Chapter V

Winter eventually came to an end. The birds chirped as the biting cold was replaced by a gentle breeze. The river thawed and flowed again. Soon, days will be busy for the whole village, plowing on the moist earth once covered by snow.

Sunlight shone between the clouds. It was the prelude to the season of harvest, where the once silent village will be bustling with festival and produce.

It once played around in Lotte's head that he might be in a slice of life novel. Due to the fact that he'd been stuck here for so long without any events to remind him of being in a fantasy and tragedy.

Time until Chapter 1: 2 years, 21 days and 16 hours.

The timer, that once he thought of, would always appear and remind him how much time he had left, before the story 'starts'.

Swoosh!

The sound of a sword cutting through the air can be heard. A young man with a rather toned body held a wooden sword facing the morning sun shirtless and drenched with sweat.

He repeatedly swung it with power and grip while using form and footwork, all the things he learned from Byrne. A tight but loose enough grip to maneuver the sword easily, and proper step and distribution of force using his foot and whole body for each strike.

After that, he held the sword in his other hand and did the same with almost equal proficiency.

With the long years of repeated training and boredom, he had somewhat achieved equal strength and efficiency in both of his arms. He could be partly called ambidextrous. However, Lotte had no aspirations to be a dual wielding swordsman because it didn't feel like a safe fighting style for him.

He simply wanted to be able to switch hands should the other be unusable in order to catch his opponents off guard.

Byrne left him to his own devices after teaching a breathing technique he was told to practice. To his surprise it worked wonders when it comes to exerting strength and prolonging his stamina. Until he was able to do it naturally at all times, he was to focus on it and the basic swinging of his sword.

However, there's also struggles. The foundation of his body and determination was phenomenal, but in terms of comprehending the sword techniques, his results were average at best. Said by the expert himself, Byrne.

Lotte thought that maybe it had something to do with him being an otherworlder, that maybe being an adult inside the head of a kid was the cause. His mind was already past the age of learning and insight.

But he had no problem learning how to read quickly back then though? Anyways he didn't understand. So he just did as he was told, living a life training at dawn, helping at the farm and listening to a short lecture after lunch and then training again.

He might not be a genius but he can keep training to attain just as much as a genius could. He's tapping into the discipline he developed, from his past and current life. He lived unlike his days at his former world, where he would sit in front of a screen all day and go home after an unhealthy dinner with co-workers.

Recently however, there was a gaze that he often felt. It all started after he trained his footwork and breathing.

'Is he looking again?'

The kid they found had been nothing but a freeloader. He almost forgot his existence, a huge mistake for a transmigrator who should be aware what kind of world this is. After all, this kid might be a character with a vital role in the future. There was one time that he was changing clothes right then and here but he suddenly recalled the kid.

So he just recently started being conscious and paying attention to him. He seems to be watching when he's training and until he finishes but refuses to come out. So instead of completing his training, these days he would stop the moment he felt a gaze just to tease the kid.

He could just continue training in his own home or somewhere else.

"Huff, that's enough I guess."

That feeling of being watched was his cue. He's been training for only half an hour or so because of that. He could only imagine what that kid was thinking right now and found it amusing.

Lotte didn't have any bad intent towards the kid at all. He found that he was being watched for consecutive days and just didn't like it, so he was messing with the kid. He could confront him but he'd rather annoy the other party instead.

Most people who shut themselves in like that won't budge when you confront them and based on the kids current state, letting him get out from his hiding is better.

After leaving, the sense of being stared at disappeared and he felt comfortable. Lotte's been rather sensitive and conscious of his surroundings recently and felt satisfied thinking that it was because of meditating. 

Next day, the same thing happened and so did the following day…

Eventually.

"Why are you slacking off on training?"

"Huh?"

Lotte was planning to train as usual after consulting with Byrne, and then leaving once he felt that familiar gaze again. He had almost forgotten the fact that the kid could walk out of the house if he wanted. It took longer than expected for the kid to decide to confront him.

"How did you know? Did you see me?"

***

Saul had a lot of thought on his head ever since he woke up in a dilapidated manor owned by 'that man'.

