Chapter 6: A Walk

"Huff! Huff!"

It was still the time when the green moon hung in the early morning sky.

Ian sat by the window, gazing outside. He had a lot to think about and had tossed and turned all night, but he was woken by some noise.

"Align to the left!"

"Align to the left!"

"Move forward!"

It was the sound of the Bratz soldiers heading out for their early morning training. Ian propped his chin on his hand and carefully observed them.

'There are quite a few soldiers.'

A considerable number of them were streaming out through the main gate one after another.

Considering the ratio of garrisoned soldiers to the general troops deployed throughout the estate, it seemed that Derga had an excessive number of soldiers.

'It would be awkward to reduce the number of soldiers. It would be a headache for him too.'

Other border regions reduced their number of soldiers after making peace. Unemployed soldiers would return to their original jobs, plow the fields, and sell goods to pay taxes to the lord again. Peace brought economic benefits along with it.

However, the Duke of Derga had not reduced the number of soldiers despite making peace from the previous generation. It was probably because it was an incomplete and untrustworthy form of peace.

The duke's second brother was killed when he crossed the border, and Ian himself was sent as a sacrificial offering.

'In this case, it might be better to break the peace.'

The economy of the estate's people must support the maintenance of the army. Currently, there were too many soldiers compared to the population.

Thus, frequent battles would actually balance things out. If battles continued, the number of soldiers the estate's people had to support would decrease, and if they succeeded in occupying, they would gain new labor and capital.

Of course, the assumption of defeat would be another problem, but it was clear that a human's head would swell before that. It needed to be resolved before then.

'If it's war, then war. If it's peace, then peace.'

One of the two must be firmly established; otherwise, everyone's suffering would only increase in an ambiguous situation.

Just look at Hana. Even though she worked in the duke's mansion, she would starve if not for Ian's errands.

Creak.

Ian tidied his clothes and left the room. In the corridor, he saw a servant dozing off. He must have been on night duty, watching over Ian.

"Hey."

"Y-Yes, Ian sir?"

"The air is cold. Go inside."

Was it a dream or reality? The servant wiped his mouth and blinked his eyes. It was the first time Ian had gone outside in the early morning. Until now, he had confirmed everything was fine during the night by receiving the breakfast tray.

"Where are you going?"

"I just want to take a walk."

At this hour? Perhaps he had some ulterior motive.

The servant's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Ian smiled and nodded, his gaze cold.

"What are you looking at?"

It meant to step aside and let him pass.

The servant bowed his head, trying to regain his composure, but he couldn't hide his perplexed expression. It was too quiet in the mansion to let Ian go without suspicion, yet there was no good reason to stop him.

"Um, Ian sir..."

"You can come along if you want."

Ian gave his permission as if there was nothing more to say and led the way down the corridor. Even if he told the servant not to follow, he wouldn't listen, and besides, he was unfamiliar with the mansion. It would be good to have a guide.

"Is that annex locked?"

"It's cleaned and polished every day for guests."

"You're being evasive. What about over there?"

"The armory is a matter of security."

The servant was quite tight-lipped.

While watching Ian's reaction, the servant didn't answer straightforwardly. He seemed ready to run off and report as soon as his surveillance was over. Ian didn't really care, as he had no intention of causing trouble.

The real problem was something else.

"Hah."

He took a deep breath and straightened his back. He had been gathering information, and the first issue he noticed was the child's physical strength.

An untrained body. It was worse than he had expected. Just walking around the mansion was this tiring. He would surely be exhausted to death near the border before meeting the Qianli clan.

And the second issue.

'There doesn't seem to be any gula.'

He checked the well-maintained garden and the rarely visited backyard, but there was no sign of gula.

A plant that is strong in reproduction and survival, it must have been pulled up and burned wherever it was found. It wouldn't be seen in residential areas except in deep mountains. Since he couldn't go outside, this was also a problem.

"Ian sir. It's morning. Let's have breakfast."

The servant yawned and suggested. It was time to end his night duty. His behavior was rude, but considering Ian's situation, it was understandable. Ian nodded and followed obediently.

"Alright. Let's go to the main house dining room."

"Main house dining room?"

The servant's question was meaningful.

Didn't Ian receive his dinner on a tray in his room yesterday? He must have been doing the same for every meal.

But Ian had no intention of doing so. He was hungry, and he needed to confront the people of the Derga family who held his life in their hands.

"Oh! Ian sir? Good morning?"

"What brings you here..."

The servants in the dining room were flustered when they saw Ian. Judging by the number of dishes, it seemed there were two people inside.

"I came for breakfast."

"But the duchess and Chel are here."

"Where is Derga, or rather, Father?"

"He went out yesterday and hasn't returned yet."

Tsk. He clicked his tongue, but it wasn't a bad situation. Without Derga, it would be easier to deal with the two of them.

"Open the door."

The servant had no choice but to pull the handle. Soon, the luxurious interior of the dining room was revealed.

