Thud-thud-thud
The knight with narrowed eyes walked through the mansion's hallways, deep in thought.
Servants hurriedly passed by, heads bowed, as they noticed the furrowed brow on his face.
He wasn't one to create a relaxed atmosphere, but these days, he was particularly intense.
"I wish I could ask someone for help."
Jager had been contemplative lately.
In addition to his normal duties as Joseph's escort, he had to handle Vlad's fencing and other intermediate training. Occasionally, Lady Oksana summoned him to report on Joseph and Vlad's well-being.
Of the original five knights serving Joseph, Roderick had died in the last skirmish, and two others were injured while defending Joseph.
The only remaining knight was Bordan, but he couldn't be trusted to train Vlad. Thus, Jager had to step up.
"Raising a boy is quite a task."
Jager sighed to himself, thinking about Vlad.
The new blond boy hadn't been the easiest to deal with from the start, and he would need to be raised with great care. He was the kind of boy who needed attention, no matter how busy one might be.
Well, I guess I have to cultivate a seed.
Jager thought as he walked down the hallway, easing his stiff neck.
If he had known it would be like this, he would have cultivated at least one seed all these years.
But Jager couldn't complain. It was his nature, and as far as occupations went, his lord, Joseph, was the busiest.
One had to fight to stay afloat.
As busy as he was, Jager walked hurriedly, but there were voices calling out to him from afar.
"Sir Jager. Where are you going in such a hurry?"
"…Ah, Sir Gregory."
Jager frowned, recognizing the man greeting him from the other end of the hallway.
"Are you sure your dislike isn't showing on your face?"
"Frankly, I'm a bit busy."
"Well, I'm sure you have a lot on your plate if you're dealing with Sir Joseph's affairs."
He was busy, and he wanted the conversation to end quickly, but the knight in front of him, Gregory, didn't seem willing to let him go so easily.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"At least you have good insight."
"I am busy at the moment."
Jager felt a queasy sensation seeing Gregory close to him, but he didn't treat him poorly. Gregory was one of the knights who remained neutral.
All the knights of House Bayezid, while obeying Fether's orders first and foremost, were politically divided. Rutinger, the first son. The second son, Joseph. Deciding who would be the next head of the family and who would follow was a significant matter.
"To a knight of Sir Jager's caliber, an squire should have been given to educate, and indeed, now it's a bit too late. I, Gregory, believe so."
"…"
But the knight standing before him, Gregory, wasn't the one caught in the middle of choosing between the two. He was simply a free spirit, an eccentric even among the knights, and that's why he didn't choose anyone.
"Take care of your squire."
"My Portly is already grown, too grown. But he needs to lose some weight."
"What are you trying to say?"
Gregory rubbed his hands together and opened his mouth, seeing Jager's eyes sharpen.
"He mentioned Vlad, found him quite good."
"He was chosen by Sir Joseph himself."
"He has character and a lot of energy."
"What's your point?"
Gregory quickly interrupted Jager's irritation.
"Intruding into a squire's affairs is not becoming of a knight. They don't match."
"Indeed."
Jager rubbed his chin and looked at Gregory as if he finally understood what was being said.
"I've heard that Vlad has been making friends with Portly these days…"
"That kid doesn't have friends. Thinks he's better than others."
"Please tell him to spend more time with Portly."
Even the most regal knights sometimes had to ask a favor from someone.
"Still, it's my cousin's nephew, and I can't let him stay here and be beaten, and I've tried asking favors from others, and they have nothing to do with it."
"Free of charge?"
Gregory, thinking he had gotten through to Jager, smiled and offered his hand.
"If things go well, you can ask me for help later. But don't make it too dangerous or difficult of a request."
"…Hmm."
What Gregory was asking Jager to do now wasn't something he shouldn't have been doing anyway. And he was one of the reasons he was so busy.
"I'll talk to him."
Jager, who had been short of personnel for some time, shook Gregory's hand without much thought, and they parted slightly.
"But he doesn't really listen."
"Oh. That kid is really going places."
Even Gregory was a bit surprised to hear that even a knight of Jager's skill and temperament had difficulties with squires.
"Hoho Well, a knight who's going to be great must have a world of his own."
"He's just stubborn."
The knights, who had just shared their concerns with clasped hands, went their separate ways.
"At least he'll pretend to listen, right?"
Jager thought to himself after Gregory and he separated.
If he doesn't listen, I'll make him listen.
If he doesn't listen, I'll hit him.
After all, he owed Joseph seven years of loyalty.
