Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: They Say That Household's Guard Knight Wears a Ribbon on His Head (5)
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Pippin's head lifted for a moment, met my eyes, and then drooped again.
Giving the surname Sloss to Pippin had been purely on a whim. Any old name would have sufficed, but I wanted to give him Sloss. As the foster son of the former Sloss mercenary captain, I hoped he wouldn't forget that his family thought of him.
He was already my man now, so I had no desire to talk about killing or sparing him at this point.
From today onward, Pippin was the sword of Duke Gluttony—not the crown prince—me.
"Sir Sloss, draw blood from your treasured sword and let it flow into the ritual circle."
The bishop continued his explanation. The next step was a method of enforcing loyalty through magic. Pippin didn't show any fear as he sliced his palm with his sword, producing drops of blood. He let them fall into the magic circle already drawn on the floor.
Woooong—the magic circle vibrated, emitted light, and sent that light into Pippin's body. Soon, the circle vanished.
"With this, I declare that Sir Pippin Sloss has become the faithful sword of Duchess Sierra Gluttony."
What role did the magic circle play? I wondered if anything had changed. Time to check.
=================
Name: Pippin
Class: Berserker
Personality: Loyalty - Gains constant attack power/defense power buffs. Suffers severe debuffs if betrayed.
Trait: Confirmation Kill - Final strikes always succeed critically.
=================
Ah. His personality had changed.
His previous personality keyword was Rage. Now it was Loyalty, just like Alberto's.
A sense of fulfillment that was hard to put into words washed over me like a wave. He was truly my man now. My comrade. I finally had someone on my side.
After all that time, at last. Someone who wouldn't condemn me, placed right by my side by my own hand. By my own power.
"Looking forward to working with you, Pippin."
I took Pippin's hand and helped him to his feet.
"Yes, Master. Even though you're my lord now, I'll still call you Master."
[♥♥♥♥♥]
Pippin belatedly noticed the ribbon and tore it from his head. I took the ribbon from him, stared at it for a moment, and spoke. Dahlia's ribbon, huh. Right, one more thing to do.
"Before we head home, there's a quick stop we need to make."
***
On the way home, I led the group into the forest. The lantern was small and modest, but it was a great comfort in the pitch-black woods.
Pippin silently swung the lantern this way and that as he walked the forest path, while I carried Dahlia since it was dangerous. Dahlia, looking sleepy as she blinked, tried hard to furrow her brow to fend off sleep.
We had come to the forest for one reason alone.
"Dahlia. Let's catch you a new pet lizard."
"Yes."
"You like lizards that much?"
"Yes."
Respecting the inscrutable tastes of a five-year-old, there we were: her big brother and his guard knight rummaging through the woods. It was downright comical.
We had to search carefully so we wouldn't wander too far and get lost. And so, we spent the whole night hunting lizards.
"This one! Oh, no. Wait, is it? Pippin, is this a lizard?"
"Frog....... Isn't that a frog, sir?"
"Lizard here! Lizaaard! Big brother! That's mine!"
"Dahlia, don't grab it! Don't grab it with your bare hands! Hey! Stop! No!"
In the dead of night, we made a huge ruckus and finally managed to find a few lizards. Later, a rivalry sparked between Pippin and me—we even made a bet on who could catch the most lizards fastest. I lost.
Still, picking out a few that Dahlia liked gave me a sense of pride. They were tiny things that wouldn't even fill a palm, but they seemed to perfectly suit Dahlia's tastes.
Dahlia squealed with delight, grabbing tufts of our hair and declaring that her big brother and Pippin were the best. It was the first time I'd seen her react so excitedly.
We put the lizards in the pouch I'd brought for the bishop's offering and headed home.
"These are Dahlia's pet lizards, so prepare a big glass enclosure and keep them in there."
When I handed the pouch to the servants, they all gasped in shock. Dahlia was jumping up and down silently with her mouth shut tight, while my scratches from brushing through the underbrush started to sting again.
"To pick up lizards......"
The faint-hearted nursemaid fainted once more. Alberto sternly scolded Pippin, then lectured Dahlia and me too. It was mostly common-sense stuff about not touching random things in the forest.
As we headed to our rooms, I asked Dahlia,
"You like the lizards? Should we name them Dream Lizards?"
Surprisingly, Dahlia shook her head. Of course. Our small, cute lizards hadn't passed Dahlia's strict dinosaur audition.
"But."
Dahlia beamed.
"I had fun playing with Big Brother and Pippy. Let's play again tomorrow!"
Led by her maid to bed, Dahlia headed to her room. Watching her back, I let out a hollow laugh.
"We can't play tomorrow. Adults are busy."
Ahem. Hearing the head butler clear his throat, I went to my room too.
***
It wasn't just tomorrow we couldn't play—truth be told, I couldn't play tonight either. Because of what the bishop had told me.
"Find out everything you can about Bishop Orchid."
Bishop Orchid was sure to be a close aide to the crown prince. The crown prince, one of the novel's male leads. Someone I would have to eliminate someday.
