"Rizieri Ryntum, 14 years old," he murmurs softly, his voice barely audible. "I suppose that is my name and age in this unfamiliar world," He gazes inward, contemplating the revelation provided by the brown-haired woman who confidently claims to be his older sister, Reina Ryntum.
In the present moment, Reina's eyebrows knit together, and her crimson eyes are fixed upon Riz with an unmistakable blend of concern and curiosity.
"Are you okay, Riz?" she inquires, her voice tinged with genuine worry.
"Yes, I'm okay," Riz responds. His words were concise yet tinged with a hint of something indiscernible.
Reina's gaze lingers on his attire, a visible trace of blood staining his garments, causing her concern to deepen. "But your clothes and the blood..."
"Relax, sister." Riz utters softly, "It's not my blood. Rather, it belongs to the beast", he said, trying to assure his worried sister.
"You killed the beast on your own?" Reina's eyes widened in shock upon hearing Riz's statement. To her knowledge, her younger brother was not capable enough to slay such a formidable creature. Moreover, why was the beast so far from its natural habitat?
Despite his sister's questioning and suspicious tone, Riz maintains a calm expression on his face. However, his mind is operating at its utmost capacity, searching for the most logical explanation to allay his sister's suspicions.
"It's not as if I'm fighting the beast head-on...", Riz starts laying down his reasoning. "When the beast is chasing me, I'm simply running around, trying to get rid of it. Then, I sought refuge and bided my time for the opportune moment to strike. The clothes were torn up because I misjudged the timing. But, fortunately, I narrowly evaded its lethal claws."
"The blood you currently see belongs to the beast. It sprayed on me when I'm piercing its neck using my sword". Riz asserts, hoping to reinforce the credibility of his account.
'Did she buy it?', he glanced at Reina, wanting to see her expression. Although Riz knows that his story sounds implausible and has many inconsistencies, he can't think of a better and more convincing explanation at the moment.
"Very well," Reina concedes, reluctantly accepting the answer she hears. "But remember to let me know if you feel hurt anywhere," she adds, her concern for Riz evident in her words.
"Okay, okay," Riz replies.
Sigh-
He exhales audibly, 'I keep using the term 'beast' and she didn't even ask what type of beast is it. I guess I'm safe for now. But, I really need to study more about this world after I get back. Let's hope that the animals here are the same as on Earth.'
To be honest, Riz feels a little bit weird about having older siblings as he has always been the eldest of siblings in his entire life.
Suddenly becoming the youngest in this life can be really awkward. He doesn't know how to act in front of Reina, his older sister. And so, he just decided to be himself.
Presently, they find themselves seated in a carriage, en route to Bideford Town where the Ryntum mansion awaits their arrival.
Yes, a mansion.
As it turns out, Riz discovers that he is a noble hailing from the esteemed Ryntum family.
After talking to Reina for a while, Riz is able to acquire some basic information.
Their noble lineage has governed Bideford County for nearly two centuries.
Riz learns that his father, Count Richard Ryntum, currently holds the title of lord over Bideford County. Surprisingly, his father has not one or two, but three wives.
That's right! three wives!!
It appears that within the noble society, it is normal for nobles to marry as many women as they can. Some nobles have up to seven wives. Not to mention, some nobles even take it a step further and maintain mistresses in addition to their formal wives.
On average, the head of the noble house typically has around four to five wives, making his father's case of having only three wives and no mistress quite unusual.
Returning to the matter of Riz's family members, it becomes clear that his father, Count Richard Ryntum, not only has three wives but also five children.
Richard Ryntum [Head of the family]
Maria Gyalcakes (first wife)
Josephine Csorvar (second wife)
Eve (third wife)
Robert Ryntum, 20 (1st - Maria's child)
Reina Ryntum, 19 (2nd - Josephine's child)
Rachel Ryntum, 17 (3rd - Maria's child)
Russell Ryntum, 15 (4th - Josephine's child)
Rizieri Ryntum, 14 (5th - Eve's child)
Apparently, Riz's mother is the only commoner among Richard's wives. Back then, when his father wanted to marry a commoner, he received strong opposition from his other wives.
In their opinion, noble blood shouldn't be mixed with the commoners as it could lower their reputation in a noble society. However, Richard was resolute in his decision to marry Eve.
Riz didn't find the reaction shown by members of the noble society surprising at all.
What surprised him is that his father was very determined to marry a commoner.
Unfortunately, his mother didn't live very long. According to Reina, she passed away two years ago due to contracting the disease.
Upon hearing this news, Riz remains relatively unaffected. Throughout his life, he had minimal interactions with his mother, so to him, Eve is practically a stranger.
The carriage persists in its northward journey, steadily progressing towards the town. Approximately thirty minutes have elapsed since their departure from the forest.
Riz fervently hopes for their arrival to be imminent. Due to the lack of suspension and shock absorbers, he felt uncomfortable moving in this shaking carriage. He really misses the comfort of modern vehicles.
After an additional ten minutes pass, he finally sees the wall that protects the town.
The wall, constructed from stacked stones bound together by mortar, looms before them. Its height measures approximately five meters, providing a formidable barrier. Scattered at intervals along the wall, distinctive round-shaped defence towers stand as sentinels, maintaining a watchful eye over the surroundings.
Beyond the protective embrace of the wall, vast fields stretch out, further enhancing the aura of a quintessential medieval town.
As Riz gazes upon the scene unfolding before him, he becomes acutely aware that this is to be his new home. 'So this is where I'm going to live now.'