Chapter 37 : Chapter 37
Chapter 37. Eye of Truth Tarania (2)
"B, but! As Baron Blanc knows, the main source of income for our territory was the iron ore from the mine! It has already been closed for several months, so if we delay any longer……."
BANG!
Blanc struck the table next to the bed hard.
"Are you suggesting we cover up a group of evil darkness as is for personal profit! Baron Tigor!"
Seeing Blanc's burning gaze, Tigor felt that things were going wrong.
The soldiers demonstrating force to him right now were not the only problem.
The biggest problem was the boy in front of him. Blanc Cadmus.
Blanc had every justification.
He was the standard-bearer of the Tolome soldiers camped within the territory, the first discoverer and conqueror of the dungeon, and a knight of Aselheit, the adversary of Warlocks.
Tigor was in a position where he had no choice but to do as Blanc said.
"If it comes to this, I have no choice but to seriously suspect the relationship between the Warlock and the Baron!"
"No! That is not true. Baron Blanc! I am truly innocent!"
Baron Tigor was in a position where he had to go up to the capital, Baltimere, sooner or later to explain this situation.
It wasn't just simply the King's summons. If it were, he could have bought time by making this or that excuse.
However, in the current case, not only Frederick, the King of Felix, but also the Cardinal of the Goddess Religion was demanding his summons.
Because it wasn't a simple matter that happened inside a territory. It was a matter involving a Warlock, and a massive disaster that had operated secretly 200 years ago at that.
What if Blanc appeared while he was claiming his innocence before the King and the Cardinal in the capital and said Baron Baum was suspicious?
As the sixth knight of Aselheit and the conqueror of the dungeon, his remarks would inevitably carry great weight.
'It's ruin!'
If that happened, it was obvious that Baron Tigor Baum would face irreversible consequences. Perhaps not just him alone, but the entire Baum family might suffer irrecoverable damage.
No, they would.
"Baron Blanc! Please help me! I, Tigor Baum, swear on the name of the Goddess that I know absolutely nothing about this situation!"
Baron Tigor sat down flat on the floor and begged Blanc for mercy.
Blanc stared blankly at Baron Tigor's appearance, then eventually got up from the bed and held his pale hand.
"Of course, I fully understand Lord Tigor's feelings of worrying about the livelihood of the territory. Since I am also someone who has to raise a family."
As soon as he finished speaking, Blanc looked out the window sorrowfully again.
Baron Tigor realized.
No, his survival instinct to stay alive moved keenly, making him realize what Blanc wanted.
"I! I will be able to help you! Baron Blanc, the rightful heir of Norington! You must spread your wings again!"
Seeing Baron Tigor's quick-witted action, Blanc smiled inwardly.
"Thank you even for just the words. Baron Tigor. But I am preparing for a difficult fight where I have to oppose as many as three families……."
"I will cooperate! You will probably need war funds to raise an army!"
'It's done.'
The money bag of the Cadmus family, no, the first trustworthy ally was born.
***
Blanc stayed for another week to recover from his injuries in the Baum territory.
'Have I secured about 500 gold for now?'
Tigor Baum was a wealthy man. If he were a poor noble busy earning a living day by day while worrying about the survival of his family, he wouldn't have even contacted Tolome to enter central politics.
The Baum territory was a terrain that included not only an iron ore mine but also a river. The name High River was given because of that.
Iron ore from the mine, herb cultivation using the mountains, logistics distribution using the river. Although not a large area, fertile farmland sufficient to feed a territory, and even the Mint Candy that would receive new attention in the future.
However, in the past life, he eventually could not avoid bankruptcy due to this incident, showing how great the stigma of a Warlock and the anger of the Goddess Religion were.
Regardless of what Baron Tigor thought, in the end, Blanc had practically saved the Baum family.
Therefore, Blanc was busy ripping off the Baum family while casting aside any pangs of conscience.
Baron Tigor Baum probably had no choice but to offer it, even if reluctantly.
Inside the hands Blanc and Baron Tigor held together was the weakness of the Baum family.
The moment Baron Tigor let go of the hand held with Blanc, the weakness would fall to the ground and shatter into pieces.
It was obvious where those shattered weaknesses would fly to.
Of course, even the wealthy Baron Baum couldn't offer 500 gold, which was equivalent to a year's tax revenue, at once.
Instead, in Blanc's bosom now was a certificate transferring the right to sell a certain amount of iron ore.
If he sold this to Weird, it would easily yield at least 500 gold.
On top of that, there were items found in the Warlock's dungeon.
Although many were old and damaged by battle, some of the things found there were items that the Goddess Religion and mages would covet.
Blanc wouldn't be able to take everything that came out of there, but it was certain that Tolome would show favor to Blanc in the process of distributing profits.
'I can go to the Iron Bank.'
He had gathered the 500 gold to open an account.
