Chapter 21
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Even a Single Strand of Hair is Precious (2)
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On the way to Drin Territory, Gillion bought food and drinks, finished his errands, and headed straight back to the inn.
It was because he was worried about Roin.
I told him to stay put at the inn, but Im still anxious.
Subt was a vicious city where crimes happened so frequently that anything could occur at any moment.
That was why Gillion had wanted to pass through as quickly as possible.
But Roin had stubbornly refused.
They had no choice but to stay one night, but the place still made him uncomfortable.
By the time he neared the inn.
A scene caught Gillions attention.
Move back, everyone!
Let us through!
A group of men were being carried out on stretchers.
Their injuries were quite severe.
Broken arms and legs seemed minor in comparison.
Whispers from the onlookers reached Gillions ears.
I heard there was a fight at that inn over there.
With who?
No idea. I just heard it was between some bandit gang and another group. Dont know the details.
Only then did Gillion realize that the men being carried out were bandits.
Of all places, the fight had broken out at the very inn where Gillion and Roin were staying.
Young Master Roin!
A bad feeling washed over him.
He hurried through the crowd and into the inn, then rushed up to the third floor and pounded on the door of Roins room.
Young Master Roin! Its me! Are you all right?!
The door slowly creaked open.
Roin appeared through the gap, yawning.
Why are you yelling like that?
Unlike the commotion outside, Roin looked perfectly at ease.
Gillions face went blank for a moment.
Were you sleeping the whole time?
Not the whole time. Some flies kept buzzing around, so I swatted them down and then went to sleep.
Flies?
Anyway, Im fine. Now Im going back to bed.
Roin shut the door.
Gillion had a ton of questions.
But since Roin was safe, he decided to let it go.
Flies, huh... No, better not overthink it.
They planned to leave early tomorrow before dawn.
To make that happen, Gillion needed to pack up quickly and get some rest himself.
Something felt off, but he had no choice but to head back.
The next day, at dawn.
Thanks to their diligence, the two arrived in Drin Territory at the scheduled time, right at the mansion.
As soon as they entered, Elien greeted Roin warmly.
You must be tired, Roin.
She hugged her youngest son tightly, and her fragrance wafted over to him.
To think such a beautiful woman was his mother.
It put his mind at ease.
But where there is light, there is shadow.
That shadow came bounding up behind Elien with a hearty laugh, greeting Roin just as enthusiastically.
My boys back! Haha!
The ultimate ugly man, Lucas, patted Roins small back several times.
I heard from Seira! You won the team tournament, huh?!
Yes, Father.
Good job! Thats my boy! You take after me perfectly! Uhahaha!
Lucas, Seira, and even Helton.
None of them had ever won the apprentice team tournament.
Roin alone.
He was the only one in the Leyden family to achieve that feat.
Perhaps that was why.
Lucass grin stretched from ear to ear and showed no sign of fading.
He even spun Roin around 360 degrees.
Roin wanted nothing more than to get away from Lucas.
Im scared his ugliness might rub off on me.
Even if he was his father, that face kept him at arms length.
Fortunately, Elien stepped in for him.
You must be tired from the long trip, dear. Why dont you let him go now?
R-Right. Sorry, Roin. I got carried away thinking only of myself.
Roin shook his head.
Its fine. But like Mother said, Im a bit tired, so Ill head to my room first.
Okay. Go rest.
Yes, Father.
He finally escaped from Lucas.
The moment he got home, Roin hurried to wash his face first.
He cleansed away the grime with a facial wash, then smoothed his skin with cleansing water.
After that, he stood in front of the mirror and checked his face again.
Soft, clean skin.
Now I can relax.
To himself, back in his daily routine, Roin wanted to say.
Welcome home.
Im back.
His return to normal life didnt last long.
Soon after, a letter arrived at the Leyden mansion.
It was the certificate announcing Roins pass on the junior knight exam.
Roin had already expected to pass the junior knight exam.
He was more curious about whether his classmates had passed.
Jerka probably did. Among our team, the only other one with a shot might be Remina.
Unlike the apprentice phase, the junior knight training focused on individual combat growth rather than teams.
There was no need to form special teams like with fellow units.
Still, Roin was curious about Reminas result.
