MDK 84

Episode 84: Conflict

Every morning in Count Consilus’s territory starts with a marching song during morning runs.

“Hey! Hey!”

“One, two! One, two! Marching song, start!”

“Look, we are coming!”

“Too quiet!”

“Forward! Forward! To the final defence line! No retreat! Use your wife as a shield, and advance again today! If you become a hero, go find a new wife!”

The song echoed around the castle as they ran a lap. They ran along the castle walls every morning, but depending on who was leading the run, the difficulty varied a lot. Among them, Arwen was known for having the highest level of difficulty—he was the toughest of the tough leaders.

‘Ugh, we should just run half a lap and call it a day.’

‘Every time this knight is on duty, it’s torture.’

While running, they also had to keep singing the marching song. The winding path wasn’t easy, and they even took extra detours under the excuse of patrolling—so they ended up running more than two laps by default.

“Good job, everyone! Now go eat and start your morning duties!”

“Ugh……”

“Sounds like your voices are still fine. Want to run another lap?”

“No, sir!”

“Then scatter like the wind! Anyone caught will run again!”

Afraid of being caught, the soldiers hurried off. As Arwen wiped his sweat with a towel, the gatekeeper approached and saluted him.

“Salute. Officer on duty. You’re working hard, sir.”

“Is something wrong?”
“Well, there’s a knight from Valdrova Castle who says he wants to see you.”

Valdrova Castle. There were only two knights there. And only one of them would come looking for him. Arwen frowned without thinking.

“Where is he now?”

“Hey, Arwen!”

“Never mind.”

There was no need for an answer—the man was already waving and coming toward him. Arwen looked at him while wiping his face. A handsome man with brown hair.
“It’s been a while, Sir Jed.”
“Yeah, long time no see. You doing okay?”

“I didn’t expect you to come here. What’s going on?”
“Well, nothing big. I just came to ask if you could let me do that knight training thing.”

“Knight training… you mean that?” Arwen looked surprised by the request.
“What? Just because I’m a ‘parachute knight’ doesn’t mean I can’t do it, right?”

“No, it’s not that. Actually, parachute knights need training even more. I just didn’t think you would say that.”

“Me neither, honestly.”

Jed scratched his head and admitted it calmly. Seeing that, Arwen started to worry. They say people act strangely before they die, right?

“Something happen?”

“You’ve heard about the wolf monster incident in Halim, right?”

“Yes. I heard the regent did well there. The whole Empire’s been talking about it.”

There were two big reasons everyone was talking.

One: seven wolf monsters were summoned inside the castle.
Two: even with all that, no one died. Not a single person.

“I heard you helped out, too. Said you moved like a sylph, buying time and confusing the enemies?”
“Confused the enemies’—come on. I was scared to death the whole time.”

“So what’s the issue? Valdrova’s name got more famous, and you got a cool story to impress women, right?”

That’s the kind of guy Arwen thought Jed was. Knighthood is a great cover for lies, and if you have one dramatic story, wooing noble ladies is easy.

“When that wolf was charging at the regent, I stepped in to block it.”

“It was charging the regent, and you stopped it. Then what?”

“I couldn’t stop it. I hit it once, and it sent me flying—like a piece of wood.”

Arwen shrugged. “Well, that can’t be helped. Most knights can’t take a monster’s attack head-on.”
“But you can?”

“Yes, I can.”
“See? That’s the problem. Other people can, but I can’t.”

“I’m fully trained and a certified knight. It’s not fair to compare me to ordinary folks.”

Arwen meant it to be comforting, but Jed just looked more frustrated.

“So you’re saying you want the power to face enemies directly?”
“Even if not head-on, I want to be able to do something in those moments.”
“You mean sword skills or self-defence?”
“Yeah.”
“I can teach you that… But how old are you now?”

“27. Turning 28 soon.”

“Isn’t that a bit late for training?”

“I’ve been working out steadily. I’ve fought; I’ve been a mercenary.”

Arwen knew Jed’s skills were solid. He had seen them firsthand during the mission to rescue Chancellor Escolaya.

