IV. Chivalric Romance and the Bastards (2)
IV. Chivalric Romance and the Bastards (2)
There were many who enjoyed chivalric literature.
It was a culture mainly enjoyed by nobles and knights, and whether one was illiterate or not was of no importance here.
If a noble or knight could not read, it was a simple matter of having a subordinate read the book aloud by their side.
Sir Herman did not fall into that category.
He had not learned to read until he reached a marriageable age, yet he had taught himself in just a few years simply to enjoy chivalric literature with greater ease.
Inwardly, Keldric was impressed. To learn to read belatedly, not in childhood when the brain was soft as a sponge and absorbed everything, but at an age when the mind had hardened and one thought one already knew everything worth knowing.
And what was more, he had not done it out of perceived necessity for public duties, but had mastered letters purely for his own hobby.
"Your tale sets my heart ablaze, sir. Ah, a feat reminiscent of Sir Gernhilt, who conquered the Barbarian Land..."
Gernhilt was a fictional character who appeared in chivalric romances.
He was of humble northern stock, had left home at a young age, won countless tournaments, rescued a beautiful lady from the clutches of wicked heathens, and so on.
The only resemblance between the Gernhilt Sir Herman spoke of and Keldric was, at most, that they were both of humble northern stock.
Keldric reined in a slightly sour expression and nodded.
Sir Herman, however, continued to make all manner of fuss while pestering the scribe.
"A rock troll, no less! That cruel and witless beast must surely have tormented the good folk of the domain! Scribe, are you getting this down well?"
"Yes. Sir Keldric's renown shall spread all the wider for it."
"Spare no flowery turns of phrase! See to it that you compose prose worthy of Sir Keldric's honor!"
"How could it be otherwise?"
The scribe's expression as he played along with Sir Herman's words was subtle.
He was smiling with an effort, but his inner thoughts seemed to say, 'Fuck, am I a novelist now?'
Keldric averted his gaze from the scribe, who let out a small sigh. Sir Herman was still looking at Keldric with sparkling eyes.
"At any rate... Sir Keldric. That was my personal impression, up to this point."
With those words, Sir Herman's beaming demeanor shifted slightly. Keldric unconsciously swallowed dryly.
"Your personal impression?"
"Hmm. Personally, I consider Sir Keldric's exploits to be highly commendable. And the same holds true for the great aid you rendered to my liege lord... Baron Yaven."
"It was nothing. Lord Yaven seemed to be in considerable difficulty, so it was only right that I step forward."
"Just as I thought... I did not misjudge you, sir."
So, what exactly had he not misjudged?
A hint of doubt arose in Keldric. He could not quite tell what, but it seemed Sir Herman was concealing some ulterior motive.
"Scribe. You may take your leave now. I apologize for calling you away when you are so busy."
"Not at all, Sir Herman."
Be that as it may, Herman all but shooed the scribe, whom he had summoned himself, back out the door. Left in the office were Sir Herman, Keldric, and Alisa.
Keldric glanced at Alisa. She, too, wore a baffled expression, as though she did not know why she was still in the room.
"Ehm, Sir Herman. Should I take my leave as well?"
"No. Stay, Alisa. There is something I would like you to hear as well."
Keldric adjusted his posture a little.
The demeanor Sir Herman had shown moments ago was not insincere, but at the very least, Sir Herman seemed like a man who drew a strict line between public and private matters.
Sir Herman sipped his wine, merely wetting his throat in silence for a time.
The fire in the hearth burned with a crackling sound, and the faint noise of the city drifted in for a long while.
"Sir Keldric. I have a proposition for you."
Sir Herman opened his mouth.
And, as Keldric had expected, this was close to the main point. Everything up to now had not been the main point.
"It is discourteous to speak of such things to an honored guest who has aided His Lordship..."
Sir Herman took something from the bookshelf behind him. It was a scroll of parchment.
"Still, having heard of your exploits, I feel all the more certain. I am convinced that you, sir, can accomplish what I have been unable to."
"What in the world is it?"
"Would you like to hear it? But, sir. I would ask that you keep just this one thing firmly in mind."
Sir Herman drew his solemn face close to Keldric's.
"Once you hear this tale, there will be no backing out of this affair."
"..."
"Alisa, this goes for you as well. I do not mind if you leave now, but if you hear my story, it will be too late to withdraw."
Alisa's expression hardened in turn. As if the tension had risen sharply, she lifted her cup of wine and sipped at it repeatedly.
Even in the midst of that, Keldric's expression remained unchanged and steady.
Seeing that, Sir Herman let out a small sound of admiration.
'How can his nerve be so firm?'
These were the words of an official entrusted with the governance of a city. It was highly likely to be deeply connected to the city, and that would be a considerable burden for Keldric, who was little more than a knight-errant.
Yet the Keldric that Sir Herman was looking at paid no mind to tension or anything else, merely sipping his wine in silence.
Broad-mindedness and stout-heartedness were, to be sure, important virtues for a knight.
Excessive stout-heartedness might earn one a reputation for arrogance, but a proper measure of nerve and confidence forged a will that would not be shaken under any circumstances.
To Sir Herman's eyes, Keldric already seemed to have reached that state.
'What is he on about?'
Of course, that was not the case at all for Keldric.
Having failed to keep up with Sir Herman's sudden rush of incomprehensible talk, his expression was closer to a state of empty-minded blankness.
Sir Herman, unaware of that fact, calmly observed Keldric and Alisa's reactions.
