In the study of Count Lawrence, a meeting was in progress.
"What is the current situation with the Barco family?"
"It seems they have made a decision. According to recent information, the Barco family has taken out a massive loan from the Golden Bank. Since the Barco family has no special source of income, the only reason they would take out such a loan is to prepare for war. Before they sweep up all the mercenaries, we must quickly secure capable ones ourselves. War is now just a matter of time."
"... Sigh."
At the words of Doppler, a strategist and vassal of the family, Count Lawrence couldn't hide his troubled expression.
"War, after all."
A year ago, the conflict had begun.
The Lawrence family, along with other families, was located in the northeastern part of the Cairo Kingdom.
Due to the mountainous terrain, there wasn't much land suitable for farming.
Lawrence, however, possessed more fertile land compared to other territories, and it was said that most of the agricultural produce in the northeast originated from Lawrence.
Then one day, the Barco family presented a document.
It claimed that an ancestor of the Lawrence family had incurred a debt, and as collateral, fertile land had been pledged.
The conflict erupted.
Lawrence refused to honor the document, as its authenticity couldn't be verified, while the Barco family pressed Lawrence, asserting their rights based on the document.
At that time, no one thought the situation would deteriorate to this extent.
The Barco family's document was of uncertain authenticity, but the problem was that a relative of the Barco family held a position in the central government.
The Barco family's rights were recognized.
Faced with the verdict to either repay the massive debt or surrender the land, the Lawrence family locked their gates and raised their voices in protest.
When right and wrong couldn't be resolved, there was only one way to solve the problem.
War.
The Barco family prepared for war.
Lawrence attempted dialogue multiple times, but now even rumors of the Barco family borrowing money from the Golden Bank had surfaced.
Doppler spoke.
"War is now unavoidable. If we accept the Barco family's demands, the very foundation of our family will be uprooted. It is better to prepare for war and fight to the death. The only silver lining is the marriage with the Dmitri family. Although Dmitri is a family of commoner origin, they are a wealthy family well-known in the northeast. I don't know what collateral the Barco family used to borrow money from the Golden Bank, but they can't have more money than the Dmitri family."
"That's right. That's why I sent my only daughter to that fool from Dmitri."
"My lord, it was a decision for Lawrence. As the lord, you made the right decision. Do not blame yourself."
"... I understand."
His expression said otherwise.
Thinking of his daughter Flora's future, his heart ached even now.
'If we give the land to Barco, our family is finished.
Like hyenas, other families will tear us apart from all sides, eyeing the scraps.
Even for my daughter, this is the right decision.
If the family's status falls, the future of a beauty admired by all will be nothing but despair.
At least if the family remains strong, our daughter will be treated well in Dmitri.'
He swallowed his pain.
This was reality.
To solve the problem at hand, there were times when one had to make painful decisions.
The meeting concluded.
Once the marriage with Dmitri was finalized, they would begin recruiting mercenaries and preparing for war.
No matter how strong Barco's military might was in the northeast, Dmitri's support couldn't be ignored.
But then.
Bang!
"My lord! Something terrible has happened!"
A soldier burst into the study, bypassing Flora.
The news he delivered to Count Lawrence was nothing short of shocking.
"... Is that really true?"
"Yes."
"Cough."
It was unbelievable.
Roman Dmitri.
Though it's said that a tiger father doesn't have a dog for a son, rumors had it that Roman was a typical arrogant fool.
Yet, he had eradicated Blood Fang.
It made no sense.
Not only was it hard to believe that Roman possessed such military strength, but Blood Fang was a shadowy organization whose base had never been revealed.
If it were that easy to uncover, Blood Fang wouldn't have survived this long.
He asked for details.
From beginning to end.
What the soldier had seen.
"When Roman Dmitri visited the territory, there was nothing unusual. Since he was engaged to Lady Flora, we allowed him entry without suspicion. But about an hour later, as I was returning to the barracks for a shift change, I saw Roman dragging a man by the hair across Lawrence Square. And that man was Ben Miles, the leader of Blood Fang. I don't know what happened between Roman and Blood Fang, but Roman publicly listed Blood Fang's crimes and executed him in front of Lawrence's citizens."
Beyond common sense.
The content was shocking.
The eradication of Blood Fang was certainly something to celebrate.
But this issue wasn't simple.
Even though Roman was Flora's fiancé, he had acted rashly on Lawrence's land.
As expected.
Doppler spoke from the side.
"It's murder committed without the permission of the lord of Lawrence. This is not something we can overlook."
A firm voice.
Count Lawrence's expression grew complicated.
A matter of precedence?
That wasn't important now.
His son-in-law.
He wanted to see the face of Roman Dmitri, who had dealt with Blood Fang.
"Bring Roman Dmitri here immediately. I want to see his face and hear the details of this matter."
