"What? Get to work."
Alaric snapped. The cigar had helped calm his mind but his whole body was aching. Defending against mana strengthened blows was no small feat.
He wanted to get some rest as soon as possible.
It was adrenaline and the urge to see things to the end which had kept him going earlier.
He had also packed up everything from the makeshift camp. Perhaps the House’s trade merchants could identify where the equipment or supplies had originated.
He had examined the items himself, but found nothing distinctive.
House Yuglev remained the prime suspect. They stood to lose the most if Marchioness Orlen became a Duchess, and the Knight himself had invoked their name.
But Alaric wasn’t about to treat the words of an enemy as unquestionable truth.
He also wanted to find out who it was that bought the Squires to kill him.
Obviously, it had to be someone who wanted Marchioness Orlen to become a Duchess. Her son’s death would’ve given her sufficient justification to leave the border and attend the title ceremony.
He already had a suspect in mind but couldn’t be too sure yet.
While the trained men of his House got to work, he specifically emphasized.
"No one is to tamper with the bodies until the investigators arrive. Do not remove their masks. Anyone violating this order will answer to me."
The hunting squad exchanged puzzled glances.
Most didn’t understand why the young lord cared whether a dead person still wore his mask.
Then realization slowly spread across the face of the squad leader. His eyes widened ever so slightly before he bowed.
"Understood, Young Lord."
Only then did several veterans grasp the implication. Their gazes toward Alaric quietly changed.
As long as no one can identify them, they’re nothing more than unknown trespassers who died within House Orlen’s hunting grounds.
Under the law, the bodies would remain under House Orlen’s jurisdiction until ownership could be proven.
Which meant only the rightful owner could demand their return.
But doing so required proving those men belonged to their House.
And the moment they admitted that, they would also be admitting that a force of one Knight and fifteen Squires had entered House Orlen’s territory without permission.
If they want the bodies back, they’ll have to accuse themselves first.
Alaric internally smirked as he thought of that.
Squire and Knight blood was among the finest catalysts for tempering the body.
Every noble house knew it. Yet none dared hunt one another openly.
The moment one house normalized hunting them, retaliation would become inevitable, and the kingdom’s delicate balance would collapse into private wars.
However, it was a different matter if one trespassed without permission into the territory of another House.
A force consisting of a single Knight and fifteen Squires was akin to a weapon of war. Sending them to another territory without permission clearly signified no small matter.
If some House really admitted their mistake and demanded the corpses back, Alaric would be laughing even in his dreams.
The entire reason the protagonist wanted to leave House Orlen was because they were politically marginalised.
The moment a noble house admitted the trespass, House Orlen would gain something far harder to earn than those corpses.
Every noble watching would remember which house had stood on the right side of the law, and which had been forced to bow its head.
In court, reputation was influence, and influence was often worth far more than blood.
The matter of saving Marchioness Orlen would have been far easier if their House wasn’t so politically isolated.
House Orlen’s greatest weakness had never been military strength.
It was political isolation. Every bit of public legitimacy chipped away at that isolation.
Every victory in court increased the pressure on those delaying reinforcements to the border.
It was the ache of his body which snapped him out of his thoughts. Taking a healing salve from one of the hunting squad members, he walked towards his carriage.
"Young Lord, were you the one who killed all of them?"
Alice asked Alaric when he neared the carriage.
It would be terrifying if he killed all of them! Especially that Knight! But obviously that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Based on the battlefield traces, the most plausible sequence was obvious.
The serpent had likely been the first target of the Knight’s group.
Then came the bear.
Judging from the enormous blood loss and the scattered footprints, the Knight and most of the Squires must have died during those battles, with the remaining three to four squires being pretty exhausted.
Then the young lord came and killed the squires, thereby claiming all the spoils of battle.
But even so, killing the three to four squires all alone was no small feat! I can’t underestimate him any longer!
As Alice thought of that, she glanced at Alaric, waiting for his answer which would practically be a confirmation of her thoughts.
