Duke Will II, the Formidable Enemy

Although Quint Will had climbed over the wall to enter the Merick Family estate, he was in no hurry to explain himself.

Perfectly at home, he looked quite calm, though there was some surprise in his eyes as he studied Lister.

After a long while, he nodded as though in appreciation and spoke.

"You've surprised me somewhat!"

"I didn't expect you not to visit Anna even once this month, much less spend the whole time diligently practicing your family's saber technique."

"What surprised me most was that you actually discovered the affair between Anna and Ruisi and had someone bring it to my attention."

"Did you discover what was going on between the two of them the day after the duel was arranged, and only then come to your senses?"

As Quint Will listed Lister's recent activities, it became clear that he had investigated nearly everything except his trip out of the city to exterminate the three-headed hounds.

Lister was not surprised. If he could gather information on the other party, the other party could naturally do the same to him.

It was just that the duke's son opposite him always acted like a superior, or rather, someone in control, and that annoyed him.

Quint was clearly younger than him, and his strength was nothing special.

If Lister had still been the man he once was, Quint would have had the standing to act that way.

But now, the situation had long since reversed!

"So you knew about the relationship between Anna and Ruisi all along?"

Lister patiently put the question to him.

Though Quint's attitude made him uncomfortable, this was not the time to rush.

If he really wanted to teach Quint a lesson, he would have plenty of chances in the dueling arena tomorrow.

The most important thing now was to find out why Quint had come to see him tonight.

"Of course!"

"Did you really think I could fall for the mere daughter of a financial officer?"

"She just thought she was clever and wanted to use me to keep you occupied. If she weren't still useful, hehe~!"

At the mention of Anna, Quint's expression immediately turned disdainful, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Sure enough, the future Duke Will III could never have been a fool who would duel over a woman.

The information he knew from the future expansion really was correct!

"In other words, you deliberately picked a fight with our Merick Family?"

Since it was not because of Anna, the answer was already clear: Quint was targeting him, or rather, the Merick Family behind him.

"Yes! But I'm not the one picking a fight with your Merick Family!"

"It's my father, Duke Will II."

Quint maintained a polite smile as he quietly watched Lister across from him. Seeing no sign of panic, the smile and appreciation on his face grew.

He had thought Lister, the Merick Family's final heir, was a good-for-nothing who cared only about women. To his surprise, Lister had some sense and reacted quickly.

Someone who could come to his senses at a critical moment and keep love from clouding his judgment was worth his attention.

Though Lister's face was calm, his heart quietly sank.

During the better part of the past month, he had considered countless possibilities for what had caused the duel.

Now that the answer was out, it was the worst possibility he had considered.

The one coming after him was not merely Quint, a duke's son, but Duke Will II himself.

If that was the case, he did not have much time left to grow stronger.

"So the duke wants my life?"

"My father has never wanted your life."

"It makes no difference to him whether you live or die."

"It's just that, in his eyes, there's no longer any need for the Merick Family to exist!"

"I'm sure you understand why. Although your Merick Family is being targeted, your family isn't the real objective. It just so happens that your family is already in decline."

Lister quickly worked out what Quint meant.

As things stood in the Duchy of Will, Duke Will's Family held undisputed dominance.

Below them were the new nobles gathered around the duke and the seven old professional families led by Count Conner's Family.

During Duke Will I's reign, he had chosen to coexist peacefully with his old brothers-in-arms, the seven professional families.

But under Will II, it was clear that he was dissatisfied with forces in the duchy that were somewhat detached from his authority and did not fully obey his commands as duke.

All seven professional families were among Will II's targets.

The Merick Family was already declining the fastest among the seven professional families, and it was also the easiest to suppress.

From Will II's perspective, Lister could see that the purpose of eliminating the Merick Family first was obvious.

It was to warn the remaining six professional families and see whether the others would change their stance and sincerely submit in the time ahead.

If not... even greater internal strife would soon come to the Duchy of Will.

"In that case, why are you telling me all this?"

Tonight, just a few words from Quint had allowed Lister to fully untangle the factions in the duchy that had confused him for a month.

But Lister still could not be completely certain of Quint Will's own position.

"Do you even need to ask? If I listened to my father in everything, how could the title of Duke Will III ever fall to me?"

"Even though my talent as a professional is no worse than my eldest and second brothers', I'm the one he likes least among his six heirs, and I get the fewest resources."

"If things really go his way, I'll either die or be sent to some borderland to live as a petty noble."

"So you're planning to join forces with our Seven Great Families and secretly oppose Will II?"

Lister was certain that, according to the world's usual course, Quint would become Will III in the future.

But how could Quint, merely an heir the duke disliked, have the power to stand against the other heirs?

The power that would finally overthrow, or rather, overwhelm the other heirs had to come from forces in the duchy other than the duke's own. The seven professional families were naturally Quint's best choice.

"I understand!"

"Then what about tomorrow's duel...?"

As things stood, he and Quint were not enemies. They could even be considered potential allies.

The one most concerned about tomorrow's duel was actually Will II. He merely wanted to use it to humiliate the seven professional families, and it would also mark the beginning of his move against them.

When the duel came up, Quint Will seemed unconcerned and casually explained his original plan.

"I originally intended to seriously injure you or cut off one of your arms for my father to see, but now..."

"I've changed my mind!"

Quint Will looked at him with the appreciative gaze of a superior.

The last rays of the setting sun fell on his golden hair. Amid the interplay of light and shadow, his face bore a faint hint of something sacred and epic.

"As long as you submit to me and become my follower, I promise I'll only leave a little 'mark' on you tomorrow. I won't truly hurt you!"

"When I finally become duke, I can help your Merick Family become a professional family stronger than it was in the past."

To be honest, if Lister had not had the player panel and had truly had no one to rely on,

siding with Quint Will, the future Duke Will III, would indeed have been a good choice.

Though Quint was only making grand promises for now, Lister knew better than Quint himself that he would be able to fulfill them in the future.

Unfortunately, Lister was no longer the Lister Merick of the past.

Setting aside the fact that his strength now far surpassed Quint's, his main quest alone-to restore the Merick Family's glory-left no room for lying low first.

Faced with Quint's expression, which showed he was already certain Lister would follow him, Lister could no longer stand his overflowing confidence and spoke at once.

"You're thinking too much."

"I'll never follow anyone in this lifetime!"

He said nothing else harsh, not just because Lister's actual interests aligned with Quint's.

More importantly, Lister still wanted something from him, so it would not do to let relations become too strained for the time being.

Unfortunately, Quint did not appreciate it. The appreciation and expectation on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by disbelief, as though he had misheard.

"Have you thought this through!?"

"If you don't follow me, I won't hold back tomorrow!"

His attitude remained arrogant, as though he were certain he was stronger than Lister and had him in the bag.

To some extent, Quint was, after all, a third-tier professional, and he could sense that Lister's basic aura was weaker than his.

In the actual native world of Divine Revelation, a difference of one tier was still considerable, especially during the first two acts.

Although their interests aligned, Quint's current, extremely conceited demeanor still made Lister unable to resist firing back.

"Stop dreaming. Even if your father Will II asked me today, I wouldn't follow him, much less you!"

"I hope your sword is sharper than your tongue in tomorrow's duel!"

"You..."