Just as I'd stolen Pippin from him, if I could turn Orchid to my side too, dealing with the crown prince would be much easier. Winning people's hearts is simpler than it seems. I'd have no choice but to use the same method that had worked on the dimwitted Pippin (though it hadn't felt entirely solid).
"Tell the head chef to prepare a lavish menu to entertain Orchid. Use freshly slaughtered meat, and only the freshest, tenderest vegetables. Everything fresh and top-quality. Once their belly's full, their heart softens—that's just how it works. Even for a bishop."
I nodded along, chuckling "Heh heh heh." The head butler muttered curiously.
"You're saying something so kind in such a sinister way."
"......"
After glaring at the head butler, I continued.
"Prepare gifts too. Not cheap bribes—proper ones. If he's honest, donations. If he's greedy, gems suitable as holy relics. How much time do you need?"
"Well, for gems, with the crafting... about a week..."
"By the day after tomorrow."
"...Yes, sir."
Preparations to welcome Orchid proceeded smoothly. The castle was always on alert for such an important guest who could arrive unannounced.
The head butler drilled the servants hard, and I popped into the dining hall now and then to check if the food for the bishop was pricey and good enough.
The head chef's pride soared like a factory smokestack, often cornering me to rave about how rare certain ingredients were.
We'd prepared gem crafts even the emperor would struggle to obtain, a band to play hymns solely for Orchid, and even Dahlia's welcome greeting.
Yet Bishop Orchid didn't show up for a whole week.
"Your Grace. At this rate, the veal calf for steaks will grow into a full cow."
After ten days, the thoroughly dejected head chef came to see me. Everyone in the castle was starting to wear down a bit.
"Maybe Bishop Horay gave us bad info?"
My impatience was growing by the day. Dahlia and Pippin were barely visible, peeking at my mood.
The notice for the magic beast subjugation would come eventually. The date was approaching, so he'd come soon. Soon.
I just needed to wait more calmly.
All I could tell my people was to endure a little longer.
On the fifteenth day of waiting for Orchid, I headed to the garden to suppress my anxiety and irritation. Not empty-handed.
"Alberto. I want to see clothes I wore as a child. Around ten years old, say."
"I'll have Dandel fetch them. But why do you need those clothes, Your Grace? Is this another preparation for Bishop Orchid?"
"Not exactly......"
I thought for a moment and found a suitable phrasing.
"It's a gift, sort of."
***
After ordering no one but me to enter, I went to the garden. To summon the garden wraith.
"I'm not overlooking this anymore. Summon."
At my firm call, the garden wraith appeared through its signature black door. I thought it would come out flat like before, but it ballooned up with pops like a balloon before taking human form.
Thud! Tossed onto the garden lawn on its butt, the garden wraith shot me a sulky look.
"Didn't wanna come out."
"Tell that to your face."
"I can't control my form freely. It's really inconvenient."
The garden wraith crossed its arms and pouted peevishly. I tossed it the clothes I'd brought.
"Put it on."
"What's this?"
"Clothes."
"......"
The garden wraith fiddled with the clothes, looking stupefied. Its actions were idiotic, but its appearance was a dead ringer for Tenerife. Swallowing the gem Tenerife gave it had clearly influenced its looks.
"Why give me human fake skin? You don't expect me to wear this, do you? Humans are weird. Why make fake skin to wear? This fake skin doesn't even have fur. It's pathetic."
"It's not fake skin—it's clothes. Clothes. Don't you know how to wear clothes? Of course not."
I stood the struggling garden wraith up and dressed it in the clothes I'd worn as a child. After roughly combing its hair back with my hand, it looked surprisingly cute and refined.
Everything perfect noble young master—except that it reminded me of Tenerife.
Who could imagine? That this thing was a magic beast serving as a passage for necromancy.
"Sulking away in seclusion forever won't do. The magic beast subjugation is coming up. If I don't train as a necromancer, I won't have the face to stand before that annoying crown prince."
"What's a 'face'?"
"Come to think of it, it'd be good if you had a proper name. Do you have one?"
"I have a name. You gave it to me."
The garden wraith declared proudly.
"Manhole!"
"......"
Sorry. Did it think that was its name?
I stroked the garden wraith's head. It didn't look like a manhole cover anymore, and it might need to take human form often, so it needed a new name. A proper one that wouldn't embarrass me in front of others.
Looking around, the garden was full of blooming cosmos flowers. It looked decent enough, so naming it after the flower seemed fine.
"Cosmos it is."
"You said Manhole. I'm Manhole."
"Cosmos from now on."
Cosmos tilted its head, then sniffed the air.
"Hang on. When you're in human form, cut out the animal stuff......"
"Unfamiliar scent."
"What?"
Cosmos's pupils narrowed like a snake's. As if scent trails fluttered in the air, Cosmos cautiously moved its nose. Then it turned toward the castle's back gate—the door leading into the garden.
"Three unfamiliar humans. And lots of undead."
"......"
Enemies? No way someone that exceptional would suddenly show up at my castle uninvited......
"Bishop Orchid."
I brightened. It was Bishop Orchid.