The Past Life of the Arrogant Archduke - Chapter 18

Sebastian took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again—his face now full of loyalty. His clear, steady gaze and upright chest suddenly made the butler look ten years younger.

“I, Sebastian, will carry out the command even at the cost of my life!”

To such a Sebastian, the Grand Duke delivered a bombshell—that he had become a Sword Master.

“Please inform the Imperial family accordingly. I’ll return to my duties no later than a month from now, so I’m counting on you until then.”

There were only three Sword Masters in the entire Empire—and all of them were of advanced age. To become the youngest Sword Master in that context, and then claim he would be absent due to his honeymoon, was an unthinkable situation.

Even so, Sebastian only smiled. A true butler always places the happiness of the master above all else.

When the noble Grand Duke had still been the young master, Sebastian had felt such pain over the vile rumors that claimed he was a sodomite or impotent.

He had even prepared a list of noblemen with good appearance and character, due to the Grand Duke’s severe aversion to women. (That list was immediately burned upon the appearance of the madam.)

This was a man who kept himself pure, who protected the northern frontier and drove out demonic beasts to safeguard humanity. Now, having met his destined partner and choosing a temporary retreat—what was dealing with the Imperial family in comparison to that?

“It’s about time the Grand Duke found happiness. Yes, indeed.”

After Raymond left, security around the many important documents was tightened to double the usual level.

With a solemn expression, Sebastian opened the vault and cleared out the middle shelf. He placed a velvet cushion embroidered with gold thread, and on top of that, a black ebony box protected by various enchantments.

Click.

He opened the lid and carefully placed the signet ring in the center of the box.

After placing a hand over his heart and looking down at the ring for a long moment, Sebastian gently closed the box and then shut the two-layered vault door.

Seated again at his desk, Sebastian took out fine parchment and began writing the formal document to send to the Imperial household.

To His Majesty the Emperor,
A great and joyous event has occurred in the Grand Duchy. I humbly deliver this news…

As the gentle scratch of the pen flowed into elegant script, the corners of Butler Sebastian’s lips could not help but lift in a smile.

***

After meeting with the butler, Raymond headed to the knights’ training ground. Since he was already out, he figured he might as well finish everything at once before returning.

When he arrived at the training ground, the knight commander was in meditation. Noticing movement, the commander opened his eyes and stood to offer a military salute.

“You’re working hard, even this late.”

“One must at least make the effort.”

The knight commander, whose skills had been stagnating at the high tier of Expert level, replied in a blunt tone with a touch of self-deprecation.

“If you observe high-level swordsmanship, would it help you in any way?”

“I appreciate the offer, but the sword techniques and mana routes of the three current Sword Masters in the Empire don’t align with what I’ve learned. And if you consider the cost of requesting instruction from a Sword Master, it’s just not practical.”

Though the commander’s refusal was straightforward, there was a hint of regret in his words, which brought a faint smile to Raymond’s face.

“What if there were a Sword Master whose style and mana road matched yours—and who would demonstrate it for free?”

“In that case, I’d be most grateful, but…”

The commander trailed off mid-sentence. Raymond had already picked up a training sword from the rack.

“Watch carefully.”

From the sword in Raymond’s hand, a white light began to radiate. That gleaming sword flowed into a familiar technique.

The knight commander had studied a sword style passed down through generations of commanders in House Arrogance’s knight order. Since the swordsmanship originated from the Arrogance family itself, its mana road closely resembled the secret techniques of the family.

Raymond had also trained in this sword style before learning the family’s secret techniques, so his demonstration was seamless.

The knight commander watched, holding his breath, as the battle-hardened swordsmanship—optimized for slaying demonic beasts—unfolded before his eyes.