TYMKM 02

Chapter 02

Besides the helmet, other pieces of armor, such as metal greaves and gauntlets, lay scattered across the floor.

They were things he had left there after telling everyone not to touch them because he would take care of them himself.

The Duke polished his steel headpiece as he spoke sulkily.

“I think I’ll devote myself to the Goddess once I’m past forty.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Perhaps the only one who will recognize the pure soul inside this filthy body is the Moon Mother.”

It sounded like a joke, but there was quite a bit of truth mixed into it.

His younger brother completely ignored his brother’s lament.

“It’s not like I’m telling you to go out, seduce some extraordinary woman, and drag her home. I’m just telling you to at least take a look around at what’s already on the table.”

His brother was an infuriating man who refused to have anything to do with women or even try anything because he was obsessed with that nonsense about finding true love. When it came to romance, he had always embraced the attitude of a born loser.

“Even if she’s a woman from some poor rural estate, what does her family lineage or background matter as long as she’s a good person? If she’s struggling financially, you could approach her more easily under the pretext of offering her financial support. Don’t look for some flashy, extravagant woman. Find someone plain and frugal. Surely there has to be at least one woman like that in this vast land.”

The Duke had nothing lacking when it came to title, wealth, or bloodline.

Therefore, what he needed to gain through marriage was neither the prestige of his wife’s family nor a political alliance.

“That’s enough, Dero-Dero. I’ve told you plenty of times. I have no desire to get married. Flirting with women isn’t my hobby.”

Whenever the Duke wanted to avoid a conversation, he deliberately adopted a playful tone and used affectionate nicknames.

But to Desidero, who had to listen to it, those words were often enough to make his blood boil.

“Who said I want to see you dating someone? You need an heir.”

An heir to succeed Nix Feroa.

That was the one and only thing Desidero wanted.

“Marriage is already out of the question. And you’re talking about a son…?”

Duke Feroa muttered awkwardly.

As far as he was concerned, if the family needed another heir, his father could simply produce another child instead of him.

“Once Father comes back, the succession issue will resolve itself naturally. He can take a young wife and have a healthy little brother…”

“And someone who thinks that way picked a fight with the Crown Prince?”

“When did I pick a fight with him? That bastard started it.”

The mention of the Crown Prince immediately made the Duke bristle.

Nix had originally come all the way to this distant place to meet the King.

He had wanted to ask for help rescuing his father, who was being held prisoner in an enemy country.

However, the King had been too occupied with state affairs to even attend his daughter’s wedding.

The Crown Prince, who had attended in his place, was the sort of person whose presence was a hindrance to Nix rather than a source of assistance.

When their father came up again, Desidero became even more sarcastic.

“Someone who thinks that way also skipped the reception?”

“…I did send a gift.”

“What good are all those gifts? You know perfectly well how little an impression a gift leaves when it doesn’t come directly from the person who was supposed to give it.”

As his younger brother’s expression grew increasingly menacing, the older brother’s voice gradually became quieter.

Desidero was nearly ten years younger than him, but he was the one person in the world who could make the man back down.

“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself over that. Even if things go badly and we fail to rescue Father, if he doesn’t make it back alive, then I suppose we’ll simply have to accept that as the fate of our family.”

An unfortunate death in prison after being unable to pay a ransom was hardly unheard of for a conquering monarch who had gone off to war far from home.

Moreover, the opposing side had demanded an absurd condition for his return without even providing proof that he was alive or dead.

Nix himself therefore had not been holding out much hope.

Their demand was the return of Richfield, the territory Nix Feroa had taken.

But that land had already been transferred to the temple, and the reclaimed holy ground was under special protection.

Nix was willing to attempt negotiations over other lands near Richfield, but doing so would require reaching an agreement with the other feudal lords, including the royal family.

“I know it won’t be easy either way.”

The man muttered.

In truth, he was not particularly affectionate toward his father.

Loyalty was another matter, perhaps.

As for Desidero, he actually came closer to disliking their father.

It was only natural. Their father had treated him as though he were not even his son.

