Mother’s Smile (1)
Two people walking down a frozen white road.
Vlad and Nibelun had been with the numerous processions, but now only the two of them were left, walking on the road to Sturma.
“Ugh… it’s cold. cold.”
The winter wind, which was getting colder day by day, was hitting Nibelun’s face mercilessly.
Nibelun, who had no way to avoid the wind because he was on the road, could only crouch down, clutching his collar.
“What’s so cold about this? “The northern winter begins now.”
“I don’t like it… I don’t like the North.”
“But aren’t the beast people basically wearing fur?”
“Except for the ears and tail, it’s just the same leather as Vlad’s.”
“okay? “I must have seen something.”
Looking at Nibelun, who seemed to be out of his mind from the cold, Vlad was convinced once again.
I met him in the North, but he definitely wasn’t a guy who lived in the North.
“Where are you from? “Seeing how cold you are like this, I don’t think you’re a northerner.”
“Huh…”
Nibelun took the bottle of alcohol handed to him by Vlad and quickly opened the lid.
Then, the thick scent of wood that spread out seemed to calm my slightly trembling body.
It was a warm scent that caressed my frozen nose.
“I’m from the Southern South.”
“aha. “That’s why I get so cold.”
“To be exact, I’m from an archipelago down in the south. “It’s a very warm place, unlike here.”
“An archipelago? “A group of islands?”
A bottle of alcohol being passed around on a road where only two people walk without anyone else.
The wizard, drunk from the cold, slowly began to tell his story.
“If you’re from the sea, you might like to swim a bit.”
“Ugh…”
Nibelun tried to answer Vlad’s question straight away, but the air outside his lips was too cold and the alcohol down his throat was too strong.
As the whiskey passed down the esophagus and revealed the shape of the internal organs in detail, Nibelun simply frowned.
“Hmm! I guess you didn’t know. “Most water people hate water.”
“…Why do you hate water when you live by the sea?”
Just like the people of the North, people were originally meant to adapt to their surroundings while living.
However, the trait of the water people, who hate water even though they live near the sea, was enough to stimulate Vlad’s suspicions.
“That’s because the land we originally took root on wasn’t an island.”
“hmm?”
Nibelun took a sip of his drink and began to prick his ears as if he had finally come to his senses.
On the contrary, his sunken eyes seemed to remind him of his hometown, which was now so far away.
“…It is said that a long time ago, when our ancestors settled in the south, there was no such thing as an island.”
“okay? But why has it become an archipelago now?”
A land that once belonged to a continent, but is now just dots on the sea.
In response to an indifferent question coming from the side, Nibelun tilted the bottle again.
“That’s it… Because the most perfect dragon from long ago sunk our home.”
“…….”
The most perfect dragon.
Every time he heard that word, Vlad felt like his heart was pounding for no reason.
In the past, I had thought of it as a distant entity, dismissing it as a mere legend, but now I realized what was flowing in my blood.
“It is said that due to the dragon’s breath, the lush jungle was burned and the solid ground sank, creating what it is today. “Well, it’s a very old story.”
Vlad, who accepted the bottle of alcohol that was handed back to him, could feel Nibelun looking at him.
Before I knew it, Nibelun’s amber eyes narrowed vertically and contained a dragon that knew nothing.
“That’s why we’re still wandering around the continent. “To find the mystery that escaped the dragon at that time.”
Their homeland was lost and the mystery they believed in was shattered, but even hundreds of years later, the beast people continued their aimless wanderings across the continent.
Although it wasn’t something I did, Vlad had somewhat complicated feelings after hearing the story of my roots.
“Oh oh. “I can see the city over there.”
“hmm?”
However, despite his worries, he continued to walk and eventually brought Vlad to his desired destination.
A pure white city covered in snow visible in the distance.
Sturma, surrounded by huge walls, was welcoming Vlad and Nibelun.
The small flag hanging behind Noir began to wave vigorously, as if it recognized the city in which he was born.
※※※※
Bayezid’s capital, Sturmah.
The guards guarding the place recognized Vlad and were saluting in an orderly manner.
“I didn’t even say it, but everyone recognized me.”
“Because I’ve been here for a while.”
Vlad looked at Nibelun, who was still turning his head here and there as if he was not used to receiving hospitality, and smiled slightly as he remembered his old self.
‘Stupid guy! Why don’t you put that in right now?’
Although Xayar’s voice was growling from the horse, he was excited at the time.
This was because I was finally able to use the identity card given to me by Priest Andrea.
Even though Josef was at the forefront, I felt like I had the whole world at that time when I had to show the guards my identity card.
-We sincerely welcome you back to Sturma. Dear Vlad!
However, there was no Josef in front of Vlad now, and although he did not have the identification card in his hand, Sturmá recognized him.
Vlad scratched his cheek as he looked at the gate, which he could now pass through without having to hand over something someone else had given him.
“Oh… this is Sturmah.”
Although it was not as big as Bastopol, Nibelun’s eyes began to sparkle as he looked at the old city of Sturma.
You couldn’t see them in Vlad’s world, but in Nibelun’s world, you could see mysteries floating around the city.
“Don’t look away. “There is no one here to look after you.”
“It’s quite an impressive city. “Anyway, where do we go now?”
I told him to be quiet, but Nibelun didn’t seem to have any intention of listening.
Vlad just clicked his tongue, thinking that being curious was a characteristic characteristic of the beastmen.
“To Bayezid’s mansion.”
Vlad’s gaze was directed to the highest point in the city as he answered Nibelun’s question.
