Chapter 61
“Yes. Thank you for your concern.”
Velia smiled faintly and nodded.
Still looking regretful, Ferton clicked his tongue quietly.
“Oh?”
At that moment, Velia’s eyes widened slightly.
“What is it?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just found it interesting….”
Velia scratched her head awkwardly.
“Once you’re in the forest, don’t let your attention wander. Stay cautious.”
“Yes.”
“Then, follow along carefully.”
Ferton patted Velia on the back before speeding up to return to his position.
Velia replied with a smile, then glanced at the back of someone who had already gone ahead in the direction Ferton was heading.
Her movements became more relaxed.
With her legs moving lightly, Velia smiled quietly.
“Such favoritism.”
Seeing the magic wrapped around Velia’s legs, Karin immediately scolded Carlton.
“Don’t do anything weird.”
Knowing the circumstances, Carlton shot a glare at Karin and snapped his fingers.
“Ah!”
Before Karin could react, she tripped and fell.
The line stopped once again.
Under Karin’s foot was a tree root much larger than the stone that nearly made Velia stumble earlier.
For Karin, who lived in caves within rugged mountains, it was impossible not to avoid such roots.
‘That bastard…?’
Karin chuckled bitterly, staring at Carlton’s dark head.
“Even if this is outside the capital, it’s still a road for carriages. Roots like this shouldn’t be here…. Men! Clear this root!”
At Ferton’s command, the knights stepped forward.
Covered in dust, Karin’s eyes burned with menace.
“I’ll clear it. Let’s just move on.”
Carlton snapped his fingers again, and the root vanished.
Ignoring the group’s admiration at his spell cast without a formula, Carlton resumed walking.
Karin shot up, brushed off his hands, and rushed straight to Carlton.
“Wow—.”
“What.”
“Are you crazy?!”
“I told you not to mess around. Call it self-inflicted.”
“What, trying to be the knight in shining armor?”
“Hardly. More like a knight on a black horse.”
Carlton jerked his chin at the horses waiting by the forest’s edge in the distance.
“Stop with the lame wordplay!”
Ignoring the fuming Karin hopping about, Carlton hurried his steps.
“Damn it!”
Karin glared at him with blazing eyes before turning away abruptly. He moved across the line, heading in the opposite direction.
“Let’s go together.”
“Huh?”
Sidling up to Velia, who was following behind, Karin grinned.
“I’m Karin. It gets lonely without someone to talk to. Keep me company, yeah?”
* * *
“From now on, it’s free training! Young master will be away for a week, but training continues as usual. Don’t slack off just because it’s ‘free’!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Those assigned to mansion guard duty today, follow me! The rest continue training!”
At the captain’s orders, the knights moved in perfect order.
Those not called away prepared for their own drills.
Among them, Rude headed toward his assigned locker.
Eyes followed him as he approached.
Creak—.
“Pfft.”
Opening the old locker and pausing, Rude drew mocking laughter from several directions.
He reached for a wooden practice sword, snapped halfway through and discarded carelessly.
For weeks now, childish, vile rumors had been spreading about him.
If the rumors had been only about himself, he wouldn’t have been so furious.
But—
“How dare they…”
Dragging the young lady into such filthy gossip was something he could not endure.
He held himself back again and again, fearing that reacting would only fuel the flames within the already divided order.
He watched.
And he noticed.
Those who repeatedly whispered the rumors were, more often than not, men aligned with the eldest young master of the house.
Perhaps it was jealousy—resentment that a lowborn like himself had become a knight under the young lady.
Yet—
“It will die down soon enough.”
The indifferent face and response of Baron, who had dismissed the matter so coldly, haunted him.
He had plugged his ears, pretended to know nothing. But the atmosphere at the mansion was undeniable.
He had never wanted to be anyone’s weakness, nor a pawn in someone’s scheming.
Rude clenched the broken wooden sword tightly.
He despised himself for smiling foolishly, being used as a tool while knowing nothing.
