Episode 90: Reunion (Part 2)
Damian couldn’t help but stare at Michael Ryanbloom in shock.
“How did you end up here?”
Michael, as the eldest son of the Ryanbloom Marquisate, held a position of great importance. Damian never imagined he would come in person, no matter how much he wanted to help.
“When my brother asks for help, how could I just sit back and watch? I dropped everything and came running.”
“I bet the Marquis tried to stop you.”
“He did threaten to chase me with a sword if I left, but don’t worry about it. He wouldn’t actually swing a sword at his own son, would he?”
Michael Ryanbloom chuckled, and Damian felt a headache coming on.
“If anything like this happens again, contact me right away!”
”…Sure, I’ll do that.”
Despite his words, Damian had no intention of calling Michael again. Another incident like this would surely earn him the Marquis’s ire.
“I wanted to bring more knights, but sneaking out alone was the best I could do.”
It was a bit disappointing. The knights of the Ryanbloom Marquisate were renowned for their skills and would have been a great help.
“Well, just having you here is more than enough.”
Instead of the knights, Michael Ryanbloom had come. He was worth ten times more than a hundred other knights.
Most importantly, Michael was no longer a low-class warrior.
“You’ve reached the middle-class level.”
“You noticed right away.”
Michael grinned. Unlike the last time they met, Michael had advanced from low-class to middle-class. Given his talent, it wasn’t surprising. He was among the top-tier masters.
“And you, brother…”
Michael looked at Damian, his eyes trembling slightly.
”…You haven’t changed. You’re still so high up, so far away.”
Damian responded with a silent smile. When they first met, Michael had mistakenly thought they were on the same level. Now, as a middle-class warrior, he realized the gap between them. It was a significant growth.
As they chatted, a servant approached.
“Sir Damian, you have visitors.”
Curious, Damian stepped outside. At the castle gates, he understood why they were called visitors.
Ten knights, clad in armor, awaited him.
“Sir Damian, we greet you! We’ve been sent by the Duke of Goldpixie to support you!”
To his surprise, all ten were low-class knights. The Duke had sent considerable forces.
“This is quite a favor. I must thank the Duke personally.”
“The Duke did mention he’s been missing your visits lately.”
Damian laughed at the knight’s words. With two middle-class warriors and ten low-class knights, they had a formidable force, rivaling any great noble’s.
“Looks like we won’t have to worry about manpower.”
Just as Damian was feeling satisfied, a soldier rushed over with a worried expression.
“Sir Damian, there’s trouble.”
“Trouble?”
“There’s a crazy… I mean, a strange woman causing a scene in the capital, demanding to see you! Her sword skills are too much for the guards to handle!”
”…A strange woman?”
Damian felt a sense of unease.
”…Let’s go see.”
He followed the soldier to the street, which was in chaos. Unconscious guards lay scattered about.
“Ah! There you are! Damian! It’s me! I’ve come!”
In the midst of it all, a woman he wasn’t particularly pleased to see was waving at him.
Veronica Sanchez.
Seeing her, Damian could only drag his hand down his face.
”…Why are you here?”
“Why? You needed help, so I came!”
Veronica pounded her chest with her palm, her confident expression making him want to smack her.
“You said I couldn’t die until you did, right? So I’m here to protect you!”
“I don’t need it. You’re weaker than me.”
“That was in the past! Do you know how much stronger I’ve gotten? Now I’m… what was it? That thing!”
Now that he looked, Veronica’s aura had changed. Damian assessed her.
“Middle-class?”
“Yes! I’m middle-class now! Isn’t it amazing? I can beat you now!”
Damian clicked his tongue. Veronica’s talent was impressive, but he hadn’t expected her to reach middle-class so quickly.
“Since we’re here… let’s see how strong you’ve become!”
Veronica drew her sword and charged. Damian didn’t bother to counter. He had someone else to handle it.
Michael Ryanbloom, standing beside Damian, drew his sword and intercepted Veronica. Their blades clashed in mid-air.
“Brother, who is this woman to be so disrespectful to you?”
Michael asked incredulously. Veronica scowled.
“And who are you to be sticking so close to Damian? Are you after his life too?”
“What? How dare you say such insulting things… Take it back immediately!”
“Damian Haxen is mine! Go find someone else!”
The two glared at each other, then began to duel fiercely.
“I’ll teach you a lesson so you never disrespect my brother again!”
“I’ll show you that Damian Haxen is mine!”
Damian, looking weary, instructed the soldiers.
