Now live up to the name (1)
Josef loved snow.
To him, who had a weak body, cold weather was an unwelcome guest, but there was still a reason why he loved the white snow.
“…It will take some time to come back.”
When he was young, Josef felt relieved to see the city covered in snow and quiet.
Because at that time, I wasn’t the only one standing still.
Because of his weak body, the reality of sitting alone while others were moving forward always made it difficult for Josef.
“Joseph. “This is Bordan.”
“Come in.”
Josef, awakened from his thoughts by the sound of a knock outside, opened the door and looked at the driver coming in.
“This is a telegram from Deremar.”
A fat driver who seemed to need to take care of his health as much as he did came to his office holding a telegram.
The result Joseph had been waiting for must have been written in that small note held in his thick hand.
“Dao.”
“yes.”
Josef accepted the note Bordan handed to him with calm eyes.
I did my best to prepare him, but it must have been an overwhelming task for the boy.
I hope we can avoid the worst outcome.
“…….”
Because it was a telegram sent through magic, it was not possible to write down many letters and send it.
Therefore, the telegram sent by Zayar contained only the results without any explanation.
“…I didn’t expect this.”
Therefore, the telegram containing only a few lines and no prior explanation was enough to make Josef’s head spin.
“Is Stephen of Gaidar an easy opponent?”
“…That can’t be possible, right?”
Bordan ended up answering Josef’s absurd question with a retort without realizing it.
In terms of ability alone, it would be difficult to stand shoulder to shoulder with existing knights, but Stephen is only in his mid-twenties.
There were few people in the West who stood out as much as Stephen at that age, so it would be difficult to say that Bordan’s reaction was exaggerated.
“yes.”
After hearing Bordan’s words, Josef threw the note on the desk and smiled delicately.
It was the kind of laughter where you want to laugh but don’t know how to laugh.
“Call the wizard. “I have to reply to Zayar.”
“Ah… I understand.”
We were prepared for the worst, but not for the best.
Because his thoughtful plans, which were born out of depression, were flowing in a completely different direction from the wave the boy was creating.
“…I prepared you to just hold on no matter what.”
Josef chose Stephen of the West as his opponent for the boy’s knight debut.
For a strong man with such a well-known name, even if Vlad loses, it will not be a flaw, and if he even puts him in a difficult situation, his evaluation of Vlad will increase significantly.
Alicia had even calculated that if she lost the handkerchief, she would have no choice but to hold Bayezid’s hand.
“I guess I’ll have to rethink the whole thing.”
As his thoughts became more complicated, Josef leaned his head against the cold window and took a deep breath.
The sound of crunching snow falling to the ground was heard from outside.
It was now an unwelcome sight.
※※※※
Knights facing each other in a large drawing room.
Even though the weapon was sheathed, the look in the eyes between the two groups was nothing short of brutal.
However, if you look closely, you will see that the articles’ reactions are slightly different.
The northern knights wearing fur cloaks smiled strangely.
The knights of the West with their feathers raised are gritting their teeth.
Winners laugh and losers hang their heads.
The knights of the North stood in the drawing room, fully enjoying the rights granted to them by their youngest son.
“I wish I could get my sword back.”
Godin, who was always smiling, was now looking at the man in front of him with a slightly stern expression.
Godin always treated his opponents with a flexible attitude, but he had never faced a situation as humiliating as the present.
“Hmm.”
After hearing Godin’s words, Xayar just stroked his chin and made a troubled expression.
“There doesn’t seem to be a problem with the procedure.” “But wouldn’t it be burdensome?”
Stephen is the eldest son of Count Sigmund.
He was talking back, but Godin was asking if he could suffer the repercussions of taking that man’s sword.
“I guess that’s a problem we can handle on our own.”
Xayar crossed his arms and sneered at Godin.
Bayezid’s attitude towards Gaidar could be seen in his attitude that there was no need to worry at all.
“Still, taking away a sword during a duel is not common. “This clearly has crossed the line.”
As Godin said, taking away a sword during a duel could be considered excessive.
However, in the current situation, it would be a trophy that would not be a problem at all.
“I think Gaidar was the first to not think about what happened in the first place.”
Obviously, Gaidar was the first to ignore Haynal and Bayezid, so the current shame is also a result of their own bringing.
All of these were consequences they had to endure.
“Besides, they crossed the line first.”
I was smiling but I wasn’t laughing.
Although it was the only eye of Xayar left, the light emanating from it gave off a strong presence.
“…Tell me what you want.”
The situation is already a catastrophe.
Godin, who had nothing to say even though he had 10 mouths to say because it was a situation he had led, nevertheless made a final offer to somehow retrieve Stephen’s sword.
“You can’t ask me that.”
Jayar’s eyes deepened at Godin’s question.
The winner of the duel was Vlad, and the owner of the loot was also Vlad.
So, in order to change the fair price, the boy’s intention will be important.
“You know very well why he took Stephen’s sword.”
