Chapter 34

That was the case.

According to the factions as explained by Yeger and Volkwin, there was no place as ambiguous as the Weatherwood family's position.

Firstly, the Weatherwood family had participated in the Mage War but did not receive any benefits from it.

Furthermore, due to their complete inactivity over the past four years, they could not be categorized as either pro-emperor or pro-Jenail within the nobility council.

Moreover, despite being a member of the nobility council, after boarding the Black Lagal, they only mingled with the upper class, not nobles, like Yeger and Volkwin for four whole days.

‘Have I become a mutant?’

In my own way, I intended to live modestly without drawing attention, but it ended up being a miserable failure.

‘I didn’t consider that what I considered modest and what Lord Weatherwood considered modest were completely different standards.’

Thinking that being a noble meant just playing, I thought I could just play, right?

Not knowing what my expression was, Volkwin added consolingly,

“Of course... It’s not just because your position is ambiguous that so many people have come to see you.”

Yeger slapped my shoulder hard and laughed.

“Who would see this guy as a distinguished noble councilor? You’re nothing like them, Gray. Sometimes even I’m startled.”

Not just startled, but startled to the point of jumping. Indeed, a kid with an unnecessarily good sense.

“Does that mean I lack dignity?”

“No. It means you’re free and interesting.”

Volkwin gave up on the game. Yeger, as if waiting for this, went all in with his chips.

“You’re interesting, Gray.”

“Is that so? Your face is a bit interesting too.”

“I’ve never seen a noble who treats everyone equally, regardless of titles or family. Even if they pretend not to, they all draw lines. This person is a friend at my level. This person is a bit lacking to be around. They assign grades. Everyone except you.”

Yeger’s smile, though playful, was quite sharp. It was clear how many people he had observed and scrutinized over the years.

“But from my experience, being interesting also means life gets a bit tiring. Especially for someone like you, who looks and stands out. You make people expect too much.”

“Ah. Is that from experience? Did you have some expectations of me?”

“I’ll exercise my right to remain silent on that question.”

At that moment, the cabin door opened again.

A crew member appeared cautiously, not turning his head to the other side, and approached our table directly.

“Look. Another guest has come.”

As he said this, Yeger completed his hand.

A full house. The third-best hand in Imperial Poker, practically a winning hand.

“It seems so.”

Feeling the无形的气势 from outside the cabin, I laid down my cards on the table.

“But this guest is going to be quite troublesome.”

“What?”

“Straight flush.”

If a full house is the third-best hand, a straight flush is the best.

“...What? Wait, wait a moment.”

While I swept the chips from the table, Yeger checked my cards with a surprised look.

Meanwhile, the crew member whispered in my ear.

“Lord Weatherwood. A guest has come to see you.”

Feeling the momentum from outside the cabin again, I lifted the corners of my mouth.

Since boarding the Black Lagal, I had been eagerly waiting for someone for four days.

The reason I silently watched the growing gathering was all because of this person.

I had been waiting for him to take the bait of Lord Weatherwood.

With my sixth sense abnormally honed, I was confident I could recognize him the moment our eyes met.

Whether he was the client or not.

“Duke Berkeley Grayton?”

The noise in the cabin suddenly stopped.

Long legs crossed the table, which was irregularly arranged, with a flexible stride.

His pace was neither fast nor slow. A seasoned warrior has his own speed.

In that sense, the seventeenth guest to come to me was the one with the most distinctive speed.

“I feel a bit embarrassed, as I seem to have poured cold water on the situation.”

Sword Saint Jihark Berkeley Grayton.

For him, there was no more meaningless number than his age.

The man always maintained a young appearance, looking just a bit over thirty. In some ways, he looked younger now than he did 14 years ago. It was a face that evoked many emotions.

‘The Sword Saint I met on the battlefield was like a blazing flame.’

Now, he is as calm as a frozen lake. Even without taking any stance, there was not a single crack to be felt.

Our eyes met, and his calm, green eyes showed no ripples.

The Sword Saint is a Sword Master. A warrior like me should never be able to gauge his inner thoughts.

But my sixth sense, which had surpassed the first level of mind-body unity, pierced through the highly refined gaze to uncover a single thread of emotion.

This person has been waiting to meet me.

