Ch.4444. Let’s Have a Match

It was a bright spring day.

The breeze was warm, and clouds drifted indifferently across the blue sky. When I closed my eyes and listened carefully, I could hear the chirping of nameless birds perched on the rooftops.

Waking up early in the morning and leaning against the windowsill, gazing blankly at the scenery, I would feel an inexplicable sense of peace. Though in the village, all I could smell was the stench of animal droppings.

Four days had already passed since meeting Chloe.

Rex’s daily life remained monotonous. Harald wouldn’t return for quite some time, and with no one else to meet, training was all he had to occupy himself.

Swinging his sword as soon as he woke up, swinging it after meals, swinging it before bed… He did briefly visit the Adventurer’s Guild to receive his identification badge for a change of pace, but that was only momentary.

Rex devoted himself to training with an almost obsessive intensity.

“Take it easy, will you?”

Eventually, Wolfram, unable to bear watching anymore, admonished him with a weary expression.

Rex, however, felt perfectly fine. On the contrary, if he didn’t keep his body moving, he felt like he couldn’t stand the restlessness. For Rex, swinging his sword all day had become nothing short of a habit.

As he was fighting an imaginary opponent while reviewing his previous battles as usual, someone addressed him from behind.

“Are you Sir Rex?”

It was a young boy with a childlike face. He looked even younger than Rex—perhaps ten or eleven at most.

Rex wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and answered.

“That’s right.”

“Lord Berger has summoned you.”

He had mentioned sending someone once the complicated procedures were completed, and it seemed today was that day. The boy looked Rex over with curious eyes and bowed his head.

“I’m William. I work as Lord Berger’s page.”

A page was a position young boys held before becoming squires. Naturally, most pages were children of nobility. The boy before him was noticeably well-groomed compared to ordinary children his age, and his manner of speech revealed his good education.

“He instructed me to bring you before noon.”

“Where to?”

“The Knights’ Hall.”

Just as William finished speaking, a bell rang in the distance—dong. It was the bell that rang at regular intervals from the city center, and judging by the number of rings, it was exactly eleven o’clock.

Though Rex didn’t know the exact location of the Knights’ Hall, he knew he needed to hurry to make it on time. Lindvale was a large city, after all. Fortunately, he was already dressed lightly with only his greatsword strapped to his back, so there was nothing to prepare.

Rex secured the greatsword on his back and spoke.

“Let’s go now.”

“Yes, sir.”

William quickly turned and began leading the way. Concerned about being late, he walked with great enthusiasm. His effort was commendable, but the child’s stride was pitifully short, so Rex followed behind at a leisurely pace.

After walking for quite some time, their destination finally came into view. A massive castle stood proudly on a high hill, with a spacious training ground and various buildings spread out below it. The Knights’ Hall was likely somewhere among them.

It was Rex’s first time coming near the lord’s castle. As he observed his surroundings with curious eyes, his gaze met William’s.

William pretended not to notice, but his expression clearly showed he wanted to ask something. He had been glancing at Rex repeatedly, so it was impossible not to notice.

“What is it?”

When Rex asked, William hesitated before speaking.

“Is it true that you’re becoming Lord Berger’s disciple? The rumor, I mean.”

“Rumor?”

“Yes. Everyone’s talking about it—the squires, the common soldiers, even my peers.”

Rex silently nodded. He had anticipated rumors would spread, so he wasn’t particularly surprised.

At his straightforward confirmation, William looked at him with envy.

Regardless, Rex paid no mind and shifted his gaze. As they approached the training ground, he noticed many eyes turning toward them.

Word had apparently spread not only about him becoming Berger’s direct disciple but also about his current visit to the Knights’ Hall. All sorts of people had come out to get a look at Rex.

The reactions were, predictably, not welcoming.

While ordinary soldiers merely watched with curious eyes, young men who appeared to be squires frowned deeply, spat on the ground, or pointed fingers while muttering unintelligible words.

William, who was beside Rex, seemed intimidated by the hostile atmosphere, but Rex maintained his indifferent expression and kept walking.

