Chapter 16
Jallang Deporte (3)
Ian couldn’t believe it. The captain of the guard, the murderer of the former lord?
“Blanzor, stop joking. It’s not him. He was the one who protected me between the treasurer and the scribe.”
—I do enjoy jokes, it’s true. Back in my youth, there wasn’t a single villager who didn’t fall victim to my pranks.
Blanzor floated through the air and stopped at a certain spot.
—It must have been about here. The former lord’s neck and chest were slashed deeply by the captain’s sword, and he collapsed over his desk, blood pouring out. No scream, nothing. Now then, does it still look like I’m joking?
There was no trace of playfulness in Blanzor’s crossed-arm stance. Instead, his cold eyes pierced right through Ian.
—I saw it with my own eyes. He is the lord’s killer.
Ian’s head was suddenly in turmoil.
He had been secretly expecting the captain of the guard to be his ally, even looking forward to their meeting. But now, to hear he was the one who killed the former lord?
“I don’t get it. Why would he do such a thing?”
—I don’t know either.
“There must have been words exchanged between them?”
—What I saw was only the end. As for what they said before that, I can’t know. Truthfully, I wasn’t all that interested.
To a man who had once commanded the emperor’s guards, the squabbles of petty lords inside a manor were nothing more than trivial nuisances.
“Damn it, so there’s no one I can trust? Should I be watching my own back too?”
Letting out a long sigh, Ian swung his feet up onto the desk while still seated.
He laced his fingers behind his head, leaning back and rocking the chair to and fro.
“Am I alive just because I’m easy to use?”
—At last, you’re beginning to see things clearly.
As Blanzor glided closer, his body shrank until he was no larger than Ian’s face.
Standing like a small doll on the desk where Ian’s feet rested, Blanzor continued:
—Young, sickly, with no blood relatives to offer counsel. What an easy lord you must seem to handle.
“If it were me, I’d exploit me too.”
—I’m talking about you right now, and you seem oddly calm.
“Well, it’s true. What else can I do? But things will change from now on. I’m not the Ian of the past anymore.”
A comfortable life as lord didn’t seem likely to come easily.
—Now that you understand, ignore the affairs of the domain. You have no power yet. No allies.
“For how long? Until I recover my energy and master the swordsmanship you’ll teach me?”
That morning Ian had told Blanzor about his practice of qi gong, likening it to a kind of “Force training.”
The doll-sized Blanzor clasped his hands behind his back and stared into the empty air.
—Why don’t you come into the mountains with me?
“Mountains? Out of nowhere?”
—The more distractions you have around you, the slower your progress with the sword will be.
“And the domain?”
—Forget this domain. If you truly master the emperor’s sword, allies will gather, drawn by your strength. Building a new domain wouldn’t be difficult. Even a kingdom wouldn’t be out of reach.
His words were tempting, but after some thought, Ian shook his head.
“You’re not saying this for my sake, are you? You’re worried I’ll stir up trouble and get myself killed before I find the Dragon’s Eye, aren’t you?”
—Hmph, no. It’s all for you.
“I appreciate it, but I’m not going to the mountains. Why would I, when eating and sleeping are so comfortable here? Besides, I need Linda to teach me how to read and write.”
Ian’s eyes turned toward the unfinished letters on the paper.
Surrounded by people with hidden agendas, Linda alone treated him without pretense.
—So, you like her, do you?
“My friends all died in battle. Sometimes, you need someone to talk to.”
—Do you have the courage to tell her you’re not really from this world? The moment you do, you’re no longer Ian—you’re a fraud.
Scratching the back of his head, Ian grimaced. Linda only treated him kindly because she believed he was the real Ian.
“Ah, whatever. Anyway, I’ll crush all those bastards. Who do they think they’re dealing with?”
—What’s a ‘gae-ttok’?
“It means… never mind. Just something.”
Blanzor had said it would take years to learn the Beast Sword before even beginning to master the Emperor’s Sword.
Ignoring the domain’s affairs for all that time wasn’t realistic.
Letting ministers torment the people in his name would only destabilize his position further.
“I see it differently. Why should I fear them? They should fear me. If I die, all the privileges and profits they enjoy vanish too.”
—What a ruthless brat. You’re really planning to stir things up?
“I’ve fought enemies far greater than anything here, battles you couldn’t even imagine. Buildings reduced to ash, charred bodies buried without names. I want to live as lord here, but I refuse to live crawling.”
Ian finished writing his letters and rose from his seat.