“Clean up the area, tend to the injured, and keep people away.”
The soldiers moved quickly at Damian Haxen’s command.
“You two! Fight all you want, but don’t kill each other!”
“Got it! I’ll just teach her a lesson!”
“I’ll make sure she never covets you again!”
The two continued their chaotic battle, each shouting their own nonsense.
Damian watched them with a tired expression.
“Do as you please.”
Leaving them to it, Damian returned to the palace.
“Sir Damian!”
As he returned, he saw Oliver Apple rushing towards him from afar.
Despite being out of breath, Oliver didn’t stop running.
“Your Highness, is something wrong?”
“I just heard! Knights have arrived, haven’t they?”
Oliver must have been studying, as he was late to hear the news.
“Yes, that’s correct. We now have the forces needed to deal with the orc threat.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Sir Damian! Without you, we wouldn’t have gathered a single knight!”
Oliver spread his arms wide in joy, then suddenly looked frustrated.
“If this continues, I’ll always be relying on you… I won’t be able to face you, Sir Damian!”
Damian was quietly impressed. Oliver’s behavior had changed, but he hadn’t expected such a commendable mindset.
“I want to do something too! I want to help you… with this campaign!”
It was a noble sentiment, but the situation was tricky.
‘Is there anything he can do?’
His enthusiasm was admirable, but there wasn’t much he could be tasked with. They couldn’t hand the crown prince a weapon and send him to fight orcs.
Yet, they couldn’t dampen Oliver Apple’s spirit either.
After some thought, Damian came up with an idea.
“I understand your intentions, Your Highness. There is something you can take charge of.”
“Just tell me!”
“Now that we have the combat personnel, we need to plan the logistics. Securing funds, purchasing supplies, and planning the route to the operation area.”
In truth, Damian wasn’t well-versed in this area either. He only knew bits and pieces.
“I’d like you to oversee this, Your Highness.”
“Me…?”
Oliver hesitated. It was understandable, as he’d never handled such responsibilities before.
”…Just trust me.”
But Oliver didn’t back down or show any doubt.
Damian was once again struck by Oliver Apple’s transformation.
And so, the preparations for the campaign began.
Damian focused on understanding each knight’s specialties, ensuring they were used effectively.
“Let’s settle this today!”
“Bring it on! Don’t think you can run away like yesterday!”
Michael Ryanbloom and Veronica Sanchez were still at it, their duel unresolved after two days. Their daily routine had become sparring in the training grounds.
Meanwhile, Oliver Apple…
“We need to reconsider the route. According to a report from three years ago, this region is frequently overrun by wolf packs, making the main road unusable.”
He was handling things far better than Damian had anticipated.
In truth, Damian had assigned the task to Oliver Apple, thinking it wouldn’t matter whether he succeeded or not. There were plenty of capable officials, so Oliver didn’t need to excel.
But Oliver Apple was proving to be more competent than expected.
“Your Highness, the Goldpixie Duchy has offered to supply all the provisions for the upcoming campaign.”
“With a small team, carrying all those supplies would only slow us down. It would be more efficient to restock in the towns and cities we pass through.”
Yet, Oliver Apple wasn’t being dragged along by the bureaucrats; he was leading them.
‘I knew he was smart, but I didn’t realize he was this capable.’
In his previous life, Oliver Apple had hastily ascended to the throne, inadvertently weakening the Apple Kingdom’s power.
But looking at it another way, it was impressive that he managed to govern at all without any preparation.
“Contrary to the rumors, the Crown Prince is quite remarkable.”
Even Michael Ryanbloom had to admit as much.
“So, when are you going to settle things?”
“Ah! Well, you see…!”
Michael Ryanbloom was visibly flustered by Damian’s question.
“Just a little longer… please wait a bit more…”
“I’ve told you before, the world is vast, and there are plenty of people who can match you.”
Michael’s expression turned serious as he replied, “But I can’t accept that my rival is such a peculiar woman.”
This left Damian momentarily speechless.
“That’s why today, I must win!”
Michael declared with determination.
“Good luck,” Damian said, sounding rather indifferent.
Tap, tap.
A tapping sound came from the window. When he turned, he saw a crow staring at him.
“Hmm?”
As Damian examined the crow, he noticed something tied to its leg.
Opening the small tube attached to the crow’s leg, he found a piece of paper inside.
Unfolding it, he read a single line.
-Midnight tonight-
Below it was the word “Nokhyang.” Reading it, Damian smiled quietly.
At last, he had the chance to participate in the night market auction.