PR: Alive Sigh & Ford 53 & npc
Time flew by, and the end of the first month of the new year was approaching.
It had taken this long for Elric to be able to face Veron, despite his confident words to Tyria.
And there was now only a week before the knighting ceremony.
He’d used the excuse that he needed to prepare himself… but it was just an excuse.
He was cowardly, after all.
Elric finally realized it the day he went to Herman Inspiration’s forge alone.
“Squire, are you sure you want to do this?”
I thought those were hard words.
But as frightening as it was to leave the shadows of the past behind, it really wasn’t so bad after all.It was all the more frightening because, in the end, he had tried to run away, just as he had done.
Veron was not the boy soldier.
How hollow that fact was.
“Really…?”
Veron flashed a dreamy, languid smile in disbelief.
Then his scarlet eyes burned clear.
“You don’t like it?”
“Of course not! I love it! I love it, Grandpa!!!”
“Yes! I heard you! You!”
It’s so sweet to see Joson’s joy as they hug each other.
They’re bouncing around so much that I wonder if they’re going to fall over backwards.
I chuckle.
Now Elric saw something else on his face.
Instead of the boy soldier getting kicked in the nuts on the battlefield, he saw his younger self, the one who dreamed of becoming a knight.
Yes, that’s what Elric Portman, prodigal son of Weavin, should look like.
“Oh! Elric tongue…no, my lord, can I join you in your swearing-in ceremony next week? How do I dress? Do I get to wear armor?!”
“You’ll know better than I do, Inspiration, and you’ll bring your grandson to the ceremony in fine form.”
“Ah, trust me, I don’t call him my grandson, he’s got the physique to wear celestial armor!”
“I look forward to it, then I must go. I’ll see you next week, Veron.”
He leaned on his staff and stood up.
His steps were lighter as he turned around.
Was it because his knee was in full recovery mode?
“…No.
It’s because he’s finally able to look away.
Because after killing a boy, his father, and countless others, they have the audacity to live tomorrow.
Somehow, I had come to hope for that.
Elric fiddled with the dagger in his hand.
I wonder if the day will ever come when I can throw this away.
Will there ever be a day when the past no longer holds me back?
He’d thought that day would never come, but for some reason he was changing his mind.
My steps become more impatient.
I can’t stop thinking about this person.
“Madam!”
I see Tyria in the distance, out in the manor’s flowerbeds.
Elric smirks.
Tyria nods briefly.
“I hope your business is well done.”
Elric replied.
“I’m finally able to finish it.”
He grinned like a child boasting of a feat.
*And so it was.
Another day passes, and now it’s the day of the knighting ceremony.
The dreary days of winter have been replaced by a great festival, one that hasn’t been seen in decades.
A knight.
A name that has lost its luster with the changing times, but still retains a sense of grandeur.
The sword of the lord, the shield of the commoner, and the power of the manor.
Who would be in Yubin without admiring their romance?
As such, the manor’s central plaza was densely packed with people.
Everyone is preparing to welcome the new knight of the realm.
Such a pleasant day.
If I had to name two people who didn’t like the festivities, I could name two.
One is the former lord of the manor, Yubinga, who adds.
“Alas, my vassal.”
The parties receiving the knighthood.
“Oh no…!”
Thump! Danal made a pained sound as he hit the chest of the full plate.
It wasn’t the only time he’d been hit.
The assassins of the Perdin Branch of the former Moon Spirit, who were about to be knighted, were killing one by one, creating a portrait-like atmosphere.
You’ve finally come!
The day has finally come for me to fulfill my slave contract!
“Leader…!”
Danal, who was now truly the leader of the Knights, felt his nerves flare at the call of his subordinates.
He was furious, but he couldn’t bring himself to harass his innocent subordinates.
After all, what’s the point?
“Boys, you must live.”
He closed his eyes and spoke his last words.
Danal thought.
I wonder what Kasha, that vile sword demon, will do to us.
How many times will we get to wear the name of knight and do knightly things.
He couldn’t help but think of the dreadful future.
What is a lord?
It’s a generic term for rulers who may appear to be wise leaders who take care of their estates, but in reality, they wage ugly wars beneath the surface.
