Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Punishment Corps (1)
-Deng.... Deng....
Somewhere within the vast territory of Rondor, the sound of bells rang out.
As the signal echoed, a beautifully decorated coffin was slowly lowered into the grave.
Colorful flowers honoring the owner of the grave scattered around the coffin.
I stared blankly at the sight.
Only a few days had passed since I met the Duchess... yet I felt I would never forget the forgiveness and kindness she had shown me.
“Lord Kylo.”
Pippin, the head butler of House Rondor standing beside me, pulled me from my thoughts.
“You should head inside now. The funeral is over.”
I nodded and stepped toward the grave where the coffin had been lowered.
I had intended to offer flowers in mourning for the Duchess’s final journey.
“Lady Vivian!”
But the moment I took a step, a great commotion erupted.
Before I even had time to react, a stinging pain snapped across my cheek.
-Smack!
Though it was a sudden attack, somehow I immediately knew who had done it.
Turning my head, I saw Vivian Rondor standing before me, just as expected.
Perhaps now, she should be called the head of House Rondor.
“W-What kind of f-face... do you think you have... to o-offer flowers?”
Her stutter did nothing to lessen the atmosphere around her.
“M-My mother suffered and d-died because of what y-your family did to us...! How dare you even pretend to mourn her!!”
“...”
She probably had no idea how complicated my feelings toward her had become.
The Duchess of Rondor’s request still lingered in my mind.
Had she truly believed the two of us could get along?
I could not see even the slightest possibility of that happening.
Vivian spoke resentfully.
“Y-Your family killed all of us. D-Don’t even pretend to grieve.”
I stood there silently listening before replying.
“...I wasn’t the one who did it. Am I not even allowed to offer flowers?”
-Tak!
With a swift motion completely unlike her hesitant speech, Vivian snatched the flowers from my hand.
“...Ah.”
Before I could even react, Vivian threw the flowers to the ground and stomped on them viciously.
Along with her violent kicks, tears dripped endlessly onto the ground.
It was the fiercest emotion I had seen from her during the days we had spent together.
The rage born from losing her mother was pouring out uncontrollably.
As the situation worsened, several retainers attending the funeral stepped forward to calm Vivian.
“Lady Vivian, please calm yourself. The funeral rites are not yet fully complete.”
“...Haa... haa...”
Vivian let out ragged breaths before turning away. Countless servants of House Rondor followed behind her.
I stood there blankly, staring down at the crushed flowers.
For a brief moment, I considered finding new flowers to offer the Duchess.
But constantly fighting in front of her grave also felt disrespectful.
So I closed my eyes, mourned the Duchess silently in my heart, and headed back toward the castle.
That afternoon, I was summoned.
Following Pippin’s guidance through the winding castle halls, I arrived before a room.
-Knock knock.
“It is Pippin. I have brought Lord Kylo Allen with me. We are entering.”
-Creak.
Inside the room, a familiar person awaited me.
Vivian Rondor.
Her eyes were swollen from crying all day.
Even so, perhaps because she had expected me to come, she was forcing her tears back for now.
Her vicious gaze remained fixed on me without wavering.
Rather than irritation or disgust, I felt discomfort and pity.
And because of that, I deliberately avoided her eyes as I entered the room.
So this must be Vivian Rondor’s room.
“Lord Kylo Allen, welcome.”
A man stood inside holding a long parchment scroll.
The parchment was clearly the Duchess of Rondor’s will, and the man holding it was Krellyn the Scholar, healer and scholar of House Rondor.
Over the past few days, I had come to know him somewhat while he treated the wound on my forehead.
“Lord Kylo’s name was mentioned in the Duchess’s will, so we summoned you here. Please understand.”
“Ah, yes.”
Lately, I had become confused about how to respond to kindness.
Words I once would have simply acknowledged with a nod now made me uncomfortable.
It felt as though my noble upbringing was slowly being peeled away by life in Roktana.
Well, my life here was practically that of a prisoner anyway.
Then my eyes drifted toward Vivian Rondor again.
“...”
She was still staring intently at me.
I quietly sighed through my nose and pretended not to notice.
“Then, let us begin. The Duchess of Rondor wished for the grudge with House Allen to be laid to rest, and for the two families to build a constructive relationship moving forward—”
“W-What are you talking about?”
Vivian interrupted Krellyn before he could even finish a single sentence.
“W-What do you mean by l-letting go of the grudge? A-And are you even reading that properly?”
“...Ahem. Yes, I am. According to the peace treaty between the kingdoms, Lord Kylo Allen came to Roktana as a guest, and the Duchess wished for the two of you to rebuild ties and form a new relationship.”
“...Ha.”
Vivian let out a hollow laugh as though utterly dumbfounded.
Then she stared piercingly at Krellyn before turning toward me.
As though I had somehow done something wrong.
She spoke.
“...K-Kylo Allen. I’d rather die than become friends with your family.”
