Chapter 110. Returning to Thorne
Several days passed in a blur of travel.
During the journey, Eli’s daily routine use of the World Intelligence Support System yielded a piece of Purple-Tier Intelligence.
【House Alders, the comital house of the Western Frontier, has already been severely punished by Sir Lucius for colluding with rebels and harboring treasonous ambitions.
Count Alders himself has also been invited to Thorne City to spend his remaining years in comfort.】
Other than that, there was no further information of any real substance.
As Eli looked at this intelligence, his heart quietly stirred with awe.
Lucius’s methods truly were sharp and decisive. A figure of real authority like Count Alders had been taken down the moment Lucius moved, with no hesitation and no wasted effort.
This was a reckoning, certainly, but likely also a warning. Thorne City still held the order of the Western Frontier firmly in its grasp.
Another two days of travel passed.
When their mounts once more stepped onto the familiar hard-packed official road, the majestic gray stone walls of Thorne City gradually came into view upon the distant horizon.
The moment Ron Hohenzollern saw the walls of Thorne City, the joy on his face became all but impossible to conceal.
When the party reached the western city gate, the soldiers guarding it spotted the dazzling Golden Lion insignia and the finely crafted armor from afar.
They immediately recognized the return of their own most elite knightly order and did not dare show the slightest negligence.
At once, they shouted for the idlers near the gate to clear out and swiftly opened the way, without even needing to check their identities.
The group rode through the deep gate tunnel and entered Thorne City once again.
The streets were noisy and crowded, but they were far livelier than when Eli had first arrived.
At the rear of the formation, a few soldiers stationed on either side of the gate watched the unusual company and could not help muttering under their breath.
“The Golden Lion Knights are escorting him in person? What great figure has arrived to warrant such a spectacle?”
“He looks so young... and his hair is actually white... Hm? And that wolf-kin beside him looks a little familiar...”
“Quiet! Keep your voice down! Do not invite trouble!”
Eli was long accustomed to such whispers and paid them no mind.
Ron, meanwhile, looked even more spirited than before.
The party did not linger in the noisy outer city. Instead, they rode straight toward La Roche Castle in the inner core of the city.
Very soon, that enormous structure, far grander than either the lord’s keep of Obsidian Territory or the lord’s residence of Lucerne City, came into view.
Above the towering battlements, the huge roaring golden lion banner snapped violently in the wind, proclaiming its master’s authority and glory.
At the gates of the fortress, Ron reined in his horse, turned toward Eli, and said with a grin,
“Eli, this is as far as I will escort you.
I need to take the men back to the knights’ garrison first to report in and formally hand over the mission. Many thanks for everything this time!”
Several days of traveling and talking together had drawn the two closer, and even the way they addressed one another had become more casual.
“Naturally. Captain Ron, go ahead. I wish you success,” Eli replied with a smile.
Ron nodded, then called out loudly to the guards standing before the gates in armor bearing the Golden Lion insignia,
“Baron Pendragon has arrived at Sir Lucius’s summons! Hurry and report it!”
After saying that, he gave Eli a quick wink. Then, with a sweep of his hand, he led the Golden Lion Knights under his command off at a gallop in another direction.
The guards at the entrance had naturally already noticed this imposing party.
Now that they had heard the title Baron Pendragon and learned that he had come at Sir Lucius’s summons, how could they possibly dare delay?
One guard immediately turned and ran into the fortress to report the matter.
Another stepped forward and said to Eli respectfully, “Baron, please wait here a moment.”
Eli nodded. During the brief pause, he glanced toward Aila, who stood beside him in a daze.
The girl was gazing up at the immense, ancient, and imposing fortress before her, her eyes somewhat unfocused.
“Stunned by it? It is quite a sight, is it not?” Eli asked softly.
Aila came back to herself and gave a slight nod, but her delicate brows drew together faintly as she murmured in a low voice,
“It is impressive... but... Eli, I keep feeling...
this place... somehow seems familiar. As though... I have seen it somewhere before...”
Hearing that, something stirred faintly in Eli’s heart, but an easy smile appeared on his face.
“Oh? Then perhaps you are some distant branch of House La Roche. Aila La Roche?
That does sound rather nice. Just remember to look after me if that turns out to be true.”
Aila was immediately annoyed by the joke, her cheeks flushing slightly red.
She raised a hand and punched him lightly in the arm. “What nonsense are you talking about?!”
The little bit of banter between them was interrupted by the sound of brisk approaching footsteps.
A meticulously dressed middle-aged butler, accompanied by several guards, came striding quickly from the entrance of the fortress.
When he reached Eli’s horse, he stopped and bowed respectfully.
“Baron Pendragon, welcome to La Roche Castle.
Sir Lucius has been waiting for you for quite some time. Please come with me. Your horses and attendants will be properly looked after.”
Then he glanced behind Eli and added, “My apologies, Baron, but you may bring only two companions.”
Eli and his party dismounted, handing their reins to the stable hands who had come forward.
Eli signaled for the Black Crow Knights to remain where they were, then took Aila and Wolfgang with him.
Following that butler, they stepped through the grand gates of the fortress.
The corridors inside were broad, yet somewhat dimly lit. Heavy tapestries and various trophies hung upon the stone walls.
As the butler led the way, he introduced the notable objects lining both sides of the passage in an even tone.
His voice carried an entirely unconcealed pride in the family.
“Baron, if you would look here, this portrait depicts the founding ancestor of House La Roche.
The greatest pioneer in recorded history, the great Roderick La Roche. I trust you have heard of him...”
“And the porcelain displayed here comes from the distant and mysterious eastern kingdom of Rosha.
