CHAPTER 39

"Have all the guests left?"

Alicia barely managed to swallow another sigh as she looked at the trees through the window.

The tree had always been a solace for her, a reminder of her father.

"Everyone has left, except the people from the Bayezid family."

"I feel so bad that I didn't even have a chance to... warn them before they left."

The honorable duel had ended.

It might not have started honorably, but it concluded with a new blossoming, so it's safe to say it was an honorable duel.

"Did Endre escape too?"

"No. He... sought protection from the church through the priest."

Endre asserted his rights, claiming that the duel had not yet concluded, and asked for protection. As the church deemed the request justified, Alicia couldn't take retaliatory action until Endre was outside of Deomar.

"I feel my heart crumpling."

"..."

Alicia had to release Endre, as well as the knights who had tried to push her into her downfall. It felt like a wound to her pride, to her very soul, but it couldn't be avoided.

In these tumultuous times, a cause was both a spear and a shield, and besides, Alicia still didn't fully control Deomar.

Everything needed time to unfold.

"Until next time, Lady Alicia."

"These past few days, it feels like hot anger is running through me instead of warm blood, Sir Duncan."

And so, as if swallowing bitter poison, she had to let them go.

Because she had to show her face as the rightful lord.

Because those who rule must assume responsibilities and duties, along with privileges.

"How are the lemons?"

"Not very well..."

Alicia was a resolute person, though lately she had been shaken by great trials. Even though she had just reclaimed her position, she strove to attend to Deomar's internal affairs.

Though she burned inside.

"They are producing less..."

Alicia looked out the window once again, furrowing her brow. A tree said to have been planted in her great-grandfather's time.

The tree was a symbol of the Heinal family, and in her father's time, it had blossomed every spring. Though it had grown and flourished, she wondered if it was dying instead of blooming now.

Perhaps that was why.

As time passed, the climate around Deomar became increasingly colder, and lemons produced less and less.

Deomar's reputation as a lemon-producing region had tarnished.

"Would we prefer to cultivate more barley?"

"Why don't we look... a little longer?"

Changing the industrial structure that supported a territory's economy wasn't an easy decision. It was also a decision that would prove very challenging for the Heinals, whose internal struggles were draining their strength.

"Afterward..."

It felt like she had cleared one mountain, only to find another waiting for her. Alicia finally sighed heavily with frustration.

"Huh?"

For a moment, a bright golden glint formed in her eyes.

It was the figure of someone running back and forth outside the window.

"....Sir Duncan."

"Yes. Lady Alicia."

Alicia said with a smile, looking out the window.

"Aren't all knights supposed to know how to ride a horse?"

"You can't be a knight if you don't know how to ride a horse; it's as important a virtue as the sword."

"Ah...."

A sound that she couldn't tell if it was a sorrowful sigh or a subdued exclamation escaped from Alicia's delicate lips.

"I guess God doesn't give everything after all."

"I can feel Sir Zayar's distress..."

For a moment, Alicia looked out the window, temporarily forgetting her many concerns, and smiled for the first time in a long while.

The sight of the boy circling like in a rodeo in the mansion gardens in the distance reassured her.

He clung for dear life, but then he was thrown off the horse.

***

"I thought you said you needed an expensive horse?"

"I definitely rode one last time..."

An exhausted horse, a boy rolling on the ground, and a stable boy by his side, not knowing what to do. They all watched in horror as the knight toyed with his eye patch.

"Didn't you say you needed an expensive horse?"

"Maybe it should be a more expensive one..."

The frustration contained in Vlad's insolent response exploded, and Zayar wasted no time in striking his squire.

"Kuck!"

"Always think before you speak!"

Vlad rolled to the ground once again under Zayar's blow, but he quickly regained his balance with a fall now as familiar as breathing.

"I'm pretty sure I rode it last time, though Gott was driving."

"Yes, if it's true, Sir Zayar. He definitely got on it."

Watching the two chattering like parrots, as if innocent of any mischief, Zayar gripped his throbbing temple, lost in thought.

"This is serious."

He had thought he would be able to teach him how to ride, but that wasn't the problem.

Hiiiiing-.

As the boy said, it really was the horse.

Or, to be more precise, the horses looked at Vlad and retreated.

As if they were afraid of something.

Even his own horse showed signs of it.

"That's enough for today."

"Tomorrow?"

"...Don't do it tomorrow."

Faced with Zayar's response, Vlad looked at him displeased.

"What?"

"..."

Whether by nature or because of his upbringing, the competitive and exaggerated boy wanted to learn riding somehow, defeated or not.

Because, frankly, he was getting nowhere.

Can you use an aura, but you can't ride a horse?

What a ridiculous thing.

"So when will I learn to ride a horse?"

"We're postponing it for now."

"That's a word I've heard a lot since I'm here."

"Is that a complaint?"

"A bit."

Zayar sighed to himself at the squire's refusal to be intimidated in his presence.

How difficult to deal with, he thought.

"Let's go back to Sturma and think about it. It's enough for today."

The boy and the stable boy could only stand there bitterly as Zayar said his piece and walked away with determined steps.

"It seems the horses don't like you."

Vlad's stomach turned as he saw the situation deteriorating.

"And what if this doesn't work?"

"Why don't you try riding a cow... or something, they're more boring than horses."

This idiot.

Vlad's blue eyes widened at Gott's ridiculous suggestion.

"So, is that all you have to say?"

Vlad growled at Gott, who had the audacity to suggest he ride a cow.

"You never stop barking, do you? Think a little before you speak."

"...I feel like I've heard that before."

