NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14
Chapter 14
As I gazed upon the Duke’s Mansion, which I reached in just five minutes using magical teleportation, I couldn’t help but be amazed.
“Forget the Imperial Palace and the Temple.”
I knew the House of Crisis was powerful enough to rival the palace and the temple, but seeing this mansion, reminiscent of a palace, right in front of me was astonishing.
“What should I do?”
I hesitated as I approached the mansion. Armed knights stood guard at the entrance.
While contemplating how to get the knights to let me in, I suddenly heard someone gasp.
“Gasp! Is that you, Mir?”
Disregarding my worries, the knights who spotted me brightened up and welcomed me.
“…Yes, that’s me.”
“We’ve received word! It’s an honor to meet you! Please, follow us. We’ll take you inside!”
I hesitantly nodded, and the knights, looking all excited like little puppies, joyfully led the way. Even though I was caught off guard by their unexpectedly warm reaction, I followed them willingly.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re helping with the monster subjugation in Lujou Village! I really wanted to meet you!”
“…Is that so?”
“To be honest, this is my first time subjugating monsters, and I was worried, so having you join is such a relief!”
“Um… I’ll do my best.”
The two knights chattered the whole way. I awkwardly echoed their compliments while feeling puzzled.
“Knights usually dislike mercenaries.”
Knights who receive titles after extensive training have always looked down on mercenaries who wield their swords solely for money.
“Given that I’m traveling with knights, I expected to be given the silent treatment… but these two knights are practically composing epic poems about my greatness, which left me bewildered.”
“Where are we heading now?”
My face hidden beneath a mask was already flushed, and I was in danger of turning red all the way up to my neck if I heard more compliments, so I hurriedly changed the subject.
“Oh, I didn’t mention it. We are currently heading to the reception room.”
“The reception room?”
‘They’re taking an unknown common mercenary to the Duke’s reception room?’
Knowing how nobles look down on mercenaries, I found this especially perplexing. The brown-haired knight grinned at my surprise.
“The Duke wishes to meet you.”
As I lost myself in thoughts while fidgeting with a teacup filled with black tea, fearing I might even scratch it, I quickly put it down. I stiffly sat in a chair in the reception room, glancing sideways at the man standing guard beside me. He introduced himself as Taylor, the head butler of the Duke’s household, and smiled warmly at me; however, I felt uncomfortable under the amiable gaze in his eyes, so I shyly looked down.
“Why does the Duke wish to meet me?”
After sitting in silence for a moment, trying to ease the awkwardness, I tentatively asked. Taylor responded with a gentle smile.
“Well, I’m just following orders, so I’m not exactly sure… but perhaps you interest the Duke because you are also a sword master, like him.”
‘That devil of a Duke? Curious about me?’
Despite it being the butler’s words, I couldn’t help but show a hint of skepticism.
The Duke of Crisis, Caesar Crisis, held the pinnacle of military command in the Empire and led the Black Dragon Knights, a force comparable to the Imperial Palace Knights.
He was famously known for his devilish temperament.
“Rumor has it that dozens die every day at the Duke’s hands.”
However, looking at the atmosphere inside the mansion, that didn’t seem to be the case.
I glared cautiously at the tranquil-faced Taylor and sighed deeply.
Since the Duke had summoned me, a common mercenary like myself had no right to refuse; thus, this was unavoidable. I was merely anxious about the Duke’s true intention for wanting to see me.
‘When I see him, I just hope the Empire’s strongest sword master doesn’t come at me with his sword right away.’
Ten great warriors of the contemporary continent were ranked by those who reveled in distinctions of strength. Among them, five were listed as strong sword master candidates, with three officially recognized by the Empire.
“The Red Sword Demon, the Golden Justice, and the Black Ashen.”
Caesar Crisis, Noah Einhart, and me, in that order.
‘The Duke might want to challenge me as an officially recognized sword master.’
Having no information about him at all did nothing to ease my worries. I sighed heavily.
In the original work, there was very little information about the Duke of Crisis. After all, he was the father of the protagonist and would die shortly after the war broke out.
“Rumor has it in the Empire that he is a one-of-a-kind devil…”
There seems to be some credibility to it, but street rumors can often be baseless, making it hard to believe.
“Still, it’s certain that he is a dangerous person.”
I swallowed hard. My lips tightened unconsciously in tension.
Caesar Crisis was said to be a bloodthirsty demon who left a path of slaughter wherever he went.
I couldn’t be sure where the truth lay regarding his temperament being rough and cruel, but it was possible he might act violently upon meeting me.
“Whatever happens, bow down. I must absolutely kneel.”
Glancing briefly at the sword at my waist, I promised myself over and over again that I would not draw it today.
“Mir.”
“Yes, yes?”
Startled by the sudden voice, I stammered. Taylor, still with his serene expression, smiled gently.
“Sorry for the sudden question, but do you have any ancestors from the House of Crisis?”
‘How…?’
Taylor threw that massive bomb with a calm voice. My expression hardened in surprise.
My father being Caesar, it was likely I resembled him. Yet here I was wearing a mask. Taylor couldn’t possibly deduce my lineage by my appearance alone. Staring wide-eyed and speechless, I sensed Taylor scrutinizing me and hurriedly adjusted my expression.
I calmly shook my head.
“No, I am just a commoner.”
“Is that so? But… it’s strange.”
The old man’s eyes, filled with the wisdom of the ages, fixated on me. Just as I started to feel the urge to avoid his gaze, Taylor smiled softly.
“That gaze is not something that comes easily.”
‘…My eyes?’
