Chapter 197: The Smile of a Mother (1)
i2UDTwo people were walking along a completely frozen path.i7AT
l61AVlad and Nibelun, who had previously been accompanied by a large crowd, now walked alone towards Sturma.G6GvZ
9JeUb“Ugh… it’s cold. So cold.”4XtFNa
AVleThe winter wind, growing harsher each day, mercilessly hit Nibelun’s face.MiSxIy
BnmpJBeing on an open road, there was no way to escape that wind, so Nibelun could only clutch his coat and huddle up.tB3hZ
9PhgAs“How can you say it’s cold? Winter in the north is just beginning.”yDy
kXcz683“I don’t like… I don’t like the north.”gXEv93l
ixXtdW“But aren’t beastmen usually covered in fur?”VxU2u
dlD“Except for the ears and tail, my skin is just like yours, Lord Vlad.”IBcL
1WE“Really? I’ve never seen that.”3Rpd
TWecR7Seeing Nibelun, who seemed to have lost his mind from the cold, Vlad could confirm once more that, although they had met in the north, Nibelun clearly wasn’t from there.JHDB
Thr5“Where are you from? With how sensitive you are to the cold, you don’t seem to be from the north.”n4eBSZB
PrC7bqn“Ugh…”ESAqy
CY1OuNibelun took the bottle of liquor Vlad offered and quickly uncorked it.RqcA
6MZVThen, the intense aroma of wood seemed to calm his shivering body a little. It was a warm fragrance that caressed his completely frozen nose.bVf
cljz7Ch“From the south, I’m from the south.”f1Jc
oebqgJz“Ah, that’s why you feel the cold so much.”fc2jpo
MVs“Actually, I’m from an archipelago in the south, a very warm place, unlike here.”yk0dUdn
le0eyo“An archipelago? A group of islands?”ABG
ccs8KtOn a road they traveled alone, sharing a bottle of liquor. The wizard, drunk from the cold, slowly began to tell his story.jjD
H7mHNv“If you’re from the sea, you must know how to swim.”sKX
9d9F2“Ugh…”Ykcb9v
ZOYOYNibelun tried to respond immediately to Vlad’s question, but the air outside his lips was too cold, and the liquor passing down his throat was very strong. The whiskey traveling down his esophagus made him feel every part of his insides, and Nibelun could only frown.pbVtg
tmG“Ahem! It seems you don’t know. But most beastmen hate water.”aGlj0o
PBskWl“…How can they hate water if they live by the coast?”pMTs
viIZymJust as the people of the north adapted to their environment, it was expected that the beastmen living by the coast would do the same. However, the aversion to water of these beings living by the sea piqued Vlad’s curiosity.d9u9G4k
tM3sedt“That’s because… originally, our land wasn’t an island.”eSAHdWb
qrgQO“Eh?”6hvJFWg
kWRiBNibelun, who took another swig, began to straighten his ears as if regaining his senses. On the contrary, his melancholy gaze seemed to recall his now distant home.gfD0
2cy9“A long time ago, when our ancestors settled in the south, there were no islands.”shTKNS
58W“Really? So why is it an archipelago now?”7F1
Wkf8Although it had once been part of the continent, it was now a series of points in the sea. At Vlad’s indifferent question, Nibelun tilted the bottle again.GemKa
ZlTQaF“That’s because, a long time ago, the most perfect dragon destroyed our land.”R8zl
7qb9r“…”aU59
yNTUcV0The most perfect dragon. Every time Vlad heard those words, he felt a pang in his heart. He used to consider it a legendary creature, but now he understood what ran through his blood.ddeM
meAnAVj“The dragon’s breath burned the lush jungle and sank the solid ground, leaving it as it is now. It’s a very old story, but even so.”tZbtj
0s2bVlad, who received the liquor bottle again, felt Nibelun’s gaze on him. Nibelun’s amber eyes, now narrowed vertically, seemed to hold a dragon that knew nothing.wDn5o
TwX5D4l“That’s why we continue to wander the continent, seeking the mysteries that fled from the dragon back then.”ihFV6Wc
vVKa933After losing their home and seeing their mysteries scattered, the beastmen continued to wander the continent, aimlessly, even centuries later.tsw
KPcSwDAlthough it wasn’t something he had done, the story, intertwined with his roots, made Vlad feel strangely complicated.IqIa
nBY0zo“Oh, I see a city there.”lgt
sV1Sx“Huh?”U53
C5sBut, even amid his confusion, their steps continued to lead them to their destination.5hZaPz3
