Chapter 032: Knight and Squire
"Joel. No family na. I'm the squire of the peerless Sword Master and the honorable knight of the great Conwell family, Eugene. Right now, I'm tasked with covertly escorting Lady Adeline."
We hurriedly slipped out to the outskirts, avoiding prying eyes.
Without being prompted, he was already introducing himself.
"…Pleased to et you, Bihen Benkou."
He placed a fist over his chest and even bowed his head.
Despite the disciplined and courteous gesture, it gave a strong impression of soone reluctantly swallowing their pride.
I acknowledged his greeting with a cursory glance before turning to Adeline.
"So explanation seems necessary."
"Roland said you were ready to move imdiately. Thanks to that, we had to rush our plans and ca as soon as we could."
"No, I an, why are you…?"
"Interfering, you an?"
Adeline adjusted the hood covering her head.
Her platinum blonde hair, cascading below her delicate jawline, shimred against her pale skin.
"I was the one who tipped you off about the situation in Ludglen. It seems our goals align quite well."
"…"
"And besides, this is sothing I was ant to do anyway."
She had ntioned it herself back in Canchester.
That there were circumstances preventing her involvent.
'The stale excuse of a lazy noble.'
That’s what I thought, which was why I stord out back then…
But the misunderstanding—if it could be called that—was cleared up thanks to Roland’s ssage.
I’m embarrassed to say this, but our lady has no power. Family matters are a bit complicated.
To be precise, she’s busy cleaning up after those good-for-nothing brothers and their sses.
The two sons of the duke house. They’re practically hell-bent on ruining the family.
Adeline spoke.
"Even if they’re Imperials, as long as they’re in Conwell, they’re the responsibility of the Conwell family."
"…"
"I’ve heard the Imperial refugees in Ludglen are in dire straits. I suspect there’s so undisclosed reason behind it. I’ll take action after confirming it myself. I hope you understand this is the best I can do."
Every noble house suffers from internal strife like a plague, but when it involves a great noble or feudal family, the stakes are different.
When a legitimate heir’s recklessness disrupts governance and sows unrest among the people, if soone from the sa bloodline steps in to restore order, it’s tantamount to treason—regardless of right or wrong.
'This isn’t the ti for to get entangled in their family drama.'
There’s no need to dig deeper.
For now, I’ll just accept that our objectives temporarily align, as she said.
"I-I… I committed a grave sin earlier… P-please, forgive …"
Janson had been pale since earlier, sweating coldly.
His hands, gripping the reins on the way here, were visibly trembling.
"I approached recklessly due to my inexperience. Janson, guard of Easton, you have no reason to apologize."
Her tone was a blend of the casual deanor she showed , an Imperial and temporary ally, and the dignified authority she displayed before the crowd that day.
There was no hint of discord in it.
"Our lady has personally called your na. Consider it an honor and dedicate yourself to Conwell."
Joel, standing beside her, tilted his chin up and chid in.
…What’s with this kid?
* * *
It seems I worried for nothing.
The squire tagging along as an escort was one thing, but Adeline was also skilled at riding.
Thanks to that, there was no need to worry about delays.
Clop, clop—
The sound of hooves echoed fiercely across the open plain.
I glanced at the three of them.
All had their mouths firmly shut.
Well, what need was there for idle chatter?
The problem was that this journey wasn’t a simple trip.
At least two of the four of us were on a mission, so we needed to balance movent and rest carefully.
Ludglen wasn’t a place we could reach in a day or two, so pacing our march was of utmost importance.
So, who would take charge?
Janson, riding at the front, turned his head slightly and looked at .
'Help , Bihen.'
His eyes were pleading.
Surprisingly, Adeline was thinking the sa thing… and she entrusted the leadership to Janson.
I had stepped back, thinking it wouldn’t do for an Imperial like to act as their leader.
Adeline, citing her and Joel’s lack of experience, ruled them out, leaving Janson as the reluctant choice.
'Figure it out.'
I responded with my eyes.
Janson grimaced and turned forward again…
Snap.
He slowly raised a clenched hand.
The sound of hooves following gradually softened and stopped.
As if on cue, Joel scanned the sky and spoke.
"Already? The sun hasn’t even set yet. Can’t we go a bit further?"
"Uh, um… Lady Adeline. We need to consider the horses’ rest… These aren’t warhorses, so they seem a bit strained right now…"
He spoke to Adeline but couldn’t even et her eyes properly.
I didn’t show it, but I agreed with Janson’s judgnt.
Suddenly, the squire’s face turned beet red.
"You…! The Rollsventley that our lady rides is a purebred Lipizzaner Urgini, the finest steed in the Kingdom! How dare you treat it like so mongrel!? You should prioritize our lady’s safety above all!"
"A-ah, I didn’t know… I-I’m sorry, Lady Adeline…!"
I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.
Adeline let out a deep sigh.
Her sharp glare at Joel was uncharacteristically pointed.
"…Joel. Are you trying to keep embarrassing ?"
"What? N-no, my lady, that’s not—"
"If it weren’t for Eugene’s insistence, I wouldn’t have brought you. Want to turn back right now?"
Joel leapt off his saddle and dropped to one knee before Adeline, practically digging into the ground.
"Please forgive my insolence!"
"Apologize to Janson, not . Janson’s our leader for this group of four."
"…"
At this point, I dismounted and tied my reins to a nearby bush.
Glancing back, I saw Joel’s crumpled face as he bowed to Janson—an amusing sight.
