Chapter 26 : Balance of Power

“Young Lord! Have you been well?”

Hans entered the office and bowed his head.

“What’s the result?”

“Count Cheimon didn’t seem overly suspicious about our joining him. In fact, as soon as we arrived, he welcomed us quite enthusiastically.”

Well, since we smashed up the Baron’s Territory, it’s only natural he’d be eager.

Ethan nodded.

“So he’s planning to use the conflict between the two factions. A fine strategy. Then, is our next target the Romenton Barony?”

“..Uh, yes.”

Only then did Hans’s gaze shift to the boy standing near the Young Lord.

‘Who is that?’

If he’s standing so close, that means a relationship of trust has been formed.

Hans looked at Ethan.

“That person is…”

“My strategist.”

“My name is Lawrence.”

He introduced himself with a calm face.

Strategist!

That’s the position that would be expected to stick closest to the Young Lord.

‘I was only gone for about a week.’

To seize such an important position in such a short time, he must be quite capable.

If not…

Hans’s gaze turned to Lawrence’s face.

‘For a man, his face is rather delicate.’

His limbs were slender too, and he exuded a distinctly androgynous air.

Could it be that the Young Lord’s tastes run that way…?

Hans’s secret musings were cut off.

“Myers?”

“The youngest lord has decided to enter closed-door training for a while. He’s so determined that he’s bound to start catching the Count’s eye.”

“And you?”

“I’ve managed to earn a bit of trust myself. It seems that Count Cheimon is extremely curious about you, Young Lord.”

Hans recounted everything that had happened in his meeting with the Count.

“Good. Only hand over appropriate information. Lawrence?”

“Yes, Young Lord.”

“This quasi-noble Hans here is my butler. You two will have to work together a lot from now on, so you should at least get to know each other.”

“Understood.”

The two bowed their heads and left the office.

In a small meeting room within the Baron’s family estate.

Hans and Lawrence sat facing each other. Hans’s eyes were full of caution as he looked at Lawrence.

Strategist.

In short, a schemer.

Hans had lived thirty-two years without ever being told he lacked cunning.

‘That was originally my seat…’

Some guy had suddenly snatched that spot overnight.

And he looked just like the kind of nerd Hans hated the most—someone who seemed made for desk work.

‘No matter how clever you think you are.’

Hans had spent over twenty-five years rubbing his hands raw, begging and scraping by.

How could some soft-looking scholar compete with all his hands-on experience?

Even the idea of using the two factions.

And the fact that the Romenton Barony was the Young Lord’s next destination—he must have picked up those facts by earning trust with his pretty-boy looks.

As Hans sat there in awkward silence—

“Butler, you don’t seem to like me very much.”

“…Ahem!”

“I’m glad.”

“…What?”

“I don’t like people like you, either.”

“Are you saying that after really getting to know me?”

“I’ve seen plenty of bat-like people.”

Lawrence—no, Silvia—had spent over nine years surviving in the back alleys. In that time, she’d observed all kinds of people.

Hans was clearly the type who wagged his tail for the strong and tried to devour the weak.

They would have to collaborate on many things from now on. If she showed any sign of backing down to such a person, she’d only be disregarded in the future.

It was obvious just from now.

What was he imagining, with that unsavory glint in his eyes?

‘Not a noble, just a quasi-noble.’

She was a commoner, but she’d been directly given the title of strategist by the Young Lord.

There was no reason to yield in this battle of wills.

Hans flinched at Lawrence’s biting words.

An expressionless face and blunt speech.

He’d thought she had little emotional fluctuation because of that.

‘But actually…!’

She had more bite than he’d expected.

He’d assumed from her appearance she was mild-mannered, but she was nothing of the sort.

‘If I’m not careful, this could get troublesome.’

From hierarchy to collaboration on work.

They had a lot to settle together.

‘Should I back down? Or…’

As Hans hesitated at her unexpectedly fierce reaction—

“Our ultimate goal is the same, so there’s no need for us to be at odds, is there?”

“Ahem!”

“I’ll respect your domain, Butler. So please respect mine.”

If Lawrence had shown even a hint of weakness, Hans would have tried to dominate her right away.

But not now.

‘No need to rush.’

It was the strategist’s job to come up with the perfect plan for the Young Lord’s picky tastes.

That wasn’t easy.

How long could someone who didn’t even look like an adult last?

No doubt, before long, she’d end up crying and quit as strategist.

Time was on his side anyway.

Hans made his decision.

“Haha. I guess I was just too curious since I suddenly have a new colleague. Now that I think about it, I was too rude. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Shall we discuss our respective duties? The more we exchange information, the better we’ll be able to serve the Young Lord.”

“Yes.”

Lawrence pulled out some documents.

“These are the things that happened in the city while you were away, Hans.”

Hans’s eyes widened as he read the documents.

“Baron Helmut and his two sons are in the underground prison right now?”

“Yes. It seems the Young Lord intends to execute all three.”

If he’d stayed loyal to Helmut?

A chill ran down Hans’s spine. His own fate wouldn’t have been much different.

He was lucky he’d switched sides in time. His gaze dropped to an underlined passage.

“The Eight Gates of Darkness were wiped out? In just one day…”

“Yes.”

The document detailed the sweep of the Eight Gates of Darkness.

‘Did she orchestrate all this?’

That infamous group had been completely destroyed in a single day.

The strategy used in the process was brutally ruthless.

‘Of course, those scumbags deserved to die, but…’

Even so, there had been no hesitation.

Gulp.

Hans swallowed unconsciously.

‘And I thought she was just a pretty scholar.’

She was more cold-blooded than any hired killer.

At that moment, Hans realized.

Time wasn’t on his side—it was on Lawrence’s.

He’d probably be working with her for a very long time.

