60 The Young Master Of The House of Blois!

Geriant Hildebrand

"You shouldn't concern yourself too much, Young Master. It is the height of foolishness to worry yourself to exhaustion."

My words were of little effect to halt the pacing of my irritated superior. Master Percival, son of the House of Blois found himself pacing inside his office. From the oak bookcase filled with knowledge to the velvet couch against the wall, Master Percival continued his march.

The recurring encounters with his boot trampled the once-settled rug. In all of my time serving him, there was never a time that I had seen him this upset.

It all started following the events of his banquet three days ago when three new men appeared before us. They were men associated with Lady Clarice Angea, and under the orders of Lord Mordred, I brought them to the banquet hall. Though, I could have never expected what transpired then.

"The House of Blois challenges the three of you to a duel."

A challenge that shook the very foundations of the banquet to its core. It was then that Lord Mordred challenged the three men of Lady Clarice to a duel. A duel that they rejected instantly. An incredibly surprising act. A duel is sacred in this world, even more so amongst the upper echelon.

The major noble houses of Astana are no exception to that rule, and as such, there was never a challenge rejected without proper reason. As I recall the smug expression warping the mind of the tallest man of Lady Clarice's subordinates, I could imagine their reason. They wanted to enrage Master Percival, and as he paced and bit his nails, I could see that their plan was a success.

Master Percival has been restless for days now and has taken few guests. It was peculiar to see the proud man consumed with a single focus.

"I must crush those bastards, Geriant. Don't you understand that?!"

Those words were repeated to me multiple times, and with each time scorn leaked into his tone. His blonde hair, while maintained contained a subtle dryness to them. Pale skin tinged with a crimson flush shifted across the room.

"I understand, but you will find that task impossible if you do not rest your mind."

"Tch- Impossible?", Master Percival responds.

For the first time in hours, Master Percival's hardened gaze landed on my figure. The crystal blue eyes were clouded with a veil of fury that I had never seen prior.

"It should have been impossible for me to repel the siege at Theoscyran, but I did. It should have been impossible for two men to repel of horde of orcs, but they did. It should have been impossible for those gutter rats ever to upstage my men, but they did. It should have been impossible for them to humiliate me, but they did. So do not tell me that anything is impossible!", he says while clenching his fist.

With an exhale Master Percival tucked his fingertips into his golden strands. While not completely ideal, it appears that his sudden eruption was enough to allow him to calm himself. With a few steps, he moved over and sat down on his couch. His arms crossed across his chest as he tapped his foot.

"Brother has little faith in my abilities. He believes that the foxkin and his cronies are dangerous.", Master Percival says with a huff. "Speak on the matter, Geriant."

The words of Master Percival were more contained than before, and I could sense that he was reflecting on something. It was known that Master Percival met with Lord Mordred after the events at his banquet. I had assumed that things had not gone well based on Master Percival's mood, and now I see why.

"I believe that your interpretation of your brother's words is incorrect. Lord Mordred is a keen man, and I assure you that he values your competence. I have had the opportunity to observe those men for a brief period, so I can understand his wariness.", I respond. 

"Tell me... Do you think that my faction could lose to those men?"

"I do not, but there lies a slim possibility. There is a slim chance that they might be able to subvert our expectations and defeat you. I would say that it mainly depends on two factors."

"Which two factors might that be?", He responds with a tilt of his head.

"I will advise you to look beyond the surface, Young Master. Although they're at a disadvantage when it comes to their influence, I believe that at least one of them poses a significant threat when it comes to power."

"You're talking about the one that caused my finances to take a dip due to his destruction?", He asked with a scowl on his face.

"Indeed. Based on my perspective of that man, I have come to believe that he alone could turn the tide if we do not choose proper candidates to represent your faction. Considering that you rejected your brother's assistance, you have cut off any potential aid from that man."

The men that Clarice has under her command seem to be quite peculiar. Firstly, those men are complete enigmas with no connection with the upper echelon of Astana. From my understanding, they are not adventurers with any guild in the region either.

"Well, I do not believe that we need him anyway for them. It is like sending a Court Mage out to tame mere rabbits. They are mere cowards that fleed from their duties and leeched themselves to that foolish woman from the Angea."

Following our introduction and pooling it with the information gathered from Master Percival, I reached out to my contacts for any group of men recently released from the Conscripted Forces around the same time. Upon our initial meeting, I noticed that they were wearing attire strikingly similar to those worn by a member of the Conscipited Forces. Naturally, I had to research what I could on those individuals, but I found nothing.

It was odd that not even the names that they claimed could be tied to had any real connections. No men that fit their descriptions have appeared within the organization either. Only recently has one of them registered with the adventurer's guild as an F-class adventurer. These men are complete anomalies, but they must have some connection if they have aligned themselves with one of the premier families of Astana.

"Cowards they may be, but they do possess some strength behind them. Even Sir Dante was blown away by the strength of the man known as Q Drago. The one who is currently slotted in the F class of the Adventurers Guild. Considering that he has the strength to overpower Sir Dante, it is likely that we may need to dig deeper into your manpower far more than we anticipated. If we are the defeat them, then it would be for the best that we take this encounter seriously.", I said.

"This doesn't sound like you, Geriant. You sound as if we face insurmountable odds, but in reality, we only face three men. I have overcome far greater threats than them, so why is it that you and my brother hesitate when it comes to those three? Why do you doubt my abilities so much?!", Master Percival exclaims.

"You misunderstand my intentions, Young Master. I do not doubt your competence, and neither does your brother. It is the competence and judgment of Clarice von Angea that is to be feared. A woman that came out of nowhere and brought the discord of her house in order. One who musters not only the intelligence to reoraganize her family, but has the ability to acquire the services of powerful, yet unknown men. It is her that is the true threat, and one that you seem to completely disregard."

Master Percival suddenly rose to his feet. His hair flowed over his shoulders as the man crossed the room. His hands reached out and his plans made contact with the crimson curtains mounted on the window. Pulling them open, the bright allure of the sun entered the room, filling it with its radiance. There was a fury radiating from his figure, but I could sense that he wanted to hide it.

"That changes nothing. Even if one of them matches Dante's strength, and Clarice possess great intelligence, I am the third son of the Blois. You should know better than anyone that I will always find a way. I will use every tool in my arsenal to prove myself to be her better."

His words were tight, but there was a slight change in his mannerisms. The Young Master peered through the window and from my angle, I could see the soliders under his command hard at work. His palms gripped his cuffs while a sigh slipped from his lungs.

"As you should, Young Master. You have my support, and I will continue to uncover anything about these men and their capabilites, and shed light on it.", I respond to him.

"No. That will not be necessary. Instead of learning about them, I am under the belief that another path is before us. We have the talent, I am confident in my men, but we should call in a favor from those two."

My eyes couldn't prevent themselves from widening. The proud, young noble immeditantly took notice of my reaction and began grinning like a demon. It was a sight that had become quite unsettling. I knew that he wanted to win, but at what cost. Young Master Percival... just how far are you willing to go.

"Summon them to our usual meeting place in two days time.", he instructs. "You mentioned bringing the identities of our adversaies to the light, but if they wish to wallow in the dark, then I will oblige."