Chapter IV

Lotte went to the old man's place in the early morning days after the incident.

The villagers have been alerted and armed, with patrols switching during the day and night. There was also an increase of armed militia due to the looming threat of what Byrne called as crawlers and barricades were set up around the village.

It was a pitiful number of eighteen people though, including my father. The village never needed soldiers and the militia were only for patrolling and keeping order so there were a few suitable to fight.

Byrne also talked to them about the possibility that investigators from other towns will come to this village. From their faces, they didn't understand what those 'investigators' were for, so it was dismissed. And in this mess, the village chief remains wholly unseen.

Byrne was the old man's name. Just hearing it told Lotte a lot what this kind of character the old man is supposed to be, and he thought that it was a typical but rare name for a knight.

He probably has a household name but chose not to say it, and since Lotte didn't find any reason to know urgently, he didn't ask. He was bound to be entangled with him sooner or later whether he wanted to or not. At least that's what he thought.

The village put the dead bodies in the burial grounds. While some of the monster corpses were butchered and preserved to be food. Crawlers are in the end, fish type monsters with frog limbs and sharp fangs. Of course they were cleaned thoroughly as it ate humans, but the village couldn't exactly be picky about it.

The militia men's first thought was to store those monsters rather than burying them, which surprised me. There was no shortage of food in the village, but during winter they sparingly used their reserves of food. To Lotte, those monsters simply looked like a hybrid of fish and frog.

He had eaten plenty of fish before but not frogs. But, he was certainly going to refuse eating those vermin.

That night, Lotte gave his potion to the kid, who survived in the end. Although the kid has been unconscious for a day or two already. Meanwhile Byrne seemed to be focused on improving the living conditions around him and tending to the kid.

But today, I'm going to settle when my 'lesson' starts.

Byrne asked for time until the kid woke up, but at this rate the kid might not wake up for a while so he is going there to straighten things up.

A kid possessed by a transmigrator.

Byrne who came from the outside to a peaceful village, probably living in hiding with the skills to slay stealthy monsters like crawlers.

A kid found amidst the annihilated slave caravan whom Byrne places a significant degree of importance to.

Rugner who can go in and out in a village where going out is forbidden.

And the village chief… He had been silent these days. In fact, Lotte felt like he hadn't heard or seen him in the past months.

Still, Lotte felt like things were slowly coming together. With those people in mind, he wondered what entanglement they would be involved in.

He finally felt like he was in the middle of a story as it should be and not a mundane life in a peaceful village. There was both relief and fear in his heart because of that. If only this world could leave out it's own tragedy tag and focus on the fantasy aspect instead.

Lotte found the old man boiling a soup once again. But this time it had a proper fishy and herbal smell. He's been cooking more often and repairing the manor hurriedly.

Maybe all thanks to a certain kid.

"Byrne! How's the kid?"

The old man turned to Lotte with squinted eyes, his lack of sleep apparent to him.

"Just who's that kid for you to look like that?"

"You can think whatever you want. Can you take this in the fireplace? Have some of this too."

He pointed at the tied branches by his side and gave Lotte a bowl with fish soup and bread submerged on it which he took without reservations. Fish were a rare food in the village and they rarely had a chance to eat it.

"So you finally fixed the fireplace! I was wondering how you're alive despite the cold every night."

That's right. It was as if the old man was impervious to cold.

"Can I learn that too?"

"It's not swordsmanship."

"Tsk, stingy."

'So it's some sort of skill he learned? Or maybe he developed it through the years he trained. It might even be the 'Aura' I'm thinking of.'

He couldn't help but feel excited at the thought of wielding it personally. Lotte put the woods in the fireplace that, on the contrary, didn't look fixed. Instead it has a temporary measure that could fall apart anytime.

And a kid is lying down peacefully near the heat to keep him warm.

His neck was no longer torn and bleeding, but the marks that chains left on his wrists and ankles were testament of what he had to go through.

Now that Lotte could see clearly, the kid wore an unusual rusty necklace. Usually slaves will have all their possessions taken but he managed to keep it. It must've been important for him. Her. Honestly Lotte was confused about the kids gender.

He looked like he could be very handsome but also very beautiful even with all the dirt on his face. But Lotte made up his mind to think of him as a boy. It was his instinct and he trusted it.

