“W-Wait! Th-This is not right! It makes no sense!”
Only after seeing Tylan being carried away by servants did Viscount Javiko regain his senses, his expression turning frantic.
If he returned like this, Count Sailharn would undoubtedly be furious.
His lord was merciless toward anyone who proved incompetent, whether they were his children or his younger brother.
“What kind of match ends like this? The result is invalid! Invalid!”
His face flushed crimson as he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Just as Sir Dimit, the referee, was about to restrain him, another voice intervened.
“You claim the match is invalid?”
The Duke, who had been returning to his study, stopped and glared at Viscount Javiko.
“Y-Yes! This result is invalid! The match must be held again.”
“...And why, exactly, is it invalid? You had better choose your words carefully.”
The stern-faced Duke released a wave of pressure, but Viscount Javiko was too enraged to notice it.
“What honorable knight ends a match with such a cowardly surprise attack? That is the sort of thing street thugs do!”
“Cowardly...? Were they supposed to make the holy sign to each other and exchange pleasantries once the match was over?”
“That is not what I meant!”
“Had this been a battlefield, your nephew’s head would already have left his shoulders. Do you understand what I am saying? Glen spared him precisely because this was only a sparring match.”
The Duke’s breathing gradually grew rougher.
It was a rare display from the normally composed man.
“And yet you dare stand before me and call my son a coward?”
Veins began bulging across the Duke’s forehead, and his presence grew increasingly vicious.
“W-Well, that is...”
Only then did Viscount Javiko begin watching the Duke’s expression.
The anger that had erupted from him moments earlier had already subsided.
All that remained was the fury of a quasi-superhuman father.
“Or did you intend to insult my house? Do you wish to die here?”
The Duke approached and placed a hand on the sword at his waist.
The knights of House Sailharn immediately stepped forward to shield Viscount Javiko.
“Ugh...”
Just as one of the knights, his face pale, began drawing his sword—
“...That sword.”
The voice was filled with bloodlust.
It sounded like the growl of an enormous beast.
“You would do well... to reconsider.”
Dimit, the duchy’s only Sword Master, had been restraining himself until now.
The instant the knight attempted to draw his sword against Dimit’s lord, Dimit shot forward.
“N-No, I was only...”
The knight trembled beneath Dimit’s gaze before releasing his sword hilt.
When the expressions of the surrounding Lion Knights also began turning vicious, Viscount Javiko hurriedly lowered his head.
“I-I apologize! Seeing my beloved nephew in such a state caused me to l-lose my senses for a moment.”
The Duke considered him briefly, then turned his gaze toward Glen.
“You should be apologizing to that child, not me.”
“I apologize, Young Master Glen! I misspoke.”
Viscount Javiko Sailharn.
He was a man Glen had disliked even in his previous life.
Javiko had often manipulated others into humiliating Glen without openly involving himself.
Glen answered with a faint smile.
“Well, such things happen. I understand. After all, Viscount, you are not a proper knight yourself, are you?”
“...Pardon?”
Viscount Javiko possessed no talent for swordsmanship.
However, because he was Count Sailharn’s younger brother, he had still received a knighthood.
Such cases were quietly common among noble houses.
To preserve their authority as nobles, they were treated as knights in name alone.
Such men were commonly called ‘sham knights’ or ‘paper knights.’
Glen had deliberately struck at that sore point.
Naturally, it was a grave insult to the person concerned.
“It would be equally foolish to show swordsmanship to someone who knows nothing about it and expect his recognition. Would that not be like growing angry at a passing dog because it cannot understand human speech?”
“...Y-Yes, indeed.”
After being compared to a passing dog, Javiko audibly ground his teeth.
But what could he possibly do?
“Therefore, I accept your apology. When your nephew regains consciousness, please give him my regards.”
“...Thank you.”
Glen turned toward his father, who had been observing the exchange, and shrugged with a smile.
“Impudent brat.”
The Duke uttered those words before turning away.
Thus ended an incident that had lasted longer than the sparring match itself.
***
After showing his face to his mother and Ian, Glen visited the Vice Commander’s office of the Lion Knights.
He had come to check which knights had wagered on him, as he had requested before the match.
“Sir Nedain.”
“Ah, Young Master. Congratulations on your victory.”
“Hmph. It was nothing more than a circus. Did you investigate what I asked?”
“Yes. Here it is.”
Nedain handed him a sheet of paper containing several names.
Every person listed belonged to the Lion Knights.
Some of the names had been marked separately.
“What do these marks mean?”
“In my judgment, they are the members who are at least somewhat useful. The rest are merely mediocre.”
“Then there are fewer than ten.”
