Suppressing the boiling anger in his chest with great effort, Joshua quickened his pace.
There was no point in staying here any longer—it was obvious that all he would get was more of the other man's sneering.
Fine, enjoy yourself as much as you like. Do you really think anything will change just because you won? What use will it be anywhere except for a bit of bragging here and now?
Humiliating as it was, only the four people present knew about it.
Joshua himself and his servant would, of course, keep their mouths shut, and Sword Saint Aizen was not the type to go around spreading such trivial matters.
The only possible exception was Lucian, the very man who had won.
Even so, Joshua felt no concern about him.
If you want to yap, then yap all you want. Do you think rumors spread that easily? Handling information is part of a noble's refinement, you bastard!
Spreading malicious rumors about an opponent and stirring public opinion was a common occurrence among nobles.
By the same token, blocking those rumors and calming the chaos was also a noble's capability.
Joshua, while not particularly skilled at it, was reasonably well-versed in this kind of information warfare.
If his opponent had been equally adept, there would have been no way to stop it—but this opponent was the paltry Lucian.
There were plenty of ways to bury the matter before any rumors could properly spread.
"Just in case, keep a close watch on his surroundings. If he tries to spread rumors about what happened today—"
"I will make sure to stop it. Please do not worry."
At the servant's confident assurance, Joshua nodded.
Though he occasionally showed his incompetence, he was a retainer who handled this sort of cleanup flawlessly.
This time as well, if he entrusted it to him, nothing would go wrong.
That was what he thought—until exactly one day had passed.
—They say the Fourth Young Master challenged the Third Young Master to a real sword duel and was utterly crushed!
—Apparently, the Fourth Young Master's legs gave out and he even collapsed to the ground!
—They say the Third Young Master demanded the sword as spoils, and the Fourth Young Master was too afraid to resist and had it taken from him!
"Those lunatics!"
Crash!
Upon hearing the rumors that had spread in just a single day, Joshua's eyes rolled back with fury as he tore the room apart.
Cleaned it up properly, my ass!
The sword he had given away because he didn't need it had been twisted into something he'd supposedly surrendered in terror!
Faced with his master's rage, the servant trembled violently and pressed his forehead to the floor.
"M-my lord, please kill me!"
"Quit spouting nonsense you don't mean! Explain what happened before I really do kill you!"
"Well, that is…"
After hearing the servant's explanation, Joshua was left dumbfounded.
"So you're telling me the servant bastards spreading the rumors wouldn't listen?"
"To be precise, they were newly recruited ruffians this time. No matter how much we coaxed or threatened them, they wouldn't keep their mouths shut. They didn't even blink with a blade in front of them—there was nothing we could do…"
"Damn it all! What the hell did that bastard promise them that they're so fanatically loyal to him?!"
The back-alley servants Lucian had brought with him were already notorious.
They were madmen who followed only Lucian's orders to the letter, and who didn't so much as flinch even when threatened by the Second Young Master, Jordi.
It was impossible to understand what they saw in Lucian—a man with no foundation or backing—that made them so loyal to him.
Was it simply that their lives were already ruined, so they lived however they pleased?
"Still, you're saying bribery and threats didn't work, so there was nothing you could do? And you call that an excuse? If words don't say through, you should've broken their legs!"
"T-that was what we tried to do, but…"
"What now?!"
"The men we sent were the ones who came back with all their legs broken in the same places. Their leader, a man called Hugo, was no ordinary fellow…"
At this unbelievable report, Joshua grabbed the back of his neck.
Not only had bribery and threats failed, but they had come back beaten.
As if losing the duel weren't enough, now he had been outmatched even in the quality of his subordinates.
And on top of that, far from being contained, the rumors had spread in an even more distorted way—one that benefited his opponent.
"Huu… huu…"
Barely managing to steady his breathing, Joshua sank into a chair.
If he didn't rein in his emotions somehow, it felt like he might collapse on the spot.
But maddeningly enough, it didn't end there.
"And then—"
"Do you really want to die by my hand?!"
"I-I haven't said anything yet!"
"As if I don't know—you're going to tell me I got played by Lucian again! I'd rather shut your mouth for good than hear that nonsense one more time!"
"No! It's merely a progress report! There's nothing further involving the Third Young Master, so please calm yourself!"
Grinding his teeth, Joshua nonetheless gestured for the servant to continue.
He didn't want to hear it, but neglecting information was not an option.
Even bitter intelligence had to be taken in and understood.
After hesitating for a moment, the servant opened his mouth in a trembling voice.
"The Third Young Master's servants are invoking Sir Aizen's name. Once it became known that the Sword Saint personally officiated the duel, the knights have started taking an interest as well. Some of them even went so far as to confirm it directly with the Sword Saint himself, and found it to be true… Young Master? Young Master!"
"Grrrk!"
At the story he least wanted to hear, Joshua finally foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
***
"I hear the Fourth Young Master has collapsed, my lord. Do you have any idea why?"
"He probably just fainted because he couldn't accept reality. Honestly, even yesterday—he's a spineless fellow."
At Hans's report, Lucian let out a snort and took a sip of tea.
The aroma of a high-grade tea he'd never even been able to touch in his previous life tickled his nose.
"Why bring a real sword in the first place? He would've been better off using a wooden one."
"Is there really that much difference between a real sword and a wooden sword?"
"A huge difference. If it were you, which would be scarier—your opponent swinging a wooden sword, or a real one?"
"Obviously the real sword."
"It's the same for everyone. He probably chose a real sword to intimidate me, but he forgot that standing before a blade makes the wielder flinch just as much."