A boy blessed with heavenly appearance, and will probably break a lot of hearts. He is a little envious even though in his opinion he was quite handsome himself, with a tall body and unique dark red hair. He took after his beautiful mother with the same hair color apparently.

"Hng.. Uh.. Ahh! Aaahhh!"

The kid suddenly flung his arms around as if to escape from something.

"Shit!"

Lotte was startled and hurriedly stuffed some soaked bread on his mouth to shut him up, two days of sleep probably left him really hungry. A soaked bread would be the best to give his body some time to digest properly.

"Hey! Calm down, Calm down!"

"Mmph! Mmm!"

Lotte further shoved the bread and the boy realized that he's no longer in danger. Then came the pang of hunger and thirst. The slightly salty and savory smell of the bread blanked his mind out as he devoured it like a beast.

"Slow down, slow down. There's no monsters here, slow down."

He finally calmed down and ate while Lotte was patting him on his back. Lotte could feel that the kid's body was very thin as he patted his back, meaning he hadn't eaten properly for a long enough time.

Upon hearing the commotion the old man entered silently, but just lingered by the door with a strange expression.

The kid finished eating and turned to Lotte.

"T-Thanks… Are you.. An escapee?"

"No, we just found you unconscious."

Lotte looked at him.

His limbs were so thin, to the point that Lotte thought he could easily snap them. Most likely a result of suffering hunger for a long time. The fats that a child would have were long gone.

"… I'm not the one you should be thanking."

Had he not given the potion, this kid would have died. But it was Byrne in the end who requested for the potion. Lotte never thought of using it on the kid, thinking that he was just a random slave that had died.

"He saved you. You're in his precious manor. I just happened to be there when you woke up."

Lotte gestured towards Byrne who had been standing nearby, watching them silently with a complicated gaze.

"Who?… Huh?"

The kid froze up upon seeing Byrne. To Lotte it was a sign that the old man was recognized and they had definitely seen each other before. If they knew each other rather well, being shocked and silent shouldn't be their first reaction. But it seems to be a more complicated relationship than he thought.

As Lotte was thinking about their connection to each other, a bowl flew before his eyes and hit Byrne squarely in the head.

"The hell?"

Strangely enough, despite the former fierce display of skill before, the bowl squarely hit Byrne in his face. It was a little comical to Lotte when a guy like Byrne was hit but the kid couldn't be more serious.

"Hey! What are you doing?"Lotte hurriedly caught the other hand reaching for the tray.

Those were the things Byrne borrowed from him. But why is this kid having such an intense tantrum?

"… He saved me? Him?"

The kid repeated those words mockingly as if he was going mad. His arms were trembling as Lotte held it to stop him from causing any further mess.

Although he quickly bowed just realizing the mistake he had made.

"I-I'm sorry! I.. I just thought.. You were… someone I knew."

Byrne neither looked angry or infuriated. Such a mistake is nothing to him. Lotte however felt unsettled with the whole situation for some reason.

"It's alright… You must despise that person if you throw a bowl upon seeing them."

He wiped some soup that had gotten on his face as he stepped further inside the room.

"I too, thought that you were someone I knew."

Hearing that somehow gave Lotte an ominous feeling.

Lotte used to provoke the old man back then too, by throwing some stones or sticks. The old man just deflected or avoided it, igniting his curiosity and just made him more driven to learn how to fight from him.

But he never tried to do it again since he was rather afraid of the risks that came with it. It was better to muster up some good and sincere impressions with old folks like Byrne, which in the end somewhat succeeded.

Lotte was sure of it now. That they knew each other from somewhere and they didn't have the best of relationship.

"… Could you leave us for a while Lotte?"

Even after all these years trying to get the old man to open up, Lotte still didn't know his past or the different sides of his personality. However, since he went as far as to save that kid, he trusted that Byrne wouldn't do anything drastic.

"Sure. But what are you going to do?"

"Some… matters have to be settled. That's all."

At times like this, it was better to let the situation resolve itself. Lotte thought that it would turn out to be a simple scenario where the saved kid would thank him and Byrne. But whatever it is that is about to take place had nothing to do with him so he could only take a step back. For now at least.

"Alright, but I hope that regardless of the outcome, you will honor our promise… Byrne."

