“I just know it’s a famous story. If I made you feel uncomfortable…”

“… No. But I don’t think it’s a good idea for the Commander to hear about this. I think this is as far as we should go with the chatter.”

Tragula tried to stop talking with a bored and annoyed look.

But Fabian, who couldn’t stop here, persistently stuck.

“Isn’t the leader of the Yellow Lightning unit the same Black Knights, not some other expeditionary force? The Black Knight doesn’t seem to be that in love with artifacts… Even if the captain accidentally hits the last hit and acquires the artifact, it wouldn’t be a big deal, right?”

Fabian thought it was stupid.

No matter how Meyer Knox pretended to be not interested in artifacts and didn’t care, human nature is all the same.

Essentially, it was the rich saving more money. Just because they had a lot of artifacts, they probably tried to monopolize more of them because they knew how valuable they were.

Of course, it was strange that such a person covered Jun with artifacts, but…

‘I’m sure he kept it for others to see anyway. It’s just a way to show off that he’s so rich and has so many valuable things. It shouldn’t have much effect on Jun’s stats anyway. It’s a pearl necklace around a pig’s neck.’

Anyway, Fabian said this nonsense to shake Tragula.

And the purpose seemed to work very well.

“After all, the Black Knights’ strength will be stronger no matter who has it, don’t you think? Well… It’s just a matter of if. Because the Yellow Lightning troop captain will not intentionally make the final blow.”

“…”

Tragula did not pretend to have listened to Fabian’s words. Fabian, who kept talking to him, showed signs of irritation.

However, Fabian, who knows Tragula well, could see that he was shaking inside.

‘I know how much Tragula wants to escape from Countess Nerus. He may ignore me this time, but later he’ll think of me without realizing it.’

It won’t be easy to shake off the temptation.

If Tragula betrayed Meyer to extort artifacts by falling for his fanning…

He said it was no big deal, but that was bullshit. Eventually, he would be kicked out of the Black Knights.

If he targeted that time to propose to him to join them, he would be able to complete the expedition he had drawn up earlier than he had originally planned.

Perhaps Jun would try to capture Tragula.

However, if she did so, there was no way Meyer would accept Tragula, which would only lead to a feud between Jun and Meyer.

‘Jun has never led an expedition, so she doesn’t know how sensitive an expedition leader is to be challenged for authority.’

By nature, collapses start with small tremors.

Right now Jun was elated that she would be supporting herself in the Black Knights, but he wondered if she would still be able to do so after being abandoned by Meyer Knox.

It was a pity that he couldn’t see her miserable face in person.

Tragula then silently caught a demon, without exchanging a word with Fabian.

Tragula’s arrow pierced the tree demon’s unbroken roots with precision.

Even with the addition of just one Tragula, it was certainly much easier to proceed than before.

Everyone in Fabian’s expedition glanced at Tragula as if he was indeed amazing, but Tragula was lost in thought as if thinking of something.

‘He must be in conflict…’

Fabian couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t realize that the smile on his face was not the smile of a hero.

Finally, it came down to the boss battle.

The boss of this dungeon, a huge wooden demon, had been dealt a handful of blows by Axion’s fire magic.

Unlike Axion’s glamorous activities in the middle, like fireworks in the night sky, Fabian only had to cut down the relatively small wooden demons that popped out from the edges.The role of Fabian’s expedition team in the boss battle was to handle the miscellaneous monsters.

Fabian’s inner thoughts were twisted by the determination not to hand over the boss’s big experience.

Fabian saw the Black Knights in the distance.

Jun, who had Jeanne, seemed to be flaunting that she was in a safe place, protected by everyone. Fabian gritted his teeth.

Eventually, the dungeon boss staggered away.

The sound of tree branches clashing horribly echoed in their ears as the demon, which looked like an oak tree with lush foliage, swayed.

The final moment loomed.

Axion, who had driven the boss to its death, shouted for Meyer to give him one last shot.

“Commander! It’s now.”

“Alright.”

Meyer lumbered out, and at that moment, Tragula’s hand, which was holding the Golden Falcon, froze.

His gaze slowly settled on the boss.

Fabian watched the whole scene with bated breath.

The direction of the arrow aimed at the bow gently shifted and headed towards the boss. The hand that pulled the string trembled slightly as if it was still struggling.

However, Tragula’s worries did not last very long. Soon after he sighed, all hesitation was erased as soon as he raised his head again.

Tragula’s long and thin fingers were pulled tightly to place a string.

Whoosh!

The arrow, which was shot with a golden afterimage, penetrated the boss as it was.

[Giaaaaaaaaaaa!]

The scream of a demon close to a wavelength echoed through the space. It was a scream of despair and desperation.

