Chapter 172
Chapter 172
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: What Do You Expect From Me (3)
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Knights know nothing but how to fight.
They can’t create a single thing with their own hands, yet they gobble up so much money.
It was said that the cost of raising, properly arming, and maintaining a single knight was comparable to that of a thousand-man unit.
There was a reason knights were called money-eating monsters.
And a knightly house was a place where such knights gathered.
From as few as three or four to as many as several dozen.
Esteemed houses would have knights numbering in the hundreds stationed there.
Naturally, maintaining such a scale required more than just an ordinary source of income.
In fact, most esteemed and knightly houses had established themselves in places with significant interests.
The Gaznae family alone held a tight grip on Sodion, home to the empire's largest iron mine and its most skilled blacksmiths.
The other Eight Great Houses were in a similar situation.
Places rich in valuable resources like mines, or breadbaskets with fertile land.
If not that, then at least a canal gateway or a port where logistics converged—they all had a lucrative corner of their own.
Large cities were also quite favorable environments for knightly houses to maintain their scale.
In other words, every large city had at least one or two knightly houses, big or small.
That was the very point I was most concerned about.
I was traveling (?) with someone who could turn the city into a wasteland at any moment.
I had to avoid getting involved with knights as much as possible.
If our identities were revealed, things would never end peacefully.
But that was impossible.
Stride, stride.
A group that had just opened the door and appeared came straight to our table.
Thump.
One of them, a boy who looked young—clearly an esquire at a glance—placed a fist over his left breast in a formal salute.
“Esquire Zendaro, of the Comonity family.”
Comonity. I had never heard of the name.
It was one of two things.
Either a house that was swept away with the fall of the Empire, or one so minor that I wouldn't have known of it.
Judging by the size of the city, the latter seemed unlikely.
Swoosh.
The Star-Eating Sorceress leaned back against her chair.
Her eyes swept past Esquire Zendaro to the figures behind him.
My heart clenched tight.
To me, she looked for all the world like someone perusing a menu before a grand feast.
It seemed as though she might declare her intention to indulge in her peculiar culinary tastes at any moment.
But fortunately, that didn't happen.
Whoosh.
Her gaze, which had lingered for a moment on the middle-aged man at the center of the group, turned back to me.
Her lips twitched slightly.
They look unappetizing.
I was relieved by her barely audible mutter.
Thank goodness she was a picky eater.
“I heard there was a disturbance at the city gate today.”
After the commotion we caused, there was no way the ruling house of the city wouldn't have heard about it.
“The soldiers of Pomorie City are not unaffiliated with our Comonity family. If you experienced any inconvenience, would you please tell us? We will incorporate it into the soldiers' future training.”
The one silver lining was that the Comonity family's attitude was quite moderate.
A more belligerent house would have started by asserting their dominance right away.
If I handled this well, we might get through it without any trouble.
Swoosh.
I stood up, placed a fist on my chest, and showed my respects to the members of the Comonity family.
“I was inwardly impressed by the soldiers' discipline, and now that I have met the members of the Comonity family, I can see why.”
Starting with a compliment, as always.
“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Esquire Yan. I hope you can understand that I cannot reveal my affiliation due to certain circumstances.”
I glossed over the awkward self-introduction.
“You've made an unnecessary trip for travelers who will be leaving after a single day. We have no intention of causing any trouble, so the members of the Comonity family need not worry.”
I delivered the main point—that I wished they'd treat us as if we weren't there—as politely as possible, so as not to offend them.
At the same time, I kept my back straight and maintained proper posture to avoid arousing suspicion about our identities.
Had their disposition been aggressive, they would never have allowed strangers of unknown origin to roam their territory, but they didn't seem like the type.
In this short time, I could tell that the Comonity family's character was far from belligerent—unusually moderate for a knightly house.
Indeed, the members of the Comonity family didn't seem particularly offended, even though I hadn't revealed my affiliation.
The problem was what came next.
“Pomorie is certainly a fine place, but it would be difficult to appreciate that in a single day. Even more so in an unclean inn like this. We of the Comonity family would not want Pomorie to be remembered in such a way.”
Esquire Zendaro exchanged a brief glance with the person behind him before launching into a lengthy speech.
“As it happens, we have many spare rooms in the Comonity estate. If you would permit us, we would like to host you and the one you serve at our family's mansion. For your reference, our chef's culinary skills are quite remarkable.”
A proposal that was not just moderate for a knightly house, but downright kind.
This must be what they meant by 'one mountain after another.'
I frantically racked my brain.
Spending a night in a knightly house with a sorceress who fills her stomach with knights as her main course.
It was an unacceptable offer.
There was no telling when the Star-Eating Sorceress's appetite might stir, prompting her to devour the knights.
Chef or culinary master, I'd be lucky if she didn't get indigestion while eating.
After desperately wracking my brain, I was about to string together a suitable excuse.
“Fine cuisine, you say? Now that sounds tempting.”
The Star-Eating Sorceress abruptly accepted their invitation.
“You will not be disappointed!”
Esquire Zendaro beamed.
He had no idea who he had just invited.
If I could, I wanted to correct his misunderstanding.
That there was an enormous difference between the cuisine she was talking about and the one he was thinking of.
But I had to swallow the words that rose to the tip of my tongue.
Sorcerers and knights were alike in their inability to tolerate each other's existence.
There was no way the members of the Comonity family would maintain their current attitude after learning the Star-Eating Sorceress's identity.
Nine times out of ten, swords would be drawn.
The Comonity family would be annihilated.
Then the sorceress, having tasted blood, would go on an even greater rampage.
The city would become ruins.
