“Lumpen Hound.”
The Knight Commander’s voice cracked, sounding tense as if barely holding back.
It was no wonder.
After all, he was a Swordmaster.
If he set his mind to it, killing everyone here would be a trivial matter.
“Hey, is there someone who actually knows me in this backwater? Feels like all the trouble I went through was worth it.”
Lumpen Hound snapped shut the book he had been reading with a loud thud.
Perhaps the memories of struggling at the Academy had left a mark.
When he read like that, he had developed the habit of checking the cover first to see what kind of book it was.
The title on the cover read .
I’d heard of it before.
It was an advanced textbook studied in the graduate course at the Imperial Officer Academy.
“But where did you pick up that name? You don’t seem to have heard that this dog’s bark is something he absolutely hates?”
With a startled gasp, the Knight Commander drew a shaky breath, clearly nervous.
“Then what should we call you?”
At least Lady Titania spoke up with a firm expression.
“Moere. No family name.”
“Right, Moere. So why were you waiting for us here?”
“Well, it’s because I have something to talk about. You think I came to see your pretty faces, young ladies? Or maybe to watch some pathetic show from a lousy swordsman? I’m expensive goods.”
Moere grinned ferociously, wrinkles bunching up all over his face.
Through his twisted smile, yellowed, sparse teeth were visible.
Every word he spoke carried a threatening aura, making it hard to believe he was truly a Knight of the Empire.
Even the mercenaries of the Grizzly Mercenary Corps weren’t this rough around the edges.
Lady Titania glared at Moere in anger, speechless at his vulgarity.
“Oh, you’re angry? That’s not good. I brought important news. Relax, relax. Calm down and just listen.”
But Moere paid no heed to Lady Titania’s gaze.
“You’re Lady Titania Squaret, right? I can tell by looking. You’re definitely more like a lion cub than the young master.”
He sneered and continued speaking.
“Now, enough with the nonsense. Listen up. You’re probably wondering why I’m here, aren’t you?”
“Most likely the Empire is scheming to swallow up our territory again.”
“Tsk, tsk. If you look at everything so pessimistically, you’ll only get depressed. Think positive. Like this—I’m on your side.”
Our eyes widened in disbelief at his baffling words.
“Don’t talk nonsense! You’re the one who meddled in the territory dispute, aren’t you? There was proof of a Swordmaster’s presence there. How could such a person be on our side?”
“A territory dispute? Ah, so you passed through Desemal Territory. That makes things easier to explain. It was all a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“Yes. It’s true I was involved in the territory dispute. But I didn’t go around beating up peasants… Pfft, who do you think I am, some kind of trashy thug? I don’t have a hobby of tormenting the weak. I was sent there because the Proxy Lord asked me to go and mediate the fight and calm things down.”
“Terron…?”
At Lady Titania’s question, Moere nodded with a sly expression.
“Let’s be honest. Not all Empire folks are bastards here. But do you really think I, who earns my living from the Empire, would go around causing chaos here? That’d be villainous. I came here with a kind heart to help.”
“Who’s going to believe that?”
“Of course, whether you believe me or not is your choice. Before I was a Knight of the Empire, I’m a mercenary. When I don’t have a mission, I do mercenary work. Why did I come here? Because Duke Squaret hired me. I had to come fast. He pays well.”
“Your father…?”
Moere grinned, baring his teeth.
“Yeah. If you don’t believe me, go to the young master. I can show you the Letter of Commission with the seal. When I arrived, the young master asked me to help with the territory dispute. When I asked around, I heard the young master is currently the most powerful person in the family. So I did what I was told.”
I caught a subtle nuance in his words.
“Are you saying you wouldn’t have listened if Terron young master wasn’t the Regent?”
“At least there’s someone who uses their head. You’re right. If the Duke isn’t here, the Lady is the Proxy Lord, right? And when she’s absent, that brat acts as the Proxy. Now that the Lady’s back, there’s no need to obey the young master’s whims. So that’s why I came.”
“Why are you so obsessed with who holds the command authority?”
“Because that’s what the commission says.”
Moere crossed his legs and smiled slyly.
“What choice do I have? You have to obey whoever pays.”
He shrugged with a casual air.
- I kept scrutinizing Moere, unsettled by something vague.
But from his expression and actions alone, it was hard to read his true intentions.
His spiritual presence flickered faintly on and off but never became clear.
A Swordmaster still seemed beyond my reach.
Soon, Moere shook his hands off once and stood up.
“Don’t expect us to become friends all at once. Call me when you’ve sorted your thoughts. I have a feeling something important is going to happen anyway. Heh heh heh.”
With that, Moere slowly disappeared into the darkness beyond the corridor, leaving only an empty chair behind, echoing our unsettled feelings.
The Knight Commander had left to gather information from the knights, leaving only Lady Titania and me in the room.
