Chapter 58

"Thank you so much. I will never forget this kindness. Thanks to you, I barely escaped with my life."

They couldn't just leave the man who had collapsed after being hit by him, so they brought him to the castle.

Leandros had carried him on his back, and Arndt had removed all his armor, washed him, and given him food.

He had just watched from the side.

The man had quite a noble impression.

His curly golden hair, as deep in hue as the sun, always sparkled, and his eyes, as blue as the sea, gave a kind and steadfast impression.

He had a similar build to Leandros but projected a different image.

If Leandros was like a vast snow mountain, this person was like a fresh and abundant forest in summer.

He had no hesitation in speaking or dealing with people.

"Let me introduce myself formally again. I am Russel Nabilov, a holy knight of the Holy Knight Order."

"The Holy Knight Order?"

"Yes. I haven't been a knight for long and am quite lacking, so I was walking the pilgrimage route, including the infamous Dikenter Mountains."

What did all that mean?

When he looked at Arndt, Arndt perceptively cleared his throat and asked.

"Isn't a pilgrimage a ceremony that holy knights must undergo? I've heard that one typically embarks on the pilgrimage route after having one's name registered in the knight's roster for several years."

"That's correct. Isn't the original meaning of pilgrimage to endure hardship and bestow goodness? It takes a full three years to complete a pilgrimage, and there are many difficulties along the way."

"Is there a reason you set out on the pilgrimage route so early?"

"Because I wanted to acquire skills as quickly as possible and serve actively as a proper holy knight... would that be a sufficient explanation?"

"That's admirable. It must have been a difficult decision."

"You flatter me."

Thanks to Arndt's deliberate questions, he was able to gather some information.

The Holy Knight Order had something called a pilgrimage, which was usually undertaken by someone with some experience.

But seeing how this guy was already doing such things, he must be confident in his abilities.

Looking at Russel, who was smiling sheepishly, he asked.

"Did you come here through the agreement between the Dikenter Mountains and the temple?"

"Yes, that's right. I've heard that experiencing as many trials as possible is the way to grow quickly."

"Do you happen to know when the agreement's effective period ends? If not, then you have trespassed on a location where entry is prohibited by other families."

"What? But the agreement didn't say anything like that."

"Do you have any supporting documents?"

"Of course!"

Russel, looking quite perplexed, pulled out a crumpled paper from the shabby travel bundle placed beside him.

The paper, folded several times, was old but was clearly an agreement bearing the official signature of the previous generation's Duke.

While he examined the paper, Russel continued to talk.

"The temple where I trained directly provided me with a copy authorized by the central temple. As you can see, everything is legal. It's certainly not trespassing."

"Yes, I see the signature of the previous Duke."

He emphasized as he handed the agreement to Arndt.

"The 'previous' Duke."

"What? Is that a problem?"

"Well, agreements formed at the family level, not the individual level, go through re-agreement after succession, don't they?"

"Re...agreement?"

"As far as I know, the current Hartmann Duke, who has newly received his title, hasn't made any specific agreement regarding the Dikenter Mountains."

Arndt read the agreement and returned it with a very sympathetic expression.

Russel hurriedly read the agreement and his eyes widened, as if he had just discovered the detailed clauses.

"Then..."

"Yes, unauthorized entry. Trespassing on private property."

Russel seemed like the type who was quite slow when it came to administration.

Russel fidgeted around, not knowing what to do, then became dejected and put the agreement away.

"That's right. As you pointed out, I've trespassed... without authorization."

"What will you do now?"

"I think I should visit Duke Hartmann and formally apologize."

What, what was he saying?

"Formally apologize. To Duke Hartmann."

"Yes! If I sincerely ask for forgiveness, wouldn't he show mercy? Thank you for this grand feast. If it's not a burden, would it be alright if I leave early tomorrow morning after being indebted to you?"

"That."

