At Piercen’s question, Jeanne answered without hesitation.
“Yes, I’m not pleased to share the same opinion as that martial knight, but… it’s true. Still, I understand your actions, my lord, so I have no complaints.”
Jeanne could understand the lord’s actions because of what she had heard. So, when he read and rejected the emperor’s handwritten letter, she stayed silent. She’d expected his refusal. Acceptance would’ve shocked her instead.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is.”
Jeanne answered crisply and said no more. Piercen let out a small sigh, wondering what kind of spectacle he was making in front of guests.
“Alright, since time is short, I’ll be blunt, Lady Ea. I’m sorry to lump you two together when you dislike each other, but you both annoy me. You’re a bother.”
“!”
Ea gasped, her face reddening as if she were about to demand an explanation. Piercen held up his palm, signaling her to wait.
“You didn’t mishear, so keep listening. Of course, I’m sorry for not treating you both properly as guests. Honestly, that’s my fault, and I apologize sincerely for the rudeness. But here’s the thing. If we go by what you’re saying, it changes the story. Since you came with a letter from the empire, I can assume you’re here representing the empire, right?”
She wore an uneasy expression. Something felt off, but she didn’t know what. Still, she couldn’t deny it.
“That’s right.”
“Then you should understand my actions, like Lady Jeanne does. I don’t treat bandits as guests.”
“What…?”
Piercen compared the empire to bandits.
“This land is a neutral zone where anyone can come and go freely. No one, no matter their status back home, can dare cause trouble on my land. Not even an empire. The shard will appear to the one guided by fate. For 150 years, it hasn’t been found because no one worthy has emerged. Yet, for all that time, the two empires have clung to their obsession, sending knights and demanding cooperation every time. My grandfather told me they cooperated at first, helping establish this neutral zone. But over time, their demands grew, and he eventually refused them. There were many like you, saying we were disrespecting the empire, asking if we weren’t afraid of the consequences. Of course, when my grandfather, a Spirit Sword Bearer, drew his blade, they didn’t dare make a peep.”
"……."
“From then on, to our Piercen family, the two empires stopped being guests and became nuisances. So don’t feel too aggrieved about not being treated properly. Your predecessors received the same treatment and left.”
"……."
Ea didn’t argue further, but her face still showed dissatisfaction. If every guest were treated this way, she could accept it. But to be treated worse than that little kid? As if sensing the mood, Piercen added more.
“If you still can’t accept it, then become someone worthy of being treated as a guest. Do something for my people like the young hero behind me, or become a Spirit Sword Bearter like Sir Kaseun beside him…”
“Sir Kaseun?”
Hearing the lord’s words, Ea looked at the old man with slightly surprised eyes. Despite his age, his well-trained muscles and subtle aura of authority made her think he wasn’t ordinary, but she hadn’t imagined he was a Spirit Sword Bearer. Connecting the words “Spirit Sword Bearer” and “Kaseun,” she recalled that he was one of the legendary honorary nobles of the Baekje Empire.
“…Or find the shard, and I’ll treat you with the utmost hospitality.”
Feeling he had wasted time on trivial talk, Piercen cut himself off. Turning his back as if done with the conversation, he apologized to Yuda, Tia, and Kaseun, personally escorting them to the dining hall. Watching their retreating figures, Ea snapped out of her daze and bit her lip in frustration.
+ + +
With a gesture to follow, the lord personally led them to the dining hall. He didn’t speak until they entered the building, likely wanting to get out of sight of the martial knight and blue lance knight as quickly as possible.
“I’m sorry about that, Sir Kaseun.”
“No, my lord. It happens. I understand completely.”
Kaseun and the lord exchanged brief words, as if they knew each other. It felt like watching close friends. Despite their apparent age difference, perhaps their shared status as Spirit Sword Bearers had brought them closer.
The lord was so absorbed in talking with Kaseun that he hadn’t yet addressed Yuda.
Thanks to that, Yuda could look around the castle without feeling pressured. It felt like being in a museum. He had never traveled abroad, but here he was, taking it all in. Once he started wandering from place to place, he’d probably get used to it and stop feeling this way.
“Yuda.”
"?"
While he was admiring the castle, Tia, walking beside him, called out softly. When he turned, she suddenly held out her hand. Was she asking him to hold it?
“Don’t trip for no reason, hold on.”
When he hesitated briefly, she smiled and spoke. Yuda gladly took her hand. It was a kind gesture. But they reached the dining hall soon after, and he had to let go. The door was open, and when he stepped inside, Yuda was a bit surprised.
“A round table?”
He had expected to dine at a long, rectangular table like the one in Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, but to his surprise, what stood before him was a round table. Perhaps hearing the question in his voice, the lord, who was about to invite them to sit, turned around.
“Oh, young hero, what’s the matter?”
