Benjamin walked towards the door but paused when the Duke said, "Benjamin… make sure to persuade him into accepting it. It's better to have him complete or fail the task given rather than kill him outright for being a nuisance."
The old man nodded and exited the room.
He approached the area where Estefan was. The young man sat in front of the glass wall that overlooked the entire city. They were still inside the stadium. In his hands was a large glass filled with purple nectar made from fruits and fragrant flowers.
The city was massive. It was beautiful as it was designed incredibly well thought-out. The elegant architecture, perfectly placed structures, and roadways ensured travel was as smooth as possible. The city used carriages powered by engines that ran on liquefied mana extracted from mana stones mined in the eastern part of the Kingdom.
The carriages which looked like it required horses but it doesn't and the coachman sits on the open front while steering the carriage through a mana spell which can be touched and used like a steering wheel. This vehicle is mostly seen on the big cities while on the villages the horse is primarily used instead of expensive mana based engines.
"I suppose you're here to tell me my father's master plan to get rid of me." Estefan said, still staring out the window. Benjamin hadn't made a sound, yet the young master noticed him without seeing or hearing him.
Benjamin hid his amazement at Estefan's newly developed abilities. "You're incorrect." He replied. "I'm here to tell you that you've been given a new title and position, along with a role and a task to fulfill."
Estefan laughed out loud while slapping his thighs. "My father is truly funny… he claims that I'm an imposter at first and then casted me out, only to realize I was real all along and then offers me something to shut me up…"
He turned his gaze toward Benjamin. The old man felt a chill down his spine. Estefan didn't look pleased as his expression was cold, his red eyes dead and sharp like a sword prompting Benjamin to break eye contact and he bowed his head.
"Old man." Estefan said, "I won't accept anything except being named his heir. I mean… after all, I am his heir, his eldest son. That's all I want. And after I kill him… oops, I mean after he mysteriously dies one day I'll succeed him."
Benjamin knew those words were no joke but they were clearly a warning not just to him but to the Duke since he will be reporting every word spoken by Estefan to the Duke..
The old man spoke, trying to make Estefan understand and accept the Duke's offer, "Young Master, what the lord offers is a chance for you to prove yourself."
"Oh please." Estefan scoffed. "Prove myself? I believe I did that when I defeated that weak knight. Or did he want to see me crush his favorite knight, Mason?"
Estefan knew Mason was the Grandmaster but he was given that title by the Duke who found Mason to be his favourite knight at first and even now Mason is still a Knight who had an additional title which grants him power to command the Angeras knights.
Benjamin continued, ignoring Estefan's provocations. "This is better than fighting. You'll be named the Baron of Rammstein and tasked with removing all illegal elements from the city and then restoring it to its former glory."
Estefan paused, thinking that it seemed too good to be true, especially from a man who called him an imposter and abandoned both him and his mother.
"That's suspicious." He said. "I mean, that guy literally called me an imposter minutes ago… Now he wants me to take care of one of his cities? Especially a city he failed to look after since the entire reason why illegal elements exist in Rammstein is thanks to my father's negligence."
The old man was surprised. Estefan shouldn't have known such details, especially given that he lived in a secluded manor, cut off from external news.
"Don't be surprised." Estefan said after seeing the Old man's expression. "I know a lot about my father. And about you, old man."
"About me?" Benjamin asked due to how he was surprised by those words.
"Yes." Estefan continued. "Like how you were the one who brought my mother here."
"I don't understand?" Benjamin said with a confused expression after hearing Estefan's words.
Estefan stood and faced him. "You owe me an explanation."
Benjamin sighed. "Young Master, I - "
"No need to hide it from me." Estefan interrupted. "Just explain. I deserve to know more than anyone, more than you as well yet you know so tell me."
"Who told you about this?" Benjamin asked.
"You don't need to know that." Estefan replied with a snicker. "What matters now is that you tell me why you brought my mother here."
The old man sighed again, rubbing his wrist as he was clearly stressed. "I'll tell you. You're right. You deserve to know what happened, why it happened, and who your mother really was. But I'll only tell you… after you accept your father's task and succeed in it."
Estefan chuckled. "I'm being challenged by an old man." He turned back to the glass wall.
"Very well. I'll do it. But remember your promise or I'll make you remember. And I hope you make me, because it would be fun watching you choke it out."
Benjamin felt worry creeping in. Estefan had once been an innocent child, but now he was speaking about murder without flinching.
Estefan turned back. "Oh, don't give me that look." He said with disgust. "You people made me this way. Now, I'll make every single one of you feel the same pain I felt… no, a hundred times more. That would be the best form of retaliation, don't you think?"
Benjamin understood since he had been part of Estefan's suffering too, organizing his slow starvation under the Duke's orders. He had no excuse, so he simply excused himself to deliver Estefan's acceptance to the Duke.
Estefan watched him leave. His smile faded. He stood there, emotionless, sipping from his glass.
"Just a bit more." He whispered, savoring the taste of the nectar. "Just a bit more."
[To be Continued]