# Chapter 101
—
Ian Dormund.
The eldest among Cain Dormund’s three sons, and the one evaluated as the most outstanding successor.
His ties with him were something words could not fully explain.
*‘Perhaps even more tangled than Cain Dormund himself… is Ian.’*
In his previous life, Ian was the man he clashed with the most, fought with the most.
And the foremost beast who had led the charge in annihilating House Bayern.
The man who, in the very end, drove his blade into Arthur’s chest.
For that reason, Ian was an enemy Arthur absolutely had to kill in this life.
Had Ian not existed, perhaps House Bayern would never have been destroyed.
Perhaps his mother, Yornel, and his younger sister, Irene, would not have lived such a miserable life.
*‘And now that very enemy has walked into Arcane of his own accord?’*
Arthur burst out laughing.
With that laugh, his world flipped over.
The head that had stayed sane for a while once again started to tilt off balance.
Savoring that strange sensation, Arthur murmured to himself.
“I can’t wait to see him.”
Was this what people called the feeling of first love?
His body trembled, his breath turned rough.
He wanted to see Ian as soon as possible—
and kill him with his own hands.
Immersed in that strange rapture, Arthur waited for the right moment.
And then, when time had passed and he finally spotted Ian walking across Arcane’s campus, Arthur was startled.
Ian stood in the distance, looking exactly as he remembered.
The only difference was the absence of wrinkles on his face. Other than that, he was the very same Ian he knew.
Because of that, Arthur could no longer hold back. He approached him.
“Been well, Ian?”
The greeting was wrapped in trembling, anticipation—
and excitement.
—
—
Ian opened his mouth, unable to hide his shock.
“…Are you truly Arthur Bayern?”
At that question, Arthur laughed.
“Of course, I’m Arthur Bayern. Ah, is it that you don’t recognize me because it’s been so long?”
Ian shut his mouth.
It wasn’t that the words made sense—it was that he couldn’t believe someone like Arthur Bayern could say such words.
*‘The mute I knew… really is that man?’*
A tall build, handsome features enough to make even men admire.
There was not a single trace of the mute Arthur Bayern in this current Arthur’s appearance.
And so, while Ian could say nothing, Arthur spoke first.
“Good to see you.”
“…?”
“Seeing you here like this… it makes me so happy.”
At those words, Ian regained his composure, his gaze narrowing.
“Do you and I have any ties?”
“Ties? Plenty. Ah, wait… is this our first meeting in this life?”
“…?”
“Either way, our two houses are deeply intertwined, aren’t they?”
Ian’s gaze thinned further.
Arthur only smiled.
In that strange tension, Ian finally opened his mouth again.
“…Seems Arcane has treated you well.”
His lips curled upward.
“To think the mute who couldn’t even speak properly has changed this much. Just what could turn that mute into… this?”
Arthur stroked his chin at that question.
Ian watched him carefully, waiting for his reply.
Then, just as silence was about to fall, Arthur let out a sigh.
“Hoo… this is hard to hold back. Really.”
“…?”
“Should I, or shouldn’t I? Ahh…”
Arthur trailed off with a smile.
“Ian, what about you?”
“…What?”
“When your heart and your head insist on different things, which side do you follow?”
Ian blinked.
“What the hell… kind of nonsense is that?”
“Well, me? Back in the day, I usually went with what my heart told me.”
“……”
“But now… now I sometimes follow what my head tells me. And usually, the head’s advice works out better.”
Arthur chuckled.
Then slowly, he reached his hand inside his coat and tilted his head.
“But right now, head or heart… I don’t want to listen to either.”
“…?”
“I’ll just follow my gut. Whatever comes after—I’ll deal with it then.”
And with those words, Arthur’s hand inside his coat gripped the handle of *Beast.*
But just then, a new voice cut in.
“Well, well! Who do we have here! Isn’t this Ian Dormund?”
At that voice, both Arthur and Ian turned.
