Chapter 20: The Pen Is Mightier Than the Sword (3)

Duke Squaret began to overturn the duchy as fiercely as the intensity of our first meeting.

“Why is the Reception Hall arranged like this? The Reception Hall is the face of the ducal family! How could the first place guests see look so desolate?”

“You call this frugality? Don’t kid yourself. Your frugality must be that of a ‘Duke.'”

“Are you saving up money to erect a 100-meter Golden Helpeon Statue someday? How much money do you think you’re saving by being so stingy? Greet those who come all the way to this tiny, backwater territory with some decency!”

“Did you think there would never be a female guest in your territory? At the very least, you should hire some Maids to tend to the minimum needs!”

“You may be the kind of man who could shower in the blood of a monster, but you should at least provide for women to take care of themselves!”

“Do you lack empathy? Or do you even possess emotions at all? Even if you can’t understand aesthetics, surely you know there are beautiful and pretty things in this world?”

“Do you think your head is only for wearing a helmet? If you’re all blockheads, why not smash them together and see if you can make some dust!”

No, to be precise, Duke Squaret began shaking down Duke Helpion without mercy.

Duke Helpion, watching for Duke Squaret’s mood, slowly introduced the ducal manor.

Yet with each new place introduced, Duke Squaret scolded in a sharp voice. Duke Helpion could only offer feeble excuses as cold sweat streamed down his face, but every time he did, Duke Squaret’s voice grew even louder.

To be honest, if an ordinary person nagged this much, anyone would want to talk back at least once.

“This is a Gargoyle Specimen, so rare that it’s almost impossible to find in the whole world. Isn’t it magnificent? Especially the scar running from the base of the wing to the left foot — can’t you feel the graceful line that took the Gargoyle’s life in an instant?”

“I’m tolerant of the young nobles of the Kingdom who bring in whatever they like according to their taste, but your aesthetic sense is too crude to call a personal preference…”

“Crude, you say? There are twenty years of swordplay behind this display!”

“What nonsense. If that’s the standard, my aesthetic sense has been refined for fifty years! The only people who’d like such a line are your sword-obsessed comrades! At the very least, not my daughter!”

Duke Squaret’s defense against Duke Helpion’s sincerity was truly solid and unyielding.

It couldn’t be helped.

He’s my future father-in-law, so I have to let him win.

So the first tumultuous afternoon drew to a close, with Duke Helpion’s bowing head becoming a familiar sight.

But then, a problem arose.

“Come to think of it, you — let’s have a private conversation.”

Suddenly, Duke Squaret pointed at me.

Why on earth does he want to see a mere Chamberlain like me?

Is it about ghostwriting the letters?

Ugh. I was just doing the work I was paid for.

He’s a father with a daughter, after all.

To Duke Helpion, I must seem like an advisor providing strange strategies to the villain who’s trying to steal his daughter away.

That…

Could my life be in danger?!

Shuddering at the thought of what lay ahead, I was brooding in the general office when Duke Squaret entered soundlessly, casting a sharp gaze around the room.

“Hmm.”

He sat down across from the desk, folded his arms, and stared right at my face.

Uh, hmm…

This is awkward in its own way.

“Why are you just glaring at me without saying anything about the office?”

“This is a place of work, isn’t it? No one comes here as a guest anyway. What matters in a place like this is that the work goes smoothly. Looks like you don’t have any overdue documents, so you must be diligent.”

Those overdue documents, you know, were piling up just a few days ago.

Having said that, Duke Squaret continued to stare at me, apparently having no intention to start the conversation himself.

Ugh, this is uncomfortable.

Should I try to say something?

As I was searching for some topic, fortunately, Duke Squaret spoke first.

“Do you have Chess?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Set it up. Let’s have a game.”

Suddenly?

Well, since he’s asking, I’ll play.

I hurriedly took the Chess set from the corner of the office and laid it out on the desk.

“I’ll take white, you take black.”

