"…Esteemed Duke, are you certain you want me to hand this manuscript to the editor?"
"Don't call me Duke. Arthur will do. What, are you unwilling?"
"…I wouldn't dare."
"Don't be so stiff. I'm quite optimistic about your talent as a reporter. Submit this manuscript to your editor. He'll agree."
"…Yes, Mr. Arthur."
"Hahahaha, that's more like it. You almost ruined my spotless reputation just now, you know. But Arthur has always been magnanimous. Here, take this sum as well."
"Th… this is too much."
"Too much? I don't think this even comes close to what a family needs to live comfortably in this city."
"…I will complete the task, sir."
"Why look so dejected? Smile a little more. Imagine your future, living together with your parents in a city this prosperous. Can't you already feel a bit of happiness from that?"
"…Of course, sir."
The reporter forced a smile.
His weakness had been firmly grasped by the Black Snake.
___
[Shocking! Arthur Pendragon Fully Exposed!]
Standing in line at a breakfast stall, Młynar unfolded the newspaper he had prepared in advance, reading as he waited.
He had long grown accustomed to reading the papers.
No matter how recklessly those unscrupulous outlets fabricated stories to grab attention, such stories usually had a "prototype", a basic framework for their embellishments.
Otherwise, if everything were conjured entirely out of thin air, with not a shred of reality to anchor it, they wouldn't be called bad journalism.
They might as well switch careers and write novels.
"…Margaret, don't disappoint me."
The Ursus duke's arrival under the guise of the Laughing Knight gave Młynar an ominous feeling.
No matter how deeply disappointed he was in present-day Kazimierz, this land was still the homeland in which the Nearl family had taken root.
Młynar might despise knight Majors, but he could not tolerate that frivolous duke trampling Kazimierz's dignity underfoot once again.
When the true identity of the Laughing Knight had been revealed, it had dealt a heavy blow to nearly everyone within Kazimierz who still cherished knightly tradition.
They could tolerate Leithanians dazzling the arena with arts, tolerate Sarkaz rampaging across the battlefield, tolerate the Infected fighting for survival in the coliseum.
But they would never accept an Ursus as the champion of Kazimierz's knight tournaments.
Let alone an Ursus duke.
In the past, Ursus had occupied vast swathes of Kazimierz's territory. To say the two bore a blood feud was no exaggeration.
Yet not everyone harbored pure hostility toward this Ursus duke.
Setting aside Arthur Pendragon's mindless admirers, as well as the younger generation who had never lived through that war, some Kazimierz citizens who had experienced it firsthand held far more complicated feelings toward this god from Ursus.
"Tch. These media outlets really dare to write anything."
As Młynar flipped through the paper, the first thing that caught his eye was the oversized headline so characteristic of the Red Wine Daily.
[An In-Depth Revelation of Arthur Pendragon!]
[Recently, this reporter was fortunate enough to interview Arthur Pendragon in the Kawalerielki, the former champion of the Kazimierz Knight Championships.]
[That's right. One of the incarnations of the Ursus duke, the very same Laughing Knight who once brought laughter to countless spectators, and who is now reviled by all!]
[I had expected this interview to be a life-threatening challenge, yet the impression given by this Ursus duke was, surprisingly, one of impeccable courtesy.]
[To be honest, if I hadn't known his identity from the very beginning, I might truly have believed him to be a warm, passionate, unpretentious, and humorously upright knight.]
[When I risked my life to ask why he had once participated in the Kazimierz Knight Championships, this duke, who had formerly led Ursus armies and trampled Kazimierz beneath their boots, replied with calm indifference:]
["I merely wished to understand Kazimierz's culture."]
[Listen to that. What lofty words!]
[Is this the arrogance of Ursus? Is this the condescension of a god?]
[Yes, it must be admitted that the Laughing Knight did indeed seize the championship of the Knight Majors.]
[But do not forget… just as it was many years ago.]
[The Nearl family once again defended the glory of Kazimierz!]
[In the previous generation, Kirill Nearl pierced through Ursus's supposedly impregnable shieldwall with his lance.]
[In the younger generation, Margaret Nearl defeated this self-righteous duke upon the tournament grounds.]
[In this year's Knight Majors, Margaret Nearl, aided by the Infected Knight system established in recent years, has once more gained the opportunity to return to the arena.]
[And does the appearance of Arthur Pendragon mean that this duke seeks vengeance at last?]
[Stay tuned. This reporter will continue to bring you firsthand coverage, even at the risk of life and limb.]
[Attached below: photograph of Arthur during the interview]
Młynar folded the newspaper neatly, his expression unreadable.
It was his turn.
"Sir, did you read today's paper?"
The sharp-eyed middle-aged stall owner noticed the newspaper tucked under Młynar's arm and struck up a conversation with the cold-looking customer.
"…I did."
Młynar replied curtly.
"I see… then what do you think of that 'Laughing Knight'?"
As he packed up Młynar's breakfast, the owner asked casually.
Though Młynar looked difficult to approach, the stall owner, brimming with pent-up thoughts, paid it no mind.
Wiping his grease-stained hands, he spoke with excitement.
"Never thought that Ursus duke would actually come back."
Młynar took the boxed meal and turned to leave.
He was about to be late for work.
But soon, that concern no longer mattered.
"Well now, Młynar. So this is where you usually have breakfast?"
Standing at the center of the street, causing pedestrians to instinctively give way, the blond man with an exaggerated smile was dazzling…
No, blinding would be more accurate.
Yet among the retreating crowd, some could not suppress the urge to approach that blinding figure.
They were quickly restrained by those with clearer heads.
One gray-haired Elafia girl dressed in dull green was pulled aside by a plainly dressed middle-aged man.
"…Have you lost your mind? Getting close to the Laughing Knight in public like this, even if you're his fan, is crossing a line. Do you want to become the target of all Kazimierz's scorn?"
"I'm not interested in knight Majors. I just want to see that Ursus duke up close."
"Curiosity can get you killed."
"…Thank you. Are you his fan as well?"
"Shh. Lower your voice!"
"Sorry, sorry…"
"…Duke Kashchey. I never thought I would encounter you again."
"But why would someone like you serve such a brutal, cold-blooded Ursus?"