Chapter 73: A Very Uncomfortable Relationship (2)

“First of all, handling and security are absolutely crucial when it comes to gunpowder. And the formula for making it must never leak out.”

“I’ve already memorized the entire formula and the proportions.”

“Then dispose of all the research materials. Make sure no one can ever find out. Also, I’ll give orders so that even when they’re making these materials in Theron Village, no one will realize what they’re for.”

The ingredients of gunpowder—carbon, sulfur, and potassium nitrate—were originally obtained from willow charcoal, sulfur, and soil.

Of course, those materials had uses even apart from making gunpowder.

Sulfur could be used as fertilizer, and charcoal could serve for cooking and heating.

As for potassium nitrate, or saltpeter, it could be easily extracted from soil, so there was no issue with that.

Because gunpowder was so dangerous, it was necessary to take thorough precautions to prevent any leakage of information.

“Understood! I’ll be as careful as possible!”

“Then, will this be enough to make the bullets you mentioned earlier?”

“I think so. We can wrap the bottom part containing the gunpowder in brass, insert an iron ball, and then cover the top with dried Kevraph leaves.”

What Dike explained was a single-shot cartridge for a musket.

Of course, Raion had already explained the basic structure of a gun to him, so Dike could talk about the bullets as well.

“Good. Let me know immediately once the prototype is complete. You mustn’t tell anyone else about this. And don’t let anyone touch it, even by accident.”

“I’ll remember that!”

Dike, too, was well aware of how frightening bullets and guns could be.

After seeing firsthand the terrifying power of gunpowder just moments ago, his reaction was only natural.

“Then, I’ll leave the rest to you. Don’t push yourself too hard. If your health worsens, Monica will scold me for sure.”

To Monica, Dike was practically like a younger brother.

So whenever something happened to him, Monica would take good care of him.

Leaving those words behind, Raion exited the workshop.

Before he realized it, the sun had already passed its zenith.

Step. Step.

While quietly walking outside, he saw Patrick approaching from one side.

Patrick came up to Raion, who was taking a stroll, and stopped in front of him.

“I’ve returned after resolving all matters in Hasein.”

“You came back sooner than I expected. So, you used that certificate, then?”

Otherwise, there was no way the issue in Hasein could’ve been settled in just a few days.

“I thought it would take longer myself. But thanks to Zolav, the Branch Leader of Eye of the Moon in Hasein, walking straight into his own trap, I was able to meet the lord right away.”

“As expected, the ones with guilty consciences are always the first to act rashly. I suppose you caused a bit of a commotion at the end, then.”

It was obvious that the lord was in league with Zolav.

If that was the case, the lord must have lashed out recklessly, and Patrick certainly wouldn’t have just stood by.

“Fortunately, the Lord of Hasein was already acquainted with you, so the matter was resolved quickly.”

“The Lord of Hasein… Count Alstain Holivan?”

“Yes. To be precise, the former Count Holivan and your maternal grandfather once shared a connection.”

“Is that so?”

That was something even Raion hadn’t known in his previous life, so it came as a surprise.

Back then, he had lived mostly in isolation, so he hadn’t been aware of the kingdom’s political relationships and inner workings.

“The Holivan family held great fear toward your maternal grandfather. It seems that hasn’t changed even now.”

“My grandfather is indeed a frightening man. Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I last saw him.”

Raion was referring to Duke Saliann Arenvatz—his maternal grandfather and the father of his late mother, Sierra.

Duke Saliann served as a martial commander responsible for the northern borders, holding the title of Commander of the Kingdom’s Border Defense.

Even King Laskan and Chancellor Duke Alito couldn’t treat him lightly, so his authority remained formidable.

Of course, since he was loyal to King Laskan, the core members of the royalist faction hadn’t been stirred.

“To be honest, I believe Duke Arenvatz also misses you deeply, Master.”

“So do I. But after what happened to Mother, he left for the frontier on his own.”

The death of Queen Sierra, the legitimate first queen, had dealt a heavy blow to Duke Saliann Arenvatz.

After the second queen, Elina, seized that position, Duke Saliann grew to despise life in the royal capital.

He had wanted to protect his only grandchild, Raion, but his grief over losing his only daughter was far too great.

Thus, he had deliberately left Patrick behind as Raion’s agent and exclusive butler before departing.

“There will come a chance to see him again someday.”

“I hope so.”

It seemed their conversation had come to an end—

But then Patrick slightly narrowed his eyes, as if he still had something more to say.

“However… I heard from the Lord that you went to a place called Sellios with Caldein. Just the two of you.”

“Hmm? Ah—! That was just to see what kind of place Sellios was. And Caldein has reached the 5th Circle, so I wanted to personally teach him how to use high-tier magic.”

It was a reasonable explanation, but Patrick was not easily convinced.

“Then you should’ve taken Jade or some other knights with you! Sellios is a cursed land abandoned even by the Royal Capital and sealed off within Kanas! Going there with no one but Caldein is a serious matter!”

