The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 54

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Strongest in Our Neighborhood (54)
“Those handmaids are only diligent when helping Miss Violet, yet they’re having the Freedmen do all their actual work. Of course, Miss Violet is no better. They’re not slaves anymore—they’re Freedmen now. So why do you and your handmaids treat them like slaves?”
“Treat them like slaves? All I’ve asked them to do is prepare meals and arrange sleeping quarters—simple, basic favors.”
“Those basic favors should be done by yourselves, not by others.”
Violet’s face went blank as she listened to Jang Gain’s words.
“So you’re saying you’ll send me back just for this petty reason? If I return like this, my grandfather and father won’t just be disappointed in me—they’ll be disappointed in you too.”
“And how is their disappointment in me of any concern?”
Violet’s expression shifted from mere astonishment to complete incomprehension.
Hadn’t her grandfather and father shown him extraordinary favor? There were more than twenty people from the Count’s House alone in this procession.
Wasn’t gratitude the natural response to such generosity? And on top of that, they’d given him the opportunity to take a beauty like herself as a wife.
‘Could it be that my grandfather and father are courting him one-sidedly? With me as an added bonus?’
Her pride stung, and a creeping sense of humiliation washed over her.
She wanted nothing more than to gather all the Count’s House servants and march back immediately, but doing so would contradict her father’s and grandfather’s wishes—something she simply didn’t dare do.
“If I return, I’ll get scolded. So I can’t leave.”
“If I decide you’re becoming a burden, I’ll send you back by force.”
“I-I’ll make sure not to be a burden.”
Jang Gain released a quiet sigh as he watched Violet clench her teeth while answering.
“Alright, then. We’ll see how things go for now.”
After hearing Jang Gain’s words, Violet sought out Bayona, the steward.
As she vented her frustrations about what had just happened, Bayona smiled wryly.
“Young lady, you cannot compare Lord Jang to the nobles’ sons and knights of the court you’ve met until now.”
“If I’d thought of Lord Jang that way, would I have gone to the trouble of making Pudding to impress him?”
“If they were nobles’ sons, they would have been moved by the Pudding you made. But Lord Jang merely disparaged it.”
“Yes, I don’t understand why he’d do that. Honestly, if Father and Grandfather have helped him to this degree, shouldn’t he be incredibly kind to me? And where else could he find a bride as beautiful as I am? He should be bowing and scraping, and yet he treats me like luggage! It’s infuriating!”
Bayona smiled wryly at Violet’s lament.
“That’s only because you don’t understand the Count’s current situation, nor do you understand Lord Jang’s true intentions.”
“What? You’re saying I don’t understand my grandfather’s situation?”
“The Count has fallen victim to demonic schemes and made numerous poor decisions, jeopardizing the House. He’s also viewed with disfavor in the central court.”
“I-I know that much. That’s precisely why I’m enduring this humiliation and staying here.”
“Then you mustn’t approach Lord Jang so carelessly, as you’re doing now.”
“You’re saying I’m being careless?”
“Lord Jang has the strength to stand against a great noble like the Count himself, all for the sake of the Forest Tribes.”
……
“If you win his heart and succeed in marriage, the Count can not only overcome the many crises facing the House by borrowing the prestige of his Sword Master son-in-law, but also gain an advantage in relations with other nobles.”
……
“Therefore, you must think carefully and analyze what he likes, what interests him, what charm you must appeal to in order to become his woman—and seduce him with cunning.”
Violet’s expression became astonished, as if she disagreed.
“Must I go to such lengths? I, a daughter of the Count’s House?”
“Yes. Lord Jang is a man worth pursuing by any means necessary.”
At Bayona’s resolute words, Violet fell silent for a moment.
* * *
“Lord Eldom. I trust all has been well?”
Upon arriving at Diaran, Jang Gain broke into a broad smile as he saw Eldom coming out to greet him at the outer gate.
“Lord Jang, what is all this? Weren’t you supposed to have gone to Count Johansen to negotiate the Centron Mine shares?”
“That too, and also to sell the Goods from Demon Warehouse to Lady Laila.”
“I see. But what about all these carriages and goods?”
“Ah! Well, you see, when Lady Laila and I crossed Kunwang Peak…….”
As Jang Gain summarized what had happened during his visit to Greywan, Count Johansen’s domain, Eldom’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“I knew Lord Jang was strong, but to cross through the Demon Gate into the Demon Realm, slaughter Demonic Beasts and Magical Creatures, and return! I can scarcely believe it.”
Just how strong could he be?
“The Martial Art I’ve been cultivating has the characteristic that its power increases when it encounters Demonic Qi, so it wasn’t particularly dangerous.”
“Even with such a characteristic, the Demon Realm is…… I don’t think I’d ever have dared attempt it.”
As the two conversed, Leodosn, who had been greeting Laila and her master, approached Jang Gain with an expression of disbelief.
“Lord Jang! Is it true you crossed into the Demon Realm and slaughtered hundreds of Demonic Beasts and Magical Creatures?”
“Ah, yes. Did Lady Laila tell you?”
“She did. To slay the high-ranking Demonic Being guarding the Gate and venture into the Demon Realm alone…… I knew the gap between Expert-level and Master-level was great, but I never imagined it was this vast. Thinking of how I must have appeared in your eyes, acting without restraint—I’m too ashamed to lift my head.”
“Why would you suddenly disparage yourself?”
“It’s not disparagement—it’s awakening to reality. To think such a powerful being exists, one who can venture alone into the Demon Realm and return. I truly admire you.”
“Ah, yes. Well.”
Jang Gain wore an embarrassed expression as Dimitrion the Marshal approached in turn, adding his own amazed praise.
“Jang Gain! Is it true you’ve been to the Demon Realm?”
“Ah, yes…….”
