The letter was crumpled but readable. Tia skimmed it, then handed it to Yuda who had been eyeing it curiously. No big difference from his, just praise for their efforts and an invite to the lord’s dinner.
"You’re going, right?"
"Obviously. It’s the lord’s feast. You don’t get it yet, Yuda, but when lords say ‘dinner,’ they mean dinner. Way tastier and fancier than anything at the captain’s mansion. You’ve gotta go and chow down."
Tia had only received the lord’s invitation a few times, but each time, she got to enjoy exceptionally fine food.
"Speaking of, let’s skip lunch today. Gotta save room for tonight."
She shot Kaseun a glare, hummed a little snort, and strutted off to her room.
"Hmm. You coming too, Grandpa?"
"Guess I should, huh? I’m your guardian, after all. Not like he would kick me out."
Yuda nodded and read the letter again. It said a carriage would be sent to his house at 7 p.m. It also mentioned once more that there was no need to dress formally, he could just wear his usual clothes.
"But I don’t know anything about etiquette... is that okay?"
"No problem. If he cared about that stuff, he wouldn’t have so many folks sticking around him."
"Hm, that’s good then."
Kaseun nodded back, eyeing Yuda.
"But shouldn’t you at least know basic etiquette if you’re going to live in this world?"
Watching Kaseun speak as if he was willing to teach him, Yuda thought to himself. Etiquette, huh. It would probably come in handy someday, but every country has its own version. As long as it feels respectful, that should be enough. It’s the kind of thing you can just pick up by watching others anyway.
"Just teach me the basics. No need to go into all the little details."
Lucky for him, there was still plenty of time before the carriage from the lord’s estate was set to arrive. But when it came to basic etiquette, it turned out to be nothing complicated. When greeting someone, you should bow politely and then look just below their eyes. If you shake hands, you should make eye contact. Don’t make noise when eating, and the same goes for drinking water. If you need something, you don’t call for a maid but you just raise your hand. Simple things, really.
While Yuda was learning about etiquette from Kaseun, Tia was busy picking out an outfit. Though she had spent years as a mercenary, she was still a woman so she had plenty of clothes. Among them were a few dresses and gowns she’d bought at high prices.
Kaseun glanced at her darting between room and bathroom, trying on clothes, then turned to Yuda.
"What about you? What’re you wearing?"
"Clothes? I don’t know. They said everyday stuff’s fine, so I’ll go with that. I’m a kid, nobody’s judging my outfit for manners, right?"
Even if he bought clothes, he wouldn’t get much wear out of them. Most of them wouldn’t fit in a year anyway, so he avoided unnecessary spending when he could. Sometimes, Tia would take him to a clothing shop for fun and buy him something, but aside from that, he rarely got new clothes.
Kaseun considered getting him something, but Yuda’s meh face killed that idea. Fair point, no need to force etiquette or fancy gear on a kid who didn’t want it.
Having finished the basics of etiquette, Kaseun stretched out on the couch for a nap. He fell asleep surprisingly fast.
"Yuda~ Come here a sec."
Tia’s voice called from her room. Yuda sighed and trudged over. She stood in a white dress, hugging her figure, gorgeous, but the back zipper was wide open, her hands fumbling.
“Hey, help me zip this up.”
Her smooth, sun-kissed skin and white underwear were clearly visible. She didn’t seem to use a corset. Not that she needed one, with a figure like that.
"Hurry."
She wasn’t shy at all showing her bare back, which kinda bummed him out. Even with her affection up, he was still just a kid to her.
“Isn’t this a bit too careless? I mean... I am a guy, you know.”
He grumbled as he pulled the zipper up. That’s when he noticed her ears. Those animal-like ears poking through her silky black hair twitching slightly.
"Hmm? What’s that? Careless? A guy?"
Tia turned to look down at him, a teasing glint in her eyes.
"Well, sure, our Yuda’s pretty manly. Edible, even."
She licked her lips with a sultry grin. Most kids would freak, edible from a beastkin?, but Yuda just blushed.
He may have looked thirteen, but inside, he was a young man in his mid-twenties. A startled hiccup slipped out from Yuda, and she giggled.
"Just kidding. So, how’s your master look? Pretty?"
She stood, twirling in place. The white dress clung to her curves and legs, it looked perfect on her. Gorgeous. He nodded. Her loose hair worked, but tying it up might hit his tastes dead-on.
"Feels nice hearing you say I’m pretty, huh?"
Her tail swished, as if she was genuinely happy. Then her eyes flicked to his clothes.
“Wait... You’re not actually planning to go in that, are you?”
Her expression turned disapproving. Without another word, she took him upstairs to the wardrobe. Kaseun was still snoring on the couch, completely unaware.
Tia pulled out all of Yuda’s clothes, trying on various outfits on him like a life-sized doll. After many changes, he ended up in a safe combo: black trousers, a white shirt, and his usual black hunting coat.
