Chapter 25 - The Stars Were Watching the Boy Too (2)

STEP. STEP.

The one-eyed knight was walking down the estate corridor, lost in thought.

Seeing Jager's frown, the servants lowered their heads and hurried past him.

He was not someone who created a comfortable atmosphere even on ordinary days, but lately he had been especially like that.

'I wish I could borrow someone's hands.'

Jager had been spending his days in the height of busyness lately.

Not only did he have to carry out his original duty of guarding Joseph, he also had to take charge of Vlad's swordsmanship and various other training in between, and at times he was summoned by Oksana to report on Joseph and Vlad's condition as well.

There was no helping it, since among the five knights Joseph had originally commanded, Roderick had died in the last subjugation, and two of the other knights had been injured while protecting Joseph.

The only knight left was Vordan, and he could hardly entrust Vlad's training to him, so in the end Jager had no choice but to move.

'Raising one person is no small amount of trouble.'

Thinking of Vlad, Jager let out an inward sigh.

The blond boy he had newly taken on was not someone easy to handle to begin with, and he was also someone who had to be raised with the utmost care.

It meant he was someone Jager had to pay attention to no matter how busy he was.

'How would I know? It is not as though I have ever raised a squire before.'

As Jager walked down the corridor, he loosened his stiff neck and thought.

If he had known it would be like this, he should have raised at least one squire before now.

However, Jager did not particularly voice any complaints.

That was his nature to begin with, and if they were talking about busyness, his lord Joseph was the one moving around the most busily of all.

Anyone who wanted to rise to the surface had to struggle.

Jager was walking quickly in proportion to that busyness, but from far away, there was a voice calling out to him.

"Sir Jager. Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"... Damn."

Jager recognized the man waving at him from the far end of the corridor and calling out to him, and his face twisted.

"Are you not showing a little too clearly on your face how much you hate this?"

"To be honest, I am rather busy."

"Well, if you have taken charge of all of Lord Joseph's affairs, you must be busy in many ways."

Jager was saying he was busy and urging him to end the conversation quickly, but the knight Gregory, who had blocked his path, did not look as though he intended to let him go easily.

"Do you have something to say?"

"Still, you look well."

"I said I am busy."

Jager's insides were boiling as he looked at Gregory, who had blocked his way in the middle of his busyness, but he did not treat him carelessly.

He was one of the knights standing in neutrality.

All the knights of the Bayezid Family gave highest priority to the orders of Peter, the Family Head, but when it came to political lines, they were split in two.

Was it the eldest son, Rutiger?

Or the second son, Joseph?

Deciding who would become the next Family Head, and whose back they should stand behind, was an important matter.

In order to be properly used as a knight, one needed not only skill, but also the ability to choose one's lord well.

"For a knight of Sir Jager's caliber, you naturally should have taken in and raised a squire. In truth, even now it feels a little late. I, Gregory, think so."

"..."

However, the knight Gregory standing before him now was not someone standing in the middle to choose one of the two.

He simply had not chosen anyone because he was so free-spirited that even among the knights he was called an oddball.

"You should raise your own squire properly."

"Our Portly has already grown up, grown too much. That boy needs to lose some weight."

"What are you trying to say?"

Seeing Jager's gaze growing sharper and sharper, Gregory gently rubbed his hands together and opened his mouth.

"Was he called Vlad? That fellow looked quite useful."

"He is someone Lord Joseph chose himself."

"His character is manly too, and his spirit is solid."

"I asked what you are trying to say."

Gregory quickly cut off Jager, who was about to lose his temper.

"As you know, it is a little awkward for knights to interfere in matters between squires. It is the sort of thing that makes both sides lose face in various ways."

"True."

As if he finally understood what Gregory was trying to say, Jager stroked his chin and looked at Gregory.

"I heard that Vlad fellow has been getting along with our Portly lately..."

"That fellow does not keep things like friends. He lives off how great he thinks he is."

"I am just asking if he could go around with him..."

No matter how dignified a knight might be, there were times when he had to ask someone for a favor.

"Still, that fellow is my cousin's nephew. I cannot just let him get beaten around here. I tried asking the other boys, but it did not go very well."

"For free?"

Thinking he had gotten through to some degree at Jager's question, Gregory smiled and held out his hand as he spoke.

"If things go well, use me once later. Just not for something too dangerous or difficult."

"... Hmm."