It didn't take long to bring Roman.
Since Lawrence's guards had custody of Roman, he appeared in the study as soon as he was summoned.
Roman wasn't alone.
Accompanied by the knight commander Jonathan, Count Lawrence showed a disappointed expression.
'As expected.'
This incident wasn't something that could be resolved by an individual.
Given that the commander of the Dmitri knights had followed, it seemed they had dealt with Blood Fang with their help.
"Roman Dmitri, I greet Count Lawrence."
"Skip the formalities. Explain the situation. Why did you come to Lawrence and commit such a brutal act?"
A sharp question.
Roman's expression was calm.
Despite the gazes of those around him, his voice showed no tremor.
"The incident began a few days ago. Blood Fang was oppressing innocent citizens of Dmitri, and I executed them on the spot. Then Blood Fang targeted my life. While I was moving with a purpose, I was attacked by Blood Fang, and I decided they couldn't be left alone. That is the full story of what happened in Lawrence. Hearing that their base was in Lawrence, I raided it and captured their leader, Ben Miles."
"What I'm asking about is your authority in Lawrence. You have no right to execute anyone here."
"I know."
Authority.
It was important.
It was justification, and Roman had no intention of crossing the line.
At least, not until he confirmed one fact while gathering information about Blood Fang.
"But I had doubts about whether Lawrence would properly punish Blood Fang. Ben Miles wasn't an unknown figure. Although he wasn't revealed as the leader of Blood Fang, he was quite famous in Lawrence for various crimes. Yet, how has Lawrence dealt with him until now? They turned a blind eye. There were several instances where Ben Miles was captured due to various incidents, but he was released each time after paying a hefty bail. That's why I made the decision. I couldn't trust Lawrence's methods, so I had to handle this matter my own way."
"How dare you!"
"Young master!"
A bold statement.
Doppler's face turned red as he shouted, and Jonathan hurriedly tried to stop Roman.
The other party was Count Lawrence.
A count family higher than Dmitri.
Yet, even in front of such a person, Roman didn't admit his guilt but instead took a defiant stance.
Roman spoke.
"Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed. I thought I would be congratulated for dealing with Blood Fang, but I didn't expect to be grilled over procedural issues. I solved a problem that was discussed not just in Lawrence but throughout the northeast. To solve a problem that Lawrence had been ignoring, I got my hands dirty. I ask you, my lord, did I really do wrong?"
Count Lawrence's expression hardened.
He looked at Doppler.
"Is what he said true?"
"What do you mean...?"
"That Ben Miles was already a known figure. I asked if that was really true."
Doppler was flustered.
Ben Miles.
He knew him.
He didn't know he was the leader of Blood Fang, but he had heard of his notorious reputation.
Doppler's hesitant reaction.
No answer was needed.
Count Lawrence's gaze turned to Roman, who was looking up at him.
"I won't make an issue of this anymore. Although you had no right to execute anyone on Lawrence's land, if we had handled things properly from the start, this problem wouldn't have arisen. Regarding this, I will provide compensation later."
"Thank you."
"You may leave now."
"Yes."
Roman bowed his head.
Jonathan, who had been walking on thin ice until now, hurriedly followed Roman out of the study.
As they left and the door closed.
Thud.
"Hahahahaha, he really got me. So that's Roman Dmitri?"
Count Lawrence.
A broad smile spread across his face.
A tiger's son is indeed a tiger.
Looking at Roman's confident demeanor, Count Lawrence evaluated him from the perspective of his son-in-law.
"That's right. A man should have that kind of confidence. A successor who gets his hands dirty for innocent citizens. Who would call that guy a fool? He's a man, a truly impressive man."
Laughter escaped.
Roman's words were sophistry, and under normal circumstances, he should have been punished.
But he couldn't.
Thinking of Roman as his son-in-law, even non-existent affection arose, and laughter spilled from his lips.
The gaze that had looked straight at him.
The confident demeanor.
It was impressive.
The image of Dmitri's fool, which had been pitiful when heard, was completely different upon seeing him in person.
"My lord, we still shouldn't let this matter slide."
"What in the world can't be done? He's about to become Flora's husband. A man needs that kind of decisiveness and execution to accomplish great things. And it's not like he killed innocent citizens. He dealt with Blood Fang, who had been tormenting us, so as he said, we should be congratulating him."
"But..."
"Let this matter go. I'm in a very good mood. Who would have thought Roman would be such a fitting man for Flora?"
He was elated.
The strategic marriage with Dmitri had always pained Count Lawrence's heart.
But now it was different.
Flora.
He wanted to see his daughter.
He wanted to tell her how impressive Roman was.
"Bring Flora here immediately."
Until then, he didn't know.
The marriage between the two families.
It was already a done deal.