And so, his combat lessons were left to be settled tomorrow. Still, it couldn't go on like these. Whatever beef the kid had with Byrne had nothing to do with keeping his promise.

'Tomorrow regardless of what happens I'll have my training, and if not… I'll have to be a little headstrong.' If he offends Byrne then so be it. At worst, he will just go back to punching logs and playing with wooden swords.

***

Byrne took a seat in front of the bed and the kid just looked down, not uttering a single word.

Silence and the flames burning the firewood enveloped the room. Neither of them seemed to want to talk.

However Byrne could see the kid clenching his fists.

Byrne does not recognize the kid. Only his features were familiar to him, prompting him to save his life. But the kid seems to recognize him. And rather well at that.

First, he had to know where that necklace came from.

"Where did you get that necklace?"

Like a reflex, the kid held onto the necklace, as if afraid that it might be taken away.

"It's mine!.."

The kid held the necklace close to his heart and curled to cover it with his arms, afraid that it would be taken away.

"My father gave it to me."

"… Your father?"

That would mean that it's someone from the household he knew. But if by any chance, his father wasn't a simple kin of his lord but rather… Someone from the direct lineage.

Then things will be a little difficult.

"What's your name?"

"I'm…"

The kid seemed hesitant to speak his name, trembling slightly and biting his lips.

"Just call me… Saul."

After somewhat calming down, Saul introduced himself.

Byrne stood up from his seat with a frown, which startled the kid.

He drew his sword and pointed it towards Saul who only held a necklace.

"Do you know what that name signifies?"

Saul stared at the tip of his sword with fear. However throughout the years of living in hiding and running away, he brushed with death more often than he could count.

Each time he cried whenever one of the servants that fled with him were hunted, until there was no one to cry for anymore.

He wandered and stole to live until he was caught and enslaved to be sold. They were chained and brought somewhere but were attacked by monsters on the way.

Thinking that it was a chance he escaped, but was instead bitten on the neck by one of the monsters. In the end he hid inside one of the carriages as lost consciousness.

He woke up with a piece of bread shoved in his mouth. For a moment he forgot everything that happened to him and ate his fill.

He thought that he was saved by that other kid with the red hair.

"It's the name… Of the man you betrayed."

At first he doubted his eyes. But before he knew it, he had already thrown something to his supposed savior. He used to admire him, always standing astutely by his father's side, overlooking the knights and commanding them.

His appearance aged significantly but nevertheless resembled him.

The most loyal and trusted knight of his father, and to whom his wretched brother learned everything.

Saul held the tip of the with his hands as his blood dripped. He didn't make any sound and stared towards Byrne's eyes as his vision blurred. Even so he didn't wail. He tried to, at least despite the tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Are you going to kill me too?"

Amidst his burning anger, he knew that in this moment he was powerless.

But seeing the man before him, he couldn't stop his anger. All his bottled up resentment that day, and all the hatred he had came pouring at this moment.

On that day where his father needed him the most, he turned his back at the bidding of his brother.

"No."

Byrne withdrew his sword.

"It's no longer necessary."

He sheathed it in his scabbard and turned his back.

"Whoever you are… You're free now. Do whatever you want, whether to stay or leave. But… I advise against thinking about revenge. The household is no more, and that's an undeniable reality."

But before he left he gave the kid words that may help to decide his own fate. He may very well be a hidden lovechild from his lord's lineage. A bastard outside the dynasty between the lady and the lord.

Even if he appears in the household once again, he's merely a bastard without any legitimacy, and all the vassals that were left favored the young lord. He should be the patriarch now. He convinced himself that there was no need to dig further what the kids name is.

"Think of the future and how you want to live from now on."

"How dare you!.. Why.. Why did you betray us!?"

He could not muster any response to the kid. How was he supposed to explain that he merely followed orders? How could he say that he regretted it all and ran away like a coward? How can he say that it was all in order to honor a pledge to his own lord?

In the end he left without an answer.

And the child, somehow being the only survivor of his family, cried until his voice was no longer heard.

***

Lotte saw that Byrne was chopping wood as usual and the kid was still staying inside the house. Curiosity pushed me to check out the kid but found that the door was locked. I knocked loudly a few times but the door didn't open.

Was Byrne kicked out of his own house?

Lotte wanted to piss off the kid but refrained, recalling that he went through a quite horrible experience of being enslaved.

