episode_0048

It is evident that kindness emanates from the barn.

The Marquis of Phylla, who had barely managed to escape the collapsing barn, seemed to want to prove this proposition again by providing a large room in a relatively intact building compared to the surroundings.

The city had been embroiled in battle twice in just a few weeks.

The scars left on the city were not insignificant, and the fact that the Marquis appeared in this way was a sign of his generosity. Despite their restless bodies, they endured the looting to reciprocate his kindness.

Everyone was exhausted from a day of hard work, and it was already nighttime.

Without a doubt, everyone would easily drift off to dreamland as soon as they collapsed onto their beds, regardless of whether they had any other thoughts.

“Early bird gets the worm!”

With that, I woke up refreshed in a comfortable bed for once.

After battles, I often had trouble falling asleep, but my body was so comfortable that I didn’t open my eyes until morning.

“Morning!”

Licia, who had recently started to give me everything, got up when I opened the window for some fresh air in the morning.

The girl, who greeted the lively morning, yawned softly and rubbed her eyes.

“If you’re up, let’s go have breakfast.”

“Okay.”

In the evening, the Marquis announced that he would hold a banquet to celebrate the victory of the entire city.

Even if I had breakfast to prepare for that moment, I thought I could skip lunch.

Soon, Stew was promoted to a colonel in the room where he had been quietly eating without any interruptions.

At that moment, the girl spoke up.

“…Sir Knight.”

“Yes?”

“How long will it take to get from here to the university?”

“Since Phylla is right next to the Papal Decree, as long as the weather is good and nothing unexpected happens, it should take about a fortnight.”

It was a new experience. I had left in the spring, and now it was late summer.

In the process, I experienced things that no one would believe even if I went back to Volle and told them.

And now that the journey was coming to an end, there were things to think about gradually.

“Licia.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have a plan for after you arrive at the university?”

“Oh, that’s… well…”

The girl hesitated for a moment. I thought she had prepared enough, as she was a smart child.

Until we left Volle for the first time, she had planned to receive sponsorship from nobles. And after graduation, she said she would repay me for bringing her here.

But since she had received something, I didn’t expect to get anything more from Licia. Rather, considering what I had received so far, it wouldn’t be enough even if she gave it back.

Since the bishop promised a reward, I thought I could use part of it as tuition fees.

Licia had played a significant role in what I had achieved.

“Um, can you keep this a secret too?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but sure.”

There was no way she had become obsessed with the church and started to immerse herself in it like a saint, so how serious could it be to keep it a secret?

With that thought in mind, I listened to what Licia had to say.

“Actually, I met a saint from the university I’m going to yesterday…”

I had to raise question marks in my head again at the unexpected information.

…No. Could such a thing happen? I shouldn’t think like an ordinary person.

Looking back, I should have known that she wouldn’t ask me to keep a secret over trivial matters just because she had become a saint.

By now, the girl had not directly said that she was a saint, but her actions and words made it clear.

Yes, she seemed to dislike the title of saint as much as possible.

It wasn’t particularly wrong, so I decided to go along with it for now.

“She told me to come to the university next spring.”

“Is that so?”

“…Do you believe her right away?”

“If you say so, well. I guess so.”

I believed that the girl would not lie about such a trivial matter.

This was also a response to the belief that I would keep the secret and reveal it first.

“So, um…”

“Yes.”

“Could you continue to act as my guardian until then?”

“Well, sure.”

“It will be a hindrance, right? So let’s just forget about it… Okay?”

I wasn’t some hoodlum, throwing myself into college so irresponsibly.

And having an adult like me following her around made me feel like I had left a child by the riverside.

Although I sometimes felt lonely walking alone, having a child to talk to by my side wouldn’t be so bad.

After hearing my answer, Licia seemed like she wanted to say something, but her voice gradually faded, and she soon quietly focused on her meal.

It was the same silence as before, but there was a slight awkwardness in the air for some unknown reason.

Since there was no need to continue the conversation here, I decided to just focus on my meal.

Not long after, we set down our spoons. Our bellies were full, and it was time to figure out how to spend the afternoon.

-Knock, knock, knock

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

It hadn’t been long since someone came looking for me. At most, it could be the building owner or someone related to the battle.

