“Huhuhu. The more I listen, the more I want to go live in the Tale Barony.”


  Principle Fred Brown made a hearty laugh.

  ‘Is it because he was born and raised as a commoner? Or because he hasn’t been a noble for too long? Or perhaps is it because he is originally a rationalist with a kind heart?’


  Whatever it was, Roan was a very good person. No, rather than simply a good person, he was a genius of geniuses with an excellent mind and heart.

  ‘It will only be empty words if a talentless man were to say them, but……’


  If it was Roan, who was currently receiving the hottest attention, Roan may at least partially achieve his own dream and beyond. (Note: here, “he” refers to Principal Fred)

  ‘It will be good if I can help with that.’


  That was his honest thought.

  As he held the role of Tron Academy’s principal for twenty years, Fred felt a strange thirst and a limit.

  ‘An education not only for the rich and the nobles, but an education that anyone can receive as long as one is the kingdom’s citizen.’


  He wanted to attempt that.

  And the young man in front of him, Roan, was personally trying to achieve what he had only imagined within his head until the age of sixty.

  “Baron Tale.”


  “Yes. Please speak.”


  Roan lowered the teacup and smiled.

  Fred thought that the smile looked so gentle yet full of confidence.

  “As you know, Tron Academy is where the kingdom’s geniuses gather.”


  Roan quietly nodded his head.

  Fred’s words continued.

  “But it’s not as if every graduate of the Tron Academy gets promoted and succeeds. Some of the students, due to this and that reasons, can’t put their talents to use and are wasting away their lives.”


  A crestfallen light twinkled in his eyes.

  “I know several of such students. Perhaps, if Baron Tale is willing……”


  Fred and Roan’s gazes met in the air.

  “I would like to introduce them……’


  Fred exhaled a short sigh.

  “Huu. Of course, they are kids with lots of problems, so they could be rather hard to control and be a headache. You may even earn contempt from those who don’t look kindly upon them as well. But at least, the talent of each and every one of them is exceptional.”


  After those words, he looked at Roan.

  Now, there was nothing else he could do.

  The choices now rested upon Roan.

  Gulp.

  He nervously swallowed for no reason.

  Katy and Aily, and Ian and Brian too, lowered their teacups and looked at Roan.

  Feeling everyone’s gazes, Roan faintly smiled.

  “Hard to control and could earn other people’s contempt……”


  The words rolled inside of his mouth.

  Soon enough, he brightly smiled and shook his head.

  “That won’t be a problem at all. There are plenty of guys like that among my subordinates. And if it’s Principal Fred Brown’s recommendation, there is no need to even think about it.”


  Roan slightly lowered his head.

  “Rather, I wanted to ask you of that. Please introduce me to those talented geniuses who haven’t spread their wings yet.”


  A polite and courteous manner.

  Thanks to that, Fred’s nervousness disappeared like the melting snow in the spring.

  He let out a hearty laugh.

  “Huhuhu. Thank you. Truly, thank you. Now those guys will finally meet a good owner.”


  The laughter continued without stopping.

  Fred truly felt happy.

  ‘It would truly be a good opportunity.’


  Ian and Fred, who were watching from the sides, also brightly smiled and nodded.

  On the other hand, Katy’s expression wasn’t too good.

  A rather annoyed but cute look.

  ‘Cht. Somehow, only they look cool by themselves.’


  Although she couldn’t participate due to the academies, libraries, educational facilities and other complicated talks, she wanted to show off a cool look as a princess of a nation.

  “Baron Tale.”


  A softly calling voice.

  “Yes. Princess Katy.”


  Roan faintly smiled and turned his head.

  Katy slightly raising her head and continued her words with a confident face.

  “Baron Tale saved my brother’s life. But now that I think of it, I don’t think I’ve expressed my thanks as his sister. So……”


  The tip of her mouth sharply went up.

  A look as if she was forcefully holding on but was completely excited.