“It appears that both you and I will have to work harder.”
“I understand why you must, as the Vice Commander, but why me?”
“It means that you have earned only this much faith from them so far.”
“...Tsk. You certainly know how to leave me with nothing to say.”
Seven names.
Even including Nedain, there were only eight.
It felt slightly insufficient, but the number did not particularly matter.
What Glen needed now was not quantity, but people who possessed at least some degree of faith in him.
Even in his previous life, the most important standard by which he judged people had always been one question.
How trustworthy are they?
“Good. I have a separate task for these men. Select those skilled in covert operations and have them track the Viscount’s movements.”
“Do you mean Viscount Javiko?”
“That is right. Have them report any unusual places he visits or people he contacts within the city. Is that possible?”
“If we only need to determine his movements, it should not be particularly difficult. Has something happened?”
“I cannot say. It is merely a precaution. Would it not be strange for the Sailharn bastards to come all this way and then leave quietly?”
“Hmm. Understood. How extensive should the surveillance be?”
“Repen City itself will be enough. They are unlikely to attempt anything unusual inside the estate. It would attract too much attention.”
“However, moving members of the order requires His Grace’s permission.”
“I shall speak to Father myself.”
***
“Members of the order?”
Glen immediately visited the study and handed his father the paper he had received from Nedain.
“Yes. I do not need many. The men marked separately on that page will suffice.”
“Who are these men?”
“They are the more capable knights among those who wagered on me in today’s match.”
After hearing that much, the Duke tapped the armrest for a moment.
Following a brief silence, he gave an unexpected answer.
“Very well.”
The Duke returned the paper and shifted his gaze back to the documents he had been writing.
He appeared perfectly calm.
“...Pardon?”
Glen was the one who became flustered.
“I grant you permission.”
“...”
“Why? Is there something else you wish to say?”
“No. I merely did not expect you to agree so readily. Do you not need to ask why I require them?”
“You would have explained it yourself if it were necessary.”
“...I appreciate your confidence.”
When his father put it that way, Glen had nothing to say.
...What is this?
His reaction is completely different from how he behaved only recently.
“I have merely decided that you have graduated from doing idiotic things as you did in the past.”
Have I finally regained a little of his trust?
Glen had expected the sparring match to have some effect, but it had worked better than he anticipated.
Then again, Father did despise the Sailharn bastards.
“There is something else I wish to discuss.”
“...What is it?”
The Duke’s gaze returned to Glen.
Glen looked toward the maid waiting inside the room.
Understanding the meaning behind his gaze, the Duke spoke.
“Leave us for a moment.”
The maid bowed and departed.
Once the door closed, Glen removed two letters from inside his coat.
“What are these?”
“They concern today’s conference.”
The Duke’s eyes narrowed as he examined the letters.
His reading speed gradually increased, and before long, he set them down.
“...Is this your idea? You wish to bring the Kingdom of Arian and the Duchy of Levanov to the negotiating table with the Empire?”
“That is correct.”
“Explain it in detail.”
At the very least, his father had not rejected it immediately.
That alone meant Glen was already halfway to success.
His father was by no means a foolish man.
“First, we must review what occurred today. The war supplies demanded by the Empire are merely a means of establishing a pretext. As always, their true objective is...”
“The annexation of the duchy.”
“Correct.”
Glen nodded and continued his explanation.
“House Sailharn is merely an instrument wielded by the Empire. There is also a high probability that the money they offered to lend us was provided by the Empire.”
“What evidence do you have?”
“It is merely my intuition. However, the evidence itself is not especially important. The relationship between House Sailharn and our house has already passed the point of reconciliation.”
That was unquestionably true.
The Duke nodded without realizing it.
“From their perspective, they must destroy us to earn the Empire’s favor. Conversely, we must drive House Sailharn out if we wish to survive.”
In truth, it was not intuition.
It was a fact Glen had personally uncovered in his previous life.
House Sailharn would receive funding from the Empire and become House Repent’s creditor.
Their intention was to seize control of the duchy by tightening their grip on its finances.
It would also serve as an excellent distraction from their other conspiracies.
“Yes. I am also aware that there is little point in treating the Empire and House Sailharn as separate entities.”
“If that is the case, then the true nature of House Sailharn’s offer to lend us money becomes clear.”
“You mean the act of lending us money is itself part of the Empire’s intentions?”
“Correct. With its left hand, the Empire demands funds from us, while with its right hand, it lends us those same funds. In other words, what they truly want is...”
“Not our money. Their objective is to place us in debt. Do they intend to strangle our finances?”
Glen was surprised that his father had grasped the essence of his argument without requiring further explanation.
