4. Rynella’s fate is decided by Rynella (37)
An outsider suddenly defeated the family knight.
Although the knights provoked it first, it was a match without a referee and no honor. All I did was throw a hatchet at me.
If it was a normal aristocratic family, there was nothing to say even if they cursed at me and despised me.
To put it bluntly, it was tantamount to winning through foul play.
But Yurdina was different.
An obsession with victory and an obsession with survival, these two are the values that the Yurdina family, who built history on a bare field, have pursued so far.
It was different from other aristocratic families that valued honor and tradition.
It was the reason why the rumor that I was a ‘twit’ had an unexpected effect.
“Daddy Confucius, what’s going on?”
These were the words of Sir Alex, an old knight who commanded a thousand soldiers.
The expression on the expression of the knight who spat out the language of the city government was extremely solemn. For a moment, I wondered if I had heard it wrong.
Even at first glance, Sir Alex appeared to be a thoroughly thorough person.
It wasn’t even before the battle, but it was like that just by looking at the heavy heavy armor.
Not only the weight of the armor of the knights, but also the pressure was no joke. It would be a strong insurance in battle, but it was also true that it was nothing more than a burden in everyday life.
Even so, Sir Alex never neglected to arm himself.
Even from these points alone, it was worth guessing about his personality.
strict and uncompromising He was able to lead the army of the Yurdina family, so the major he built would also be revolutionary.
When such a person uses the word ‘ttorai’ out of nowhere, I couldn’t help but get confused.
A groan escaped from my mouth.
“… … yes?”
“You are famous among the soldiers these days. ‘Ttorai Confucius’… I was also called ‘Mad Dog’ when I was younger.”
At the same time, Sir Alex smiled faintly as if lost in memories.
‘Crazy dog’, in fact, I was already called that at the academy.
I was about to tell Sir Alex about it, but I shook my head and laughed.
It was useless information.
Even so, one more dishonorable nickname of ‘crazy dog’ was added to ‘Ttorai’.
But there was one curious thing.
From what I’ve heard, it seems that Sir Alex highly appreciates the title ‘Stupid’.
It was a completely incomprehensible thought to me.
Until now, how many slanders have you suffered from being called ‘thugs’ and ‘mad dogs’?
Now, the lower grades of the academy were stealthily avoiding me even if I met their eyes.
So I had no choice but to ask the old man who was envious of his youth.
“Is that a compliment by any chance… … ?”
“Ah, that’s right, Confucius wasn’t from the north.”
Sir Alex silently nodded as if he had noticed only then.
Do I look so northern?
In the empire, he was famous for his hot-tempered and unrepentant temper called ‘northern man’. It was the exact opposite of me, a peace-loving Easterner.
I wanted to protest like that, but I tried to calm my mind.
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Jiyeon was as important as blood and academic ties.
There was no need to remind them of their differences with northerners. On the contrary, northerners had a strong tendency to stick together with those from the east, so if they thought of me as a northerner, they should have liked it.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied.
Sir Alex added a kind explanation to me, who had a dissatisfied face.
“It is a culture only in the north that considers struggle and competition as the highest value. Nicknames that seem untouchable just by looking at them usually cause envy. ‘Stupid’, ‘Mad Dog’, ‘Hatchet Killer’… … .”
“… … I haven’t killed anyone yet.”
Sir Alex only shrugged at my timid protest.
It was as if someone said something.
“This is not a story limited to Confucius. In any case, it is true that the prince was well liked by the privates of the Yurdina family.”
Unbelievable.
I didn’t know whether to admire or sigh.
It seemed that the northerners’ thinking was more erratic than expected.
Every time you do something strange, your likability goes up.
Not too long ago, I was worried that Seria would be recognized by the family, but it was nothing.
On the day the light disappears from her pupils, Seria will be recognized by everyone in the Yurdina family.
Sir Alex burst into a small laugh at my bewildered expression.
“You look surprised, and that’s understandable. Most nobles aren’t like that.”
“The Yurdina family… Well, that’s a fun place.”
It was my best since I couldn’t bear to leave a bad reputation about the family in front of the vassal.
Looking back, Delphine was like that too.
Didn’t they rather overestimate me who wielded a hatchet in the room out of nowhere? I didn’t know that it would be the Yurdina family’s family tradition.
It wasn’t intentional, but it was a boon to me.