The days when he was hungry, stealing food just to survive, getting chained and brought into filthy prison were already blurry in his mind. However the scars remain on his memories. The feeling of helplessness was still there lurking in the depths of his emotions.

And anger.

Burning anger.

Towards his brother.

And most of all, his powerless self.

At first he only felt sadness. He cried, unable to sleep at night, fleeing from place to place with what's left of the retainers, living the lives of a fugitive. He never had any idea that common people could live such hard lives back then. He never thought about needing to beg for food, nor eating rotten fruits just to quench his hunger.

He also never thought that lives, as precious as they are, can be taken and sold so easily.

Eventually the blame turned into anger towards his brother. But in the end, it was all because he couldn't do anything. Once the vassals that fled with him were hunted down, leaving him alone in the streets.

Then he was caught by slave traders, looking for orphans in the slum. With his dark blue hair, it was a rather rare sight among the common people who usually had blonde or brown hairs.

At the very least, he did not need to look for what to eat, with scrap food coming every other day. But the hunger weakened him bit by bit, although he was too hungry to notice. Just like that, he lay in a dark prison with other kids, waiting for anyone to 'buy' them.

The chains that bound him marked his neck, wrists and ankles. Until the day they were taken into the caravans. Seeing all the men surrounding them, carrying weapons he was resigned to his fate.

Somewhere on their way, he heard the sounds of screams and growls. Small crawling creatures with fish heads, protruding thorn like fangs on their mouth. When night came, the monsters became unseen and one by one killed the guards of the convoy.

The pain from his neck being bitten by a small one was still vivid in his mind. He ran back inside a random carriage that he found.

After that he lost consciousness, and what greeted him was a boy his age that shoved soaked bread in his mouth. The savory taste of the soup the bread soaked from was the most delicious he ever had ever since.

Saul didn't think that the boy would turn out to be Byrne's apprentice. After the day he talked with Byrne, they never had any other interaction again. Apart from the food that will be left on the floor outside his room.

He tried to resist eating whatever Byrne gave him, but hunger has become too painful of a memory to him. In the end he swallowed it hurriedly. Just like that he lived. If he could even call it living.

After a while he decided to look outside. It was the end of winter and it reminded him of the beautiful flowers that grew on their manor which he admired everyday as they slowly bloomed. He didn't know if it was the same for this place, but he was expectant.

Unfortunately there was nothing but green grass and muddy ground outside.

But in the middle of all that was a boy. He was the bread boy.

He never saw him again after he shoved that bread in his mouth. Saul had never been so glad after eating a simple bread soaked in soup.

The boy who saved him was now swinging a sword repeatedly.

He was sweating despite the coldness left by winter, and his blood red hair glistened, wet from all his sweat. Slowly, the boy turned into soup soaked bread in his eyes…

He was hungry once again, but the food would only come later at afternoon… As he watched the bread boy train, he wondered what today's dinner would be…

It became Saul's habit to watch the bread boy. Had he known how to wield a sword in his hands, maybe he could have done something apart from running away.

At night he clumsily mimics what the bread boy did and sometimes imagines holding a sword. Something he was never allowed to do back in his home.

The coldness left by winter finally lost its presence and it was a full blown spring with gentle winds and warm sunlight.

These days, after waking up to watch the bread boy train, he was met with disappointment.

The bread boy who's usually very diligent only trained for a while and left. It was still early and the sun was still up. It kept happening to the point that he could barely watch him train.

So he was left with more time to his own thoughts again. Saul had been thinking why he had to survive. Why was he told to live on? He was alone and everyone else who had come to flee the household had died. Coming back to the household was out of the question and would just waste all his and everyone's struggle.

In the first place he didn't even know where he was.

Everyone has a reason to live and to keep living. It can be as simple as to just fill their stomach, or some grand purpose like leading the common people.

And as for him… he must live. In order to remember. To carry the weight of what happened. From the moment the guards, once loyal protectors of his family, turned against them, seizing his mother and father, and to the last servant who stayed by his side until the bitter end.

He must live, and one day, make the one responsible pay.

Even against his brother, and everyone else who conspired alongside him. The time he spent fleeing with the few loyal servants who risked everything to keep him safe was brief but precious. Their sacrifices, their unwavering kindness—they were memories etched into his soul, ones he would carry forever.

