CHAPTER 87

"I hate stupid people."

Bayezid's office, specially arranged by Alicia.

The one-eyed knight sitting there furrowed his lone remaining eye and spoke.

"And you, you're the dumbest among all the fools I have seen."

Vlad is now a knight.

But before Zayar, he could only be a deficient squire, always polite, with both hands clasped together.

"I think your stupidity has reached the level of talent as you ruined all the preparations Lord Josef had worked so hard to make with a single handkerchief."

"...I apologize."

Vlad stood before Zayar, quietly enduring the angry rebuke as he always did.

'...Of all times.'

He really wanted to do well this time.

It was his first mission as a knight, and in a way, it was a mission centered around him.

But things in the world didn't always go as planned.

"I didn't know it would turn out like that."

Whether it was the handkerchief provided by Zemina or the one from Alicia, both were precious, so he had put them in his pocket.

Regardless of the intention, it wasn't only Vlad's fault that the two handkerchiefs were stuck together due to being stored too deeply.

But whether it was intentional or not, Vlad had made yet another big mistake in Alicia's eyes.

"...Get out."

"I'm sorry."

Zayar didn't scold the boy any further.

By the end of this winter, Vlad would turn 18.

It was time for him to become an adult, not a boy anymore, especially since he had gained the title of a knight. Zayar had to treat Vlad accordingly.

"...Why aren't you leaving? Do you want to be beaten like before?"

Perhaps that would be easier.

Vlad expressed his honest feelings, voicing the words he had kept in his heart.

"Yes, please. Can't I just get hit? I think that would be better."

"Huh..."

Zayar sighed deeply as he heard Vlad's absurd response.

He had thought Vlad was difficult to handle from the moment he picked him up, but he hadn't expected him to become so unpredictably absurd.

"Stop talking nonsense and get out. Please."

Seeing Zayar growling while adjusting his eyepatch, Vlad knew he had no choice but to quickly leave the office.

The knight of the green world was unknowingly preparing to enter a deeper world due to Vlad's absurd words.

"...What are you all staring at?"

With a hurry in Zayar's murderous gaze, Vlad hurriedly stepped out of the office.

Waiting outside the office were Bayezid's knights who had come along for the mission.

"You are a remarkable guy. We should at least see your face."

"Aren't you the prodigal son of the North that I only heard about? I truly admire you."

"Carrying two women in one hand, this is truly the mark of a hero."

The knights ridiculed Vlad's foolish actions while chuckling.

However, their laughter was not mockery but rather affectionate teasing.

The knights here had always seen the boy struggling and doing his best, and now that he had become a knight, they did not put up any walls against Vlad, who had become the youngest member.

In other words, the current teasing was just to pick on the youngest knight.

"I just want to be alone."

"Oh my, should we leave the room then?"

"The newcomer this time is different from the start."

Seeing the senior knights chuckle at him, Vlad had no choice but to awkwardly exit the reception room.

"Damn it."

Avoiding Zayar's anger and the senior knights' laughter, Vlad walked down the corridor, messing up his hair in frustration.

It was such a foolish mistake that even Vlad himself couldn't find words to retort.

"...Ah."

As Vlad walked down the corridor, memories that were familiar to him began to resurface.

The memories that came to mind like a sense of déjà vu slowly stopped Vlad's steps.

"People's lives seem similar no matter where you go."

Rose's Smiles from that time is now only a memory.

There were men back then who laughed at the boy, just like the knights now.

The laughter of the knights still coming from behind was like the noise Burleigh and his seniors were talking about back then.

Leaning against the corridor wall, Vlad began to fiddle with the handle of the dagger that Jorge had given him.

Sharing memories was a way to alleviate longing, but there were few people Vlad could share his memories with.

So, in the empty corridor, only Vlad stood, pondering over his memories.

※※※※

"The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it seems."

Alicia pursed her lips as if she were angry, but Duncan, who had been watching her for a long time, knew that she was not truly angry.

The attitude Alicia was displaying now was just a small display of petulance.

"Even if he lacks common sense, isn't it obvious that he shouldn't store the handkerchief given by another woman together with mine? Do all men do that?"

"...Nevertheless, the handkerchief was neatly kept."

Alicia shot Duncan a sharp look when she heard the words coming from next to her.

"That's obvious."

"It's not so obvious, especially for a boy of his age."

Duncan spoke up after clearing his throat once.

It wasn't just something he said because the one-eyed knight who visited him last night bowed deeply on behalf of the boy.

"I've heard the missions he has undertaken have been rough. Despite that, keeping them well stored indicates he was paying special attention."

"..."

Alicia listened in silence, as if urging Duncan to continue speaking.

The documents she was holding remained untouched, still lying in the same place since earlier.

"It was a mistake born out of ignorance. In a way, it signifies his purity. At least he has no ulterior motive, so it's fortunate, isn't it?"

"······That's right."

Knights are people who are always eager to move up, and from the perspective of such people, Alicia's handkerchief will definitely be an opportunity to rise in status.

Even now, there were men everywhere drooling over her, so in that sense, the mistake that the boy named Vlad made seemed somewhat admirable.

"... That's true, but..."

At Duncan's excuse for Vlad, Alicia finally released her pursed lips.

After listening to Duncan's words, it seemed like there was no reason for her to be angry.

"Look over there."

Duncan gestured towards the window, directing Alicia's attention outside.

"With each of those actions, there must be a reason why Bayezid cherishes the boy."

