Chapter 49
Chapter 49
Rekun stopped drinking his tea midway and quietly set the cup down.
Was it because Serah’s brewed tea didn’t suit his taste?
Not at all.
Rekun was someone who had once rolled through muddy battlefields without pause. Even after rising in status, he had still been born a commoner, an orphan at that.
In other words, he would eat anything he was given without complaint.
The reason he set the tea down was—
“Master.”
It was because of the little pest beside him, persistently holding out her left hand and urging him.
How long did she plan to keep holding an old man’s hand like this?
She had apparently picked up some strange superstition that pressing someone’s hand helped recovery. He had thought she wasn’t the type to believe such nonsense, given her tomboyish nature, but she had surprised him.
For the past three months, she had been demanding his hand every chance she got, and it had driven him nearly mad.
“Dear!”
Tap tap—his young wife urged him as well, telling him not to refuse the disciple’s request. Then she even pulled the brown-haired girl into a hug, calling her adorable like a foster daughter.
“Hehe…”
Serah suddenly broke into a bright smile.
The master was baffled, but Serah herself seemed helpless against it.
What kind of woman was Celine?
The most beautiful woman in the region.
And Serah was completely immune to women like that.
Pretty women? She liked them.
Women with big chests? Even better.
Married women? Somehow even better than that.
And a married elf mother of five who was also pregnant?
That was basically hitting every possible preference at once.
Just realizing that made her grin refuse to disappear.
“Oh my!”
Celine misread Serah’s smile as innocent joy and pulled her into a tight hug.
Two overwhelming “mountains” pressed against Serah’s face.
“Master!”
Excited, Serah eagerly offered her right hand as well.
If all three of them sat in a circle holding hands—
This was basically a medieval version of a group dance.
Everyone wins. Everyone’s happy. Good for bonding, good for health.
Nothing better than this for building relationships.
“Ma~ster~ Ma~ster.”
She even started humming while swaying their hands.
“Ma! Ster!”
She scolded lightly while getting caught up in the mood.
Who said being old meant you couldn’t match the atmosphere?
“….”
But today, the old knight was unusually stubborn.
His right hand was already being firmly massaged by his wife. If he gave his left hand to his disciple too, he wouldn’t be able to drink his tea.
Young or old, nobody liked cold tea.
Besides—
“If you keep grabbing me, my hands get sweaty and it’s disgusting.”
Was it because she was young?
Or because her metabolism was too active?
Just a bit of contact and it turned into a flood.
Having a sniffly little girl clinging to him all day wasn’t something one could tolerate forever.
“What do you mean? When you get old, your whole body dries out anyway, so you need hydration,” Serah said seriously.
“…?”
What was this brat saying?
Was she mocking him?
Or was this some kind of respectful joke?
It was partly true, but it still annoyed him.
“…At that rate, it wouldn’t be hydration. It’d be enough to make flowers bloom.”
He decided to respond in kind, playing along with the joke.
“Nice.”
“And what exactly is nice about that?”
“Well, it’s better than moss growing on you, Master.”
“…You little—”
That was definitely an insult.
Moss? On a living person?
Still, the way she smiled so brightly made it hard to tell whether she was serious or not.
“Hah…”
Rekun sighed.
Was this something to scold her for? Or something to laugh off?
In the end—
“….”
He chose the former.
But just as he was about to flick her forehead—
“Dear, look at that. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Celine’s voice interrupted him.
A rainbow stretched across the sky.
Rekun paused.
The irritation faded.
“…It is.”
He looked at the open sky, his expression slowly softening.
The glory of commanding armies as a count under a great lord had long since disappeared.
But this simple peace… wasn’t so bad either.
“Master,” Serah suddenly said.
The peaceful expression on Rekun’s face immediately twisted.
This girl had no sense of timing.
He was trying to rest, and she was asking questions again.
Didn’t she get tired? Why couldn’t she just sit quietly for once?
“…What is it?”
He had no choice. That was the duty of a teacher.
“I was wondering… shouldn’t the lord learn some basic self-defense or sword training? Just in case?”
Her expression was unusually serious.
“…Hm?”
Rekun looked at her blankly.
As if she had just said something completely absurd.
Then—
“Puhahaha!”
He burst out laughing.
As if asking, who exactly was supposed to be protecting whom?
Serah flinched.
“Did I say something wrong…?”
She had thought it made sense.
Assassinations, ambushes, betrayal—knights were supposed to prevent those things. But there was no guarantee they would never happen.
So it wouldn’t hurt for the lord to know at least basic swordsmanship.
And another thing…
She had never once seen Iden hold a sword.
For a noble household, basic self-defense was almost like general education.
Iden wasn’t the type to neglect discipline, so why—
Serah tilted her head.
Rekun noticed her confusion immediately.
“…Your thoughts are obvious,” he said with a faint smile.
Serah nodded.
Because they really were.
“Let me make this simple. The lord does not need to wield a sword.”
“…Excuse me?”
“He is a Belarck.”
Serah frowned slightly.
Belarck bloodline. She knew it was special.
But still—
That didn’t explain everything.
She wasn’t questioning his strength or heritage.
But wasn’t Iden still just a half-blooded descendant who hadn’t inherited everything fully?
If anything, that was exactly why he should train.
If enemies came—
If assassins struck—
Wouldn’t basic training help?
Her thoughts kept circling.
Rekun watched her quietly, then spoke again.
“Do not ask him about this either.”
“…Why not?”
“Because it touches something you should not touch.”
His tone had turned serious.
Serah fell silent.
Rekun looked into the distance, as if wishing for the calm to last forever.
“I’d prefer things stay as they are. If the lord never has to draw his sword again, then all the better.”
He tapped Serah’s shoulder lightly.
“You should just become a proper knight and handle everything instead.”
Serah stayed quiet.
Then, after a pause—
“…I want to succeed in life.”
She said it casually, avoiding his gaze.
Rekun blinked.
“WHAT!? You greedy little—!”
His voice exploded.
“I knew it! You’re no better than the rest!”
Serah flinched.
Then—
“Hah… haha! That’s not bad. Not bad at all!”
Rekun suddenly laughed again.
“Ambition… using the sword to rise in status, or even through marriage… I never thought of it that way.”
He looked genuinely amused now.
“Congratulations in advance. Our lord doesn’t discriminate between commoners or nobles. That should be good news for you!”
He glanced at Celine.
Their hands were still intertwined.
Serah noticed it too.
And somehow understood.
It was time.
“...Little one?”
She stepped away.
Walked toward the strange wooden frame she had brought.
Then returned.
She crouched slightly in front of him.
“Please get on.”
“…What?”
“We still have a long way to go, Master.”
“…What are you planning?”
“There are better viewpoints further ahead.”
Rekun felt a strange unease.
As if something was pulling him away from where he stood.
As if staying here meant being left behind.
But to Celine, it looked like nothing more than a caring disciple offering to carry her master.
“Go on, dear. Serah is just trying to show gratitude.”
Celine pushed him forward enthusiastically.
“Come on, Master. This reminds you of old times, doesn’t it?”
“That is not the same thing…”
“It is exactly the same! Now get on!”
Under relentless pressure—
Rekun finally stepped onto the frame.
And then—
Creak.
A chilling sound echoed.
The old knight disappeared into the distance.
Swallowed by the forest’s shadows.