Chapter 109: Act 42 – New Members
“Sword, sword energy…” Lohn’s expression changed instantly.
He couldn’t help but take a closer look at Brendel, suspecting that this young man was not the one he knew. The Brendel he knew was just a young lad who had recently come out of the militia, perhaps somewhat known for his swordsmanship, but certainly not someone who could have transformed into a master swordsman harnessing the power of elements in just half a year.
Antinna tightened her grip on the doorframe, then relaxed. The sudden turn of events was beyond the limits of her imagination. The maiden bit her lip, never expecting that the one bringing news about her father would be a Thornflower Swordsman (Gold Rank). Such a young great swordsman made her wonder if this young man was actually an enlightened individual born with First Level power.
Balthom crossed his arms, remaining rather unperturbed. He took in everyone else’s reactions and couldn’t help but chuckle silently: when he first saw this knight demonstrate such sword skill, wasn’t he also struck with wonder? Of course, he felt a hint of superiority because he knew that Brendel’s true strength went beyond that.
As for the few “security cavalry” on the opposite side, they were already dumbfounded, desperately trying to guess Brendel’s identity—they could only think that he might be some kind of noble, or perhaps a descendant of a prominent family. Beyond that, they didn’t dare to think further.
Who would have thought such a young Thornflower Swordsman would appear in front of them?
Of course, perhaps Brendel wasn’t a great swordsman at all. However, he didn’t mind creating such an illusion in front of these people, and as he hoped, this impression had already become deeply etched in their minds, enough for them to consider retreating.
Brendel then sheathed his sword and replied, “Did you hear that? This lady said her father doesn’t recognize any Viscount Test.”
“But…” the leader finally recovered from his shock, a conflicted look on his face as he instinctively spoke.
Brendel subtly gestured to Balthom.
“But what? Get out of here now!” The red-bearded mercenary glanced at Brendel and immediately turned back, commanding them sharply.
The few of them looked at each other, clearly not wishing to reason with them—this attitude was familiar to them, as they normally wouldn’t stoop to reasoning with others. They were itching to take action, but the person standing opposite was a Thornflower Swordsman—without even needing his bodyguard, that young man could take them all down within ten seconds.
The leader almost choked on his words, but he took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing himself, and answered, “I understand. Sir, are you determined to interfere in this matter? Then I hope you can enlighten us about who is preparing to go against Lord Viscount Test.”
Brendel gave the guy a look, thinking that he was quite the character for trying to provoke him with words. If he were truly a noble, he might have even fallen for it; unfortunately, ‘players’ never had such traits. However, he was also subtly wary, as refusing to answer could arouse suspicion about his own identity.
The leader had some cleverness about him; such open schemes could be openly called a blatant tactic. “Owl” John, Brendel silently noted this name.
He thought for a moment, chuckled inwardly, took out a piece of paper from his chest, folded it, and tossed it over, saying, “Give this to your viscount, as for my identity, you’re not qualified to know.”
The few people across were momentarily stunned, looking at the folded paper on the ground in a daze.
With no alternatives, they could only obediently pick up the paper and retreat in disgrace, casting a deep glance at Lohn, not even uttering a word. Of course, the initiative was entirely in Brendel’s hands; speaking further would only be self-humiliation.
Once the last person disappeared around the corner of the hallway, Brendel turned back and first saw Lohn’s flickering gaze. He couldn’t help but laugh, somewhat meaningfully asking, “What are you thinking about, Mr. Lohn?” In fact, among them, only Balthom and this Lohn knew his true identity.
Balthom could naturally be trusted, but this crafty old fox was another matter.
“N-nothing,” Lohn quickly denied.
The old man felt bitter inside, never expecting that leading them would spark such a huge uproar. Had he known, he would rather have been killed by Brendel’s sword than step into this murky water. Offending Viscount Test was one thing, but that last glance undoubtedly indicated they had at least remembered him; his life in Bruglas wouldn’t be easy moving forward.
That aside, he understood this point and believed the young man beside him also understood. As for whether Brendel would trust him—Lohn probably didn’t even trust himself, yet he happened to know Brendel’s true identity. Would he go seek out Viscount Test to explain and reveal Brendel’s true identity? No need to consider, as that’s exactly what he had thought before.
Yet he couldn’t help but glance at Brendel, thinking that this young man surely wouldn’t give him that opportunity.
What would Brendel do? If it had been the former Brendel, it might have been uncertain, but this young man, now a Thornflower Swordsman, clearly exhibited a much more decisive character than before he left Bruglas. Just thinking of this made Lohn’s back chill—the end he could imagine for himself.
The more he thought, the more terrified he became, and he even started to shiver.
“B-Brendel, if you kill me, they will surely suspect your identity,” Lohn couldn’t help but stammer back.
“Going missing is the same,” Brendel smiled.
“Exactly, exactly,” Lohn replied bitterly.
“But you don’t want us to believe you, do you, Mr. Lohn? What do you think the chances of that are?” Brendel asked.
“Maybe… a little,” Lohn muttered.
Brendel looked at this guy with some disgust but shook his head: “I won’t kill you, Lohn.”
Lohn was momentarily taken aback, looking at Brendel in disbelief. A glint flashed in his small eyes, seemingly contemplating why this young man would say such a thing. To deceive him? That seemed unnecessary, yet Brendel didn’t appear to be the naive type. He thought hard but couldn’t come to a conclusion.
Did this young man actually have a morbid interest in playing with his prey? Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps.
But Brendel replied, “Have you heard of the thing called a declaration of loyalty, Lohn?”
“What?”
“You don’t know? No matter, you just need to understand that as long as you provide one, we are allies now,” Brendel smiled slightly and replied.
