Chapter 31
<33>
Stepping out of the carriage, Marquis Lillis shaded his eyes with his hand.
The weather at the Crost Duchy Castle, usually plagued by eternal blizzards, was unusually clear today.
Basking in the sunlight with narrowed eyes, a smirk played on his lips.
“Don’t be nervous, Tex. Just show them your ability.”
“It’s not like there are any other candidates anyway.”
Tex, who had followed the Marquis out of the carriage, spoke with a swagger.
“Even if I were to fail the successor trial, I’m sure Duke Calips would still want me.”
Lillis couldn’t help but smile at his dependable son.
However, the moment they stepped through the castle’s main gates—
Marquis Lillis involuntarily stumbled, taken aback by the sheer scale of the Crost Castle, which loomed like a massive spire.
“…I have to admit, it is magnificent.”
It was natural for a noble’s castle to be grand.
But the Crost Duchy Castle was different.
Due to the terrain, it was subject to harsh winds and frequent monster attacks, so it was built with sturdy stone bricks. It was more like a giant fortress.
Though not a single jewel adorned its walls, the sheer presence of the place cowed him.
“Impressive, truly impressive.”
Too loud, too gaudy.
The Marquis, whose inner thoughts rarely matched his outward praise, pursed his lips.
But he quickly changed his mind.
‘That massive castle will be mine before long.’
Marquis Lillis practically salivated at the thought.
Currently, Tex was the only candidate capable of succeeding the Crost family.
They called it a successor trial, but for all intents and purposes, Tex was already the next head of the house.
Smiling broadly, he scanned his surroundings.
“Rage.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Suddenly clicking his tongue and frowning, Marquis Lillis called for his aide.
“Once Tex takes over as the head of the family, let’s tear up this entire garden.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll cover it with the flowers I like. This castle has too many things that remind me of Duke Calips.”
For instance, the wolf statues that symbolized the Crost family.
Or the unsightly training grounds placed all over the grounds.
Of course, it was unavoidable for a family of knights guarding the End of the World, but what if a noble who didn’t know the circumstances visited?
‘They would surely look down on the Crost family. They really should have at least embedded diamonds in those wolf statues.’
Tsk, tsk, tsk. If I were managing Crost, I wouldn’t let the aesthetics go to waste like this.
“I’ll hide the training grounds in the backyard where they can’t be seen and have the knight uniforms redesigned to look more aristocratic. After all, monsters can be easily dispatched as long as one has the ice ability, so why fuss so much over training grounds and knights?”
At his words, the servants of Crost nearby glared at the Marquis.
But Marquis Lillis had a reason for being so triumphant.
A few days ago, when he met with those people to buy potions.
‘Oho, using monsters for the successor trial? Are they live ones?’
‘Why do you ask?’
‘How about this, then?’
Those men laughed as if amused and held something out.
It was a potion contained in a long, cylindrical tube along with a small needle.
‘It’s a Madness Amplifier. Inject it into a monster, and it’ll go berserk.’
Marquis Lillis had frowned in confusion.
‘Why are you showing me this?’
‘Because it’s fun! Hahahaha!’
They were truly incomprehensible people. Looking at the men laughing behind their hoods, he had clicked his tongue inwardly.
But then, a brilliant idea struck him.
‘I just have to inject it into the monster that Aisha brat faces, right?’
Of course, Tex would win with his abilities even without such measures. But one could never be too sure.
‘How much?’
‘Oho. I knew you’d be interested!’
The men, laughing again, gave him the drug for free.
‘This is on the house. It’s still a sample, so it hasn’t been commercialized yet. Just use it and let us know how it goes.’
‘…….’
A sample? Giving him an unfinished product.
The Marquis felt a bit uneasy, but he accepted it regardless. He had nothing to lose whether it worked or not.
“As long as my son becomes the successor, anything goes.”
Heh heh.
Either way, the goddess of victory was smiling upon him.
