Chapter 50. Meeting (1)

The Second Lord, collapsed on the floor, remained motionless.

As Luke lightly touched his forehead with a fingertip, the body split in two, the earth cracked, and the sky tore open.

Siron struggled to comprehend the scene before him.

‘…What did I just see?’

It was beyond comprehension.

That’s how shocking the sight was.

A battle required a certain balance of power between the two sides.

That was why he desperately tried to prevent fights between Lords.

When Continental-class powerhouses like Lords clashed, the scale of the battle was different, and the aftermath alone could devastate the surroundings.

However, what Siron witnessed was hardly a battle.

He couldn’t even grasp what had happened with his own eyes.

Luke, who had been standing still, muttered something, and a moment later, the Second Lord was split in half and dead.

The blood drained from Siron’s face at the realization that the Second Lord, infamous even among the Lords, had been killed without any resistance.

In the chilling silence, he was finally able to calmly accept reality.

Luke Richter, the official who had become the Empire’s first Sixth Lord.

…He had killed Myung-gak, a fellow Lord.

Siron cautiously gauged the Sixth Lord walking ahead and thought to himself,

‘…Just how strong is he?’

At this level, wasn’t he stronger than even the three Guardians of the Imperial Family, or the Grand Dukes called Sword Lords?

Of course, it was just a vague guess, but the scene he had just witnessed was so shocking that he couldn’t shake off his doubts.

Siron barely suppressed the confusion and awe that washed over him and cautiously opened his mouth.

“Sixth Lord.”

“…?”

“What are you going to do now?”

The Second Lord was dead.

The death of a Lord was unprecedented.

While the Great Lord had personally executed a Lord in the past, it was certainly the first time a Lord had died at the hands of another.

Since it was an unprecedented event, there was no manual for this, and there was no way to predict the repercussions of the Second Lord’s death.

For Siron, who had simply come along as a guide, this situation was a complete disaster.

No, frankly, it was fucked.

Who could have imagined that the Second Lord would suddenly appear in this deserted village, and that the Sixth Lord would deliberately kill him?

Furthermore, the reason for the killing wasn't even clear. Judging from the situation, it seemed like the deaths of the villagers had triggered his anger.

While it did give Siron a glimpse of the Sixth Lord’s human side, the fact that he had caused a major incident was undeniable.

But Siron didn't have the courage to question the Sixth Lord about this. There was only one thing he could do.

That was to devise a countermeasure with him.

One thing was certain: the Lord Council would not sit idly by.

After all, the justification for killing the Second Lord in the Second Lord’s Territory was weak.

“…It’ll be difficult to just let this go.”

“I suppose so.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Not really.”

…Not really?

He tried to remain as calm as possible and asked again,

“Did you perhaps discuss this with the Great Lord beforehand?”

“No.”

“…Do you have any justification to present?”

“Not really.”

Cold sweat trickled down Siron’s back.

“Then… what in the world…”

Siron, muttering with a dumbfounded expression, turned his head.

His gaze shifted to the two girls who had accompanied the Sixth Lord.

However, the two girls only widened their eyes, seemingly unconcerned about countermeasures and wondering what the problem was.

Luke, walking ahead, quietly said to Siron,

“Are you going to keep standing there?”

“Well…”

“You don’t need to worry about the Lord Council. I’ll handle it, so you just need to take care of the bodies I mentioned earlier and arrange their funerals. Send the Second Lord’s body to Headquarters immediately.”

Siron clenched his jaw.

How could he ask? How could he ask what he was thinking when he did this?

What about the Great Lord when she hears about this? He had plundered a ruin in another Lord's territory and even killed the Lord.

Wouldn’t she be furious? Even if he explained the situation, she’d probably retort, ‘What’s the big deal about a few humans dying?’

That was what Lords were like. Beings who could massacre civilians like ants for fun, and no one could easily question them.

He could somehow hide the fact that he had plundered the ruin, but the Second Lord’s death was impossible to conceal.

He wanted to suggest hiding the Second Lord's body as well, but Luke’s decision wouldn't change.

Therefore, Siron’s answer was also predetermined.

“…Understood, Sixth Lord.”

****

Time passed.

Luke, having finished his business in the Second Lord’s Territory, canceled his scheduled visit to the Duchy.

Given the situation, he returned directly to Blackmore.

Meanwhile, Siron, following Luke’s instructions, recovered the bodies of the deceased villagers and held a proper funeral for them.

He also sent the bisected body of the Second Lord to Headquarters, but there was no response yet.

It must have been an unexpected situation, so they probably needed time to grasp the situation.

Before long, a man came to visit.

The man, who introduced himself as Cheong, said he was the Great Lord Arkan’s direct successor.

And in a cold voice, he revealed the purpose of his visit.

“I deliver the Great Lord's message. Sixth Lord Luke Richter is to visit Headquarters immediately.”

The reason was clear.

It was a summons to hold him accountable for the Second Lord’s death.

Since it was expected, Luke calmly accepted.

As Cheong placed his hand on the unfolded scroll, space distorted, and light flashed.

When he came to his senses, he was in the central plaza of Headquarters.

Cheong immediately guided Luke to the conference room.

