novelzi Chapter 147
Chapter 147
Chapter 147 – Marquis Laksir (5)
“......”
A chilly silence descended.
“You’ll let me live, you say?”
“Where have I heard that before?”
“......?”
“I heard you said something similar to the elves. ‘Attack the dwarves, and at the very least, I’ll let you live.’”
“......”
Marquis Laksir, who had been glaring at me for a long time, soon burst into laughter.
“Well...... Am I talking to a human noble, or the representative of another race? It’s becoming hard to tell.”
Still, he seemed to have enough pride to feel embarrassed, befitting a self-proclaimed gentleman.
“Do you fish?”
“Somewhat.”
I had spent my entire life on the battlefield.
Sometimes, I ate fruits from nearby mountains, or I hunted wild boars. Of course, if there was a river, I would fish and grill whatever I caught.
At times, food was scarce, and I had to survive in isolated regions by being self-sufficient.
However,
‘There was someone I truly wanted to fish with.’
I once dreamed of such a thing.
After the war ended, I would grab a fishing rod and take off with Andy. Leaving behind a nagging wife, I wanted to take a trip with my son. Just the two of us.
But now, that dream was unattainable.
“When you fish, you must first empty your mind. They often say you’re not catching fish but time itself, don’t they?”
Whirrr!
The contest had already begun. As we continued our conversation, Marquis Laksir kept pulling in fish.
It hadn’t been long, yet he had already caught about ten fish.
“Youngsters often yank the line the moment they feel a bite. It’s all because of impatience. Due to this, the fish which merely nibble below the surface scatter immediately.”
“I see.”
“It’s the same in life. Impatience always ruins things. There’s a lack of caution in everything, just like you now. Ah! Don’t misunderstand. I’m merely talking about fishing.”
His words, akin to lecturing me, continued without pause. While he teased me, he kept pulling up fish with ease.
I couldn’t help but admire his skill.
‘The continent’s greatest angler, they say. He certainly lives up to the title.’
No wonder he so readily accepted my challenge. Marquis Laksir showed no signs of holding back.
The gap between us only widened with time. By the time he had caught thirty fish, I had barely managed to catch ten.
“Indeed. One cannot beat a person who enjoys something to the point of obsession.”
Shaking my head, I finally raised both hands in surrender.
“Hahaha, giving up already? Keep going. I’d like to chat with you for as long as possible.”
What he meant, of course, was that he wanted to keep teasing me.
“Well, I feel the same.”
“Or would you like me to teach you a thing or two?”
“No. I’ll teach you something, instead.”
“......?”
Before Marquis Laksir could voice his confusion, I slowly approached the riverbank.
Then, I gently placed my palm on the surface of the water.
Hummm!
A deep, resonating hum filled the air.
“......!”
Startled by the sudden surge of mana, the hidden bodyguards appeared. They had concealed themselves well. At least thirty of them were surrounding me now.
Shiiing! Shiiing!
They drew their swords and pointed them at me. However, I didn’t stop.
‘It doesn’t need to be strong. Just spread the waves as widely as possible.’
Hum! Hummm!
The mana flowing from my hand spread over the river, rippling farther and farther.
Then, all at once.
Splaaash!
“......!”
A loud explosion erupted, and water sprayed everywhere.
Shhhhhh!
Amidst the cascading water, Marquis Laksir sprang to his feet. Dozens of fish, belly-up, floated to the surface of the river.
Their number easily reached hundreds.
“What do you think you’re doing!?”
“This is how I usually fish.”
This wasn’t a lie, but the truth. In the midst of war, who had the leisure to fish patiently?
With an enemy attack possible at any moment, I had to devise ways to feed many people quickly.
This was the result borne out of such a situation.
“A mere baron dared to speak to a marquis like that? I thought you went to negotiate, but you ended up causing chaos.”
“Well, at least one person...... Or rather, one elf probably viewed my actions favorably.”
“Huh?”
Marquis Foltaine tilted his head, puzzled.
I was particularly sensitive to energy. There was no way I hadn’t noticed being observed.
‘Even if she thought she was well-hidden.’
Of course, I hadn’t intended to be so conspicuous, but some unintended consequences can be beneficial.
“Since I’ve shown my sincerity, I’m sure she won’t cause much trouble.”
***
Meanwhile, at the royal palace’s training grounds.
Under the bright moonlight,
Drip, drip, drip.
Sweating from her rigorous training, Winley tilted her head.
“Where have you been?”
She noticed the dark-haired beauty approaching from afar.
“A walk.”
Erina, the red-eyed elf, replied curtly. Of course, entry into the royal palace required strict identity verification.
However, Erina had almost unrestricted access to all areas, except for the main royal quarters.
‘Eri, the youngest child of the Karot Barony.’
That was Erina’s new identity. The Mask of Night had played a major role in creating this. The organization covered a wide range of operations.
They were mainly known for dealing with information. As such, manipulating information was another one of their specialties.
To them, creating a new identity was child’s play.
‘But...... Creating one capable of deceiving even the royal household must’ve been quite a feat.’
Winley had been genuinely impressed.
To move freely without suspicion in the palace required at least the status of a noble family member.
The Mask of Night had spent an unbelievable fortune embedding operatives within noble families across the continent. Some were there from birth, while the others were bribed much later.
Thanks to that, Winley was able to understand why the Mask of Night was known as the continent’s greatest information organization.
“By the way, you’ll have to prove yourself to become my bodyguard. I can’t just appoint someone on my own. You’ll need approval from the Guard Palace as well......”
Trailing off, Winley smiled bitterly. Thinking about it, was there a need to worry?
The person before her had bested two Masters from her own homeland.
Her concern wasn’t about Erina’s skills, but the potential for her to go overboard and cause unintentional issues.
“Don’t worry.”
“Alright, Erina...... Or rather, Eri. I’ll leave it to you.”
“......?”
“If we’re going to pull this off, we should do it right.”
“......”
After observing Winley for a moment, Erina nodded.
“I have a personal question.”
“......!”
Winley’s eyes widened in surprise. Erina had always spoken only when necessary, as if it was her nature.
Asking something personal was unheard of, until now.
“Ask me anything!”
Winley eagerly jumped down from the training platform.
However,
“What kind of person is Ancelot?”
The question was completely unexpected.
“......Huh? Why the sudden curiosity?”
And yet, the real shock was yet to come.
“I’ve become interested in him.”
“......!”
Winley’s pupils quivered violently.
“I-Interested?”
***
The next day, at Milon’s mansion,
“He’ll really come, right?”
Nella glared at me with narrow eyes.
“He’ll come. He’s already been contacted.”
“And you think he’ll just hand him over?”
“That’s what we’re about to find out. Look, here he comes.”
“......!”
Nella followed my finger and saw what I had spotted. Sure enough, leading the group was a green-haired figure bound in ropes.
Having said that, there was a slight issue.
“......Are you sure this was peacefully resolved? From what I’m seeing, it looks like they’re challenging us.”
Following the group, over five hundred heavily armed knights marched towards us.
* * *