"Uh, something definitely happened."

He wanted to eavesdrop so badly, but remembering the old man's formidable senses made him retreat. To characters like the old man, it was best to stay honest.

Meanwhile poor Byrne was swinging an ax as the sound of wood being split was continuously heard.

"So, how did your talk with the kid go?"

Lotte was curious what they talked about, but Byrne just kept his eyes on his work. Focused on splitting the dried woods, maybe to use as firewood this winter.

"Fine I won't ask. But, you remember our promise right?"

Lotte threw a wooden sword he had been carrying, knowing that the old man could catch it easily, which he did just after another swing of the ax.

Byrne let out a breath and took his and Lotte's sword. He then threw them to the side far from their reach.

"Since you want to be trained, prove it to me. That at the very least you are somewhat capable of enduring."

Instead of the sword he gave Lotte a smaller ax.

"Split all this wood. I will fell more trees until we have enough."

"What? You're making me do labor?"

It reminded him of the unreasonable masters of the protagonists. Asking their apprentice to do miscellaneous chores, basically making them their caretaker. For a second, Lotte had thought that the righteous knight he knew of was not so righteous after all.

"If you want to give up just say so."

Followed after that line, taunting his resolve. They would call this bullshit testing one's tenacity and determination and whatnot, and Lotte experiencing it now was nothing but annoyed.

"I came to you to learn combat, Byrne. Why do I have to do this? To prove my determination and tenacity or something? Do I really need these roundabouts?"

Byrne threw over some dried logs in front of Lotte, ignoring his protests.

"Like I said, prove it to me. I've never taught combat half heartedly."

Especially to all the squires that were once his apprentice, who became his comrades and were nothing but memories now. They all gave their best to live and survive with what knowledge they learned in the battlefield where they had to either perish or kill.

"It's quite simple, yet you have so many complaints. You know its purpose but refuse to accept it. Where is that attitude going to take you? Outside the village?"

He stared at Lotte from where he stood looking down at him.

"Just live in the village quietly."

That struck a chord on Lotte's pride. Living in the village quietly? Hell no. Before he was on edge everyday, cautious towards everyone and scared that something might happen. But in recent years he was so bored that he wished something would happen! Like that one guy who got their walls destroyed resulting in all the unthinkable consequences that followed.

Maybe waiting for tragedy to happen simply turned him rather fearless when it came to his thoughts that eventually influenced his attitude towards living in this world.

To Lotte, transmigrating here was no different than dying once, after all he lost everything and had to start over. For a while he lamented at the living conditions which were the worst he experienced so far.

"Prove it, you say?"

But Byrne was severely underestimating him. As an adult inside a kid's body he had the tenaciousness he built over the long years of boredom.

After a few days.

Byrne was speechless. Thanks to Lotte, repairing the manor was proceeding smoothly.

When they chopped wood, he wasn't slow at all and didn't get tired easily. A regular kid wouldn't even be able to swing the ax, yet he did it easily.

When Byrne realized he needed nails, Lotte went and asked for some in the village. Something he would be hard pressed to do since he didn't build any relationship with the villagers and they all avoided him like a plague.

When they needed tools for the furniture, Lotte brought everything he needed. It amazed him even more, as a highborn since childhood he never had to worry about this kind of menial work and he rarely helped in construction as volunteer work.

At this point it wasn't simply being indebted, he basically owes Lotte a lot of favors. But Lotte would annoyingly grin whenever their eyes meet which mildly irritated him. As for the kid, he was just living inside the house, barely eating and in a daze most of the time.

"Alright, you've proven your sincerity. I will teach you combat."

It had only taken them a week at most to repair the manor substantially. From this point onwards there's few things to worry about the state of the manor. He could gradually repair it by himself.

"You would be such a shitty old man if you still don't accept my sincerity after everything."

With a vein slightly bulging, he threw a wooden sword towards Lotte. Even these were brought by Lotte, reminding him of the fixers in town's who gathered everything they needed from their network. In his eyes Lotte was now more than just a curious kid and is now a reliable young man.

"First, show me everything you've got. Do your best to land a hit."

"Finally…"

Now before him was an actual person. Not the forever still wooden posts he beat up almost every single day or the sandbags hanging on the trees. Before this he had been training by himself for a very long time.

