Chapter 88

“…Is this DX?”

Seo Woojin accidentally blurted out.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Seo Woojin quickly shook his head.

The castle Irene pointed out reminded him of the symbol of a giant entertainment company on Earth.

But it was many times larger.

“This is the Grand Duke’s castle. It is engraved with the Great Magic Barrier, created directly by the Grand Duke himself, and it’s a fortress where, even in peacetime, thousands of soldiers and hundreds of knights are stationed.”

It was a story he had heard before.

But seeing it with his own eyes made it much more real than hearing it.

“Tell me about the Grand Duke.”

He had met the Sword Emperor and the Mage.

But he didn’t know anything about the other three.

What were their specialties, their personalities?

Feeling that they would all be connected somehow at some point, Seo Woojin wanted to gather some information on this opportunity.

“The Grand Duke is a member of the imperial family.”

“Royal family?”

“To be exact, he is the current emperor’s only younger brother.”

Seo Woojin’s eyes widened at the unknown fact.

Upon hearing these words, he began to understand the grandeur of that castle.

“Ilsin’s military power is so strong that he is called one of the five guardians, and his influence on the empire is so great that it goes beyond imagination.”

If he was the Emperor’s younger brother, he must have considerable political power as well.

“What skills does the Grand Duke possess?”

It wasn’t easy to guess from the title alone.

The Sword Master wields a sword, the Mage uses magic, so it’s easy to guess, but the Grand Duke?

He’s probably not a king of heads.

He chuckled to himself for no reason.

Irene, who looked at Seo Woojin strangely, tilted her head and continued speaking.

“The Grand Duke’s abilities are not known.”

“What? Then how did he become one of the Guardians?”

“Some say it is only symbolic because he is the Emperor’s brother.”

Irene was right.

If members of the royal family were among the Guardians, it would increase the authority of the royal family.

But Irene didn’t seem to think so.

“From what Lord Martes said, it seems that the Grand Duke uses ‘Supernatural Abilities.'”

“Different abilities?”

Even after hearing it, he still didn’t understand.

Honestly, whether it’s magic or aura or abilities.

If he thought about it in terms of Earth’s common sense, it would all fall under the realm of ‘Supernatural Abilities’.

“I’m not sure, but since that’s what Lord Van said… It probably means it’s not just a symbolic scarecrow.”

Old Van Slain wouldn’t talk nonsense.

Seo Woojin nodded.

“Well, I’ll know when I meet him.”

He didn’t want to get too involved.

Judging from Marte’s tone, it probably wasn’t a difficult request.

He just wanted to fulfill the request quickly and return to the Sky Tower tomorrow to receive the Summoning Stone.

“Let’s go quickly.”

“It’s a bit farther than I thought, so it’s better to rent a carriage.”

Due to its size, it was much farther away than it seemed.

Irene rented a carriage near the train station and rode with Seo Woojin.

They moved leisurely along the main street, enjoying the scenery of the city.

It was as if they had arrived at a luxurious resort in southern Europe.

In fact, it was said that not far from the city, there was an emerald coast like the Mediterranean Sea.

Is that why?

The expressions of people passing by were relaxed and bright.

“Mernotain is the richest city in the empire. It’s natural that the citizens have a cheerful expression.”

Irene said nonchalantly.

But there was bitterness in her expression.

‘Are you thinking of Massive Guardian?’

A fortress completely opposite to Mernotain.

It is poor, barren, and dangerous.

Every year countless soldiers lost their lives in the expedition.

The sight of Mernotain’s abundance could have been uncomfortable for Irene, the knight of Massive Guardian.

Knowing this, Seo Woojin kept his mouth shut and looked out of the window.

After a while.

The carriage arrived at the Grand Duke’s Castle.

* * *

“Mr. Gerald.”

A large space that is nothing short of gorgeous.

In a place so vast it hardly seemed a room, Gerald opened his eyes at the sound that called his name.

“Speak.”

“According to the messenger’s command, the children who will become Mr. Gerald’s hands and feet have arrived.”

Black eyes looked behind the person who spoke.

A total of ten people.

Gerald, who saw them prostrating, opened his mouth.

“This will do. Deliver the message.”

“Understood.”

With a soft reply, the speaking figure disappeared into the shadows.

“You.”

Gerald pointed to one of the ten.

“State your name.”

“What is your name?”

“Just call me number 12.”

They had no names.

Just expendable tools.

It was a waste to give them names.

“Very well, 12. From now on, you are their leader.”

Even though he had become the leader of the group, there was no change in his emotions.

“Lead your subordinates and create chaos.”

“How far should I go?”

Number 12 asked with infinite politeness.

A smile spread across Gerald’s face.

“As cruelly and spectacularly as possible. Make sure the eyes of the Grand Duke and his hounds are on you.”

“I will follow your orders.”

Number 12 bowed even deeper.

“The date will be announced later, so go back.”

“Understood.”

Ten shadows, including No. 12, disappeared.

Only then did Gerald close his eyes again.

“Briana…”

He was definitely not an easy presence.

Especially in his domain.

But Gerald wasn’t too worried.

No matter how strong the Grand Duke was, he was someone who was protected by the Demon King’s favor.

As the lion asked, it should be enough to cut the neck.

