The Barbarian of the Count’s Family Is Too Strong

Chapter 19: Conflicting Dreams (3)

The reason Agron did not react to Fabia's sarcasm was simple.

‘Hmm? Lawrence has arrived.’

With his sharper-than-average hearing, Agron was the first to notice that the Third Prince had arrived at the lord’s castle.

From the entrance, he could hear the prince arguing with his escort knight, Hunts, grumbling about how annoying it was to deal with nobles and saying things like, “I’ll go in later.”

Just then, Fabia began sneering while holding food.

“Perhaps today’s meal includes human meat?”

“I’m not particularly fond of it, but I didn’t expect Lord Fabia to enjoy it. Are you disappointed that it’s not on the menu?”

“I-It’s not me…! I was asking if Barbaroi eat such things!”

Agron tilted his head slightly and responded with a mildly apologetic expression.

“Well, I’m not sure. But you seem to know a lot about Barbaroi. Are you from there?”

“Ugh…!”

In truth, Agron had neither intended to humiliate Fabia nor to mock him on purpose.

Rather, he was completely unaware that Fabia’s remarks were meant to insult him.

He was simply answering sincerely.

‘Conversations with nobles are dull. Lawrence is far more interesting.’

When Fabia brought up food, Agron had merely played along.

“Then what do Barbaroi eat?! Surely, you don’t eat the same food as us?”

“Seeing how Lord Fabia eats, I’d say Barbaroi eat the same food.”

“I-I am not some Barbaroi!”

“Oh, my apologies. I didn’t recognize it at first. So you’re from the same kingdom as me.”

Fabia’s face turned bright red, and he gritted his teeth audibly.

Laughter could be heard from all around.

‘This bastard thinks he’s something just because women like him…!’

Initially, Fabia had only wanted to humiliate Agron because he was handsome.

Despite being a close aide to the Grand Duke, Fabia had never been the center of attention in social circles. But this young upstart had stolen the gazes of many women the moment he appeared.

Even Lady Rosalyn, whom Fabia secretly admired, blushed when she saw Agron!

‘Damn brat! I’ll expose your true nature for all to see!’

Fueled by that single thought, Fabia continued to mock Agron.

But the conversation wasn’t going as he had planned.

Instead, he found himself outwitted by Agron’s sharp retorts, his body trembling in frustration.

Like a cornered rat, he lashed out recklessly.

“I-I heard from someone that the food served at the Veilain estate included things others wouldn’t eat…?!”

“The human meat you like so much? I don’t eat it, though.”

“N-No! That’s not it! I was talking about you, not me!”

“Well, I’ve never eaten anything others wouldn’t eat.”

Fabia bit his lip in frustration, unsatisfied with the response.

“Isn’t there any meat besides cow, pig, horse, chicken, or duck that you’ve eaten?!”

“Meat…? Recently, I did eat some monster meat.”

At that one remark, a long smile stretched across Fabia’s face.

This was the moment he had been waiting for all along.

“Haha! See?! Who in the world eats such things?!”

“Hmm, isn’t it edible?”

As Agron responded with a cryptic smile, Fabia’s voice grew even louder.

Now, there was no one left in the banquet hall who wasn’t listening.

Fabia’s sneering voice boomed over even the musicians’ performance, echoing throughout the hall.

“No, it is not edible! What kind of filthy bloodline eats monster meat?!”

“If you keep eating it, you get used to it.”

“Ugh! Monster meat?! Even my slaves wouldn’t eat that! Only lowly vermin would eat such filth!”

At that moment, another voice interjected into their conversation.

“Why the hell can’t we eat it? What’s the big deal, you bastard?!”

“W-Who dares to use such vulgar language toward me, a loyal vassal of the Central Grand Duke?!”

“It’s me, you son of a bitch!”

The moment Fabia’s enraged face recognized the speaker, he turned ghostly pale.

“P-Prince Lawrence…?!”

“You damn rat of a baron, how dare you talk shit behind my back?!”

“N-No, Your Highness! I would never speak ill of you!”

Even though the Third Prince had fallen far from succession, he was still royalty.

Furthermore, Fabia’s family, Count Copellus, was a central noble house located in the well-established royal domain rather than in the borderlands, where royal authority was weaker.

Unlike the regional nobles who could potentially align with the Kazandor Empire in the south or the Kingdom of Jafarbad in the west, Fabia’s family had no choice but to remain loyal to the royal family.

“Silence! Hunts!”

“You called, Your Highness!”

“Escort this scoundrel out of the castle immediately!”

“As you command!”

“W-Wait, Prince! I swear I wasn’t insulting you! I was talking about that Barbaroi, Agron…!”

Fabia fell flat on the floor, clutching at Lawrence’s trousers in desperation.

All the nobles, servants, attendants, and knights were watching, but Fabia had no room for dignity.

Being thrown out of the banquet didn’t just mean losing face.

It meant being exiled from the central noble society.

Fabia knew all too well that this ill-tempered Third Prince wouldn’t stay quiet once he returned to the palace.

It was certain that Lawrence would complain to the king and spread Fabia’s name and disgrace far and wide.

Moreover, he had recently heard that Lawrence’s standing in the royal court had risen sharply after he slew a Troll Warrior.

The Third Prince, who had always been an insignificant contender for the throne, was now showing signs of becoming a legitimate candidate.

