Chapter 157

Chapter 157:  Red Mithril (5)

The world’s evaluation of Edward was this:

If he had been born in an era of war, he would have become a general.

He was famous for his exceptional ability to command subordinates.

Put harshly, it might sound as if he simply liked giving orders, but in truth, it meant he possessed outstanding leadership.

In other words, as long as his commands were right, he could even become a wise ruler.

That was why the Grand Duke of the North had placed great expectations on his second son.

However, no matter how capable one was, if one’s heart went astray, even a wise ruler could turn into a tyrant.

Gifted with a sharp mind for numbers and calculations, he had thoroughly mastered the art of increasing his own wealth.

And he had done so by fully exploiting his greatest advantage—being the young lord of the Luton family.

That, combined with his innate command ability, was what had shaped the “Young Lord Edward” of today.

“Tir, if that fellow really headed north with his eyes on my mine, then he must have also predicted that I’d try to stop him.”

The third son returned to his office as he spoke, pulling on a thick jacket.

“If it’s that fox-like man, I think it’s entirely possible.”

The deep navy jacket and the well-groomed mustache—together, they gave the still twenty-something man an air of maturity and intellect.

“If he was conscious of me, then he wouldn’t have taken the open road. He must have chosen the mountain path instead. And he likely organized his press team as secretly as possible.”

The second son’s secretary, Tir, nodded in agreement.

He took a monocle from inside his white shirt and put it on with a precise motion.

It was like watching a younger version of the Chief Secretary, Debier.

“Shall I order our men to pursue him immediately?”

“No, don’t. Just have them pretend to be keeping watch along the main road.”

Now properly dressed, Edward looked out the dark window.

It was still noon, with the sun shining brightly, yet only cold air and winter winds swept across the withered rye field.

“What do you plan to do after that?”

At his secretary’s question, Edward let out a quiet chuckle.

Then he took down an elegant flintlock hanging on the wall and said,

“Have you ever gone fox hunting?”

“No, I haven’t. But I’ve heard that you often went with your father, Young Lord.”

Edward slowly wiped the barrel of the clean gun, as though he might take it outside right that moment.

“Foxes are cunning creatures. They even know to be careful not to leave footprints that could alert their prey.”

Tir seemed to understand why Edward had brought up foxes and silently nodded.

“After approaching quietly like that, when you feel the vibration in the snow…”

The second son raised the gun.

Then, aiming absently out the window, he murmured to himself,

“You strike down its snout in one blow—and snatch up the prey.”

The muzzle of his gun was pointed north.

Toward the fox that had entered his territory.

“Roger’s that kind of man too. He’d smile brightly at someone, then in the next instant, drive a knife straight into them. Just like he did with Freya…”

Tir, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, moved one hand to his chin.

“Then may I ask, how should one hunt a fox?”

At that question, his master lowered the barrel of the gun.

Resting it lightly on his shoulder, he replied,

“First, you build a perimeter.”

Edward strode toward the corridor.

“There are plenty of helpers around him—many ears listening, many eyes watching.”

“As you instructed before, I investigated and found that he’s been meeting frequently with the Saint and the Western Grand Duke’s daughter.”

The second son picked up a hunting cap hanging beside the door.

As he pressed it down on his head without care, he said,

“This matter must be connected too. I’m guessing they tipped him off, and he caught the scent and went to investigate.”

Edward descended the circular staircase.

Each time his hard-soled shoes met the steps, a dull sound echoed through the hall.

“This time, it’s my turn to use that to my advantage.”

As Edward came down, all the attendants in the lobby bowed their heads in unison.

But he didn’t spare a glance for any of them.

He simply stepped through the grand doors, in pursuit of his prey.

“Since I’m going to the hunting ground, prepare my horse.”

At his command, the attendants answered all at once.

Among them was Lucun Fern, who had become Freya’s personal secretary.

Having come to deliver the eldest daughter’s letter directly to the Grand Duke of the North, he cast a meaningful look at the second son as he departed for the hunt.

「――――――」

By afternoon, as dusk began to fall, I arrived safely at the mining village, where a silver hawk from Nord awaited me.

