CHAPTER 65

The sound of a quietly burning bonfire crackling.

"······."

Vlad watched the flickering flames swayed by the wind, thinking.

It felt like himself at the moment.

The light wanted to stand tall, but the flickering light, swayed by the direction of the wind, seemed similar to the image of a boy being tossed around by greater beings.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?"

Gregory asked, looking at the boy who was staring intently at the campfire but not actually focusing his gaze on it.

"Just... various thoughts."

Vlad replied softly to Gregory's question.

"....There are so many remarkable people in this world."

"Is that so?"

"I wonder if I can hold my own among such people in the future."

That night, the boy lost.

Perhaps if it was not for the voice, he would have died.

Like Jorge, like one-armed Jack, and like Anna.

Crushed by the overwhelming world, he would have eventually broken.

"······In life, there comes a time when I have the same worries as you."

Gregory, who seemed to know roughly what Vlad was thinking, threw the kindling he was holding into the bonfire.

The given bonfire burned with an even louder sound than before.

"Is it burning well?"

"Yes."

In the dark church that night,

Vlad climbed up the bell tower against the stormy wind, reaching out towards where children's breaths lingered.

Though Gregory didn't witness the scene, he imagined it fitting for Vlad.

Born from the bottom, Vlad who knows how to reach eagerly towards the heights might one day reach the end of the sky.

Perhaps he would even hang one of his stars there with his name engraved on it.

"In the end, it's about enduring."

Emerging from the flickering flames, Vlad finally looked at Gregory sitting beyond the bonfire.

There, a knight with a strong beard looked back at him, chuckling.

"Just keep burning. As long as the flames don't die out, you can always reignite them."

One cannot help but sway in the blowing wind.

However, what's important is to keep burning.

As long as the flame of oneself doesn't extinguish, it can ignite again, no matter how fierce the winds may blow.

Understanding what Gregory was implying, Vlad nodded in response.

"Yeah."

To confront the suddenly looming vast world, one must also become a towering flame.

Inside the world of Vlad staring quietly at the smoldering bonfire, a glimmer of color began to emerge.

Between the contemplative Vlad and Gregory passing a bottle, and even the black horse watching from afar on the hillside, it was a night where each person poured their worries into the bonfire.

The last camp heading towards Shoara was fading away like that.

※※※※

"Good job."

Josef sits in the reception room and greets the investigation team that has returned to their mission.

Vlad thought that the dark circles under Josef's eyes seemed even deeper after not seeing him for a few weeks.

It wouldn't be just because he was sitting against the sunlight.

"I'd like to commend your diligent attitude towards your mission. I highly appreciate the actions you've taken to get to the root of the problem."

Though he looked tired, Josef calmly evaluated the mission carried out by the investigative team.

However, despite the praise from his lips, his eyes showed no hint of movement, leaving the entire investigative team feeling an eerie pressure.

"...However, I cannot easily overlook the fact that Bayezid's swords were drawn on the lands of another lord."

The moment had come.

Gregory had already anticipated that Josef, who had clear standards for rewards and punishments, would not easily let this matter slide.

"I apologize."

Gregory took a deep breath and tried to say the words he had been planning on his way back.

As the head of the investigation team, he wanted to be able to embrace everything himself if possible.

"There are times these days when you make a reckless move on someone else's land without even thinking about it."

However, there was a resounding voice cutting through Gregory's excuses.

It carried as much weight as the years accumulated.

"Moreover, it was a particularly bad move considering you clearly knew how things were going to turn out."

Though he was a stranger, the old man's presence was formidable.

Feeling pressured by the old man's demeanor, Vlad bit his lip.

Once again, the world above was pressing down on the boy.

"...You're right. We stirred up sensitive issues during a chaotic time."

The atmosphere in the reception room froze at the words spoken by the unfamiliar old man, but Josef, who knew his intentions well, took a moment to catch his breath and continued speaking.

"Even now, conflicts over territories, big and small, are breaking out everywhere. Since the royal family hasn't been able to contain them properly, everyone is unleashing what they've been holding back for so long. There's no law that says we can't do that in 'our North.'"

The old man had a sharp reason to sternly reprimand Gregory.

The empire was weakening.

Under the sword of Frausen, the founding king and swordmaster, all the lords had gathered their swords, but that era was long gone.

In such times, even offering a small justification was like throwing a spark onto dry straw.

"Even the cursed old ones are watching now. It was a matter significant enough for the Iron Duke to take notice."

Being one of the pillars in the north, even the Iron Duke had to pay attention to the event, so Josef couldn't help but react sensitively.

Josef acknowledged that Gregory's intentions were good, but when Josef reprimanded him for setting the fire too loudly, Gregory just nodded as if he understood.

"So you should have discreetly backed off. I heard there was even a Holy knight from San Rogino there, right? In that case, it would be a natural procedure to hand it over to that person. Tsk, tsk."

"..."

Listening to the old man's complaining about not adhering to established rules, Vlad's heart began to heat up gradually.

It was the instinct of Vlad trying to resist against the imposing world.

'But you weren't even there!'

Beyond mere words lay the light breaths of children and the desperate cries of parents that could not be conveyed with a few simple words.

From Vlad's perspective, Gregory truly did his best and made courageous decisions.

It wasn't a decision that an unknown old man could casually criticize.

