Several days had passed since Libertà and his group began their impossible leveling spree by hunting swamp dragons at full strength.

  One day, a letter arrived at the hands of the Edelgard Duke, who was diligently carrying out his daily duties.

  "From the Grullet Viscountcy?""Yes, they seek your judgment on the matter."

  The one who brought the letter was the elderly butler who had served the Edelgard family for many years—a man the Duke himself deeply trusted. So much so that whenever Libertà stayed at the ducal estate, the Duke felt at ease leaving the arrangements to him.

  In truth, there had been considerable opposition from the household about lodging Libertà, a commoner child, in the main residence. It was this old butler's skill that had persuaded everyone without leaving any resentment.

  "Have you read the contents?""No, but given the timing, I assume it concerns that child.""Most likely. Has some trouble arisen?"

  Recognizing the importance of a letter personally delivered by his trusted butler, the Duke set aside his work, accepted the letter, and opened it himself.

  "......""Your Grace?"

  The letter wasn’t lengthy enough to require much time to read. Yet the Duke, who usually handled paperwork with detached efficiency, was carefully rereading it—an abnormality the butler, with his years of service, immediately noticed.

  "Lotus.""Yes, sir!"

  Thus, the butler responded with a vigor unbefitting his age, ready to follow any order his master might give.

  "Are swamp dragon materials something easily obtained?""...If you mean on the market, they are far from easy to acquire. While wyvern or nd dragon parts occasionally circute, swamp dragon materials appear at auctions only on the rarest occasions."

  The Duke’s question was peculiar. Swamp dragons were not creatures even high-ranking adventurers could casually sy—something the Duke himself knew well. Their strength aside, their most troublesome trait was their aquatic battlefield. Even if lured onto nd, they would retreat underwater in an instant. Reports of their subjugation came not yearly, but perhaps once in a decade.

  Due to the usefulness of their materials, demand never waned, and auctions for them amassed mountains of gold coins.

  "Surely you don’t mean that boy is asking for swamp dragon materials?!"

  The old butler quickly deduced the reason for the question. The Edelgard family had two daughters: the eldest, Esmeralda Edelgard, and the younger, Iris Edelgard. To the Duke, who adored his daughters beyond measure, the debt owed to Libertà—who had saved both their lives—was immense. The boy had sin a nd dragon to rescue Esmeralda and even relinquished rare materials needed to cure Iris’s grave illness. If Libertà was now requesting swamp dragon materials to repay that debt, the butler could understand the Duke’s hesitation.

  In his mind, the butler swiftly calcuted the ducal finances and means to procure the materials.

  "No, the opposite.""Opposite...?"

  Just as the butler concluded that the cost would barely avoid crippling their finances, the Duke shook his head.

  "That brat—he’s trying to put us further in his debt. He wrote to confirm whether we need swamp dragon materials because he’s obtained some.""...You must be joking.""Do you think a handwritten letter from the overseer you selected would arrive if this were a lie?"

  For a moment, the butler couldn’t comprehend the words. He almost dismissed it as the Duke’s jest, but the Duke himself seemed torn between skepticism and an inexplicable conviction that Libertà was exactly the type to do this. With a wry smile, he handed the letter to the butler.

  "...If this is true, then that boy is capable of sying dragons.""He’s already killed a nd dragon. The only question is whether he can do it consistently.""In that case, we’ve established a connection with a boy who can hunt dragons."

  The letter was elegantly written, phrased with noble etiquette in mind. It was clear who had penned it. Had the sender not been Ingrid Grullet, Libertà’s assigned overseer, the butler would never have delivered it to the Duke. Thus, its credibility soared.

  "Lotus, hypothetically—what happens if someone who can hunt dragons becomes our enemy?""I can only say it would bode poorly. I would advise avoiding conflict altogether.""And if we recruit him?""Given his stance, it might spark unnecessary strife. From my brief observation, he seeks no noble title. Yet he hasn’t severed ties with you entirely, likely to avoid provoking conflict. If we try to force him into our fold, we may share the dragons’ fate.""I agree. But how will others see him? A golden goose. Some may be blinded by greed and approach him recklessly, earning his ire."

  The issue was credibility. The butler envisioned the exorbitant cost of swamp dragon materials—now potentially obtainable in full, offered as tribute or for sale by Libertà.