Lotte took a deep breath and raised his sword. He then sprinted and swung knowing it will be either blocked or parried, focusing his strength in that one strike and making sure not to lose his grip.

The clashing sound of a wood sword echoed in the manor. Lotte only ever stood in front of a dummy, so he blindly swung wherever he wanted to. Or it seemed.

Byrne felt it the moment their sword clashed.

It was an improper strike, without any footwork behind it as if it was just a bat being swung instead of a sword. Moreover there wasn't any effort to aim at any opening. It was nothing short of displeasing brute force.

But it was strong and had a solid grip that didn't shake at all. Moreover he was fast. He swung again and again but each strike was as powerful as the other.

Amidst their spar, he noticed that Lotte was targeting the same spot more often.

Against an obviously more powerful opponent, he opted to destroy the sword and deprive him of his weapon, carefully choosing what part of his sword to use so that it wouldn't break first.

Byrne frowned upon it, as it goes against his style of looking for an opening and striking where his opponents were weak. It was more reminiscent of how barbarians overwhelmed sword users with their overly large axes and strong body.

He preferred to end his opponent with as few lethal strikes as possible on every opening he could find. A habit he developed after fighting at the frontlines for too long, as all he wanted was to quickly finish every battle and go home. It reminded him of his days as a young knight.

So he shifted his sword aligning where it hasn't been struck every clash.

At that Lotte let out a chuckle, but he didn't stop.

Instead with more momentum he changed from swinging to stabbing and mixing the two together. Just like before he was parried and rendered futile.

Gradually Byrne's face began to show a strange expression.

He expected Lotte to succumb due to lack of stamina. Lotte's hands should've begun to hurt by continuously exerting his force for every strike. He should have ran out of breath long ago judging by the force he swung his sword.

But contrary to expectations, Lotte's hand didn't show any reaction of being hurt. At a young age, he held and swung the sword blindly countless times so his hands had long developed calluses from practice.

Without knowing any technique, he just focused on speed and power achieving what Byrne is witnessing right now. Moreover his stamina was nothing short of monstrous. He couldn't imagine just what kind of training and mental fortitude this child had to achieve such results.

He was reminiscent of young talents, or above them even. Realizing that, he moved onto the next stage.

"From this point on, I will occasionally strike back."

At this moment, Lotte was huffing slightly but still had energy in him.

"Huff… Okay.."

Catching his breath he unleashed a flurry of strikes and stabs again. Gradually he made a pattern and attacked more efficiently. What began as a simple flurry of strikes, became a dance, he struck at every side of Byrne by constantly circling around him.

It was bound to happen, as his state was nearing its peak from all the warm up earlier. He got used to it just like when he practiced. At first he would be unorganized, but as he grew tired, his mind would feel clear of any thought apart from swinging his sword.

Although very faint, Byrne noticed that Lotte was partially in a trance state. It meant that he was giving his all to overcome the challenge in front of him. However..

'No, it's too early.'

If he went on like this his body would get used to blindly swinging around which bodes ill for a swordsman. All that his body will be used to is following those repetitive and meaningless movements.

So he put his feet forward to trip Lotte who couldn't avoid it. But Lotte merely rolled and stood up once again to launch his flurry of slashes right away.

Seeing that, Byrne thought that he had to take heavier measures.

To not lose his concentration is commendable, but this is not how a swordsman should fight. More so, not someone who wants to protect themselves.

He tightened his grip and in a quick slash, struck Lotte's hand.

Surprisingly, he managed to keep his grip on the sword. So Byrne struck once again, this time with much more force and just as precise.

"Argh!"

Finally after losing his weapon, Lotte stopped and stared at his hand knowing that he got carried away. It was wrought with blisters and blood, but that was the last thing in his mind.

After training by himself for so long, he became so accustomed to just slashing without thinking. It was like he saw Byrne as a target…

Byrne had similar sentiments. He thought that he would be teaching a normal kid, but Lotte's physique and state were anything but normal.

Monstrous stamina, a formidable grip, and an incredible focus. No, rather than focus it was like an obsession.

'An obsession…'

"What have you been doing to yourself?"

He often saw Lotte ever since he came to this village. The only one who welcomed him and visited everyday to ask questions about the outside world and what he used to do for a living.

