novelraw Chapter 109 : Chapter 109
Chapter 109 : Chapter 109
Chapter 109. Horentz Marcano
Yohan headed for the Marcano estate in time for lunch.
A carriage bearing the crescent moon crest halted before a stately mansion.
Inside the carriage, Haman spoke.
“My lord, we’ve arrived. Please wait a moment.”
He stepped down and approached the front gate.
After exchanging a few words with the guards on duty, the massive iron gate slowly swung open.
Haman returned to the carriage.
Yohan looked at him through the window and said,
“Go on ahead. I’ll see you back at the mansion.”
His private meeting with Horentz could take quite a while.
There was no need for Haman to wait around here.
Haman bowed.
“As you wish. Have a pleasant time, my lord.”
The carriage moved again.
It passed through the gates and entered the Marcano estate.
Yohan gazed quietly out the window.
‘Just like in the novel.’
—The Marcano family abhors ‘splendor.’
In the original work, their house had always been described that way.
Frugal. Dignified. Never luxurious. Modest. Such words always emphasized their thrift.
The description was accurate.
What he saw through the window was plain to the extreme.
The wide garden bore no ornaments at all.
Its beauty was expressed purely through the placement of trees and plants.
Buildings here and there were built for utility rather than appearance.
Walls made only of neatly cut stone, roofs covered in sturdy slate resistant to wind and rain.
The overall look of the mansion was simple.
But it didn’t look impoverished.
Everything harmonized together to emphasize “frugality.”
‘So very Marcano.’
They cared deeply about public perception.
They never showed even a hint of extravagance.
It was an obsession.
The Marcanos had wealth, but not legitimacy.
Their family history was too short.
It hadn’t even been a hundred years since they were granted a noble surname.
A family of lowly merchants—that was the tag that followed them.
No matter how hard they tried, it never disappeared.
The moment they indulged in any luxury, they were mocked as vulgar.
Marcano must never be splendid. The more they flaunted wealth, the more vulgar they became.
Even now, as members of the Council, they could not escape the limits of their origin.
So they were forced to embrace austerity.
That was the Marcano family’s deficiency.
And Yohan could fill that lack.
The Miyatro name was one of the most noble in the continent.
In matters of “legitimacy” and “nobility,” few families could compare.
Yohan possessed what the Marcanos most longed for.
The two houses could be excellent partners.
Each filling the other’s void.
As he sank into such thoughts, the carriage suddenly halted.
The coachman spoke.
“My lord, we’ve arrived.”
A knock came, and the carriage door swung open.
A middle-aged man in a brown fur coat stood outside.
He smiled warmly.
“Welcome, Sir Yohan.”
There was no doubt who it was.
Horentz von Marcano. His appearance matched the description from the novel perfectly.
Narrow slit eyes, sleek black hair neatly tied, and simple attire. Anyone who had read the novel would instantly recognize him.
Yohan stepped down from the carriage and spoke.
“It is an honor to meet you, Viscount Marcano.”
Horentz extended his hand.
Yohan clasped it, and they exchanged a handshake.
“You recognized me right away.”
“As they say, it’s hard not to recognize a handsome man.”
Horentz truly was good-looking. His impression was very pleasant.
He smiled brightly.
“And the Watcher of the Abyss is just as the rumors say. Dignity at such a young age, and a spirit one cannot easily grasp.”
His narrow eyes curved as he looked at Yohan.
His smile had the power to make people feel good.
Horentz always wore that face when meeting others.
He always wore a mask.
Yohan knew his true nature well.
‘A fox of a man.’
Behind the smile, Horentz was always calculating.
He was a man who worked tirelessly to charm and devour others.
And his approach worked.
His track record proved it.
Building on deep insight into people, Horentz had risen from humble origins to where he stood now.
His daughter Serena’s Heart-Piercing Eyes had helped, but Horentz himself was highly capable.
At least, that was how the original story depicted him.
Yohan responded with a calm smile.
“Your compliments are too much. I can only thank you for your welcome.”
“Not at all. I’m embarrassed we made so little preparation. I didn’t expect the Watcher of the Abyss to visit so soon. Ha! But don’t mistake me, I don’t mean to complain.”
Yohan had gone to the Marcanos almost immediately upon arriving in the capital.
No doubt Horentz had been surprised.
Yohan spoke.
“I wanted to meet you as quickly as possible. There is something I must say.”
“My, when the Watcher of the Abyss says he has something to say, that makes me a little nervous. Shall we talk over a light meal?”
There was no nervousness in his face.
Horentz was still smiling serenely.