“What’s with the arrow all of a sudden?”

Fabian grinned as everyone was confused by the sudden appearance of the arrow.

He didn’t know Tragula would move this fast… It wasn’t a bad result for Fabian.

Everything went according to his plan and wishes. Fabian was very sure.

***

After the debriefing, when everyone was intoxicated by the atmosphere of the banquet,

Tragula secretly slipped out of the banquet hall to avoid being seen.

His light footsteps, characteristic of an archer, swept through the darkness, leaving no sign of his presence.

The rendezvous point was, as usual, a secluded place out of sight.

The strange atmosphere was supported by a few swaying candles. Tragula couldn’t help but think that it looked like a place for a secret meeting.

However, he quickly shook his head. The thought of what they were about to meet made him feel disgusted that he had even entertained such an idea.

It was Countess Nerus, of all people, who entered the room a step later than Tragula.

She poured herself a glass of wine in a familiar manner and said indifferently.

“It’s been a year.”

“… Is there a reason to avoid other people’s eyes every time? I would be your son externally.”

Tragula asked, showing signs of discomfort.

“If I see you often, others will think I’m dreaming. And as a result, dirty rumors will come up. On the other hand, if I stay away from you, they’ll think I’m purely sponsoring talent for the cause.”“…”

After all, it meant that Countess Nerus herself did not want to be hurt in the slightest. Tragula gave a small sigh of exasperation.

Once a year, at every results meeting, Tragula met with Countess Nerus, who called him, to report on the inner workings of the Black Knights.

In a sense, he was a traitor and an internal scout. With this, Tragula had no choice but to understand why Meyer Knox was so wary of him.

But Tragula had no choice. Because he was a dog on a leash.

Tragula tried to suppress the displeasure and reported what he knew about the situation of the Black Knights.

Countess Nerus, who was listening quietly, sighed and muttered.

“Has the Grand Duke manifested his holy power? The world gives everything to one person.”

Countess Nerus was not very happy with the situation now that Meyer Knox monopolized it.

The more solid a hero was, the more powerful their imperial authority would be when they later became emperor.

Besides, Meyer Knox was a Grand Duke. As a great nobleman, he was already well aware of how to run a fiefdom.

As such, he would not have dared to ask for direct advice on how to run the country with a nobleman by his side.

It was inherently highly dangerous and highly profitable.

Of course, she invested in Meyer Knox in her strongest card, Tragula, but it wasn’t a safety net after all.

She secretly hoped that some other commoner hero would show up and put Meyer Knox in check.

However… If Meyer demonstrated his holy power, the appearance of someone who would oppose him would be even more remote.

Countess Nerus clucked her tongue and drank her drink.

The situation was not promising, but apart from that, it was inspiring to learn information that the rest of society did not know.

She translated with satisfaction.

“I was worried when I heard that you were alienated from the Black Knights… I didn’t know that an old hawk would be better than a little crow.”

Tragula dropped his head to the ground and looked at his toes.

Tragula already knew that Countess Nerus had another set of eyes on him.

As such, Countess Nerus’s reaction, who seemed to know his position in the Black Knights, was not very surprising.

Countess Nerus wouldn’t care what Tragula was thinking. She continued her words without hesitation.

“I was worried that a Vice Commander suddenly appeared in the Black Knights when you were out of Meyer Knox’s eyes. Because a vice commander is naturally supposed to be elite. Speaking of which, I’m really glad that the unit commander of the Green Brigade is dead. You would have been kicked out.”

The wine in the so-called Countess Nerus’ glass looked like blood.

It was typical of her to always fill his stomach at the expense of others.

Tragula thought of Umbra. They hadn’t been very close, they had been distant, but not so distant that he was glad she was dead. She had been a good companion, and as a fellow troop leader, she had deserved some respect.

She was a much better person than he was, a Count’s dog for the prestige of the family…

As if to mock his thoughts, the sound of Countess Nerus tongue clicking struck Tragula in the back of his mind.

“Try harder, Tragula. You’ve finally defended your elite status this time, but the special forces she’s raising will always be watching your back.”

“…I’ll do my best.”

“It’s not enough to do your best. If you want, use your hands.”

What Countess Nerus said was clear. Tragula paused without realizing it.

“From what I saw, they were all very young… but don’t let it slide just because they’re young.”

The Countess accurately hit on the indecisive psychology that remained deep inside of Tragula.

Of course, it was true that Tragula was reluctant to kill the special forces. But it wasn’t just because they were so young.

If Tragula killed them, wouldn’t Jun notice that?

No matter how hard he hid it, she would have discovered it one by one herself.

And if Tragula killed the special unit, she would never leave him alone.