“Hey, try swinging that. You may not know swordsmanship, but acting pathetic might catch the lady’s eye again.”
“A beggar like you doesn’t deserve a sword.”
Despite the jeers, Rude calmly wrapped bandages around the broken sword.
“Well, you’re broke anyway. Can’t even afford a new one.”
“I heard you waste your pay in back alleys—clinging to women. Guess you couldn’t fix that habit, and that’s why the lady too—”
Thwack—.
The wooden sword in Rude’s hand smacked across a knight’s face before anyone realized, then clattered to the floor.
“What the….”
Blood trickled from the knight’s nose.
Rude glanced at the wooden sword, broken once more, then drew the blade at another knight’s waist.
“Don’t you dare drag the lady into such filthy talk.”
“What? You—!”
The knight froze, staring at the sword pressed close to his neck.
“Shut it. If you’ve got a problem, challenge me properly.”
The knight flinched.
Rude’s eyes swept the training yard with a chilling glare.
“Don’t just bark. If you want to leave a mark on me, draw your swords. I’ll face any of you.”
Silence blanketed the yard.
Every knight here knew of Rude’s prowess from the duel to select the lady’s escort knight.
Knock, knock—.
The sound at the training yard door drew everyone’s eyes.
“Uh, excuse me, is there a knight named Rude here?”
“That’s me….”
“I ran into the captain. He asked me to call you.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Hey! My sword!”
“Buy another if you want one. Or take it back from me.”
Rude replied curtly, then followed the maid.
“Is your ankle hurt?”
“What?”
“You seem to be walking uncomfortably.”
“Ah… yes.”
Though he had tried to hide it, it must have been obvious if even the maid noticed.
Lately, he had suffered frequent trips and sprains—thanks to those who preferred dirty tricks to open confrontation.
“Um, where are we going? The captain should be at the front gate.”
Rude asked cautiously, as the maid led him toward a place no captain would go.
“Ah, actually, I lied.”
“What?”
“I have something to deliver to you.”
Once they reached a deserted spot, the maid turned back.
After checking they were alone, she pulled a pouch from her bosom and handed it to him.
“Here.”
“What’s this?”
“Medicine for your ankle. And food—eat well, she said.”
“Huh?”
“The young lady.”
The maid smiled.
“Ah….”
Dazed, Rude opened the pouch.
Inside were high-quality medicines—things far beyond what a lowly knight like him could ever hope to use.
“Why give this to me…?”
“The young lady has learned of the rumors.”
“What?!”
Seeing his shock, the maid shook her head.
“She told me to tell you not to worry. No one knows better than her that the rumors aren’t true.”
“But… isn’t she away on a trip?”
“She is. She asked me before she left. I could have delivered it sooner, but the mansion was out of this specific medicine for bruises. I had to procure it myself, so it took time.”
“I… I don’t know how to… thank you.”
“Not me. Thank the young lady. Oh, and—she said there’s a note inside the pouch.”
“A note?”
At her nod, urging him to check, Rude rummaged inside.
He pulled out a small folded slip of paper and quickly read it. His eyes widened.
“You’ve read it?”
“Yes… but what does this… Ah!”
The maid lit a match and snatched the note from his hands.
Whoosh—.
In an instant, the paper turned to ash. Rude was left stunned.
“That was also the young lady’s order. From now on, I’ll call you here every day. Then, you’ll carry out the instructions on each note and report back to me.”
“You mean… these are truly the lady’s orders?”
The maid nodded.
“For now, Sir Knight, you are my lover. Pay no mind to the gossip. You must meet me here every night. You know this place is where the servants come for secret trysts, don’t you?”
“W-what?!”
His face flushed red with bewilderment, making the maid chuckle softly.
“So the rumors really were exaggerated. My name is Julie.”
Julie extended her hand to him.
“I look forward to working with you. From now on, you and I are in the same boat… together with the young lady.”