"I believe I've given you ample time. Sir Keldric."
"Hm."
"I am well aware. I have not even explained what it is about, yet here I am, saying outright that once you step in, you cannot step out. But this is a serious problem, on the scale of the entire city."
The mood all across the Empire was one of nobles rising up, coveting one another's territories.
The north was no different, and the places where all eyes were fixed with the keenest attention were the Baronies of Yaven and Gofrit.
It was too great a matter to be seen as merely a fight between Baron Yaven and Baron Gofrit, for the backers on each side were already far too large.
"You are an honorable knight, so I am sure it would not happen, but I, who have sworn fealty to Baron Yaven, have no choice but to move with the utmost caution. Can you understand that?"
Sir Herman had been considering the possibility that Keldric might bolt after merely hearing the story, or outright defect to Baron Gofrit's side.
These were words that, taken the wrong way, could be seen as a slight to one's honor. Keldric, however, probed the meaning hidden beneath them.
'What in the world is going on?'
A city on the scale of Bellam was rare in the north.
The authority of House Kassel, entrusted with the administration of such a city, would not be small either, and had they reported it to their liege, Baron Yaven, earlier, it ought to have been resolved long ago.
Keldric kept two possibilities in mind.
One was that it was a problem not easily resolved even at the level of House Kassel and Baron Yaven.
Having just witnessed Baron Yaven struggling helplessly against rock trolls at Yalta Village, Keldric had been reminded of the fact that no matter how wealthy a baron might be, the world was full of problems he could not solve.
If this problem was of a similar nature, Keldric had no reason not to step forward.
And the other possibility was that it was a matter Sir Herman could not easily report to Baron Yaven.
Such cases were extremely rare, but a special circumstance might well exist.
Keldric asked in a low voice.
"First, I will ask you this. Sir Herman. Are you, by any chance, doubting my honor?"
"Ah, no. I am not doubting your honor. I respect your honor, sir."
"If that is the case, I would like you to first understand that there is no possibility of me siding with that vile, honorless Lord Gofrit."
Sir Herman's expression brightened a little. Keldric, at least, did not appear to be lying.
One could not know everything from a mere expression, but the absence of any bad feeling alone was a favorable sign for Sir Herman.
"However, Sir Herman. Before I hear your story, I would like you to answer a question of mine first."
"What is it? If it is something I can answer, ask me anything."
"This matter you mean to tell me. Is it something you have not reported to Lord Yaven?"
Sir Herman's complexion paled somewhat. He desperately steadied his wavering gaze, then cleared his throat with a cough and slowly nodded.
"Th-there was an unavoidable reason."
"What is that reason?"
"Sir Keldric. To go that far is a bit..."
Keldric chose to take a step back here.
Pressing the matter too aggressively might inadvertently damage the honor of Sir Herman or House Kassel.
"At any rate, I understand. For it to be that serious a matter."
"S-sir. The fact that I have spoken of this... I would ask you not to tell His Lordship..."
"That is something I will consider after I hear the story. If, once I have heard it, it turns out you are not reporting it to Lord Yaven for a purely personal reason... that would not be right."
There was no fault in Keldric's words. Sir Herman, the corners of his eyes drooping slightly, nodded feebly.
"...You are right, sir."
"So I will ask. Is it a personal reason?"
"..."
Sir Herman did not answer. A look of increasing puzzlement appeared on Keldric's face.
'He doesn't seem like a greedy man.'
To Keldric's eyes, Sir Herman was not a coward who would betray his liege to pursue personal greed.
Of course, just as one can know the depth of ten fathoms of water but not the heart of a single fathom of man, there were no absolutes when it came to what lay inside a person.
But at least, that was how it appeared to Keldric. His sharp instincts whispered that Sir Herman was not that sort of man.
"I truly am... lacking in honor, it seems."
Sir Herman opened his mouth. He was looking at Keldric with a somewhat tired face.
"You are right, sir. In a sense, it must be called a personal reason."
"You cannot report it to Lord Yaven for personal reasons, yet it is still serious?"
"That is correct."
Keldric took this moment to gauge Alisa's reaction.
Alisa was casually sipping her wine with a nonchalant air, but her gaze was fixed on the distant mountains, as if to say, 'I'm not hearing a thing.'
"Alisa. You may take your leave now. If it becomes truly necessary, I will summon you separately."
Upon hearing Keldric's words, Alisa seemed to hesitate for a moment, but in the end she offered a polite bow and exited the office.
Only Keldric and Sir Herman remained inside the office.
Keldric was not particularly inclined to meddle in needless affairs.
To begin with, he had no desire to delve deeply into matters concerning another man's territory or city.
Since he had not yet decided on his next destination from Bellam anyway, he had intended to settle down for a while, touring the city now that things had turned out this way.
However, Keldric had caught the scent of money in Sir Herman's story.
Keldric still had a few Ducat gold coins remaining, but in his experience, the more money, the better.
"So, Sir Herman. What is it?"
Keldric asked cautiously.
Sir Herman, who had been heaving deep sighs, stared blankly down at the wine cup cradled in his hand.
"It is deeply shameful that such a thing should happen when I have been commanded by His Lordship to govern Bellam, but... Sir Keldric."
"I am listening."
Sir Herman continued with a grave expression.
"It looks like there are bastards inside Bellam who betrayed His Lordship."
And that, truly, was a sensitive subject.
So much so that Keldric, upon hearing it, flinched and shuddered slightly.