8.

“Have you been there?”

It was still like that now. When Van came to attend to Richt, she looked dissatisfied.

“expression.”

After Ban said a word, his expression returned to his usual expression.

“What did the matriarch order you to do this time?”

“I have no reason to say anything.”

Ban cut it off resolutely. Then Adelhard sighed slightly.

“I knew. The leader never changes. Then I will report. Sir Alex is making some progress. “It looks like he wants to contact the outside world.”

“More surveillance.”

“All right.”

With those words, the conversation between the two ended. Adelhardt had gone away to attend to his own business, and only half of the group remained. He was thinking about what he should do and suddenly rubbed his stomach.

I’m not used to this feeling. But I didn’t think it was particularly bad. Warm and fluffy hotcakes. That came to mind again. But soon Ban shook her head.

It seemed like the owner had changed these days. Treating a wound or giving someone food is something I would never have done in the past.

‘weird.’

However, Ban had no intention of resolving the question. That part was not something he could think about. No matter how he has changed, he is the head of the Duke of Devine and his master. All Ban had to do was follow his orders.

So, I buried the question deep down.

“Hmm.”

A dark-skinned woman scratched her head while compiling the information received. She then called out to the young man lying on the floor behind her.

“jin!”

However, once called, it did not wake up.

“jin!”

I call a little louder and only then does he suddenly open his eyes.

“sun. Noisy.”

When Jin said that, the woman called Hae frowned.

“If you hadn’t slept, this wouldn’t have happened!”

“I’m tired of nagging.”

“Then try not to nag me, Captain!”

“What is the leader? “Call me by my name.”

“okay.”

Jin stood up and asked, scratching his head.

“Then why did you wake me up?”

“I think Archduke Graham has noticed what’s going on in the imperial family?”

“iced coffee.”

“What, did you know?”

“I guessed it. “The information should have been blocked quite a bit.”

Archduke Graham was said to be crazy about battle, but he was not an idiot. He belonged to the smart group. Could it be that he planted someone in the imperial family who was wary of him? There was probably someone sending information periodically.

“Imagine all that information being blocked. “What would Archduke Graham think?”

“First, we will find out about the spy planted, and if even that is blocked, we will become suspicious.”

“okay. “Our master was so thorough in preventing news from leaking that it became poisonous.”

“Hmm.”

Hae turned his upper body back and looked at Jin.

“You know, but you’re hiding it from your master?”

“What?”

Jin shrugged his shoulders. He was different from Van, who swore absolute loyalty. It was clear that he was indebted to the previous Duke, but he was not satisfied with the current head of the family. He didn’t intend to cause any harm directly, but he also had no intention of helping his own downfall.

If their master, Richt, falls, they will be free.

“I’m just following orders.”

The sun said nothing more. Because it was Jin, not her master, who was important to her. Her younger sister, who ran so far to save her clan. What can’t you do for your younger brother?

Hae decided to keep quiet about what was going on.

One head taller than other people. Although he has a wide chest, he does not look dull. This was because they were all muscles strengthened through actual combat.

Lion on the battlefield. A blood-crazed beast. Grand Duke Graham, younger brother of the former emperor, who rules the vast north. He climbed the castle wall and looked at the red land further away with a cold expression.

“Yes, news of the spy has been cut off.”

Aide Lauren answered Archduke Graham’s question.

“yes. After investigating, it seems that someone intentionally blocked the news.”

“Who is that? “It’s probably not the empress.”

Although the empress had a great desire for power, she was good at understanding the situation. Therefore, she kept Archduke Graham in check but did not completely block him. This was because she knew that if she made a mistake, she would come into the imperial palace and cut off her head.

“It seems like someone else is preventing news from leaking out from the imperial family.”

“It’s someone else.”

Archduke Graham suddenly remembered a little boy he had seen one winter day. A boy with green eyes and black hair who was said to be Empress Maia’s younger brother. I remembered it because it was small and weak, but its eyes were particularly bright.

“Then there is only one person.”

