"So, you want me to help you put on a show?" The old man quickly caught on to Linton's idea—it was just to have his family go and "settle scores" with his nephew.
"Exactly. You seem to have some free time, so why not give me a hand?" Linton said.
"Free time, my foot!" The old man was so irritated he couldn't find the words. "Why should I help you? Do you know how troublesome this is? His Majesty isn't an idiot. He'll figure out what's going on pretty quickly. I don't want to offend him."
"Do you know the Meloway family motto?" Linton asked with a smile.
"The Meloway family? Hmm... no, I don't." The old man shook his head. After all, he wasn't part of the Empire's capital aristocracy. He probably hadn't even heard of the Meloway family, let alone their motto.
"Secrets aren't easily shared," Linton said. "Do you think you can just give me some advice and learn my magic? This isn't ordinary magic; it could overturn the entire existing magic system. Don't you think you should pay a little more for that?"
The old man didn't fully understand the concept of "secrets," but he got the gist—it meant he didn't have enough to offer. Frowning, he asked, "Is your magic really as revolutionary as you say?"
With a bang, another Linton suddenly appeared beside him. It was the simplest clone spell, but it still left the old man in shock.
"Ever seen magic like this?" Linton pointed to his clone.
"N-no... never," the old man was genuinely surprised.
"And how about this?" Linton used a Rasengan, a strange spinning orb formed in his hand. The old man had never seen anything like it either.
"I'm in!" The old man clapped his hands. Whether or not Linton's claims about overturning the magic system were true, these spells were already worth learning. He knew it would be a hassle, but he couldn't pass up the chance to learn such unique magic. Besides, it wasn't like he was betraying the Empire—he was just helping someone out. Even if the Emperor figured it out, it wasn't as if he would be killed for it.
"Alright, go get ready," the old man said.
"Hold on, there are a few more people," Linton said. "Do you know where Duke Leighton's estate is?"
"Marshal Leighton?" The old man paused. "Were you planning to find him? Are you with his faction?"
"I'm not, but my family is," Linton replied.
The old man looked troubled again, and Linton understood why. He had brought up factions, and it seemed the old man wasn't part of Leighton's faction. He might even be neutral. Helping Linton now would make it look like he was siding with Leighton's faction. Otherwise, why would he help one of their people?
"Do you really have to go to Leighton?" the old man asked.
"My family members should be with Duke Leighton right now. I need to talk to them first. They don't know about our plan yet," Linton explained.
"You really know how to give me a headache," the old man grumbled. "Why don't you just have someone from Leighton's family help you with this show?"
"Well, how about I offer to teach them new magic instead?" Linton joked.
"Fine, I'll do it!" The old man held his head. "Let's go."
Leighton's estate wasn't far. After walking for a bit, they arrived at the entrance. From outside the walls, they could see the grandeur of the Leighton family estate. Compared to other noble estates, this one was enormous. Given the expensive real estate in the capital, it was clear that Duke Leighton, the Empire's Marshal, wielded immense power.
To Linton's surprise, they found members of the Meloway family standing at the gate. They hadn't even been let inside! Seeing this, Linton immediately guessed that they had been turned away.
"Linton?" Upon seeing him, several people rushed over. The leader was Pacari Meloway, Linton's cousin and the eldest son of Linton's second uncle, Luwen. He was 42 years old. Behind him was his 22-year-old son, Bos Meloway, Luwen's eldest grandson and Linton's nephew by rank. These two were the family members who had accompanied Gasen to the capital for an official mission.
Linton wasn't very familiar with them. They had only exchanged a few words before, and he wasn't sure how close his current identity was to them. But based on the situation, they didn't seem to get along well. Along with them were Evan and a few guards, including Radnor and the others.
"Linton, where have you been? Do you know what's happened?" Bos shouted anxiously. Clearly frustrated, he was looking for someone to vent to, and now the family's "useless" member had shown up just in time.
"Of course I know. That's why I'm here to handle it," Linton replied.
"Handle it? What can you do?" Bos sneered.
"At least more than you guys, who can't even get through the gate," Linton shot back.
"You!" Bos was about to lose his temper, but Pacari stopped him. Turning to Linton, Pacari said, "Duke Leighton isn't in the capital. Only his second son, Lord Kerskan, is here. But the guards told us he's not back yet and suggested we leave. We have nowhere else to go. Leighton is the only ally we have in the capital, so we have to wait."
"Even if he's not here, they should at least let you wait inside," Linton remarked. "It's obvious they're abandoning our family. Waiting here is just humiliating yourselves."
Pacari had already suspected as much, but without any other support, they had no choice but to wait and hope to speak with Kerskan and explain their situation. Hearing Linton accuse them of self-humiliation, Pacari got angry. "So, what do you suggest we do?"
"Let me ask you first: You haven't told them that the beast is connected to us, right?" Linton asked.
"Of course not. How could we admit that?" Bos quickly responded. Though they looked down on Linton, they were still very protective of family matters. There was no way they would admit to a connection with the magical beast; otherwise, the Meloway family would lose their titles. How would that benefit them?
Linton felt a bit relieved. At least they weren't completely hopeless. "From now on, keep your mouths shut and keep an eye on those guards. I'll find a place to hide you while I take care of this."
He was referring to the guards behind them, who, though part of the Meloway family, were merely servants. There was no guarantee they wouldn't cause trouble.
"You're going to handle this?" Pacari and Bos were both stunned, not believing him for a second.
"This situation has escalated. Duke Leighton clearly doesn't want to get involved, so we'll have to find someone else," Linton explained.
"Who? Besides Duke Leighton, we don't know any other families in the capital. Are you talking about... the princess?" Pacari asked.
"How could I possibly get into the palace to see the princess? Are you going to send me in?" Linton retorted.
"Then who are you talking about?" Bos asked.
"You see, I've already found someone," Linton said, gesturing to the old man behind him. "It's him."
Both Pacari and Bos turned to look at the old man. They hadn't noticed him in their earlier haste, but now that they did, they saw that he was clearly of noble birth.
"Let me introduce you. This is... uh... hey, old man, what's your name again?" Linton suddenly realized he didn't know the old man's name.
"I..." The old man was exasperated. "I'm Krauser Rue Kertevik."
"Kertevik? The Kertevik family?" Pacari trembled at the name.
"Father, who is this...?" Bos whispered, clearly too young to have heard of the Kertevik family.
"Is this... Marquis Kertevik?" Pacari asked quickly.
"I've retired. My son holds the title now," Krauser said with some pride, stroking his beard. He glanced at Linton as if to say, "See? This is the respect I deserve."
"Marquis Kertevik, please, you must help the Meloway family," Pacari said, quickly bowing.
"Please, help us!" Bos also pleaded.
Krauser didn't respond immediately. He glanced at Linton again, as if expecting him to beg as well.
"They can beg all they want, that's their business. It has nothing to do with me," Linton said. "We're just doing business."
"You really know how to irritate people!" Krauser exclaimed.
"Speak for yourself. You're the irritating one," Linton shot back.
"What?!" Krauser was stunned, and so were Pacari and Bos. They couldn't believe Linton was speaking to Krauser like that. This was the former Marquis of the Kertevik family!
"You're mad at me?" Krauser shouted.
"Let me put it another way: If you want to learn from me, then you're my student. Isn't it natural for a student to help their teacher with something? Should I thank you for
it?" Linton shrugged. "So, are you going to be my student or just make a deal with me? Either way, I don't need to thank you or beg for your help, right?"
Krauser paused for a moment, then said, "You win. I'll do it."
(End of Chapter)