The current Patriarch of the Lionheartâs main family had two younger brothers.
The relationship between the three brothers was calm and the eldest son, Gilead, had ascended to the position of Patriarch without having to shed even a single drop of blood. In addition to the simple prioritization of seniority, Gileadâs skills at that time were superior to his brothersâ.
And Gileadâs two younger brothers hadnât held much interest in the position of the Patriarch. The second son, Gilford Lionheart, whose skills fell short compared to both his older and younger brothers, had given up on the position of the Patriarch at an early age and searched instead for his own happiness.
From what Eugene could recall, Gilford Lionheart was a middle-aged man with a slightly protruding belly, though not as much as Gerhardâs. According to the rumors, he had played around quite a bit when he was young, but⌠although they hadnât gotten to know each other all that well, Gilford hadnât seemed like such a bad person to Eugene. Gilford had left the main estate earlier this year and established his own household in a secluded and peaceful country estate.
Unlike Gilead and Gilford, Gion Lionheart had never gotten married, nor did he wish to be married. Eugene had personally asked Gion about his reasons for this a few years ago.
âMarriage? Of course, itâs an admirable and beautiful thing. However, if I wanted to get married and have children, I would have to part ways with the main family before any of my children turned five. I would hate to have to do that. And with my personality, I donât think Iâd be a great father.â
Gion had a free-spirited personality. He was always sharing a laugh with the knights who served the main family, and his attitude towards the servants was never overbearing. He showed a passion for teaching Ciel and Cyan and had even cut down on his free time to instruct the knights.
Gion was very kind to Eugene in particular. During the four years Eugene spent at the main estate, Gion had personally instructed Eugene alongside Gilead. At least while Eugene was at the main estate, he had never once been discriminated against just because he was an adopted child from a collateral branch.
In Eugeneâs view, Gion was quite a unique individual because of all this.
His martial skills were also outstanding. Even the Patriarch, Gilead, had shown respect for Gionâs skills. However, unlike Gilead, who hadnât been able to focus on his training after having become the Patriarch, Gion had devoted himself to his training while he wandered around the continent. Due to this, presently, Gionâs skill had actually surpassed Gileadâs.
That said, Gion had never once thought of rebelling against Gilead. Gion would never deviate from his role as the Patriarchâs âyounger brother.â
One year ago, there was a period when Gion was away from the main estate for several months. When he returned, the Lionheart, the personal sigil of the Lionheart clan that Gion had also worn on the left chest of his formal dress, was slightly different.
It had turned into a sigil of a black lion with its fangs drawn and claws exposed.
This showed that Gion had become a formal member of the Knights of the Black Lion, the Guardians of the Lionheart clan.
In fact, this wasnât anything unusual. As long as you had exceptional skills and proven loyalty to the clan, anyone in the Lionheart clan could apply to join the Knights of the Black Lion. The Knights of the Black Lion were stronger and had a sharper edge than the Knights of the White Lion, which consisted of the knights who served the main family.
âAlthough this will be my first time seeing them personally.â
It was getting closer to noon â the appointed time of their arrival. Eugene was feeling a slight excitement as he checked the time. Although he had lived at the main estate for four years, he had never once seen a member of the Knights of the Black Lion during all that time.
The Knights of the White Lion, who belonged to the Lionheartâs direct line, had sworn their loyalty solely to the main family. However, the Knights of the Black Lion werenât sworn to the main family; instead, their loyalty had been sworn to the âLionheartâ name as a whole.
The guiding force behind the Knights of the Black Lion was the Council of Elders, the group made up of the giants who had left their weighty names in the history of the âLionheartâ clan, regardless of whether they were from the direct line or the collateral lines. Even the current Patriarch, Gilead, did not stand on an equal footing with the Elders of the Council.
âIt still isnât time yet,â Eugene thought impatiently.
He couldnât help but be interested in the Knights of the Black Lion.
He had spent four years at the main estate. Gilead was strong, and so was Gion. Both of them were strong enough to be recognized for their strength no matter where in the continent they had been placed.
The main familyâs Knights of the White Lion were also strong. Even among the numerous knightly orders that existed on this continent, they were one of a handful of the strongest. Even when the current Knights of the White Lion were compared to the Kiehl Empireâs knightly orders, while they might be said to be lacking in numbers, they couldnât be said to be lacking in quality.
But that alone wasnât enough.
Vermouth had been the strongest person in all of humanityâs history. That was why he was called the Hero and why he had led the subjugation force that sought to slay all the Demon Kings. Neither the elves, who were long-lived, nor the dragons, who were called masters of magic, had been able to slay a Demon King.
However, Vermouth was able to kill three of the Demon Kings. Eugene was deeply aware of this fact.
Molon, Anise, Sienna, and⌠Hamel, all of them were strong. However, if it wasnât for Vermouth, it would be impossible for them to kill a Demon King.
Vermouth, whom Hamel had seen and accompanied, and who resided in Eugeneâs memories, had been so strong that he hadnât even seemed human.
âThatâs why itâs still not enough.â
Eugene stood up with a disappointed click of his tongue. Although Gilead and Gion were strong, as were the Knights of the White Lion, it wasnât enough for them to truly claim to be Vermouthâs successors.
Since that was the case, what about the Knights of the Black Lion? Without distinguishing between the main and collateral branches, accepting the most exceptional and loyal clan members who bore the name âLionheartâ â how strong would such a knightly order be? And what about the Council who backed the Knights of the Black Lion? How strong were they?