The person who opened the door and entered was probably a messenger of the Marquis, judging by the emblem on his front. He approached me and asked,

“Are you Lavender of the Fluorescent Sword?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

After glancing at Licia for a moment, the messenger seemed to think it was okay for her to come along.

“The Marquis requests your presence quietly. He mentioned it was for a good reason.”

“Where should I go?”

“After you finish your meal, follow me.”

There was no excuse for the empty plates.

I gave Licia a nod to let her know I would be back soon and then replied to the messenger,

“Alright, then let’s go now.”

“Oh, and one more thing. The Marquis asked you to bring your weapon. He said he wants to see the Fluorescent Sword that played a role in the recent battle.”

Surely, as a Marquis, he wouldn’t just take the sword of a knight who fought for his own cause.

So this must mean he was impressed by something about the Fluorescent Sword, just like others before him.

Realizing that even the Marquis couldn’t resist this fact, I retrieved the sword.

*****

“Marquis, I have brought the Fluorescent Sword.”

“Come in.”

The messenger left the room, leaving me alone with the Marquis, who nodded at me before he disappeared.

Inside the room were the Marquis and a priest. I bowed slightly to the Marquis, as was customary.

“I apologize for troubling you since morning. I heard you made a great contribution in the recent battle, so I called you here to see it for myself.”

“Is that so?”

“No need to be humble. I want to see the weapon that made it possible for the hero of the battle to achieve such a feat. Can you show me the sword?”

I took the sword out of its sheath. It was something that shouldn’t be done in front of nobles, but since he allowed it, I did.

The priest approached, squinting his eyes as he observed my sword. He let out small gasps from time to time, and after a while, he straightened up.

“…It’s a very powerful relic.”

“To what extent?”

“It wouldn’t be surprising if the armor stored in the church was torn to shreds. There seems to be no falsehood in that story.”

“Understood. Then I didn’t misstep in giving the sword to the hero.”

The Marquis turned his head back to me and asked,

“When we first met, I asked if you had a master. You answered ‘no.’ Is that answer still valid?”

“Yes, it is.”

“The contract with the bishop was only until we reclaimed the city, so it’s no longer valid. Therefore, I have a proposal.”

The viscount, who had been filled with joy and cheerfulness for some time, suddenly had a serious tone.

It seemed like it wasn’t a joke, so I straightened up as well.

“Do you intend to make a loyalty contract with me?”

I unconsciously held my breath.

I knew better than anyone else what those words meant.

My goal all this time.

The dream of a wandering knight without a lord.

The knight’s rise to fame event.

*****

I responded in a way that wasn’t like me.

Since yesterday, my head hasn’t been working properly, and I’ve been speaking without logic or evidence.

A few months ago, this would have been unimaginable.

When I was young, there was no one who would listen to a simple request, so it was very different from the time when I would offer logical reasons and rewards that I had to fulfill the request.

So, it wasn’t like me.

No, what I was more curious about was.

‘…What does it mean to be myself?’

Alone in the room, Lycia shook the blanket. She didn’t know why she was doing this and felt like she was going crazy.

Why did Amelie leave such words at the end yesterday, and why did she get flustered after hearing them?

And why did the question of being a saint come out of Raven’s mouth?

So, this is… a nuisance.

He had to play an active role in the upcoming clash between the emperor and the pope and receive the land, the dream of all knights.

But isn’t he just clinging to Raven, who is busy on the way, and being a hindrance?

Whenever he discusses this topic, he confidently says that he will graduate and repay later, but in fact, even if he says that making a sword a relic is enough, it will be accepted.

So what he is afraid of is.

“…Soon, it will be time to part ways.”

As he approached the university, one by one, the ties he had with him were being severed.

So this was just an excuse to tie him up sloppily.

If he recalls his appearance, he will have to wander around the battlefield here and there to succeed, but even that is only a matter of time.

“Huh? Are you sleeping?”

“No……”

Lycia, who had just flipped the blanket up to her head, replied softly.

She covered herself with the blanket not for any particular reason, but just because she didn’t know what expression she was making.

Raven, who casually dismissed that the lack of energy in her words was due to fatigue, opened his mouth to deliver the hot news that had just come in.

“I went to see the viscount, and he had good news.”

“What is it…?”

“He said he would give me the land. So now, I am the lord.”

“…?”

The girl, who couldn’t follow the conversation for a moment, was making a slightly puzzled expression under the blanket.