The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 60

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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 (60)
—Yes. Your grandfather gave his permission, so your mother is allowed to use the Communication Device.
“Your Grandfather? He gave Mother permission to use the Communication Device? Did he make an exception just because I’m in Louta Village right now?”
—It wasn’t just permission for this once. He said she can use it whenever she needs to.
“That can’t be… surely not.”
—I know it’s hard to believe, but he even said that if I miss home, I’m free to visit Louta Village anytime. And he promised to assign an escort knight to protect me from monster attacks when I do.
“What? No, Grandfather really said that? Truly? He’s not the type to say such things.”
Violet tilted her head in considerable bewilderment, her expression utterly confused.
How much flattery and cajoling had she showered upon her father and grandfather over the years, hoping to offer her poor mother even the smallest relief? Yet both men had remained unmoved.
—At first, his words seemed so sudden and unbelievable that I was taken aback, but it turns out that Jang Gain specifically asked his father-in-law to free foreign-born women who have become wives or concubines in noble houses.
“Even if Jang Gain did ask, Grandfather isn’t the kind of man to abandon his convictions so easily.”
Violet knew that her mother had stopped eating and drinking entirely for over a month after hearing that her own parents had passed away. Despite such profound grief, neither Father nor Grandfather had allowed Mother to return home.
For someone as stubborn as Grandfather to yield to Jang Gain’s words seemed impossible.
—By the way, I heard that the reason you went all the way to Louta Village was to seduce Jang Gain into marrying you. Is that true?
“Yes, well… that is to say, it is, but it’s not going smoothly. His attitude toward me has improved somewhat since the beginning, of course, but he still keeps me at a distance, so seduction is difficult. And there are so many beautiful women in this village that I don’t feel particularly pretty here.”
—You’re fine-looking enough. Even by their standards, you’re quite pretty. Don’t lose heart.
“…….”
—But more than that, I’m not entirely comfortable with you seducing Jang Gain just to fulfill your grandfather’s wishes.
“I knew you’d say that, Mother. But the fact that Jang Gain could refuse you and still grant you freedom shows just how much Grandfather values him.”
—I’d rather see you meet someone you truly love and marry him of your own accord. Living this way… well, it’s barely living at all. Sometimes I think it would be better to be dead.
“Please don’t project your own unhappiness onto me. And such romantic notions of marriage are nothing but a dream for a nobleman’s daughter.”
—With courage, couldn’t you make that dream a reality?
“Mother, if I tried to explain why I have no choice but to marry for political reasons, it would only break your heart further, so I won’t. In any case, I’m so happy that you’ve regained your freedom.”
—…….
“I was planning to stay only a few days and then leave, but since Mother is coming, I’ll wait here for you.”
—Yes, I’ll depart tomorrow, so wait for me just a few more days. I think we have much to talk about.
“Understood.”
After ending the communication, Violet took a moment to gather herself mentally.
‘Grandfather and Father place far more importance on Jang Gain than I realized.’
Recently, as she’d grown closer to Eldom, he had begun to occupy a corner of her heart, but it seemed she would need to refocus her attention on this man called Jang Gain.
* * *
“Chancellor Dariamun, are you busy?”
Chancellor Dariamun Sloan set down the documents he’d been reviewing and exhaled softly as Guard Corps Commander Morona Valencia opened the door and stepped inside.
“As you can see, busy enough to curse.”
“What documents could possibly warrant such language?”
“There are mountains of documents to review, and the treasury is hemorrhaging money. I’m currently trying to discover who exactly is spending so much.”
“Did the recent replenishment of the Guard Corps’ weapons cause this?”
“Why would I fault the kingdom’s defenders for equipping themselves properly? It’s clear that petty thieves are gnawing away at funds from various quarters, but the records don’t show anything, no matter how carefully I search.”
“Would a petty thief living in the kingdom be stupid enough to leave a trace in the records?”
“Sometimes even thieves can be that foolish. Anyway, what brings you to see me?”
“I heard rumors that a Sword Master has appeared in the home nation. I wondered if you’d heard anything about it.”
“From His Majesty?”
“Yes. He mentioned it in passing, but when I pressed for details, he wouldn’t give me a straight answer—just dodged the question.”
Chancellor Dariamun observed Morona Valencia’s somewhat impatient expression and sighed softly.
“If His Majesty was evasive, then I cannot speak to you about it either.”
“Your evasiveness tells me everything. A Sword Master really has appeared. Where? Has one of the Ten Swords of the homeland become a Sword Master?”
“I cannot say anything.”
As Chancellor Dariamun glanced away, Morona Valencia reached into his coat and produced a scroll, placing it on the table.
“This contains a list of wines the imperial wine keeper recently embezzled, along with the identities of those who received them. I believe this should help you eliminate a significant portion of the petty thieves you’re looking for.”
“The wine keeper? Isn’t that the man recommended by Duke Shakspine? Surely not…!”
As Chancellor Dariamun reached for the scroll, Morona Valencia moved. The scroll immediately rose into the air and returned to his hand.
“Since I went to considerable trouble to obtain this, I can’t simply give it away. Isn’t this what you call a transaction? What do you say? Does the offer interest you?”
“Hmm, I could discover this easily enough by cross-referencing the wine delivered to the palace with what was removed. There doesn’t seem to be enough here to warrant a trade.”
“According to my subordinates, if you dig into who received wine from the keeper, a much larger operation will surface. But if you don’t need it, I’ll simply burn it.”
As Morona Valencia turned to leave with a shrug, Chancellor Dariamun licked his lips.
“Very well. I’ll tell you where the Sword Master is.”