'Urg…'

Just the thought of his brother made his head throb. He heard the wails of his mother like it was transpiring in front of him again, as his fathers head with eyes devoid of life fell to the ground. At first he felt fear. 

But in time, seeing all of the remaining servants struggle to live and run away made him curse his existence. Was it not enough to kill their own parents? That he had to come after him too?

Byrne had advised against taking revenge towards his brother. But now, it was the only way he could be at peace.

Byrne too, was someone he hated and had to atone for his sins of turning a blind eye with his brother's tyranny. But unlike his brother, Byrne can still redeem himself. By atoning in a different way.

That's why.

After seeing the bread boy train half heartedly for the past few days, he couldn't help but confront him.

Instead of Byrne wasting his time on this guy.

He needs him to achieve his revenge. Whether it's to be similarly trained, or personally cutting down those who betrayed them.

"You're not serious at training at all. You're… wasting his efforts."

The boy touched his chin and looked up as if thinking about something.

"Who's effort?"

Innocently he tilted his head and stared at him in confusion.

"Don't play dumb with me!" He found his voice slightly raised, with irritation bubbling up from within.

"Aren't you his apprentice? Otherwise, why would he ever train you?"

"You mean Byrne?"

It was not uncommon for formidable knights to take an apprentice or train squires. He remembered that Byrne himself had once trained a whole company of squires numbering almost thirty individuals, and his brother as his official apprentice and successor.

But once his brother bared his fangs against his own family, Byrne didn't take any action to stop him.

That day, Saul had wondered why Byrne, a respected knight, didn't lift a finger against his brother's tyranny. Now, living in a dilapidated house, he found him training a young boy.

The boy was clearly a commoner, a status that barred one to learn the way of the sword and apprenticeship to a knight. But there he is, wasting the efforts of an even more acclaimed knight.

Byrne must have been unable to face the weight of his inaction. Perhaps he had fled from the household to escape the consequences, seeking solace in a place far removed from the past. Time had left its mark on him, the once proud knight had significantly aged, his hair now entirely gray, his demeanor quieter, almost diminished.

And along the way he took a simple boy as an apprentice.

Once again.

Saul doesn't remember how much time had passed since he saw him, but Byrne had turned into an old man from a well respected knight.

"Instead of training you…" Saul muttered, in a low trembling voice, "he should atone for his sins. He needs to come with me."

The words escaped like a breath, but they carried across the the boy. Lotte paused and exhaled deeply to face the other kid.

"What sins? Do you know Byrne from somewhere?"

Of course, the boy before him knew nothing.

None of Byrne's past nor his deeds.

Saul realized the boy had no connection to his thoughts or plans. Yet, the sight of him slacking in his training stirred an irrational frustration in Saul. He had called the boy out, but for what? It was a petty display of anger. 

The boy was nothing more than a distraction, irrelevant to what he had to do. Byrne was the one he needed to face. To convince. Or, if that failed, Saul was prepared to fight and die trying to bring down his brother.

"… Forget it."

With a sharp exhale, he turned his back on the boy, whose name he hadn't even bothered to learn. Their interaction had to end here. Once he spoke to Byrne, he'd leave whether with a knight by his side or alone.

"If you want, I can ask him to atone for his sins."

Saul froze, the words striking an unexpected chord. He turned slightly, glancing over his shoulder. Why would the boy even suggest such a thing?

"… What?"

"The name's Lotte, by the way."

"No… What did you say? You're going to ask him what?"

Saul didn't even pay attention to his introduction and ignored the hand reaching out for a handshake.

"I said."

Lotte grinned faintly and, without a word, walked to a nearby log, a crude resting spot he must have dragged there himself. With a deliberate motion, he sat onto it, planting the tip of his wooden sword into the ground.

"I'll ask him to atone for his sins. For you."

Saul wondered why Lotte would even consider doing such a thing. Was he willing to jeopardize his position as Byrne's apprentice? He knew nothing about the boy, except for the fact that he was being trained by Byrne.

Did Lotte know anything about Byrne's past? It seemed unlikely; Saul couldn't imagine Byrne sharing his deepest regrets with a mere apprentice. The thought stirred a sense of displeasure in Saul. This boy, with his smug attitude, is the one Byrne chose to train?

