Chapter. 21. Into the Storm (8)
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Gideon Glenn.
As his name suggests, he was a member of the historic Glenn family. Even though his name is so distant that it is difficult to find it in the family register, and as a living flag, he is the lord of a seaside fortress city on the outskirts of the Glenn family, he is a nobleman full of pride as a member of a great family.
“Using people. A noble is someone who gives orders, and that is why he must be a master of the art of mercy, using the right people at the right time rather than his own abilities.”
Gideon looked out the office window and remembered the suspicious person who had come under his command a few days ago.
Hyde. As a result of paying a lot of money and requesting information from an intelligence dealer across the sea, he turned out to be a person famous for wandering aimlessly from place to place, as he said.
“I heard it was called Pathfinder. From a common temple orphanage. Although his strength is not that great, his talent for finding hidden things seems to be extraordinary. “I heard they achieved great results several times while exploring the ruins there.”
“My lord. “I may be indecent, but I will tell you that it is against the rules of nobility to pry into a vassal’s back.”
“Isn’t it against the duty of a noble to easily let down one’s guard and put the territory and Gasol in danger?”
Crack-tap-tap-tap-tap-
“He is a man with unrivaled abilities as a spy. Needless to say, he has great powers of observation, and he is quick to reason and has extraordinary insight. “He is the best person to find out news from the traitorous fiefdoms that have become quiet these days.”
“Hasn’t the family already ordered an end to such espionage?”
“Sometimes the judgment on the spot is right.”
“More than twenty loyal knights have already passed away.”
“Thanks to you, I heard that the Warlord’s soul mage has infiltrated over there.”
“And when you were caught, you spewed out all our secrets! My lord! At the very least, send it to another territory! “It’s as difficult as the fortress city of Melbas!”
“….”
“Didn’t all the spies sent to Melbas not even get past the gates there? This is-”
Quang!
“We are sending you to die! okay! I know! “I know it very well!”
Tak Tak Tak Tak-tak-
The sound of hitting the desk and the regular sound of digging in between.
Gideon then realized that he was shaking his legs nervously. A frivolous gesture truly unbecoming of a nobleman.
“This guy is a monster!”
Gideon raised his voice, recalling the man’s always grinning face.
The first time was a very trivial matter.
‘Ha ha ha ha ha. ‘Okay, did you like the accommodation?’
‘Don’t even talk. The bedding was so soft that you wouldn’t know if someone had cut off your head.’
‘I’m glad you liked it. The reason I called you so early is because I have something else to order.’
The day after he was informally ordained in the dungeon. Gideon, who deliberately called Hyde without warning before the sun had risen, spoke to Hyde who knelt in front of him.
‘You may have experienced it too, but since knight training became popular, there have been many disloyal people who use the teachings to show off. Sort them out for the sake of the city’s security.’
‘How much will it take to organize it?’
‘It’s not that much, so I’d like you to do everything. So that you can come back when you’re done.’
It is said that it is not the way to speak to knights and vassals, but only to employees. In addition, a person who had barely fallen asleep after suffering all day was summoned in the early morning and asked, “Did you have a good night’s sleep?” The task of summoning him and entrusting him with this task was a security official that could only be assigned to a security guard.
I also said there weren’t that many, but then again, how easy would it be to find the few people in this large city? At least the guards were able to identify some of them, but they were already overburdened with duties and there was no way they would easily cooperate. Aren’t the violent thugs they just met the ones the security guard let go of like that?
It was a kind of test and education. As a vassal of Gideon Glenn, the act of confirming whether one obeys his orders and does not show disloyal feelings, while at the same time establishing the superior-subordinate relationship more clearly. At first glance, making people suffer by doing chores was the equivalent of a local mercenary group’s taming, but Gideon firmly believed that this was a very noble and excellent method of organizational management.
‘Yes, I understand.’
Hyde bowed his head without a word, grinned, and disappeared into the city at dawn, appearing right in front of him as he was eating breakfast the next day.
‘I’m home!’
‘…Hyde. I remember ordering you not to return until the work I ordered you to do was completed. Are you taking orders lightly?’
‘That can’t be right! I’m not completely sure. First of all, since I was trained as a driver inside the city, I rounded up all the arrogant fools.’
