CHAPTER 110

Snowflakes piled on the window lattice.

Vlad was staring at the door of the mansion that had never moved and had no intention of moving.

"... ."

Staring at the firmly closed door was indeed a familiar sight.

In fact, places that had opened their doors wide for him throughout his life were few and far between.

"Do you find me amusing?"

"What? No... it's not that."

The gatekeepers' reaction to the knight from the north was icy.

Their disdainful attitude towards the knight hinted at the prestige of the Count Bitskaya.

Vlad should have recognized that prestige before knocking on the door, and failing to do so was surely his fault.

"I merely seek an answer. I'm not asking for permission."

So it must be their fault for not recognizing him.

With his words finished, Vlad swiftly withdrew a small flag from his saddlebag and planted it into the ground.

Crackle!

A small flame erupted.

From the frozen ground, a sound reminiscent of swords clashing echoed.

"What are you doing right now... ."

Vlad showed his level through his actions just now.

Seeing this, the gatekeepers began to realize that Vlad was different from the knights they had seen before.

This knight hadn't come to beg for anything from the count.

"Even if I am just a knight, I should be able to get an answer from the Count."

The wind was blowing.

The cold wind originating from the north lifted the head of the flag planted in the frozen ground.

And it made them know who Vlad was.

There were emblems and symbols of various families and organizations in the fluttering flag.

And among those symbols, there was one that caught the gatekeepers' attention.

"Dragon... Slayer."

"Oh... this..."

The gatekeepers wouldn't have recognized all the emblems of the northern families.

But within Vlad's flag, there was one symbol that even they could recognize.

It was a symbol recognizable to anyone on the continent.

"I will now await that answer."

There was a thickly drawn line underneath the head of the dragon spewing fire.

The symbol of the Dragon Slayer.

The gatekeepers who recognized the symbol began to turn pale.

A small northern flag was waving within the County of Bitskaya.

There was only one way to break through the baseless disregard and discrimination.

It would be through self-assertion.

And the knight standing in front of the mansion right now was the one who proved himself with the most perfect blood.

While the flag fluttered in the wind, the knight's blue eyes remained steadfast.

※※※※

A tray full of vegetables and fruits.

Sauce generously drizzled over them was dripping down haphazardly.

"How old are you?"

"I'm 18 this year."

Count Bitskaya, who was in the midst of their meal, had a mountain of salad piled up in front of him.

No, maybe he was scolding Vlad for his sudden visit like this.

"You're 18 and you caught a dragon?"

"I was 17 at the time."

"....Hmm."

The fastest dragon of the north, Lindworm.

Count Bitskaya couldn't help but harbor deep suspicions at the thought of the young knight before him having caught it.

'But the emblem is genuine.'

Reputation may be futile, but honor never loses its shine anywhere.

And on the flag brought by the young knight, there was undoubtedly an unmistakable emblem of honor.

However, to use that emblem, one would need permission from the Dragon Slayer Knights.

"Who authorized the use of that emblem?"

Vlad silently regarded the lord of the central region who posed the question.

Despite there not being just one emblem and symbol on the flag, the Count continued to inquire solely about the emblem of the Dragon Slayer, showing his persistent curiosity.

Observing this, Vlad could discern that the influence of the north didn't extend to this place.

"It's Sir Mirshea Dragulia, the commander of the Dragon Slayer Knight Order."

And the majesty of the Dragon Slayer Knight Order encompasses the central region.

"Mirshea... Commander of the Dragon Slayer Knight Order."

At the single name that came out of Vlad's mouth, not only the count but also the knights standing around began to murmur.

Vlad was caught off guard by their sudden reaction, but he decided not to show any signs of surprise.

"If your words turn out to be false, you will die here."

Upon hearing Mirshea's name, the Count rose from his seat and began to growl at Vlad.

Daring to mention the Dragulia family and the Dragon Slayer Knight Order in the context of the northern upstart was audacious indeed.

Count Bitskaya's eyes began to grow fierce as he heard the names of beings who should not be dared to be impersonated.

The blue blood of the nobility in his eyes was pressuring Vlad mercilessly.

"I speak no lies, Lord Count. I indeed slew Lindworm, and Sir Mirshea saw it with his own eyes."

However, Vlad remained nonchalant even in the face of the Count's sharp warning.

The arrogant yet composed demeanor of Vlad left Count Bitskaya pondering deeply.

'...Whoever raised him did a good job.'

The pressure that came with the title of Count was truly significant.

However, the young knight showed no signs of wavering even before him, leaving Count Bitskaya with nothing but admiration.

At this point, even if he were a fraud, acknowledging him would be appropriate.

"Fine. You want to borrow a crystal ball from a mage?"

"Yes. I wish to convey urgent news to my lord in Shoara."

It wasn't common to come to borrow a crystal ball during a mission, but it did happen occasionally.

If Vlad were a knight from the central region rather than the north, Count Bitskaya would have gladly lent him the crystal ball.

"May I inquire about the nature of the news you're conveying? It seems rather urgent."

"..."

However, it had never happened before that a knight from the north came down to the central region, let alone the eastern vicinity, to borrow a crystal ball for a message.

Count Bitskaya needed to know what urgent news the young knight before him wanted to convey, not out of mere curiosity, but out of his duty as a ruler.

The urgent news being conveyed by an extraordinary individual must surely be important.

"A few days ago, I encountered a peculiar being in the forests of Dobrechti. It was in the shape of a troll, and even if I killed it, it wouldn't die."

Vlad didn't hesitate much at the Count's request for details.