"Need to buy you more clothes. Barely worn some of these, and they’re already too small."
With everything ready, she went back to the room with a mirror to tie up her hair, just as Yuda had suggested.
About two hours later, there was a knock at the door.
"Anyone home?"
Knock, knock, knock!
Polite knock, but loud as hell. Outside stood a middle-aged man, dressed sharp like a butler. He placed his right hand over his left chest and bowed low.
"Lord Piercen invites Yuda Arshe and Zentia. I assume you’ve heard? Are you ready?"
+++
# Serenia Castle - Lord’s Office
Chapelin Piercen.
Current head of the Piercen family, guarding and growing Serenia Castle for three generations.
Following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, he was the third in line to hold the honorable title of 〈Spirit Sword Bearer〉. Though people called him a castellan or lord, in truth, he was no different from a king in this land. In fact, whenever he visited other countries, he was treated on par with royalty. After all, he was a man of great honor.
Especially among those who trained in martial arts, he was treated with even more reverence.
Seated in front of such a man were two apprentice female knights.
The one with red hair and dressed in leather armor was the martial knight named Ea from the Baekje Empire. Across from her, blue-haired in practical gear, was Jeanne, a blue lance knight from the Byron Empire.
Fire and water, nations at odds, so naturally, they radiated hostility. But with Piercen present, Jeanne kept her eyes shut, ignoring Ea’s murderous glare to avoid disrespect. Without him, swords would’ve flown already.
"Hm."
Piercen scanned documents they had brought, each stamped with their empire’s imperial seal.
Although they came from different empires, the contents were nearly identical.
They requested information about the Fragment, and asked for troops or local mercenaries familiar with the terrain... that kind of thing.
And this wasn’t the first time he had received such documents. He had seen similar requests many times before. There was no need to read further.
After skimming the documents, Piercen tossed them onto the desk. Jeanne opened her eyes at the sound; Ea’s glare shifted off her.
"…!"
The two knights flinched at the sight of the documents thrown carelessly on the desk. Piercen's act was rude. No, outrageous. These documents bore the imperial seals of the two most powerful rulers on the continent, and should have been handled with utmost respect.
Even with the two knights who had sworn loyalty to their emperors right in front of him, Piercen had acted without hesitation. And of course, neither of them could say a word. They weren’t strong enough to protest such disrespect.
"Far as I know, both Byron and Baekje’s current emperors inherited their thrones. But every time they send knights, these letters are word-for-word identical."
Ea, the martial knight, and Jeanne, the blue lance knight.
They didn’t know either, both remained silent. Piercen’s blank stare didn’t expect answers anyway.
“In my grandfather’s and father’s days, they at least sent elites and senior knights. Now it’s just apprentices... Seems like the empires have all but given up. Understandable, given that even after 150 years there has been no progress."
"…"
"Can you two even find these fragments?"
Piercen sneered, his tone and gaze dripping with condescension. The fact that they had sent mere apprentices said it all. Far more capable knights had been dispatched in the past to search for the fragment said to have fallen from Fernlern.
But none of them succeeded. They all returned to their empires empty-handed. Countless others had come in search of the Fragment, only to fail. If only they knew what the fragment looked like, what power it held, or what traits it had, then maybe they could’ve found it. But no such information existed.
On top of that, Selenia was littered with ruins from the ancient Magic Empire. Many times, things mistaken for the fragment turned out to be ordinary relics.
Even with a professional team, the odds of finding it were slim. What could a couple of solo knights possibly achieve? Piercen's message was clear, to give up and go home. And the knights weren’t foolish enough to miss it.
"It’ll be tough, but we can find them."
"I don’t think it’s entirely impossible.”
Piercen leaned back, shrugging at their replies.
"Fine. If you think you can, go look. After 150 years, maybe it’s time for them to show up. Maybe if you get lucky, who knows."
"Then what about the support the emperors requested?"
Jeanne met his gaze, asking politely.
"None. You should know that."
Previous knights had brought similar letters from their emperors, but not once had Piercen or his predecessors granted any of their requests. The Piercen family, as holders of the Spirit Sword, were immune to threats. Assassins couldn’t be sent against them, and due to the geographical distance from the empires, Selenia Castle couldn’t be economically pressured either. Marching an army here would require crossing several nations, and even if the land was conquered, it had little value.
Knock knock-
Just as Piercen was about to dismiss the two silent knights, there was a knock at the door, and it creaked open.
A maid stepped in, dipped her head apologetically to the knights, and spoke to Piercen.
"Lord, your guests are here. Where should I take them?"
Piercen’s face lit up, a look he hadn’t shown the knights even once.
“Ah, really? Then escort them politely to the dining room. I’ll join them shortly.”
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***Author’s Note***
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