It was a gift bestowed by His Majesty King Jos upon our ancestors a hundred years ago. Its craftsmanship may truly be called miraculous... and within the kingdom today, such pieces have become nearly extinct.”
“And this set of Golden Lion armor was a personal gift from His Majesty King Hela III, the king before the last king of the Kingdom of Orlando.
It was awarded in recognition of the glorious military merit House La Roche won in the war against the Western Federation...”
Naturally, Eli responded at all the appropriate moments from the side.
“Only now that I have seen it with my own eyes do I truly understand that the glory of House La Roche runs so deep and so far back. It is profoundly admirable.”
A satisfied smile appeared on the butler’s face, clearly pleased by Eli’s tact.
After passing through several corridors, the group finally arrived before the familiar dark wooden door Eli remembered.
The butler stopped before it, turned slightly aside, and made a gesture of invitation, his tone as respectful as ever.
“Baron, please. Sir Lucius is waiting for you inside.”
Eli drew in a deep breath and quickly adjusted himself.
Then he turned and gave Aila, who looked slightly tense, a reassuring glance before reaching out and pushing open the heavy door.
The study within came into view.
The arrangement of the room was the same as before. Light streamed in through the tall windows. Two people were inside.
Young Duke Constantine La Roche.
The young heir was currently seated in the place that belonged to his father, his face openly full of curiosity as he looked Eli up and down, particularly that striking head of white hair.
And the true master of the Western Frontier, Sir Lucius La Roche,
sat upon a chair beside the seat of honor, his posture as calm and steady as ever, as though he were merely present to observe.
Eli quickly stepped forward several paces, placed his right hand over his chest, and bowed respectfully to the two of them.
“I, Eli Pendragon, have come at your summons. Greetings, Young Duke Constantine, Sir Lucius.”
Young Duke Constantine glanced at his uncle. Seeing that Lucius gave no indication either way, he cleared his throat, as though trying to make his voice sound more steady, then raised a hand with a smile.
“Baron Pendragon, we meet again. There is no need for such formality. Welcome to Thorne.”
Eli smiled and nodded in response, just as he was about to straighten back up.
But at that very moment, Sir Lucius’s calm, emotionless voice rang out slowly.
“Eli Pendragon.”
Eli’s movement froze at once, and the string that had only just relaxed in his heart snapped taut again.
Maintaining that half-risen posture, he lifted his head and looked toward Lucius.
Lucius’s gaze rested calmly upon him as he continued in the same unreadable tone.
“Do you know your crime?”
Those words were like an icy spike driven straight into Eli’s heart, and a sudden chill ran through him.
My crime?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind at high speed.
Was it because his methods in settling Sabda’s affair had gone too far?
Was it because he had privately dealt with Ron?
Was his expansion too rapid, drawing suspicion?
Or was it... something else entirely?
At one side, Young Duke Constantine was clearly stunned as well. A trace of helpless confusion passed across his face as he looked toward his uncle.
This was completely different from the process they had discussed beforehand, which was supposed to be nothing more than a routine inquiry followed by commendation!
The air in the study seemed to freeze instantly, and the pressure rose sharply.
Eli swiftly crushed down the turmoil surging within him.
He did not argue, nor did he panic. Instead, he slowly dropped to one knee.
“In reply to you, Sir. All that Eli Pendragon has done has been in fulfillment of a lord’s duty in the Western Frontier.
If loyalty to the kingdom, and loyalty to the Western Frontier, is also considered a crime...
then I am indeed... guilty beyond redemption.”
With those words, he deftly made his position and attitude clear.
After a brief silence, a soft chuckle unexpectedly came from Sir Lucius.
“Heh...”
That single chuckle instantly shattered the suffocating tension that had all but filled the study.
The heart Eli had nearly felt rise into his throat finally settled back into place.
He understood.
This was Lucius’s customary warning and test.
It was also a reminder that no matter how great his merits might be, his life, honor, and disgrace still remained firmly in Thorne City’s hands.
Young Duke Constantine understood as well and could not help clicking his tongue inwardly.
He found his uncle’s black-bellied and perversely entertaining way of testing people utterly exasperating.
He had originally been planning to ask Eli how his hair had turned white. It looked rather striking, after all.
Had he cultivated some unusual breathing technique?
Lucius’s next words cut that thought off before it could continue.
“Sit.”
Sit?
Eli lifted his head and quickly swept his gaze across the study.
Aside from the two chairs occupied by Lucius and Constantine, there was no third seat in the room suitable for conversation.
At one side, Young Duke Constantine’s eyes widened in astonishment, clearly understanding what his uncle meant.
At once, a wronged expression appeared on his face. He was no longer a child.
Why was it that, during such an important conversation, he was the one being sent away again? I spent half the night memorizing my lines last night!
But he did not dare defy his uncle’s decision.
Somewhat unwillingly, he rose to his feet and gave a soft little “hmph” in Lucius’s direction, as though pouting.
Then he actually walked over to his chair, gripped it with both hands, and, somewhat awkwardly, lifted the seat that was still rather heavy for him.
He dragged it behind Eli and set it down.
“For you to sit on!”
His tone clearly carried emotion, though Eli naturally knew that none of that irritation was directed at him.
After doing all that, Constantine secretly winked at Eli. Without even waiting for a response, he turned away in a huff.
Then he pushed open the study door and strode out in big steps, leaving behind only a disgruntled back.
The future Duke of the Western Frontier had personally moved a chair for him...
Looking at the chair behind him, Eli’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
This scene truly lay well beyond anything he had expected. He even found himself wondering whether Constantine had misunderstood Lucius’s meaning.
Standing where he was, Eli suddenly did not know whether he should sit or not.