“But this isn’t just about physical strength. To block a monster’s attack, you need to use aura. That takes years of steady training. At your age, it might be too late to learn and apply it.”

“You mean this?”

Jed clenched his fist and focused. A blue glow rippled across his body.

Arwen was shocked. It was unstable, like solar flares, but it was definitely an aura.

“How can you use aura?”
“Told you—I was a mercenary. I met all kinds of people. So, can I or not?”

“With aura correction and proper training, you’ll be fine. If you can release it, you’re halfway there already.”

Arwen gave a serious warning. “But it’ll still be hard. Old habits die hard, and the older you get, the harder it is. Worst case…”

He paused to emphasise the danger.
“You could end up disabled, unable to even hold a sword.”

That kind of fate was terrifying for someone like Jed. To live powerless would be unbearable.

“I’m already prepared for that.” Jed answered without hesitation.

“Is it worth that much?”

“I just… don’t want to feel that helpless again when it matters.”

Arwen finally saw what was in Jed’s eyes. Not just regret for failing to protect Ferda, but something deeper.

He smiled.

Jed frowned at the smile. “What are you smirking at?”
“Oh, nothing. Let’s start with some light endurance training.”

“What kind of training—?”

“Let’s run five laps around the castle!”

“Five laps?!”

“To be a knight under Count Consilus, that’s the minimum. And you don’t have years to spare, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but—”

“Then let’s go.”

Arwen took off running. Jed followed behind him. Maybe, he thought, they could become real friends.

“Oh, Jed. Can you help me after training?”

“With what?”

“I need to write a letter, but I’m not good with words. I thought maybe your writing could help…”

“My writing? For what… Wait, is this about that girl who gave you those warm glances during the Grand Council?”

Arwen turned back.

His face said, How did you know?

“Yes, well…”

“You went on and on about knightly honour, and now you’re just a guy chasing girls! When did you start writing to her?”

“She sent a letter three days ago. She said she liked seeing me helping out in the Far East.”

“That means she likes you. Of course I’ll help. I’ll even tell you how I used the wolf monster story to charm women.”

“Sure, thanks—wait, wolf monster?”

“Yeah, the wolf monster.”

“That happened just recently, right?”

“Right.”

Arwen blinked.
“You were that shaken, but you still had the energy to flirt?”

“Well, uh…”

Jed didn’t really want to. But there was a reason he had to.

—Why! Why won’t you do it? You promised! You said I could drain your magic! You said it’d be a harem buffet! Liar! Liar!!!

Penelope had thrown a tantrum, slamming her head into a pillow, demanding he keep his promise.

He didn’t want to explain all that, so Jed just said, “I had to.”

“We all have to eat, right?”
“…Ten laps.”
“What? Why!?”

Stefan had returned. He was glad things had gone well, but as he sat in the carriage, he felt strange. Ferda’s words echoed in his mind.

—Then you have no value.

If he couldn’t bring the Pascal Trade Company with him, did that mean he was worthless? Was that all they saw in him—just the company’s value? But if he worked on his own, he could grow. Not just grow—succeed beyond expectations.

Ferda had only been regent for less than a year, but in that short time, he had made powerful changes. Still, he didn’t yet fully understand how bold and aggressive Stefan’s own business strategies were. Compared to that, Pascal felt like nothing more than a simple root vegetable.
‘What’s the point in saying anything now?’
He just wanted a moment to relax. To lean back in his chair again.

“You’re back, sir.”
“Yeah. But why’s the mood so tense?”
“Well… because he came by…”

“Me? Just because I came back, everyone’s this stressed—”
“No, not you, sir…”

Then he realised.  There was only one person who could make everyone that nervous.

“My… my brother?”
The secretary gave a small nod.

Hearing that, Stefan tensed up too. They must have already reported everything that happened in Halim.

“…Can’t you tell him I had to go somewhere else?”
“No, sir.”
“Then at least let me change clothes before I meet him—”
“Director.”

The secretary gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You have to go.”

Stefan didn’t want to go. But step by step, he forced himself up the stairs. It felt like walking to his own execution.

