The Reunion (3)

"Damn it! I need to do something…"

Mumbled Hill Burnett.

Anxiety was glued to his face. And the reason was the Gairn family.

'The demon had brainwashed me and clouded my judgment. I never intended to do that.'

'This is a trick of the demon. Even after death, it's trying to divide the kingdom.'

Those were the excuses that Viscount Gairn, Baron Russell, and Baron Lester were making.

Other families who were watching the situation were like, 'that's possible, right?'

Of course, even with such excuses, disobeying the command of the subjugation commander is a huge deal.

That alone could extort a considerable amount of reparation from the Viscount.

But that wasn't what Hill Burnett wanted.

'For the sake of the Kingdom's well-being and continent's peace, this should be used to set an example.'

Now was the era of peace. Demons were nowhere to be found except for novels, and even if they do, they rarely appear compared to decades ago.

However, the situation he faced could be more dangerous.

Because the number of people who feared the demons was gradually increasing.

'Peace ends when an atmosphere is created where the subjugation of demons is taken lightly. And with that, the continent will become unstable, and the boundary between the Devildom and us will be broken again.'

For that reason, Gairn should be used to set an example.

Hill Burnett, who thought so, pondered.

And then.

"Vice-captain Hill Burnett. Sir Jack Stewart wants to see y…"

"Huh? Sir Jack Stewart?"

Jack Stewart's testimony was refreshing enough to blow away his headache.

"Sir… I honestly don't know if Viscount Phill Gairn was brainwashed or not. You might think this is a lie, but it's the truth. Because there was always madness within him."

"But there's something more important than that."

And those words which followed were shocking.

Being jealous of Irene, the top performer of the subjugation troops, he poisoned his meals.

And it wasn't just once, but several times and when that didn't work, Jack was instructed to interfere during Irene's confrontation with the demonic monsters.

An act which could never be forgiven!

Hill Burnett's expression distorted. His feelings for Viscount Gairn worsened.

And his negative feelings weren't just towards Phill Gairn.

'The feeling of remorse is gone.'

Hill Burnett stared at Jack Stewart.

Because of what happened when the demon took Jack hostage, Hill decided to express his feelings of remorse.

Hill saw Jack perform his duties neatly, so he never thought Jack would do that.

But now everything has changed.

In a cold voice, Hill spoke.

"You don't think that you'll be forgiven just because it was your lord's orders, do you?"

"No. I will accept any punishment given."

"You should"

Jack admitted his wrongdoings.

He looked regretful of his past choices, but Hill didn't sympathize with him.

His sins were far too great for that.

Aside from that, Jack's testimony was a huge help.

"This is nonsense! That's bullshit! Jack Stewart did that on his own! No! No! That one has been brainwashed too! Right! That's right! It isn't my fault! No!"

"You still have more to say, Viscount Gairn."

Not just the Gairn family, but all six families knew.

What kind of a position Jack Stewart was in.

When Phill Gairn's first knight turned his back on his master, there was nothing that Russell and Lester could do.

Even Gairn, who should have been calm, couldn't stay quiet and yelled.

Unable to stand the pressure, he was acting odd.

The viscount's reputation was ruined as the subjugation ended.

However, no one was saddened by that fact.

---

"Phew, now things are all settled."

Hill Burnett successfully completed the report on the demon subjugation and the misdeeds of Viscount Gairn.

The next thing he did was visit Baron Pareira.

The schedule was rushed for that. Still, his heart was impatient.

His impatience was because of the thought that the treasure of the Hale Kingdom could be scouted by others.

'I need to make him join us before the rumors spread!'

As mentioned, Hale is a weak kingdom. And the ruler is weak.

To be honest, Hale wasn't a kingdom that could nurture Irene's talent.

It would be difficult for the kingdom to stop Irene from joining any of the famous knights of the other kingdoms.

But that didn't mean he couldn't try.

He would promise Irene the best treatment.

With a determined expression, he arrived at the Pareira estate.

"You have come a long way. But… I think it was a waste of your time."

"Huh? What do you…"

"My son isn't in the estate now."

His heart pounded.

Perhaps, another kingdom has already recruited him!

Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

However, the following words of Harun Pareira weren't that welcoming either.

"He went to Krono Swordsmanship School?"

"Yes. He said that there was something he had to do. Now that we are talking, he officially enlisted there five years ago."

"Haa… I see."

'But, it's strange. There's no way others won't take him.'

He was disappointed.

Just because he came from a swordsmanship school didn't mean he would only serve the country's knights.

Those from Krono generally had a stronger tendency to wander around and move freely than belong somewhere.

Irene might not be like that, but…

'For once, I should try.'

In the end, the only thing he could do was build a relationship with Baron Pareira.

Along with the gifts he brought, he began to praise Irene.

"Hehehe, thank you for looking after him."

Harun couldn't stop smiling.

It wasn't because of the gifts. The best gift a father could get was to listen to his son being complimented.

Even more for him, who had suffered for 15 years.

However, he didn't fall for Hill Burnett's words.

His son's future will be decided by his son.

He had no intention of controlling Irene, who was strong enough to grow on his own.

In the end, Hill Burnett had no choice but to leave with regret.

Looking at his back, Kirill, who had been silent, spoke.

"My brother did come out. I heard that people come out strong, but he wasn't like that."

"…"

"But, my brother doesn't fall under the usual category. He isn't a bad person, with great swordsmanship skills, and then there is that sorcery…?1? well, there are a lot of things involved."

With an expressionless face, Kirill poured out half praises and half curses at her brother.

Then she did something unusual.

She placed ten marbles vertically and balanced them all on her foot.

And closed her eyes to meditate.

As soon as Hill disappeared, Harun looked at his daughter.

"What are you doing?"

"A sorcery trick. To raise my senses."

"Senses?"

"I need to head back to Cesar."

"What do you mean?"

Even Amel, who understood her daughter, was shocked.

However, Kirill spoke with a calm voice.

"It's about refining my senses so that I can be stronger when my brother returns. I heard the news and headed here, but I arrived late. I hated that."

"…"

"Did you know? Teacher meditates even after stacking 30 marbles."

Could she also do that?

At Kirill, who was thinking that, her father spoke.

"Sure."

"Sure, do that."

The higher her achievements in sorcery, the more difficult it was to understand her.

Regardless of that, they both loved Kirill more than anyone else.

---

"Can young lord really go alone?"

"It's fine. And not just me, Lulu is coming."

At those words, Marcus's worried face settled down a little.

Actually, there was nothing to worry about.

Irene was stronger than their knights. Why would he need an escort?

The school was complicated but the main building of Krono was closer too.

Irene said goodbye to Marcus, his parents, and even Kirill, whom he didn't get to spend much time with, and left.

As he walked, the memories from 5 years ago flashed through his mind.

'How much have they changed? Does the schoolmaster look the same? I can't imagine him being older.'

The reason why Irene sought the school before the Lindsay's estate was because of the dream.

It was because his will was shaken by the dream.

And to him, he thought that the school would be the right direction.

Along with Lulu, who changed him.

'If it's the schoolmaster… could he give me some advice?'

Of course, as promised, it would be right to drop by the Lindsay's estate. He did promise her that.

However, five years later, he realized that matter wasn't that important.

And to be honest, he wanted to solve his problems first.

And it was time to move forward.

Swoosh!

"Cha-chang!"

A black cat fell from the sky.

It was Lulu. The people passing by looked at that with shocked eyes.

However, Irene was the most shocked.

"Oh? You are dressed?"

"Yes! It's my first time going out with Irene! So I dressed extra special!"

Irene glanced at Lulu's outfit.

A hat decorated with feathers.

Stylish leather vest, pants, and black boots.

There was a sword on her waist too. It was a sword as thin as paper, and it had a funny appearance, but it suited Lulu.

With a thumbs-up, he said.

It's cool.

"Really?"

"Huh. Very cool."

"Haha! After all, this is my great fashion sense! I don't usually dress up this much, but when I put my mind to it, it's an easy task!"

Wait, Krono! Isn't that where the strongest knights are made!

Yap! Yap! Seeing Lulu scream and shout, Irene laughed.

'I won't be bored on the way.'

Following the black cat which was running, the young blonde moved with a cheerful look.