Chapter 103: The Reluctant Journey
After the assassination attempt by 'Bloody Ring Finger', Carl needed to move a little faster. So, he secretly sent a letter to the Mold family through Catherine.
"Umm…"
Only the sound of Kurtval sighing in agony flows heavily. Bester, who was still young and inexperienced, could not decide how best to accept this, so he kept his mouth shut and just watched.
"Honey, we have to make a decision quickly," Ines, the landlady of Mold Street, speaks cautiously.
But she also didn't dare to discuss this matter.
If Carl had said that he would make Kurtval and Bester his knights, he would have gone to Hilfin right away and received the ordination.
Carl also tried to do the same when he first made his plan. However, after seeing Kurtval in person, Carl changed his plan to use the entire Mold Street, and what he wrote in his letter was to head to Hilfin.
No matter how much the Mold family has fallen, there is a mansion and foundation that the family has established and inherited for generations.
But then he suddenly head to another territory and settle down?
Throw everything away too!
The mansion with all of the family's history cannot be abandoned like this.
'I swore that even if I died, I would die here...'
"That… Are there any details?" Bester asks carefully.
Kurtval, whose stress over this situation was at its peak, instead of opening his mouth, pushed the letter he had received from Carl in front of Bester.
"..."
Bester frowns after reading the letter.
"Therefore… Since you are acquainted with the lord of Hilfin, don't just waste your time there, go there and do something... Is this what he mean?"
"Okay…"
Kurtval sighs and touches his forehead at Bester's brief summary.
He really don't know how to accept this.
He called all the efforts he made to build his family a 'waste of time' and told him to head to Hillpin right away.
Washe really possessed by the devil back then?
Well, no matter how baseless the prince is, there is no reason to be so nice to the Mold family.
"But do we have a choice?" Bester carefully but sharply gets to the point.
'Since I promised to serve prince Carl as my master, shouldn't I follow through?'
"No matter what, it is a very unreasonable order. We also have a choice in this."
"…Really?"
"…"
What Kurtval said was not wrong. Even in the relationship between lord and vassal, there are lines that must be observed.
This has gone way beyond the line. But that only applies to powerful nobles. Who else but Carl would want the Mold family?
"Honey."
At that time, Ines carefully holds Kurtval's hand. "I think I did my best as the mistress of this mansion. Right?"
"…Of course, Ines." Kurtval nodded to Ines.
Ines is also from a fallen noble family and is about 10 years younger than Kurtval. Due to circumstances, they had no choice but to get married.
However, Ines silently took care of the family behind Kurtval's efforts to rebuild this fallen family, gave birth to a son and raised him, and in this way, they truly became family.
Kurtval was always grateful to Ines.
"So I also have a say. Yes?"
"Okay. As always." Kurtval answered immediately, and Ines smiled softly.
"Let's go to Hilpin. It is better to hit it with all your might and break it, rather than let it fade away with time."
If it stays like this anyway, it will just slowly dry out and die.
So, she's going to risk everything and take a gamble.
Ines knew nothing about what kind of being prince Carl was.
However, seeing that Kurtval, Bester, and even the young servant who went to reject the offer praised Carl highly, and only later regretted that he had been possessed by the devil, she was able to be sure that he was an unusual person.
"Maybe I can say this because I wasn't born and raised in Mold's Manor. However, as the hostess of this mansion for the past 20 years, I have protected and looked after it with love. That's why I think I should leave this place I love and leave. The coffin needs to be cleaned and trimmed before being buried in the ground.
We need to get on a carriage and go somewhere far away, not in a coffin, but in search of hope."
"…Yes, that's right, Ines."
Kurtval was finally able to make a decision after hearing his wife's words full of determination. A place where his ancestors have lived for generations.
It is a precious mansion that his grandparents, his parents, himself, Ines, Catherine, and Bester lived together.
So I couldn't say he wants to leave.
But Ines is right. If he hold on here, they will eventually dry up and die.
The mansion that Kurtval loved and protected is a large coffin. Just as his ancestors did, he and his children will die slowly and be buried here.