***
"Ahhh!"
Vlad, who had just grabbed the reins and was about to mount, let out a grotesque scream and rolled on the ground.
Puhhhhhhh.
The horse that had thrown Vlad to the ground shook its head and began to paw the ground.
Wow!
"Calm down! Calm down, boy!"
The stable boys assigned to this lesson tried to calm it down, but, to their great surprise, the horse started bucking and staggering.
"Oh no!"
Vlad quickly moved away from the horse, which menacingly lifted its front hooves.
It was a disaster, but it was better than being crushed by a hoof.
Hiiiiing-.
As soon as Vlad was out of earshot, the horse began to calm down again, as it always did.
"But what the...?”
Vlad's heart sank as he realized that the horse was normally calm, but when he took the reins, it went crazy.
"Vlad! Get down!"
"Instructor. One more chance…”
"Oh no. The horse got scared, and besides, you said you've never ridden before. It's too dangerous now."
Vlad cursed under his breath, frustrated, while the instructor refused to let him approach the horse.
"Darn it! You're supposed to be up there!"
Vlad felt pathetic in his current state.
He knew nothing about the boys here, but he understood the value of every minute of his training.
The classes the House of Bayezid provided to its squires were about advanced skills—things not easily taught elsewhere.
And to be denied such a valuable opportunity, to be sent away, to be denied the chance to try, it was a bitter pill.
Again and again, for days on end.
"Darn it!"
Not the horses, but most animals, and none of them listened to Vlad.
"A guy who can't ride a horse wants to be a knight?"
"He should have learned riding a long time ago."
There were some who taunted Vlad with comments.
He turned his head to follow the snickers behind him, and there were some of the squires who normally hung around Sovanin.
They hadn't been approached because they were too far away.
"……."
He was tempted to hit them, but he decided to restrain himself.
It was true, as they said, that he didn't know how to handle his horse.
Moreover, he could have gotten himself in trouble if he had rushed.
He couldn't afford to mess it up with such a trivial matter when he was the only one watching his back.
"We'll have to get rid of him.”
Instead, I saw the opportunity to expose him and give him a good beating.
The fist is something so mysterious that it can convey your intentions without words, and you don't even have to ask for it.
Just like the vassals who now act dumb and refuse to look at him.
"Ah, but why not.”
Vlad ran a hand through his hair, roughly, and approached where the vassals were gathered and sat down forcefully.
"Sovanin!"
"What's happening!"
As soon as he sat down, he saw Sovanin stylishly riding over the obstacles.
Vlad didn't want to watch, but he couldn't avoid eye contact with Sovyanin, and his stomach churned.
"Haha, I've been riding since I was a child, so of course, I'm good at it.”
Vlad was a talented guy, and even among mercenaries, he was willing to take on the role of a captain. However, unlike him, the squires here were all prepared.
The only thing they lacked was real-world experience, and once they had that, they could easily handle minor mercenaries.
Except for a few, like Portly.
"Are you okay, Vlad?"
"Don't talk to me. I want to be alone.”
"Ugh."
Portley approached to console Vlad, but his abrupt reaction made her shrink back, and she returned to her seat.
"I'll definitely try again.”
Vlad's eyes burned as he looked at the horse that had thrown him.
Hiiiiing-.
Unaware that this gaze would only scare the horse even more.
***
"The problem isn't the captain."
"What?"
After the riding lesson, the squires dispersed to attend to their duties.
"It's not your fault; you didn't even get to ride."
"I did."
Vlad followed the stable boys as they walked away with their horses, wondering if he could get away with it once again.
"I'm not an expert in handling horses," he said, "but not many people can even get on a horse in the first place."
"You're not going to argue, right?"
"No, I won't argue. I'll listen."
Goethe lifted the bucket he was carrying.
"The Bayezid horses are well-trained. They don't get scared of people."
"But?"
"But when the captain approaches them, they get scared and run away, which is strange, whether they are good or not. Other people also said it was unusual."
"Damn."
As Vlad listened to Goethe's words, scenes flashed through his mind.
"Because all animals hate me?"
It had always been like this.
Dogs, cats, birds.
Anything, they all got scared whenever Vlad approached them.
He hated it so much that Zemina used to laugh at him, saying he was a human who must have done something bad in a past life.
It's hard to refute that, as, for starters, you would have to set a trap to catch a cat or something if you hadn't even touched it.
"Does it happen with...?"
Vlad wondered if horses avoided him too.
It wasn't a matter of liking or not, it was something that had to be done.