Bayezid’s mansion. The place where he became a squire and took his first steps as a knight.
Josef’s office, filled with bright light, was still vivid in Vlad’s mind.
※※※※
“No, who is this!”
“long time no see. Mr. Gregory.”
The first person to greet Vlad upon entering the mansion was Knight Gregory.
“If you were coming, you should have told me that you were coming!”
“I didn’t have time to give the message.”
Gregory, the senior knight who guided Vlad through the fog-filled village, smiled kindly as he measured Vlad’s height, which seemed to be a little taller than before.
“The Portley guy is spreading out sideways as the days go by, but you’re still moving up.”
“How’s Portli doing?”
“Since you’ve come this far, why don’t you take a look?”
Although it wasn’t as great as in Shoara, there were some welcome encounters here in Sturmah as well.
Although it was a short period of time, less than a year, the city where Vlad achieved the greatest accomplishment in his life was Sturma.
“Anyway, what happened to that? “I heard that Bastopol was invaded by the central guys.”
“That…”
Vlad, who was trying to answer Gregory’s question, recognized the presence of other knights surrounding him.
From far and near. Or somewhere out of sight.
Everyone was trying to look normal, but they were listening to Vlad.
“Vlad. “If you are not tired, how about meeting the Countess first?”
“…I’ll tell you later.”
But the first person to hear about Peter and Rutger will be Oksana Bayezid, the owner of the mansion.
A person who protected the mansion and Sturmma on behalf of the head of the family and his sons, who had to travel endlessly.
Looking at the perplexed butler among the knights, Vlad was able to understand how much Oksana was waiting for news.
“Please guide me. “Deacon.”
“thank you. “Vlad.”
Vlad, with a tail called Nibelun on his back, walked down a familiar hallway following the butler’s guidance.
Although the winter sunlight shone briefly, the yellow-tinged hallway was clearly a memory from the past.
“…Do I look neat?”
“yes?”
“Is there anything torn or tattered anywhere?”
Nibelun was a little taken aback when he saw Vlad asking about his clothes in a cautious voice.
This was because it was completely unfamiliar to see Vlad looking more nervous than when he met the Duke of Steel, the Duke of the North.
“This is enough to be fair. “Enough.”
Vlad’s expression began to brighten, as if Nibelun’s words had comforted him.
“Are you ready? “May I give you a message?”
“yes.”
Vlad adjusted his clothes for the final time in front of the living room door and nodded as if he was ready.
Knock knock.
Vlad quietly took a deep breath as he watched the butler knocking on the door.
However, Vlad knew very well that no matter how hard he tried to be strong, his efforts would be of no use to the woman behind that door.
“It’s been a while. “Vlad.”
When the butler opened the door, there was a scent wafting out.
It was a scent I hadn’t smelled in a very long time, but it was always a scent deep in my memory.
“No, should I call you Lord Vlad now?”
Seeing the lady smiling with that scent, Vlad pursed his lips, missing the answer he had prepared.
Even though I had gone out into the world and met many people, I still had no idea how to treat the woman in front of me.
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“it’s okay.”
“It is said that Lord Ramund’s manor has recently attempted tea farming.”
“…….”
He said it was okay, but it looks like the car was going to be given away anyway.
Oksana began brewing tea herself for Vlad, who had passed through the cold weather today.
“Who is the person next to you?”
“It’s called Nibelun. “This is my new advisory wizard.”
Nibelun bowed her head at Oksana’s glance and, unlike usual, began to look around the room without opening her mouth.
However, his gaze was soon fixed on one place, and it seems that the tea leaves lying in a pile near the window had stimulated his interest.
“I heard you just came from Bastopol. “What about the matriarch and Rutger there?”
The news of Bastopol being invaded by the Dragon Slayer Knights was something that Oksana had to pay attention to.
Vlad, who knew this well, began to answer Oksana’s quiet question in as much detail as he could.
However, it was entirely out of consideration for Oksana that he refrained from dangerous scenes as much as possible while answering.
“……I see. “It must have been a lot of trouble.”
However, if you don’t know her because she doesn’t talk about you, you can’t say she is Bayezid’s mistress.
Oksana tried to smile, guessing what Vlad had experienced.
“Anyway, it’s worth it because it worked. “You’ve gained more weight than when I first saw you.”
“Is that so?”
Vlad, who had come riding the harsh wind, looked down at Oksana who was smiling at him.
Zemina and Alicia were smiling at themselves, but Oksana was smiling at Vlad with a completely different smile.
“When I first saw it, it seemed like there was only skin attached to the bones. It’s nice to see that it’s finally come back to itself.”
Oksana put down the teacup she was holding and started stroking Vlad’s head.
The spot where her breath was touching was itchy, but Vlad still made slight eye contact with Oksana.
“I’m glad you look healthy.”
“I have two sons, but this is the first time I’ve heard something like this.”
Oksana’s eyes widened as she saw Vlad worried about her safety.
Oksana seems to have been happy to see that the boy who had thought of all the thorns now knew how to be round.
“……”
But even though Vlad was smiling with his mouth, he couldn’t smile with his eyes.
This is because I saw deep worries that were now difficult to erase on Oksana’s face as she stroked her head.
“Joseph will be happy that you came too.”
“Is that so.”
Her smile that had melted the cold winter seemed to have faded a little, and Vlad became depressed.
As much as she worried about her son, the mother aged faster than him.
That’s why I can now recognize Oksana’s wrinkles.
Nevertheless, seeing Oksana smiling while trying to hide her worries, Vlad was just trying to smile.
