"What on earth is all this?"
Marquis Pierre, head of the Bourbon family, was shocked.
He had just woken up from a night's sleep to find hundreds of corpses strewn in front of the castle.
And they were all members of the Bourbon Knights, who followed his orders.
Someone had declared war on him.
And their identity was all too clear.
'Strange.'
Where his steps halted, he saw Duff, the commander of his direct knights.
Duff had certainly harbored hostile feelings toward Strange.
"L-Lord Pierre. We investigated through the adventurers' guild... It seems that Strange was behind this."
An old vassal, trembling with fear, held up a blood-soaked cloth.
The symbol at its center, a cross, was unmistakably the mark of Strange.
"I know."
"You know?"
"Yes. But I don't understand why they would go this far."
Duff had said he would only engage in a duel with Strange in the arena, nothing more.
But why would Strange go to such lengths against me?
'Could he have been planning something without my knowledge?'
If so, I need to find out how to handle this situation.
"Did anyone witness Strange clashing with them?"
"No. But the manager of the Legion auction house said this: 'The youngest master of Strange was very angry.'"
"The youngest... Are you talking about the child born with unparalleled talent in the Strange family a few years ago?"
"Yes, the very one. The boy Duff reported meeting at the arena yesterday."
Pierre found it hard to believe.
No matter how formidable Strange was, an eight-year-old child had pointed a sword at him.
Even if Duff had wronged him, and even if there was a justifiable reason, it was not something to be taken lightly.
Surely, someone was helping him from behind.
The vassal continued, carefully watching Pierre's reaction.
"What should we do?"
"…How many troops can we deploy within Legion?"
"We have about five hundred knights ready to move. Should I summon more troops?"
"No, bringing soldiers from outside the castle could lead to war. We must handle this internally, even if Strange acts."
"But two hundred soldiers were wiped out in just one day…"
"It's enough. Duff and his men were mostly lower or a few mid-level knights, weren't they? The ones here are mid to high-level knights."
Pierre exhaled deeply from his core.
"Hoo-"
"In this situation, we must be cautious with every move. Until we understand what's happening, we must not provoke Strange."
"But if we do nothing and they decide to attack us, we could be in serious trouble."
"Don't worry about that. No matter how powerful Strange is, they wouldn't rashly attack someone with royal blood."
"..."
"I will meet Lois personally. We can resolve this through dialogue."
"You're going to meet Lois personally! That's too dangerous! You know how violent he is!"
Contrary to the vassal's concern, Marquis Pierre responded reassuringly.
"No, there's no need to worry. The Lois I know is a proud knight. He would never attack someone without malice."
"But—"
"That's enough. This discussion is over. Prepare five carriages and an escort of knights for my journey to the middle layer of the tower. Only the best should accompany me."
"Marquis…"
"Enough."
"..."
"I will arm myself and prepare. Be ready to leave for the tower by then."
With these words, the conversation ended.
And in the hottest part of the day, when the sun was high, Pierre set off for the tower in golden armor adorned with an eagle.
---
Kangradra clapped his hands as he watched Marquis Pierre leave the castle.
Clap clap clap.
"Everything is going as you planned, young master. He's frightened just by seeing a few corpses."
Pierre is a coward.
But that doesn't mean he is weak.
He is said to possess one of the powerful backing spirits that have protected the emperor for generations, boasting the strength of at least a high-level knight.
Of course, in my previous life, I never faced him directly, so I do not know his exact capabilities.
'Back then…'
The Bourbon family, always seeking peace, had no history of conflict. And they were one of the families soon to be erased by Glazier.
I watched the troops led by Marquis Pierre as they hurriedly departed for the tower.
"Monitor them until they meet with my father. No, watch them until they finish their conversation."
"As you wish."
"If possible, I'd also like to know what they discussed."
"Yes, and if Marquis Pierre shows any hostility, should we kill him?"
"No. Absolutely not. If we turn him into an enemy, the situation will escalate. The imperial forces within Legion would not stay quiet either."
"If you use the name of Strange, there should be no problem. Even if they all attacked, they wouldn't be a match."