Sweat beaded on Lady Titania’s forehead, probably from the tension.
I, too, felt a cold sweat run down my spine.
It was impossible not to be nervous.
A wild hunting dog was pacing back and forth right in front of us.
“He was truly a violent man.”
“If he were just violent, he might have been easier to handle. But from what he said earlier, he seems to have a deep strategy in mind. Now I understand why the Empire sent him to foreign lands so often.”
Lady Titania’s gaze fixed directly on me.
Her eyes demanded an explanation.
“While you were away, Terron young master was the Regent here. But unfortunately, while you were absent, he issued orders that went against your wishes. So the moment you returned to the family, you confronted Terron young master in the corridor.”
“That’s right.”
“Before meeting him, we were worried about how much of a threat that Swordmaster would pose to us. But now look. That very Swordmaster is saying he’s on our side.”
Her expression darkened.
“You intend to use him to deepen the chaos in the Squaret Duchy.”
I nodded at Lady Titania’s words.
Two siblings at odds.
But their fight never fully breaks out because of their father’s overwhelming authority.
At most, it’s just verbal sparring.
But what if the father is away and those two have real weapons in their hands?
Then it’s chaos.
“I think he’s only half sincere about helping us. He might assist if it means stirring up trouble in the territory, but if the goal is to stabilize the territory…”
“He’ll either stand by or make things worse.”
I shook my head at Lady Titania’s assertion.
“That’s not certain. He might genuinely give his all to help you.”
“Unpredictable.”
“The core issue is the conflict between you and Terron young master. Until a few days ago, the staunch supporter who helped Terron young master suddenly switched to helping you. If you then gain praise as a result?”
Wouldn’t that upset him?
Lady Titania made a grimace, shaking her head left and right.
“It’s a dead end.”
I recalled the title of the book Moere was reading.
.
Of course, just because he skimmed a difficult book doesn’t immediately prove he’s smart…
But I couldn’t simply dismiss it either.
Moreover, we had no way to know whether Lumpen Hound himself had devised the current scheme, or if someone above him was pulling the strings.
After all, this entire situation wasn’t discovered by us but rather told to us by Moere himself.
How much of it could we trust?
There were more problems.
What would happen when Duke Squaret returned in this situation?
He’d most likely repeat the same story to the unsuspecting duke.
Of course, the Duke wouldn’t be so easily manipulated by Moere’s schemes, but what if we started relying on Moere for an important project or confrontation?
We’d be nothing but a dog chasing after a chicken, or worse, just tailing a dog.
“Then should we just leave Moere as he is? If we don’t order him to do anything, he might not cause trouble.”
“We should consider it.”
Who knows if he’d really do nothing if left alone.
But that wasn’t the main issue.
We must not lose focus because of the Swordmaster enemy.
“There’s a more urgent problem.”
“What is it?”
“All these plots we’re discussing can only happen while Duke Squaret and Lady Titania are away from the territory. But the fact that a Knight of the Empire knows your exact schedules is a problem.”
“There must be a spy inside.”
Lady Titania’s expression turned grave.
“Why would that be?”
“I don’t know that yet…”
I stopped there and looked at Lady Titania.
Her face, tense and stiff, now looked almost pitiful.
Like the Valkyrie she was said to be, all her vitality seemed to have drained away.
I’m probably making the same face in response.
This can’t continue.
I let out a light sigh and shook my head once to clear my mind.
“May I ask for some tea?”
“Suddenly, in the middle of the conversation?”
“Please.”
Though puzzled, Lady Titania began preparing the tea set.
“Oh, I brought some tea leaves myself.”
“Oh my, is that Selvinas Leaf?! It’s the finest tea leaves, rarely seen even in the Capital.”
The power of Selvinas Tea was truly remarkable.
“It will become a specialty of the Helpion Domain soon. The Duke likes it too. I’ll make sure you can enjoy it often.”
Nodding, Lady Titania began brewing the tea.
She seemed skilled, likely having brewed tea herself many times.
When she poured hot water, the familiar aroma from the Helpion Duchy gently rose.
I consciously sipped the tea slowly, calming my mind.
“Lady, don’t rush. No matter how great the Swordmaster is, if you ask the Helpion Duchy, they’ll send an excellent warrior. If only a letter could be sent to the Duke saying that the Empire’s patrol is near, they’d visit Squaret Duchy that very night.”
“Isn’t he the one who runs all the way here for his morning exercise?”
“To assess the situation objectively, you must intentionally rest your body and mind. At least, that’s what I learned at the Academy.”
“You took courses in history, military science, literature, and aesthetics at Delphi Academy?”
“Thanks to that, I make my living as a staff officer.”
“I see.”
“Let’s wait for the Knight Commander for now. That’s better.”
Lady Titania lifted her teacup and took a sip.