"But did you ride Lord Jager's horse?"
Undoubtedly, Vlad had ridden Jager's horse the night he fled from the dead.
Although it had been ridden by Goethe.
"Lord Jager's horse must be very expensive."
Vlad tilted his head once more at Goethe's comment that a good-quality horse would not easily be intimidated.
"I can't even dare say I can ride expensive horses."
It makes no sense to lament what hasn't happened.
Anyway, today I haven't ridden.
"Let's go."
"Aren't you going to ride?"
"I'm heartbroken."
Deciding it was better to prepare for his duel with Jager than to ride a horse that would never work, Vlad turned towards the training grounds.
When he turned around to leave, a familiar voice called him.
"Hmm."
Vlad could have ignored it, but he decided to go to the source.
Jorge had insisted in the past that he observe the unusual trends in his surroundings.
Danger and threats were always lurking.
Vlad walked along the mansion's gloomy perimeter, following the sound.
Puck...!
Puck!
And there it was, a scene he had already witnessed countless times when he lived in the alleys.
"If this pig had just left me alone lately!"
"Isn't it nice to have a friend after all these years?"
"Dirty pigs stick with dirty pigs anyway, they're meant to be together."
There they were, Jager and his group.
Surrounding a sobbing Portly.
'They beat him up like that.'
Vlad clenched his teeth seeing them strike the crying Portly, unable to speak.
"It's the same wherever you go..."
The good ones, the bad ones.
In the end, they were just people living at the expense of the weaker ones.
Vlad leaned against the mansion's wall and closed his eyes.
"..."
Should I go or not?
When he was in the alleys, the decision was simple.
If they were beating Zemina, Javén, or someone from Jorge's family, Vlad would have intervened without thinking.
It was an alley law that you had to act for those bound to you as brothers, whether by family ties or organization.
But the man they were beating wasn't one of his brothers.
They were just eating together.
"...But I feel like crap."
Normally, Vlad would have gone without thinking twice, but now he stood still, contemplating.
Should he or shouldn't he?
How much is another, and how much is me?
And am I a person capable of defending others?
"I'm ambiguous..."
The boy had not yet realized that, as much as his world had expanded, it could hold more.
Vlad's troubles deepened as he listened to Portly's pitiful cries.
Thud-thud-thud
The knight with narrowed eyes walked through the mansion's hallways, deep in thought.
Servants hurriedly passed by, heads bowed, as they noticed the furrowed brow on his face.
He wasn't one to create a relaxed atmosphere, but these days, he was particularly intense.
"I wish I could ask someone for help."
Jager had been contemplative lately.
In addition to his normal duties as Joseph's escort, he had to handle Vlad's fencing and other intermediate training. Occasionally, Lady Oksana summoned him to report on Joseph and Vlad's well-being.
Of the original five knights serving Joseph, Roderick had died in the last skirmish, and two others were injured while defending Joseph.
The only remaining knight was Bordan, but he couldn't be trusted to train Vlad. Thus, Jager had to step up.
"Raising a boy is quite a task."
Jager sighed to himself, thinking about Vlad.
The new blond boy hadn't been the easiest to deal with from the start, and he would need to be raised with great care. He was the kind of boy who needed attention, no matter how busy one might be.
Well, I guess I have to cultivate a seed.
Jager thought as he walked down the hallway, easing his stiff neck.
If he had known it would be like this, he would have cultivated at least one seed all these years.
But Jager couldn't complain. It was his nature, and as far as occupations went, his lord, Joseph, was the busiest.
One had to fight to stay afloat.
As busy as he was, Jager walked hurriedly, but there were voices calling out to him from afar.
"Sir Jager. Where are you going in such a hurry?"
"…Ah, Sir Gregory."
Jager frowned, recognizing the man greeting him from the other end of the hallway.
"Are you sure your dislike isn't showing on your face?"
"Frankly, I'm a bit busy."
"Well, I'm sure you have a lot on your plate if you're dealing with Sir Joseph's affairs."
He was busy, and he wanted the conversation to end quickly, but the knight in front of him, Gregory, didn't seem willing to let him go so easily.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"At least you have good insight."
"I am busy at the moment."
Jager felt a queasy sensation seeing Gregory close to him, but he didn't treat him poorly. Gregory was one of the knights who remained neutral.
All the knights of House Bayezid, while obeying Fether's orders first and foremost, were politically divided. Rutinger, the first son. The second son, Joseph. Deciding who would be the next head of the family and who would follow was a significant matter.
