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But that resentment didn’t last long.

Repenhardt had merely done his utmost for the one he served during the war. Although they had taken different paths, it wasn’t out of personal vendetta that Repenhardt had become his adversary. Carsus was not so narrow-minded as to harbor a grudge from the battlefield indefinitely.

Instead, he considered Repenhardt his savior, having risked his life to save him after he had lost the war and should have lost his life as well.

‘Carsus is dead. I am now just a nameless man.’

Having lightheartedly shed his past, Carsus readily embraced his life as a captive. While staying in the White King’s Castle, he met various races. His perspectives began to change as he interacted with free orcs, elves, and dwarves.

Carsus, who already had a keen eye for judging people, realized that these races were by no means born to be slaves. They were individuals with pride and high intelligence. He could fully understand why Repenhardt had taken such an attitude.

As Carsus stared blankly outside, Tilla asked him,

“What are you thinking about?”

Carsus answered with a wry smile.

“I was just thinking that Yubel might actually have been a remarkably excellent king.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Because he was able to see your true selves.”

Tilla laughed heartily.

“And what is our true self?”

Carsus replied seriously,

“Beautiful, wise, and witty. The lady in front of me certainly appears that way.”

“Wow, that’s so cheesy. Do knights always talk like that?”

“Maybe it’s just me. Although I’ve seen similar expressions on other knights’ faces sometimes.”

Tilla smiled as she looked at the joking Carsus. A peculiar look passed between them. Tilla gently took Carsus’s hand.

“You’re also wise and witty. I’m not sure about the beautiful part.”

“……That’s harsh.”

“Oh! You might look handsome if you grew a beard?”

“I’ll start growing it right away from tomorrow.”

As Tilla burst into clear laughter at Carsus’s serious expression, Carsus cautiously spoke up.

“Miss Tilla.”

“Yes.”

“You said you could hear the sound of truth, right?”

“Yes, we dwarves have ears that can discern lies.”

“Then you can easily determine the truth of my words now?”

Tilla’s eyes filled with curiosity. Carsus continued seriously.

“If I were to say that I think I’ve fallen in love with you, could you discern the truth of that statement?”

Tilla’s face turned bright red, her cheeks blushing like blooming roses.

“Oh, oh my….”

“Is it troubling? After all, I’m a human, not a dwarf….”

As if to dismiss the idea, Tilla shook her head seriously.

“That’s not it at all! It doesn’t matter whether you’re human or dwarf!”

Then, as if realizing what she had just said, she covered her face with both hands. Carsus looked down at her with a satisfied smile.

Her constantly changing expressions were incredibly adorable. Though she usually had a girl-like appearance and treated him kindly like an elder sister, now she was stomping her feet like a little child.

“Then it’s not a problem if I love you?”

She was so lovely, it drove him mad. Carsus himself didn’t know when he had started feeling this way.

“Th-that, um….”

Stammering, Tilla suddenly turned her head and dashed off down the hallway. Watching her run away with quick steps, Carsus clicked his tongue.

“Aren’t you supposed to be watching me? I’m your prisoner, remember?”

But Tilla had already disappeared into the distance. Carsus scratched his head and chuckled.

“Ha ha ha….”

Even after saying it, he could hardly believe it himself. He had met countless beautiful noblewomen and remained unmoved, yet now he found his heart stirred by a dwarf maiden.

“I had no right to blame Yubel. I’m just the same.”

☆ ☆ ☆

‘When did things between them become like that?’

From the opposite hallway where Carsus stood, a large man hid himself and observed the situation. It was Repenhardt, who had just finished his duties for the day and was leaving his office.

He had been on his way to meet Carsus but found the atmosphere peculiar, which had kept him from stepping forward.

‘Is this some kind of bloodline thing? Cousins both falling for dwarf women?’

As much as Carsus seemed smitten, Tilla’s expressions indicated she wasn’t opposed either. Repenhardt clicked his tongue. It was true that no one could predict the ways of relationships, but he hadn’t expected the two of them to develop feelings for each other.

In any case, from Repenhardt’s perspective, this was a highly favorable turn of events. Considering the reason he was looking for Carsus, this development was more than welcome.

‘Well done, Tilla! Nice job!’

Repenhardt, pleased inwardly, revealed himself in the corridor.

“How have you been?”

“Oh, White King.”

Carsus saw him and bowed respectfully. Having already accepted him in his heart, his demeanor was natural. After paying his respects, Carsus straightened up and smiled faintly.

“Thanks to you, I’ve been living comfortably. I think I’m probably enjoying the most pleasant captivity in the world.”

“That’s good to hear. But, don’t you think it’s time to end this captivity?”

“Are you telling me to stop freeloading? Well, to be honest, I’ve been feeling a bit guilty for just hanging around the castle lately.”

Carsus chuckled and nodded. He had already guessed why Repenhardt had come to see him. He was well aware of how serious the administrative issues in the Duchy of Antares had become.

“It’s good to talk straightforwardly.”

Dealing with a smart person is always easier. Repenhardt asked directly.

“Will you help us?”

Carsus’s expression turned serious. He spoke quietly.

“I’ve already heard from Miss Tilla about your dreams and your future.”

Then he gave a slight, bitter smile.