Patrick’s expression was clearly full of anger.

“Everyone’s already made a fuss about it, so calm down.”

“Such a thing must never happen again! While I admit your strength, Master, Sellios is an uncharted place—no one can guarantee survival there.”

Indeed, unless one was someone as strong as Raion, they would have perished without a trace.

And there was one more thing Raion had to keep secret.

‘I’d better keep it a secret that the Dagger of Darkness came for me… and ended up dead.’

Knowing even that would only make Patrick tighten his surveillance even more than before.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, so calm down.”

“Anyway, from now on, unless it’s something truly urgent, I won’t be leaving my post.”

“Ugh…”

Raion felt a headache coming on at the thought of even stricter supervision.

Then Patrick suddenly seemed to remember something and continued speaking.

“Now that the matter in Hasein Territory has been resolved, Eye of the Moon plans to open a branch in Kanas as well.”

“That’s good news. I suppose Eye of the Moon is starting to gain some trust now?”

At first, Patrick had been opposed to Raion using Eye of the Moon.

However, judging by how their dealings had gone so far, Eye of the Moon had proven to be quite reliable.

“I’m thinking positively about them now. Also, I met Fordman in Filat Village. He said he’ll stop by Theron Village before coming here.”

At that report, Patrick’s brows twitched sharply.

It was clear to anyone that something about it bothered him.

“Sounds like you had a rough trip back.”

“To be honest, it felt a little harder than handling the whole Hasein affair.”

“Then Fordman’s going to have a hard time once he gets here.”

“About that… may I be excused from my post temporarily, just until Fordman leaves?”

It seemed to be a decision he’d made after much deliberation.

But to Raion, it was an absurd request.

“Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t leave your post unless it was something serious?”

“This is one of those serious cases.”

“……”

Patrick truly, deeply hated Fordman.

“For the record, I’m completely serious.”

“Judging by the timing, Fordman will probably arrive at the castle around evening.”

“Which is why I plan to be somewhere else until then.”

“Suit yourself. I don’t want to see you suffering through a headache anyway.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll go handle the backlog of work for now.”

With that, Patrick headed straight toward the main building.

Raion recalled his expression just moments ago and couldn’t help but laugh.

“He was the same way back at Taron’s Palace. Their personalities must really clash. Well, Fordman’s chatter is unbearable unless you’re a customer.”

For Fordman, chatter was a kind of sales technique.

Though the quality of his goods was excellent, it was his eloquence that could utterly disarm a buyer—he was a born merchant.

However, since Patrick never had any need to buy from him, to him it was nothing but incessant noise.

The sun was beginning to set.

Patrick spent the day helping with management of the main building and the administration of Shtefan’s territory—tasks he had postponed for several days.

His plan was to finish everything before Fordman’s carriage passed through the castle gates.

“What’s the rush?”

Watching Patrick process documents at a rapid pace, Shtefan couldn’t help but feel concerned.

“I have an important matter to attend to.”

“In any case, your early return has been a great help. The Prince only gives support, so work keeps piling up—it’s driving me mad.”

The rapidly growing territory had become several times more complex to manage than before.

Naturally, Shtefan was pouring all his energy into its administration.

Even then, things weren’t easy, so Patrick’s assistance had been invaluable.

“I’m glad I can be of help.”

“You truly are a butler who can do everything. The Prince doesn’t handle operations directly, after all.”

“Still, Master focuses only on the essential points. There’s nothing unnecessary in what he does.”

“I agree with that. With that kind of presence and determination, he’s far more capable than the other princes. Yet, he has no interest in the line of succession… What do you think about that?”

Shtefan still seemed troubled by the issue.

Of course, the current tension surrounding the royal authority was a major headache for many nobles.

With the political winds constantly shifting, anyone would have been anxious.

“I simply follow whatever decision Master makes.”

“No matter what choice the Prince makes?”

“That’s the duty entrusted to me.”

“Such remarkable loyalty.”

“You flatter me.”

Patrick replied while continuing his work.

Then suddenly, a cold chill ran down his spine.

“Mmh—!”

Seeing Patrick’s startled expression, Shtefan wondered what was wrong.

“Is something the matter?”

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

Patrick rose from his seat and carefully walked toward the window.

From there, he could see the main gate of the lord’s mansion.

And through that gate, he saw Fordman’s carriage passing inside.

“He’s here earlier than I expected…”

“What’s wrong? Who has arrived?”

Shtefan, who had been working beside him, also walked to the window to check Fordman’s carriage.

He recognized the man immediately—he’d met Fordman before in Theron Village.

“Isn’t that the traveling merchant Fordman? Looks like he’s returned after finishing his work outside. Don’t you—hm? Patrick?”

But Patrick, who had been right next to him only moments ago, had vanished.

“The man who was just here—where on earth did he go?”

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