The Mad Dog of the Dukes House - Chapter 218



Only Krnovel

Episode 218 69. Truth (3)

5.

The reception room of the Riad’s castle.

-… … I fully understand what you’re saying. You must have had a hard time.

“Since Lord Luke said he would personally go to Cheonghae Castle to explain, I think you should hear the detailed story from Lord Luke. Grandfather.”

-This is a serious matter. I will call a council of elders as soon as Lord Luke arrives.

Halo spoke in a colder voice than ever before.

It seemed as if I could feel the killing intent emanating from Halo beyond the communication port.

“Shall we return too?”

Charon asked Halo cautiously.

Because it had been a long time since I had heard Halo’s voice like this.

-No. You guys, focus on the coming-of-age ceremony.

It was a firm order.

Caron knew full well that those words were words of consideration for Caron, for himself.

-After you arrive at the North Sea and have your coming of age ceremony, check out Cain’s tomb. Then, return as quickly as possible.

“yes.”

Of course, I also reported to Halo that I had encountered Cain’s doppelganger.

Although he didn’t show it, Halo’s patience must have reached its limit.

The only good thing is that, given the level of the doppelganger, it probably wouldn’t have been able to absorb Cain’s entire body.

We’ll have to go to the tomb to find out, but it’s likely that only part of the body was damaged.

“Grandpa, I have one question.”

-okay.

“Are there any parts of Lord Cain Rathor’s body that were not recovered?”

-After I defeated Cain, I dragged the evil emperor down from the throne. Then when I came back, I saw that Cain’s right wrist was missing.

“……okay.”

The general situation is pictured in my head.

It was highly likely that someone had deliberately removed parts of the body.

You can find out more details by checking Cain’s body yourself. It feels strange to face the corpse of a previous life, but since things have come to this point, I have to make sure.

Caron nodded slowly.

“I checked.”

-Let him wait in the riad for a moment.

“yes?”

-I sent someone right away as soon as your signal was cut off. He’ll be here soon, so make sure he gets plenty of rest in Riad. Oh, and we’ll also discuss Ligor.

“Will this be a problem?”

-If that sword has chosen the bloodline of the Reston family, then that sword is also our treasure. There will be no problem. If there are any changes in the future, I will inform you through Jeras. I wish you good luck.

That’s the end of communication with Halo.

Caron put down the communication port and let out a small breath. Then he turned to Luke who was next to him and said.

“You can go to Cheonghae Castle, Lord Luke.”

“……Is that so.”

A myriad of emotions swirled across Luke’s face.

Caron fully sympathized with Luke’s feelings.

It was clear that the lord was up to something. This act was clearly an act of betrayal against the lord.

Perhaps it would be a disgrace to the honor of the Imperial Guard. It was natural to hesitate.

But Charon spoke to Luke in a voice clearer than ever before.

“Sir Luke, do you think the Imperial Guards who protected the evil emperor 50 years ago really thought of themselves as honorable?”

A time when the Imperial Guards followed the Emperor’s orders.

As far as Caron remembers, there was no such thing as honor or pride in those days.

Some people have their souls captured by evil spirits, and others cannot leave those they have captured behind.

There was not a single person who stayed by the Emperor’s side for the sake of honor.

The old knight commander, who died more dishonorably than anyone else, quietly looked at his junior.

“It would be no honor to simply follow your master’s injustice. I don’t know what path Lord Luke pursues, but at least that’s how it is for me.”

I was sincere.

Caron’s voice contained the heart of a senior concerned about his junior.

Some truly heartfelt advice, hoping that future generations will not make the same mistakes as he did.

“I want the Imperial Guard to be honorable.”

This may seem absurdly presumptuous advice for a seventeen-year-old.

But Luke felt the sincerity contained in those words.

The sincerity was earnest and urgent.

At this very moment, Caron Reston felt like a senior member of the Imperial Guard, rather than the youngest of the Reston Dukes.

That’s why Luke could only look at Charon in silence.

“The Imperial Guard failed to correct their lord’s mistake 50 years ago. Didn’t they lose too much in return?”

An old tradition.

Glory, honor.

The Imperial Guard lost everything the moment the Emperor was dragged from his throne.

