Chapter 22

“The gods spoke firmly. They showed me a light. That light came from Lucus, and if we were to bring the sun of Lucus to Fargone, the light of Fargone would cover the entire continent.” 

Wait, what? If that’s the case, why don’t you declare war on Lucus and steal their treasure or something? Why are you making a fuss about me? 

“Ah. I have listened to you, High Priest, but what does that have to do with me? I am merely a merchant here to collect the overdue debts of Emmet Bruno. Of course, it’s a very intriguing story. I’ve listened well. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” 

Kendrick wanted to end the tiresome conversation and get to inspecting the Central Palace’s treasure vault. But the High Priest wasn’t about to give up. 

“That light is you, Kendrick O’Jear. I saw your figure clearly in my dream. Grand Duke! Do you think I believed in such a dream without question from the beginning? No. I am but a priest, a man with no military power.” 

The High Priest pointed toward the corpses of the Bruno family. 

“But look. As the gods commanded, Emmet Bruno was killed by the sword of his own guard captain, and the nobles who followed him were all captured. And now, the figure I saw in my dream—you—stands before me. Are you saying this is not the will of the gods?”  

The more Kendrick listened, the more absurd and ridiculous the priest’s words became. How could someone spout such nonsense without even blinking an eye? Kendrick found himself half-opening his mouth and looking around in disbelief. His frustration was about to boil over. 

“If you do not trust me, then go ahead and send your men to loot this palace as you wish. We have not touched anything in this palace. The treasures here are the blood-stained wealth accumulated by Emmet Bruno’s family and the nobles who sold our young men. They are filthy, and we do not want them. So, take it all if you wish.” 

For a moment, Kendrick O’Jear, overwhelmed by emotion, tried to rise and summon his soldiers. If not for the piercing gaze of the High Priest, he might have done so. 

“Yes, even if you do so, you will never be able to defy the will of the gods, new Grand Duke. For whatever reason, you will return here, and in one way or another, you will become the Grand Duke of Fargone. That is the will of the gods. No one can defy it.” 

“……” 

“All I ask is that the gods grant us you fully and completely, new Grand Duke.” 

“……Fully and completely?” 

Kendrick’s mood soured instantly. The words he had dreaded were finally spilling from the High Priest’s mouth. 

“Should the slightest chance arise! If you take the treasures of this palace back to your base, and along the way, some part of your body is broken, or if a fire consumes all your wealth, or even if you lose someone precious to you, new Grand Duke…” 

This insane old man! So, in the end, it’s a curse! Damn it! 

Kendrick’s face turned red with anger as he shot up from his seat. 

“Enough! Stop it! What is this… Ha, haha… High Priest, are you cursing a mere merchant now? Hey! Get up, you fool! There’s nothing more to hear! In short, this old man is threatening us not to loot the palace. Get up right now, call the soldiers, and let’s loot this palace completely and burn it to the ground!” 

However, Kendrick’s subordinates, devout believers and seafarers, were trembling in fear. Instead of following orders, they stood up to calm their furious leader, each grabbing one of Kendrick’s shoulders. Both of them looked completely dazed and out of their minds. 

“C-Captain… Let’s just hear what the High Priest has to say a little longer! How many ships and carriages do we have moving right now? Do you really want to anger the High Priest? Please, Captain! Just calm down and sit for a moment.” 

Kendrick let out a hollow laugh. The power of the gods was indeed formidable. Just moments ago, these two subordinates had been willing to do anything he asked, but now they were completely on the High Priest’s side. 

These traitorous fools! 

“Fine, then you two do it. Huh? One of you can become the Grand Duke. I’ll pull you out of our group entirely, and if we ever meet again, I’ll politely address you as ‘Your Grace, Grand Duke.’ So why don’t you become the Grand Duke? Huh? Have you lost your minds?” 

Kendrick shouted furiously. At this, Harald, one of his subordinates, stood his ground and retorted. 

“No, Captain! Didn’t you hear what the High Priest just said? He said he saw your face! Not mine, not this ugly Iar’s face, but your face! What am I supposed to do about that? Captain, instead of fighting this, why don’t we move our base here to Fargone, and you become the Grand Duke?” 

