Footsteps, footsteps!
Upon receiving the report from the soldiers who had scouted the outer perimeter, Lord Alex Lichtenauer and the search party hurried to the family’s main gate, only to be rendered speechless at the sight of the Second Young Master.
Dirty hair, tattered clothing.
From fingertips to the tips of his hair and down to his feet, the Second Young Master, Ian Lichtenauer, was covered in mud, resembling nothing less than a street beggar.
Scratch, scratch!
Perhaps because of the clumps of mud that hadn’t yet fallen off.
As he scratched the back of his head against the tingling sensation on his scalp, fine grains of dirt fell in a cascade.
“Haahh… What a hardworking bunch you all are, even this early in the morning. What on earth is going on?”
…Crack!
At the sight of Ian casually yawning with his mouth wide open, every search party member—who had been enduring the stench of excrement and horse sweat even before the morning sun had risen—felt veins twitch in their foreheads.
“Second Young Master, where on earth have you been all this time…?”
Even though he was one of the few direct heirs alongside the Lord, no one could bear it any longer.
“Captain, stop.”
It was none other than Lord Alex who restrained the search captain, who was about to speak despite the risk of punishment.
Step, step.
Lord Alex Lichtenauer walked slowly toward Ian.
“…?”
Ian looked at Alex, puzzled.
Suddenly, Alex embraced Ian silently.
Despite the dirt smearing Alex’s otherwise neat appearance and pristine attire, he paid it no mind.
“Where in the world have you gone without a word? Do you know how worried everyone was? We searched for a long time.”
Stroke, stroke!
Alex’s hands, small like a meerkat compared to Lucas but solid compared to Ian, gently stroked Ian’s hair.
“I would ask why you disappeared all of a sudden… but you returned safely, so that’s enough. Go inside and rest thoroughly. We will talk again later. As for the opening ceremony, I’ll make sure to inform Father properly, so do not worry.”
‘Opening ceremony?’
What was that?
Whether he knew Ian’s thoughts or not, Alex simply gazed at him with kind eyes.
‘…Look at this.’
To any observer, they would seem like a pair of loving brothers. Ian stared deeply into Alex’s eyes.
And then… he chuckled.
Ian, too, embraced his elder brother’s back.
“I apologize for worrying you, brother.”
“…?”
At the strangely unfamiliar tone from his younger brother, Alex paused for a moment. But no one noticed.
Splash!
“Fuuuh…”
Immersing his body in the warm water, the fatigue from the previous night’s ordeal seemed to melt away.
Though his mind was that of the Warlord of the Northern Continent, his body was still that of a half-broken child.
His body, nearly buried alive in a remote mountain with no one around, could not help but feel weary.
Staring blankly at the steam rising toward the ceiling, Ian recalled the person he had just encountered.
‘Alex…’
Alex Lichtenauer.
The proud Lord of the Lichtenauer martial family of the Southern Continent.
A treasure loved not only by his clan but by all within the Titan territory.
Known for his warm and gentle nature, even toward a flawed younger brother like Ian.
Even in Ian’s memories, he held fond recollections of Alex.
Yet Ian instinctively felt that the man called Alex Lichtenauer could not be entirely benevolent.
“There’s a scent, yes, a scent. Usually, those who appear flawless on the outside are hiding their misdeeds.”
The faint aura of danger Ian felt when embraced, coupled with the instincts of Lucas—the Warlord who conquered the Northern Continent—warned him:
Be wary of Alex Lichtenauer.
‘Still, it’s strange.’
Ian’s brother, called Alex, possessed the physique and muscles worthy of the heir to the Lichtenauer family.
And he was not the second son with an insecure succession—he was the firstborn.
Then why would someone like him harbor hostility toward Ian?
Even by doing nothing, his position as heir would be secured.
‘Well, I’ll see what happens if I wait patiently.’
Burrrrr.
Ian submerged his head in the warm water, ceasing his thoughts.
If his instincts were correct, Alex Lichtenauer, knowing Ian had survived when he should have died, would act in some way.
In that case, Ian’s only task was simple:
To exert himself fully to reclaim his former strength.
A Warlord does not bend to schemes.
“Huff, huff!”
At dawn in the mountain.
The two thugs who had been beaten like dogs by Ian the day before managed to descend the mountain with battered bodies.
Their destination was the opposite direction of the Titan territory.
“Ugh… every part of me aches. Damn it. I think we’re in deep trouble.”
They had assumed dealing with a naive young master would be simple, but this young master was far from ordinary.
“Th-that monster… why did he spare us?”
“I don’t know either, you fool! Move quickly, I have a bad feeling about this.”
Unlike his subordinate, who was purely elated at surviving, the thug could not shake his ominous premonition.
‘That kid’s power was extraordinary. To subdue such a kid and drug him…’
Clearly, this was not the work of a weak faction.
Those capable of this would have noticed the kid’s survival.
And there would be no way for them to escape retribution for messing things up.
“For now, no, for the rest of our lives, do not even think of approaching the Titan territory. That’s how we survive.”
