Chapter 244: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (37)
Chapter 244: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (37)
An outsider had suddenly struck down a knight of the family.
Even though the knight had been the one to provoke him first, it was a bout without a referee or a sense of honor. All I had done was hurl a hand axe without warning.
In any ordinary noble house, I wouldn't have had a leg to stand on even if they insulted and despised me.
Technically, it was a victory snatched through foul play.
But Yurdina was different.
An obsession with victory and a tenacity for survival—these two values were the very foundation upon which the Yurdina family had built their history on this desolate wasteland.
They were distinct from other noble families that prioritized honor and tradition.
This was why the rumors of me being a "psycho" had yielded such unexpected results.
"Psycho Young Master, what brings you here?"
These were the words of Sir Alex, the old knight who commanded a thousand private soldiers.
The expression on the knight’s face as he uttered the language of a common street thug was solemn beyond belief. For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard him.
At a glance, Sir Alex seemed like a man of absolute thoroughness.
The fact that he was fully clad in heavy plate armor even when no battle was imminent proved as much.
A knight's armor was no joke, not just in weight but in the sheer pressure it exerted on the body. While it served as reliable insurance in combat, it was nothing more than a cumbersome burden in daily life.
Yet, Sir Alex never neglected his equipment.
One could easily surmise his personality from this fact alone.
Fastidious and uncompromising. Since he was capable of leading the Yurdina family's army, his military achievements must have been illustrious.
When such a man suddenly used the word "psycho," I couldn't help but be bewildered.
A dazed sound escaped my lips involuntarily.
"…Pardon?"
"You've become quite famous among the soldiers lately. The 'Psycho Young Master'… I, too, was called a 'Mad Dog' in my younger days."
As he spoke, Sir Alex wore a faint, nostalgic smile.
A "Mad Dog," was it? In truth, I was already being called that back at the Academy.
I considered sharing that fact with Sir Alex but quickly shook my head with a hollow laugh.
It was useless information.
All it would do was add another disgraceful nickname to my collection.
However, there was one thing that puzzled me.
From the sounds of it, Sir Alex seemed to hold the title of "psycho" in high regard.
It was a sentiment I couldn't fathom.
How much slander had I endured until now, being called a "psycho" or a "mad dog"?
By now, the underclassmen at the Academy were already slinking away to avoid me the moment our eyes met.
Thus, I had no choice but to ask the old man who seemed to be envying my youth.
"Is that… supposed to be a compliment?"
"Ah, I see. You aren't a Northerner, Young Master."
Sir Alex nodded silently as if he had only just realized.
Did I really look that much like a Northerner?
In the Empire, "Northerners" were famous for being hot-tempered and having no sense of restraint. They were the polar opposite of me, a peace-loving Easterner.
I wanted to protest with all my heart, but I forced myself to stay calm.
Regionalism was just as important as blood ties and school ties.
There was no need to point out my differences from the Northerners. On the contrary, since Northerners had a strong tendency to stick together, I should be glad if they thought of me as one of their own.
Even so, I couldn't help but feel a bit disgruntled.
Sir Alex offered a kind explanation to my dissatisfied face.
"It is a culture unique to the North, where struggle and competition are held as the highest values. Nicknames that make it clear you shouldn't be messed with are usually the ones that draw envy. 'Psycho,' 'Mad Dog,' 'Hand Axe Murderer'…"
"…I haven't killed anyone yet."
At my timid protest, Sir Alex merely shrugged.
His attitude suggested he wasn't accusing me of anything.
"I am not speaking specifically about you, Young Master. Regardless, it is a fact that you have gained the favor of the Yurdina soldiers."
Good grief.
I didn't know whether to be impressed or to lament.
It seemed the Northerners' worldview was more warped than I had imagined.
To think my favorability would rise every time I did something strange.
Until recently, I had worried about whether Seria would be accepted by her family, but it seemed my fears were groundless.
On the day the light finally fades from her eyes, Seria will surely be recognized by everyone in the Yurdina family.
Sir Alex let out a small chuckle at my bewildered expression.
"You seem surprised. It's understandable. Most nobles aren't like this."
"The Yurdina family is… well, an interesting place."
This was the best I could do, as I couldn't bring myself to insult the family to a vassal's face.
Thinking back, Senior Delphine was the same.
Hadn't she actually thought better of me when I suddenly started swinging a hand axe in her room? I hadn't realized that was simply the Yurdina family tradition.