It was the one Terry Mansachs had lent me—far faster than a carrier pigeon.

Tied to the bird’s leg was a note from my partner, Lucun Fern.

“What does it say?”

Saint Istina showed interest in the message that had arrived.

“It’s information saying Edward went to the hunting grounds. He realized I came to the mining village, so he sent the Black Knight and went hunting himself.”

“What an arrogant man. He must think the knights will handle everything for him.”

I read through the letter carefully, my expression serious.

“After the hunt, he’s planning to attend a meeting with the North Sea Union.”

“It seems he’s participating personally because military supplies are included in this trade deal.”

Strange.

As far as I remembered, Edward hadn’t taken on any major arms contracts ten years ago.

Of course, there were several projects he’d started that eventually collapsed.

Could it be one of those?

“For now, let’s focus on finishing what we came here to do.”

Thanks to the lack of interference, the coverage proceeded smoothly.

The veteran journalists of Gold Morning transferred the workers’ conditions perfectly into their articles, like true professionals.

Among them, the medical reporters used all their skills to treat the injured miners.

“If you had come just a little later, I might have limped for the rest of my life.”

“Thank you so much…”

I wanted to bring them as witnesses and even interview them.

However, considering their condition, I decided to hold back.

The scenes recorded in the crystal orb alone would deal a major blow to Edward.

“Mansachs, you keep this safe.”

“Of course. Do you know how much this thing’s worth?”

The second son of the newspaper carefully placed the crystal orb into his backpack.

Then, he skillfully directed the reporters he had brought with him to prepare for descent.

“……”

The Saint watched us closely as we made ready to leave.

Then, with a slightly uneasy look in her eyes, she came up to me.

“Um, are we already going down…?”

I was tightening the laces of my boots when I looked up at her.

“Yes, of course. We’ve gathered all the evidence we need.”

“What…?! I thought we were staying the night?”

Istina’s hood, which had been pulled deep over her head, twitched slightly.

“Staying the night? I never said anything like that.”

I replied in a reluctant tone.

The encirclement hadn’t closed in yet—we needed to leave quickly.

Sometimes, she really did show a surprisingly innocent side.

“But we already unpacked at the inn.”

“Normally, yes. But I’ve changed my mind.”

After tightening my boots, I looked at her shoes.

Her laces seemed loose, as if she wasn’t used to such rugged terrain.

“It’s strange. Even knowing that reporters have infiltrated his own territory, he goes off hunting? He’s definitely scheming something in secret.”

I carefully approached her and tightened the laces on her shoes.

The Saint stared blankly down at the top of my head, covering her lips with her pale white hand.

“……”

She looked dejected.

At first, she had seemed like a young girl out for a stroll, but now she resembled a silver wolf who had failed to find her prey.

“You must be tired.”

“Yes, suddenly I do feel quite exhausted, thanks to all this.”

Still, without complaint, she turned around and began preparing to leave with us.

Finding her unexpectedly admirable, I smiled with quiet satisfaction and made a suggestion.

“I’ll make sure to repay you properly for this later.”

“How?”

At that, the Saint suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Without turning to look at me, she asked softly,

“If there’s something you want, I’ll make sure to grant it.”

I offered the favor without much thought.

Then, in an instant, Istina turned her head sharply to look at me.

“Really? Anything I want?”

The Saint stepped right up to me.

Her sudden shift in reaction made me answer awkwardly,

“Y-yes, since you came all the way here to help us…”

“Alright. Then that’s a promise before God, okay?”

Only after hearing my confirmation did Istina smile in satisfaction.

Then, with the same refreshed expression she had worn when we first arrived, she returned to the inn.

‘What on earth is she so excited to ask for…?’

Well, at most, it would probably be a share of the foundation.

I had already planned to grant her something along those lines, considering our partnership going forward, so that worked out fine.

After all, transferring shares to a business partner wasn’t anything unusual.

Thinking so, I finished preparing to leave.

Later, as dusk fell and the light dimmed, the Saint, I, and about a dozen reporters left the mining village and began our descent.

