Ray offered no response, following Willem's lead without a word. Willem noticed the strained atmosphere and smiled slightly to himself.
'It must feel awkward. A knight rising to a position above his lord; it's inevitable that they can't maintain the sa relationship as before,' he thought.
No matter how strong their bond, the reality was undeniable. Surely, a lord would feel jealousy toward his knight, and a knight would gain insight into the perspective of a ruler. Once that realization set in, they could never return to their forr relationship.
'The only one here with any political acun is that young Corleone upstart. All I have to do is create a rift between him and the Count.'
Willem believed he was planting the seeds of division by confronting them with this reality. Soon enough, the two would quarrel, mistrust would grow, and eventually, they'd turn their backs on each other. When that happened, the only one left would be a re concubine's daughter who knew nothing of politics.
"Please, take the head seat. It's where His Excellency should sit. I'll take a lower seat," Willem said, his tone brimming with exaggerated respect.
Ray said nothing, glancing subtly at Sylas instead. No seat had been prepared for Sylas; he was expected to stand like any other knight, as if he were just another retainer unworthy of a place at the table.
"Your Excellency, why hesitate? Is there so other reason you're reluctant to take your seat?"
"…"
"I understand your concern for the knights accompanying you, but please, understand. This is a place for lords to discuss matters. I can't offer a seat to soone who isn't even the heir."
"If you truly insist, I can arrange seats for the knights too. Now, please set aside your concerns and take your seat," Willem continued, appearing magnanimous. This, too, was part of his ploy to emphasize the changed dynamic between Ray and Sylas. But as he extended this false generosity, he noticed sothing odd.
Ray hadn't spoken a single word. It wasn't hesitation—it was as if he wasn't listening to Willem at all.
"Y-your Excellency, the Count?"
"Ray, sit down," Sylas interjected.
"Yes, my lord." Ray promptly took his seat without a hint of reluctance, leaving Willem montarily speechless. This was not what he had expected.
"Ahem! Well, Sir Sylas, please take a seat as well…"
"No, thank you," Sylas replied with a cold smile. "I couldn't possibly take a seat as just a knight."
Willem fell silent at Sylas's cutting tone. He considered insisting, but it was clear from Sylas's stance that he had no intention of sitting.
"In that case, it can't be helped. His Excellency the Count has a truly remarkable knight. He couldn't ask for a better companion," Willem comnted.
"Ray, answer him," Sylas said.
"Yes." Ray nodded slightly in response to Sylas's command. With each exchange, Willem felt the sweat dampen his back. Sothing fundantal was going very wrong.
When the trade route with the elves was first established, Willem Bindelern was left utterly stunned. He had only sent a single reinforcent, yet this had sparked a monuntal event that would change the entire western region. Naturally, as soon as his heir Walter returned, Willem demanded a full explanation. Walter complied, recounting everything.
"The forr Count was beheaded by the Elven Grand Duke? And his adopted daughter was instated as the new Count? And they've established a trade route with the elves?"
"Yes, but what's truly important is not the current Count but a man nad Sylas Corleone."
"Corleone? Why is the Red Dragon of the East involved here?"
"It's complicated. Please, let explain."
Walter's story went on for quite so ti. After a half-day of listening, Willem stared blankly, blinking in disbelief. The account was nearly unbelievable.
"A demon slayer? You're saying he orchestrated everything to dispose of the forr Count, forge ties with the Elven Grand Duke, and install his own retainer as the new Count?"
"Yes. His sche was calculated to the point of chills."
"Wait a mont. How old is he?"
"They said he's sixteen this year."
"…"
Willem could only look at his son with skeptical eyes. A sixteen-year-old manipulating events to such an extent through his sches? Surely, this couldn't be true.
"Enough. You're dismissed. I'll handle the rest of the investigation myself."
"It's true! Even I could hardly believe it, but it's the truth!"
"I told you to go. Get so rest and restore your strength."
Despite his son's protest, Willem shut his ears to it. There's a saying that seeing once is better than hearing a hundred tis, but that's not always the case. Many are too captivated by what they see to objectively grasp the situation. To Willem, Walter was just such a fool.
"Gather information! Focus specifically on the current Count and this young Sylas Corleone!"
He didn't entirely disregard Walter's story; if it had left such a strong impression on him, there might be sothing noteworthy about this Sylas boy. About a month later, Willem finally got his hands on information regarding the people Walter had spoken of.
"I knew it. Such grandiose sches, indeed."
Willem clicked his tongue as he skimd the reports. As expected, Walter's tale had been filled with exaggerations.
"True, his accomplishnts are remarkable. His talents across various fields stand out. But luck played a huge role in this affair."
Unlike the demon incident, in which Sylas had taken a proactive role, the developnt of the western trade route was largely driven by others. The Count Valdemar side had suggested adopting the current Count as his ward, and it was the elves who initiated the trade route. If anything, treating the Elven Princess kindly had been his one stroke of genius.
"He might show potential for becoming a hero soday, but he's still just a boy. Walter greatly overestimated him," Willem concluded, summoning Walter and scolding him.
"Pitiful. How can soone who aims to be a lord be so shortsighted? Blinded by the scene in front of him and unable to see the truth!"
"I am telling you the truth! And Father, how can you assu you understand everything based on a few lines in a report?"
"Silence! Rather than boasting, you should be acknowledging your own inexperience!"
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