The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

A knight with a long scar on his face and white hair. Despite his hair being completely white, his skin was taut and firm, with thick wrinkles but barely any fine lines visible.

This unnatural impression was because he had recently ascended to the rank of Master, causing his body to be reconstituted.

Elderwick Dwyn.

A 57-year-old veteran knight who had served the Delamian Household for 40 years, he reached the Master rank after intense training and real combat.

However, due to the family’s precarious situation ahead of the election for High Chief, this fact had been kept secret.

‘Hmm. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the battlefield.’

It had been two months since he ascended to Master rank.

In his heart, he wished to showcase his new prowess immediately, but the family had positioned him not in the battlefield but on the political front.

He accompanied negotiations with neutral families, demonstrating to the heads of those families that a new Master had arisen. Frankly, it wasn’t an ideal situation for him.

Using his newfound prowess as a political tool understandably annoyed him.

However, his loyalty to the family and the presence of another newly ascended Master in the family forced him to comply with the head’s requests.

‘To think the timing overlapped…’

The emergence of two Masters in a single family is a once-in-a-century occurrence. Yet, within just one month, the Delamian Household saw the birth of two new Masters.

This gave the Delamian Household a total of three Masters, including Sir Gruis, the previously existing Master.

With three Masters, it was almost certain the family would secure the High Chief position. Elderwick had no intention of falling out with the family head, who was almost certain to become the High Chief.

Once this mission was over, it had been promised that his status as a new Master would be officially announced.

“There they are.”

The adjutant pointed out the foreign cavalry among the enemy ranks.

“Is that so?”

Elderwick barely showed interest. After all, foreign warriors who practiced mere tricks hardly registered in the eyes of someone who had ascended to the Master rank.

Frankly, he questioned why he had to deal with such mercenaries at all. He had brought only four escort knights to the battlefield for that reason.

The family head’s request to avoid revealing his Master status and to deal with them discreetly was laughable.

‘Did they really think I’d have to use aura against mere mercenaries?’

Thinking this way, the repressed dissatisfaction began to resurface.

“Let’s deal with this quickly and return.”

“Yes, sir Elderwick.”

Thud, thud.

Elderwick and his four escort knights rode towards their target.

‘… Hmm?’

Suddenly, a single horse broke away from the enemy lines and headed towards them. Initially thinking it was just another pawn to cut down with one stroke, the adjutant urgently spoke up.

“Lord! That’s Bae Dohyun!”

Upon hearing this, a vague memory surfaced in Elderwick’s mind.

The leader of the mercenaries. The one the family head had specifically ordered to be taken down.

“Good.”

It would have been troublesome if he had hidden and tried to escape, but here he was, riding out in plain sight. But then…

Whizz~ Clang!

Arrogantly, the man fired an arrow from horseback and then abruptly changed direction.

“Follow him.”

Elderwick’s face hardened slightly as he pursued Bae Dohyun.

“Damn it…! Kitan, Zered, take care of the ones remaining. Trass, you come with me to assist Sir Elderwick. Hiya!”

The head of the escort and adjutant, Iotir, hurriedly followed Elderwick.

‘Elderwick Sir isn’t usually this impulsive.’

He wasn’t the type to chase after someone just because they fired an arrow and tried to escape. But Elderwick seemed oblivious to his subordinate’s thoughts as he single-mindedly pursued Bae Dohyun, who was leading them away from the battlefield.

‘This guy….’

Feeling a tingling sensation in his hand wielding the weapon, Elderwick frowned.

*

‘So, two of them took the bait.’

It seemed drawing all five knights was too ambitious.

‘But I can handle two.’

A quick glance using his analytical eye confirmed that the escort knights were high-level experts not to be underestimated.

However, if Ilwoo and the guild members didn’t push too hard, they should be able to hold them off.

Thud, thud.

While his horse panted heavily as it galloped, they were steadily distancing themselves from the battlefield.

Whizz~!

Bae Dohyun kept firing arrows intermittently to provoke his pursuers. The white-haired veteran knight Elderwick followed closely with a fearsome expression.

“You there! Stop right now!”

His shout was thunderous enough to seem as if it was coming from right behind Bae Dohyun. But aided by psychokinetic power and mana, Bae Dohyun’s horse maintained a speed that made it hard for his pursuer to keep up.

‘This spot should do.’

They passed several hills and traversed a forest for quite a while. Bae Dohyun was confident that any sounds of battle from here wouldn’t carry back to the main battlefield. He turned his horse around at the foot of a cliff.

Neigh.

He slapped the foamy, exhausted horse on its rump, sending it into the forest. Standing serenely with just a spear, he watched as Elderwick also came to a halt.

“Is running away finally over? Let’s see what you’ve prepared! Come out, all of you!”

Elderwick’s shouted command echoed off the trees and cliffs. He was clearly expecting an ambush. Nevertheless, he had followed, trusting in his own mastery.

“…….”

Despite Elderwick’s bellow, the surroundings remained silent. There was no sign of anyone else, only his two escort knights who arrived belatedly.

“Did you catch him?”

Iotir, the adjutant, asked, but Elderwick did not respond and instead continued to glare sharply at Bae Dohyun.

He spread his senses slowly, scanning the surroundings, but even Elderwick’s sharp perception as a Master could detect nothing.

“What are you thinking?”

Confirming that Bae Dohyun was indeed alone, Elderwick asked, almost incredulous.

“Sir Elderwick Dwyn.”

Bae Dohyun placed his fist on his chest and bowed in respect.

