Chapter 39 - A Vacation That Didn't Feel Like One (2)

A moonlit night. An empty clearing.

There was a boy there, sweating alone.

"Hup!"

The boy was trying.

Pushing himself harder than any of the other squires here.

"Haa, haa."

A single drop of sweat gathered at the tip of the boy's chin, holding the moonlight of that night.

But before the drop could fall to the ground, the boy hurriedly wiped it away with his hand.

The word effort was admirable, beautiful, and shining, but the boy did not want to show it outwardly.

Because he did not want others to see.

The sight of himself casting everything aside and rolling around pathetically.

Those sights that might make him look weak.

"Huuup!"

From the small clearing in the old back alley to the training ground he had taken from the squires now.

The boy, who hated showing others his weak side, simply found a place with no one around as he always had and swung his sword.

[I'd like your back to be a little more... snap-straight.]

"... Straighten my back? Hold it upright?"

Still, unlike before, Vlad corrected his posture properly while listening to the voice's advice, which he could understand at least a little now.

The voice and Jager had told the boy that there was no shortcut.

They had also said that only mastery gained through repetition and experience built over a long time could be trusted.

"Whew..."

What a blessing it was to be able to prepare for tomorrow's possibilities with all his strength.

For the boy, compared to life in the back alleys where he could not see even an inch ahead, this was like heaven.

Vlad was fully aware that this was like his golden age.

[Let's stop here for today.]

"Already?"

[You've already met your daily quota.]

The voice understood the boy's feelings well.

That was why it did its best to regulate him so that the boy could burn slowly.

So that he would not blaze up too quickly and burn himself out.

[The cooldown at the end is the most important part. If you get injured, everything you've worked for until now will come to nothing.]

"All right."

Following the voice's advice, Vlad took the finishing posture Jager had taught him and relaxed his muscles.

It was regrettable that he had not been able to train with Jager yesterday because of his own mistake, but he had still not neglected the effort to move forward.

Because only those who were always prepared could seize an opportunity.

[Let's go in.]

"Hmm."

The boy, soaked all over with sweat, walked toward the mansion to escape the night air that was growing colder.

"..."

But the boy was not the only one awake that night.

Though he was watching from far away and could not hear the boy's voice, the one-eyed knight was also looking at the empty clearing.

Raising a person was the hardest thing of all.

Some things grew well with nothing but love, but people also needed sharp rebukes.

Only then would they not go astray.

Only after watching the boy go inside did the one-eyed knight leave his place.

It was a night heavy with worries for two men who still found their respective places awkward.

* * *

"Good."

Joseph answered inside the brightly lit office.

"... Thank you."

It was a somewhat irreverent thought, but Vlad felt sorry for the shadows under Joseph's eyes, which did not disappear no matter how much light shone on him.

In fact, he had been ill for several days right after returning from Deirmar.

"I was planning to give you a vacation anyway. Besides, since you've even found a place to go on your own, there is no reason not to send you."

Though he had received Joseph's permission, Vlad merely stood there hunched over, watching their moods.

Because there was a one-eyed knight who showed little reaction even though Vlad kept trying to meet his eyes.

"..."

Joseph noticed the awkward atmosphere flowing between the two of them, but he said nothing in particular.

Because even if he was the highest-ranking person here, there were relationships that had to be respected.

"... Even if it is a vacation, a knight must never let go of his sword."

The one to break the subtly drawn-out silence first was the one-eyed knight.

Though his gaze was turned slightly elsewhere, Jager was clearly speaking to the boy.

"I will see for myself when you return."

With training, if one skipped a day, one knew it oneself; if one skipped a week, others knew it too.

Jager knew Vlad would do it on his own even without him saying this, but in the current situation, he also could not think of anything else to say.

After all, he was a man with no experience raising people, squires included.

"Understood."

Vlad answered in a loud voice to Jager, who was finally dealing with him.

"Still, it would be best not to expect too much regarding horses. Your problem will be difficult even for the Kannor Family to solve."

"... Yes."

But at Joseph's following words, Vlad's rising expectations had no choice but to fall again.

"Just determine roughly to what degree horses reject you. If there are any whose rejection is less severe, find out what region those horses came from."

Joseph was clearly aware that Vlad could not ride horses, and he also knew very well that it was not the boy's fault.

Though it was a very special case, there were occasionally instances where horses rejected people, as in Vlad's case.

People too deeply steeped in the smell of blood, or people under special curses.

Or knights with an overly strong presence.

'Though knights with a strong presence usually control it on their own in the first place.'

For now, in the boy's case, it would be better to leave every possibility open.

He was the sort of fellow who could spring off in any direction, just like with Alicia's matter.

"Go. I will see you in a week."

"Understood."

"You do not need to bring a gift when you come back."