In any case, what Gregory was asking now was not something Jager himself had to do.

And one of the reasons he was this busy was that fellow, too.

"I will talk to him."

Jager, who had been severely short on helping hands, took Gregory's hand without much thought and shook it lightly.

"But that guy does not listen to me very well."

"Oh. He is destined for greatness."

Gregory smiled with an exaggerated expression at Jager's words.

"I am telling you, he really does not listen."

"Oh-ho. He truly is destined for greatness."

It seemed Gregory was a little surprised to hear that a mere squire had not been cowed even under a knight with Jager's level of skill and eccentricity.

"Well, if one is to become a great knight, one must have a firm world of one's own."

"He is just a stubborn brat."

The knights, who had shared a concern with the hands they had just clasped, passed each other with lighter hearts.

'Still, he will at least pretend to listen, right?'

After parting with Gregory, Jager thought.

'If he does not listen, I can make him listen.'

If he would not listen, Jager would smack him.

In any case, the boy was in a position where he had to devote his loyalty to Joseph for seven years.

* * *

"Ghk!"

Vlad, who had just grabbed the reins and was about to mount, let out a strange shriek and rolled off onto the dirt floor.

PFFFT!

The horse that had thrown Vlad to the ground shook its head and began snorting wildly.

"Whoa, whoa!"

"Calm down! Calm down, you!"

The stable hands brought in for this lesson tried to calm it, but whether it had been badly startled by something or not, the horse began thrashing wildly.

"Shit!"

Avoiding the horse as it reared up threateningly, Vlad quickly rolled away.

He was bound to look a mess, but it was better than being struck by the horse's hooves.

NEIGH!

As soon as Vlad moved away from it, the horse began to regain its calm as if nothing had happened.

'This bastard?'

Seeing the horse, which was usually gentle, go berserk whenever he grabbed the reins, Vlad became thoroughly pissed off.

"Vlad! You step out!"

"Instructor. Please give me just one more chance..."

"No. The horse is frightened. Besides, did you not say you have never ridden a horse before? It is too dangerous right now."

Looking at the instructor, who would not even let him approach the horse, Vlad muttered a low curse inwardly out of frustration.

'Damn it! I at least need to get on top of it!'

Vlad found his current state not merely lamentable, but pathetic.

The boys here might not know it well, but Vlad knew very well how precious every minute of the education he was receiving now was.

The lessons the Bayezid Family provided for squires were all advanced skills without exception.

They were things that would not be easily taught even if one tried to learn them elsewhere.

And yet he had been thrown off without even getting to try that precious opportunity, so there was no way his insides would not boil.

And not just once, but many times, over several days.

'Damn it!'

Horses, no, most animals, were creatures that simply would not listen to Vlad.

"A guy who cannot even ride a horse says he is going to become a knight?"

"You should have learned at least horsemanship long ago."

There were a few fellows who poured oil onto that Vlad.

When he turned his head toward the laughter coming from behind, there were several squires there who usually clung close to Sovanin.

They were boys he had not yet managed to deal with because they always moved around in a tight group.

"..."

If he followed his temper, he wanted to crush them right away, but for now he decided to endure it.

Because, just as those guys said, it was true that he could not handle a horse properly.

Besides, if he charged in recklessly, Joseph might end up in an awkward position.

He could not burden Joseph, the only person backing him, over such a trivial matter.

'I need to fuck them up soon or something.'

Instead, he planned to wait for an opportunity, drag them somewhere no one knew about, and beat them thoroughly.

Fists were truly mysterious things, capable of conveying one's intent to the other party without having to speak, and making them realize things on their own without even asking.

Just like the squires who were now pretending to look elsewhere and trying not to look at him.

'Ah, but why is this not working?'

Vlad roughly tousled his hair with his hand, went to where the squires were gathered, and flopped down.

"Sovanin!"

"As expected!"

As soon as he sat down, he saw Sovanin riding a horse splendidly and clearing an obstacle.

He did not particularly want to see it, but as his eyes naturally met Sovanin's, Vlad's insides boiled.

'Fuck, of course he rides well if he has been riding horses since he was little...'

Vlad was talented, and among mercenaries he was a spirited man who had even served as a Decurion, but unlike Vlad, the squires here were all boys who had been prepared from the start.

What these boys lacked was merely real combat experience, and once they had that, they would easily be able to deal with mediocre mercenaries.

