The Duke's Passion

Maxine, George, and Benedict were capable members of the Divine Order. Back in the palace during Stefan's time, they split the bearers of the divine weapons. The third squadron was under Rufus; those in the third squadron, Ramin, Kristina, and Charlotte, were the people who had a strong sense of being a bearer that they refused to receive direct orders from the king.

Initially, Rufus wasn't royalty. So, they didn't have a problem working with him, considering the matters of the Undead. But because of the bond we created and all the schemes behind the kingdom, we learned to trust each other. Those three who initially bore prejudice against the royals ended up serving me, then, Sam. 

Unlike those three, these three had been receiving orders from Stefan ever since. To them, Stefan was their king — their God. It would be presumptuous of me if I say they were traitors of the Order because that wasn't the case. 

The bearers of the Divine Order were just individuals who had a duty to keep the kingdom, now an empire, from falling. As a bearer myself, I finally understood the vagueness of our duty. What it meant to be a bearer was we had the liberty to support whom we believed was the best person to sit on the throne. 

We believed it was Sam, and they believed it was Stefan.

The bearers weren't about the unity, to begin with. We were but individuals who were capable enough to do what we believed was best in this land.

'I still couldn't understand Soran's reasoning why he created the Divine Weapons,' I told myself, staring sharply at Acheron and those three bearers. 'Didn't he consider we can fight each other when we believed in different things?'

"You are still as sneaky as ever, butler." Finally, Maxine spoke coldly. She was blindfolded, but I could feel her glaring at us. "You are correct, Fabian the Butler. After taking out my eyesight, I could see things clearer."

"I am never wrong." Fabian smiled politely, nodding in agreement. "I'm glad that... Benedict, is it? Is alive."

"I am flattered that you remember my name, Fabian," Benedict, the tall, lean man, chuckled weakly. "If not, the scar you left in my heart after stabbing it will ache for sure."

George, the person who had the biggest physique among the bearers of the Divine Order, like Glory, huffed. "We will not hold back this time, Butler. This time, we will take your head."

"I missed you three as well." Fabian's smile persisted, upsetting the three, who held a deep grudge against him. I didn't know the details of their abhorrence, but knowing Fabian, he must've scarred their pride as warriors.

"Your Majesty, I must say you are as vicious as ever. How can you cut my neck before you can finish your sentence?" this time, Acheron, who was stretching his neck and was back to one piece, spoke. 

My head throbbed at this troublesome situation. I scratched my temple, recalling Fabian's words of aiming at their heads. Their regeneration was crazy. Was it because they were vampires turned into undeads? The human turned undead weren't this hard to deal with, but now they had evolved.

That Zero and Stefan surely never ceased to amaze me with their schemes. If those two were indeed in Minowa, that only meant those attacks in the east and west were just a distraction, so Sam would leave this place. If that was the case, they had already planned this a long time ago.

"Impossible..." I snapped my eyes when I heard someone from our audience speak in a shaking voice. I turned my head in their standpoint, and someone slumped on his butt while staring at Acheron.

"How can he be back in one piece?"

The sense of dread shrouding them felt distinct. Who wouldn't? Acheron was already a strong opponent, but now there were four of them. Even a normal human could sense that these four weren't people who were easily defeated.

"Your Majesty..." I shifted my eyes to Glory. His expression was a mix of fear and determination, holding an ax tightly. "I may not be powerful enough, but... let us fight with you." 

"Are you insane?" Jaime gasped, grinding his teeth while gazing at Glory in dismay. "Do you think you can last three seconds once you cross this line?!"

"We're probably insane, but at least we're not a coward like you. How can we just stand here when Her Majesty is being outnumbered?" Omar's voice thundered, grabbing Jaime's collar. "Will we let her fight them all on her own?! Aren't you all ashamed?"

"The knight is right. We are all here knowing this will be our last." someone in the crowd yelled.

"Even a poor butler came to help Her Majesty! We, the knights, cannot just stay idle here with our trembling knees!"

The right side of my face twitched as they voiced out their determination one after another. By the sound of it, they don't really trust Fabian's capabilities. Well, I couldn't blame them, even though Fabian was holding a dark spear. 

I glanced at Fabian, and his expression was dead. The head butler of our estate looked weak in one glance. If I was a stranger to him, I wouldn't even notice him as he already mastered the art of fusing with the background. So, he didn't feel intimidating unless someone truly knew this man and what he could do. 

"Fabian..." I called awkwardly, but his eyes were already digging a hole in those people who only had good intentions. Just as I blinked, Fabian disappeared from his standpoint. I looked at the people behind the line on instinct and saw him already grabbing someone's neck.

"Who are you saying weak and pathetic?" he asked flatly, tilting his head to the side. "I rarely mind when people underestimate me, but if you truly care about Her Majesty, do not cross this line. If you do, I will kill you myself."

I pinched the space between my brows, but I didn't stop him. Fabian, although, could hurt them. He wasn't unreasonable. He wouldn't kill anyone, especially our allies, since we're already short in hand. Also, this was better to stop these stubborn people from meaninglessly sacrificing their lives. 

"Store your energy and watch how Her Majesty protects every single one of your pathetic lives with hers. Etched this battle in your mind and remember it once you cross this line." Fabian let go of the man, dropping it on the ground before scanning everyone's faces.

"Because once you step out of this line, you had to fight even if it means sacrificing a limb or two."