a18A white city, covered in snow, could be seen in the distance. Sturma, with its enormous walls, welcomed them.Ood
ErnThe small flag hanging behind Noir began to flutter vigorously, as if recognizing the city where it had been born.OdJZ
7tW***efM
1MrVThe capital of Bayezid, Sturma.LIcHL
AIbbjZqThe guards who patrolled the area recognized Vlad and greeted him with impeccable posture.Mv9BR2
NbOln“I haven’t even said a word, and they already recognize me.”R8BbXy
BvAOu“I’ve spent a lot of time here.”9rQjkwX
0TjtDueVlad smiled slightly at the memory of how he used to be, seeing Nibelun, who still wasn’t used to such a reception, looking around nervously.iMvJI
sUFVH‘You idiot! Aren’t you going to put that away immediately?’oBi1
iZuFJager’s voice echoed as they rode, but at that moment, he was excited.gtF
vB2Z5vFinally, it was time to use the identification that Priest Andreas had given him.XJ2DVg
HfqEven though Joseph was at the front, Vlad insisted on showing his identification to the guards, feeling at that moment as if he had the world in his hands.epyRkIf
2xb-Welcome back to Sturma, Lord Vlad!KrfP
0Kx61XZHowever, now, in front of Vlad, there was no Joseph, and he didn’t have the identification in his hand, but Sturma recognized him.Xu8t
85ISeeing the city gates that he could now pass through without showing anything given to him by someone else, Vlad scratched his cheek.lED
oXlLood“Ohhh… This is Sturma.”Qefoi
ilaz2wiThough it wasn’t as large as Bastopol, Nibelun began to look at the ancient city of Sturma with bright eyes.uOT1Iq0
iYhEven though Vlad couldn’t see it, in Nibelun’s world, mysteries seemed to float all over the city.c0FM
LvwA“Don’t get distracted. There’s no one here to take care of you.”pdnPdv7
Gax5Ibs“It’s quite an impressive city. By the way, where are we going now?”vZd
jqCAlthough he was told to behave, Nibelun seemed to have no intention of listening.Emp7X
DAjYiVlad, thinking it must be the curious nature of beastmen, just clicked his tongue.fVX8
CAZyiXI“To Bayezid’s mansion.”ZCW
raf72SVlad’s gaze, in response to Nibelun’s question, was directed to the highest point in the city.TKzpjsg
bpHBayezid’s mansion. The place where he took his first steps as a knight.Nvreyj
JUEkNE7Joseph’s office, filled with light, was still clearly in his mind.oBFPhuS
dc1YQui***DS5ot
mFR“Well, look who’s here!”gpy2q3T
P9th73“It’s been a long time, Sir Gregory.”BgzGErG
Ys8MaIoThe first person to greet Vlad as he entered the mansion was Knight Gregory.LhMjBh
ZuvE7i“You should have let us know you were coming!”tzYZF2
Rk4“I didn’t have time to send a message.”H7jOJP0
X6c4The older knight who had guided Vlad from the fog-filled village, Gregory, smiled as he measured Vlad’s height, which seemed to have grown a bit since the last time.FfZf
GXBJLf“Portly has grown stagnant over time, but you keep shooting up.”naZk2
Rv8FiRN“How is Portly?”0Xh57
bbK“Since you’re here, you should go see him.”gHuorY
XHlBjSAlthough not as much as in Soara, Vlad had warm relationships in Sturma as well.sK9
ijlnFlAlthough it was less than a year, Sturma was the city where Vlad achieved the greatest realization of his life.cIIZ
X3tno“By the way, what happened with that? I heard Bastopol was attacked by the Centrals.”X4rMX4J
Z7Z“That is…”W7wXC
v4r2xAs he tried to respond to Gregory’s question, Vlad noticed the presence of other knights around.9imd
vn7gq0CFar away, close by, or in unseen places.vn9kQ
rAJV6eXThey all tried to appear normal, but they were attentive to what Vlad was saying.a8d
vYu“Sir Vlad. If you’re not too tired, would you like to see the Countess first?”x3V
GQC“…I’ll speak about it later.”HInFi
9nWiJThe person who needed to be informed first about Peter and Rutiger’s news was Oksana Bayezid, the mistress of the mansion.On3DT
cw15LFThe person who took care of the mansion and Sturma in place of the head of the family and his children, who were always absent.zZjBDWu
Xt5Nb9XSeeing the butler’s unease among the knights, Vlad could deduce how much Oksana was eager to hear the news.UASJsz
Q9x“Please, lead the way, butler.”FIsH
PtgK“Thank you, Sir Vlad.”uFy2Z
dHrWith Nibelun following, Vlad walked through the familiar hallways guided by the butler.RZBvLk
