"By the way, Ingelik, I tossed and turned all night but still can't figure it out. You know your own temperament isn't exactly competitive or aggressive—it's more the 'just get by and keep your old hide' type. To put it bluntly, it's spineless. So I'm really puzzled, how exactly did you advance to Great Swordmaster? Did you eat some mythical treasure or rare elixir?"
Early the next morning,
Ingelik gave a bitter smile. "My Lord, I truly don't understand it myself. Honestly, when I surrendered to you, I was already a three-star Gold Rank, but I'd stagnated at that stage for years. No matter how hard I trained, I made no progress. I thought that was how it would be for the rest of my life, so I'd given up hope."
"Later, after following the caravan north, I suddenly felt a lightness in my heart. It took a long time before I realized it was because the slave-hunting gang had been wiped out by you, my Lord. I no longer had to act against my conscience doing those wicked deeds for others. It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from my body. Even my battle energy circulation felt smoother and more effortless."
"Once we reached the family's domain, you didn't assign me any duties, letting me off easy. I went home to stay with my granddaughter, who had just given birth. Watching the young girl become a mother for the first time, and the little baby in her arms, I reflected on my life and had many realizations. I stopped aspiring for anything grand. I was content just to be by my granddaughter and her child, watching them live peaceful, tranquil days."
"A couple of years ago, the little one learned to run and became quite mischievous. I whittled him a wooden sword as a toy. Watching him chase butterflies around the garden, waving that little wooden sword wildly, I thought how truly happy and blissful such a life was... And then, I don't know what happened, but suddenly I felt an epiphany. The sky seemed impossibly blue, the flowers and grass unbelievably fragrant. Every sound and movement in my surroundings became crystal clear in my perception. I felt as if that ten-meter radius of heaven and earth was within my grasp..."
"Fortunately, my granddaughter is quite perceptive. She realized I'd had a realization, so she sealed off the entire back garden, forbidding servants from entering, and personally brought me tea and food every day. I was oblivious to it all at the time. When hungry, I ate; when thirsty, I drank; when sleepy, I slept. My entire being seemed to merge with that section of the garden, having no awareness of my own body."
"Later, my granddaughter told me that for those three months, I looked utterly vacant, like I'd lost my soul. I was either making strange gestures or sitting motionless on the ground. I ignored her if she spoke to me, and when she tried to pull me, she was repelled by the battle energy bursting from my body. She was so worried she nearly cried."
"Shrade wasn't home then either, so it was tough on the poor girl—worrying about me while also having to care for the baby. After three months, I came back to my senses and discovered I'd advanced to Great Swordmaster. My granddaughter was overjoyed and wanted to write to tell Shrade, but I stopped her. I didn't want to stir up a big fuss, having everyone buzzing around to gawk at me..."
Lorist realized that the old man's advancement to Great Swordmaster hadn't come from a breakthrough in swordsmanship or a flash of insight, but rather from the perfection of his inner state of mind, which had naturally elevated him to the rank of Great Swordmaster. That was why, after his advancement, his control, precision, and stability in swordsmanship were so refined and steady—like a calm pool of water that, once tilted, would seep into every crevice without fail. It was nothing like other Great Swordmasters who achieved breakthroughs in swordsmanship that formed techniques bearing the distinct elemental characteristics of their battle energy, like the biting cold and fierce blizzard one would feel when facing Lorist in combat...
"I never thought that sending you home to enjoy life with your grandchildren would result in you advancing to Great Swordmaster," Lorist marveled. Then, without a shred of shame, he brazenly piled all the credit for the old man's advancement onto himself: "You have me to thank, Yingjieliek. I destroyed the slave-hunting squad, forced you into servitude, and brought you north. Without this journey to make you realize how hard-won happiness truly is, you'd have remained a Gold Three Star until the day you died..."
