“Sir Baron Tale, that’s the guy you were looking for, right?”


  “Even though we look like this, we can definitely tell if it’s Aran Alley’s people or some guy that drifted here.”


  “I’m glad that we could at least pay back your kindness like this.”


  “Since he’s a guy Sir Baron is chasing, he definitely must be a bad guy.”


  Shouts and voices pour down from around them.

  The poor of Aran Alley crowded around them.

  The reason Roan could capture Hooke so incredibly quickly, and so unbelievably easily, was thanks to the help of Aran Alley’s people.

  When they had heard the news that Roan and the Amaranth troop had attacked the wooden warehouse and had sent scout unit to the four big gates to search for someone, they became watchful on their own.

  Until now, they had wanted to put in even their little strength to pay back the kindness they received from Roan.

  And at that time, Hooke, who wasn’t usually seen in Aran Alley, had suddenly appeared and they followed him just in case.

  Even Janis information agency’s master, Hooke, couldn’t even predict that the people of Aran Alley could move in such an organized fashion.

  No, that was the also the same for the soldiers of the Amaranth troop and Clay.

  ‘This is all because our lord has opened his arms to the people of this alley.’


  ‘If you value people with your heart, you are repaid just like this.’


  The Amaranth troop’s eyes shined towards Roan with respect.

  When Roan began to clean up Aran Alley and Rott Creek and to help the poor, the soldiers at first wondered if he really needed to do so much.

  It wasn’t that they didn’t think helping people in poverty was bad.

  But the poor of Miller Castle had no relations with Roan.

  Instead of helping the poor, it was more beneficial to buy better armors and weapons for the Amaranth troop.

  And so they had thought.

  But that was the thoughts of ordinary soldiers.

  Roan thought differently.

  ‘The basis of a troop is soldiers, and the basis of a fief is people of the fief. Likewise, the basis of a nation is it’s citizens.’


  To Roan, who looked towards greater heights, the poor of Aran Alley weren’t people unrelated to him.

  They were people who will definitely become his supporters and his base one day.

  ‘A strong general, excellent soldiers, brilliant officers…… they aren’t the only citizens.’


  The ordinary people.

  From the commoners to the slaves.

  They were all citizens that Roan had to take in and walk together with.

  ‘Of course, I didn’t know that I’d be helped so quickly.’


  Roan faintly smiled.

  At that moment, Hooke, who was being dragged away by the Amaranth troop, suddenly shouted.

  “You sons of b*tchs! When I come back out into the world, I’ll kill all of you bastards of Aran Alley!”


  Hooke yelled out ominously.

  At the same time, Hooke let out his bloodthirst towards the people of Aran Alley.

  Suddenly, Roan, who was walking in front, turned around and directly threw out a fist.

  Phgack!

  The fist directly hit the tip of Hooke’s chin.

  “Kukk!”


  The jawbone broke with a single blow.

  Roan grabbed Hooke’s head that had turned, and snarled.

  “When you come back out into the world? Huhuhu.”


  Roan spoke with a cold voice.

  An icy light shined in his eyes.

  “Perhaps it may be possible in your next life.”


  A pause.

  “Hick.”


  Hooke hiccuped a second later.

  With a ghostly white face, his entire body trembled.

  Roan tapped Hooke’s head as he looked at him.

  ‘Trash like you aren’t included in the people I need to take with me.’


  The only people who he would go together with were good people.

  Of course, just what kind of person a good person meant was only known to Roan.

  *****

  “You’ve been of great great help to us.”


  “No. I thought I did, but that doesn’t seem to be so in retrospect.”


  Roan and Clay were sitting down facing each other and were chatting.

  Clay’s expression was somewhat complex.

  When he first found out the Janis information agency’s scheme, he thought that he would save Roan and be a big help.

  At first, the events truly proceeded according to his thoughts.

  But in fact, he couldn’t be of any help at neither getting the permit to use force within the castle nor catching Janis information agency’s master, Hooke.