"Ah! Where is the Hartmann ducal residence, by the way? I heard it's located somewhere in the mountains, but I shamefully lost my map. It's my negligence."

"Um, you see."

"I won't forget the kindness you've shown me. Would you tell me your name? I will surely repay you someday!"

Arndt was biting his lower lip, trying to hold back his laughter.

Leandros was turning away from him with an icy expression.

Being so oblivious to the point of torture.

He finally decided to kindly inform Russel.

"Sir Knight, this is the Hartmann ducal residence. And there's no need to see the Duke. Nor is there any need to apologize. The Duke will generously overlook it."

"What? How do you know the Duke will forgive me?"

"Well, because that Duke punched you."

"Huh? What? Ah?"

Russel blinked his eyes.

Finally, even he couldn't hold back his laughter and pressed his forehead.

Russel looked around, not understanding what was happening as he began to laugh.

He rose and extended his hand to him.

"Pleased to meet you, Nabilov of the Holy Knight Order. Welcome to the Hartmann ducal residence. I am Arenheit Hartmann, the owner of this residence. Did you enjoy the meal?"

"What?!"

Russel's mouth fell open.

Seeing this, Arndt finally excused himself with an apology and left the dining room.

He seemed to be planning to laugh his heart out outside before coming back in.

Russel, unsure whether to kneel in respect or take the Duke's extended hand, awkwardly knelt on one knee and took his hand with both of his.

"I meet Your Grace, the Duke. Please forgive the rudeness I've committed."

"Not at all. These things happen. I am generous. How did you not notice?"

"W-well."

Russel rolled his eyes around and blushed.

"When I woke up from fainting, the water was warm, and seeing such a feast, I couldn't see anything else... I hadn't eaten for a week."

"Why for a whole week?"

"I ran out of food at the entrance of the mountains. My preparation was inadequate."

At the entrance of the mountains?

Leandros's eyebrow twitched, but ignoring that, he asked Russel again.

"Did you not encounter any demonic beasts during that week in the mountains? It must have been a difficult journey. Couldn't you have gone back down?"

"I thought that once I entered the mountains, turning back would dilute the meaning of the pilgrimage. Fortunately, God watched over me, and I had no major injuries."

A person who survived fighting teeming demonic beasts in the mountains for a week without food.

He looked at Leandros.

Leandros immediately said.

"No."

"What? I haven't said anything yet."

"I anticipate what Your Grace is about to say and advise against it in advance. No."

"Sir Leandros, because of you, applicants have dried up. Please reflect on your responsibility."

"I would rather recommend looking for someone else."

Russel, who had been listening to the conversation between him and Leandros, was now staring fixedly at Leandros.

Oh, come to think of it, Leandros seemed to have been strangely avoiding Russel from the beginning.

"Sir Nabilov? Are you curious about my escort knight?"

"Ah, I apologize. Hearing the name of Your Grace's escort knight reminded me of something. Is that truly Sir Leandros?"

"If my knight hasn't deceived me, then yes."

"I've heard a lot about the person who is Your Grace's escort knight from our Order Commander."

Huh? Why?

Leandros had completely turned his back on them.

But Russel's words didn't stop.

"I heard they fought a lot when they were young with our Order Commander. Ah, of course, they also sparred a lot. The memory of being defeated then still makes him grit his teeth."

"What?"

Leandros said irritably.

"It was during my apprentice knight days. It's not a story worth listening to."

"But at that time, our Commander had been an apprentice knight for several years, while Your Grace's escort knight had received a wooden sword just a few months prior, from what I heard. After formally receiving his knighthood, he wanted to match his skills with you again, but Sir Leandros declared himself a free knight and suddenly disappeared..."

It was an interesting side story.

The protagonist who showed promise from a young age, had he unintentionally made a rival?

From Russel's words, it seemed like the two had built quite a deep connection.

But looking at Leandros now.

"I don't remember."

His attitude of treating it as nothing was completely dismissive.

"How does your Commander speak of my knight?"

