Chapter 22: Proposal and Rejection
TL: Potato-tan
Proofreader: Asianpotato
The next day. When he opened his eyes from his bed, Russell found something attached to the ceiling. It was a small lizard with brown, scaly skin, dotted with blue spots here and there.
The lizard was crawling around the ceiling with suction cups on its feet, allowing it to stick to the surface with ease.
After observing it for a while, Russell lifted a finger and shot a bolt of electricity. Crack! The electricity from the tip of his index finger struck the lizard’s body directly, and it fell to the floor with a thud.
Russell picked up the dead lizard, and white smoke came out of its nose and mouth. A single blow had turned its eyes a milky color, indicating its death. There was a slight smell of cooked meat.
He threw the lizard’s body out the window. It was early autumn; ‘did lizards become active at this time?’ He briefly wondered about it, but the two heavy footsteps ascending the stairs quickly made him forget about it. The two footsteps stopped right in front of Russell’s door.
Knock knock.
“Can I come in?”
The voice sounded familiar.
“Come in.”
The heavy footsteps were owned by two knights: the city lord’s knight with a green crest, and the princess’s knight. Both of them had come to visit at the same time. One of them must have been running. Or maybe both of them.
Russell sat up on his bed, his head throbbing, and looked up at the two knights who had entered his room.
One of them was wearing a helmet shaped like a wolf’s head, and the other was the middle-aged male knight who had first approached him on the battlefield the previous day.
The middle-aged knight spoke first.
“Mercenary Russell, the city lord wishes to meet you. He wants to express his gratitude for saving his daughter, our mistress, Zeona, and for defeating the monsters that invaded the city and the wicked dragonkin. We were unable to thank you properly yesterday due to the chaos, but today he insists that you come to the castle.”
Russell looked at the middle-aged knight with eyes full of curiosity. First of all, it was unusual for a mere mercenary like him to receive a personal visit from a knight, and secondly, the city’s ruler was not ordering him to come, but rather asking him to do so.
‘There seemed to be something fishy going on.’ Russell turned his head to see the wolf-headed knight standing silently beside him.
“And you are?”
“Her Royal Highness, the Princess, also wishes to see you again. She has expressed a desire to have a long conversation with you about yesterday’s events.”
Surprisingly, a clear female voice flowed out of the wolf’s mouth. She must be a woman, even though her height and thick armor made it difficult to tell. Russell looked closely at the wolf-headed knight’s equipment.
She wore a sturdy silver breastplate, akin to that of the knight named Lyos. Only a longsword hung from her waist, and she did not carry any unusual weapons, such as a battle hammer.
The middle-aged knight stroked his neatly trimmed mustache under his nose, then spoke.
“You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?”
Russell’s face immediately turned sour. The middle-aged knight chuckled.
“That’s good. Just wash your face and come right away. You can wear your armor and sword. Oh, and you have permission for your party to also come. The red-haired wizard and the white-haired dark elf, is it? We’ll be waiting outside.”
After finishing his speech, the two knights opened the door and went out. Russell, who was still sitting on the bed, sighed and washed his face with cold water.
He equipped his armor and greatsword and left the room. He knocked on the doors of Evelyn and Lexi, who had their own double room, and informed them of the situation. Then, without waiting for a reply, he went downstairs and headed towards the well behind the inn.
He then met Shasha, who was drawing water from the well. Her expressionless face suddenly brightened.
“Ah! Did you sleep well, Russell-Nim?”
“Thanks to you. May I have some water?”
“Of course.”
After placing the dipper on the well, Shasha stepped aside, and Russell rummaged through his bag. He intended to pay for the water, but Shasha hurriedly waved her hands.
“Oh, you don’t have to! It’s fine.”
“I insist.”
In the end, Shasha received the copper coin that Russell handed her and held it tightly. After observing him cleanse his face and hair, she uttered these words.
“Do you want me to do it for you?”
“It’s okay. Do you mind if I use the well?”
“It’s okay.”
She could hear the sound of someone calling her from the kitchen, but Shasha ignored it. Russell smiled and squeezed his long hair with his hand. Then he pulled it all back at once.
Water dripped down his neck. Russell tilted his head back and looked at the sky. He saw the sun shining brightly. The weather was not cold. In fact, it was slightly warm. It would dry along the way.
“Russell-nim, just a moment.”
“Hm?”
At that moment, Shasha took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped his face with great care. Her hands, which had been carefully wiping his forehead, eyes, prominent nose, and cheeks, paused briefly at his lips and then continued. Russell bent his knees slightly and lowered his face.
“I should go.”
“It’s all done.”
Shasha reluctantly took her hands off Russell’s face, which she had been caressing for a long time. Russell smiled at her and reached out to pat Shasha’s head.
Shasha closed her eyes tightly and silently accepted his touch. Sometimes, like a cat, she would rub her forehead first on his palm. At those times, her face was so full of happiness that he felt like patting her forever.