"What do you even know? And that isn't up to you. It's Byrne's decision."Saul's voice had begun to be tinged with irritation.

To Saul, Lotte was just a commoner—a nobody from who knew where. Apart from the loyal vassal who had stayed with him during his darkest days, Saul had little trust for commoners. To him, they were selfish opportunists, always ready to exploit the misfortunes of others.

Perhaps Byrne was trying to escape his own guilt. Taking in a stray like Lotte, training him, might have been Byrne's way of moving on. Saul didn't know how their arrangement began, but with Lotte's attitude, it was bound to bring only disappointment.

"Oh, you misunderstand." Lotte's voice interrupted Saul's thoughts, laced with an unsettling confidence. "It could totally be up to me."

Saul's brows furrowed as Lotte flashed a smug grin. Where was his confidence coming from?

"I'm his precious apprentice, remember? Do you think he's gonna train a random kid from nowhere?"

Lotte stood up to meet Saul's eyes directly, closing the distance between them with deliberate steps. Saul found himself taking an involuntary step back as Lotte leaned in, speaking in a low voice that dripped with arrogance.

"You know… Byrne treats me really well. Free food, a roof over my head, even a personal bodyguard. As a kid, I wouldn't have survived alone."Lotte's grin widened. "Sure, training is tough, but there's no way I'm letting him go. Not when he's so useful to me."

Saul's mind snapped. The words sank in like barbs, cutting through his composure. Without thinking, he swung his fist, anger surging through him.

Lotte didn't dodge and the blow landed squarely on Lotte's face.

"You.. You're only exploiting him?" Saul growled, his voice trembling with fury.

Lotte didn't flinch or retaliate. Instead, he straightened, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip with an amused expression.

Saul's anger boiled over. This boy wasn't training with Byrne out of admiration or loyalty—it was all for his own petty gain. In Saul's eyes, Lotte was no different from the commoners he despised, selfish, conniving, and always looking to take advantage of others.

"Aren't you doing the exact same thing?"

Lotte smiled, unfazed by the punch as though it hadn't even landed.

"Freeloading, eating the food he gives you every day? You don't train, you don't help out—your just another mouth to feed. Not so different from me."

'Me? Just another mouth to feed?'

Saul's fists clenched, his eyes trembling as much as his voice.

"Besides," Lotte continued, his tone cutting like a blade, "is it so wrong to keep myself fed if all I have to do is be his apprentice? Meanwhile, you just sulk in that room of yours. Byrne obviously values your life enough to save you and keep you around—despite your attitude."

"You don't know anything… Anything I had to go through!"

"And yet you're worse than me," Lotte knew what this kid in front of him had to go through. But that doesn't stop him from calling out his hypocrisy. "At least I'm useful. But you…"

The air between them grew heavy as Saul's fury reached its breaking point. He swung his fist again, but this time Lotte caught it with ease.

"… You won't be getting a second free hit."

With a swift pull, he yanked Saul forward, throwing him off balance. Saul stumbled and hit the ground, the cold mud clinging to his hands and knees as his chin struck the earth. It was a humiliating position—one he had become too familiar with in his life.

"My offer still stands," Lotte said, his voice now low and serious. "But there's a condition: take me with you when he starts to atone for his sins."

Saul's mind was a mess. He hated Byrne for his inaction, for the pain that lingered in his memory, yet he also despised the thought of Lotte exploiting him. And yet, Lotte had also been the one to feed him when he just woke up. But its probably not Lotte who had fought off the monsters. It was Byrne.

And somehow, he was in there, wounded inside the carriage. Byrne, who must've found his hair color familiar, took him.

A tight knot of frustration coiled in Saul's chest. He grit his teeth, anger and confusion swirling within him.

Just then something fell to the ground in front of him.

It was a wooden sword.

"Take it."

Saul looked up, mud streaking his face, to see Lotte standing over him. His gaze wasn't mocking or amused this time. It was steady.

"Are you angry?" Lotte asked, his voice calm but provocative. He held a wooden sword of his own and kicked the one he just dropped, letting it rest closer to Saul's reach. "Try to hit me. Just once, and I'll leave the old man on my own."

