Chapter 26: The Panario Family

“Damn it.”

“Well, that was disappointing. Ugh.”

The morale of the Lion Knights had hit rock bottom.

The moment they entered the Panario Family mansion, an unexpected equipment inspection began.

The reason given was that the knights had become lax recently.

It was understandable, but given the grueling forced marches, it was hardly possible for their equipment to be in poor condition.

Every time a violation was found, Nedian’s face flushed red.

“…I apologize.”

“This is hopeless. This isn’t the Lion Knights anymore; they might as well be called just a mercenary band.”

Even Prince Glenn intervened, expressing his disappointment.

By then, the vice commander’s face was emitting a murderous aura.

“Ahem.”

Honestly, some members wanted to voice their frustration.

Or rather, they tried to, but the murderous glare stopped them in their tracks.

Glenn questioned Nedian directly, even going as far as interrogating him about the petty details.

Each time the cold vice commander clenched his lips, the knights involuntarily turned pale.

When Glenn’s displeased expression faded, a grinding sound echoed.

Nedian growled, “You bastards… consider yourselves lucky if you eat tonight. Gather immediately in the backyard!”

The knights who had been hoping to savor some fine food were utterly dismayed.

***

“Why didn’t you just do proper maintenance, huh? Ugh.”

“Didn’t you get caught? Huh? Is there anyone here who didn’t?”

Grumbles erupted from the knights as they moved to the backyard.

Honestly, it seemed a little excessive.

Both Doryeon-nim and the vice commander were well aware of the recent forced marches.

Though their battles weren’t the most intense on all fronts, the knights themselves had been pushing themselves to their limits.

Was it perhaps a subtle sadness, feeling as if their efforts were unappreciated?

While some knights were openly disgruntled, others were uncharacteristically quiet.

“Hmm? Krork, why are you so quiet? You’re usually the loudest troublemaker.”

There was no reaction to the teasing.

Since earlier, Krork had only been shaking his head and sipping from his cup.

He seemed deep in thought, resembling a massive brown bear contemplating a serious problem.

It was, in a way, quite funny.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“…Hmm.”

Still no reaction.

What was wrong with him?

“Maybe he’s just hungry.”

“That guy ate a whole day ago, and last time he even gnawed on some wood, didn’t he?”

“Do bears even eat wood? Haha.”

Even with his comrades’ teasing, Krork remained unfazed.

Normally, he would have charged over and kicked them hard.

True to his rank as Second-in-Command, his kicks were known to be quite fierce.

He walked forward and approached another equally silent knight.

The one with silver hair, Tristan, turned to look at Krork.

“Tristan.”

“…What?”

Tristan’s sharp gaze showed an unusual reaction.

This usually prickly senior knight wouldn’t normally respond so quietly.

Krork somehow felt certain.

“Did you notice it too?”

“Yeah.”

As Tristan nodded, his silver hair swayed.

“Then why aren’t you saying anything? Huh??”

“What about you?”

The brown-haired one’s eyebrows furrowed.

Come to think of it, Krork himself didn’t fully understand why.

“…Just felt like it was better not to say anything?”

“Same here.”

“Something’s definitely off, right?”

“You noticed it too, but what the hell are those idiots thinking… ugh.”

Tristan sighed as he looked at the knights laughing nearby.

He was the type to show off even in ordinary situations.

Krork didn’t point that out; that would just spark another fight.

“Should we tell them?”

“Tell them? About what?”

“What do you mean… um? How should I put it?”

Tristan sighed again, looking at Krork.

“Anyway, going by your instincts, both the vice commander and Doryeon-nim are definitely hiding something.”

“Just as I thought.”

“Yeah, from the moment we met the Panario Family’s escort unit, something felt off.”

“Oh, I remember that. If things had gone a little wrong, the vice commander might have drawn his sword.”

“Right. I also sensed the tension since then.”

“So what exactly are they hiding? Huh?”

The gray-eyed knight frowned, clearly annoyed.

Did this bear-like guy think he was some kind of oracle who would answer every question?

“How the hell would I know? Just feels like there’s something going on.”

“Hah, you always pretend to be smart. Heh.”

“You damn bear…”

As the two glared at each other, small cheers sounded nearby.

“Fighting again?”

“Our senior and second-in-command always have to fight. It’s like a disease~”

“Hey, try using your fists this time, you bastards!”

The knights’ reactions caused both men to sigh and walk away.

Silly and calm fools.

***

Whether lucky or unlucky, there was no one in the backyard of the mansion.

Of course, they were probably all at the banquet hall by now. Damn it.

As the knights entertained such thoughts, they wandered around in dissatisfaction.

Unlike the uniformly discontent expressions of the knights, the vice commander remained rigid as usual.

Oddly enough, he didn’t seem particularly angry.

Then suddenly, he pointed to a lone tree on one side of the yard.

“Everyone, sprint a lap at full speed. First ten to finish.”

