The Duchy’s Madman

“I’ve won, Godfather, so please keep your word.”

Hollan came back to his senses.

He looked up and saw that Arthur was bleeding heavily.

Holan, who was horrified, rushes over to him and asks.

“Are you not in pain… from your wounds?”

Arthur closed his eye.

Then he looked at his pierced right shoulder and nodded.

“Uh…. It does hurt, and I’m pretty sure mother would be really angry if she saw me like this….”

Holan’s expression distorted bizarrely at Arthur’s surreal words.

‘You’re worried about getting scolded by Yonel when you aren’t even screaming from those wounds?’

It was something that went against his  common sense.

Because of that, his doubts turned to certainty.

He’d noticed it since they’d first met, but there was something very wrong with this child’s mindset compared to normal people.

But he couldn’t dwell on it too much.

Because Blood was still dripping from Arthur’s open wound.

Dismissing his thoughts, Holan pulled out his handkerchief.

“Come over here. Let me see your  wounds first.”

With these words, Hollan began to stop the bleeding.

Arthur’s expression did not change even when he pressed hard on the bone-visible wound.

At this hollan’s eyes were once again filled with displeasure.

Arthur’s shoulder trembled as his bleeding was stopped.

Arthur’s shoulders shook as he continued to apply pressure on his wound.

‘… Am I seeing it correctly?’

He mumbled and looked again.

But he was not mistaken.

The place where the wooden sword had pierced was very precise.

The cartilage and bones in his shoulder had been left untouched.

‘What are the Odds of this ?” Holan muttered in amazement.’

‘What are the chances of this? A wound that cuts through flesh but not the bones?’

A wound that could only be considered as intentional

‘But could a fifteen-year-old intentionally hurt himself like this?’

Hollan unknowingly trembled the corners of his eyes along with his thoughts

Arthur spoke again.

“Godfather? You must keep your promise.”

“…What promise?”

“My secrets. I won in the duel, so you have to keep it a secret.”

Holan’s trembling eyes calmed down.

Meanwhile, Arthur, who didn’t hesitate at all during the duel with Elin, looks at Hollan with a look of utter panic.

Hollan muttered in dumbfounded at the sight.

“… I’m going crazy.”

“What?”

“No, Just… okay. I’ll keep your secret. I will never tell your mother about this, not even about today.”

Arthur smiled brightly.

“Thank you, Godfather!”

” What thanks… on that note , what do you wish for?”

Arthur tilted his head at the question.

“What do you mean by  wish for?”

“Didn’t I promise you before that if you won the duel, I would grant you one wish that I am capable of granting? Could it be that you forgot about it?”

Arthur rolled his eyes and replied.

“Uh… no. I haven’t forgotten.”

‘He did forgot.’

With the murmur, Hollan somehow found himself getting used to Arthur’s way of speaking.

He wasn’t sure if he should be pleased with that or be displeased with it, but then Arthur spoke.

“You say ‘As much as you can’, but to what extent?”

“Holan Leverkusen, Northern Commander of the Empire, Marquis of House Leverkusen, and Swordmaster. As far as those names can take you.”

“Oh…. That’s quite a lot.”

“This is also a great opportunity.”

Arthur nodded.

“Can I ask you one last question?”

“Sure.”

“Are you really my godfather?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“I meant it literally. Are you really my godfather?”

Holan’s heart sank at the question.

“….”

He tried to avoid Arthur’s gaze as he was unable to provide an answer.

However, Arthur’s gaze didn’t seem to fall, and in the end, Hollan raised the white flag and answered.

“I am not qualified.”

“I see.”

“But I am qualified enough to grant your wish.”

“Yes, but…. How can I trust an unqualified godfather?As I’m about to ask you to do something very important.”

Hollan raises his head again.

Then, in a firm tone, he answered

“Will a knight’s oath be enough?”

“yes?”

“Only His Majesty, the Great emperor, can change my oath. I Pledge on that oath. Do you have faith in me now?”

Arthur gasped.

‘The knight’s oath… . It’s been a while since I’ve heard of it.’

It was something knights would mention when they made a promise, and in the old days it was said that if you mentioned this oath and failed to keep it, you would be punished with death.

Of course, it wasn’t to that extent now, but the man in front of me was a sword master.

As the goal and milestone of every knight, his oath carries a different weight.

Arthur, who was troubled by that, nodded his head.

It was the best answer he could get at current situation.

“Very well, Godfather, then may I state my wish?”

Hollan crossed his arms.

With that unspoken permission, Arthur slowly opened his mouth to explains.

Hollan, who listened closely to the story, exclaimed in surprise.

“What, you want me to kill the traitors in your family?”

* * *

Yonelle caressed the photograph of her and her husband as she reminisced.

Even though she didn’t want to, She spent 10 years as the owner of the duchy.

‘It was an unhappy time…. Like Hell on earth.’

She didn’t want power.

Nor did she want money.

In that sense, the position as owner of the one and only duchy in the empire was the most useless position for her.

But she could not give it up.

As it was the will of the man she had loved more than anyone else in the world.

And For Arthur and Irene, who inherit the blood of that beloved man.

But the noble society, a place full of strife and scheming, is not for the weak hearted.

And so, as the years passed, the authority of the dukes gradually fell to the ground.

It has been described as the setting sun.