  “If you need anything, say it. I’ll listen.”


  Katy carelessly threw out incredible words that not even Simon could say.

  Roan inwardly made a bitter smile.

  ‘It seems the tomboy girl wants to feel big.’


  From one perspective, it was immature, and from another perspective, it was exceedingly innocent.

  It was so transparent, he could easily see her thoughts.

  ‘There is really no need to refuse. But……’


  Realistically, there wasn’t much that Katy could do for him.

  Things like financial support or sending talented individuals over wasn’t something the young princess who was still attending the academy could do.

  Administration wasn’t something that simple and easy.

  ‘Even that willful Prince Simon took a step back and is waiting for an opportunity despite being one step short of victory……’


  But that didn’t mean there was nothing to earn from Katy.

  Roan slightly lowered his head and asked.

  “Then, would you please listen to my one request?”


  “Is that so? You have something to request of me? Say it. I’ll listen.”


  Katy looked even more elated.

  Inwardly smiling, Roan answered in a polite manner.

  “I would like to use the palace library.”


  “The palace library?”


  Named Norman Library after the founding king, Norman Rinse, the palace library of the Rinse Kingdom was only accessible by the royalty and members of the most powerful nobilities.

  Because precious books from the entire kingdom as well as from the entire continent were stored inside, it wasn’t easy to receive permission to enter.

  For Roan, who just became a baron, it wasn’t easy to even receive the test for the entrance pass.

  Katy and Roan, as well as all others there, knew this truth.

  ‘Oho! The palace library……’


  Katy’s expression turned strange.

  That was part joy and part delight.

  ‘I can give something like a pass to the palace library as much as I want!’


  That was the special privilege her father, King Deni Von Rinse, gave her, who was a student in the academy, for her study.

  It was prepared just in case Katy visited the library with her classmates who studied with her.

  Of course, Roan knew that Katy had such a privilege thanks to Agens and the information troop’s work.

  ‘If I didn’t, it wouldn’t be a topic that I could easily bring up.’


  If not careful, only Roan’s thought and plan would be exposed.

  Then, he heard Katy’s sharp voice.

  “Okay! I’ll have the pass to the palace library issued for you.”


  “Thank you. Princess.”


  Roan brightly smiled as he lowered his head.

  ‘Yeah. It’s this very feeling.’


  Seeing Roan lower his head, Katy felt a small ecstasy.

  The fact that she could do something for someone else made her really happy.

  She started a rampage that wasn’t quite a rampage.

  “Anything else? Is there anything else? Say it. I told you I’ll hear it all, right?”


  She was that sort of tomboy.

  Roan faintly smiled and shook his head.

  “The pass to the palace library is plenty enough.”


  “Hmm. That so?”


  Katy smacked her lips as if she was disappointed.

  Her pouting lips stuck out about as thick as a finger.

  The others who were watching from the side inwardly awed at the sight.

  But only one person among them, Aily, didn’t look at Katy and looked instead at Roan.

  ‘A large scale development is starting in the Tale Barony?’


  The construction of academies, libraries, and small scale educational facilities too were parts of that development.

  Aily took a sip of her tea and lightly closed her eyes.

  Within her head, lines extended and drew complicated and solid plans.

  ‘Should I invest in the Tale region?’


  A question she asked to herself.

  The answer?

  The ends of Aily’s mouth slowly went up.

  With that, the answer was as good as decided.

  *****

  A hill well-shaded by trees deep within the mountains.

  The wooden mansion situated in the middle of the hill had quite a view.

  In front of the mansion, there was a garden that didn’t fit in with the mountain.

  The garden looked as if a skilled gardener had maintained it without skipping a day.

  In the middle of the garden, there was a table carved out of a high quality marble.

  On that table, a beautiful young man sat there, enjoying a warm cup of tea while reading a book.

  “Hmm. Hm.”


  As if he was happy, he was even humming a tune.

  At that moment.