  "Perhaps this letter is his way of preventing that. A price for our protection.""...Yes, I suppose so."

  The butler’s reasoning aligned with the Duke’s own conclusions.

  "He’s shrewd, but inconveniently so.""Shall we recruit him, then?""If we do, it must be absolute. At minimum, we’d need to secure his marriage to Iris and hand him this very seat.""Lady Esmeralda is already betrothed, so Lady Iris would be the only option. But even that seems impossible.""Indeed. Valuable as he is, I wouldn’t surrender the dukedom. The standard move would be to grant him a barony or viscounty. But that’s all. Somehow, he knows the burdens of nobility. If weighed against the hardships, he’d reject any title."

  Hence their current distance.

  Physically, the Duke could have Libertà killed—mobilizing forces and wielding noble authority to overpower even a clever boy. But only if absolutely necessary. A surprise assassination might work, but if Libertà evaded it, he’d vanish and return for revenge.

  The "leash" of surveilnce was in pce, but the overseer’s reports contained only mundane details, nothing of Libertà’s secrets.

  "A tough one. No family to pressure, no interest in status, self-sufficient in funds, no involvement with women, and dragon-sying prowess.""All that binds him is his emotions and common sense. He has weaknesses, but exploiting them is unpredictable.""It feels like groping through a dragon’s den.""That’s no ughing matter."

  They both understood the implications. The Grullet family had been chosen as overseers precisely for their ck of ambition—reliable but uncreative, performing only the bare minimum.

  For now, Libertà harbored no hostility toward the Duke. In fact, the Duke held goodwill toward him. The boy had saved his daughters, averted a crisis in the royal capital, understood his position, and maintained a prudent distance. Now, he’d even proven capable of hunting dragons.

  Compared to the Duke’s subordinates—ambitious, incompetent nobles hungry for status—Libertà was a breath of fresh air.

  His sole fw was the enigma of his origins.

  Libertà was likely an orphan, his background shrouded in mystery. To the Duke, this was more concerning than the boy’s intellect.

  "His origins remain unknown. We don’t even know if his parents live. We’ve only traced his recent actions—since he began traveling with those two girls, Nel and Amina.""The beastfolk girls from the reports?""Yes. Their backgrounds were easily verified—no ties to nobles or dubious organizations. But him...""Just that boy, then. Let’s pray he’s not from another nation’s noble house.""Could he be an unrecognized noble bastard?""I’d like to deny it, but who knows?""If so, the family that disowned him were fools. To discard a child of such talent.""Calling it mere ‘talent’ feels inadequate."

  Morally, the Duke saw Libertà as neutral—neither righteous nor wicked, free of sanctimony or corruption.

  That very bance made his background the Duke’s primary concern.

  If Libertà truly had no family or connections, the Duke could act freely. But if unsavory ties existed, they demanded caution.

  "For now, we’ll maintain cooperation. Lotus, prepare an appraiser. If the swamp dragon materials are genuine, they’ll benefit our house.""Understood. I’ll secure the funds as well.""Good."

  The matter was settled for now. Suspicious, but not yet dangerous.

  "Speaking of which, the royal family tasked us with locating the ‘Hero of the Divine Oracle.’ Might that boy be the one?""I’ve considered it. But imagine announcing we’ve found a potential hero now.""It would cause an uproar. Investigations would descend upon him immediately.""And then?""He’d flee without hesitation.""Hence, you will not disclose his existence.""Understood."

  In fact, the Duke believed ensuring Libertà’s safety would benefit the Edelgard family. Little did he know that Libertà’s gesture—sending valuable materials as a token of goodwill—would be interpreted so deeply, securing his own peace in the process.

  "One st thing. The letter mentions returning a ‘bamboo spear.’ What’s that about?""I’ve no recollection. Why would he—?""...Could our house have it?""No, when we hosted him previously, we took custody of nothing of the sort."

  With the swamp dragon matter resolved and their stance decided, the Duke turned to this lowest-priority issue.

  Yet an inexplicable dread settled over both men.

  "Lotus, summon Esmeralda.""At once."

  If Libertà had written so earnestly about an item the Edelgards supposedly held, its absence might have soured his impression of them.

  Acting swiftly, the Duke sent the butler to fetch his eldest daughter, who might know something.

  "Let there be nothing amiss."

  The Duke’s desperate wish, as, would be betrayed—in the worst way possible.