Chapter 109: Childhood Friend – Marquis Guidan
“What brings you here?”
Arriving at Nevis, Lev immediately went to see Marquis Guidan.
Located in ‘Vedajin Dale,’ the Marquis’s estate was relatively small for a prestigious noble of the Orun Kingdom, but it was built with green rocks called serpentine rock, giving it a peaceful atmosphere.
“I’d like to see the Marquis.”
Lev handed over a letter sealed by the governor of Bospo.
With the Commissioner’s seal on the envelope, the guards wasted no time in letting him in. The horse Lev arrived on was taken away by the guards, and he was met by a steward.
“We’ll keep your sword for a moment.”
Before guiding Lev, the steward took away his sword.
It would have been tempting to bewitch the steward as he led the way, but Lev willingly handed over his sword.
“This way, please. The Marquis is currently meeting with another guest. It shouldn’t take too long.”
Confused by his certainty, Lev raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t easy for an underling to speculate how long it would take for a Marquis to meet a guest…
But the steward’s assurance proved correct.
As he waited in the parlor, he heard muttering from somewhere.
“What should I do with this annoying fellow!”
It seemed that the guest who was meeting the Marquis was angry. He even raised his voice as he stepped outside.
“I’ll say one last thing. Even if an engagement is arranged with the Duke of Tertan, with such lukewarm attitude, the Guidan family won’t last long!”
The voice and footsteps drew closer.
“…I’ll consider it. And an engagement hasn’t been agreed upon yet. Don’t jump to conclusions.”
“What? Listen. Everyone will soon know that your daughter went to meet the heir of the Duke. Whether the engagement is confirmed or not, you’ve already…”
Passing by the parlor, a nobleman glanced at Lev, who was clearly an outsider waiting with the steward next to him.
Despite his small stature, the middle-aged nobleman exuded authority. He seemed to realize his mistake and tried to say something, but Lev spoke first.
“I’m already aware that the heir of Guidan, Herbert Guidan, is meeting with the Duke of Tertan in Bospo. You need not worry about lightly teasing me.”
The nobleman coughed nervously.
“Of course. Ahem. Look here. Hasn’t someone you know come to see you yet? I don’t know where you’re from, but if you’re allied with the Guidan family, you must think carefully. Tell… hmm? Oh, very well. Understood.”
Herbert Herbert’s hand on his shoulder seemed to signal the end, and the haughty nobleman left grumbling.
It was an unusual occurrence.
It was extremely rare for one nobleman to touch another nobleman. Unless it was to request a dance from a noblewoman.
Thanks to this, Lev quickly discovered who the gentleman was.
It was Ebeny Drageen, the Marquis. He was a close relative of the Duke of Tertan, a northern authority of the Orun Kingdom, and a friend of Guidan’s Marquis. Lev had heard about their faultless friendship during his travels in the Orun Kingdom.
‘But he seems much closer than I had heard…’
Lev sat back down and waited as Herbert Guidan briefly bid farewell to his kinsman and returned.
As he had felt before, he was tall. Drageen Marquis’s stature was so small that he seemed relatively larger, but that wasn’t the case.
The Marquis was as tall as his thin build. Almost reminiscent of a scarecrow.
However, despite his gaunt appearance, he did not seem sharp. Due to his short eyebrows and long ears, he was easily perceived as a gentle person.
After reading the governor’s letter, Guidan Marquis offered a sincere apology.
“I’m sorry. My kinsman’s words went too far, so I apologize on his behalf. But… you are a teacher? Walter’s?” he asked, his melancholic green eyes laced with doubt.
It was a situation that naturally raised suspicions.
The Commissioner was an old man, while the ‘teacher’ who brought the letter was a strikingly young man.
Nevertheless, Lev remained casual.
Regardless of whether Guidan’s Marquis had the power to pour out the strength of Barbatos, he intended to charm him. He needed to meet the king through him.
But amusingly, the Marquis had no ostentatious belongings.
He wore several rings and had fancy brooches on his clothes, but they were all unadorned jewelry.
It was quite different from Ebeny Drageen Marquis, who had just passed by with lavish items.
‘He seems like a nonbeliever… It’s fascinating.’
In this world, it was extremely rare for someone not to believe in the gods.
Given the miraculous effects of the priests’ healing and the selection of holy maidens as well as saints, there was no room for doubt about the existence of the gods.
Thus, the existence of a proactive nonbeliever who even rejected adorned belongings was truly remarkable.
