From a Broken Engagement to the Northern Grand Duke's Son-in-Law

The passenger ship cut through the waves for three days before reaching its destination.

“Are you certain this is the right place?”

My companions stared ahead in bewilderment, and I couldn’t blame them.

The sight before us was nothing like our first glimpse of Diva’s exotic bustle and vibrant life. This place—Lovan—looked grim as a corpse.

It wasn’t quite a slum. Something more sinister lurked here, like a criminal’s den festering in shadow.

This was the Land of Punishment: Lovan itself.

“From here on, we stay together. Let your guard down, and accidents happen.”

“Why did we come here?” Lea asked.

“There’s somewhere we need to stop,” I replied impassively.

The first place we needed to visit was Python’s forge. That old man had mentioned living here in his younger days—Third Street Alley, if I remembered correctly.

“Follow me.”

I led my men through the streets of Lovan Tree.

“Oof, the smell is terrible,” Hans muttered, covering his nose.

As we passed deeper into the district, a familiar scent grew stronger—the same stench that had clung to Lexa.

The reek of potent narcotics.

“Captain, this looks like drugs made from Leion petals,” Hans observed.

“What’s the effect?”

“Even indirect inhalation can cloud the mind. You and I should be fine, but the others might be in danger.”

Hans spoke with grave concern. By ‘others,’ he meant Lea, Roxen, and Lancelot.

I shook my head, correcting his assessment. “Kai can hold his breath, so he’s fine. Lea has immunity to poisons—worry about the rest.”

“Ah, fortunate then. I have exactly two doses prepared.” Hans sighed in relief and rummaged through his belongings, producing pills that he handed to Lancelot and Roxen. “Take these.”

“Much obliged,” Roxen said.

“Ugh, I don’t want to eat this,” Lancelot complained.

Despite their different reactions, both swallowed their pills.

Lea gently grasped my elbow. “Why do I have immunity to poisons?”

Ah. Obviously because of the medicine I’d given her when I improved her appearance.

Come to think of it, I’d never explained the full effects.

As Lea blinked in genuine confusion, I cleared my throat and explained, “It’s an effect of the medicine you took before.”

“Medicine? Ah, the one you force-fed me back then?”

“Phrasing it like that will cause misunderstandings.”

“So what if it does?”

Wouldn’t my reputation suffer?

Ignoring the look of exasperation on my face, Lea simply nodded in understanding.

“Anyway, I’m fine then?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s hurry.”

Lea grabbed my hand and walked forward.

She was surely still in shock from the Grand Duke’s disappearance, yet she tried so hard to act cheerful—a sight that felt bitter to witness.

Is she forcing herself to endure?

I looked down at the hand grasping mine. Wounds covered her fingers, and scars littered her knuckles from efforts I couldn’t begin to measure.

I sighed quietly and kept walking without pulling my hand free.

* * *

“This is it?”

Blacksmith Python’s forge could generously be described as abnormal at best.

Cobwebs draped the building’s exterior walls, and refuse littered the ground so thickly that passage seemed impossible.

Worse still, vagrants had set up camp directly in front of the entrance.

By any measure, this didn’t look like a functioning business.

“Hey, you there.” The thugs sitting before the forge called out while sipping their drinks and gesturing at me.

“C’mere.”

Apparently we looked like easy marks

I turned to Lancelot. “They’re calling.”

“I don’t think they’re talking to me,” he said.

“No, they’re looking right at you. Go help them out.”

“Damn it.” Lancelot muttered a curse and stepped forward, spear in hand. “Here I am.”

“Got any cash?”

“Do I look like it? Our money’s all with that fancy gentleman over there, so go beg from him instead.” Lancelot pointed at me as he spoke.

That ungrateful bastard. The man was rotten from birth.

“Should’ve just left him behind,” I muttered.

The thugs began gesturing at me. “Hey, you! Come over here!”

“What a bother.”

“Ha! Acting tough in front of your woman, are you? We’ll tear that bitch apart first—”

Crack!

“Hmm… so many pests around here. They keep buzzing in my ears.”

Squish.

I lifted my foot off the man whose facial bones I’d shattered. Sticky blood dripped from my boot sole.

“You bastard!”

The other thugs rushed at me, but they couldn’t get close.

Slash. Slash. Slash. Slash.

Kai stepped in front of me and severed their throats.

The thugs died without understanding what had happened, clutching their necks as they fell.

I eyed the corpses coldly. “Seems there’s a reason the forge ended up like this. The rest of you, stand guard here. I’ll go inside and check.”

