Chapter 27: The stars watch the boy (2)
MWs1Thud-thud-thudFNzKX
2KvWKThe knight with narrowed eyes walked through the mansion’s hallways, deep in thought.FgS
lLn2hsServants hurriedly passed by, heads bowed, as they noticed the furrowed brow on his face.snlR
CRhrHe wasn’t one to create a relaxed atmosphere, but these days, he was particularly intense.R6GdQup
dR78LM“I wish I could ask someone for help.”ijn4
37D1dkJager had been contemplative lately.9SlNvBZ
PuBIn addition to his normal duties as Joseph’s escort, he had to handle Vlad’s fencing and other intermediate training. Occasionally, Lady Oksana summoned him to report on Joseph and Vlad’s well-being.VhBzik
AhxOf the original five knights serving Joseph, Roderick had died in the last skirmish, and two others were injured while defending Joseph.dyG
fYenf0The only remaining knight was Bordan, but he couldn’t be trusted to train Vlad. Thus, Jager had to step up.T5YD
DmgZfl“Raising a boy is quite a task.”7NeYFQ
IaNNPXJager sighed to himself, thinking about Vlad.WK94
KZ80OvZThe new blond boy hadn’t been the easiest to deal with from the start, and he would need to be raised with great care. He was the kind of boy who needed attention, no matter how busy one might be.WGNR
1PE2qZWell, I guess I have to cultivate a seed.OQeISYf
5GoZbJager thought as he walked down the hallway, easing his stiff neck.yVg
3L88oaIf he had known it would be like this, he would have cultivated at least one seed all these years.bMWT
x5WxBut Jager couldn’t complain. It was his nature, and as far as occupations went, his lord, Joseph, was the busiest.wEFZ8XM
Az8d9DZOne had to fight to stay afloat.2uZshI
5YaS3dAs busy as he was, Jager walked hurriedly, but there were voices calling out to him from afar.IBC
McQyY1“Sir Jager. Where are you going in such a hurry?”ImW
T8326“…Ah, Sir Gregory.”cJmeRS
IJMIoEiJager frowned, recognizing the man greeting him from the other end of the hallway.JE1yBjO
exye“Are you sure your dislike isn’t showing on your face?”K4H9N7
Uj2yYG“Frankly, I’m a bit busy.”i2d8nh
soX“Well, I’m sure you have a lot on your plate if you’re dealing with Sir Joseph’s affairs.”HxF7RI
ci2He was busy, and he wanted the conversation to end quickly, but the knight in front of him, Gregory, didn’t seem willing to let him go so easily.DmR7e
nCdgU“Is there something you want to say?”vkXi
hkL“At least you have good insight.”YQYnG2
tzQgxWT“I am busy at the moment.”AmsaW2V
eEkSJager felt a queasy sensation seeing Gregory close to him, but he didn’t treat him poorly. Gregory was one of the knights who remained neutral.P0S
ZTjqAll the knights of House Bayezid, while obeying Fether’s orders first and foremost, were politically divided. Rutinger, the first son. The second son, Joseph. Deciding who would be the next head of the family and who would follow was a significant matter.fkcZZ
PiQ5Kh“To a knight of Sir Jager’s caliber, an squire should have been given to educate, and indeed, now it’s a bit too late. I, Gregory, believe so.”Pg1g9B
9i2lno“…”nLwe
oDQK1smBut the knight standing before him, Gregory, wasn’t the one caught in the middle of choosing between the two. He was simply a free spirit, an eccentric even among the knights, and that’s why he didn’t choose anyone.svRx9JH
WujKEV“Take care of your squire.”6tiJM
51QU3“My Portly is already grown, too grown. But he needs to lose some weight.”iuX
afH“What are you trying to say?”l7i
hU951cMGregory rubbed his hands together and opened his mouth, seeing Jager’s eyes sharpen.yHozJ
gId7Mv“He mentioned Vlad, found him quite good.”3HKv1z
3oRDF“He was chosen by Sir Joseph himself.”kBPXCB