Soon, when Russell removed his hand, Shasha looked up at him with a look full of regret. She had looked like a cat before, but now she looked like a puppy. Russell said.
“I’m going. You don’t have to prepare breakfast.”
“Are you leaving?”
“Not yet. I’ll come for lunch or dinner. The beer was delicious yesterday. The other food was good too.”
“. . .When you return. Will you also take a bath tonight?”
Shasha spoke, unconsciously holding Russell’s wrist. Russell smiled wryly. She quickly turned red when he bent down slightly to bring his face closer.
Her hair shone in the sunlight, giving it a light brown color, and her body had a pleasant scent. It was the scent of the fragrant oil she had used to wash his body yesterday. Russell asked.
“Why? Would you like me to?”
“. . .Yes.”
Russell softly let go of her hand at her blunt reply and flicked her cheek lightly. Shasha glanced at him, making a cute moaning sound of “Ah.”
“When I have time, I’ll see you later.”
“. . .Yes!”
At his words, Shasha’s expression brightened, and she picked up the long water bucket and walked towards the kitchen. Russell shook his head slightly and headed towards the path that led to the dining room. Just then, Evelyn and Lexi, their faces clean, came down the stairs. Evelyn said.
“What’s this? The city lord has called for you. Wasn’t it time to receive compensation this afternoon?”
“Not just me. You guys too.”
“Really? It’s good to have strong friends. Will Lexi also go?”
Lexi looked at Russell while yawning.
“What about the blacksmith?”
“After I finish this, I’ll lead you there. I need to repair my armor anyway.”
Russell raised his leather armor, revealing a horizontal tear across his chest. Karugon’s staff blade had slashed this part the previous day. Although the wounds on his skin had already healed, the armor still required repair or reinforcement with additional leather. Lexi nodded her head.
“Then that’s good. I need money, too. My sword is half broken.”
Upon reflection, Lexi’s reverse-grip dagger was only partially intact. Only the handle remained, precariously attached to the scabbard.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Once they reached a consensus and stepped outside, they encountered the same knights and soldiers from before. They even had a guard unit ready to escort them.
“What is this?”
The middle-aged knight answered Russell’s question.
“Oh, that is the city lord’s goodwill. Shouldn’t the citizens also know who protected our city yesterday?”
Among them, standing at an angle, was the man with the blue epaulets who had led the mercenaries the previous day. Russell sighed again as the man with the blue epaulets sent him a sparkling look of respect. ‘This was getting annoying.’
“Do as you please.”
They walked to the castle under escort, and as a result, they received the attention of many citizens.
Evelyn pulled the hood attached to her robe over her head to avoid the gazes, while Lexi walked with an indifferent look on her face. Russell was the one who caught people’s attention the most.
With a height and size two to three heads taller than the others, and with the huge claymore on his back, Russell stood out. Russell could hear people whispering in his ears.
Although there were too many to count, he could hear the common words among them: Thunder Warrior, Great Warrior, Celestial Lion, etc. The mercenaries and soldiers seemed to have greatly exaggerated the rumors that had been circulating all night.
Russell had a rough idea of why the city lord had put on this performance.
Calisden was a city that had been free of war for a long time. Calisden’s location was near the northeast border, and there were no nearby monster colonies that required monitoring.
Monsters invaded this city yesterday. The citizens must have felt fear at the sight of black clouds in the sky and loud noises outside the city walls.
However, in the end, the city successfully repelled the monsters, and at the center of it all was a warrior wielding a greatsword. Since his distinctive feature was his black hair, a rare color to find, the people immediately realized that the person at the center of the escort was the warrior of the rumors.
People who had come out for their morning business, merchants on their way to work, and farmers cheered for them. Someone sprinkled flower petals and threw flowers. They showered Russell and the soldiers with the joy of victory, which they had been unable to express the night before due to the late hour.
The soldiers smiled. So did the middle-aged knight. The wolf-headed knight’s expression remained hidden, concealing her feelings.
This must be what the city lord was aiming for. If this doesn’t work out, he might end up with his nose severed.
They continued to walk, receiving cheers along the way. The castle was situated slightly north of Calisden’s center. If you stood in the central square, you could see the large mansion and several fortresses.
Because the land sloped gently upward, people naturally looked up at it. The number of soldiers gradually decreased as they passed through the large gate, the complex paths inside, and several large and small gates, until only the middle-aged knight and Russell’s party remained. Somewhere in the middle, the wolf-headed knight disappeared.
They entered the city lord’s hall. The city lord was in the uppermost seat, with Zeona sitting next to him. There was no sign of the presumed hostess or princess. As soon as City Lord Frederick spotted Russell, he stood up.
“The warrior who saved our Calisden has come!”
As City Lord Frederick clapped his hands, the knights lined up on both sides of the hall and also clapped their hands. Clap clap clap clap. . . .
