Chapter 131 - Mind-Piercing Eye (2)

“I believe I have given you ample time. Please give me your answer now.”

Yohan pressed for an answer, demanding that Horentz give him his daughter’s hand.

Horentz could hardly help feeling uncomfortable. House Miyatro was certainly an excellent marriage prospect, but that did nothing to dispel his peculiar unease.

Yohan Miyatro, his daughter’s prospective husband, was no ordinary human. His scheming mind belied his age, and he was as sly as some ancient monster of the nobility. The air he exuded was far too strange for a boy of thirteen or fourteen. Anyone who met him felt that something was amiss.

His recent conduct in politics was nothing like that of a young boy. He was as adept at pressuring the royal family as Count Staviana.

———The Watcher of the Abyss must be nurturing a great serpent within him. Either that, or a Demon lives inside him.

Such talk circulated openly. Though it was half in jest, Horentz could not dismiss those assessments entirely. He certainly found Yohan chilling. Even now, meeting his eyes, he was gripped by a sense of otherness.

Horentz was a good judge of people. As a seasoned merchant, he had encountered all manner of humanity. People like Yohan were rare. His thoughts were inscrutable, and almost everything about him was shrouded in mystery. That sort of person warranted the utmost caution.

Horentz was uneasy about entrusting his daughter to Yohan. Before he was a calculating merchant, he was a father who loved his daughter.

He put on an affable smile and spoke.

“You seem a little young to discuss an engagement yet. Why don’t we revisit the matter in a year or two?”

“That is too late. I need Lady Serena right now.”

In short, he was saying he had to have the Mind-Piercing Eye. The Watcher of the Abyss was laying his dark desires bare. He had deliberately chosen to speak bluntly, tacitly proposing that they put everything on the table.

Horentz understood his intent. His smile vanished, and he voiced his true feelings with a resolute expression.

“Serena is not an object.”

Yohan nodded.

“Of course. Quite apart from her Mind-Piercing Eye, I will respect her and cherish her above all else. I will fulfill my duties as her husband.”

He had no intention of making Serena miserable. On the contrary, her life would be happier than it had been in the original novel. Yohan was confident he could make it so.

Horentz said,

“Ha ha... Your duties as her husband. Frankly, I find that difficult to believe. You intend to take other wives besides my daughter, do you not?”

The girl named Ilea who had accompanied Yohan to the capital had become House Staviana’s adopted daughter. In other words, Yohan intended to become the Count’s son-in-law through her. Horentz already knew that.

Yohan answered calmly.

“That is correct. I will arrange several marriages as the need arises.”

It was a remarkably brazen declaration. Under the precepts of the Church of the Great Saint, every human except a king could have only one wife. No one could dare violate that law, for Church law stood above every national law on the continent. In a sense, Yohan’s statement bordered on blasphemy.

Horentz opened his narrowed eyes a fraction.

“... Are you serious?”

Yohan’s expression remained blank.

“I have no reason to make empty claims.”

Horentz let out a breath of disbelief. After a brief silence, he spoke.

“I will pretend I never heard that. Would you care to stay for a meal?”

Yohan replied evenly.

“I understand how you feel. With the Church’s precepts so strict, I must look like a madman to you, Viscount.”

Horentz stifled a groan.

“Ahem. It is not so much that—”

Yohan cut him short.

“This may come as something of a surprise, but I have no intention of defying the Great Saint’s will.”

Horentz’s brow furrowed.

“Frankly, I have trouble understanding what you mean.”

Yohan spoke in a low voice.

“I intend to become a king.”

Silence fell at once. Neither spoke. The stillness lasted a long while.

Horentz’s narrowed eyes slowly widened. The gaze they revealed was wavering. He could not believe his ears.

The Watcher of the Abyss wanted a throne? Could he be planning treason? If so, why confess it to House Marcano? Was he asking them to join a rebellion?

All manner of thoughts and emotions churned through his mind. His voice trembled as he spoke.

“What did you just—”

“The Grand Duchy of Miyatro. I will reclaim my house’s lost glory.”

The baronial House of Miyatro had once been a grand ducal house. Now it was merely a noble house subject to the kingdom, but it had once been the true ruler of the continent’s south.

Yohan would begin by reclaiming that authority. Only by gaining independence from the kingdom and the Empire could he wield greater influence over the continent.

Horentz’s gaze wavered violently. It was difficult to dismiss Yohan’s words as nonsense. He—the Watcher of the Abyss—was precisely the sort of person who might seriously aspire to become a sovereign duke. His actions thus far supported that notion.

Not yet twenty, he had rebuilt his fallen house and taken complete control of politics within weeks of arriving in the royal capital. Now his sinister reach was extending toward a loftier goal. There was a strong chance the Grand Duchy of Miyatro really would be established.

Horentz’s mind raced. He had to decide his position and how to conduct himself as quickly as possible.

Only after a considerable time did he speak.

“... Sir Yohan, why are you telling me this?”

