In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Side Story, Chapter 22

I gestured towards a group of people.
They were dressed in similar, yet slightly different, black uniforms.
Of various ages, genders, and appearances, they were enjoying the banquet among themselves on the opposite side of the hall.
They weren’t sitting rigidly; in fact, they seemed perhaps a bit overly free-spirited, yet there was a strange aura about them.
A weight that a sensitive person could never ignore.
As if to prove it, there seemed to be an invisible wall between them and the other guests.
The Eastern people, as if knowing who they were, kept their distance and never approached them.
Thanks to this, their vicinity in the bustling banquet hall was quite tranquil.
“Ah, those are…”
The Luman Patriarch chose his words carefully.
“Duke Knox from the Eastern Continent and his subordinate executives.”
“The Eastern Continent?”
This time, I was quite surprised, which was unlike me.
Of course, I knew that people lived on the Eastern Continent and that there were ancient nations there.
But it was so far away that there was no exchange with the Lambru Empire.
“Isn’t it very far to cross the sea?”
The Luman Patriarch nodded at my question.
“That’s right. But the Eastern Continent’s navigation and technology are far superior to ours. Not only things related to the sea, but they constantly research a technology called ‘Mana Engineering.’ So they say there are many strange objects.”
“Oh, really?”
At Indith Luman’s explanation, my instincts as the head of Lombardi stirred.
It was literally discovering a new continent.
“Luman has historically had frequent trade with the Eastern Continent. So we sent an invitation… but I never expected them to actually come.”
“Hmm.”
The Eastern Continent.
It could be a new market.
Moreover, the term ‘Mana Engineering’ piqued my interest.
“If you are interested in the Eastern Continent, you might want to speak with Duke Knox, the silver-haired man over there.”
“That man over there, you mean?”
In this crowded banquet hall, there was only one man with clean, dazzling silver hair.
“So that’s the Duke.”
The man named Duke Knox was sitting alone on a sofa, one leg crossed, sipping from a wine glass.
He was so still that if he didn’t occasionally slowly swirl the glass in his hand, one might think he was a painting.
“Unlike our Western Continent, the Eastern Continent has titles. Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, Baron, in that order.”
“And he’s a Duke among them, you say?”
“Yes, that’s right. Also, the Eastern Continent has two unique characteristics…”
The Luman Patriarch wiped his lips, speaking with a hint of difficulty.
“Unlike the Lambru Empire, where imperial power is firmly established and unified the Western Continent, the Eastern Continent is divided among various kingdoms and empires. It’s a chaotic period. Also…”
Indith Luman’s voice lowered slightly.
“Organizations that have grown spontaneously and established themselves in each region hold greater power than imperial or royal authority.”
“Organizations? Like the underworld?”
“Well, something like that.”
“So, when you say to talk to this Duke Knox…”
“Duke Knox’s full name is Killian Knox, and he is the leader of an organization called ‘Knox,’ named after his family. Rumor has it…”
The Luman Patriarch smiled awkwardly, as if it was uncomfortable to speak in front of me.
“He is said to have greater power than the Emperor of the Rumpelt Empire, where his ducal family resides. Furthermore, there’s a rumor that he recently succeeded in weaponizing mana artifacts.”
“Then he must truly be a person with absolute power.”
After hearing the Luman Patriarch’s explanation, I finally understood.
At first glance, the executives of the Knox organization, dressed in black uniforms, seemed scattered without order.
But at their center was the Duke.
As if guarding him.
“His personal combat prowess is also incredibly strong. There are countless eyewitness accounts of him tearing people apart with his bare hands.”
“He’s truly… a monstrous person.”
It was when I said that.
Duke Knox, who had been lazily looking only at his wine glass, raised his head and looked at me.
No way, did he hear my voice from that distance?
As if to confirm my thought, our gazes met perfectly.
And chills ran down my spine.
It was killing intent.
Duke Knox’s eyes, meeting mine under the bright banquet hall lights, glowed strangely with a golden hue.
“Hmm.”
For some reason, I couldn’t move carelessly.
It was like facing a colossal being, not a human.
“Tia.”
Just then, Perez blocked my front.
He had been talking with the Eastern nobles far away, it seemed.
Perez, glaring at Killian Knox, didn’t hide his cold fury.
“What’s that guy?”
“That dark thing, does he want to die?”
From where they appeared, the twins stood on either side of me, guarding me.
Then, there was a reaction from the other side as well.