Right now, even Sir Alex was showing a much more favorable attitude compared to the first meeting. The enlisted men of the Yurdina family were no different.
At this point, I thought it would be easy to investigate.
In the meantime, I decided to ask Sir Alex for his opinion on the rumors.
“Come to think of it, Sir Alex. Have you ever heard of it? There’s a soldier who recently saw someone who looked just like a villager here… … .”
“Ah, you mean Milton.”
I paused at the name that immediately jumped out.
It was because I didn’t know that a person like a commander could memorize even a single soldier’s name.
At my reaction, Sir Alex smiled again.
“This is also the culture of the North. Comrades who fight back to back are like family members who are more precious than anyone else. Even if there are hundreds of people, I memorize at least the names.”
“What if there are tens of thousands?”
“Of course you can’t. Still, if you spend a few years together, you can memorize up to a thousand people.”
The northerners seemed stubborn in strange places.
Nothing bad. Because of that, the story progressed quickly.
Sir Alex immediately gave me the information I was looking for.
“It was a few days ago. Milton had a drink that night and went to the woods near the garrison to do business. And they said they saw someone who looked just like a villager there.”
“Aren’t you the villager himself?”
“At least according to Milton, it is. I asked because it was strange to be alone in the forest at night, but he disappeared into the forest without an answer. So Milton deliberately went to the village the next day, but the person said he had no memory.”
“Hmm,” I thought while resting my chin on my chin.
The credibility of the testimony itself was not high.
It was because there were two things that took a while to hear.
First of all, it was the fact that it happened while drunk, and the possibility that the villager himself had lost his memory could not be ruled out.
Even so, it was difficult to completely disregard such specific testimony.
In the end, there was only one answer.
“… … I must go to the forest.”
“Are you okay alone? Since then Milton has been bragging about the forest being haunted, so the enlisted men are secretly reluctant to go there.”
“Why would you go alone when you have a reliable companion?”
After guessing who the ‘reassuring companion’ might be, Sir Alex laughed lightly.
It was then that I heard a voice calling me from behind.
“Senior Ian! The meal is ready, so please… … .”
My gaze and Sir Alex’s gaze simultaneously turned to the woman who had called for me.
The beautiful girl with gray hair looked bewildered at the eyes of the two men who silently turned to her.
I said with a wry smile.
“… … Seria.”
“Yes Yes?”
“Shall we go for a night walk together later?”
Then, Seria’s face, which was making a stupid expression, brightened noticeably.
She smiled all over her face and nodded vigorously.
“yes!”
and that night.
“Yu, you didn’t tell me you were going to look for ghosts!”
Seria trembled and clung to my arm.
Moonlight was the only light in the late-night forest.
Seria and I were advancing on the road, relying on the cold halo of light penetrating through the leaves. Eventually, the road led to the depths of the forest.
Seria, who was crying, honestly didn’t help, but the soft feel on her arm felt good, so I thought it was okay.
I spoke to Seria in a somewhat determined tone.
“Seria, I’m exploring right now. It’s troublesome if you keep making noise.”
“Ha, don’t… … .”
I wanted to establish the dignity of a senior, but the shivering Seria was so cute.
I let out a deep sigh and tried to comfort her.
“The soldier might have been drunk and looked at something. I just came to check on you today, so you don’t have to worry too much… … .”
It was then that a rustling noise tickled his ear.
Swordsmen who have reached Expert boast superhuman senses.
There was no way that neither I nor Seria would have noticed such an explicit sound.
Immediately silence fell between us.
Seria’s complexion had already turned pale. I caressed Seria’s shoulder a couple of times and whispered in her ear.
“I’ll chase after you, so follow slowly while observing the situation from behind… Maybe it’s a trap. If there is a problem, I go straight to ask for support.”
Seria nodded her head with a teary face.
Since Seria was shaking right away, it was impossible to fight, so it was best to do this. I breathed in for a moment, then slowly awakened my senses.
It wasn’t a beast.
I could feel the shape of a clear person on the other side. The opponent also stood still for a while, perhaps feeling our presence.
and right after that.
With the sound of a thump kicking the ground, a person started running. I also jumped right after him.
A few minutes later, I was finally able to exchange greetings with my past ties.
“……Mitram.”
“Long time no see, Ian Perkus.”
He was speaking through the mouth of my young man.