* * *
“Leodosn Terra, I heard you took quite a beating sparring with Jang Gain. How are you feeling?”
Violet, who had been treated coldly by Jang Gain during the journey to Diaran, spotted Leodosn Terra, the commander of the Greywan Knights, and hurried toward him.
“Ah! Miss Violet. It’s been a while. I was injured quite badly, but after drinking a High-Grade Potion and receiving proper treatment, I’m doing well now. But what brings you here? I thought you were supposed to be at the Count’s House.”
“My grandfather told me to come help Bayona with his affairs.”
At Violet’s words, Leodosn’s expression grew puzzled.
“I heard you were in the middle of bride-training lessons……. Suddenly helping Bayona with his work?”
Violet smiled bitterly at his look.
“A suitable suitor has appeared—one who catches the eye of both my grandfather and my father, the ones who insisted I take bride-training.”
“Ah! So helping Bayona is just a pretense, and you’re really after Jang Gain.”
“How did you immediately point to Jang Gain when I said ‘suitable suitor’?”
“He’s a Sword Master who crossed into the Demon Realm alone and slaughtered hundreds of Demonic Beasts and Magical Creatures. If your grandfather didn’t mark him as a potential son-in-law, that would be strange. Besides, Jang Gain hasn’t married yet, so you could even secure the position of principal wife—there’s no better match.”
“Jang Gain hasn’t married?”
Violet’s eyes widened in surprise. She had assumed his cold treatment of her was because he had a beautiful wife, but it turned out that wasn’t the case.
“That’s right. While I’ve been here, I’ve become close with a young Druid named Eldom. He told me his sisters have been trying to seduce Jang Gain, but Jang Gain rarely gives them a chance. So Eldom casually asked him about it, and Jang Gain said he’s seen many men whose lives went wrong because of poor marriages, so he chooses his wife very carefully.”
“He chooses his wife very carefully? Hah! So that’s why he’s been so cold to me?”
“…….”
“But Leodosn, don’t you think I’m beautiful?”
“Miss Violet is Greywan’s greatest beauty.”
“Of course. I’ve never once thought my looks were inferior to anyone else’s.”
“…….”
“Men usually can’t resist beautiful women, can they?”
“Generally, that’s true.”
“Then shouldn’t Jang Gain also be helpless before me?”
“Jang Gain has seen many women as beautiful as you, so he’s likely an exception.”
“What? He’s seen women more beautiful than me? Didn’t you just say I’m Greywan’s greatest beauty?”
“You’re the greatest beauty in Greywan, but there are beauties elsewhere too. And as I mentioned, Eldom is a member of the Druid Tribe who has received the blessing of the Spirits. His sisters must have also received the blessing of the Spirits—how beautiful must they be?”
“Oh, if they’re from the Druid Tribe, then yes, that would be the case.”
Violet paused for a moment, then nodded in understanding. She herself had received the blessing of the Spirits thanks to her mother, who was of Druid descent, and had even begun learning Lower Spirit Magic, with beauty to match.
Seeing Violet’s expression droop slightly, Leodosn suddenly let out a long sigh.
“Sigh… now that I think about it, Miss Violet, you’ve been wrestling with the same kind of worry I have.”
“What? The same worry? You don’t mean…… Leodosn, are you……interested in men?”
“No! What on earth are you thinking to say such nonsense?”
“You just said you have the same concern as me.”
“My concern is how to win Jang Gain’s favor so I can receive his teaching, like Dimitrion does.”
“Oh! That’s your concern? But how is that the same as mine?”
“Because I need to win Jang Gain’s heart too, don’t I?”
“That doesn’t seem the same to me at all. But since you say so, I’ll accept it.”
Leodosn suddenly opened his mouth as if something had caught in his throat, but he closed it again without speaking what was truly on his mind.
“Anyway, it seems I’ll have to step down from my position as commander of the Greywan Knights.”
“What? Step down as commander? Do you mean you’re leaving the house?”
“After sparring with Jang Gain and also with Dimitrion, I’ve realized what’s been wrong with me all this time.”
“What was wrong?”
“I’ve come to realize that I’ve been content to rest on the laurels of being the Count’s House knight commander. I’m among the ten strongest in the country, so this is enough, isn’t it? I train hard every day and grow stronger little by little—that’s sufficient. For a knight like me to reach this position is success. That kind of thinking had filled my mind.”
“That’s a problem? Doesn’t that sound reasonable?”
“Just a few years ago, Dimitrion was certainly beneath me. Of course, if we fought to the death, I’d still be in danger, but I was still ahead of him. Now, though, he’s far above me. The gap has grown to the point where even risking my life, I couldn’t threaten him.”
“What? How could the difference in skill become so great?”
“He kept challenging himself to become stronger, risking his life in the process, while I was content in my position as the Count’s House knight commander. That’s why I need to come to my senses now and follow Jang Gain.”
“But Leodosn, I heard you took an oath of loyalty to my grandfather when you became commander. Can a knight who values chivalry really break his oath?”
“Loyalty is important, but if there’s something more important, one must know how to break an oath. I’m sure your grandfather will understand my heart.”
“What if my grandfather doesn’t understand and tries to keep you no matter what?”
“Would your grandfather try to hold onto a retainer whose heart has already left? He’s not that foolish.”
“So if your grandfather tries to keep you, he becomes a foolish man?”
“Yes. Since he’s recovered his former wisdom thanks to Jang Gain, he’ll let me go.”
Violet watched Leodosn’s confident expression and smiled bitterly to herself.
With such unwavering resolve, no matter what good conditions her grandfather offered, he would never be swayed.
‘Leodosn and Laila are among my grandfather’s ten most treasured people…… he’ll lose much of his strength.’
It felt as though a heavy burden had settled on her shoulders.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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