I thought it was a lie. The butler who came running out of breath said, ‘My lord, there are dozens of beaten civilians hanging outside the castle gate!’ Until you do it.
The noble manners he had learned throughout his life barely managed to prevent him from spouting off his pride.
‘It looks like you did some research before you were caught. Was it part of espionage?’
‘Ah~ Did they even investigate these scoundrels to see if they had something to steal? They don’t really know how to hide, and there are less than 50 people at most, so I have to show them this level of ability. I was planning to report this to you before breakfast, but I was a little late as I was not familiar with the geography of this place. lol.’
‘Keuukhum! yes. It’s really nothing special, but it’s a little late.’
Hyde scratched his head sheepishly and asked if there was anything else he could do. Gideon gave him a new job to avoid showing embarrassment.
‘Among the trains that entered the city, there is one that arrived roughly three months ago. Among those trains, find the one that passed through the traitorous city and make a list of passengers…’
‘I’ll come back!’
.
.
.
.
‘I’m home!’
This time it took half a day. They even captured the name of a person suspected of being a spy on the list, as well as a porter who had received money and cooperated with the spy.
‘There is a waitress in the city named Amy! Find her and get this document-‘
Ho-dad-dad!
‘I’m home!’
It took less than two hours to find a contact person for a family that regularly changes its name and identity.
‘The whereabouts of retired Shard Knight Faraud-‘
‘He was in the city pretending to be retired!’
‘A smuggler named Jack-‘
‘He had a hideout on the beach!’
‘The signet ring of the missing family-‘
‘It’s here!’
‘I would have buried it with my late father without anyone knowing!’
‘Oh, sorry. I hope you find it. Should I bury it again?’
No matter what I asked him to do or what I looked for, he solved it in an instant.
‘This can’t be happening. How many of these guys does the Warlord have under his control?’
It was understandable that Roderick’s territory was taken over so vainly. Isn’t this the equivalent of holding the city in your hands and looking into it? I can guarantee that even if you ask this man about the city’s weaknesses right now, his expression will not change.
‘….It’s too dangerous to keep around. I was too hasty. At the very least, I am receiving it as my own in a place where there is no notarization!’
Awareness soared as the ability surpassed imagination. The sword, which he could not properly hold in his hand yet, was too sharp to throw away, but he had already accepted it as his subordinate under the presence of Lord Berkut. It was already known among knights.
Of course, if he was a man of great courage, he would rather embrace such a man, but Gideon Glenn was not a man of great influence to the point of reaching out for a dangerous opportunity.
‘yes? ‘A dungeon?’
‘okay. There is a very famous Mutation Lord’s dungeon near Wind Hall. ‘I would like you to visit the place that has been a nuisance in the neighborhood for a long time and find out the types of mutes that make up the place and the weaknesses of the access road.’
‘….write it.’
So, after thinking about it for several days, I gave myself an absolutely impossible task. It’s a suicide mission that it’s natural to refuse. The moment Hyde showed even the slightest resistance, he was about to withdraw his investiture summarily by protest. If you do that, you will protect your honor and get rid of your troubles. Wouldn’t it be good for Hyde and his group to pretend to show recognition and write letters of recommendation to other estates of the Glenn family? Of course, it would be better to belong to a central territory close to the hegemony of the Western Empire rather than a loose kite stuck in a coastal territory like this.
‘Of course.’
‘What what?’
But I accepted it again.
Was Gideon ‘truly the type of person who risked his life for loyalty?’ As guilt began to creep in along with the thought, one of his knights came to him with a stern expression.
‘My lord. This may be a somewhat disloyal question, but I would like to ask you one thing.’
‘Have you ordered a vassal called Hydra to investigate the dungeon alone?’
‘How did you know that?’
‘…I wanted to borrow wisdom from the knights. For this reason, I went to the dungeon alone, and the knights who had experience in large-scale subjugation said they would know what to watch out for and asked me to teach them.’
It’s never intentional. Pretending to seek knowledge, he deliberately informed the knights of this unreasonable order!
‘My lord. We also know what your lord is concerned about. I also completely agree with that meaning.’
‘However, over the past few days, Hyde has been carrying out orders that may seem unreasonable without saying anything! Didn’t you faithfully carry out orders that may be considered somewhat unreasonable?’
