CHAPTER 19

“What…! My brother secretly raised a private soldier!”

Timothy Procyon, Schloitz’s uncle and the younger brother of the Duke of Procyon, paled. His world was turning upside down. The elite guards dispatched by the royal family had thoroughly searched the Duke’s private drawers, safes, and warehouses with cold and emotionless faces.

Timothy, who had been running among the guards with his eyes ablaze, fearing someone might secretly take valuable items, shouted out as if demanding answers,

“What about the family? What will happen to our family?”

“That will be decided by His Majesty the King.”

“…”

Timothy Procyon gradually regained his composure

Even in cases of treason, there were rules to follow. And the Kingdom of La Zec was a country where the power of the monarchy and the nobility was tightly intertwined.

The royal family had held power through the Holy Sword for generations, but anyone from a noble lineage with the blood of the ‘Tower lineage’ could wield it. However, if they didn’t give the Holy Sword to them, the royal family would also collapse due to the raging monsters.

In any case, unlike the empires in history with exceptionally strong central authority, the situation in the kingdom was more complex. In other words, the extermination of a noble house was a very rare occurrence.

Perhaps the Procyon family, and their children, would be implicated in this, but…

“No, Schloitz will probably survive.”

Being expelled for being a bastard isn’t everything. Furthermore, even the strict Queen Consort had secretly sympathized with the ousted Schloitz to some extent, as rumors circulated in social circles.

The political and social circles were closely connected. No matter how big the crime, if one had a good reputation in social circles, there was a chance of survival, and the opposite was also quite possible.

So, while the Procyon couple and their incompetent son would perish, Schloitz had a good chance of survival.

‘Then that guy might even take over the family when he grows up.’ 

But that wouldn’t do.

Due to this incident, a significant portion of the family’s wealth would be taken away by the royal family, but even then, the Procyon family was a prestigious lineage. There would likely be considerable assets remaining, and as the second-born who hadn’t properly inherited the family because of his birth order, he could still become the head of a family

“That guy… Was not in a good shape.”

He thought back to when he had brought Schloitz back to the family under his brother’s orders. He didn’t remember it well, but he recalled that Schloitz had sat there motionless like a doll. He had been given a day or so to pack, but he hadn’t brought anything.

“But he just brought one useless flower. That seemed to be everything he had.”

He scolded him in frustration, but Schloitz hadn’t even responded, which now left a bitter taste in his mouth. At that time, he hadn’t scrutinized Schloitz closely. He was a worthless guy anyway. He would probably wander around the military and die early, abandoned by his real father. He could only remember that Schloitz had seemed unnaturally stiff, almost like an inanimate object.

“I haven’t heard any news of his death yet.”

Schloitz had left for the military a few years ago. He was past the age to debut as a noble, but due to the circumstances, he hadn’t had the chance to properly debut. He was still immature in many ways, so if he went there and caused some trouble, he could probably obtain a letter of disownment, allowing him to give up on the family.

And if he worked hard for about four or five years, like a rusty old sword thrown into the royal warehouse, the Procyon family, now considered a waste, would eventually fall into his hands. Timothy Procyon immediately rose to his feet and headed towards the military, where his foolish nephew was presumably staying.

***

“Lord Schloitz will arrive shortly.”

As Timothy Procyon was being led, he felt something strange from the moment he sat down. It felt somewhat isolated from the outside world. This ecosystem was slightly different from the outside in various ways. But despite hearing the news that the Procyon family had been destroyed…

‘Why are they calling Schloitzs in such a polite manner?’

A strange sense of unease overwhelmed Timothy Procyon. Moreover, Schloitz Procyon, the abandoned one, hadn’t arrived yet.

“Why haven’t you brought him yet?”

“I apologize, a monster suddenly appeared.”

“I didn’t even hear the emergency bell, what on earth! Schloitz should be here because his uncle came, so what took him so long? Where is he? I’ll go myself…”

“Uncle.”

Timothy’s spine suddenly stiffened. A dry voice. He even felt as if he had put a pinch of sand in his mouth. At the same time, a strange smell of blood pricked at Timothy Procyon’s nostrils. It was a trace of the monster. Since Timothy was also a Procyon, he was well aware of this strong scent of blood.

Timothy turned to look behind him and slowly closed his mouth.

“…Schloitz?”

Schloitz was approaching, his steps steady. Because he had just dealt with a monster, the uniform on his shoulders was clearly damp. Without showing any gratitude, he took a dry towel brought by a soldier, and his cold eyes were fixed on Timothy.

“Where you causing commotion here?”

“W-What?”

“Did you come here to cause a commotion?”

“…”

Timothy Procyon involuntarily swallowed a dry gulp. Was this really Schloitz, the one who had been abandoned? Was it the same person? To the point where he entertained such foolish thoughts, Schloitz’s pupils had a mineral-like glint to them.