Chapter 198 - The Smile of a Mother (2)

Joseph's office was situated at the end of the hallway on the third floor.

Though it was a secluded place, it was quiet and allowed one to immerse in their thoughts.

Vlad had always appreciated that space, where sunlight lingered the longest within the Bayezid mansion.

"Mr. Joseph, I have arrived," said Vlad as he knocked on the familiar door.

While waiting, he looked out the hallway window. The afternoon sunlight filtering through the glass was just like in his days as a squire.

"Come in," a voice called from inside. The scene that greeted him upon opening the door was also familiar. Jager stood with his usual indifferent expression, and Bordan was seated at the visitor's table, reviewing documents.

"You did well to come all this way, Vlad," said Joseph. Although much had happened since then, the unchanged view of the office comforted Vlad.

"I have returned, Sir Joseph," said Vlad, not realizing he was using those words instead of many other possible greetings.

With each step he took, the scenery around him transformed, but that place remained the same as the first time he saw it.

"Well done."

However, one thing had changed in that place where it seemed time had stopped: Joseph, sitting before him with the sunlight behind him, looked much more haggard than the last time they met.

Seeing Joseph in that state added a touch of sadness to Vlad's smile.

Joseph paused while taking out tea from the cabinet and, after a moment's hesitation, grabbed a bottle of whisky. He must have remembered that Vlad liked that whisky.

"You've already got yourself a mage. You're better than I am," said Joseph.

"His name is Nibelun, Sir Joseph."

Joseph, who had brought the bottle, looked at Nibelun with curiosity. It was hard not to notice the man with amber eyes and blue fur.

"Are you from the south? A mage with amber eyes and blue fur..." murmured Joseph, narrowing his eyes as he observed Nibelun. Though he was gaunt, Joseph's eyes shone brightly.

"You seem to be from the main island," he added.

"Yes, you guessed right," replied Nibelun, surprised.

"No, I just deduced and it appears I was correct," said Joseph. He was good at drawing conclusions from the information he had and his intuition.

Vlad, who had spent some time with Nibelun and barely knew where he was from, looked at Joseph in amazement.

"I've heard about your exploits. You accomplished something in Bastopol this time, didn't you?" continued Joseph.

"It was nothing extraordinary," replied Vlad.

There was no need to envy what one did not have, Vlad thought, as he also possessed things that Joseph did not.

Both complemented each other like puzzle pieces, each providing what the other lacked.

"Destroying Mirshea of Dragulia is no small feat. That's beyond modesty," commented Joseph.

"Really?" said Vlad, glancing at Jager as if seeking approval. He seemed a bit boastful, like a young man who had not yet fully matured.

"What are you looking at?" asked Jager.

"Nothing," replied Vlad. Jager, who would have once kicked Vlad in the shin for behaving that way, now refrained from doing so.

He could no longer do it, not just because Vlad had surpassed his status, but because he understood that Vlad was seeking his approval.

"Thank you for coming all this way to see me," said Joseph as he poured Vlad a drink.

With a deep look, he added, "As we said when we parted, you didn't have to come back. Especially seeing how far you've come."

Joseph raised his glass, reflecting on Vlad's growth, who was now beyond his reach in many ways.

"Our contract is over. I have nothing more to offer you and you nothing to take from me," said Joseph, the atmosphere in the office growing heavier.

The loyalty between them had been based on honor rather than allegiance, but the fact that Joseph mentioned the end of the contract was his final act of consideration toward Vlad.

"I will soon depart for Nassau. My only hope now lies with the dwarves of Nidavellir," added Joseph. With Sturma no longer an option, he was heading towards the sea in search of an uncertain future.

In the silence of the office, the sound of a plate sliding broke the calm.

Bordan offered Vlad a tray of sweets, looking at him with an anxious gaze.

Though he was Joseph's knight, his contract with him had ended, and although he was Bayezid's knight, he had been able to become independent from the moment he received the surname of Aureo.

And this whole process was a legitimate freedom that took place with the consent of Joseph and Peter.

"…I plan to become independent," said Vlad, looking at the sweets. "You took me in, Sir Joseph, and Bayezid gave me a home, but now I know I am free. However, if you permit me, this time I want to accompany you, Sir Joseph. Even though the contract has ended, I feel I still owe you a debt."

Joseph nodded, understanding that Vlad would no longer follow orders but his own will.

"Then, let's prepare for the journey to Nassau," said Joseph, raising his glass high. Though he regretted Vlad's departure, he was proud of the knight he had become, one of the greatest achievements of his life.

"This time, we head to the sea."

The last to leave, Joseph, was preparing for his own odyssey, knowing he had fulfilled his final duty.

***

Three days have passed since we arrived in Sturma.

However, the reason you can't leave immediately, even if you decide to, is probably because you need to ensure the preparations are complete for traveling in the middle of winter.

Even now, the courtyard was filled with luggage stacked for Joseph's departure procession.

"Nidavellir... Nidavellir. Nidavellir."

"Yes. Nidavellir."

Nibelun seemed excited at the idea of going to an unknown land he had never visited before.

However, unlike Nibelun, Vlad was filled with uncomfortable feelings.

"…Those arrogant bastards..."

"Huh?"

