Lee Han’s expression turned sour, but ironically, the Marquis laughed as if he found it pleasant.
That’s how sincere he was.
sincerely….
“I want to make you my son.”
It wasn’t that I meant to accept her as my adopted daughter like Levi.
[Tristan] in the true sense of the word.
Surprisingly, it meant giving him the castle of Tristan, which had a history of hundreds of years.
In other words, it also meant giving the successor the ‘qualifications’.
“It’s not just about getting the right to succeed. I currently have no children, and there are no clever guys in my collateral line who can succeed Tristan. Veil is the most likely, but he gave up all his rights as successor when he joined the Knights. In that sense, the moment you become my son, you will immediately become first in line for succession! You can even become the Marquis of Tristan! Of course, where else would you get such an opportunity?”
An opportunity that only exists now.
It could not have been anything other than the sweet offer made by the Marquis, and no matter how shameless they were, would their hearts not waver and turn away?
Anyone with even the slightest desire for power or honor would be unable to refuse this offer.
“No, I really would like to decline.”
“… … .”
“I’ll say it again just in case you suspect I’m bouncing off. I really hate it.”
“… Aren’t you taking Tristan too lightly?”
“Without making fun of me, just calling him dad is extremely difficult.”
“… … That hurts even more. Even nobles are people. Can’t you speak indirectly?”
“I should have said it in a roundabout way, otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”
“… This is too much.”
The Marquis’ expression became gloomy.
* * *
Although he said it playfully, the Marquis did not make the declaration of ‘son’ lightly.
‘… It’s really too bad. Well, I thought it wouldn’t be easy.’
If he had accepted, he would have seriously considered having you as his son.
If the elders and senior members of the family had heard this story, they would have been shocked.
No matter how much I personally liked it, how could I give Tristan’s surname to a villain who invaded the Marquis’ residence?
However, the Marquis did not find his decision strange at all.
‘If he’s this good, I think I can entrust him with the job of a successor…’
Tristan has the name of a great noble, but there is no [mystery] among them.
In the case of Tristan’s ancestors, it is said that there were things like a magic bow including mysteries, but that lineage was lost long ago.
Is that why?
Tristan has honestly been through more than a few crises in the last few hundred years.
Sometimes, a fool who couldn’t even become a great archer would become the successor, and there were many cases of rebellions by collateral branches because they didn’t have any proof of being the head of the family, such as a mystic or a demon archer.
For example, when Jenimia herself was young, she left the family for a while, but there were cases where the middle and senior factions of the family fought and split it in half.
If it had been Galahad and Lionel, this wouldn’t have happened.
Because they had a mystery that proved their ‘absolute authenticity.’
So.
‘The only things that matter to Tristan are his name and his power.’
The potential to pass down the Tristan surname for hundreds of years to come, and the overwhelming power to encompass the entire family.
As long as these two qualifications are met, it doesn’t matter who takes the name Tristan.
Some nobles say that ‘blood’ is important, but that’s ridiculous.
What good is blood when most nobles, except for the royal family, have already lost their blood?
But what if there are guys who find fault with that blood?
‘I guess all I have to do is have a child with a woman from the collateral line.’
Fortunately, Tristan’s blood has excellent properties.
Perhaps it is because the first head of the family, who became the founder, had a child with a fairy, but regardless of gender, all children born to the family are born with Tristan’s blood, and as proof, they are born with red hair.
Honey, blood was a minor issue that could be easily resolved.
… if someone had heard these thoughts of Jenimia, they would have been dumbfounded.
Even so, why would you go that far just to get one knight?
But he will answer like this.
‘It’s worth it’ – he said.
‘… This guy is a gem. And a gem that still has a lot of work to be done.’
Now is the time for you to win.
It might be a bit of a headache, but it might be possible to kill them.
But that’s just a story for ‘now’, not later… .
No, what will ‘tomorrow’ be like?
‘You seem more stable than when we met the other day. No matter how young you are, how can you grow so quickly? Hehe.’
So I look forward to it.
If it’s this guy… .
‘Maybe I’ll get there.’
Like a brave gladiator in his youth.
Like a priest who was just a fanatic.
