CREAK—!
A door bearing a distinctive pattern opened, and Ron entered the council chamber.
PRICKLE, PRICKLE—!
Gazes flew in from every direction and struck him like arrows.
The sharp eyes of the retainers representing the count's house swept over every inch of Ron as though stripping the flesh from his bones.
What the hell was this man?
Someone whose face and name were unknown, who had never distinguished himself until now, had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Their bewilderment was obvious.
According to Adelia's explanation, he had made the greatest contribution during the attack, yet Ron was merely a probationary knight without even a family name.
At this point, they began to wonder whether the attackers had simply been ordinary. However, they had confirmed that the captured attacker belonged to Blade Shadow and had learned aura.
WHOOSH—!
With reliable eyewitnesses and testimony, there was no room to doubt Ron's achievement. Moreover, denying it would mean accusing Adelia and Radon of lying.
BLAZE—!
Amid the cutting gazes was an intensely burning presence.
Count Leonard, lord of Torres Territory, glared at Ron while spewing flames of rage like an active volcano.
He looked ready to incinerate Ron with his eyes alone.
Rather than the lord of the territory, he resembled a father looking down upon a brazen thief trying to steal his daughter.
PRICKLE, PRICKLE—!
For an instant, an illusion unfolded in which the entire chamber was engulfed in flames. It could not be dismissed as a mere illusion, for Count Leonard was a Mid-Level Aura Expert. He had reached the realm of infusing his sword with aura and giving it form, which meant he could also imbue his presence with aura.
An ordinary person could suffer damage to his mental fortitude merely by coming into contact with that pressure and spend the rest of his life tormented by an Inner Demon.
Under the concentrated gazes of everyone present, silence was forced upon the room.
Count Leonard asked sharply.
“Are you the one?”
“That is correct.”
When Ron answered calmly, the members of the leadership flinched instead. Their lord loved his daughter so fiercely that he disregarded all consequences. Setting aside that savage pressure, an ordinary person would have panicked when abruptly confronted with, “Are you the one?”
‘Ha! He is no ordinary man!’
‘Should we call that resolve?’
‘Or is he an idiot who cannot grasp the situation?’
‘Does he truly have something?’
The retainers held their breath and watched the confrontation between Ron and Count Leonard.
It was strangely tense, but entertaining.
Every decision rested with their lord. It was not their place to intervene. They also wanted to see how Ron would respond.
“I do not know how you seduced my daughter, but matters will not proceed as you wish.”
“It is a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding? You are not even a full knight, merely a probationary knight, yet you covet my daughter. Do you think you can brush this aside by calling it a misunderstanding?!”
“I would never dare covet the noble young lady. Moreover, my preference is for a more voluptuous, glamorous woman.”
GASP—!
A cry mixed with astonishment escaped the retainers who had been concentrating on their exchange.
It was an answer none of them had imagined.
They had expected him either to ask for trust or admit his offense.
One of the two.
Instead, his answer could only be interpreted as, Your daughter is too lacking in volume to satisfy my tastes.
‘What in the world should we call that?’
‘Should we say he knows his place?’
‘How can a knight say something like that openly in a formal gathering without shame?!’
Even so, they could not deny that Ron's answer was a perfect rejection of the count's suspicion.
It could not have been more complete.
Adelia might have been beautiful, but she was far removed from voluptuous. By revealing such a definite difference in preference, Ron escaped the suspicion that he had seduced her. As though proving it, he directed a gaze toward Adelia utterly devoid of ulterior motives.
SNAP—!
Father and daughter stiffened at the same time.
‘How dare he say that about my precious daughter, whom even my eyes would not hurt to hold!’
‘I told you not to say that! This is driving me insane!’
Quite apart from their anger, questioning Ron further would only make them appear clingy.
Do you not find my daughter attractive?
I am not small!
It was a situation in which becoming angry felt strange, yet not becoming angry felt equally strange.
That left them speechless.
In another sense, it was impressive.
The lord of the territory was raging before him. Who could have imagined that a mere probationary knight would state his preferences clearly without trembling?
Personal tastes differed, but few men could announce in public that they preferred glamorous women.
‘What the hell is that bastard thinking?’
