[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
Chapter 144: The Mad Dog and the Mad Archmage
“Sister, there’s been a misunderstanding.”
As Sorset began to spew excuses from the start, Ulbhild tilted her head slightly.
“I misunderstood?”
“Ah, what I an is that Allenvert is deliberately trying to mislead—”
“Don’t even think about lying.”
No matter how unruly Sorset had been lately, in front of Ulbhild, who was both stronger and held a higher position, he was still like a mouse before a cat.
“So, there was a bit of an argunt at first. His tone was so disrespectful that while I was trying to correct him, I ended up giving him a bit of a rough lesson…”
While he tried to downplay it as if it were nothing, I decided to stir the pot a little.
“You throw punches over a little argunt? If other nobles found out, they’d point fingers at you.”
“You shut up.”
As Sorset growled, I hid further behind Ulbhild and scolded him sternly.
“Brother! What kind of language is that in front of our sister? You’ve been too worked up since earlier.”
“You little—”
Ulbhild spoke coldly.
“Can’t you shut up either?”
“S-sister.”
“What makes you think you can arrogantly spew curses in front of ? Do you think I’m a joke?”
“…”
Sorset’s mouth clamped shut.
“Step back. Don’t embarrass yourself further in front of the servants.”
“…Yes.”
‘Pathetic.’
I silently mouthed the words. Sorset, though fuming, held back his anger.
Well, it’s only proper to poke him one more ti.
“Wow, great anger managent. Selective outbursts, huh?”
“…”
His killing intent prickled my skin, but it was nothing. I picked at my ear, feigning nonchalance.
“Sister, please co this way.”
I gestured for Barclava to move aside and made room for Ulbhild next to . Barclava, clearly intimidated by Ulbhild, quickly shifted his seat.
“You’ve been watching since earlier, right?”
“Yes.”
Ulbhild answered in a voice only I could hear.
“Did you know?”
“Of course.”
“Impressive. Your senses have sharpened.”
Ulbhild praised .
“But why did you provoke Sorset like that?”
“To see if the rumors were true.”
At that, Ulbhild chuckled.
“You act crazy, but there’s always a reason, huh?”
“Of course.”
Thanks to that, I got a good read on Sorset’s condition.
‘He’s practically consud by inner demons.’
His resentnt and anger were boiling over. And to top it off, he couldn’t even speak up in front of sister with everyone watching.
“What are you doing? Can’t you prepare the seats properly?”
“S-sorry.”
“Tsk.”
All he could do was bark at the servants like that.
But I’m the kind of person who hates seeing that kind of behavior the most.
“Brother. A noble’s dignity lies in not venting their anger unnecessarily on those beneath them.”
At my words, Sorset looked like he wanted to curse but clenched his teeth and pointed at .
“Don’t push it, Allenvert. I let it slide this ti.”
Wow. Thanks for that.
“I let it slide too, so let’s call it even.”
“…”
Instead of a reply, I got a murderous glare, but I ignored it and turned to Ulbhild.
“By the way, sister.”
“Hmm?”
Her tone was noticeably different from when she was scolding Sorset.
“Are you planning to turn the banquet hall upside down with your beauty today?”
Ulbhild’s attire today was both beautiful and dignified.
“You’re one to talk. That outfit suits you even better than last ti.”
“Thank you.”
Last ti, I was just wearing my father’s clothes.
“Is it new?”
“Yes. I specially requested it to match my mother’s taste…”
“Ah, well done.”
I lowered my voice.
“Actually, I plan to ask Father today for permission to et Mother.”
At that, Ulbhild looked at with the eyes of soone watching a baby bird.
“You’ll definitely get to et her.”
As our warm sibling conversation continued, Harold, Ulbhild’s adjutant, was the only one frowning.
“Why the sour face?”
“It’s nothing.”
It was obvious. He was clearly jealous of having a cozy conversation with Ulbhild. The 2nd battalion of the Special Operations Division practically worshipped her like a goddess.
“By the way, Allen, how exactly did you take down the Nepherus?”
“It’s a bit complicated to explain.”
I glossed over the details.
“It was such a tough and massive creature that I had to peel off its scales to expose its flesh and then stab its brain.”
“!”
Ulbhild looked surprised and turned to Harold.
“Harold. This is sothing none of us thought of.”
“Indeed, Second Commander.”
Harold nodded, his jealousy montarily forgotten.
“We’ve been discussing how you managed to hunt a 5th tier large-class monster.”
