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Chapter 23

The king continued, picking up where he had left off.

"What's clear is that when the 'Deep-Sea Gate' opened—that is, during the few hours when the monster appeared—the flow of the Mana River was disrupted. That's where we'll begin."

"Yes."

"Good. You'll stay in the capital for the time being."

"Y—"

Pardon?

He looked at the king again, wondering if he'd misheard. The king, in turn, gave him an even more puzzled look.

"'We' includes you. You're the one who's dealt with the most monsters—isn't that only natural? I've told you to stay since last time."

Adrian clamped his mouth shut.

He could handle monsters without issue. But staying in the capital indefinitely—that was as good as saying he'd be waiting endlessly for monsters that might or might not appear.

His business in West Sea Nest was growing rapidly, and monsters still appeared there from time to time—he couldn't just leave it unattended.

Yes, the monster outbreaks were a national crisis—but there were plenty of mages here.

For now, he simply bowed his head like a loyal subordinate.

"I'll first go to Carlton Territory, as you're concerned about."

"And—"

When an easy answer didn't come, the king's brow twitched.

Daring to give a disloyal reply masked as sincerity—intending to deal with the immediate issue and then return to the Western Sea? That would be—

"Not happening."

Adrian, as if expecting this, didn't panic and continued calmly.

"Having fought several naval battles with monsters in the Western Sea, I can confirm that mages alone are sufficient to drive them back."

"Mages can strike monsters directly, but it's not enough—their magic is partially neutralized."

"But the magical houses here are far superior to those in the Western Sea. Even if some magic is offset, it won't be a problem—their power is immense. And if direct attacks are insufficient, they can use surrounding objects or natural elements to drive them away."

The king let out a scoffing sigh.

"Easy to say. Even those elite mage families' scions struggled considerably this time. What good is magic if training is lax? They spent all day and only managed to push it back outside the 'Gate.'"

"It's better to drive it out through the 'Deep-Sea Gate' than to kill it. Killing it creates more complications."

"Well, do as you wish. You'll be leading the subjugation unit anyway."

"Excuse me?"

A mere knight from the frontier being put in command of a subjugation unit—even Adrian couldn't maintain his composure this time.

"How could a mere knight lead such esteemed mages?"

"Then you're asking for a title commensurate with that? A dukedom would suffice—where should I give you as a fief…"

At his words, Adrian looked up with a chill running down his spine.

The king smiled gently.

"Any land you fancy?"

"That's not what I meant, Your Majesty."

"It was a joke. Though it's not that I couldn't give you a dukedom."

Adrian inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Given the king's usual temperament, it wasn't easy to take his words as mere jest.

"Please don't even joke like that. There was already fierce opposition when I was appointed to guard the western Mana River."

A businessman from West Sea Nest. No family name. Low-born, with foreign blood.

It wasn't hard to understand—it must have looked as though they'd entrusted the western seas to an outsider dabbling in money.

"That's just them spouting nonsense without knowing anything."

Nevertheless, the king pushed forward with reasonable arguments—and when necessary, he'd keep the meeting going until he got his way.

"So take it easy. Once they know who you are, those who looked down on you will be lining up to curry favor."

Adrian inhaled softly.

"Your Majesty, I severed ties with my paternal family long ago… no, I was never entangled with them. They've never once acknowledged me."

"That's not how the Grand Duke sees it. And it's you who's unilaterally refused contact."

"……"

The current king's father, the late King Elcaro Balzer, had arranged a marriage between a foreign princess and his own younger brother—the Grand Duke.

A princess of ill omen and a Chelburg grand duke. The humiliation the Grand Duke felt, and the tragic end of that union, need not be elaborated. It was evident simply from the fact that Adrian chose to take his foreign mother's surname.

And in this unfortunate, tangled history, the current king, Schvein Balzer, seemed to carry a certain sense of responsibility.

He rose from his seat and approached Adrian. Sitting, he had seemed pale and slender, but up close, his presence was wholly different.