Besides the destruction of the Eight Gates of Darkness, there had been a number of other events, from tax reforms to personnel changes.

After reading through everything, Hans put down the documents.

“Thank you. Well written.”

“What will you do from here, Butler?”

“For now, I’ll provide some information to build trust with the Count.”

“And after that?”

“I plan to smooth things over so the youngest lord and the Count can get closer. That way, we’ll reap more benefits.”

“And after that?”

“Yes?”

“Is that really all?”

“Uh…”

Hans was at a loss for words.

He hadn’t even spent a full day at the Count’s estate yet. What more was he supposed to do?

“There’s a saying: if you don’t have teeth, your gums hurt. Just splitting the factions and stirring things up won’t be enough to fully block the Count’s interference. Isn’t that a bit complacent?”

What kind of mind did she have, to press him this way?

“Then what should I do?”

Hans, feeling indignant, shot back.

“First…”

Lawrence started to pour out a stream of instructions.

Five minutes in, Hans took out pen and paper; by twenty minutes, he was so busy taking notes, he couldn’t even respond.

“Did you get all that down?”

“Um… Could you say it just once more…?”

“Of course.”

This time it took about ten minutes.

Hans read through the notes he’d taken.

Every one of her suggestions was reasonable.

And since they came from the strategist, it couldn’t really be called meddling in his work.

At any rate, one thing was certain.

He’d been completely overpowered in this first battle of wills.

Outwardly, their relationship looked equal, but in the end, he’d just followed her orders without a peep.

“Then, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Yes. I’ll be leaving first.”

Hans left the meeting room.

Silvia stared quietly at the door.

‘Hans.’

People like him would always turn their back for greater gain.

There’s no way the Young Lord wouldn’t know that.

And yet he kept Hans at his side—that just meant he was that useful.

She wasn’t fond of him, but there was no need to be prickly.

For her, the most important thing was to help the Young Lord who’d given her a chance soar to the skies.

‘If he betrays us someday…’

She’d deal with him cleanly when the time came.

She left the meeting room.

Within the Baron’s inner keep.

Jeyron’s face was stiff as he arrived.

He looked at the letter in his hand.

It was a letter from his father, Bloten Marquis.

‘As I thought.’

Delprion, the current king, had no intention of supporting the Ducal family.

That much was clear from his ‘handle your own family matters’ attitude.

For Ethan, this was not good news.

He knocked on the office door.

“Come in.”

By now, seeing Ethan seated in the Baron’s office didn’t seem at all strange.

It was as if he fit perfectly into the place he was meant to be.

‘The Young Lord really is…!’

A born ruler.

That much was obvious just from how hard he himself was working under him.

As he looked at Ethan, Jeyron tilted his head.

A young man with a small frame was standing behind Ethan.

“Who is that?”

“My strategist.”

“A strategist? May I ask your name…?”

“Lawrence.”

Would this youth know his true identity?

He hesitated a moment, unsure how to introduce himself.

“Pleased to meet you, Lawrence. I am Mikelan, the head of the Misas Trading Company.”

At that, Lawrence bowed politely.

Her greeting held all the courtesy due to a noble. Had the Young Lord revealed her identity?

Jeyron looked to Ethan, who shook his head.

Meaning: he had not revealed it.

Ethan smiled with amusement and nodded to Jeyron.

It meant: just reveal your identity.

“…Let me introduce myself again. I am Jeyron Besos.”

“You’re the young lord of the Marquis’s house, then.”

“Yes. But how did you know?”

“I sensed noble manners in your attitude. And the Young Lord here values efficiency above all else. If you were just an ordinary merchant, I doubt he would meet with you personally.”

“I see.”

“Feel free to speak comfortably. I’m a commoner.”

“That’s fine. I’m just used to this.”

Though he said so, inwardly he thought:

‘Lawrence, was it?’

For the Young Lord to keep such a prickly person by his side, she must be very talented.

No doubt she was no ordinary figure.

Better to show mutual respect. If he wanted to stay with the Young Lord, it would help to build good relations with the people around him.

Soon, Jeyron handed a letter to Ethan.

“My father sent this. It’s a letter directly from His Majesty.”

Ethan opened the seal and read the letter.

‘Just as I thought.’

Delprion.

His response made it clear—he didn’t care for the Ducal family.

‘He may even have played a role in the branch families’ actions.’

The ten branch families.

The current king’s tacit approval must have helped them swallow up the Ducal family so openly.

There would be no getting along with this man.

Ethan was not someone who showed mercy to his enemies.

Even if that enemy was the king.

“Ugly handwriting, too.”

“Pardon?”

“This is supposed to be handwritten by the king? Then why is the handwriting so awful?”

||

In truth, it was terrible handwriting.

This was the first time Jeyron had ever seen anyone so blunt about it. Shaking his head in resignation, he said,

“His Majesty apparently has no intention of getting involved in this matter.”

“He can’t get involved. Otherwise, he’d have to punish the branch families.”

There were still many who remembered the appearance of the Yongin Tribe and the sacrifices of the Ducal family.

He wouldn’t want to give the impression of toppling the kingdom’s heroes with his own hand.

He was covering his eyes and pretending not to see, for that very reason.

“At any rate, this is good.”

Ethan said with a smirk.

“Good?”

The king had refused to help—how was that good?

As Jeyron looked puzzled, Lawrence spoke.

“The Young Lord probably expected the king to react this way.”

“That’s right. Thanks to this, it’s just become a ‘family affair’.”

“Ah…”

Even the king himself was calling it a family matter and refusing to intervene.

Even among the kingdom’s seven great families, none would dare interfere openly now. It meant the stage was set for them to act boldly.

In the end, family matters had to be solved by the family themselves.

“Much appreciated.”

Ethan grinned broadly.