13 (22)

Ferdinand, meanwhile, came looking for Louis tirelessly. At first it had been nothing more than a greeting, but after the fifth or sixth time it became impossible not to understand what he wanted. Even so, Louis was not really in a position to give him advice. Still, he had to pretend to know something. Ferdinand was, so to speak, one of the senior elders of a powerful house. Even if Louis only dropped a few vague hints that seemed meaningful, the benefits he could gain from Ferdinand—whether wealth, reputation, or even Ferdinand himself—would be considerable.

“Hmph. To say you cannot remember…”

“It seems that whatever happened then is the cause. Still, I do not think I achieved it entirely by accident.”

Since he could not see into Louis’s mind, Ferdinand had no choice but to take his words at face value. Louis had already brought House Kaban, which had once stood neutral, over to his side and even secured a promise to consider an alliance. Yet Louis himself seemed strangely lukewarm about it, which drove Ferdinand nearly mad. Louis had promised to explain everything clearly, but the answer that came out of his mouth was that his memory was hazy.

“Hmph… Then perhaps your memory might return in the future?”

“Since Lord Kaban seems so earnest, I will try. But I doubt it will fully return. I do have the sense that I was attempting something with my memory.”

“Cough… Ahem.”

Embarrassed, Ferdinand glanced around and signaled awkwardly to a servant holding water. It was not easy to dismiss Louis’s explanation outright. The strange phenomenon had been accompanied by a high fever. After all, Louis’s skin had peeled, his skeleton had changed, and he had absorbed mana wildly from the surroundings. In such a brief moment, it would not be strange at all if his memory had suffered some minor damage.

Louis returned to the ducal territory. It had been several months since he had departed on the campaign. Even while returning, he had been checking the city’s condition in real time, so he already knew nothing serious had occurred. News spread quickly among the citizens that the barbarians had been subdued and that a strong alliance had been formed, ensuring that no invasion would occur in the future.

Louis was now entering the city.

The streets were packed with people.

“The Duke is returning!”

“Where?”

“As he promised!”

“Gasp… That’s… the Duke? His face looks a bit different. He’s even more handsome.”

“Could it be someone else? Sometimes they put forward a double.”

“That would never happen at a triumphal procession.”

Louis was receiving a deafening welcome. The shouting was overwhelming. People pushed each other aside just to see him. The scale of his return was so grand it almost seemed dangerous. Even Louis felt he had never received such a triumphant reception before. The increase in the city’s population could be felt clearly.

If it was overwhelming even for Louis, Euclid—who had followed behind him almost incidentally—looked as if his jaw might fall off.

His female disciple did not even know where to look and appeared flustered.

“M… Master.”

“Hmph… Impressive. Even the Emperor of the Empire would not receive such treatment.”

“Have you seen that before?”

“Only once. But even then, the people did not welcome him like this.”

“That must mean Duke Louis is trusted by the citizens.”

Her voice faded into the thunderous cheers.

The crowd began pouring praise toward Louis, making conversation impossible. Louis himself remained calm and composed despite the overwhelming attention. In truth, however, he was completely absorbed by a new sensation.

His improved body had even altered his eyesight. It had improved to the point that he could see the pores on a woman’s face from a distance where faces would normally appear blurry. In such a crowd, every expression and gesture came to him with vivid clarity. It was an experience that could not be bought with money.

“Oh my… Did something happen to him there?”

Kaban Mary ignored her grandfather completely and busied herself stealing glances at Louis. In such a crowd, it was the perfect place to observe someone freely. Since she could picture Louis more clearly than anyone, she immediately noticed the changes in him.

‘His skin, his features, his height, his skeleton… It’s like a different person. Yet he cannot truly be someone else. That distinctive presence…’

He had always been pleasant to look at before, but if every aspect of someone improved evenly in a positive direction, perhaps they would look like this.

Her heart pounded so hard she unconsciously clenched her hands.

It was not only Mary. Batenberg Linsia, who had been waiting eagerly for Louis, also watched him with a dreamy expression. Nor were they the only ones watching—the King’s eyes and ears were observing him as well. Louis clearly noticed them standing there with unusually dark expressions.

‘I will need to take care of that separately.’

Without even saying it aloud, Louis’s power had already surpassed that of the Duchy.

Louis summoned all the personnel connected to the King. There were three key figures. The man standing in the center wore a bewildered expression, as if unsure whether the person before him was really the same man he had known just a few months earlier.

“Is it truly the same person?”

“It is indeed Duke Louis.”

“Incredible. He has become even more handsome.”

“They say he underwent Rebirth.”

“What? Does that mean he is a Sword Master?”

“Perhaps.”

“But did not Sir Kaban Ferdinand say such a realm does not exist?”

“If you notice that Sir Ferdinand has not returned to the capital yet, you will understand. Duke Louis truly reached that realm.”

Whispers filled the room. It was quiet, but Louis heard everything.

