11 (5)

“Is this your first time coming to the capital?”

Louis nodded, and Akiteia spoke as he watched the crowd’s reaction.

“I have never seen anyone come here for the first time and receive this much attention. I came here with my back turned to my house as well, but the atmosphere seems even more intense than before. It looks like people want to share in Duke Louis’s aura. Even to me, it seems the rumor is not entirely baseless. Did the god Mars appear to you in a dream or something?”

“Such a rumor has spread, yes. But it was not that I saw him in a dream or anything like that. War does not proceed that way, unfortunately.”

Louis looked at Akiteia with cold eyes. For an instant, Akiteia was frightened. He had trained with the sword to the point of proficiency and had seen plenty of people die, but he had never fought a war. That difference was not a light one. Akiteia could see that gulf in Louis. He swallowed hard and thought, ‘As expected, I need to get close to Louis.’

House Parse stood proudly as one pillar among the seven factions of the Duchy of Eron, and its power was formidable. By the nature of his house, Akiteia had long viewed many people from a lofty vantage, standing on the background called “House Parse.” Yet Louis’s gaze was so cool and merciless that it sent a chill up Akiteia’s spine. If they became enemies, his temperament would burn like hellfire. Rather than wondering how far House Pontina might grow, Akiteia recalled the Louis he had seen atop the walls earlier—so strange, so outstanding.

‘Even exchanging a few words is not easy.’

It was true. Only because it was Akiteia could he even try to speak first to Louis; for most people, the air and the situation would make it impossible to approach at all. Around them were thousands—no, if they reached the square, tens of thousands—who had come to see one person and one person only: Louis. It was enough to make one wonder whether even a royal procession would naturally draw this many.

Yet beyond that, the armed men positioned around Louis were not ordinary. The pretty, handsome man eyeing Akiteia with wary suspicion was, in Akiteia’s view, clearly a Sword Expert. If he attended parties, he would be wildly popular with noble ladies. But Akiteia also knew that beneath that beauty lived a ruthless appetite for killing. There was no one who could match House Parse in judging who had value and who did not.

And there were two such warriors… no, three. Akiteia soon noticed Kaiser following behind. His face looked like something was missing upstairs, yet his focus on Louis was extreme. If Akiteia made even a small mistake, he looked ready to carve him up. Akiteia chuckled hollowly to himself. Ha—bringing three warriors accustomed to killing into this place was, in a way, extraordinary.

Men of this type were all difficult to control. Akiteia knew a few like that as well—recruited into noble service for their swordsmanship even if they were not Sword Experts. In other words, they were highly likely to be headaches. Even without Sword Experts, such men were hard to handle; yet Louis was completely controlling two Sword Experts and a swordsman on their level…

Akiteia could not even begin to imagine what was required to possess such authority. If it were something money could solve, there would not have been that recent rampage in House Batenberg.

‘There’s no need to persuade the whole house. If I can at least get Father’s consent… later, I might be able to receive help from Duke Louis personally.’

It was a matter for the distant future, but Akiteia, too, wanted to inherit. He lived as if suppressing his desires and pretending to be a helper because showing greed would invite trouble, but he also wanted to move forward.

“I heard a curious story not long ago. About a unique competition that Duke Louis is running. They say people call it the Colosseum. Someone I know even traveled to the small city called Proia to see that unusual spectacle.”

As he listened, Louis worked to read Akiteia. House Parse was not a house to be brushed aside. Their diplomacy might be immensely useful someday when Louis raised a rebellion and needed to block surrounding states. No—Louis was convinced of it.

Allying with a house strong in diplomacy was not a bad choice, and if there was a suitable woman, marriage was also a second-best option. Once in-laws were entangled, there was no stronger guarantee than that. House Parse participated in every sort of event, so Louis had roughly expected them to attend and had marked them as a candidate for alliance. Of course, he would have to decide only after seeing all the individuals with his own eyes. If someone was merely propped up by their house and had paltry ability, matters would surely tangle later.

Because the cheers around them made it hard to hear, Louis asked Akiteia to speak a little louder. That was how chaotic the situation was. Even Louis himself found the level of popularity slightly bewildering. For various reasons, Louis’s arrival had been maximized to the extreme, and in any case, Akiteia flushed as he watched people cheering even more fervently than when his own party had passed (which made sense, since House Parse was one of the houses that traveled through the capital very frequently). Still, at Louis’s request, he raised his voice and repeated himself.

“Ah, you mean the Colosseum. It truly is an entertaining competition. If the opportunity arises, I would like to invite you myself.”

“From what craftsman did you obtain such an idea? It is enviable that you have such talent within your territory. The craftsmen under House Parse can only do what already exists—they cannot create anything new.”