The words stung a little. Just a little.
“Same here.”
The scholar continued.
“And, as a stepping stone toward this goal, the Duchess appoints Kylo Allen as Vivian Rondor’s protector. Going forward, the two of you should get along—”
“N-No, I already told the Duchess I didn’t want—”
“What exactly are you talking about?!”
-Crash!!
Vivian shouted as she swept the teacup off her desk with the back of her hand.
Perhaps because she was still so young and small, even her anger felt more like a tantrum.
The words I had been about to say were cut off by Vivian’s outburst.
Perhaps startled by our violent reactions, Krellyn hurriedly skimmed through the parchment with his finger as he spoke.
“The Duchess clearly stated that you do not need to remain together at all times. In other words, Lord Kylo only needs to protect Lady Vivian whenever he feels inclined to.”
Even then, Vivian’s expression did not soften, so Krellyn looked away from the will and tried to soothe her.
“I-It seems to be more of a formal statement. It should simply be understood as wishing for the two of you to get along. There is no need to stay together constantly, nor any requirement to spend time together. Nothing here is compulsory. The Duchess merely wished for Lord Kylo to protect Lady Vivian. That is all.”
“...”
Even so, Vivian’s expression remained rigid, leaving Krellyn flustered.
Thinking about it, that reaction was understandable.
Vivian Rondor, who could explode in any direction without warning, was now the ruler of Roktana.
To put it bluntly, it was like handing a sword to a monkey.
“Ahem, continuing on! Authority over Lord Kylo Allen’s treatment and status shall now belong entirely to Vivian Rondor—”
“Wait a second, what?”
Eventually, I interrupted Krellyn too.
...No, I had been warned that authority over me would pass to Vivian, but it was happening this quickly?
“When you become old enough to leave, if your relationship with Vivian is poor, do you think she will truly send you back home? Would she not only release you if you are at least friends?”
Now that things had come to this, it almost felt as though the Duchess had held a blade beneath my chin and threatened me.
So? Will you get along with her or not?
At this point, I realized the one who should fear the monkey with the sword most was me.
When I glanced toward Vivian again, her entire atmosphere had changed.
“S-So that’s how it is?”
She let out a hollow laugh as she spoke.
“Yes. Those were indeed the Duchess’s exact words.”
“...”
I swallowed hard and maintained a calm expression.
If I showed any panic, who knew what weakness she might seize upon?
Vivian stood from her seat.
“...K-Kylo Allen. I-I’ve been thinking for a long time about h-how to make you understand what y-you did to us... and h-how to make you repent.”
She slowly approached me.
“A-And I heard many rumors about you too. They say y-you were one of the greatest prodigies in Allen territory? That the Unbeaten Knight was v-very proud of you.”
I did not know about Father, but the servants had certainly praised me often.
They said I was a genius born once in several hundred years within House Allen, that the future of House Allen was secure because of me...
They were probably just flattering me, but I had certainly never neglected my sword training because of the pressure of war.
The helplessness I felt when Royce Rondor subdued me had also driven me forward.
“N-Now that I think about it... a-as long as we don’t kill you with our own hands, it’s fine, right?”
“...What?”
“J-Just like your family c-covered up my brother’s death as a landslide accident—”
“We covered up nothing. Royce Rondor’s death was simply an unfortunate accident.”
“B-Believe whatever you want. Anyway... if y-you also die in an accident... wouldn’t House Allen have nothing to complain about?”
“...What are you talking about?”
Vivian Rondor twisted the corner of her lips into a sly smile.
Seeing that, a thought crossed my mind.
Ah. Why is she so pretty? Seriously.
The slight wrinkle of her nose just now had been unbelievably cute.
Completely unaware of the ridiculous thoughts running through my own head, Vivian continued.
“S-Since so many soldiers died... monsters and magical beasts have started rampaging near the territory.”
“...”
“T-The three knight orders of Rondor are trying their best... b-but the damage caused by monsters and magical beasts is still severe.”
Vivian poked at my chest with her finger.
“S-So use your talent... hunt monsters... repay some of your sins... and if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll just die on your own...? T-Then it really would be an accident.”
I had expected her to torment me cruelly, but honestly, even I could somewhat accept this treatment.
Royce Rondor, the Duchess of Rondor... and now Vivian Rondor too.
Maybe beans really did grow where beans were planted.
Vivian Rondor seemed softer than I had expected. Perhaps it was simply the cultural difference between northern and southern noble families.
“So you’re saying I should join the knight order and fight?”
“Y-You can’t join a normal knight order. Y-You’re not a person of Roktana.”
“...? Then what?”
“...You’ll join the fourth knight order we created... the Punishment Corps.”
Punishment Corps.
Even the name itself sounded ominous.
It sounded exactly like the kind of place that handled the dirtiest and most miserable jobs.
“P-Please... if possible... just die there on your own.”