Chapter 285: Side Story – A Guest from Afar (2)

Nom, nom, nom—

Hampton watched attentively as the yellow mole sat on the table.

It was about the size of a palm.

Its yellow fur looked so soft that it made you want to pet it.

And those tiny button-like eyes shone in a strange way.

At that moment, it was devouring a cabbage the size of its own body.

And the amount it was capable of eating was astonishing.

“So? Is it eating well?”

“Yes. It seems to like vegetables quite a lot.”

Emil pushed forward the tray he had brought along with Hampton’s meal.

“Kyuu?”

Drawn by the smell of the food, the mole showed a bit of curiosity.

But the moment it saw what was on the tray, it turned its head away in disinterest.

It seemed to have a surprisingly demanding palate.

“It wouldn’t even let me have an extra sausage.”

“The head cook has always been very strict about his rules.”

“They say he didn’t even give my father an extra sausage. If even he couldn’t get one, what am I supposed to say?”

The cook had been working in Sturma since she was a young maid.

If she had not made exceptions for Emil’s father when he was that age, there was not much he could argue.

“It doesn’t like peanuts, but it likes cabbage. This thing is seriously crazy.”

It didn’t like meat.

It didn’t like peanuts.

But it had no problem eating cabbage, carrots, and especially cucumbers.

How could it possibly like things like that?

While trying to understand a creature that completely defied his common sense, Emil continued chewing.

“What’s this? Do you have a pet now too?”

While Emil, Hampton, and the mole were completely focused on eating, a shadow appeared before them.

“You Northerners really do live well. They took everything we brought with us. But the Swordmaster’s son even gets a pet.”

It was a yellow-haired boy.

His shade was slightly different from Emil’s blond hair.

And behind him stood several boys who seemed to follow him.

“Anyone would think you’re a prince. Though I suppose here in the North, you’re something close to that.”

Scrrrape.

With a screech, the boy pulled out a chair and sat down across from Emil.

He was at least a head taller.

And he possessed that refined elegance so characteristic of well-educated nobles.

“After all, your father wields the Imperial Sword. That alone is enough to call you a prince, don’t you think?”

The moment he mentioned the Imperial Sword, the dining hall fell silent.

Even children understood the weight carried by the word “Empire.”

Moreover, among the squires present were both commoners’ sons and sons of noble families.

Which meant that the boy sitting across from Emil was not simply picking a fight on a whim.

“Renvar, I’m eating.”

“I know.”

“Have you never heard that you shouldn’t bother even a dog while it’s eating?”

At those words, the boy named Renvar responded with a smile.

It was such a bright smile that it almost seemed refreshing.

“Of course I have! That’s why I’m talking to you instead of bothering you.”

Does a dog become a lion because it bites gold?

Can someone born to a humble mother and an ill-omened father become noble simply by wielding the Imperial Sword?

Renvar had come to the North with a mission.

As a distant member of the imperial family and the heir of an important noble house from the center, he considered it his duty to discredit Emil.

And the flaw he wished to attach to Vlad Aureo’s lineage was the denial of imperial legitimacy.

After all, someone who did not belong to the imperial family was using the Imperial Sword and wielding enormous influence in the North.

That could be interpreted as a threat to the legitimacy of the Crown.

However…

“Hey. Let’s go outside.”

“Huh?”

The problem was that this was not the Empire.

And Emil was not the kind of person who would bother trying to understand the schemes of the central nobles.

“Stop ruining my meal with your nonsense and let’s go.”

Renvar was bewildered.

He had never seen such a primitive reaction.

And then something even more terrifying happened.

Huh?

Why is the table flying?

“Aaaaah!!!”

“Renvar, look out!”

A massive wooden table flew directly toward Renvar.

The overwhelming weight filling his entire field of vision was so unreal that the boy could only sit there with his mouth hanging open.

Crash!

Trays flying.

Startled squires.

Hampton clutching his own tray to save it.

And the mole soaring through the air.

“In case you didn’t know, Northern dogs bite when you bother them while they’re eating.”

Emil carefully finished the soup remaining in his spoon.

“Very well. Everyone who came from the center, follow me.”

Upon seeing the spoon gleaming in Emil’s hand, the boy from the Valthof family sitting at a distant table grabbed his head with a horrified expression.

“Hiiik!”

***

Three people were walking down the second-floor hallway of the manor.

A delicate-looking young man.

A female knight.

And an older man with such a prominent belly that it was genuinely concerning.

“Please don’t worry, Lord Tarenian. Arriving a week or two late is perfectly understandable. After all, you’re coming from the distant South. How could you possibly arrive exactly on time?”

said the old man as he stroked his elegant mustache.

“Of course, during the journey, we stopped in Soara for a bit of sightseeing. Ah, my.”

Just as he finished speaking, the female knight tossed him a pouch.

From the sound of the coins clinking inside, it was easy to guess what it contained.

“But of course, I can prove that we were delayed because the routes were blocked. I personally certify it, Bordan, Mayor of Soara.”

said the man as he tucked the pouch away with complete naturalness.

“Ahem.”