  Despite talking big about helping to dig out the root, he had done nothing more than cutting off the leaves and the stem.

  ‘I cannot receive an important position with only this much achievement.’


  Clay let out a short sigh.

  Roan, who had been watching, pretended to not noticed and changed the topic.

  “By the way, how were you so informed about the Janis information agency’s inner circumstances?”


  “Ah, that is……’


  Clay forcefully smiled and answered.

  “It was because I had planted a spy on the inside.”


  “A spy?”


  When Roan asked again, Clay paused for a moment and then shook his head.

  “Now that I think about it, rather than a spy, inside sources should be a better word.”


  Roan tilted his head.

  Clay continued to speak.

  “I had bought over several of Janis agency’s agents and used them to receive info about their internal situation or to omit a few pieces of information from their reports to the agency.”


  “Ah……”


  Roan quietly exclaimed.

  ‘So there must’ve been Mr. Clay’s help even in the counterattack plan we prepared in the hunting rounds.’


  The reason that the Janis information agency’s reports weren’t properly exchanged during Amaranth troop’s preparation and execution phase must had been all thanks to Clay.

  Using the agents he bought over, he had purposely omitted the reports that were sent to Hooke.

  “Although personally gathering reports and analyzing them is good, putting a mole on the inside and taking out key information is also a good method.”


  Roan nodded at Clay’s words.

  “If so……”


  Starting with the talk about use of agents, the two debated on a wide area of topics including the Janis information agency and other information agencies, stories about Miller Castle, and of course, about druids.

  Eventually, a red sunset began to set outside the window.

  ‘Has it already been that long?’


  As the time went on, Clay’s bold and confident expression began to crack.

  ‘Why doesn’t he show any sign of trying to take me in?’


  He wished that Roan would offer to appoint him first.

  After that, he was planning on reluctantly agreeing and then showing off his abilities as much as he wanted to.

  But despite talking with each other for an entire day, Roan hadn’t brought up anything related to being appointed.

  No, he didn’t even show any desire to.

  “Anyway, thank you very much for your help this time.”


  Worse, he was even trying to conclude the talk.

  Clay quietly stared at Roan with his mouth closed.

  Roan was faintly smiling.

  It was as if he was daring him to say something if he had anything to say.

  ‘Hu.’


  Clay exhaled a short sigh.

  ‘In the first place, I’ve already decided to serve Sir Baron Tale.’


  Because of that, he had even revealed his identity as a druid.

  Clay stood up from his chair and after straightening out his suit, he lowered his head.

  “Sir Baron Tale, I should’ve asked you ahead of time, but……”


  He continued to speak in a soft and calm voice.

  “Would you please take me in as your subordinate? I wish to serve Sir Baron at your side.”


  He showed a courteous and polite posture.

  But his face was still full of confidence.

  Roan looked at that sight and quietly smiled.

  A heavy silence fell between them.

  ‘Perchance, he’ll reject……?’


  Clay nervously gulped.

  He hadn’t even imagined such a situation.

  ‘There’s no reason for him to reject a person with as much talent as me, right?’


  A ripple appeared within his deep and solid self-esteem.

  At that moment, Roan stood up from his chair.

  “Truthfully, I would like to ask that of you myself.”


  He extended his right hand.

  “Mr. Clay, would you please go together with me?”


  Roan spoke in a composed voice.

  ‘Mister Clay, I highly value your talent. But……’


  His eyes were calm, clear, and deep.

  ‘I don’t desire people who are only talented. A good person, I wish you are a good person.’


  A small difference.

  There was a small difference between how Roan and Clay looked at a person.

  Roan sought someone who wasn’t merely talented but was also a good person, and Clay sought someone who wasn’t merely good but was also talented.

  Although it did seem to be the same, but there was a clear difference in which quality was held in higher regard.

  Clay immediately raised his head and grabbed Roan’s hand.

  “Thank you very much. I will use all my abilities for Sir Baron Tale, no, for my lord.”