"He goes wild whenever he speaks of him. And on those days, he always trains at dawn. Saying that if he meets him again, he can't lose, and such. Even from what I've heard, Sir Leandros's exploits during his apprentice knight days were incredible!"

"That's interesting. How about having a sparring match with him? I don't know much, but they say warriors learn a lot from sparring."

Russel's expression brightened.

It was as if one could see the illusion of an invisible tail wagging vigorously.

Leandros tried to say something, but he answered first.

"If you do it just once, I won't ask about finding applicants for a month."

Leandros looked up at the ceiling, glanced once at Russel whose eyes were sparkling with anticipation, glanced once at him who was being shameless, and then let out a deep sigh.

"That's a promise."

* * *

In the deep hours of dawn.

Two people stood in the middle of the training ground.

One was a person who didn't lose his bright radiance even in the moonlight, and his opponent was someone who seemed to be made by dragging in all the shadows.

The two faced each other and exchanged brief greetings.

Then, without anyone going first, they fiercely rushed at each other.

Russel's sword was honest.

But the destructive power of each of his movements was tremendous.

The slicing sound it made whenever it brushed against Leandros's hair or the hem of his clothes was sharp.

In contrast, Leandros's sword was experienced and precise.

Even his movements to avoid the other's sword path were thoroughly calculated.

No frills, considering only extreme efficiency.

Every time his sword deflected Russel's, every time he blocked Russel's sword, an enormous sound was made.

The swords entangled like snakes, separated, and twisted many times.

When Russel raised Leandros's sword up to slash upward, Leandros avoided it by turning half a circle.

Russel directly parried the wooden sword aimed at his exposed side and then thrust forward, while Leandros blocked from below.

More than ten exchanges rapidly occurred in just a few seconds.

How many minutes had passed?

The unexpectedly prolonged sparring ended with the tip of the wooden sword held by Leandros touching Russel's neck.

After briefly facing each other, the two took a step back.

Russel spoke first.

"I lost. I understand why our Commander continues to remember you."

"It's good that you've learned the basics well, but honest attacks are that much easier for the opponent to read. Even if you find the weakness precisely, if your sword is slow, it's of no use."

"Yes."

"If your opponent is a being who thinks as much as you do, just responding to them isn't enough."

"Yes!"

"Continue to gain more practical experience from now on."

"Thank you for the teaching. I will work hard to improve!"

While Russel's chest heaved from breathing, Leandros maintained an incredibly peaceful demeanor.

Was it that this time, because it wasn't an applicant, he went easy on him?

"Isn't this closer to training than sparring?"

"Ah, Your Grace. Were you watching? It's embarrassing, but I learned a lot from Sir Leandros. It was truly a wonderful experience."

Russel scratched his head and smiled.

What a gentle and solid attitude, not getting angry or frustrated after a defeat.

He nodded.

"How about learning more from my knight in the future?"

"More, you say...?"

"We've been looking for an escort knight. What do you think?"

"Your Grace!"

Leandros raised his voice.

Whether he did or not, it wasn't his concern, though.

"I'm not saying to stay by his side forever. I'll let you go whenever you wish. I just thought it might be better to gain more experience and complete your pilgrimage."

Russel looked perplexedly back and forth between Leandros and him.

"If I'm an escort knight, I think the meaning of hardship in the pilgrimage would be lost."

"Don't worry about that. You'll definitely suffer."

"Will there be a lot to fight?"

"There will be quite a bit in the future."

Russel pondered with a serious face.

Looking at that face, he lowered his voice so only Russel could hear.

"You can spar with Leandros, who beat your Commander, every day. Your skills would improve tremendously, right?"

"...! Yes! I'll do it! Thank you, Your Grace!"

Good. Good.

Next to Russel, who was jumping with joy like a golden retriever, Leandros was looking at him with an expression as if the world had ended.

It was the moment the Hartmann Castle family grew larger.