There was a raccoon from the Southern Noble Alliance who was greedy for power, but he was also afraid of Graham. There was no way I could move around on my own. If he moves, he has someone attracted to him. Someone who isn’t afraid of him. And it occurred to me that that someone was like the boy I saw that winter.

“Devine.”

“It is highly likely that he did it.”

“yes.”

“So are you going to the capital?”

“okay. But before that, I need to tidy up the surroundings a bit.”

This is bad news for the barbarians living in the red lands. Grand Duke Graham, Abel turned around with his sword in hand.

“Get the knights and soldiers ready.”

“Yes, everything as ordered.”

Lauren bowed her head deeply and shouted. In this region, Archduke Graham was both god and devil. There was no one who could refuse his orders.

Creepy.

Suddenly, a shiver ran down my spine. He was so startled that the medicine bottle he was holding fell out of his hand. Fortunately, Ban caught it before it hit the floor.

“thank you.”

As I picked up the medicine box, calming down my twitching body, Ban silently turned his head again. Is it because I looked at her wounds every few nights? It has improved a lot compared to before.

Scars can’t be helped, though. Richt looked at the scars all over his back and looked disappointed.

‘I never thought there would really be people like this.’

It’s mean and harsh. It seemed amazing that Ban had survived so far even with this body. If it were him, he would have given in and collapsed long ago. Richt spread the medicine on Ban’s back. Then, with my now quite skilled hands, I fixed the gauze on my back.

“It’s over.”

“thank you.”

After putting his clothes back on, Ban sat quietly and looked at Richt. On her first day, she just kicked out half the class. But from the second day she didn’t do that. After she finished treatment, she made sure to send me something to eat.

It was an action I started without thinking about, but now it’s become quite fun. Richt took out a madeleine wrapped in paper that he had prepared in advance. Then Ban put his hands together and stretched them forward.

‘I heard you look cute like this.’

He’s obviously a bigger adult than he is, but he’s cute. Richett corrected the corners of his mouth that kept pouting and piled the madeleines on top of his hands.

“This is a lemon madeleine, this is an earl gray madeleine. “This is a basic taste.”

Because the two hands were big together, quite a lot of madeleines went up.

“You must eat alone.”

“yes.”

Ban answered calmly and took the madeleine. She doesn’t really hide it or put it somewhere. Holding it in her hand just as it was placed in her hand, she went out the door that Richt had opened. It seemed like he didn’t give the slightest thought to how others would view him.

‘That’s cute again.’

I need to stop thinking it’s cute. I can’t believe a big man like that looks cute. Richt clicked his tongue and sat back down in his chair. This time it was his turn to meet Ain, his butler.

Ain came into the room exactly on time.

“So, to what extent have you finished organizing your property?”

“… … “I think it will take some more time because I have a lot of assets.”

“You don’t have to do everything. “I will give whatever is left over to His Majesty the Crown Prince.”

“Then I think we can shorten the time a bit.”

The butler was very capable. Although he had doubts about the idea of ​​liquidating his assets and moving to another country, he was working steadily. Thanks to this, things went smoothly.

“I looked into countries where I could seek asylum. First of all, Rundel, the same empire. And there is Asrahan, a small kingdom that exists far away. There are many other countries, but these two seem to be the most suitable. Rundel will grant you asylum if you donate a lot of wealth. You will be able to live in hiding. And Asrahan can buy titles with money, creating a new identity.”

“Asrahan. “That would be nice.”

In the future, Rundel will be in conflict with the current empire. In that case, a small kingdom far away would be better. Could it be that someone would come all the way there to look for him?

“And what did I tell you to prepare?”

“I prepared it separately. But do you really plan to disband the Knights Templar?”

Ain asked with a dark expression. Even for someone who obeys any command, this seems to be difficult for him to understand. Actually, he was also a person who served the previous Duke.

“okay.”

Duke Devine’s Leviathan Knights are famous. Although taking him with him would have made him feel safer in terms of his powerlessness, there was a high chance that his identity would be discovered. That wasn’t the only reason.