Chapter 44
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Elberra (5)
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The port wasn't far, so Blake and Lindelmann decided to walk there after leaving the inn.
He had worried that unwanted attention might come their way, but by changing into plain clothes and deliberately hunching his shoulders to let his neck and shoulders slump, they passed through the streets without drawing any eyes.
And since no one's gaze was fixed on them, Blake could instead observe Elberra's city streets and its people.
'It's different from Headgates.'
The scale was incomparable, but there were many other differences from Headgates as well.
Elberra was truly, unbelievably peaceful.
Most of the people passing by on the streets wore happy smiles, and above all, armed mercenaries or knights were extremely rare.
Some might have daggers or short clubs hidden under their robes like he did now, but those openly carrying weapons were exceedingly few.
It was a stark contrast to the northern villages where armed folk were a common sight.
Elberra was the first truly peaceful city Blake had ever experienced.
"Fresh! Cheap! Silver eels caught from the Rona Valley at dawn—just five coins each! Hey, ma'am, take a look at these!"
"Pearl hairpins from Marse! A must-have for Marse ladies! They say even priestesses will lift their skirts for you if you gift them one!"
The merchants' shouts bursting out here and there were novel too.
Lindelmann kept frowning and quickening his pace, but Blake wasn't particularly bothered.
The city's bustle still felt awkward, but for someone who had spent most of his life with blood and death at his doorstep, the vitality emanating from Elberra wasn't so bad.
'Not so bad? That's strange.'
He tilted his head inwardly.
Not just this odd feeling thanks to Lindelmann, but lately, he had the sense that something in him was gradually changing.
'Am I the one who's changing?'
He didn't want to admit it, but if this was change, it certainly was.
As he pondered this, the two arrived at the port.
The port, with dozens of large and small ships moored, was incredibly vast.
And they found a ship faster than expected.
Elberra was teeming with vessels of all sizes from various regions, and those ships preferred to carry passengers on their return trips rather than sailing empty.
Thus, the two chartered an entire ship owned by a captain named Rodi, affiliated with something like the Capital River Ferry Guild, and secured passage to the imperial capital Alteria tomorrow morning.
"Don't get the wrong idea. The regular ferry is too late, so I'm just taking the ship you chartered."
Lindelmann's expression was solemn, a far cry from when they'd arrived at the port and he'd pouted about going their separate ways from here on.
"Weren't you planning to sightsee in Elberra for two or three days? Changed your mind?"
"The regular ferry to the capital means waiting over five days! Five days! I was hoping to leisurely tour while waiting, but five days? Too boring to endure. Anyway, that's the reason, so absolutely don't misunderstand!"
"Got it. No misunderstanding."
Blake nodded impassively.
It was the same reaction as always, but for some reason, it irked Lindelmann today.
'He knows full well and is just teasing me on purpose. Looks like a bear on the outside, but a fox inside for sure.'
Whether Lindelmann grumbled inwardly or not, Blake silently walked along the path right next to the waterway.
The waterways threading through Elberra's downtown were impressively picturesque.
Each was nearly twenty meters wide, and large and small ships queued slowly along them toward the Bran River.
But Blake didn't leisurely admire the waterway views.
His mind was filled with thoughts of the mission.
'From here to the capital is seven or eight days. Then from the capital through the strait to Revat Port takes about ten days.'
And from the port to the final destination, Soria, another ten days or so—meaning he'd arrive in about a month.
The unforeseen disruptions and hardships from the incidents in Headgates and Dunfries were now just a month away from being over.
"Either way, securing the ship worked out well. Our journey should get back on track now, right?"
"Probably. As long as we don't get dragged into any more pointless trouble."
As he spoke, Blake glanced at Lindelmann.
"W-what? Why are you looking at me like that...?"
Lindelmann trailed off, flinching under the meaningful glint in Blake's otherwise expressionless eyes.
It was true that his own share was large in the pointless trouble Blake had mentioned.
"We're almost at the point of parting ways, so wouldn't it be best to forget about past matters? Besides, this body of mine will soon be an imperial knight—might even get posted to Northernrocks Fortress and become your superior. Ahem!"
Of course, the odds were low, and it was something he'd absolutely refuse, but Lindelmann cleared his throat affectedly to change the subject.
"Planning to take the imperial knight exam right away when you get to the capital?"
"Of course! I timed it perfectly, and all this hardship was for that very reason—I have to take it. Well, thanks to it, my swordsmanship and combat response improved a bit, so it wasn't entirely pointless. Haha!"
Lindelmann's face brightened instantly.