"To a knight of Sir Jager's caliber, an squire should have been given to educate, and indeed, now it's a bit too late. I, Gregory, believe so."
"…"
But the knight standing before him, Gregory, wasn't the one caught in the middle of choosing between the two. He was simply a free spirit, an eccentric even among the knights, and that's why he didn't choose anyone.
"Take care of your squire."
"My Portly is already grown, too grown. But he needs to lose some weight."
"What are you trying to say?"
Gregory rubbed his hands together and opened his mouth, seeing Jager's eyes sharpen.
"He mentioned Vlad, found him quite good."
"He was chosen by Sir Joseph himself."
"He has character and a lot of energy."
"What's your point?"
Gregory quickly interrupted Jager's irritation.
"Intruding into a squire's affairs is not becoming of a knight. They don't match."
"Indeed."
Jager rubbed his chin and looked at Gregory as if he finally understood what was being said.
"I've heard that Vlad has been making friends with Portly these days…"
"That kid doesn't have friends. Thinks he's better than others."
"Please tell him to spend more time with Portly."
Even the most regal knights sometimes had to ask a favor from someone.
"Still, it's my cousin's nephew, and I can't let him stay here and be beaten, and I've tried asking favors from others, and they have nothing to do with it."
"Free of charge?"
Gregory, thinking he had gotten through to Jager, smiled and offered his hand.
"If things go well, you can ask me for help later. But don't make it too dangerous or difficult of a request."
"…Hmm."
What Gregory was asking Jager to do now wasn't something he shouldn't have been doing anyway. And he was one of the reasons he was so busy.
"I'll talk to him."
Jager, who had been short of personnel for some time, shook Gregory's hand without much thought, and they parted slightly.
"But he doesn't really listen."
"Oh. That kid is really going places."
Even Gregory was a bit surprised to hear that even a knight of Jager's skill and temperament had difficulties with squires.
"Hoho Well, a knight who's going to be great must have a world of his own."
"He's just stubborn."
The knights, who had just shared their concerns with clasped hands, went their separate ways.
"At least he'll pretend to listen, right?"
Jager thought to himself after Gregory and he separated.
If he doesn't listen, I'll make him listen.
If he doesn't listen, I'll hit him.
After all, he owed Joseph seven years of loyalty.
***
"Ahhh!"
Vlad, who had just grabbed the reins and was about to mount, let out a grotesque scream and rolled on the ground.
Puhhhhhhh.
The horse that had thrown Vlad to the ground shook its head and began to paw the ground.
Wow!
"Calm down! Calm down, boy!"
The stable boys assigned to this lesson tried to calm it down, but, to their great surprise, the horse started bucking and staggering.
"Oh no!"
Vlad quickly moved away from the horse, which menacingly lifted its front hooves.
It was a disaster, but it was better than being crushed by a hoof.
Hiiiiing-.
As soon as Vlad was out of earshot, the horse began to calm down again, as it always did.
"But what the...?”
Vlad's heart sank as he realized that the horse was normally calm, but when he took the reins, it went crazy.
"Vlad! Get down!"
"Instructor. One more chance…”
"Oh no. The horse got scared, and besides, you said you've never ridden before. It's too dangerous now."
Vlad cursed under his breath, frustrated, while the instructor refused to let him approach the horse.
"Darn it! You're supposed to be up there!"
Vlad felt pathetic in his current state.
He knew nothing about the boys here, but he understood the value of every minute of his training.
The classes the House of Bayezid provided to its squires were about advanced skills—things not easily taught elsewhere.
And to be denied such a valuable opportunity, to be sent away, to be denied the chance to try, it was a bitter pill.
Again and again, for days on end.
"Darn it!"
Not the horses, but most animals, and none of them listened to Vlad.
"A guy who can't ride a horse wants to be a knight?"
"He should have learned riding a long time ago."
There were some who taunted Vlad with comments.
He turned his head to follow the snickers behind him, and there were some of the squires who normally hung around Sovanin.
They hadn't been approached because they were too far away.
"……."
He was tempted to hit them, but he decided to restrain himself.
It was true, as they said, that he didn't know how to handle his horse.
Moreover, he could have gotten himself in trouble if he had rushed.
He couldn't afford to mess it up with such a trivial matter when he was the only one watching his back.
"We'll have to get rid of him.”
Instead, I saw the opportunity to expose him and give him a good beating.
The fist is something so mysterious that it can convey your intentions without words, and you don't even have to ask for it.
Just like the vassals who now act dumb and refuse to look at him.
