Dear Broom Knight.

Chapter 976 The Covered Booklet
Antirochus brought his sister from afar, even climbing mountains at great personal cost, all so that their lives wouldn't be reduced to a pursuit of power.

Having inherited family traditions, they actually had more than one place to escape to than Emilia City.

After all, although their family was the loser in the power struggle, the nobles had finally come to their senses after so long of life-and-death battles and no longer tried to eliminate them completely as they had in the past.

There's no way around it; after losing the protection of the king's covenant, there is no such thing as an eternally indestructible family.

The emergence of a powerful figure may bring about a bloodbath... but his descendants may also be completely wiped out as a result.

Therefore, the nobles eventually reached a certain tacit understanding.

When the dukes bowed as they stepped down, they were spared if their underage children swore to leave the duchy forever.

As for the adults, they're basically beyond saving... They have to fight to the very end before they can accept defeat!

Although Antirochus and his sister were also the children of the Grand Duke, they were not favored.

That's not surprising.

If someone possesses supreme power in a duchy, yet can still be overthrown by his subordinates, the only reason would be that he is too weak.

Not only are their talents and intelligence mediocre, but stronger individuals are also emerging.

To ensure their rule, the only way was to choose marriage alliances.

And the families that can be interested in such a duke must also have some shortcomings... The power struggles in the duchy do not involve indirect methods, and do not require the means of first arranging a marriage and then changing the name.

Everyone was straightforward and killed directly.

The only ones who are pitiful are those who are unloved by their parents, and whose status and wealth are insufficient.

When Antirochus left with his sister, his father hadn't actually lost completely; the fight had just stopped halfway through... The labyrinth of the gods in Emilia saved his life.

Although they have long since lost all shame, doing such a thing in front of the gods might still make some people lose face, or they might be too cowardly, fearing that some god might dislike them and punish them.

When Antirochus noticed that both sides had suddenly become hypocritical, he knew his chance had come.

Seize the moment, while everyone is in the same area pretending to be above it all, and with my sister swearing in public that we won't get involved, I'll just slip away.

He's really lucky.

In any case, his father and mother wouldn't leave him much wealth, and the defeated would certainly be searched when leaving their homeland.

You can survive, but living too well is also not good.

But now, he and his sister can at least take away all the pocket money they've saved up over the years... and also some of the more valuable treasures from their palace.

Most importantly, they can also take their own storage rings with them!
Although his father was extremely displeased with their behavior, and the two marquises were full of questions... Antirochus still managed to gain their approval with his fearless and shameless spirit: if the labyrinth existed for too long, he would be of legal age!
He was unwilling to risk his life for a father who looked down on him.

Once he leaves with his sister, he will never look back, even if they eventually beat the old duke to a pulp.

Although the Duke was furious, the enemy genuinely acknowledged his abilities.

And the witnesses to such an oath were not his own family.

So, he was very lucky.

At least when there's a chance the gods will see them, these wicked old men will pretend to be generous.

Antirochus and Euphemia, who were able to use this opportunity to satirize and trample on the dignity of their old rival, naturally made their way through smoothly.

No one was interested in searching them.

Of course, everyone knew that they were really poor.

Even though they were poor, as sons of dukes, they still had assets of twenty or thirty thousand.

This doesn't even include the 'literary treasures' they took from their palace.

Antirochus's main reason for coming to Emilia was indeed the labyrinth, but his desire to become a member of the Church of the Night was not solely for that.

To put it bluntly, they had no grudge against each other at all!

Although there was a shadow following behind, that guy's surveillance was more important.

Once it's confirmed that they've become church members, they'll definitely leave.

Antirochus was still confident about his and his sister's future.

It's not because they're particularly outstanding, though of course they're no worse than anyone else.

The main reason is that their identities are completely transparent and they have no ties to the outside world.

The only problem is that he and his sister might not attend the same church.

Although he kept saying he wanted to join the Church of the Dark Night and let his sister go to the more casual Church of the Earth, but...

Sometimes, what you want, you can't necessarily get.

Like this Lady Louise of the Church of the Night, although she was very friendly to him, she kept glancing at Euphemia out of the corner of her eye.

He knew better than anyone how well his sister's talents were suited to the Dark Night Church.

But their indifferent parents didn't know that... their ability to become professionals wasn't due to the amount of resources their parents provided, but rather because they were indeed talented and were able to advance using resources similar to those available to castle knights.