Gerald thought as he drifted off to sleep.

It was necessary to get enough rest if he wanted to finish his work a little easier.

It was an incident that had occurred in a certain place in Mernotain.

* * *

“…It looks even bigger up close.”

It wasn’t as huge as the Sky Tower.

Compared to that place that felt surreal, the Grand Duke’s Castle seemed like a place that could be adequate.

But that didn’t mean it wasn’t intimidating.

“There were supposed to be 2,000 soldiers stationed there.”

Isn’t it even bigger than the massive guardian?

“No, no, it’s not. They say there are even a hundred knights, much bigger.”

Regardless of the skill, just looking at the amount of troops, the Grand Duke’s Castle was superior to even the Massive Guardian.

“This is the Grand Duke’s Castle. Please identify yourselves.”

A castle guard approached the two and asked politely.

Just by observing the soldier’s behavior, one could guess the temperament of the Grand Duke, as if the etiquette was ingrained in him.

As Seo Woojin was about to answer, Irene stepped forward.

“I am Irene, Knight of Sion. I have come to the Grand Duke’s residence on behalf of the Mage Martes, so I request an audience.”

The soldier gave her a strange look.

But when he recognized her figure in azure armor, he nodded in understanding.

“Please wait a moment.”

The soldier greeted her politely and entered the inner chambers.

“May I speak?”

“There is no need to reveal that you are a hero. If you do that, something unwanted may happen.”

“Is that so?”

Seo Woojin, who had been thinking in silence, nodded.

Remembering the reactions of the ordinary people in the capital, revealing his status would probably cause unnecessary disturbances.

“If that’s the case, then so be it.”

Irene had always prided herself on flawless execution.

It would be far more effective for her to take the lead than to step forward himself, who lacked the common knowledge of this world.

After a short wait, they noticed the soldier from earlier come out.

“The Grand Duke has given permission for you to enter. Please follow me this way.”

The soldier led them inside.

“It really looks solid.”

Seo Woojin, who had little knowledge of fortifications or defenses, couldn’t help but notice how solid the walls of the Grand Duke’s castle appeared to him.

As they entered, someone was waiting for them.

Dressed neatly in a suit with white gloves, it was an elderly man who resembled a butler in a painting.

“The Grand Duke awaits,” he said politely before stepping onto a round stone platform on one side.

“A magic circle?”

It resembled the teleportation circle seen from the Sky Tower.

“You may enter,” the butler said.

Following his instructions, Seo Woojin and Irene climbed onto the stone platform.

“We are about to teleport. It might feel a bit dizzy, so please bear with us.”

Humming with magic, light spread out.

“A magician,” Seo Woojin noted, feeling the flow of magic from the butler’s body.

Even the fact that a mere butler could use magic surprised him, and in an instant, the scenery before them changed.

It was inside, not outside.

“This way.”

The butler led them to a reception room with elegant wooden doors.

“If you wait here, the Grand Duke will come.”

With a request to call if they needed anything, the butler left the room.

“Do you think the Grand Duke has a good personality?”

Both the soldiers and the butler seemed well-mannered.

They say that you can judge a superior by observing his subordinates.

Seo Woojin once again suspected that the Grand Duke’s character was excellent.

“That’s right. Not only Mernotain, but all the citizens of the empire praise him.”

“But wouldn’t the emperor restrain him at some point?”

If you look at Earth’s history, there are many such examples.

There were Nobles who were jealous of their generals and committed all kinds of evil acts. Wouldn’t the royal family do the same, if not worse?

But Irene shook her head.

“They say the trust between the current Emperor and the Grand Duke is so strong that no one can break it.”

Still, one could become corrupt in the face of power.

Seo Woojin thought so, but he didn’t say it out loud.

Imperial politics were irrelevant to him.

He decided to just sit back on the plush sofa and pass the time admiring the reception room.

If he asked something unnecessary, it felt like Irene’s education would start all over again.

Time passed like that.

It wasn’t long before they heard a knock at the door of the reception room.

Knock knock –

When the door opened, the first thing they saw was the appearance of a young woman with red hair.

Seo Woojin stood up without realizing it.

‘The Grand Duke was a woman!’

He didn’t know.

He had assumed it was the emperor’s younger brother just because they said so.

But to think that it was such a young and beautiful woman…

The Grand Duke, Briani, walked elegantly.

“I, I meet the Grand Duke.”

Seo Woojin felt Irene’s elbow jab into his side and greeted her briskly.

It was a greeting that could hardly be considered formal, but Briani didn’t seem to mind.

“Oh my, I was curious when they said a Knight of Sion had come to visit. And there’s a hero too?”

Her eyes fell on Seo Woojin.

“You’re Seo Woojin.”

Perhaps he didn’t expect her to recognize his identity so quickly, so he was slightly surprised.

“Did you come on Marte’s orders?”

Briani asked with a grin as she sat down on the sofa.

There was a sophistication to her every move.

“It was more of a request than an order.”

“A request?”

Briani’s eyes widened slightly at Seo Woojin’s words.

“I don’t know the details either. I was just told to come here and hear directly from the Grand Duke.”

“Oh, I see.”

A broad smile spread across the Grand Duke’s lips.