“You are the first noble who has ever said such things for the sake of my son. Young Lord, why are you showing me such grace… sob, sob, sob.”
“It is nothing. It is thanks to your wonderful son that our kingdom can enjoy such peace.”
Dien knew it. He knew that the peace he enjoyed every day was not possible without someone’s sacrifice.
As a public official, making such a promise was certainly a difficult task, but Dien wanted to help her by any means necessary. Even if it meant overturning the kingdom’s honorary priest system and the regulations regarding the posthumous care of war veterans.
“Thank you so much, truly…”
Once the old woman finally stopped weeping, Dien patted her hand and offered her a warm gaze.
‘There will be a way.’
Dien etched that thought into his mind. After calling a carriage to send the old woman home safely, he immediately ran to the royal archives and began searching for relevant documents.
Dien’s expression as he examined the records was so serious that no one dared to approach him while he was so absorbed.
***
A variety of sounds began to reach Dien’s ears. He had arrived at the training grounds where the Royal Knight Order shed droplets of sweat upon the beaten earth. As expected of the knights representing the Kingdom of Delos, their swords emitted a rather pleasant melody.
“There are some regrettable notes mixed in, but overall, it is a fine melody…”
Dien moved his feet carefully to avoid disturbing them as much as possible.
Administrative bureaucrats and the Knight Order were both part of the royal family’s service, but they were not on particularly close terms due to their vastly different spheres of daily life. Thus, Dien tried his best not to get in their way.
“They are truly working hard.”
The reason Dien had come to the training grounds was not simply to watch their swordsmanship.
To handle Dante’s posthumous treatment, he had come to meet Baron Nes Pirlo, who had served alongside Dante during their time in the Knight Order, to hear more about him.
However, Dien was also a swordsman who practiced his craft. Regardless of his objective, it was only natural for his eyes to be drawn to the knights’ techniques.
“Is it that gentleman?”
Dien spotted a knight who produced the finest sound. Since that knight appeared to be the oldest among those training, Dien intuitively realized he was Baron Nes Pirlo, the leader of the Second Knight Order under the Ministry of War.
‘It feels different from Shilona’s swordsmanship.’
If the swordsmanship he was learning was like a calm ballad of Arpeggio, Baron Nes’s swordsmanship was like a rock ballad that utilized many short strokes.
It was certainly a pleasant sound to hear, but in terms of the refinement of the sound alone, he felt Shilona was a step above. Furthermore, Shilona’s swordsmanship was superior in terms of the delicacy of the technique itself.
Since Baron Nes was known to have just reached the heights of a High Knight, this meant Shilona’s level was at least that of a High Knight or higher.
Dien realized Shilona’s strength once again.
Sensing Dien’s gaze, Nes turned around and approached him.
“You are a face I haven’t seen before. What is your business?”
Baron Nes sheathed his sword and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand.
“Greetings, Baron. I am Dien Portran, the successor of the House of Portran.”
With a short greeting, Dien looked at Baron Nes.
“Ah! So you are Baron Oren’s son! I am quite close with Baron Oren! It’s a pleasure. I am Nes!”
With bold features and a refreshing aura radiating from his face, Nes offered his hand to Dien for a handshake. Fortunately, he did not seem to have any negative prejudice against administrative bureaucrats.
“Yes! It is an honor to meet you!”
“Your voice is quite manly! So, what brings a noble from the Chancellor’s Office here? I doubt you came because you’re interested in swordsmanship!”
Nes sat down on the dirt ground without a second thought, and seeing this, Dien also sat cross-legged on the earth.
“Very manly indeed! Hahaha!”
Nes burst into a hearty laugh at Dien’s easygoing manner.
“Thank you. Actually, I came here because there is something I wanted to ask the Commander.”
“Ask me? And what would that be?”
“I was wondering if you knew a knight named Dante, who served in the Third Knight Order until ten years ago.”
“Dante? How do you know that friend?”
At Dien’s question, Nes raised his voice in surprise. Dante, the son of the old woman Dien had met.
Having served in the Knight Order for a long time, Nes remembered the name Dante instantly.
“The truth is…”
As Dien carefully recounted the story of what happened with Dante’s mother, Nes listened intently to his words for a long while.
When the story ended, Nes’s complexion darkened just like Dien’s, and he let out a deep sigh.
“So that happened. I knew that fellow had died. But… I haven’t seen him once since he retired. I had to continue my life in the Knight Order, and he didn’t exactly come looking for me. However, I remember his talent and loyalty to the kingdom vividly. I thought of him as a better knight than any other member of the order.”
Nes calmly shared his memories of Dante in a low tone, unable to hide his regret.
“The aftermath of war is a terrifying thing… For a promising talent like Dante to… If he had remained in the Knight Order, my position would surely have been his.”
One could tell from Nes’s words that Dante had been an excellent knight. Nes was known within the Knight Order as someone who never spoke empty words.
Nes spoke as if he understood the war-related trauma Dante had suffered all too well.
“If Young Lord Dien is looking for someone close to Dante, there is someone I know. Go find Lorentz of the Second Knight Order, who retired with Dante ten years ago. They were very close. Lorentz probably stayed in contact with him until he passed.”
“Ah! I see. Thank you very much.”
“No, I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
“You have been a great help. Oh, and also…”
Dien hesitated for a moment before showing Nes the documents he had brought.
“Commander. Could you perhaps sign this document petitioning for Dante’s approval as an honorary priest? And… I would be grateful if all the members of the Knight Order could sign the petition regarding the revision of the Honorary Priest Decree. Including the part about the posthumous management of war veterans.”