"Yes, yes, yes, it's all thanks to Your Lordship. Thank you, Your Lordship..." The old man Yingjieliek wore a face full of helplessness. Even after advancing to Great Swordmaster, he still felt that same sensation of walking on thin ice and trembling with fear when facing Lorist. The old man himself found it baffling and inexplicable—it seemed his fear of this lord had burrowed straight down to his very bones.
"All right, come over and take this." Lorist pulled a small box from a drawer and opened it to reveal a golden Angry Bear medallion. Unlike the gold medallion of the
"You lucky old thing. My grandfather and great-grandfather always dreamed of having a Great Swordmaster standing guard for the family. Even though they couldn't have afforded to support one back then, they still had this family medallion forged to represent the status of a Great Swordmaster, hoping it would inspire the family members to train diligently so that one day a Great Swordmaster might emerge. Well, to their credit, they were self-aware enough to have it made for a First-Rank Great Swordmaster—otherwise, I'd have had to pry a star diamond off it..."
Though his words were full of casual nonsense, Lorist's movements were extraordinarily solemn as he carefully placed the box into Yingjieliek's hands. Yingjieliek naturally didn't take Lorist's idle chatter at face value—from the way Lorist handled the medallion, he understood perfectly that from this moment on, he had become the
He bowed. "Your Lordship, I shall serve the Norton Family until death..."
Lorist waved his hand. "Enough. It's early morning—no need to go on about death and such. Bad luck to speak of such things. It's enough that you have the resolve. I'd like to see whether you, old man, can climb even higher in the future and advance to Second-Rank Great Swordmaster, or even Third-Rank. Who knows, you might even become a Sword Saint someday."
"Your Lordship, you're even more of a dreamer than I am! I only hope to advance one more rank—I've never dared to fantasize about becoming a Sword Saint..." After accepting the family Great Swordmaster medallion, the old man's speech finally grew more relaxed and natural.
"Well, you never know. You've been very lucky. Maybe one day you'll step in some dog crap, take a tumble, and suddenly achieve complete enlightenment, advancing straight to Sword Saint... It's not impossible."
Liecke gave a bitter smile. His Lordship was spouting nonsense again. If advancing to Sword Saint really worked like that, people would be lining up to step in dog shit every single day.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you. Since you've officially become the family's Great Swordmaster, your annual stipend is five thousand gold Fordes. You can collect it from Steward Speer anytime. If you advance to Second-Rank Great Swordmaster, that goes up to eight thousand a year, and for Third-Rank, it's ten thousand gold Fordes. Regretting it now, aren't you? If you'd told me a year ago that you'd already advanced to Great Swordmaster, you'd have five thousand more coins in your pocket."
Liecke shook his head. "I have no regrets, my Lord."
"You don't?" Lorist put on an exaggerated look of shock. "Back when I confiscated your little nest egg from the slave-hunting caravan's dividends, you looked like you were about to hang yourself from grief. Now you're telling me five thousand gold coins doesn't faze you? Wait—don't tell me you think the stipend is too small? Can't help that, I set the standard, and it's too late to change it now."
"My Lord, the stipend you've given me is already very generous. I know most Great Swordmasters only get around three thousand gold coins. It's just that these past few years at home, I've realized that a peaceful, quiet life is what I truly want. As long as there's enough to spend, more money doesn't necessarily mean more happiness. Being able to stay by my family's side is more than enough to satisfy me. If I had the money, I'd gladly pay your Lordship five thousand gold coins just to be sent home for one more year with my children..." Liecke sighed with some emotion.
"Oh, give it a rest, Liecke. You old mule—you only move when someone drags you, and when that doesn't work, you need a whip to get you going..." Lorist said. "Still, your mentality is sound. It's precisely that kind of inner peace that led to your state of mind being complete enough to advance to Great Swordmaster. Now, here's your first task: for the next ten-odd days before we set sail, go every morning and spend two hours coaching Reddy in sword practice—actually, let's make it an hour and a half. And do the same for Schwart. Focus on their basic stances. I watched you practice last night—your fundamentals are rock-solid and your blade transitions are wonderfully refined. Guide them in that regard..."
