Chapter 21 - To the Bayezid Family (4)

SCRITCH, SCRITCH.

Inside an office, the sound of a quill scratching across paper could be heard.

Every piece of furniture there was expensive enough that its value was hard to judge, but none of it was gaudily decorated.

"Vlad, you say?"

"Yes, Father."

A quiet yet powerful voice filled the room.

"I see. Until now, aside from Jager, whom your mother gave me, there has been no one of note."

"..."

Bold eyebrows, tightly closed lips, and upright black hair that had gone half gray.

Yet the count's brilliantly shining eyes made his ever-increasing white hairs seem not a sign of age, but proof of experience.

"If you raise that boy into a knight worthy of the Bayezid Family, I will reward you."

"Thank you."

"I know well that your strength is not the sword, but never forget that this place is Bayezid."

"... Yes."

He said he would give a reward, but it was also a rebuke toward Joseph, who had failed to produce or recruit a proper knight until now.

"... Is your body all right?"

"I am fine."

"On your way, pay your respects to your mother."

"She has been counting the days until your return."

"Yes."

Only after all the reports were finished did Joseph see his father ask after his well-being, and he gave a bitter smile.

It was true that he felt disappointed, but he understood well enough.

Joseph was no longer a child, and he knew how heavy the seat of Count Bayezid truly was.

"You may go."

"I will see you tomorrow morning."

"Understood, Father."

"Rest well."

As Joseph took his leave with proper courtesy.

"..."

Peter noticed that his son was limping slightly.

"... I should have some medicine prepared for him."

"He will be pleased if you do."

"Madam Oksana as well."

"That woman is terribly devoted when it comes to her son."

"The fact that Joseph managed to become independent is only because the boy has a firm core."

Peter Bayezid.

The fifth Family Head of the house of Count Bayezid, and one of the knights representing the North.

He was a man who bore far too much, and so could not easily show the face of a father even before his son.

"What do you think of Joseph's report?"

"... You should take it deeply to heart."

"It is a succession of ominous things."

"Hm."

Peter picked up the report Joseph had written and read through it once more.

The contents illuminated beneath the flickering candlelight were ominous, and every one of them was something that could not be easily overlooked.

"To think they dared lay hands on a legitimate son of the Bayezid Family in my land."

"I must find who is behind this."

"Request support from the church."

"A knight's sword is a shining thing, but when illuminating deep darkness, the grace of the church will be more effective."

At the low-spoken advice, Peter nodded.

"Has there been no particular report from the church in Varna?"

Peter asked as he looked at the old man standing beside him.

"The initial report came in through a magical device."

"What did they say?"

An old man with a white beard, wearing a long robe pulled over him.

He was the only mage of the Bayezid Family, and also Peter's adviser.

"They say resurrection of the dead and curse formulas have been cleverly combined."

"They say it must be the work of a highly accomplished black mage, or else the result of two or more black mages working together."

"Hmm."

After hearing the words of Ragmus, the mage who was his adviser, Peter let out a slightly longer sigh this time.

"If there are two or more, it could be an organization or a group."

"That is correct."

Peter neatly folded the report Joseph had brought and placed it in a drawer beneath his desk.

"Even so, nothing will change."

CREEEAK!

In the office that had been utterly quiet, the friction of a chair being pushed back rang out sharply.

"The Bayezid Family will always stand firm in this place."

The master of the Bayezid Family was rising in the darkness.

"And we are prepared to do anything to those who interfere with that."

"You are fully entitled to do so."

On one wall stood bookcases filled with books.

On the other wall were gleaming armor and sharp swords.

Peter walked toward the place where the swords were kept and spoke.

"I want the ones who dared threaten my son and disturb my territory found at once."

"Understood, my lord."

A cold, fierce light hovered in Count Bayezid's eyes as he stroked his sword.

※※※※

"Have you been waiting long?"

"It has grown late."

"It is all right."

Vlad and Got, who had been waiting endlessly for Joseph in the reception room, hurriedly stood and bowed their heads when he entered.

"The report to my father took longer than expected... and my mother would not let me go easily."

Joseph said with an embarrassed smile.

"Are you sleepy?"

"No."

Jager, who was standing beside him, gave a small laugh as he looked at Vlad.

Though the boy said he was not, his blue eyes were full of fatigue that could not be easily hidden.

"Mm."

Joseph leaned deeply against the back of his chair and let out a short groan.

"You said your name was Got?"

"Yes, Lord Joseph."

When his name was called, Got looked up at him with eyes full of great expectation, but.

"A room has been prepared, so stay there."

"We will discuss your reward tomorrow."

"... Yes."

What he was given was only a dry dismissal.

At Joseph's words, Got left the reception room with a dejected expression like a dog that had lost its bone.

"Then shall we talk about our matter now?"

Joseph looked at Vlad with his fingers interlaced.

"Please speak."

Once Got left, only Joseph, Jager, and Vlad remained in the reception room.

"I brought you here to pay you fair compensation."

At the sudden change in atmosphere, Vlad swallowed without realizing it.

Joseph had been smiling comfortably until just now, but now he was the very image of a noble.

"You saved my life, and you are also someone who has agreed to offer me your sword from now on."

"Is that correct?"

"That is correct."

At Joseph's words, which clearly arranged the situation, Vlad nodded.

"You said there was something you needed to do, and I understood that to mean you needed to be free."

"Is that correct?"

"That is correct."

"You agreeing to offer me your sword while also wanting to be free contradicts itself."

"We must address that before moving on."

Jager's brow twitched as he heard the insolent conditions Vlad had put forth once again, but he did not step forward.

This was now a negotiation between Joseph and Vlad, and the blond brat had earned a legitimate right to sit there by saving Joseph's life.

