Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Caged Bird
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No matter which of your ten fingers you bite, none are painless—but among them, the youngest daughter Maria was especially so.
From birth, Maria had been frail, so Sion raised her with the utmost care, cherishing her like gold or jade.
Sion raised and educated all his children applying modern hygiene concepts, but he was even more thorough with Maria.
Just in case, he restricted her outings until she came of age, and even when she did go out, he made her cover below her eyes with a cloth mask modeled after modern ones, and wash her hands every hour with precious soap.
Whether it was effective or not, Maria suffered frequent minor ailments but never caught anything serious.
However, perhaps because she was raised like a bird in a cage with such obsessive care, on the day she came of age, she declared she would go study in the capital of the Obla Kingdom.
For a woman—no, a daughter of a great noble like Sion—to go study in the capital was something unimaginable in this world.
Sion naturally opposed it, and since the youngest daughter, who had spent almost her entire life confined to the castle and thus yearned for freedom above all, saw her wish seem destined to remain a mere dream.
And a year passed, making it seem like the matter had ended as a brief commotion.
Yet the girl had not forgotten her dream.
On her returning birthday, through a merchant caravan that had long traded with the ducal family and procured her birthday gift, Maria secretly sent a letter to someone in the capital, and months later, the reply made her wish come true.
The recipient of Maria's letter was one of the heroes of the Demon Dragon War and a figure even Duke Highness Sion could not easily refuse.
Maria had written to the king of the Obla Kingdom at the time, who was her father's close friend and her mother's older brother—her maternal uncle.
Among Sion's children, Maria was the only one who had someone outside the dukedom as her godfather, and that was the king of Obla, who had adored his niece since she was young and granted her request.
Sion could not refuse the words of his closest friend and brother-in-law, who promised to house her in a royal villa in the capital and have people from the royal castle look after her.
No, in fact, he politely refused at first.
But for some reason, the youngest daughter's wish became known to the royal castle and the capital, and the girl's dream soon ballooned into a political issue.
The nobles at the center of the royal court learned of Maria's trip to the capital.
These nobles, who felt threatened by the growth of Sion's Dukedom—which was nearly an independent state—and Sion, who had played the greatest role among the Demon Dragon War heroes and had deep ties to the royal family, actively supported Maria's journey to the capital.
Wasn't the direct heir of Duke Sion's family coming to the capital as a 'hostage' of her own accord?
In the end, Maria, who had tried to escape her cage, ended up entering another cage called the capital and the royal court.
Once the matter had grown so large, Sion could no longer prevent his youngest daughter's trip to the capital.
Publicly opposing the king's decision was obvious how it would be perceived.
Continuing to refuse would not only damage his friend the king's face but also intensify the nobles' suspicions and checks.
In that case, he would have to go to the royal castle himself to explain, and seeing him unchanged after decades would cause an uproar.
Thus, Sion had no choice but to permit Maria's journey to the capital.
However, after all the big and small commotions, Maria did not even last a year in the capital she had gone to.
She eloped with a reserve royal guard knight named Adrian Kilburn Ritner.
* * *
"Because of those words, my son was badly injured. His shin was broken. It canceled his apprenticeship under Master Lycas. I had to personally apologize to Master Lycas for failing to properly manage my child. Do you think 100,000 diens can substitute for my son's shinbone and my apology?"
Sion's gaze grew complicated as he saw the stubborn expression on Baron Kilburn's face, calmly recounting the events, recalling the man who had run off with his youngest daughter.
"Ah, no, even so..."
Schwartz the administrator, who had been vigorously defending Sion, faltered slightly.
Lycas was a knight renowned across the Obla Kingdom, a Swordmaster.
Regardless of the circumstances, the administrator, overawed by the Swordmaster's prestige, glanced at Sion.
Baron Kilburn, who appeared to be in his early fifties, also turned his gaze to Sion.
'Hm?'
The moment their eyes met, Baron Kilburn felt puzzled.
Something was off about this young royal collateral, young enough to be his son.
He should be either angry or scared, but his expression was completely detached from either.
The baron's mood soured slightly at the opponent's eyes, which seemed somehow regretful, as if painting a picture of something.
"Sir Seilun, was it? I'd like to hear your thoughts as the person involved. Do you think I'm being unreasonable?"
Though young, as a member of the royal family, Baron Kilburn addressed him politely at first. But his expression and tone carried emotion, making his attitude somewhat intimidating.
'It doesn't matter if it comes to blows. I can just chop off that damned horse's neck and take compensation and damages.'
Rather wanting that, Baron Kilburn shot Sion a look urging a response.
"It can't be seen as entirely unreasonable. So, we'll follow your wish, Baron."
"Huh?"
"What?"
The unexpected reply surprised not only Baron Kilburn but also Schwartz the administrator.
"And since my horse caused serious injury to your son, I apologize as its owner."
"Hmm."
Even a collateral royal with strong pride personally apologizing left Baron Kilburn confused.
But the opponent, erasing the strange expression from moments ago, spoke calmly.
"And we'll pay the compensation right away, so first, I'd like to see my horses. Both of them."
"...Very well."
Baron Kilburn nodded and gave orders to his subordinate.
Then, the expressions of the territorial nobles and officials who had gathered tensely in the reception room with Schwartz the administrator also relaxed.
It was a minor issue, but it could have led to conflict with royalty, so it was fortunate it resolved well.
"Please handle the punishment of the culprit in consultation with the Burgos administrator."
"Indeed. Then..."
