If he told Countess Nerus about this, she would probably snicker.
No matter how great Jun is, she’s just a supportive wizard, so what’s to be afraid of? The truth was that he was probably afraid of Meyer Knox, who was lurking behind her.
Everyone in the imperial palace recognized her as the vice-commander of the Black Knights, but in the end, they only recognized the Jun Karentia that Meyer recognized.
Only those who had looked back at the dungeon with her would understand the fierce beast that lurked within her, the beast that had sunk to the bottom.
When he faced those fresh red eyes that stared at people, he choked up as if they were revealing every single secret he had been hiding.
However, such an assertion would only sound like a weak excuse to Countess Nerus.
Tragula swallowed the story of Jun over his throat.
“Then let’s go now. There’s nothing good about stepping on my tail. Let’s look forward to more willing news at next year’s performance report.”
Countess Nerus waved her hand as if she had no more business to attend to.
But Tragula did not leave the room and hesitated.
Countess Nerus raised one of her eyebrows in annoyance.
After a few moments of hesitation, Tragula thought about it and wore it heavily.
“…How’s the kid doing?”
“Kid? What kid?”
Countess Nerus asked back naturally. Tragula’s face was hardened by her shameless response.
Countess Nerus burst into laughter as if laughing at Tragula’s reaction. She pretended to realize it late.
“Ah, you mean your brother. He’s doing well. You really miss your brother who you’ve never seen before.”
“…”
“Shouldn’t we work harder for your brother, who will inherit the house of Nerus? You will also be the rightful owner of the Golden Falcon.”
“… Okay.”
Tragula couldn’t bear the chill he got from Countess Nerus’s hand as she lightly tapped his shoulder, but he persevered.
He occasionally imagined strangling the woman’s neck.
He didn’t have to put any effort into his hand, her thin neck would snap straight off…
But he couldn’t. The owner of the Golden Falcon was still Countess Nerus.
The Golden Falcon not only showed the whereabouts of the artifact but also had powerful possessive magic that broke as it was when the owner died.
If Countess Nerus died, the Golden Falcon would also break…
He became strong enough to have the title of a Golden Falcon at level 60, but in the end, he was only a human being tied to the Golden Falcon.
There was nothing Tragula could do but clench his fists tightly.
As such, he parted from Countess Nerus with only an unrefreshing feeling and thought it would be next year’s performance report meeting when he would see her again.
However, a few days later, Countess Nerus suddenly called Tragula once more.
“I heard that your Vice Commander is not the lover of the Black Knight. Did she go out with someone else?”
“…No. I don’t think so.”
Tragula raised an eyebrow, wondering why the question was suddenly about Jun’s lover.
“Okay. Then… Can you possibly become the Vice Commander?”
“What?”
“It’s not a bad picture. If you become elite as planned, you’ll eventually defeat the Demon King and become a Grand Duke, so it’ll be a union of a Grand Duke and a Grand Duchess.”
Countess Nerus tapped her finger on the table as if counting. Tragula’s ridiculous feelings were not considered by her at all.
“You will become the son-in-law of the Vice Lord Commander, and the Grand Duchy will be inherited by your son… Then, House Nerus will be a strong family that nobody can underestimate.”
She nodded satisfactorily as if she was satisfied with the future she drew.
Tragula looked at Countess Nerus in vain.
He knew that she only saw him as a tool but to this extent… That she would trample him down without any consideration for human dignity.
It was no surprise to him now that he thought about it. Because he had been able to anticipate this kind of thing from the moment he had been asked to sleep with her.
Tragula couldn’t remember with what expression or what answer he had parted with Countess Nerus. That’s how taken aback he was.
The only thing that kept spinning was Countess Nerus’s voice telling him that he had to seduce Jun.
This time, what Countess Nerus had demanded was too much.
It was not even possible.
Seduce Jun Karentia?
Regardless of whether she liked him, would Meyer spare him if he approached her?
However, Countess Nerus would be very angry if her instructions did not go well.
If he slipped up on the elite, it would make matters worse.
A moment later, as Tragula was holding his head in his hands, wondering what to do now, Jun, the target of his worries, appeared in front of him.
She smiled at him as if she knew what Tragula was thinking.
“Tragula. Shall we talk for a second?”
***
Before entering the dungeon of Minor Forest.
When I learned about the meeting between Countess Nerus and Tragula through Sevi, I pondered.
In the first round, I adapted to the sudden world in the game, and from then on, I was relatively unfamiliar with my surroundings and had to endure the exclusion of my peers.
