The Terminally Ill Young Master is the Mad Dog of the Underworld-Chapter 279
[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
Chapter 279: Only Grunewald
We had lunch by roasting a whole wild boar that we had caught earlier.
"Mm, the meat is cooked evenly. You have good skills, don't you?"
"Thank you, Your Grace."
Karl, who had been savoring the meat that Taris had grilled himself, looked at me, Rudgarda, and Jeffrey in turn.
"I knew that a battle would take place here."
"Yes."
It seemed the story was about to begin. We all straightened our posture simultaneously.
"I've been troubled by many thoughts. It was impossible to surpass Verdzig's capabilities, and before I knew it, your abilities had also surpassed mine. But I had no intention of surrendering to either side without putting up a fight at least once. I thought it would be shameful for years to come."
Karl counted on his fingers as he enumerated his concerns.
"So I thought I'd try to achieve something in this war. I was moving independently, gathering information, and taking on the role of reserves, waiting on standby."
"Ah, is that so?"
I asked in surprise.
"I never thought you intended to participate directly in battle."
Karl scratched his cheek as if embarrassed.
"I was waiting like that, planning to appear at the last moment leading the Knighthood and overturn the situation with a single cavalry charge."
"Wow..."
I exclaimed in admiration.
"That makes sense. If you had appeared at the decisive moment and changed the tide of battle, that would have been a great achievement."
"Right. But things didn't go according to plan."
Karl shrugged his shoulders.
"In the actual battle that unfolded, there was no opening for me to step in."
I clicked my tongue.
"Yes, well. Naturally."
Who could have known that that crazy bastard Gelberich would pull off such insane shit? If we had been even slightly weaker, that castle would have become a complete graveyard.
"And above all..."
Karl pointed to the sky.
"Lord Geninghen and Lord Leszek, the two elders, suddenly appeared."
'Oh?'
I inwardly exclaimed in admiration. Why did those old men show up there?
"I had many conversations with those two. I learned that the Black Society had sided with the Marquis, and I also guessed that dangerous events would unfold."
Karl pointed at me.
"The two elders asked me not to give you a hint about that fact. Because 'you must be able to overcome that much' to become the head and guardian of Grunewald."
I nodded.
"That's correct. It would have been shameful if I couldn't accomplish at least that much."
Thanks to that, my level had grown tremendously since defeating Gelberich. Especially, the Ink Soul Sacred Shadow Technique, the Seven Stars of the Black Sea Technique, and the Dark Mana had begun to work like a single martial art.
Now I was confident that there wouldn't be more than 30 opponents in the entire continent whom I couldn't defeat.
"I realized something. If even those elders had such high expectations for you, then I too should acknowledge my defeat."
"!"
"And then I watched your battle."
Karl recalled.
"If I had been in that position instead of you? The Black Society would have dealt an irreparable blow to Grunewald and Valkenhain. You could do it, but I couldn't."
There was slight moisture in Karl's eyes as he spoke in a murmuring tone.
"...It took me this long to accept that."
Karl declared without wiping away that moisture.
"Having achieved enough merit to maintain some dignity, I want to step back knowing when enough is enough."
"Brother."
"I too will join Ulbhild in her intentions. The support of Visquera will be with you."
My heart pounded. It was because I dared to imagine how difficult and painful Karl's surrender must have been.
"I will not forget that sentiment."
I clasped Karl's hand.
"...I feared Verdzig while also hating him intensely."
However, Karl continued.
"That doesn't mean I particularly want him to die or be ruined beyond recovery. When I think about it, it's already something to be grateful for that we brothers don't hate each other enough to try to kill one another."
"Those are wise words, brother."
I nodded.
"Aren't there many brothers in this world who are worse than strangers, killing each other, driving each other into corners, and turning each other into cripples before casting them out?"
"Right, the division of Grunewald would soon become the enemy's joy."
"That cannot happen. Not a chance."
"Exactly."
Karl made a request of me.
"Promise me just one thing. That you will become a clan head who unites and revives the clan, not one who divides it in two and causes its downfall."
"I swear it."
"...Just as our father did."
Karl lightly embraced me.
"If you do that, I will become an elder of the clan and serve Grunewald for the rest of my life."
I embraced Karl's back as well and joked. freёnovelkiss-com
"Still, you should get married. Receive birthday tables and greetings from your younger brother every birthday."
"Hahahaha!"
Karl laughed heartily.
"Of course. What do you think I am, some kind of monk?"
"How about it, shall I look for a good marriage prospect for you?"
"Don't worry about that since mother is already diligently looking around. If necessary, I can look for myself too."
Oh? Thinking that such romance existed even in my eldest brother, I stared at him intently, and he smiled lightly.
"Allenvert, no, Allen."
Karl, who had been patting my back, pointed to the sleeping prisoners.
"I obtained one very important piece of information from those guys. I'll tell you directly on our way."
***
Ivan and Gulbark.
These two men, who were truly the highest executives of the Black Society and the Dark King's closest associates, were now walking through the castle of the Flanders royal family with serious expressions.
"Total annihilation, how absurd."
Once Karzan had cursed him as being like a fat toad, but in reality, Gulbark was a man with a large frame and well-developed jaw.
"Even the execution squad failed to return completely?"
"...We had received contact that they were returning."
"It means they were ambushed somewhere and massacred without even having time to send a message."
Gulbark was furious.
"This isn't something just anyone could do. To dare attack our execution squad."