The current Imperial Guard is merely an organization rebuilt on top of those ruins.

“Sir Luke.”

Caron slowly looked at Amy and said with a faint smile.

“You shouldn’t repeat the same mistakes. You should leave a proud Order of Knights for the juniors who follow in the footsteps of their seniors.”

One mistake is enough.

Amy was proof that the Imperial Guard could do better.

The Amy I saw in the capital and the Amy I saw here were so different.

A look in his eyes that shows no pride as a knight.

That kind of gaze didn’t suit Amy, or Luke.

“That’s all I want to say. It’s up to Lord Luke to make the choice. If Lord Luke makes the choice, Grandfather will make the choice too.”

As Halo said, Charon, his role ended here.

From this point on, it’s up to others.

“The Empire will be thrown into chaos, and perhaps even blood will flow… … . The rotten parts must be cut out. Otherwise, the life of this great living organism called the Empire will be in danger.”

Caron smiled bitterly at Luke, then bowed his head politely in greeting. Then he turned to Amy and said,

“Well, let’s split the proceeds from the doppelganger skins after we’re done. Amy, it’s nice to meet you here.”

Amy replied with a slightly cracked voice.

“Lord Charon, I… … .”

“are you okay.”

Caron smiled and patted Amy on the back.

“It’s not your fault. What could a low-level knight do?”

He offered comfort mixed with playfulness.

Is it because Amy is Kerua’s relative?

I hope this guy does well.

Caron met Amy’s gaze with a sly smile.

“You can change everything from the roots later. Can’t you? You can do it. There was someone who gave you the dew of the World Tree last time, right? He’d be so happy to see you.”

I wanted to introduce Amy to Kerua someday.

Kerua would definitely welcome Amy. As you grow older, there’s nothing more welcome than blood relatives.

“Well then, we’ll go first. Brother? Let’s go. We have to get the money from Count Candle.”

Caron walked out of the reception room with Leo.

Just as the two were about to go out the door, Luke’s voice rang in Caron’s ears.

“Thank you, Caron.”

At those words, Caron lightly raised his hand and waved it.

“It was nothing.”

As a senior, I have done everything I can to help my junior.

Caron smiled and stepped into the hallway.

6.

After parting ways with the Imperial Guards, Charon headed straight to the Lord’s office.

Count Candle was waiting for Caron and his party in his office. Next to him was Natasha, an informant from Cheonghae Castle.

“Are you here?”

The voice of Count Candle as he addressed Caron was extremely polite.

It was completely different from before, when there had been a hint of wariness mixed in.

“Count, I have come to collect your money.”

“… … Please sit down. Natasha? Would you like some tea for the two of you?”

“Yes, brother.”

Hey, brother.

I heard that you lived here when you were young. Could you have been related by blood?

As soon as Charon and Leo took their seats, Natasha offered Leo some tea. But she offered something different to Charon.

“This is the highest quality vodka produced by the Riad Distillery. I heard that Karon likes alcohol.”

“Wow, you prepared something like this again. Then I will drink it without hesitation.”

Caron drank the vodka in his glass in one gulp.

Despite its high alcohol content, it had a smooth flavor that was completely different from the cheap vodka I had at the inn.

“Good. You have a capable younger brother, Count.”

“… … I never dreamed that Natasha would become the Duke’s informant.”

“Are you planning to kick out my brother on the grounds that he was colluding with us?”

“You kicked me out. Thanks to Natasha, we were able to escape the danger in the city, so I wouldn’t mind giving her a reward instead. And… … It was Natasha’s own will to leave this castle. I just want Natasha to always be here.”

There seems to be a complicated story hidden here too.

Charon glanced at Natasha. Then Natasha spoke to Count Candle.

“My birth is a great flaw to you, brother. Last time you went to the capital, you were insulted for having a younger brother of lowly blood… … .”

“I told you not to take what other people are gossiping too seriously. I’m fine, Natasha.”

Even without going into detail, I could guess Natasha’s identity.

It was definitely the illegitimate child of the previous count.

I don’t know how Riad’s illegitimate child came to be an informant for the Duke’s family, but it was a story that could be gradually discovered.