  At those words, Roan smiled as he shook his head.

  “No. Please use your abilities not for me, but for the fief’s people.”


  This was Roan’s personality and values.

  Clay slightly lowered his head.

  “Yes, understood. I will do as you have asked.”


  The two stared into each other’s eyes for a while and exchanged the complicated looks in their eyes.

  The eyes held the same thoughts, similar thoughts, and completely different thoughts.

  But neither of them could know just how much of each of those thoughts were within their eyes.

  ***

  Roan entrusted Clay with administration over the Amaranth troop’s rations, weapons, and supplies.

  Clay was slightly disappointed that it wasn’t a position as important as he first wished for but comforted himself by saying that it wasn’t so bad for the start of his career as an administrator.

  Meanwhile, Hooke and the executives of the Janis information agency’s deeds in prompting Roan’s murder and blackmailing numerous nobles from the shadows were revealed, and they were thus all executed.

  At the same time, the scheme of Anthony Holten and the nobles who accompanied him at the hunting grounds to directly murder Roan was confirmed, and they were locked up in jail after being stripped of their nobility.

  And during this process, the second prince Tommy Rinse’s standing, who was supported by those nobles, treacherously shook once again.

  On the other hand, Roan’s popularity, who spectacularly overcame the danger and instead counterattacked, soared as if to pierce the sky.

  Simultaneously, the first prince Simon Rinse’s popularity, who had a close relationship with Roan, also rose.

  In this moment, Roan took Clay and Keep’s advice and attacked the various information agencies that moved around and used Miller Castle and its surrounding region as their base.

  Luckily, there were information on their misdeeds and illegal activities stored amongst the various information confiscated from the Janis information agency.

  Thanks to that, there was no one who objected to or showed any complaint at the Amaranth troop’s raids.

  Roan combined the numerous information groups into one and entrusted it to Keep, and because of that, the size of the Amaranth Information squad became bigger than Agens.

  “Because the size of the information squad has became significantly great, we cannot run it in an amateurish manner anymore.”


  Roan went into deep thought with Keep in front of him.

  There was already Agens as the main information group.

  In this situation, using the Amaranth information squad in the similar manner was highly inefficient.

  ‘I planned on making a separate and special troop and use them later, but……’


  Roan decided to push forward with a part of his plan that he had prepared a long time ago and carry it out.

  He looked at Keep.

  “Keep, from here on, we will rename the Amaranth information squad as the Tenebra troop and slightly change its nature.”


  “Changing its nature……?”


  Keep became nervous.

  Although he had led the information squad and raised many achievements, he knew that the Agens led by Chris was several levels above the information squad in terms of information gathering and analysis.

  He worried whether the Amaranth information squad, no the Tenebra troop may get disband.

  “Although it will continue its information gathering and analysis missions, instead of standard methods, it will become a troop focused on special missions, sabotage, espionage and similar missions.”


  It was a so-called the special forces troop.

  This was also a troop Ian Phillips would create few years later.

  Even in the last life, the troop was so hidden behind veils that there weren’t many known achievements by the group.

  Due to that, people also called Ian’s special forces troop the shadow troop.

  If Ian Phillips’ right arm was the Agens led by Keep, his left arm was this special forces troop.

  “S, special missions, sir?”


  Keep stuttered.

  His heart jumped at the word special.

  Roan slowly nodded his head.

  “In the numerous wars, battles, and strategies, your and the Tenebra troop’s role will be important.”


  “Ah……”


  Keep quietly exclaimed.

  His heart bubbled up with pride.

  Just a moment ago, he was worrying about being disbanded.

  ‘Tenebra, a troop carrying out special missions.’


  His heart beated rapidly.

  Keep immediately bowed his head.

  “Yes sir! We shall continue to do our best.”


  Keep gave a salute full of strength.

  Roan cheerfully smiled and tapped Keep’s shoulder.