“After lunch, I’ll summon the treasurer and the scribe. If they defy me today, I’ll sneak into their houses tonight and slit their throats.”
Perhaps the captain of the guard, with his force powers, might be a different matter, but the treasurer and scribe? They wouldn’t be able to stop Ian slipping in with his warp ability.
“Think about it—who would ever suspect it was me, when I was seen in the castle the whole time?”
—Do you really think killing just those two will change the domain?
“At the very least, it’ll make me feel better. And maybe things will shift, even just a little.”
Ian smiled coldly, holding his fingers close together to show a sliver’s width.
—Madman.
Blanzor clicked his tongue.
“My lord, lunch is ready.”
A servant entered to report.
Ian lowered his fingers and turned back.
Through the half-open door, he caught a glimpse of Rondo standing proudly in the corridor.
He couldn’t have heard, right?
It didn’t seem like Rondo treated him with false sincerity.
The man carried the shame of the former lord’s assassination heavily, with deep regret.
Over the past few days, Ian had come to see him as a rock, steady and unshaken by the winds.
“Lunch can wait.”
Ian dismissed the servant, then called out loudly over his shoulder.
“Rondo!”
At his voice, Rondo strode quickly in, his heavy silver armor clanking with each step.
“You called, my lord?”
“Has there been any word from the captain of the guard?”
“None yet, my lord. But soon we should hear of a complete victory against the bandits.”
“I hope so.”
Nodding, Ian showed him the sheet of paper on the desk.
“What do you think? Not bad, right? I can read a few letters now.”
The innocent pride on his lord’s face brought a genuine smile to Rondo’s lips.
“Before long you’ll be able to read entire books. Remarkable, my lord.”
“Well, it’s only the beginning.”
Ian set the paper down and studied Rondo from head to toe.
Towering nearly two meters tall, encased in armor, he was an imposing figure.
“Rondo.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Before I meet the captain of the guard, I want to know more about him. When did he become captain?”
Rondo paused to think before answering.
“About four years ago.”
“Four years… so, around a year before my father died.”
“That is correct, my lord.”
“How did he become captain? Was there some special reason?”
“The title of vice-commander of the Royal Knights isn’t something just anyone can earn. Only one of the kingdom’s finest swordsmen could hold it.”
Ian’s eyes lit up.
“He was vice-commander of the Royal Knights?”
“Yes. The chief among the three vice-commanders. He was of fallen noble birth, but entered the royal fencing school, and at a young age had already awakened to Force. Even the instructors couldn’t match him.”
Like recounting the tale of a hero, Rondo gestured passionately as he spoke of Jallang Deporte’s past.
“Recognizing his talent, the Royal Knights recruited him immediately upon graduation. He fought in many battles and distinguished himself greatly. Over the next ten years, the only man above him was the commander himself. By his mid-thirties, he was chief vice-commander of the Royal Knights.”
Ian listened silently to the long tale, then spoke.
“Impressive. If he held such a high position, why would he abandon it and come to a small domain like this?”
“He quarreled with one of the king’s sons.”
“One of the princes?”
“Yes. The king has many sons, but the favored one poured wine over him and spat on his chest.”
“That’s an insult beyond tolerance. I imagine he was furious. But why would the prince do that?”
Rondo shook his head.
“I don’t know. But because of it, the captain resigned his post and left the capital, wandering the kingdom until he settled here.”
“Why here, of all places? With his skill and fame, surely others tried to recruit him.”
“Many did, my lord. But few were willing to risk offending the favored prince, who seemed destined to be king. The former lord, however, was different. He sought him out in the forest where he had built a home, and offered him the post of captain of the guard.”
“I see.”
Ian’s doubts only deepened.
The captain’s past was far more illustrious than expected. He had no clear motive to kill the former lord.
What was his reason? What could he gain by making the young Ian the new lord?
Unless he was secretly pulling strings through the treasurer and scribe, no visible motive appeared.
“Thank you, Rondo. You tell things well.”
“I am honored, my lord.”
“After lunch, we’re going to the town hall. Make the preparations.”
“To the town hall?”
Rondo stiffened slightly.
The hall was in Kyamyu, the central and largest village of the Albern domain, where the administrators worked.
Though close to the castle, the trip required a jolting carriage ride.
“Would it not be better to rest a bit longer, my lord? Even a short journey may tax your health.”
“I was out all day yesterday, wasn’t I? Even if I was carried in a litter. Don’t worry—just make the arrangements.”
Bowing his broad back, Rondo answered firmly:
“As you command!”