"Yes, my Lord." Liecke nodded.
"After practice, come back here. I'll have someone set up a room for you as an office today. You'll need to familiarize yourself with the family's strategic objectives and development plans. In the future, I'll be delegating certain matters to you for handling. For now, I'll have Schwart take you to the training grounds behind the mountain. When you get back, start by reviewing the materials on Hilowas Island. They're all over there." Lorist gestured toward a large stack of animal-hide folders on the side.
Liecke was led out by Schwart, his face a mask of resignation. Lorist watched the old man's retreating back and muttered, "The old codger still thinks he can slack off. Not a chance."
……
Count Kemmais arrived at
Lorist glanced over. "Changed again?"
Count Kemmais replied, "Mm, the last two got pregnant, so I had to marry them off. I even paid a hefty dowry for them."
Lorist silently paid his respects to the two unknown saviors. "Since they were carrying your children, why not keep them as concubines?"
"Can't do that," said Count Kemmais. "If I keep them around, once they have children they'll get arrogant and think they can scheme for more. That would mean no peace for me, and it wouldn't be good for them either. So it's better to just marry them off. I'll give them an annual allowance, and when the kids grow up and understand things, I'll bring them back to be educated properly. That way everyone wins..."
Damn, this guy really calculates everything down to the last detail. Merchant family blood through and through. Lorist grumbled internally while smilingly inviting him into the castle.
The two made their way to the study, where Count Kemmais opened the liquor cabinet with practiced ease, picked out a fine bottle, and poured for himself like the host, inviting Lorist: "Come, this one's good. Cheers."
"Damn!" Lorist cursed. "I went away at the end of last year, and when I came back I found half the good wine in the cabinet was gone. So it was all your doing."
"Brother, fine wine is meant to be drunk. How else would you know if it's any good?" Count Kemmais retorted with a grin, then asked curiously, "By the way, brother, where exactly did you go last year? That steward of yours and Bodfnger clammed up tight — wouldn't reveal a thing about where you went, just that you weren't in the Northland. I've been puzzled. You didn't cross the Iron Chain Bridge through my family's territory, nor did you go through the rope bridge on the Phelim family side, and the lower reaches of the Midoboro River were blockaded by Grand Duke Madras. So how exactly did you leave the Northland? Sprouted wings and flew over?"
Lorist chuckled. "I took a trip to the Andinac Kingdom and dropped off the
"died, but I didn't hear that the Second Prince was made a burial sacrifice..."
Lorist nodded. "Shrade went to the royal capital in my place. He saw it with his own eyes — the Second Prince's head was placed right in front of the Third Prince's coffin, on a large silver platter, his eyes wide open in death."
"By Sigwa, the Second Prince is just... done like that?" Count Kemmais exclaimed in astonishment.
Lorist nodded again.
Count Kemmais drained the fine wine from his silver cup in one gulp, then swayed his head back and forth as he pondered. "Logically speaking, the Second Prince was my liege lord. I ought to be feeling sorrow, or at least cursing you for the treasonous act of capturing him, or perhaps going home to raise troops and declare war on the Norton Family to avenge the Second Prince. So why is it that hearing of his death fills me with a secret sense of joy, and even a feeling of relief?"
Lorist laughed. "You scoundrel ought to thank me for lifting that burden off the Kemmais Family's shoulders. Without a liege lord hanging over you, you can live freely from now on. Isn't having no one to boss you around a good thing? If you'd let the Second Prince sit on your heads and crush you flat, one day the Kemmais Family would have raised the banner of rebellion. That man was insatiably greedy — the type to devour people and not even spit out the bones.
As for us the Norton Family committing treason, that's utter nonsense. He wasn't our liege lord. Anyone who dares reach out to the Norton Family ought to have the foresight to expect their hand to be chopped off. Besides, it wasn't we who killed him. His Highness the Second was acting on behalf of the former Chrisen royal house to purge a traitor. His execution was perfectly justified — it had nothing to do with the Norton Family."
