My Reflector Is Invincible

13. Beginning Slowly

The situation in the village was quickly resolved.

Thanks to the arrival of Aiden’s soldiers.

“I’m sorry for being late, Lord Aiden!”

There were hundreds of soldiers, including knights. Although they were not knights in the sense of ＜chivalry＞, they were of great strength.

‘These are not troops that a mere duke’s successor can bring with him.’

It was a force made possible because he was the successor to the northern king, the [Knight King].

Of course, they were not the strongest force.

There were knight orders known as the strongest.

[North Wind]

[Cold Snow]

[White Wolf]

There were also special knight orders that moved only at the command of the Knight King.

‘Still, it’s a considerable force.’

It’s quite a coveted level.

However, Aiden’s expression was not good.

“Why are you late?”

“There was a battle in the middle. A group of bandits ambushed us without fear.”

“In this north, with our family’s banner, there are bandits who dare to attack?”

“They were quite heavily armed. It was hard to see them as just a group of bandits.”

“Even so, it shouldn’t have taken this long to get here?”

“That’s…”

As the knights hesitated, Aiden couldn’t stand it and raised his voice.

“Speak up, knight! I’m asking you!”

“I apologize, my lord. The bandits lured us away as if they were buying time.”

It meant that their arrival at the village was delayed.

But they couldn’t even wipe them out or take them prisoner.

“We caught some of them, but most of them killed themselves…”

Suicide by poison?

It was an unbelievable act for a mere group of bandits to do.

It was clear that there was someone behind this.

Aiden was furious, but he soon calmed down.

It was because of Joo-Yeon’s whisper.

“Just in case, it would be good to assign knights to the ones we caught in the village as well.”

“Don’t tell me they’re going to commit suicide?”

“You just heard it, didn’t you? They said they didn’t take any prisoners.”

“……”

Normally, he wouldn’t be concerned about the likes of bandits.

But there was already a precedent.

“All right. I’ll do as you say.”

“While you’re at it, assign someone you can trust.”

“What’s that supposed to……”

Aiden, who was about to ask what he meant, flinched.

“Don’t tell me… Are you saying there’s a traitor among the new recruits? Among the knights of our house?”

It was ridiculous.

Most knights aspire to ＜Knighthood＞.

So there couldn’t be a traitor.

“Knights who have lost their loyalty to the point of betraying their master can never achieve ＜Knighthood＞.”

“That’s right. That’s what we usually think.”

“Usually…?

At Aiden’s surprised face, Jooyeon smirked.

‘There is a way to achieve ＜Knighthood＞ without loyalty.’

All you need is a special item.

Of course, Count Sanderson wouldn’t have gotten it yet.

‘It’s more likely that he recruited people who are crazy about money enough to give up their Knighthood.’

Of course, that wasn’t the important thing right now.

“Isn’t it strange? Edmer’s soldiers were tied up by mere bandits?”

“Well, yes, but… Didn’t you just hear? The bandits kept getting in their way…”

“Yes. That’s the problem.”

“What?”

“How the hell did the bandits know the soldiers’ route? And how did the village chief know that you and I would come here?”

“……!?”

Aiden’s eyes widened.

“Don’t tell me… They knew in advance the route that I and my soldiers would take?”

“There’s no other way to explain what happened.”

Of course, the same went for Jooyeon’s movements.

How did they know where he would go when he escaped from the labor camp?

“Think about it. How did they know all that?”

“……”

Aiden gritted his teeth.

This move was a unilateral decision that he hadn’t told anyone about.

He had acted impulsively in order to put Count Sanderson in debt for the escaped slave.

So there was only one thing he could think of.

“Lord Olson. When did you contact the soldiers?”

“……Right after I met the hunter. I sent the family messenger.”

Astonishing.

Aiden’s teeth ground together.

The family messenger was strictly managed so that no one could see them.

That meant that a family traitor had leaked information to the enemy.

And that person must have been quite high-ranking.

“To think that there is someone who dares to betray me and my family……. Who the hell is it!”

Aiden’s murderous intent made Joo-in’s eyes shine.

‘He’s not an idiot, after all.’

He wasn’t the successor to the Sword King for nothing.

Although he hadn’t properly received the ＜Succession＞ yet.

He was good enough to join hands with.

‘Earl Sanderson is definitely not a frivolous man.’

He hadn’t sent the bandits just to kill Joo-in.

The moment he figured out Aiden’s location, he was smart enough to try and kill them both at the same time.

He was even meticulous enough to use the bandits to hide himself.

But none of that mattered to Joo-in.

‘The traitor changes every time…… But that doesn’t mean I can’t find them.’

They were the same kind of bastards he had been dealing with all along.

Catching them was nothing difficult for Joo-in.