  On the sloping road below, a young man showed up.

  Unlike the beautiful young man, he was a rather manly and large young man.

  Fluttering his brown and crude-looking travel wear, he walked with bold steps.

  The beautiful young man stared at the manly young man, then closed the book he was reading and stood up.

  “You came faster than expected. Viscount Raymond.”


  A beautiful voice that tickled one’s ears as much as his face.

  The manly looking young man, Viscount Guy Raymond, extended his right hand.

  “Glad to meet you. Baron Kyword.”


  As expected, it was a voice as rough as he looked.

  The beautiful young man, Baron Noel Kyword, shook Guy’s large hand and smiled.

  “For now, let’s sit down and talk. Would you like a cup of tea?”


  Guy shook his head at the polite question.

  “I’m fine. Let us cut right to the chase.”


  Noel cheerfully smiled and nodded.

  “Sure. Let’s do so.”


  A relaxed expression.

  Even against Guy’s rough reply, he didn’t lose his calm.

  Guy squinted his two eyes and the light in his eyes shone.

  ‘Byron Kingdom’s rising hero, Noel Kyword.’


  Noel was originally the firstborn of an ordinary and rural baron house.

  Because even the household was ordinary as well, not much was known within the Byron Kingdom as well as in the nearby regions.

  In other words, there was nothing special about them.

  But when the Byron Kingdom allied with the Istel Kingdom and retreated after it attacked and suffered enormous damage, this presence-less young man revealed his true talent that he had hidden until now.

  Within a short amount of time, Noel executed exceptional strategies and tactics, and cleaned up the Orc tribes that had been terrorizing the Byron Kingdom’s north according to Roan’s plan.

  Not only that, he brought together and reorganized the Kingdom’s army that received serious damage and perfectly executed the border’s defense with an efficient use of troops.

  In other words, he was the kingdom’s hero that raised the falling Byron Kingdom back up.

  The Byron royalty paraded Noel as a hero and granted the title of Baron Kyword along with the entire southeast region upon him.

  And after that, Noel achieved amazing feats in the central administration.

  ‘He is similar to our kingdom’s Viscount Peid Neil.’


  Peid Neil.

  Originally from a commoner background, he was a senior adjutant of the Port troop,

  the second corp of the Istel Kingdom’s western troops.

  When the Istel Kingdom’s troops lost in the war against Rinse Kingdom, he orchestrated uncanny tactics and strategies while the troops retreated back to the kingdom.

  ‘Thanks to that, the main troops retreated without harm and Rinse Kingdom’s eastern troops received enormous damage.’


  In fact, Gale and the Rose troops were completely wiped out in that chase, and the seventh troop as well as various other troops received heavy damage.

  As a result, Roan even went on a rampage.

  All that was the work of Peid Neil, the fox of the battlefield.

  ‘Viscount Neil used the feats from that time as a step, and diligently raised deeds to achieve the title of Viscount.’


  Peid and Noel.

  For some reason, they were somehow similar.

  “Viscount Raymond?”


  At that moment, he heard Noel’s voice.

  ‘Ah, no.’


  Only then did Guy get ahold of himself one step late.

  ‘Now isn’t the time to think of something else. I must finish the work as Viscount Neil instructed and achieve the desired result.’


  He coughed several times, and looked straight at Noel.

  “I’ll say it straight. Our kingdom needs food.”


  “Hmm.”


  Noel gulped with a difficult expression.

  “As you know, our Byron Kingdom is mostly mountains and wastelands besides the south. We import wheat and various other grains from Estia Empire. But to give food to Istel Kingdom in this situation is quite…… hmm.”


  He left his sentence open.

  Guy glared at Noel with a sharp light in his eyes.

  ‘As expected, he’s coming like this.’


  This much was certainly expected.

  Guy held up the card that Peid handed to him.

  “If you provide us with food, we’ll help you when you attack the Pershion Kingdom.”


