From a Broken Engagement to the Northern Grand Duke's Son-in-Law

Three months passed in a blur of relentless training.

Much had changed during that time.

Whistle—

Clang!

Roxen could now swing his sword at the mere sound of a poison dart cutting through air. His reflexes had become sharp enough to deflect projectiles he couldn’t even see.

Clang! Clang!

Lancelot had progressed to the point where he could parry multiple attacks while yawning.

Even Hans had developed such keen awareness that he could detect poison with uncanny accuracy.

Their progress was nothing short of remarkable.

Swish!

“Yikes!”

Hans had become nimble enough to dodge suddenly incoming poison darts. He hadn’t quite reached the level where he could deflect them with his eyes closed like Lancelot or Roxen, but the improvement was undeniable.

“This should be enough for survival,” I remarked, watching him with satisfaction.

Hans shot me a glaring look while panting heavily—defiant behavior that would have been completely unthinkable from the timid coachman I’d first met.

Still, Hans being Hans, he didn’t push his luck beyond that single rebellious glare.

I smirked and turned my attention elsewhere.

Only Kai remained to assess.

Clang! Clang!

“Try harder!”

“...Die.”

But seeing him locked in combat with the Veilmaster in the distance, I felt little need for concern. The boy’s dedication was absolute, his progress meteoric.

It appeared the time to depart had arrived.

I contemplated our future plans while observing my considerably strengthened unit. 

Originally, I had intended to wait for correspondence from the trading kingdom, but for some reason, no such letter had arrived.

Martel wouldn’t have ignored important correspondence, which meant some mishap had occurred in transit.

Given the situation, it seemed proper to simply depart for the trading kingdom directly.

This should be sufficient preparation to receive training from the Educator.

I nodded with approval while watching my team.

Just then, the combat between Kai and the Veilmaster concluded with a final exchange of blows.

I approached them. “Well done.”

“…You worked harder than any of us, Young Master,” Kai replied, wiping sweat from his brow.

If only the other unit members possessed even half of Kai’s dedication…

I glanced toward the others, noting Lancelot’s particularly vocal grumbling about the training regimen.

…I shouldn’t expect too much from everyone.

With a small sigh, I turned my attention to the Veilmaster. “I intend to depart now.”

“Already?” The Veilmaster seemed surprised.

“They’ve received enough training.”

He regarded me and my unit with thoughtful assessment before nodding slowly. “Indeed. They have grown considerably.”

“Kai especially.”

“That one’s in a league of his own. He’s easily at Old Seven’s level now.”

Old Seven was the nickname for the gatekeeper elder—they’d given him the name because he’d never possessed one, or so the story went. I didn’t know the exact circumstances of his past.

“In any case, it’s regrettable that you’re leaving. I’ve grown quite fond of you all,” the Veilmaster said, adjusting his disheveled clothing. “But where do you plan to go next? Seeing as you’re taking Kai along, it must be somewhere dangerous.”

“Mm… Calling it dangerous might be a slight overstatement,” I replied, pausing momentarily before continuing. “The Trading Kingdom of Diva. That is our destination.”

The Trading Kingdom of Diva—a peninsula surrounded by sea on three sides, where trade goods from across the known world converged in a magnificent display of commerce and culture.

And more importantly…

“You’re going to that place where that crazy old hag resides?” The Veilmaster’s expression shifted to one of concern mixed with dark amusement.

It was the domain ruled by Grand Master Enoxia Brahms, one of the most formidable individuals alive.

The Veilmaster eyed me with a wry chuckle.

His expression clearly conveyed his thoughts: You look like you’re planning to cause trouble over there. Sounds to me like a death wish.

Well, he wasn’t wrong. Public order in Diva was essentially Enoxia Brahms’s sole responsibility, and she maintained it with absolute authority.

“I’m not planning to cause trouble, so you needn’t worry. Kai will be safe as well.”

“Now who said I was worried?” The Veilmaster cleared his throat and gazed at distant mountains, his demeanor completely different from our first meeting.

It seemed he’d grown genuinely fond of Kai during their training together.

The feeling, of course, wasn’t mutual.

“…I couldn’t kill him again today,” Kai muttered.

Such an unchanging fellow. I patted his head affectionately. “In any case, thank you for all your hard work.”

“It was nothing,” the Veilmaster replied with gruff modesty.

“So now please hand over what you promised.”

“Give you what? What could I possibly have to give you?” The Veilmaster blinked in apparent confusion.

“Not me—what you promised to give Kai. The elixir and divine artifact.”

I grinned while extending my hand expectantly.

At present, two divine artifacts remained in Death Veil’s possession: Thief Master Max’s dagger ‘Tracophe’ and the boots ‘Longmoon’ containing the founding Veilmaster’s ability.

While Tracophe was currently in use and thus unavailable, Longmoon was a divine artifact I absolutely had to obtain. It contained an actual skill—and considering that only Grand Master-level individuals could imbue abilities into objects, such items were extraordinarily rare.

“…You’re seriously asking me to hand it over?” The Veilmaster’s voice carried a note of disbelief.

“Would I be joking then?” I responded as if the question were absurd.

The Veilmaster exhaled quietly and nodded with resignation. “A promise is a promise. I’ll give it to you.”

He disappeared briefly and returned carrying Longmoon and several crimson pills.

“Take them.”

I began examining the items carefully.

Black leather boots that hummed with power, and blood-red pills that practically vibrated with concentrated energy. Judging by the auras they emanated, everything was genuine.

“I cannot give you Tracophe, as it’s a symbol of the Veilmaster’s authority,” he explained, perhaps anticipating my next request.

