CHAPTER 129: THE GENERAL’S RAGE

The boy who normally cared for no one suddenly brought home a young man, claiming that this delicate-looking boy was his one and only partner!

How could such a thing be accepted?

Never!

And worse still, when that boy was attacked, Dominic lost his temper and, without regard for time or place, he unleashed his magic.

How reckless! How thoughtless! Was his son so thoroughly ensnared by that boy?

Fool! Idiot!

Rage blinded Gabrant, painting his vision red.

This failure was serious, but he could manage it somehow. Whatever it took, he would silence Dalmasca. He would not allow this to spread.

But before Dominic made more mistakes, action had to be taken.

The boy must be separated from him, and Dominic’s future must be secured without question.

His son would resist, but in the long run, Gabrant was sure Dominic would understand that it was for his own happiness.

"Great General, it is ready," the mage officer at his side reported.

"I see. Let’s go," Gabrant replied.

And he stepped into the prepared transfer magic circle.

...

When Quintus caught sight of Great General Gabrant entering, he inwardly groaned.

Another troublesome man had arrived.

Turning his eyes toward the Dalmasca side, he saw that all of them wore the same frightened expressions.

Gabrant, on the other hand, was glaring at them with an intimidating force, as if threatening to strike.

It looked no different from picking a fight.

In fact, perhaps that was exactly what it was.

No doubt Gabrant had come with the intention of taking Dominic back by force, without discussion or compromise.

"I would like to continue this discussion further in Rosaria. For today, I would prefer to end the talks here," Quintus said, rising from his seat and addressing King Jircniv.

"That seems best. We shall reconvene tomorrow," the king agreed.

At last, the meeting was brought to a close.

Quintus wasted no time and immediately grabbed Gabrant by the arm.

"Lord Gabrant! What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to remain stationed at the fortress?"

"You were dragging your feet too much, so I came myself," Gabrant replied sharply.

Of course. Transfer magic was his specialty.

That meant he had likely learned of the situation and rushed here on his own.

Sure enough, Gabrant continued, his words brimming with impatience.

"Where is Dominic? How long do you plan to let the Rosaria knight remain bound and restrained by their whims?"

"You saw the state of the castle when you arrived, did you not?" Quintus countered.

"Hah! That? It was nothing more than a small corner of the castle being damaged. You should have blown the entire fortress to rubble from the start. Or better yet, why not crush this entire city while you’re at it?"

"Lord Gabrant, we are not here to wage war," Quintus reminded him firmly.

"I have no patience to listen to a man who cannot even retrieve one knight! If you keep stalling, then attack them outright. That would be far simpler," Gabrant snapped.

The general, who had already clashed many times with the Dalmasca forces, was as reckless as ever.

Quintus remembered—Gabrant had long been one of those who argued that they should strike Dalmasca first, rather than wait.

A war-obsessed brute of a man.

The pain in Quintus’s temples began to throb.

He quickly pushed the Great General into the guest chamber that had been assigned to them by Dalmasca.

At least this was not something to be shouted about in the hallways.

Louis and the others hurried about preparing tea and wine.

Gabrant ignored their efforts completely, he throwing himself down heavily into a chair covered in rich cloth, scowling all the while.

"Dalmasca has treated us with courtesy. Captain Dominic has not been mistreated. Come now, why not calm yourself with a drink?" Quintus suggested.

He had one of the attendants offer Gabrant a fine vintage wine.

Gabrant took the glass, downed it in a single swallow, and slammed it back onto the table with a loud thud.

"But he is still being held, is he not?" Gabrant demanded.

"That cannot be helped, can it? After what they saw, Dalmasca is terrified. No doubt they have gathered every mage they have, weaving barrier after barrier in fear," Quintus explained.

Gabrant sat there with a face twisted as if he had bitten into something bitter, his eyes restless and irritated as they wandered about the room.

Then, as though something had just struck him, he asked abruptly,

"By the way, where is that one? That one?"

"That one?" Quintus replied.

"The black-haired child. What was his name? Dominic’s page. Is he with Dominic as well?"

"You mean Shiao Yi? No, he is not with him. Now that you mention it, where is he? I assumed he would be here..."

Quintus turned to Louis with the question.

Shiao Yi had certainly been present before the meeting began.

"Shiao Yi stepped out into the hall with King Jircniv before the talks started. Huh? Now that you mention it... he hasn’t come back, has he?" Louis frowned, tilting his head as he tried to recall.

At that moment, Aaron cut in, his voice casual yet thoughtful.

"Ah, that’s right. Lord Shiao Yi was terribly worried about Captain Dominic. He was even about to attempt teleportation, but I stopped him—the barriers are too thickly layered. After that, I believe he went to speak with King Jircniv to plead with him..."

The man brushed aside his long silver hair with one hand, his emerald-green eyes clouded with concern.

"It might be that King Jircniv holds special feelings toward Lord Shiao Yi."

At those words, Quintus found himself nodding.

From the reviewing stand at the parade ground, Jircniv had seemed unwilling to let go of Shiao Yi’s hand even for a moment.

When Louis heard this, his face drained of color, leaving a striking impression on Quintus.

And then—what caught Quintus’s attention most of all was the fleeting expression that passed across Gabrant’s face.