âThose old geezers whoâve retreated into the background⌠it canât just be for the sake of making room for others, right?â
Gilead didnât like the traditions of the direct line. Of course, there was the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, but other traditions meant to absolutely suppress the collateral lines also existed.
However, the Patriarchâs strength alone wasnât enough to change these traditions that had been passed down for over three hundred years. Both the Council and the Knights of the Black Lion were part of the Guardians of the Family Commandments that upheld the rules of the Lionheart clan above all else.
As guardians, they were required to have the appropriate strength needed to enforce their duties.
Eugene hadnât intended for all of this to happen, but he was excited to finally get involved with the Knights of the Black Lion.
* * *
A gigantic aerial carriage boasting a magnificent splendor landed in front of the Red Tower of Magic.
âThey sure are throwing their weight around,â Melkith scoffed.
She didnât appreciate being placed in such a position, especially when the other party wasnât even a high-ranking personage of Aroth. If it wasnât for the sake of Wynnyd, Melkith wouldnât be standing out here, respectfully waiting to welcome these guests.
Eugene reminded her, âDidnât you say that you respect Sir Vermouth, the ancestor of the Lionheart clan?â
âKid, donât misquote me,â Melkith corrected him. âThe one I respect is the Great Vermouth, not the founder of the Lionheart clan.â
âWell, arenât they pretty much the same thing?â
âItâs different. I donât really like the Lionheart clan. I donât like how its main family suppresses its collateral lines nor how their Council and their Knights of the Black Lion put on such a secretive act.â
âBut for now, you should hide such an attitude,â Lovellian reminded Melkith.
Unlike Melkith, Lovellianâs expression was calm.
While staring at the disembarking carriage, he continued, âIf you really want to borrow Wynnyd, you had better avoid doing anything that might offend them.â
âAre you really asking me to act all nice and polite?â Melkith demanded. âIf anyone had heard you say that, they might be confused into thinking that Iâm not trading with them on an equal footing. I⌠with my greatly cherished and adored Cloak of Darkness, Iâm actually trading it for Wynnyd!â
It was Eugeneâs turn to correct her, âItâs not really a trade. Weâre just loaning them to each other. And you remember that we promised a day for a year, right?â
Melkith ground her teeth angrily.
But even though she was showing such an expression, she wasnât truly angry. Although she had indeed been angry that day at Akron, when she had started screeching like a crow, once she went back to the White Tower of Magic, while clinging tightly to the Cloak of Darkness⌠she had managed to calm her emotions and think about it rationally.[1]
âAs if it would take me a day. It will probably only take a few hours, maybe half a day at most?â Melkith thought optimistically.
Melkith trusted in her affinity with spirits. Since she would also have the strong catalyst of the Storm Sword Wynnyd with her, there was no reason she wouldnât be able to summon the Wind Spirit King.
âThat means Iâll only be lending the cloak for a few months at most. I can endure it if itâs just that much,â Melkith assured herself.
In exchange for getting the chance to sign a contract with the Spirit King of the Wind, which Melkith had longed for ever since she was young, she was loaning out the Cloak of Darkness for just a few months. No matter how much she thought about it, wasnât this a great deal? Of course, Melkith made sure not to openly reveal such joy.
âIf I needlessly show my true feelings, that kid might try to change the terms of our deal.â
Although it had only been a few days since they had first met, Melkith had already figured out that Eugene was shrewd, nasty, and as stubborn as a pitbull.
The door of the aerial carriage finally opened. For such a spacious carriage, there were only five people riding in it, and the first person to get off wasâ
âWhat are you doing here?â Eugene demanded.
It was Ciel.
âMy motherâs birthday is coming soon,â Ciel said by way of explanation.
Since it had only been a few months since they had last met, Cielâs appearance couldnât have changed all that much. However, as he was now seeing her in a sharply-cut formal dress and her hair tied up in a way that he had never seen her wear before during his time at the main estate, she felt a little unfamiliar to him.
âBecause of that, Iâve come to pick out a few presents for her. I was also curious to see if you were doing well,â Ciel replied with a dry expression that didnât show even a trace of amusement.
With this, she narrowed her eyes and waited for Eugeneâs reaction. However, Eugene didnât seem as surprised or perturbed as Ciel had hoped.
âAh, is that so?â he asked.
And that was it. Ciel furrowed her brows, but instead of continuing to block the doorway, she stepped aside.
Following Ciel, Gion was the next to emerge. Like the last time Eugene had seen him, the sigil of the Knights of the Black Lion was embroidered on the left side of Gionâs chest. As soon as Gion saw Eugene, he smiled brightly and waved his hand.
âIt really hasnât been long enough since you two last saw each other to feel such joy at your reunion,â said the middle-aged man who next emerged from the carriage as he patted Gion on the shoulder.
âThat might be the case, but what can I do about feeling so happy at getting to meet Eugene like this?â Gion asked cheerfully.
âThereâll be enough time for that later, so letâs just focus on business for now,â the man advised.
Although he didnât know who the man was, Eugene could feel he had exceptional skills.
âBut not with a sword. It looks like he uses a spear,â Eugene observed.
The man wasnât carrying a weapon. But considering his posture and the way his muscles had developed, Eugene could be certain that he used a spear.
1. The raw text says yesterday instead of âthat dayâ at Akron, but the previous chapter states that their first meeting was a few days ago. Taking into account that the Lionheart family may have needed a few days to discuss and arrange things, we have decided to assume that the author just made a mistake in this chapter. â