Weapon Master of the Count’s Family

Chapter 3: The Young Count and the Beggar (3)

A part of the will left by Raymond Lafard, the head of the Lafard Count Family, read as follows.

[……If I am gone, regard Duke Heriel Theron as a father. He is my old friend and will care for you like a son…….]

And in Evan’s diary, there was also a mention of the duke.

[If I set up a stand-in and die, those vermin-like collateral branches will crawl out. Then I’ll need the duke’s help.]

Perhaps the previous Evan had also taken a gamble.

With the intent to catch the scheming collateral branches in one fell swoop.

But he overestimated his abilities and luck.

As a result, he died, and only the stand-in survived.

If only he had called the duke a bit earlier, things might have been different.

Like now.

“I heard everything. How dare you try to harm Young Count Evan Lafard.”

“D-Duke…….”

Where had his earlier bravado gone?

Glen Pillard trembled, dropped his sword, and fell to his knees.

‘It’s electrifying. Even though that killing intent isn’t directed at me.’

From beyond an invisible door, he had precisely beheaded three seated men.

A perfect strike, neither excessive nor lacking.

‘That level of skill could probably stand toe-to-toe with that bastard Robern.’

Under the killing intent emanating from such a master, Glen could do nothing.

Nothing but grovel like a fly.

“I was wrong…….”

“You don’t even know your mistake until the end. You should have begged the young count for forgiveness, not me.”

There was no mercy in the duke’s actions.

He raised his sword, intending to execute him on the spot.

“Duke! Please lower your sword. If you kill him now, we won’t be able to prove his crime of attempting to assassinate me.”

“Hm!”

Seeing the logic in Evan’s words, the duke sheathed his sword.

But his killing intent remained.

“I’ll let you live, but don’t think this is the end.”

“T-Thank you…….”

“Is no one outside!”

At the duke’s command, knights with swords appeared.

“This is a criminal. Bind him and hand him over to the city’s enforcer.”

“Yes!”

As the knights moved to drag Glen away, Jack, the attendant, entered.

“Wait a moment! I have one question.”

At Jack’s interruption, the duke raised a hand to stop the knights.

“Why did you kill all the innocent servants?”

That was the only part of this assassination incident that didn’t make sense.

And surprisingly, the answer was simple.

“Well…… when I came to the mansion, if even one of them was alive, it would’ve been a hindrance…….”

“For such a reason!”

Jack, furious, raised his fist to strike.

But since the opponent was a noble, he restrained himself.

―Step, step.

Instead, the duke stepped forward.

―Pow!

He threw a punch, shattering Glen’s nose.

“Argh!!!”

“No need to hear more. Take him away.”

With the situation resolved, the duke finally relaxed his killing intent and put on a gentle expression.

“For scum like that, a beating is the answer.”

Jack bowed deeply.

“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

The duke brushed it off lightly.

“By the way, what vile bastards. How long has it been since the count died, and they dare to pull this off?”

“That’s why you rushed here, isn’t it, Duke? I’m grateful to you as well.”

“It’s no big deal. I was lucky to be in a nearby city instead of traveling.”

I had learned from the diary that the duke hadn’t yet left for his territory.

That’s why I called him here to handle this situation.

At the same time as summoning the collateral branches.

“If I hadn’t done this, they would’ve denied everything to the end.”

“By the way, I’m curious—was the poison you gave them not real?”

“Yes, this antidote is just water infused with flowers.”

My little ploy.

Seeing it, the duke let out a hollow laugh.

“You’re as sharp as your father. Well done. But…….”

The duke hesitated to say something.

I wondered if he’d seen through my identity, but his next words reassured me.

“No, it’s because I last saw you when you were very young. In such an environment, how could you not become tough? You did well. To survive, you have to be tough.”

The duke stared at the lava viper.

“Since Glen Pillard confessed his crime, things will proceed smoothly. At least that family won’t dare harm you again.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“But what about the rest? The count left a lot behind, so there’ll be many eyeing you, a young child. They’ll think you have no one around you now.”

Listening to the duke, a question arose.

Why were the collateral branches so obsessed with the Lafard Family’s wealth?

‘Of course, the main family’s wealth is tempting. But aren’t they already living well on their own? Why take such dangerous risks?’

I could understand someone with 1 wanting 100.

But why would someone with 90 want 100?

The duke provided the answer first.

“I don’t know if he foresaw this, but the count did well to put a barrier on the vault.”

“What? Oh, yes…….”

“Instead of this, since we don’t know what they might have done, let’s go down to check.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

I didn’t fully grasp what the duke was talking about.

But I figured following him would reveal something.

The duke, who seemed to know the mansion’s layout better than I did, passed through the empty hall to the backyard.

He tapped a protruding flagstone.

―Rumble.

The flagstone slid aside, revealing stairs leading underground.

‘There was something like this?’

Judging by Jack’s expression, he didn’t know either.

Taking Jack along might raise unnecessary suspicion.

“Jack, stay here.”

Descending with the duke, I witnessed an astonishing sight.

“Gasp!”

I almost let out an exclamation.

Showing surprise at my own family’s wealth would’ve raised suspicion, so I narrowly avoided trouble.

But who wouldn’t be shocked by this?

Literally mountains of gold coins.

And various treasures carefully displayed in cases.

All of it was contained within a blue magical barrier.

‘This makes the safe upstairs look like nothing.’

Shocked by the wealth far exceeding my expectations, the duke touched the barrier.