"... Yes."

Listening to Joseph's ambiguous words, unsure whether he was telling him to bring a gift or not, Vlad left the office with a troubled expression.

"The Kannor Family..."

Looking at the door Vlad had left through, Joseph furrowed his brow slightly.

"If things go well, they may even meet each other."

"They are both rather conspicuous people."

Knowing Vlad's destination, Joseph pursed his lips as he considered the possible things that might happen there.

"Well, if it becomes urgent, he will make use of it on his own."

"Do you not think he will set his sights on him?"

At Jager's question, Joseph simply lowered his head back to his documents, as if there was nothing to think about.

"He is the sort of person who would come and ask for something if he wanted it. He is not very fond of petty tricks behind people's backs."

Jager had no choice but to nod at Joseph's answer.

Joseph was probably right.

Because they were the two who knew each other best in the world.

* * *

"What I had in mind has come at a very good time."

In Oksana's drawing room, where even the sunlight carried an orange glow, Vlad was standing stiffly once again.

The maids walking busily around him were ceaselessly trying clothes on Vlad.

Seeing the scene he experienced every time he came here, Vlad knew very well that for now, his best option was to simply stand there blankly.

"..."

After leaving Joseph's office, Vlad had been caught by a maid almost immediately, as if she had been waiting for him.

Since she had introduced herself as a maid of Countess Oksana, he could not put up any proper resistance and was simply dragged away like a pillow clutched tight.

And by the time he came to his senses, he was in this state.

"The colors suit you very well. I had it tailored with the thought of having you wear it with leather armor, but it looks better than I expected."

"... Thank you."

Oksana was smiling in satisfaction as she looked at the black cloak draped over the boy's shoulders.

Seeing Oksana's smile, Vlad carefully touched the cloak.

The cloak, made of warm wool, had enough insulation that it could be used like a sleeping bag when camping.

That was probably because Oksana had taken care to make sure it was not only stylish to look at, but also sufficiently practical.

"Since your frame is so sturdy, anything looks good when draped over you. It is rewarding to dress you."

Looking at the combination of colors that suited him far better than she had expected, Oksana lightly clapped her hands.

The boy's brilliant blond hair was an excellent finishing touch that completed the look.

"You are going to the Kannor Family for your vacation?"

"That is correct."

He had clearly only just received permission for his vacation from Joseph, so how had she found out?

The boy, who still had not truly felt the authority of the countess who oversaw everything within the mansion, merely thought that he should be more careful with his behavior from now on.

"When you are invited to someone else's house, you must present yourself much more neatly. That is proper etiquette, and it is how you avoid bringing shame on your parents."

"..."

The boy had no parents to bring shame on.

"So you must not bring shame on me."

"... There is no way I would."

Though Oksana was not the boy's mother, she was saying that she would take on that much responsibility.

The support she gave Vlad had already gone beyond the realm of patronage.

"I am truly grateful for what happened in Deirmar."

"I only did what I had to do."

"No, it was more than that."

Oksana probably was not going this far simply because she liked the boy named Vlad.

It was also probably because the boy before her was a great help to her son.

If she did this much for him, a mere squire, how dearly must she think of Joseph, her own son by blood?

"Then after this vacation is over, I will have to attach a tutor to you. One such mistake should be enough, after all. Wouldn't you agree?"

"... I am sorry."

Though Oksana was speaking now with a gentle smile, if Vlad had known that she had staggered for a moment in shock after hearing about what had happened with Alicia, he would probably have knelt in apology.

"The title of knight you are aiming for is also a position corresponding to the lower nobility, so you need to learn behavior befitting it."

"Understood."

Anyone who saw young ones with potential, yet still lacking, could not help but want to help them.

And Oksana's feelings were being conveyed to the boy in many different forms.

"Good. You may go now."

"Thank you, Lady Oksana."

Only after quite some time had passed since he entered the drawing room was Vlad allowed to leave, and just as he was about to step out of her drawing room with a stiff gait.

"And when you go, take the things placed beside you as well."

At Oksana's words, Vlad turned his head toward the baskets placed beside him.

"These are..."

"They are lemons. Joseph brought them this time."

Oksana smiled as she answered the boy, who was looking at the lemons with a puzzled expression.

"When you visit someone else's house, it is not polite to go empty-handed."

"... Thank you for your thoughtful consideration."

Vlad had seen many people trying to take something from him, but he had no immunity to people trying to place something in his arms.

That was why all he could do was say thank you and come out carrying fruit baskets in both hands.

"Whew..."

Leaving Oksana's room, where he always received more than he expected, Vlad let out a small sigh.

Vlad slowly walked down the corridor and looked at his own reflection in the window.

Luxurious-looking clothes, a splendid cloak, and even fruit baskets filling both hands.

It did not suit him.