Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke

209 A Mission Turned to Dust

"…Huh?"

"I need you to see if Hans and Ian are with him. And if anyone else from your squad is."

Hugo's eyes widened.

"Wait… You think they're traveling with Sir Aizen?"

"Most likely. I don't know if it's both of them or just one, but someone must be."

Otherwise, there was no reason for Aizen to make such a public display of his journey.

Aizen Brightner was a monster in battle. Even at his age, he could cut down an entire knightly order by himself.

There was no way someone like Jordi could have forced him into anything.

"If he were traveling alone, he would've come quietly," William continued. "No matter how many pursuers tried to stop him, he'd simply cut them down and move on."

Yet, instead, he was making his presence known to everyone.

Spreading his name. Drawing attention.

He was ensuring that no one could interfere without the entire world noticing.

That meant he was carrying baggage.

And the only people he would bother protecting are my subordinates.

Aizen wouldn't concern himself with other knights—they were responsible for their own choices.

And he certainly wouldn't go out of his way to rescue commoners.

That left only William's retainers—Hans, Ian, and the others who had been left behind.

Of course, this was only speculation.

He needed confirmation.

"And that's why you need to go, Hugo. You're the only one who can accurately count how many of our people are with him."

"…I see."

Hugo swallowed hard.

It made sense.

Raymond, being a knight, wouldn't know every servant's face.

Felicia, who had only recently joined them, was even less familiar with the group.

Only Hugo had been with them long enough to know exactly who was missing.

Just as William was about to give his final instructions, another thought struck him.

'Wait a minute. What about Torquel and Lesta?'

He had already sent them ahead to escort his subordinates back.

But if those subordinates were already traveling safely under Aizen's protection—

Then Torquel and Lesta weren't escorting anyone.

Their mission was completely pointless.

In the worst-case scenario, they'd arrive only to find themselves mistaken for overenthusiastic well-wishers hoping to greet the Sword Saint.

"…If that happens, I'll have to console them when they return."

William chuckled to himself, picturing Lesta's excited expression when he had eagerly set out on his 'important mission.'

William sent Hugo ahead to investigate the rumors surrounding Aizen's arrival, then settled in to wait for a response.

There was no point in acting hastily. He had already taken care of everything that needed immediate attention, so the best course of action was to observe and respond once the situation became clearer.

'The hidden mages and Norbeck, who recently escaped prison, are in the same position. They're the ones under pressure right now, not me.'

As long as William held the initiative, he could afford to watch his enemies react first before making his move.

After all, people tended to make mistakes when they were in a hurry.

That said, there was still one more issue left to address.

"Sir Rotier, what will you do now?"

"...."

The former commander of Asagrim's city guard, Rotier, had no answer.

Understandably so. He had no idea what to do.

William sighed, exaggerating the gesture for effect.

"I'll be blunt with you. Your position no longer exists. You're not under my command, nor are you carrying out any mission for the imperial court. Right now, you and your men are nothing more than an armed force with no purpose."

"…I am aware of that."

"Then let's not drag this out. It's time to make a decision. Will you disarm and remain in Asagrim, or will you keep your weapons and leave for another territory?"

Rotier clenched his teeth.

Disarm?

That was absolutely out of the question.

His unit had already lost imperial support, leaving them completely vulnerable.

If they gave up their weapons as well, they wouldn't even be able to defend themselves.

'Damn it. I should have built more goodwill while I had the chance. Instead, I alienated everyone and left us surrounded by enemies.'

He regretted his past actions.

The number of travelers he had mistreated over the years easily reached entire villages' worth of people.

Now, with no connection to the imperial court, even a fraction of them seeking revenge could spell disaster.

'Even if we manage to leave the north safely, we still have another problem. Without supplies, how are we supposed to reach Tiveron?'

Just as William had pointed out, his forces were now nothing more than a well-armed but leaderless military group.

With no backing, no noble lord would willingly grant them entry into their lands.

To survive, they would have to disband and scatter.

But in doing so, they would no longer have any guaranteed protection.

'Forget relying on other nobles. I'd be satisfied if the imperial court at least pretended to be upset if something happened to us.'

Yet that seemed unlikely.

The current state of the imperial family suggested they could barely handle their existing affairs—let alone concern themselves with the safety of a disbanded guard unit.

They hadn't even been able to properly arrange a secure route for their return.

Expecting them to step in if something went wrong was pure wishful thinking.

"Have you reached a decision yet?" William pressed.

Rotier squeezed his eyes shut.

A moment later, he opened them again, now filled with determination.

"Your Highness, I have a request. Please allow me and my men to stay in Asagrim indefinitely—at least until the imperial court regains stability."

"No."

"…What?"

"You heard me. That's out of the question."

Rotier gritted his teeth. "In exchange, I will tell you one of Asagrim's secrets."

"…Asagrim's secrets?"

William's eyes flickered with interest.

Could he be referring to a royal artifact?

"Not long ago, you saw the barrier generator I discovered, correct? Well, Asagrim's defenses don't rely solely on that device. There are other functions still hidden within this fortress."

"…Oh?"

William masked his relief behind a keen gaze.

So it wasn't about an imperial relic, but rather forgotten defensive mechanisms.

"I found them by chance. I examined them and kept them hidden—no one else in my unit knows about them."