Before they knew it, Leon Madrid had approached, smiling broadly.
At that, Ian couldn’t hide his surprise as he bowed.
“…I pay my respects to the great bloodline.”
“Come now, no need for such formality between us! Respect, really… Anyway, when did you arrive at Arcane?”
“A few days ago, for family business, Your Highness.”
“Ah, so that’s why I saw Dormund men in the campus!”
“…Dormund men, you say?”
“Yes! They were shouting your name at the top of their lungs over there. You should hurry to them!”
Ian’s expression hardened, and he quickly moved to leave.
But before departing, he paused, casting a glance at Leon and Arthur standing side by side.
“…You’ve made quite the fitting friend, Your Highness.”
“Ah… this fellow? Yes, he’s a good friend! Though he acts strange at times!”
“I shall visit you again later. Then, pardon me.”
With a bow, Ian withdrew.
Leon sighed as he watched him go—
but then felt something cold at the nape of his neck.
“…And what exactly do you think you’re doing, Your Highness?”
It was Arthur Bayern’s bizarre gun.
*Beast.*
Leon swallowed and answered.
“If I hadn’t stopped you, wouldn’t you have killed him right there?”
“I would have.”
“And what then? How would you have dealt with the aftermath?”
“Who knows? I suppose the future me would’ve figured it out.”
Leon shut his eyes for a moment.
*‘I really shouldn’t have told him Ian had come here…’*
He never imagined Arthur would so openly aim his gun at Ian Dormund inside the campus.
As insane as Arthur Bayern was, he hadn’t expected him to go this far.
*‘I keep underestimating just how mad he really is…’*
And now, that lunatic was aiming his gun at *him.*
Forcing himself to take control of the situation, Leon spoke again.
“You feel it too, don’t you? That I did well to stop you?”
Arthur burst into laughter.
“Well, maybe. But right now, my head says to praise you, while my heart says to kill you.”
“……”
“And usually, I follow my heart. What do you think about that?”
At those words, Leon remembered something from long ago.
*‘Yes… when we first met, Arthur Bayern said something very similar…’*
Then too, Arthur had pointed a gun at him.
And now, here they were, the same.
At that unchanging side of Arthur, Leon turned his head and answered.
“If you kill me here, then wasn’t bringing up Ian meaningless?”
“……”
“Don’t worry. The chance will come. The chance for you to kill him.”
Arthur hesitated a moment—then holstered Beast.
“If that chance doesn’t come, I’ll kill *you,* Your Highness.”
“…?”
“This time I’m serious. So cooperate with me, understood?”
Arthur smiled as he said it.
Leon let out a short laugh at that smile.
“…That’s a joke, right?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
“……”
Leon fell silent.
Watching him, Arthur exhaled a sigh.
*‘Hmm. Can’t say I’m not disappointed I didn’t kill him… but this isn’t bad either.’*
Had Leon not stepped in, Arthur really might have settled things with Ian here and now.
And then what?
*‘It’d have been impossible to cover it up. Even if Ian died, Cain Dormund would’ve stormed straight to Bayern’s manor.’*
In the past, maybe.
But now, House Bayern still stood tall.
So Arthur chose to endure—for now, just as Leon had urged.
*‘I have something to protect now. I can’t just act as I please anymore.’*
And if that something was his family, then there was nothing more important.
For that reason, Arthur felt satisfied with how things stood.
The chance to kill Ian was still ahead, and the situation hadn’t grown messy.
*‘Since Ian will be chasing Yenika, he’ll stay in this city. That means I’ll still have the chance to kill him quietly, without a trace.’*
He couldn’t remain forever as the mad Arthur Bayern of the past.
Now, he had to exact his revenge in the way of the *normal* Arthur Bayern.
*‘That way, I’ll protect my family—and fulfill my unfinished vengeance more smoothly.’*
Arthur smirked and nodded in satisfaction.
Then, beaming toward the still-frozen Leon, he said:
“Heheheh… thank you, Leon.”
