episode_0008

As expected, once you start drinking, the alcohol just keeps flowing even though I wasn’t in the mood for it just a moment ago.

“Right, you’re a good drinker. You have to drink first to appreciate alcohol.”

Aramis chuckled as he watched me gulp down the wine.

“Ah… it tastes good.”

“Right? You shouldn’t underestimate Lotoss’ taste in wine.”

“Yes, you’re the best. Pour me another glass.”

I received the wine Lotoss poured for me and drank it again.

“The drinking session is in full swing already.”

Laurent came in late, wondering why he was delayed.

“Oh, who’s here?”

As Laurent entered, Flanché, who had been hiding in the kitchen to avoid getting scolded by Lotoss, popped out nervously.

“Nice to meet you, I am Laurent.”

“Oh, hello! Nice to meet you. Oh~ Master! You brought a beautiful lady last time, and now you bring a nobleman overflowing with charm…”

“Hey, Flanché.”

“Y-yes?”

“Go get another glass.”

“Alright…”

Lotoss interrupted Flanché’s unnecessary rambling with excitement over Laurent’s arrival, and Flanché hurried back to the kitchen.

“Flanché!”

“Yes!”

Flanché returned with a bright smile.

“Bring two glasses, not just one.”

“There’s only one guest… Do you still want two glasses?”

“If I ask for it, bring it. This servant talks back to nobles too much.”

“Oh, I see. I’ll bring it right away, please wait.”

Flanché bowed slightly and disappeared into the kitchen to get the glasses.

While Flanché went to get the glasses, Laurent brought a chair and sat at the dining table.

“Is Flanché your servant, Lotoss?”

“Yes, he was my friend’s servant, but he died in the war, so I took in Flanché who was left alone… I’m really…”

“He’s doing well.”

Aramis interrupted Lotoss, flipping through a book.

When Lotoss looked at Aramis in disbelief, Aramis raised and lowered his eyebrows, then glanced at Lotoss with a sly smile.

“I swear…”

Lotoss downed the wine in his glass in one go.

“I brought the glasses.”

Flanché brought two glasses, and I poured the wine.

“Are you going to drink both glasses, nobleman?”

“One is for you to drink.”

Upon hearing my words, Flanché was so touched that tears welled up in his eyes.

“Sob…! To think that I would receive such consideration from a noble lady who is so kind and beautiful…!”

Flanché is a kind soul, except for his unnecessary rambling.

If he had just kept quiet, it would have been a heartwarming scene, but he had to ruin the mood with his chatter.

“Flanché.”

“S-sir?”

“Shut up, finish that and then go to the kitchen.”

Flanché looked crestfallen at my words and slumped in his seat.

“What did I do wrong…?”

“Haha! You did something wrong. You might have made a big mistake.”

Lotoss laughed heartily, and Laurent looked around, trying to figure out why I was mad.

“Just finish that and don’t come out of the kitchen.”

“Then… I’ll just have a bite of ham and leave…”

With tears in his eyes, Flanché picked up a piece of smoked ham from the center of the table and ate it, then disappeared into the kitchen as if he were the tragic hero of a play.

We watched Flanché’s retreating figure with amusement.

“That friend… when will he lose weight?”

“I don’t know. He said he would, so he’ll probably lose it eventually.”

Aramis shrugged at Laurent’s words.

Laurent picked up his glass from the table.

“Let’s make a toast.”

The three of us looked at Laurent.

“What should we toast to?”

“Well… you decide.”

Ignoring Laurent’s question, Aramis casually flipped through the pages of a book.

“Um… how about to King Philippe?”

“To that little brat who’s trapped under Duke Orleans’ thumb and can’t do anything? I’d rather toast to Duke Orleans himself.”

Laurent’s words made Lotus chuckle and smirk.

“You think King Philippe is similar to me in age?”

“How old are you?”

“I’m 23.”

“You’re just a kid.”

“Just a kid, huh?”

“Kid indeed.”

The three of us, Laurent, Lotus, and I, all responded simultaneously.

“You’re being too much.”

“Don’t complain. I’ve realized that being young is more advantageous as I’ve gotten older.”

“What about your ages?”

We all flinched at Laurent’s question.

“Hey… Aramis, you’re talking nonsense.”

“So, how old are you all…”

“Isn’t it rude to ask a lady’s age?”

“Exactly! Well said.”

To avoid the awkward situation, Lotus chimed in with agreement.

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

Surprisingly, Laurent’s apology seemed to have some effect as he scratched his head and apologized to us.

“What’s so shameful about getting older? If you think about it, we’ve been rolling around the battlefield for over 10 years.”

“Aramis!”

I exclaimed, and Aramis smiled at me before adjusting his glasses and continuing to read his book.

Laurent counted on his fingers and nodded.

“Marie…”

“What?”

“Our age difference isn’t that big.”

Laurent’s intense gaze started to feel uncomfortable.

“Don’t say anything more than that.”

“Understood.”

At my warning, Laurent nodded obediently.

“Anyway, what should we toast to? Proud Elance?”

“After rolling and shedding blood on the battlefield for the country for 10 years, only to end up like this?”

…”

Laurent clenched his lips at Aramis’ words.

“Um… friendship?”

“Love?”

Laurent glanced at us, trying to gauge our reactions, but our indifferent responses remained the same.

“So, what do you all value the most?”

“This.”

In response to Laurent’s question, I took out a 10-blanc silver coin from between my collarbones.

“Wow…”

Lotus exclaimed in amazement as I used my chest pocket.

“Do you also store things there? Quite peculiar.”

Aramis chuckled at my collarbone pocket.

