The lord tidied his desk. The two knights were bewildered. What kind of guest could make Chapelin Piercen, who had been cold toward them, move with such a bright expression? Since there wasn’t much clutter, he finished organizing quickly. He stood up, pushing his chair back.
“I thought our conversation was over. Aren’t you leaving?”
“I have one question. Is it alright to ask?”
“As long as it’s not a question that holds me up too long, feel free to ask.”
Piercen looked at Ea, who had asked the question. Her expression was stiff, as if she were dissatisfied about something.
“Who is this guest that’s making you look so cheerful?”
When he talked with that damned blue lance knight and me, he had a look that seemed to belittle others. They were the same guests, yet the treatment was completely different. That was what frustrated her.
“You’re curious about that?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. How should I put it? You could call him a young hero who eased my people’s fears."
A young hero? If it’s a hero, just call it a hero. Why the wordplay with “young”? Seeing Ea’s expression, Piercen let out a chuckle.
“I would love to explain, but I can’t keep my guest waiting. Come along and see for yourself. Then you’ll understand what I mean.”
Piercen led the way out of the office, followed by the two female knights. They glanced at each other with sharp looks but said nothing.
While walking down the corridor, Ea happened to glance out the window as she passed by it. Two maids from the castle were waiting outside. Soon, a four-horse carriage entered through the wide-open gates of the lord’s castle.
The lavish carriage, drawn by four white horses, was unmistakably the lord’s personal carriage. Seriously, someone important enough to warrant that? The carriage came to a smooth stop inside. One of the waiting maids approached, opened the door politely, and bowed deeply.
“Who could this so-called hero be?”
But contrary to her expectations, the one who stepped out of the carriage was a very young looking boy. Her expectations crumbled.
“It’s just a kid.”
Frowning deeply, Ea stopped in her tracks. Hearing her voice, Jeanne, the blue lance knight, also looked out the window. Stepping out of the carriage were a black-haired boy, a beautiful beastwoman, and a sturdy, white-haired man who looked like a seasoned veteran. Three people in total. They didn’t quite fit the image of a hero.
“Oh, they arrived sooner than I expected. Let’s hurry.”
Piercen, as if delighted, quickened his leisurely pace. His descent down the stairs showed he was genuinely welcoming them. Jeanne followed behind him without any apparent complaints, while Ea, watching this, bit her lip in frustration.
+ + +
“We’re here.”
Kaseun said, looking at the surroundings. Yuda, not knowing much, simply responded, “Is that so?” Since he had never had reason to come to the northern boulevard where the lord’s castle was located, he had no idea how far it was from his home. But after just about twenty minutes in the carriage, they arrived. If it was this close, there didn’t seem to be any need to send a carriage.
Of course, riding in the lord’s ornate, large four-horse carriage was a novel experience, but it was awkward to look out the window when the castle’s residents mistook him for the lord and waved. Inside the carriage, he absentmindedly gazed at Tia, sitting across from him.
She was dozing off, nodding her head slightly, while Kaseun, sitting beside her, rested his arm on the window frame, leisurely taking in the scenery outside.
Soon, the carriage came to a stop, and through the window, he saw two women in maid uniforms standing with their hands neatly clasped, waiting. One of them opened the carriage door.
Since Yuda was closest to the door, he stepped out first, followed by Tia and Kaseun, who had been sitting across from him. Yuda let out a sigh of admiration at the fortress-like appearance of the lord’s castle.
He had always only seen it from afar, but being inside the castle walls felt completely different from what he had imagined. Serenia Castle had a unique structure.
There was one wall surrounding the lord’s castle, and additional double walls in the north, south, east, and west, allowing for primary and secondary defense lines. Including the lord’s castle itself, you could call it a tertiary defense line, but in truth, if the secondary line was breached, the third was practically meaningless. It might serve as a final stronghold, but by then, falling was only a matter of time.
The walls around the lord’s castle were originally built when people first gathered here, so now they held more symbolic than defensive significance. Like a tourist, Yuda circled the castle, marveling at it. Watching him, Tia chuckled as if she found it cute.
“It seems the lord hasn’t come out yet?”
As Kaseun casually scanned the surroundings and spoke, the maid beside him bowed and relayed a message.
“The lord is currently discussing important matters with a guest and asked that you be escorted to the dining hall. He said he’ll be there shortly, so please wait a moment. This way, please…”
“No, wait a moment.”
Interrupting the maid, Kaseun turned his head, gave a slight smile, and nodded. He was looking at a closed door.
“No need to go ahead. It seems they’re coming down now, so let’s go together.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the door swung open, hitting the wall with a loud bang. It was enough noise to draw attention. Tia and Yuda, who had been leisurely admiring the castle’s scenery, jumped in surprise and looked that way. A middle-aged man with a bright expression walked out, followed by two female knights with red and blue hair. Yuda’s eyes met those of the blue-haired knight behind the man he presumed to be the lord.
“It’s Jeanne.”
He had seen her last week, before heading out to hunt the black wolves. He had no idea why Jeanne Atruare, the blue lance knight was here. As their eyes met, Jeanne seemed to recognize Yuda, her eyes widening in surprise.
Yuda naturally shifted his gaze to the red-haired woman beside her. If Jeanne, the blue lance knight, was here, and a woman with an opposing color stood beside her, she must be the martial knight, Ea.
And his guess was correct.