With that, Duke Squaret pushed out a pawn.

I responded in kind, moving my pawn so that they crossed diagonally.

A classically aggressive opening.

It seemed the Duke intended to unravel various topics while distracting my mind with Chess.

I’d need to be aggressive in response.

“Um, about those… letters…”

“I’ve read most of your letters. The fundamentals of your writing are solid. Did you study under Professor Jaymas?”

The Duke brought out his Knight.

“You know the Professor?”

“That fellow was my student. You’ve oddly picked up some of his writing habits. He’s still forcing his style on his students, I see.”

If the Professor is a professor, does that make him a monster among monsters?

Lost in such pointless thoughts, I moved a pawn for defense. Duke Squaret’s Bishop suddenly advanced, putting me in check.

“You didn’t finish Delphi Academy, did you? Disappeared on graduation day. Strange behavior.”

At the same time, Duke Squaret dropped that line casually.

I felt as if my breath got caught in my throat.

How do I respond to something like this?

“At first, I thought maybe you’d dropped out. But judging by your letters, you built a pretty solid foundation. Those weren’t the kind of clumsy writings of blockheads just smashing heads together. Sometimes there was a sense of wit, and at times, some impressive insight.”

“Uh, thank you.”

I raised my Knight to block the check, and the Duke pushed his pawn forward.

“I taught students at the Academy for ten years. After working at the capital, I found that the brains of youngsters had regressed alarmingly over the last decade. When you combine those two facts, do you know what I’m getting at?”

I took the Duke’s pawn with one of my own, and almost immediately, his Queen advanced to capture my pawn.

He’s really aggressive. I’m breaking into a sweat.

I gulped.

“In the end, it seems this so-called minor official scribbling love letters from the fringes is actually someone with the skill to be the Grandmaster or Second Master of Delphi Academy.”

This man is truly frightening.

He’s not even in his own territory, and yet he’s gathered all this information on a mere retainer in another duchy?

I advanced a pawn to threaten the Bishop, and the Duke’s Bishop took my Knight.

“The letters, how did you…”

“Ahem, hmm.”

“Yes?”

“Well, my daughter asked me to take a look, so I did.”

“Ah, I see. She asked you to read them?”

“She said the writing was good! From my experience as a former Professor, she wanted to know what I thought!”

So he’s the type who can’t tell a lie.

Just blurts out whatever fact comes into his brain.

His Chess moves are as flashy as his words.

I brought out my Queen to capture his Bishop, and he responded by moving a Knight to guard his Queen on both flanks.

“But you know, the letter I received about two weeks ago was a bit different.”

If he means two weeks ago, he must be talking about the letter Duke Helpion wrote himself.

“The writing was poor, and unlike the usual letters about swords and the like, it was filled with self-adoration and sorrow — a textbook example of amateur narcissistic writing.”

Wow. If Duke Helpion heard Duke Squaret’s assessment directly, he’d probably burst into tears.

Our Duke does tend to be a bit full of himself.

Still, for a first effort, it wasn’t that bad.

I advanced a pawn to threaten his Queen, and for the first time, the Duke’s Queen retreated a step.

After that, the moves of the Chess game flew by in a blur. Instead of capturing each other’s pieces, we traded threats back and forth — a tense moment of stand-off.

During that, the Duke continued to speak.

“It’s fascinating. It’s already been twelve years since Duke Helpion entered politics. Which means, I’ve been observing him for twelve years.”

“A man who did nothing but swing his sword, besides eating, sleeping, and excreting, suddenly started writing letters.”

“Is that why you came?”

The Duke shook his head.

“Don’t be so naive. I didn’t come all the way here just because I found something odd. I came because I was unsettled. It felt as if a sword was hanging right under my chin, right before the breath of Delphinia Royal Palace.”

His eyes flashed.

“Could it be that someone has begun to wield the Sword of the Kingdom of Delphi — the greatest sword in the world? And if so, where does that sword point?”

The Duke slowly rose from his seat.

