Even if appointed to the same position as the former mayor, the roles of the former mayor and Josef were clearly different.
While the former mayor aimed to maintain Shoara's smooth operation and secure revenue, Josef was someone who needed his own solid achievements.
"I wonder if Aage will properly bow his head to Vlad."
"....At the very least, he should understand the current situation."
He raised a promising boy named Vlad and gained firm control over the territory of Deomar.
Josef, who had achieved such success, was now planning his next move, which was dealing with the barbarians beyond the northern border.
"I believe Aage understands that my proposal was made with the utmost sincerity."
Bayezid had been challenged by many families regarding their authority, and now it was time for him to respond with action.
And before that, the prerequisite for Bayezid's success would be to somehow eliminate any potential threats lurking behind it.
"...So he should know well what will happen after rejecting my proposal."
After receiving such a heavy blow from Mirshea that the tribe's foundation was shaken, the Budart tribe had no choice but to take the hand that Josef extended.
"It would be great if they moved as intended."
"That's right."
It would be a task worth attempting, but it wouldn't be easy.
Josef, who knew this, poured warm wine into a glass and let out a small sigh.
"...I wonder when this division began."
Though they were both from the northern region, barbarians and northerners had long been at odds.
It is unknown when the chain of hatred began, but Josef did not think that the current situation would be beneficial to the North.
Our worlds may be adjacent, but they can never be one.
Because there were so many differences separating their worlds that it was difficult to even count them.
"I hope he does well this time too."
Nevertheless, if one were to say why Josef attached Aage to Vlad, it would be because he saw a very slight potential in the boy.
A boy riding a black horse, revered by the barbarians.
And the boy who saved the barbarians by riding that horse and hunting the northern dragon.
Vlad, unlike the northerners he had known so far, was gaining a slight sense of camaraderie with the barbarians.
Josef could only hope that Vlad would exceed his expectations once again this time.
※※※※
Ever since Vlad left that evening, Dice's gambling den has not been able to open.
Externally, it was announced that the interior facilities were being maintained, but in reality, it was because Vlad had ordered a week-long suspension of operations.
"Is this enough?"
"I'm not sure. We'll have to see."
Arriving at Vordan's office, Vlad set down a handful of papers he had brought with him.
"I have no idea what this is about."
"Just knowing that words are written is a wonderful thing."
The papers Vlad brought were all financial documents from the Dice's gambling den.
Although they had been seized to estimate profits from previous fraudulent activities, Vordan, who was supposed to deal with them, simply pushed the papers aside quietly.
"...Should I take some of these away?"
"No."
Vlad himself knew that they were meaningless documents, even though he didn't know what was written on them.
To reopen the Dice's gambling den, flashy gold coins would be the answer, rather than clear justifications.
"Don't take any bribes yet."
"From whom?"
"From my friend."
After hearing Vlad's reply, Vordan shrugged his shoulders.
"Whoever it is, they're a smart friend. It's the foundation of strategy."
Harven told Vlad that it was a time not for reaping but for sowing seeds.
Instead of being eager for immediate gain, it was advised to aim for higher fruits.
"Go see Sir Gregory later."
"Why?"
Vordan felt proud seeing Vlad finding the right path.
The boy who couldn't even read orders properly had somehow turned into a worthy knight.
So it would be okay to offer him a little help.
"Because what you both want aligns perfectly."
"······?"
Seeing Vlad's questioning gaze, Vordan rummaged through a drawer and tossed him a candy.
It was a dessert that suited a clueless novice.
"I've said everything I need to say, so go ahead."
Seeing Vordan waving his hand while saying strange words, Vlad had no choice but to go outside.
"What's that?"
Vlad, who came out into the hallway with ambiguous words, just scratched his head.
Jorge had praised Vlad as someone who could be a leader anywhere, but the problem was that his thinking was still confined to the alley.
Regardless of whether he was clever or not, Vlad, who had just risen to the top, still didn't have enough time to understand the world of knights.
"Vlad, Vlad."
But it would be fine.
"Sir Gregory?"
Vlad, who always found what he needed to do even in unfamiliar surroundings, followed Gregory's beckoning gesture at the end of the hallway and accepted the item he offered.
It was wrapped in luxurious packaging.
It was the pickled meat of the Kanoor family that Potree often offered during their squire days.
"I was just about to come see you."
"Is that so?"