Yohan nodded.
“Good. I was hungry anyway.”
“Then let us go. I’ll show you to the dining hall.”
They proceeded inside.
***
The dining table was set with several neat dishes.
Neither poor nor extravagant.
Simple yet more than adequate to receive a guest.
It was precisely Marcano style.
Horentz wore an apologetic expression.
“There isn’t much, but please enjoy.”
Yohan smiled gently.
“Not at all. For me this is a feast. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the South’s condition, but the famine has been terrible. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had a table like this.”
He wasn’t just being polite.
He meant it.
The Miyatro domain was desperately poor now.
On top of Grian’s tyranny, a sudden famine had brought misery.
Yohan hadn’t even collected taxes this year.
In truth, he was little more than a beggar.
Without Count Staviana’s support, he couldn’t even have come to the capital.
Horentz looked pained.
“It truly breaks my heart. That land should be most blessed by the Great Saint, yet it is withering away. Someday the Great Saint will surely take pity. Saint Marziel.”
Yohan looked at him steadily, then spoke evenly.
“The Great Saint does not hear our prayers.”
He uttered blasphemy without hesitation.
Horentz’s face stiffened slightly.
He seemed somewhat taken aback.
Silence lingered.
After a moment, Horentz smiled again.
“His ears are always open. Someday he will grant all our wishes.”
Yohan muttered inwardly.
‘Doesn’t take the bait so easily.’
He had spoken blasphemy for one reason:
To skip all pretense and get straight to the point.
Horentz did not believe in the Great Saint.
He wasn’t a heretic, of course.
He simply lacked faith.
Horentz despised the class system the Great Saint had created, valuing only skill and ability.
If not for the restrictions of birth, Horentz would have been respected by all.
Of course, he could never say such a thing aloud.
Yohan spoke.
“My words were harsh. Forgive me. I only meant that instead of endlessly waiting for the Saint’s grace, we must work to overcome our own misfortune.”
Horentz mulled over his words and slowly nodded.
“In that, I agree. The Great Saint also taught us not to despair in hardship, but to carve out our own fate.”
He likely truly sympathized with Yohan’s sentiment.
Yohan said,
“Exactly. And that is why I am here.”
He was ready to move to the main point.
Horentz sensed his intent.
His narrow eyes curved thinner still.
With a smile, he said,
“So the Watcher of the Abyss has something to ask of me.”
Yohan answered at once.
“I need the Marcano family’s support and backing.”
He didn’t mince words.
He was utterly direct.
Few nobles spoke like that.
Nobles usually wrapped their desires in fancy words and hid their true intentions.
They considered that a noble virtue.
Yohan was different. He hated circling around. It wasn’t in his nature.
Horentz found it fascinating.
“You are so direct, then I will also be frank.”
“Please do.”
Horentz’s narrow eyes opened slightly wider.
A sharp light flashed from them.
“And what will the Watcher of the Abyss give me in return?”
Yohan was very pleased by that question.
With a calm face, he said,
“Myself.”
Horentz fell into silence.
Then, after a pause, he spoke.
“You mean to become the Marcano family’s son-in-law?”
As expected, Horentz was a man who could follow his meaning.
Yohan smiled calmly.
“Yes. The Marcano family will stand beside the Miyatro family, sharing the sacred duty of watching the Abyss.”
The Marcanos lacked honor and authority.
Even with their mountains of gold, they could not buy genuine respect and reverence.
Because in all their history, they had never once borne a sacred duty.
The Marcanos were nothing more than the treasury of the royal family.
If someone amassed greater wealth, the royal family could simply change treasuries.
Horentz knew this well.
He said,
“……A rather sudden proposal.”
He had not expected Yohan to suggest marriage.
No Council family wanted to share blood with the Marcanos.
Merchant families were considered base.
But Yohan was different.
Or at least, appeared different.
There could, of course, be other motives or schemes.
After all, he was still a noble of an old family.
They were skilled at concealing their true intentions.
Yohan studied Horentz’s expression and spoke.
“You don’t need to decide now. I’ll give you time.”
Horentz was silent for a long while.
At last he said slowly,
“I’d like to ask my daughter’s opinion. Would you care to meet her? Right now, in fact.”
Yohan chuckled softly.
‘So that’s how it is.’
He shrugged and said,
“Fine. But only on one condition.”
“And that is?”
Yohan’s face grew calm.
“Please tell your daughter this: not to use her Heart-Piercing Eyes on me.”
At that, Horentz’s face froze.
Almost no one in the world knew of Serena’s Heart-Piercing Eyes.