The old duke may be shameless, but he wouldn't go so far as to deny them even this.

But they won't specifically study their attribute preferences or provide them with more suitable resources. Anyway, nobody really thinks he, the so-called heir, will actually inherit the position.

If the Duke were to suddenly become incredibly lucky and win, he wouldn't give Antirochus a chance.

The outstanding nephew raised under the old man's brother's name will likely become the future ruler of the duchy due to his 'unparalleled and powerful talent'.

Huh~
In this place, duchies and private territories are a chaotic mess, and the bloodlines of the nobility are even more mixed... Without the protection of the national magic array, many families probably have no relation to their ancestors except for their surnames.

The reason why nobles are becoming increasingly lenient in their dealings with enemies is because they know in their hearts that their origins are illegitimate.

Knowing how you came to be, you naturally don't want to think about how you'll disappear.

But no matter how hard they try to conform to the proper nobles, the chaotic nature of the society cannot be changed.

If it were a nobleman from the North, who would dare to bypass their son and give the title to a 'nephew' of unknown blood?
Since the Duke acted with such integrity, Antirochus could also run away with his sister with a clear conscience.

If he ever harbored any resentment or had any extreme views, they vanished instantly when Euphemia was born.

You keep saying you were forced into this situation, that having one child to fulfill the marriage proposal requirement would have been enough, so why did you have to have a second one?

Arguing with that old man about feelings... that would be incredibly stupid of him.

Having seen through the true meaning of life too early, Antirochus concealed his true talent from the very beginning, along with his sister.

He neither wanted to become a thorn in someone's side nor was he interested in seeing the old man's 'sudden repentance'.

Having seen through the coldness and warmth of human relationships since he was five years old, he originally thought that his personality was more suited to the cool and aloof moonlight.

Moreover, the intelligence agents of the Dark Church that he observed in the Duke's castle did indeed give him that feeling.

But after actually making contact, Antirochus began to doubt whether he was simply imagining things because of the distance.

The Night Cultists seem to have a strong tendency to be unconventional.

Moreover, they seem to prefer the impulsive Euphemia... Although her attributes lean towards darkness, Euphemia is actually easily excitable.

Antirochus felt that there were some things he might need to reconsider.

Anyway, the most important thing right now is... He took out his pen and started scribbling away.

Euphemia watched as her brother's eyes widened and widened until they became round cat eyes, with pupils almost turning into needles.

The booklet she held in her hand was crumpled and wrinkled from her slight grip.

Her hunch was right.

Antirochus, who had filled his notebook with drawings, turned to look at her: "Is there any particular course you'd like to learn?"

"I... I can learn whatever I want?" Euphemia asked cautiously.

“Of course, what if it’s not in the courses I’ve arranged for you?” Antirochus said matter-of-factly. “You have to have some fun while you’re learning.”

No... there's no fun in learning.

Even if you love something a lot, you'll still experience pain when you're studying it intensely.

She would rather...

Euphemia's eyes lit up slightly... She could get more training courses!

The kind that only requires physical labor.

Then she heard her brother's devilish voice: "Hmm... the main courses must be arranged first, and then you can choose some of the rest of the time."

"If I don't choose that part, can I rest?" Euphemia asked softly, her head down.

"Hmm?" Antirochus chuckled, gently patting his sister's head. "Don't tell jokes, okay, Euphemia?"

The little girl looked seriously at the timetable that her brother had covered up, and suddenly felt that life was bleak.

She turned to look at Louis, who was looking on with great interest, sighed, and struggled to ask, "Aren't we going to the maze tomorrow?"

"Don't worry, I've checked. It's not like we can just sign up and go."

The courses don't start until a week later.

This is a good opportunity for us to have some fun in the maze.

You can choose where you want to go...you don't have to go into the Dark Labyrinth.

Antirochus had assumed they would have to join the church to receive the most comprehensive training.

But the Church of the Night was so tolerant, even giving them real choice!
He will definitely be grateful and make good use of these years before adulthood to meet the Goddess of the Night in the best possible condition and with the most fulfilling spirit!
But Euphemia wouldn't force him to join, even though her sister's talent was indeed more suited to the Church of the Night.

As long as you have the ability, attributes don't matter.

Louis tilted his head and looked at the two brochures placed on the front desk, asking with a somewhat serious expression, "Are you really going to choose these courses?"

"Hmm!" Antirochus nodded readily. "How much is it in total?"

Louis's eyes went blank for a moment.

(End of this chapter)