Except for a few like Portly, that is.

"Are you all right, Vlad?"

"Do not talk to me. I want to be alone."

"O-Okay."

Portly had approached to comfort Vlad, but at his sharp reaction, he could only flounder and return to where he had been.

'I will ride it no matter what.'

Vlad's eyes were burning fiercely as he looked at the horse that had thrown him off.

NEIGH!

Without knowing that such a look was only scaring the horse even more.

* * *

"The problem is not you, boss."

"What?"

After the horsemanship lesson ended, the squires scattered to do their respective tasks.

"I am saying it is not your fault, boss. You did not even manage to get on in the first place."

"That is true."

Vlad was following the stable hands leading the horses away, wondering if he might be able to get even one more chance to ride.

"I am not exactly a professional horse handler, but still, there are almost no people who cannot even get on a horse in the first place."

"Are you picking a fight with me?"

"No. Listen."

Got adjusted the bucket he was holding and continued speaking.

"The Bayezid Family's horses are all well trained. They are not the kind that avoid people."

"And?"

"And yet whenever you so much as approached, boss, they completely freaked out and ran away. This is strange regardless of whether you are skilled or not. I am telling you, the other people said it was strange too."

"... Damn it."

After hearing Got's words, scenes began to surface in Vlad's mind.

'Everything that walks on four legs hates me.'

It had been that way since long ago.

Dogs, cats, birds.

Without any need to say much, most animals all freaked out whenever Vlad merely approached them.

They hated him so much that Zemina had laughed at him, saying he must have been someone who did something terribly wrong in a past life.

From the start, if he wanted to touch something like a cat even once, he had to set a trap to catch it before approaching, so he could not exactly refute her.

"... So horses are the same."

Vlad felt stifled at the thought that horses avoided him too.

This was not a matter of like or dislike, but something he absolutely had to do.

"But I rode Sir Jager's horse, did I not?"

On the night they fled from the dead, Vlad had definitely ridden Jager's horse.

Though it had been Got who drove it.

"The horse Sir Jager rides is incredibly expensive, you know."

At Got's words that it probably did not scare easily because its bloodline was so good, Vlad lowered his head again.

'It is not as if I can say, I can only ride expensive horses.'

Lamenting over something impossible would solve nothing.

In any case, today was a wash.

"Go."

"You are not going to try riding?"

"My spirit is broken."

Judging that preparing for his spar with Jager would be better than riding a horse that would not work out anyway, Vlad was thinking of returning to the training ground.

But as Vlad was about to turn back with that thought, a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Hmm."

He could have ignored it and passed by, but Vlad decided to go to where the sound was coming from for now.

Checking for any unusual movements around him was also something Jorge had emphasized long ago.

Because danger and threats always approached from nearby.

Following where the sound led, Vlad moved along a secluded part of the estate.

THUD!

THWACK!

And there, a scene he had seen countless times when he had lived in the back alleys was unfolding.

"You fat pig, we left you alone lately and now look at you!"

"Are you happy you made a friend after so long?"

"Filthy bastards really do play with each other. Like attracts like, I swear."

There were Sovanin and his brats.

Surrounding Portly, who was crying sorrowfully.

'So he was getting beaten around like that.'

Watching Portly get beaten while shedding tears, unable to even speak properly, Vlad's mouth turned bitter.

"... Wherever you go, places where people live are all the same."

The well-off and the poor alike.

In the end, they were all just bastards who lived by preying on those weaker than themselves.

Vlad quietly leaned against the estate wall and closed his eyes.

"..."

Should he step in, or should he not?

When he had been in the back alleys, he could judge that simply.

If Zemina, Haven, or someone belonging to Jorge's Family was getting beaten, Vlad would have acted without even thinking.

Because it was the rule of the back alleys that one had to move for people bound as one's own brothers, whether they were bound by the heart or by an organization.

However, the fellow getting beaten over there was not someone bound together with him.

He was merely someone he ate meals with.

"... But this feels like shit."

Normally, it would have been something he left behind without even thinking about it, but now Vlad stood still and pondered.

Should he step forward for someone else, or should he not?

Where did another person end, and where did he himself begin?

And was he someone allowed to step forward for another?

"... It is complicated."

The boy had yet to realize that, as his world widened, he could embrace more within it.

Together with the mournful sound of Portly's crying, Vlad's worries deepened as well.