When Vlad opened the door, the first thing he saw was the elderly knight Duncan, sitting unsure of what to do.
"Oh, oh..."
It seemed he had been under unbearable tension.
Duncan, upon seeing Vlad enter through the door, could finally release a sigh that sounded almost like a groan.
"…Nothing happened here, right?"
Vlad's eyes began to sharpen as he looked at Duncan's pale face.
He realized that something in the room had recently made the experienced and cunning knight shrink.
'The air feels strangely heavy.'
The residual tension that only a swordsman could perceive.
However, there were no obvious signs of enemies here at the moment, just two women smiling at him.
Although both had a much more intense smile than usual.
"I see you've come running over here. You're panting."
"Drink this and breathe. Lord Vlad."
Vlad saw the two glasses of water being offered to him at the same time.
He didn't know why they were sitting together, but Vlad, who was thirsty, unconsciously reached for one of the glasses.
"Thank you."
He trusted them, so he wasn't on guard.
Therefore, Vlad couldn't feel the cold, penetrating gaze of the two women at all.
[Wait!]
"…!"
Suddenly, a warning from Kihano resonated louder than ever.
Vlad shuddered strongly at the sound of Kihano's voice echoing like thunder in his head.
[The moment you even take one of those cups, you'll be in real trouble.]
'Why?'
[Look around you.]
There's a kind of atmosphere that can only be recognized through experience.
And in that sense, there was no one better than Kihano to quickly understand the situation.
For a hero like him, the danger represented by the women was like a calamity that pursued him like a shadow.
[It seems that the sinister prediction of the cat refers to this situation.]
'...'
Prophecies and revelations that are only understood by living in the moment.
Vlad, with the habit of looking around the room, finally noticed that Zemina and Alicia seemed somewhat strange.
"I'm very glad that nothing happened."
Vlad, who lived in the alleys, knew it well.
That there are occasions when one must follow the criterion of instinct more than reason.
"Please share what you said. I'll be leaving now."
Vlad raised his hands as if he wouldn't grab anything.
The movements in which he tried to quickly drop the two glasses of water in front of him were more agile than ever.
"Aren't you going to drink this?"
"I'll go down and drink."
"This is for you."
"Thank you for your consideration. But I have something urgent to attend to."
Pickpockets must have tact.
Now, is this a moment when it's okay to approach or not?
And Vlad was one of the pickpockets who survived until now.
"I'll come to see you later."
The blond knight bowed politely as the door closed quietly.
The two women moistened their lips with their tongue as if disappointed by his clean exit, which no one could criticize.
Vlad, who didn't ignore the warnings directed at him, was a man who deserved to survive.
***
[I need to be kind to that cat. He's a really helpful guy.]
'I know, right.'
Vlad's movements as he descended the stairs were swift, as if he had just escaped from hell.
Even as he descended the stairs, Vlad recalled the previous situation and could discern the kind of tension he felt.
[But you're quite used to such a situation, aren't you?]
"This isn't the first time I've experienced something like this."
In response to Kihano's question, Vlad shook his head from side to side as if old memories were coming to mind.
'Zemina has grabbed dozens of girls by the hair until now.'
[No wonder that girl doesn't seem easily overcome.]
Although facing a noble, Zemina could defend herself because she had enough experience.
The girl's struggle to stay by his side was as intense as the boy's struggle to rise.
'But why with Lady Alicia...?'
However, Vlad still didn't understand why there was tension between the noble Alicia and Zemina.
Vlad was not oblivious to the signals between men and women, which only made him feel more puzzled.
[Now is the time for you to recognize your own worth.]
Did noble Alicia have any reason to confront Zemina, a woman from the lower districts?
And that question was answered by the sight Vlad was now witnessing.
"…"
The merchants rose in unison at Vlad's appearance.
Seeing them rise like waves, Vlad was momentarily speechless.
[From now on, your worth cannot be evaluated solely by your swordsmanship.]
The merchants bowed their heads as they looked at Aureo, a knight and noble.
Even Harven, in the distance, tipped his captain's hat.
Vlad was momentarily speechless at the fact that he had created the entire scene he was witnessing.
Never before had the staircase to the first floor, which he had always overlooked, seemed as high as it did today.
***
Harven and Otar rise following Vlad's gesture.
Seeing them, the eyes of the surrounding merchants sparkled with interest.
Some of the cleverest merchants were already slipping bribes instead of tips into Ned's pocket.
"What are these people doing here?"
"Well, because the noble Vlad Aureo..."
"Don't pull my leg, before I take away your cane."
The men who ascended to Vlad's room.
Although Harven's words were rough, he couldn't help but smile shyly at seeing Vlad pull a chair for him.
Although their positions may have changed, their relationship didn't seem to have changed at all.
"The rumor that the elves have settled in Deirmar has already spread throughout the north. Furthermore, it has also become known that they severed relations with the Count of Vitskaya."
As Harven said, one of the rumors causing a stir in the North these days was about the elves.
The elves severed their relationship with Count Vitskaya, with whom they had been doing business, and left alone.
The eyes of the watching merchants had already turned red.
"After selling drugs, that was to be expected."