The Knox executives, who had seemed leisurely drinking, hardened their faces and one by one began to stand up.
Their expressionless faces, making it hard to believe they were the same people who had been chatting and laughing just moments before, looked as if they would rush towards us at a single gesture from Duke Knox.
As the situation unfolded, the people filling the banquet hall began to feel something strange and one by one turned to look.
“This will ruin Lorraine’s wedding.”
It was a day that had been so difficult to arrange; I couldn’t let that happen.
“Perez, I’m fine.”
I stopped Perez, who was glaring at Duke Knox with an unprecedentedly cold face.
And from the Knox camp, one person moved.
It was a woman with prominent, curly black hair tied up high.
Also dressed in a black uniform, she walked steadily towards Duke Killian Knox.
Then, without hesitation, she placed a hand on the Duke’s shoulder and was seen frowning and saying something.
Is that allowed?
Will she get hit?
I was unconsciously worrying about the nameless woman when something unbelievable happened.
Duke Knox, who had been emitting such strong killing intent that my skin tingled, slowly turned his head away.
And as if he had never done anything, he began to drink his wine again.
The tension, which had been stretched taut as if something was about to happen, disappeared.
The Knox executives, who had been on alert, also started chattering noisily again.
“Whew.”
A small sigh escaped me unconsciously.
It seemed the woman on the other side felt the same, as she was seen shaking her head.
“Oh, we made eye contact.”
The woman looked at me.
Her eyes were very red, like Perez’s.
I had never seen anyone with such red eyes except for him, so I stared at her curiously, and the woman nodded her head in greeting.
She probably meant to apologize.
After all, I was the one who spoke carelessly first.
I nodded back.
It was quite a distance across the banquet hall, but why did I feel a strange sense of shared hardship?
“Tia, is something wrong?”
“Ah, Lorraine.”
Perhaps sensing the bad atmosphere.
Lorraine and Avinox, who were approaching me, looked troubled.
It was a day that should have been nothing but joy.
Feeling a bit sorry, I smiled even brighter.
“It’s nothing. Shouldn’t you be talking to people more?”
“Hmm. Avinox and I are a bit tired. Nothing really happened, right?”
“Of course. Oh, right!”
I held Lorraine’s hands tightly and said.
“Congratulations on your marriage, Lorraine.”
“Ah… Thank you, Tia.”
Lorraine’s face flushed as if her cheeks were stained with flower petals.
“You’ve heard that dozens of times today. Are you shy?”
“It’s not just anyone saying it, but Tia, so it feels truly real somehow.”
“Congratulations to Sir Avinox too. You two will live happily ever after, won’t you?”
“Of course! Lady Lorraine, don’t worry, Lady Lombardi.”
When I first helped Lorraine elope, I was honestly very anxious.
It was something I pushed for because I knew how Lorraine’s life ended in the previous life.
But just because that scoundrel wasn’t the one, there was no guarantee that Avinox would be able to make Lorraine happy.
But fortunately, Avinox cherished Lorraine more than anyone else.
I could tell just by the loving glances they exchanged silently, even without asking.
Hmm, I’m proud.
I smiled contentedly and took in the two-shot of Lorraine and Avinox.
“I’m getting jealous.”
A low voice reached my ear as I was nodding at Avinox’s loving gaze towards Lorraine.
“Of what?”
“You’re looking at another man besides me, Tia.”
“…Is Avinox a man?”
Well, yes, he’s a man.
But now he’s family?
“I wish you’d only look at me. The symptoms are getting worse.”
Perez said with a faint sigh.
He said it like a joke, but I knew it was his true feeling.
I narrowed my eyes and clicked my tongue.
“You’re quite a severe case.”
“But don’t hate me, Tia.”
“…I can’t hate you, I told you.”
I mean it too.
No matter what he does, I won’t be able to hate Perez.
“You know everything.”
Still, feeling a little annoyed, I gently poked Perez’s side, not hard enough to hurt.
Lorraine said to us.
“Tia looks happy too.”
As she said that and smiled, I wondered if her face looked similar to mine just now, or if it was just my imagination.
“It’s a relief, isn’t it?”
Despite all the things that happened, that we are gathered here, happy.
How miraculous that is.
Lorraine’s gaze, which had been meeting mine and smiling, shifted behind me.
At the same time, a smile bloomed on Lorraine’s lips, impossible to hide, like a flower opening.
“Rick!”