“Everyone, watch your step on the way down. It’ll be dangerous if you slip.”

All the carriages that had come to the village had been sent away in advance.

If the Black Knights were guarding the road, they’d seize those empty carriages instead.

Our plan was to quietly descend the mountain and board the freight wagons waiting for us in a nearby village on the outskirts.

“Are you alright, Saint? I told you, you should have gone back first.”

“I’m fine—. You just make sure not to get hurt, Sir Roger. You’re too important to be injured—.”

Istina spoke brightly as she followed carefully behind.

Before long, she came down the slope beside me, matching my pace.

The veteran reporters looked at her with a mix of admiration and amusement.

“The Director of the Foundation climbs mountains well too, I see.”

Despite their compliments, I kept my eyes forward and replied curtly,

“I used to go on patrols often.”

There had been a time when I’d patrolled the snow-covered rye fields and the mountains behind them alongside the attendants, back when I served as Chief Secretary.

It had been winter then as well.

During that season, you could never afford to let your guard down.

Sometimes, packs of wolves would come down to the villages in search of prey.

Especially at night, a starving pack was a terrifying sight.

Unlike humans, there was no reasoning with them.

No matter how much one learned or studied, what good was it if words could not be exchanged?

Against those who sought only to devour everything before them, conflict by force was inevitable.

However, there was something far more frightening than that—

There were humans who were no different from those beasts.

And I knew them all too well.

They were the private soldiers of the Grand Duke of the North—

The Black Knights belonged to that kind.

And then…

When we finally made it nearly all the way down the mountain, reaching the withered rye fields—

――――――

Those terrifying figures appeared before us.

“We found them, Young Lord.”

I hadn’t felt even the faintest trace of presence.

That was why the sudden appearance of the Black Knights surrounding us startled the reporters so much.

“W-what the…? I didn’t hear a single sound!”

The reporters from Gold Morning instinctively stumbled backward.

Then, bumping into each other’s backs, they froze.

We were completely surrounded.

“So you really do live up to your reputation, Roger.”

It was a familiar voice.

Soon, the owner of that voice emerged from among the Black Knights, a flintlock resting on his shoulder.

“You must have gone through quite the trouble sneaking out on this back road, hmm?”

“……”

The second son, wearing his hunting cap, let out a faint chuckle and put a cigar between his lips.

In the darkness of night, only the soft glow of his cigarette flame rose into the air.

“You must’ve had a hard time pretending not to come here as well, Young Lord.”

“Well, isn’t this just another kind of hunt?”

Edward shrugged casually.

It was clear that the moment he had received the message from Lucun, he had set out and come straight here.

‘That means… he already knew my movements from the beginning.’

As expected, no matter how much I knew of the future, deceiving the entire order of Black Knights was impossible.

“Let’s end this little climb here. If you cross the line any further, you’ll die out here in the snow.”

He struck the snowy ground indifferently with the butt of his flintlock.

“Are you saying you plan to bury all of us here?”

“No, I only need to bury you. Then the rest will know to keep their mouths shut for life, won’t they?”

Edward was a man who knew exactly how to wield fear.

There was a reason he was said to be the kind of person best suited for war.

But—

We had someone who was the complete opposite of him.

“Young Lord Edward, what on earth is this disgraceful behavior…?”

From among the reporters stepped a silver-haired woman.

When she lowered her hood, the second son’s mustache twitched ever so slightly.

“You’d better be careful yourself. Cross the line any further, and you’ll incur God’s wrath.”

Istina’s eyes, the color of a snowy plain, bore down on him coldly.

“A Saint…?”

Edward stared at her in disbelief.

He had known that I was acquainted with her—but to think she had personally followed me all the way into this remote place…

It was an unforeseen variable, and a wry laugh escaped him.

“Well, to what do we owe the honor of your visit to such a humble place?”

“That’s none of your concern. What bothers me far more are the vile words you just uttered.”

As expected of a Saint.

I, standing close beside the wolf, closed my eyes slowly and lifted my chin high like a red fox poised in quiet defiance.