Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke

"And second…"

William's expression remained unchanged.

Truthfully, the first condition didn't matter much.

If Hugo couldn't fulfill the second, William had no intention of making him a knight.

"Have you ever sold drugs? Not just recently—at any point in your life."

For the first time, Hugo's face broke into a grin.

Perhaps the Warriors hadn't abandoned him after all.

"This is my first time," he answered confidently. "The production facility is complete, but no transactions have taken place. I haven't even ordered the raw materials yet."

William finally smiled.

That was the only reason Hugo was still useful.

He could still be reformed.

"From today onward, I will be serving the Young Master. My name is Hugo. I look forward to working with you, senior."

"...?"

Hans stared at Hugo with an expression of pure disbelief.

It was difficult to reconcile the hulking, scar-covered brute bowing politely before him with the image of a man who looked capable of crushing skulls with his bare hands.

"...Young Master," Hans said slowly, "what exactly happened upstairs?"

"I recruited some useful men," William replied nonchalantly.

"You recruited them?"

Hans's gaze shifted behind Hugo.

There stood five men, all just as intimidating as their leader.

Each one bore multiple scars—on their faces, their arms, their necks. Their very presence exuded danger, a faint aura of restrained violence.

"...And you're calling them servants?"

"Why not? There's no rule saying I can't."

Hans pinched the bridge of his nose before whispering, "Young Master, with all due respect… you can't trust people from the underworld."

"Why?"

"Because they calculate everything. If the cost-benefit ratio turns against them, they'll betray you in a heartbeat. They submit when they're weak, but once they've taken what they need, they turn on you."

William nodded. "That's true. But these men? They'll never betray me."

"...Do you have leverage on them?"

"That's part of it," William admitted. "But more importantly—they need me."

A knight's loyalty to their lord was not born from love or gratitude.

It was the fastest route to power.

Even if a man amassed wealth and influence, without the backing of a true noble, his authority was fragile.

The moment his legitimacy was questioned, rivals would rise to challenge him.

For a noble, legitimacy was inherited. For a commoner? It had to be granted.

'That's why, even after he declared himself a baron, Hugo was constantly under attack.'

His enemies never recognized his claim, and no noble knight ever swore fealty to him.

No matter how many battles he won, his rule remained unstable.

But with William's endorsement, Hugo could become a true knight—one whose title would be acknowledged by the nobility.

And that was something he could only obtain as long as he remained loyal.

"Even if he wants to betray me, he can't," William mused. "Without me, no one will ever recognize his status."

Without William's backing, Hugo's bloodline would need four generations before it could be considered noble.

And there was no way Hugo was willing to wait that long.

William arrived at the city's inner walls, his new 'servants' trailing behind him.

The gate guards stiffened at the sight of them.

"Young Master… these men…"

"They're my new attendants," William replied.

"Attendants?" The guard's brow furrowed. "Looking like that?"

William scoffed. "And what's wrong with their faces? They look fine to me."

The guards exchanged wary glances but ultimately stepped aside.

It was far from normal for a noble to recruit such rough-looking men, but if the young master said so…

Inside the castle walls, William's other servants reacted much the same way.

Wide-eyed stares, flinching movements, and uneasy whispers followed him as he walked.

"Y-Young Master… who are these men?"

"My new attendants."

"...I'm sorry, what?"

William smirked. "You heard me. Go ahead and introduce yourselves."

The intimidating men nodded, bowing their heads in greeting.

The other servants gawked.

Attendants? These butchers?

Seeing their expressions, William let out a chuckle.

"Now, go fetch the head maid."

"W-Why?"

"She needs to meet my new employees, of course."

The servants hesitated, their unease palpable.

No one wanted to be responsible for whatever madness was unfolding.

William's grin widened.

"This," he mused, "is exactly why I needed new attendants. No one listens to me around here."

One servant hesitantly opened his mouth. "Young Master, we—"

"Enough," William said, cutting him off.

He turned to Hugo.

"Remember everyone who hesitated. You'll be in charge of their education."

Hugo smirked. "Understood, Young Master. I'll make sure loyalty is branded into their very bones."

At those words, the servants froze.

A terrible chill ran down their spines.

Something was very wrong.

"This is the last time I'll ask."

William's voice was quiet, his usual smirk wiped from his face.

"Bring me the head maid."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

For the first time, the servants saw an expression on William that they had never witnessed before.

They swallowed dryly.

Some instinct deep within them screamed that if they refused again, something terrible would happen.

And yet, they forced themselves to ignore that warning.

'At the end of the day, the third young master is still just the third young master.'

'Jordi would kill us if we disobeyed him, but William? He'll just get mad and leave it at that.'

William had always been a weak, spineless noble—at least in their eyes.

No matter how much he raged, he wasn't the type to actually hurt them.

Jordi, on the other hand, was ruthless and cruel. If forced to choose, it was safer to defy William than to defy his older brother.

"Young Master, as I said before—"

CRACK!

The servant never got to finish his excuse.

A blinding pain exploded across his vision as his head snapped to the side.

Hugo had slapped him.

Hard.

"You little shits," Hugo growled, flexing his massive palm. "Who do you serve? Your master gives you an order, and you're too scared of someone else to obey? Absolutely disgraceful."

"Khak—! Cough—! Why… why are you…?!"

"Why?" Hugo's lips curled. "Seems like you still don't get it."

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Hugo's hand moved like a blur, slamming into the servant's face over and over again.