A man in his prime sat amidst the heavy scent of sandalwood. His dark blue hair was slicked back, and his gaze held a weight that demanded absolute submission.

  He was the ruler of the Southern Territory—Duke Theon Valerius.

  “So, how is Selena?” the Duke asked the head butler standing respectfully before him.

  “Lady Selena still won't come out, Your Grace. She's refused everything. Even Lady Elaine has been pleading at her door since they arrived, but she won't budge.”

  The Duke exhaled in frustration.

  He’d heard the gut-wrenching details from the Academy. To him, this wasn't just a slight—it was an all-out declaration of contempt.

  To him, the insult was excessive.

  Taking concubines after the wedding was one thing—hell, it was expected for royalty. But to dishonor his daughter—his legitimate fiancée and a high-ranking noble—by openly courting a mere village girl before the marriage had even taken place?

  That was a direct slap to the face of House Valerius.

  The Duke had nearly mobilized his troops toward the Capital, but Selena had firmly stopped him. Instead of blaming the prince, she blamed herself for failing to understand him. In the end, her condition worsened—she sank into deep sorrow.

  Setting family matters aside, the Duke turned to another report.

  “Word from the front, Your Grace: Eggar, the Court Mage, has emerged from the dungeon,” reported a soldier.

  “Eggar? The Royal Court Magic Instructor? It’s no surprise he could defeat such a creature,” the Duke remarked.

  “Not quite, Your Grace. According to intelligence, Lord Eggar faced two threats simultaneously. In addition to fighting the Boss Monster, he was ambushed by traitors within his own party.”

  The Duke’s brows furrowed. “Continue.”

  “Lord Eggar managed to repel the assassin leader, but he suffered severe injuries while facing the A-Class Boss Monster, the Great Minotaur, alone. Fortunately, with the help of his disciple and two foreign youths, they turned the tide. They even transported the monster’s corpse to the nearest Guild.”

  “Hm. Who assisted him?”

  “Two half-brothers—Rey Lucien and Alex Lucien—along with their female knight escort.”

  At those names, the Duke fell silent. His eyes narrowed.

  “Lucien… So they are the sons of that stubborn bastard.”

  The butler lowered his head respectfully and continued.

  “Additional information, Your Grace. Alex Lucien has also registered for our annual sword tournament.”

  “What exactly is that man planning?” the Duke muttered, recalling his former comrade-in-arms—the father of Rey and Alex.

  The butler hesitated briefly before presenting a document.

  “Your Grace, this is the registration form filled out by Alex Lucien.”

  In the column asking for the purpose of participation, while others had written things like “For honor,” “To serve the Duke,” or “To prove my strength,” Alex Lucien had written a remarkably honest answer:

  “My older brother told me to join to earn prize money.”

  For the first time in the tournament’s history, the Duke saw a declaration so blunt and absurd.

  “Huh…” The Duke smirked, a spark of interest flashing in his eyes. “Find this Rey Lucien immediately. Drag him before me.”

  —

  Seated inside this luxurious carriage, I headed toward Duke Theon’s residence with Len beside me.

  My mind was filled with questions.

  How did he learn so quickly that I had entered his territory?

  And being summoned this abruptly was completely unexpected.

  Duke Theon Valerius was known as a busy warlord. Normally, he paid no attention to visiting nobles. Even requesting a formal audience required waiting weeks.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Yet being called this quickly could be considered fortunate.

  Perhaps I could secure certain advantages for House Lucien.

  Though, honestly, there was a trace of unease in getting too involved with one of the most influential antagonistic figures in this otome world.

  Strangely, the girl beside me appeared completely calm.

  “Len, you seem rather relaxed?” I asked.

  “Hm? Well, as a merchant, I’m used to keeping calm when meeting all kinds of people,” she replied, gazing out the window while stroking the sleeping Chorma in her lap.

  “That… sounds suspicious.”

  “Hey, are you calling me a liar?” Len shot me a sharp look—though there was mischief in her eyes.

  “Maybe.”

  “Tch.” She turned back toward the window.

  Soon, the carriage stopped before the Duke’s main residence.

  The medieval-style estate stood magnificently, guarded by enormous wooden gates that radiated wealth and power.

  Along the corridors, elite soldiers stood watch in full plate armor from head to toe. Their presence was imposing and intimidating. As someone from the future, I couldn’t help but wonder how much it cost to produce even a dozen sets of such high-quality armor.

  Upon reaching the audience chamber, Len and Chorma were asked to wait outside. A servant escorted them to the garden.

  I was left alone before the massive wooden doors.

  For some reason, my heart beat slightly faster.

  I took a breath, centering myself. I had a family name to uphold. As the doors ground open, the Duke’s presence hit me like a physical weight, thick enough to choke on.

  “Rey Lucien, son of Marquess Alric Lucien, greets the Southern Duke.”

