The Barbarian of the Count’s Family Is Too Strong

Chapter 9: Prey (2)

"L-Lies! This is a lie! A barbaric brute like you could never be a Count!"

Lawrence screamed, clutching Hunts’ arm, silently urging him to act.

Hunts found himself frozen between the two, gauging the situation.

Harkin and the soldiers were still fighting the remaining wolves. How many men here could handle this unknown warrior?

Even Hunts himself wasn’t sure.

After witnessing how effortlessly the man had killed the beast, his presence was overwhelming.

Then, Agron shot a chilling glare at Lawrence.

"Still breathing? You must have a long life ahead."

"I-I am a prince of this land…!"

"Maybe I was too lenient."

"W-Wait! Don’t come any closer!"

CRACK—!

Agron suddenly slammed his fist onto the wolf beast’s skull like a lightning strike.

The beast let out a pained yelp, its head crushed against the ground, its body convulsing. It had been playing dead, but Agron had seen through the act and finished it off.

Agron then stepped up to Lawrence, his piercing blue eyes glowing ominously.

"Apologies, I should have ensured it was dead the first time."

"Ugh… Ah… Agh…"

Lawrence met those eyes and promptly fainted.

"Hm? Why did he suddenly fall asleep?"

"Y-Your Highness!"

Panicked, Hunts rushed to check on the unconscious prince.

"Ah, the prince must have been exhausted. I’ll go hunt the rest of the wolves."

Agron muttered indifferently before walking towards the battlefield.

***

"……??"

Lawrence woke up, staring blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling.

He had no memory of falling asleep, no idea where he was, and no clue why he was here.

But more than anything, that dream—!

A violent shudder overtook him.

The beastly eyes that had stared him down haunted his mind.

"A-Anyone outside? A-Attendant!"

"Did you call, Your Highness?"

At his call, Hunts and a group of maids entered.

Seeing familiar faces, Lawrence let out a breath of relief.

"What troubles you, Your Highness?"

"Oh? N-Nothing. Just a nightmare… Let’s eat."

"Understood. I will have breakfast prepared immediately."

Hunts returned about thirty minutes later.

Only after the maids had assisted Lawrence with washing and changing was he ready to follow Hunts to the dining hall.

"Where are we? One of my villas?"

"Do you not remember? You came to the Count’s domain for the feudal contract."

"Oh…? The Count…? The monster…?"

"Pardon?"

Hunts frowned as Lawrence mumbled to himself.

As they entered the dining hall, Lawrence continued.

"That Count… Wasn’t he a monster? In my dream, I saw—"

"What dream are you referring to?"

A familiar voice interrupted.

Seeing its owner, Lawrence began foaming at the mouth.

"Guh… M-Monster…!"

Just as he was about to faint again, Agron grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.

"You’re rather frail for a prince."

SMACK!

A thunderous slap echoed, twisting Lawrence’s head around.

"HIIIK!"

Lawrence gasped as if taking his last breath, eyes bulging in shock.

"Y-Your Highness!"

"Count Agron?!"

Everyone in the room gasped in horror.

No one had expected the Count to strike a royal prince.

"Hm. Are you awake now?"

"……??"

"Still dazed?"

Agron raised his hand again.

"I-I'm awake! I'm awake!"

"Good. Sit. Let’s eat."

Lawrence sat down in disbelief.

This had to be a dream.

But the burning pain on his cheek said otherwise.

"Y-You… You just hit me, didn’t you?!"

"Why would I hit you?"

"Y-You just did!"

Lawrence shouted, pointing at his swollen cheek.

Agron frowned as if confused.

"That’s how you wake someone who has fainted."

"O-Out of all possible methods…!"

"Back in the tribe, warriors who fell asleep in the cold sometimes woke up with twisted mouths. Punching them awake was common."

"……"

"Don’t blame my strong hands. Blame your weak body."

‘Is he insane…?’

Lawrence rubbed his cheek as he sat down.

As the third prince, he had never been struck before—not even by the king himself.

"Hey, you saw that, right?! That wasn’t just waking me up, right?!"

He whispered urgently to Hunts.

"Pardon? What do you mean?"

"Damn it, you saw him hit me!"

"It looked more like a firm wake-up tap, Your Highness…"

"You bastard—!"

Lawrence shot up, furious.

"Silence."

Agron’s voice was calm, yet commanding.

"D-Damn it! I can scold my own servant! Why are you interfering—"

"At the dining table, one must maintain proper manners."

Lawrence snapped his mouth shut.

Each word Agron spoke was punctuated by the sound of a fork and knife bending in his grip.

"Does the royal family allow its members to act so rudely at another noble’s table?"

"A… Ah. N-No. My apologies…"

"Eat. Quietly."

"…Yes."

"And do not strike your servants."

‘Says the guy who just hit me.’

Lawrence glared at Agron.

Meanwhile, Hunts felt an unexpected sense of relief.

He had never thought he would enjoy seeing his obnoxious prince get slapped.

"……"

Lawrence ate absentmindedly, barely registering the taste as he stole glances at Agron.

Now dressed in proper clothing, Agron resembled a passable noble, quite different from the savage warrior Lawrence had seen the night before.

Of course, his violent nature was still no different from that of a barbarian.

"Does the food suit your taste?"

"Huh? Oh… it's decent."

"I hunted the meat myself for you. Eat plenty."

"Really? Well, thanks. What kind of meat is this? It's quite good."