Count Kemmais gave a thumbs up. "When did you get so cunning and devious? Sending him to the Andinac Kingdom was practically sending him to his death. Right — I almost let you slip that past me. The Second Prince is dead, dead is dead, no big deal. What you need to tell me is how exactly you got to the Andinac Kingdom. That's what really matters."
Lorist pointed at a map of the family's territories hanging on the wall. "See for yourself. Didn't I tell you? His Highness the Second, acting on behalf of the former Chrisen royal house, granted me the title of Count and added Shilovas Island to the Norton Family's holdings. A few years back, our family finally developed a port on the coast. I had a sea vessel built and sailed over there. Even made a trip to
"Holy shit!" This time Count Kemmais had picked up Lorist's favorite catchphrase. He rushed over eagerly and stared at the map for a good long while. "Locke, your family has struck it rich! With this sea trade route opened up, gold coins will come pouring in even while you lie around sleeping all day! The shipping savings alone would keep your family fed and watered without a care. By Sigwa, the time and cost saved transporting goods by sea to the Northland compared to overland — it's incalculable! Brother Locke, Lord Locke, let this lowly one in on a share, let me cling to your mighty thigh..."
"Get out of here!" Lorist cursed with a laugh. "You think it's that easy? You're off daydreaming without considering that my family still needs to build ships, recruit manpower, and shoulder the risks of the sea. To be honest, I only just got back when word reached me that pirates attacked our Shilovas Island and the losses were severe. So in about ten days I'll have to make another trip — I don't even know if I'll be back in time for New Year. That's why I called you all together for a little gathering. Of course, I also have some good news to share with you."
"Yes, that's true — the risks at sea are significant, especially on newly opened routes. Big waves, storms, pirates, getting lost — any of these could lead to devastating losses," Count Kemmais agreed. "But I was really hoping to use your sea route to visit Morant City. I've heard so much about it and never once been there. Honestly, it's embarrassing to even admit…"
"Next year, then. Once I've cleared the route and made sure it's safe, I'll take you to Morant City next year."
"Good, it's settled then. But Locke, you said you had good news — what is it?" Count Kemmais asked.
Lorist said, "I'll tell you once those other two arrive. I'm not going to repeat myself."
"Tch, what a pain."
In the study, Lorist announced his so-called good news. He had the servants bring out the gold-etched glass tea set, the magnifying glass, and the bound volumes of blank paper, presenting one set to each of his three allies. He then declared these were his family's new products, which would be sold through the Snow Salt Trading Company as their authorized agent. He also happened to mention to Count Kemmais that the Norton Family could now produce glass on its own and would no longer need the Kemmais Family to purchase it on their behalf.
Unlike the elated Baron Shahin and Baron Philim, Count Kemmais looked utterly crestfallen. It had taken a war breaking out in the Toblin Kingdom this year to halt glass production, and the Kemmais Family had hoarded a huge stockpile of glass bought at inflated prices from middlemen, planning to flip it to the Norton Family at several times the cost. Now it was all stuck in their hands…
Lorist did, however, caution Baron Shahin and Baron Philim that they needed to strengthen their military preparedness. He went on to brief the three allied lords on the Second Prince's sweep through the Redelis Kingdom. No one knew when the Second Prince might march on the Iberian Kingdom, at which point an army of three hundred thousand would descend upon the Northland. Though he himself was a noble of the Andinac Kingdom, there was no guarantee the Second Prince wouldn't turn on the other three — after all, they were all officially recognized nobles of the Iberian Kingdom, their titles granted by the Second Prince himself…
"So strengthen your armaments — it's better to be prepared than caught without warning. Without a powerful family military force as your backing, even pledging allegiance to His Highness the Second Prince won't end well…" Lorist said.
……(To be continued.)