‘…I am offended, but I came here without notice because I was concerned that my lord’s honor would be harmed if I neglected him any further.’
‘Oh, I see. I’ll take it into consideration…’
He even gained the trust of his knights in just a few days! Those stubborn knights were roasted and boiled in just a few days!
‘My lord, I have something to tell you for a moment…’
‘My lord, the captain of the guard has sent a letter to you-’
‘My lord.’
‘My lord!’
.
.
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.
.
“Lord Berkut. The only people I can reveal my innermost thoughts to are those who have risked their lives for me. “He also knows that I am weak and like a petty person.”
“Master…”
“Hyde is an incredibly talented person. “It’s too good for a lord like me who was thrown into a city of wizards that everyone avoids.”
“no. Wasn’t it all through the lord’s efforts that Wind Hall, which was in chaos after the previous lord’s assassination, became this stable? “I can tell you on my honor that I have never seen a nobleman as great as you, my lord!”
“I was so scared that I just struggled to avoid conflict. There is a difference between being moderate and being capable. It’s not just Hyde. “Do you know where his fellow trolls are and what they are doing now?”
“There is no particular surveillance on him…”
“They say he has been locked in the library since the day he arrived here and having difficult discussions with the wizards. History, culture, arithmetic, astronomy, magic…. In particular, magic theory was said to be something that wizards were talking about. A mentally unstable elf? The invasive red tide, which was a problem for the coastal wall, was completely resolved in 10 minutes. And that female prisoner… well. There didn’t seem to be anything special except that it seemed a bit suspicious, but you never know. “They already considered that knowledgeable troll and the elf, who is a master of alchemy, to be a mindless psychopath.”
“My lord…”
Gideon said to his loyal knight, recalling the past week when he felt his shortcomings to the fullest.
“Yes, I am afraid. Because when he changes his mind, I won’t even notice it. I don’t have the confidence to deal with people who are far superior to me. However, if I reject a subordinate I have already accepted without any reason, I will incur the distrust of other gasols who have pledged loyalty to me.”
“…So, is it Melbas?”
“okay. If it were Melbas, the capital of the disloyal people… no matter how great Hyde was, he would have no choice but to be caught. The emergency signal given to Hyde is connected to the Iron Blood Knights of the Glenn family, so if you’re lucky, you’ll be rescued. There is no way that greedy matriarch would let go of someone like Hyde….”
“It will be a picture of the lord being forced to use force on his part and have no choice but to withdraw his pledge with Hyde. In that case, the loyalty of our vassals will not be shaken, and the shame of revoking the pledge will be borne by the family that committed the unreasonable act.”
“It is a great shame for us, but it is something that can be easily ignored by those from the original family. Well, in some ways, honor is complicated. “It’s hard to believe that such complicated measures have to be used to kick out just one person.”
Berkut simply bowed his head quietly, trying to find words to comfort his master.
“…The fact that I put Hyde in danger remains the same. “I can’t help it if you feel disillusioned with me.”
“It has become so complicated because my lord wants him to be thrown out alive. “If it’s a matter of life or death, you can order me to do something.”
“…It’s hard for you to serve a weak lord.”
Gideon turned his head toward the territory outside the window, grateful for Berkut’s unwavering loyalty even though he knew all of his shortcomings.
Trouble and change did not suit him.
It was just enough for the current situation to be maintained. Wizards periodically cause disturbance and citizens who are accustomed to it naturally evacuate. The Wind Hall he knew was that kind of place.
‘The Warlord will come. My lord, no matter how much we turn our heads, we cannot avoid war. He is too powerful to be prevented by knowing he is coming and preparing for it.’
‘You need to be prepared. Prepare to fight against the monster that will devour the whole world.’
The lord could not forget what Hyde said at that moment when he became serious.
I wanted to forget. He was not a monarch fit for war.
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“The people in Yeongju were fine.”
“Is that so? “I don’t know.”
“uh. So much so that one wonders how such a soft man came out of such a rigid aristocratic society. Is it because it is collateral? “Did you learn to empathize because you were looked down on from a young age?”
After receiving the order from Lord Gideon, I was talking about it with the people who were packing.
“He’s moderately greedy and compassionate, and he’s not just stupidly nice, but he also knows how to act. “Maybe it’s because I only live in the city, but I’m weak-willed and that’s my flaw… but that’s pretty much okay.”