  ‘Agens can take the Miller Castle and its surround regions that had became ownerless, and,……’


  For the competition for the succession of the crown and the veiled fights between the nobles that will continue from now on, he could send in the Tenebra troop and carry out various sabotage and espionage missions.

  The shape of the system was slowly being set.

  At that moment.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  “My lord.”


  With the sound of knocking, Austin’s voice came through.

  “Come in.”


  Roan and Keep lightly glanced at each other and then nodded.

  At the same time, the office’s door opened and Austin appeared.

  Keep gave a light bow and exited the office.

  Austin waited for a moment and then cautiously spoke with a quiet voice.

  “We have a guest.”


  “Who is it this time?”


  Roan calmly asked back.

  Without them doing anything, numerous visits and invitations by nobles rained down after the event with Anthony Holten and the Janis information agency.

  Austin answered with an odd expression.

  “It’s Miss Viscount Elva Dionell. If I may add……”


  The odd expression became even more peculiar.

  “She’s a beautiful woman.”


  “Hm?”


  Roan, who was glancing over at the papers on top of his desk, creased his forehead.

  ‘Women? Viscount Elva Dionell?’


  Somehow, the name sounded familiar.

  ‘Who was it?’


  His memory was hazy.

  It felt almost within his reach, but not quite.

  As if a fog had descended, it was hazy.

  “My lord?”


  Austin’s voice broke in.

  “Ah… yes.”


  Roan organized his thoughts a second later and cleaned up a pile of documents.

  “Guide her to the reception room.”


  “Yes, understood.”


  Austin nodded his head and walked on ahead.

  Roan straightened his clothes and also headed toward the reception room.

  ‘Elva Dionell……’


  She was definitely a noble he had never met in this life.

  No, he hadn’t even heard of her.

  ‘Then it must mean that I heard the name in the last life……’


  It was definitely a familiar name.

  Sitting down on a soft leather chair placed on one side of the reception room, Roan entered deep into his thoughts.

  At that moment.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  With the sound of knocking on the door, Austin soon appeared with a beautiful woman.

  ‘So that woman is Viscount Elva Dionell.’


  He wondered if the memory would come up once he saw her face, but as expected, the fog-like haziness was the same.

  However, Roan didn’t make the mistake of falling into deep thought by himself.

  He cautiously walked up and slightly bowed his head.

  “It is an honor to meet you. I am Roan Tale.”


  “Hello. I’m Elva Dionell.”


  Her voice was as beautiful as her face.

  Austin quickly prepared the tea and exited the reception room.

  Roan and Elva sat opposite each other and smiled.

  “This is our first meeting, yes?”


  Roan carefully asked first.

  Elva lightly nodded her head.

  “Yes. I did see you several times from afar, but it’s the first time we meet face to face.”


  “But somehow, it doesn’t feel like our first meeting.”


  Roan spoke with a composed look.

  Putting down the teacup she held, Elva replied.

  “It’s probably because you heard rumors about us.”


  “Rumors?”


  “Yes. About a group me and several other nobles had made.”


  Roan quietly waited for her next words.

  Smiling shyly, Elva continued to talk.

  “I belong to a group called 12 Hatchling. It’s a group made up of young nobles of Rinse Kingd……”


  When she had spoke up to that point.

  “Ah!”


  Roan unconsciously exclaimed.

  No, that was closer to a sigh.

  It felt as if the fog within his head had cleared away.

  ‘Elva Dionell, to think I would have forgotten the Maiden of Iron and Blood Elva Dionell.’


  Finally, the memory of the woman in front of his eyes, Elva, surfaced clearly.

  The steel-like women who, for the Rinse Kingdom, cut off the heads of her lover and her sibling-like comrades.

  ‘After cutting off the head of her lover, she ended her life by suicide.’


  It was an event that was set to happen in merely five to six years.

  ‘Thanks to Elva Dionell, the third prince Kallum Rinse rose to the throne and became the next king……’


  Roan’s eyes trembled terribly sharply.

  That was because he had met the starting point of the great wave of history.

  End