How could Kendrick hit a subordinate who spoke with such earnest conviction and brotherly loyalty? Instead, he turned his fury toward the High Priest, glaring at him as if he wanted to kill him. 

“Listen, Your Holiness, High Priest. I apologize for speaking so bluntly to someone as knowledgeable about the will of the gods as yourself, but I am not just a merchant. I am a former pirate. I pillaged and plundered. Haha. These days, the business we’re focusing on is running a brothel.” 

He hadn’t intended to reveal this much about himself. 

“And my surname is O’Jear, so I’m guessing you’re associating me with the noble O’Jear family of Lucus. But you’re completely wrong! I am not part of that esteemed O’Jear family. I was just a slave. A slave.” 

The hellish O’Jear estate, the warm embrace of his mother that he still missed, Noel, his brother. 

Kendrick glared at the High Priest, who had forced him to reveal his origins, as if he wanted to kill him. But the High Priest, with a serene smile, met Kendrick’s gaze and continued. 

“Your Grace. You saw the bodies of Fargone’s Grand Duke Emmet Bruno and his family in the hall earlier. Did you also see the blood they shed? Is their blood different? Is their blood any different from the blood of our children, dragged to foreign battlefields to die en masse? What is the difference?”  

Kendrick couldn’t think of a proper rebuttal, so he simply ground his teeth silently. 

“It’s the same. The same dark red blood flows. Do you think noble blood is blue? Do you think the Grand Duke’s blood is transparent? No. The blood of slaves and the blood of high nobles are both red. New Grand Duke, this old man is very tired now. I don’t know when I might collapse and return to the land of the gods.” 

Oh gods! Please take this old man away already… 

“It’s already late today, so go back to your camp and rest. Tomorrow, come back properly dressed in your finest attire and receive the crown of glory that the gods have bestowed upon you.” 

The High Priest turned around and slowly made his way out of the palace, straightening his hunched back with difficulty. His retreating figure carried an unshakable confidence that Kendrick would return the next morning to accept the crown he would bestow. 

As Kendrick watched the small, retreating figure of the old man, his legs gave out, and he had to rely on Harald and Iar to support him as they returned to the camp. Even on the way back, the pitiful people of Fargone waved their hands and cheered for them. 

It felt absolutely miserable. It was like the feeling of kicking a small, helpless animal for no reason. When Kendrick finally reached the camp, instead of returning to their own tents, his two leech-like subordinates continued to stare at him intently. 

“Get lost! You bastards! Why are you staring at my face like that? Huh? Am I funny to you? Do you think I’m a joke?!” 

But instead of leaving, the massive Iar, with a pitiful expression, asked in a sorrowful tone. 

“Captain, why don’t you just become the Grand Duke? What’s the big deal about being a noble or a Grand Duke?” 

Ignorant fools always stood out in their own way. Kendrick realized there was no point in arguing further, as they wouldn’t listen anyway, so he threw himself onto his bed. This time, Harald, who was much smarter than Iar, approached and whispered softly. 

“Captain, I think it’s only right for us to take over Fargone. Judging by the state of things, it seems like that bastard Emmet Bruno borrowed all that money from us just to decorate his castle. We can’t exactly carry Rodias Castle back with us, can we?” 

That bastard Emmet Bruno! 

“And, Captain, if I may speak cautiously… Derek O’Jear. If he hears that you’ve become the Grand Duke of Fargone, I think his attitude toward you might change…” 

Kendrick raised his upper body slightly and glared fiercely at Harald’s moving lips. 

“Change?” 

“He might… fear you. Just a thought of mine, though.” 

Without responding, Kendrick buried himself back into the bed. Watching their captain, the two exchanged glances and shook their heads. 

“Captain! Are you going to sleep? Should we bring you a woman?” 

Their captain, who always sought out women during their travels, had a reputation for his unmatched stamina. 

“You bastards! Did you already forget what he said? He told us to come back clean! Clean. That means bathe tonight and don’t touch any women! You idiots! Now get out! Go fetch some bathwater!” 

Thus, one of the four great pillars of the continent, Fargone, came to welcome Kendrick O’Jear as its new Grand Duke.