What matters now is what you get out of it.

Riad is a city located in the northwestern part of the empire that has great potential as a logistics hub.

Although there are no railways, there are good roads extending throughout the northwestern part of the empire.

In other words, it is a city that will be of great help to the future plans of the Duke of Reston.

In that kind of place, it wasn’t a good choice to be forceful from the start.

“Is there a reason you asked for help from the Imperial Family rather than the Duke of Reston?”

Riad is closer to Qinghai Province than to the capital.

There was no way that Count Candle hadn’t heard the news about Cheonghae Castle recently.

Count Candle sighed and nodded in response to Caron’s question.

“My father, a former count, left a will.”

“Maybe it was some kind of will… … .”

“It was your will not to associate with the Duke of Reston. There was no conflict between the territories, but as far as I know, you held a grudge against the Grand Duke of Halo.”

“Resentment?”

“Yes. My father said that when he was young, he was brutally beaten by Grand Duke Halo.”

“ah.”

Caron nodded, hitting his knee with his hand.

There was a time when Halo was known for being a slacker. It must have been during that time that Halo almost got him killed.

“I don’t think it was just for that reason.”

“Caron said, taking a quick sip of the vodka Natasha had refilled for him.

I couldn’t look at it properly because I was in a hurry earlier, but he wasn’t the type of person who would make such a choice just because of his father’s will.

Count Candle simply smiled bitterly in response to Caron’s sharp remark.

“The recent expansion of the Duke of Reston has been so frightening. I was worried that we might be absorbed by the Duke of Reston.”

“You reached out to the royal family in order to keep the duke in check… … You’re stronger than you look, aren’t you? Usually, you keep such stories a secret until the very end.”

“I do not wish to be rude to the benefactor who saved my city, and by extension, my estate.”

Is it because he’s a count?

There were many political implications mixed into that simple conversation.

He said indirectly that he would hold the Duke’s hand, but that he did not want to be absorbed.

‘Our recent actions have been quite unstoppable.’

Aggressive development initiatives.

At the same time, it projects its influence into surrounding territories.

To someone who didn’t know better, it would seem that the Duke of Reston was really trying to gain independence from the Empire.

But Caron drew a clear line.

“As you can see from the case of the Barondom of Belus, we are not trying to subjugate or conquer other territories. We are just trying to join forces with the marginalized regions… … That’s the concept.”

Caron, who had been spouting out passionate speeches without even wiping his mouth with saliva, rubbed his two palms together.

And then he started to really play with his tongue.

“It is practically a given that the Candle Counts will side with the Duke of Reston… … What I would like to discuss now is personal compensation.”

“… … Personal… … compensation?”

“Hey, you mean I got a hole in my stomach while holding the Doppelganger Lord? Hey, hey, look at the bloody bandage.”

It was Caron who had already been treated with the elixir, but he had deliberately brought bandages.

Count Candle nodded with regret as he examined Caron’s bandages.

“I see, that’s true.”

“I don’t want much. A brewery! Can I invest in a share of the brewery? The profit distribution should be in alcohol, not money… .”

At that very moment, Charon’s tongue was moving without rest.

Knock knock.

“Count! We are in trouble.”

“Come in.”

Bam-!

A man who appeared to be a knight of the Candle Counts came into the office and immediately gave a report in an urgent voice.

“An unidentified monster is currently approaching from the north of the city at incredible speed!”

“Is it a monster?”

“I, I don’t know! There are reports that they seem to be human… … but they are moving at a speed that is not human! We should evacuate right now… … .”

At that very moment, what Halo had said earlier came to Charon’s mind.

“I sent someone.”

A person from the Duke’s family.

A speed that is inhuman.

And the one who stayed north of Riyadh.

There was only one being that fit those conditions perfectly.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Count.”

“Do you have any guesses?”

“yes.”

Caron smiled and looked out the north window of his office.

“The original mad dog of Cheonghae Castle is coming.”

Sabina Reston.

She was running at full speed to get to her nieces and nephews.

Caron couldn’t hide his smile at the thought of seeing Sabina for the first time in a long time.

There’s a mad dog living in the duke’s house