Jayar pulls his body closer to the table as if there is no hesitation anymore.
The two knights knew well why the boy so desperately wanted victory in yesterday’s duel.
“…I guess so.”
Godin nodded internally at Jayar’s words.
Godin remembered.
Even though the sword was pointed sharply at Stephen, the blue eyes were pointed at him.
As if to ask you to look here or at me.
“…Negotiations have collapsed.”
Why did Vlad take Stephen’s sword?
It was to declare war against the Knight of Blue Moonlight.
Godin was not the only one who could now receive a fair reward for victory.
The relationship that started with Jorge twisted and twisted and eventually ended up here.
Flowing and flowing, the current relationships I met in Dere Mar were relationships that could have been past karma or a trend of the times.
“After all, we’ll see each other later.”
Stephen and Vlad.
The first skirmish between the West and the North.
The winner of that war was the North.
“Go out.”
North said.
Now, get out of Deremar.
“Please say goodbye to me instead.”
“That’s about it.”
The western knights who lost the match had no choice but to stand up and follow their right.
The northern knights opened the door into the cold hallway for them to stand up.
※※※※
Alicia was carefully embroidering a handkerchief brought by a maid in her office.
“I did it.” “I didn’t say anything.”
Since the handkerchief was almost completely finished, it didn’t seem like it needed her help, but a cause is important anytime, anywhere.
“I’ve done everything to this extent.”
“……you’re right.”
There was nothing she couldn’t do if she had to, but Alicia found it difficult to handle the duties of the head of the family.
In any case, it was true that Alicia had embroidered at least a single stitch, so the boy receiving this handkerchief would fully understand the current situation.
“Hmm. “There’s no need to accept Joseph’s offer now, right?”
“That’s right.”
Alicia wiped her handkerchief as if that was enough, folded the letter that Josef had given her, and put it back in the envelope.
Since Vlad had rejected Istvan’s marriage proposal as his knight, there was no longer a need for him to have Oksana as his godmother.
“You’re welcome. No matter how warm Bayezid’s embrace was, I was reluctant to give them an excuse.”
“you’re right.”
Alicia’s goal is the survival of Hainal and the reconstruction of Deermar.
Alicia, who knew that no matter how warm Bayezid’s embrace was, that their goal was to ultimately take control of this place, she was struggling to stand up on her own.
And her struggles were now finding a new target.
“…A knight like Lord Vlad is rare, isn’t he?”
“of course. Alicia.”
If you get just one girl, you get all the rights to Hainal and Deermar.
For Alicia, who had no power to protect herself, the current situation was that her mere existence was a weakness.
“How far do you expect him to grow in the future?”
Therefore, the knight named Vlad, whose potential in the future was more anticipated than in the present, was clearly someone who had all the elements she could covet.
“…If we continue to grow like this, we will probably represent the North in the next generation. “That’s a lot of wood.”
Duncan was already aged as a knight, but his eyes, trained by experience, were still sharp.
As someone who had witnessed the two duels at Deirmar, Duncan had already realized that the boy’s potential was extraordinary.
“Hmm.”
Alicia fell into deep worry after listening to Duncan’s words.
Although her appearance did not suit her frowning, she was now gaining the elegance of being the owner of a manor rather than an ordinary lady.
“……As expected, it is not easy for a woman to take on the role of head of the family on her own. There is no guarantee that something like this will not happen again.”
Insects are attracted to beautiful flowers.
Although there were no marriage proposals like Gaidar’s, letters from numerous noble men seeking her right to succeed were already piling up in her office.
It was dangerous as it was.
“It would be better to have a driver with no background under my wing.”
In this situation, there is only one way for Alicia to solidify her foundation as the only Hainal.
The only way was to find an untimely partner from another family as a husband.
“Oh oh. Alicia.”
Duncan was taken aback when he realized what Alicia was aiming for.
No matter how likely it was, the boy was still a young boy who had only been a knight for a few weeks.
“Bayezid might also like my proposal. In a way, doesn’t it feel like a blood pact?” “Isn’t it still too early? No matter how much a knight is a semi-noble person…”
“I heard it would be bigger.”
Duncan felt like he wanted to pick up what he had just said.
However, since he was in a situation where he could not suggest any other alternative than the one proposed by Alicia, he just lowered his head with a sad expression.
“It would be better to get it first before others take it.”
“…….”
Duncan silently agreed that Alicia’s decision was not completely groundless.
“…But don’t make too hasty decisions.”
“It’s better than getting married to a strange man.”
With those words, Alicia turned her head and looked towards where the Hainal tree was.
“Besides, what you’re doing is also admirable.”
Alicia’s watery eyes were watching the boy’s actions there.
The hill where my parents’ graves are.
The boy was spraying the alcohol he was holding with his head bowed at the owners of Hainal’s unit.
It was as if he was grateful for watching over him.
The other men were just making a fuss to gain confidence, but the blonde boy was pouring alcohol for his parents.
