Chapter 33 ─ Evil Lord
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It's time to get to know about the first villain of the novel.

Actually, I feel he reminds me a bit of Klein, and you? In case you don't know him, Klein is a minor villain from vol 1 to vol 3 of my novel Ixion.

No doubt you will like what will happen in the future regarding him.

"Listen well Calvin."

A beautiful day like any other.

Birds were singing merrily and farm animals were being tended to give their profits to the farmers.

A large territory the size of a village which was known as the Principality of Frazier.

It was the setting where a certain eight-year-old boy was receiving an important lesson from his grandfather.

"I will tell you the reason why we must take back our kingdom."

The boy nodded sitting on his grandfather's lap.

Who took out a pipe and after lighting it told him the story of his family.

"We Frazier’s were originally from the Brune Kingdom."

"They were never called like that, they were just one of the two ducal families that served to protect us in crisis."

"Our ancestors were great men and women who gave everything for the country. Even our wealth and treasures were given to the people to help give them a morsel of food."

"We used every penny to help them get ahead in life."

"What do you think of that?"

Little Calvin replied without hesitation.

"I think that's too magnificent Grandpa. We help a lot of people."

"Hehehe. That's right, but what do you think?"

"We were royalty, we had a need to pay taxes to the empire."

"After all, the empire declared itself as the ultimate ruler of the world. Every nation had to serve them by paying them a small tax of 1000 gold coins per year."

"For that reason they sent us a letter, the content was short but very clear."

"The name 'von' used by the nobles was eliminated. Even those who could call themselves 'van' were not allowed."

"According to the letter, this was necessary to preserve the royal blood of the country. We didn't understand the reason, but we didn't care."

His grandfather took off his pipe to exhale the smoke and then resumed smoking.

"Based on that lawsuit, we had to ask for back the money we gave to the citizens. it's the fair thing to do isn't it?"

"Get back what you give, and added a small percentage of value added so you earn a little more."

"It was normal that... but then we saw that that town was just a bunch of bastards."

Calvin noticed that his grandfather was so angry he was biting down hard on his pipe.

"We asked them nicely to give us our money back."

"What do you think they said? They refused! Those dirty nobles and peasants preferred to lie and treat us like thieves!"

"The taxes of the empire had to be paid at all costs! That's why there was no choice but to take it by force."

"Land, cattle, farms, healthy women, children, young men. Everything that could be sold we took to pay for."

"We did it in time... it was no use."

"At that time, those filthy Brune's, whom we considered as our brothers since to be a duke you must possess blood of a prince without inheritance or a princess."

"Those bastards convinced families like Catley and Harvey, even got the Asheton’s and Eisenberg’s to join them."

"Our only ally also betrayed us."

Calvin's grandfather, revealed a detail from the game that was never added.

"The Redblade were our shield, but they burned the castle and we had to flee coming to this place."

Calvin was squeezed hard on the shoulders by his grandfather.

"Don't forget Calvin! Brune is not to be spared!"

"The Kingdom is just a nest of vermin that must pay when we return."

"We must return and take back our land. Then we must annihilate our enemies."

"I am sure that with you, that dream will come true."

"You must become a wicked lord in order to make it come true!"

"The blood of the Frazier’s demands vengeance! All these years living in this pigsty must stop! It is your duty as the next head of the Frazier’s!"

For Calvin, those words echoed in his head.

He nodded and looked proudly at his grandfather.

"I promise Grandpa, I will make our family proud."

"I will take back what is ours and I will take revenge on our enemies."

His grandfather patted his head.

"Hehe, what a good boy. I know you will, let's go get some candy."

"Yes!"

It was thus, the monster feared by many, Calvin, the evil lord, was born.

◇◇◇

Now as an adult.

A newly awakened Calvin stared with revulsion at the ceiling of his room.

He usually didn't as it was embarrassing to remember that they couldn't enjoy the luxuries that others have.

His room should be decorated with huge portraits, expensive vases, precious jewelry.

Beautiful women on his bed covered in silk with gold ruffles and a glass of wine every morning.

This was how he imagined his life as a king, but in his room, which was bigger than a peasant's house, but smaller than a poor nobleman's room in the Kingdom.

It made him angry to remember.

He had heard that maids came to dress him and change his clothes every morning, in the evenings they bathed him and someone was in charge of cleaning his private parts, even feeding him.

Calvin wanted that, wanted to feel like an important man.

But he dressed himself.

In regular priced clothes that he gets from merchants of regular reputation and not from high merchants.

As he changed, he left the room.

◇◇◇

He walked through the corridors where there was only a red carpet of a rough feeling because of how cheap it was.

His castle was just a large mansion.

Servants were few, they couldn't even cover the minimum which was 200, with barely 80 he had under his command.

His knights wore worn or rusted armor, they had to demand the blacksmiths to fix them and not waste anything.

