Ch.369Introduction

I went back down to the basement and released Jahan from his cell.

Nigel was startled when he saw Jahan and tried to draw his sword.

“Ka’har…?! Lord Haschal, who is this man…?”

“My former subordinate. His name is Jahan, an exile who betrayed Clan Aishan just like me. Since we can’t send him back to the great plains, I’m thinking of making him my personal soldier.”

“What…?!”

Nigel’s shoulders twitched in bewilderment at my words about accepting a Champion of the Ka’har as my subordinate.

As if wondering where this came from all of a sudden.

Still, this reaction was better than I expected.

At least he didn’t show extreme opposition or hostility.

Perhaps because he was young and hadn’t accumulated much hatred toward the Ka’har?

“Jahan. This is Nigel, a Master of Landenburg. He’s one of the closest knights to the Margrave. He even served as my exclusive bodyguard for a while. So don’t be disrespectful. Understand?”

“I will follow your orders, my Khan.”

Jahan bowed his head respectfully in a disciplined manner.

Seeing this, Nigel sighed with an expression that suggested he had much to say but would refrain from saying it.

Seeing a Ka’har warrior—known for their ferocity and intolerance of traitors—show such politeness toward me, he must have been convinced that Jahan wasn’t dangerous.

Well done, Jahan.

You’re faithfully keeping your promise to treat me like Haschal in front of others.

—-

Surprisingly, Lena showed no particular bewilderment upon seeing Jahan.

If anything, it was Jahan who couldn’t hide his confusion.

Seeing Lena calling me “sister” and clinging to me, Jahan stared blankly at her as if watching a puppy being affectionate with a tiger.

“Lord Haschal, who is this girl?”

He probably meant: what kind of person is this, clinging to you like that?

“She’s Lena, a priest of the Church of Saulite. In our terms, she would be like a priestess who serves the goddess of the sun. She’s like a little sister to me.”

“Little sister… you say?”

Jahan’s expression grew twice as strange.

What’s with that sour face…?

Oh, right, didn’t Hersella have a half-sister? Is that why?

‘Just curious, but what kind of relationship did you have with your sister…?’

[Sister…? Ah, you mean Imara… She used to follow me well. But after I tore her maid in half right in front of her, she’s been looking at me with disgust, as if I were a beast.]

Hersella recounted something terribly brutal in a calm voice.

‘Well, you did something deserving of disgust. Why did you do such a thing?’

[She insulted my mother as a lowborn slave in front of Imara, and had the audacity to advise her not to associate with me. She didn’t expect I would hear it. I immediately grabbed her by both legs and split her apart.]

…I guess there was a reason to kill her.

It would be unconscionable to say such things near Hersella and expect to live.

[She’s been a nuisance ever since. She kept sending assassins, so the Golden Flower Palace was never free of the smell of blood. I was especially kind and placed the assassins’ heads neatly in front of her door instead of crushing them, but rather than calming down, she became even more enraged. Perhaps it was some kind of rebellious phase.]

…That’s not kindness, it’s provocation, isn’t it?

If I opened my door and found my subordinates’ heads lined up, I’d also go berserk trying to find and kill whoever did it.

—-

After introducing Jahan to the smiling Lena as my close associate, she started calling him “Uncle Jahan” from then on.

Apparently, he didn’t have the kind of face she could call “big brother.”

—-

I had to spend quite a busy day after that.

I wrote letters to Lacy and Leonore to inform them of my schedule and future plans, and asked Minea to wait for a month, giving her an additional ten gold coins.

Though she returned five gold, saying she couldn’t accept so much money without having done anything.

How conscientious. Other adventurers would have gladly accepted it as an unexpected windfall.

Or perhaps she was trying to impress me with her integrity?

If so, that strategy worked.

I was quite impressed by her conscientious attitude. I even considered giving her some training if she wanted it.

“Have you ever thought about becoming a knight?”

“A-a-a knight? How could I possibly…!”

I gently patted Minea’s shoulder as she startled.

