SOTBW - 28

Lucas, who had been severely beaten by Maximón, spent several painful days. His cheekbones and nose were completely shattered, and there were cracks in his jaw, making it impossible for him to move his face at all.

When he tried to open his mouth to chew bread, a sharp, stabbing pain spread throughout. Despite lying in bed, groaning in agony, Lucas couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking about Maximón.

It was all because of Najane Schnicks.

Najane would inevitably become Maximón’s greatest weakness. The thought of Maximón being frustrated and tormented by her made a smile creep across Lucas’ lips. Blood continuously poured from his flattened nostrils with every breath, but he didn’t care and kept laughing.

He had known that such a day would come.

Edwin had publicly announced that he would pass on the title of Marquis to Lucas, but even after Lucas had come of age and several years had passed, the succession plan had never been clearly declared.

Though Lucas despised Maximón, who monopolized Edwin’s attention as an adopted son, deep down he knew that it was a foregone conclusion that he would inherit the marquisate. So, he reluctantly turned a blind eye to Maximón’s presumptuousness, whether it was in learning swordsmanship or practicing horsemanship.

When did the plan go awry?

It all started when Taylor Elderketh became interested in taking Maximón on as an apprentice. Since then, everything began to fall apart. Lucas became like a candle in the wind. Maximón wasn’t Edwin’s real son, so he had no right to inherit, but the King had praised Maximón’s dedication at Noctis Fortress and had said that if Edwin wished, he would officially recognize him as a true Elgort.

In other words, it meant that it would be acceptable to pass the title to Maximón.

That news struck Lucas like a thunderclap. Some people already believed Maximón was truly Edwin’s son. It was all because of those damn dark green eyes of his.

The same dark green color that had once been unique to Astrun’s Rakhshu Elgort!

Some even spoke of Maximón as the reincarnation of Rakhshu. They claimed that Maximón was the reason the future of the Bastronia Kingdom was still moving forward.

Lucas clenched his teeth so hard that blood pooled in his mouth, recalling Maximón, Maximón, Maximón! Even though the true son of Edwin and the true heir of Rakhshu was himself, people worshiped Maximón instead.

Because of that, Lucas had come to deeply resent Edwin. If only Edwin hadn’t adopted Maximón, this tragedy wouldn’t have happened.

How unjust! Lucas’ fingers turned white from how tightly he clenched his fists. He hated Maximón. Despite being born lowly, Maximón had taken everything from him, and Lucas fervently prayed for his terrible, horrific death.

Lucas believed that his frail body had deteriorated because of Maximón. Ever since Edwin brought Maximón home, it felt as if something was draining his strength, causing him to wither.

“…Damn monster, that bastard!”

Lucas still couldn’t forget that moment. He had gone to the stable with the nanny to see the newborn foal, only to find Maximón standing there, holding a beating heart instead of the foal or the mare. The nanny fainted at the sight of Maximón, drenched in blood.

The heart Maximón held was that of the mare. Young Lucas wanted to scream right then, but when he saw the blood running down Maximón’s face, he was paralyzed and couldn’t move. The stable, which had been freshly prepared with straw for the foal, was now filled with the pungent, hot smell of blood.

Fearfully, Lucas took a step back, eventually collapsing to the ground. He urinated himself, but Maximón didn’t spare him a glance. He only stared at the heart he held.

Maximón’s eyes showed no emotion. He glanced between the dead mare and the heart before slowly meeting Lucas’ gaze.

Fearful, Lucas broke into tears. Then Maximón tossed the heart aside and, in a childishly innocent voice, said:

“Couldn’t I check your heart too? I have two, so I wonder why everyone else only has one.”

When Maximón reached out with his bloody hand, Lucas finally screamed. He screamed until his breath caught in his throat and crawled desperately on the filthy ground. Had the people repairing the broken fountain after a storm not heard his cries, Lucas would have surely died.

Edwin had the servants cover up the incident. It was an unbelievable story that the heart of the mare and foal had been torn out, but Edwin, knowing Lucas was telling the truth, still protected Maximón.

Ever since that incident, Lucas would have seizures or nightmares every time he saw Maximón. The truth was clear: Maximón was not human, but a monster. No one believed him, but it was the truth.

Just then, someone knocked politely. Lucas was so drained of energy that he couldn’t even answer. He just stared at the door. When it opened, it was the elderly butler, Maurice. He had disinfectants and towels in hand and carefully sat next to Lucas.

“How are your injuries? Would you like more painkillers?”

“…It’s fine. I’ve built up a tolerance, so they don’t work anymore.”

Maurice sighed as he wiped Lucas’ wounds with a disinfectant-soaked towel.

“Why on earth did you pick a fight with him? Did you not know what you’d be facing...”

“It’s because that bastard took on a female knight. I was curious. Still, I got to see something interesting. Maximón was ready to pounce with fire in his eyes just to save her.”

Lucas chuckled as he spat blood mixed with saliva into the silver tray that Maurice handed him.

“Use all the money you can find and investigate that woman. I don’t care if it’s something trivial. I want everything—every single detail!”