Like a woman who was called dull.
That young knight might reach it too.
‘Auror user─.’
He just gives up.
In a way, it is a far-off, grand realm that we have given up on.
The Marquis, although not my son, had a desire to see up close the man he recognized reach that level.
Some might say it’s vicarious satisfaction, but so what if it’s vicarious satisfaction?
Isn’t it the privilege of adults to have expectations of young people?
‘I’m looking forward to it, really.’
Honey, for now, just sowing the seeds like this is enough.
what….
‘He’s the kind of guy who would be fun to have around… .’
The reason I wanted to adopt him as my son wasn’t just because I wanted to have this kind of vicarious satisfaction.
A young man who gives off the feeling that you won’t get tired of seeing him up close.
Jenimia had no interest in the very suggestion of wanting to adopt him as her son.
Look at this guy even now, what a funny guy he is…!
“Oh, that’s too bad. If you will, could you teach our knights how to walk on air? I’ll pay you a fair price.”
“Now you know the purpose! No. Why should I teach my skills to people who aren’t my disciples, or to other sects, or even to the Knights?”
“Is that so? Hmm… This is just a conversation I’m having, but if you add up the value of the doors, buildings, bricks, marble, statues, etc. that the thug broke, it would come to three thousand gold coins. Especially since there were dwarven artifacts mixed in among the damaged items, the cost of repairs will likely go up even more… Huh, I guess I should catch the culprit and punish him, huh?”
“… … .”
“How should I ask for it?”
“… Don’t you need a way to walk on the snow without leaving footprints? There’s something called ‘no footprints on the snow.’”
“Oh my god!”
Look, isn’t he a guy who’s fun to just watch?
The Marquis laughed cheerfully.
I wonder if this is what it would be like if I had a son who was playful.
* * *
“…You seem like a bad-tempered old man.”
Lee Han looked exhausted.
Rather than fighting with fists and swinging a knife, talking to a politician who was like a snake was not only exhausting, but also mentally exhausting.
An act of being mentally exhausted rather than physically exhausted.
It was a dire situation in many ways.
Meanwhile.
“Aren’t you guys going to the graduation ceremony?”
Lee Han, who was washing his face as if to relieve fatigue, raised his voice as if he was mumbling to himself, and for a moment there was a small tremble somewhere.
It was more subtle than the trembling of a branch in the wind, and it was a trembling that others would not even notice.
But not for him.
“That’s a bad habit. Always hiding and listening. If you get caught later, you could get seriously hurt.”
It was advice that sounded like it was being given, or rather, like a teaching from a teacher, and as soon as the advice was over… .
“…That may certainly be the case. But I think that if it weren’t for you, Instructor, no one would know that we’re hiding here.”
Two figures emerge from the shadows.
They were familiar guys, and Lee Han looked at the two cadets as he finished washing his face.
Roen and Jack.
The two main characters faced each other with bitter smiles, and Jack scratched his cheek.
“I thought I hid well this time….”
“Yeah, you were definitely hiding well. How did you get better at hiding than swordsmanship? You’re not planning on properly transitioning from being a knight to an assassin, are you?”
“… No. It’s just that, because you have talent, you can improve your hiding skills without having to practice.”
“That’s a really unlucky statement.”
Anyway, that guy was just as unlucky because he didn’t stand out compared to other people.
“…haha.”
Jack lowered his head as accusing gazes poured in, and Lee Han glared at him for a moment before giving an intense gaze to the black-haired guy on the other side.
“If you look at your appearance, you look like the kind of guy who would just sit on a chair and watch, why are you running around in the field?”
“I guess I’m not the type of person to just sit still.”
“That’s a disease too.”
“…Do you think the Marquis noticed that I am here?”
“He probably would have known first. That old man’s intuition would have been better than mine. I think he might have pretended not to know on purpose.”
“… … .”
“Why do you look like that?”
“… I declined the offer, but I think the Marquis of Jenimia’s evaluation is not bad.”
“Because people themselves aren’t all that square.”
“Then why did you refuse? A Marquis would be a good sponsor.”
“I’m curious about other people’s business….”
“You are my disciple, so I think this much meddling is okay.”
