Duke Pendragon

The outer wall surrounding Leus was six miles long, but it wasn’t very high. Due to its nature as a port city, it was more important to focus the defenses on the sea rather than land. 

For this very reason, the security at the land gate was relatively lax compared to the port. 

Thousands of people passed through the gate every day. Moreover, most of them were merchants, and any imported products had already been thoroughly inspected by the port guards, so there was no need to check them again at the gate.

However, the security had become very tight at the gates recently. People coming in were thoroughly checked, and even those who were exiting the city were subjected to having their luggage reviewed. 

Under these circumstances, the road to the gate of Leus was extremely congested even though it was not yet noon. There were hundreds of people in the line, and dozens of wagons were stretched out as far as the eyes could see. The endless line of wagons trying to leave the city spoke for itself as well.

However, no one dared to complain or express their dissatisfaction. The soldiers that were guarding the gates of Leus were no longer the governor’s soldiers. Instead, they were knights and soldiers from the 7th regiment of the imperial army, and they were much more disciplined and sharp compared to their predecessors. People could not help feeling anxious, as they knew far too well why the imperial soldiers were guarding the gates instead of the previous governor’s men.

“Nothing suspicious!”

A soldier cried out after inspecting a series of four wagons, and a knight with cold eyes nodded his affirmative.

“Good, next.”

“Oh, thank you, good sir. Then take care.”

The merchant displayed his relief from the coachman’s seat and nodded his head several times at the blunt words of the imperial knight before hurriedly riding away.

As the four wagons passed through the gate, another filled the void. 

However, there were more than 30 wagons that were still waiting their turn, and the line kept getting longer as carriages arrived at the end of the line. 

Compared to the carriage inspection, which was bound to take the whole day, the small gates that checked pedestrians or horse riders were relatively fast. They could enter as soon as they had their identification token checked. Nevertheless, the imperial soldiers were still intimidating, and all who entered showed a hint of nervousness.

“Hudson Alt from Ills.”

“A free knight?”

“Oh, well, for now…”

Even the normally arrogant free knights and mercenaries looked to the soldiers with awkward, forced smiles. The soldiers of the imperial army were unlike the soldiers of the land. They were strict, orderly, and always abided by the rules. Furthermore, the current commander of the imperial army in Leus was Viscount Moraine. The imperial commanders only obeyed the direct orders of the emperor, and even high lords or other prestigious nobles could not force anything onto a commander. The security had tightened under the orders of Viscount Moraine, and this meant that status held little power if one disobeyed the questioning soldiers. 

“You should already know, but if you cause an accident in the city, it will result in immediate action.”

“I, I will be careful.”

The free knight entered the gate in a hurry as the 7th regiment’s soldiers glared at him with cautioning eyes. 

“Next.”

Clop, clop.

Three horses approached the side door one after another.

‘They must be more free knights.’

After sneaking a look at the three men, the soldier spoke in a businesslike voice.

“Show me your identification token. Tell me your name and your business in Leus.”

“Duke Alan Pendragon. I have been appointed as the Governor-General of Leus.”

“Alan Pen… Heuk!”

The soldier stopped himself and looked up with a gasp. He was faced with a golden identification token that was held up by the young knight who was at the forefront. His eyes grew huge at the unexpected arrival, and he quickly raised his voice with a military salute.

“Y, Your Excellency Duke Pendragon!”

At his shout, the entire gate was silenced, but it only lasted for a moment. The surrounding area became noisy.

“It’s His Excellency, Duke Pendragon!”

“The new Governor-General of Leus has arrived…!”

From people in carriages to pedestrians alike, everyone was busy looking at Raven’s group with their heads stretched out. 

This was their chance to personally catch a glimpse of a legendary figure. Following countless unbelievable feats, Duke Alan Pendragon had revealed the treason of the former Governor-General of Leus in front of the emperor in the middle of the imperial castle. Then, he had snatched himself the position of Leus’ Governor-General.

“Wow! He is even more handsome than the rumors.”

“That slender man is a legendary swordsman, isn’t he?”

“Don’t even mention it. Toleo Arangis had his arm cut off and ran away with his tail between his legs.”

“The people behind him must be the knights of his duchy?”

“All of them are quite handsome.”

The area of the gate was full of tension, but it quickly became noisy at the appearance of Alan Pendragon. The knight in charge of security quickly came forward and spoke in a polite but powerful voice.

“I greet Your Excellency, Duke Pendragon. My name is Kyle Vaughn, company captain of the 7th imperial regiment.”

“Nice to see you, Sir Vaughn. But I have come here as the Governor of Leus, and not as the Duke of Pendragon. You may address me as governor in the future.”

“Yes! Governor Pendragon!”

The knight nodded and continued.

“Your Excellency, Commander Moraine is waiting for you. Why don’t you head to the base of the 7th regiment for now?”

Raven narrowed his eyes and answered in a cold voice.

“Why would I?”

“Ye, yes? Uh, well… the base is not so far from here, so for now…”

“If he needs anything, tell the commander to come to the governor’s residence. And why is the security so tight here? Has it always been like this?”

The knight was a little taken aback by the harsh language of the young man which was unbefitting his young age and pretty appearance.

“No, my lord. But due to the city’s circumstances…”

“I heard that the 7th regiment already arrested all of the rebel’s relatives and soldiers, so is there any purpose in doing something like this?”

“……”

“It’s not a good idea to keep up a fearful atmosphere using such a method, Sir Vaughn. Leus is not just a place for the imperial citizens.”

The knight bowed his head at Raven’s words.