At the time he didn't intend to answer Lotte since the village seemed to be kept away from any matters outside the world. He had come from somewhere far away after all, and he actually preferred the village this way.

Although the villagers developed a misunderstanding towards him, he tried to steer this child away from the world outside of this haven.

But now…

"I already told you before. What, did you think I was lying?"

'Before?'

Byrne frowned.

If that was true then…

Breaking countless wooden swords, treating his peers as sandbags, breaking dummies for hitting it too much and those weird exercises he said… Byrne was speechless.

How did a kid have that kind of mentality and fortitude? To obtain a body like this, it was as if he was a descendant of those beastmen tribes that were born with strong and unique physiques…

"I usually train myself a lot."

Byrne felt anticipation.

"Ever since my sisters grew up, I've been having more time to myself lately. So there's that."

His old passion for training unpolished talents were lit once again.

What if a warrior born this way kept his mindset until his prime? What if he awakens and becomes a master? What kind of results does Lotte have at the end of his road, or even during his journey.

But he put those thoughts at the back of his head in the meantime.

Carefully, he will need to gauge whether what he's teaching will be a ruthless monster or a man with a righteous heart. He didn't want to release another disaster upon the world.

"For what reason?"

Lotte's eyes slightly widened. He never had any reason other than he felt that his life would be threatened if he stayed weak. If he just wanted to stay in the village, then he didn't need any prowess to fight.

But he wanted to get out of this village, fight monsters and see the world. Maybe even learn magic if he had a talent for it. Since he's in another world, he will take this opportunity to fully experience it himself. 

Of course, that won't even work as a reason. But he already had an answer in mind that will convince Byrne to teach him diligently without going too deep into the matter.

"Well… After my mother died, that's when I decided to become strong. Also I have my three adorable sisters, I gotta protect them from heinous men."

'After his mother died…'

Byrne wanted to know how Lotte's mother died but it was too sensitive of a topic. It might be the reason why a kid at this young age has an obsession. Maybe there was more to this town other than its peaceful facade.

"Then, is It in order to protect your family?"

"Uh, yeah I guess."

At such a young age… How did he lose his mother for him to have a mindset like that?

"Alright. You've proven yourself enough. I'm also convinced of your determination."

Byrne believed that such a child, although a cheeky one, deserves to be taught how to protect oneself.

But looking at Lotte's temperament and thinking of his reason, he found it in himself to trust him.

"But, my way of sword is that of a knight. That is what I will impart to you."

'I cannot teach you the ways forged in bloodshed.'

Of course what he's going to teach is bound to be usable in killing too. But it won't be as brutal as the lesson the battlefield taught him.

Not yet at the very least. This time he wanted his apprentice to take a different path.

"Fine by me."

To Lotte it didn't matter if it was knightly or roguelike. All he needed was to learn fundamentals and techniques. Eventually what he learned will integrate with his own style.

That was the case in the novels he read.

"Then, I shall. There will be lectures along and what you need to know about the world. You can ask your questions then."

His eyes lit up as he'd been meaning to ask about a lot.

"Should I call you master?"

"No need."

Byrne winced at that word, recalling a once cherished memory, now unpleasant to even cross his mind.

"Ok, teach."

"… Just call me 'Sir'."

"Yes, sir!"

At last, it seems to be finally the 'right' path, perhaps one of the most important and crucial moments in preparation for the scenario that will happen in the future.

There were several trainings and demands by the old man.

Such as cleaning the manor. Lotte thought that in the end he couldn't escape the caretaker curse of the apprentice protagonists. To compensate for his effort, he stayed at the manor most of the time to train. He felt more at ease and in his so-called 'zone' when he trained there.

Any training methods he did before had to stop, the old man claimed that he had trained improperly for too long that it developed into habit, almost ruining his potential. Luckily, it resulted into Lotte obtaining a ridiculously trained body at a young age and was stopped at just the right time..

From that point onwards he trained in the morning and listened to lectures after lunch. It was a pretty light schedule compared to what he used to go through, but he was learning and developing much more rapidly than before.

It was not all training and lessons, there was also the meditation that the old man insisted to be necessary. Lotte had the most difficulty with it as a man from the modern era that naturally had idle thoughts at all times.

And amidst all that, from somewhere a gaze would sometimes look his way.