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179. Childhood Friend – General

The lord’s castle sank into gloom.

The once vibrant lord’s castle, brought back to life by Lady Sierra Gaidan, again fell into silence as Lady Hirie Gaidan succumbed to illness.

Embracing the palace that had been pierced through the neck, Hirie wailed day and night on the blood-soaked stone bridge.

The shock was so severe that she didn’t even recognize her mother. Just like her mother had, her eyes lost their focus.

Lady Gaidan did not leave her daughter’s side. She grew more haggard as she tended to her daughter who screamed in her sleep.

“It would be good to wear a bracelet.”

After much deliberation, Reb reached his conclusion.

“I need to show Marquis that I treated Lady Sierra, but at this rate, it won’t work.”

Reb swiftly made his decision. Yet Leo de Yeriel, seated at the desk, wore a troubled expression.

There was only one bead left from {Barbatos’s Bracelet}.

Although it had many restrictions and could only evoke temporary affection, it was a precious item that could turn the situation around depending on how it was used. And Leo had already determined its purpose.

Regretting that the plan had slightly gone awry, Leo spoke.

“…Alright. There’s nothing I can do. I’ll try to handle Count Ogerton somehow. Go… cast a charm.”

– Knock, knock.

Reb found Hirie Gaidan’s room. “Come in.” He received the lifeless permission and stepped inside.

In the room adorned with sky-blue curtains sat Hirie and Lady Sierra. Hirie was sitting on the bed, staring blankly out the window, and Lady Sierra’s eyes were red from crying.

“What’s going on? Is the prince looking for me?”

Reb didn’t answer. He quietly approached and sat beside Lady Sierra next to the bed.

Normally, it would require a bow, but Lady Gaidan let Reb be. Strangely, seeing him seemed to soften her heart, which was set to freeze.

“Please don’t worry too much.”

Reb turned his left hand, which had the bracelet, behind his back.

“As you did, Lady Hirie will get up. It’s just that it will take time for the wounds of her heart to heal.”

They needed to make eye contact.

Reb gently extended his arm. Unceremoniously, he grabbed Hirie’s hand and pulled it. The moment her head turned, the bead hidden behind his back shattered.

“Hang in there.”

[ Achievement: The Man Who Melted Hirie Gaidan’s Heart – Gained a faint affection from Hirie Gaidan. ]

There was no dramatic change as he had hoped. Unlike Lady Sierra, who had mistaken Reb for her son and wept, Hirie showed no significant reaction.

Staring blankly at Reb… a single tear fell.

That was all.

Reb handed Hirie’s hand back to her mother. Quietly slipping outside, he saw Lady Gaidan embracing her daughter and sobbing through the crack of the door.

Where had the necklace that Barbatos coveted gone? It was a question that lingered, but he thought, ‘…Maybe she left it somewhere’ and forgot about it.

*

Marquis Harvey Gaidan arrived two days later.

Hurrying in after hearing that his wife had awakened, he was fatigued from a three-week forced march, but he kicked down the main door and immediately searched for his wife.

“Darling! You…!”

The marquis hugged his wife tightly.

The cold wind from his clothes didn’t bother Lady Gaidan. She, too, nestled into her husband’s arms and wept.

“I’m sorry. If only I… hadn’t sought blessings…”

“It’s not your fault. Not at all.”

The Marquis stroked his wife’s cheek. He wiped her tears with his thumb, and the servants around them sniffled softly.

The gaunt middle-aged couple.

A marquis who looked like a scarecrow and a marquis who had grown alarmingly thin could barely part from each other. They both said nothing, but they were burying their deceased son in their hearts.

“…Darling. Come here. I have someone to introduce to you.”

“Just a little longer… just a little longer, let me hold you like this.”

How long they had missed each other. How difficult it had been for them alone.

To forget their dead son and collapsed wife, he had buried himself in work. Watching their daughter resemble her mother more and more each day was painful, and although it wasn’t easy, he struggled to pretend to be the cold nobleman who hid his feelings.

The marquis attempted to wrap his arms around his wife’s slender waist again. But Sierra gently stopped his hands, urging him softly.

“I won’t be going anywhere. I’ll hug you as much as you want later, but right now, I have someone to meet.”

“…Understood. Please guide me to the prince. Ah, but is Hirie alright?”

“…She’s feeling much better. This way.”

The prince was in the reception room.

Though he was a prince, it was customary for guests to not meet the host in their chambers, so they waited for quite a while, and the marquis couple bowed in unison.

“It is an honor to meet you, Prince Leo de Yeriel. I have heard everything.”

“I too am delighted to meet you, Duke of Orun. I worry that I have interrupted your reunion.”

“Please excuse my humbleness. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be this happy today.”

“Haha. Thank you for saying that. But I must credit my friend and bodyguard, Reb, for assisting Lady Gaidan.”

For a moment, they exchanged pleasantries.

As is usual in the meetings of royalty and nobility from foreign lands, they exchanged formalities carefully. Eventually, Lady Sierra Gaidan fulfilled her role as the host.

“Oh my— there’s something wrong with my mind. Let me prepare some simple snacks. Please talk among yourselves.”

Whether noble or royal, in this era, it was customary for men to step back for noble ladies or young ladies.