‘The king will surely reprimand Count Copellus… If I don’t clear up this misunderstanding, I’ll bear the full wrath of my family alone…!’

Even as his lips went dry, Fabia quickly tried to salvage the situation.

“M-My prince, this is a misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding?!”

“I have never doubted Your Highness’ virtue and integrity! I merely wished to correct Count Agron’s barbaric habit of eating monster meat, as it is unbefitting of a noble of the great Astrarea Kingdom!”

Fabia pointed a chubby finger at Agron, raising his voice.

But contrary to his expectations, Lawrence’s expression did not brighten in the slightest.

Trying again to win the prince’s favor, Fabia spoke once more.

“I was overjoyed to hear of Your Highness’ bravery in slaying the Troll Warrior! It is a feat worthy of the Astrarea Kingdom’s history!”

“And?”

A smirk crept onto the prince’s lips.

Fabia realized that his argument was gaining traction and pressed even harder.

“Even if both deal with monsters, some do so for the kingdom’s cause, while others consume them due to their beastly nature. As a noble, how can I not point that out?”

“Aha.”

“Y-Your Highness must have misunderstood when you heard the word ‘monster’!”

As soon as he finished speaking, silence fell over the hall.

The musicians had long since stopped playing, and every noble was watching them in hushed anticipation.

At last, Lawrence spoke.

“There are three things I want to say.”

“Y-Yes? Please, go ahead!”

“First. The person you called a Barbaroi, Count Agron, is someone with whom I have personally formed a feudal contract. I, a rightful authority of this kingdom, made this contract. Are you, a mere baron, questioning and belittling it?”

“N-No! I had no idea!”

News among nobles could travel quickly or slowly, depending on the nature of the information. Bad news spread fast, while good news often took forever to be acknowledged.

The news of the Count and Countess of Veilain’s deaths had spread rapidly, yet the fact that the new head had met with royalty was barely known.

Moreover, at that time, Lawrence’s standing in the kingdom had been so poor that no central noble had paid him any attention.

“And second. Is eating monster meat truly wrong? Only great warriors even have the opportunity to try it. Have you, who hold a knight’s title, ever fought properly on a battlefield?”

Fabia shut his mouth, unable to answer.

As Lawrence pointed out, while Fabia had been knighted by Count Copellus, he had rarely acted as a knight.

At most, when bandits appeared in his territory, he would hire knights and mercenaries to subdue them. He had never wielded a sword himself.

“And third.”

Lawrence twisted his lips into a smirk as he glared at Fabia, who lay prostrate before him.

“The one who actually slew the Troll Warrior was Count Agron, you bastard.”

“W-What…?”

With those words, every noble’s gaze turned to Agron.

Upon closer inspection, his thickly muscled arms, broad chest, and imposing shoulders were evident even beneath his formal attire.

Some noble ladies covered their mouths, their faces once again turning red as they observed him more closely.

When rumors spread that the Third Prince had slain a Troll Warrior, no one in high society had truly believed it.

Especially those who knew Lawrence’s usual temperament and behavior.

The royal family had deliberately publicized the Troll Warrior incident under Lawrence’s name rather than Agron’s to elevate his status.

There had also been secret negotiations between the royal family and Agron.

Thanks to the Troll Warrior incident, Lawrence had taken a small but significant step toward being a viable candidate for the throne. As a result, he felt indebted to Agron.

That was the main reason he had attended this banquet.

“A mere baron dares to fabricate lies about a count, slander him outright, and mock him so openly?”

“I-I'm sorry, Your Highness! Please forgive me!”

“I’ll be sure to inform the king about today’s events so he can pass the message to Count Copellus.”

“Y-Your Highness!”

“Hunts! Throw this bastard out immediately!”

At Lawrence’s command, Hunts and the royal knights ruthlessly dragged Baron Fabia out of the castle.

“Tsk, can I finally eat and drink in peace now?”

“As much as you’d like.”

Agron looked at him with a faint smile.

***

Although there had been some commotion, the banquet became even livelier after the Third Prince’s appearance.

Many disliked Baron Fabia for his frequent arrogant remarks, which he made while hiding behind Count Copellus.

Furthermore, Lawrence was more adept at socializing than combat, making him skilled at maintaining the atmosphere.

After chatting with various nobles for a while, Lawrence approached Agron, looking a little weary.

“Hey, the king wants to see you.”

“Me?”

Lawrence stabbed his dessert with a fork and took a bite before answering.

“He’s curious to see what kind of person could rip apart a Troll Warrior.”

“If you hold it down with one hand and pull with the other, it tears apart easily.”

“…Most people don’t rip trolls apart like that.”

Lawrence shook his head and turned his gaze elsewhere.

At that moment, a familiar figure approached.

“Greetings, Your Highness the Third Prince.”

“Oh… Right. Were you invited to this banquet as well?”

The man was certainly a central noble.

Most of the nobles attending this banquet were based in the southern regions.

“I was not invited. I had no prior connection with Count Agron. Pleased to meet you, Count Agron.”

Agron grasped the man’s outstretched hand.

“Hmm.”

Through the handshake, he could sense the man’s strength.

“I am Baron Wolfgang von Wolfert.”

The royal family’s greatest warrior and one of the kingdom’s most renowned knights, Wolfgang, loomed like a bear, his eyes gleaming.