"Why do you want to be free?"

"What exactly is it you intend to do?"

"If you tell me this, I can calculate exactly what I should give you."

"..."

Vlad listened to Joseph and thought in silence.

'Can I tell him everything?'

'Is Joseph someone I can trust?'

Vlad looked at Joseph's eyes beyond the candlelight.

There was opportunity there.

And if there was opportunity, there was no reason to hesitate.

Vlad had lived that way until now.

"..."

Moonlight settled behind Joseph's back.

Beyond the window, the moon was there.

It was giving off the same blue light as that day.

"... Do you know a knight named Godin?"

"He is a man under Count Gaidar."

Not for a single moment had he forgotten since that day.

He was the one who killed his benefactor, the one who shattered the world he stood upon, and also someone he could not help but admire.

Godin had been the strongest and most radiant person among all those he had ever seen.

The boy had been running after the moon until now.

"..."

Until just now, Vlad had been hesitating to speak, but this time, it was Joseph who could not easily continue.

And it was not only Joseph.

When the names of powerful figures he had never dared imagine came from Vlad's mouth, Jager's eyes also widened in shock.

"Godin... Gaidar..."

Joseph was truly wandering through a bewilderment too great to handle.

He had thought the boy was merely a useful brat, but now he saw that he even had an extraordinary background.

Though it was an extraordinariness born from resentment.

"... So the unknown person who destroyed Rose's Smiles was Knight Godin."

Joseph ran his tongue over his dry lips and sank into thought.

"I see."

And then he decided.

"I cannot help you."

"They are beyond any reach I can act upon."

"... I see."

Vlad swallowed bitterly and nodded.

Of course that would be the case.

He did not know much about the world of nobles, but Joseph was only the son of a count, and there were surely countless people in this world who stood higher than him.

In a way, it was the result he had expected, so Vlad accepted it humbly.

He was only grateful to Joseph for speaking honestly.

"Then..."

"I will revise the contract."

Vlad had intended to ask for something reasonable that would not violate courtesy, then stand up, but Joseph had no intention of letting Vlad go so easily.

After all, Joseph was the one who had seen the boy's shining potential from closer than anyone.

"I propose a seven-year contract."

"Vlad of Soara."

"Yes?"

Not only Vlad but even Jager was startled by the unexpected statement.

"You may not know this, but right now, I have set aside my pride as a noble."

"Keep in mind that this action is being taken after a very great decision."

"..."

It was true that he had set aside a noble's pride, but this too was a judgment made through careful planning.

Joseph was now presenting the second plan he had prepared.

Vlad could not understand exactly what Joseph was saying, but he realized that what he was doing was highly unusual.

Because the pressure from Jager, who stood behind him, was turning savage.

"During these seven years, I intend to clothe you, feed you, and train you, and make you into an excellent knight who will not bow his head anywhere."

"To you, who saved me, I promise a shining future."

"A knight..."

Vlad was captivated by the resonance of the word that came from Joseph's mouth.

And so he repeated the word without realizing it.

"Yes."

"A knight."

"Do you not want to become a knight?"

Joseph understood Vlad deeply.

He knew well what the boy wanted to have, and what he truly desired.

"In return, you will be loyal to me during this period."

"You will do only what I order and only what I permit."

"Naturally, you will not be able to involve yourself in matters regarding Godin and the house of Count Gaidar."

"... But."

It was an excellent offer, but in Vlad's heart, there were things besides Godin that weighed on him.

Faces of people who would be in the place he longed for rose in the boy's mind.

"If it concerns the back alleys of Soara, I will permit it."

"As for that, I may even be able to help you."

"..."

"I hear a girl named Zemina is currently in a convent."

"...!"

Seeing Vlad's eyes go wide, Joseph smiled inwardly.

All this time, Joseph had analyzed the boy named Vlad in every detail.

The past he had lived, the present situation he was in, and even the future he wished to become.

Because he was truly a tempting fellow.

"Even if you go back with only a single sword in hand, do you think you can punish the one who dominates the back alleys?"

Joseph leaned deeply back in his chair and spoke.

"A sword is not the only sharp thing in this world."

"I have my own weapons as well."

"I will help you."

Vlad looked at the black eyes before him.

"What will you do, Vlad?"

"Will you accept my offer?"

Joseph's eyes were intense enough to seem as though they would swallow anything.

※※※※

Immediately after Vlad left the reception room.

"He was a brat with an impressive goal."

"Is there any reason for you to go this far to hold on to him?"

"There should be plenty of useful brats besides that one."

"Perhaps."

Joseph tilted the whiskey bottle and poured the final remaining glass.

"All young things have potential, but whether that potential blooms is another matter."

"Do you think that boy will be able to meet your expectations, Lord Joseph?"

"Of course."

Joseph answered as he looked out the window.

There, a blue moon was rising.

"Seven years is not such a short time."

"It is enough time to put a leash on him, and a long enough period to coax and soothe him."

"But..."

"And that boy is no ordinary wolf."

Joseph watched the rising moon and drank down the last glass.

"He was a wolf chasing the moon."

In the glass Joseph looked at, the blue moon was contained.

"He has a firm core, potential, and a lofty goal as well, so that boy will become great no matter what."

Watching the blue moon contained in the glass, Joseph tossed it back in one go.

"I cannot hand over a boy like that so easily."

A boy who had set a knight of blue moonlight as his goal.

Joseph did not know whether that boy would truly shatter the moon, but he was certain that he would at least become a star rising in the night sky.

Because the boy's eyes were looking at the high heavens.

"That boy is mine now."

Seven years should be enough.

Enough to build a cage so large that a wolf would feel free.