It would be known eventually, so there was no harm in speaking of it now.

And even if it were known, it wouldn't be a problem.

Being wary of evil and peculiar beings was not an uncommon occurrence anywhere.

"Do not die even when killed... What on earth..."

"Similar incidents have occurred in the north as well. It seems that something unknown is gradually stirring."

The lobby, which had been bustling just moments ago, quieted down as Vlad described the evil being, as if pouring cold water on the atmosphere. 

Stories related to dark magic had a way of unsettling people's nerves.

"...Someone who doesn't die? Where was this?"

"It was in the territory of the Dalmatia family, in Dobrechti. The nearest city from there is Tanoboya, right here."

I came here not only for my own business but also to warn you all.

But to treat me like this...

Count Bitskaya felt as if Vlad's blue eyes were saying just that.

"Fetch a crystal ball for our guests from the North!"

The Count, who realized the seriousness of the situation from Vlad's unwavering gaze, quickly elevated Vlad's status from an uninvited guest from the North to an honored guest.

Though appearing as if he had just been struck down by a mere knight, the Count was a man who paid no mind to such trivial matters.

"My apologies for leaving you outside. Many knights have been coming to seek an audience lately. I thought you were one of them."

Even though he was a count, Vlad could not help but be quite surprised to see his attitude of directly asking for an apology.

It was a remarkably swift change of attitude from someone who had previously ignored him without even opening the door.

"I understand, Lord Count."

"Good. Let's get to the point."

Clean greeting, educated attitude.

The Count's eyes were shining as he looked at Vlad, who came from the North but had an attitude of central region.

The Count was even committing Vlad's final image to memory.

"Find out immediately."

"Yes. Send someone to Dobrechti right now."

"Not that one!"

The lobby suddenly became quiet after Vlad left.

Count Bitskaya's small but firm voice came from above.

His urgency was palpable even as he acknowledged Vlad's absence.

"Find out if that kid is really a Dragon Slayer or if he's a knight from Bayezid!"

"Yes, understood!"

A commander who failed to recognize even the priority of tasks.

The Count's eyes were fierce when he saw that scene.

"Everyone, out!"

The knights in the lobby began to flock out at the sight of the count, who even gestured with his hand as if to hurry up and give the order to welcome the guests.

Their movements were swift, but there was an underlying sense of urgency in their steps, indicating the gravity of the situation, as if reflecting the Count's demeanor.

"Hah!"

Now alone, the Count looked at the salad before him and muttered quietly.

"So arrogant and bold."

The unexpected intrusion of an unwelcome guest had disrupted the late dinner gathering, and the Count's eyes gleamed strangely.

"I must ascertain if he truly has the skill to be so audacious."

A figure was hovering over the silver spoon the Count was holding.

The Dragon Slayer emblem engraved on the flag was still vivid in the Count's mind.

※※※※

"It's incredibly expensive..."

It was his first time sending a message via crystal ball.

While sending messages through magical techniques was undoubtedly invaluable, it came at a high price.

"How expensive is it?"

"About 1 gold per character. More if it's farther away."

".....How many characters did you use?"

Gott couldn't close his mouth at Vlad's explanation.

The cost of extorting money from the Baron Dalmatia by all means was only about 10 gold.

However, as Vlad had just mentioned, sending just ten characters would mean throwing away a significant amount of money.

"Don't worry about the cost," Vlad reassured.

"Oh... that's a relief."

But cost wasn't the only issue.

The Count's mage had mentioned that to send a message to a specific location, they needed to know the corresponding frequency number for that area.

However, there was no way that Vlad would know about the message that he was attempting for the first time in his life.

In the end, the Count's mage had to sigh and find out the number corresponding to Shoara himself.

"I almost gave up if we didn't find the right mage."

"..."

Feeling embarrassed by Goth's words, Vlad scratched the back of his head and walked down the hallway of the mansion.

The colorful sculptures and decorations carved here and there have long since disappeared from view.

'What kind of knight am I if I didn't even know about this?'

Although he had thought of simply sending the message, he realized there was knowledge and common sense he needed even in this process. 

Even if he stayed in Shoara, he would need a considerable amount of time to function properly as a knight.

Just knowing how to use a sword did not mean you could become a knight.

"....Well, the start here wasn't exactly pleasant, but still. I think it was a good thing I got to know the Count."

Seeing Vlad sinking deeper into self-blame and introspection, Gott quickly tried to change the subject.

Gott knew very well that he had to be more faithful to this role since he could not directly help with the sword.

"What do you mean?"

Vlad, who was momentarily pulled out of his thoughts by a voice from beside him, asked about what he had just said, but Gott only shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the decorations around him.

"What's this?"

Vlad was deep in thought and noticed the sculptures and decorations of the mansion that he had never noticed before.

Although he wasn't familiar with such luxury items, even to Vlad the decorations gave off an exotic atmosphere.

"I heard they were gifts from the elves."

While Vlad met with the Count, Gott hadn't been idling either.

A good swindler always had to be sensitive to their surroundings.

"But they say the elves don't allow just anyone onto their land."

The County of Bitskaya, situated in the east but still part of the central region, was once no different from the rural territories like Dovretchi. However, under the recent lordship, it had risen to prominence as one of the major trading hubs.

"But how did the Count here manage to open up trade routes like this? In other words, he must be someone who can communicate with the elves."

"..."

Although Gott's words caught Vlad's attention, he didn't bother to respond. Instead, he reached out and touched one of the murals engraved on the wall.

Where Vlad's hand touched.

There was a carved image of a person with ears too long to be considered an ordinary human being.