The Knight, Mateus (1)
Meanwhile, Epibia, who had been secretly watching Hyunwoo from afar, wore an expression of deep dissatisfaction.
“What… is that?”
When she had first arrived at the scene, Hyunwoo had been surrounded by bandits and looked to be in danger, but he quickly turned the situation around. She had felt greatly relieved. Yet there was one thing that displeased her immensely.
Shouldn’t a human man, at the very least, wear splendid armor and wield a magnificent sword in one hand? But the weapon currently in Hyunwoo’s grasp was nothing more than a dagger—the kind timid men might carry. To a dwarf with a bold and generous personality, it looked unbearably pathetic and stingy.
Aren’t daggers just knives for peeling fruit?
“For a real man, it has to be a longsword! Daggers are unacceptable! It must be a longsword without question! The princes in fairy tales always carry longswords!”
Epibia, who had long harbored the dream of marrying a human man, clenched her fists with determination. She resolved to craft a magnificent blade for Hyunwoo.
“I will create a famous sword so splendid that he won’t even glance at a mere dagger! A truly impressive human man must carry a longsword! Please look forward to it!”
“An unexpected windfall.”
I handed over the heads of Kevin and Gameller and received my reward from Sinclair. It was more than one and a half times the usual amount paid for a single bandit-extermination mission. She had generously compensated us, citing the saved costs and time of mobilizing her own troops.
“I’ll be on my way. Good work.”
With business concluded, I tucked the bag of coins under my arm and turned to leave with a light heart, but Sinclair stopped me. She said that Adelia had been planning to summon me anyway, so my timing was perfect.
“Isn’t the next deployment in three days?”
“This matter is unrelated to the bandit subjugation.”
“Then what is it about?”
“You will understand once you go.”
I followed Sinclair out of the Lion Heart headquarters and headed toward the inner castle. After walking through its lavish corridors, I was led into a certain room. Inside waited a middle-aged man with oiled hair parted in a precise seven-to-three ratio and a stylishly groomed mustache.
“Ah, you’ve arrived. Is this the gentleman?”
“Yes. I leave him in your care.”
After exchanging brief greetings with Sinclair, the middle-aged man gave me a slick smile and extended his hand.
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Professor Judeban, dispatched by the Educators’ Guild. From now on, I will be instructing Lord Hyeonu in noble etiquette, manners, and social dancing.”
“Etiquette? Social dancing?”
I shook his hand almost reflexively and glanced at Sinclair.
“What’s the scheme here?”
Sinclair crossed her arms and answered in a resolute tone.
“You are to learn them starting now.”
Her voice was firm and strict, making it clear that refusal would not be tolerated.
I made a face, clearly unenthused.
“Why me? What for?”
“What for? His Majesty is scheduled to visit soon. Do you intend to stand before him without knowing proper etiquette?”
“I have to greet the king too?”
“Is that not obvious? Consider it Adelia’s grace and an honor for her family.”
I had assumed a provincial mercenary band like ours would have nothing to do with a royal visit, but the offer was tempting. Sinclair revealed the full story.
“Lady Adelia plans to report the activities of our Lion Heart Unit to His Majesty and several high ministers, while also introducing the accomplishments of the Kether Mercenary Group with whom we have cooperated. To uphold Lady Adelia’s dignity and make a favorable impression on everyone, your refined conduct and proper bearing as the leader of Kether are essential. Essential. Do you understand?”
“Oh……”
If they were going to introduce me to high-ranking figures, it could be a golden opportunity for my life. It might even allow me to dream of the social advancement I had secretly hoped for. There was nothing bad about it. I didn’t mind at all. Since both Adelia and Sinclair were giving me this chance, there was no reason to refuse.
With rising excitement, I looked at Professor Judeban.
“What should I do? Where do we start?”
Judeban flashed a bright smile, revealing gold-capped canines.
“Since this is our first lesson, let us begin lightly. We shall start with how to walk like a noble.”
There was a mountain of things to learn from Judeban over the remaining twenty days. Proper, refined speech. Dignified vocalization. Table manners. Conversation techniques with nobles. Greeting protocols. Etiquette for entering and exiting rooms. Social dances performed at banquets and balls. My head would be stuffed full and my body trained to master it all in a short period.
“That will be all for today. You worked hard. It is fortunate you are not clumsy.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
After two hours of instruction, I promised to visit the inner castle every afternoon to meet with Judeban, then left the room. Thanks to studying for the first time in a long while, my head throbbed as I exited the castle. By then, rumors had already spread wildly among the soldiers that the leader of the Kether Mercenary Group, Hyeonu, had slain the human-skinned Kevin.
“There he is!”
“Ooh! It’s Captain Hyeonu!”
Soldiers I encountered on the street all raised their thumbs toward me, lavishing praise and calling me incredible. The rumor spread so quickly that by the next day, the entire city knew.
What happened afterward was truly strange.
I already knew that the Kether Mercenary Group had gained some recognition by working alongside the Lion Heart Unit to exterminate bandits. People talked about us. But we had never created a true boom. It was the sort of thing where those in the know knew, and those who didn’t, didn’t. We had been perceived merely as a side act to the Lion Heart Unit.