Vlad, who had been looking out the window with his arms crossed, began to leave as if he couldn't take it anymore.

The fluttering steps seemed to show how angry Vlad felt.

"…That's why you're upset."

Nibelun looked out the window to see what was happening and understood Vlad's feelings upon seeing the scene below.

The servants showed a disingenuous attitude despite Bordan's reprimand.

Joseph was a descendant of Bayezid and the countess's son, but the servants' attitude was indifferent, as if those words were now a thing of the past.

"Can I carry this?"

"Yes?"

"Can I carry this?"

One of the joking servants was surprised to see Vlad growling in front of him.

"No. I... I..."

"No. It seems you all are having a hard time, so take a break."

A noble knight.

However, the servants silently screamed in astonishment when they saw Vlad carrying the luggage in his hand with his sword strapped to his back.

"I'll let you rest a bit after this."

"We're sorry, Sir Vlad!"

Vlad's dark eyes while he carried each load were colder than the snowstorm hitting Sturma's walls.

Bordan, seeing Vlad carrying luggage from afar, sighed as if he were speechless.

It seemed unfamiliar because it revealed the pitiful appearance he had tried so hard to hide.

"It wasn't this bad originally..."

"Let's hurry. Before Sir Joseph sees it."

Bordan felt embarrassed discovering the current situation, but Vlad was silently moving the luggage as if nothing had happened.

He just hurried because he didn't want Joseph to see what he was seeing instead of bothering to carry the load.

"I told you to rest, you bastards!"

"Your personality is still the same, Vlad."

Vlad was yelling at the servant trying to carry the luggage, but the voice he heard was very familiar.

"...Portly?"

"Hehe. How have you been?"

The only friend and source of water he received from Sturma.

Portly, the youngest member of the Kannor family, carried the luggage with trembling cheeks, looking even chubbier.

"What is going on here?"

"I came because you said you were here... No!"

However, although he had tried to move it, he had to set the box down immediately, probably because he didn't have the strength to carry it.

"I didn't know you were doing this here."

"I didn't know I would be here like this."

Vlad had a stern expression on his face while looking at Portly, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, but he didn't let go of the grim look in his eyes.

The servants approached hesitantly to carry the luggage, but their pale faces remained the same.

"...Since when has it been like this?"

"It's fine. In fact, Sir Joseph fell seriously ill as soon as he arrived here."

Not only did he lose his right by being eliminated from the competition for head of the family, but Joseph suffered greatly as soon as he arrived.

Perhaps some of Bayezid's vassals would have preferred to die like this.

"I guess it was a big problem because the priests also came. It seems now you've regained your strength."

"Yes?"

Portly responded while carrying the luggage despite the difficulty, but Vlad's feelings were mixed when he heard that.

It was certainly a difficult sight for anyone to see the person who was like a tree blocking his way gradually declining.

"I'll follow you on this journey as well. I think we'll probably serve Sir Joseph together until then."

"Why?"

"This time a new branch opened in Nassau. I think I'll be working there now."

With those words, Portly pulled a bundle of paper from his arms and waved it in front of Vlad.

"What's that? Sausage?"

"It's similar."

When I unwrapped the paper, what I found was not a bright red sausage but a piece of yellow meat with an unusual shape.

"It's like a sausage made from fish meat. Bayezid is now facing the sea, right? I think there will definitely be demand."

"Wow."

When Portly gestured for him to try it, Vlad took a bite without hesitation.

The salty flavor that spread was indeed a completely different taste from any sausage he had ever tried.

"There's something called squid on the west coast. I think it will work well if you use it."

"Squid? I saw that once too."

Vlad, who was stuffing a new sausage, heard Portly's words and recalled the strange creatures that had followed the ship by the night sea when they were escaping from Nassau.

Although the appearance was strange, it seemed to remind me of Harven's words when he said it tasted good.

"Do you have more of this? If you do, let's go to my room later and eat some more."

Now, looking at the servants moving quickly, Vlad pulled out a familiar bottle of liquor from a nearby box.

"This was here."

"What is that?"

A bottle of liquor, filled with a dull brown color, gleamed in Vlad's hand.

Portly frowned involuntarily when he saw the bottle, which seemed somewhat sticky.

"This kind of drink goes well with a bad day like today."

Joseph probably remembered the dwarves who liked Captain Q.

Vlad nodded, looking at the bottle of alcohol he had brought specifically for departing to their land.

"Let's finish this quickly and go."

"Go? There are servants."

"I know what these people will do after I leave."

Vlad, worried about leaving Bordan alone, decided to finish his work and go.

It seemed they had already hired some people to help with the luggage while they moved it.

"..."

The work resumed in the bloody atmosphere created by Vlad.

The servants carrying the luggage, unable to even breathe properly, began loading Joseph's luggage with a tense look, unlike before.

Bordan nodded as if finally satisfied while watching them pour their sincerity into every piece of luggage they unloaded.

"…Thank you very much."

There were eyes silently watching Vlad move his luggage from up there.

The noblewoman with green hair simply watched the knight carrying the luggage for her son.

The knight who returned with her son when everyone else was leaving.

Although all that was given were some sets of clothes and armor, the interest at that time seemed very warm for Vlad.

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