Lord of Caldera

After the duel between the two, Sylas approached the defeated Roderick.

"Sir Roderick, you have a wound on your hand, so you should go get it treated first."

"No, it's just a scratch. I will stay by your side, young master."

"Have you forgotten the day we first met? What did I say back then?"

"You said that a knight's body is his asset."@@novelbin@@

At that response, Sylas smiled silently, indicating that his thoughts hadn't changed since then. Seeing Roderick's touched expression, Sylas patted his shoulder and urged him again.

"Even though it's a light wound, it's the hand that holds the sword. Go get it treated quickly."

"Thank you sincerely for your consideration, young master."

Roderick deeply bowed his head and then left. Once Roderick disappeared from sight, Sylas turned to Toby and praised him.

"Truly impressive strength. It's beyond the rumors."

"Haha! I'm quite strong, you know."

While Toby laughed heartily, he leaned in and whispered with a sly look.

"Young master, in fact, I'm much stronger than this. The curse prevents me from showing my true ability."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes, I was cursed a long time ago while fighting some flashy sorcerer. He split me in half, but even after he died, the curse didn't lift! Ever since that incident, my strength hasn't been the same. Sigh!"

Toby sighed deeply, shaking his head. His exaggerated movements resembled the bravado typical of men.

No one would believe such nonsense unless they were an utterly clueless child.

'What's terrifying is that it might be the truth.'

The truth would only be revealed much later. After being expelled from the Corleone family, Toby returned to his hometown and was captured by a rival family. While there were significant casualties during his capture, the enmity of the rival family was no small matter.

The noble family, which had a lot of grievances against Toby, ignored the customs regarding prisoners and subjected him to all sorts of insults and mockery.

'One of those insults was the key to breaking the curse.'

Naturally, that wasn't the intention. Who would have thought that there was a hidden secret to the curse in actions meant to humiliate him? Even Toby, the very person involved, was shocked when he saw the curse was lifted.

However, right after he regained his senses, Toby reportedly tore apart the chains with his bare hands and single-handedly wiped out the entire family. That's how he earned the nickname "Toby the Annihilator." Sylas nodded vigorously, pretending not to know that fact.

"Indeed, even now you are strong, and if the curse is lifted, you'll be even stronger. You are truly worthy of becoming my knight."

As soon as Toby heard those words, his smiling face crumpled.

"Young master, about that… is there any way to avoid it?"

"It seems you really don't want to be my knight."

"Well, it's just a hassle."

Toby spilled his true feelings without trying to hide them.

"Isn't that what being a knight is about? Following the young master around all day, watching for assassins and ruffians?"

"That's true."

"I absolutely cannot do that. Just look for someone else."

"Hmm, what if I force you to do it?"

"Then I'll just have to run away every time you call."

Toby joked that if he kept running away, Sylas would have no choice but to find someone else to be his knight.

"Would it be impossible for me to lift your curse?"

"Ah, how would you know anything about curses? I've gone to countless experts, and none have been able to lift it."

"Well, how could I possibly lift a curse? Right?"

Sylas laughed as if he had just made a silly joke, and Toby chuckled along.

"Unless the power of the storm giant is in your blood and the curse is restricting the giant's power, I can't lift it. The only exorcism I know is something like that, ha ha ha."

Toby's body suddenly stiffened. His laughter stopped abruptly, and his eyes shook uncontrollably.

"Wh-what did you just say?"

"I said if your lineage is that of a giant and the curse restricts that giant's power, then I could lift it."

Toby's mouth opened, as if he had been hit on the back of the head with a hammer. Soon, he grabbed Sylas by both shoulders, staring at him with bloodshot eyes.

"How much do you know?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I only mentioned that I know an exorcism technique."

Sylas shrugged, pretending to be indifferent. After hesitating for a long time, Toby shouted.

"Fine! If you can lift the curse, I'll do whatever it takes to become your bodyguard!"

"No, I've changed my mind."

"Eh? What do you mean by that?"

"Now that I think about it, isn't being a bodyguard a bit too cheap for lifting the curse? It should at least be a lifetime contract."

"...!"

Toby bit his lip. A lifetime contract is, quite literally, an agreement between a lord and a vassal. It's a vow to serve someone for a lifetime with complete loyalty.

Once a lifetime contract is made, one cannot serve another lord except for the lord and their descendants. It means being tied to that family for life, whether alive or dead.

From Toby's perspective, it was not a favorable condition. Serving an inexperienced young master who doesn't even have a domain is one thing; serving someone with the title of count is another.

"That seems a bit excessive."

"Right, I reconsidered and realized it was indeed excessive. It would be much better to live my life with restricted power than to enter into a lifetime contract. Just forget this proposal."

"..."

Toby internally cursed. It sounded like he wouldn't lift the curse unless there was a lifetime contract. Gritting his teeth, Toby glared at Sylas.

"Do you know this, young master?"

"What are you talking about?"

"As you may know, if a commoner kills another commoner, it's punishable by death."

"That's right."

"There are many who come to kill their wives after finding them cheating. Seeing another man on top of their wife drives them mad."

He added, "They often kill the other person too."

"However, when they actually kill, they feel relieved, but when they're dragged away, they cry and scream. They don't want to die."

"That makes sense. Everyone fears death."

"But even those who fear death can lose their minds when they witness infidelity. In their anger, they forget about the death penalty and everything else."

"I see. But what does that have to do with this?"

"I'm in that kind of state right now."

With a loud crack, Toby's hand ripped apart a brick. His grip was so strong that dust fell from the stone.

"The feeling of being cursed, no one else would ever understand. If I had to make a similar analogy, it would be like having my wings clipped."

'Others wouldn't know that feeling since they can't fly, but anyone who has flown at least once knows just how exhilarating it is. Yet, I have been told that my wings have been clipped and that I will never fly again'

"That's truly despairing. If you say there's a way to undo it but refuse to tell me, I'll be driven mad."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's the truth. Just like a commoner who beats his wife won't stop at merely saying, I'll kill you.'"

Toby's eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity, making the earlier relaxed atmosphere feel like a lie.

"You have two choices, young master. The first is to calmly tell me the way to undo this."

"And the other?"

"Well, it's to get beaten until every bone in your body is shattered. In that case, you might just figure out how to undo it, right?"

Even if it's a long-term contract, treating the son of the lord that way would mean he wouldn't even be treated like a knight. He could be regarded as less than a commoner, and in the worst-case scenario, the royal family could demote him to a commoner outright.

Yet, Toby speaks this way, as if someone driven mad would actually consider such things.

"Now, will you speak calmly? Or will you take a beating until you're nearly dead?"

With a firm tone, Sylas gently closed his eyes, seeming to contemplate. Toby internally rejoiced at the sight of Sylas's silence.

'Good, it's working!'

What Toby had just said was all a bluff. No matter how much of a rogue Toby was, he wouldn't have the courage to go that far.

He had enjoyed the privileges of being a noble far too many times. If he lost his noble status and became infamous to the ends of the earth, what would be the use of regaining his power?