‘Does he not fear the consequences?’
‘No. When you think about it, there is no justification to punish him.’
Everyone had expected the lord's fit, even if the man himself pretended otherwise. His cherished daughter had suddenly announced that she would appoint a Personal Knight. It was only natural for him to lose his head.
However, Ron had saved Adelia and removed a threat to the house.
They could not ignore Ron's achievement and punish him officially. Punishing him for becoming Adelia's Personal Knight would also establish a poor precedent for the house.
‘Cunning bastard. You seduced my daughter with that deceitful tongue!’
Count Leonard was well aware of that fact.
This insolent bastard ought to prostrate himself immediately and beg forgiveness.
Yet in this gathering, the count had to reward him.
That was his natural duty and responsibility as lord of the territory.
Still, as a father, he could not help feeling spiteful. That was why he had tried to find some fault with Ron.
“Did you incite Adelia to make you her Personal Knight so that you could become a noble?”
“No.”
“No? Then may I take that to mean you will relinquish the position of Personal Knight?”
“Becoming her Personal Knight was the young lady's command. Therefore, if Your Excellency commands me to relinquish it, I will obey.”
……This bastard!
I am a loyal knight who follows his lord's commands.
Ron displayed the very model of a knight, declaring that he would obey any order given.
GRIND—!
Count Leonard ground his teeth.
The moment he ordered Ron to relinquish the position, he would be disregarding Adelia's request. It would also humiliate a knight who had rendered distinguished service. Neither was an easy choice.
“Please give the order.”
The loyal Ron showed that he would gladly obey.
It was as though he were kindly pushing someone who found it difficult to leap from a cliff.
‘It would be easier for me.’
Even if Raising the Count's House failed, Ron would merely lose the opportunity to earn Coins. Even in his previous life, only an extremely small number of people struck it rich by investing in coins while dreaming of sudden fortune.
It was said that abandoning greed brought paradise. He only needed to remain satisfied with his present peaceful life. Compared with his previous lives, this was already paradise.
‘Ha! He truly has no attachment to it!’
Count Leonard had observed people for many years, so by now he could roughly read them from their expressions.
Ron was not clinging to the position of Personal Knight. If ordered, he would relinquish it immediately.
He almost seemed to want that.
‘It is the honor of becoming Ria's first Personal Knight!’
Count Leonard wanted to remove Ron from his daughter's side but could not, and the fact that Ron himself did not even seem interested only made his frustration worse.
GRIND—!
Count Leonard could not bring himself to reject Adelia's first request.
The moment he refused, he would become a coldhearted father.
And this bastard wanted exactly that.
Just you wait.
Though displeased, Count Leonard looked toward Adelia and reluctantly gave his permission.
“……I permit you to become her Personal Knight.”
“I would be the young lady's first Personal Knight. You may wish to consider the matter more carefully.”
Ron displayed Korean-style modesty.
One was supposed to refuse three times.
“I said I permit it.”
“If you decide too hastily, you may deeply regret it later.”
“I have granted permission. Do you dare disobey my command?!”
“I obey.”
Gasps swept through the meeting room.
HAH!
The retainers clicked their tongues at the exchange between Count Leonard and Ron. The situation itself made no sense from the beginning. A count and a probationary knight—were they truly in a relationship where they could argue?
Yet somehow, they were.
Considering Count Leonard's fiery temper, it would not have been strange for him to draw his sword here and now. Yet despite Ron's seemingly hopeless behavior, Count Leonard ultimately granted permission.
To summarize—
A father's possessiveness, unwilling to surrender his daughter, clashed with his paternal desire to earn her approval, ultimately leading him to a decision for the greater good.
Count Leonard's inner changes were laid bare for everyone to see.
“If you harbor even the slightest wicked intention, prepare yourself!”
“Of course. If I so much as give off such an impression, you may cut off my head.”
If you can.
***
Count Leonard proclaimed Ron to be Adelia's Personal Knight.
The count regretted the words he had spoken, but the ship had sailed long ago.
Since the proclamation had been made before the assembled leadership of the house, it could no longer be reversed.
‘It is finally over.’
Having finished his hectic schedule, Ron finally headed home.
The obstacles that might have detained him had disappeared as well.