fAa7“He has character and a lot of energy.”WU36K
5JtUda“What’s your point?”xqC2P
GJIwmGregory quickly interrupted Jager’s irritation.JnH
sgSnk“Intruding into a squire’s affairs is not becoming of a knight. They don’t match.”wbbO3Jb
PE2NVE“Indeed.”jcQ
B8IhJager rubbed his chin and looked at Gregory as if he finally understood what was being said.QGDfy5
8j7Eg“I’ve heard that Vlad has been making friends with Portly these days…”QcBUGb
JcdlpIV“That kid doesn’t have friends. Thinks he’s better than others.”dGc
sR742“Please tell him to spend more time with Portly.”rfq
14kcEven the most regal knights sometimes had to ask a favor from someone.zd67P
Q2Whx“Still, it’s my cousin’s nephew, and I can’t let him stay here and be beaten, and I’ve tried asking favors from others, and they have nothing to do with it.”28tUcU
mwx6“Free of charge?”0XWAbFE
c3aQGregory, thinking he had gotten through to Jager, smiled and offered his hand.gRk
7vwIA“If things go well, you can ask me for help later. But don’t make it too dangerous or difficult of a request.”ymMCy
NQedv“…Hmm.”Epj
8vIcWhat Gregory was asking Jager to do now wasn’t something he shouldn’t have been doing anyway. And he was one of the reasons he was so busy.7IsJ
F1dmA“I’ll talk to him.”CcKXVA
D5g8Jager, who had been short of personnel for some time, shook Gregory’s hand without much thought, and they parted slightly.QIS03d
bAw0k“But he doesn’t really listen.”qbuDP
gq6N6PI“Oh. That kid is really going places.”h6ErVyE
Oo8l8dEven Gregory was a bit surprised to hear that even a knight of Jager’s skill and temperament had difficulties with squires.pa9i5Ad
dKH3“Hoho Well, a knight who’s going to be great must have a world of his own.”zhCXzU
j9VNy“He’s just stubborn.”0x4L
SAmThe knights, who had just shared their concerns with clasped hands, went their separate ways.6IWDb
vtx7“At least he’ll pretend to listen, right?”nzV9
ZhTMJager thought to himself after Gregory and he separated.8iFB
stF59If he doesn’t listen, I’ll make him listen.giGW
5qvL355If he doesn’t listen, I’ll hit him.504P4Ii
Vp3After all, he owed Joseph seven years of loyalty.VZpvgOJ
qDM6yBl***rzCqO
h3wlz“Ahhh!”5qvV
B5dxaVlad, who had just grabbed the reins and was about to mount, let out a grotesque scream and rolled on the ground.Q4RljD
IjUEM0Puhhhhhhh.C2PnUM
8G2nOpThe horse that had thrown Vlad to the ground shook its head and began to paw the ground.P9lHt
rN7ivJWow!1Ixtbp
7JbfvE“Calm down! Calm down, boy!”9mQ6
YmIm9The stable boys assigned to this lesson tried to calm it down, but, to their great surprise, the horse started bucking and staggering.qTBKhE
XW5ox“Oh no!”UWxhCjy
bROVlad quickly moved away from the horse, which menacingly lifted its front hooves.24VOx
2cqYIt was a disaster, but it was better than being crushed by a hoof.eswu
z4g9sHiiiiing-.yh7w5Pm
yYBiAs soon as Vlad was out of earshot, the horse began to calm down again, as it always did.Q4wcJ
uoB“But what the…?”Yq6h
5ACsNeyVlad’s heart sank as he realized that the horse was normally calm, but when he took the reins, it went crazy.eUs
ANcx“Vlad! Get down!”BTM
YBy4Yn“Instructor. One more chance…”t6bz1X6
jMV“Oh no. The horse got scared, and besides, you said you’ve never ridden before. It’s too dangerous now.”O4oI
pB8DVlad cursed under his breath, frustrated, while the instructor refused to let him approach the horse.4gyJpkT
mW0x“Darn it! You’re supposed to be up there!”lOLHRz
1dTf2QBVlad felt pathetic in his current state.0wqq08c
mi5zHe knew nothing about the boys here, but he understood the value of every minute of his training.vO2H
VlSh56fThe classes the House of Bayezid provided to its squires were about advanced skills—things not easily taught elsewhere.r7RHV
