Lord of Caldera

Chapter 48

Seeing Gino rolling on the ground, Dani was at a loss for words. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Was Gino, who had been strong even in the Golden Lion Knights, really sent flying by that drunken fool?

'Am I dreaming right now?'

Even when he pinched his cheek to check, all he felt was pain. It wasn't until he pulled it hard enough to nearly injure his cheek that he accepted it. This nightmare was reality itself.

"What an incredibly honorable duel it was. Isn't that right, brother?"

At Sylas's comment, who had moved closer, Dani flinched. It suddenly reminded him of the oath he had taken before the duel.

'Damn it...!'

If it were an oath made only in front of the parties involved, it might have been different. But with Sir Werner as a notary present, it was now an oath he couldn't escape from.

"Brother, you're awfully quiet. Brother?"

"...."

Dani clenched his mouth shut at Sylas's sly voice. Damn it, what should he do? Should he just hold out and say nothing? Just as he contemplated this, Sylas whispered in his ear.

"If you don't call me brother even once after swearing to do so, it's a breach of oath. Do you understand what that means?"

Dani's hands trembled. It was a convenient interpretation for that guy, but he couldn't outright say it was wrong either. As he racked his brain, he locked eyes with Sir Werner, who stood firmly.

Then, in the most sorrowful voice he could muster, he spoke.

"Sir Werner."

"Oaths are sacred, Young Master Dani. Please do not seek a way to avoid them."

"...."

His attempt to ask for a favorable interpretation of the oath crumbled before it even began. If he spoke any further, it might even be interpreted in Sylas's favor.

After taking a few deep breaths, Dani finally opened his mouth.

"...Brother."

"Hmm? What did you just say?"

''Well done.''

'It was a piece of cake.''

With grins, the master and servant gave each other a thumbs-up. Werner, who had been watching this scene, stood there with his mouth agape.

'Could it be that Sylas has this side to him?'

He had only thought of him as a pure hero, but here he was, scheming and setting traps. The image he had built up until now crumbled in an instant. Contrary to his expectations, Sylas was not just a pure knight!

'A man with the heart of a lion and the cunning of a fox. Perhaps he's more suited to be a great lord than a heroic knight.'

...Once someone falls under a spell, they tend to interpret things positively, no matter what.

***

After the duel incident, Dani never sought out Sylas again. Even when the count tried to introduce them personally, he desperately refused. It was only natural. Once an oath was made, it couldn't be taken back.

If he were to talk to Sylas, he'd have to call him "brother" somehow, and who would willingly meet someone under those circumstances? It's not like he could just keep his mouth shut forever with Sylas right in front of him.

However, no matter how much Dani tried to lay low, the circumstances around him wouldn't let him be.

"Did you hear about Sir Toby's duel?"

"I heard Young Master Dani's knight got utterly destroyed."

"Tsk tsk, they say fools are brave."

Although the details of the oath were not revealed, the duel between Gino and Toby, along with its outcome, had spread. The other knights and servants dismissed it as a fight born of foolish arrogance and mocked Gino.

They called him an idiot for challenging a skilled opponent without knowing his strength. Every time Dani heard these words, it drove him mad.

It was Dani who had prompted Gino into the duel, so wasn't all of this really aimed at him?

'Shut up, shut up! Are you mocking me right now?!'

The urge to grab the servants by the collar and shout at them had crossed his mind dozens of times. But if he did that, the entire situation and the oath would be exposed.

On top of that, as the legitimate son of the Corleone family, he'd surely be branded an idiot for failing to recognize the skill of his own family's knight.