She had the skills. If the examiners were competent, theyd pass her without much trouble.
Drake, Mering, and Cleng were iffy.
Friendships from the swordsmanship academy rarely lasted all the way.
They might hold up a bit in the junior knight phase.
Whatever. If fate brings us together later, well meet. If not, oh well.
Roin didnt plan to dwell on it.
There was a more important issue than passing the junior knight exam.
Amelia.
Amelia, who was doing housework, answered Roins call right away.
Yes, Young Master Roin.
Im going to get a haircut real quick.
Roin had a favorite salon he frequented.
He planned to get a trim there after so long.
But Amelia dropped news like a bolt from the blue.
That salon you always went to? It closed last month.
What?!
Roin couldnt believe his ears for a second.
No way! Why?!
They found some ancient item left by an old ancestor in their storage. They sold it and decided to close up to travel and enjoy their remaining years.
It was utterly absurd.
Among the salons in Drin, that one was the only place that cut his hair to his satisfaction.
Hearing it was gone out of nowhere left his mind in a mess.
He didnt want to entrust his precious hair to anywhere else.
They were all terrible.
No choice but to go big.
Wheres Father? Mother?
Hearing that, Amelia shot him a glare.
Youre not thinking of going to another city just for a haircut, are you, Young Master Roin?
You know it.
Thats not you know it. Do you think the Baron would ever allow that?
...No.
He wouldnt.
Lucas hated Roins obsession with grooming in the first place.
That was why hed sent him to the Loud Swordsmanship Academy at such a young age.
As a man, you should wield a sword, charge battlefields, rack up merits, and become a herothat was Lucass way of raising him.
If Roin went on an expedition to another city just for a haircut?
Lucas would tear the house apart the moment he heard.
Should I sneak off?
The distance was too far for that.
Hed have to spend at least one night away.
No teleportation magic circle connected either. This damn countryside is killing me!
Roin inwardly cursed up a storm.
But that wouldnt solve the current mess.
Amelia offered him this advice.
Just give up and go to any nearby salon. Thats your best bet.
To Roin, that was the absolute worst option.
He mumbled some vague response and left the room.
Let me think. Theres gotta be an answer if I think hard enough.
Even heading off to defeat Muorat hadnt weighed on him this much.
He racked his brain desperately for ideas.
But in the end, there was only one answer.
Going to the neighboring city.
The problem was how to fool Lucas.
Should I ask Mother for help?
Elien was on Roins side, at least.
Lucas was the epitome of a macho man, but he couldnt stand up to Elien.
If Elien asked along with Roin, Lucas would grudgingly agree.
Thats the highest odds.
No choice but to try.
As he crossed the courtyard.
Someone called out to him.
Roin!
A woman with a voice remarkably like Eliens.
And it wasnt just the voice.
Her looks had inherited Eliens beauty fully.
Viola Leyden.
The fourth child of the Leyden family.
Viola had inherited Eliens voice and appearance more strongly than even Seira.
But there was one thing she hadnt inherited.
Her personality.
Where you going? If youve got nothing to do, help your big sis out. Theyre making me trim branches, can you believe it? Ugh, am I a nobles kid or some hired maid around here? I cant even tell anymore.
She was already grumbling.
That grumbling was Viola Leydens trademark.
Im kinda busy.
Busy? With what?
I need to ask Mother a favor.
A favor?
Yeah.
Viola, who had been tending the garden, walked over to Roin.
Whats the trouble? Tell your big sis first.
She acted all benevolent.
This is such a pain.
An annoying person had latched on.
He considered brushing her off.
No, just tell her the truth.
It wasnt something to hide anyway.
So Roin explained why he was looking for Elien.
I want a haircut, but theres no good salon around. So I was thinking of heading to the next city over.
What? Thats it?
Yeah. Thats it.
But to Roin, it was practically everything.
Viola knew how obsessed Roin was with his appearance.
So she could roughly understand why hed go through the hassle of traveling to another city for a salon.
Suddenly, Viola made a surprising offer to Roin.
Then how about I cut it for you?
My hair?
Yeah. Trust your big sis this once!
......
Roin narrowed his eyes slightly at Viola, who was snapping the garden shears open and shut as she spoke.
The problem was, it inspired zero trust.