TFMBM 14

Episode 14 — The Next Morning

The next morning, Sion was slightly surprised when Baron Kilburn informed him that he had decided to accept the proposal.

“I didn’t expect you to make a decision this quickly.”
“Did you not?”
“…Then I owe you an apology. It was rude of me to try to test you, my lord.”

Baron Kilburn chuckled softly, and Sion smiled in return. Seeing Sion’s smile, the baron flinched slightly and stared at him in silence for a moment.

Puzzled by the reaction, Sion tilted his head inwardly, and then the baron spoke.
“I’ve been wondering for a while… do you always look at people like that?”
“Pardon?”

What was that supposed to mean? How exactly was he looking at him?

“At first, I didn’t notice. I just felt vaguely uncomfortable. But then I thought about it carefully and realized I didn’t actually have a reason to feel bad. There’s no hostility in your gaze—if anything, I could feel kindness.”
“I don’t quite understand…”
“The expression and look in your eyes when you see me, Sir Sion—it reminds me of how my real father and foster father, the previous lord, used to look at me when I was a child.”
“…!”

“Now that I think about it, I haven’t experienced that kind of gaze since I was little. It felt unfamiliar and unsettling, so I think that’s why it made me uncomfortable. I mean, no adult feels good being looked at like a child.”

“Oh… that wasn’t my intention at all. If it made you feel uncomfortable, I sincerely apologize.”

Sion bowed his head quickly, inwardly breaking out in a cold sweat.

Perhaps because the baron resembled his daughter, Sion’s grandson was unusually perceptive.

No, this was simply Sion’s mistake.
Of all people, making a man in his fifties—his own grandson and a lord—feel like he was being looked at like a child.

‘That was close. I’ll have to be more careful from now on.’

It had been so long since he’d encountered blood relatives unexpectedly that he’d let his emotions slip.

“Well, it’s fine. Like I said, it came from a place of goodwill. Besides, it seems Piotr rather likes you too, so I can only ask that you take good care of him.”

“You needn’t worry about that. I don’t know how this will sound, but I have never once broken a promise. So everything I’ve said to you, my lord, will be fulfilled without fail.”

“Haha… understood.”

It was strange.

This man was young—probably not even half his own age—but Baron Kilburn couldn’t help feeling a deep trust in his words.

Moreover, neither his eldest nor second son, both over thirty, gave off the same mix of confidence and mysterious experience that this man did.

‘A strange fellow indeed. If he were a direct descendant instead of a collateral branch, the royal succession issue would be far more troublesome.’

Suppressing thoughts that could never be voiced, the baron extended his hand.
“Well then, until we meet again—stay in good health.”
“And you as well, my lord. May you live long and well.”

His words were a little odd, but the sincerity in them was unmistakable. The baron smiled warmly as they shook hands.

“Did you say your goodbyes properly?”
“Yes. I just kept it brief since I’ll be back in a few years anyway.”

At Piotr’s words, Sion smacked his lips inwardly.

‘A few years, huh… Sorry, but that might be difficult.’

Still, even if Piotr wasn’t there, Sion would do his utmost to ensure his son’s domain ran smoothly.

“By the way, at your age, are you still unmarried?”

In this world, people had their coming-of-age ceremony at around fifteen (the equivalent of a high school freshman), and most married before twenty.

For a twenty-year-old like Piotr to remain unmarried was somewhat unusual.

“I was engaged, but since I failed to become Master Laikas’ disciple, the engagement just kind of fizzled out.”
“Oh dear. Was it annulled?”
“Not officially, but her family doesn’t really like me. Since years have passed without talk of a wedding, I’d say it’s effectively over.”
“I see. That’s unfortunate.”
“It’s alright. I wasn’t that fond of her anyway, and she only had her coming-of-age ceremony this year. She’s too much of a child.”

‘So the girl’s only fourteen. He almost ended up marrying an elementary schooler.’

This world’s custom of early marriage.

It made sense due to their short lifespans, but marrying literal children was pushing it.

Thankfully, in Sion’s duchy, regardless of social class, no one could marry before their coming-of-age ceremony.

“And since I’m the youngest, there’s no pressure to carry on the family line. I’m fine as I am.”
“I see.”

Not really.

While he nodded outwardly, Sion was inwardly smirking slyly.

Ever since learning Baron Kilburn was his grandson, he had slightly adjusted his plans.

‘You’ve got a lot to do, kid. You’ll be staying there a long time. I’ll even find you a nice bride.’

Marriages between fourth cousins weren’t unusual in this world. Sixth cousins were considered safe from genetic issues, so that was ideal.

And if it still felt awkward, he could choose a bride from his grandson’s or great-grandson’s spouse’s family.

‘Eleanor, was it? Her family would be a good match.’

Eleanor’s family, who had been tied to his great-great-grandson Brian, was a solid choice.

A grandson of Sion’s youngest daughter, linked to the family of the former duke’s wife.