"Ah, but why not.”
Vlad ran a hand through his hair, roughly, and approached where the vassals were gathered and sat down forcefully.
"Sovanin!"
"What's happening!"
As soon as he sat down, he saw Sovanin stylishly riding over the obstacles.
Vlad didn't want to watch, but he couldn't avoid eye contact with Sovyanin, and his stomach churned.
"Haha, I've been riding since I was a child, so of course, I'm good at it.”
Vlad was a talented guy, and even among mercenaries, he was willing to take on the role of a captain. However, unlike him, the squires here were all prepared.
The only thing they lacked was real-world experience, and once they had that, they could easily handle minor mercenaries.
Except for a few, like Portly.
"Are you okay, Vlad?"
"Don't talk to me. I want to be alone.”
"Ugh."
Portley approached to console Vlad, but his abrupt reaction made her shrink back, and she returned to her seat.
"I'll definitely try again.”
Vlad's eyes burned as he looked at the horse that had thrown him.
Hiiiiing-.
Unaware that this gaze would only scare the horse even more.
***
"The problem isn't the captain."
"What?"
After the riding lesson, the squires dispersed to attend to their duties.
"It's not your fault; you didn't even get to ride."
"I did."
Vlad followed the stable boys as they walked away with their horses, wondering if he could get away with it once again.
"I'm not an expert in handling horses," he said, "but not many people can even get on a horse in the first place."
"You're not going to argue, right?"
"No, I won't argue. I'll listen."
Goethe lifted the bucket he was carrying.
"The Bayezid horses are well-trained. They don't get scared of people."
"But?"
"But when the captain approaches them, they get scared and run away, which is strange, whether they are good or not. Other people also said it was unusual."
"Damn."
As Vlad listened to Goethe's words, scenes flashed through his mind.
"Because all animals hate me?"
It had always been like this.
Dogs, cats, birds.
Anything, they all got scared whenever Vlad approached them.
He hated it so much that Zemina used to laugh at him, saying he was a human who must have done something bad in a past life.
It's hard to refute that, as, for starters, you would have to set a trap to catch a cat or something if you hadn't even touched it.
"Does it happen with...?"
Vlad wondered if horses avoided him too.
It wasn't a matter of liking or not, it was something that had to be done.
"But did you ride Lord Jager's horse?"
Undoubtedly, Vlad had ridden Jager's horse the night he fled from the dead.
Although it had been ridden by Goethe.
"Lord Jager's horse must be very expensive."
Vlad tilted his head once more at Goethe's comment that a good-quality horse would not easily be intimidated.
"I can't even dare say I can ride expensive horses."
It makes no sense to lament what hasn't happened.
Anyway, today I haven't ridden.
"Let's go."
"Aren't you going to ride?"
"I'm heartbroken."
Deciding it was better to prepare for his duel with Jager than to ride a horse that would never work, Vlad turned towards the training grounds.
When he turned around to leave, a familiar voice called him.
"Hmm."
Vlad could have ignored it, but he decided to go to the source.
Jorge had insisted in the past that he observe the unusual trends in his surroundings.
Danger and threats were always lurking.
Vlad walked along the mansion's gloomy perimeter, following the sound.
Puck...!
Puck!
And there it was, a scene he had already witnessed countless times when he lived in the alleys.
"If this pig had just left me alone lately!"
"Isn't it nice to have a friend after all these years?"
"Dirty pigs stick with dirty pigs anyway, they're meant to be together."
There they were, Jager and his group.
Surrounding a sobbing Portly.
'They beat him up like that.'
Vlad clenched his teeth seeing them strike the crying Portly, unable to speak.
"It's the same wherever you go..."
The good ones, the bad ones.
In the end, they were just people living at the expense of the weaker ones.
Vlad leaned against the mansion's wall and closed his eyes.
"..."
Should I go or not?
When he was in the alleys, the decision was simple.
If they were beating Zemina, Javén, or someone from Jorge's family, Vlad would have intervened without thinking.
It was an alley law that you had to act for those bound to you as brothers, whether by family ties or organization.
But the man they were beating wasn't one of his brothers.
They were just eating together.
"...But I feel like crap."
Normally, Vlad would have gone without thinking twice, but now he stood still, contemplating.
Should he or shouldn't he?
How much is another, and how much is me?
And am I a person capable of defending others?
"I'm ambiguous..."
The boy had not yet realized that, as much as his world had expanded, it could hold more.
Vlad's troubles deepened as he listened to Portly's pitiful cries.