“That’s more like it.”
“On one condition—promise me you won’t leave the palace to challenge the Sword Master.”
“His Majesty said the same thing earlier. Do you really distrust me that much?”
“There’s precedent for my concern.”
“It’s been over ten years now. Back then, my blood ran hot with youth, but as you can see, I’ve learned restraint with age.”
“Since you’ve learned restraint, give me your word, and then I’ll tell you.”
“My goodness, such distrust. Very well. I promise that even if I learn the Sword Master’s whereabouts, I won’t leave the palace to seek him out.”
“Now that you’ve given your word, I’ll tell you about the Sword Master.”
……
“Not long ago, a Gate connected to a Demon Gate opened in Greywan, the domain of Count Johansen.”
“What! If something that significant had happened, surely I would have heard of it?”
“Had Demonic Beasts and Magical Creatures poured through the open Gate, Captain of the Guard Corps Morona Valencia would certainly have received a report.”
“You mean…… Ah! Did the Sword Master perhaps appear and face the Demonic Beasts and Magical Creatures?”
“It was far more than that. The Sword Master killed the Demonic Being guarding the Gate, then entered the Demon Gate itself and slaughtered hundreds of Demonic Beasts and Magical Creatures before returning.”
In that instant, Morona Valencia’s eyes went wide as saucers.
“What?! That’s absurd! Surely someone spread false rumors?”
“At first, I thought it too ridiculous to believe, so I reconnected with the reporting agent and asked if it was true.”
“And he confirmed it was true?”
“Yes.”
“I can hardly believe it. Killing a Demonic Being alone would be extraordinary, but crossing into the Demon Gate and slaughtering Beasts and Creatures? Extraordinary indeed!”
“Though that agent confirmed it, His Majesty and I ourselves still harbored doubts. So we contacted Count Johansen directly and asked him ourselves.”
“You asked Count Johansen directly? Doing that might alert him that you have informants around him.”
“Counts and higher nobility already know the King has eyes and ears among them. It’s an open secret that anyone with sense is aware of.”
“True enough. Most have that much sense.”
“In any case, when I asked Count Johansen, he said he’d been meaning to report it himself—and confirmed that all of it was true.”
“Extraordinary! So it’s true…… Was the Sword Master truly that powerful? We’re not just one step apart?”
As Morona Valencia tilted his head in confusion, the Chancellor let out a soft chuckle.
“After receiving Count Johansen’s report, His Majesty and I realized the Sword Master’s martial prowess is far greater than what we’d previously understood.”
“I see. Though I recall hearing rumors that Count Johansen hasn’t been himself these past few years. Several of the minor nobles reported as much, if I remember correctly.”
“It seems he was under mental domination by the Demonic Being that opened the Gate all this time.”
“Ah, so he wasn’t himself after all?”
“But the Sword Master appears to have lifted the Curse Binding that the Demonic Being had placed on Count Johansen.”
“What? Only high priests of the Holy Temple can lift Demonic Magic…… Is this Sword Master perhaps a Holy Knight dispatched from the Temple?”
“We’ve only gathered fragmented information, so we haven’t yet been able to determine that.”
“But was the Curse Binding truly lifted? If it wasn’t, this could all be hearsay.”
“We cross-verified that detail through reports from multiple agents.”
“Then the Sword Master could indeed be a Holy Knight.”
“We don’t know if he’s a Holy Knight, though the possibility is high.”
“He must be a Holy Knight from the Holy Empire.”
“Whether he’s a Holy Knight or not, he’s certainly not from the Holy Empire.”
“What? Why not? On what grounds do you say that?”
“Recently, Count Johansen sent word that the Sword Master had been chosen as representative of several minority tribes living in the Crerarion Mountain Range. Apparently, he asked Count Johansen to petition His Majesty to recognize him as lord of that territory and grant it autonomy.”
“What? The tribes hiding in the Crerarion Mountain Range are few in number and scattered about—insignificant folk that mercenaries and hunters capture and sell to slave traders for profit, are they not?”
“Indeed. You know well.”
“Most of the slaves the nobility use come from slash-and-burn farmers or minority tribes from the Crerarion Range—one can hardly help knowing. But it’s surprising that the Sword Master would make such a trivial request.”
“I too found it somewhat unexpected, but given how actively Count Johansen pushed for it, I suspect half of the idea originated in his mind.”
“The Sword Master’s request came from Count Johansen’s mind?”
“Yes. Having directly experienced the Sword Master’s martial prowess, would Count Johansen risk conflict over a minority tribe matter? He’d sooner grant autonomy to appease the Sword Master’s anger. And he’d certainly try to bring him fully to his side by any means.”
“That does sound like something Count Johansen would do. So how does His Majesty intend to respond?”
“His Majesty said he would accept, provided the Sword Master agrees to bear the obligation of national defense as a lord, like any other noble—but no answer has come yet.”
“Tsk. I distinctly told you to keep quiet about the Sword Master for the time being, yet here you are chattering away merrily.”
Just then, King Hwinbarkman Polo suddenly entered the Chancellor’s office.
The Chancellor started in alarm, while Morona Valencia, as if he’d expected this, merely shrugged and bowed lightly.
Morona Valencia spoke first.
“I suspected you’d been listening at the door—why couldn’t you resist coming in?”
“You knew I was listening outside?”
“Yes.”
“But this Concealment Artifact—Prince Ulian said it perfectly hides both appearance and presence…… How did you detect me?”
As the King rotated the bracelet on his wrist and tilted his head in puzzlement, Morona Valencia smiled faintly.

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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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