Knights of Tristein (6)

They had only been there for a little while, but the Tristein knights’ atmosphere was free, and the relationship between the ranks seemed rather loose. The knights had been cultivated in the region, creating an increased intimacy between the members and achieving a unique ethos for the knights.

‘Of course, things change a bit when you get to vice-captain and have to deal with central aristocrats.’

After the reign of the Lord Regent Seville a hundred-and-forty years ago, the families that had rebelled against them moved away from the center. The Sergey family built up their own wealth by selling marble, and Duke Tristein had begun to raise their own knights. After Duke Cruel took control of the army in King Philippe’s generation, the Tristein Duchy was abandoned. That had given birth to knights who had a strong sense of malice against the central nobility and absolute loyalty to the duke of Tristein. Kleio, who was trying to measure that situation, was pushed by Trude and brought back to reality.

“Thank you for your hard work, little wizard! What about my waist? Oh, my back was hurt last year, so every time I walk, it hurts so much I want to die.”

“Hey, careful.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Yes, the wizard is okay! You also killed that demon.”

“Is it Arthur? You’re amazing too! It’s not like anyone would jump at such a big beast.”

“What level are you? Are these little girls also knights?”

“I saw them going at its legs!”

“We’re Lippi and Leticia. We’re both level 3!”

A ripple of excitement went through the knights as they surrounded Lippi and Leticia, treating them like some endearing nieces.

“Gah, they’re so young.”

“That’s awesome! Can you use a sword too?!”

“Of course!”

“Hey!”

Lysa quickly intervened between the knights.

“Hey, do some work. These are the young children of Angellium here, the only daughter of Tanpet de Neju over there, and the stern red-haired one is the child of Viscount Kision. Plus, this little wizard is the second son of the Asel family. All three are level 4, so don’t treat them like that.”

It appeared as if a question mark appeared above the three knights, making it obvious they didn’t understand a word Lysa said. One beat later, Trude nodded.

“…Ah! Asel operates those trade ships!”

“He was a rich kid. Somehow, he said the clothes he wore were loot.”

Fortunately, they didn’t know about his title. Kleio was glad they were treating him as just the youngest of a rich family.

“And what kind of family is that?”

“I don’t know. Trude, your grandmother knows about the noble families. Do you know anything?”

“Even she doesn’t know about the new nobility.”

Lysa ruthlessly struck the back of Trude’s head, quieting him.

“Hey, hey. Your tongue is too long. Stop talking. Finally, the blonde prince over there is at level 5, higher than all of you. Didn’t you see him fight?”

“Prince?”

“Who’s the prince?”

“Are your eyes rotten? Is it common to have blonde hair that looks like pure melted gold? That is Arthur Riognan, the third prince.”

Arthur smiled brightly and stuck out his hand.

“Now, be comfortable. I’m not familiar with that after growing up with my mother in the border mountains.”

“Still… can we do that?”

“Is there anything that can’t be done? Please continue to call me Arthur.”

Just in time, the awkward atmosphere was quickly resolved as an old, bearded man who oversaw the kitchen arrived with a large kettle wrapped in cloth.

“Knights, I apologize for being late. Take this one at a time as you talk.”

As the old man swung the cloth, a fragrant and sour scent spread throughout the living room.

“Hey, this! Thank you, uncle.”

“The hot toddy you make is the best!”

The knights shared drinks in ugly earthenware cups piled up on the parlor table.

“Students, also take a drink.”

“Wow, thank you!”

Kleio, who had been worried about the situation going poorly, felt relieved as he tasted the drink. Their praise wasn’t an exaggeration, as it seemed just a sip was enough to drive all the chills from his body.

‘It’s a light whiskey with water, cinnamon, lemon, ginger, and honey?’

Arthur, emptying his glass faster than Kleio, scratched his head and handed the empty glass back over to the old man.

“Well, can I have another drink?”

“The young one drinks a little. Does it suit you?”

“It’s great.”

“Yes, drink a lot!”

The old man refilled his glass, showing off a fondness for Arthur.

“Hey, it’s an honor, Uncle Baku. It fits the prince’s tastes.”

“What, who’s a prince?”

“Here, this prince.”

“Hiya, this handsome young man. Isn’t it delicious?”

“I dare say it’s the best I’ve ever had.”

Loud laughter rang out. As the warm liquor was poured out and the fireplace heated them up, people’s faces began to soften even more. Arthur was in the middle of them, naturally attracting their attention.

‘The boy prince is always popular.’