Ulbhild explained, noticing my gaze.
“But Your Highness. To stab the brain of such a colossal monster, wouldn’t you have to fly?”
Harold asked, clearly dying of curiosity.
“I lured it into a basin terrain where I could move around freely and used three-dinsional maneuvering.”
“Huh.”
Harold clicked his tongue.
“Luring it into a favorable battlefield and then targeting its weakness. It sounds simple when you say it, but it’s extrely difficult to pull off in practice.”
I smirked and turned to Ulbhild.
“So, how did you think I did it, sister?”
“Ah, I…”
Ulbhild answered, slightly embarrassed.
“I thought you might have been in a life-or-death situation, since it seed impossible to win otherwise.”
“Hmm.”
I hesitated for a mont, wondering if I should tease her or not, but in the end, I couldn’t resist and said, “Sister, you’ve been reading too many novels.”
Ulbhild poked in the side.
“Be quiet.”
* * *
As I sat chatting with Ulbhild and occasionally teasing Harold, it wasn’t long before the next guest arrived.
“Brother Karl.”
“You’re all gathered here.”
Even Karl ca over to greet us first, making Sorset, who was sitting alone in the corner, look even more isolated.
‘See, this is why you should live a good life, people.’
Unlike before, Karl and I were practically allies now. We had ford a non-aggression pact, after all.
“Allenvert, how have you been?”
“Of course. Thanks to you, ‘in many ways.’”
This was my way of thanking Karl for the information about the survivors of Eisenach, a secret only the two of us shared.
“Brother. You’ve reached a higher level than before.”
“I’ve been training diligently every day.”
Karl smiled and sat down not far from us.
‘Why does it feel so hot, though?’
A strong yang energy emanated from Karl. He had mastered the powerful Solar Flare Heart Style, and its effects were palpable even here.
On the other hand, Ulbhild, who had mastered the Snow Blossom Sword Technique, exuded a subtle coolness. So, in a way, I was being heated on the left and cooled on the right.
‘Feels like I’m being tempered.’
The reason these two were radiating such energy was obvious.
‘They’re that tense.’
This was a banquet attended by our father. The na “Black Serpent Duke Georg Grunewald” carried a weight that made even his own children nervous.
“Everyone’s here.”
A beautiful yet sowhat eerie voice rang out. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I turned toward the source of the voice.
‘Verdzig.’
Verdzig, the radiantly beautiful young master, was walking toward us, his presence almost blindingly dazzling.
‘Wow.’
I couldn’t help but be slightly impressed.
‘He’s really good-looking, huh?’
I’m a man who can admit when soone is handso. He could almost rival young master Allenvert in looks.
“Brother Karl, how have you been?”
“Sa as always.”
After greeting Ulbhild and Sorset, Verdzig’s eyes lingered on Barclava, who was sitting next to , and his eyebrow twitched.
‘What’s this?’
I could sense a strange tension.
‘He must want to break free from his brother too.’
But it wouldn’t be easy. Verdzig wouldn’t let go of the prey he had caught.
“Brother, it’s been a while.”
I was the first to greet Verdzig.
“Haha. Has it really been that long?”
“I suppose not.”
We exchanged smiles, maintaining a facade of warmth.
It was hard to believe that this was the sa brother who had tried to kill my servant and the sa brother I had tried to undermine.
‘Today, we’ll once again turn our tongues into swords and clash.’
But that ti wasn’t now.
“Let’s catch up later.”
“Of course.”
Verdzig returned to his seat, which was right next to the head table reserved for the Duke and Duchess. Karl was on the right, and Verdzig was on the left.
“By the way, brother, aren’t we supposed to stand up when the mothers arrive?”
At my sarcastic remark, Verdzig replied, “Today, they’ll be entering with Father, so there’s no need to do that.”
“Ah, I see. Forgive , I’m still recovering from amnesia and am unfamiliar with noble etiquette.”
Verdzig chuckled.
“Ignorance isn’t a cri, so don’t worry about it.”
How considerate of him.
* * *
Ti flew by, and evening fell. As I gazed at the darkening sky, I stood up.
“I’ll be right back. I need to use the restroom.”
“Go ahead.”
My retainers followed .
“Hehe, I was just thinking of going too.”
Jeffrey whispered as if he’d been saved.
“Right? I drank too much water while waiting.”
“You must be nervous too, young master.”
“Of course. Even Brother Karl and Sister Ulbhild were tense.”
“True. I was sweating just standing near Young Master Karl.”