The two people inside had different reactions. Chel's eyes widened in surprise, while Mrs. Mary's narrowed in displeasure.

"What is this about?"

Her tone was sharp.

Ian responded with a sly smile.

"Good morning, Mother. It's a fine day."

After a light greeting, he sat opposite them.

Chel fidgeted and looked at his mother, but Mrs. Mary didn't notice, her face twisted with a malicious expression that was hard to associate with the kind lady Ian had seen in the garden yesterday.

"If you want to eat, you should do so in your room."

Despite her cutting tone, Ian calmly moved forward to the table.

"I did that last night, but while chewing a piece of bread, I realized it wasn't right."

"What?"

"Didn't you find it quite surprising when I drank the finger bowl yesterday? Both of the Duke's children made mistakes."

Chel's face turned red at his words.

Mary put down her knife roughly and clamped her mouth shut, her eyes warning that she would strike if he didn't stop.

"Father also instructed me to focus on my studies. It's hard to learn manners when eating alone with a tray, so it's better to eat together here."

He cleverly lied, making it seem as if it was Derga's intention, even though it wasn't.

"Mother?"

"...Sit down."

She looked like she was boiling inside.

Mrs. Mary nervously cut the frittata with her fork and knife. Chel, who seemed to have lost his appetite, sat quietly and glanced at Ian. Ian smiled and met his gaze.

"Of course, eating at the table is better than on a tray, isn't it? Brother?"

"Uh? Uh-huh..."

There was much more food. Ian filled his hunger with elegant and diligent movements. While doing so, he carefully observed the lady, noting that her jewelry, dress, and everything she wore were things that would be praised as precious even in Emperor Ian's era.

While the servants were so hungry they were eyeing the bastard's bowl, the lady indulged in luxury.

The family was a mess overall.

"Mother, I have something to say."

"Can't you just shut up and eat?"

"Please change my room. It would be nice if you could also provide some candles."

"Ha!"

The lady finally looked at Ian, bursting into a hollow laugh.

"You don't know your place. Change your room? What do you need candles for? You, who can't even read a single word, want to waste resources. You're just like your low and vain mother."

It was more than an insult; it was defecation.

Chel's body visibly stiffened, clearly worried that Ian might show his golden eyes in anger and unleash some unknown power.

"My mother is the duchess, so it's natural to be similar. Everything you say is true."

But Ian smiled brightly and delivered a blow. You are the low and vain woman you described.

The lady didn't immediately catch the polite tone but soon realized the offensive content and blushed.

"...You!"

"Lord Molin will visit next week and asked to see my room."

The lady was about to screech in anger. Ian smoothly interrupted. It was a lie, but a manageable and useful one.

"You can't show such a room to a distinguished guest. Even if you change it on the day, a perceptive person would notice the awkwardness. Since there are other rooms, it would be better to give me one now."

"Where did you get the nerve to look me in the eye!"

"If I show my inadequacies, it will burden Chel. You don't want that, do you, Mother?"

Molin was a central official sent from the palace to monitor local nobles. If things went wrong, Chel might have to be sent as a substitute.

"I'll do my best, Mother."

Ian smiled and chewed his meat. His gaze was a clear request for her to support him in every way.

The duchess was not just flustered but also bewildered. How could that corpse-like being become so ridiculous in just one day?

Bang!

The lady stormed out, clearly displeased. Chel hesitated for a moment before standing up.

"Brother?"

"Huh? Uh-huh..."

Chel, who was about to leave, turned around.

"Don't worry about what happened yesterday. Everyone makes mistakes, don't they?"

"Y-Yes, but..."

"Only small-minded people dwell on past mistakes."

On the surface, it seemed like Ian was comforting Chel's mistake, but in reality, he was telling him to forget what he saw yesterday. Chel nodded silently and quickly left.

'There will be a lot of food left over.'

Ian raised an eyebrow at the abundant table before him. He took only what he needed and moved the rest aside for the servants.

"Hmm."

Ian leisurely enjoyed his meal while looking outside. Sitting alone in the spacious dining room, he felt truly at peace, a sense of ease he had never experienced in his previous life.

Suddenly, he saw his reflection in the window. A small, unfamiliar face.

'Ian.'

If Emperor Ian was here, where had the bastard Ian gone?

Ian propped his chin on his hand, facing the calm child's face. The tall tree in the garden swayed gracefully.

Meanwhile, that late afternoon.

The duchess, though angry, had no choice but to move Ian to the annex. The servants rummaged through Ian's room to pack his few belongings and soon found a strange piece of paper.

"What's this?"

It was a document Ian had written the previous night about Barial's history. However, it was soaked in a water cup, the ink had smeared, and the paper was torn.

"Was Ian sir studying?"

"But why did he soak it in water?"

"Why? He must have been embarrassed by it."

The servants, not knowing what the paper contained, threw it in the trash. They all doubted that the bastard Ian, who was illiterate, had written anything.