They debated earnestly among themselves.

Louis stretched lazily and called one of them forward.

The man had worn a grave expression from the beginning. Louis remembered his face even from the triumphal procession earlier. His name was Raiden. He was known as a loyal servant.

Louis had summoned him specifically because he suspected Raiden might attempt something.

He did not know exactly what—but now that Magitech was about to rise, he had no desire to face interference from the King.

Raiden, known to be a rigid man, approached Louis with difficulty. Instead of speaking, he suddenly handed over a note.

What was this? A threat?

[The three of us will serve Duke Louis with complete loyalty from this moment on. There are too many watching eyes. Could you dismiss the others except for us?]

‘…………’

Louis barely suppressed a laugh.

He glanced at Raiden, who was sweating profusely, then ordered the others to step outside.

Once the crowd had left, Raiden finally relaxed his face and forced a smile. The pressure in the room was overwhelming. Louis understood his reaction somewhat. Since undergoing Rebirth, Louis had become at least twice as proficient at using mana.

The other two approached and spoke cautiously.

“Congratulations on subduing the barbarians.”

“And congratulations on what appears to be your attainment of the Sword Master realm.”

Indeed, power changed everything.

Louis recalled hearing from his father six years ago what kind of man Raiden was. He tossed the note into the fireplace.

“I see. So you intend to betray your King. But how can I be sure you will not betray me as well?”

“That is… Hng…!”

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Louis released his emotions more sharply and efficiently than before. His mana pressed down upon them. They froze as if bound in place. One wrong word might have resulted in their heads being severed.

The difference in strength was that great.

“Th… that…”

“Pl… please calm yourself.”

“Give us time to prove ourselves. We will do our best.”

Under extreme tension they were nearly trembling apart. Louis relaxed the pressure slightly.

Raiden staggered and looked troubled. He had realized a simple truth—the King could not defeat Duke Louis. Had Louis accepted their offer immediately, they might have harbored other intentions. But now the only thought in their minds was to gain Louis’s favor.

“You may go. I will summon you again later.”

“Yes…”

As the three left, they whispered among themselves.

“I… I felt like I was standing before Sword Master Kaban Ferdinand in his prime.”

“We may not like it, but the King will fall sooner or later. For the sake of our children’s future, should we not change sides?”

“I saw the Duke before as well. But after reaching that realm, he feels twice as powerful. Just how far will he rise?”

“What if… if he becomes king, the Duchy of Eron…”

The rest of the sentence was swallowed along with their saliva.

Soon they were gone completely.

“My… when Duke Louis asked that only the three remain, I wondered if perhaps…”

“No. Duke Louis showed little interest. I even spoke bluntly to him, yet he said nothing to us. It would be best to delay our report until the matter is resolved.”

“I see. Count Raiden handled it wisely.”

At Raiden’s excuse, the other members misunderstood completely.

A king always demanded something from his lords.

Louis was no exception.

It had long been customary for the king to request a portion of the gold, silver, and plunder gained from campaigns against barbarians. Looking deeper, it was essentially a power struggle.

By making such demands and having Louis comply, the king reaffirmed his authority.

The king had grown desperate to confirm that authority because Louis’s rise had been so rapid that no one—not even Louis himself—had anticipated it.

So the question was simple: what choice would Louis make?

Even if Louis bowed to the king now, the matter would no longer remain simple. Louis was the central pillar of the allied houses. Many of them were already in opposition to the king. If Louis yielded, it would immediately become a political issue.

Louis’s solution, however, was surprisingly simple.

An indirect refusal.

A large hall was filled with ministers sent by the king. They were essentially a royal inspection delegation. Yet they had no idea that the man leading them had already pledged himself to Louis.

Furthermore, Louis had not even arrived in the room yet.

Three hours had already passed.

They were no longer merely anxious—they were growing angry. Louis had summoned them here and then calmly continued his other work elsewhere.

“He is clearly ignoring us. No matter how powerful he becomes, he must not forget that he is still merely a house within the Duchy of Eron.”

“Duke Louis’s momentum is like a storm after conquering part of Pantalist. We came on an important mission from the King. Watch your words.”

“…You are all missing the point. The King merely gave approval. Did he provide any help when Duke Louis launched his campaign into Pantalist?”

“By the way, what about that rumor? That he reached a new realm.”

“Did you not see him at the triumphal procession?”

“There were too many people to see anything.”

“No matter how impressive Duke Louis may be, this is arrogance. No one has ever treated a royal inspection delegation so poorly.”

“He is extremely busy. I heard that after returning from the campaign he has been touring the city to handle domestic affairs. We should not push him too hard.”

“But did not Duke Louis tell us to gather here? He gave no explanation at all. By the way, Count Raiden—did you deliver the note properly?”

“Of course.”

He had indeed delivered it.

A note whose contents had been changed.

Only two people centered around Count Raiden knew that fact.