143 A night when the moon rises brightly.
Unlike a country suffering from war, the night in the capital, Grand, was quiet.
An elderly man who was looking down at the night streets of Grand through the window of an old-fashioned mansion suddenly turned around with a frown.
“Who are you!”
The momentum that comes with a low voice.
The fierce force created by the kingdom’s strongest auror user tied up the entire body of the shadow that was secretly seeping through the square.
Then, a familiar voice was heard from the mouth of a masked man dressed entirely in black from head to toe.
“It’s me, Master.”
“…Logan?”
As soon as the momentum was released with an absurd voice, the shadow immediately took off its mask.
Duke Felix Esperanza made a subtle expression when he saw the brown-haired, brown-eyed Logan under the removed mask.
“What is that?”
“Because it’s something that needs to be avoided from other people’s eyes.”
“Huh… I didn’t teach the ghost shadow to use it for this kind of thing?”
“It was absolutely necessary. That’s why I came to see you, Master.”
“Tsk. That’s right. It’s not an honorable request to make. I see that you’ve been hiding like a thief.”
The swordsman, who clicked his tongue, grinned and scolded his student.
“Yes. I have come to ask you a favor that I cannot honorably give.”
I couldn’t help but harden my complexion at the disciple’s next words.
“…What did you ask?”
“First of all, I would like to tell you something. If you listen to my request, I hope you will not be angry and think deeply about it for once.”
“Why are you making such a grand premise? It’s not like you. Just say it.”
“When I made an offer to protect the Third Prince, didn’t you say you would grant my request?”
“…Yeah. I’ve said that before.”
“You can refuse, but I hope you will think deeply about what I said just once.”
“The more I keep emphasizing this, the more anxious I become.”
Seeing as he said it this way, it is probably not a request that is common between a teacher and a student.
He narrows his eyes in an ominous mood.
“I don’t know if you know, but I am currently on my way to bring about a full-scale clash between the main forces of the 1st and 2nd Prince factions, which have been paying close attention to each other. And in the meantime, I plan to gather neutral forces to attack the fallen factions.”
As expected, the ominous premonition did not go wrong.
“And I hope Master will be the focal point of that.”
He couldn’t help but sigh deeply at his disciple’s earnest request.
It was a car that only worsened the domestic situation, which was already becoming more serious.
The swordsman was surprised and greatly disappointed by his disciple’s request, which added fuel to the fire.
“You’re telling me to get involved in this war.”
“…yes.”
“I already publicly swore that I would not interfere in the battle for succession to the throne. You suggested that I do the same! Did you just forget?”
“Because it was the best thing to do under the circumstances at the time. To protect the Third Prince. And the request I am making now is ultimately a request for the Third Prince that the Master must protect.”
“what?”
“I plan to make the third prince a king. Whether or not Master helps me.”
For a moment, the swordsman wondered if he had heard wrong, but when he saw his student’s sincere eyes, he immediately let out a sigh of relief.
“Huh… Are you saying this because you think it’s possible? If what you say goes astray, McLane will have to block attacks from both factions, right?”
“If the teacher helps you, it will be easy, but if not, it will be a bit difficult.”
“…what?”
“Even in the worst case, if you destroy everything for me and my family, I am confident that I will kill the 12 princes even though it may be difficult for the faction to collapse.”
The swordsman’s expression changed completely at Logan’s words that could never be ignored.
“It’s blasphemous! Logan! Do you know what you’re talking about…”
“Yes, I do. That’s why I’m telling you this. If Master helps you, the path will be much easier and less bloody.”
“Huh…”
“If my plan goes as planned, the throne will go to the 3rd prince according to the royal law since the children of the 1st and 2nd princes are young. And when that time comes, Master will fight with the factions to protect him. “You will have to fight.”
Looking at the calm expression on his student’s face, the swordsman felt eerie, thinking that this might actually be true.
“Are you threatening me now?”
