76. Count Spinel

Inside the carriage, the child panted, breathing through his mouth. His eyes were filled with tears.

“Young master. I’m sorry.”

Even the iron-blooded Count Spinel seemed helpless before her child’s suffering, embracing him with a sorrowful face.

“I shouldn’t have brought you here. I should have listened to the doctors.”

“Count. We’ve delayed too much. The Grand Duke will wonder why we didn’t head straight to Castle Inkheart despite entering the Grand Duke’s territory.”

The count’s gaze remained fixed on her son.

“What does that matter?”

The count’s subordinate who accompanied them was flustered.

“You shouldn’t speak like that. This isn’t the Spinel territory. At the very least, you should show respect for the Grand Duke while here.”

“Yes, we haven’t forgotten how the previous Grand Duke Inkheart recklessly raised an army to invade the South.”

Before that war, Inkheart had been an object of loyalty for Spinel. The North’s loyalty changed after the death of the previous Grand Duke, when the Grand Duke who suddenly rose to the position couldn’t handle it.

“But time has passed, and the grand ducal family has welcomed a new Grand Duke.”

“Hmph, I don’t have high expectations for the newly changed Grand Duke. You can tell just by looking at the doctor he and his wife specially favor.”

She had placed some hope after hearing they had dismissed a renowned physician and specially favored another, but Count Spinel’s expectations hit rock bottom after her disappointment with Schmidt.

“When the time comes, send the young master back to the territory.”

At the mention of being sent back, the young master clutched the count’s collar.

“Mother.”

“Darling, everything will be fine. You’ll get better soon.”

The count smiled with effort.

* * *

“Count Spinel’s family is entering.”

Bam-ba-bam, a trumpet that hadn’t been present during other lords’ gatherings sounded.

Thump thump, thump thump.

With the disciplined footsteps of the army, Count Spinel stood before Darius and me.

“I have responded to the Grand Duke of Inkheart’s summons.”

“I am grateful for your loyalty.”

I slightly opened my mouth at the imposing presence of the rumored Count Spinel.

Another barrier of the North following the Grand Duke of Inkheart. A margrave who leads an iron army and is himself an excellent swordsman, Count Spinel.

‘Count Spinel is a woman?’

* * *

“It’s quite impressive that disgusting nicknames like ‘she-wolf’ or ‘border fox’ haven’t stuck.”

“When she first became count, everyone called her that. But after the count crushed everyone who spoke that way, no one calls her that anymore.”

“I see.”

I gained understanding from Darius’s words.

So if someone calling me the female count bothers me, I just need to crush them!

After Count Spinel’s family, who held the highest position in the North after Inkheart, joined Inkheart, people’s attention shifted to Count Spinel’s family.

Darius and Lucion had always said that fights break out in an instant when knights gather, and lately I had been feeling that with my whole body.

〈We will manage our army ourselves.〉

Count Spinel refused the castle’s invitation and set up a camp in an open space, taking care of lodging and meals there.

‘Darius also refused the invitation to stay at the marquis’s residence when he first met me.’

An invitation is goodwill. Refusal is an expression of hostility. Could anything be clearer?

“With all the northern lords gathered, we were running short on rooms in the castle, so this works out well for us.”

Darius and I laughed it off, but we were the only ones who remained calm. These days, there was a tense atmosphere in the castle.

“Since Spinel has set up a separate camp, people have been sneaking over there.”

How dare they look down on the Grand Duke’s family like this.

“But Count Spinel herself hasn’t left the camp at all, not even taking a single step out.”

Darius gave me a slight smile. This was the expression he made when we were on the same wavelength.

“Rather than being hostile to us, she gives off the feeling of a wild beast protecting an injured cub……”

Count Spinel was hiding something. And doing so with an extremely sensitive attitude.

It was just as Darius and I were finishing our conversation and about to get up.

“Achoo!”

A knight on guard duty rubbed his nose.

“I apologize. It’s not a cold, but my nose keeps itching.”

“That can happen during seasonal changes. I’ve already ordered some medicinal tea from Schmidt’s Clinic. It’s good for the respiratory system, so talk to Apple and get some.”

A runny nose due to changing weather couldn’t really be considered rude.

“Thank you!”

The knight’s face brightened at this small kindness.

After receiving the medicinal tea, the knight excitedly began boasting about it everywhere.

“Look at this! Medicinal tea from the madam. She said all knights should drink it well as the weather gets colder.”