“Well, of course. I hope I can be of help.”
Nes nodded as if it were obvious. The direction Dien was trying to change things was for the sake of the knights and soldiers.
“Wait a moment, Young Lord Dien.”
Nes called out to stop Dien as he was about to bow and leave.
At some point, the look in Nes’s eyes as he watched Dien had changed significantly. And Nes, who had been speaking in a gruff voice, opened his mouth with a rather serious tone.
“Thank you. For working so hard for the honor of a fallen knight… I, Nes Pirlo, offer my gratitude on behalf of the members of the Royal Knight Order.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Dien waved his hand with a thin smile as if it were no big deal.
“No… What you are doing now is for our Knight Order and for the entire Ministry of War. I’ve only just realized that a bureaucrat like you exists. Truly, thank you.”
Nes bowed his head politely toward the young Dien. A formal greeting from the Commander of the Second Knight Order. Dien fidgeted, not knowing what to do in the face of such a gesture.
“Don’t worry about the signatures for the petition! I will inform the entire Ministry of War and give you my support! Likely everyone will want to help you. We know well that what you are doing is for us.”
“Thank you, Baron.”
Dien breathed a sigh of relief, having worried that they might ignore him because he was an administrative official, but finding reassurance in Nes’s active response. Thanks to that, he was able to put a little more strength into his shoulders.
After parting ways with Nes, Dien began to inquire about Lorentz, whom Nes had mentioned. Documents for the reconsidering of Dante’s honorary priest status were being prepared, but it seemed he would only be fully ready for his plan after meeting Lorentz.
***
“Is it already the day of the thesis competition?”
King Lonas accepted the suspicious-looking thesis handed to him by the Chamberlain. The rankings of the papers had already been decided. Only the announcement of the results remained, and Lonas was giving them a final review.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Chamberlain answered and stepped back three paces. Then, Lonas began to look through the pile of papers placed before him one by one.
“There seem to be quite a few excellent papers this year as well.”
Lonas, who was a Sword Master, first picked up a paper about an original military tactic. A tactic devised by young knight cadets. A smile spread across his lips at the creative content.
“It is said that it was difficult to distinguish the superiority between the magic and military tactic papers. However, for the policy paper, the scholars of the royal palace chose the first-place winner unanimously.”
“Unanimously? Have their opinions ever gathered as one? How strange.”
At the Chamberlain’s words, Lonas’s hand, which was holding the military tactic paper, moved toward the policy papers. He picked up only the paper at the very top of the pile. He wanted to see the first-place paper first.
Lonas scanned the paper quickly.
“Hahaha! The elders of the Eno-Poi would flip if they saw this paper. Let’s see… Dien? Dien Portran?”
Lonas’s gaze stopped at the author’s name. His eyes widened in surprise. He hurriedly called the Chamberlain to his side.
“A noble is winning first place for a policy paper? Is it the Portran family from the Chancellor’s Office?”
“Yes, that is correct, Your Majesty.”
“Hahaha! To think the winner of a paper chosen unanimously by the scholars is a student of the Noble Academy. This is a rare sight indeed!”
“It is as you say. Furthermore, I understand that Dien Portran is currently receiving successor training in Chancellor Persian’s office.”
“A child from a Baron’s family is receiving training in the Chancellor’s Office?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
A strange light flickered in Lonas’s eyes. To think someone was receiving training in Persian’s office when they weren’t even from the Chancellor’s own family. Lonas’s curiosity was piqued by this unusual situation. However, the Chamberlain did not seem to know the detailed circumstances either.
“Did Lord Persian perhaps pressure the scholars to make Dien Portran rank first?”
“Could that even be possible?”
Lonas looked at the Chamberlain as if expecting an answer, but the man shook his head with a smile.
Indeed. The scholars of the kingdom were people with strong academic convictions who would not easily bend their opinions even for the King himself.
Furthermore, Dien’s paper, which he examined personally, was perfect to the point where it wouldn’t be strange to call it the best among all past winning works.
A curious glint remained in Lonas’s eyes as he looked down at the paper.
“According to rumors from the Chancellor’s Office, it is said that the aides in the Royal Castle all hold Young Lord Dien’s work competence in high regard.”
“A young lord is being recognized by veterans who have seen a hundred battles? Hahaha, is he an administrative genius… like a swordsmanship genius?”
“There was no exaggeration in my words, Your Majesty.”
“I know. You are not one to embellish the truth.”
Lonas became increasingly curious about the child named Dien Portran. The administrative bureaucrats of Delos were famous for having higher work capacities than those of other kingdoms. This was because Lonas had realized the importance of education early on and established commoner academies throughout Delos.
This was a distinct advantage of Delos compared to other kingdoms where illiteracy rates were still high. Yet, a noble son was being recognized by aides who were top graduates of the commoner academies across the nation; Lonas’s interest in Dien deepened.
“Chamberlain, what kind of reward should I give to Young Lord Dien?”
“A reward… you say?”
“Aren’t the prizes and privileges for the Original Policy Paper Competition tailored toward commoners? So, I should grant a separate reward suitable for a noble like Young Lord Dien.”
“Yes… in that case…”
The Chamberlain’s mind raced. From Lonas’s words, he could tell the King was curious about Young Lord Dien. He had reached the position of Chamberlain through quick wits and judgment. After discerning all of Lonas’s intentions, he spoke.
“How about Your Majesty meets Young Lord Dien yourself and asks him directly?”
“Hahaha! Ask him directly. That sounds good!”
Lonas clapped his hands in delight at the Chamberlain’s suggestion, and the Chamberlain smiled in satisfaction.