In the midst of their squabbles, the chances of their actions being chivalrous are slim to none.
Of course, the lord of the castle is Kasha the Sword.
I’m sure they’ll be rolling around in their bones.
Danal, unaware of Elric’s lack of concern, felt like hanging himself right then and there.
It was one of those moments.
“Sorry I’m late!”
A booming voice rang through the barracks.
Turning his head, he saw a full-plate boy with an aged face and a less-than-perfect mug entering the barracks, smiling broadly.
“Ah, that’s the squire.
What the hell am I supposed to do?
Does he want me to turn him into an assassin, or does he want me to sneak up on him?
No, he’s actually a watchdog, isn’t he?
Suspicion gripped Danal.
“Uh, hello.”
“My name is Veron, and my grandfather is the best blacksmith in all of Yubin…!”
I can tell he’s excited to introduce himself without being asked.
He’s enthusiastic.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, the possibility of this boy being Kasha’s ear drops a little.
“It’s an honor to have you, and I hope you’ll serve us well!”
Veron inclined his head at ninety degrees.
The former Moonlings exchanged glances, discussing.
“What do we do?
“I don’t know, I just feel sorry for him.
“He’s so young, shouldn’t we get him out of here?
“And what if it gets back to Kasha that we were bullying him?
“Gee, I didn’t mean bully him, I meant….
“Arthur. Kasha, he’s a bit of an asshole.
Let’s just pretend we don’t know each other.
I was about to come to that conclusion.
“But you guys are amazing, you’re still so young, and you’ve become such great knights, and your armor looks so good on you, do you think I could be one of those people someday?”
Passion, and aspiration, and longing.
To the light of Veron, a simple country boy, the hearts of all the Moonlings were inclined.
Mostly compassion.
“Chief… he’s so nice.
‘It’s possible he’s Kasha’s ganja….’
“No way! That evil Kasha would definitely have us train her to be an assassin! She’s a sacrificial lamb!
Riki, who was the most residual of the men, asked for reconsideration.
Danal’s heart weakened.
‘…Yeah, if they really put her under us to train her as an assassin…!’
He had already washed his hands of the assassination industry.
How could he continue the chain of evil again?
I can’t.
Danal is gripped by a strange sense of justice that he can’t explain.
It is a perverse human habit to empathize with the underdog.
Danal rose from his seat and placed a hand on Veron’s shoulder.
“Boy.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Run away now.”
“…What?”
“You’ll be sick. You may regret this day for the rest of your life, so I’ll give you a chance. Run away.”
Danal’s expression grew stern and sterner.
However, his tone was troubling.
“Danja…!”
Veron could only see what was in his eyes, but in his sternness, she saw a sense of knightly responsibility.
Veron’s chest heated.
“Even if it is, I will endure it!”
With a thud!
Veron fell to his knees and looked up at Danal.
“That’s what knights do!”
Pity filled Danal’s heart.
“…Foolish.”
He turned his head away, not daring to look directly at Veron.
What he didn’t know was that Veron could see him with a knight’s gravitas and a grown man’s cool bitterness.
The misunderstanding was deepening.
Elric stepped out into the town square to continue the knighting ceremony for the former Moonlords.
He’s finished his boring speech and is looking good to the assembled townspeople.
And then the long-awaited ceremony, the placing of the sword on the shoulder of the knight-to-be.
Now was the time.
Elric’s stomach churned a little.
“I want to see them squirm.
Do they think I’m going to eat them in this crowded place?
It wasn’t a pretty sight to behold, flinching and turning a deep shade of blue every time the sword was placed on his shoulder.
If he continued to react like this, even out of sight of the townspeople, he might raise suspicions with Tyria behind him.
Elric pressed down on his sword a little harder as a sign of self-restraint.
“Eh….”
Danal’s lips quivered.
Elric sighed.
“I wonder if they’ll ever be good at chivalry….
Clicking his tongue, Elric didn’t know.
He didn’t realize that the reason they were so frightened was because they were afraid they might actually be decapitated.
Anyway,
“And with that, I declare that the Knights of the Yubin Estate, the Knights of Seolyeong, are hereby officially created!”
“Waaaaaah!!!”
In any case, the installation ceremony went off without a hitch.
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