The sword in its sheath let out a quiet whine. Ayr gently stroked the sword a few times. This was a place he would be visiting every day anyway. Moreover, there were probably only a handful of people on the continent who could wield this sword other than himself, so there was no need to worry about losing it.
ㅤ
After that, Ayr tidied up the surroundings.
ㅤ
He moved the anvil and base to a position where he could work comfortably, and placed the bellows next to the forge. He then gave the hammer, tongs, and other tools a quick polish.
ㅤ
As he moved diligently, the sun rose completely, casting light through the window.
ㅤ
By the time he had finished tidying up the interior, he could sense movement outside.
ㅤ
Five minutes later, a man’s voice could be heard from outside the house.
ㅤ
“It’s Fiden. Are you inside by any chance?”
ㅤ
Ayr knew who it was before he even spoke.
ㅤ
The man who had introduced himself as the captain of the guard on the first day had come to visit Ayr three times a day with food. Even though Ayr hadn’t touched the food, Fiden hadn’t said anything.
ㅤ
He had simply repeated that the clearing at the summit of Mount Felin wasn’t a place where an untrained servant girl could continuously climb. And after delivering the food, he would report on Krimson and his men, with whom Ayr had a confrontation.
ㅤ
“Wait a moment.”
ㅤ
“!!!”
ㅤ
Fiden, who had been standing outside, was slightly startled by Ayr’s voice. This was because Ayr hadn’t said a single word to him since telling him not to come again on the first day.
ㅤ
A moment later, Ayr opened the door, having finished tidying up.
ㅤ
“Hmm?”
ㅤ
Then, Fiden was surprised again when he saw Ayr face-to-face. His face was more beautiful and youthful than he had imagined. However, just like the first day, his deep gaze was still hard to bear. Come to think of it, it was because of this gaze that he couldn’t guess Ayr’s age.
ㅤ
“What’s the matter?”
ㅤ
“A-As I mentioned yesterday, Krimson’s men left the inner castle and. . .”
ㅤ
“That’s enough. About that.”
ㅤ
Ayr raised his hand to stop him from speaking.
ㅤ
It was a story he had no interest in anyway. Instead, he observed Fiden, who couldn’t meet his eyes and kept his head bowed. In truth, there was no need to scrutinize him.
ㅤ
‘𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬.’
ㅤ
He had felt it ever since he first saw him. If he were in the Demon Realm, he wouldn’t have lasted even three months. He had heard that Fiden was the captain of the guard and the only knight left in the barony. Despite that, he was weaker than the weakest of his subordinates.
ㅤ
“Why did you stay?”
ㅤ
“Pardon?”
ㅤ
“I heard that after Master passed away and the family began to decline, the knights left one by one. Why did you stay for over ten years?”
ㅤ
Fiden hesitated at Ayr’s question.
ㅤ
He realized that his answer now would determine something. Fiden took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
ㅤ
“For the same reason I’ve been visiting this place for a week.”
ㅤ
“What do you mean?”
ㅤ
“After I was knighted by the previous Baron, I resolved to devote my life to Gerkinde. So please, Young Master, take me in.”
ㅤ
“By your own words, you are already a knight of the House of Gerkinde, and I have yet to receive the title of Baron.”
ㅤ
“I’m not quick-witted, so I don’t understand roundabout ways of speaking very well.”
ㅤ
Ayr smirked at Fiden’s assertive words.
ㅤ
A weakling who had assertiveness. Moreover, his mental fortitude seemed to be quite strong.
ㅤ
“Not three months, but three weeks.”
ㅤ
This kind of person died even faster.
ㅤ
That was because at the moment of crisis, this assertiveness would come out for his comrades, not for himself.
ㅤ
However, Ayr favored those with such personalities.
ㅤ
Because these were the ones who grew stronger the more they gathered together.
Translator’s Blog
Blog
- Novel Review: Emperor’s Domination
- If I Got Isekai’ed 101: Your Guide to Surviving Another World (And Maybe Even Becoming a Harem Protagonist)
- Unlocking Your Inner Naruto Fox: Finding Your Sasuke and Mastering the Sharingan
- My Gacha Gaming Habit is Bleeding My Bank Account Dry: How to Stop Before You Go Broke
- What if Disney Princesses Were Real? (Spoiler: Not So Magical)
Leave a Reply