Either way, it worked out for Lev, so he lied.
“No, I have come here on his behalf.”
“… I see. I was surprised since you’re so young. Shall we sit and talk?”
He sat down across, assuming a polite manner.
“So, what brings you here? Oh, could you please leave for a moment?”
The Marquis saw the young man before him subtly clasp his hands together and sent the steward away. The way the young man’s left index and middle fingers were interlaced with his right thumb and index finger was an ancient signal from the Achaean Empire’s etiquette, indicating a secret message. But that was a mistake.
As soon as the steward left, the young man commanded.
“Swear loyalty to me.”
“What is this…?”
The marquis resisted, staring into the young man’s crimson eyes. Even though his loyalty to the royal family was waning, it was unthinkable for a high-ranking noble of the Orun Kingdom to swear loyalty to a young man he had just met.
However, his resistance gradually faded as Lev’s eyes glowed bright red.
The marquis knelt down.
“I, Harvey Guidan, swear loyalty to you.”
[Achievement: Master-Servant Relationship – ‘1’. As long as loyalty remains unwavering, those who swear loyalty will trust and follow Leo.]
“Is it a success?”
The achievement of the master-servant relationship seemed to work well with the [Eyes of Enchantment].
Those enchanted by Lev felt favor towards him, but that didn’t mean they would blindly believe and follow his words.
They would only rationalize his actions in their own way and quickly break free from the enchantment if they had doubts.
While it could be resolved by excessively investing divine power, that would be a waste.
Therefore, Lev decided to utilize the achievement.
He hoped that if he could gain loyalty even once through enchantment, the ‘favor’ from the enchantment would turn into ‘trust’ through the achievement.
He speculated that this would create a virtuous cycle where the effect of the enchantment would last longer as trust grew…
The result was satisfying.
Marquis Guidan knelt politely, without questioning why he was doing so.
Lev relaxed his posture and asked a question that was sure to cause him a loss.
“You may sit comfortably. Then, how do I appear to you?”
“…I don’t understand the point of your question.”
“I am asking what you think of me.”
“I think you are an excellent lord. Even though we have just met… It’s strange now that I think about it. I don’t even know your name…”
“My name is Lev.”
As the marquis’s short eyebrows furrowed, Lev re-applied the enchantment and told him his name. The marquis relaxed unconsciously as his mind was put at ease.
‘This seems to be working. But I feel a bit guilty…’
Lev didn’t want to toy with people’s minds. Though this system kept forcing him to manipulate human emotions, he intended to achieve his goal and then withdraw.
He would make sure not to disadvantage the marquis.
“By the way, the person who visited earlier was Marquis Ebeny Drageen, right? What was the reason for his raised voice?”
“…It’s a long story. As you know, I arranged for my daughter to meet the heir of the Tertan Duchy.”
He briefly spoke about Harriet Guidan.
A few days ago, his daughter had sent a message promising love with Pallas Tertan.
However, according to Pallas, the Duke of Tertan was likely to reject their betrothal, so she asked if she could visit the duchy to seek permission.
“You must have granted her permission.”
“Yes. Otherwise, I would have to marry my daughter to one of the princes. I don’t know what is happening to the kingdom…”
He vented a little, and Lev listened attentively.
While he had a rough understanding of the political situation of the Orun Kingdom from his travels, the information he picked up as a commoner was nowhere near what a high-ranking noble would know.
He asked questions intermittently to understand the context.
The Orun Kingdom was being overtaken by two princes.
This was something Lev knew, but the process was surprising.
The marquis speculated that the twin “rogue princes,” Aeton de Lognum and Algeo de Lognum, were not mere libertines.
Ironically, they displayed shrewd political skills unburdened by their bad nature.
It all started with a fierce quarrel that split the two close princes.
The young princes fought to the point of causing a bloody incident and from then on, they exchanged curses and spat on the ground whenever they met, signaling the onset of a succession struggle from an early age.
Then, the first prince, Aeton de Lognum, excessively harassed several noblewomen.
Naturally, the affected noble houses were enraged, but with no way to retaliate against a prince, they naturally sided with his younger brother for revenge.
The second prince, Algeo de Lognum, was not idle either. He also harassed several noblewomen, leading those houses to side with Aeton.
Just as the factions seemed to be solidifying for a full-fledged succession battle, the princes suddenly declared armistice.
“We have reconciled, and our brotherly love will never change!”
