The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 12

The youngest of the Kilburn Baron Family, Piotrr, was in a state of great confusion.

Of the two horses he had received as a birthday gift ahead of his coming-of-age ceremony six years ago, the black horse Stormbringer, which had captured Piotr’s heart at first sight, was now acting friendly toward a stranger.

No, it wasn’t just acting friendly—it was as if the horse was giving the man a bath with its saliva, licking him as if he were a long-lost lover.

‘A lover? Ah! Could it be?’

Piotr instinctively knew who the man Stormbringer was fawning over was.

So, while he was shocked and a bit jealous, he closely examined the tall, broad-shouldered man.

The man’s beard covered his upper lip and chin, but he still appeared to be only about five or six years older than Piotr, with a handsome and youthful face.

Piotr felt even more displeased as the man’s peculiar gaze seemed to overlap with Stormbringer’s affectionate behavior.

“Are you by any chance Stormbringer’s former owner?”

Piotr’s tone was slightly insolent.

“……”

The man, Si-on, who had been staring at Piotr with a strange look, smiled slightly and spoke.

“That’s the wrong question.”

“What?”

“I’m not this horse’s former owner; I’m its current owner.”

“What…?”

Piotr’s eyebrows twitched at the absurd response, on top of the casual manner of speech.

Seeing this, the castle attendants, who had jumped out of the way of the charging horse, quickly approached Piotr.

“It’s as he said, young master. He paid compensation to the lord and reclaimed the rights to the horse.”

“Compensation? What are you talking about?”

“Well, you see…”

As one of the attendants explained the situation to the bewildered Piotr, he glanced at Si-on and lowered his voice.

“And that gentleman is a member of the royal family. It would be wise to be careful with your words…”

“…!”

Piotr flinched.

Now that he looked, the clothes and the sword the man wore were not ordinary items.

“So, my horse hurt you? I apologize as its owner. This guy won’t let anyone ride him except me.”

“Oh… it’s alright. I got hurt because I tried to ride him by force.”

Piotr’s tone softened.

Not only had his tone changed, but his attitude had also become calmer, unlike before.

‘Ho?’

Si-on was slightly surprised.

It seemed that Piotr’s change in attitude was not because of his royal status.

“I shouldn’t have treated the horse like that, but I was so angry that day because it hadn’t let anyone ride it for years, so I pushed too hard. It’s my fault; there’s no reason for you to apologize.”

Seeing Piotr’s bitter smile, Si-on understood.

Though young and quick to emotion, this boy was not the typical foolish aristocratic child who couldn’t tell heaven from earth.

‘Plus 10 points. No, 30 points.’

Having a deep understanding of what most noble children were like, Si-on gladly awarded extra points to his great-grandson.

“Anyway, I thought something was off. I couldn’t understand why such a fine horse was sold, and it didn’t listen to anyone, including me. I see now—it already had a master and was stolen. Though, it’s also likely that it didn’t recognize me as its master because of my inadequacy.”

“That’s not the case.”

“Pardon?”

“This guy isn’t just a horse; it’s practically a spirit beast. It’s not that it didn’t acknowledge you; it simply doesn’t think of anyone but me as its master.”

Si-on petted the mane of the black horse as it snorted and continued.

“This horse didn’t try to escape, did it?”

“Uh… now that you mention it, no. It’s been eating well, sleeping well, and living comfortably for years.”

“I’d have to ask the thief, but it probably didn’t resist much on the way here, either.”

“What? How did you know?”

“We didn’t even think it was a stolen horse when we first brought it here.”

The castle attendants nodded, surprised.

“It just treated this place as a temporary stopover, knowing I would eventually come back for it. Well, it took longer than expected, so it got a little lazy. Isn’t that right, you rascal?”

As if it understood Si-on’s words, the black horse turned its head sideways and pretended to look at a distant mountain.

“Go get Goldie, too.”

Neigh!

The black horse neighed loudly and trotted off in a certain direction.

Seeing its mischievous behavior, which seemed far from a typical horse, Piotr let out a sigh and asked.

“But what’s Goldie?”

“The other horse that was stolen along with this guy.”

“…Albert’s original name was Goldie? Then Stormbringer’s original name was…”

“Blackie.”

“…”

Piotr fell silent.

Not just him, but the castle attendants and even Administrator Swart looked at Si-on with dumbfounded expressions.

‘What? Why? Minus 10 points.’

Si-on, the old monster with a terrible naming sense, felt slightly miffed but kept his thoughts to himself.

* * *

After the matter of the stolen Blackie and Goldie was roughly resolved, Si-on and the Kilburn Baron’s family sat down for a meal.

Baron Kilburn, a capable lord who was not stingy with hospitality, treated Si-on with great care.

Though he wasn’t entirely fond of the peculiar looks Si-on occasionally gave him, it was unthinkable for a lord to neglect properly treating someone who, as the victim, had graciously handled a noisy affair.

The meal was thus extremely amicable, and during it, Baron Kilburn was able to re-establish a better relationship with Administrator Swart, whom he had previously treated indifferently.

Since Si-on, the direct victim of the horse theft, had taken the lead in smoothing things over, Administrator Swart, as the mediator, followed suit and played along with the friendly atmosphere.

Moreover, from the administrator’s perspective, having a bad relationship with a neighboring lord served no purpose; rather, failing to improve ties would be negligent, so he seized the opportunity.

After some time, both Baron Kilburn and Administrator Swart realized one thing.

‘He’s deliberately making the atmosphere more pleasant?’

Though it was true for Swart, Baron Kilburn also found Si-on to be rather unusual.

Or, perhaps, more accurately, peculiar.