“As a C-rank adventurer, you should be at least at the level of a squire. Even if becoming a Master is too much, with proper training, you could handle knights, right? In times like these, you need to have the basics if you’re going to live by the sword.”

Having gained various experiences as an adventurer, she should be better than those academy freshmen who get beaten by kobolds.

Though she probably couldn’t defeat a troll.

“That’s considered the basics…?”

Minea let out a hollow laugh.

True, I’m surrounded by Master-level fighters, but knight-level skills aren’t actually that common.

Even at the academy, you need to be a third-year to be recognized as an apprentice knight.

Though there are three people who reached Master level in their first year, but that’s because they’re exceptional geniuses.

“Let me know if you’re interested. Even if you don’t want to become a knight, I can teach you Imperial swordsmanship. Just mastering that will make you much stronger than you are now. There’s a huge gap between those who know proper swordsmanship and those who don’t.”

“Th-thank you!”

Minea bowed deeply as she exclaimed.

From the looks of it, she would probably come to me tomorrow asking for training.

It’s a small gesture of goodwill from me, but for her, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

After telling her to come anytime she had business with me, I parted ways with her and returned to the mansion.

“Do you intend to recruit that woman as your subordinate?”

Jahan, keeping some distance from Nigel and Lena, whispered to me carefully.

“Why, are you against it? Don’t you like her?”

“How could I dare say such presumptuous things? I merely wished to inquire about your true intentions in taking in someone so frail…”

I don’t have any particular thoughts about it?

If she wants to be my knight, I’ll train her well and maybe give her a position in the Order of the Rose Cross, but if she’s not interested in becoming a knight, I’ll just have someone teach her swordsmanship and leave it at that.

“True intentions? That’s a grand way of putting it. I just think she’s somewhat trustworthy, and we’ve become familiar with each other, so I’m helping her a little so she doesn’t die somewhere. It’s just a small gesture of goodwill.”

If I teach her proper Imperial swordsmanship, she should be able to live well enough as long as she doesn’t do anything foolish.

“Ah, I see.”

Jahan nodded, understanding my meaning.

—-

After returning to the mansion, the maids guided me to the room where I would stay for a month.

It wasn’t the same room I had stayed in before, but a new one. As I had been officially recognized as the heir to Landenburg, they had prepared accommodations befitting my status.

True to Lord Ludwig’s character, the room wasn’t extravagantly luxurious, but it was twice as spacious as my previous room and well-furnished with all kinds of furniture, showing considerable attention to detail, which I quite liked.

The only issue was that there was only one bed, but it wasn’t difficult to have the servants bring in an additional small bed.

Lena seemed to want to share a bed with me, but knowing my sleeping habits well, she didn’t insist.

After all, there’s no more terrible end than being crushed to death in her sister’s embrace.

Not just me, but Jahan too was provided with a proper guest room rather than a damp basement, as I had guaranteed his safety.

The people at the mansion were shocked to see a Ka’har walking calmly through the corridors, but they reluctantly accepted Jahan’s presence after I explained he was my subordinate.

Though it might have been more due to Sean’s warning that Lord Ludwig had already approved it, so they should refrain from causing trouble for the lord, rather than my explanation.

Of course, even if they rationally understood, it seemed difficult for them to accept it emotionally, as they showed obvious discomfort whenever Jahan passed by.

I couldn’t blame them for that. Some of them might have suffered at the hands of the Ka’har.

Jahan seemed to understand this as well, showing no reaction to the hostile gazes directed at him.

It was actually Hersella, not Jahan, who wanted to get angry.

[I should pluck out all their eyes…!]

‘That would be fun, wouldn’t it? On top of being a Ka’har traitor, becoming an enemy of the Empire would make you and Jahan live very happily ever after, right?’

Wanting to pluck out eyes just for glaring at a subordinate. And these people might eventually become my subordinates.

There’s a limit to insanity. Would Ludwig stand by and watch such a thing?

—-

After hanging my armor and clothes on the rack in the room, I bathed with Lena and lay down on the bed.

For the next month… I hope nothing happens.