Alaric could also see several members of the hunting squad slowing their work without realizing it.
One man paused with a corpse over his shoulder. Another stopped untying a saddle.
Though none dared turn around openly, every ear was listening.
Alaric simply gave Alice a side eye. "I can’t be bothered to satisfy your curiosity."
Anything he said would only invite more questions.
He’d rather let their imaginations do the work.
Once he was inside the carriage, he sat down and began applying the healing salve he took from the hunting squad.
The hunting squad would remain behind for hours recovering the corpses and loading them onto wagons.
Since the enormous bear alone would slow the procession to a crawl, Alaric instructed Alice to leave ahead.
There was no need to move together.
Only after the carriage began moving did Alaric realize how empty his stomach felt.
The battle had left him running on little more than adrenaline.
He reached into a tiny compartment and took out chocolate bars, eating them in silence while the carriage rolled toward House Orlen.
A few hours later when they reached House Orlen’s main mansion, Alaric took a bath, and changed into a clean set of clothes before treating himself to a huge feast, eating to his heart’s content.
He then rested for a few hours, waiting until the corpses had arrived. He wanted Evan to know of their existence.
Only then did Alaric have his attendant summon Evan to his private training hall.
While he moved across the mansion, he noticed the guards saluting him more sharply, and the servants bowing deeper.
After entering his training hall, he only had to wait for a few seconds before a young man pushed open the door.
Why is the young lord calling for me again? Is it about those memories?
The bearded young squire thought even as he bowed towards Alaric and asked.
"Young Lord, how may I be of assistance?"
Alaric smiled. "Evan, what do you think of House Orlen?"
Evan’s mind blanked for a moment, before he understood what Alaric was implying.
No! I don’t want to stay here!
He thought for a moment before answering.
"House Orlen is a great place to gain experience."
A man interested in staying would’ve spoken about loyalty, opportunity, or the House itself.
Evan praised only the experience he gained.
Alaric chose not to comment on it, and said.
"Have you ever thought of swearing fealty to us?"
Evan mentally shook his head but politely replied.
"I haven’t thought about that yet, Young Lord."
That’s a no.
Alaric knew how to read between lines. He changed his question.
"What about leaving the house’s service and being my personal retainer as a guard?"
In your dreams. What gave you such delusion?
Evan internally scoffed, but still gave the same polite answer.
Alaric smiled, having an idea of what must be going in Evan’s head. The young lord’s reputation wasn’t exactly stellar after all.
He then changed the topic again.
"Did you see what our hunting squad brought back?"
Evan’s eyes lit up at the mention of those corpses.
Each one of those was a massive treasure for him! He couldn’t even calculate how many merits he would need to exchange for those corpses!
"Yes, they seem to have gotten a big haul this time."
Since the hunting squad had merely recovered the corpses, ownership remained with Alaric.
He chuckled. "What if I told you that you could get your hands on all those corpses if you swore fealty to me?"
Evan stared. Had he heard correctly? All of them?
Thump!
Evan’s right knee struck the floor.
He lowered his head, his voice carrying a solemn respect.
"Young Lord... if you are truly willing to sponsor my cultivation, I, Evan Lionheart, am willing to swear fealty and serve as your blade."
It was an opportunity he had never dared imagine.
Evan knew better than anyone that even in the capital, no powerful noble house would willingly sponsor someone they hadn’t raised themselves.
Alaric laughed, taking out Evan’s Certificate of Service.
"Take this, your oath of service to my House ends today."
The moment Evan got his hands on his Certificate of Service, Alaric received the system message.
[Quest: Obtain your Certificate of Service and leave House Orlen.]
[Completed]
[Issuing Rewards.]
[The host has leveled up. Talent point +1]
[Level: 2]
Alaric smiled.
Another step closer to becoming stronger.
At the same moment, in the maid’s quarters, Alice quietly clenched her fists as a surge of strength filled her body.
One more plot point of my story has become reality.
Alice smiled.
Another step closer to becoming stronger.