Illegitimate Son

Fine little packets of black powder filled the wooden box. It was probably gunpowder from this era. Theus took one packet and poured it into the barrel, then pushed a lead ball into the muzzle and rammed it down with a wooden rod. Finally, he took some white wax from the box and sealed it to keep the ball from falling out.

This gun seemed to have a story of its own, but Theus had no interest in digging into it. Right now, he only wanted to see his territory.

He had transmigrated into the body of a lord. Though all he had was a tiny island, the sky was high and the Empress was far away. He would not need to be so constrained here. That was actually a good thing.

Oh, right. He also needed to ask about the Church. Theus was extremely wary of it now; that priest covered in machinery had left far too deep an impression on him.

With his weapon in hand, he walked to the door. A maid had packed food for him in a lunch box, while the butler had yet to bring the horse over. Theus's gaze passed over the manor wall nearby and fell on the townsfolk hurrying along the path outside.

They all looked rushed. Something seemed to have happened outside.

Quite a few wore expressions mingling fear and curiosity as they streamed in one direction.

"...Like a monster..."

"Yeah, all over... Disgusting..."

"Hurry and take a look..."

Fragments of conversation drifted into his ears on the wind. Theus frowned. What did that mean? Had they found a monster?

He had not misheard, had he? Those people were talking about a monster?

Could it be... a Transcendence creature?

After so many Descents without ever encountering the Transcendence world, it was being shoved right in his face like this?

Excitement and fear surged up together, then gradually blended into anticipation.

Whether it was good or bad, he should go have a look. He had plenty of chances to start over, but this was his first chance to come into contact with Transcendence.

Besides...

He instinctively pressed a hand against his waist. The cold, hard metal pistol gave him a little sense of security.

Which was stronger, a monster or a bullet? He was very interested to find out.

Catching sight of the two maids exchanging looks beside him, Theus turned and asked, "You know something, don't you? What happened?"

Their expressions stiffened. They quickly lowered their heads, exchanged a hesitant glance, and carefully began to speak.

"Master, they say a monster was hauled out of the sea. It's at the harbor..."

"They say that monster is terrifying. Its body looks like..."

"Ahem!"

Their words were interrupted by a loud cough. The old butler led the horse over, shot the two women a glare, and walked up to Theus.

"There is no monster. It is merely a strange fish. These people fear them only because they have seen so little. Strange fish are often caught in the Deep Sea. I went to sea with ships when I was young, and such things were common in the Sea of No Light."

Theus looked at the butler with interest. "You have already gone to see that strange... fish?"

"Not yet, but based on their description, it should be a kind I have seen before."

"Then let's go take a look together." Theus inspected the horse standing before him, searched through his memories, then stepped onto the mounting block the maid had set down and swung himself into the saddle.

The horse's back was steadier than he had imagined, and the saddle had a layer of soft padding.

He took the riding crop from the butler and somewhat awkwardly shook the reins.

The gentle brown horse swished its tail and began to trot forward lightly.

The butler gave Theus a long look, turned to give the maids a few instructions, then mounted his own horse and left the manor.

There were no properly maintained roads on the island. A small stretch of stone paving lay near the manor, but after only a few steps, the ground became muddy.

Fortunately, this did not affect them too much on horseback, though their speed still slowed.

Theus tucked the riding crop into the clasp beside the saddle and let the horse walk at its own pace. He turned slightly toward the butler. "Connor, how have things been lately?"

The butler considered his words before answering. "Not good, Master Theus. We do not have much money left. Since you came to take up your post in the territory, there has been less and less contact from Duke Cohen's side."

Theus naturally knew which duke he meant. That was his biological father: Duke Cohen.

Although Theus was an illegitimate son, Duke Cohen had actually treated him fairly well.

Since his birth, Duke Cohen had kept him in an estate outside the city. The servants and the butler Watson had followed him for many years. Duke Cohen had even hired tutors for him and helped arrange for him to become a Border Count.

None of that could compare to the duke's heir, of course, but he was only an illegitimate son. By noble standards for treating illegitimate children, Duke Cohen had already done all he could.

It seemed his biological father was not someone he could rely on for the time being, either.

Theus gave a light cough.

"Connor, I thought about it for a long time last night. We have quite a few problems now. Perhaps we need to change the way we have been living."

Honestly, if he had to live the way Young Master Theus used to, he truly could not get used to it. It looked like an idle, leisurely life, but in reality, everything from afternoon tea etiquette to the way one ate was rigidly prescribed. Just recalling those old memories made him feel suffocated.

With so many rules and restrictions, if he actually followed every one of them, he would expose himself sooner or later.

The butler's eyes flickered, though it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"You are now the count, my lord. It is entirely up to you."

After hesitating, he spoke again in a low voice. "Master, the sea merchants from the east wish to discuss matters with us. This was previously handled by your chief secretary..."

Theus searched through his memories, and his face twitched.

Sea merchants? What sea merchants? There were only pirates in the Storm Ocean!

This so-called discussion was actually the pirates coming to collect money.

Yes, the original owner of this body had been paying pirates for protection.

Well, damn. Theus had been wondering why there had been no movement from the pirates.

"When?"

"At noon the day after tomorrow."

"I understand. I will meet them."

He definitely needed to find a way to deal with the pirates. If this money kept going out, the territory would be dragged down sooner or later.

As for how to deal with them, he had not figured that out yet. He would first see how the territory was developing. If necessary, he could stall for time. With him here, industrializing this place was only a matter of time.

The island was not large. He had been able to smell the sea breeze from the manor earlier, and before long, Theus heard the sound of waves crashing.

"Master, the harbor is just ahead."

"Mm."

Theus tugged the reins. The horse paused, and he looked ahead.

Rather than a harbor, this place was closer to a small pier. It was on the island's northern side, a natural deepwater harbor. With only a few wooden platforms built over it, merchant ships traveling north and south could load and unload cargo.

—Of course, now it was only used by fishermen heading out to catch fish.

At the moment, a small boat was docked at the pier. A crowd had gathered not far from the shore, and Theus spotted several soldiers carrying weapons. Freshly painted royal emblems marked their leather armor.

Strictly speaking, a Border Count was a retainer of the Empress. His coat of arms had originally combined the royal emblem with Duke Cohen's, and he was also an illegitimate son...

Shaking his head to drive those unimportant matters from his mind, Theus glanced at the butler.

Connor gave a slight nod and walked toward the crowd.