Chapter 79

From the moment Duke Arenheit left the ducal residence, Arndt had been busy without a moment's rest.

Since becoming the head servant, all manner of affairs of the ducal residence had fallen upon him.

From small matters to major issues whose direction was impossible to determine, Arndt's responsibilities were diverse.

Perhaps Arenheit's decision to assign Amelia as his assistant had been wise.

The amount was certainly impossible to handle alone.

The increased household members,

The castle's household affairs, the newly started business.

Moreover, now with many forces emerging, including noble factions and emerging bourgeoisie, the royal palace was merely watching without taking any particular measures.

Despite the chaotic political situation, he had to prioritize the safety of the ducal residence above all else.

Of course, His Grace was doing well enough, but occasionally, deficiencies in aspects of managing the ducal residence were noticeable.

They weren't major issues, but if improved, things would get better.

If things improved, they might be able to govern a larger territory.

If the royal palace suddenly returned the ducal territory, it would be a problem.

Most of the current ducal territory was still in the hands of the royal family.

But rather, it was fortunate.

Before receiving the ducal territory back, there would be time to attach a tutor to Arenheit and teach him how to actively manage the territory.

There was no need to be too hasty.

Arndt touched the edge of his hand, blackened with ink, as he looked out at the darkening outside.

This was a new habit Arndt had developed since the Duke's party left for the north.

He thought there would be no one but the usual patrolling servants, but.

Despite the late hour, he saw someone running with a couple of torches.

And also the maids following behind.

For so many people to go to the castle gate at once...

Arndt sprang up and rushed out of his private office.

When Arndt reached the front of the castle gate, the servants turned around with surprised looks.

"Head Servant."

"Has His Grace returned?"

The black horse was undoubtedly Arenheit's.

But there was only one horse, and it wasn't carrying any luggage.

Someone pushed through the servants and spoke.

"It's me, Head Servant."

"Sir Russel? Where is His Grace, and why have you come alone on His Grace's horse?"

Russel's appearance was quite disheveled.

The distance from the north to here would be considerable, and the tips of his golden hair and the gaps in his armor were frozen white.

Even his beard had grown dark, completely erasing his refreshing image as he spoke in a heavy tone.

"His Grace is in the north."

"What? Still in the north? What happened?"

"Besides His Grace, Sir Leandros and Miss Amelia are also staying in the north. The situation in the north is serious. The non-believers have all died, there are no survivors, and monsters roam the streets."

Arndt felt as if darkness descended before his eyes.

He had only known that they went to negotiate with a northern merchant group to obtain mithril ore.

But monsters? Non-believers?

He couldn't even guess what had happened in the north.

"Then, His Grace..."

"He is still safe. He was injured in battle, but Sir Leandros and Miss Amelia are taking care of him."

"Dear God."

What should he do now?

Arndt now bitterly regretted not securing private soldiers in advance.

Should he send mercenaries to the north now?

But just to get to the nearest village would take half a day, and finding skilled mercenaries would be like catching stars in the sky.

And would mercenaries even go all the way to the north?

What if they just took the commission fee and ran away?

If it were now, perhaps another emerging noble family...

"Head Servant!"

Russel firmly gripped Arndt's shoulder.

Arndt only then realized that he was breathing heavily.

Russel firmly said.

"There's no need to worry. There's a message from His Grace."

Yes.

Arenheit had sent Russel with a plan in mind.

Arndt clasped his hands together and looked at Russel.

"His Grace said, 'As quickly as possible, head to the royal palace and arrange for me to have an audience with Yurik.'"

"Wait."

Yurik?

Why was Yurik's name mentioned here?

"Is His Highness the Crown Prince Yurik connected to the north?"

"I'll explain in detail as we go to the capital. Can you ride a horse? Prepare simply and come out quickly."

Regardless of what had happened in the north, nothing good had ever come from Hartmann being entangled with the royal family.

Given that Arenheit specifically sent this message through Russel, it was clear that he had a role to play in the capital.

Arndt nodded to a nearby servant, and several of them headed toward the stable and the castle.

Less than 30 minutes after visiting the castle,

Russel set off again with Arndt.

* * *

News that the Crown Prince's mood had been low recently had spread to every corner of the royal palace.

As a result, all palace people had to move without making even the slightest sound of footsteps or breath.

Naturally, the castle administrators who handled administrative tasks with Yurik became sensitive as well.

But ironically, Yurik, the very person who had silenced the castle, came and went to his office as usual.

"Delegate the granary area to the official in charge. If support is deemed necessary, have them report back."

"I obey, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Leave the southern pirates to the admiral. Seeing how they appeal endlessly without basis, it seems quite a few merchant ships have been plundered."

"I will do as you command."

"Change today's audiences to tomorrow, and instead, about the upcoming celebration of His Majesty's birthday..."

Behind Yurik, who was walking quickly through the palace corridors, followed officials and administrative officers.

Taking small steps while rummaging through thick bundles of documents, they were busy jotting down the schedules Yurik was pouring out or passing documents to others.

In the midst of this, someone approached with quick footwork and bowed to Yurik.

Judging by the clothes, it was a palace person working in the Crown Prince's palace.

"Your Highness. There is an urgent audience request."

"Government affairs are pressing every moment, so turn them away if they're not important guests."

"They are from the Hartmann ducal family."

Yurik's footsteps paused momentarily.

"Is it the Duke of Hartmann who has come?"

"No. The escort knight and the assistant of the Duke of Hartmann have come as his proxies. Shall I send them away?"

"The escort knight? Was he the one with black hair?"

"He had blonde hair."

Ah. That Nabil-something.

He had slightly expected something, but now he was let down.

But nevertheless, he was still curious about their business.