There seemed to be no need for Kleio to intervene. His tension was relieved, but he noticed he wasn’t the only one who had been reserved in this cozy living room. Rotan, who was timidly wrapping up the onyx, turned to Lysa.

“But, Lysa, when did you find out about all these kids? You saw them for the first time today.”

“Documents, vice-captain. I was left with a beautiful request to do office work after coming back to the castle today.”

“Ah, that’s why…”

“How about stopping acting so stubborn? The damage was reduced because these kids caught that beast Pyton.”

Pretending to sip at his glass, Kleio listened in on their conversation.

“It was said that another appeared. We’ve decided to strengthen the boundaries of the castle. Today, rest. Tomorrow, you’ll be guarding the watchtower in three shifts. Don’t waste time here; go and sleep some more.”

Arthur quietly intervened in their conversation.

“Well, if you lack the manpower, we can chip in.”

“I believe in your skills, but keeping watch on a cold night isn’t for children. Try to sleep at night.”

Rotan’s tone was the same, but the content was completely different from before. Kleio had to hide his laughter.

‘This man is rather thoughtful.’

Lysa, more social than the vice-captain, took care of the situation.

“If my legs are healed, won’t I get to keep hunting? The beasts have been running wild since the demons came out. Have you ever been hunting before?”

Lippi and Leticia were quick to respond.

“Yes! We love hunting!”

“Please take us with you!”

The two twins were as bright as Sirius on a winter night.

“Lysa! What are you doing?!”

“No, they know how to do it. Have you ever used a gun?”

“Of course.”

“You can try it.”

“These kids are younger than the rest.”

“Haha, it was about that age when I first went hunting with you, vice-captain.”

“Are you and those kids the same…?”

“Of course, they must be different from me, whose father was torn apart by a beast when I was eleven, and my mother when I was twelve…”

“Lysa, please!”

Kleio’s eyes narrowed.

‘I thought Lysa had cold eyes… Was that what it was like to survive in this barren land?’

She was welcoming Arthur and his companions because of the increased workforce they represented.

‘But she doesn’t have any malice toward them. On the contrary, Rotan is more affectionate than he looks.’

While Kleio updated the character data in his head, the children had a fun evening hanging out with the knights. It was snowy and windy outside, but the inside of the castle was warm.

***

The next day.

The blizzard at night hadn’t stopped until morning, so the castle’s shutters remained closed. The children cried out as soon as they opened the window, seeing the snow had piled up to the second floor of the building.

“Wow, awesome!”

“You can swim in it!”

All schedules had been canceled due to the weather, so they were able to eat a leisurely breakfast. It was completely different now that they had killed that beast, as they were given rich meals. There was little greenery, given the region lacked fresh vegetables, but the table was laden with vegetables, salted meats, and smoked fish.

‘These pastries are topped with boiled peaches. Amazing.’

Each of the children had a joyous breakfast at a large table to one side of the cafeteria. Kleio didn’t want to eat marinated or fried anchovies, or salted cod early in the morning, so he had some scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Once their hunger was sated, the twins began to question him.

“Lei, what was that magic yesterday?”

“I’ve never seen an arrow like that!”

“Oh, that…”

“It swung around and penetrated that demon’s scales!”

“That was from the [Track] magic formula.”

When designing [Achilles’s Spear], he didn’t have an abundance of money. In order to use his bronze conservatively, he used the [Duplicate] formula. Now, however, he could use it without regret, so he had improved the formula. [Attribute Amplification][Tracking][Throwing][Acceleration], changing the combination as such had resulted in yesterday’s magic.

‘It seems the verse and power would be better if I used silver, but I don’t want to bother with that right now.’

“Then, what’s its name?”

“Aren’t you curious?”

Kleio, chewing on the rest of his food, spontaneously gave it a name worthy of the mantra he used. Since Byron wrote a verse about the god with the silver bow, there was only one name that suited it.

“How about [Apollo’s Arrow]? That’s its name now.”

“Wow, he made such a thing again.”

“It’s a strange name.”

Kleio smiled softly at Lippi’s words.

‘Well, a god-like Apollo is a bigshot compared to Mnemosyne.’

“It’s hard to believe that Lei can only write such wonderful mantras when he uses magic.”

Kleio smiled vaguely as he recalled memories of his past. When Jungjin had entered college, he had been impressed by the 250,000 books it held. He had a part-time job at the library, so he had the chance to read plenty of books. Those days had seemed pretty good, in retrospect.

‘Thank’s to that; I can use magic.’

“Well, isn’t it natural?”

“It sounds bad!”

The twins didn’t believe him, though he only spoke the truth. Ignoring them, Kleio continued to eat.