"In any case, the merchants are now very interested in the elves in Deirmar. And it's said that you brought them."
"I didn't exactly bring them..."
Although he hadn't brought them, it was true that they had followed him.
In any case, it was true that Vlad had some influence over the elves.
"Moreover, there are the dwarves, right? That's also significant."
"Why?"
This time, Otar responded to Vlad's question, not Harven.
"Look at this."
"What's special about this axe?"
A dark axe was gently pushed toward Vlad's side.
Vlad unconsciously grabbed the axe and was startled for a moment when he felt a heavy sensation enveloping his palm.
"It's good, isn't it? Even knights covet it."
A simple axe, made purely to be functional, without adornments.
However, unlike its appearance, the feeling in the hand was that of a masterpiece, recognizable only to those who wielded it.
"The dwarves didn't bring their ships here by chance. They tested some trade goods, and their quality is impressive."
Vlad knew well that Harven was not one to exaggerate or lie.
But now, using gestures to explain, it was easy to imagine the impact those trade goods had caused.
"Some merchants I know say they can't be compared with the weapons from the West, which are jealously guarded. Of course, there's a big difference between something made by forced slaves and something made by artisans."
The cavalry of the West was superior not only because of their skills, but also because of the excellent weapons they possessed.
However, the weapons brought by the dwarves from Nidavellir were made by artisans, not slaves, and the difference was obvious.
"And those dwarves, whenever they could, would get drunk and mention your name and Sir Joseph's. Honestly, with all this..."
Harven gently took the cane brought by Otar, shrugged, and said.
"Even if it were me, I would come here. Don't you think?"
"..."
After hearing Harven's words, Vlad could vaguely realize what position he was currently in.
A position where one doesn't make the decisions but can have significant influence.
Even amid the great concentric waves, the person who would be at the center was a man named Vlad.
"...You told me before when you handed me the boat."
This could be my chance."
Vlad, who had struck a deal with the Kannor family along with a boat worth 200 gold coins, spoke to Harven.
Now it's your chance to change your life.
"But in my view, it seems that moment has also come for you."
Harven, who picked up his now polished captain's hat, looked at Vlad and smiled cautiously.
"This is an opportunity. Right?"
So far, Vlad had relied on the wind and waves created by others.
But now he knew he had the chance to make them himself.
Vlad, who had been lost in his thoughts for a while, looked at Harven smiling at him and silently nodded.
***
"At least you've arrived on time."
After finishing his work at the Smile of the Rose, Vlad visited the mayor's office in Soara, where Rutiger was, as he had mentioned during the day.
"The furniture has changed a lot."
"They say that's exactly what the mayor did here as soon as he took office."
The cabinet that carefully contained liquor bottles was adorned with paintings and sculptures of unknown significance.
Looking at the mayor's office, where there was no trace of Joseph anymore, Vlad began to feel uncomfortable in this place.
"Where's my mage? Didn't you bring him with you?"
"He's out of action."
Rutiger shook an empty bottle next to his desk and chuckled playfully.
"His limit is just half a bottle of rum. Seems he's not from the North, unlike Dorothea."
"Hmm. I see."
The method of confirming someone's origin from the North by their alcohol capacity is an ancient custom that has existed for a long time and is also a very reliable method.
To endure the cold weather, people from the North had to get used to alcohol, and those who couldn't would have died a long time ago.
"Should we have a drink?"
"Thank you."
In the room where there were only the two of them, the large, bright moon shone through the window.
Although many things around them had changed, the landscape of that moment seemed the same, allowing Vlad to feel a bit calmer.
"Was it from the peanut days that we first met?"
"...Yes, that's right."
There were bitter memories that came with the taste of alcohol on the tongue.
A scruffy boy who immediately rejected the favor offered by the eldest son of the Bayezid family.
Vlad's mistakes towards the nobility began at that moment.
"When I first saw you, I thought, 'Who's this guy?' I worried about Joseph, who had worked hard to bring you here."
However, while Vlad frowned, Rutiger laughed heartily, as if the memory amused him.
Though he resembled Joseph, his laughter was more exuberant, which made Vlad involuntarily laugh too.
"It was the same during the dragon hunt, you were an interesting and fun guy."
"Thank you for thinking that way."
As their glasses emptied, their voices relaxed.
As he had just said, Vlad and Rutiger were comrades who had been through a lot together.
If it weren't for Joseph, the two might have had a closer relationship than they do now.
"Yeah. Since I think so highly of you, you shouldn't hate me so much."
"...What do you mean by that?"
Vlad, who was laughing, set down his glass at Rutiger's incomprehensible words, but only dark shadows covered his face.
"It means that it's time to do what's been postponed."
Rutiger starts saying something different from his usual temperament.
Vlad tried to see his expression, but the shadows created by the moonlight completely hid his face.
"So, at that time, I hope you won't refuse the peanuts I offer you, Vlad Aureo."
Although he couldn't see his face, Vlad felt like he knew what Rutiger's expression would be.
A legitimate heir compelled to fulfill his duty.
Rutiger, speaking of impending destruction, would probably be smiling sadly in the shadows where no one could see him.
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