The words hung in the air. Saul stared at the boy, confusion and frustration swirling within him. Why was Lotte doing this? What did he want?

And yet, despite the uncertainty gnawing at him, Saul's trembling hand reached for the sword. His knuckles brushed against the coarse wood as his grip tightened around the hilt.

The chance had been given. And Saul was going to take it.

***

'Come on, pick it up…'

Lotte's eyes remained locked on Saul as the boy hesitated, fingers brushing the wooden sword. Impatience bubbled beneath his cold facade. Since earlier, he'd been goading Saul, trying to provoke him into fighting. He had to test this potentially, one of the special characters in this world.

Fleeing from their noble household, getting caught by slavers, and getting recognized by Byrne, a seemingly formidable warrior. It all points to a special character with a heavy purpose in the story.

To Lotte, Saul seemed frail and easy to manipulate, emotionally driven noble kid.

Lotte had finally found a mentor, a source of information, and perhaps even a ticket to go outside. He wasn't about to let his chance slip through his fingers.

If this kid was important enough for Byrne to save, then there was something more to him. Undoubtedly, that's his noble blood running through his veins. Ha, it's always the nobility thing with these kinds of plot.

If Byrne had sworn fealty to the boy's family, there was a real risk he might leave. Even with Byrne's stern demeanor, Lotte had learned that loyalty could sway the strongest resolve.

'Before that happens, I need to stall him—or, better yet, make sure I go with them.'

"… Just once?"

"Yes." Lotte's tone was steady. "Hit me just once. I'll only get one chance to knock the sword out of your hand. If I can't do that, then forget we ever talked and go do whatever you want."

In Saul's hand, the weapon was heavier than he expected, the weight straining his arms. Still, he raised it and took a stance.

Lotte's lips curled into a sneer. He recognized that stance—it was the one Byrne had drilled into him during training and the one he had been practicing with while Saul was secretly watching.

"Heh. So you have been watching me well."

Lotte liked how easy it is to talk to Saul.

"Haah!"

Without further ado, Saul charged forward, swinging the sword with all his strength. But his eagerness betrayed him. Lotte sidestepped with ease, leaving his foot in Saul's path. The boy stumbled but managed to twist his body and swing again.

It was a miss.

Still, Saul recovered, stubbornly keeping his balance. Again and again, he struck, each swing slower and more desperate than the last. Lotte dodged them all effortlessly, his movements fluid and precise. Compared to Byrne, Saul was a beginner. His strikes were wild, his footwork clumsy.

By the time Saul's breathing turned ragged, Lotte decided it was time to end the game.

He gripped his wooden sword tightly, and with just enough force. Byrne's technique training had honed his natural advantages—his taller frame, his speed, his endurance and most of all his monstrously trained body.

All of it culminated in this moment as he moved to disarm Saul with a controlled strike.

"Ugh!"

A single swing sent Saul's wooden sword flying, snapping it in half. A sharp jolt of pain shot through his wrist, drawing a startled yelp from his lips. Tears pooled at the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill.

The farce was over.

Saul had never stood a chance, and now he stood frozen, fists trembling at his sides.

Lotte, on the other hand, had gotten what he wanted—sort of, he found that there's nothing special with this character yet. This wasn't about humiliating Saul. He just needed to leave a lasting impression, a crack in the boy's stubborn defenses that could pave the way to a connection.

Or so he'd planned.

Right now, Saul and Byrne's situation felt straight out of one of the stories Lotte used to dream up. The estranged noble boy, far from his home and family, paired with the grizzled knight hiding in an unremarkable village—each holding secrets and regrets.

This was the kind of story that could shape a nice backstory, and for some reason, he'd stumbled into it. Lotte's imagination ran wild, piecing together half-formed theories, trying to fit himself into their tale.

But his thoughts came to a screeching halt.

"Ugh… Ughh… Aaarrgh!"

The sound wrenched Lotte's attention back to reality.

'Wait. Is… is he crying?'

Saul's voice cracked, his breaths coming in uneven gasps. He scrubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand, trying to fight back tears.

This was worse than when he'd accidentally made Yeona cry when she pestered him to play. He hadn't expected Saul to break down so quickly like this.