Although it meant agreeing to Vordan's words, Gregory seemed to interpret it differently and began to be very pleased.
"Perfect. I knew we'd understand each other."
"Really?"
Gregory is Potree's maternal uncle.
In other words, he had a close relationship with the Kanoor family.
"Did you say 'Black Bear'? It is an organization that runs the meat business in the alley."
"Yes."
While the Kanoor family was famous for its livestock industry in Bayezid County, they only had territory limited to Sturma and nearby villages.
"Lord Josef doesn't seem to like them either. How about we team up and give them a run for their money?"
"······."
For the Kanoor family to smoothly expand their influence into other regions, it would be best to take over the existing market.
And conveniently, in the city of Shoara, there was a young knight sponsored by the Kanoor family.
"So that's what this is about."
"Huh?"
A knight wields a sword, and a sword represents strength.
Behind the knights who paved the way with legitimate justifications, there were always people looking to gain benefits.
"Sure. I was thinking of lending a hand anyway."
Vlad chuckled as he accepted the pickled meat from Gregory.
"Are you going to lend me people?"
"Of course. If you want, you can participate directly."
Dice's gambling den and Captain Hoover in the smuggling business were fine, but not the Black Bear.
He had crossed the line.
And knights had the authority to deal with those who crossed the line.
Vlad now believed he could finally avenge Anna's death.
※※※※
Creak- Click.
On the white alley that was temporarily covered in filth, Vlad exhaled quietly.
The dockside road where Harven was.
And the alley leading to the blacksmith.
Vlad could momentarily forget reality when walking these two paths.
Even though the reality he faced might be dizzying, walking these two paths felt like walking straight lines, perhaps because they were leading somewhere.
Thunk!
Finally, Vlad opened the door with a harsh sound and entered a dark forge with no lights, accompanied by the cold winter wind.
"······."
As he entered, the first things that caught his eye were the dusty workbench and the cold, lifeless forge.
The forge should always have been burning, but now it was filled only with a dim layer of ash.
"I guess I came too late."
The snow outside the door that had not been cleared for a long time had piled up and turned into a hard lump of ice.
It was standing there blocking the shabby door, as if to show that no one had come for a while.
"I had a favor to ask you."
Vlad had come here because he had something to ask the old man and something to show him.
However, the old blacksmith just lay motionless on his old bed even though the guest came.
Vlad, seeing him motionless, pulled a chair nearby and sat down.
"I came to ask you to attach this to the pommel."
Vlad held the yellow amber stone given to him by Alicia in his hand and looked down quietly.
He thought the old man would like it.
Though he had never left the back alleys his whole life, the old man, who had always longed for the outside world, had always enjoyed Vlad's stories, accompanied by the scars on the sword.
"······."
Vlad, too, had always liked the sound of the old man's laughter echoing with the sound of the hammer.
Vlad suddenly looked up at the ceiling of the forge.
There was a wooden pillar deeply notched by something.
It was where an unadorned sword had always hung.
"It's been a while since I last saw this, so it looks unfamiliar again."
The old man's dreams had been hanging in the back alleys for a long time, and the boy could keep his hope alive by looking at those dreams.
Perhaps the old man had been saving Vlad even before the night he escaped from Shoara.
"In fact, I came to give you this."
Vlad stood up with a heavy sigh and took out an item that had been wrapped neatly in cloth in his arms.
An unadorned sword.
Only the hilt, which could no longer be called a sword, remained in the back alley.
Vlad handed the unadorned sword to the old man lying coldly.
"Thank you."
He wanted to say many things, but in the end, it would be just one word.
Thank you for saving him.
Vlad finally lit a fire in the old man's forge one last time and stood up.
The warmth spreading from there made Vlad's heart a little lighter.
"Have good dreams."
The cold winter wind came in with a squeak, and soon the door closed with the boy's back moving further and further away.
The boy leaves, but the old man remains.
Time flows like that, and no one will complain about it.
"······."
With the boy gone, the desolate forge was now empty.
There, the old blacksmith was holding the hilt of the unadorned sword as Vlad had told him.
He was dreaming with an unadorned sword.
In his dream, he saw snowy mountains he had never visited, and dragon running in meadows he had never seen.
Now that he was out of the back alley, there seemed to be a small smile on his face.
The unadorned sword, started in the old man's dreams but completed in the boy's hands.
The star that had been hanging towards the sky finally returned to the old man's embrace.
Shining brighter than anyone else.