141 – Taming the Madman (1)
Since the princess is not from Eternia, the full-fledged ceremony takes place in Rigbed.
Escort missions don’t mean putting too much work on a single student. Since it is just an event that puts meaning in the exchange itself, it does not bother to send the students away.
So the road to leave was quiet.
It was an external event full of awareness of ‘building awareness while playing and eating’. That’s why, no matter how great achievements were made in the mission, there was no substitute for a senior-level rating in the grade evaluation.
To join Princess Bibi’s escort, I got on a carriage that was all black, from the horses to the doors and spokes.
Around the time the wheel started rolling slowly, I heard the familiar sound of a bird.
Beep!
The spirit of fire, with a chubby body, struggles to fly through the wagon window. Something is hanging from the leg.
I hurriedly opened the window and untied the thing tied to the spirit’s leg.
This is a small wool pouch made by hand-knitting. Inside was an amulet carved out of a flat stone. It was a popular good luck charm at the antique shop in Rigbed. It had no effect, but I could tell what the intention was.
I can’t figure out who the person who plays with my spirit every day is. I couldn’t properly say thank you after the circulatory system practice.
The horses spur and the scenery of Eternia flows quickly. Then, suddenly, from afar, a blonde-haired girl enters the landscape outside the window. How did you know She looked at her carriage and waved her hand shyly.
Yes, I have one more friend besides Trisha and Cecil.
We can’t be friends yet. They cannot communicate directly, but one light gesture leaves a deeper impression than a thousand words.
I also responded by waving her hand.
***
Since the Principality of Yulicia is bordered by Eternia, you can enter the Principality’s territory as long as you safely cross the Grace Mountains. However, it should not be mistaken that just because it enters the border easily, the journey thereafter will be smooth.
If you move forward for a while from the border with Eternia, you will find the Barbisia region.
A vast wetland called a natural barrier. The river overflows from time to time, the weather is extremely capricious, the bubbling marsh gushes out poisonous gas, and the only place that is perfectly fine is the extreme environment where the feet are sunken, and the heavy plantera and thick plate armor are useless. I heard you brag
Moreover, most of these areas are unsuitable for use as agricultural land, and large-scale supply of goods is virtually impossible.
So, in Barbisia, there were only a small number of free people and villages, and there was no lord in charge, and they were not under the rule of the principality. In fact, the base of the border guards is located farther back than where the border was drawn.
Barbisia is the territory of the principality only on the map.
“Don’t you know exactly where it goes?”
“You have no authority. It’s your job to sit quietly in the carriage.”
Only the princess’ closest aides know which path the princess will travel. I just didn’t even know the approximate layover. It seemed to be for security reasons. Considering the tight schedule, crossing the Barbisia area, the shortest route, was certain.
I confirmed the location of the capital city of Sharnian, the capital of the principality, the final destination. Then, I lowered my eyes and drew an imaginary line to the city of Seongdo, which is located on the southwest side of the street.
The place where Silverin is located. It is a distance that can be reached in two days by riding a horse day and night.
If this is done safely, this will be my second itinerary.
***
After a simple ceremony in Riggbed, a long journey with 6 wagons, 2 carts, and an escort of about 50 people began.
At the time of the contract with the princess, I was granted escort qualifications, but the actual treatment I received was different from what I expected. The escort moves on horseback or on two feet alongside a long row of wagons, and I was ordered into the wagon.
I wondered if he was trying to treat me preferentially, but after a while I looked at the people riding with me and figured out my situation.
Watching the five young ladies-in-waiting squeezed into the four-seater carriage I rode in. They were among the lowest in the party.
Most of the ladies-in-waiting were young and petite, so it’s a shame, but if they had a little more flesh, they would have had to endure, barely breathing like a sandwich.
Even if I pushed my body as close as possible to the door, there was no way to avoid being embarrassed by having my body close to the ladies-in-waiting.
“I’m sorry.”
A young lady-in-waiting clung to me and hesitated.
As I was about to get off the carriage, one of the escort drivers gave an order.
“It is the captain’s order to keep his seat. While moving, you must not arbitrarily leave your position.”
They seemed to treat me like a burden to be protected rather than part of the escort.
“I want to meet the princess.”
Why is the person who called me out many times and willingly accepted my oath to treat me like this?
The last knight’s reply was cold.
“You do not have the right to meet the princess in person.”
At most, it is a distance that can be seen if only three wagons are crossed, but my request was cut off for reasons of procedure.
Only then did I begin to understand the situation. They had no confidence in my abilities and were unwilling to entrust me with any work.
To see it as territorial, a third-year senior from Eternia who joined the escort this time was proudly riding a horse and walking side by side with the escort.
Am I the only one who was disliked for rejecting the principality’s proposals several times and showing an arrogant attitude?