Even without knowledge of the future, he had seen straight through to the heart of the matter.
“...Did you learn how to read minds?”
“Stop talking nonsense and continue.”
“Ahem. In any case, once we understand that, the issue we must address becomes clear. This is not a question of whether we should borrow money from House Sailharn. We must refuse to provide the Empire with financial support in the first place. Even if we repay the debt, they will simply devise another pretext.”
“Then are you suggesting that we wage war against the Empire? ...No, that cannot be it. These letters contain your answer.”
The Duke’s gaze shifted toward the letters Glen had given him.
“That is correct. Negotiations should never begin when only one side is at a disadvantage. Fair negotiations are impossible unless both parties stand on equal ground.”
“So you intend to bring the other two nations into this and defect to the Second Prince’s side together?”
“We need only establish contact with the Second Prince. Put simply, we should serve as the deciding weight upon the scales.”
The Empire was in the midst of a civil war.
The previous Emperor had died without clearly settling the line of succession.
The conflict between the First Prince, who had ascended the throne as the current Emperor, and the Second Prince, who opposed him, had lasted far longer than expected.
However, the First Prince’s faction had gradually begun gaining the upper hand.
If events continued along their current course, victory would inevitably belong to the First Prince.
That was precisely why the Emperor was pressuring the vassal states, including Repen.
He intended to replenish the money and supplies depleted by the civil war while further strengthening his political position.
Even during his time as Crown Prince, he had strongly advocated the annexation of the vassal states.
Once the civil war ended successfully, he would likely lead his army directly toward them.
Glen was proposing that they position themselves as the deciding weight between the First and Second Princes.
Naturally, the Duchy of Repen alone was not significant enough to fill that role.
But what if they brought both of the other nations with them?
Together, they would possess more than enough influence to tip the scales.
If all three powers shifted toward the Second Prince, the outcome of the civil war would once again become uncertain.
“A deciding weight upon the scales... It is a reasonably sound idea. However, there is something you have overlooked. The Duchy of Levanov may be persuaded, but the Kingdom of Arian will never share a boat with us.”
The Kingdom of Arian was a neighbouring nation situated directly south of the duchy, but relations between them had remained poor for generations.
Situated in the centre of the continent, the Kingdom of Arian was even smaller than the Duchy of Repen.
Its military strength was also far weaker.
For that reason, the kingdom’s rulers had always needed to excel in politics and diplomacy.
Successive royal dynasties had risen from merchant families for precisely that reason.
Their values differed too greatly from those of Repen, which was ruled by a traditional house of knights.
That was why the two nations remained at odds.
They simply could not understand each other.
The kingdom regarded the duchy as a nation of ignorant, vain knights.
The duchy, in turn, considered the kingdom a land of lowly merchants who knew nothing of honor.
Naturally, the two could never become close.
“The King of Arian is a politically astute man. Given the proper circumstances and timing, would he not share a drink even with yesterday’s enemy?”
“Hmph. It is not so simple. The people of Arian have been utterly untrustworthy since my father’s time.”
“That is why I intend to go and persuade him personally.”
“...You intend to go?”
“We are hardly close enough to build trust by exchanging a few letters. As the eldest son of the ducal house, I am more than qualified to serve as an envoy. They will not be able to close their ears and reject us outright. Furthermore, I am the one who proposed this plan. Naturally, I should be the one to go.”
“You intend to enter a nation that is effectively a potential enemy?”
“Would it not be preferable to entering the Empire?”
The Duke’s brow furrowed as he sank into thought.
Glen’s proposal was certainly valid.
It was rational and, in all likelihood, the best available course of action.
...Then why did it trouble him?
Was it because he did not trust his son?
If that were true, he would never have listened in the first place.
Then was it simply concern?
He questioned himself but could find no clear answer.
“Haa... I understand your proposal. However, this matter... must be discussed with my retainers once more. I shall give you my answer afterward. Is that acceptable?”
It was not a perfect score, but it was more than enough to pass.
That was Glen’s assessment of his father’s response.
If a better solution existed, Glen himself wished to hear it.
Ultimately, his father would also realize that this was their best option.
He was intelligent enough to understand that.
“Yes, that is sufficient. I shall await your answer.”
Glen opened the door to the study with a satisfied expression.
“Glen.”
At that moment, a quiet voice stopped him.
“Yes, Father?”
“You did well... in today’s match.”
“...”
Well, well.
After being reborn, I even lived to see the day Father praised me.
Glen lowered his head with a faint smile.
“Thank you.”
***
Two days later.
Nedain came to see Glen.
“We have discovered suspicious activity on Viscount Javiko’s part.”