The perfect heir of the kingdom. Yet the young king Schvein Balzer, who had shed much blood to sit on that throne, bore the unmistakable gaze of a ruler.

"He wants to put you in the family register. Of course, he's after your vast wealth, your businesses, and your monstrous strength."

"I'm the bloodline of a ruined Camus, and I have no father."

"……"

The king looked at him quietly. Adrian's expression showed little change—it wasn't difficult to repeat words he'd etched into his mind long ago.

"My mother, who could confirm his paternity, is dead, and anything that might link us has been burned."

"Then it's troubling that he thinks otherwise."

But the king couldn't leave Adrian as he was forever. It wasn't about titles or bloodlines—he needed to remind Adrian that the man he'd cut off would try to seize him by some means.

"……"

"Magic can solve complicated problems too. Unfortunately, Grand Duke Langport is a formidable mage."

Adrian bit his tongue.

If Langport were officially recognized as his father, everything he'd built would crumble. He'd plant his people in various places, and the mercenaries who handled monsters would eventually leave under contempt and exploitation.

Money would leak, trust would collapse, and everything would fall apart. Adrian let out a stifled sigh.

"Of course, I won't let that happen. I don't like him much either. Frankly, I quite approve of your stance in rejecting him."

"……"

"So prepare thoroughly from now on. A sure way to prevent any blood-tie entanglement."

The king's eyes gleamed.

"Step on his head and rise above—as decisively as possible."

"Naturally, I intend to do just that if the opportunity arises."

"No, I mean figuratively!"

Seeing the tension in Adrian's foot, the king waved his hands frantically.

"I know. I'm simply keeping the literal option in mind as well."

The king shook his head.

"You're not quite normal either."

Adrian bit his tongue to keep himself from saying, Neither are you, Your Majesty.

"Anyway, first, rise to a level where no one can touch you carelessly. I can help with that. Whether you step on him later is up to you."

Adrian knew well enough—he had to become someone who couldn't be easily crushed.

Why else had he been driving his business to the brink and throwing himself into the sea? Without a supporting family, the greatest power was money.

That was why he never took a single day off, never wasted a single net.

"I'm preparing steadily. It's just that the timing isn't right yet…"

"Then become the subjugation unit commander first. That'll do."

"……"

"What's with that face? Did you think you'd get great power all at once? You have to climb step by step! 'The king has a good eye,' 'The king values ability over lineage'—those murmurs have to spread first before I can hand out a dukedom quickly. Then you can step on heads! Eh?"

"…Your Majesty. A dukedom isn't given out just to step on someone's head…"

"Anyway, answer me quickly! How long will you stay in the capital? Doesn't Yulcan have capable people? Or do you have to do everything yourself?"

Suddenly, Haley came to Adrian's mind. And he regretted it.

Hadn't he said he'd give her weight to represent him in his absence? His sincerity had clearly been heard—he just hadn't expected the repayment to come so soon.

The king spoke again.

"I believe in fair compensation for everything. If you handle the monsters on the front lines, your business hub in Nest will suffer—I'll double any losses you incur. The funds I liquidated from factions before ascending the throne are quite substantial."

He leaned back into his chair and rubbed his eyes. Despite his relaxed tone, his body was clearly exhausted.

"Additionally, I'll grant you unrestricted use of a portal device that can take you anywhere you wish in an instant. On the condition that you stay in the capital until this is settled. With things as they are, monsters could fall over the capital or the palace at any time—and traveling by land would take ages!"

The deadline was until the matter was resolved.

The king slapped the armrest—looking thoroughly satisfied with the result.

In contrast, Adrian couldn't give an easy answer.

The king's deadline was "until the cause is identified and resolved"—meaning if the cause wasn't found, the term could be extended indefinitely.

Yet even arguing this would be considered disloyal; in truth, the king was offering the most generous consideration possible. He could use the communication port to check on Nest and return anytime via portal, and if he suffered any loss, it would be doubled.

"There are two options: accept these conditions, or follow the royal command empty-handed. What will it be?"

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