The Matter of How Only a Political Rival Duke, Not My Own Family, Recognized My Worth After I Was Disowned ~When I Turned a Remote Frontier Territory Into the World’s Greatest City, the Noble Lady Assigned to Supervise Me Became the Best Fiancée~ - Episode 27: The Strongest Shield of the Kingdom

Episode 27: The Strongest Shield of the Kingdom

In the thawing forest, 

Two, three sharp metallic clangs echoed through the air.

The beastkin assassin’s twin daggers moved so swiftly they left afterimages. Each strike was aimed unerringly at Duncan’s vital points. Any ordinary man would have been dead before realizing what had happened.

But Duncan parried every single blow.

There was nothing flashy about his movements. He did not take even a single step from where he stood. With the smallest, most precise motions, he guided his sword—deflecting, redirecting, and neutralizing the assassin’s relentless assault.

He was like a great tree standing unmoved amid a raging storm.

“…Not bad, old man. You’re no mere butler, are you?”

The assassin spoke for the first time. Their voice was tinged with grudging respect.

“Indeed. I have served my master in many ways over the years,” 

Duncan replied without losing even a breath.

I shielded the wounded guards behind me. I was unable to take my eyes off the sight before me—Duncan’s true form. It was one I had never seen before.

Normally he was a gentle, mild old man. But the back now standing before me seemed broader, sturdier, and more reassuring than any fortress wall.

Suddenly, a memory from my childhood resurfaced.

When my father and brothers called me a “failure,” when I hid alone in the library. It was always this old butler who stood by me and protected me.

‘Lord Noah, you are not merely the pride of the Silford family—you will one day be the treasure of this entire kingdom. I, Duncan, will protect you with my life if I must.’

I still remembered the warmth of his large hand as he gently patted my head.

He was not merely a butler.

In truth, he had once served as the right hand of the previous king. He had protected the royal family from countless calamities—a man once hailed as “The Strongest Shield of the Kingdom.”

That was Duncan’s real identity.

Growing impatient, the assassin finally played their trump card.

They threw a smoke bomb at their feet. They blanketed the area in a white haze and erased their presence completely.

This was the specialty of beastkin trained in stealth—their true domain.

“…It’s over.”

Behind me!

Before I could shout, a dagger thrust silently through the smoke toward my neck.

But Duncan did not flinch.

He calmly closed his eyes, adjusted his stance, and—at the exact instant the assassin moved—

A flash.

Duncan’s sword struck the invisible dagger dead-on. He deflected it cleanly. His returning blade was swift and flawless. It came to rest at the assassin’s throat.

“…How could you see my movements…?”

“Your blade is fast. But your killing intent gives you away. A matter of youth, perhaps,” 

Duncan answered evenly.

The battle was over.

◇

The assassin was disarmed and kneeling on the ground. They glared up at us. I stepped closer.

“Impressive skill. Tell me one thing—who hired you?”

“…Kill me.”

The assassin met my eyes with undiminished pride.

“We of the Shadowcat Tribe would sooner die than speak our employer’s name.”

So interrogation was useless.

“Duncan, knock him out and take him back to camp. If we keep him alive, he may still prove useful—”

Before I could finish, the assassin’s lips twitched unnaturally.

A suicide poison!

But my mind moved faster—faster than Duncan’s sword or the assassin’s bite.

Skill: [Territory Design].

Its advanced form—the ability to see a structure and make microscopic alterations to its function.

I pointed my right index finger at the assassin.

“—Don’t move.”

In that instant, the strength vanished from the assassin’s jaw. Their mouth slackened open. And a small black capsule fell from between his teeth onto the ground.

“Wha… my jaw…”

“Sorry, but I can’t let you die just yet.”

I looked down coldly at the assassin. Their eyes were now widened in shock.

“You’re one of the ‘damage claims’ I’m adding to the invoice I’ll be sending my dear brother.”

A power entirely different from combat ability—something deeper, more mysterious.

For the first time, the assassin’s eyes filled with fear as they stared up at me.