Nearby knightly houses would hear the news and charge in,
only to be massacred as they came.
The South would fall.
The Empire would teeter.
The Great War would begin.
I shuddered at the endless, horrifying chain of thoughts.
Regardless of my thoughts.
“Let's not delay. We shall escort you immediately.”
The gates of hell were already wide open.
“Hmph.”
I steeled myself.
They say that even if a tiger drags you away, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.
What I needed now was unwavering resolve and mental fortitude.
Lick.
But that resolve vanished like a lie the moment I saw the Star-Eating Sorceress lick her lips.
On second thought, it didn't make sense.
If someone being dragged away by a tiger kept their wits about them, they'd just end up being eaten alive.
Wouldn't it be better to just pass out in that situation?
At least you wouldn't feel the pain of being eaten alive.
What I mean is,
“I should just...”
I felt like fainting.
But I couldn't bring myself to do it.
I was afraid that if I fainted and woke up, I'd find myself surrounded by ruins.
For now, all I could do was pray that there were no high-ranking knights in the Comonity family who could stimulate the Star-Eating Sorceress's appetite.
But as always, this damn world never granted my wishes.
“Hm?”
The main gate of a magnificent mansion.
A tall man stood before it.
A blue uniform the color of the sea and a wave crest embroidered on his chest.
I froze on the spot.
It was a familiar crest.
The great house that commanded the invincible fleet protecting the southern seas and the empire's foremost merchant guild that sailed the world.
The Ascendant House, home to swordsmen whose skills were second to none in the Empire.
The hegemon of the southern Empire, master of the sea fortress.
“Dasmir of the Blue Sea.”
He was a member of the Empire's Eight Great Houses.
Moreover, in my past life, Dasmir had a deeply ill-fated relationship with the Blue Tower.
Because the head of the Great House that the Star-Eating Sorceress had devoured was none other than the leader of Dasmir.
To run into a knight from Dasmir in a place like this, of all places.
And not just any knight, but a high-ranking one with enough stature to whet the appetite of the picky Star-Eating Sorceress.
That alone was enough to make me go crazy, but the truly maddening part was something else.
“Knight Moro!”
The name Esquire Zendaro called out so cheerfully sounded familiar to my ears.
It was only natural.
It was a name I had heard ad nauseam in my past life.
The vanguard of the countless Dasmir knights who set out to exterminate sorcerers after losing their lord.
“Moro, the Sorcerer Hunter.”
Moro was the name of the avenger who had dedicated his entire life to avenging his slaughtered lord.
The Sorcerer Hunter was also the figure who had been the catalyst for the conflict between Dasmir and the Blue Tower.
“Hah.”
A dry laugh escaped me.
Things couldn't possibly get this twisted.
“Zendaro, you rascal. How many times have I told you to call me Uncle in private? You’ve forgotten again.”
No wonder.
It was strange that the Sorcerer Hunter, who should have been holed up in his sea fortress in the vast South, was loitering around a place like this. It turned out he was related by blood to the Comonity family.
Fate, you son of a bitch.
“Let it slide for now, please. I'm escorting guests.”
At Esquire Zendaro's playful complaint, shedding his razor-sharp esquire etiquette, the Sorcerer Hunter finally looked our way.
“Guests?”
After scanning us with a sharp gaze, the Sorcerer Hunter turned his head back to his nephew.
He gestured with his eyes, asking who we were and where we were from.
Esquire Zendaro gave an awkward laugh.
He looked troubled, unable to introduce us as he knew nothing about us.
The Sorcerer Hunter's gaze sharpened instantly.
“Zendaro, with his trusting nature, might make such a mistake. But you all shouldn't. Isn't that what a Master is for, to teach you these things?”
It was a rebuke for thinking of letting people of unknown identity into the family mansion.
“We... we were careless, Knight Moro!”
The members of the Comonity family bowed their heads, their faces stiff.
“Let me give you one piece of advice. Decide whether you'll serve him as a young lord or treat him as an esquire. An ambiguous attitude that's neither here nor there will only ruin your relationship.”
“We will take it to heart!”
“Good. I apologize as well. I overstepped my bounds a little. I hope you understand my sincerity, as I care for the Comonity family as much as you do. I just don't want the Comonity family to become a place where any stray can wander in.”
At a glance, it sounded like he was speaking to the members of the Comonity family, but in reality, his words were meant for us.
Treating us like stray dogs to our faces.
An attitude truly befitting a member of the Eight Great Houses, who wouldn't even treat someone as human if they weren't part of their family.
“Uncle. The Master is not at fau—”
“Zendaro, your problem is that you're too naive. I can't for the life of me understand why the family head just lets you be. My sister must have had poor judgment, too. Getting involved with such an indecisive fellow.”
Even if he was an in-law, he shouldn't speak of the head of the house that way in front of its knights.
A look of humiliation immediately appeared on the faces of the Comonity knights.
Watching them, I naturally came to a realization.
The reason Dasmir had suffered so much in my past life.
That mouth of his, that insolent mouth, was surely what had brought disaster upon them.
“You need to develop a better eye for people.”
The way he pontificated so smugly was incredibly detestable.
Who was the one who really needed to develop a better eye for people?
Did he have any idea that the person he was treating like a stray dog was the wolf who would devour the family head he revered like the heavens?
I stole a glance at the Star-Eating Sorceress to check her expression.
Her eyes glistened like glass beads.
Her lips were stretched to her ears.
She was smiling.
If you could call such a terrifying expression a smile.
“Hmm.”
For a moment, I was overcome by an impulse.
Should I not intervene this time?
I began to seriously consider it.