This person knows me, ‘Lord Weatherwood.’

The Sword Saint is...

The client I was looking for.

‘Damn.’

I swallowed a deep sigh.

Isn’t this the worst hand I could have imagined?

‘The butler assassin was wrong. Jin is not the true owner of <Clone>. The Sword Saint himself is both the client and the true owner of <Clone>.’

If that’s the case, it makes sense that Jin could become the guild master of <Clone>. Jin was a kind of decoy.

The Duke of Berkeley Grayton, known as the Emperor’s Sword, could not have a private organization under his command due to a treaty with the royal family.

‘He cleverly circumvented the treaty by making Jin the guild master.’

Amazing.

It’s truly surprising how past connections have led to this.

Even though it was a long time ago, I learned swordsmanship from him and fought on the battlefield together, transcending life and death.

The memories are so vivid that even now, the reunion with the Sword Saint feels gratifying.

‘But this monster is the mastermind behind our annihilation, isn’t he?’

Indeed, a maid’s life is not smooth.

The Sword Saint extended his hand to me first.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Weatherwood. I am Duke Jihark Berkeley Grayton. You may call me Duke Jihark or Duke Berkeley Grayton, whichever you prefer.”

Standing up from my chair, I quickly checked my posture.

My gait. The habit of checking my right hip. The habit of slightly pushing my right upper body back. I must not show any of these.

I shook his hand without hiding my tense inner state.

“I am Gray Weatherwood. It’s an honor to meet you, Sword Saint.”

The Sword Saint glanced at the table and smiled slightly.

“Straight flush. You won with a great hand.”

“Just lucky.”

“Humility is a fine virtue. I’m glad I came after the game ended. If you don’t mind, could you spare me a moment?”

“I can give you time, but is it something that can’t be discussed here?”

Yeger glared at me with burning eyes.

‘I don’t know why you’re acting so bravely, but stop acting like a fool and take him out immediately.’

I ignored his gaze and looked at the Sword Saint, who was silent for a moment.

‘Is my reaction different from what you expected?’

The Sword Saint is not a hasty person. After gauging me, he smiled slightly and answered.

“It’s not a problem. My daughter, Jin, wishes to have a mock duel with Lord Weatherwood. If it’s not a problem for you, I would like to ask you to teach my inexperienced daughter.”

The murmurs around us gradually increased.

Regardless of that, a big question mark appeared in my mind.

‘If it was just a request for a mock duel, Jin could have come herself. For the Sword Saint to come in person, is he the type to pressure others with his power?’

Even for the sake of fulfilling his daughter’s request? No way.

Yeger, who had been listening to our conversation, stepped in as if waiting for this moment.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding, Your Grace. Gray is not a swordsman.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Look at this palm. Where in the world is there a swordsman with such soft palms? Ha ha, my friend’s aura is so extraordinary that Jin Berkeley Grayton must have been mistaken.”

Yeger spread my palm and waved it back and forth like a fan. However, the Sword Saint seemed to have little interest in whether my hands were soft or rough.

“Lord Weatherwood.”

“Yes.”

“Do you think the same?”

I smiled and answered.

“If you ask for my opinion, I would say that even if one is not a swordsman, they can still wield a sword.”

Volkwin tapped my hand with a flustered voice.

“Gray?”

The Sword Saint asked me with the same gentle attitude.

“Does that mean, even though you haven’t learned swordsmanship, you are willing to be my daughter’s opponent?”

“Your Grace. To be honest, I don’t understand why you came to me with such a request. Isn’t it absurd to ask a non-swordsman to duel with an excellent swordsman? I even feel like you came to mock me.”

Despite the overt criticism, the Sword Saint did not lose his calm smile.

“That’s why I wanted to have a private conversation and make a careful proposal.”

“I understand. You came to me with a ‘request,’ didn’t you, Duke Berkeley Grayton? I can’t pretend not to know your ‘request,’ no matter how awkward, absurd, and unrealistic it may be.”

I emphasized the word ‘request’ with a particularly strong accent. If I’m not mistaken, the Sword Saint’s smile deepened.

At this point, he must have realized why I was laying the groundwork.

“If you have a price in mind, speak it plainly, Lord Weatherwood.”

If you put it that way.