"If you have made a decision, there is no need to waste time. Let's tell prince Carl that we will do this and move immediately."
Kurtval jumped up. And he gently grabbed the hand of Ines, who had always believed in and supported him, and helped her up.
"Ines, thank you for being with me. Please continue to be with us in the future."
"Honey…"
Bester couldn't bear his parents' affectionate behavior and quickly ran away.
'So what do he want us to do at Hillpin?'
His confused head is full of worries. What if, by chance, the lord of Hilfin does not accept the Mold family?
To Bester, the carriage leaving for Hilfin just looks like a moving coffin. But his parents made a decision, so he have to follow it.
Bester busily prepared to leave on behalf of his parents, who were infatuated with each other.
He's really worried.
***
"…"
Fardin folded the letter again and turned his head to the scenery outside the window. He received a call from Carl.
'I will send the Mold family to take care of the silver mine.'
"…Doing something absurd…"
Really, it was difficult for Fardin to bear the dizzying sight before his eyes. He never thought it would be checked in this way.
What kind of family would really abandon everything and move to another territory just because they were told to do so?
I don't know where they got those crazy people.
The family that Carl entrusted with the silver mine, and decided to emigrate based on a single word from Carl.
There will definitely be a solid trust between them that cannot be broken.
Fardin is sure it's to keep an eye on himself, who can't be trusted.
He's afraid Fardin might steal the silver or use the silver mine to enlist someone else and betray Carl.
'It is truly thorough. Is this the heartbreak of a 16-year-old who recently woke up after spending his entire life in a hospital bed?'
Fardin trembled and closed his eyes.
Although they stole a huge amount of silver, they could not easily use it for fear of being caught.
So Hilfin was unable to stabilize quickly, and the fire was finally extinguished. But the timing was amazing and came in. Just when he was trying to do something!
Because of this, all work Fardin had planned was temporarily suspended.
If he hastily use silver before the Mold family, the blade that Carl insidiously planted, arrives, Fardin might suffer something terrible.
'Now that I think about it, it was passed off too quietly for something big happening one after another. It would be safe to say that His Majesty the Emperor also condoned this.'
Fardin realized that Madius was quietly pushing Carl. Therefore, all Fardin can do is simply follow Carl silently.
"I'm like a fly caught in a spider's web."
Fardin let his massive shoulders droop and chuckled. Fardin's reasoning is mostly correct. However, he could not realize that sending the Mold family at this timing was just a coincidence.
Fardin ordered preparations to receive the Mold family, the blade sent by Carl.
There is nothing good about being hated for no reason, so he should greet it with the utmost respect.
***
The Mold family set out from their ancestral mansion early the next morning.
The sun had just begun to rise, casting a warm, golden light over the estate they were leaving behind.
The carriage was loaded with essentials and a few cherished possessions, but most of their belongings were left behind.
Kurtval, Ines, and Bester sat in the carriage, each lost in their own thoughts as the familiar landscape passed by.
Kurtval kept glancing back at the mansion, the weight of his decision pressing heavily on his heart.
He could still see the old stone walls and the grand entrance as they turned a corner, and then it was gone, hidden from view. He sighed deeply, feeling the sting of loss.
Ines reached out and squeezed his hand.
"We're doing the right thing," she said softly.
"It's a new start. We need to trust Carl and believe that this will lead to something better."
Kurtval nodded, though he couldn't bring himself to speak.
He appreciated Ines' optimism, but the uncertainty of their future gnawed at him.
He only hoped that Carl's plan for them was worth the sacrifice they were making.
Bester, sitting opposite his parents, watched the interaction silently. He had his own reservations about this journey.
The idea of starting anew in Hilfin, under the watchful eye of an unknown lord, filled him with dread. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap.
As the carriage rumbled along the road, the Mold family's thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock on the roof.
The driver called out, "We're approaching the border, my lord. It won't be long now."
Kurtval leaned forward and looked out the window.
The familiar forests and fields of Mold's Manor were giving way to the unfamiliar territory of Hilfin.
He steeled himself, reminding himself that this was their only chance to survive and perhaps even thrive.