"Anyway, these days, people do not think about the consequences..."

"The children would have died if we hadn't intervened."

You, who know nothing, have no right to say such things.

Vlad's blue eyes, glaring at the nameless old man, spoke like that.

"....What?"

The old man was at a loss for words for a moment as he saw the boy coming in, cutting off his words sharply.

He wanted to explode in anger right then and there, but the swirling blue eyes of the boy halted his momentum.

"Sir Gregory acted in the best interests of the children. San Rogino guaranteed that. And..."

Vlad glanced at the old man and began to spit out something hot that he couldn't contain in his heart.

"Naturally, I would have done the same. I believe Sir Gregory's decision deserves praise, not reprimand."

It was an unpolished mass of fervor due to his immaturity.

However, precisely because he was unrefined, his sincerity could manifest itself.

As everyone in the reception room lost their words witnessing Vlad pouring out his inner thoughts without any pretense, Vlad's words were not minced, but heartfelt.

"...."

However, reality had its own rules, unaffected by sincerity alone.

Seeing Vlad spout unauthorized remarks, Zayar closed his eyes sternly, and Gregory had to bow his head even lower.

Intentions aside, Vlad had just crossed a line.

"Vlad."

Josef Bayezid.

The man who cherished the boy more than anyone else but was thus obligated to rein him in sternly, rose from his seat.

"Stop. Do not test my patience any further."

Josef couldn't wield a sword, but the force emanating from him overwhelmed everyone present.

Bayezid's bloodline alone would not be able to contain such momentum.

"...Yes."

Under Josef's stern warning, Vlad bowed his head.

Even the weighty gaze of Josef, indicating not to proceed further, managed to quell the boy's simmering fervor.

"Sir Gregory will understand, I think. The second discipline of a Swordmaster is particularly sensitive."

Josef naturally shifted the focus of the conversation to Gregory, but those who knew him well could tell that he was suppressing his anger.

The sight of Josef quietly unbuttoning one of the buttons on his neck proved this.

"Yes, Lord Josef. It was my mistake."

Gregory quickly admitted his fault, not wanting any more sparks to fly towards Vlad defending him.

"It was a complicated situation. We should have acted before receiving direct complaints from that side."

Josef glanced at Vlad briefly before walking towards the window.

Josef opened his mouth as he looked at the scenery of Shoara outside.

"Knight Gregory is under indefinite probation. He will not receive his salary during this period, and he will not enjoy any of the knighthood rights guaranteed by Bayezid."

"Understood."

Gregory bowed his head, hoping this would be the end of it.

"...."

However, after finishing his words, Josef turned to meet the eyes of Vlad who was still watching him.

There were procedures and regulations for everything, even applicable to the boy.

"Squire Vlad."

Vlad, looking at him with a slightly different angle, still exuded the rebellious spirit from earlier.

"..."

Despite all the care and attention he had given him, he still remained untamed.

Looking at Vlad who showed no change from the first time he saw him, Josef couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration deep inside.

"I express deep regret for making me uncomfortable with your unauthorized remarks."

Vlad bowed his head, meeting Josef's intense gaze.

He had always shown a friendly face to him, but now he seemed nothing more than a sharp lord giving orders.

"I also order you to a week of probation. You must not attract my attention for a while."

"...Understood."

Vlad raised his head in response and deliberately avoided his gaze as he saw Josef giving him a cold command.

He received the order and did his best, but what came back was a probation order, so it was inevitable that the boy would also feel disappointed.

"Everyone, leave. I need to write a letter to Baron Utman explaining the situation."

The investigation team, having completed their report and received their punishment, bid farewell to Josef and left.

Meanwhile, the old man, observing it all, chuckled at the unwavering blue eyes amidst it all.

You must be him.

There was no need for introductions; the old man already knew.

"Are you Vlad?"

"..."

Vlad, who was just about to leave the room, stopped abruptly at the old man's words. A moment of silence enveloped the room.

"Not even a response when an elder calls. Seems like you lack manners."

As Vlad listened to the old man's teasing, his gaze started to become more intense.

He had received enough training in manners, from a noble lady with a mother's eyes.

Vlad turned to the old man who was judging him carelessly and introduced himself in a more polite manner than ever before.

"Yes, I am Vlad."

Standing tall and firm, he greeted the old man respectfully, his demeanor akin to that before drawing a sword.

"May I inquire about your name as well?"

The old man, observing Vlad's polite yet fierce demeanor, felt a tingling sensation deep within his chest.

It almost felt like they were asking each other's names before starting a fight.

"Well, are you curious about my name?"

The old man smiled as he saw the boy giving off a raw feeling that was hard to feel from young people these days, and that he had felt for the first time in a long time.

"Unfortunately, I don't have a name to give you right now."

"..."

The old man stroked his beard and answered the boy who was frowning as if asking what that meant.

"I walk the lowest path. I haven't fulfilled my duty yet."

Vlad's expression hardened at the incomprehensible words, and now he could see the old flag planted behind the old man.

Unlike his own flag with only two sentences engraved, the old man's flag had over ten sentences etched on it.

There were knights who grew old because they could not die.

Since they could not retire from the honorable battlefield, they had to follow the lowest places and pick up the honor they had lost.

Just like the last appearance of the first Sword Master.

The unnamed old man that Vlad was looking at was currently having an honorable retirement ceremony.