──────────────────────────────
「Status Window」
[Name: Ea]
[Title: None]
[Real Name: Haughty Rose]
[Level: 18]
[Class: Martial Knight(B)]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: 33(D) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 28(D) / Potential B]
[Agility: 34(D) / Potential S]
[Mana: 46(D) / Potential A]
[Mana Resistance: 41(C) / Potential A]
[Charisma: 55(C) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Knowledge: 25(D) / Potential C] ◀ Special
[Luck: 62(C) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Favorability: -30 (Dislike)]
[Trust: -35 (Wary)]
「Traits 4/5」
[Thorns of the Rose] - Rank: A
[Spirit Unyielding to Oppression] - Rank: A
[Relentless Assault] - Rank: B
[Trainee Martial Knight] - Rank: D
「Skills 3/5」
[Combat Stance] - Rank: B
[Counter Preparation] - Rank: B
[Imperial Swordsmanship - Apprentice Warrior] - Rank: B
──────────────────────────────
As expected.
Just as he thought there would be a blue lance knight here, there was a martial knight too. His guess was spot-on. With this, the conditions for the hidden quest were practically met.
The martial knight is to the Baekje Empire what the blue lance knight is to the Byron Empire, like an elite knight order. They wield two greatswords, one in each hand, dispatching enemies with powerful attacks. Their evasion is exceptionally high, allowing them to dodge most attacks by sight alone. Like the blue lance knight, recruiting them early as a companion makes future progress much smoother.
The blue lance knights of the Byron Empire.
The martial knight of the Baekje Empire.
These two are so opposed in their values, temperaments, and combat styles that they could be called complete opposites.
Since the founding of the two empires, these knight orders have clashed countless times.
If the blue lance knights are an impenetrable shield, the martial knights are a spear that can pierce anything. As if to prove which is superior, they’ve always collided in war.
The spear has pierced the shield at times, and the shield has broken the spear at others.
Both knight orders are taught to respect each other but to defeat the other as an enemy if they meet. Normally, when meeting in a foreign land, they avoid dueling unless their honor is at stake....But these two are different.
They’ll fight later. That’s the hidden quest.
The blue lance knight and the martial knight, who came searching for a shard, will meet at a specific location and fight to the death. If you save the defeated one, you can recruit them as a companion. Since it’s a hidden quest, there are specific conditions to meet afterward, but they aren’t too difficult.
As Yuda quietly examined martial knight Ea’s status window, he noticed something that made him doubt his eyes.
“Why are her favorability and trust… in the negative?”
This was unexpected. Yuda felt troubled. Meeting her for the first time today, yet having such low affinity and trust meant something was wrong.
Some of her background lore came to mind.
「…She takes pride and honor in being a noble. However, she is cold and harsh toward those who aren’t nobles. She looks down on mercenaries and adventurers, believing they can be used if paid enough. But…」
Had that setting carried over as is?
“This is troublesome.”
Starting with negative favorability and trust was no small hurdle. At this rate, Yuda would have no choice but to naturally pick the blue lance knight as his companion. Just as he was about to check the rest of her stats, skills, and traits, he locked eyes with the lord. Seeing him approach with a bright smile, Yuda closed the window and gave a slight bow in greeting.
“Oh, welcome, young hero, and beautiful…”
“Lord!”
Just as they were about to exchange warm greetings, Ea, following behind, shouted. Yuda saw the lord, who had been smiling and about to speak, falter. His bright expression slowly hardened. The pleasant smile faded.
No matter how enchanting a voice might be, if it’s laced with irritation or anger, it’s worse than the squeal of a pig being slaughtered. Unless someone had truly peculiar tastes, no one would want to hear it. Fortunately, it seemed there were no exceptions among those present.
Watching the lord’s expression harden, Yuda thought he might need to offer a silent prayer for this martial knight. Perhaps because of the presence of guests or his position as lord, he seemed to be holding back. Yuda’s hunch was correct.
Chapelin Piercen felt his mood sour instantly at Ea’s voice, interrupting his attempt to warmly greet his guests. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to quell his rising emotions.
“So, is there something more you want to say?”
“Yes, there is. A lot, actually.”
Being a lord, you deal with things like this often. She’s young and probably doesn’t know better. But isn’t this basic etiquette for a noble? Even someone clueless would know interrupting others is rude and would gauge the situation before speaking.
Pierchen clicked his tongue in disapproval. Then he turned to face Ea.
“Speak. Why did you call me? If it’s just to say goodbye on your way out, then farewell. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
In other words, please get lost. Of course, he didn’t say that part out loud. But Ea wasn’t foolish enough to miss the implication. On the contrary, she was sharp enough to catch it all. Knowing it was rude, she still felt ignored, grinding her teeth audibly in frustration.
"I cannot understand it at all. How can they treat us so poorly when we came from an empire, not just any kingdom, carrying a letter written by the emperor himself? This is clearly an insult to the empire and nothing but pure rudeness."
"……."
"Are we somehow less than that little kid? We are not asking for a fancy meal or anything. I do not know what is written in the letter, and it is fine if you refuse it since it is only a request. But if that kid is treated as a guest, then so are we. All we are asking for is proper respect and courtesy."
"……."
“Honestly! I’m speechless! What kind of hero is that kid supposed to be? It’s only natural for the people of the domain to do something for their lord. Praising them to keep their spirits up is certainly wise, but—”
“Enough.”
Piercen cut Ea off. He shifted his gaze to the side, locking eyes with Jeanne, who didn’t look away.
“You’re Jeanne, right? Do you think the same?”
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
***Author’s Note***
I’ve decided to switch from using “apprentice” to “trainee” from now on.
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