It wasn't intentional, but it was a stroke of luck for me.
Sir Alex himself was already acting much more favorably than during our first meeting. The other Yurdina soldiers would likely be the same.
At this rate, the investigation should go smoothly.
Taking advantage of the mood, I decided to ask Sir Alex for his opinion on the rumors.
"Speaking of which, Sir Alex. Have you heard anything? About a soldier who recently saw someone who looked exactly like a villager…"
"Ah, you mean Milton."
I paused at the name that came out so readily.
I hadn't expected a commander of his rank to know the name of a common soldier off the top of his head.
Sir Alex showed that faint smile again at my reaction.
"This, too, is Northern culture. A comrade who fights at your back is a precious family member, more so than anyone else. Even if there are hundreds of them, I make it a point to memorize their names."
"What if there are tens of thousands?"
"I couldn't do it then, obviously. But if we've been rubbing shoulders for a few years, I can manage up to a thousand."
Northerners seemed to have a strange stubbornness about certain things.
Not that it was a bad thing. Thanks to that, the conversation progressed rapidly.
Sir Alex immediately gave me the information I wanted.
"It happened a few days ago. Milton had been drinking that night and headed into the forest near the camp to relieve himself. And there, he says he saw someone who looked exactly like one of the villagers."
"Not the villager himself?"
"At least according to Milton. He thought it was strange for someone to be alone in the forest at night and tried to talk to them, but they disappeared into the woods without a word. So Milton went to the village the next day on purpose, but the person in question said they had no memory of it."
Hmm, I thought, stroking my chin.
The credibility of the testimony itself wasn't high.
Even at a cursory listen, there were two glaring issues.
First, it happened while he was heavily intoxicated, and second, the possibility that the villager simply lost their memory couldn't be ruled out.
Nevertheless, it was hard to completely ignore such a specific account.
In the end, there was only one answer.
"…I'll have to go to that forest."
"Will you be alright alone? Ever since Milton started blabbing about ghosts in the woods, the soldiers have been quite reluctant to go there."
"I have a reliable companion, so why would I go alone?"
Sir Alex, guessing who that "reliable companion" might be, let out a soft laugh.
It was then that a voice calling me from behind reached my ears.
"Senior Ian! Dinner is ready, so please…"
Both Sir Alex and I turned our gaze toward the woman who had called me.
The beautiful girl with gray hair looked flustered by the silent stares of the two men directed at her.
I said with a wry smile.
"…Seria."
"Ye-yes?"
"Shall we go for a night walk together later? Just the two of us."
At those words, Seria's dazed expression brightened visibly.
With a full smile on her face, she nodded vigorously.
"Yes!"
*
And that night.
"You—you didn't say we were going to look for ghosts!"
Seria clung to my arm, trembling like a leaf.
In the midnight forest, the moonlight was our only illumination.
Seria and I relied on the cold beams of light filtering through the leaves as we made our way forward. Before long, the path led us into the heart of the forest.
To be honest, a whimpering Seria wasn't much help, but the soft sensation against my arm felt nice, so I figured it was fine.
I spoke to Seria in a deliberately firm tone.
"Seria, we're scouting right now. It'll be a problem if you keep making noise."
"B-but…"
I wanted to maintain my dignity as her senior, but Seria was too cute as she shivered.
I let out a deep sigh and tried to soothe her.
"The soldier might have just been seeing things because he was drunk. We're only here to check things out today, so there's no need to worry too much—"
Rustle.
It was then that the sound of a presence tickled my ears.
Swordsmen who have reached the level of Expert boast superhuman senses.
There was no way either Seria or I would miss such a blatant sound.
Silence immediately fell between us.
Seria's face had long since turned pale. I patted her shoulder a couple of times and whispered into her ear.
"I'll pursue. You stay back, watch the situation, and follow slowly… It might be a trap. If a problem arises, go for backup immediately."
Seria nodded with a tearful face.
Since she was currently trembling too much to fight, this was the best course of action. I took a breath and slowly sharpened my senses.
It wasn't an animal.
I could clearly feel a human presence over there. The other party also seemed to have sensed us, as they had stopped moving for a moment.
And immediately after.
Thud. With the sound of feet kicking off the ground, the person began to run. I also threw myself forward in pursuit.
A few minutes later, I was finally able to greet an old acquaintance.
"…Mitram."
"It has been a long time, Ian Percus."
He was speaking through the mouth of one of my villagers.