Chapter 26
It was already dark outside the bar.
The nearby bustling market was very noisy.
Smoke was billowing from chimneys here and there, and merchants lit little lanterns on their stalls, feverishly trying to get some last-minute business.
Victor sighed and pulled her closer to him, away from the crowd.
“So, who were they?”
“They are the Right Ogre Caster mercenary group.”
“Ghoul...what? "
He looked confused.
She raised her sword and pointed to the hilt.
“They have a small drawing of an ogre's leg on their armor and weapons. It is one of the units directly subordinate to the Mercenary King Yagi. They are very skilled."
Victor was silent for a moment.
“Okay. What did you talk about? "
I asked about the monsters' movements and it's strange that we encountered so many on our way here."
“Well, it's not unusual to see orcs.”
His expression became serious. She let out a short sigh.
“They didn’t know the reason either. But it seemed to be being investigated on its own and they decided to let us know when the investigation was over.”
I see I'll have to look into it when we get back to our lands."
Victor nodded with a stern face.
Suddenly, he looked at her again.
“Wait...why did you come to check this for yourself? You could have made my knights do it
“But I want to know for myself...and make sure of it.”
She closed her eyes.
Most of his knights wouldn't know how to talk to a mercenary, let alone how to make a deal.
To be honest, even if they knew someone, she didn't feel comfortable pushing them into the unfamiliar world of mercenaries.
After a few days of observation, I realized that his knights were almost as weak as Geoffrey Sutherland.
Victor sighed deeply.
“Marion, although my knights are petty, they are not unreliable. They would have gathered information.”
“But what if they get into an argument?”
Victor's expression became very strange and she continued to speak anxiously.
“This is a town for travelers, where all kinds of people gather. Meeting a knight of his level would certainly cause serious injuries.”
"Marion, this"...
Victor was speechless.
It was a very rare sight.
... “There are not many swordsmen at your level.”
What do you mean? You're good too! Of course, you are stronger than me."
Thinking of his sword prowess made her smile. The greatest honor for a swordsman was to have a strong knight by your side to watch and learn from.
But what was strange was that Victor looked a little pale. He opened his lips as if he was going to say something, but quickly closed them.
He swallowed dryly and continued.
... “Anyway, next time, please let me know before leaving. Do you know how worried I was? "
“It wasn't long.”
“I thought you had escaped or been kidnapped.”
I looked at him calmly. There was hidden tension on his beautiful face.
She smiled and squeezed his hand.
“I'll tell you next time.”
... “Yes.”
Victor kissed her palm.
She pulled her hand away because she was ashamed.
Returning to his sassy self, he pulled her up and kissed her on the cheek several times.
“Victor! You can't do this in a crowded place! "
Her weak resistance was drowned out by his laughter.
***
Fortunately, they did not encounter any monsters in the next few days.
The road narrowed considerably, and the wilderness became filled with more and more large rocks and thorns.
It was cold.
Omarion loved her, but Carls, who was from the South, couldn't keep up with her.
“That's why I stayed in the capital. Being frozen is terrible.”
“Then why did you become a knight of Morte?”
“It was an unfortunate twist of fate.”
He let out a deep sigh.
“When I was a knight in training, my unit got lost... We didn’t know that we had stumbled upon a ferocious dragon’s nest... Of course, the master killed it, and we were indebted to serve him.”
“I think it would have been nice without you too.”
Victor responded smoothly.
Victor, whose insomnia gradually improved as their journey continued, was now fully restored to his former self.
He unsheathed his sword and spoke calmly.
“It would be good to combine you and Leonard. You are very free and Leonard is strict.”
Leonard shuddered when he heard Victor's calm voice.
Carls quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, Morty's estate is a very cold place, but it's not as cold as Amari When I was training as a knight, I always had trouble waking up. In the middle of winter, I swung my sword all day in the snow, and when I went out to kill monsters, I shivered without fire...”
I smiled.
Being a grand knight was actually very difficult. From a young age, they received rigorous training in swordsmanship and physical strength, and had to prove their skills as an apprentice knight to be officially appointed.
Victor was ordained at the age of 14 due to special circumstances, but normally you had to wait until you were 20 to become an official knight.
So, of course, the Morty Knights must have gone through extremely difficult training.
Carls was now remembering deeply.
“Once, Leonard, His Highness, and I went looking for griffins. I think it was because griffin feathers were good for something.”
“At that time, it was fashionable to put beast feathers on your sieve.”
Leonard added.
Carls nodded excitedly.
“The basement was difficult, and being young, I didn't like it. In particular, he is a troublemaker, so he takes the initiative to go at once.
“When will the Chief of Staff return?”
Victor's voice became dangerously soft.
But she wanted to hear the story.
“Then?”
“We climbed mountains and cliffs to find the nest. The master was an invincible swordsman even back then, so he killed two griffins in an instant. The feathers were nice and big, and I pulled out a handful of them. But then "...
Carl's tone became serious.
“I was hungry. It was freezing, but we were far from home, and there were no mountain animals to hunt. The Grand Duke tried to take care of me, asking “would you like to eat this” every now and then. "
"What ? impossible!
“Yes, griffins look like birds, right? I eat chickens and pigeons, so griffins... that's what I was thinking.”
She burst out laughing. She knew the end of this story.
“Griffin meat is poisonous.”
“Yes, and we didn't know that, which is understandable. Who would know that? No one is crazy enough to question a griffin.”
Carls shrugged.
"The end is as you would expect. I had an upset stomach and rolled over. I could barely survive. They found me suffering in the morning."
Suddenly, Karls' mouth closed.
“Huh?”
When I looked at Leonard, he was looking away with a similar expression.
Victor, who was sharpening his sword, called out to her.
“Marion.”
When I looked at him, he smiled very sweetly.
“What do you want to eat when we get to the next city?”
I stared at him. It was clear he was trying to change the subject.
“Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?”
They were having a casual conversation, but she didn't want to push because Victor was clearly uncomfortable.
So, she smiled and answered.
"pigeon".
***
But the time for roasting pigeons did not come quickly.
Villages became rarer and rarer the closer they got to Morty's property.
It was safer to pay more taxes and live in the Grand Duchy than in the wilderness around the estate.
Thanks to this, they had to camp almost every day.
While the knights skillfully set up the tents, Deidrick placed the dried vegetables and water in a pot and brought it to a boil.
He added some spices, jerky, and goat's milk to make a hot and creamy soup.
It was a dish that didn't look like much, but it was always so delicious when he made it.
She had been kicked out of the tent-pit because she was a lady, so she snooped around Dedrick with a bowl, like a dog waiting for its meal.
Deidrick, who was stirring the soup, apologized profusely.
“I'm sorry for making mediocre food every day, ma'am.”
What are you talking about?
I was really surprised.
Apologizing for making such delicious food was an insult to cooking.
The butler laughed and continued.
“When we get to Morty's estate, you'll be able to eat a lot of delicious food again. Once we get there, I'll make the lady's favorite turkey dish.”
I blushed with excitement and embarrassment.
Just before she left the capital, she had eaten so well that she had no interest in food, but now she was so accustomed to Daedric's cooking that she couldn't imagine eating anything else.
“All my life, I've been fighting just to be satisfied.”
Daedric spoke warmly.
“But I don’t know how good my cooking is because the lady always eats well. His Highness has always been picky.”
“Did Diedrick see Victor's childhood?”
He smiled softly at her question.
“Yes. At that time, I was not his servant, but rather a servant of the late Grand Duke. His Highness has always been very powerful.”
She nodded quietly.
The elder's eyes were clouded with nostalgia.
***
• End of chapter •
To be continued •••
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