His biological mother had died giving birth to him, and the only person Desidero considered family was his brother, Nix.

Perhaps because of that, he tended to be even more obsessed than Nix himself with the authority and reputation of Duke Feroa.

“Father rots to death in prison, and my brother wastes away as a bachelor… Then what? Am I supposed to just sit there and watch the title pass to someone else?”

The young man asked coldly.

If Nix died without leaving an heir and the direct line of succession ended, all the Feroa family’s property and titles would pass to his uncle.

Although Duke Feroa was a man who was constantly charging into the middle of wars, he was still young enough that, rather than the title going directly to his uncle, it was far more likely to be inherited by his cousin—the uncle’s son.

The Duke spoke regretfully, as though he had never considered that possibility before.

“Right. I forgot to set aside a sizable portion of your inheritance before I die. I should write my will as soon as we return to Loudhill. Things are peaceful for the moment, but there’s no telling when I might be sent back to the front.”

“Brother!”

“Freed, if I ever seem to have completely forgotten about this conversation, remind me.”

The Duke tapped his temple with a finger, promising that he would never forget.

At the same time, he addressed the attendant who would serve as witness to this verbal testament.

Freed silently nodded, maintaining his perfectly straight posture.

He remained where he had always been, standing steadfastly behind Desidero.

His younger brother grew irritated at the way his brother kept changing the subject.

But before long, he regained his composure and spoke.

“You may have come up empty-handed, Brother, but I didn’t. I finally found someone.”

“Found someone?”

When Duke Feroa repeated the words, Desidero gave him a meaningful smile.

He turned his head toward the attendant standing behind him and gave an order.

“Freed, go bring Lanram here.”

The attendant silently nodded again.

He gave a slight bow before leaving Desidero’s side to carry out the order.

The only person left bewildered was Duke Feroa.

“You found someone?”

“That’s right.”

Desidero replied smugly.

In fact, the two brothers had come to Saltcoast for entirely different reasons.

Desidero had no interest in the matter concerning their father.

He had heard a rumor that an exceptionally skilled herbalist lived here.

That was why he had followed the trail all the way to this distant place.

Desidero wanted desperately to cure his brother’s skin disease.

If he could only restore the man’s shattered self-esteem, then that alone would be enough.

The young man was willing to crawl into every corner of Bigland if that was what it took to find a solution.

This was hardly his first attempt.

He had already tracked down virtually every physician of any reputation in Bigland and brought them before Duke Feroa.

“This time, you can really get your hopes up.”

That was what he always said.

It had all begun when Desidero heard that the daughter of Lady Mentos, who suffered from leprosy, had been completely cured.

There was no denying that the rumor contained some exaggeration, but there seemed to be no doubt that the young daughter of House Mentos had suffered from a serious illness and had benefited from the medicine of some healer.

Desidero had even gone to Lady Mentos personally to obtain more information.

He confirmed that the mysterious apothecary was particularly skilled when it came to skin disorders, but unfortunately, she was reluctant to share anything beyond that.

“There was a reason Lady Mentos kept quiet about it. I wondered why someone that skilled hadn’t become more widely known… but she’s Tilamin.”

The young man revealed the unsettling fact with an expression suggesting that it bothered him.

The Duke’s reaction was exactly what he had expected.

“Tilamin?”

The man frowned.

No matter whether the treatment had been performed for the sake of healing, if her methods involved heretical practices, then it was certainly something worthy of condemnation.

It was understandable that she had kept it secret out of shame.

Desidero had only barely managed to learn that the apothecary lived somewhere in Saltcoast.

And at last, the eyes and ears he had scattered throughout the region had found her.

Knock, knock.

Right then, the attendant politely rapped his knuckles against the door.

“Come in.”

Desidero answered in a welcoming voice loud enough to be heard clearly through the door.

The door to the large reception room opened.

Following behind the upright attendant, a woman quietly stepped inside.

She had long, luxuriant, jet-black curly hair.

Her cheeks were so red that they seemed as though they might carry the scent of roses.

She was short and petite.