Epic Of The Demonic Sage

"Yes, I am." Lucius nodded briefly and looked at three Black Rose Knights in question. "Is there anything I can help you with? Kiana will probably return shortly to lead you to your accommodations."

The Black Rose Knight glanced at his companions.

"Perhaps we may be able to inform you about Rancor, if you would allow us the opportunity to do so, Young Lord." The knight said.

"My mother did say that she will return shortly to discuss things with me," Lucius said, but then smiled briefly as he assessed the three knights. "However, I would like to take you on your offer."

It was actually a good chance for him to see if they were truly as promising as they seemed to be.

This was a special group of the king of Grantz Kingdom, so it was a good chance to compare them some more.

"O-of course." The knight said, a bit startled and surprised with Asher Inanis' demeanor.

It was rare for Count Gabriel to speak on topics beyond those not pertaining to the subject back when he had met with the king of Grantz Kingdom, but Asher was brought up before.

Asher Inanis was given a gift by the king for his valor in battle against Gisir Kingdom, but it was also known that the young man was gravely injured during that time.

The Black Rose Knights weren't solely an offensive power used by the king, but they were also given tasks that required more delicacy and tact at times.

Whether that was dealing with nobles like Count Gabriel or Earl Aisse in the upcoming future, or with taking note of incidents that occurred within the kingdom.

The Black Rose Knights was thus capable of becoming the eyes and ears of the king, and so the knight took one look at the current Asher and tried to match it with the earlier description found with the previous Asher.

The way that Lucius carried himself was vastly different from the accounts of a much more reckless Asher Inanis during the battlefield.

Paired with some information about the Count Gabriel tithing to the Church of Alana to heal his son and paying quite an exorbitant fee… the Black Rose Knight came to a few conclusions.

One was that Asher Inanis had lost his memory during the time after the war with Gisir which led to such drastic changes… or that Count Gabriel had hidden his past from his son and that accounts on Asher Inanis' personality were grossly misjudged.

Either was actually possible, but the Black Rose Knight didn't imagine Count Gabriel as someone who hid his past from his family, nor would witnesses be wrong about a young lord's demeanor.

It was not also easy for a man to suddenly change personality, even if someone were to take account the traumas and terrors of war on the psyche of a young man.

This was how the Black Rose Knight finally made a conclusion that Asher Inanis lost his memory.

"Well…? I do not wish to seem a little impatient, but I am immensely curious about this subject on Rancor." Lucius crossed his arms, noticing that he had gone under the scrutiny of the Black Rose Knights.

It wasn't only a one-sided assessment, and while Lucius was confident about his ability to conceal things… he preferred to keep his dealings with these men brief.

Hopefully, they wouldn't interview Lucius about the assassination attempt right away, or figure out that he was the one who 'discovered' the assassin's note.

For now, it was good for Lucius to finally hear about this Rancor.

"I believe that you have not been able to meet your grandmother, Young Lord Asher?" The Black Rose Knight carefully asked.

Lucius kept his expression calm, but kept a tight smile on his face.

He was confident that the news about him 'losing' his memory was kept privately as a secret.

It was to not allow other nobles to see it as an opportunity to seize more power, but the Black Rose Knight immediately had a question that only an Asher who had all his memories knew.

Before Lucius could answer cryptically, one of the other Black Rose Knights narrowed his eyes at his companion and took over speaking.

"Please forgive my companion's rudeness, that was quite a callous way of informing you of telling the story behind Rancor's identity. I am sure that even though you have not met your grandmother personally, she must have been mentioned by your father many times in the past. Or perhaps he may not have mentioned her at all?"

The Black Rose Knights weren't actually sure how Count Gabriel dealt with the loss, but the story of Rancor was a well-known one.

"It is… a subject that's touched upon carefully."

Lucius was grateful for the other knight's interruption and nodded his head.

"The memory of your grandmother, Count Gabriel's mother's is a painful one for the Count and with the recent assassination on his son's life, I am sure that it has reminded the Count of the past, Young Lord."

Lucius didn't feel the need to say anything, but now knew what the Black Rose Knights were trying to say.

Count Gabriel's mother was assassinated successfully.

It was a stark reminder for the Count and also greatly explained why his reaction to the assassination was this way.

This wasn't only about Asher himself, but also old wounds that were opened once more.

"What did my father do? Did he search for someone to avenge my grandmother?" Lucius asked. "Is this how he came across this Rancor individual?"

The Black Rose Knights grimly smiled and shook their heads.

"On the contrary, the younger Count was greatly furious back then and went on a rampage by himself, exacting revenge against anyone he had suspected."

"Suspected?" Lucius raised a brow.

"The suspect behind the assassination was unknown during that time and so the young Count took it upon himself to enact his revenge."

"This… this clearly wouldn't have gone well with the other nobles." Lucius said.

"You're right, many nobles were offended and it earned Count Gabriel a lot of enmity. However, that didn't make the young Count falter and wage his offense."