Lucia Chapter 57 [part 1] - < — To the Capital — > (3)

Chapter 57 [part 1]

< — To the Capital — > (3)

TN: We have t the GOAL on Patreon! There will be 10 bonus releases for this month(oct)! Oh and rember, ‘Gong’ is a title.

The discussion that followed was informal but with more crucial people joining, and looking at the faces of the people involved, it was almost like a cabinet eting.

After the lengthy discussion was over, Hugo stood up and patted the shoulder of the eye-catching man that was standing at the side, and acting like he didn’t know anything for a while now.

“You’ve worked hard.”

The eye-catching man, Roy, grinned as if to say it was just so so. After Hugo left, Kwiz couldn’t bear the sight of Roy that kept glancing at the door like a dog waiting for his master so he spoke.

“Sir Krotin, do you really have no interest of becoming my knight?”

“I do not.”

At first, when the Duke of Taran said that he would place an escort knight at his side, Kwiz was a bit displeased that the Knight’s forr status was that of a commoner.

Moreover, it was one with no manners and unbelievably impertinent. If it wasn’t for the fact that Roy was a close associate and forr guard of the Duke of Taran, Kwiz would have driven him away.

However, as ti passed, his value was brought to light. In the past year, the amount of tis that Kwiz’s life was saved thanks to Sir Krotin was nurous. In front of Sir Krotin, assasins that tried to escape were caught and slaughtered like bugs.

Knowing of his trendous skill, Kwiz tried to entice Krotin into being his knight at every turn but Krotin didn’t even look like he was considering it.

“What is the reason? If you beco my knight, you can receive more power and remuneration that you receive now. You don’t want that at all?”

“I don’t really care for that.”

“Then, what do you get from the Duke? Is it because you admire him as a Knight?”

“There’s a more realistic reason. My Lord lets duel.”

“Duel? Isn’t that sothing you can do anywhere?”

“Only with my Lord can I fight to the fullest without caring if my opponent gets hurt. I can’t have such fun in another place.”

“...I see.”

Kwiz felt slightly fed up. Krotin was greatly skilled and no one among his knights could last more than a dozen rounds against him. Nevertheless, it was obvious that Krotin controlled his tempo and adjusted his strength to match his opponents.

This gave a great shock to Kwiz who always took pride in having the best knights around him. But soon, he acknowledged that it wasn’t that his knights were weak, but that Krotin was terribly strong.

‘Is Taran Gong that strong?’

Kwiz had personally seen the Duke of Taran wielding a sword on the battlefield nurous tis. He knew it was great but since the battle was so lopsided, like a tiger in the midst of sheep, he couldn’t exactly tell the extent of the Duke’s skill.

‘And now that I think about it, I haven’t ever seen Taran Gong duel with soone since then.’

The only ti the Duke of Taran lifted a sword was when he cut down his enemy. When one thought about it, it was quite dreadso. Warriors liked to show off their strength but the Taran Duke didn’t do so even though he was a knight.

Perhaps because of that, when Kwiz faced the sword-less Taran Duke, he sotis forgot that the Duke was a knight.

“Who wins if you duel? Have you ever won by a stretch?” (Kwiz)

Roy rolled his eyes and burst into laughter. Those in attendance were now sowhat used to Roy’s unconcerned and rude attitude in front of the prince so they didn’t have any outward reaction.

“Winning? Who? ? That’s my goal in life. Although I don’t know if it can ever be achieved.”

“Are you saying you’ve never won before?”

“Honestly, my Lord doesn’t go all out in our duels. Apparently, it’s annoying. He says why should he exert himself for sothing he can’t kill.”

“...”

“Sotis, my Lord doesn’t even let draw the sword. I have to be careful before brandishing the sword.”

“...Why?”

“Because he might be in a bad mood. In that case, battle or what, I just get beat up.”

“...Even with that treatnt, you like it there?”

“It ans I am one of the few people my lord trusts.”

“Getting beat up?”