He asked with a completely different, bright expression compared to when he dealt with Ea earlier. The smile on his face made it easy to speak up.
“No, it’s just… it’s different from the table I was imagining.”
“I think I know what you mean. A long table, right?”
“Yes.”
“I find those tables uncomfortable. Unless I’m dining with a large group, I use this round table. Come, let’s sit and talk. You too, Sir.”
He gestured for them to sit. They each pulled out a chair and took a seat. There was no designated head of the table, so they sat casually.
Kaseun and Tia sat at the three and nine o’clock directions, respectively, while Yuda and Piercen faced each other.
Once everyone was seated, maids who had been waiting like ghosts approached, setting plates and cutlery in front of each person. There were also warm, damp towels. As Yuda wiped his hands clean and folded the towel neatly into a square, he met the lord’s eyes.
“Young hero, I’m sorry for greeting you so late. As you likely know, I’m Chapelin Piercen, lord of Serenia Castle. My name is Chapelin, but in formal settings, our family uses our surname, so you can call me Piercen.”
He asked to be called Piercen, but he knew well that no one would actually call him that. Because of his title, people would, as usual, address him as “Lord.”
“Oh, yes, thank you for inviting me. I’m Yuda Arche.”
Yuda bowed slightly, giving a polite greeting. Piercen nodded with satisfaction and shifted his gaze to the side.
“And this lady?”
“I’m Zentia. I was a mercenary under the commander’s command in the past, and now I’m teaching this little guy.”
Piercen let out a knowing exclamation.
“Ah, so you’re the woman who went hunting with the young hero.”
“Yes. But when it came to hunting the black wolves, I only assisted from behind. Yuda did the actual hunting.”
“Really?”
“Would I lie in front of you?”
He knew it was true. Piercen had ordered his vassals to investigate whether Yuda had truly hunted the black wolves, and the results confirmed it. Especially convincing was the blacksmith’s account of repairing Yuda’s broken sword and heavily damaged dagger. But looking at Yuda’s youthful face, it felt like everyone was lying to him. He burst into hearty laughter.
“Even seeing and hearing it myself, it’s hard to believe. You look every bit a child, yet you hunted black wolves. Actually, I received a report last week too—about a young boy who brought down three black wolves. Back then, I just thought, ‘What incredible luck,’ and left it at that. But it seems this wasn’t just a fluke.”
Not knowing how to respond, Yuda simply smiled.
“Rather than luck, isn’t it the result of effort? This kid may look like this, but he’s got some real grit. Haha.”
“He’s got talent too, Commander.”
Kaseun spoke, and Tia added on. Perhaps because of the lord’s presence, Tia, who usually spoke casually and curtly, used polite language.
“You’ve taught him well. While we’re on the subject, how about teaching my son too? I don’t think he lacks talent.”
At Piercen’s words, Kaseun gave an awkward smile, looking troubled.
“Ahem, I’m sorry, but one grandson is more than enough for me. Why else would I have brought Zentia to take over? But if it’s a request from you, my lord…”
“No, no, it’s fine. If that’s the case, there’s nothing to be done. I was just thinking he might make a good rival for the young hero.”
He smacked his lips as if disappointed, but perhaps it was just a passing remark, as he said no more. Yuda took a sip of water from the glass. The conversation was winding down. It was now the perfect time to ask.
“Lord, I’ve been wondering since earlier—no, since you read the letter—why do you call me a hero? I don’t think I’ve done anything that great.”
“Hm?”
He hadn’t accomplished anything grand enough to be called a hero. All he’d done was hunt some black wolves. Piercen gave a slight smile.
“What, does being called a hero feel like a burden?”
Yuda quietly replied, “Yes.”
“You’re still young, so you may not know yet, but… there’s something that’s always with those who live their lives, like a companion. What do you think it is?”
“…Uh, I’m not sure?”
“It’s fate.”
“Excuse me,” said a maid as she wheeled in a cart laden with food. Glancing at it, Piercen continued speaking.
“This thing called fate is a tricky fellow. It has a knack for blowing up meaningless actions into something huge. It has nothing to do with my intentions. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but because of fate, it leads to big outcomes. And no one knows whether it’ll be an opportunity or a trial.”
He was right. Yuda had shaped the framework of fate in this world, but he had no way of knowing which direction it would take. Take this moment, for example. He had only hunted a few black wolves, yet now he was invited to the lord’s castle for a meal. The maid began setting steaming dishes from the cart onto the round table one by one. The appetizing aroma spread through the room, naturally drawing everyone's attention. But Piercen had not finished speaking yet.
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***Author’s Note***
Well, since no one’s probably going to leave comments here, I’ll write the afterword in the next chapter.
Thank you, Manmanhane-nim, for the sponsorship coupons!
Thanks to everyone else who gave coupons, and to those who clicked the like button~!
I love comments, of course! But if you reject a man’s love, well, nothing can be done!
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