to minimize the latter and maximize the former. Of course, I already know that you’re not evil to the bone. But this time, you haven’t gained anything, have you? Why are you only trying to shoulder the responsibilities?”
Rudi also listened intently to Tenitia’s question as they looked at Valenciaunos.
Valenciaunos glanced at the water, saw that there were still no infiltrators, and let out a small sigh before speaking.
“Your logic is too perfect. I felt that trying to make some excuse there wouldn’t work. I thought it would be better to act a bit shamelessly to seize the initiative. After all, I just needed to get through that situation.”
“Still.”
“Well, saying it’s all my doing isn’t entirely false. Honestly, there could be a bit of blame on you.”
“Excuse me?”
Valenciaunos began to weave another fallacious argument.
“Why do you think food prices in the capital have risen unusually high this winter?”
“Bad harvest…”
“Because of the old slums. The population in the capital has increased.”
“!”
“Originally, the poor coming in from outside would have to starve and die because they lacked money to buy food, but we helped Konel create ways for them to earn money. With the mouths increasing and money increasing, but food remaining the same, it’s natural that prices go up. Isn’t it interesting? There’s always a reason when you look at the flow of money.”
Tenitia was at a loss for words.
Rudi, too, was astonished, her green eyes wide.
“So how can this not be considered my doing? People had to be saved, so I did my best back then, and now I’m just doing my best in the current situation. So I might say something a bit cowardly and shameless from time to time.”
Tenitia sighed quietly before responding.
“……Indeed, it seems I might have to say a bit cowardly and shameless.”
Valenciaunos nodded while buttoning his uniform.
“Duke Seberik wouldn’t say such a thing, but if a man like me were the Duke of the North, what would I have said in this situation?”
Tenitia pondered whether this might fall under the crime of insulting the Imperial Court and replied.
“You might ask if you’re starving the soldiers of the North, the Empire’s shield, for the sake of people like the poor.”
“Exactly. If it were me, I would have said it that way.”
Valenciaunos spoke with a somewhat sorrowful smile.
“But Duke Seberik didn’t say that. When I said it was all my doing, he just let it slide. He is a noble man. His kindness makes me want to help him next year and the year after.”
Tenitia felt a subtle romance in those words.
“When you say it was all your doing, he let it slide… I see. How about you, Your Excellency Valenciaunos? Would you consider becoming a noble man enough to make others want to help you willingly?”
Valenciaunos shook his head firmly.
That was something he should never dream of.
“That’s the path of Duke Seberik, not the path of Duke Valenciaunos. I’ve seen too much of human malice. I cannot believe in it.”
Tenitia considered those words as mere fallacies, akin to breathing in and out, and passed them off.
However, Rudi narrowed her eyes slightly, pondering.
“How can Your Excellency be only 18 years old yet speak with such an aura? You seem as if you have experienced it.”
Yet her question didn’t linger for long.
It was because the man standing at the mast shouted as the fleet began to set sail.
“Infiltrators!”
The infiltrators boarded ships slightly smaller than the transport vessels.
They weren’t interested in the large ships filled with nothing of value but were full of human weapons.
As hundreds of transport vessels moved in a line, stealing even one or two would be a profitable venture.
“Grab any ship……! Hiii?”
The infiltrator captain, drawing his sword from the bow, glanced up.
At the top of the large ship’s towering mast stood the man with white hair and golden eyes.
“Royalty?”
From behind the man, ten fiery spears erupted like javelins.
Swoosh!
It was already an impressive feat to shoot a spell over 100 meters.
Yet he flaunted the power of royalty, sending ten fiery spears simultaneously to the infiltrators over 400 meters away.
Boom!
An explosion occurred from the ships pierced by the fiery spears, and ten vessels sank in an instant.
“That bastard!”
Several squad leaders turned their ships toward the flagship.
“Are you insane? Come back!”
“If we leave him like this, the captain will die!”
“I will avenge my brother!”
The captain squeezed his eyes shut.
They had only been doing infiltrations from the start, unaware of the fearsome nature of knights.
A squad leader, sword in mouth, boarded the flagship.
“Come quick. I am Tenitia, knight of Duke Valenciaunos.”
Awaiting them was a knight clad in heavy full plate armor.