"S-sorry. For defying you…"
"No, it’s really fine… I’m okay, Lady Adeline."
"No. It’s an apology you deserve. This journey won’t be short. Hierarchy must be clear. I leave
the decision to you."
Adeline, saying this, dismounted and turned away from the two, as if she had no intention of getting involved further.
This left Janson and Joel facing each other, with and Adeline deliberately looking elsewhere.
An awkward silence hung in the air… until Janson cautiously spoke.
"You’re not… a noble, are you?"
It was such an unexpected remark that my ears perked up.
This guy Janson… he was taking this chance to probe Joel’s status.
I sharpened my focus.
To think I’d feel the benefits of my heightened senses in a mont like this.
"Not yet, no."
Joel seed just as caught off guard by the sudden question.
His brow furrowed instantly.
"Hmm, is that so?"
"…Does that have anything to do with this?"
"Of course not."
From what I know, Janson’s the type to take pride in odd monts.
Was this stemming from that? The corner of his mouth twitched subtly.
"Well, let’s do our best anyway."
By now, dusk had settled around us.
Janson, with practiced skill, quickly set up camp and prepared so food…
And that’s when round two began.
"You’re saying this is for our lady to eat?"
Joel muttered, staring into the tin bowl in his hand.
Tonight’s dinner was porridge made from finely ground wheat soaked in water.
Being food-related, Janson flinched at Joel’s complaint.
Guess I’d have to step in this ti.
"Don’t eat it then. You here on a picnic?"
Joel’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting to say that.
"Sir Bihen, you can eat this? I heard you’re a noble…"
"What’s the problem? Looks like he even added precious raisins for flavor. It’ll taste worse cold, so stop whining and eat."
Hmph.
Before I enlisted, I couldn’t have imagined a scene like this.
Quite the mont.
You’ve grown a lot, Bihen.
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"Only two bedrolls?"
Just when I thought it was over, round three was waiting.
The sleeping arrangents.
"We didn’t know Lady Adeline was coming… so I only brought ones for and Bihen."
"I can sleep anywhere, but our lady absolutely cannot."
Joel alternated his gaze between and Janson, his eyes subtly pressuring us.
He was implying we should give up one of the bedrolls.
…Hmm.
This ti, even I had to pause and think.
This was a different matter from food.
No matter how much Adeline emphasized military discipline, we couldn’t let a highborn noble sleep on the dirt and she was a woman, no less.
This wasn’t about equality—it was downright inconsiderate.
That’s when it happened.
"How about we take turns keeping watch in pairs? We still need to sleep, after all."
Adeline suggested gently, her tone cautious, as if she thought we might begrudge her even the bedroll.
"W-what, our lady keeping watch…? Absolutely not! I’ll stay up all night!"
"Stop talking nonsense. Janson, what do you think?"
Janson snapped to attention, blinking rapidly.
"I-I’ll just stay up!"
Joel aside, I could only imagine how overwhelming this was for Janson.
I wasn’t fazed, being an Imperial, but to Janson, traveling with a noble akin to his lord must’ve been daunting.
I’d dragged him into this without much thought, and now I felt I’d been too careless.
"Then Lady Adeline and I will take the first watch."
From my past life, I knew that sleeping after the first watch feels surprisingly sweet.
* * *
Co to think of it, I hadn’t properly looked at the night sky since coming to the Kingdom.
In my past life, I didn’t have the ntal space for it, and this ti, the opportunity just hadn’t co up.
Being out in such an open place, stargazing for the first ti in a while, cleared my mind and felt like it was breaking down the gri accumulated in my heart.
When the mood had softened just enough, I spoke.
"Why go to such lengths?"
I asked Adeline, sitting beside .
"Lengths?"
"Your effort to stay humble and avoid asserting authority—it might actually make them uncomfortable."
"Did it seem insincere?"
"Not particularly."
"I figured. It’s genuine."
I lowered my gaze from the night sky to Adeline.
She, hugging her knees, glanced at after a mont.
"Then saying it’s an effort doesn’t add up, does it?"
"…True."
"I’ve been flipping through so books lately. There aren’t many texts about the Empire."
I blinked involuntarily.
Adeline continued in a calm tone.
"The Empire has endured for a long ti under the absolute power of the Emperor and the direct imperial line. It’s bound to be different from the Kingdom—down to the smallest customs and values. If I’ve made any effort, it’s just studying to understand those differences."
"Why the Empire…?"
"Didn’t Roland tell you? He said you and I would see eye to eye."
My eyes drifted upward again.
A mory flashed through my mind.
Our lady’s taken quite an interest in you. She thinks Bihen Benkou sees Zephyros as a ‘necessary evil’ too. She’s convinced you’re soone with that kind of insight. What do you think?
When I lowered my gaze again…
Adeline was resting one cheek on her raised knees, staring up at .
"I wanted to know in advance. We might be able to help each other."
"…"
"You don’t need to take it too seriously yet. For now, it’s just…"
"If a war broke out with the Empire."
"…?"
"…Have you ever imagined what it’d be like?"
I don’t pride myself on being rational in all things, but I also don’t think I’m soft enough to spout nonsense just because the mood’s right.
I just wanted to throw it out there.
Maybe it was my way of testing whether this woman truly had the foresight to hold a real conversation.
Or maybe it was a way to ease my unease.
Ever since so point… I kept picturing myself facing an Imperial army blackening the horizon.
Her reply ca quickly.
"Of course. That’s why I’ve been watching you."
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