Lady Gaidan opened a gap for pleasantries, and the endless formalities wrapped up. Without needing any further invitations, both the guest prince and the host marquis could take their seats.

“Then… what brings you to seek me out, Your Highness?”

The marquis asked directly without preamble. Having already decided to help, he wasn’t interested in fishing for the prince’s intentions.

After a brief pause, Leo replied.

“I want an army.”

The marquis suppressed a sigh that was about to escape. It was the strongest demand he had expected.

“…I thought so. However, I cannot achieve your restoration alone. It would be a different matter if there were factions in the Conrad Kingdom to support you.”

“No. I’m not asking to become a prince of our Conrad Kingdom.”

Then why did he want an army?

The marquis looked puzzled, and Leo glanced at Reb, who was standing behind him, and continued.

“I want to become the king of this Orun Kingdom.”

“…I’m sorry, but what do you mean…?”

Leo leaned forward. Before Lady Gaidan arrived, he quickly dove into the main topic.

“I’ve heard that Gaidan House is currently in quite a difficult position. The princes are pressuring you to marry off your daughter, and the duke of Orun failed in his attempt to propose an engagement to the Tertan Duke of our Conrad Kingdom.”

“W-wait a moment. How do you know that…”

“Can you handle it? Or will you slowly decline while pledging loyalty to those young, crazy princes?”

The sound of Lady Gaidan’s footsteps grew louder. Leo lowered his voice accordingly.

“I can be a good alternative for you, marquis. I suspect… your friend, Marquis Drazin, might think similarly. Oh, please, come in. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Have you been waiting long? The things freshly baked this morning. I hope they suit your taste, Your Highness.”

“Haha. I’ve enjoyed them many times already, but they’re always delicious, my lady.”

Leo stood up.

Receiving the tray from the marquis’ wife, who personally brought them in, he pretended not to have exchanged any conversation and turned the topic to something trivial.

“I heard you taught my sister how to cook. You taught her etiquette as well… She has been enjoying her days with no lack of care from you.”

A sudden show of gratitude. The marquis’ wife caught on to the prince’s intentions. It seemed she wished to express her gratitude to her husband, and she returned it with all sincerity.

“Oh my… I only did what I should do for my benefactor.”

It took quite some time for Marquis Gaidan to return to the main topic.

Something about an impending war between the Belita Kingdom and the Austin Kingdom, or that the heir ceremony of the Orun Kingdom, ‘Akine,’ would likely take place around early summer next year…

Leo de Yeriel spoke of other matters while Lady Sierra was present. By the time the marquis’ wife seemed to sense something and stepped aside, he had already indirectly finished everything he wanted to say.

Reb, standing quietly behind, felt his face redden at Leo’s shamelessness.

I’m embarrassed for him.

*

The next day, Reb left the lord’s castle.

He thought that his involvement in persuading the marquis might not be necessary, and though the marquis hadn’t given a definitive answer, it seemed he could leave it to Prince Leo.

Thus, Reb headed south to gather the barbarians.

Feeling a bit disappointed that his sister Lena had sent him off in a somewhat curt manner, he rode Kus up and down the hilly path. Along the way, he couldn’t help but think of Leah.

Had Leah arrived safely?

He regretted leaving without seeing his friend whom he had not met in years. He hadn’t even had a proper conversation with the mother he had met for the first time, nor had he found time to share a drink with his once talkative father.

To become the king, he had left everything behind.

– Clop, clop.

Kus, with its wide hooves, dashed through the snow-covered forest path.

In fact, Kus was better suited for farming than riding, but Reb had grown fond of this beast.

Not as cunning as Bante.

‘I wonder how Bante is doing? No, he’s not someone I need to worry about. Woody must have become a farming horse by now…’

Reb tried to shake off unnecessary thoughts as much as possible. And on a particularly cold winter’s day, he arrived at a barbarian village.

“Who goes there!”

It was a rather large tribe surrounded by tall wooden palisades. Five young barbarian men guarding the main gate sharply halted Reb’s approach.

“I’m not suspicious. I’ve come to see the chief of the Dwinor Tribe.”

“Who are you?”

Caught off guard at the question of his ‘qualifications,’ Reb took a moment to blankly stare before finally realizing he was being tested and swallowed hard.

Was he worthy of becoming a king?

To fly his crest across vast lands, to lord over millions of subjects, noble lords, and honorable knights as a ruler, he must show the way befitting such a title.

If he couldn’t deal with just these five young men in front of him…

That would mean he wasn’t worthy.

He needed to keep things in perspective and start thinking about how to marry Leah off to a prince, just as Minseo had been doing. Pathetically.

‘That can’t happen. Absolutely not.’

Clenching his teeth, Reb resolved. He had to become a great royal— no, a hero of the barbarians— so he raised his head high.

Endless self-confidence and arrogance.

The young men hesitated, unsure of his changed demeanor.

[ Quest: War Maniac 10000/10000 – {Leadership} ability increases by one level. ]

[ Quest: Noble Slayer 50/50 – {Grace} ability increases by one level. ]

[ Quest: Rebel 10/10 – {Royal Blood} ability increases by one level. ]

“I am the one who will become your general.”

And beyond that, he would become king.