Gott quickly averted his gaze as the vile creature unleashed its wrath on Zayar.

I'll endure this as long as it takes.

I'm betting big on you.

I can't help but endure...

"Captain, I'll go then. I'll take this distinguished knight to the stables."

"Out of here, both of you. Out of my sight."

Heeeeeee-ing

Finally showing signs of separating from Vlad, Zayar's horse began to neigh, showing its teeth in joy.

"....."

Despite being his master's words, Vlad couldn't help but feel flattered by the spectacle.

"Goodbye, then! Take care!"

Fuhihihing-!

Behind him, whether Vlad gritted his teeth or not, Zayar's horse and Bayezid's stable companion walked away with very cheerful steps.

"Damn it, what the hell could be the problem!"

exclaimed Vlad, kicking the ground in frustration as he watched their backs.

He had asked for favors from Zayar and received nothing in return.

[I wonder if it's a matter of low energy; animals are more sensitive to these things than humans.]

In response to the voice, Vlad sheathed his sword.

"So, what should I do?"

[You have to learn to control your energy.]

".....?"

[It's part of dealing with the mental world, and eventually, you'll need to be able to use aura freely to control energy impulses.]

"...."

The voice replied, leaving Vlad speechless.

Although Vlad had flourished in the dueling arena that day, it was too difficult to use aura again.

He could barely materialize it correctly, and when he did, it was only weakly.

In other words, it would take a lot of mastery and training to use it in combat.

[Think of Zayar's words about not running before you can walk: not everything must be done in haste.]

"Alright."

Vlad turned his gaze into the distance, remembering the words of his two masters that both swordsmanship and aura must ultimately master the basics.

"I guess I should take one last look... since there's nothing I can do here anymore."

The boy not only learned from Zayar and the Voice but absorbed everything like a sponge.

Josef Bayezid.

The young man, whose noble blood guaranteed him the qualities of a leader, was also a great teacher for Vlad.

Always thinking for the worst and wanting the best, his behavior was enlightening for Vlad.

Josef's attitude, valuing opportunities and possibilities, definitely broadened the boy's horizons.

"Let's save the best for last."

[Agreed.]

As he had learned from Josef, Vlad decided to make the most of his last free time and head back towards the hill's trees.

He couldn't see it from the boy's world, but he could feel the warmth enveloping the hill.

***

"No, we won't meet Lady Alicia again, right?"

[I thought there was a window from her office to this place.]

"Let's go."

Vlad walked, heading towards the hill to avoid an awkward encounter with Alicia.

He was aware of his obviously rude behavior, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

It might be his last chance.

"After all, I've done all this for you."

And even if they caught him, Vlad was the kind of man who could afford to stretch a little.

If it hadn't been for the boy, Alicia might be lying cold right now.

So maybe he could get away with it.

Vlad, who had been told he could see this place from his office, knelt before the tree once again, as if praying.

It was already a familiar position.

"You seem to be an old friend, so speak nicely."

[Mmm. The snake recognized me. I was honestly surprised.]

said the voice, though hearing Vlad, sincerely didn't believe he could evoke the memory.

The aura of the white snake was definitely familiar but not in a strong way.

[…But there must have been a connection.]

But there was only one thing he could do now.

The voice fell silent, unfolding its world through the boy's open left eye.

The colorful bloom of the boy's world faded, and a white, pulsating world began to float in consciousness.

It was the same color as the roots of the boy's world.

And finally, the moment came when the white world was completely in the boy's eyes.

[….!]

"…..!"

The boy and the voice. Both looked horrified at the spectacle before them.

A tree on a hill, seen through the world of voices.

There was nothing there.

Sssss.

For it had descended from the tree and was right in front of them.

The distance was such that they could feel its breath.

"You're his friend… right?"

[…I hope so.]

As if it had been waiting for them to arrive, the snake slid down from the tree and began to coil around where Vlad was.

He couldn't say it exactly because he couldn't speak, but it seemed to be wrapping around Vlad's body with a sense of excitement.

"This is a greeting, isn't it?"

[…I think it should be.]

The invisible but surely present snake wrapped tightly around the boy and moved its tail.

If Vlad gave it the slightest push, it would be reduced to a formless pulp.

But still.

The boy and the voice might be surprised, but they didn't feel threatened.

Because everything in the snake touching them was warm.

There was an emotional connection that couldn't be communicated with words.

"…."

The snake, which had managed to coil around the boy, peeked its head out and slithered away.

It seemed to be dancing, but despite the movement of its large body, it felt completely weightless.

"Is this?"

[Don't try to understand spirits; they are just another form of the world.]

Humans have always tried to interpret everything in the world on their own terms, but it's impossible for a mortal's thin soul to understand everything around it.

Perhaps that's why humans trust in gods.

Honestly, even the boy invoked the name of God, at least for now.

Hiss-

Something began to rise from the hillside in time with the movements of the dancing snake.

Despite the clarity of the day, the blue lights rising looked like night time fireflies.

They flew towards the snake.

[…Is this?]

Even the voice, which had always remained calm, was panicking at the current situation.

Hiss-

The snake began to retreat.

As if it had done its job.

"….."

At the same time, the boy's black-gray armor began to glow with the color of blue fireflies.

Vlad stood gaping, looking at his shining armor.

[Blessing.]

Said the voice, and Vlad, suddenly back in his own world, looked forward.

He saw a snake.

It was looking at him.

It was visible in his own world.

Hiss-

smiled seeing the boy's armor glow.

It attracted the boy and blessed his voice.

With its own warmth.

"…."

Vlad didn't know why, but his armor seemed to smell like fresh lemons.