He never expected to be welcomed in the first place. He didn’t care what others barked at him as long as they didn’t interfere with him.

Suddenly, Berger’s words came to mind, making him smirk.

—Don’t mind those ignorant fools.

However, that smile seemed to offend a group of young men huddled together nearby, who frowned and blocked their path.

“What do you want?”

Though their hostile intent was obvious without asking, Rex spoke in a polite tone. He thought that as squires, they wouldn’t pick a fight so recklessly.

He was mistaken.

The young man who appeared to be the leader of the group stepped forward and immediately snapped:

“Are you that fucking hotshot?”

It was a vulgar insult devoid of any noble etiquette. It was the kind of language used by street thugs who intimidate others. Though Rex couldn’t understand what was so funny, the onlookers chuckled while holding their stomachs.

Rex felt his head spin.

“Excuse me?”

“However you became Lord Berger’s disciple, your life is going to be pretty miserable from now on, dickhead.”

The young man sneered with a vicious voice and turned his back. Since his purpose seemed to be merely to issue a warning, he returned to his group without further action.

Rex quietly stared after him, thinking:

‘Should I endure this?’

Anyone would be angered by insults. Being humiliated by someone he didn’t even know properly irritated him even more.

The only reason Rex had remained calm until now was because he had resolved to avoid causing a commotion as much as possible.

Of course, the main reason was that his opponent was a nobleman. To Rex, who had lived his entire life in a quiet rural village, the word “nobleman” carried immense weight.

“That’s Bruno, Lord Heintz’s son,” William whispered cautiously beside him.

At those words, Rex sighed deeply and waved his hand. If he was a knight’s son, his arrogant behavior made sense. He clearly had something to back him up.

“Let’s go.”

Staying longer wouldn’t lead to anything good, so leaving quickly was the best option.

‘I’ve really mellowed out.’

He wasn’t like this back in his hometown. Even by his own assessment, Rex had a terrible temper. At some point, he had started to reduce his habitual complaints and refrain from aggressive behavior.

In the past, he would have rushed in without thinking and flattened the guy’s nose. But Rex was no longer an ignorant country bumpkin. He had learned to distinguish between important and trivial matters and to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

For that reason, as he was about to leave, another clear taunt came from behind.

“Look at that vermin. Running away without saying a word. A coward like that is Lord Berger’s disciple? Even a passing dog would laugh.”

Rex ignored it. Engaging with such low-level individuals would only advertise himself as being of similar caliber.

“Hey, take it easy. If you tease him any more, he might start bawling.”

“That wouldn’t be bad either. Now that you mention it, I’d like to see him crying like a little girl.”

As Bruno snickered with a vile expression, the young men burst into raucous laughter.

William fidgeted anxiously, watching Rex’s face.

‘It’s fine.’

Rex told himself inwardly. Don’t look back. Don’t engage with childish provocations. Just let it go in one ear and out the other.

He had to endure.

“How did a worthless commoner like you become Lord Berger’s disciple?”

“Maybe his mother’s a whore and offered her backside?”

“You sick bastard. That’s fucking brilliant.”

He had to endure… but.

“What about his father?”

“Probably another vermin. Maybe even dead already.”

Snap—the thread of reason broke.

“What did you say?”

When he came to his senses, he was right in front of Bruno.

Rex surveyed the squires with an expressionless face.

If their intention was to provoke him with such nonsense, they had succeeded brilliantly.

Until just now, it had been a situation where he “should endure.” It was obvious that causing friction would bring more harm than good. But not anymore. From the moment they mentioned his family, it became a situation where he “must not endure.”

They had crossed a river of no return.

How should I kill them?

That thought transformed into refined language as it left his mouth.

“Isn’t it you who’s like a little girl, hiding behind others and spreading gossip?”

“What?”

“If you have complaints, instead of chattering away, why not find a more substantial approach? For example, if I were you, I would have said something like this.”

Bruno glared at Rex with an incredulous expression, but Rex, unfazed, raised the corner of his mouth and bluntly stated:

“Follow me, you son of a bitch. Let’s settle this.”

His eyes were not smiling.