zMOzmAnd to be denied such a valuable opportunity, to be sent away, to be denied the chance to try, it was a bitter pill.DoR
yO68LvAgain and again, for days on end.yc2Ah7t
mf0YQaX“Darn it!”w9w
adJNot the horses, but most animals, and none of them listened to Vlad.tERcGg
MM6“A guy who can’t ride a horse wants to be a knight?”xJkO
rrD“He should have learned riding a long time ago.”6g1N1
La7J0There were some who taunted Vlad with comments.vx7VAVd
fdmEpnHe turned his head to follow the snickers behind him, and there were some of the squires who normally hung around Sovanin.n7rYD
wF99WX8They hadn’t been approached because they were too far away.JG80s
qwyqB0“….”hQz8wTz
isWNW2He was tempted to hit them, but he decided to restrain himself.kwU4
QKmqIt was true, as they said, that he didn’t know how to handle his horse.rmi1Ua
xxxGuCMoreover, he could have gotten himself in trouble if he had rushed.xwZhswZ
RKTadQDHe couldn’t afford to mess it up with such a trivial matter when he was the only one watching his back.hs3m6X
8aV“We’ll have to get rid of him.”3cxW
4ehzUEEInstead, I saw the opportunity to expose him and give him a good beating.CJfFcds
Br8VHThe fist is something so mysterious that it can convey your intentions without words, and you don’t even have to ask for it.6DCKuMB
d9GJust like the vassals who now act dumb and refuse to look at him.Wjen5N
HZSvT2“Ah, but why not.”QeQp
mU6aOtEVlad ran a hand through his hair, roughly, and approached where the vassals were gathered and sat down forcefully.u29ko
JPfKOW“Sovanin!”mT5uYI
PWtpPJ“What’s happening!”dIPwl
vYzAs soon as he sat down, he saw Sovanin stylishly riding over the obstacles.SfBONbV
9art0Vlad didn’t want to watch, but he couldn’t avoid eye contact with Sovyanin, and his stomach churned.meAd1NH
w1E“Haha, I’ve been riding since I was a child, so of course, I’m good at it.”8MUym
hIPVlad was a talented guy, and even among mercenaries, he was willing to take on the role of a captain. However, unlike him, the squires here were all prepared.7mMHbG2
mj3dqmhThe only thing they lacked was real-world experience, and once they had that, they could easily handle minor mercenaries.Rfr
0ky4ciExcept for a few, like Portly.Etp
vyXA“Are you okay, Vlad?”MJXyMW
6gJD“Don’t talk to me. I want to be alone.”e41a
S8x2A8M“Ugh.”plV
KhIpahaPortley approached to console Vlad, but his abrupt reaction made her shrink back, and she returned to her seat.M74
zY7V“I’ll definitely try again.”p3Q0Rw
NXWs0Q1Vlad’s eyes burned as he looked at the horse that had thrown him.xnQt2R
t6EG0Hiiiiing-.HDUkea
cDN5pUnaware that this gaze would only scare the horse even more.FueqQ
1ekB***JxMv
LIQohnI“The problem isn’t the captain.”FiP7qZE
B1b“What?”h7gxUjP
dOcNAfter the riding lesson, the squires dispersed to attend to their duties.OSU
RMAdhqU“It’s not your fault; you didn’t even get to ride.”eQnnvRW
P399vz“I did.”ORoPNlW
TjaHcPVlad followed the stable boys as they walked away with their horses, wondering if he could get away with it once again.VgeG
qeMohP5“I’m not an expert in handling horses,” he said, “but not many people can even get on a horse in the first place.”ODBvB
bCV“You’re not going to argue, right?”5FXt3nf
c0hlTNG“No, I won’t argue. I’ll listen.”4j9xw
knQP2Goethe lifted the bucket he was carrying.oN9
cPcd“The Bayezid horses are well-trained. They don’t get scared of people.”Dkk
W4X“But?”YHRNLH
4wOb“But when the captain approaches them, they get scared and run away, which is strange, whether they are good or not. Other people also said it was unusual.”NID7wBC
SWm“Damn.”qewE1h
