CHAPTER EIGHT
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Reading the report he received from his subordinate, Count Pyrex grinned slyly. This would be an opportunity to make up for his mistake.
With only loyalty and mediocre swordsmanship, Count Pyrex had risen to the rank of the captain of the emperor's bodyguards. Although he didn’t possess exceptional skills like Duke Floyen nor Marquis Hessen’s shrewdness, the count believed he was trusted by the emperor.
"For protecting me through the war, I appoint you as the captain of my bodyguards."
It was only through persistence that Count Pyrex had been promoted to his lofty status. Thus, he had lived contentedly until now in his place as the third-strongest swordsman in the empire.
Nonetheless, he had failed to link the princess with the king of Lagon. This led him to a crisis where the emperor now treated him coldly. To make matters worse, the eldest son of Marquis Hessen—second to Duke Floyen in swordsmanship—had started frequenting the royal palace.
His Majesty must be aware that I’m more useful than that brat, Count Pyrex seethed silently as he hastily headed toward the emperor's study.
Once there, he said, "I am here to speak to His Majesty.”
The grand chamberlain refused. "His Majesty is having an audience with someone else right now. Another time may be better—”
"Are you referring to the eldest son of Marquis Hessen?"
The grand chamberlain remained silent. Count Pyrex’s lips twisted into a frown. Normally, he would have left, but at the moment, he had the key to the emperor’s heart.
"This is an important matter,” he insisted, "so please let His Majesty know."
The grand chamberlain decided to acquiesce.
"Your Majesty, the captain of your bodyguards, Count Pyrex, requests an audience,” he announced.
There was a moment of silence before the emperor replied from inside. "Let him in.”
Once he entered the office, Count Pyrex spotted Mikhail standing in front of the emperor. The count gritted his teeth. Cheeky bastard.
"Count Pyrex. What brings you here?"
Noticing the emperor's gaze upon him, the count knelt on one knee and bowed his head.
"Your Majesty, I have captured it as you have ordered."
The emperor furrowed his brow. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Count Pyrex smirked. "The beast called the dire wolf, Your Majesty.”
The emperor and Mikhail had no choice but to cast looks of amazement upon him.
It had been part of Mikhail's plan to slowly push Count Pyrex out of his place as the captain of the emperor's bodyguards. The young man believed that the emperor would place more trust in him this way, and as planned, the emperor decided to hold a hunting competition to improve Mikhail's reputation. He also received an agreement for using the Flower of the Underworld's Goddess as the winning prize for the contest. Despite all these efforts, however, the emperor's gaze was now fixed on Count Pyrex.
Mikhail scowled. Did the count really catch the beast? Such creatures had existed since ancient times. Since their power could easily destroy a village, they were once called the devil's messengers. Many were captured or killed during the Age of Magic. The few that remained had disappeared, and their existence was now held in doubt.
"Count Pyrex. You have indeed captured the beast?" the emperor questioned.
It was only natural for him to be surprised. A dire wolf was known to possess an intermediate level of power among the magical beasts. Several swordsmen who knew how to use mana would need to cooperate to defeat it. In truth, however, Count Pyrex hadn’t captured the beast on his own. This dire wolf was to be auctioned off in the underground network. Nevertheless, the truth didn't matter to him.
"Yes, I have," the count lied.
Trembling, the emperor roared, "Have you gone mad? What if that thing attacks me?!"
Despite the sudden shouting, Count Pyrex didn’t lower his head. Instead, he smiled and said, "Do not worry, Your Majesty. I know a way to control the beast."
Eyes wide, the emperor gulped. As long as there was a way to control it, there were many uses for a powerful beast like a dire wolf.
"And what might that be?" he asked urgently.
Glancing at Mikhail, Count Pyrex said, "I would like to keep this confidential. It would be difficult to speak of it with an outsider present."
Seething, Mikhail glared at the count. How dare someone like him... A mere dog of the emperor...
"Sir Mikhail, you may go,” the emperor ordered. "You’ll need plenty of rest to win the hunting competition, anyway."
Mikhail’s blood boiled, but he had expected this to happen. He calmed himself.
"Yes, Your Majesty,” he answered.
As he left, however, his eyes pierced vicious daggers into Count Pyrex.
He needed to find a way to control a dire wolf. He thought about who might know such information and clenched his fists once he came to an answer. Yes, even though that man spoke a lot of nonsense, he was educated in many things...
Once he stepped out of the main gate to the royal palace, Mikhail got onto his carriage. He turned to his coachman and said, "Take me to Viscount Droil’s mansion.”
Information tended to change rapidly, and for Fresia, it was necessary to review it whenever possible. She frowned slightly as she read over a piece of important intel.
A beast, huh... Trying to put such a dangerous thing up for auction... People were crazy.
Then, she recalled the method of hunting a dire wolf: there was a certain flower that was harmless to humans but poisonous to dire wolves. She tried to recall the name of the flower before shaking her head. No, even that couldn’t completely control the beast... There was no reason to take such a risk.
Fresia decided to let go of the information about the beast, and she was about to discard it when…
"Fresia."
She turned her head to the voice that called her from behind.
"My lord, when did you arrive?" she asked.
Max frowned slightly as if she had asked an obvious question. "Just now."
"Oh, I see." Fresia smiled awkwardly, realizing she had asked something unimportant.
"What is that?"
"Ah, these are bits of intel that I’ve decided to discard. Within them, there was something about a dire wolf being auctioned in the underground network, but apparently, the beast was already sold. If you’re interested, Your Highness, I’m willing to inquire about the owner of the magical beast,” she offered.
However, Max shook his head, apathetic. "No, it's fine. Such dangerous beasts are difficult to control. They’re a headache."
Fresia smiled. Yes, there was no need to be greedy for something that couldn’t be achieved.