It was about a day later that the knight regained consciousness. Just as he was changing the bandages, the knight opened his mouth with a dry voice.
"Water... !"
"It's here."
As Sylas handed him the water, the knight quickly snatched it and began to gulp it down. After drinking two bowls in quick succession, he seemed to recover a bit and took a breath.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing."
"No, you saved my life. I will never forget your favor."
Seeing the knight bowed his head, unlike the forceful attitude from yesterday, Sylas was slightly surprised. It was rare for a knight to acknowledge a favor so readily. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the knight was quite young. He looked like he had just finished his squire training and become a knight.
'Is he a believer in chivalry?'
Knights typically value chivalry, but among them, there are those who dedicate their lives to it. From Sylas's perspective, the knight in front of him seemed to belong to that category.
"My name is Roderick Vale. What is your name?"
"Sylas. Sylas, son of Lyria."
"Lu, Sylas ?"
The knight, Roderick, flinched at the name. Sylas—wasn't that the same name he had been searching for ? The name Lyria also sounded familiar. It was certainly the name of the woman his lord had mentioned.
With a sense of hope, Roderick asked Sylas.
"Have you lived in this village all your life ?"
"I was born here, but my maternal grandfather and mother lived in Baneheim to the north."
"Baneheim !"
If he was referring to Baneheim, that was certainly where the woman originally lived! It felt like the jigsaw puzzle that had been misaligned was finally clicking into place. Roderick recalled how he came to this village, beginning with a single remark from the Count.
'When I visited Baneheim in the north on knightly duty, I spent several months with a woman there. Find out about her'
The Count had always been a man of strong duty and responsibility. He must have worried that perhaps he had fathered a child during that time, something he had long forgotten.
Even if he had a child from an outside affair, he had to fulfill his obligations.
As the knights descended into the north, they didn't pay much attention to this matter. They assumed that if he had fathered a child, that child would have already come to take a position as a concubine and wouldn't remain in the countryside.
Unfortunately, the knights' assumptions were misguided.
'Norman ? It's been quite some time since he left. I heard his daughter was carrying a knight's child, but where could a pregnant woman have gone ?'
The circumstances clearly indicated that no other man had been visiting her. Everyone in the village unanimously declared that the only father could be the count. The startled knights returned to relay the information directly to the count.
__"Find her. No, find my child."
Who would dare disobey such an order? The knights scattered in all directions to gather information. Fortunately, Roderick managed to hear news about an old hunter and a pregnant woman, and he headed towards Brick Village while concealing his identity.
He could have used the count's crest, but doing so could tarnish his lord's honor.
'But those damned villagers…!'
He never imagined that he would be mistaken for a mercenary knight and attacked. Even now, just thinking about it made him grit his teeth. Roderick tried to suppress his anger and carefully examined Sylas. Upon closer look, the resemblance was quite striking.
Especially the dark brown hair and purple eyes—weren't they just like the count's?
"Hmm, do you have any family members living with you?"
"My grandfather, the hunter, has passed away. My father had a brief connection with my mother, but beyond that, I don't know much. They said he was a knight with a red dragon emblem on his armor."
"...!"
Wasn't the red dragon the emblem of the Corleone family? Moreover, the fact that his grandfather was a hunter living in the north was even more telling. At this point, there was no room for doubt. Roderick's voice trembled as he made one final confirmation.
"W-what was your grandfather's name?"
"Norman. He said his name was Norman."
"Oh !"
Roderick felt tears welling up in his eyes. To fulfill his lord's command and simultaneously discover such a connection—it was almost too much to bear!
From the moment the villagers rushed to protect him, he sensed that Sylas was no ordinary child. Yet, he never expected that he would be the blood of his lord !
"Sir Roderick pays his respects to the young master !"
"Huh? Young master ?"
Seeing Roderick kneel painfully with one knee on the ground, Sylas tilted his head in confusion. Noticing Sylas's puzzled expression, Roderick continued, "I understand this must be surprising for you. Allow me to explain. I am originally from the Corleone family…"
***
Hearing the grand explanation, Sylas nodded as if he finally understood the situation.
"I see. Sir Roderick, you came to fetch me."
"That's correct. Although things turned out this way because of a problem..."
Roderick trailed off. He had come to greet Sylas, only to nearly lose his life to a mere village mob, a humiliation unbefitting a knight. The more he thought about it, the more anger and shame surged within him.
"I understand the circumstances. However, for now, you should rest until your wounds heal."
"No, I'm fine. This wound is nothing; I can go to the neighboring village right away and contact the count..."
"Sir Roderick."
Sylas spoke softly to Roderick.
"Though I know little about being a knight, I understand that the body is a valuable asset. I can't allow you to overexert yourself while injured."
"However, now that I know the situation, I must hurry..."
"For me, it's only a matter of arriving a few days early. But for you, Sir Roderick, this is precious time for your recovery. You will stand on the battlefield again someday, so take care of yourself."