The back row wagons ridden by people of low importance have loose guard walls, and the wagons ridden by gongnyeo have the tightest. The problem is, the people who chased us in the dream are escorting the carriage of the princess.
Unless I lost my mind and kidnapped the princess, treason and betrayal are the most plausible scenarios. My reasoning is that he may be harboring a plan to kill her princess by moving to a place where she can’t request reinforcements to assassinate her.
You never know when or how the situation in your dream will come true. Maybe it won’t happen at all. There was only one occasion when my precognitive dream came true as it was.
You never know what will happen. So, I had to stay next to the princess’ carriage so that I could deal with it at all times.
The maids who were on board sent uncomfortable glances with their colleagues.
They seemed to pay more attention because I was reluctant to sit here.
This situation is, in a way, self-inflicted, so you shouldn’t complain. It’s my job to accept the situation and make the best move in every moment.
“Since the situation is not good, I have come to ride with you. I don’t know if I can afford this luxury alone.”
“We are okay, it’s okay.”
The maids laugh awkwardly. Half of it is just a forced smile to ease the awkwardness, and the other half is a smile mixed with appropriate goodwill.
I didn’t miss that thread of kindness. Because that can be very useful.
***
The quiet and boring journey came to a halt as the sun went down.
The escorts made their way through the winding Grace Mountains and set up camp on a mound with a panoramic view of the surroundings.
Everyone was busy preparing dinner, making bonfires here and there and boiling water in iron pots.
Vivi’s direct aide, Gerald, looked at the barracks far away. It was a shabby barracks where the youngest ladies-in-waiting were gathered.
There, a man’s voice and the bright laughter of several girls resonated in response.
Damian seemed to have become her friend within half a day, as he couldn’t get along with her ladies-in-waiting. Like the expression “Worth the face” In a vulgar language, the boy who had been reticent, serious, and sometimes even gloomy, had suddenly changed and seemed to be blinded by women’s colors.
Did I read the wrong person? Or do you have a strategy of your own? The boy had become a different kind of human being in one day.
He watched the place with a serious face, then went straight back to the tent where his princess was resting.
Dipping her feet in her bucket of rubbing in a luxurious camp, her maid was busily wiping her feet.
From noble mtl dot com
“Damian-kun has posted four requests today alone to appoint him as the princess’s direct escort.”
The princess smiled and slowly stirred the teacup.
“Okay.”
“Princess, is it okay if I ignore the request?”
“Well, how about now? Did you shiver with anger? Did you sharpen your knife while waiting for the day to be active?”
Gerald conveyed the scenery he had just seen.
“It seems that he has given up and decided to hang out with the ladies-in-waiting. He was so sly that the soldiers around him looked at him with disdain. I think he may have changed his mind.”
“Then have her do the laundry or wash the dishes with her maids. It seems that he is willing to deal with the rumors that he has gone from playing like a horny to doing chores like washing dishes like a b*tch. The apprentice of the Archmage. I’m glad you found your way.”
“….”
If Damian is an ignorant idiot, he’ll finish the mission by playing shoulder to shoulder with his ladies-in-waiting. However, the Damian Gerald saw was not so easygoing.
It seemed that the princess had no intention of letting go.
“I’ll take action soon. Let me do my job in my favor.”
“Okay.”
It is a ploy to starve yourself until you bite the poisoned bait. If you keep suppressing opportunities in this way, you will end up working too hard to prove your worth or snapping up dangerous assignments.
If you don’t completely finish what you set out to do, you will completely collapse.
Bibi has been waiting for that moment.
She said with a grin.
“There are many people in the Barbisia region suffering from demonic beasts.”
“….”
Gerald felt strangely uncomfortable.
Can I tame Damian like that?
Sylverin is never easygoing.
Her many powerful people who coveted her power of Silverine used all kinds of means to appease her, but she was never tamed.
She is the first disciple that such a strong woman accepted directly. Will the boy who has won the position coveted by so many wizards really be dragged around by the bait?
***
I went down to the stream with the ladies-in-waiting to wash potatoes for dinner. I don’t know if it’s because they’re my age, but their attitude was softer than the escorts, and thanks to that, I didn’t have much difficulty getting to know them.
One of her five ladies-in-waiting, Misha, kindly answered my question.
“Fenrir-sama is in command of the 1st division composed of knights, and Alixia-nim is in command of the 2nd division of the magician unit. Nielin, the winner of the floral competition, is in charge of these two units.”
I already remembered all the faces. Nielin, a middle-aged knight with bear-like muscles and wolf-like eyes, always hovered closest to her princess.
And that man was also one of the characters I was chasing in my dream. He is the person to be most wary of.
“How strong is Nielin?”