Even as a cadet member of the royal family, Si-on could have wielded some influence in a remote territory like this, yet he showed no arrogance and consistently treated the Kilburn family with a calm smile and gentle words.

Baron Kilburn was inwardly surprised when his oldest and second sons, who were meeting Si-on for the first time and were older by a few years, opened up to him within minutes of conversation.

Particularly the eldest son, who had been raised as the heir to the territory, was usually reserved and wary of strangers, but within less than an hour, he was sitting close to Si-on, talking like brothers.

It was an unusual sight.

‘Come to think of it, they do resemble each other. Not exactly like brothers, but they could pass as cousins.’

Baron Kilburn chuckled at the thought.

Even he, whose impression of the horse’s owner had soured after the incident, found himself softening after spending half a day with Si-on; he could only imagine how much more his children would feel the same.

‘I wonder if he’s married? Given his age, he probably is. If not, maybe one of my nieces would be suitable?’

As all of his daughters were already married, Baron Kilburn thought of his wife’s nieces who were still single.

“Baron Kilburn.”

“Hm? Ah, Sir Salen.”

When Si-on called, Baron Kilburn, who had been lost in thought about tying Si-on to his family by marriage, snapped his head up.

“May I ask you something?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

Si-on glanced at the baron’s eldest son before speaking.

“I heard earlier about your son’s trouble with his career, and just now, your eldest son mentioned that your youngest son’s path seems uncertain?”

“Yes, as you may know, it’s not every day that an opportunity to become a squire to a swordmaster arises.”

In this world, a swordmaster wasn’t someone who wielded aura or sword energy recklessly.

There were no auras or sword energy in this world, to begin with.

A swordmaster was literally someone who had mastered the sword—knights who had performed exceptionally on the battlefield or won numerous life-and-death duels.

In other words, a swordmaster was someone whom others recognized as an extraordinary sword wielder in real combat.

And swordmasters, as masters and high-ranking practitioners of the sword, were predominantly nobles, and becoming a squire to a renowned swordmaster was considered a tremendous honor.

Additionally, since only a select few swordmasters were widely known, competition for their squire positions was fierce, making it even more difficult for children from rural territories to become squires.

However, Piotr, the youngest of Baron Kilburn, had managed to achieve this difficult feat.

Even without knowing who Master Lycas was, the fact that a sharp-witted baron like Kilburn had vouched for him suggested that Piotr was talented enough to become a swordmaster’s squire.

So, after meeting Piotr, Si-on formed a plan.

“I have a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

Baron Kilburn tilted his head at Si-on’s words.

“Regardless of the circumstances, it’s true that my horse interfered with your youngest son’s career.”

“Hm. As I said, I’ve put that matter behind me. Now that I’ve received compensation, it’s not something to dwell on.”

As a noble who valued his dignity, Baron Kilburn felt slightly irritated.

However, his eyes widened at Si-on’s next words.

“Yes, but it’s a fact that a promising young man’s future has been disrupted. So, I’d like to help. No, I will help, for certain.”

“What?”

“I’m sure you know that even as a collateral branch member, I’m part of the royal family. And you must also be aware of some noble families deeply connected with the royal family, perhaps through blood ties.”

“Yes, well, I suppose so.”

“There’s one family I’m personally well acquainted with. And that family happens to have a swordmaster under their wing.”

“A swordmaster? Who are you talking about?”

“The Si-on Ducal Family.”

“……!”

“Now that I think about it, it’s a place that’s closely connected to you, Baron.”

Si-on smiled faintly, but Baron Kilburn stiffened, eyes wide open.

The Si-on Ducal Family was his maternal family.

Naturally, it was a place with deep connections.

However, since his birth, he had never once visited or even contacted his maternal family.

His mother, Maria Si-on, had been disowned by her family when she married his father.

“I’m sure you’re aware of my background, Sir Salen, so let’s pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”

But knowing all too well why his grandson was reacting this way, Si-on replied calmly.

“You can’t live pretending forever. You can’t deny the blood running in your veins.”

“Sir Salen!”

“Will you have your children live on without knowing their roots? Sooner or later, this must be resolved, and the opportunity has come now.”

“……”

Baron Kilburn’s brows twitched as he glared at Si-on.

But when he saw his eldest son restlessly watching from Si-on’s side, he involuntarily bit his lip.

Not only his eldest son but all his children had grown up hearing about their grandmother’s father, the first Duke Si-on.

They admired and respected Hero Si-on, not just as a duke.

The Hero who saved Obla Kingdom, or rather the world, was their grandmother’s father, and his blood ran in their veins. It was impossible not to feel pride.

Even though their grandmother had been disowned, the fact that Si-on’s blood flowed through them was undeniable.

Unlike Baron Kilburn, whose animosity toward the Si-on Ducal Family stemmed from his mixed feelings, his children held more affection for the family.

Though they could not speak of it openly before their father, the children, including the eldest, were curious and longed to know more about their father’s maternal family.

“Father.”

“…Piotr.”

Hearing his youngest son’s voice, Baron Kilburn turned with a guess as to what was coming.

“If what Sir Salen says is true, I want to go.”

“You…”

“The Si-on Duchy has Master Blaho. He’s the South’s greatest knight, and his reputation is no less than Master Lycas’s. I’d be thrilled if I could become Master Blaho’s squire and reconnect with Father’s maternal family, the Si-on Ducal Family.”

“……”

“And I believe this is my duty as your son and as a member of the Kilburn Baron Family. I will do my best. Please let me go.”

“Haha…”

When did he grow up so much?

As he watched his youngest son speak clearly, meeting his gaze with determined eyes, Baron Kilburn could only close his eyes.