Episode 102
“Me? Me, the matriarch, and the archduke. Just the three of us like this? Without any servants?”
Dwayne, who had come to support with supplies, asked back with a puzzled look on his face.
Even though it was recommended to bring only the minimum number of people during the funeral, isn’t this at least too small?
But despite that question, Logan’s expression remained calm.
“It’s already been a while. We’re already at the end of the southwestern part, so if we have to race all the way to the capital from now on, we’ll just be able to make it to the start date of the national funeral.”
“That’s okay for you two, but why me?!”
“You just said. You don’t even have an attendant.”
“Yes? No way?”
“I need you to help me while I’m here.”
It was the moment when a financial administrator in his 40s took on the position of chamberlain temporarily at the words of the archduke.
* * * Doo doo doo doo.
“Go, Confucius. This is too much of an unreasonable schedule!”
“When it’s time to open your mouth, Dwayne lifts your butt and lowers your upper body. Then you can’t even sit down!”
“Ah, damn it! Why me!”
The large magistrate screamed as his horse galloped, but his companions who were galloping with him showed no mercy.
The group’s run, which continued for two days, was barely stopped when they encountered a gorgeous four-horse carriage on the well-paved road.
A carriage with a flag of roses blooming in flames.
“This is true. They say even bad luck is fate, but I’m so sick of fate. It’s funny.”
The voice of a blonde middle-aged man with blue eyes who got off the carriage was clearly audible even though he was quite far away.
“That’s right, Count. Just go on your way. There’s no need to stop and wait for us, right?”
“I want to see once again the faces of people who have been lucky enough to have a long life. Who knows? Maybe that luck will transfer to me too.”
“I want you to quietly go all the way to the underworld. Don’t block the path.”
“Padrick McLane. I was saved by luck, but that would only last until the end of the funeral. Don’t you think that if you mess with my temper, the end will be even more miserable?”
“I don’t think we’ll be the ones to see that miserable end. If you don’t want to get out of the way, it’s okay if we go first, right?”
To the left and right of Roger Vipros stood Planz and Aslan, and behind them were the three senior knights we had seen in Tomodo.
If a battle were to break out right away, there would be an overwhelming disadvantage, but there was no hesitation in Padric’s words.
“Ha… I know what you believe. If McLane goes wrong before the director even starts, you’ll think it’s all my fault. But so?”
As soon as Roger Bipros finished speaking, his companions became more and more fierce.
“Do you think I care about that much? All I have to do is bury you here and settle the gossip.”
visor!
The knights of Bipros took a step forward, each drawing their weapons.
Padrick’s complexion hardens slightly and Dwayne becomes thoughtful.
“Tsk, that’s bluff. If I hadn’t paid attention, I would have attacked right away. Let’s stop talking pointlessly and go our separate ways. Seeing as you’re here now, it’s probably a little late, right?”
The Count’s eyes fell on Logan, who was moving his mouth with a nonchalant expression.
“…Kk. Kkuk. If you think about it, it all started with you, Logan McLane. So, enjoy the little life you have left to the fullest. I’m already looking forward to seeing how your expression will change when McLane burns.”
With a gesture from Roger Vipros, the knights retreated.
Then Logan drove the horse and passed by calmly.
Padric followed suit with a calm expression.
“Take care of my sword, Baron. I’ll be there to get it again soon.”
Aslan, who looked a bit haggard due to his sunken cheeks, left a sharp remark, but Mr. and Mrs. McLane just smiled and passed by.
However, the middle-aged administrator, who was not even a big man, forced himself to follow them, trembling and turning blue in the unfamiliar bloody atmosphere.
Roger Bipros, who raised the corners of his mouth as if he liked that expression, left another comment behind the group.
“If you go up to the capital, I advise you not to come back down as much as possible. Stay hidden, whether it’s from the swordsman or Dill or the old man. The life of a noble who has lost his territory is at least better than losing his life.”
Although he didn’t look back, Padrick’s hand holding the reins suddenly felt powerful.
