The old man clenched his hands. The collar of his shirt wrapped around his neck. What was seen above him was a man who had both self-imposed and generous.

    “I’m not the man you invited.”

    “… Yes, if it’s your job, why does gender matter?”

    Duke Arles who once frowned, replied in a rather tired voice.

    All he need was a mercenary, not a man or a woman. It didn’t matter as long as it could bring him victory.

    However, the problem that Lena caused wasn’t just gender, so the Duke pinched the remaining problem.

    “What is your relationship with Count Rubel of the North?”

    “I’m just his daughter.”

    “Just?”

    “By all means, what kind of daughter would be so difficult to exist?”

    “I’ll have to check it in the North.”

    The old man mumbled something and shook his head.

    Judging from the results, the Duke of the South, Duke Arles, made the Count of the North, Count Rubel, in a difficult position. He brought the daughter that he wanted to hide.

    If he doesn’t know now, he would be a fool, and if he stayed still, he would be provoking the North. Either way wasn’t good.

    However, Duke Arles was not angry with Lena who deceived and used himself. It was because of the infinite trust in the mercenary as ‘Executor’.

    “I don’t think you’ve done it without thinking.”

    “No way.”

    “What are you going to do?”

    “I will meet my father as a daughter.”

    “Have you considered my position?”

    “I want you to defend me.”

    “Are you going to build a conflict between the South and the North?”

    “Stand by the weak.”

    At Lena’s suggestion, the Duke fell into silence.

    Stand by the weak, what a good word. It was also could be used to build a good image.

    In the South, many were engaged in the arrogance of the North. In addition, it was a good idea to create a confrontation with the North to consolidate the ruined South.

    However, this was only possible if the South was equal to the North.

    “The only thing that can be done for the weak is by the strong. The weak are just the weak.”

    He called himself an apostle of justice bravely, but he would be a poor man if he’s defeated. Righteousness shines only when it wins.

    “Can you take responsibility for the consequences?”

    Asked by an old man about the later consequences, Lena replied with a nod and a smile.

    The reason why Lena responded to the call of the South was to meet her father, but she didn’t intend to neglect her promise with the South. Just as the South trusted Lena, Lena also had trust in him.

    “There is only one thing I want.”

    “Southern stability.”

    “Yes, it’s how I protected it, but I can’t pass it over to the Northeaster like a dog.”

    Northeasters were the same as dogs. Lena recalled Lynn for a moment.

    “I won’t say anything. You can use me as long as I can use you. But if you change your mind and mess with me, I wouldn’t stay still.”

    “I’ll keep it in mind. My victory will be mine, and your victory will be yours.”

    Despite the Duke’s warning, Lena’s bowed humbly to him. The old man was left with bitter feelings.

    The executor, Lena, was as sharp as a leopard on the battlefields. Her movements were always powerful, quick, and flowing. With such a body, even small movements were surprisingly elegant.

    The Duke was uncertain in that aspect of the executor. So now that he became more open, he asked what he had been curious about.

    “Is that true?”

    “Yes?”

    “Is that what you look like now, is it the truth?”

    Lena burst into laughter at an unexpected question.

    “No.”

    “It isn’t?”

    “It’s not real or fake. I am me in whatever form.”

    It was a really dusty answer.

    ????????????

    The Duke was rather relieved by Lena’s cheekiness.

    In fact, he was fond of being so shrewd and tactful. Such a person, at least, doesn’t have a different mind like a snake.

    He meant, liked this guy.

    “We finally met after a while, Duke Arles.”

    A surprisingly beautiful silver-haired man greeted the Duke. He was a man with a strangely obscene atmosphere, where the white undergarments across the body looked more luxurious rather than any holy jewelry.

    His name was Klavis Sirenium Grascha. In the past, he was the Duke of the West, but the West was eaten by the dead, so now he was a Cardinal in the Imperial Palace.

    Duke Arles Grascha was a relative not far from him but he didn’t really care for him.

    “That Flanus hasn’t come yet?”

    “Yes, that’s right. The protagonist always appears at the end.”

    When Duke Arles filled the ball with greetings, Klavis narrowed his eyes and laughed. Duke Arles was also a fox. However, Klavis spoke well, even though he knew everything.

    “Then, let’s take countermeasures before Iura comes?”

    “Countermeasures?”