Now all that remained was a guarantor.
If it was Aselheit who granted him the knight title, he would certainly have the qualification of a guarantor.
Although he couldn't be sure, Blanc decided to lean on Aselheit once, whether it worked or not.
It wasn't something that would tarnish his honor nor something that cost money, so wouldn't he do that much?
However, the problem was that his whereabouts were always obscure.
It might take time to find him and request him to be a guarantor.
"Are you moving together to Baltimere?"
"Yes. To be precise, I will go together to the Tolome family."
Tarania was riding a horse next to Blanc, who was returning leading the soldiers.
Blanc thought the way her platinum blonde hair was tied up tight looked similar to a horse's tail.
However, he decided not to say those words out loud.
"Is it following the Tolome family…… because of Lord Stefan?"
Edwin, who was next to Blanc like Tarania, asked Tarania on the other side with a worried expression.
Stefan Tolome had not woken up once since being rescued from the mine.
Since Tarania needed to make eye contact to activate the Eye of Truth and examine the soul, she hadn't been able to investigate Stefan Tolome yet.
In other words, she still hadn't shaken off the suspicion of the Warlock.
"Until yesterday, that was the purpose, but a carrier pigeon arrived from the Torch Knights."
Tarania took a letter out of her bosom and shook it.
"Is it mine?"
"Please read it."
That letter was from the Seneschal of the Torch Knights.
Although the Torch Knights were practically created by Aselheit, he was a person who wandered the world incessantly, like his alias, the Wandering Duke.
Therefore, the person who actually moved the Torch Knights was a knight named Ronbrando, who currently held the position of Knight Commander.
And the person who sent this letter now was the Seneschal Gaspar, who assisted him by his side and handled the administrative duties of the knights.
It was a letter sent directly by the person who could effectively be called the second-in-command of the Torch Knights. Realizing that, Edwin looked at Tarania with wide eyes.
Blanc read down the letter indifferently, whether Edwin was surprised or not.
"So, you mean you will stay by my side for a while and teach me how to counter black magic?"
"That is correct. Baron."
The Torch Knights were in a state of shock seeing Blanc injured due to this incident.
It was natural since they almost lost a knight of Aselheit, appointed for the first time in 20 years, after only a few months.
Knights of Aselheit were special existences to the Torch Knights. They were not only symbols of the Torch Knights but also the most certain sponsors.
In fact, Duke Wesler Balthazar of the Anton Kingdom, Aselheit's fifth knight, was providing great financial support to the Torch Knights.
Although he was just a fallen baron right now, the Torch Knights were evaluating Blanc's potential highly.
Who knew if he would grow magnificently later and become as big as Duke Wesler Balthazar?
Therefore, although the Torch Knights did not care about secular matters, it was ambiguous to leave Blanc, who was still practically a chick, as he was.
Because of that, under the pretext of education on black magic, they decided to attach Tarania, a talented member of the Torch Knights, to Blanc's side.
It was to escort him and foster him at the same time so that Blanc could grow sufficiently and counter black magic.
In other words, Knight Tarania could be called the first support Blanc received from the Torch Knights.
"Do you listen to my orders? Like a subordinate?"
"No. The Torch Knights do not care about secular matters. I only protect the Baron from black magic and wicked things and educate you on them."
"Until when will you be by my side?"
Blanc asked, looking at Tarania's green left eye without the eyepatch.
"That is for me to judge."
Hearing Tarania's answer, Blanc nodded.
'There's no harm in accepting.'
Although the Torch Knights did not involve themselves in secular matters, for Blanc who had nothing, the more sponsors the better.
Moreover, since Blanc had been scolded severely by black magic this time, preparing for and learning about it wasn't a bad thing.
"Good. I look forward to working with you. Sir Tarania."
Blanc offered a handshake to Tarania, welcoming her.
However, Blanc didn't notice. That the gem inside Tarania's eyepatch was glowing blue.
The eye is the mirror reflecting the soul.
Tarania was a knight with an excellent talent for finding Evil within the soul through that mirror.
Tarania looked at Blanc through the Eye of Truth and confirmed there were no remnants of the Warlock in his soul.
However, Tarania detected something else instead of the Warlock's remnants.
Something massive and dark that couldn't be compared to black magic.
But it was fainter than a shadow and unidentifiable like fog.
What Tarania found was the Void.
No, to be precise, it was the illusion of the Void.
Blanc's soul was tough. Although it had become twisted instead of being devoured or broken by the Void.
Inside Blanc's soul wounded like that, the illusion of the Void was stuck like a trauma.
Tarania had detected that illusion.
If Tarania had seen the new disaster named Void, she would have been able to roughly deduce what was in Blanc's soul, but the Void was still a top secret known only to Aselheit and a few executives.
Therefore, Tarania, unable to be certain of the existence she discovered, decided to stick by Blanc's side a little longer.