The Villain's Retirement-Chapter 29: Duchy (1)

Duchy of Jian, Western Continent

Whoosh!

Eventually, the sound of great, silver wings thundering in the sky could be heard. Then in the next moment, a giant griffin swooping down upon an estate, topped by a large castle with a spacious garden.

"Enemy beast—!"

"Form up!"

The shadow scudded low across the gardens below, scattering flower petals and sending servants running.

The sound of steel on iron rang as one, when every man in iron armor began to charge.

The soldiers raised their swords and shields as the griffin beat its wings one more time and landed on the lawn.

Before panic could spread further, the griffin lowered its head, revealing the crest etched into the harness at its neck—a sigil the duchy was suppose to recognize.

A wizard hat and a wand: It was the emblem of the only Archmage who serves the King directly, Archmage Sileuss!

The tension broke instantly.

"...Stand down," one of the knights ordered, lowering his weapon. "That’s Lord archmage’s mark."

Then the knight looked at the rider. It was man in his early thirties slid on top of the griffin’s back, offering a polite bow.

"Lucian," Lucian said calmly introducing himself. "Apprentice to Archmage Sileus. We come under his authority."

Murmurs rippled through the gathered soldiers.

It seemed like a few had recognized him. And it looked like some didn’t seem very fond of his unannounced presence.

"It’s really him..."

"Sileus’ apprentice—"

The knights straightened at once, saluting in unison.

"Welcome to the Duchy of Jian," a large knight then went forward, gaze flicking briefly to Ard before returning to Lucian. "What have brought a valuable apprentice of the Archmage in our small duchy?"

Behind them, Ard dismounted in silence, crimson eyes sweeping over the garden. The griffin folded its wings, the air settling as quickly as it had been disturbed—leaving only the quiet certainty that someone important had arrived.

The griffin barely had time to settle before Lucian turned back toward it. He hadn’t even dismounted it. He only waited for Ard to dismount himself.

"I won’t be staying," he said calmly, already adjusting the straps of the saddle. "My task ends here."

A few knights exchanged looks.

"So soon?" one asked.

Lucian offered a polite smile and then passed over a letter but more like a scroll. Now that Ard was on the ground, Lucian then glanced at Ard then, his expression neutral but not unfriendly. In reality, he wasn’t exactly the most talkative.

"This is where we part ways. The Duke of Jian will take responsibility from here. Master Sileus wants to give you his thanks and says he would pray for your simple dream."

Ard was a little surprised.

But he nodded once. "Understood."

Ard still had no idea who Sileus truly was. He clearly wasn’t a normal human, and even the title Archmage felt more like a convenient excuse than his real identity.

Anyone who could come crashing through another person’s mind and speak his thoughts almost casually, and even read the other’s mind as if flipping through his mind like a paper, was far beyond that. Ard himself couldn’t achieve that, not even against the weakest he had encountered.

But Sileuss can.

For beings like that, the safest choice was simple: stay away.

Without further ceremony, Lucian moved his legs and signaled the griffin to move. The creature stirred, talons scraping against stone as it spread its wings.

"Safe travels," the large knight said, raising a fist to his chest.

Lucian inclined his head in acknowledgment.

"Until next time."

With a powerful beat of its wings, the griffin leapt skyward, wind tearing through the garden as it ascended and vanished into the clouds—leaving Ard standing alone among the watchful eyes of the duchy’s soldiers.

Meanwhile, the doors to the study of the large castle opened quietly.

"My lord," a knight accompanied by a servant reported, bowing deeply. "An apprentice of Archmage Sileus has arrived in the gardens."

The Duke looked up from his desk, brows knitting together.

"The Archmage’s apprentice?" he repeated slowly. "That archmage who lives atop that sky mountain and almost never shows himself and whose apprentices are always causing trouble to everyone?" He leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing. "What business would he have with us?"

He raised a hand and pressed his fingers to his forehead, already feeling the ache return.

Then a memory surfaced unbidden.

He was in a council chamber thick with tension. Voices layered over one another—accusations, whispers, thinly veiled threats.

"Well," an elder with a cane said, "with the Baron of Salience gone... his territory can hardly be left unattended. As one of the oldest houses with a reputation in maintain defensive forts, shouldn’t we take it?"

Another man chuckled.

"My house has governed borderlands for generations. We would be happy to shoulder such a burden."

"Handing it to a house unfamiliar with commerce would be... inefficient. Surely the crown would prefer someone who understands profit."

Someone cleared their throat. "Excuse me," a woman spoke, her eyes flicking meaningfully toward the Duke, "Since the former baron’s... condition reflects poorly on his bloodline, perhaps the territory should pass entirely out of the family."

That was when the Duke had felt it most: anger.

His younger brother’s fall into demonic corruption had been tough not only for the house he was connected to, but also to him as the Crown had made it a point to even cut off some of their territories and even pay reparatory expenses to the kingdom with an insane amount of gold and resources.

The memory faded, leaving only the dull throb behind his eyes.

His jaw tightened.

’As if that wasn’t enough already...’

The Duke exhaled slowly and stood, the headache pulsing behind his eyes.

"Prepare to receive him," he said at last. "I’ll hear what Sileus wants—personally."

With another rub at his temples, he sighed heavy and started to leave the study as the weight of politics and mourning weighed heavily on his shoulders.

The Duke then strode into the gardens, his presence immediately straightening the knights stationed nearby. His gaze fell upon Ard at once.

"...So," the Duke said, eyes narrowing slightly, "what does Sileus want?"

Ard blinked.

For a brief second, his mind was blank. He didn’t even know where he was—only that he had been dropped into unfamiliar human territory. No, it wasn’t that unfamiliar.

Since they had arrived, eagle insignias fluttered along the garden walls and even at the castle. For some reason, these banners matched the crests he had seen on the knights during the journey. In truth, the knights here wore the same type of armor with Faller and the others.

’This must be the duchy they came from,’ he realized belatedly. Then he added, ’Why did Sileus ordered to bring me here?’

The Duke waited for the answer but Ard had no answer. He didn’t know Sileus’ intentions, didn’t know this place, and certainly wasn’t anyone’s apprentice.

Before the silence could stretch further, a knight stepped forward and knelt, extending a sealed letter in the form of a scroll. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"My lord," the knight said, "the apprentice we spoke with has already departed just now. He left this letter explaining the identity of this young man who arrived with him."

’Identity? Is this young man supposed to be some prince?’ The Duke accepted the letter, eyes never leaving Ard as he broke the seal.

The misunderstanding hung in the air—thin, fragile, and moments away from becoming something far more troublesome.

In the next minute or so, the Duke read the letter in silence.

His forehead knitted tighter through every line he read, his fingers held the parchment.

The tension in his shoulders was unmistakable coupled with the reoccurring headache that had settled on his head and back since he had received the news of what had happened with his younger brother.

Then his eyes paused.

A description of someone he had ordered those knights close to him surfaced in his mind.

Slightly long black hair. Tall. Young. Male. Crimson eyes. Traveler.

His breath caught.

Memories surged forward—reports delivered in hushed voices, testimonies from shaken knights, the impossible tale of an amazing swordmage who had struck down the demon lord alone that stole his younger brother’s body.

Slowly, the Duke lifted his gaze.

His eyes found the young man before him.

Indeed, his most eye-catching attribute was those crimson eyes that shone like rubies.

For a heartbeat, the garden was silent.

Then the tension in the Duke’s face eased, the lines of stress loosening as realization settled in.

The corners of his mouth twitched then rose.