“As a fellow knight, I pay my respects to a Master of your caliber.”

“… How did you know?”

Elderwick’s eyebrows twitched as he questioned him, and his adjutant, Iotir, stepped forward.

“Are you thinking of defecting? If so, you’ve made a wise choice. The Delamian Household can reward you handsomely.”

Knowing that Bae Dohyun had drawn them here alone while knowing about Elderwick’s Master status could only mean he intended to switch sides.

Thump.

However, it became clear that wasn’t the case the moment Bae Dohyun took his fist from his chest and leveled his spear at them once more.

“Unfortunately, you won’t be leaving this place alive. We cannot allow the Delamian Household to seize the High Chief position.”

Silence followed. They were stunned by the unexpected declaration.

“Kuh, kuhuhu. Hahahahaha!”

Elderwick laughed robustly, his body shaking, and then.

“You rascal! Let’s see if you have the skills to back up those words!”

Fwoom.

A deep blue aura blade erupted from Elderwick’s poleaxe.

Shiiing.

Golden armor encased Bae Dohyun’s body.

‘… Huh? I thought outsiders couldn’t use power armor? And what is that power armor?’

Before he could shake off the uneasy feeling, he encountered yet another strange phenomenon.

Shiiiing! Whirr.

Hundreds of weapons sprang up behind Bae Dohyun, their blades glinting as they surrounded him. Though surprised, Elderwick didn’t feel particularly threatened.

Smirking, Elderwick bellowed.

“They say foreigners have strange abilities. But tricks are just tricks! Can you really stand against a Master?”

Bang!

Propelling himself off the ground like a cannonball, Elderwick and his aura-imbued poleaxe seemed poised to decimate Bae Dohyun.

Boom!

Elderwick’s eyes widened in shock.

“How, how is this possible?”

The spear that blocked his poleaxe radiated a golden aura, wielded by none other than Bae Dohyun.

***

Drip. Drip.

Red blood trickled down the blade of the spear. Bae Dohyun casually moved his arm to retrieve the spear.

Thud.

As the spear, which had pierced through Elderwick’s heart and out his back, was pulled out, Elderwick’s body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Bae Dohyun bit his lip slightly as he looked at the fallen Master who had vanished into nothingness. Perhaps it would have been better to keep him alive?

Was it too cruel to a man who had honed his martial skills for decades?

Various thoughts swirled in his head, but he soon shook them off.

‘… This was necessary.’

The ideal of everyone joining forces to oppose common enemies like the Empire or the Gates was just that—an ideal. He had already witnessed this in his previous life and was experiencing it again now.

Even when the Gates appeared and slaughtered humanity. Even during the Empire’s invasion when the walls were on the brink of collapse.

The rulers prioritized their interests over the greater good. And that included him.

‘… I’m no different.’

Bae Dohyun, or rather Raul’s, goal wasn’t something grand like ‘continental peace’ or ‘the protection of humanity.’

It was survival.

The survival of himself, who had awakened inside this game called Connect.

The survival of the Ashton County, now felt like his real family.

The survival of his subordinates and fief folk he was responsible for.

It was merely a struggle to stay alive. He simply wanted to protect those within his reach in the process.

In the end, he was just another self-serving decision-maker among many.

‘Just because I have some power and leeway now doesn’t mean I aspire to be a hero. Nor should I.’

He only hoped that his path, taken for his own survival, would also have significance for others.

“… What should we do now?”

Kane, who had been quietly watching Bae Dohyun, asked. In a cold voice, Bae Dohyun answered.

“Clean it up. Leave not a single trace, erase everything perfectly.”

“Yes, Master.”

Kane carried away the corpses of Elderwick and the two knights. Likely, they would disappear from this world without leaving even a single bone fragment.

It was a bleak and hollow end for someone who might have left their name in history. But it was necessary.

‘Leaving some doubt is more advantageous than confirming his death.’

The Delamian Household would be thrown into chaos. They would wonder if Elderwick had died, disappeared somewhere, or been swayed by another family.

The more thoughts one harbors, the slower one’s judgments become; and the more variables there are, the lower the probability of making the right choice.

The Delamian Household, having lost a Master. Seizing the position of High Chief would not be easy for them.

‘Even if they still don’t abandon their ambitions…’

Grip.

Gripping his spear tightly, Bae Dohyun’s eyes glinted with a fierceness akin to a predator.

*

King Thadewus II is critically ill. The King has named the 5th Prince, Edrad, as his successor. The capital of the Ruben Kingdom, Thurium, was abuzz with various rumors and news.

Conversations about who the next king would be were endless wherever people gathered.

Bang!

“Who is it! Who’s spreading such nonsense!”

The chair that the 3rd Prince, Herdian, had thrown shattered into pieces. The fury in his bloodshot eyes was unmistakable.

“Please calm down. It’s just a rumor.”

Viscount Brayden tried to soothe him, but it seemed Herdian wouldn’t be easily pacified this time.

“Is it that wench Ariella? Tell me! Is it the rumor she spread?”

“Your Highness, there are ears listening!”

Brayden hastily tried to quiet him, alarmed. Ariella was the sole surviving queen of the royal family and the mother of the 5th Prince.

“Let them hear! You know as well as I do what that fox of a woman is scheming sticking close to Father! Just wait until Father passes away. I’ll start with her neck…”

Herdian spoke without hesitation, spewing words bordering on blasphemy. Brayden’s eyes held a peculiar glint as he tried to restrain him.

(To be continued)