That explained Duke Xilong's unprompted show of favor from earlier.
This Duke, whose days were numbered, had convened this banquet for the sole purpose of putting the matter of succession on the table. However, despite there being other heirs, he wanted to name a woman as his successor—a move certain to face fierce opposition from his vassals. Thus, he had to use someone else to make his case.
And Levi, powerless and with no backing, having just been personally knighted by Miss Liya, was clearly the most suitable choice.
First, as a new vassal of the Iseley Clan, he hadn't yet joined any faction. His words would seem more authentic, whereas anything said by the other lords would inevitably be seen as biased.
Second, the first person to speak up—regardless of whether they supported or denied Miss Liya's right to inherit—was bound to offend some faction of lords. It was a thankless task. And since Levi happened to have neither power nor influence, Duke Xilong couldn't care less about offending him.
Third, while the Old Duke was on his deathbed, he was still the Duke. Furthermore, his earlier gestures of goodwill toward Levi were not made for nothing. He was confident he knew exactly which side Levi would take.
Most of the lords were caught completely off guard by the Old Duke's words, their faces masks of astonishment. But the Old Duke had played his gambit perfectly, and thus, all eyes fell upon Levi.
Half the lords in the great hall looked at Levi encouragingly, urging him to speak his mind—a complete reversal of their earlier attitude.
The other half, however, stared at him coldly, as if ready to pounce and tear him to shreds should he utter a single wrong word.
The most malicious glare came from a blonde Noble Lady beside the Old Duke. She was holding a boy of about seven or eight in her lap, who was, evidently, the second in line for the succession.
Levi had instantly become the target for all sides.
'Damned old fox,' Levi cursed inwardly.
'I've been well and truly played.'
Glancing at Damon Isely, who was rumored to covet the ducal title, Levi noticed that the Highland Golden Lion seemed only slightly surprised by the Old Duke's move, showing no other reaction.
He simply sipped the Golden Wine from his goblet, looking for all the world like a spectator at a play.
Noticing Levi's gaze, he even raised his glass in a small toast, a slight smile on his lips.
Levi found it hard to gauge whether this Rogue Knight still harbored any ambitions for the title.
From the head of the table, Duke Xilong was starting to look impatient.
'He's so sure he has me, treating me like a pawn.'
But Levi had no intention of playing along. An idea sparked in his mind.
He first bowed to the Old Duke, then turned his gaze to Damon.
"Whether Miss Liya is capable of inheriting the title, I do not know. But there is no doubt that the valiant Lord Damon is the most suitable candidate, both in terms of capability and right of succession."
At this, a faint smile touched Levi's lips as he looked around at the stunned nobles. "On this point, I doubt there is a single vassal of the Iseley Clan who would disagree."
His words stunned the crowd, yet no one could voice a rebuttal.
To do so would mean offending Damon Isely, and nobody wanted to get on the wrong side of the impulsive, hot-tempered Rogue Knight.
Moreover, in terms of succession, ever since Duke Xilong's only son had died during the Lizardman uprising, his younger brother, Damon Isely, was unquestionably the rightful heir.
And Damon, with his iron fist, was more than capable of ruling the entire Southern Territory.
Even Damon was surprised to hear Levi say such a thing, but he seemed utterly unbothered by Levi's attempt to shift the trouble onto him. He even quipped in front of everyone:
"That's right, I am my older brother's most suitable heir!"
It was a truth he himself believed with absolute conviction.
"Shut up!"
Damon's smug declaration enraged Duke Xilong, who roared in fury.
"You will address me as 'Your Grace'!"
His gaunt body trembled with rage. His leonine eyes, old but fierce, fixed on his younger brother. He was like an old lion on the verge of death, mustering its last shred of authority.
Duke Xilong had recalled Damon from the border, thinking his brother had finally seen reason and turned over a new leaf. He never imagined he would still be so incorrigible.
"I should never have recalled you from the border, only for you to try and snatch this damned title!"
The Old Duke panted, his voice laced with venom.
Having been mercilessly berated by Duke Xilong in front of everyone, Damon felt he had lost face. His temper flared, and he angrily smashed his goblet to the floor.
"You just want me to stay on that damned border, keeping company with those foul-smelling Lizardmen day in and day out, just to keep me away from Kolon!"
"You know damn well I'm the most suitable heir!"
"But instead, you want to let a woman who only has half of the Iseley Clan's Bloodline inherit the title!"
"And why should I let you inherit the title?!" Duke Xilong demanded, panting for breath.
"Because I am your brother! We share the same Bloodline!"
Damon growled, finally venting years of pent-up resentment.
"And you... you want to let a bitch succeed you!"
"She is not a bitch! She is your own nephew's only daughter! You are her great-uncle!"
The two men faced off, roaring at each other in a furious confrontation. They paid no mind to the scores of vassals watching, looking for all the world like a pair of common shrews from Debei.
Watching the two tear into each other, Levi, who had retreated to the back of the crowd, was secretly dumbfounded.
'He hadn't expected his gambit to shift the blame would be this effective.'
Now all eyes were on Duke Xilong and his brother; no one was paying any more attention to a "little nobody" like him.
In truth, Levi hadn't expected Damon to so readily agree with him, but it had instantly ignited the long-simmering conflict between the two brothers.
As their argument grew more heated, the already frail Duke Xilong suddenly gaped, unable to utter a single word, managing only a ragged "GASP... GASP..." sound.
Finally, he collapsed back into his chair, his eyes vacant.
Everyone was horrified by the sight.
"Your Grace!"
"Quick, fetch Grandmaster Panto!"
Everyone scrambled to rush forward and check on him, but they were stopped by the White-robed Iron Guard posted on either side, who were preventing any potential assassins from using the chaos as cover.
Meanwhile, the massive guardsman who seemed to have Giant Bloodline quickly lifted Duke Xilong and carried him toward the rear chambers.
"Brother."
Watching Duke Xilong collapse, Damon's expression grew complex, a flicker of worry in his eyes.
He tried to follow, but several members of the Iron Guard blocked his path.
With Duke Xilong's collapse, the banquet came to an abrupt and inconclusive end.
Levi seized the opportunity to slip away unnoticed, his part in the chaos done.
...
"Sir, your sword."
As soon as he stepped through the large double doors, one of the loyal White-robed Iron Guard members, who had been standing guard, respectfully presented his sword to him with both hands.
"Nice work. If you ever find you can't make a living in Kolon, come find me in the Northern Lands."
Satisfied, Levi patted the White-robed Iron Guard on the shoulder and hung the sword back at his waist.
Without a second thought for what the Iron Guard might be thinking, Levi strode off toward his room.
As the founder of a brand-new, ragtag operation, his team currently consisted of just him... and a certain lovable lunkhead.
So, for now, the strategy was to cast a wide net.
It didn't matter if he could actually poach anyone yet. As long as he left some bait, he'd come out ahead if even one or two took the hook.
The main idea was to cast the net first and worry about the rest later.