The clapping that had filled the large hall gradually subsided. The city lord led Zeona down and approached Russell. The elf wizard, Albert, followed quietly behind him.
“I was too out of my mind yesterday to properly thank you. And it was even more so since there were uninvited guests.”
When the city lord extended his right hand, Russell calmly extended his hand to meet it. City Lord Frederick shook his hand vigorously and then turned his head to his daughter, who was standing next to him.
“Zeona, shouldn’t you greet him?”
Russell looked at Zeona once more. A woman standing there was completely different from the one he had met yesterday. She had shed her armor and donned a dress with a plunging neckline and exposed collarbone, harmoniously blending black and blue colors.
Zeona held the hem of her skirt with her hand, her face flushed red, which did not match her aqua-colored hair, and greeted him.
“Thank you for saving my life.”
Russell nodded without saying anything. City Lord Frederick, who had been watching her face intently, said, “Well then,” and led them to the dining room.
“Haven’t you had your breakfast yet? I am pleased to be able to show you the skills of our chef. “Come in, come in.”
Russell, with an uncomfortable expression, Evelyn, and Lexi, with expressionless faces, sat down on the chairs in front of the long table. In the uppermost seat, the city lord sat alone, and Zeona sat directly across from Russell. Albert stood behind the city lord.
Soon, chefs wearing white hats pushed in carts filled with food and began to serve the table.
Lord Frederick watched as Russell, a mercenary, ate his meal, and a surprised expression came over his face when he saw that Russell used his utensils with surprising elegance. It was as if he had confirmed something he had been suspicious about.
Throughout the meal, the city lord asked Russell various questions while watching him. “How old are you?”, “How long have you been traveling?”, “Do you have any parents?”
Russell replied simply that he had turned twenty, that he had not been traveling for long, and that his parents had both separated when he was young. When asked how he had become so strong, he simply replied that it was because he had been wielding a sword since he was a child.
Everyone received dessert and glasses of wine after the meal. Evelyn drank her wine calmly, while Lexi looked at her glass with curious eyes. Suddenly, City Lord Frederick, who had been observing Russell spin his wine glass, posed a question.
“Do you happen to have a woman in your heart?”
“Pfft!”
Zeona, who had been quiet the whole time, spat out the wine she was drinking. Drops of red wine stained the white tablecloth.
“Cough, Dad! Cough cough!”
“Zeona.”
Zeona raised her head at City Lord Frederick’s call, and her face hardened when she saw his expression. She lowered her head.
“. . .Sorry, Father.”
The city lord, who nodded his head slightly, looked back at Russell.
“If you don’t have such a woman, I’d like to pair you up with my daughter here. What do you think?”
“It is a rather sudden proposal.”
“Indeed. However, in all my years of living, I have never met anyone with such qualities and strength as you. Why else would I, the city lord, say such a thing?”
“. . . . . . .”
Russell looked straight at City Lord Frederick. She had blonde hair that was a light shade of silver, and her eyes were blue. Zeona seemed to have inherited her father’s eyes. Then, could her aqua-colored hair be her mother’s? Russell carefully opened his lips.
“I wonder if your wife thinks the same way?”
He had not seen anyone who could be considered the city lord’s wife or Zeona’s mother from the moment he had entered the hall. Indeed, the expressions of the city lord and Zeona hardened, replaced by a deep frown. The city lord spoke.
“. . . My wife passed away shortly after giving birth to Zeona. Do you notice my daughter’s beautiful hair? It’s one of the few traces of my late wife. Her eyes are exactly like mine.”
“. . .I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. So, what do you think? She may not be the prettiest girl in the world, but I don’t think she’s ugly either.”
“Father, stop it. . .”
“Be quiet, Zeona.”
The city lord waited anxiously for Russell’s answer. There was no trace of the city lord of Calisden in that figure. All that was visible was a father seeking to pair his daughter with a virtuous man.
Russell said.
“I’m sorry. I still have things I want to do, and I have no desire to take a spouse yet.”
City Lord Frederick and Zeona simultaneously let out a sigh. The city lord’s sigh was one of regret, but Zeona’s was difficult to guess. She herself could not tell exactly the meaning of the sigh she had just let out. Was it a sigh of relief? Or was it something else?
Suddenly, a sigh of relief echoed from beside Russell. He quickly glanced to the side, but Evelyn and Lexi both had their faces as brazen as ever. Russell turned his head back. City Lord Frederick spoke with a look that suggested he was dying of regret.
“Do you happen to have a fiancée?”
Fiancée. Russell thought of his own family and home, which are far, far away from here. He thought of the connections he had left behind.
The day was filled with thunder and lightning. The torrential rain, the piercing voices, the biting lips that bled, and the tightly clenched fists were all present. Russell turned his back, his gaze seeming to carry him away with its burning intensity. He ignored the vow she had softly muttered. And he had left home.
Russell said.
“No, I don’t.”
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