Trash of the Count's Family

Click.

Violan put down her teacup as she spoke.

Oooooo– oooooo–

The area was still shaking slightly from the vibrations of the magic circle, but Violan seemed calm.

“Between 7pm to 9pm last night… Nobody saw Vice Captain Hilsman for two hours.”

Hilsman looked extremely anxious, as if he didn’t know what to do.

“What is going on right now?! I was just having a late dinner, madam! I was at my place! You know that I live alone, madam!”

She quietly observed the anxious looking Vice Captain Hilsman.

Violan started to smile.

“I really must seem like a fool to you.”

Inside this area that was surrounded by a circle…

Although the people inside couldn’t tell what kind of spell was in it, the roaring mana made it possible to tell that it was extremely strong.

“At seven in the evening yesterday… Sir Hilsman left, saying that he would go home for a bit. And… At exactly 9 pm… You walked into the Lord’s Castle.”

“I am that Hilsman!”

He sounded as if he truly felt wronged. He also sounded as if he had no idea as to what was going on. His expression seemed real.

“Madam, you are suspecting me because nobody saw me for two hours?! How can you be so sure? Seeing me going into the house or lighting a fire to cook… I’m sure that someone must have seen me. How can you be so sure that nobody saw me during that time? This is not like your usual rational self, Violan-nim.”

“Then let me ask you a question.”

Violan picked up her teacup as she asked.

“Sir Hilsman. What did I promise to do for you if you became Captain? Do you remember our deal?”

Her eyes were slowly starting to glow blue.

“You better remember it. Otherwise, you will be suppressed by mana until you explode to death.”

All emotion disappeared from Hilsman’s face.

“Haaaa.”

He let out a short sigh. He then shook his head side to side.

His body leaned back into the chair as if he was slumping over.

Finally, he looked toward Duchess Violan.

“There is nothing.”

“…What?”

The Duchess’s pupils started shaking.

On the other hand, Hilsman’s eyes were very still.

“There was no deal whatsoever.”

His voice was full of confidence, as if he was telling the truth.

“Madam, someone like you, who cares so much about the Henituse territory and the family, someone who values elegance so much, making a deal with me?”

He shook his head as if it made no sense.

“The Duchess, no, the Deputy Territory Lord would never make a deal with someone over something like the territory’s Knight Captain position. It’s not like you wish for young master Basen or young lady Lily to become the territory lord. You wish for the Henituse territory’s administration and troops to be maintained in a clean manner more than anybody else.”

Violan’s mouth opened.

“Yes…I do wish for that.”

Hilsman did not say anything else.

He just shook his head, as if he found all of this to be unbelievable.

“However, Sir Hilsman did make a deal with me.”

‘Mm!’

Hilsman eyes opened wide.

“Violan-nim! I am not greedy for power! Why do you keep testing me-”

“If I, Hilsman, rise up to the Captain position, if I become skilled enough to reach that level, please give me the opportunity to choose my own liege.”

Violan’s stoic voiced echoed through the room.

“I wish to follow young master Cale Henituse.”

She recalled the conversation she had with Vice Captain Hilsman about one and a half years ago.

He had spent a few months after coming back from Harris Village with Cale to swing his sword day and night. After that, he came to look for Deruth and Violan saying that the Knight Captain would not give him permission.

‘If young master Cale becomes the territory lord, I wish to wholeheartedly serve him as my liege as the Knight Captain. Of course, I will give my everything to serve the territory even if someone else became the territory lord, but I wish to serve a different liege in my heart in that case.’

She didn’t remember everything about it, but she remembered some parts very clearly as it had been quite a unique situation.

someone like Vice

would never say something

“But he proved it.”

changed

played his part as a valiant knight of the Henituse territory, doing more

Henituse territory… Cale and his friends had played the major roles, but many others

give his life not for Cale, but for the entire

that with her, had told Hilsman that he

live here… Everybody was important. He said that he finally understood his mission and to please come look for him if we

Click.

Violan lowered her teacup.

be the one by my side

it

calm her anger at

are pretending to be the person who is the sword and

but there were many people in the world who wished

was the responsibility of the Henituse family to

“Where is Sir Hilsman?”

do you mean? I

Baaaaang!

shook

hand stretched forward. His body was

as an eagle’s claw was

Baaaaang!

was another loud

eye. She leisurely raised her hand. She then slowly caressed the thing her

be cold oddly felt

“Thank you very much.”

mommy! This

Raon was smiling brightly, as if he was enjoying Violan

heard a relaxed voice at

“How disappointing.”

gaze turned

care

Ooooo–

circle before it flailed around, as

spoke with an innocent

I will catch him!

“Haaaaa.”

sigh echoed

down

“Sir Hilsman is alive.”

“What?”

side

asleep in the basement of his house if you head there. He seemed quiet devoted to the Henituse household, so I knocked him unconscious

“…Who are you?”

“Duchess Violan.”

smile on his face, he

Violan could feel years of experience coming from the way this guy was acting. He

punk Deruth seems to have a lot

“What are you saying…”

Hmm. I feel like someone must be watching all of this. Is

disguised as

quietly looked at the video communication device dangling on Raon’s

Raon felt that the smirk on this Hilsman’s face was

Dragon-nim as well. I was really just planning on quietly observing before

He shrugged his shoulders.

be revealed. I guess it is time for me to

The

comment. He didn’t seem to care that he couldn’t see the person on the

flowed out of the black video

What the

“My, my.”

shook his head side to

Henituse, you cannot speak to me that way. Well, I

the other side of the video communication

is this

same expression on her face right now. She

She couldn’t believe it.

Escape?

was

“But you see…”

man disguised as Hilsman

a damn

gaze turned

was curled up in a smile but his gaze was

is that

jumped out of their seats as soon as he

moment

something was

told

not like

meaningful sacrifices that much

take what I just said to heart…

meeting today… Duke Deruth had

the future, but… We don’t really

told Choi Han

‘Why is he lying?’

was also talking

that short

Cale started to frown.

* * *