Chapter 131
Mind-Reading Eye (2)
“I have given you more than enough time. I would like your answer now.”
Johan pressed him for a response.
He had been pressuring Horentz to give him his daughter.
Naturally, this placed Horentz in a difficult position.
House Myatro was undoubtedly an excellent marriage prospect, but that did nothing to dispel his unease.
The man who would become his daughter’s husband, Johan Myatro, was no ordinary human.
His heart was far too dark for his age, and he was as sly as an old noble who had spent decades scheming.
The atmosphere surrounding him was far too strange for a boy of thirteen or fourteen.
Anyone who faced him was overcome by a sense of incongruity.
Johan’s recent conduct in the political arena had certainly not been that of a young boy.
The finesse with which he pressured the royal family was every bit as masterful as Count Staviana’s.
—The Watcher of Narak is surely nurturing an enormous serpent within himself. Either that, or a demon dwells inside him.
Such rumors were openly circulating.
Of course, they were half in jest, but Horentz could not dismiss them entirely.
He had undeniably sensed something chilling about Johan.
Even now, as their gazes met, he was assailed by that same feeling of incongruity.
Horentz was an excellent judge of character.
As an experienced merchant, he had encountered all manner of people.
Individuals like Johan were exceedingly rare.
His thoughts were impossible to fathom, and nearly everything surrounding him was veiled in mystery.
A man like that was the foremost person one needed to guard against.
Horentz was uneasy about entrusting his daughter to Johan.
Before he was a calculating merchant, he was a father who loved his daughter.
Horentz put on an affable smile and opened his mouth.
“I believe you are still somewhat young to discuss an engagement. How about we revisit the matter in a year or two?”
“That would be too late. I need Lady Serena immediately.”
In other words, Johan intended to obtain the Mind-Reading Eye.
The Watcher of Narak was openly revealing his dark desire.
He had deliberately chosen to speak bluntly.
It was an implicit proposal that they lay everything bare.
Horentz understood Johan’s intentions.
His smile disappeared, and he voiced his true feelings with a firm expression.
“Serena is not an object.”
Johan nodded.
“Of course not. Separate from the matter of the Mind-Reading Eye, I will respect her and treasure her above all else. I will fulfill my duties as her husband.”
He had no intention of making Serena unhappy.
On the contrary, Serena’s life would be happier than it had been in the original story.
Johan was confident that he could make that happen.
Horentz said,
“Ha-ha… Your duties as a husband. To be honest, I find that difficult to believe. You intend to take other wives besides my daughter, do you not?”
A girl named Ilea, who had accompanied Johan to the Royal Capital, had become Count Staviana’s adopted daughter.
In other words, Johan intended to become the Count’s son-in-law through Ilea.
Horentz was already aware of that fact.
Johan answered calmly.
“That is correct. Depending on the circumstances, I will likely arrange several marriages.”
It was an extraordinarily brazen declaration.
Under the doctrines of the Church of the Great Saint, every human except a king was permitted only one wife.
No one would dare violate that law.
The Church’s laws stood above every secular law on the continent.
From one perspective, Johan’s statement bordered on blasphemy.
Horentz narrowed his already slender eyes.
“…Are you serious?”
Johan’s expression remained blank.
“I have no reason to lie.”
Horentz exhaled incredulously.
After a brief silence, he opened his mouth.
“I will pretend that I did not hear that. Would you care to stay for a meal?”
Johan spoke calmly.
“I understand how you feel. The Church’s laws are absolute, so I must appear to be a madman in your eyes.”
Horentz let out a troubled groan.
“Ahem… It is not quite that…”
Johan abruptly cut him off.
“This may come as a surprise, but I have no intention of defying the Great Saint’s will.”
Horentz furrowed his brow.
“I confess that I do not understand what you mean.”
Johan spoke in a subdued voice.
“I intend to become a king.”
Silence immediately descended.
Neither man spoke.
The stillness continued for a long time.
Horentz’s narrow eyes gradually widened.
The gaze revealed between them trembled.
Horentz doubted his own ears.
The Watcher of Narak desired a throne. Was he planning to commit treason? If so, why was he confessing it to House Marcano? Could he be asking them to participate in a rebellion?
Countless thoughts and emotions tore through Horentz’s mind.
He spoke in a trembling voice.
“What did you just…”
“The Grand Duchy of Myatro. I will restore my family’s lost glory.”
In the past, the baronial House of Myatro had been a grand ducal house.
Although it was now nothing more than a noble family subordinate to the Kingdom, it had once been the true ruler of the continent’s southern region.
Johan would reclaim that authority first.
Only by becoming independent from the Kingdom and the Empire could he exercise greater influence over the continent.
Horentz’s eyes trembled violently.
He could not simply dismiss Johan’s words as nonsense.
A man like him—the Watcher of Narak—was indeed capable of genuinely aspiring to become a Grand Duke.
Johan’s accomplishments supported that conclusion.
Before even reaching adulthood, he had rebuilt his fallen family, and within mere weeks of arriving in the Royal Capital, he had completely seized control of the political landscape.
Now his demonic grasp was reaching toward an even higher objective.
There was a strong possibility that the Grand Duchy of Myatro truly would be established.
Horentz’s mind raced.
He needed to determine his position and how he should conduct himself as quickly as possible.
Only after a long silence did Horentz finally open his mouth.
“…Sir Johan, why are you telling me this?”