“You want to drag me down?” Lohn gasped, the young man’s smile starting to resemble that of a demon in his eyes. He hesitated for a long time, thinking it was the only way to deceive this young man for now. But how could he gain the other’s trust?
Betray? But he wasn’t familiar with Viscount Test at all.
Go take out one of their people? Nobles wouldn’t care about such trivial matters.
Lohn hesitated for a long time when he suddenly heard Brendel casually say, “Lohn, did you commit something in Anlek before you took on this line of work?”
Lohn seemed to be struck by lightning, his expression instantly changing as he looked at Brendel as if he’d seen a ghost: “N-n-no.”
“That noble was called—”
“Don’t say it!” Lohn screamed. His face went pale, dripping sweat as if he were pulled from water, gasping heavily. He raised one hand and shouted, “I get it, Brendel, don’t say it any further. I know what to do now. Damn it, Brendel, you must be a devil! I haven’t offended you—!”
Brendel smiled; this Lohn had killed a local noble family in Anlek thirty years ago, changed his name and fled to Bruglas—a famous quest line in the Amber Sword. This guy’s future wouldn’t be good either; ultimately, he would be executed. Though this incident was not entirely Lohn’s fault, that noble wasn’t exactly a good character in the story either.
But the point of mentioning it now was simply to pressure Lohn onto his side. In Erluin, what Lohn had done was nearly equivalent to treason, and he believed that even Viscount Test wouldn’t be able to protect him over this matter. Only by holding this leverage could he control this crafty individual.
However, noticing Lohn’s emotional state was unstable, he tried to comfort him: “Alright, Lohn, don’t worry. I’m not trying to use this matter to threaten you. I understand the ins and outs of the situation; the fault does not lie with you. I have no intention of being a righteous agent, only looking after myself. As for you following me, I can at least guarantee that Viscount Test won’t cause you any trouble—I hope you remember, this is a win-win deal, not one party’s submission to another.”
Lohn looked at him with skepticism.
“You don’t believe it? Me giving them that piece of paper says it all, Lohn,” Brendel replied.
“What was that piece of paper?” Balthom couldn’t help but ask.
“A little habit. I think Test will suspect a reasonable opponent from that note,” Brendel smiled slightly. He didn’t know if Viscount Test had anything to do with the Everything Returns Society, but regardless, it was best to stir up conflict between him and the “Tree Shepherd.”
He made that folded paper and tossed it to the ground, an action learned from a great swordsman named “Turtle Dove”—Count Turtle Dove was one of the core members of the “Tree Shepherd,” and also a main political adversary of Duke Golan-Elsen. Moreover, he was secretly an admirer of Test’s fiancée. This rival-turned-love interest identity should be enough to give our noble viscount a headache.
Perhaps Viscount Test would eventually clear the fog, but it didn’t matter, as Brendel had nothing to lose. He wasn’t a knight of the Temple of Fire; he didn’t need to speak the truth in the face of enemies.
After hearing all this, Lohn couldn’t help but be dazed, then he lifted his head to look deeply at Brendel, unable to help but respond, “I truly suspect whether you’ve turned into a devil, Brendel. You were never like this before.”
“This is also due to the circumstances,” Brendel shrugged and then turned his attention to Antinna, who had been quietly listening to their conversation.
“What are your plans, Miss Antinna?” he asked.
The maiden lowered her head, aware that at this point, the choice was no longer hers; she couldn’t help but begin to doubt whether her previous judgment had been wrong. After all, this young man didn’t seem as courteous as she had imagined. After thinking it over, she could only reluctantly reply in a soft voice: “Haven’t you already prepared everything for me, Mr. Brendel?”
Brendel smiled. Antinna’s cleverness would put many other noble ladies to shame; he truly wondered what kind of upbringing had produced such a girl. However, not caring for the niceties, he patted the scroll in his arms and replied, “Miss Antinna, I’m actually looking at your talent and abilities, hoping to hire you to serve me. I need your abilities, and in return, I’m willing to support your continued research in magic technology. Naturally, as my subordinate, I will guarantee you will not be bothered by those previous guys.”
Antinna coughed a couple of times, then raised her head to look at Brendel, her bright eyes staring into his as if confirming whether he was lying—
“You want me to create these machines for you? But my mentor has said that my talent in this area is not exceptional.”
“Indeed,” Brendel nodded. “However, while there are many craftsmen for manufacturing and designing magical devices, among those who have insight into ‘that,’ you are the only one I can find.”
“That was only a half-finished product,” Antinna became serious and interrupted him. But she soon realized her rudeness and couldn’t help but lower her head and shrink back.
However, Brendel didn’t mind; he countered, “Miss Antinna, by giving me a half-finished design as thanks, you confirmed its value. So why shouldn’t I give this design a higher evaluation? In my homeland, there’s an old saying: ‘All things are difficult before they are easy.’ This saying alone suffices to evaluate the value of your design.”
The maiden was slightly taken aback, her eyes lighting up: “All things are difficult before they are easy?” She raised her head again and tentatively asked, “So, Mr. Brendel, are you really willing to support me in continuing down this path?”
“To be honest, I currently lack funding and even don’t have a place to stand, but I believe that will change soon,” Brendel replied frankly. “Right, Mr. Lohn?”
“Exactly, exactly!” Lohn quickly nodded, not understanding what was going on.
Antinna thought for a moment, bit her lip. “Then, fine,” she nodded, her bright eyes showing a hint of determination: “I accept your offer, Mr. Brendel. But I don’t want to sit idle; until you have enough strength, I’m willing to be your aide. Only when I see it with my own eyes—will I feel reassured. Moreover, I believe I have this ability—”
She stared directly at Brendel as she replied.
……(To be continued. To know what happens next, please log in for more chapters, support the author, and read officially!)