So, naturally, there were times when I didn’t know what others knew.
If I could learn more about Tragula, I thought my anxiety would diminish a little.
After all, the best way to be sure was to ask an informed person. I went to Meyer, and it was Meyer who noticed something unexpected.
“Stepson?”
“Yeah. It’s not really a secret. The owner of the Golden Falcon that only descendants of the heavenly palace can use is Countess Nerus, and the actual descendant of the heavenly palace, Tragula, was adopted and it was lent to him. It’s a famous story for aristocrats and social circles.”
The character setting book stated that Tragula is a descendant of the heavenly palace, but it does not say anything like complicated family history according to the ownership of artifacts!
I made a puzzled look.
“Whenever I hear that, I don’t think there’s a reason to be on bad terms… Didn’t Countess Nerus give Tragula a favor?”
“Everyone sees it like this. They all think Tragula is using Countess Nerus. And that Tragula became a high-level expeditionary member thanks to her lending the Golden Falcon to him for free.”
Meyer’s words were subtle.
“Do you think the same way, Commander?”
“At least I don’t think Countess Nerus has entered a damaging relationship. After all, the rejuvenated family after Tragula’s name is the Nerus house. There is something she has to gain as well. Perhaps there are greater benefits than we know.”
“Hmm…”
I tapped my fingertips around my mouth. It seemed to be a fairly reliable guess that “the” Meyer made a remark that seemed to support Tragula even a little.
I could have brushed it off, but it felt awkward.
“Maybe Countess Nerus intervened in Tragula’s betrayal.”
I thought Tragula was full of desire for fame. I also thought that’s why he wanted to be the tail of a dragon instead of the head of a snake.
However, I had strong speculation that he might have been a puppet to paint the picture that Countess Nerus wanted.
Countess Nerus would have hoped that somehow Tragula would become an elite member of the Black Knights, and so Tragula was sticking with the Black Knights while being treated coldly by Meyer…
When I thought about it, the part that had been strange hit me just right.
He had tried to look good to me by taking advantage of my moods as he saw fit, but sometimes there were subtle moments when his soul seemed to be missing from all of his actions.
Meyer lamented as if he had never thought about this before.
“Countess Nerus intervened? Because in the first round, back then, I was the ship that was going to sink?”
“I don’t know much about Countess Nerus, but she seems to be a very broad person if she’s adopted Tragula and lent him an artifact. It’s probably not the kind of future she wants. Perhaps she wants Tragula to become one of the seven heroes and the House of Nerus to become Grand Duke.”
Meyer nodded as if he thought it was possible enough.
“If Countess Nerus really led all that work… I can’t sit still.”
“First of all, we’ll have to break the relationship between Countess Nerus and Tragula. But for Tragula, the Golden Falcon seems to be very important… To appease him, we’ll have to attack that part first.”
“Do you want Tragula that much?”
Meyer grumbled disapprovingly. However, he had a much more relaxed attitude than before, and he looked like a sulky puppy.
A large handsome man whining. It was pretty good to watch.
I smiled quietly, suppressing my desire to pat Meyer’s head.
“There is an expression called chicken ribs among the words I know.”
I had a feeling that Meyer might not understand it because it was a legend from the Three Kingdoms. However, the astute Meyer soon understood the meaning behind it.
“Chicken ribs…. It’s a waste to throw away, but there’s nothing to eat.”
“Exactly. Of course, Tragula is more useful and overflowing than chicken ribs. In addition… I can’t open my eyes and see Fabian taking away the resources of the Black Knights. So we should completely subordinate Tragula to our expedition.”
I spoke firmly.
In the end, Meyer, who couldn’t break my stubbornness, said with a sigh.
“Yes. If you want to… I’ve entrusted you with the composition of the expedition.”
Meyer nodded more gently than expected. Then he peeked at me, and he looked like he was expecting me to compliment him.
I could do that for him as much as he wanted. I said with a big smile.
“I knew the Commander would understand! The only person I trust is you.”
“Ahem, ahem.”
Meyer turned his head lightly and cleared his throat.
Maybe it’s because he was not in an environment where he’s often praised, but flattery worked well.
I was worried when Meyer became emperor later.
‘I wonder if there will be a lot of disloyal subjects next to him…’
I wondered if it was possible, but it was still just in case. Even after defeating the Demon King, I thought I had to stand by Meyer until a foundation was established to some extent.
He was a bit of a handful. I immediately smiled and approached Meyer to negotiate.
“Then… How much can I use to appease Tragula?”
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