As if I would ask for that as well.

“No worries. This is more than enough.” I took Longmoon and the pills, handing them to Kai with ceremony.

Kai’s eyes sparkled as he received the items. “A gift from Young Master…”

Technically, I hadn’t given them to him—the Veilmaster had. But since he was happy, I didn’t bother correcting his interpretation.

I had received everything I needed. Time to gather my team and depart.

“We’re leaving, so everyone assemble.”

The unit members gathered with expressions of joy, believing they were finally going home.

“Well then, we’ll be going.” I offered a casual farewell to the Veilmaster.

It was time to depart for the trading kingdom.

* * *

To reach the trading kingdom, we boarded a massive vessel from the central region—a ship the size of a luxury cruise liner.

“Whoa…”

Kai and Hans stared at the endless expanse of ocean with amazed wonder.

It was clearly their first time seeing the sea. Well, unlike Lancelot or Roxen, there was no way they could have experienced this before—

“Bloody hell, man! It’s the sea!” Lancelot exclaimed with boyish enthusiasm.

“…So that’s a whale. My daughter would have loved to see this,” Roxen added wistfully.

Ah, so this was their first time too?

I shook my head with wry amusement. Still, seeing them so delighted made me glad we’d chosen such a large vessel for the journey.

Just as I was about to leave the unit members to their exploration and enter the cabin, a provocative voice drifted from somewhere nearby.

“Ugh, that countryside stench.”

Turning, I saw a boy surrounded by a group of knights, his appearance practically screaming nobility.

I had no memory of him, which meant he probably wasn’t from a particularly high-ranking family.

Some brat from a landless viscount family, perhaps.

My companions would have responded by thoroughly crushing him. But me?

There were other passengers present, and I saw no need to cause a noisy disturbance over such trivial provocation.

I dismissed it as a spoiled child’s tantrum and continued walking.

But then…

“Ugh, and what’s with that one? How’d a beggar like this get on board? Did he sneak on?”

The noble youth’s voice carried clearly as he stared at Kai with obvious disdain.

The knights beside him moved forward, approaching Kai with predatory intent.

“You heard the young master, didn’t you? Beat it.”

“He does look rather cute, though. Serve me tonight, boy, and I might forgive you.”

The knights spouted filthy remarks while reaching for Kai, clearly intending to forcibly remove him from the ship.

Just as they were about to lay hands on him—

“Hah. How irritating.”

Thwang!

I loosed an arrow, severing the lead knight’s arm at the shoulder.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!”

The armless knight’s scream pierced the air as he clutched his severed limb.

Witnessing the sudden violence, passengers around us began screaming and fleeing in panic.

I stood in the center of this chaos, running a hand through my hair.

“I was trying to pass by quietly.”

Hearing my irritated voice, the noble youth began pointing at me with a trembling finger. “Y-you dare…! Do you know who I am?! When my father hears about this, you’re all dead!”

The youth’s voice cracked with fear even as he tried to maintain his threatening posture.

Pathetic.

I regarded him with cold contempt. “Bring him here.”

“What?”

“Can’t hear properly? I said bring him. Your father, or those impressive escort knights of yours.”

As I spoke, I employed a technique learned during my time at Death Veil.

Whoosh—

A technique that weaponized killing intent to psychologically strangle opponents. 

Rather than something knights typically learned, it was primarily mastered by assassins—and now it unfolded from my will like a living thing.

“Urgh...!”

The youth clutched his throat and collapsed to his knees. Foam emerged from his mouth, and his entire body convulsed violently.

The other knights around him suffered the same fate, every one of them panting and paralyzed by the terror I’d unleashed.

I clicked my tongue at their pathetic display.

How could such weaklings dare to pick a fight with me? I almost suspected they were desperate to die.

Good thing I learned Dread Aura.

I controlled my breathing while observing the knights, who were now completely incapacitated and convulsing.

Unlike the Crushing Presence that knights typically employed, Dread Aura didn’t rely on forceful suppression. Instead, it had the devastating characteristic of being able to inflict permanent psychological damage.

In other words, if I maintained the technique just a little longer, they would become vegetables for the rest of their lives.

Part of me wanted to follow through with that outcome, but I couldn’t. There were too many witnesses present.

I pulled back my killing intent and lifted the terror that had gripped them.

Only then did the knights gasp for breath as if they’d been drowning, sprawling across the deck in desperate relief.

“Hah—hah—”

I spoke quietly to the noble youth, eyes still on their pitiful forms. “Don’t let me see you again. Noble or not, I’ll kill you all the same.”

The knights nodded frantically. They hastily gathered up their young master and fled into the ship’s interior like beaten dogs.

I scoffed at the sight and turned my attention to Kai, who stood with his head hanging like a criminal, his expression heavy with guilt.

“…I’m sorry.”

“At least you know you did something wrong.”

“Yes.”

“I told you before—if you run into bastards like that, make them regret it. Even if they’re nobles, I can deal with the fallout as long as you don’t kill them. Just do what you have to.”

I could barely suppress the frustration in my chest as I spoke. The boy needed to understand that he wasn’t powerless, that he had protection and the right to defend himself.

Kai nodded solemnly. “I’ll remember that.”

“Good.”

Those earnest, childlike eyes met mine briefly. I tapped his head gently and turned away, the moment of instruction complete.

Despite the minor disturbance, the cruise ship continued moving toward its destination without pause, cutting through the waves with steady purpose.

Time slipped by until, at last, a kingdom rose on the distant horizon—a bustling hub where merchants from every corner of the world converged.