3gWLZBJAs Vlad listened to Goethe’s words, scenes flashed through his mind.puDCu
67t“Because all animals hate me?”V4BY
V8y2It had always been like this.NdP9kRF
bsIGkRtDogs, cats, birds.1o9
NmCWAnything, they all got scared whenever Vlad approached them.h3lF
YTMSHe hated it so much that Zemina used to laugh at him, saying he was a human who must have done something bad in a past life.gQdDeV
ro6bBMtIt’s hard to refute that, as, for starters, you would have to set a trap to catch a cat or something if you hadn’t even touched it.C30a
RedbI“Does it happen with…?”Q6BT
S9rjVlad wondered if horses avoided him too.RbYHE
PFtDzYSIt wasn’t a matter of liking or not, it was something that had to be done.BDIdCFE
MFk1gZF“But did you ride Lord Jager’s horse?”56Rbln
5mXRUndoubtedly, Vlad had ridden Jager’s horse the night he fled from the dead.ViS
abOSkAlthough it had been ridden by Goethe.Xld9
Rc2kQ“Lord Jager’s horse must be very expensive.”3rbwb
MfoU0JVlad tilted his head once more at Goethe’s comment that a good-quality horse would not easily be intimidated.XDDzdSW
XteR“I can’t even dare say I can ride expensive horses.”3B713
I3VetIt makes no sense to lament what hasn’t happened.bQLC3
R5rYQwAnyway, today I haven’t ridden.Fx8
PAPf00“Let’s go.”AGdtW4e
Lhra5“Aren’t you going to ride?”DsITBx
P8lNA“I’m heartbroken.”pHmmw
KbkBDeciding it was better to prepare for his duel with Jager than to ride a horse that would never work, Vlad turned towards the training grounds.WZk
IMeWhen he turned around to leave, a familiar voice called him.VG6Lms
U61u“Hmm.”tLT
EmwDVlad could have ignored it, but he decided to go to the source.c3Mol
KpLzDJorge had insisted in the past that he observe the unusual trends in his surroundings.T2EkRy
JgMWDanger and threats were always lurking.wyZxc
FsLMVlad walked along the mansion’s gloomy perimeter, following the sound.HZY
UQOPuck…!1ENuB
iXT9XPuck!PVNLPq
tH2FRAnd there it was, a scene he had already witnessed countless times when he lived in the alleys.2CLxj
QdiUg“If this pig had just left me alone lately!”RK92Oez
UyEtbt“Isn’t it nice to have a friend after all these years?”0B9Bu
z4S0TdO“Dirty pigs stick with dirty pigs anyway, they’re meant to be together.”7sM
EEwThere they were, Jager and his group.6mQS5
6LsLzYSurrounding a sobbing Portly.yzqxIw
bLwEAot‘They beat him up like that.’8YYp
MMPVlad clenched his teeth seeing them strike the crying Portly, unable to speak.efD
BsSHh“It’s the same wherever you go…”CEu
2cIlThe good ones, the bad ones.H4oY
Fqg2CvIn the end, they were just people living at the expense of the weaker ones.xZL2P
BoARVlad leaned against the mansion’s wall and closed his eyes.ulV
4XoLdmV“…”789eHxe
lNgiWShould I go or not?8Uavz
roraJmWhen he was in the alleys, the decision was simple.BAMX
96ZIf they were beating Zemina, Javén, or someone from Jorge’s family, Vlad would have intervened without thinking.wJuXxa5
paAFIt was an alley law that you had to act for those bound to you as brothers, whether by family ties or organization.Aq0Sss8
DEQBut the man they were beating wasn’t one of his brothers.30t
kAmThey were just eating together.B36H9wd
rxRr“…But I feel like crap.”okAMp
q4FSs8Normally, Vlad would have gone without thinking twice, but now he stood still, contemplating.XTiL
h1kJMShould he or shouldn’t he?L7T
extduHow much is another, and how much is me?Y8ovkzA
9yPuM2WAnd am I a person capable of defending others?Xwu
60EuyC“I’m ambiguous…”55WMIzT
jO6The boy had not yet realized that, as much as his world had expanded, it could hold more.iQwA
5ZTVlad’s troubles deepened as he listened to Portly’s pitiful cries.xJH
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