Chapter 21: The Day Loyalty Was Tested

The six crossbowmen and the noble in flashy clothes gaped in shock.

“Re-reload!”

“Too late, run!”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Some threw down their crossbows, some drew daggers, others tried to load the next bolt.

I leaped into the entrance hall while staring at them.

“Everyone kneel and prostrate yourselves.”

I passed three who obediently lay flat and beheaded the two who lunged with daggers.

“Stop him!”

“Y-yes?”

The one struggling to load his crossbow in a sitting position got his face kicked and passed out.

The noble in flashy clothes turned to flee deeper into the mansion.

This is getting annoying.

The moment I thought that, the noble stopped as if rooted to the spot.

His feet were swallowed by ice climbing up from the floor.

I paused briefly and sheathed my sword.

Then, with my right fist still clad in an intact gauntlet, I struck the back of his head.

THUD—he crumpled to the ground.

I grabbed the nape of his neck and applied force; the ice swallowing his legs cracked and broke with a snap.

I dragged him out to the lawn.

“I’m sorry! I committed a mortal sin! I didn’t know there were crossbows left.”

Lord Norting was bowing his head into the grass.

“Your mistake nearly killed both me and Young Master Anplus.”

Samete snarled as if he would devour Lord Norting.

I stepped between them and said.

“Samete. Do whatever you want—freeze Lord Norting to death or not.”

“Anplus-nim. I committed a mortal sin. Please spare my life.”

Lord Norting pleaded.

If you committed a mortal sin, you should die—what’s with the talk?

“But remember that until your house sends the next branch member or governor, we need blue blood to manage this village.”

Samete ground his teeth as he spoke.

“Young Master Anplus. Just because you’re a blue-blood knight, do you think all other knights have thick blood too?”

“I said do whatever you want. But if you’re going to freeze him, freeze this one first before using mana.”

I threw the noble I dragged out onto the lawn.

The signet ring on his left thumb confirmed he was indeed this generation’s Henestion.

Samete alternated glances between him and Lord Norting, then extended his hand toward the former.

Blue light flashed, and the limp body froze solid.

“If there are no sword marks, you might hear that you, Young Master, did nothing.”

Samete muttered softly.

“I know.”

“Then why give me the chance to finish the traitor?”

I answered as if it were obvious.

“Didn’t you say Helia is at the main house? If you rack up merits, both you and your sister can safely return to the Helicion family.”

“So why give that merit to me.”

Samete said with an expression like he was suppressing his emotions.

I cut him off.

“Are you going to go around saying I did nothing?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Then that’s settled, isn’t it? I know how strong I am myself, and you know how strong I am.”

He made a face like he’d been slapped.

His complexion was strangely mixed—pride wounded yet not.

“Understood. Thank you.”

Samete nodded.

From afar, the local nobles who had scattered throughout the village returned.

The three brothers I had felled were in the lead.

Do I have to fight again?

I tensed inwardly and gripped my sword handle.

“Go inside and rest. I’ll handle the aftermath.”

Samete said soothingly.

“You’re going to face this many alone?”

“There’s no facing them. They’re coming to negotiate.”

Negotiate?

With Father’s corpse right in front of us?

As I started to draw my sword, Samete shook his head.

He ordered Lord Norting to remove the frozen corpse and spoke to the eldest of the three brothers.

“I am Samete of Helicion. The tax collector of the pasture and lord of Henestion has just been executed for tax evasion.”

I watched the eldest closely, ready to attack the moment he gathered mana.

Samete continued.

“Will you avenge your father? Or obey the will of the house head?”

The dozen or so gathered Henestion family members exchanged glances.

After a moment, the eldest bowed his head.

“We will obey.”

The family echoed in unison.

“We will obey.”

I watched the scene with a strange feeling.

I thought after living 18 years I’d fully become a person of this world, but there were still moments when I felt like an outsider.

That mindset where family comes before the individual was one of them.

The common sense of this world’s nobles was that the family must exist for me to exist.

Would I stop doubting that too if I lived a hundred years?

It was a day I briefly had such thoughts.

“As you commanded, I brought the corpse.”

The house head, who had been looking out the window, turned to face me.

“I confirmed it. There were no wounds from a sword.”

He sent me a gaze that seemed reproachful.

I repeated what I’d just said.

“As you commanded, I brought the corpse.”

“You brought it frozen solid instead of salted as I said.”

“Thanks to Young Master Samete’s magic lasting so long.”

The house head let out a soft laugh.

His gray eyes curved into crescents for the first time in a while.

“Were you worried I’d reprimand them?”

“This foolish one does not know what you mean, House Head.”

“I sent Lady Helia back to her family and separately summoned Young Master Samete to commend his merits.”

He sent me a gaze that seemed reproachful.

I repeated what I’d just said.

“As you commanded, I brought the corpse.”

“You brought it frozen solid instead of salted as I said.”

“Thanks to Young Master Samete’s magic lasting so long.”

The house head let out a soft laugh.

His gray eyes curved into crescents for the first time in a while.

“Were you worried I’d reprimand them?”

“This foolish one does not know what you mean, House Head.”

“I sent Lady Helia back to her family and separately summoned Young Master Samete to commend his merits.”

He lifted his right heel and twisted his waist to one side.

His slender upper body pulled taut like a twisted rope, and the sword swung with the force of a snapping cable.

A slash too fast to follow with the eyes.

It was a true cut.

“What do you think?”

“I’ve been practicing diligently for the past month.”

I stood and applauded on the spot.

“As expected of my teachers.”

“We’re not idle while Sir Anplus is away.”

“I thought I was going to die.”

When Sir Liam whined dramatically, Sir Dande elbowed him in the side.

Sir Liam opened his mouth with an “Ah.”

“Do you remember what old man Seongbaek said?”

“He said he’s an instructor teaching swordsmanship to officer-mage candidates.”

“He’s even greater than that.”

Sir Dande said.

Sir Liam nodded with an unusually serious attitude.

“He is someone who received an honorary officer position with swordsmanship alone.”

I exclaimed in admiration, feeling like I’d been hit.

Though honorary, it was a position equivalent to an officer-mage.

I knew well how impressive that was.

To rise to that position with swordsmanship alone.

How great a swordsman must he be?

“While you were away, Young Master, we scheduled an appointment. You can go right away.”

“Really?”

“If you learn the sword from him, the direction for Young Master’s swordsmanship to improve will become much clearer.”

I smiled like the sun.

“I didn’t expect to receive such a gift. Did you two petition the house head to handle things quickly?”

“No. It’s the house head’s grace.”

Sir Dande said.

“Yes. We petitioned three times a day and almost got hit with magic for being noisy.”

Sir Liam said.

The two looked at each other with “Huh?”

“Thank you.”

I simply bowed my head with gratitude.

The next day, I set off for Seongbaek’s mansion with the two young nobles preparing for the officer-mage exam, Sir Liam and Sir Dande.

The two young nobles were ones I hadn’t seen at the previous day’s ball; one was slightly chubby, the other skinny.

Both had strangely gloomy eyes—I hoped nothing particular would happen.