    “Iura is firmly training. Ah, what did you say? Lena Rubel. You know, it’s easy for Iura to put on Rubel.”

    “So what do you want me to do?”

    “Ha ha ha, that’s ridiculous. Just be careful. You don’t have to fight for nothing.”

    When Duke Arles was confused, Klavis started to smile. Normally, it would have ended with Duke Arles kicking his ass, but today was different.

    As the Duke remembered his promise with Lena, he fell on the words of Klavis.

    “Is it my responsibility if there is a fight?”

    “Yes?”

    “If there’s a disagreement, it’s proof that Rubel’s not strong. Declaring, if this unfortunate thing is true, not only Rubel but also the Northern will be held responsible.”

    As soon as he had said something, the room’s door was open.

    “Who is supposed to held responsible?”

    Then a heavy voice was heard. The voice had gone dark.

    With the unwelcome sound, Duke Arles and Klavis raised their heads together.

    There was a man standing at the door. A threatening man in a red uniform. He was the Duke of the North, Iura Flanus Grascha.

    “After all, it’s the main character.”

    Duke Iura sat down with the knights behind him. Then, without greeting, he rebuked at Duke Arles.

    “You were imprudent.”

    “Imprudent?”

    “Use a woman like lowly mischief.”

    At the young man’s provocation, Duke Arles was angry, but Iura faced him without hesitation.

    “You will soon find out whether I was imprudent or not.”

    “Since when was it important to be right and wrong?”

    “What?”

    “It’s not right or wrong that the South should look for, but it’s the heart and irregularities of the North.”

    “You don’t know the end of your arrogance!”

    “Be more careful about your use. Don’t waste your life on the battlefield.”

    BANG!

    A loud noise was heard. It was the sound of the fist of Duke Arles that beating down the round table.

    ‘You son of a bit*h.’

    Duke Arles gritted his teeth and stared at his nephew, Iura, who was also landed a glare at him.

    “Come on, calm down. If they knew you were fighting like this, the Imperial people would laugh.”

    Duke Iura and Duke Arles reluctantly stared at each other in the intervention of the Cardinal.

    Apparently, the old man of the South seemed to have been pushed, but in fact, the more complicated inside was Duke Iura. The conference was a place for understanding each position. Emotional expressions should’ve been calculated here.

    In this sense, Duke Arles showed a strong will to protect Lena Rubel. It was hardly understandable for Duke Iura.

    ‘Why does he have to do this?’

    ‘Is it a way to fight the North?’

    ‘Or did the old man turn his eyes on the young woman?’

    He wasn’t interested in the sudden appearance of Lena Rubel. He was curious about the intention of the South of promoting conflict by banking on women.3

    “I don’t know what I believe in, but the North…”

    Duke Iura tried to warn again, but he stopped. This was because the meeting outside the conference room had been chaotic.

    The three threw their eyes toward the door, to see who dared to make a fuss.

    It was then, the door swung back and forth, and a man swung to the floor.

    “Argh….!”

    The poor man was the escort of the Cardinal who was outside. Whether it was bad luck, he crouched down like a worm.

    As he tried to ask what was going on, he saw a young man standing by the door and closed his mouth.

    Duke Iura’s eyes became colder and Klavis smiled. He whispered lightly as if to be heard.

    “The real main character appeared.”

    The three responded differently, but the young man didn’t care. He treaded over the fallen man’s body and laughed lazily.

    “Here you are.”

    The voice was so indecisive.

    Duke Arles pressed Klavis into question.

    “I didn’t hear about this.”

    “I also didn’t know.”

    “Is it forbidden for me to come?”

    An uninvited person interrupted the conversation between the two.

    A rude remark by Duke Arles created a stir.

    “If you want to sit at the round table, be prepared with the minimum courtesy.”

    “Courtesy?”

    However, the young man laughed.

    “Be courteous to a person who stalks like a rat.”

    The smiling young man has brought a deep sigh of relief. Due to the threat, Duke Arlen was full of anger.

    ‘You son of a bit*h!’

    If Duke Iura was a cheap dog, that man was a rambling dog. A mad dog of the East who tried to bite when he had a chance.

    ‘Lignan Eitner is like a dog!’3

    4

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    lol, trust me, the last sentence made me laugh really hard XD and Lynn’s smile tho 3