―Crackle!

The blue barrier repelled his hand.

“Fortunately, the barrier is intact. Well, whose work would it be?”

The underground vault and barrier.

Neither was mentioned in the will or diary.

‘Of course. They’d already know about it among themselves.’

But as a stand-in, I didn’t.

That’s why I intended to use the duke to uncover some secrets.

“Did the Pillard Family think they could take what’s inside by killing me?”

“Probably. Foolish bastards. They acted recklessly without knowing it’s a time barrier.”

I got a clue.

I knew about time barriers.

Using that, I continued the conversation.

“Will others think like the Pillards?”

“Unfortunately, probably not. Honestly, the chances of the information not leaking are slim.”

The duke’s tone was firm.

“Some collateral branches might already know the vault’s location. They might even know when the time barrier will lift. Maybe not the exact moment, but still.”

This was not good news.

Reflecting on the duke’s words,

the moment the time barrier lifts would be the most dangerous.

“When that time comes, they’ll target me or this place in earnest.”

“You still have three years until you come of age, but you should prepare.”

Seeing my serious expression, the duke added,

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on this place too.”

But who knows what might happen to the duke in three years?

I couldn’t rely solely on his protection.

I had to find a way to survive on my own.

“Three years…….”

“Tch! Now that I think about it, didn’t the count burden you with too much? If it weren’t for the Fire Dragon Orb, you wouldn’t be in such danger.”

Fire Dragon Orb?

Hearing the duke, I looked inside the barrier again.

I spotted a small, glowing red orb among the gold coins.

‘Is that really the Fire Dragon Orb? Insane. The essence of a dragon is here. That ridiculously valuable thing.’

If it was real, the gold and treasures in the barrier were unnecessary.

That orb alone was valuable enough to live lavishly for three, no, ten generations.

“That’s the root of all this.”

The duke spoke with concern.

A question arose.

Did the duke truly have no greed for the Fire Dragon Orb?

It was a treasure comparable to a national relic, after all.

“Duke, are you not interested in the orb?”

“What? Haha! You’re old enough to joke now.”

The closest person is the most dangerous.

Knowing this painfully, I asked half-seriously, half-jokingly.

“I’m your father’s best friend. I even owe him my life. With a blood oath sworn, how could I betray you?”

“It was a joke. With a blood oath, you wouldn’t do that.”

The blood oath originated when the continent split into ten.

In an era rife with betrayal, a mage created it as a token of trust.

It was said to borrow the method vampires used for contracts.

A contract staked on life, unbreakable even for a duke.

That aside, I didn’t sense any malice in the duke’s eyes.

A judgment based on meeting countless people.

‘If he wanted to target me, he could crush me with a finger. Might as well trust him.’

Even as a former Weapon Master, I was just an ordinary boy now.

If the duke decided to kill me, I’d be powerless.

Fortunately, that giant was on my side for now.

“Duke, what should I do moving forward? Could you help me like you did today?”

“I’d love to, but I’m soon leading troops on a voyage to conquer the northern islands.”

Damn.

The backing I’d just gained was leaving.

“Then I just sit on my hands?”

“No, I won’t leave you like that. I’ll act as your guardian. Even if I’m gone, I’ll send people to help rebuild the count’s family.”

“Thank you.”

“But without a cause like today, I can’t step in first.”

No matter how great a swordsman he was in the kingdom,

he was a noble first, restricted in his actions.

Especially when dealing with other nobles.

“Unknown threats could come at any time. In that sense, staying here is foolish.”

“Yes, I agree.”

When I agreed, the duke nodded and suddenly asked about my recent whereabouts.

“How’s Lansed treating you? Honestly, it’s probably the safest place.”

“What? Oh, yes…….”

“Good to hear.”

While I racked my brain about what Lansed was, the duke continued.

“At least there, they won’t openly try to kill you. Not even I, nor His Majesty, can touch that place lightly. Who’d dare do such a thing in the sacred Academy?”

“Oh, right.”

“So, see? While you’re out due to the count’s passing, they’re desperate to kill you, aren’t they? These beasts worse than animals.”

Summarizing the duke’s words:

‘Evan Lafard was attending the Academy and came out for something like a break. Recently, his parents passed away. So, he needs to return there?’

If the duke spoke so highly of it, it seemed relatively safe.

The only concern was that there might be people there who knew me.

‘The kingdom isn’t at war, so I could quit the Academy anytime. But then, could I even sleep here peacefully for a day?’

I stood at a crossroads.

“Duke, could you advise me on what to do next?”

When I don’t know the answer, asking someone who knows the situation better might help.

“If it were me, I’d go to Lansed without hesitation. But it’s not a place to recommend lightly. I even opposed the count sending you there.”

The duke then reminded me what Lansed was.

“Unlike Cundo Academy, it’s a place where arrogant people gather, regardless of status. It’s a harsh place where people go solely for the glory of becoming a royal guard knight.”

“Didn’t my father have a reason for sending me there?”

“He wanted to raise you strong. The problem was he didn’t have enough time.”

Lansed Academy might be safe from external threats, but it was a grueling place that pushed people to their limits.

The duke worried how I, now parentless, would endure there.

But I thought simply.

‘Three years. I don’t know how long the Academy takes, but I just need to hunker down there.’

To the former Weapon Master, a legend of the Empire, the Academy was no big deal.

Thus, I decided to live as the real Evan, not a stand-in.

The first step was returning to Lansed Academy.