Unlike Horentz, who had spent so long thinking, Johan answered immediately.
“Well, it was simply the natural flow of the conversation.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by…”
“Were we not discussing the Church’s laws? I merely wished to explain that even if I took several wives, I would not be violating the Great Saint’s laws.”
A Grand Duke was also a sovereign ruler.
Kings and emperors were permitted to have numerous wives.
Even the Great Saint had recognized that exception.
The moment Johan became a Grand Duke, the Church’s laws would no longer restrict him.
Horentz let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Are you saying you did not reveal this because you intended to request House Marcano’s assistance?”
Horentz had assumed Johan needed the Marcano family’s power.
But he had been mistaken.
Johan replied with an indifferent expression.
“Regardless of House Marcano’s position, the Myatro Domain will eventually become a grand duchy.”
Neither the Kingdom’s nobles nor its royal family could prevent the establishment of the grand duchy.
The problem was the Empire.
For Johan to become a Grand Duke, he required the Emperor’s approval.
Horentz had no ties to the imperial family.
Whether House Marcano sided with Johan would have little influence on the outcome.
Horentz murmured quietly,
“…You are already looking beyond the target.”
To Johan, his engagement to Serena and the Kingdom’s political affairs were now nothing more than steps toward attaining an even greater result.
He was already advancing far beyond them.
For some reason, Horentz felt strangely hollow.
Johan looked puzzled.
“What did you just say?”
Horentz slowly shook his head.
“It was nothing. More importantly, are His Excellency the Count and His Majesty aware of your intentions?”
Johan nodded.
“His Excellency is already helping me, and His Majesty will accept any demand I make.”
Johan held King Roderick firmly by the throat.
As long as Archmage Lumina existed, the King was an unwavering ally.
Horentz stared blankly at Johan before speaking.
“…Then, returning to the original matter, do I actually have the option of rejecting this marriage proposal?”
Johan possessed unchallenged power within the Kingdom.
If he wished it, the Marcano family could truly be destroyed.
Their conversation had made Horentz fully realize that fact.
Johan spoke calmly.
“As I told you before, I have no intention whatsoever of forcing anything upon you. The decision belongs entirely to Lady Serena and you. If you reject my proposal, I will simply look for another method.”
He would look for another method?
Those were truly terrifying words.
To Horentz, Johan’s final statement sounded like a threat.
A chill ran through him.
Johan’s expression, meanwhile, remained perfectly composed.
Horentz slowly opened his mouth.
“Please give me a little more time. I will give you my answer by tomorrow morning.”
He needed to discuss the matter with Serena as well.
Johan shrugged.
“Very well. Whatever decision you make, I will respect it. Consider the matter at your leisure and contact me afterward.”
Johan smiled gently.
Horentz could not bring himself to smile.
He was suffering beneath an inexplicable pressure.
Forcing his expression to relax, he said,
“Then shall we leave the matter there for today and have breakfast together?”
“I appreciate the invitation, but I am afraid I must decline. I am scheduled to have breakfast with His Majesty.”
Johan intended to meet King Roderick immediately.
He needed to discuss the matter of becoming a Grand Duke with him.
Johan rose from his seat.
Horentz felt relieved.
If he ate with Johan now, the food would almost certainly give him indigestion.
Horentz forced a smile.
“That is unfortunate. I will arrange another opportunity in the future.”
Johan inclined his head slightly and left the drawing room.
Horentz remained seated for a long time.
The day passed quickly.
The morning by which Horentz had promised to give his answer had already arrived.
Instead of sending a message, he dispatched someone to the Myatro estate.
A woman wearing an elegant dress entered the mansion.
It was Serena Marcano, the woman known as the Golden Treasure of the Kingdom.
She had come to see Johan.
The servants could not take their eyes off her.
Even Butler Haman could not conceal his astonishment.
True to the rumors, Serena possessed overwhelming beauty.
Had Haman not already built up a resistance to beauty, he would have frozen stiff.
Fortunately, he had encountered Ilea several times.
In fact, Haman had frozen the first time he saw Ilea.
He had never before witnessed such a beautiful human being.
That same Ilea now stood at the mansion’s entrance, facing Serena.
The two women stared intently at each other.
They looked like sculptures brought to life.
Every servant held their breath as they watched.
Ilea spoke first.
“You truly are as beautiful as the rumors say. I am Ilea.”
Serena smiled gently.
“Serena Marcano. It is an honor to meet you, Lady Staviana.”
Ilea did not respond.
She merely continued staring at Serena.
Deliberate killing intent lay hidden within her smiling eyes.
Serena spoke calmly.
“Is there something you would like to say to me?”
No answer came.
A peculiar tension filled the air.
Out of habit, Serena activated the Mind-Reading Eye.
At that moment, she was engulfed by a sensation she had never experienced before.
The space surrounding her stretched taut like elastic.
It felt as though her soul were leaving her flesh.
Amid the dazed sensation, a sweet and beautiful voice reached her ears.
“If you use that on me one more time, I will kill you.”
At the same moment, time rapidly wound forward.
The strange sensation abruptly vanished.
Ilea had already passed Serena and was walking out of the mansion.
Serena turned around and stared at her.
“W-What just…”
Ilea smiled with her eyes.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Lady Serena. Let us have tea together sometime.”
Leaving only those words behind, she departed.
Johan, who had been watching the two of them, let out a troubled groan.