Olivier, who had been standing closer to Karl, admitted.
“You were unlucky. I was cool thanks to Young Lady Ulbhild.”
“Lucky you.”
As I listened to Jeffrey and Olivier’s silly conversation, I casually steered the topic.
“Maybe I should learn Brother Karl’s martial arts next? They seem versatile and powerful.”
“That might be a good idea. Though, considering your temperant, there might be more suitable options…”
Just then.
“Well, well, look who’s here!”
An old man I’d never seen before was making a scene, loudly announcing his presence as he approached.
‘Who’s that?’
His appearance was ageless, his gait carefree to the point of disbelief for soone inside the ducal estate, and his expression showed no trace of tension.
‘Weird.’
He had the air of an eccentric.
‘He seems like a crazy old man.’
But there was sothing undeniably extraordinary about his presence.
“Who is that?”
At my muttering, Olivier hurriedly answered, “Th-that’s Elder Geninghen!”
“Who’s that?”
“He’s one of the five mbers of the Council of Elders, a legendary archmage known as the Elder of Magic—”
“I can hear you, boy!”
Geninghen cut Olivier off with a hearty laugh.
‘What the…?’
Without even using any movent technique, he was suddenly standing right in front of .
He must have used so kind of blink spell. No incantation, no warning—just as natural as breathing.
‘That’s insane.’
In my past life, I’d only t one mage of that caliber.
‘He was a court mage from Flanders.’
And, of course, a pawn of the Dark King.
“Greetings, Elder.”
I bowed respectfully to the elder of the clan, not showing any sign of panic.
“Heh. So you’re Aiden’s nephew?”
But to my surprise, he ignored my greeting and spoke to Olivier first.
“Yes, sir.”
“Oh—you look just like him when he was young. That stiff, uptight expression is exactly the sa.”
“…”
I gave up on adding anything and decided to just go with the flow.
‘Definitely a crazy old man.’
Even Karzan, the mad dog of the underworld, would have been intimidated by the madness in this archmage’s eyes.
“And who’s this next to you?”
“Ah, um. I’m Wilfred, the fox hunter’s son.”
Jeffrey stamred in response.
“Ahhh! I rember now. That guy’s son!”
He referred to soone else’s father so casually—why did it feel so natural?
‘Got it. He’s done this more than once or twice.’
Well, given his status as an elder, the age gap must be enormous.
“And who’s this?”
“Ah, I’m…”
The son of a fallen noble? Allenvert’s servant? Peter hesitated, unsure how to respond, before finally saying in a pitiful voice, “Just Peter.”
“Hahaha! Just Peter, huh?”
Geninghen burst out laughing. I couldn’t help but scold Peter.
“What do you an, ‘just Peter’? You’re pathetic.”
“Sniff, I’m sorry.”
Geninghen chuckled.
“So this pretty boy must be my descendant.”
“…”
I was taken aback again.
Calling a “pretty boy” upon first eting—that’s the kind of language you’d expect from so old man in the back alleys.
‘Ah!’
Then it hit . I finally understood the true aning behind Geninghen’s words.
‘It’s the highest form of complint—saying I’m ridiculously good-looking.’
“Thank you for the complint, Elder Geninghen.”
My response seed to surprise him, and he grinned.
“Not bad. So you’re Allenvert?”
“Yes.”
“The fifth son?”
“Fourth son, but fifth among the siblings.”
“Hoh, hmm.”
Geninghen inspected my face like a fishmonger examining today’s catch.
“Your face is better than your father’s. You take after your mother. Hehe.”
Even for an elder, to refer to my father so casually—there were two possibilities.
‘Either he’s completely insane, or he’s a master who reached such heights long ago that even the Black Serpent Duke seems like a child to him.’
I’d bet on both.
Just look at those crazy eyes. How is that normal? Even Karzan wasn’t that far gone.
“So, what do you say? Since we’ve t, why don’t we shake hands?”
Out of nowhere?
“…”
I looked straight into Geninghen’s eyes. They were shrouded in so kind of mysterious magic, and just eting his gaze felt like it was draining my ntal energy.
‘Maybe he’s a kindred spirit.’
I’m a man who’s more than familiar with hiding intentions behind madness. If that’s the case, this wasn’t just a random, rude gesture.
‘He’s trying to gauge .’
Suddenly, I found myself on the testing ground, but this was sothing I wanted too.
“Of course.”
Go ahead, gauge . How deep does Allenvert appear in the eyes of this ageless archmage?
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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