‘…For the sake of the future, for the sake of Arthur and Irene, I must not allow the dukedom to fall any further. So that I can  pass on the family name to them one day.’

So Yonel did her best to act as a proper  noble.

It wasn’t an easy task, but she didn’t give up.

She was humiliated, but she passed it on with a smile.

And today.

The fruits of the effort have been revealed, albeit slightly.

A long-standing tradition of the Duke’s family, the hunting tournament, was a great success.

‘Not only the first shot, The rest of the procedure was pretty smooth too, with no mishaps.’

Yonel chuckled at the thought.

Today’s banquet wouldn’t change the duke’s perception, but at least it would have shown that they were healthy.

‘I can’t be full after taking only the first step… We need to continue changing like this in the future as well.’

With that muttering, she laid her tired body on the bed.

The next day, Holan Leverkusen came to her  office and told her some shocking news.

“Excuse me?My lord, what do you mean?”

Yonel trembles and asks a question.

“Are you saying that these people…. are all spies or traitors?”

Hallan nodded earnestly.

“I am not sure about all of them, but…. Some of their birthplaces are suspicious. It would be worth investigating them further.”

Yonel looks away again.

At the end of her gaze was a piece of paper that Holan had handed to her.

In the documents, the names of those who can be called loyalists of the duchy, their birthplaces, and the families they belonged to before were written.

It also contained a long list of other miscellaneous information.

While checking the information, Yonel muttered quietly.

“Dormund… I can’t believe there are so many people in my family from there.”

“Every family has its share of spies.But this time there are a little more of them.”

Holan, who muttered these words in a grave voice, advised.

“Don’t take them out immediately, take your time, and take them out one after the other. We have the evidence and a reason, don’t give them a chance to escape.”

“….” 

“I know it’s hard, but it’s the path you have to take, Yonel. Leo Bavaria…. To protect the family name he left behind.”

Yonel’s eyes teared up at the mention of her husband’s name.

If it weren’t for Holan, she wouldn’t have burst out in tears all at once..

That’s why, Yonel herself knew that it was a shameful act.

“The fact that there are many spies in the family meant that the authority of the lord had fallen to the ground.”

‘ Just one day… just one day… if only I’d realised this sooner….’

It was only last night. It was last night that I decided to move forward again as the head of a ducal family.

But the very next day, when I heard this news, I couldn’t help but feel like my heart was breaking down.

That’s when I couldn’t answer anything.

Looking at Yonel like that, Halan suddenly declared.

“If it’s alright with you, I would like to accompany you on that difficult path.”

“…!”

“Your Highness, no, Yonel. I apologize for not paying attention to you until now. Because of the long-standing conflict with the barbarians in the north, I couldn’t take care of my friend’s family.”

Yonel opens his mouth in response.

She didn’t bother to hide the tears in her eyes.

“Is that…. Is that really true, brother?”

“What good would it do to lie to you in a place like this? I may not be able to give you my full support right now, but I’ll at least help you get rid of the rats that have taken root in your family.”

“…But if you do that.”

Yonel hesitates and answers.

“I’m worried that the long-standing tradition of the Leberkzen family might be broken. The Leberkzen family, which protects the north, is known for not getting involved in politics in any situation.”

Holan’s gaze lowers at the answer.

At the same time, a scene flashes through his mind.

The Imperial Academy.

His friend and his friend’s lover Yonel Bayern, strolling through the gardens.

Holan muttered to himself as he recalled the distant memory.

That’s right. If I make a move here, I’ll be breaking the family’s long-standing tradition.

But he couldn’t allow his best friend’s family to be ruined in this way.

That’s why Holan had accepted Arthur’s request and came here.

He was on the verge of uncovering the tails of the spies who had infiltrated the dukedom, and all he needed was their numbers and exact names.

But Arthur had removed that difficult part.

‘The names of the spies that we haven’t found yet…. That is what he gave me.’

And Because of that, there was no reason to hesitate.

The identities of the spies and the evidence.

Both were within my grasp.

That’s the reason I’m here today, and my resolve is very firm.

However

‘…Arthur. How does he know about this, and what is the true identity of his swordsmanship?’

Holan’s gaze sank low as he muttered.

But he quickly regained his composure and pushed the name Arthur Bavaria to the back of his mind.

Right now, it was more important to convince Yonel than Arthur Bayern.

Only then would he be able to uncover Arthur Bavaria’s secrets.

Once Holan had organized his thoughts, he slowly opened his mouth to explain.

“Tradition is important. But more important than that is loyalty and oath. I promised Leo Bayern, the father of Arthur Bayern and Irene Bayern, that I will become their godfather.”

Hollan smiles softly.

“But they had no idea that I was their godfather. So, even though belatedly, I’m trying to act like a proper godfather. To avoid being scolded by my friend whom I will meet again in the afterlife.”

At this, Yonel finally bursts into tears.

Hollan wordlessly hands her a handkerchief.

“Thank you. Brother Hollan.”

“There is no need for Thank you. So Yonelle…”

“yes… Please speak.”

“Will you do me a small favor?”

Yonel stopped crying and answered.

“Tell me anything. I will do everything I can to help you.”

Holan’s eyes lit up at her answer.

“Then I’ll tell you without any reservation.”

Holland spoke in a serious tone.

“Arthur Bavaria. I’d like to take him in my care and raise him. What do you think?”