Furthermore, they asserted that no matter which of them ascended the throne, there would be no issues between them…
Lev knew that the princes occasionally bought sex slaves and shared them, which was a political show to flaunt their close relationship. At least, that’s how Marquis Harvey Guidan perceived it.
This put the nobles allied with each faction in a difficult position. They had already made clear their allegiance, and the factions had grown so large that withdrawing was nearly impossible. Consequently, many nobles started currying favor with the princes who dominated the political landscape, further strengthening each prince’s faction. Of course, the princes didn’t stop harassing noblewomen. Now, seeing the two of them causing trouble together, it was clear that this was not just a political issue but part of their nature.
Lev asked, “Does the king say nothing about this?”
“No. He’s so enamored with his late-born princes that he says he’s happy to have two worthy successors.”
‘What a mess,’ Lev thought as Guidan continued.
“Recently, the princes contacted me. They acknowledged the strained relationship with our family and proposed forming an alliance through marriage. They both liked Harriet and said I could choose either of them.”
He had a bitter expression.
“I felt sorry for my daughter, but I couldn’t easily refuse. But then Harriet pleaded, asking if she could marry a noble from another kingdom instead.”
“…She gave you an ultimatum.”
A marriage between two border margraves wasn’t a simple matter of friendship. It posed a risk of one family shifting allegiance to another kingdom, raising royal concerns.
“Yes. While I have no intention of leaving, this arrangement would make it difficult for anyone to touch our family for the next decade or so, even if it means being labeled as opportunists.”
Lev felt thirsty. He picked up the teacup he had been sipping from earlier, but it was empty. As he wasn’t the host, he felt awkward asking for more tea, and ‘vassal’ Guidan also hesitated to offer.
If he had known the conversation would be this long, he would have asked for more tea earlier. Lev moistened his dry lips with his tongue and pinched himself.
“That won’t solve the problem. The princes are young.”
“…Yes. That’s why Marquis Ebeny Drageen visited. He warned that if I tried to act alone, I would face harsher consequences.”
“Does he have a solution?”
“He insisted we need to form our own faction to survive. But how long can that last? No matter which prince ascends to the throne, we’ll be in trouble.”
Guidan secretly licked his lips, also feeling thirsty. The two men continued their somber conversation.
“In that case, isn’t your action more prudent? Isn’t it better to form a faction while also seeking foreign support?”
“Marquis Ebeny Drageen disagreed. He argued that doing so would completely alienate the royal family, leading to us being labeled as traitors and attacked without foreign support. He believes we should unite and endure independently, awaiting a future benevolent ruler.”
“…He seemed quite fiery, but he’s more patient than I thought.”
Guidan gave a dry laugh.
“Indeed. If I were to describe him, the proverb ‘Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain’ fits well. He believes in storming when necessary and lying low when needed.”
“I see…”
Lev hesitated briefly before speaking.
“However, you should stop your daughter from going to the duke’s house.”
“…Why is that?”
Because she won’t have a good time there. But since Bart’s attack on Pallas Tertan was weeks away, Lev offered a white lie.
“I have information that Duke Tertan will never approve this marriage.”
“What information do you have? I was also puzzled when my daughter contacted me. If they were going to reject the marriage, why send her there? Besides, they have nothing to lose from the marriage.”
Indeed, unlike the Guidan family, the Tertan duchy had nothing to lose by marrying into another kingdom. Duke Rupert Tertan was the maternal grandfather of Prince Eric de Yeriel, who was about to ascend the throne. While there might be concerns about the duchy becoming too powerful, there would be no suspicion of them trying to leave the kingdom.
Lev firmly said,
“It’s difficult to disclose the information, but you can trust me on this. Tell your daughter to return.”
“…Understood. I will do that.”
Marquis Guidan lamented,
“Then, what should I do with my daughter? As Marquis Ebeny Drageen said, my daughter is already away, raising suspicions. If Duke Tertan hadn’t sent his grandson in the first place, none of this would have happened… Now, I’m truly left with no choice but to marry my daughter to the princes…”
He felt his heart ache, recalling his beloved daughter crying and begging, having forgotten her manners. Realizing his mistake, the marquis apologized for sighing in front of his ‘lord.’
“Ah, I apologize. This is a family matter I must handle…”
“No, thank you for your honesty.” Lev paused for a moment before cautiously suggesting, “Arrange an audience with the king for me. There might be a solution.”
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