Unlike Horentz, who had agonized over his words, Yohan answered immediately.

“Well, one thought led to another.”

“Pardon? What do you—”

“Were we not discussing the Church’s precepts? I merely wished to explain that even if I took several wives, I would not be violating the Great Saint’s law.”

A sovereign duke was a king, too. Kings and emperors could have many wives. Even the Great Saint recognized that exception. The moment Yohan became a sovereign duke, the Church’s precepts would no longer bind him.

Horentz gave an incredulous laugh.

“Are you saying you did not bring this up to request House Marcano’s cooperation?”

He had assumed Yohan needed House Marcano’s power. But he had been wrong.

Yohan spoke with an indifferent expression.

“Whatever position House Marcano takes, the Miyatro domain will become a grand duchy in the end.”

Neither the kingdom’s nobles nor its royal family could prevent the establishment of the grand duchy. The problem was the Empire. Yohan needed the emperor’s sanction to become a sovereign duke.

Horentz had no connections to the imperial family. Whether House Marcano sided with Yohan or not would make little difference to him.

Horentz murmured under his breath.

“... You are already looking beyond the target.”

To Yohan, his engagement to Serena and matters of the kingdom’s politics were now merely “steps” toward a greater outcome. He was already forging far ahead. Horentz felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness.

Yohan looked puzzled.

“What did you just say?”

Horentz slowly shook his head.

“Nothing. More importantly, do His Excellency the Count and His Majesty know of your intentions?”

Yohan nodded.

“His Excellency is already helping me, and His Majesty will accept anything I ask of him.”

He held King Roderick’s leash firmly in hand. As long as the archmage Lumina remained alive, the king was an unquestioning ally.

Horentz stared blankly at Yohan before speaking.

“... Then, to return to the matter at hand, do I actually have the option of rejecting this marriage?”

Yohan wielded unchecked power within the kingdom. If he wished, House Marcano truly could fall. Their conversation had made Horentz fully realize that.

Yohan spoke calmly.

“As I told you before, I have no intention of forcing anything upon you, Viscount. The choice is entirely yours and your daughter’s. If you decline my proposal, I will simply look for another way.”

Look for another way? What a frightening thing to say. To Horentz, Yohan’s final words sounded like a threat. A chill ran through him, while Yohan’s expression remained composed.

Horentz spoke slowly.

“Please give me just a little more time. I will have an answer for you by tomorrow morning.”

He needed to discuss it with Serena, too.

Yohan shrugged.

“Well, very good. I will respect whatever decision you make, so consider it at your ease and let me know.”

Yohan smiled gently. Horentz could not bring himself to smile back. An inexplicable pressure weighed on him.

He forced his expression to relax.

“Then shall we leave it there for today and have breakfast together?”

“Thank you for the invitation, but I must decline. I am scheduled to breakfast with His Majesty.”

Yohan intended to go straight to King Roderick. He needed to discuss the matter of becoming a sovereign duke with him.

Yohan rose. Horentz inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Eating with Yohan right now really might give him indigestion.

Horentz forced a smile.

“What a pity. I will arrange another occasion.”

Yohan inclined his head slightly and left the drawing room. Horentz remained seated for a long time.

* * *

The day passed in a flash. The morning Horentz had promised his answer was already dawning. Instead of sending word, he sent someone to the Miyatro mansion.

A woman in an elegant dress entered the mansion. Serena Marcano. The woman known as the Gold of the Kingdom had come to see Yohan.

The servants could not take their eyes off her. Even Haman, the butler, could not hide his discomposure. Just as the rumors said, Serena possessed overwhelming beauty.

Had Haman not built up a resistance to beauty, he would have frozen stiff. Fortunately, he had already encountered Ilea several times. In fact, he had frozen the first day he saw her. He had never seen anyone so beautiful.

That same Ilea now stood facing Serena at the mansion’s entrance. They stared directly at one another, both like sculptures. Every servant held their breath as they watched.

Ilea spoke first.

“You really are as beautiful as they say. I’m Ilea.”

Serena smiled gently.

“Serena Marcano. It is an honor to meet you, Lady Staviana.”

Ilea made no reply, merely watching her in silence. She had deliberately laced the smile in her eyes with killing intent.

Serena spoke calmly.

“Is there something you would like to say to me?”

No answer came. A strange tension hung in the air. Out of habit, Serena activated her Mind-Piercing Eye.

At that moment, a sensation she had never experienced before engulfed her. The space around her stretched taut like a rubber band. It felt as though her soul were leaving her body.

Through the daze, she heard a sweet, melodious voice.

“Use that on me one more time, and I’ll kill you.”

At once, time sped forward. The strange sensation abruptly vanished. Ilea had already passed her and was leaving the mansion.

Serena turned to look at her.

“Wh-what just—”

Ilea’s eyes curved in a smile.

“It was lovely meeting you, Lady Serena. Let’s have tea sometime.”

With that, she left. Yohan, who had been watching the two of them, stifled a groan.