He had accepted Count Darlington's invitation—the most authoritative of the five exam overseers—and performed some official duties accordingly.
With those bonus points plus real combat swordsmanship from traveling with Blake, he was confident he'd pass as long as he didn't make a huge mistake in mounted lance work, where he'd originally excelled.
"Hahaha!"
Just thinking about it made laughter bubble up.
But unfortunately, Lindelmann's smiling face didn't last long.
"Hey! You there! Is that Lindelmann?"
"Huh?"
At the sudden voice, Lindelmann turned his head with his smile still in place.
The instant he recognized the caller, his expression twisted as if he'd bitten into dung.
"It is you! Haha! Long time no see! You should've come straight to find me if you were in Elberra—what are you doing here?"
A young man standing at the bow of a large passenger ship drifting leisurely along the waterway waved exaggeratedly at Lindelmann.
Adorned with a jeweled longsword and a silver cloak trimmed in golden tassels, he was Albert, the eldest son of the Grime family.
"What's this, brother? Huh? That guy is...?"
Darren also spotted Lindelmann and widened his eyes.
"Lindelmann Zaroph, what brings you here?"
"......"
But Lindelmann just turned his head away with a rapidly darkening expression, saying nothing.
"Acquaintances?"
Blake asked in a low voice.
"J-just sort of..."
Not only was his face uneasy, but Lindelmann's voice had sunk too.
"Well, well! Ignoring me now?"
"Hey, he's still your brother—what kind of manners is that? Come on, Lindelmann, long time no see. Let's grab a meal together. We're docking over there, so come aboard. Huh? Who's the companion? Bodyguard?"
Albert eyed Blake as he spoke.
He was quite burly, but in plain clothes with his hood pulled low, he didn't seem like a servant—clearly just a middling mercenary hired for safety on the road.
"Haha! Can't even go out without protection at your age, Imperial Knight Candidate Sir Lindelmann Zaroph?"
"What nonsense is that! This person is..."
Lindelmann, about to shout indignantly, clamped his mouth shut.
"What's going on?"
A few swordsmen and young ladies leaned over the railing, peering around curiously.
One lady's eyes met Lindelmann's.
"Gasp!"
Lindelmann's eyes went wide, unable to look away from Annrose.
"Someone you know?"
Michelle, in splendid attire, asked Albert with a gentle smile.
"You could say so. Haven't seen his face in years, but blood ties are blood ties, after all."
Albert addressed not the questioner Michelle, but Annrose with her bored expression.
"No, I was the one who asked..."
As Michelle bristled, the same word slipped from Annrose and Blake's mouths.
"Blood ties?"
"Blood ties?"
At that, Lindelmann snapped to attention, scratched his head, and said to Blake,
"Uh... sort of."
"Haha! Even so, not someone Miss Veniard needs to concern herself with. No shared blood, after all."
"Hm? Can there be relatives without shared blood?"
Annrose's bored look eased for the first time.
Pleased by that, Albert Grime puffed up a bit, then sneered at Lindelmann.
"Yes. My late aunt married his father, Sir Gophrin Zaroph. But his mother wasn't my aunt. His real mother was a maid doing odd jobs at the Zaroph estate. So he's a bastard of the Zaroph family."
"Oh my!"
Michelle and Donna's expressions shifted subtly, and even Annrose slightly furrowed her brow.
But unlike the two girls, Annrose's reaction was to Albert's rude tone.
"Kuh!"
Lindelmann, unaware of that, flushed beet red.
In front of Blake and these beautiful strangers, the insult made his hand instinctively reach for his sword hilt.
But he couldn't draw it.
A heavy hand pressed down on his shoulder with overwhelming force.
"Don't."
A voice so low only he could hear.
Lindelmann looked up.
A pair of eyes, chilled to the bone, stared down at him—the same cold, merciless gaze he'd seen countless times over the past month.
Meeting Blake's eyes, an inexplicable relief washed over the intimidation, and Lindelmann nodded heavily.
"Got it. Sorry."
"If you got it, let's go."
Blake nodded faintly at the reply and turned to walk away.
"Hoo! Right."
Lindelmann took a deep breath and followed behind Blake.
The young man on the ship jeered once more.
"Hey, bastard, I said let's eat together? Really leaving? Fine, whatever. Wherever you're staying, if you're short on coin, just drop the family name."
"Yeah! Even if you're a bastard relative, the Grimes won't let kin go hungry in Elberra! Hahaha!"
Albert and Darren burst into loud laughter.
As Lindelmann's face crumpled again, Blake narrowed his eyes.
"Grime?"