“I’m telling you the reality.”
After hearing the disciple’s words, confusion added to my frustrated mind.
But the answer he could give was fixed.
“…But that’s not possible. I’ve already sworn an oath and I have no intention of breaking it.”
“I thought you would answer that way.”
“what?”
“That’s why I’m asking you a favor. I want you to reconsider your oath as the country may be completely ruined.”
“How dare you say this now…?!”
The swordsman blushed and raised his voice, but Logan continued speaking without wavering.
“I don’t know how heavy your honor is. But wouldn’t it at least be lighter than the fate of this country? Master, please look at this country’s current situation.”
“…I’m disappointed, Logan. Go back.”
“Master!!”
“You are completely ignoring my life itself.”
“…yes?”
The swordsman looked straight at Logan with deeply sunken eyes.
“Why do you think everyone nodded and backed away at every word I said? Because Jordan and Juan are idiots? Or because the strength I’ve built my whole life is so insignificant that I can just ignore it?”
“That’s…”
“That’s not what honor is, Logan. Honor isn’t about stubbornness in not changing a single word that can be easily changed! Honor refers to the life I’ve lived my whole life.”
“Master…”
The swordsman took a moment to catch his breath and continued speaking.
“I have lived my whole life strictly protecting the words I have spoken. No matter how trivial it is, I have always tried to keep it. If it was something important, I tried to protect it even at the risk of my life, and in the end, I kept it.”
“…”
“Because I have lived like that for my seventy years of life, at some point everyone believed what I said. Even if their perspectives were different, they respected what I said and it became my strength and my honor again. That is my life and my life is. It’s an honor.”
“But…”
Logan tried to say something, but the swordsman shook his head and interrupted him.
“To change the oath I made is not simply to change a single word! It means to deny and break the life I have lived so far. Do you understand?”
“Master!”
“How could it be good for me to just watch the country being destroyed? If, as you said, I could save the country by destroying my reputation and life, then there would be no reason to hesitate. But will that be possible? I can’t see the answer at all, so what are you doing? Are you so sure after seeing this?!”
In a long sigh, the deep boiling in my heart that had been hidden for so long came out.
Logan felt the boiling emotions and vomited out some of the truth that had been hidden deep in his heart.
“I’m not sure, Master. I just have to do it.”
“Why is that…”
“Because if we don’t somehow end this civil war quickly and weed out the power-blinded servants, this country will be eaten by the empire.” “
…What?”
The teacher’s expression froze in embarrassment at the completely unexpected words.
“His Majesty’s death. Wasn’t it strange?”
Of course, there was no evidence that the Empire did it, either in the past life or in the present life.
“What happened in Grand Noblesse after his death. The ignition of civil war too quickly. Wasn’t it strange?”
He added some of his own actions.
“I went undercover to the Empire some time ago. And I was convinced there.”
Even though he just went to the countryside to destroy a wizard who would become his future enemy.
“The Empire is preparing for war.”
This much was true.
The end of all the irrational moves he had made since his return.
Something I try to prevent at all costs.
This is to prevent the worst-case scenario in which the majority of the kingdom’s citizens are exploited or sold into slavery and the entire kingdom is turned into a testing ground for the empire.
That’s why Logan was able to be proud even though he was coming up with ridiculous excuses.
The swordsman looked into his student’s eyes for a long time and sighed softly.
“…Yes. There were a lot of things that were unclear. But it was too big of a deal for me to completely believe what you said.”
“You don’t have to believe it right now. Just look at the country that is falling apart right before your eyes. I have a plan to stabilize this country as quickly as possible.”
“…Tell me.”
good. it’s okay.
Logan, clenching his fists, spoke calmly as he looked at his teacher, who rarely showed confused emotions.
The plan he had in mind.
And he spoke without hiding the big picture of reviving this country by making the three princes king.
I hope I can convince my teacher with that.
