Russell left, taking the newly signed cigar trade contract with him as he breezily departed the somewhat damaged Nevernight Castle.
"A wise man submits to circumstances."
Marquis Arno looked at the cracks in the walls and comforted himself. "The strength that boy Russell displayed is something no one but a Dragon Knight could achieve... I'm not losing out on the remaining twenty percent of the profits."
He controlled the trade between the two nations and had no shortage of profits from the cigar business. Even without the cigar trade, he would still be making a fortune.
"However..."
Marquis Arno shifted his gaze from the cracks in the castle wall and narrowed his eyes. "That boy's rise could bring either disaster or fortune. I must write to His Majesty at once... If the Shadowflame Dragon truly abandons the Shadowflame Family and chooses him..."
With that thought in mind,
Marquis Arno swiftly returned to his study and began writing a letter.
"Honored My King, Lord of the Scorching Torrent Territory..." Marquis Arno recorded everything Russell had done before and after his promotion, down to the smallest detail. He even included their negotiations over the cigar trade.
However, he omitted the division of profits and merely mentioned in passing that the two of them were cooperating to sell Rain Dragon Cigars.
Finally,
he described the might of Russell's sword strike in detail.
"At that moment, your younger brother truly felt that only one sword strike was needed. Even if I were united with my Wyvern, I would still have been slain by Russell. Though such strength is not even one ten-thousandth of My King's, I believe there is no second person in the kingdom with such strength."
After pausing,
Marquis Arno considered his words, then continued writing. "Because of Russell's existence, the affairs