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303. Siblings Ep – Smuggling

Marquis Benard Tatian was silent for a long while.

What’s the matter?

It was only when Lean was becoming anxious that he opened his mouth, sounding as if he was inviting him to join the conversation.

He was smiling.

“It seems you speak as if you know the king’s intentions.”

Lean felt a chill run down his spine. The marquis, standing with his arms crossed, exhibited an unnaturally thorough self-control. Lean also smiled subtly.

“It’s just a guess. But it’s probably correct. The king wouldn’t be pleased with the current situation.”

“…I see. Please, have a seat.”

The marquis gestured for them to sit.

Their posture was impeccably respectful for addressing a prince, but the sound of both settling into their chairs echoed loudly. A tense atmosphere settled like snowflakes.

Lean was struggling to regulate his own breathing, not wanting to reveal that he felt at least somewhat relieved.

Then the marquis spoke again.

“Would you like to have a drink?”

A drink… that sounds good.

There’s nothing better than alcohol to lighten the mood. It creates an emotional bridge for interaction and allows for a glimpse into the other person’s mind.

However, Lean thought this wasn’t his intention, but rather the marquis’.

Looking back, it seemed the marquis had never drunk before.

I was the only one feeling some emotional connection, while the marquis’s seemingly nonsensical words must have had hidden intentions.

So, carefully speculating, perhaps the marquis’s alcohol was exceptionally strong. Lean became keen for tea.

“That sounds lovely. But I’d prefer something a bit gentler. I’m still young after all.”

Yet, that wouldn’t do. Asking for tea was merely a retreat.

It might have been better to point out that his age meant he was getting an advantageous setup, which would have rubbed the marquis the wrong way.

‘This kid is surprisingly cunning.’

Not giving an inch in this high-stakes atmosphere. Even in what was my home. He found the intense tension quite amusing yet impressive.

Something so trivial made him tense. I hadn’t received proper education after being exiled from the kingdom at such a young age.

The marquis felt a surge of curiosity.

In a generous mood, he poured wine into the prince’s glass, diluting it with precious summer ice and ‘Totor tree sap’.

He wanted to engage in conversation with this bizarre prince for as long as possible. He drank distilled spirits without ice.

“When did you arrive here, Your Highness?”

The marquis opened the conversation with trivial matters. He briefly considered discussing noble topics but dismissed the thought. After all, the other party belonged to royalty.

Lean responded, “It’s been about a year.” He spoke straightforwardly, having no intention to rush the conversation along with small talk.

“Did you know that Lady Ksenia is the daughter of Count Peter?”

“I was aware.”

The marquis didn’t ask how.

Such trivial matters weren’t significant to those who should know better.

“Then you must also know that I have great interest in her.”

“Yes.”

Though for some reason, Lean was aware of something he wasn’t supposed to disclose. A thought flickered in his mind, and he tossed out a seemingly random remark.

“I just saw Brian Zauer leave a moment ago.”

The marquis took a sip of his drink.

It was a natural action, but Lean recognized that it was a maneuver to buy time. Doubt sparked within him as he guessed what this could imply.

When attempting to adopt this man as a son, the marquis had introduced him to several nobles two or three at a time.

It was an announcement of his new son, while also serving as a stepping stone for Lean to step into noble society. Yet all those nobles he had gathered shared a common trait.

They were important figures of the royalist faction, or,

Individuals connected to the royal family,

People who worked for or were related to the Tatian marquis. People grouped according to some criteria.

Of course, Count Gustave Peter was also introduced. Accompanying the count had been Brian Zauer, who was not a baron at the moment. Whatever the case.

However, the two had no commonality.

Brian Zauer was not a close friend of the marquis, and Count Gustave Peter was not a royalist.

Even if they were close or shared similar personalities, that was not the case either. Lean discovered a very small hint here.

The hint was connected to what he observed regarding their engagement.

– “He asked us to smuggle something for him.”

– “Smuggling, you say?”

He recalled the trader from the engagement scenario who appeared at Abrival Castle.

– “Yes. Without passing through the gate. The barony borders the Jerome Holy Kingdom and the Belita Kingdom. Duke Diuro said it would soon lead to war, and that it’s an excellent opportunity. He emphasized that discussions with the Count Oscar of the Holy Kingdom and the Baron Zauer of the Belita Kingdom were finalized.”

The barony referred to the territory of Baron Brina in the Austin Kingdom.

The trader named Vernon had started trading while under the patronage of Count Diego Brina.

However, trade would end at the territory of the baron.

The trader refused the request for smuggling and fled, only to be pursued and killed by knights. Once, Lean had stopped it (during the 14th cycle), but it must have repeated even after that.

Now, in light of the north’s historical shifts, who knows how things would unfold? What mattered was the keyword “smuggling” and the hidden connection between Count Peter and Baron Zauer.

Before the marquis chose his words, Lean hastily threw out a guess. To buy just a little more time to think and to find certainty.

“The arrival of Vivian de Isadora… though it might not have been intentional, seems like a good opportunity for you. Is ‘Baron Oliver Trudy’ accompanying her?”

The marquis’s pupils dilated.