With his business done and the rest for his subordinates, Baron Kilburn tried to leave, suppressing his lingering unease.
At that moment, Sion's voice held him back.
"But may I ask one question?"
"What question?"
Suspecting he was grasping at straws, Baron Kilburn's face hardened slightly.
"Pardon my rudeness, but what is your relationship to Sir Adrian Kilburn Ritner?"
With his face still stiff, Baron Kilburn replied in a heavy voice.
"He was my father."
"……!"
Baron Kilburn grew puzzled at Sion's startled reaction.
It was strange enough for this collateral royal young enough to be his child to know his father, who had passed decades ago, but that reaction?
'Ah, could it be because of that incident?'
He had heard his father was once the most famous person in the Obla Kingdom.
Of course, only briefly, and by the time he was old enough to understand the world, his father's fame had all but vanished.
It was stranger that this man in his mid-twenties knew of his father.
"Then, Baron— no. It was an unnecessary question. Farewell."
Bowing his head, Sion turned and walked away.
Baron Kilburn felt an inexplicable strangeness and thought him an odd character, but that was all.
He did not see the wistful longing on Sion's face as he turned to leave.
* * *
"Um, are you alright, Sir Seilun?"
Schwartz the administrator, who had followed Sion out of the reception room, cautiously spoke up.
As the super-sized mark— no, investor— Sion's expression had been poor since earlier, he had no choice but to watch his cues.
"Hm? Ah, yes. I was just thinking of someone else for a moment."
"I see. But I didn't expect you to pay the full compensation. If you'd given me a bit more time, I would have tried to resolve it somehow."
The possibility was 0%, converging to nil, but the administrator said what came to mind.
"Of course, I believe you would have. But why take the hard path when there's an easy one? The compensation is reasonable, and besides, Logos Territory isn't neighboring Burgos anyway. To ensure my investment proceeds stably, it's best to avoid souring relations with neighbors as much as possible."
"Quite right. Wise words."
The administrator's face finally brightened fully upon reconfirming the mega-investor's intentions.
"By the way. Listening to the baron earlier, I figured out who bought Sir Seilun's horse."
"Oh? Who?"
"His youngest son. The only one among Baron Kilburn's children with talent in martial arts, said to become a knight."
"The youngest son..."
Murmuring softly, Sion kept walking.
'The grandson from my youngest daughter buys my horse. The world is small, indeed.'
Baron Kilburn was indeed the son of Adrian and Maria.
And Sion had seen him once and only once, back when the baron was still an infant.
Among Sion's many grandchildren, Baron Kilburn was the only one he had met exactly once.
'The ties of the world are wondrous, Maria.'
Recalling his beloved youngest daughter, now gone from the world, a sad smile touched Sion's lips.
But feeling Schwartz the administrator's continued glances, he quickly schooled his expression.
"Administrator. Do you happen to know how Baron Kilburn became lord of Logos Territory?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes. I don't know the details, but the previous Logos lord, who was Baron Kilburn, had no children, so he adopted several through relatives. The current baron was one of them and eventually became lord."
"I see."
Unlike his father, who had ambition but was short-sighted and impulsive, he seemed different.
Of course, with a mother incomparable to his incompetent father, it was no surprise he took after her side.
'Whose child is he, after all. Naturally.'
Though his looks favored Adrian, which was displeasing, his intellect and temperament clearly inherited Maria's, making the maternal grandson seem quite appealing, so Sion had made no further retort to the baron, offering only compensation and apology.
'Hm? Wait.'
Then, something occurred to Sion, and he narrowed his eyes.
'If this goes well...'
"Huh?"
Sion looked up at Schwartz the administrator's surprised reaction.
"No, that guy again... Wha—!?"
The castle subordinates guiding them were also flustered.
Thud thud thud thud!
A black horse burst from the opposite building, charging madly across the castle courtyard toward them.
"Gyaaah!"
"D-Dodge!"
People panicked as the massive beast barreled toward them as if to collide.
But Sion stood motionless in place.
"Sir Seilun!"
Schwartz the administrator, who had dashed aside faster than anyone, let out a scream imagining the impending disaster.
Hiiing! Hing!
The madly charging black horse stopped dead in its tracks as if by magic.
Not only that, it reared up on its front legs dramatically, then rubbed its head and neck against Sion's body like a long-cherished dog, licking him with its tongue.
"You rascal Blackie. Been well?"
Sion smiled gently, accepting his beloved steed's affectionate assault.
Schwartz the administrator and the castle folk watched the pair in stunned amazement.
The castle people in particular pointed at Sion and the black horse, mouths agape in shock bordering on horror.
Regardless, Sion roughly patted the black horse's mane and neck, which was busy nuzzling, biting, and licking, as he inspected its body.
"Huh? Look at you, you've gotten fat. Been living it up, huh?"
Flinch!
The black horse, meeting Sion's eyes, subtly pulled its neck back and slowly, naturally averted its gaze, turning its head away.
"Fat can be shed with intense training ahead. But where's Yellowie?"
Hiiing! Hing!
As the black horse tried to gesture something, a loud voice rang out.
"What the! Stormbringer! What are you doing!? Why are you acting like that!"
Sion turned at the somehow angry voice.
A young man who didn't even look twenty yet stared at them in shock.
"……!"
Sion's eyes widened.
The youth, who had deliberately acted bright and cheerful due to his frail health, bore an uncanny resemblance to the expressions his youngest daughter made when startled or angry.
(To be continued next time)