“Our madam is truly a good person. She always pays attention to things like this.”

People around naturally joined in.

“Some people try to look down on her because of her young age. But that’s wrong. The madam is incredibly wise. She never shows any weakness.”

“And she’s kind too.”

From liberating the slave market to personally nursing the freed slaves, there was no end to stories about the madam’s goodness.

“Since Lady Anette appeared, my ideal type has become someone like her.”

“What? Where would you find someone like that? This guy will never get married. His standards are too high!”

But right now, it wasn’t just Inkheart Castle knights gathered in Inkheart. Knights from other regions frowned at the sudden praise of the Grand Duchess they heard.

“There’s a limit to being devoted.”

“Hey, aren’t you exaggerating too much? They’re so happy just because a noble lady showed some kindness.”

“She might be a good lady for dancing, but Count Spinel is truly worthy of respect as a lord. Before knowing her, I thought all women were the same.”

Twitch.

“What? All women the same?”

“Oops. What did I just say? I was just talking to myself. Don’t mind it.”

“A good lady for dancing?”

“Ah, if a good lady is determined by how slender and delicate she is, then the Grand Duchess is certainly a good lady. Though I worry if she can survive the cold of the North.”

The faces of the Inkheart knights, who had been grinning until just now, froze.

Shhhing.

“Does your sword have as much courage?”

“How dare you insult our madam in Inkheart territory. You must be prepared to pay the price.”

“Step forward.”

Slap. A glove fell in front of the knight who had sneered. It was a signal for a duel.

* * *

“A fight broke out among the knights?”

Count Spinel pressed her throbbing temple. She needed to send her son back to their territory without being followed, and now there was a commotion.

Count Spinel didn’t want anyone in Inkheart territory, no, in the entire North, to know that Spinel’s next heir was suffering from illness.

“I’ll meet with the Grand Duke.”

To resolve the most important matter for the count, other issues needed to be dealt with quickly.

Count Spinel immediately went to meet the Grand Duke and his wife.

* * *

“Let’s hold a tournament.”

Count Spinel’s proposal was simple. Let’s compete to see who’s the strongest. Then there won’t be any more complaints.

“It will boost the knights’ morale, and sometimes the castle needs entertainment.”

Count Spinel glanced at me as I looked unimpressed beside Darius, and added casually as if wondering if I was worried about this.

“Spinel will cover the costs of holding the tournament.”

“That’s a really good proposal.”

There was no reason to refuse an offer to hold a grand event that would enhance the castle’s prestige at their own expense. I was actually grateful.

Since the person paying wanted to hold it quickly without delay, the tournament to test the knights’ martial prowess was set for the very next day.

* * *

“Sir Ramin.”

I firmly pressed both shoulders of Sir Ramin, who was about to compete.

“As I always tell you, the position of deputy commander in the mercenary group is always waiting for you.”

What else could be the reason that Sir Ramin, the symbol of greed proven by the Grand Duke of Inkheart’s gold coins, could still remain in the knight order? He was holding on solely by his skill.

So if he dared lose to Spinel’s knight and dropped Inkheart’s honor to the ground, well then.

He would have to take responsibility and step down from his knight position.

“I will definitely win and protect my honorable position as a knight this time as well.”

“I don’t mind if you don’t win.”

“I’ll use every ounce of strength I have!”

“If you insist. What can I do?”

Pat pat. I lightly tapped Sir Ramin’s shoulders as encouragement.

I heard Sir Ramin muttering something like ‘If I give up my knight position, I’ll be a commoner…… No!’ like someone having a nightmare, but that must have been my imagination.

After continuing the competition step by step, we finally faced the finals.

‘Actually, the tournament of ordinary knights is meaningless.’

At the top of the tournament bracket, one name was Sir Lucion’s, and the other was the name of a knight from Count Spinel’s family. But would this tournament really end with a match between these two knights?

‘Count Spinel herself isn’t participating on Spinel’s side of the bracket.’

The opponent that Count Spinel’s family really wanted to draw out with this tournament must be Darius, the Grand Duke of Inkheart.

So Darius needed to defeat Spinel directly to complete the hierarchy. On the other hand, if Count Spinel defeated Darius, he would face great difficulties in commanding the monster subjugation corps this year.

“I can’t stand by any longer.”

As expected.

Just as the tournament finals were about to begin, the one who directly faced Lucion was not the original knight but Count Spinel herself.