However, Logan did not bother to answer, and the three horsemen who passed the carriage gradually increased their speed and soon shook off the unwanted companion.
And at the forefront was Dwayne, who complained of fatigue for two days and wanted to rest.
“Prince, my lord. Hurry up! The funeral is just around the corner, so why are you taking your time like that?”
The excessive fuss was funny, and it actually diluted my worries about the future a little.
* * *
“So what happens?”
“Do they know? It’s a problem because they don’t know, right?”
“Funeral…”
“It’s only important for nobles. For us…”
“What do you think will happen?”
Noisy.
The atmosphere in Grand, the capital city where I arrived after a long time, was more noisy than before.
People bustling from the western gate talked about the king’s death whenever they gathered.
That wasn’t all.
widely.
“Get out of the way.”
“That’s it.”
Two knights on the road were closely fighting over the wide open space on the left and right.
But no one bothered to draw the sword first.
“There it is again.”
“The Davis family and Clet….”
“They are not the first or second princes, so why do the lowest knights keep doing this to each other?”
Open confrontations between factions, which had never been seen in the past, were taking place everywhere to the extent that they were often noticeable to the general public.
Since the use of force has been banned since the state funeral was declared, it would not be surprising if stabbings started somewhere immediately.
It was no wonder that dark clouds appeared on the faces of ordinary citizens passing by on the street.
“It seems the atmosphere is worse than I thought.”
“It has to be that way.”
“What is going to happen to the world….”
“No, my lord, is the world the problem right now? We are the problem right now. What are they going to do!”
Dwayne, who had been smiling and said he knew this would happen until he came to deliver supplies to Tomodo Castle, was nowhere to be found.
After meeting Roger Bipros on the way to Gyeonggi-do and hearing him interrogate the power difference between Bipros and McLine, it was always like that.
Even the most trusted vassal would have endured a lot if he could endure it for three days.
“Stop! Dwayne. That’s a problem that we, or Logan, can solve, so don’t fuss any more. Right?”
“Of course, father.”
“…I just wish we had discussed it in advance this time.”
Logan just laughed at the slightly uneasy addition.
I don’t know anything else, but what I wanted to do here really shouldn’t have been discussed.
“Don’t smile like that. It makes me anxious.”
“That smile clearly shows that he is thinking about causing trouble, my lord. You must control it well!”
“Let’s unpack the things at the mansion first. Do you plan on standing here forever?”
“Mansion? Have you found accommodation already?”
“It’s not a lodging, it’s a mansion. I bought it right before I left the capital last time. It’s not good to stay at Master’s house every time something happens…” It’s
his first time actually going there, but Philip took care of it for Logan. I didn’t worry too much because I believed it would happen.
“Then you can just book a hotel. Why should I stay in a house?”
“You’ve already had an accident. Why should you buy a house in the capital? How much does it cost? I heard you have a habit of overspending.”
Looking at Dwayne’s tearful and muttering face, Logan just chuckled.
* * *
“Nice to meet you, my lord. Confucius. I am Retro, the butler of the mansion. This is my maid, Lena Lucy. Greetings.”
An elderly gentleman with mostly pure white hair, although a few brown hairs remained, bowed his head respectfully in front of the group along with the maids.
To be honest, the small garden and small two-story house behind it were too small to be called a mansion.
However, considering that it was located near the center of Naeseong and that although the exterior was not flashy, it had a clean and elegant feel, I thought it would not be cheap for its small size.
Dwayne entered with a nod and asked the butler rather than the father and son.
“Butler. This is about the price…”
“As far as I know, a man named Philip bought it from the previous owner for about 3 million gold.”
“Four or three million?! Grand Duke! How much does a house cost…!”
“And at the current market price, it’s about 5 million gold.”
Dwayne, who was about to yell at Logan, who entered first, paused for a moment and looked back at the butler with a puzzled expression.
“55 million?”
“yes.”