With his glass at his lips, his blue eyes expressed shock. Lean felt certain at that moment.

He understood what the marquis wanted.

Count Peter’s and Baron Zauer’s fiefs were located in border areas.

Baron Zauer’s fief bordered the Jerome Holy Kingdom and the Asran Kingdom, while Count Peter’s fief lay adjacent to the Conrad Kingdom and the Aisel Kingdom. And I crossed that border during my childhood.

According to the trader’s words, the Barony aimed to smuggle with the neighboring Count Oscar and Baron Zauer. At that time, Baron Zauer was practically a servant of the marquis.

Then, smuggling in those three border areas…

Must logically be the marquis’s plan.

Moreover, the territory of Count Peter on the opposite side, centered around Oberg, was bound together due to Count Gustave Peter’s peculiar position.

He was a count of Belita Kingdom and concurrently a baron of the Conrad Kingdom.

Baron Monarch’s estate bordered Count Peter’s estate, just as the marquis had reacted to Oliver Trudy, Baron of the Aisel Kingdom.

‘Now I understand why the marquis is so obsessed with Ksenia.’

Marquis Benard Tatian wants to engage in trade in those border regions. No, if the areas he’s targeting aren’t limited to just here, but include all five kingdoms surrounding Belita Kingdom and any adjoining border… his plan aims to establish a trade network that would span the entire continent.

And that was already in progress.

‘Baron Guanin of the Orun Kingdom… that fellow complained. Taxes are being collected strangely. That’s right. Come to think of it, Count Modred’s lands were also in economic decline.’

Baron Guanin of Orun Kingdom and Count Modred of Asran Kingdom. Both families were located in border areas that matched up with the Belita Kingdom.

Baron Guanin has implored the future Lev, who would ascend to the throne in the 19th cycle, for the position of ‘Finance Minister’.

Count Modred was in a similar predicament.

Count Jacob Modred. The heir of the count was already enlisted as a royal knight, so there’s no need to elaborate further.

The Tatian marquis was draining the wealth of the entire continent. Without even paying taxes through smuggling.

A green slanted balance.

Lean recognized why the symbol on the marquis’s chest was emblematic of the Tatian family.

‘Should I kill him?’

Meanwhile, Benard Tatian was contemplating whether to kill the prince.

This has crossed the line.

Despite his exceptional talents, he was excessively capable.

With nothing in his hands, this would be… chilling.

If this prince had learned about my plans and arrived, he would have already been dead.

However, the reason for his hesitation now was that he could see the process of this prince coming to realizations himself. Lean, too, couldn’t manage his expression at this moment.

This kid needs to be eliminated. Leaving him alive would be dangerous.

But… it’s a pity.

The marquis slowly, greedily downed his drink and glared at the prince.

He recalled his father.

‘Did my father act like this, too?’

Born as the youngest of the Tatian family, a historical great house, I was loved.

I had two older brothers, significantly older than me, who had been competing for the heir position for over a decade, making me merely the cute little brother.

However, my father saw potential in me.

He realized that this youngest child would consume the family and wavered but ultimately couldn’t cast me away. Because of this, my father met a miserable end alongside my brothers.

How foolish he was.

He must have recognized me. Why did he keep me alive even after noticing the son who would eventually consume him along with the others?

Back then, I didn’t understand, but now, with age, I’ve come to realize.

How rare talented individuals are. Even if one day they might consume me, I wanted to witness their talents bloom.

My father would have laughed, “You got played!”

The marquis put his glass down. He, still silent, reflected on himself.

Will I ever be able to smile?

The answer to that was… no.

This person is neither my son, nor am I the kind of man who could belong to that category. I must kill him, that was my resolve.

“Have you already decided to accompany? If so, there’s no need for you to bother with that side; you must be preoccupied with other matters. As for aiding the Asran Kingdom side… I can provide that.”

“What do you mean?”

Even if it comes to killing, I might as well gather a bit more information.

This is his residence, his inner chamber. The certainty of not leaving alive gave the marquis confidence while presenting Lean with an opportunity.

Go ahead and try with those three inches of tongue.

However, Lean pulled out a ‘mirror’ instead of using his tongue. A bit urgently.

“…?”

“Ray, it’s me.”

What on earth is he doing? ─ he thought, but the mirror he produced emitted a bright white light. Surprisingly, in the mirror was a young man shouting,

“What’s going on? Is this going well?”

Lean swallowed hard, his parched throat dry as he thrust the mirror towards the marquis.

“I’m sure you have much to say, but first, say hello. You know who this is, right?”

“……”

“……Is this real?”

“He is my cousin in the Asran Kingdom. At Abrival Castle, not far from Baron Brina’s territory. You must be in a tight spot… he could be of help.”

Lean had now exhausted the luck Leah had so generously invoked for him. Without it, he won’t make it back alive.

The marquis and Ray exchanged dumbfounded expressions. Fortunately, Ray was not that dumb. There was also one more unexpected stroke of fortune.

“It’s Ray, Marquis Tatian. I’ve heard of your reputation. Allow me to introduce myself… like this.”

With a radiant glow, the Oblivion Blade blazed. Thanks to the reversal of time, he was still a Swordmaster.