28 The Rigor of a Concerned Father

Like the guards, Councillor Steegar was surprised by his mentor's reaction. So obviously a smile appeared on his face as he watched the blond-haired boy descend the stairs, and he tried to continue his role as a good mentor even when the sword was already in the duke's hands.

"Your Grace, are you sure that doing this is the best choice? This man is surrounded, he has no chance against thirty of our men at once." Steegar argued.

"No, Steegar. This is the perfect opportunity for the other three corners of the kingdom to get to know my strength not only diplomatically, but also as a warrior. The news of Ardann's defeat will spread, but at the same time people will know that Kozáni has me and is not unprotected." Olyno then looked at the pillar destroyed by Ardann's impact. "Besides, I can't allow any more men to get hurt in my place. I'm perfectly capable of fighting."

Unwilling to argue any longer, Steegar nodded and stepped back. When he raised his head again, he looked directly at Victor Shieldman, who in turn could see the confidence on the Counselor's face.

Then Olyno stepped forward, holding out his golden sword, and asked:

"Are you ready, hunter?"

"I don't want to have to do this, boy. Haven't you figured that out yet?" Victor retorted.

"You want your criminal daughter free, don't you? Defeat me and besides her you can free whoever else you want. Oh, and you'll also become the ruler of the city!" Olyno declared, and this drew laughter from the spectators.

At that moment, Victor raised his sword with a serious countenance, perhaps the only one not smiling in the entire throne room. "You don't even realize how dumb you're being right now, but you'd think young nobles would be idiots." Victor said, which made Olyno's smile disappear.

Hunter Victor's words brought up some not-so-good memories for Olyno again. 

During the young duke's childhood, he often felt lonely living in the castle, so he would take advantage of the occasional gaps during his lessons to escape. Most of the time, he would run out into the courtyard to watch the city's soldiers training and, if he was lucky, even see a knight fighting. Whenever he was found, whether by Councillor Steegar, who knew all the boy's hiding places, or by one of the castle guards or servants, he always heard the same things from his father.

"Boy, why are you running away from private lessons with your tutors? Do you want to become a functional idiot?"

"Go back inside now, Oly!"

"Son, you need to pay more attention in class. I had brothers who didn't value their studies and not only did they become parasitic government idiots in the capital, they didn't know how to enjoy the best things in life: knowledge."

The former duke was known for his kindness to the people of Kozáni, but, as you might expect, he was a little inflexible with his own family, as he took education very seriously. Olyno was the only son left by his late wife, meaning that from birth Olyno was destined to become Duke of Kozáni one day, so he couldn't be fooled around. 

In the end, his father's expectations and pressure had the opposite effect on Olyno, who began to run away from the castle more and more often, sometimes even at night to wander around the city.

Olyno became a troubled and quarrelsome teenager, but he showed an exceptional talent for combat, and his interest in battles proved genuine as he never missed his fencing lessons.

His father was deeply disappointed, and soon after became very ill.

Olyno blamed himself when the old duke fell ill, so he almost stopped fencing to focus on his studies, because that was what his father had always dreamed of. However, Steegar talked to the boy and convinced him that it was time to focus even more on his sword training, so that one day he could become more than just a duke, he could become King of Athína.

The teenager, persuaded by the words of the trustworthy Steegar, was amazed at the possibility of becoming King, something that not even his father had achieved. This was something he had never dreamed of, but it became his ultimate goal. 

However, when Olyno went to his sick father to tell him about his great plan, he didn't get the answer he was looking for.

"King!? Co-cof! What are you talking about, Oly?"

"The Royal Selection happens every thirty years, right? The next time it happens, I'll already be a young adult and I'll be able to compete to become a King, Dad!"

A few seconds of silence followed the boy's statement, and he looked expectantly at his father. 

The duke could barely open his eyes, but he let go of Olyno's hand and turned to the other side of the bed.

"You really are a disappointment... I've created an idiot... I'm sorry, Marsella, I've failed."

For Olyno, hearing this from his own father was like having his heart pierced by an arrow. He stood up and threw his chair against the wall. "It's not fair of you to say that! Just because you couldn't be King doesn't mean I can't be!"

"You don't understand... Cof, Cof! The crown is just an empty object," said the duke, without turning to face his son. "As King, you may have authority and military power, but you'll be too high up the... Cof!... ladder to be able to see and improve the lives of those on the first rungs. Only idiots and thugs like your uncle dream of the crown." 

A few days after this conversation, Olyno's father died and he officially became Duke of Kozáni. And for some time Olyno tried to understand what his father had tried to teach him in that very last conversation between them.

For the first few months, Olyno tried to follow his father's advice and tried to become a beloved duke like the old duke was.

However, Olyno soon realized that his father wasn't wrong. He was an idiot and knew nothing about trade agreements, etiquette and even less about politics. So Steegar, still an Counselor, became responsible for government decisions. 

Over the next few months, as Steegar had asked him to do, Olyno reduced public policies so that the city's traders would have more economic freedom and thus be able to create more jobs for the population, but this led to more and more inequality, and from there more and more problems arose.

Shortly afterwards, Olyno abandoned his position as duke completely and only stayed in the city because he needed to keep his title, even if it was just a facade. He focused on training his skills and left the duke's responsibilities to the person he trusted most: Steegar, of course. From then on, Steegar gained enough power to do anything he wanted in the city.