Chapter 30
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The twenty-fourth fragnt, Carpe Diem
It was Gentia who was leaning against the wall.
She smiled sharply when she looked at Kain, as if she had heard our entire conversation. Her fangs flashed through her smiling lips. Kain’s face turned pale, and he hesitated before speaking.
“Ah… Uh… well, I-I’m sorry.”
“Too late. And why are you stuttering?”
Tia struck Kain hard over his head. The thumping sound was loud. The pain seed great, and Kain sat down, touching his head as he started to tear up.
Tia turned her head as if she had no regrets, approached , and lifted up. She was handling in exactly the opposite way than Kain.
“Oh my, our pretty Judah. Do you know how worried I was when I heard that you fell in the temple? No pain anywhere? Are you okay now?”
It felt so good when she said that I was pretty. I nodded as I felt the texture of her puffy chest.
“Not enough that you have to worry.”
“The commander says it’s been a while since he prepared a skillful al for us, so let’s eat here. It’ll be botherso to have to go ho and chew on a pillow.”
“I don’t mind, not at all.”
Tia smiled lightly and kissed on the cheek, saying, “That’s right.”
Tia embraced as we headed for the dining room, leaving Kain behind.
Kaseun’s cooking was as excellent as ever. Perhaps he wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to try out his skills because so much food was prepared for breakfast that the butler’s legs almost bent as he carried it all in.
Thanks to Kaseun, Tia and I were able to eat a very tasty al until we were chock-full.
My body felt less taught, and my exhaustion disappeared as I started eating. After being satisfied with the feeling of satiety, I was still able to finish the al off with fruit and dessert.
We had a pleasant conversation throughout the al, a run-off-the-mill conversation where we talked about nothing special. I could eat no more; I was full, so it seed to be ti to head ho. The sumptuous breakfast was over.
Tia glanced at first, then told Kaseun that we had to go. Kaseun asked if we weren’t leaving too early, but Tia politely refused his invitation. It was an unplanned visit. Tia said that we didn’t want to impose on him anymore and that the al was sufficient. We left the mansion and walked along the well-polished road. The streets of the noble quarter were always quiet.
We walked on without a word until Tia finally spoke to .
“Why are you so nervous?”
“Yes? Um… did you enjoy Kaseun’s tea?”
Tia nodded.
“It was amazing. How long can a boy hide his facial expressions, Judah?”
The situation was difficult. If Tia had noticed my anxiety, then Kaseun knew of it also. I guessed that my face showed that I seed to have done sothing rude. I was thinking all the ti about Kain’s level of vigilance and his future schedule, and such thoughts seed to have expressed themselves on the outside.
“There’s no special reason for being nervous, Tia. It’s just because I want to go hunting soon.”
Two years remained before my coming-of-age ceremony. Within that ti, I had to widen the power gap between Kain and . And to do that, nothing was more important than gaining practical experience.
“Oh, yeah. It’s hard to stop once you’ve gotten a taste for hunting,” Tia replied as if completely believing . She then placed her long-stemd pipe into her mouth, biting down upon it. She brought her chin to her chest slightly and generated a spark of magic with her right hand.
A fla spontaneously ignited over the bowl of her pipe. A lot of smoke ca out of her mouth as she continuously puffed to get the fire going.
‘Woosh,’ the smoke whirled from her mouth as she exhaled.
“Of course, you still have the money I gave you yesterday?”
“Yes, five silver coins,” I replied, putting my hand in my pocket and touching the coins I had caught. It wouldn’t matter if I lost them, as the money in my b bag} was a substantial amount.
“My Judah, then can I ask you to run that errand that this pretty sister asked you to run?”
“You an the bread run?”
Tia took another puff, then pointed at the sandwich shop with her pipe.
“Go and buy it.”
“Are you going to wait here? Or are you going first?”
“I’m going first. I’ll wait for you at the fountain in the central square. Do you know what I like? Please ask for sothing sweet and delicious.”
I whipped the five silver coins from my pocket and looked at the store. At that mont, several people were entering or exiting it. There are more famous shops, but this one offered good flavor and quantity at a decent price, so it is most often visited by rcenaries and adventurers.
I hurried to the store as I left Tia behind. She strolled leisurely on.
The entrance stood wide open. As I was about to walk through the door, soone else ca up to it at the sa ti. One of us had to get out of the way so that the other could enter through the narrow door. I looked up at my door-entering opponent.
She was a slender woman wearing comfortable clothes ideal for physical activity. When our eyes t, the blue-haired woman smiled as if waking up, and she stepped back.
“Would you like to pass first?” she asked in a chic voice, but the tone it held was very polite. She was showing honor, even though I was younger than her. I bowed my head slightly to thank her, and the mont I started to step inside by passing her, a necklace that hung from her neck caught my eye.
That’s a peculiar necklace.
Hanging at its center was, uniquely, a lance: A jousting lance with a sapphire embedded into it.
It was an accessory that I’ve seen before. I halted when the mory entered my mind after I had taken a step into the shop. I looked back at the woman who had followed in, and she now gazed at in puzzlent.
“Is sothing wrong?”