However, after hearing his long explanation, the teacher’s expression remained stiff.
And what came out after a long moment of silence was very different from Logan’s expectations.
“…But to me, what you say is nothing more than a statement that you intend to further intensify the civil war. The evidence is weak.”
“Master….”
“Moreover, even if everything comes true as you say. It sounds like you are planning to hold the 3rd prince in your hands and control him just as Jordan and Juan are carrying around the 1st and 2nd princes. I have broken my oath. “Make him the old man in the back room.”
“…yes?”
Logan, who had been caught in a loophole in his heart, reacted a little late, as it was not a completely unexpected thought.
“I didn’t mean that. I…!”
A beat late, he realized his mistake and bit his lip, but the swordsman was resolute, as if he had already made up his mind.
“You might want to say it’s different, but it’s not different.”
“Master!”
“Juan was like that from a young age, but Jordan wasn’t like that. He was actually closer to the person you are now.”
“…What is that?”
“He was always ambitious and knew how to get people to do what he wanted. And he always talked about the desirable direction of reform for this country. At least in my opinion, the Jordan guy back then was sincere.”
When Logan was at a loss for words due to the unexpected and embarrassing words.
“He changed after he succeeded to the throne of duke and his daughter gave birth to a prince. It was because of him that the saying that power changes people became so real. But how can you be sure that it won’t be the case for you?”
“I wouldn’t.”
“okay. How can you be sure of that?
” “Because I’ve seen a lot of trash like that.”
“What?”
This time, Logan’s answer caught the swordsman off guard.
The more people have, the more they have to lose.
By having a lot of things . The more peaceful and enjoyable life becomes, the more afraid of losing it becomes.
Therefore, in order not to lose it, one often goes to extreme lengths or commits evil deeds.
The
most common process of an ordinary person becoming a villain. Corruption.
Moreover, oneself has the power to cover it up. The more powerful a person was, the easier it was for him to become corrupted.
‘It is surprising that the Duke of Jordan was also like that.’
In his past life, Logan had seen countless such nobles.
Not harming others for one’s own profit or loss.
The concept that is natural for ordinary people becomes blurred for people with power.
And Logan is a mercenary and an independent soldier in a place that can be said to be in the dark side of society. A person who has lived half his life in .
He was a person who suffered terribly from such people.
That is why he was able to be sure.
“As I don’t know the future, I can’t be sure that I won’t change. But even if I change, the direction won’t be in the direction Master said.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“No one becomes like what they hate.”
The sparkle in Logan’s eyes clearly conveyed his sincerity
. The swordsman who was looking into the eyes finally sighed quietly.
“…The Jordan guy also said something similar.”
“…Yes?”
“Even if it turns out as you said, I hope you won’t change. Well, he doesn’t seem like a guy who will change that easily.”
There were some unpleasant words, but the teacher’s tone became much softer.
Logan felt that and clenched his fists.
What he said next was different from his expectations.
“But I’m still not sure. . “Is what you said worth breaking my oath?”
“Master!”
“Didn’t you say you could do it without my help? Prove it. At least I won’t interfere with you.”
“But…”
“And above all, if you want to make the Third Prince king, shouldn’t you also ask about his intentions?” ”
Ah… Yes. Of course… of course.”
Logan looked dumbfounded at the conversation taking an unexpected direction, but hastily nodded.
The teacher continued speaking without any time to come to his senses.
“You are now in my mansion. I will prepare a place for you away from the eyes of others, so ask him what his intentions are.” ”
…Thank you.”
“Please leave. The 3rd Prince will be here tomorrow at the same time. And I have never met you today. That’s enough, right?”
The teacher, who turned away, did not allow him to say any more.
Logan had no choice but to turn away in regret.
And after a while, he left.
“I don’t know which is the right path… .If that guy is right, then I…”
The words, mixed with deep sighs, fell heavily and only represented the complicated feelings of the swordsman.