poSayHiAlthough it was a brief ray of winter light, the hallways, filled with a yellowish tint, were exactly as he remembered.SHQ
edG“… Do I look presentable?”hVlOCBn
2AKQ“What?”Kb27
AQX“Nothing’s broken or out of place, right?”XuUO0X
48aItNrHearing Vlad’s cautious question about his appearance, Nibelun was a bit surprised.IHvvM
zRj68Vlad seemed more nervous than when he met the Duke of Iron in the North, which was very unusual.m2t3u8
CL9PA“You look perfectly presentable. Completely.”ZDUL
cswLjApparently, Nibelun’s words reassured Vlad, whose face began to relax.XPAiv
u8H“Are you ready? May I announce you?”Du5Q3
e9Jl“Yes.”MdV5
pkL3teIn front of the door to the parlor, Vlad adjusted his clothes one last time and nodded to indicate he was ready.wADrc
J7R0CLCKnock, knock, knock.Cck5rY7
EyZzo8XSeeing the door the butler knocked on, Vlad took a deep breath.f23O
g9FQFD7But, even though he tried to brace himself, he knew very well that all his effort would be in vain in front of the woman behind that door.p2L6RQF
ZrH“It has been a while, Vlad.”p7Oh
WvR7PAs the door opened, a familiar scent filled the air.FM35I
xsPIjUA scent he hadn’t felt in a long time but had always been deep in his memory.0ePWdUG
EJ40Kk“Maybe I should call you Sir Vlad now.”7wNMKxW
iU7jXJSeeing the lady smiling with that scent, Vlad lost the words he had prepared and began to murmur.GEzNd30
DZqztAlthough he had met many people since stepping into the outside world, he didn’t know how to behave in front of this woman.s7xeg
QEv1uU0“Would you like a cup of tea?”sdAg1
EhNP“No, thank you.”hh8mOr
EiUOiG“Lord Ramund recently tried growing tea in his territory.”92bwbq
bZVvBK“…”knl
re08pr2Even though he said no, it seemed the tea would be served anyway.awnlVEN
sbHH6For Vlad, who came from a cold day, Oksana began to prepare the tea herself.yn4Sfe
mjcqRoU“Who is this person beside you?”wDgYqB
0Izo“I am Nibelun. Vlad’s new magical advisor.”qAWTj
y6fLonUnder Oksana’s gaze, Nibelun bowed his head and began to observe the room silently, which was unusual for him.FQ7Nlk
0RnlHowever, he soon seemed captivated by the various tea leaves arranged by the window.vFVJC6n
goYOR“I heard you just came from Bastopol. How are the head of the family and Rutiger?”XAwtr
TBFHDThe news of the attack on Bastopol by the dragon knights was something that concerned Oksana.GG6
lqUsj1aKnowing this, Vlad began to answer as detailed as he could about what he knew.uy6
PfWHowever, while speaking, he tried to omit the most dangerous parts, only out of consideration for Oksana.UwIMD9
7lMeGS“…It must have been hard for you.”BVsiEI
E5nBut if Oksana couldn’t deduce what wasn’t said, she wouldn’t be the lady of Bayezid.2Eaxt0
xIwU5Understanding what Vlad had gone through, Oksana smiled with effort.b9hgM
ZkWb“By the way, it seems you’ve gained some weight since last time.”IDW
pRV“Really?”AyyP09e
gvYHaving arrived with the harsh wind, Vlad looked down at Oksana’s smile.NruWNr1
HDuThough Zemina and Alicia also smiled at him, Oksana’s smile was different.ef72i
SU4“When I first saw you, you looked all bones. Now you seem to have regained your form.”3bjKq
eH7Leaving the teacup, Oksana began to stroke Vlad’s head.e2PiEnn
26yu6SThough the spot where her breath touched tickled, Vlad looked into Oksana’s eyes.GEmz
tVOB“I’m glad to see you’re well.”CAFcIC
6kp“It’s the first time I’ve heard that, even though I have two sons.”6b2E
oOL8CSeeing Vlad worried about her well-being, Oksana’s eyes curved in a smile.jQf
8XIFLgBKnowing that the boy who once showed only thorns now knew how to be gentle, gladdened Oksana.2HdnTtj
jU64“…”5Mkt
FQ1r3uHowever, though Vlad smiled with his mouth, he couldn’t with his eyes.9fsG0
RhptYBecause he saw the worries on Oksana’s face that were hard to erase.fOi5WA
zK7vl4m“Joseph will also be glad to know you’re back.”K8Ocar
kGdNs4“Really?”5Pvm
ApbjXThe smile that once melted the cold winter seemed a bit weaker now, which saddened Vlad.cRkpu
SJzKA mother ages faster worrying about her child.twp
AqpIThat’s why Vlad could now also see the wrinkles on Oksana’s face.oA9ve
9TZudBut still, seeing Oksana trying hard to hide her worries and smile, Vlad also tried to show only a smile.0SMy
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