Of course, there was a prerequisite for that.

“Remember what I said earlier? I asked if you would do whatever I tell you to do.”

“That’s……”

“Tell me for sure. My orders will change depending on your answer.”

“…….”

Aiden narrowed his brows.

Honestly, he didn’t want to listen to Joo-in, a mere slave.

But the situation was too coincidental.

‘Earl Sanderson. If that sly bastard is the real enemy…… It’s entirely possible.’

He had received reports that Earl Sanderson’s recent movements were strange.

But to think that he would move so meticulously.

Even he, a member of the Duke’s family, felt threatened.

That’s why he couldn’t stand this situation.

From Noble mtl dot com

“Everything.”

“What?”

“I will do everything you tell me to do.”

“……!”

He had a justification, anyway.

If Joo-in was [that person] that the Sword King, the former Duke Edmer, was looking for.

‘I might even be able to mobilize my grandfather’s knights.’

Perhaps it was only right to ask for help.

“What should I do?”

At those words, Jooyeon smiled as if everything was going according to plan.

* * *

“Can’t we go faster?”

“Anyone who lags behind will be dealt with on the spot!”

Jooyeon and Aiden decided to move directly to the dukedom.

The captured bandits and prisoners were intentionally tied up and forced to pull the baggage carts.

So the knights approached Aiden and Jooyeon, looking concerned.

“Are you really not going to punish them?”

“They tried to kill our lords.”

Caught in their gaze, the village chief and his wife trembled.

“I, if we do everything you tell us, will you spare our lives?”

“We were just protecting our village… because the bandits threatened us…”

As they had targeted Aiden’s life, it would be difficult for them to survive.

Jooyeon had told him to leave them alone, but in response to the knights’ gazes, Aiden whispered quietly.

“There’s no more information to extract, and keeping them alive will only cause trouble later. Normally, it’s standard to kill them.”

“Yes, normally.”

“What?”

“That’s what he’ll be thinking too.”

“Huh?”

That was exactly what Jooyeon was counting on.

“Count Sanderson. He’s a clever man, so he’ll probably think a lot about it.”

There is no one in the world with a heavier mouth than the dead.

Originally, he would have killed Aiden and all those who had attacked them.

To bury the secret forever.

‘He must have prepared a way to deal with the bandits he hired.’

Even if the mission failed, he would have come up with a trick to keep the secret from getting out.

But Jooyeon caused him a problem.

The villagers who should have been killed earlier.

Among them were the village chief and his wife, who were solid witnesses.

“Witnesses who were not subordinates, but paid to commit murder. There couldn’t be anything more threatening.”

He must be very flustered.

“So if we leave those who should be killed alive, won’t he reveal himself?”

Aiden looked at Jooyeon, inwardly surprised.

It wasn’t that the enemy would reveal himself, but that he would grab him by the scruff of the neck and drag him out if he didn’t?

But Aiden sighed.

“I understand your strategy, but it’s not like we haven’t tried. In a situation where we don’t know the exact number of enemies, our allies could get hurt…”

Then Jooyeon’s eyes sparkled.

“Just trust me.”

* * *

“Damn it!”

James, a centurion of the Edmer House soldiers, was annoyed.

It was because of the seamless surveillance.

And it was even more absurd that all of this was because of an unknown slave.

‘I can’t carry out the orders of Count Sanderson like this.’

Whenever he tried to approach the prisoner, the knights glared at him.

Whenever he tried to poison him, a hunter interfered.

[Doesn’t this food taste strange? Who brought this?]

But he couldn’t give up.

-You must kill him. If you fail to kill him… you and your family will die.

Count Sanderson’s messenger had already arrived.

At this rate, it wasn’t a matter of orders, but a matter of survival.

In that case, there was only one way left.

‘He truly is a fearsome man. Did he perhaps predict this as well?’

James took out a pouch he had just received from his arms.

What was inside was a potent poison.

＜Crimson Spider Lily＞

Of course, it wasn’t a poison meant to kill people.

However, those who ingested this would have their bodies taken over by madness.

‘It seems they’re monitoring us to prevent us from killing the prisoners, but so what?’

They were monitoring the prisoners’ food, but they weren’t paying attention to the food of the others.

This was clearly Adien’s oversight.

‘The others must have succeeded by now.’

He handed half of this poison to a knight he had bribed in advance.

He would take care of Adien’s knights, so all that remained was his own.

Finally, the pouch in James’ hand was poured into the soldiers’ food.

Swish.

‘Now, eat up. And kill each other. It’s all for the new king of the North.’

James’ eyes gleamed.

However, he didn’t know.

“Well, well, well. Was it you?”

That Joo-yeon had anticipated his actions.

And at his gesture, Adien and the knights began to move.