Duke Arenheit Hartmann.

Recently, he was the person who concerned him the most apart from Leandros.

Not only did he have eyes that could glimpse the future, inheriting his mother's ability, but he also had peculiar behavior as if he knew Yurik himself well.

Yurik recalled Arenheit at the moment he received the ducal title, and suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

Where had the person gone who trembled uncontrollably, unable even to protest after being insulted, and in his place stood someone with a stiff neck?

Had the person changed suddenly?

Thanks to the impudent Duke of Hartmann, Yurik's neck still felt empty.

He habitually stroked his white neck where the necklace had disappeared and answered.

"Bring them in. I'll be there soon."

He would overlook the rudeness of sending proxies to the Crown Prince for now.

But if their business was uninteresting, he would cut off the wrists of the assistant and the escort knight, pack them in a small box, and send them to the ducal residence.

Yurik secretly snickered as he imagined Arenheit's face turning pale.

After about 10 minutes,

Yurik appeared in the reception room of the Crown Prince's palace, wearing a leisurely smile like a weapon.

The man with a pale complexion and the haggard blonde-haired Nabil-something rose to greet him.

Yurik waved his hand and sat across from them.

"Has something unfavorable happened to the Duke of Hartmann's health? Sending proxies isn't like him."

"I am Arndt of the Hartmann ducal residence. First, I beg your gracious forgiveness for this sudden visit."

"I've had enough of greetings. I'm familiar with the knight beside you. So what's your business? Just tell me the main point quickly."

Arndt and Nabil-something hesitated.

What had been the recent movements of the Hartmann ducal family?

He had thought they had nothing to bother each other about?

"Do you have no business?"

"No, Your Highness the Crown Prince. I just need a moment to organize how to convey this properly. ...The person I serve recently headed to the north."

When the word "north" popped up, Yurik momentarily paused his thoughts.

"To the north?"

"Yes. As Your Highness knows, the north has been a region with rare exchanges for a long time since declaring self-governance. When His Grace went to the north, strange phenomena apparently occurred there."

"What kind of phenomena?"

"Well, that..."

"Monsters."

Russel interrupted Arndt's words.

His eyes were resolute.

"You may not believe it, but monsters appeared and harmed ignorant people. The north is full of those who burn in eternally cold flames, as well as those who have turned into monsters."

"From what I hear, it sounds just like demonic beasts living in the north. There's nothing to be done if demonic beasts are attracted to the northern climate."

"Your Highness, there was a gigantic monster in the Margrave's castle. Just one of its roars could shatter glass windows and seem to tear human eardrums."

"Go on. I'm not sure how this relates to the reason you sought me out."

"Sir Leandros and His Grace barely managed to defeat the monster, but they were severely injured in the process."

"Wait, weren't you with the Duke? You said Sir Leandros was with you too?"

"That's right."

"Didn't just you go? Wasn't Sir Leandros at the castle?"

"No, Your Highness. He accompanied us."

If Arenheit had been in front of Yurik right now, he would have slapped his cheeks several times.

This is why one shouldn't entrust good things to others.

Not knowing their value!

When Yurik didn't say anything, Russel continued.

"According to His Grace's investigation of the Margrave's castle, cultists and non-believers once occupied the north and summoned such monsters. We must promptly expel these cultist groups, who might be hiding in the north, after designating them as heretics."

"Did the Duke say that?"

"Yes. His Grace wished to report the situation to the royal palace first, given the severity of the matter."

As Russel nodded, Arndt, who had been listening, chimed in.

"Although the north is a self-governing region, it still belongs to the country, and I believe His Grace made such a judgment believing that Your Highness would not turn a blind eye."

"Hmph."

Arndt was quite perceptive.

He also knew that Yurik was not favorably disposed toward them.

But now, it seemed as if Yurik's reaction was only subtly different toward Sir Leandros.

"If heretics expand their influence, the power of the temple will weaken. For the sake of a duke of the nation and..."

Arndt immediately changed his words upon seeing Yurik's irritated reaction.

"...for the safety of Sir Leandros, please grant your mercy."

"You want me to send supporting troops?"

"If you could just open a path to the northern border, we would be endlessly grateful."

"Does the temple know of this news?"

"There was a temple we stopped at to rest before coming to the capital."

These meticulous bastards.

They visited the temple before seeking an audience!

Yurik was on the verge of what could vulgarly be called going insane.

As Arndt said, for the sake of coexistence with the temple, he had to dispatch troops to the north, even if just for show.

How many of them would survive was a matter beyond his concern.

On any other occasion, he would have gone secretively by himself to push the Duke into a crevasse and bring back only Leandros.

But because Arenheit had taken his necklace, Yurik was inextricably bound to the castle.

Of course, he could command Biaki even without the necklace.

But Yurik lacked the magical power to do so.

He had to concoct the divine wine to feed to the King right away, and there were other things to summon, so using magical power just to call Biaki would be foolish.

No, should he just close his eyes and call Biaki?

He would only have to suffer from headaches for about a week.

But there was too much government work to process for that.

Yurik was about to brush up his hair but stopped as he recalled the content of a royal etiquette book he had read 150 years ago.

"I will provide soldiers. Explain the situation in the north in detail. Afterward, depending on the situation, I will dispatch an investigation team in consultation with the temple. But bear in mind that the top priority is the rescue of the Duke and his party."

"We are deeply honored, Your Highness."

Yes, let's see how far you'll go, Duke Hartmann.

In the end, he's just someone running under someone else.

Watching Russel, who was jumping with joy, and Arndt, who was relieved, Yurik inwardly sharpened his knife.

Not knowing that Arenheit would stab him in the back once more before he could even draw that knife.