Gideon thought he was testing me, but I thought he was someone worth working with, so I looked into it.
There is a saying that it is an awl in the pocket. Roughly speaking, it means that an outstanding person is noticeable no matter where he or she is.
A noble being is a creature that doubts everything around him in his daily life, right? They say that when an awl sticks out of their pocket, they immediately guess that it’s going to stab me in the thigh and throw it away.
“In that sense, our Lord Gideon passes.”
“Boo. “I told Hyde to go to the dungeon alone and this time we told him to infiltrate the enemy lines with just the four of us.”
“The intention is clearly visible. “During the dungeon and now.”
I looked at the small necklace that the lord had personally placed in my hand along with the order, and recalled the moment I received it.
‘…Your loyalty has been proven through your hard work over the past week. Now I want to put you to work where you are best at it and what is most important.’
‘I not only told you about the cost of the mission, but also your personal information to all other informants active in the area and other contacts of the Imperial faction. It will definitely help you with your activities.’
‘This necklace is a magical tool for the worst-case scenario, and the moment the center jewel is broken, it sends a signal to the Iron Blood Knights, the first knights of the Glenn family, the strongest of the imperial faction, the Silver Lion Knights.’
‘oh. ‘Then are the knights coming to save me?’
‘…As long as you don’t go too deep into enemy territory. Melbas is the outermost part of the traitorous territory, so it could easily be rescued.’
In particular, the way he spoke emphasizing ‘deep in enemy territory’ and ‘outskirts’, as well as emphasizing the terrible security of the city of Melbas, seemed to be saying ‘just make a fuss and escape with it~’.
Even during the dungeon, I thought, ‘Can’t I do it? You can’t do it, right? If you go alone, you could die. no you will die Of course, I ordered you to go alone.’ Muttering the same thing means ‘Resist! It was like screaming, ‘Please protest!’
“When people get their hands on things that are beyond their capabilities, their true nature is revealed quite clearly.”
As Gideon tried to tame me, I showed off my ability to the point of being burdensome.
If he were ambitious, he would try to get his hands on me by force. If you are a coward, you will try to extinguish the spark of change that has come into your hands. Like Gideon Glenn now.
“so. in conclusion?”
“Narrowly passed? People are nice. “It is an extremely rare advantage that overcomes countless other points deduction factors.”
However, even though Gideon was afraid of me, he tried to find a way to make me leave without dying. In the Western Empire, where things like chivalry and honor had already been solidified for nearly a thousand years and were extremely complex, he was trying to somehow prevent a conflict in his domain.
“Let’s grow it.”
“right?”
“This is a difficult time, but if it were peaceful, I would have heard quite a bit of success. Windhall, the territory, was once the territory that nobles hated the most, so it was in a good location and had solid ground during the tradition. Because they are connected by sea, the family is also fundamental if it is the Supreme Court Glenn family. “Isn’t this enough to build a nest?”
It seems like the lord is very burdened by me, but that’s not my job.
‘Great family. The nobles of the great family who occupy the center of the faction, whether the traitor faction or the emperor faction, are true nobles who have already been solidified. ‘It’s so tense.’
Nobles are basically people who sacrifice everything, including their morals and life, for the sake of their family.
Although we do not know what the future holds, it is clear that most people will take a defensive and selfish stance when faced with the coming tribulation.
‘If this lord with the soft head becomes a position where he can use some power in the Great Family clan… wouldn’t it be quite helpful?’
Although Gideon Glenn was weak, he was more alert than other nobles.
“Well, I can’t let you go. No problem. Even in death, ‘I am Gideon Glenn’s vassal!!!’ “I will die screaming.”
“Wow, what a leech.”
“It doesn’t seem like anyone else.”
“I think the same thing.”
No matter what the lord did, I liked him. If you raise it hard, it will provide a good background, right?
Puuuuuu-!
Before you know it, you can hear the sound of the magic train’s whistle.
In the distance, a lord who didn’t know about such ‘forced success’ plans was seeing us off.
The train departs and the city gates open.
“Okay then! Let’s act like a spy and give our lord the right to speak!”
I am leaving the city for my superiors and rushing into the middle of enemy territory.
Ah, what a loyal vassal this is.
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