The boy's eyes were red, his expression twisted with frustration and shame.

Lotte froze, words caught in his throat. This wasn't what he'd wanted. He needed Saul to talk, to be steady enough for questions, not spiraling into a meltdown.

"You! You and Byrne… and Brother! I'm going to kill you all!"

What the fuck? He got included on his kill list right away? And Byrne and his Brother? Lotte had to process what he heard for a moment. Those were some brutal words coming out from Saul's mouth.

"I swear it.. I swear in the name of my family honor!" Saul stared at Lotte with red teary eyes and gritted teeth. Lotte couldn't help but feel pity instead of intimidation, due to how Saul's face makes him feel like he had just bullied an innocent kid. Which he technically did but…

"W-wait, wait!" Lotte raised his hands in a placating gesture with panicking voice. "Calm down first! I'm not an enemy!" He was antagonizing him a bit yes, but he expected a level headed surrender instead of an outrage like this.

"Waaahhh!"

Saul didn't wait. He turned around and bolted toward the manor, his muffled sobs trailing behind him.

Lotte stood there, dumbfounded, as the boy disappeared into the distance. His hand, still outstretched in a futile attempt to calm Saul, dropped to his side.

"Well… that didn't go as planned."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. This wasn't the first time he'd miscalculated someone's breaking point, but it never got any less awkward. He shifted his weight, kicking at a splinter of Saul's broken sword, trying to piece together what just happened.

Still, there was some valuable in this mess.

'Family honor… and a grudge against Byrne and his brother. Sounds like a succession conflict. That confirms his noble origins. He could be a runaway, escaping a power struggle. But why would Byrne, one of their knights, be out here? What sins is he hiding?'

The pieces of the puzzle weren't fitting together yet, but Lotte felt a faint thrill. He was getting closer, and sooner or later, Saul would crack.

"Guess I'll have to wait. This kid's harder to control than I thought."

He smirked, but his thoughts lingered on Saul's anguished face. For all his bravado, the boy was still just a kid—scared, angry, and lost.

And Lotte couldn't help but wonder what kind of story he'd stumbled into.

***

The next day.

Lotte came before sunrise to start his apprenticeship duties of cleaning the manor daily, even though the cold morning air was still biting at his skin. His first duty, as always, was to clean the floor of the manor—an endless chore he'd recently come to know too well. He smirked remembering his reflection on the polished wood gleaming back at him.

"Starting from today he will be training with us. Come, introduce yourself to your senior."

A boy stepped forward from behind Byrne, eyes still reddened from the previous day, and a slouched posture filled with suppressed animosity. The dark blue hair—a telltale sign—was unmistakable.

'Did this guy just… Switch sides? He hated Byrne just until yesterday!'

Lotte's heart raced as he processed the sight. Just yesterday, Saul had sworn vengeance on him, Byrne and his brother. Now he was here, stepping forward under the guidance of the very man he hated.

Byrne gently nudged him forward with a kind gesture, his expression as calm and steady as always. "Go ahead. Introduce yourself."

'What's with that gentle attitude Byrne? I was there first! I fixed the manor for you, and brought unused furniture in the name of being the only kind kid that helps the stranger out in the village!'

"I-I… My name is.. Saul. Senior…"

Byrne nodded, a satisfied gleam in his eyes, his approval clear. He looked almost refreshed, as though a weight had been lifted.

Lotte couldn't suppress the swirl of emotions inside him. Confusion, intrigue, and a tinge of jealousy. He was jealous of a kid. His curiosity gnawed at him. What happened between yesterday and today?

Why is Saul, who was really angry at the world just yesterday, suddenly an apprentice too?

Lotte wanted to ask so bad what happened and agonized at the fact that he couldn't eavesdrop, and even if he tried, the old man would catch on easily.

Instead, he kept his thoughts to himself, feeling the tension in the air. The boy he'd sparred with only hours ago was now standing before him.

The atmosphere was filled with unspoken questions, with emotions that neither Saul nor Lotte could voice yet. The day ahead loomed, and as much as Lotte wanted to ask for answers, he knew that the only way to understand what was going on would be through time—and through watching.

His curiosity burned brighter than the incoming sun, but for now, he would have to wait.