“…?”
“Thinking on it, you really did step in at the right time. In that case, how about we go grab something to eat? We haven’t had a bite yet, have we?”
Leon blinked.
Eating? In this situation?
*‘Ha… this bastard… he really is insane.’*
He had felt it before, but once again, he realized.
Arthur Bayern was a genuine madman.
—
—
Arcane was in turmoil.
The first cause of unrest—five hundred Dormund soldiers stationed before Arcane’s main gate.
“Did you hear? The Dormund army might actually march into Arcane!”
“What!? Foreign troops entering is illegal, isn’t it!?”
“I heard Arcane University made a huge blunder… They lost one of Count Dormund’s treasures!”
The citizens trembled with unease, while Arcane’s students whispered among themselves.
“My god… could there be a war, all because of Yenika Hazel?”
“The city won’t just sit by and watch this, will it?”
“They say Count Dormund has quite the temper… A war between the Empire and Arcane?”
And in the back alleys, others couldn’t contain their excitement.
“The Dormund army’s here… just what did that fanatic steal to cause this uproar?”
“Rumor has it, a very important heirloom of Dormund’s.”
“An heirloom? Hm… Then if someone captures that fanatic, they could claim the bounty of ten thousand gold *and* get their hands on Dormund’s treasure?”
Amid tangled interests, countless forces began to stir.
Amid that chaos, Leon spoke with confidence.
“The situation’s messy, but no need to overthink it. Our target isn’t Yenika Hazel.”
Arthur nodded.
“Right. Our target is Ian Dormund.”
“Exactly. But Arthur Bayern—
to get to Ian Dormund, we must first track Yenika Hazel.”
“…Why?”
“Because Ian Dormund will chase Yenika Hazel.”
Arthur rubbed his chin.
“Chase Ian who’s chasing Yenika? Hm… couldn’t we just ambush Ian directly?”
“If you’re confident. But could you kill him without leaving a trace amidst that army?”
“Then I’ll just wipe out the entire army too.”
“…Forgive me, I misspoke. Ahem! Anyway, the reason we can’t ambush him is because it’ll definitely leave traces. And that defeats the reason we held back today.”
At Leon’s explanation, Arthur exclaimed.
“Now that makes sense.”
“Right. So, we need to follow Yenika Hazel’s trail first. That way, we’ll have our chance at Ian, who will follow her.”
Arthur thought for a while, then snapped his fingers.
“So the first step is to find Yenika’s trail?”
“No. Not just that.”
“…?”
“We’ll need a team to track her with us. Honestly, this isn’t something the two of us can handle alone.”
Arthur stroked his chin.
“Bring in outsiders?”
“A backup force for emergencies. Do you know anyone useful?”
“Well… not many people I’m close with, surprisingly.”
“……”
“Hm… let me think… Ah! There’s one.”
“Who?”
“A high-level spirit summoner.”
“…?”
“And also a gunslinger.”
Leon’s mouth fell open.
A gunslinger was one thing. But a high-level spirit summoner?
Spirit summoners were rarer than mages, and for one to be at a high level—that was practically palace-mage tier power.
*‘So that means he has the power of a royal court magician on his side?’*
Leon, skeptical, asked:
“And how in the world do you know such a person? A war criminal, perhaps?”
“No? Why would I be friends with someone like that?”
“…Then you’re telling me this person is normal, yet a gunslinger and a spirit summoner?”
“Yes. And on top of that…”
Arthur trailed off with a grin.
“She’s my housemaid.”
“…?”
“We’re very close. If I ask, she’ll surely agree. That should be good enough, right, Leon?”
Arthur’s question left Leon flustered.
*‘A… spirit summoner, a gunslinger, and a maid?’*
Leon’s common sense simply couldn’t comprehend it.
That such a person actually existed?
And yet, unbelievably—
“…What is the meaning of this, young master?”
She did.
The only issue being, she wasn’t even human.
She was an elf.
—