“He is strong enough to be counted among 100 swordsmen throughout the principality. Of course, he is the strongest in the escort. He handles swordsmanship freely and cuts down a hundred-year-old tree with a single knife.”
If you are in the top 100 in a country… It’s never an easy opponent.
“And… Maybe because I graduated from the Imperial Royal Academy, he didn’t really like visiting Eternia.”
“Does it matter where you are from?”
“Oh my, I know that Eternia and the Royal Academy are rivals. Is this a mistake?”
I think I heard it at first glance. Well, Eternia didn’t care much. I don’t know if the Royal Academy thinks differently.
“I’m still in the first year, so I don’t know.”
“Ah, that, would you? So Nielin-nim seems to be a bit uneasy about Eternia. Oh, so… I’m not saying you’re a narrow-minded person… “
“Even I will not blindly trust outsiders. I know what you’re talking about. Then what kind of personality is the princess?”
The maid hesitated for a moment.
“She is asking the princess to prevent any rude remarks.”
“That… Miss Bibi is merciful.”
She thought it was just empty words, but when she heard what followed, she didn’t force herself to praise.
Another lady-in-waiting helped with the story.
“Right! If you follow my orders and prove your loyalty, I will treat you like my own limb and give you a big reward. We are all orphans and have no family, but the lady took us in. If it wasn’t for the princess, we would have been sold somewhere. So everyone respects and follows with gratitude. However, if you go against your planting or disobey, I will never forget you. He even remembered all the light incidents that happened 10 years ago and retaliated… It scares me sometimes.”
“The rewards and punishments are clear.”
If you say it well, yes, if you say it badly, it’s petty.
She turned down the principality’s proposals several times and even behaved arrogantly, so Princess Bibi had plenty of reasons to think badly of me. Maybe there’s another reason I don’t know about.
It seems that there is no other way to rise from this position than to win the qualification myself.
“Ah, more than that… Are there more Imperial Royal Academy graduates in the escort?”
***
Upon returning to the camp, the ladies-in-waiting went around and rationed the ingredients washed in the stream. I also moved with the ladies-in-waiting, so I held a basket in one hand and helped distribute the food to each group.
And I could clearly feel how the escort knights treated me.
The stinging gazes that are hostile to me.
“Nimiral. Kaak- twee.”
When I pass by, they scrape off phlegm and spit it out.
It was better to stimulate her nerves by whistling as if flirting with the girl.
“Misha, come here. Don’t hang out with strange friends.”
“Ah, hahahaha, I still have work to do.”
Perhaps the antipathy grew as I approached the young ladies-in-waiting.
“I also want to have s*x with a woman. I think that will cool off this ‘hot head’.”
“Puhahahaha!”
They ridiculed and laughed loudly as if to listen openly from behind.
As if I didn’t like the way I treated the princess rudely, I had become a person that no one welcomed.
I did not respond individually. Silently focused on food distribution.
“It’s a stew ingredient. You can add it when the water boils.”
As I was about to pass by after distributing to the last group, a knight slipped his foot in front of me.
I deliberately hung it with a feeling that it was all right.
Splat!
I was knocked down in a big way. Not only did he plummet to the floor, but he missed the basket and the carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms in it spilled out and rolled on the floor.
The body was covered in mud, and the knights who saw it burst into laughter to leave the world.
“Ahahahahaha!”
“Keep keep keep, ahahahaha!”
“Ahahahahaha! This is pure sickness!”
I laughed so hard that I wondered if I was out of breath while laughing.
The ladies-in-waiting who saw me were at a loss.
I got up slowly and calmly brushed off the dirt.
Then, I glanced at the scabbard of the knight who walked on my feet. A golden lion with an open mouth is solemnly studded. I heard that it is the same as the symbol of an honor graduate of the Imperial Academy.
I shouted at the driver who was still busy laughing.
“The etiquette at the Imperial Academy is like this.”
And then the laughter started to die down quickly. Everyone’s eyes are round and they’re looking at this.
Everyone was glaring at me, wondering, ‘Did I hear that wrong?’.
I shouted again to the people in the audience whose atmosphere had subsided.
“You don’t know how to fight confidently, so you chew and mock me from behind. Is this only the Imperial Academy manner?”
“What is this bastard?”
The knight who crossed his legs grabbed his sword and jumped up and approached me. He tapped my shoulder with his log-like forearm.
“Are you saying that you know what you are touching?”
“If you have any complaints, speak up like a knight with your skills. Don’t be mean.”
“Get your weapon, you bastard.”
All those who had ridiculed me were glaring at me with bloody faces.
One-third of them are from the Imperial Academy. Even the commanders. Do you know what you are touching? Know well
It’s not me who got it wrong, it’s you guys.
Oh, bold Damian.