“What the heck?”
The black guy seemed to think his choice was strange.
If he had just accepted the Marquis’ offer, he could have become the representative noble of the royalist faction representing a part of this country in one breath, so I wonder why he refused.
Is it really true that he simply does not want to call the Marquis of Jenimia his father?
To such a question… .
“Oh, is that really it?”
“… … .”
Lee Han answered lightly, and Roen was speechless.
…is that really all?
“You really think a lot, too.”
Lee Han gave advice that wasn’t really advice to his disciple who was just a fool in words but had wasted his time.
“At this age, should I ask my parents for pocket money? Or should I act cute? At this age, when I should be married and have children, what kind of parents are they?”
“I don’t think being the child of a Marquis simply means receiving an allowance….”
“To me, that’s what it is, and you shouldn’t need your family for such materialistic reasons. What’s important to your family isn’t money or power.”
“Then what do you need?”
“Loyalty and responsibility.”
“… … .”
The answer came without hesitation, and Roen’s eyes widened.
Either way, he is.
“That’s what’s important in a family. A husband and wife should keep their duty to each other. Children should also keep their duty as children, and at the same time, they should have a sense of responsibility to maintain this relationship and become a family. People who become a family for practical reasons end up in the same way. They just end up unhappy with each other. … But that doesn’t mean they’re all unhappy.”
“… … .”
“Anyway, in that sense, the Marquis and I are not in a relationship that would be worthy of being a family. I don’t need parents, and on the other hand, the Marquis is not a child, but rather someone I find interesting and would like to raise. Like a puppy or a cat.”
Lee Han already knew that the Marquis did not make such a proposal because he thought well of him.
It must be something you covet, whether it be your own power or something else.
That doesn’t mean I feel bad.
Because it means that he recognized that person’s abilities.
Isn’t there a saying that goes, ‘A man of great character will even give up his life for someone who knows him’?
… he just isn’t that hungry to need anyone’s approval.
Honey, if I were a person who was tired of the world or hungry for someone’s approval, I would have probably fallen head over heels for that suggestion.
‘Still, it would be a bit strange to live under that gentleman and show off.’
He stuck out his tongue, saying that just imagining it made his teeth chatter, and towards him like that.
“… From what I saw, it doesn’t seem like that.”
“what?”
“No matter how you look at it, Instructor, it doesn’t look like a dog or a cat, but rather a lion or a bear.”
“… … .”
“I wonder if that will tear people apart when it grows up.”
He was a black-haired guy with a cheeky snout, and Lee Han was faster than words.
“… Do you want to be hit with the Arahan Shin Kwon?”
“… … I don’t know what it is, but I will decline.”
“No, I will decline.”
He stuck out his fist.
* * *
“-You must have had a hard time eavesdropping.”
The Marquis expressed regret, as if there were things he couldn’t ask because of the eavesdropping cats.
There was something I really wanted to ask.
So, he got on the carriage while chewing over his regret… .
“hmm?”
The Marquis paused for a moment, checking a note stuck in the crack of the door.
“Your Majesty, is there a problem?”
“… What’s the problem? More importantly, was there anyone who came near the carriage?”
“How can you do that? There are so many soldiers guarding you.”
“I see.”
“Why are you doing that…?”
“No, hehe.”
“??”
The Marquis got into the carriage with a hearty laugh, and the man who appeared to be the butler tilted his head.
However, the Marquis did not answer the butler’s questions.
Instead, I just felt refreshed thinking about the person who so easily broke through the troops and delivered the message.
The Marquis had been curious as to why the commotion the previous day had been buried so quietly.
Now that question has been clearly answered.
The knight he wanted to adopt as his son was… .
“Heh heh, you little brat. You’re courting the favor of a dangerous person. Heh heh.”
Although the name is not written, there is a dragon’s imprint carved on the red candle wax that seems to reveal its identity.
And it is written on the note.
[It is mine. Do not covet it.]
…even a strong warning message.
The Marquis shook his head.
And so.
“Your Majesty. Only a powerful king can command me, or rather Tristan. … You are not yet worthy of that.”
Sizzle.
He just tore up the note with a heartless smile.