He arrived at the dining room after a short time.

There he found one of his sons sitting waiting for the food.

It was the eldest son, his pride, his heir, someone he loved so much that the instant he saw him, he went to embrace him and tell him how much he loved him.

"Good morning, my beloved son."

"Good morning, Father. Did you rise in a good mood?"

"No. But seeing you fills me with so much joy that I would never feel bad."

Calvin looked lovingly at his son.

A 24-year-old of average height, eyes and hair inherited from his father with a fringe on the left side.

He is Howard von Frazier, the crown prince of the principality.

Calvin sat in his chair which he called a throne.

"Okay. What's for breakfast?"

His father asked, Howard answered.

"Bean soup and broccoli with fish."

Calvin made a face of distaste at that menu.

"Same thing again. I want meat, can't you prepare it?"

"I agree with you father. But it was Henry who said not to eat meat since according to him, killing a pig or cow a day would decrease their numbers and we would run out of livestock. How stupid."

"You are right my son. So what do you say we go get our food?"

Calvin smiled at his son, Howard nodded.

They were going to go get their own food.

◇◇◇

After about fifteen minutes had passed, Calvin and Howard arrived at a nearby village on the borders of Brune.

There some farmers saw them and immediately mistook them for bandits.

They could not call for help because they were far from some fiefdom.

They lived hidden near a forest so it was impossible to be located.

Calvin located them since he was bred to catch small prey when he wanted to eat meat.

Seeing how the villagers who were women and elders, he frowned angrily.

"What's wrong with these old people?"

"Maybe they consider us bandits."

"Us? That's insulting!"

Calvin snapped angrily.

He'd only come to demand pork, but now knowing they saw them as mere bandits.

"These guys are part of our domain. They must pay for it."

"Do they form it?"

"Of course they are."

"Everything a Frazier touches belongs to him! So my son, you must understand that when we return to our native home, you will have a different upbringing when you are the next king."

"I understand father. Let's make them pay."

"Exactly."

Calvin smiled and drew his sword from his waist.

"Listen up everyone! Change of plans, kill the old and sick, the women and children as any young ones who have been sold to Gabino. Get ready to eat meat after this!"

"Roger!"

Shouted the soldiers as they drew their swords and began to chase the villagers.

Calvin pulled an apple out of his pocket, popped it into his mouth.

He was doing it to kill time.

His son was asking him questions as heart-rending screams rang out from the front.

"Father, was it necessary to kill them?"

"We won't kill them all Howard. You see, every human being who is not royalty or nobility and even the child of a knight is known as a commoner."

"Commoners exist for the sake of nobles, which exist to support royalty."

"That is, commoners are obligated to serve royalty."

Howard's eyes twinkled at those words from his father.

"I understand father. It's another of your great teachings."

"By the way..."

Howard pointed to a woman being tied up and placed near other women.

"That commoner over there looks very beautiful. May I possess her?"

Calvin reproached him.

"Of course not. Don't you understand how important your blood is?"

"Others may soil their blood, but you're royalty."

"You are a Frazier. Therefore, your blood is too important to hand out to any slut out there."

Howard looked at him a little confused.

"But Father, isn't Henry the product of you and a commoner?"

Calvin swallowed saliva as he looked away before answering.

"That's because I was a fool. My father forced me to take that child after the woman died in childbirth, forced me to take care of him since he was part of a Frazier."

"He told me that we should only look for women when we want descendants. So, it is normal for you to use your wife a lot, your mother was a good woman, but she was not a coward and took her own life when she found out she would have our second child."

Calvin became angry with his deceased wife after he abused her so much that she took her own life to spare the creature inside her the same fate.

"Tch. Miserable peasant girl."

"Anyway, now that they're done. Let's get everything home."

Calvin half turned and Howard gave the signal.

"All of you! We're retiring home, let's go."

They marched victoriously home.

◇◇◇

In one of the farms belonging to the principality.

A young man was making a collection of things.

"The soil is wet. That's not good if you want to sow."

"I recommend harvesting in a more separate place, there are vegetables that grow in wet areas and what you want to harvest will not grow here."

"I understand, thank you very much."

"Your welcome, it's my job as the second prince."

He is plain looking boy with hair like blue eyes was Calvin's second son, Henry von Frazier.

Henry from the time he was a boy, was always different from his father.

That was because he was raised by the butler who took care of the whole place.

His grandfather and his grandfather's father were lazy men, the butler had to take care of everything and that's how he learned to run the place.

Henry grew up with the affection he never received from his family.

Neither his father nor brother liked him, in fact, they said it to his face.

"You're just a royal-blooded desperfect."

His older brother just repeated what his father said, so both his father and brother hurt him by what they said about him.

But after that, he was always comforted by the butler.

Who secretly was his mother's father, meaning his grandfather.

But if he told him, the others would find out and Calvin would think he was trying to turn him against him, resulting in Henry's death.