Checking the poisoned needle in his pocket once more, the Marquis’s lips curled into a sinister smile.
The ruler of the North would soon be the Lillis family, not Crost.
Near the End of the World.
It was a massive circular training ground made of granite.
Despite being indoors, Marquis Lillis, who found himself desperately wishing for his fur coat, barked out a complaint.
“I can’t tell if this is a training ground or a backyard! What are we supposed to do about the cold when one side of the building is wide open?!”
The Crost family training ground near the End of the World had one side completely open to the elements, like a windowless terrace.
As a result, Marquis Lillis and the other vassals had to sit in their chairs and face the biting Northern winds head-on.
“To think such a desolate place is a training ground… the Crost Duchy really is stingy with their money.”
“I quite agree. This isn’t a training ground; it’s a battlefield.”
“Hahaha!”
The vassals around the Marquis burst into laughter at his words.
“Ahem!”
The vassals on the opposite side cleared their throats as if telling them to be quiet.
‘As if I care. Our Tex is going to be the successor anyway.’
While he was smirking with such confidence—
“You’ve all traveled a long way. Thank you for coming.”
Duke Calips appeared from the front entrance of the training ground, accompanied by Knox.
“Let us begin the meeting.”
As his dry yet commanding bass filled the arena, the seated vassals whispered in surprise.
“He took off his mask!”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen his face.”
The Duke was indeed without his mask.
His red eyes stood out against his pale skin.
And for the regular meeting, his black hair was slicked back with pomade, revealing a strong forehead and brow.
It even seemed as though the sharp edge he’d carried since losing his family had vanished along with the mask.
He was the ruler of the North.
Amidst the desolate wind, his red eyes were like those of a wolf leading a massive pack.
‘…Damn it. How is his presence so overwhelming?’
Even the arrogant Marquis Lillis flinched slightly.
The Marquis pretended to bow his head while gripping the Madness Amplifier hidden inside his jacket.
Just a little longer.
If he waited just a little longer, he would be able to shatter that stone-cold expression on Duke Calips’s face.
“Today’s regular meeting is for deciding the successor candidates, which I know you have all been waiting for.”
And finally, it seemed his wish was coming true.
“The candidates for successor are Tex of the Marquis Lillis family, and Aisha Crost, who has joined the direct line.”
At the end of the Duke’s introduction, a tiny child, wholly out of place in a training ground, appeared.
Four years old? Or maybe five at most?
“Hello. I am Lady Aisha Crost.”
She was barely tall enough to reach Duke Calips’s thigh.
She had golden hair tied into neat twin tails.
And clear eyes full of curiosity, typical for her age.
“I look forward to working with you!”
The child, who greeted them spiritedly without a hint of shyness for a five-year-old, bowed her head. Her short twin tails swayed like little bells.
“So that is the Lady who was adopted into the direct line.”
“I heard it’s thanks to her that Duke Calips took off his mask.”
“She looks quite bright, seeing how she greets us.”
The expressions of the vassals on the opposite side of Marquis Lillis softened.
Aisha was certainly a child who could win the favor of anyone she met for the first time.
Unfortunately, that was all she was.
“But I heard she isn’t an ability user? Will she really be able to win?”
“It’s not a matter of winning or losing; I’m worried it might be dangerous.”
Could that child even hold a sword?
The girl, who looked like she didn’t know the first thing about fighting, stood bravely among adults five times her size.
Her eyebrows were slanted in determination.
She even had her tiny, maple-leaf-like hands clenched into soft little fists.
‘Anyone can see this is a guaranteed win.’
Marquis Lillis, seated in his chair, let out a sneer.
Just then.
“My lord. Shall I prepare in advance?”
His aide, Rage, approached silently and whispered with a bow.
“Let’s just watch for now.”
Surprisingly, the Marquis shook his head.
‘The Duke of Pose must not have seen the child in person.’
Use the Madness Amplifier to win?
Looking at her, there didn’t even seem to be a need for the drug.