“I’m sure I bought it a few months ago…”
“These days are tough, so prices have gone up a bit recently.”
“Hmm. Hmm. Then what…”
Looking at Dwayne, who quickly turned away with a sour face, the butler was momentarily pondered over whether or not he should talk about monthly management fees and taxes.
“Okay. What do you plan to do now?”
After briefly undressing, Padrick’s questions were the same.
Although he wasn’t as fussy as Dwayne, he was equally anxious about what the next plan would be after the director.
“First, I would like to meet you, Master.”
“As expected. Was this the measure you were thinking of, His Excellency the Sword Master?”
“…Yes? Oh no. I just came to the capital and wanted to say hello.”
If that guy finds out what I’m about to do, he might hit my head.
Logan smiled awkwardly at his father, hiding his true feelings.
The official funeral begins in one day.
Because what he wanted to do could only be done after the funeral was over.
‘Well, Philip hasn’t come yet.’
Before that, I thought I would probably look into the mood of the factions.
however.
“Really? If that’s the case, I’ll come along too. I’m really excited at this age because I get to meet the respected swordsman.”
A lump followed, a little worried about the reaction.
* * *
“Prince Logan, welcome to your visit.”
“It’s been a while, Jagan.”
After saying hello to the knight guarding the swordsmith’s mansion, he entered inside and his still consistent lieutenant, Lewis, followed behind to guide him.
“You don’t have to come out in person.”
“Aren’t you His Excellency’s only disciple? This is a natural courtesy, so don’t feel burdened.”
Lewis said calmly as if it was no big deal.
‘More than that, seeing your face itself is a psychological burden…’
Logan was still not used to being escorted by the captain he followed in his previous life.
So I forced myself to change the topic somewhere else.
“Master, are you okay?”
“You must have been very shocked. No one expected His Majesty to pass away like that.”
“hmm?”
My father tilts his head behind me as if something is strange.
Feeling like he was missing something, Logan hurriedly asked another question.
“Ah. Do you know how His Majesty died?”
Even though I knew it, I was just asking to divert the conversation.
“He suddenly collapsed while attending to government affairs. The temple says it was a cerebral hemorrhage caused by overwork. By the time the priests came running, it was already too late…”
“Huh?”
He was truly surprised by the unexpected answer.
The form of death was different from the king’s death that he knew.
In his previous life, the king was known to have died in his sleep without any special events.
The cause announced in the temple was an acute heart attack due to old age.
That’s why I was puzzled by the king’s healthy appearance when I met him.
‘Even though he looked healthy on the outside, I thought that an old king could do that. But… .’
Death from overwork? Cerebral hemorrhage?
The king of a country collapses while doing government work?
‘It seems similar to old age, but… I feel a little uneasy.’
I couldn’t figure out why history had changed.
Could it be…
“It’s a blasphemous story, but there’s a chance it wasn’t an accident…”
“They say there were a lot of people watching. Your Excellency conducted the investigation himself, but did not find any questions.”
“….”
It happened anyway.
Now was not the time to delve into the king’s death.
Logan put aside one question in his mind and calmly looked at Louis. I walked along.
No, I tried to walk along.
“Logan. I think the situation is a little different from what you said…”
If it weren’t for my father’s words that made cold sweat run down my back.
“Master, you had a special relationship with His Majesty, so you must have been shocked. Is that right, Louis?”
“Oh yes. I guess it’s like that. The two of you have been together for a long time since you were young.”
“Master, you were always worried about Your Majesty’s health, but it seems you were unable to stop it in the end.” ”
Ah, Your Excellency… Yes. This isn’t something that can be prevented by humans.”
Usually, an old man with a certain level of familiarity would often say something like “worried about his health.”
Why would he suddenly say such an obvious thing?
Louis looked at Logan with puzzled eyes, but those obvious words were Padric. Logan calmed the doubts that had been rising in his mind.
After seeing his father’s expression of understanding, Logan barely took a breath, and only then was he able to take another step.