"We might win for now, but doing so would not sit well with the imperial army. Killing him without a formal declaration of war would be tantamount to drawing a sword against the royal family."
Wars recognized by the emperor's decree must follow a certain procedure.
In this era, one cannot simply ambush a lord and seize a castle like a barbarian to claim victory.
A nation desiring war must report its reasons to the emperor. If the emperor acknowledges these reasons, war can be declared through the imperial army, allowing battles to commence.
Ignoring this order, even if one wins the war, the victory would not be recognized as a legitimate state action. No one would be mad enough to engage in a war with such significant losses.
Not even Strange.
"I understand."
"Even if the Bourbons come out hostile towards us, my father will handle it, so don't worry."
"Your father?"
"Yes, my father and Marquis Pierre once climbed the tower together. They even formed a party together."
"Oh…. Is Marquis Pierre that skilled?"
"Sir Kangradra, I don't know what you think of him, but anyone with the Bourbon name is never weak."
Especially someone like Pierre, who possesses one of the powerful spirits that back the royal family, is at a level that an ordinary knight cannot hope to surpass.
"Then I'll just observe their movements as you commanded."
"If it gets dangerous, withdraw immediately."
"Yes, young master… no, Master."
"Master?"
"I believe Verdin is not just a member of the Strange family, but someone who will lead and open new paths for us. Therefore, I think it's appropriate to call you Master."
For a moment, I recalled my comrades from my previous life who also called me Master. They said the same things as Kangradra. Hearing it again from someone else felt strangely nostalgic.
'It doesn't sound bad.'
It means they won't look down on me for being young.
"Do as you please. Just don't call me Master in front of too many people. If rumors spread that I've formed a separate organization from the Strange Knights, large guilds will start to check me."
"…Understood, Master."
---
In the middle layer of the tower.
Lois, head of the Strange family, and Pierre, head of the Bourbon family, met.
They sat at a round table in the middle of a battlefield swarming with giant monsters, discussing matters, but Pierre's face reddened as they could not reach an agreement.
"Sir Lois! Given the current situation, are you telling us to just endure it?! Two hundred! Two hundred knights were killed overnight. By your son!"
Unlike the agitated Pierre, Lois responded calmly.
"Are you saying Verdin did this without any reason?"
With just a single sentence, Pierre lowered his head, overwhelmed.
"No… I already explained it. One of our knights wanted to fight in the arena, but there was a misunderstanding—"
"A misunderstanding? I heard your knight broke into the Strange mansion in Legion."
"That, that's true. But we just doubted if Verdin was truly a member of the Strange family…"
"If you were curious about that, you could have officially visited and asked Butler Diveri. Why sneak into the mansion?"
"I heard later they wanted to handle it quietly. I only learned about it after they were caught."
Before Pierre could finish his sentence, Lois slammed his fist on the table.
Bang!
With a cracking sound, the table's leg broke and it toppled over.
Crash.
"Marquis Pierre, did you come here to play games with me?"
Pierre shook his head, frightened.
"No, it's not that."
"Speak clearly. Did you order the intrusion into the Strange mansion or not?"
Pierre was at a loss.
If he said no, it would highlight his incompetence, as Lois mentioned.
If he admitted to it, it would be tantamount to declaring war on Strange. In that case, Verdin's retaliation would be justified. How should he respond?
"Sir Pierre."
"Yes."
"Let's end this simply."
"Simply?"
"Your knights indeed broke into our mansion. Verdin indeed wiped out your knights. Let's consider it as if it never happened."
Lois stood up and looked down at Pierre.
"If you refuse, we will consider it war."
"..."
"This is my final courtesy to a former comrade."
"…I understand, Sir Lois."
With those words, Pierre quietly left the tower.
But after his conversation with Lois, his pride was shattered.
Despite being of royal blood, he was treated with such disdain. This could not be ignored.
"…Baron Griffin."
A knight with a sharp, hyena-like appearance and armor adorned with an eagle responded.
"Yes, Marquis Pierre."
"Prepare for war."
"W-war?!"
"Yes, war. As soon as we leave the tower. We're going to kill that brat."