“Eh…? But our organization is based there…”
“Idiot! Do you think the organization will be intact? We have to erase our names and identities and start over! We got ourselves in deep trouble!”
He yelled at his slow-witted subordinate, who still had not grasped the situation.
‘Damn, the pay was good, so I didn’t expect to take such a job so easily.’
“There’s no time to waste. We’ll retrieve the assets we hid in the territory later.”
“…”
When the stupid subordinate continued to remain silent, the thug scowled and shouted.
“What are you doing, come on! Hurry! There’s no time!”
“…”
Even after his urging, the subordinate gave no response, prompting the thug to turn his head irritably.
“Where the hell is your mind…?!”
The thug could not continue speaking.
First, because he was shocked to see the subordinate trailing him collapse in a bloodied heap.
Second, because the decapitated one could not answer.
Drip, drip.
Red droplets fell from the thin rapier.
“Useless filth.”
Swish!
A man in a mask disdainfully wiped the blood from his rapier, his voice dark and grim.
Shadows rose behind him, one by one, blending as if they had always been there.
“The spotted family within the territory… all dealt with.”
“Any survivors?”
“None.”
“Good work.”
The man praised the shadows briefly.
An order from his Lord.
No outsider could know of it, or it would jeopardize the Lord.
Even if unaware, any connection to the job was reason enough to die.
“Return to the family.”
At his command, the shadows melted into the darkness.
All that remained were the two pathetic bodies of the thugs.
Swipe, swipe!
A man with sculpted features, like a masterpiece by a renowned artist, meticulously wiped his hands with a handkerchief.
How dirty must one’s hands be to require such effort?
…Suddenly!
The man’s hands froze as if by magic.
“Everything is settled, right?”
Strange. The room was empty except for him, yet he spoke to the air as if someone were there.
Ssssss!
A shadow stretched from the ceiling, revealing a figure.
“No outsider who knows even slightly about my Lord’s secret orders remains within the territory.”
“Good. I knew you’d handle it well, unlike those third-rate amateurs.”
Lord Alex Lichtenauer’s piercing gaze fell upon the shadow.
“Perhaps because he is family? Entrusting work to unrelated outsiders was reasonable. But… keeping a useless man who hires such amateurs is my mistake, isn’t it?”
“…!!”
The shadow bowed deeply under the icy gaze.
“I-I'm sorry.”
Trembling leaked from his voice.
His Lord, Alex Lichtenauer, was a man with a gentle exterior, hiding a cold and fierce nature.
“…It’s fine. I was the one who ordered the traces hidden, so it’s not entirely your fault. How could you have known he’d survive even under the influence of the drug?”
“…”
The shadow did not respond. Alex was not seeking one.
“The opening ceremony has been postponed to tomorrow, as I informed Father…”
Creak!
Alex rose from his chair and walked to the window.
The moon hidden, only a few stars twinkled. He muttered quietly as he gazed at the sky.
“If my incompetent younger brother attends the family opening ceremony, the other branches and officials will surely embarrass him. Knowing that… isn’t it the least a flawed older brother can do to prevent it?”
“…!!”
The shadow, realizing the meaning of Alex’s mutterings, bowed quietly and left the room.
Ssssss!
Alex did not even glance at the disappearing shadow, his gaze fixed on the twinkling stars.
“Tsk, tsk, little brother. I don’t know why you returned, but wouldn’t it have been better to quietly succumb to the drug?”
Alex clicked his tongue softly at the younger brother who returned, rejecting his mercy to let him rest peacefully.
The stars reflected in Alex’s eyes shone brighter than the surrounding light.
Among them, the largest and brightest—the South Star.
Alex firmly believed it was his star.
A star befitting the head of the mighty Lichtenauer family.
Though humans cannot touch the stars, Alex had long imagined:
If I could touch the sky…
How could I make the South Star shine the brightest?
To highlight it, he concluded, two conditions must be met:
One, remove stars that, though not as bright as the South Star, rival it.
Two, remove stars that emit no light, ruining the South Star’s dignity.
“There are too many useless stars around.”
Mediocre stars diminishing the South Star’s brilliance. Alex resolved to remove them first.
The shadow immediately moved toward the Second Young Master, Ian’s room.
Click!
Quietly disengaging the latch on the exterior window, it opened the window slowly.
Despite the large window opening, the movement was silent except for the gentle wind.
Ssshhh!
Blending with the darkness, the shadow entered Ian’s room, acting on Alex’s muttered words.
His Lord had issued no commands.
Even if things went wrong, no harm would come to his Lord.
‘Though, it’s unlikely.’
It was only a matter of dealing with the family’s neglected Second Young Master.
Though Ian had survived by sheer luck against the thugs, he could not escape the blade of a skilled Shadow Corps agent.
Even now, look.
Ian, unaware of the intrusion, sat cross-legged, eyes closed.
The brat could not have cultivated aura, so he was likely focusing on the opening ceremony preparation.
‘Second Young Master, Ian Lichtenauer.’
A flaw in the future Lord of the great Lichtenauer family, Alex Lichtenauer.
Ssshh!
The shadow raised its hand cautiously.
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