This time, however, an unusual wind blew.
I had simply slain a bandit leader by myself, yet suddenly—out of nowhere—a Kether Mercenary Group syndrome swept through the entire city. They called us an incredible mercenary band, said our skills were outstanding, and claimed our captain was amazing. The group that had only been seen as the Lion Heart Unit’s appendage was suddenly repackaged overnight as a powerful, monstrous mercenary company and began enjoying explosive popularity.
It felt as if I had woken up one morning and become a superstar. The whole thing was so abrupt it was like being struck by lightning.
The encounter with Gameller. That almost coincidental event was like a small stone thrown into a lake, creating ripples that triggered an unexpectedly massive butterfly effect. I had prayed and prayed to become famous, but it never happened. Yet here I was, gaining bizarre popularity from an unexpected place. Life really was unpredictable.
Once the wind began to blow, the reaction was explosive.
Until recently, our mercenary office had been overflowing with noblewomen and their servants. Now, after slaying the human-skinned Kevin, it was flooded with mercenaries hoping to join the group.
It wasn’t burdensome. I thought it was excellent that our mercenary band had become so well-known. This was the perfect time to expand our scale. Not long ago, Madame Marte had promised to cover the wages of ten mercenaries. We had truly caught the right current.
I decided to use this opportunity to recruit capable members. I went to the crowded plaza and posted a recruitment notice for elite personnel on the bulletin board.
“M-my name is… Mateus Muller……”
A young man in his early twenties with orange hair and green eyes sat before the desk. He seemed nervous about being alone in the room with me, the interviewer, and shrank back with a timid expression.
I tilted my head while looking over the paper that listed his basic personal information.
“You’re a knight?”
“Yes. I was formally knighted three years ago by the lord I served.”
“You’re a knight, yet you wish to join a mercenary group?”
“Is… that not allowed?”
He glanced at me cautiously and asked in return.
“It’s not that it’s forbidden, but if you’re a knight, wouldn’t it be better to sign a contract with a lord, receive a fief, and serve him? This is the first time I’ve seen a knight try to join a mercenary band.”
“Well, that is… um……”
Mateus scratched his head with an awkward smile like an honest country youth.
“I am a poor commoner knight and have no money. Since I lack the funds to buy armor and a horse, lords are reluctant to contract with me, saying I don’t look reliable. They claim my shabby equipment suggests I lack skill as well.”
A knight was required to personally fund all his war gear—sword, horse, armor, and everything else.
“To be honest, the only usable item among my equipment is the sword I inherited from the knight I served as a squire. That is why I came here with the plan to join a mercenary group, earn money for about five years, purchase proper equipment, and then contract with a lord.”
I spoke seriously.
“If you join our mercenary group, we will not provide any special conveniences or free supplies. Food, lodging, equipment—everything must be handled by the individual. If you go to the battlefield with poor gear and die, we cannot take responsibility.”
“That is fine. I would be grateful just to be accepted. As long as I receive proper compensation for my work, I will be happy.”
Mateus said he had served as a squire for ten years under a knight named Tyral. When Tyral, bedridden, was on the verge of death, he had knighted him on his deathbed. Afterward, the lord Tyral had served lost a territorial war against another lord. The victorious lord confiscated the vassals’ fiefs and all their assets. In the process, the Tyral family could not escape disaster.
Tyral’s widow, Margaret, lost everything and was expelled. As a result, Mateus was now wandering with no fixed home, serving only his former master’s wife, Lady Margaret.
“My lady was not originally accustomed to a life of luxury, so she does not openly complain about the discomforts of a traveler’s existence. Still, it pains me to see her like this. I wish to settle down somewhere for her sake, but no lord will accept me no matter where I go. It troubles me that I cannot make things easier for her, so I resolved to join a mercenary group at once and earn money.”
I could roughly sympathize with his words.
“If the Tyral family was an ordinary knightly house, hiring servants must have been difficult. Most of their income would have gone toward buying her husband’s weapons and armor. Since your lady is familiar with the lives of commoners, she must be enduring these hardships well.”
“That is correct. I became a squire to become a knight, not to be hired as a servant doing chores, but there were only two people in the household who could help with housework—myself, Sir Tyral’s squire, and one other. The two of us would occasionally assist my lady.”
“I suppose that other friend is no longer with you?”
“The other friend who was knighted alongside me fled secretly in the middle of the night when it seemed our fief would be occupied during the height of the territorial war. So now, I am the only one attending to my lady.”
“I see.”
I nodded, then deliberately spoke mischievously to test Mateus’s character.
“Unlike that friend, Sir Mateus, you must be either foolish or exceptionally loyal. Now that you are a knight, you could have abandoned the Tyral family without a backward glance. Yet you continue to protect a lady who has nothing. If it were me, I would have quit looking after her immediately. Realistically speaking, isn’t it simply a waste of time? You are in the prime of your youth, yet you have taken on a burden.”
After speaking, I carefully observed his expression. Would he frown? Laugh like a fool? Remain expressionless with no thoughts? Or flatter me to look good?