Meanwhile, Laurent blushed slightly and lowered his head.

Ping!

I flicked the coin with my finger, and it spun in the air, spiraling upwards.

“This.”

I took out a mango shoe and threw it towards the coin.

Thud!

The coin, which had soared to touch the ceiling, was pierced through the center by the mango shoe and stuck to the ceiling.

“And this.”

I elegantly picked up a glass and took a sip of wine.

“Phew… after living through this, there’s nothing else I trust.”

Laurent alternated between looking at me and the mango shoe stuck to the ceiling.

I lounged back in my chair, gazing blankly at the ceiling.

“Well… I’m not sure if I should say this, but…”

Laurent began to cautiously observe our reactions.

As we turned to look at him, Laurent hesitated before speaking.

“Um… the generals here don’t seem as heroic as I had imagined.”

After taking a few sips of wine from his glass, Laurent continued.

“What can I say… The continent was divided into two and there was a war for 30 years, and those who had fought directly in that big war for over 10 years… seem quite pitiful…”

“It can’t be helped.”

Artemis closed the book, took off his glasses, and placed them on the table.

“Oh, I almost spilled the drink.”

Lotus quickly moved the glass to the side.

“So, you said the war lasted for 30 years? What will happen after the war ends?”

“…”

“We, Mari, and Lotus, were not born as the eldest sons of nobles. In noble families, the father’s status and wealth are all inherited by the eldest son according to the law.”

“Yes, I am the second son.”

Lotus shrugged in response to Artemis’s words.

“So, people like us have to risk our lives and go out to fight in order to establish ourselves.”

“That’s right.”

“Especially because Elance is a strong country compared to other countries, there are so many people in our situation.”

Lotus nodded repeatedly at Artemis’s words.

“Nobles can’t work for the sake of dignity, but they don’t have money either, nor do they have means of production.”

“After the war ends, we will just gather whatever money we have and gamble it all away, fight with the henchmen of the Duke of Orleang, and live like that…”

I made a gesture of slitting my throat with my hand.

“That’s how it goes…”

“Haha…”

Lotus and Artemis chuckled at my words.

“Kid, people like us need a justification to do something.”

“Justification? What do you mean?”

Artemis’s words made Laurent raise his eyebrows.

“Yes, if we want to receive money or goods from someone, we need a plausible justification to do something.”

“The justification we have is the war that lasted for 30 years.”

“Even though our father was a noble, did he really manage the upper class?”

“Think about it again, did your father really manage the upper class? Or did he hire a proxy and let him run it? Even if your father was a noble, he couldn’t really manage the upper class.”

“It’s relatively better. Your father doesn’t even have a territory, right?”

“Yes, I have an older brother above me.”

“Your brother will inherit your father’s territory and status, so your father may have recommended you to join the military academy to help you find a way to make a living.”

Laurent stroked his chin and thought deeply at Artemis’s words.

“Anyway, we are now all failures. We will just follow someone who calls us with a plausible justification.”

“Don’t we have General Chugyeong?”

“We will go if that person calls us, but can you guarantee that General Chugyeong will call us?”

Lotus remained silent at my words.

“Flanche! Alcohol! Bring alcohol!”

“…”

“Flanche!!!”

At Lotus’s loud voice, Flanche rushed in from the kitchen.

“Oh… I’m sorry. Lord Lotus, we are out of alcohol.”

“What? Where did it go? Did you drink it all by yourself in the kitchen?”

“No, I ran out of the alcohol I brought earlier.”

“Then why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“I mistook the honey jar for alcohol.”

“Then go get some more.”

“It’s a bit difficult…”

Flanche glanced at Lotus and then spoke.

“How did we run out of money?”

Lotus looked at Flanche with a serious expression.

“Ugh… Flanche, what have I told you before?”

“Is this useless piglet taking up space?”

“Not that.”

“A parasite just eating and sleeping?”

“Nope.”

“A clueless idiot who can’t do anything?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

“I may be a clueless idiot, but I don’t have the skill to buy alcohol with no money.”

Rotose took off his hat and scratched his head.

“Flangshae.”

“Yes… yes?”

Laurent took out two 10-blanc silver coins from his pocket and handed them to Flangshae.

“I am so grateful for this!”

Flangshae bit the silver coins as if appraising them.

“The nobleman who is as kind as the lady over there, with a heart as vast as the sea… I feel like crying.”

“Go and buy alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol!”

I pounded the table with my fist and shouted for alcohol.

“Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol!”

“Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol! Alcohol!”

As I, Rotose, and Aramis all shouted for alcohol at the same time, Flangshae hurried off to fetch it.

“Yes, quickly bring the alcohol!”

“Hey, Flangshae.”

Flangshae looked at me with a look of injustice in response to my call.

“Smile.”

Forced by my words, Flangshae forced a smile.

“Good, that’s better. Now go get the alcohol.”

“Yes. Understood…”

With a shrug, Flangshae went outside to buy the alcohol.

While Flangshae was out getting the alcohol, the four of us sat at the table in silence.

Knock, knock.

I got up at the sound of someone knocking on the door.

“Marie, are you going?”

“Well, there’s nothing to do until Flangshae brings the alcohol.”

I brushed my hair back and opened the door.

“I have come to deliver the grace of the Lord… Oh!”

The priest waiting at the door was taken aback when he saw my face.

Seeing him mention delivering the grace of the Lord, it seemed like the Archbishop had sent us a letter.

“Please.”

“Yes, yes!”

The priest, who had been staring blankly at me, quickly handed me the Archbishop’s letter and then disappeared.