The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: I Have More Than Fifty Subordinates, and I Barely Need to Do Anything

A few days had passed, and my elder brother and sister had finally finished their studies.

My elder brother had graduated the year before and was now continuing his training with the Knights Order. My sister, on the other hand, had chosen to focus on magic. She had completed her studies as well, leaving only my younger brother, who was approaching his own graduation.

After saying goodbye to my parents, I climbed into the carriage.

A moment later, Vhan and Vince appeared inside.

"Good morning, Master," Vhan said.

"Good morning," Vince followed.

I nodded.

"How did things go with the assignment I gave you?"

"Everything proceeded according to plan," Vhan answered. "There were no major problems at the estate."

"We also continued monitoring the surrounding area," Vince added. "Nothing suspicious occurred, and your parents remain safe."

"Good."

That was the main reason I had left them behind.

I didn’t particularly expect trouble to appear at the estate, but leaving without making preparations would have been careless. The Eclipse had already grown considerably, and with that growth came more enemies, more information, and more possibilities for something unexpected to happen.

It would be troublesome if something happened while I was away.

I looked at the two brothers sitting across from me.

"Now that I think about it, the two of you have become considerably stronger over the past three years."

Both of them straightened slightly.

"To think you would improve this much in such a short time. You two really are special cases."

"Thank you, Master," they said together.

Their expressions were unusually proud.

Well, they had earned the right to be.

When I first met them, they were talented but still inexperienced. Three years of training under the Eclipse had changed that considerably.

Their swordsmanship, physical abilities, mana control, and combat instincts had all improved far beyond what ordinary knights could achieve.

I leaned back against the carriage seat.

"Anyway, we’ll be heading to the capital."

The carriage continued through the road leading toward the capital.

"We’re still short on funds," I continued. "The organization is growing faster than I expected, so we’ll need a more reliable source of income. Finding a dungeon with valuable materials and a high reward would solve several problems at once."

"About that," Vince said.

I looked at him.

"We’ve already discussed the matter with the Black Roses."

"Really?"

"Yes. Two of the Seven Crowns, Aoda and Aria, have already been sent to investigate the dungeon."

Vhan nodded.

"They’re currently gathering information about the surrounding area, the monsters inside, and the potential rewards."

That was good.

There was no reason for everyone to wait for me before acting.

"And what about Nao?" I asked.

Vince’s expression became slightly strange.

"We received his report yesterday."

"What did he find?"

"He managed to secure additional funds."

"How?"

Vhan answered without hesitation.

"He robbed a Viscount’s treasury."

I stared at him for a moment.

"...Again?"

"Yes."

Vince nodded seriously.

"He said the treasury contained several gold coins and a considerable number of gems."

For some reason, both of them looked rather proud while reporting this.

I couldn’t help but sigh.

"And where did Nao put them?"

"In his coffin."

I paused.

"His coffin?"

"Yes."

Apparently, Nao had a coffin-shaped weapon.

It wasn’t simply something he carried around for decoration. The coffin had been specially modified with Eclipse power, allowing him to store objects inside it while also serving as his primary weapon. Its interior space was considerably larger than its appearance suggested, making it useful for transporting equipment, supplies, and apparently stolen treasure.

I rubbed my forehead.

"At least he could have called it a storage box."

"But he prefers the coffin," Vince said.

"Yeah."

There wasn’t much point arguing with him.

"Still, we can’t continue like this forever."

The two brothers became quiet.

"We can’t keep relying on robbing bandits and nobles whenever we need money," I continued. "It’s certainly the easiest way to obtain a large amount of funds quickly, but it isn’t a proper solution."

I realized something about myself when I turned twelve.

Somehow, I had become quite the fine young noble.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but stare for a moment.

My hair was split into two distinct colors. One half was silver, while the other was black.

According to my parents, there was a simple explanation for it.

I had apparently inherited one color from each of them.

Genetics in this world really seemed to have a strange sense of humor.

And despite being only twelve, my appearance was already closer to that of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy. The people of this world matured differently, so it wasn’t particularly unusual.

Still, when I looked at myself now, it was difficult to believe how much I had changed.

And I wasn’t the only one.

The members of the Eclipse had changed considerably during these past three years.

Every one of them had developed their own appearance and presence. Their abilities had also reached a completely different level from when I first met them.

Vhan and Vince, in particular, had grown into rather handsome young men. Their faces had become sharper, their physiques stronger, and their swordsmanship had reached a level that would probably surprise most knights.

Of course, I was still stronger than both of them.

That was only natural.

Then there were the Four Black Roses.

Aurora, Herrera, Octavia, and Leonora had become monsters in their own right.

Their strength was already approaching the level of Vhan and Vince, and their control over the powers I had bestowed upon them was nearly flawless.

In fact, they had reached a point where they could even bestow a small portion of their power upon ordinary people.

Naturally, they couldn’t simply do that whenever they wanted.

They needed my permission first.

The Seven Crowns and the Ten Reapers had reached a similar level of control.

At this point, the Eclipse had become something far beyond what I originally imagined.

"Haa..."

I leaned back in my chair.

"To think I’d end up living a life like this."

I didn’t even need to participate in most of the organization’s battles anymore.

Whenever something happened, someone was already capable of handling it.

The Black Roses could deal with most serious situations.

The Seven Crowns could handle matters that required greater strength or judgment.

The Ten Reapers were constantly moving throughout different territories, gathering information, completing missions, and dealing with threats.

And even among the ordinary members, there were several who had reached a level comparable to the Ten Reapers.

Not everyone possessed some extraordinary talent like the titled members.

But that didn’t mean they were weak.

Some of them had simply worked hard enough to close the gap.

It was honestly becoming difficult to find a situation where I was actually needed on the battlefield.

Which, admittedly...

Wasn’t a bad thing.

I had originally wanted to create an organization that operated from the shadows.

Apparently, I had succeeded a little too well.

As for the headquarters, our main base remained hidden deep within the mountains.

The surrounding monsters were still there, and they had practically become the natural security system of the Eclipse.

I had no idea where the others planned to establish our next headquarters.

Apparently, they had already been discussing the matter among themselves.

They told me I could leave it to them.

So I did.

There was no reason for me to interfere with something they were already handling perfectly well.

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