If it had been a wooden sword, Joshua would've felt far less psychological pressure.
He likely wouldn't have panicked at Lucian's attacks, and would have responded calmly.
That would have put Lucian—who was inferior in raw strength—at an even greater disadvantage.
But foolishly enough, Joshua concocted a petty scheme and ended up falling into his own trap.
"Thanks to that, things were easy for me. At best it would've ended in a draw, but thanks to the real sword, I won cleanly."
"Indeed."
As Hans nodded along with Lucian's words, he suddenly realized something odd.
"But didn't you pick up a real sword for the first time yesterday, my lord? You handled it surprisingly well, knowing and exploiting that."
"Well… improvisation, I suppose."
Lucian was someone who had once felt the sensation of a blade grazing past his eyebrow.
Why would he fear a sword held more than a foot away?
Especially when the one wielding that real sword was a young master who had never fought a battle where his life was on the line.
But since he couldn't say any of that, Lucian glossed it over with a vague answer.
"Either way, things will be quiet for a while. Neither my useless brother nor my worthless sibling will have the leisure to worry about me for some time."
Jordi had lost nearly all the funds at his disposal because of the earlier wet-nurse sibling incident.
No matter how wealthy his maternal relatives were, there was no avoiding the time it would take for money to be transferred.
To prepare for any contingency, he wouldn't move until his purse was full again.
Joshua's situation was even worse than Jordi's.
Among the candidates for head of the family, Lucian had the weakest foundation—but Joshua's was hardly solid either.
And after suffering such humiliation at Lucian's hands, he would be busy for a while trying to stabilize his shaken internal affairs.
Well, there is still one left, but given that man's personality…
Bang!
"My lord!"
Lucian's train of thought was cut off by Hugo, who burst through the door.
As if he had rushed over in haste, beads of sweat were gathered thickly on Hugo's forehead.
"What's with the sudden rush? Did Joshua have another fit or something?"
"I've received word from the men. The Marquis of Logran's household will be paying a visit in a week."
"They said they want to meet in the Bestra territory, where the workshop was built. What should we do?"
"For now—"
Setting down his teacup, Lucian sprang to his feet and spoke.
"We should inform Father."
"Ridiculous bastards."
At Lucian's report, Duke Sigmund let out a bitter laugh.
In terms of distance, it was the closest territory, yet because transportation was inconvenient, its role as a transit city had been snatched away by others.
Despite lying next to the great city of Kelheim, Bestra had been pushed aside and barely managed to maintain its city scale.
Even so, the fact that it was the nearest location remained unchanged—yet they wanted to meet there of all places.
"At this point, I can't tell whether they're being bold or simply taking Valdeck lightly. It may not be the lion's jaws, but it's at least beneath its fangs."
"They're probably counting on your attention not turning that way, Father. It's a city that offers absolutely no benefit."
"Hah. True enough—I hadn't spared it a thought at all until you reported it. In that sense, it could be called a blind spot."
Duke Sigmund studied the map, a wry smile on his face.
Then he soon lifted a serious gaze and met Lucian's eyes.
"So? Why did you report this to me? I recall saying I'd leave everything to you."
"I need strength."
"Strength?"
"Just because a beast has stepped into a trap doesn't mean I have the tools to hunt it."
"So you came to me, who has those tools?"
Duke Sigmund lowered his gaze at Lucian's answer, as if disappointed.
"A rational judgment. If you borrow my strength, capturing a beast already caught in a trap would be no great challenge."
"Then—"
"But do you think those around you would call that beast your prey? I don't think so."
Lucian fell silent at the duke's words.
When no reply came, the duke's sharp critique followed again.
"You are acknowledged as an outstanding hunter only when you bring down your prey with your own strength. No matter how brilliant the plan, if you cannot complete the hunt yourself, you will remain nothing more than a dependent disciple who cannot stand on his own."
"I gave you an opportunity. I even granted you the authority to hunt directly. And now, because you say your strength is insufficient, are you thinking of throwing that opportunity away? You would abandon it and seek safety, even if it means handing the credit to another?"
"Yes. I will do so gladly."
"What?"
At such an unabashed answer, Duke Sigmund's eyes widened.
As the duke was left momentarily speechless, Lucian—who had remained quiet until now—poured out his rebuttal.
"The most important thing about a hunt is succeeding in it. When the people tremble beneath a beast's shadow, charging in screaming that one must personally thrust the spear to be satisfied—how can that be called valor? Even if it succeeds by chance, it would be nothing more than a commoner's reckless bravado, a foolish act that erodes the people's trust."
"And even if my name is obscured, what of it? If no one else, the hunter knows whose disciple accomplished the deed. Between a disciple who threw himself barehanded at a beast for the sake of fame, and one who shared credit with his master but ensured the prey was decisively taken—when the hunter can no longer draw his bowstring, to whom do you think he would pass the bow?"
Lucian paused, steadied his breath, and bowed deeply.
"Even if my dedication as a disciple is never acknowledged by my master, that is fine. By then, the disciple will have become a hunter in his own right, roaming the mountains with a spear and bow he carved himself. Rather than raging about capturing a beast with bare hands, I will first learn how to carve a spear, even if it means handing the credit to my master, and only then go out to hunt. That is how I will become a hunter."
"..."
As his words ended, a heavy silence settled over the duke's office.
The servants, in particular, stood wide-eyed, unable to move even a single finger.
Even if he was his son, who could have imagined he would so openly rebut the master of Valdeck right to his face?
As everyone swallowed dryly in what felt like a full minute compressed into a single second—
"Puhahaha!"
The duke's peal of laughter shook the entire office.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE: https://shinchan1.podia.com/