With that sound, the plump man slipped the pouch of gold coins into his coat.

A greasy face and a prominent belly.

It was impossible to imagine that this man was a knight who wielded a sword.

Bordan, the current Mayor of Soara and a man praised by the nickname “The Wise Knight,” spoke passionately while promising to do everything in his power to justify the young man’s delayed enrollment.

Although every time he finished a sentence, the expressionless female knight handed him another jingling pouch.

‘So this is Sturma…!’

The two knights were carrying out a silent transaction behind him.

But the young man did not seem to care in the slightest.

Because he remained hanging over the railing, staring at the training grounds below with excitement he could not conceal.

‘This is the place where the great Sir Vlad, the Swordmaster, trained!’

He was so excited that his light brown skin, typical of the South, had begun to redden.

And now that one looked closely, it was possible to see all kinds of souvenirs hanging from his belt.

Every one of them was a Vlad-related product sold in Soara.

“…Lord Tarenian. Frankly, our family’s training grounds look much better than this.”

“But I love this sense of authenticity.”

“It’s well maintained, but the equipment seems rather old.”

“Call it historical, Telsa. That makes it even better. Sir Vlad may have personally used some of these things.”

The female knight was trying to subtly suggest that perhaps they should return home.

But the young man was already completely captivated by the atmosphere of Sturma.

Anyone could tell.

He was a fanatical admirer of the Swordmaster.

“Aaaah!”

Suddenly, a scream echoed through the air, and a boy came flying out of the training grounds.

His face was drenched in sweat.

Upon seeing the yellow hair shining beneath the sun, Tarenian exclaimed,

“Look! He’s blond! Could he be Lord Vlad’s son?”

“Oh… No, Lord Tarenian. That isn’t Emil.”

Bordan pulled a monocle from his jacket, placed it over his eye, and observed carefully.

The color was similar.

But it lacked the richness and shine characteristic of Emil’s blond hair.

“That boy belongs to the Mordian family. His name is Renvar Mordian. He comes from the center. He’s a member of a cadet branch of the imperial family. You see, Sir Telsa, there’s no need to worry. The fact that such a distinguished family has sent their son to Sturma proves that our…”

“Hey, you damned bastard! Stay right there!”

Bordan was in the middle of explaining Sturma’s virtues when a loud curse rang out from below and caused him to stumble over his words.

“That proves that our… that the training system we offer is excellent, and that the level of the squires who train here is so high that even the imperial family recognizes it…”

“Catch that lunatic!”

“Don’t let him get near the young master!”

“Stop him! He’s going to hit him with the spoon again!”

Bordan tried to salvage the situation with his polished eloquence.

But the moment he saw the crowd of squires pouring out toward the training grounds, he decided to remain silent.

A blond boy was charging forward with a ferocity comparable to that of a wild animal whose tail was on fire.

The squires from the center chased after him with gritted teeth.

And behind them ran the Northern squires, shouting that they should finish those guys off once and for all.

“Wow. A full-scale brawl.”

Tarenian’s description was so accurate that Bordan was left completely speechless.

“Then that must be Emil.”

There was no need to ask.

There was only one child moving around the training grounds as though it were his own backyard.

He was handing out blows to anyone who came near him.

And he was doing it with surprisingly vigorous energy for someone his age.

“Oh. They’re surrounding him.”

The squires from the center and the North mixed together in one enormous fight.

And all the while, Emil continued chasing Renvar like a wolf cub.

Soon, several of Renvar’s followers began cutting off his path.

“You damned maniac! Stop!”

They were not ordinary squires.

They were practically knight apprentices.

They could not openly bring personal retainers, so they had resorted to that trick.

And no matter how fast Emil was, when four or five boys threw themselves at him at the same time, he ended up surrounded and taking a beating.

“You stubborn idiot! Leave us alone already!”

“Let go of our young master’s hair!”

While Emil was being punched from every direction, a small yellow mass appeared atop his head.

It was the mole.

The same mole that glowed faintly beneath the sunlight.

The creature climbed onto Emil’s head.

Then it raised both paws into the air and shouted with all its might.

“Kyuuuu!”

Bzzzt!

Along with that adorable cry, a golden flash illuminated the training grounds.

And around Emil’s body, golden ripples that resembled liquid water began to appear.

“…It doesn’t hurt.”

They were hitting him.

But he felt no pain.

The moment he realized that, Emil grabbed Renvar by the hair without the slightest hesitation and began punching him.

“Dare call me a bastard again! Come on, say it!”

“Aaagh! You damned lunatic!”

The squires struck Emil with all their strength, expecting him to be sent flying.

But Emil continued attacking the same target with a completely unhinged look in his eyes.

And atop his head, the mole remained motionless.

It looked like a tiny golden statue.

Watching that scene, Tarenian could not hide the blush on his cheeks.

And he said excitedly to the female knight standing beside him,

“It was a great decision to come to the North, Telsa! These kids have so much fun!”

The knight named Telsa did not answer.

She merely pressed two fingers against the bridge of her nose while trying to suppress the deep sigh that threatened to escape her lips.