He peeked into the office. At the desk sat a tall, broad-shouldered man with a familiar face.

“Stefan, long time no see.”

The man who greeted him like a gangster was his older brother, Murch Pascal. Stefan’s eyes caught the huge muscles under his fine shirt.
He gulped.

“It’s… been a while, hyungnim.”
“Hyungnim? Just call me hyung, you punk. Over a hundred guys call me hyungnim. But you? We’re blood. We should be closer.”
“…No, hyungnim. I couldn’t possibly…”
“Geez, you’re frustrating.”

Murch laughed as he spoke.
“So, you went to Halim?”
“Yes.”

“For what reason?”
“There was an exhibition in the Far East. I went to support it.”
“Didn’t Dad tell you to stop doing business there? You’re still hanging on?”
“Yes. I thought it still had value.”
“So your judgement is better than Dad’s?”
“I would never insult Father like that…”
“You’re still so spineless. Just say what’s on your mind, you fool!”

Murch slammed the desk. The heavy wood cracked under the force. He stared at the damage and scratched his head.

“Damn, I hit it too hard. I’ll pay for it later. Anyway, I heard everything. You started trading with Lord Ahmed too, right?”
“Yes.”
“You know I’ve been working to build that connection for a long time, don’t you?”
“Yes, I know.”
“So even knowing that, you still took that juicy deal?”

Stefan hurried to explain. “I didn’t mean to.”

“But you knew—and still did it.”

“I had no reason to say no. And more importantly, the deal was led by Regent Ferda. He made it succeed.”
“So I was just sitting around, and this has nothing to do with me?”
“I wouldn’t say that, but…”

His words faded away. Murch looked at him with displeasure and sighed.

“Well, what can we do? No point in biting each other’s heads off.”

Was that the end of the conversation? Sadly, no.

“I’m not asking for much. Just share the Halim trade route with me. That’s fair, right?”
“Are you… asking to register it under both our names?”
“Yeah. We’re family. We run the same business. That much you can do for me, right?”

The Halim trade route was a gold mine. Even if shared, it would still bring in a fortune. It was a small compromise. A small sacrifice. But Stefan didn’t want to give in this time.

“That…” He opened his mouth.
And what came out was the first shot in a war.

“That business… is mine alone.”

Murch’s expression turned cold.

“Hey, Stefan.”
“Yes.”
“Are you saying you won’t even lend your own brother a road or a carriage?”

It felt like a tiger was staring him down. Stefan’s legs trembled. Murch had never been afraid to use violence. And once it started, it wouldn’t stop until something—or someone—broke. Usually, that someone was Stefan. But worse than the pain… was the fear of losing trust.
Ferda had believed in him. Had trusted him without question. He’d already disappointed Ferda once when he backed down from the succession race.

Back then, Ferda had told him, “Anyone who gives up even what they already have isn’t the kind of merchant this territory needs. That’s what ordinary merchants do.”

Compromise. It could be helpful. But now, Stefan understood what Ferda meant.

This—this was it. Like a camel putting just its head into the tent… and then taking the whole thing. Something that never stopped until it took everything. He couldn’t disappoint the one who believed in him again. And he couldn’t betray himself.

So he took a step forward.

“As for the Halim trade… I’ll keep it to myself.”

Murch stood up. He was intimidating enough when seated. Standing, he looked like a storm about to explode. Stefan flinched, thinking a punch might come any second.

“Fine. If that’s your choice, I’ll accept it.”

“But don’t expect me to take care of you anymore, either.” Murch walked past him and patted his shoulder.

“Let’s see how well you do without me.” And then he left.

The storm had passed. And Stefan’s legs gave out.

It was the first time. The first time he had stood up to his terrifying brother.

“Hoo…”

Ferda had promised to make Stefan the master of the Pascal Company. So what did it take to be a true master? His father’s seal? More money and influence?

No.

What mattered most was… The heart of a master.

The ability to protect what’s yours. The strength to stand firm against pressure.

That’s why Stefan finally said, “I did the right thing.”

Even if it meant walking a painful, thorny path…That’s what he believed.