‘Perfect pedigree. Not strong enough to claim succession, but ideal for shaking up the board.’

When Sion divided his inheritance, he distributed it equally among all his children except Theo, who inherited the title, and Maria, who eloped and had a child.

Therefore, if Maria’s direct descendants appeared and raised their voices, they couldn’t legally or morally be ignored.

Moreover, Sion had even left a will instructing his heirs to treat Maria’s descendants well and grant them their due rights.

Defy the will of the founder who built the duchy from nothing?
They’d all be dead.

“By the way…”
“Yes?”

Piotr’s cautious tone snapped Sion out of his thoughts.

“What kind of person is Master Blaho of Sion Duchy? I might end up serving him, so I’d like to get an idea of his personality.”
“Ah…”

Though he was momentarily startled, Sion answered smoothly.

“He’s exactly like his sword. You’ve heard the saying that a man’s sword reveals his character, right? He embodies that perfectly.”
“I see…”

Piotr didn’t quite get it but nodded anyway.

“You’ll like him when you meet. Haha.”

You’d better. Like it or not, you’ll be serving under him, so you have no choice.

‘Hopefully, he didn’t take after his grandfather too much… Well, we’ll manage.’

Vederyon Blaho, the famous Swordmaster of Sion Duchy.

Of course, Sion knew his grandfather well—but not the man himself.

‘Worst case, I’ll just beat him up.’

He remembered the man’s grandfather’s “amazing hand feel” when fighting.

The hand feel of beating him up.

With that brutal thought, the old monster smiled contentedly as he urged his horse onward.

“You’ve arrived.”
“Indeed.”

Sion entered the Burgos Information Guild headquarters, greeted politely by its branch manager, Jenna.

“I heard you found your horse. Congratulations.”

She didn’t bother with pointless lines like ‘I was so worried something might have happened.’

Worry? About him? Please.

“More or less. You look a little pale, though. Busy?”
“Ah, yes. Just a bit…”

In truth, she had only been sleeping three to four hours a day while he was gone.

That was how demanding Sion was, and how much work he had set in motion.

But before a centuries-old monster, she couldn’t complain.

“I see. No incidents, I hope?”
“I’ve already dispatched messengers to all branches with the information requests. It’ll take some time for them to return, but I told them to hurry.”
“Good. But do they need to come back here to deliver the information?”

Jenna instantly realized that Sion’s plans had changed slightly and answered quickly.

“No. If you send instructions now, we can have them deliver the information to any location you choose. But you’ll need to set a time and place considering their current assignments.”
“Alright then… one month from now, at Auguste territory. Can they manage that?”
“Yes.”

Originally, Sion had given them two months, considering the travel time to Burgos, which lay at the far northeast of the Obla Kingdom.

Auguste, on the other hand, bordered his duchy and was roughly central in the kingdom.

One month would be tight but doable.

“Then let’s do that. By the way, what about your replacement? Any word from HQ?”
“Actually, HQ contacted me yesterday.”
“Oh? That was fast.”

Urgent requests from the Information Guild were convenient that way.

“Yes. It was faster than I expected. They must have decided the moment they saw who the request came from.”
“Well, of course. It’s me.”

Sion smirked, shrugging.

Arrogant words, but Jenna nodded as if it were only natural.

After all, this was a request from one of the legendary Six Heroes, a man who’d been alive for nearly a century.

The few high-ranking guild officials who knew his identity probably nearly fainted.

“And what did they say?”
“They said I can choose my successor.”
“I figured as much.”

Like her father before her, Jenna would continue serving as the guild’s liaison with Sion.

She’d eventually have to leave the Burgos branch. They couldn’t just shut down a branch so close to the mysterious Dragon’s Wasteland, no matter how rural it was.

That’s why Sion had told the guild to let her choose her successor herself—a rare privilege in an organization that usually centralized personnel decisions.

“Maybe I’m interfering too much, but pick someone moderately corrupt.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I mean someone on par with Administrator Schwat or the local officials. If they’re too clean, they won’t handle those people well.”
“Ah, I see what you mean.”
“Right. The investment framework’s all set anyway. You need someone who can skim a bit, grease the wheels when necessary, and still be seen as competent. Got it?”
“Yes. I know just the person.”
“Good. And if he messes up, remember you’ll be responsible.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”

Jenna almost hiccuped but managed to swallow it.

She quickly changed the subject.
“By the way… I noticed your party is one person larger than before. Is he from the Logos territory?”
“Yep. My grandson’s son.”
“…”

What in the world kind of bombshell was that?

‘Should I report this to HQ? Maybe I should hold onto it for now? No… I’ll follow Dad’s old reporting format… Ugh, my head’s going to explode!’

“We leave in two days. Be ready. There’s a lot more work ahead, so brace yourself.”

Sion flashed her a mischievous grin, snapping her out of her daze.

“Yes, sir. I’ll brace myself. Hehe.”

She’d chosen this path herself.

So she’d endure it—through grit and determination.

(To be continued…)