Ivan asked.
"Could it be Grunewald's doing?"
"Probably. But I don't know whose work it was."
"Venion? Or it might have been Leszek or Geninghen."
"No way! Would those old men have ventured outside the castle?"
Gulbark shook his head as if it was impossible.
"Anyway, it's generally a perfect defeat, so there's nothing to say."
"It seems Grunewald's capabilities have improved beyond recognition. 'Compared to the past,' that is."
"Those Grunewald bastards, they're bringing back nightmares again."
Indeed, they were worthy of being called their adversaries.
"It's always been like that. Though the royal family now has nothing left but worthless idiots."
"Yes."
...Because they had long infiltrated the royal family and eaten away at it from within.
Just as they had when bringing down the Empire's power.
"Look at that."
The two turned their heads.
Then, among the servants who had lost their reason, several nobles who had been thoroughly instilled with fear passed by with their heads bowed.
"Now only vermin remain. When we inject our poison, even the greatest families and clans end up like this. Even the royal family."
But Grunewald was different.
"Of course, in the past we had come close to destroying even Grunewald."
The worst crisis, when even the vassals cooperated with them and the clan itself was divided, was prevented by Georg Grunewald's unbelievable capabilities.
Thanks to that, their long efforts also came to nothing.
"The festering wounds that couldn't be completely healed at that time were Bergen and Agrippa, and having to bring them in as in-laws was the best option available to Georg in his situation at the time."
"Unbelievable political skill. He embraced his enemies and chained them so they wouldn't dare rebel."
"Right. The ironic thing is that from that 'chained dog's' clan emerged Verdzig, a genius of the ages."
"Correct."
If not for Allenvert, Verdzig would have certainly inherited the position of head of Grunewald as a superhuman who combined martial prowess and intelligence comparable to that Black Serpent Duke.
"We thought that man's temperament could be used by us."
Gulbark clicked his tongue.
"The person has changed."
Who would have thought he would strike the Black Society's 8th branch and destroy them instead of attacking the alliance of the Red Mist Alliance, the Bisakino Brotherhood, and Haglandere?
"It's because of Allenvert. That bastard keeps interfering with us."
"...That young master is mysterious."
Ivan said, pretending not to know while thinking of Karzan.
"Venion is attached to him. Even using the name Karzan, he's an incomprehensible fellow."
Ivan, who didn't correct Gulbark's misunderstanding, remained silent.
"But you know, Ivan."
Gulbark looked back at him with a strange smile.
"If Verdzig comes out like this, would Count Bergen and Count Agrippa gladly accept it?"
"...!"
Ivan answered in surprise.
"They wouldn't."
"Right. If by any chance Verdzig were to lose to Allenvert, they would all be dead men."
Because they would demand payment for the blood spilled by Eisenach.
"Haha, then an opportunity to exploit would arise."
"Yes. If they feel they can't guarantee their safety even by siding with Verdzig..."
Gulbark smiled wickedly.
"They'll side with us. Just like before."
Once again, seeds of conspiracy were blooming in his mind.
"...Looking back, it's also regrettable."
"What are you referring to?"
"Valkenhain was always third priority, but we should have definitively weakened those guys instead. Then Siena wouldn't have grown enough to interfere with our work."
Gulbark reflected on the choices he had made as the second-in-command that had gone awry.
"Only Grunewald is exceeding Gulbark's expectations. They're the only ones we haven't been able to control."
"Right. Should we call them adversaries of 200 years?"
Grunewald and Valkenhain.
Because these two clans had become the sword and shield of the Litvaleur royal family, they themselves had to take a long detour for 200 years.
"Young Lady Siena of that Valkenhain fought alongside Young Master Allenvert this time too, so what if the two clans join forces through a marriage alliance?"
These were two clans that had been competing for a long time.
If they joined hands, that would definitely not be good news.
"Perhaps it's no longer time to handle things from the shadows."
"...Yes."
Now might be the time approaching when they would pour out all the power they had accumulated in the darkness to destroy Grunewald.
"If we bring out all our arrangements, it becomes a force that mere duchies cannot handle. There would be no need for 'that person' to step forward."
They had devoured everything of the once-prosperous merchant nation, the Kingdom of Flanders.
And the blessed geography optimized for trade, surrounded by the sea, had now become their isolated hell.
Therefore, facing the Black Society was no different from facing all of Flanders.
"Lord Amilcar."
The man who had received an opportunity from the Dark King and became the Kingdom's Greatest Sword of Flanders, the knight now called Sword Saint, spoke.
"When that day comes, please leave the Black Serpent Duke's head to me."
"Hahaha! That's right. When that day comes, you'll become the continent's greatest."
"I'm looking forward to it. There would be no greater honor for a warrior."
...Said the knight who had sold his lord, the king, to the Dark King.
"Haha. The moment when our long-cherished wish is fulfilled is approaching."
Between the two men laughing heartily, Ivan quietly thought of Karzan.
'That bastard has already far surpassed his previous life's level.'
Gelberich? If it had been Karzan from those days, he would have been brutally killed without even being able to resist much, let alone kill him.
Even Ivan himself hadn't been able to look down on that man for very long.
'...How exactly did he catch him?'
He was too curious to bear it. Should he go ask about it?
At this rate of growth, perhaps...
'Karzan isn't the type to lose to the same opponent twice.'
Ivan's eyes deepened.
However...
He had other urgent tasks to resolve.
[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]