chapter 06
“What do you mean…! My brother secretly raised a private army?!”
Timothee Procyon, Schloitz’s uncle and the younger brother of the Procyon head, went pale. The entire estate was in chaos. The royal guards, dispatched urgently by the crown, were cold and relentless as they ransacked drawers, safes, and storage rooms throughout the mansion.
Timothee, anxiously running around to make sure no one tried to steal anything valuable, shouted in disbelief.
“Then what will happen to the family?!”
“His Majesty will make that decision.”
“….”
Timothee slowly came to his senses.
There were levels of treason. And in the Kingdom of Razak, the power of the king and the nobility were always in a delicate balance.
The royal family maintained their power through the Holy Sword, but any noble with the blood of a Tower family could wield it too. Still, if the crown tried to hoard the Holy Sword for themselves, they’d be overwhelmed by the growing monster threat, and the entire royal house would collapse.
In short, unlike empires where the emperor had absolute authority, things were much more complicated in a kingdom like this one. Wiping out an entire noble family was extremely rare.
Most likely, the head of House Procyon and his children would be executed…
“No, Schloitz… that kid might actually survive.”
Everyone knew he was disowned and thrown out as an illegitimate child. There were even quiet rumors in high society that the Queen, strict as she was, had some sympathy for him.
Politics and social circles were deeply intertwined. Even someone guilty of a major crime could survive if they had a good reputation—and vice versa.
So while the Procyon couple and their foolish, incompetent son would likely be executed, Schloitz had a good chance of surviving.
“If that happens… he might come back and take over the family.”
That couldn’t happen.
The family would definitely lose much of its estate to the crown after this, but Procyon was still an elite noble house. There would be plenty left. And Timothee, who had been overlooked and hadn’t even received his own separate branch estate, could possibly claim the title of head himself.
“That boy… he wasn’t doing well, was he?”
Timothee recalled the time he had been sent to fetch Schloitz on his brother’s orders. He didn’t remember much, but he clearly remembered Schloitz sitting there like a lifeless doll. Even after being given a full day to pack, the only thing he brought was…
“A single flower, I think. That was it.”
He had scolded him, dumbfounded, but Schloitz hadn’t said a word. It annoyed Timothee all over again, thinking back on it. He hadn’t even bothered to look closely at the boy then. There had been no need. A child abandoned by his own father wouldn’t last long—he’d probably die young, either in the army or wandering the streets.
Still, Timothee remembered one thing clearly: the boy had been frozen stiff, like an object without a soul.
“I haven’t heard news of his death yet…”
Years had passed since Schloitz entered the military. He was now past the age for a debutante ball, but due to the situation, he never had one. He was still immature in many ways. Timothee figured that if he applied a bit of pressure, he could get Schloitz to sign a waiver giving up his claim to the family.
If he worked hard for the next four or five years, the Procyon family—now like a forgotten sword left in the royal vault—might fall right into his hands.
So Timothee Procyon got up and went straight to the military base where his foolish nephew was stationed.
****
“Sir Schloitz will be here shortly.”
The moment he sat down, Timothee felt something was off. The military base was far from the capital and had a very independent atmosphere. Things worked a little differently here. But still, news must have reached them that the Procyon family had collapsed…
“Then why are they being so respectful when calling for Schloitz?”
A strange tension filled the air. Timothee had expected him to arrive quickly—but Schloitz didn’t come.
“Why haven’t you brought him yet?!”
“I apologize. A monster appeared unexpectedly.”
“What do you mean, a monster?! I didn’t hear any emergency bells! What is Schloitz doing, making his uncle wait like this? Where is he? I’ll go by myself—!”
“Uncle.”
The voice sent a chill down his spine. It was dry and cold—like someone had shoved a handful of sand into his mouth.
At the same time, a strange metallic scent pricked Timothee’s nose. Blood. Monster blood. As a direct descendant of House Procyon, he recognized the smell instantly.
Timothee turned around—and fell silent.
“…”
Schloitz was walking toward him. It was clear he had just returned from killing a monster—his uniform was damp at the shoulders. A soldier rushed over with a dry towel, which Schloitz took without much care.
But his cold, sharp eyes were locked on Timothee.
“What makes you think you can raise your voice in this place?”
“W-what…?”
“I asked what gives you the right to cause a scene.”
“…”
“…In this place.”
Timothee gulped without realizing.
Was this really the same Schloitz Procyon? The abandoned child?
Was he replaced with someone else?
That absurd thought flashed through his mind, because the look in Schloitz’s eyes was so lifeless, so chilling, it didn’t seem human at all.