“That is the evidence of trust. My lord would rather just kill sothing than go through the hassle of beating it.”

Kwiz had nothing more to say. Anyways, this was an unexpected harvest. The Taran Duke had a remarkably more foul nature than what was known.

***

“Taran Gong!”

Hugo stopped walking and turned around. The owner of the voice calling him quickly approached his side.

“If you have so ti, would you like to accompany for a while?”

The young man with an amiable smile was Count David Ramis. When he ca of age as the eldest son of Duke Ramis, he received a part of his father’s estate along with the title of Count. He was also the Crown Prince’s brother-in-law.

Once Kwiz sat on the throne, David was sure to rise to the center of power in the future.

David was the sa age as Hugo. However, an enormous difference existed between them. Hugo was a Duke and head of his family while David was nothing but a successor to a Duke.

So David calling Hugo by ‘Taran Gong’ was a very rude act. To be able to call Hugo in that manner, one had to at least be a Duke. And if one were to quibble over it, even a Duke had to address Hugo with honorifics.

Even formally, the position of the Taran Duke was recipient to royal treatnt. Hugo could see through David.

Outwardly the man smiled amiably but inwardly, he was full of rivalry. Greenhorn. Hugo sneered inside but on the surface, his expression remained taciturn.

“I do not believe I will fit in.”

Hugo responded after briefly staring at David and his followers that were stucking to him like a tail. In any case, Hugo thought of Duke Ramis’ face and treated them with adequate courtesy.

“Ha-ha. What are you talking about? I’m sure if Gong is with us, the occasion will shine even more.”

“I an I’m concerned that only I will shine.”

There was no one that couldn’t understand the aning behind this sarcastic remark. David’s eyes widened in embarrassnt and his ears flushed red.

It was the first ti he was turned down so blatantly. The people around David always tried to prove their loyalty to him because he was positioned to beco the next Duke.

“Hahaha, just as I have heard you are an outspoken person. Will you oblige and share your valuable opinions with ?”

“Hear that from your father. If your father has nothing to say, co and find .”

The Duke of Taran suddenly spun around and began to walk away so David couldn’t hold him back anymore. He clenched his fists at the humiliation and his followers sensing his mood, began to furtively scratch his back. (1)

“I have heard he was a knight but how rude.”

“It would have been more harmful if he went to our eting.”

David smiled widely.

“Even if he’s knight-born, he’s an excellent person. Hence why His Highness the Crown Prince is so trusting of him.” (David)

“Even so, can he be compared to Elder? Is not Elder the father of the future Queen of this nation? If one looks further, Sir will beco the uncle of the one that rises to the throne of this nation.”

David smiled, pleased at his follower’s flattery.

‘Indeed. No matter how arrogant one acts, one can’t surpass my father. After all, we are tightly bound with His Highness by blood.’

Hugo didn’t give a crap about David at all but David was burning with rivalry against the Duke of Taran. There were many nobles with higher status and authority than David. But they were all elders, well advanced in their years.

Therfore, there were no competitors around David’s age except for the Duke of Taran. And even though the Duke of Taran was the sa age as David, he was already a Duke. He gained a reputation by sweeping through the battlefield and was very famous for how the Crown Prince went through great lengths to acquire him.

Even his father praised the Duke of Taran to the skies. His father warned him several tis that the Duke of Taran wore the skin of a bear but in reality was a fox and one should be careful with one’s words and actions before him.

David replied in affirmation but scoffed inwardly. He was very unhappy that whenever the Duke of Taran appeared, everyone’s attention shifted towards him. What was so great about him swinging a sword on the battlefield a few tis?

If David had seen the Duke of Taran on the battlefield even once, he would not have had this thought but throughtout last war, he was safely at the rear.

‘No matter what, he is just an ignorant knight.’

David was brimming with groundless confidence.

Translator’s Corner:

1) Do not take this literally.

2) By Elder, he’s referring to David’s father. By Sir, he’s referring to David.