I squinted slightly. I couldn’t fathom Taylor’s intentions as he suddenly mentioned my eyes. While I was discreetly watching the smiling Taylor with narrowed eyes…
My body instinctively tensed as I sensed a powerful presence approaching. I quickly turned my head towards the door.
Click.
Then the door opened.
A solid black uniform tightening around a firm body. A powerful aura that overwhelms the air simply by their presence. A lazy yet threatening atmosphere, like a well-fed beast. Short, curly black hair. Under piercingly sharp eyes, red as rubies, glowed.
The incredibly handsome face was hauntingly cold.
“Please pay your respects. This is Duke Caesar Crisis.”
Duke Caesar Crisis. My father.
I faced the blood-red eyes that stared at me lazily, like a beast bored with life.
The red eyes, reminiscent of a deep, profound numbness, sent a chill down my spine.
“Huh.”
Caesar exhaled a breath that resembled a half-laugh, half-sneeze. His gaze narrowed as he studied me. While stuck in his penetrating stare, I suddenly came to my senses.
“…It is an honor to meet you, Sir Duke. I am Mir, a mercenary.”
Bowing one knee and lowering my upper body in greeting, there was no response from Caesar. Puzzled, I cautiously raised my head and saw him slowly blink before nodding.
“…Rise. You may sit.”
After a brief bow, I sat nervously in my chair, and Caesar chose the seat directly across from me.
“Well then, I will excuse myself.”
Taylor, alert to Caesar’s gesture, bowed and exited the reception room. With just Caesar and me left alone, the air in the room grew unbearably heavy.
“You.”
Caesar, who had been staring at me uncomfortably, finally parted his lips slowly.
“You have pretty eyes.”
“…Huh?”
I blinked in disbelief, questioning my hearing but received no clarification. Caesar simply continued to gaze silently at me.
‘…Out of the blue? Complimenting my eyes?’
Both Taylor and Caesar were being strange, babbling about eyes.
‘Could my eyes be advantageous in the Duke’s household…?’
Thoughts I deemed useless kept surfacing, yet no matter how I pondered it, my eyes were not beautiful.
‘They’re eerily fluorescent pink and shine in a bizarre way.’
Among those around me, I was the only one with red-toned eyes. I had heard more than a few times that my eye color was strange, so Caesar’s words felt like nothing more than sarcasm.
“Thank you.”
Nevertheless, since it was supposedly a compliment, I couldn’t show any displeasure. I was merely a common mercenary, and he was a Duke.
As I awkwardly expressed my gratitude, Caesar let out a shallow breath while still watching me impassively.
“I did not call you here for an unpleasant matter, so you may relax.”
His face was still cold, but the effort to ease my tension felt surprisingly gentle. It was awkward for me, who was busy contemplating how to dodge a flying sword while trying to appear polite.
“Maybe the rumors are exaggerated…”
I gradually tilted my teacup, observing Caesar. In the rumors, Caesar was supposed to be a devilish brat aiming to destroy this world after selling his soul to a dark overlord. If those rumors were true, then that would be even more astonishing. Once he set his cup down, Caesar locked eyes with me directly.
“I sought you out because I wish to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
I narrowed my brows slightly. I could not even begin to fathom what Caesar wished to ask me. After a moment of contemplation locked in my gaze, he finally opened his mouth.
“Why did you apply for this request?”
“Excuse me?”
Failing to grasp the crux of his question, I tilted my head, prompting Caesar to continue.
“You know it’s difficult to exterminate monsters in Lujou Village. Plus, this request does not offer generous rewards. Since you’re not just an ordinary mercenary, what’s your reason for applying for this?”
‘…Is he ridiculing me for being a fool?’
Unsure of how to respond, I hesitated and then Caesar added.
“I’m not asking this to test you; I’ve simply been curious. The mercenary Mir is known to help villages without money combat monsters, so I’ve been wondering why you would take on such troublesome work.”
‘So, by saying “for a while,” he has known about me?’
Feeling a strange sensation wash over me at the thought that he had known about me for some time was unsettling. I had only begun to take an interest in him after learning he was my father, yet the fact that he took an interest in a mere mercenary and not even his daughter was remarkable.
“Why would you volunteer for such a pain?”
The genuine curiosity reflected in Caesar’s indifferent gaze suggested he couldn’t comprehend the very concept of helping others.
‘Indeed, why is that?’
I pondered anew about how I lived my life.
At a brief pause, I slowly opened my mouth.
“I don’t really know either.”
“…You don’t know?”
I confirmed with a heavy nod.
“I’ve lived earnestly, and along the way, I became strong… and when I became strong, I started to notice the weak around me. I witnessed villages that could afford a lot of mercenaries safely passing winters every year, and villages that couldn’t and constantly had to deal with the aftermath of bodies.”
Though the current Emperor and Pope were praised as wise rulers, and the capital remained peaceful, that didn’t mean the Empire was a utopia.
There were those destined to be marginalized because of laws. Villages on the outskirts that failed to receive necessary support due to the corruption of nobles. In a world celebrated as peaceful, there were people living isolated like outsiders.
I was one of them.
“The high-ranking officials in the Empire appear not to concern themselves with people like them… and I am not steadfast enough to turn a blind eye to the blood of the innocent.”
Perhaps had I been born into another world, things would have been different, but I understood that this world was made to represent humanity’s best efforts.
Even if that “best” may hold some evil, it was still the best.
“Those who wield power bear the responsibility of that power. This is the task I must undertake.”
I met Caesar’s red eyes straight on.
This, I believed, was my greatest endeavor. While I may not save world peace, I aimed to protect those who stand before me from dying. This was the maximum good I could achieve.