Agron tilted his head slightly.

"Didn’t you see me hunt yesterday?"

"Hunt? I only saw you fight."

"It's wolf beast meat. No gamey smell, and the meat is tender."

Lawrence abruptly clapped a hand over his mouth and shot up from his seat, his face turning green.

"Urgh—!"

"If you vomit, I’ll make you eat it again."

Gulp.

"A warrior never wastes meat hunted to honor a guest."

"B-But I’m not a warrior…"

"Hmm, that’s true. If you want to spit it out, go ahead."

"……"

Lawrence ground his teeth, glaring daggers at Agron.

‘Damn bastard.’

Naturally, Agron didn’t care in the slightest.

Who else in this world would dare feed monster meat to a prince of the kingdom?

"Hey…"

After forcing himself to finish the meal, Lawrence spoke up first, unable to contain his frustration.

"What?"

"What do you mean, ‘what’? I’m royalty! The third prince!"

"And?"

"And?! Show some respect!"

"I’m a Count."

Lawrence gave him a dumbfounded look as if to say, "So what?" Agron sighed and elaborated.

"Princes technically don’t have a defined rank, but according to noble law, their equivalent status is listed. Do you know what it is?"

"No…"

"A Count. Meaning you and I are of equal rank."

"S-Still! Even among equals, you’re supposed to show respect!"

"But you’re speaking casually to me, aren’t you?"

"……"

Lawrence fell silent like a fish out of water.

This brute could crush a monster’s skull and slap a prince, yet he spoke like a shrewd noble.

"But still… most people use honorifics for princes…"

"Do they? I never read that in any book."

"See? Not everything is written in books! My word is proof!"

"Oh, that reminds me. I did read something once."

Agron suddenly recalled something and smirked.

"Read what?"

"A guide on how high-ranking nobles assassinate one another."

"……"

"Is that common too?"

"Uh… let’s just talk casually."

Lawrence forced a laugh.

Agron tilted his head, wondering why the prince was suddenly changing his tune. Meanwhile, Lawrence averted his gaze, convinced that Agron had a hidden agenda.

"So… what if I refuse to sign the contract?"

"I don’t care. Are you refusing?"

Agron’s nonchalant response threw Lawrence off.

"If Astrarea refuses, I can simply request a title from the Kazandor Empire."

"W-What?!"

"I’m curious. If you ruin this contract and expel a legitimate noble, how will the king respond?"

"…Ugh…!"

Lawrence’s face drained of color.

His position in the palace was already weak compared to his siblings. In Astrarea, the throne didn’t necessarily go to the eldest—it was awarded to the most competent.

The second prince was the strongest contender.

Lawrence, the third prince, ranked around fifth or sixth.

Though in his own mind, he believed himself nearly equal to his second brother.

"F-Fine! I’ll sign the contract!"

"Good decision. Bring the document."

"H-Huh? Oh… okay…"

Lawrence hesitantly fetched the contract and spread it on the table.

The parchment, lined with gold leaf, detailed the mutual rights and responsibilities. At the bottom, the king’s name was elegantly inscribed.

After briefly scanning the contents, Agron signed his name and pricked his finger, pressing his bloodstained thumb onto the king’s seal.

A faint glow emanated from the parchment, wrapping briefly around Agron’s body.

"A magical contract."

"O-Obviously! What if someone betrays it?!"

"I was just commenting."

In this world, three things were never to be taken lightly:

Magic, spirits, and demons.

Even the most ignorant village boy knew to fear them.

Parents still scared their children with tales of demons snatching misbehaving kids away.

"What happens if someone breaks the contract?"

"It depends on the clause… but in some cases, they die."

Agron, having little experience with magic, studied the parchment with interest.

"Is everything done now?"

"Normally, a feudal ceremony is held… and a welcoming banquet…"

"I’m not doing that. We’re done. You can leave."

‘This bastard…?’

Lawrence glared at Agron.

Whether inside the palace or outside, no one had ever treated him this way.

‘Just wait… When I take the throne, you’ll be the first to kneel! I’ll strip you of your title and make you a gatekeeper!'

Lawrence sulked and continued eating dessert.

"Why are you still here?"

"I-I’m leaving! Just finishing this!"

"Your Excellency! We have a problem!"

A soldier burst into the dining hall.

Lawrence slammed his hand on the table in anger.

"You fool! How dare you interrupt a prince’s meal—"

"Be quiet and eat your dessert."

"…Okay…"

"What’s the issue?"

Agron dismissed the prince and beckoned the soldier forward.

"A monster has appeared in the neighboring village, Your Excellency!"

"A monster, huh…"

"A monster? It’s right in front of us—oh, I mean, never mind."

Lawrence laughed awkwardly and stuffed a spoonful of dessert into his mouth.

"What about the village guards and hunters?"

"They tried to slay it, but most were killed or gravely injured."

"Do such monsters appear often?"

"Monsters do appear from time to time, but one this strong is rare."

"How is this normally handled?"

Agron inquired. The soldier hesitated, glancing at the third prince before answering.

"Normally, the lord’s soldiers handle it. But if it’s too powerful, we request help from the central army."

"I see… That’s unreliable. I’ll handle it myself."

"Pardon? You, Your Excellency?"

"Yes. Besides, isn’t the central army right here?"

Both Agron and the soldier turned their gaze toward Lawrence, who flinched and clutched his dessert.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that?! I was just eating quietly!"