“But, sir, you’ve been warned that the Marquis will no longer support your indulgence...”

“I don’t care! I’ve finally found a way to get a hold of Maximón’s life, and you think money’s an issue now?!”

Lucas shouted, then coughed painfully. Maurice quickly handed him a glass of lukewarm water to drink.

“I’ll do my best to find out. Don’t worry too much and try to rest.”

After reassuring Lucas, Maurice left the bedroom.

Lucas had come down to Noctis Fortress in a hurry, terrified that Maximón might take away the Elgort Marquess title. Of course, all the expenses during his stay had been covered by Edwin.

But the Elgort family’s finances were not in great shape. Due to a low tax revenue and support for the Romsoa Knights, Maurice had heard that Edwin had cut back on the staff at the mansion.

Maximón, as the commander of the knights, received a monthly salary, steady sponsorship from noble patrons, and even large-scale trade profits, but Lucas did not. If things continued this way, Lucas wouldn’t even be able to pay the rent for the mansion he was staying in.

Maurice sighed again as he entered the kitchen. The lazy servants, upon spotting him, hurriedly pretended to be busy.

“How long have I been telling you to prepare the young master’s lunch, and it’s still not done?!”

Lucas, who abused the servants daily while indulging in luxury and pleasure, had led to a collapse in their discipline. Maurice glared at the servants before leaving the kitchen.

How could he calm Lucas’ mood? As he pondered, Maurice descended into the basement. It was filled with the slaves Lucas had collected over time, like trophies.

Unlocking the door, Maurice lit a candle and began checking on each of the slaves, his eyes falling on one woman. It was preferable to choose a slave with a beautiful face. He opened the tightly locked door, and the woman, crouched in the corner, lifted her head.

“What’s your name?”

Maurice asked in a stern voice.

The woman answered in a trembling, fearful voice.

“…Luna.”

She lowered her gaze, shaking, then spoke again.

“…Luna Powley.”

________________________________________

Maximón was finally able to rest when the sun rose, after putting his sword back in its sheath.

The number of sacred beasts flocking to the fortress was steadily increasing. As a result, the Romsoa knights were kept busy collecting the eyes of the beasts Maximón had slain to give to Serith, which became quite a profitable venture. With funds dwindling, the eyes of the sacred beasts were proving to be a valuable source of income.

Maximón, under Jacob’s direct leadership, watched as the soldiers poured holy water into the eyes of the beasts, before exiting the field. Upon receiving reports of the damages from the barracks near the walls, the fortress was already bathed in the morning sunlight. He entrusted his armor to the young soldiers and returned to the knight’s quarters.

Just then, merchants who supplied goods to the knights were arriving with their carts. They recognized Maximón immediately and quickly dismounted to greet him respectfully. A merchant with a bushy beard extended his hand to Maximón and spoke warmly.

“Congratulations on returning safely today.”

“How did the thing I asked about go?”

“Oh, that? I meant to deliver it to you personally, but since it seemed like you were busy, I entrusted it to the head maid. The craftsmanship turned out wonderfully! If it’s alright with you, we hope to serve you again next time. We’ll offer a special discount just for you, Commander.”

Maximón glanced at the departing carts of supplies and hurried to find Didina. Didina, busy instructing the maids so that the knights could eat and sleep immediately after, paused her work when she saw Maximón and greeted him.

Noticing Maximón, Didina quickly approached. As she watched the maids stirring a large pot of stew, Maximón extended his hand to her.

“Ah, you mean the Serith’s Eyes.”

Didina, noticing, discreetly took a palm-sized box out of her pocket and handed it to Maximón. Inside was a red gemstone the size of an eyeball.

The color was a deep rose hue, darker than ruby, and its sparkle resembled a diamond. When caught in the sunlight, the gem shimmered with a rainbow-like iridescence.

It was a rare mineral known as “Serith’s Eyes,” which could often be found within the eyeballs of the Serith sacred beasts.

Maximón faintly smiled as he looked at the surprisingly well-crafted gem.

Didina was a bit surprised as she watched him. She had found it unexpected when Maximón had asked to have the Serith’s Eyes crafted. He usually sold those gems at a high price to support the knights’ order.

Could he be planning to give it to his fiancée after all this time? Didina glanced at the maids and thought of Rachel. However, red gemstones didn’t suit Rachel much. After all, Rachel was a former knight and wasn’t one to favor jewelry.

Didina tilted her head in confusion, watching Maximón return to the knight’s quarters with the gem.

“...Lately, the commander seems to have become a bit softer, doesn’t he?”

Didina unknowingly spoke to the maids. The maids, looking bewildered, pretended they hadn’t heard her. They couldn’t relate to her at all.

From a distance, Maximón appeared to be a very handsome and well-built man, the type of man any woman would want to have a romance with. However, his cold and cruel gaze made it hard for anyone to want to get close to him.

Softer? Didn’t everyone know that Lucas Elgort had killed two guards just because he entered the knights’ order?

One of the maids quietly shook her head.

Everyone just hoped nothing unusual would happen that day.