Though small in stature and plump in figure, Duke Squaret emanated a pressure almost overwhelming to withstand.

It was a different kind of oppressive presence than the physical dominance Duke Helpion projected.

It felt as if my throat was being squeezed.

His pawn had quietly advanced to the end of my lines, transformed into a Queen, and soon after—

Checkmate.

I lost.

I toppled my King.

“I lost.”

“Let me set aside the complicated stuff and ask you simply. How did you change the Duke?”

I shook my head.

It felt like Duke Squaret was giving me too much credit.

“It was love that changed him.”

“That’s a rather romantic answer.”

But that’s all there is to it.

All I did was encourage a man who was already prepared to take his first step on his own.

Duke Squaret’s gaze lingered on me for a while before falling away.

“Seems you don’t intend to say more. Very well. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Having said that, the Duke rose from his seat.

Somehow, I couldn’t help but wonder if that old man had come not for Duke Helpion, but for me.

And whether there were things he still left unsaid.

I watched Duke Squaret’s receding back as he strode away.

“In this speck of a wilderness, the only thing I find to my liking is the food.”

Duke Squaret, with a satisfied expression, downed some Selbinas Tea.

From morning till now, he’d been drinking it almost like water, so he must truly be fond of it.

Thanks to him, the Head Chef had brewed a huge pot of Selbinas Tea in a cauldron meant for stew, and the Head Maid followed Duke Squaret around everywhere with his own personal kettle.

“You certainly made a commotion for someone who claims to like so little here.”

Even so, neither I nor the other retainers could glare at Duke Squaret.

“Would you let a Duke of the Kingdom sleep rough in a beggar’s den?”

“It’s not quite a beggar’s den. You are drinking Selbinas Tea, after all.”

“Tea served in a place like this is no better than moss scraped from a cave. You need to taste real tea brewed in a proper Reception Hall with real tea ware…”

“You’ll get to do that in about a month anyway.”

“Hmph, I didn’t buy it for you.”

“Then who is it for?”

“How should I know! Depending on your performance, there might be more visitors to the duchy!”

“Yes, yes.”

The Duke ordered a massive list of needed goods for every corner of the territory.

Even contracted the Squaret Duchy merchants for it, and sent Squaret Duchy Knights as escorts.

He’s truly a formidable old man.

It turned out that his inspection yesterday wasn’t just to scold Duke Helpion, but to check what items were needed in which spaces.

The total came to about 1.5 million gold.

That’s half the Helpion Duchy’s yearly budget gone in a flash.

Duke Helpion’s face, as he dealt with the budget, was quite the sight.

He seemed more burdened by the sudden expense than anything else.

Or perhaps, it felt like he was almost giddy, as if this whole ordeal were preparation for a honeymoon with Lady Titania.

Of course, there was no way Duke Squaret hadn’t noticed.

“Such grand dreams you have.”

“Are you saying you had no such intention at all?”

“Tsk tsk, sometimes you should learn to keep your mouth shut. All I allowed was my daughter exchanging letters, nothing more.”

“Still, it seems Lady Titania enjoys the letters.”

Duke Squaret simply snorted and refilled his Selbinas Tea.

Good grief.

After a morning spent handling purchases, pricing, and arranging goods, I was feeling restless.

As I slumped over the desk, Duke Squaret gave a contemptuous snort.

“Look at you, lazing about so soon, you young pup.”

It’s odd.

That potbellied old man has more stamina than I do, and I’ve been training daily.

But anyway, look at the time.

I packed up my notepad and stood.

“Heading somewhere?”

“From here on, I usually meet with the Duke for, uh… to write those letters.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“That might look a little strange, you know.”

A father watching as letters are dictated to his own daughter.

That’s what you’d call doting, surely.

Perhaps Duke Squaret knew how odd it was; he didn’t add anything else.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t follow.

In the end, with Duke Squaret trailing behind, I went to find Duke Helpion, who was training in the training hall.