A heavy silence hung in the air as they walked down the long corridor.

Cheong glanced at Luke.

However, his expression was surprisingly calm for someone who had caused such a major incident.

‘Is he not worried?’

Despite being in a situation where his life could be in danger depending on the Great Lord’s mood, he was excessively calm.

Cheong couldn’t tell if it was an act or if he genuinely wasn't worried.

However, understanding Luke's attitude wasn’t his responsibility, so Cheong silently focused on guiding him.

They reached the conference room at the end of the long corridor.

Heavily armed knights stood guard, and as soon as they saw Cheong, they parted to open the way.

The closer they got to the door, the stronger the pressure crushing the air became.

It was a phenomenon that occurred in places with dense mana, and the source was the Lords gathered inside the conference room.

Cheong sighed and cautiously opened his mouth.

“All the Lords have gathered to discuss your actions.”

“…”

“I implore you to make a wise choice. For the sake of the Great Lord’s past favors, please persuade them carefully.”

Instead of answering, Luke gestured towards the door as if to tell him to open it.

The door opened, and the grand conference room was revealed.

Pure white marble pillars supported the ceiling, and soft mana lamps emitted a blue light between them.

In the center stood a massive hexagonal stone table.

He could see First Lord Ecion’s expressionless face, and Third Lord Kallen, sitting next to him, was looking at Luke with a twisted smirk.

The Fourth Lord, with azure hair, stared at Luke with sharp eyes, and the Fifth Lord, with long black hair, had a relaxed expression, resting his chin on his hand.

Great Lord Arkan’s seat was on a slightly elevated platform.

Four Lords were seated on either side of him, with only the deceased Second Lord Myung-gak’s seat empty.

“See that empty spot? That’s your seat, Sixth Lord. Sit down. We have a lot to talk about.”

Luke sat down with an impassive expression.

All the Lords’ gazes were fixed on him, but he still showed no sign of agitation.

Meanwhile, Arkan looked at him with mixed feelings.

‘What should I do about this?’

When she first heard the news of the Second Lord’s death, she was dumbfounded.

She had heard that he was going somewhere, but she hadn’t known it would be that deserted village in the Second Lord’s Territory.

It was also unexpected that he had encountered the Second Lord there and even killed him.

Especially when she saw the bisected body of the Second Lord, she was beyond dumbfounded; she was speechless.

The fact that he had died from a single attack without any trace of a struggle clearly showed the extent of the Sixth Lord's power.

The situation was as follows: The Second Lord knew that the Sixth Lord had entered his territory.

Therefore, he had visited the deserted village alone, intending to pick a fight with the Sixth Lord for trespassing.

The Second Lord often picked fights with other Lords.

But in the process, he had killed civilians related to the Sixth Lord, and that was the trigger.

Naturally, since it was the Second Lord's Territory, the lives of the residents were in his hands, so he couldn't be held accountable for killing a few of his own people.

Rather, it was Luke who deserved to be executed for killing the Second Lord, but…

‘…That seems unlikely.’

Arkan, who had witnessed Luke’s power, already knew the answer.

Luke's strength was equal to or greater than her own.

If all the Lords here joined forces, execution might be possible, but the resulting damage would be immense.

‘Besides, I can’t just let such a talent go.’

Therefore, she decided.

She would just smooth things over this time.

However, to save face for the Lord Council, minimal disciplinary action was necessary for violating the rules.

And she intended to use this incident to put Luke in her debt and make various demands.

‘This actually worked out well.’

That Second Lord was a constant troublemaker and wouldn’t listen to a word she said, so he was a headache.

Although he was dead, she had gained a new Lord with even greater potential, so it was a net gain.

“Alright, shall we begin?”

So, Arkan, smiling brightly, proceeded with the meeting.

“Let's get straight to the point. Sixth Lord, you entered the Second Lord’s Territory without any prior notice, concealing your identity, and you plundered a ruin. In the process, you killed the Second Lord. Any objections?”

“None.”

Right, none.

Arkan, maintaining as stern an expression as possible, continued,

“Judging by the body, you killed him in one blow.”

At Arkan's words, all the Lords’ gazes turned to Luke.

They seemed slightly surprised, as they had only known that he had killed the Second Lord, but this was the first time they heard that it was done in a single blow.

“That’s correct.”

“So, that means it wasn’t an unavoidable accident during battle, but that you intended to kill him from the start?”

“I intended to kill him from the start.”

“…Aren’t you being a little too brazen?”

“Is there a problem?”

“A problem? Of course, there’s a problem. Sixth Lord, you killed a Lord. I’d understand if you had a convincing reason, but as it stands, the Second Lord had the justification, didn’t he?”

The air grew colder by the moment. But Luke remained unfazed. No, rather, he seemed to welcome this situation.

“I agree with that statement.”

“…What?”

“So I will take responsibility for it.”

He suddenly stood up, saying he would take responsibility.

He was smiling for some reason, and then he said,

“I will resign from my Lordship.”

“…Huh?”

“I should take responsibility, shouldn’t I? So I will resign from my Lordship.”

“…”

…Huh?

This wasn’t supposed to happen.