“Should we spare the next ones who come?” Roxen asked.

“One of them. You can kill all the rest.”

“Pleasant news indeed,” Roxen muttered, drawing his sword. Crimson Aura flickered around the blade—the kind meant for slaughter.

Seeing that, I turned away. No one here could defeat my companions anyway.

I entered the forge, paying no further mind to the outside.

* * *

“What a mess.”

The forge’s interior was even worse. The thugs outside had apparently been sentries—far more were raising hell inside the actual workshop.

“Eh? Who’re you?” one of the thugs asked.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I surveyed the scene: countless thugs, a blacksmith collapsed in the corner, and what appeared to be his daughter beside him—a young girl.

Hmm, so that’s how it is.

The situation became clear.

Before my regression, Python had mentioned losing his daughter in an accident. I hadn’t asked when at the time, but now I was certain.

Soon. Very soon, Python’s daughter would die.

And the cause would be these thugs.

“Daddy!”

Python’s daughter cried out, looking at her father.

A thug raised his hand and struck her.

Smack!

The girl’s cheek reddened.

“Ahhh!”

Python reached out helplessly, tears streaming down his face.

I called out quietly to Python. “Would you like help?”

“What?”

The thugs turned to me with frowning faces.

“Hey, who are you to butt in?”

“What are the guys at the entrance doing?”

They approached me one by one, questioning me.

But I continued ignoring them and repeated my question.

“I asked if you’d like help.”

Python stared at me with trembling pupils, his expression conflicted.

But when another thug raised their hand to strike his daughter again, Python cried out desperately.

“Please, help us!”

“Very well.”

The moment Python shouted, I released my Aura.

Hisssss—

An arrow took the shape of a massive serpent-dragon and began slaughtering the thugs.

“Gaargh!”

“Wh-what is that thing!”

They died in mere moments.

The thugs screamed at the sudden appearance of a “monster” and scrambled to escape.

I hunted them down one by one, ending all their lives.

Thud.

When the last thug fell, the forge grew quiet.

The only survivors were myself, Python, and his daughter.

“You’ve had a difficult time,” I remarked, walking slowly toward Python.

He quickly shielded his daughter, shooting a wary look. “Who are you?”

“I’m the third son of House Berg—Louis Berg.”

I mentioned my family name for one reason: the noble rank and Berg’s reputation should reduce their fear.

Sure enough, Python’s wariness softened. “You mean that House Berg?”

“That’s correct.”

“Well, that explains your strength. Though I wonder why you don’t use a spear…” he muttered. Then with a nod, he continued, “But that’s your choice to make. My apologies for the rudeness. You’re our savior.”

“It’s fine. The situation warranted it.”

“You’re understanding as well. But how did you come to be here?”

Ah… One those scum had tried to involve Lea and I’d lost my head.

Too late did I remember why I’d come here.

After heaving a sigh, I began talking. “I came to commission a weapon.”

“A weapon? From me?” Python asked in confusion.

I could understand why. At this point in time, he wasn’t particularly famous.

However, he would be in the future.

During my days as Artezia’s hunting dog, I’d once received orders to find Python. Even then he wasn’t famous—rather, he was drowning in alcohol, consumed by grief over losing his daughter.

I couldn’t understand why they wanted me to find such a man then. But that had been my mistake.

He was the continent’s greatest blacksmith, with forging skills superior to anyone else’s.

The finest among smiths who can work with Mithril.

I pulled Mithril from my belongings and handed it to Python.

“Th-this is...!”

Python accepted the Mithril with a stunned expression. I’d obtained the precious metal by contacting Baron Harris while in Diva.

Seeing the Mithril, Python showed continued signs of shock.

“Isn’t this Mithril?”

“Correct.”

“How could you hand me something so precious!”

Even as Python spoke, he continued staring at the Mithril like he’d discovered the greatest treasure in the world.

I asked him casually, “Would you perhaps forge a weapon from this?”

“Me, you mean?”

“Yes.”

Thunk.

I pulled a heavy pouch from my belongings and placed it before Python. The pouch opened slightly, revealing a green glow from within.

“My word.”

Python stared at the pouch in a daze while I smiled.

“Use all of this to make it.”

“All of this belongs to you?”

“Ah, not quite. There are others waiting outside.”

Python considered for a moment, then nodded.

“Very well. But don’t complain if I fail.”

“Fair enough.” I smiled and nodded.

Soon, I would be holding a weapon forged by the continent’s greatest blacksmith.