  I bowed flawlessly, offering the most perfect high-noble etiquette.

  Silence weighed heavily in the room.

  Duke Theon slowly sipped his wine, his sharp eyes never leaving my face.

  “The Lucien family is known for pride and stubbornness,” the Duke’s deep voice echoed. “Yet your brother Alex wrote something… insulting to my intellect on his registration form. He claims he joined this tournament merely because his brother told him to earn money. So tell me, Rey Lucien—before I throw you out—what is your true purpose?”

  I stood straight, meeting his gaze without fear.

  “Our purpose is simple, Your Grace. We aim for first place. The prize money is necessary—but what we truly seek is the right to make one direct request of you.”

  The Duke leaned forward, smirking.

  “A request?”

  “We require logistical support and military reinforcement to defend the southeastern territory.”

  “You expect me to send troops to the southeast? Marquess Lucien has guarded that border for decades without begging for help. Are you underestimating your own father?”

  “My father is an extraordinary knight,” I replied coldly. “But he is facing the impossible. This is not a simple monster invasion. It is a Domino Monster phenomenon. The entire ecosystem within the Dark Forest is shifting—and the driving entity cannot be classified by any known mana-based detection.”

  The room seemed to drop several degrees.

  The Duke narrowed his eyes, searching my face for deception.

  “Domino Monster? And you expect me to believe the words of a youth who has only just stepped beyond his territory?”

  “In three weeks, that axis of monsters will crash into our border fortress walls,” I said, stepping forward despite the guards gripping their sword hilts. “The tournament ends in one week. We do not have time for bureaucracy or prolonged diplomacy. We need supplies and your knight cavalry.”

  The Duke laughed—a low, threatening sound.

  “You enter my home, demand my troops, and deliver a prophecy of disaster? Give me one reason why I should not imprison you for spreading panic.”

  “The reason is Alex Lucien,” I answered firmly. “If we truly require your aid, we will prove it through strength. We did not come to beg. We came to earn our right.”

  The Duke rose from his throne.

  His aura exploded outward, pressing heavily against my shoulders.

  “Very well. If you are so confident, show me the resolve of House Lucien. If your brother loses even a single round in this tournament, I will consider all your words nonsense—and you will receive no assistance.”

  The great doors behind me shut with a heavy boom.

  I exhaled slowly, releasing the lingering pressure of the Duke’s aura.

  As I stepped into the corridor, a familiar voice called out.

  “Ah! Found you!”

  Len ran toward me, carrying Chorma tucked under her arm—exactly like someone hauling a sack of wheat.

  What made me frown…

  A large piece of meat still dangled from Chorma’s mouth.

  “What were you two doing?” I asked.

  “Hup!” Len stopped before me, slightly out of breath. “Hehe, I was going to take Chorma for a walk in the garden. But when he saw servants carrying trays of food, he started barking like crazy for a share.”

  Fortunately for this glutton, the Duke’s servants were kind enough to feed the “hungry puppy.”

  I sighed.

  Chorma’s diet clearly needed supervision.

  Before leaving, a servant conveyed that the Duke offered one of his luxurious villas for us to stay in during the tournament.

  I politely declined.

  Being monitored constantly by the Duke’s spies would be inconvenient.

  Night fell.

  Eggar returned to the inn almost at the same time Alex finished his registration matters. He gathered us to distribute the profits from the dungeon expedition.

  From within his robe, he produced a small pouch.

  Miraculously, an endless stream of gold coins poured out from a bag that should have held only a handful of nuts.

  A storage artifact.

  My eyes locked onto it.

  “Hey, kid, stop staring at my pouch. I’m not hiding a mistress in here,” the old man grumbled, completely misunderstanding.

  I wasn’t interested in the gold.

  I was interested in the technology.

  Storage artifacts were rare and extremely expensive. Not only did they require a vast amount of gold, but they also required connections to the Magic Tower. Even in House Lucien’s main estate, there were only two—one held by my father, the other by the head butler.

  True, I had the Cosmic Pocket—but Apolo charged energy each time I stored or retrieved an item. A local storage artifact would be far more efficient.

  Seeing my intense interest, Eggar stroked his chin.

  “Fine. Since you helped save my life yesterday, I’ll give you one.”

  He reached into his pouch again and produced a simple silver ring.

  A low-tier storage artifact with approximately one cubic meter of space.

  “Old man, you’re incredible to have a collection like this,” I said, giving a thumbs-up.

  “Ha ha ha! I have more connections than you can imagine, kid. If you ever need magical artifacts, just contact me,” he replied proudly.

  That night passed peacefully in the Southern Duke’s territory.

  But when everyone else had fallen asleep, Apolo appeared as a faint glow beside my bedroom window.

  [Master. Search complete. I have found the person you were looking for.]