So, until the day he died.

He gave love to Henry as if he was his father, taught him everything he should know as a ruler in case brother died.

Even of economics, agriculture and treaty with neighboring nobles or kingdoms.

It is even thanks to that old man that during the time of Calvin's grandfather's rule as well as with his father.

The principality was never in danger even though they were always looking for fights as they were foolish men.

The butler on the day he died of natural causes asked Henry one thing.

"Live with your head held high. You are more worthy to be king than any of those incompetents you call father and brother."

"Remember well, a royal ruler is one who knows his people as if they were his own body. And you must make sure that everyone recognizes you in case your brother or father seek the wrath of the people."

After saying those words, the old man died.

Henry was 10 years old at the time, now that he was 22 years old at the time.

He decided to honor that butler's words almost exactly.

But he was wrong about one thing.

Henry didn't hate his father or brother.

Reading about royalty, he understood why they despised him.

He was the son of a mistress, if he had been born in the womb of Calvin's wife, he would be loved by his family.

It was what he thought to this day.

Reminiscing a bit about the past, an escort would ask Henry.

"Henry-sama. Aren't you being too kind to the peasants?"

To which Henry replied smiling.

"As I said, I am the second prince, if my father or brother won't watch over anyone, I must do it."

The escort is a knight who grew up with Henry.

There are many who grew up with him and feel that this kind-hearted man deserves to be the true heir.

After all, it was Henry who a year ago said something no one had wanted to say to the Frazier’s.

"Shouldn't we end this Brune feud already?"

"It's ridiculous that after so many years of not being able to take the country, we should forget about it and focus on expanding ourselves. This territory has a lot of resources to exploit, I would even say they are better than the Brune's."

With those words, they would put an end to the Frazier’s' ridiculous desire to reclaim their native home.

And as Henry said, the principality's territory is much better than Brune's.

So in a couple of years or decades, they might even be superior in everything.

They could even stop selling their men as mercenaries and be able to produce their own products.

Saying that, immediately his father slapped him hard calling him an idiot.

"Stupid son! How dare you even think that?"

"That land is our home from the beginning! We must go back and take it back!"

"Don't you understand, you're a Frazier and you have no love for your land that was taken from you by those filthy traitors!"

"You big idiot!"

Calvin slapped Henry hard for saying such a profanity.

But he didn't care.

Henry persisted with the same thing.

Henry wished to end the conflict, wished to achieve peace between the principality and the Kingdom.

But... his father would not allow it.

The vicious cycle of hatred would repeat itself until one of them died.

For that reason, Henry had to try to convince his father to forget about it and focus on developing his own territory.

From talking to the villagers, Henry knows that everyone hates the Frazier’s but him.

Most of Calvin's knights are mercenaries, bandits and criminals hired to serve him.

The rest are poor knight families or peasants-turned-soldiers.

Unlike the game, this detail was never known.

Not even the importance of Henry in wanting to end all that hatred, in the game Henry died off camera and mentioned only once.

But in this world it is different.

He was a real person.

After arriving at the castle, the servants greeted him with a smile.

Which was rare for the other members of the family.

He went to the hall to have breakfast.

There he found his father and brother eating roast pork.

He immediately became angry.

"Tou-sama! Nii-sama! What are you doing?"

Upon seeing him, Howard snapped back at him.

"What, but it's just Henry? Can' t you see we're having breakfast?"

"That's the problem! Didn't I tell you not to kill animals for food?"

Howard pointed his fork at him.

"Yeah, we heard that. But what do you think? These animals aren't from the farm."

"Where did they get them then?"

Calvin was the one who answered.

"We went to a distant territory and took it as payment for those disrespectful ones. You want a leg? It's juicy."

Henry broke out in a sweat at that.

"F-Father. May I know what you mean by 'payment for disrespectful'?"

Without hesitating or even looking at him to see, Calvin told him something that horrified him.

"We kill them, only the old and sick. The rest would be sold into slavery."

Henry wanted to vomit at hearing the cruelty his brother and father did just to satisfy his whim.

"It's horrible..."

"It isn't. It tastes great."

Howard replied thinking it was the food he was referring to.

It was a normal day in the principality.

Under the roof of the evil lord Calvin.

At that, a messenger arrived.

"I'm sorry to disturb you my lord. But I have an important announcement to tell you."

"Go ahead."

Calvin told him as he yanked the meat off the pig's bone.

The messenger said after getting up.

"The chief court magician. Diethard-dono arrived with news."

Calvin stood up.

"Rodman has arrived at last! That's good."

Calvin went with the messenger to go see Diethard.

Howard resumed his breakfast while Henry.

"I'm really sorry. I'm so sorry."

He apologized to the dead.

____________

Tou-san: Respectful way of saying father. Used only here so you know how he tells him.

Nii-san: Means big brother in a very respectful way, same as above.

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