“It was me.”

Akiteia thought he had found something relatable and was about to continue, but he realized the word differed from what he expected. His eyes went wide. It did not seem like he had misheard, so he immediately asked again.

“…Pardon? You came up with the idea yourself?”

“Yes. Everything from the concept to the design. It became a fine foundation that allowed me to grow.”

‘I thought he was talentless, but if this is true… no, he could have stolen the credit. Don’t jump to conclusions yet… Is it really true?’

Akiteia kept revising his thoughts with an uneasy feeling. Louis, having read that doubt in his eyes, continued.

“I rarely lie. Especially not in front of someone I intend to have a good relationship with.”

Akiteia’s face reddened in embarrassment—so much that he felt almost immature. It had been a long time since he had failed to seize the upper hand like this, after cultivating diplomatic skill for so long. Knowing how fatal it was in this world to have one’s psychology read made him all the more flustered. Still, to make up for his mistake, he quickly steadied himself and spoke to Louis. In moments like this, Akiteia instinctively knew that telling the truth could help.

“It is astonishing. At a glance your mana seems high, so when you said you had talent elsewhere, I doubted. Forgive my discourtesy—and the true purpose of bringing this up is that I prepared a gift.”

“A gift…?”

“Yes. I was thinking over what item you might need, Duke Louis, and as I mentioned, my subordinate who went to Proia told me about it. So what I prepared is slaves suitable for gladiatorial combat. They are not amateurs—they are trained, and they are all men sentenced for murder, so I believe they will be of great use to you.”

Louis could not help but let out a quiet laugh. It hit the mark. He did, indeed, need gladiator slaves right now. The fact that House Parse had known and prepared in advance let him indirectly experience their depth.

And Akiteia did not miss the subtle shift in Louis’s expression. Winning another person’s favor like this required difficult, exhausting work. Akiteia smoothly continued. Now that he knew slaves were Louis’s burning issue, pressing a bit further was a way to improve their relationship going forward.

“If you wish, I can also provide additional gifts separately.”

“Very interesting. I did not expect there to be a house that would welcome me so fervently. Ah—there is one thing I want to ask.”

“Ask anything, Duke Louis.”

“How many houses have attended here?”

Ah. So it had come. Akiteia’s face stiffened uncomfortably, but he soon broke into a bright smile and answered.

“All seven houses.”

Only then did Louis grasp Akiteia’s intention behind giving such a large gift so readily. This meant he would need to revise his overall strategy. Even if Louis did not step forward, with all seven houses present, rivalry would likely spark and raise the odds of them trying to attach themselves to him. He did not need to become close with all of them, and in truth, that was impossible. Among them were houses that had come simply to see what kind of person Louis was—but Louis was doing the same, so he could decide what to do next when the time came.

Crossing the square was the peak. Louis’s procession was extremely small in number compared to the houses that had passed earlier, but perhaps because of that, people praised him even more. They said it was because he did not spend the taxes collected from his people in strange ways. The crowd was enormous, and lacking space, people even clung to buildings. In a few places, the scene grew chaotic due to fatal falls.

Once they passed the square, a new boundary appeared. The quality of the buildings rose noticeably, and the streets widened as well. This was the district of the nobles living in the capital, Lebledna.

“If we go a little farther in, there will be a place to stay beside the castle. You can unpack there.”

At Louis’s side, Akiteia continuously explained the surroundings. It was not as massive a crowd as the citizens earlier, but lesser nobles seemed to have all come out to see Louis. Unlike the citizens, who wore grimy clothes and looked somewhat disheveled, they appeared neat and presentable.

In particular, it seemed every young noblewoman of marriageable age had come out. Even if they were lesser nobles, with luck they could catch his eye and become a concubine. Becoming a concubine was humiliating, but if the man was a duke, the story changed. If ability backed it up, even the child of a concubine could have a chance at inheritance comparable to that of the lawful wife. The example was right in front of them—Louis himself, the living proof.

From one side, young noble ladies whispered with sparkling eyes.

“That’s Lord Akiteia of House Parse—so the one beside him must be Lord Louis!”

“How can he be that handsome… and everyone he brings along is impressive too.”

“The person beside Duke Louis—at this party, I have to speak to him.”

“I want to become Duke Louis’s wife…”

“Even if you’re pretty, didn’t you see that all the renowned women of the seven houses have gathered? Wake up.”

But while the soldiers accompanying them listened to the whispering voices, Louis was simply admiring the buildings that rose on all sides. As expected, the capital was the capital. None of Louis’s cities had a district this immaculate. It was spacious, and the buildings had a dignity worthy of that space. Farther in, there would likely be even finer, broader mansions. One of them would be where Louis stayed during the party.