"... "

Alicia followed Duncan's gesture and turned her body to look out the window.

There was a boy kneeling on the hill.

Anyone who saw him with his hands clasped together could see that he was praying in a reverent posture.

"That hasn't changed since then or now."

The boy's blonde hair was flowing in the sight she had seen after a long time, but Alicia could not feel any discomfort at the sight.

His demeanor seemed so genuine.

"But who's that?"

As Alicia watched Vlad praying peacefully, she noticed a figure slowly making its way up the hill from below. There was someone slowly walking up the hill as if it were their own backyard.

The unfamiliar sight of the person's back indicated that he wasn't a resident of the Hainal family.

"Oh no."

Duncan, who had recognized the man before Alicia, hastily picked up a bell and began to ring it vigorously.

"Guards! Are there no guards outside?"

Hearing Duncan's urgent ringing of the bell, Alicia approached the window slowly.

The boy was someone who had received permission from the owner of the mansion to climb up the hill.

However, the person ascending the hill now was someone who hadn't obtained Alicia's permission.

"Hurry, inform Sir Zayar!"

The most dangerous presence among the people in the mansion.

A knight from the west who was not permitted to do anything in Deomar.

Stephen of Gaidar.

He was approaching the praying boy.

※※※※

It's heartbreaking to be in a place where nobody sees you.

Even if you shine yourself, it's saddening if that light holds no meaning.

Vlad, who knew the situation well, raised his head towards the white snake that no one could see.

The snake that made eye contact with the boy through the world of voices was smiling.

"Still no memories coming back?"

[Not really.]

Despite returning to the hill of Deomar again for the sake of the voice, it seemed there were still no specific memories resurfacing.

"Haven't a few come back when you see Noir?"

[It seems I may have some connection to the spirits.]

Still, Vlad's efforts weren't entirely in vain.

The voice indicated an obsession with spirits or forgotten things, whether borne out of obligation or personal will, remained unclear.

[Someone's coming.]

With the warning from the voice and a sense of someone confidently approaching as if to say "look at me," Vlad slowly rose from his seat.

Though he didn't turn around, he had a sense of who it might be.

"There's a graveyard here."

Vlad got up, pretending to have finished praying, and turned to follow the sound he heard.

There stood a knight from the west whose physique was as rugged as his confidence.

"Is there anyone buried here that you know?"

Stephen Gaidar.

The eldest son of Count Sigmund and Alicia's suitor.

And the one brought by the Knight of Blue Moon.

"This is a place you can only come to with the owner's permission."

"Seeing you here makes me feel like I could be here too."

"I have permission."

Stephen smiled, meeting Vlad's unwavering gaze.

"Now you see me."

"······."

"At that time, you were just staring at Godin. It felt like I had become invisible."

Stephen, who passed by Vlad while casually joking, sat down nearby and asked, "I heard you have Baroness Alicia's handkerchief."

A man who is proud even though he is not permitted to come here.

Looking down at the mansion below, Stephen continued, "Godin said if you surrender that handkerchief now, he'll consider it the price for the second jerky."

"······!"

Bits of messy meat fell from above, reminding Vlad of the moment he was saved by them, an unjust exchange that allowed him to survive in disgrace.

"I don't know what that means, but..."

Stephen said, holding out his hand to Vlad with an indifferent look in his eyes.

"Hand it over."

A posture that demanded what was rightfully his.

He wouldn't hide what he desired.

If he wanted something, he'd take it, even if by force.

The world of the West, where only the greedy could survive, was in the palm of his hand.

"....Take it if you can."

To Stephen's request, Vlad simply gave a cold answer as if he had been waiting.

"If you have the ability, that is."

The North never backs down.

As the red-stained walls of Sturma testify, they do not give up what they hold in their hands.

The boy with Northern blood had no intention of bowing to the insatiable demands of the West.

"Well, they did say you wouldn't listen."

The West came here to take, and the North came here to block.

In the end, they were destined to end up like this.

With a small sigh, Stephen stood up from his seat as if he was annoyed.

Under the tree of Hainal, knights from the North and the West began to face each other.

"There's no other way."

With a snarling sound, Stephen's sword began to slide out of its scabbard.

A form unseen in the North.

Stephen's greatsword, adorned with sharp teeth like those of a set of fangs, was raised towards Vlad.

"I have no intention of returning empty-handed, brat of the North."

Stephen's sword extended towards Vlad.

"I challenge you to a duel for Lady Alicia's handkerchief."

Winner above, loser below.

A duel of honor where the victor takes all.

"Again."

However, Vlad merely crossed his arms in response to Stephen's request, refusing to accept his challenge.

"What?"

"Do it again."

The cries of the boy, crawling across the bloody floor and shouting at the Knight of Blue Moonlight, were empty.

Because the boy of that day was unworthy.

"I am not just a brat of the North."

But today's boy was different.

The boy who struggled to earn his current status was someone worthy enough to boldly proclaim his name.

"I am a knight of Bayezid, and a knight of Lady Alicia."

A white snake began to come down from under the tree, matching the boy's soaring momentum.

He was permitted, recognized by the owner and guardian of Deomar.

"If you wish to challenge me, address me properly, you ruffian of the West."

Until just a moment ago, Stephen had thought he could suppress Vlad's spirit, but now the boy's presence was entirely different from before.

Blue eyes were burning white with the blessing.

At the same time, the boy's presence became as large as the tree above.

The name of the knight who was more qualified than anyone else and was therefore permitted was Vlad of Shoara.