He was not a fool, so he knew that the continuous thorough inspection was increasing the dissatisfaction of foreign nobles and merchants. If they were to continually force foreigners to undergo the cumbersome process, it was highly likely that the reputation of Leus as a port city would be undermined.

The new governor-general, Duke Pendragon, was pointing out this fact.

The knight sank into contemplation, and Raven dismounted his horse before patting him on the shoulder.

“Well, the inspection is still at the discretion of the 7th regiment, and you are in charge here, so I will leave it up to your judgment. Don’t forget to tell Lord Moraine to come to the governor’s residence. Then keep up the good work.”

“Yes? Ah, of course, Your Excellency.”

The knight nodded in surprise at the unexpected encouragement. After patting him a few more times on the shoulder, Raven climbed back onto his saddle and entered the gate.

“Sir!”

At the knight’s shout, the soldiers of the 7th regiment simultaneously saluted while striking their spears on the ground.

The three men’s horses disappeared completely before long, and the knight let out a sigh.

“Phew! The rumors may have understated the truth…”

The knight finally realized that the rumors about the new governor were true. He was rough-spoken, but definitely not a naïve, arrogant child.

“What should we do, captain?”

A senior soldier approached him and asked.

“What should we do? The emperor’s newly appointed governor has come. Plus, Leus does not belong to the 7th regiment. We should do as the governor tells us to.”

“Well, I guess so…”

The senior soldier responded quietly, and the knight turned before shouting at the soldiers.

“The search inside the carriages will stop at this time! Check their identification tokens and related documents before sending them in!”

“Yes, captain!”

The soldiers’ loud cries caused a change of expression of those that were gathered in front of the gate.

“Ohh! Finally!”

“This should be much quicker now. Oh, how much time has been wasted due to the dreadful checks.”

“The new governor’s done a big one as soon as he arrived!”

“You’re right. I was wondering how competent a young noble might be, but it seems he’s quite charismatic and really gets right down to it!”

The knight frowned slightly as the people’s faces instantly became brighter in an instant and they began chatting away.

“Ah, it looks like it was a blow to the commander. Ugh! I don’t know, I just did what the governor told me to do.”

With a quiet sigh, the knight mounted his horse.

“…And that’s what happened. And he said to come to the governor’s residence right away.”

“What? Hahahahaha!”

The knight reported with an awkward expression, and Viscount Moraine burst into laughter.

“Haha! This is a masterpiece. The governor, less than 20 years old, summoned me to his residence as soon as he took office? Hahaha!”

“Maybe the impudent child is trying to have a go at us?”

Moraine shook his head at the words of the battalion captain.

“I don’t think so. A child would never be able to act in such a way in front of His Majesty. What do you think, if it was you, would you be able to do what he did in front of all the nobles and His Majesty?”

The subordinate answered bitterly after a small pause.

“I would not be able to even breathe properly. My thoughts fell short.”

“Not everything is visible to the eyes and heard by the ears. He definitely has something we don’t know about. Perhaps…”

The smile completely disappeared from his face, and Moraine continued after turning his head towards the window.

“The new governor might be able to wipe out the pirates and fulfill the 7th regiment’s long-cherished dream.”

The cold gaze of the veteran commander reached for the wavering sea.

*** 

“The new governor has arrived!”

Someone’s cry caused a commotion at the governor’s residence. The nobles and the soldiers were arrested, but the employees still remained. They rushed out in a hurry and gathered in the courtyard of the residence. A little over ten people stood waiting as three horses entered through the main gate. People gulped unknowingly at the sight of the young man who was leisurely leading the other two. He was one of the five dukes of the empire, the new governor who would rule Leus starting today.

A young man with glossy blond hair and a pretty face.

Most employees had already seen him before. When they thought back to last summer when he cut off the arm of Toleo Arangis in the residence’s backyard, they still felt fear in their bones. With the passing of time, he looked a little different compared to last year. Unlike his endlessly arrogant eyes from before, an unfamiliar glimmer now existed in its place. Moreover, his physique seemed to have improved from before. 

Thud!

A little boy ran out and prostrated under Raven’s horse as the group finally reached the front of the residence. It was because it was the boy’s job to help the governor get on and off the horse.

“What are you doing?”

A cold voice resounded in the boy’s ears.

“Y, yes?”

The boy looked up at the unexpected question and saw the governor’s indifferent face.

“Well, that’s… to help you get off the horse…”

“That’s enough. Get up.”

The boy stood back up at the unexpectedly reassuring voice.

“You don’t have to do such a useless thing in the future.”

Raven proceeded to dismount his horse, then handed the reins to the boy.

“They have come a long way, so take good care of them.”

“Ye, yes, Your Excellency!”

The boy hurried off to the stable with the horse, and Raven turned around.

The employees had been staring in shock with their mouths open, but they came to their senses at Raven’s gaze.

“We greet Your Excellency, the new governor general of Leus!”

“Well, that’s enough with the formality. Is this everyone?”

“Ye, yes. That’s correct, Your Excellency.”

The oldest employee of the residence answered hastily. He had worked in the residence for the longest time out of everyone.

Rumor had it that new governors had a constant, never-ending stream of women. He probably had a preference for something fancy and exquisite, as young as he was, but all the people who remained were old and shabby. It was obvious that the new governor was about to make a big fuss. However, his predictions were glaringly wrong.

“That’s perfect. I hate being crowded.”

“…Yes?”

The old man and the other employees looked up in shock.

“We will have to spend the next three years together, so please take good care of me. Now, why don’t we have a meal together?”

There was a soft smile on the face of the new governor, who had appeared apathetic in the beginning. The smile was gentle and beautiful enough to make even men’s hearts flutter.