“No, no. Thank you.”
I hastily stepped all the way into the shop as I saw her tilting her head.
It must be… She’s a Blue Lancer!
Blue Lance Knights was the na of one of the elite knightly orders representing the Byron Empire.
On the battlefield, they wear plates of armor imbued with all sorts of magic. Blue cloaks flutter behind them as they wield their thick cone-shaped lances in one hand and rectangular tower shields in the other.
They block their foes’ attacks with their sturdy defense and then push back at the enemy formations, destroying them.
When the Byron Empire was established, several kingdoms fought against them, but they were all destroyed when their troops were annihilated by the Blue Spear Knights.
That was how the Blue Lance Knights built their reputation. They always fought at the forefront of any war, even after the empire had beco solidly established.
They charged out ahead of everyone, and when a retreat is called, they guarded the rear so that their allies can safely withdraw. A Blue Lance Knight does not care about status; they prioritize their talent above all else.
If one of them wants to beco a talented Blue Lancer, they need to survive severe training before they can even be called trainees. Trainees can not yet beco official personnel of the Blue Lancers. They are first given three years to wander across the world and behave as they see fit.
So for three years, they wander from place to place and then return.
They could head into the mountains and train by striking waterfalls to improve their skills.
A trainee could defeat monsters for the people of the Byron empire.
They could even register as rcenaries or adventurers and so gain their reputation. Once they returned after three years, they would be given the opportunity of exams and interviews.
Once they passed that phase, they escaped probation and beco interdiate Blue Lancers.
From the mont they beco interdiate, the Blue Lance Knights perford their given duties with dignity, honor, and great aplomb.
She must have co here to complete her apprenticeship.
I was already convinced that she was a Blue Lance Knight. She didn’t have any armor or a shield or weapon, which can be said to be the symbol of a knight, but that was natural. It was because she was a Blue Lance Knight.
In this world, magic was common.
Like most knights representing their kingdom or empire, the arms, armor, and shields supplied to Blue Lancers are engraved with magic runes so that they can be easily stored in a sub-space.
Just by channeling magic into her body, particles would gather into the air, and the lightly-dressed woman would beco fully ard and armored.
That being said, there was a single reason that I was convinced that she was a blue knight: The lance-shaped pendant that she wore around her neck. That was the most telling piece of evidence.
I glanced at the woman who had followed into the store and muttered, “Status Screen.”
──────────────────────
「Status Window」
[Na: Jeanne Art Loire]
[Title: None]
[True Na: Blue Moon Wolf]
[Level: 16]
[Occupation: Blue Lance Knight (B)]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: 30(D) / Potential A]
[Health: 33(D) / Potential S]
[Agility: 27(D) / Potential B]
[Magic: 37(D) / Potential B]
[Magical Resistance: 51(C) / Potential S]
[Charisma: 5(F) / Potential A]
[Knowledge: 18(F) / Potential B] ? Special
[Luck: 56(C) / Potential C] ? Special
[Likeability: 0 (normal)]
[Reliability: 0 (normal)]
「Trait 3/5」
[Blue Moon]-Rank: A
[Wolf’s Protection]-Rank: A
[Apprentice Blue Lance Knight]-Rank: D
「Skill 4/5」
[Horror Spirit]-Rank: A
[Knight]-Rank: B
[Imperial Shieldcraft-Blue Lance Knight]-Rank: B
[Imperial Spearmanship-Blue Lance Knight]-Rank: B
──────────────────────
I was astonished as I studied the status screen that appeared before , as it was a familiar na. It was definitely a na that I rembered. In b Notes}, she was the first woman whose na I had written down under *Recruit if you can*.
Upon realizing that she was a Blue Lance Knight, I had wondered whether she was Jeanne.
I glanced at her while she was picking out a sandwich. Jeanne seed to be thinking about what to choose from the sandwiches that had been sliced to taste.
I double-checked her information as I placed the sandwiches I wanted to buy onto a wooden tray with tongs.
Jeanne Art Loire.
It felt bad to compare her to Tia, but she had much higher potential, and her skill and trait ranks were also higher. I wanted her as a companion; I wanted to recruit her, yet that was impossible right now. If it was the ga, I could greet her and talk to her as a companion after performing the quests set out in advance. Unfortunately, this is reality.
There could be a misunderstanding if I approached her recklessly when both her likeability and reliability are zero and when we have had no prior contact.
And when a child cos out of nowhere and says, ‘Beco my companion’ … What would she think if I said that!?
The fact that she had appeared at Serenia ant that her fate was flowing along the lines of my ga, according to the information I rembered. So two years later, I would be able to complete the hidden quest and get her to leave with after my coming-of-age ceremony.
When that ti cos, I will be able to naturally welco her as a companion.
I went to the counter and paid for the bread. After paying, my five silver coins turned into five copper coins. I was still worried as I took a look at Jeanne’s back. She casually left the store.
If we are to beco companions, I will need to et her again before the quest.
==================== Author Note =============================
Yes, everyone: Just trust and follow .
Even if the road is over a cliff, even if it is through a desert where it is hard to find a sip of water: We will arrive at our destination.
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