Fortunately, the countess, shocked by the attack on her daughter, had come and taken Adelia away. The old man still had to finish his report as the person responsible for the journey.
With no one left to get in his way, Ron left the estate feeling light.
The House Leonard estate stood in the center of Pellod City, the most developed city in Torres Territory, while Ron's home lay at the far edge of its outskirts. Naturally, buying a house within the city required a considerable sum.
It took one hour to walk from his house to the count's estate. On horseback, it would take less than twenty minutes, but a horse was too extravagant for a probationary knight.
The price of a horse varied enormously by breed, but even the basic price was at least equivalent to a fully optioned, top-of-the-line Genesis in modern terms.
Ron had emptied all his savings to buy a plot measuring 1,000 pyeong. Had it been in the city center, that money would not have come close, but the land was an abandoned flatland, so he had purchased it cheaply.
However, price was not the only reason he had built his home on the outskirts of Pellod City. Beyond the financial aspect, constructing the house he wanted required a great deal of space. Building a new house inside the city was inconvenient, and too many eyes would have watched him.
Before building the house, he erected a sturdy, high fence to mark the boundaries of the 1,000-pyeong property clearly. It might have seemed trivial, but it was essential. Ambiguous land boundaries could lead to disputes.
Land ownership disputes were a chronic problem of this era. The conflict between House Leonard and Viscount Rehalt arose from the same context.
“Should I say things have become easier?”
The journey had originally taken an hour, but now it required less than five minutes. Until now, he had controlled his speed out of awareness of his surroundings, but there was no longer any need. It did not matter who watched.
In truth, he was not moving at a speed anyone could see.
His house came into view.
It was a commonly seen two-story structure. Of course, he had actually invested considerable effort in building it.
Its exterior resembled an ordinary family home, but in reality, it had been completed through highly intricate architectural engineering. He had never studied architecture, but imagination was free.
He had made several mistakes while turning his imagination into reality.
Unavoidable circumstances had also played a major role.
“Thieves are rampant.”
Unlike the modern world, where CCTV was widespread, this era was virtually lawless. There was almost no distinction between one's own house and someone else's. If someone entered a house and stole something, finding the culprit was difficult unless there had been a witness.
After much thought, Ron installed a mechanism in the door.
He placed several gears inside it and designed the door so that it would not open unless a precise amount of aura was controlled with great delicacy.
He also used iron rather than wood in preparation for anyone attempting to break it down. The door had been made by cutting it from an iron block, so it actually weighed one ton.
“Should I activate the Formation?”
He had installed a Formation as well, but had not activated it.
This was the home of a mere probationary knight. Installing a Formation to guard against intruders might instead invite suspicion. Therefore, he had installed only highly advanced physical mechanisms.
Though he had reached his house, he did not enter.
“You are late, Second Young Master.”
“Huff, huff! You bastard! What the hell are you?”
The incarnation of brainlessness, acting without passing anything through his head.
Second Young Master Tailon.
His hot-bloodedness was said to surpass even what Count Leonard had displayed in his youth. Considering that it ran in the family, the First Young Master, Third Young Master, and the young lady had clearly taken after their mother's side.
As expected, the Second Young Master had not waited until tomorrow. As though he could not tolerate even that much delay, he had pursued Ron.
Haa, haa!
Tailon had never imagined that his father would grant Ria's request. Under ordinary circumstances, his father would naturally have refused. Yet he had been thoroughly toyed with by the tongue of a mere probationary knight without even a family name.
“You may have deceived Father and Ria, but it will not work on me.”
“Of course. I know very well that you are absolutely not someone who will listen to reason, Second Young Master.”
“Naturally! I am a man who listens to reason…… How dare you make a fool of me?!”
“Then shall we settle this with words?”
“Silence! A knight has the excellent means of sword and fist! Why would we merely wag our tongues?!”
After boldly declaring this, Tailon hesitated for a moment, wondering, ‘Is this right?’ Then he stopped thinking about it. A person should live according to his usual convictions. As the saying went, no knight remained a knight before a beating.
“Shall we begin immediately, or would you prefer to catch your breath first?”
“I am not tired at all. Begin now.”
“That suits me.”