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Volume 1, Chapter 37: Earl Aubock⑥

Earl Aubock and a certain man were meeting in the former’s office on the second floor of the mansion.

Standing in front of Earl Aubock was a tall and slender swordsman.

His face was lifeless and his beard was unshaven. The bluish-purple hair on his head was quite slovenly, and he walked with a slightly hunched back.

The two knights escorting Earl Aubock glared at the man.

The man spared just one glance back with a sidelong gaze and if to say that the two knights were nothing. He then turned back to look at Earl Aubock.

Earl Aubock laughed while caressing his double chin with his fingers.

「That’s quite an achievement, Hector. Who’d expect you to easily capture the survivor of the Deuce house who’s been sticking his nose places it shouldn’t be. That guy seemed to be a renowned adventurer, and yet you treated him like a baby.」

The man named Hector listened quietly while scuffing his feet on the ground with a bored look on his face. After letting out a huge yawm, he replied.

「… Enough with this trivial gratitude, Earl-sama. I’ll just go back to my room if you just called me here to blather on…」

The two knights’ eyebrows twitched upon hearing Hector’s words.

「Hector! How dare you show such a boorish attitude in front of Aubock-sama!」

Earl Aubock waved his hand in dismissal to stop them, still smiling ear to ear at Hector.

「I don’t mind.」

「… Aubock-sama. Please allow me to say that making this boorish man one of your close aides while forgiving his selfishness will only lower the morale of others.」

Earl Aubock was known for playing favorites for those willing to lick his boots or for his relatives.

In regards to Hector, since he was directly scouted by Earl Aubock, he was not part of the two aforementioned groups who received the preferential treatment.

Not even one year had passed since he became Earl Aubock’s subordinate, and yet, he was the only one who dared to treat the Earl lightly.

Compared to those who leeched off the toad-like Earl Aubock, the newcomer who received such favorable treatment was their target of envy and irritation.

「I’ve said that I don’t mind his attitude though.」

The escort knights shut their mouths as soon as Earl Aubock’s eyes locked on them.

「M-My apologies.」

「Fufufufu… Hector. Your attitude hasn’t changed, even after a year. Are you not scared of me?」

「… I’m grateful to you, Earl-sama. I’ve made a lot of enemies; it wouldn’t be strange for me to be assassinated if not for Earl-sama’s aid.」

「Someone as skilled as you is scared of assassins? You’d be able to dispatch them with your bare hands, right?」

「I’m just a normal human who can die from poison, you know. It’s not like I want to die in that kind of battle either, Earl-sama. Once, just once, I’ll gladly die against an opponent who can force make me go all out.」

Ever since he was a child, Hector knew danger like the back of his hand. All these years, he faced foe after foe, and yet none ever posed a challenge. After putting his life on the line so many times, he had become immune to the thrill of battle—each enemy struck down with the same bored look.

Fortunately, Hector was extremely talented with the sword.

He, who became stronger after overcoming numerous deadly crises, longed for a fight to the death against someone who could force him to go all out again.

However, thanks to that habit, Hector became apathetic toward life.

It had been so many years since he began looking for a worthy swordsman, an opponent who could make him feel alive again.

「As long as I can feel the same kind of excitement of those days even just a little bit… I don’t mind even if I’m treated as someone with few screw loose in his head.」

Hector tapped his finger on his head as he said those words, heaving a sigh.

「I thought that opportunity would come if I remained at Earl-sama’s side, but… I expected too much…」

Earl Aubock was at a loss for words upon hearing Hector’s remark.

However, the two escort knights became even more irritated by such a remark.

「If you really want to die, then I’ll kill you right here!!」

One of them drew his sword and slashed at Hector from behind.

Hector’s figure suddenly vanished, and the sword tip buried into the desk.

Earl Aubock galred at the tip of the sword with an irritated look on his face.

「…!!! M-My apologies, Aubock-sama!」

That knight turned every whichway, looking around the room with a ghastly pale face.

He thought that Hector might kill him in retaliation.

But Hector had already left the office.

Hector suddenly stopped right in front of the door and jumped to the side.

The door was flung open in the next moment ,and Riekhoff, another member of Earl Aubock’s private army, entered the room in a hurry.

「M-My apologies! There’s an emergency!! There’s an intruder in the mansion…!」

「You’re in such a hurry, you forgot to knock, Riekhoff. It’s probably the guys who’ve returned after catching the target.」

Leaning slightly to one side, Earl Aubock tapped the desk with his pinky finger.

「T-That is… That’s…!」

With his mind reeling, Riekhoff desperately searched for an appropriate response, but all that came out were garbled stutters. There were no words to describe the intruder.

「It’s like Earl-sama is employing a brat. Don’t you think it’s time to downsize your personnel?」

Hector said as he brushed past Riekhoff in the entrance. Turning around once more, he gave a faint nod at Earl Aubock.

「T-That intruder killed M-Malkido-sama!!」

「Oh my, silk pants finally met his end, huh.」

Hector stopped and sneered.

The look in Earl Aubock’s eyes had changed; he glared at Riekhoff.

「Thieves? How many of them? There’s no way Malkido was by himself! Where’s the intruder right now!!」

Earl Aubock knew that Malkido was always surrounded by his subordinates.

He wasn’t the type of person to be reckless in the face of danger.

That’s why the Earl concluded that the majority of Malkido’s subordinates had been slain.

Even so, there shouldn’t be anyone powerful enough to break into Earl Aubock’s mansion in all of Ainsaz.

The nobility in the region also feared Earl Aubock since he was backed by someone who held an important post in the capital.

That was why small fry nobles wouldn’t dare to oppose him.

Those from the upper echelon of nobility wouldn’t be so reckless as to wantonly attack him.

Even if the royalty were to attack Earl Aubock, that would only be possible if they had received reports of his evil deeds beforehand.

Earl Aubock’s status itself guaranteed his safety.

Following this logic, who could be behind the intruder?

「T… The intruder is just one per- No, it’s two people! They killed Malkido and his thirty subordinates in a few seconds!」

A shock ran down Earl Aubock’s spine.

It was as if time was frozen for a moment, and then he shuddered.

「I… Impossible! You must be lying! Gather every soldier in this mansion now. Capture those intruders!」

The two escort knights couldn’t believe Riekhoff’s report, standing stalk still with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

「What are you waiting for? DO IT NOW! AND RIEKHOFF!! YOU GO BACK TO YOUR POST AND TELL THEM MY ORDERS!!」

「HIII! I REFUSE!! I REFUSE TO GO BACK!!!」

「WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, RIEKHOFF?! HEY, HECTOR, WHAT’S WITH THAT SMIRK?!!」

Hector stood at the entrance of the office, listening in on the conversation between Earl Aubock and Riekhoff.

Hector touched his lips, as if he only just realized that he was smiling.