The moment he said “first ten,” the knights instinctively started running.

Their bodies reacted automatically from having experienced this countless times.

After a short while.

“That’s that.”

“Huff… huff…”

The faces of those who finished within the first ten showed faint relief.

On the other hand, those who missed out wore expressions of irritation.

Amidst them, an unexpected command came.

“Training complete. Everyone, gather.”

“…What?”

The sharp shout prompted the knights to promptly assemble before the vice commander in orderly fashion.

Nedian looked around and spoke again.

“Krork, Tristan. Did you check if anyone’s hiding nearby?”

Of the two tasked, Krork responded first.

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone hiding in this area.”

Tristan glanced around the mansion and added,

“Some inside might be watching us, but they won’t be visible from here.”

“That’s what I thought. Then, what about the sound?”

“I don’t think there will be any problems.”

“Good. No one should be eavesdropping.”

Still dry and businesslike, the vice commander nodded and scanned the assembled knights.

“Everyone, listen up.”

Upon hearing the natural responses from the three, the other knights fell silent.

“Listen carefully, Lion Knights.”

The vice commander’s cold gaze delivered the order.

“From now on, you will be undergoing fake training.”

The eyes of the knights who didn’t understand widened.

Meanwhile, Tristan and Krork nodded subtly, as if they had expected this.

***

“What? What kind of training is this all of a sudden?”

The viscount’s eyes automatically widened.

It was too absurd to believe.

At his stunned question, Jeikom quickly nodded.

“That’s because… as soon as Prince Glenn arrived at the mansion, he severely reprimanded the knights. Judging by their equipment, they looked no different from a band of mercenaries.”

“Hmph.”

“Having heard such things firsthand from the vice commander, I believe that’s why he’s so angry.”

“That’s… good. Very good. We’ll make sure of it, right?”

“Yes. According to those secretly watching, the recent forced marches left them exhausted, and now with the training added on, they’re completely drained.”

“Gods help us. Haha! Glenn’s foolishness actually helps.”

“By the way, what about the prince?”

Jacob’s cautious question caused the viscount to curl his lips.

His contempt for Glenn was evident in his gaze.

“Hmph, that guy’s nothing but a reckless brute. What kind of drinking binge is that? Damn.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, and the way he chases women… how on earth did such a guy become the heir of a country?”

The viscount’s question was genuine.

He had heard the rumors of Glenn’s recklessness.

But recently, after smashing enemy forces, the rumors had changed.

They said he had matured, changed his ways, and become a new man.

Hearing the nickname “Red Glenn” attached to him, the viscount secretly worried.

Yet upon meeting Glenn personally, he saw only a street thug.

Rude, arrogant, and reckless beyond belief.

A fool born into a duke’s family purely by luck.

That was the conclusion the viscount reached about Glenn.

“So has he finally fallen apart by now?”

“Yes. I saw him standing up myself during the encounter.”

“How much did he drink?”

“Not as much as you’d think. As you said, he was exhausted from the forced marches until yesterday. He drank a little and staggered like a newborn calf.”

“Could it be… did someone slip something into his drink?”

Jacob’s question was met with a blatant sneer.

“Hah! They didn’t even consider that. They just shoved it down his throat. They told some to mix drugs only partially, fearing detection, but there was no need.”

“That’s… fortunate.”

Jacob let out a small sigh, looking tense.

That displeased the viscount.

It was shameful that the commander of the knights was so cowardly.

“Pfft… anyway, are the knights ready?”

“Yes. Not just the knights but the elite mercenaries are all prepared. However, viscount…”

“More?”

“What about the priests? The Herne Order priests?”

“Those guys will be holed up preparing for the religious conversion ceremony for a while anyway. They only showed their faces briefly at the banquet hall.”

“What if they notice something during the ceremony? What should we do?”

“Well… the priests who were necessary for the initial plan are actually unnecessary now. They’re more of a hindrance.”

“Hmm… maybe it’s better to eliminate them together?”

“That’s… still priests, isn’t it? Wouldn’t that be too big of a deal?”

“Then what? Should we just leave it be?”

“For safety reasons, I think it’s better to detain them quietly for now.”

“…Good. Let’s do that. But there can be no interference during the ceremony. If anyone gets in the way, wipe them out. After all, it’s all going to be blamed on Glenn anyway.”

“I will remember that.”

As Jacob muttered, the viscount gave a slight nod.

Their eyes met, and the viscount spoke with conviction.

“That won’t be enough. I’ll remind you twice, even thrice. You and I are on the same side. If this succeeds, we’ll be able to live quietly in the empire. Understand?”

“…Yes, I will make sure it succeeds.”

Jacob’s eyes burned with determination.

Only then did the viscount smile in satisfaction.

“Good. We’ll put it into action tonight. No matter what, that bastard Glenn must be killed.”

For the sake of his ambitions, that reckless brute had to die.