“To be honest, at first, I thought you were completely mad.”

“I’ve heard that so often it doesn’t bother me. Even the elf, Siris, thought I was crazy.”

Carsus continued, looking at Repenhardt, who waved his hand dismissively.

“But living here, seeing them, I realized how narrow my perspective was.”

His eyes calmed.

“They are not humans, but they are certainly people.”

The thoughts and feelings he had while interacting with other races slowly unraveled from his tongue.

“It’s not just for the elves or dwarves. A civilization that treats people like beasts will never end well. I don’t know why this has been so thoroughly hidden….”

Carsus raised his head and looked at Repenhardt with firm eyes.

“If this is a change of the times, I too want to be part of this flow.”

Although it was a thought he had long harbored, he spoke now because the opportunity presented itself. If Repenhardt hadn’t come, Carsus would have sought him out soon.

Carsus bowed again, clearly treating Repenhardt as his lord, and declared.

“So, please assign me any task. Be it as an attendant or an officer, I am confident I can perform well.”

Repenhardt beamed with a wide smile.

“Ah, that’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time.”

He quickly searched his pockets and handed something over. Carsus, receiving it, looked up in surprise.

“This, isn’t this the seal of the Duke of Antares?”

What Repenhardt had handed over was indeed the ring bearing the seal, a symbol of the Duchy of Antares’ authority.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

A nonchalant answer came back.

“You said you’d do anything, right? Act as the Duke’s representative for a while.”

“No… But still, this isn’t something you just hand over to an enemy, is it?”

It was true that he had sincerely surrendered, but he never imagined that all the authority would be handed over to him. For a moment, he even wondered if he had chosen the wrong master.

Astonished, Carsus asked.

“What if I have ulterior motives?”

Repenhardt smiled broadly.

“The seal’s power is limited to ‘humans’ within the Duchy of Antares. So, let me ask, what could you possibly do if you had ulterior motives?”

Carsus was momentarily stunned.

The current power of the Duchy of Antares? Excluding the non-humans and the full strength of Repenhardt’s group…

“…Not much.”

What remained were the knights of Antares, chosen more for their character than their skills, and over a thousand starving refugees.

‘Thankfully, it seems I haven’t pledged myself to a short-sighted master.’

Relieved, Carsus continued his questioning.

“I see. But what if I raise the level of other humans to a formidable force? And then harbor ulterior motives?”

Indeed, Carsus had the ability to do so. He looked at Repenhardt with expectant eyes. What kind of answer would he give? The answer would reveal the true measure of the man he was to serve.

Would he threaten his life?

Or would he respond arrogantly, saying it was futile?

Or perhaps, would he show absolute trust and say he believed in him?

However, Repenhardt’s answer was beyond all his expectations.

“Tilla would cry, then.”

“…”

For a moment, Carsus was speechless. But soon, a smile appeared on his lips.

It was an answer that defied all his expectations, yet it was more than satisfactory.

As he secured the seal, Carsus bowed deeply once more.

“I will do my best.”

“Thank you for accepting. Now then…”

Repenhardt led Carsus forward. Since the topic had come up, he intended to go to the office immediately to handle the transfer of duties.

As they left the corridor, Repenhardt muttered.

“Come to think of it, I’ll have to step forward as the Duke’s representative now… It’s fine since I’ve changed my appearance, but I’ll need a new alias too, won’t I?”

After pondering for a moment, Repenhardt looked down at Carsus and asked.

“Since they usually shorten Cyrus to Russ, how about shortening Carsus to Sas?”

Carsus made a slight grimace.

“…It sounds like a name for a disease. Just call me Karl.”

“Then Karl it is. Karl, the Duke’s representative, I’ll leave it to you.”

“In terms of duties, the position of Chancellor suits me better than the Duke’s representative. Grant me the title of Chancellor.”

“Take whatever you want. The job’s the same anyway, so what does it matter?”

☆ ☆ ☆

As soon as Carsus, now using the name Karl, sat in the position of Chancellor of the Duchy of Antares, he immediately began handling all the duties.

He was competent. More competent than expected.

Though Repenhardt had experience as the Emperor of the Empire, he was fundamentally a ruler, not an administrator. He had done his best, but to Karl, his efforts were full of loopholes.

The first thing Karl did as Chancellor was to accurately assess the skills of the elf women and assign them appropriate tasks. By understanding their abilities even better than they did and placing them in the right positions, he increased work efficiency by 30%.

He also immediately reorganized the military structure within the Duchy.

Originally, Repenhardt had haphazardly assigned a hundred human soldiers to the Antares knights in groups of five or six. However, Karl kept the knights as a separate unit and selected two knights with mercenary backgrounds who had experience leading soldiers to oversee their training.

Forces need to be united to be effective; a single knight and five to six groups of soldiers cannot match the power of twenty knights and a hundred soldiers functioning as a unified force.

Karl also began gathering detailed personal information on the refugees and started sorting them. Beyond his administrative skills, Karl excelled at understanding people’s character and abilities. He met with people individually, selecting capable ones for intermediate positions and sending those from farming backgrounds to various agricultural areas, working tirelessly.

Sometimes through coercion, sometimes through persuasion, he managed the people of the Duchy with such remarkable skill that even Repenhardt was impressed as he watched.