  Immediately, Noel, who had been wearing a repulsive expression, slightly creased his brows.

  ‘Hmm. They know we are preparing for war.’


  One person showed up in his head.

  ‘Peid Neil. The fox of the battlefield must have smelt it.’


  As Guy had said, Byron Kingdom was preparing to attack the Pershion Kingdom in the east.

  ‘There’s no better opportunity than now.’


  There were four kingdoms that shared borders with the Byron Kingdom.

  Estia Empire in the west, Rinse Kingdom in the southwest, Istel Kingdom in the southeast, Pershion Kingdom in the east.

  Amongst these, there was no cause for invasion from Estia Empire due to the kingdom’s good relation with the empire, and the Istel Kingdom was in a dangerous situation due to repeated poor harvests and the loses from wars.

  ‘Rinse Kingdom was a bit worrying, but that place is in middle of a sibling fight over the throne.’


  As long as no one went out of his way to touch them and made them unite, they too won’t have the time to pay attention to Byron Kingdom.

  ‘Right now is the perfect time to conquer the Pershion Kingdom.’


  And so, the Byron Kingdom was very quietly preparing for a war.

  ‘The Istel Kingdom will send additional troops in this situation?’


  Noel bitterly smiled and shook his head.

  “I know the Istel Kingdom’s situation clearly. You’ll wage a war when it’s hard to even eat a single meal per day? It’s honestly hard to believe.”


  As soon as he finished speaking, Guy spoke with a great strength in his voice.

  “A hungry tiger is, in fact, much more violent.”


  From his chest, he took out a half-broken wooden medal.

  On the medal, the word Istel were engraved.

  “This is the one of the halved seal of our Istel Kingdom’s Northern troop.”


  It was a medal that wasn’t quite a medal.

  “Viscount Peid Neil holds the other half.”


  Guy extended the medal toward Noel.

  “We will entrust to you the entire Northern troops, including Viscount Peid Neil and myself Viscount Guy Raymond.”


  An extraordinary deal.

  With a red face as if about to spit out a ball of fire, Guy continued his words.

  “Please buy us.”


  A desperate voice.

  The Istel Kingdom’s situation was that bad.

  ‘I did hear that the negotiation with Iimas Union fell down……’


  Noel exhaled a short sigh.

  He stared at the medal and considered for a moment.

  No, he merely pretended to think and took time.

  ‘It’s a deal that we have no reason to refuse.’


  Again, Noel exhaled a long sigh.

  “Hu. It’s a really difficult choice. A situation where I can’t do this, or do that……”


  He acted serious for a moment, then clenched his teeth as if he had come to a decision.

  Noel looked at Guy and nodded.

  “Okay. Originally, our Byron Kingdom and Istel Kingdom are old friends. How could I ignore a friend’s hardship?”


  He extended his hand and took the medal.

  “The medal of Istel Kingdom’s northern troops, I, Noel Kyword, will receive it.”


  An act as if receiving a big responsibility.

  ‘Kuk.’


  A hot flame poured out to Guy’s throat, but he clenched his teeth and endured.

  ‘Just a little longer, I’ll endure just a little longer. Once the Kingdom’s situation improves, then……’


  A fierce and cold glare was pointed at Noel.

  ‘I’ll have all of Byron Kingdom kneel down.’


  A hellfire burned inside, but Guy forced a smile.

  At that moment, Noel made a strange expression.

  “Anyhow, this is that, and……”


  An eyebrow greatly twitched

  “Have you perhaps heard of Rinse Kingdom’s Roan?”


  Immediately, Guy creased his forehead.

  Because at the completely unexpected place, and at a completely unexpected moment, he heard a name he didn’t want to hear.

  He looked at Noel and replied with a quiet voice.

  “Within our Istel Kingdom’s troops, there is no one who doesn’t know the crimson ghost.”


  End.

  Translator: CSV

  Proofreader: st8_lupe.