Editor 113

Although it was only for a short time, the atmosphere of the Tristain Order of Knights was free, and the hierarchy also seemed quite relaxed.

Being at Albion’s northernmost edge, far from the capital, most of the knights were locally trained. Those conditions fostered close bonds among the members, creating a unique spirit in the Tristain Order.

‘Of course, vague resentment from regular knights who don’t know the political situation well can be dispelled by spending time together, but a vice-captain must have many occasions to deal directly with central nobles, so his resentment is of a different degree.’

After King Thomas and Lord Regent Saville took power 140 years ago, the two houses that opposed them became distant from the center.

The Sergef family built wealth through marble trade, and the Tristain Dukes cultivated their own order of knights.

When Duke Cruel seized control of the military during King Philip’s reign, the Tristain duchy was all but abandoned.

That was the origin of the Order’s deep hostility toward central nobles and their absolute loyalty to the Tristain Dukes.

Cleio, who had been quietly measuring the situation, snapped back to reality when Trude slapped his back with tremendous force.

“Anyway, we’re grateful this little mage is helping us! I need something done for my back, too. Damn, I hurt it again last year and it kills every time I walk.”

“Hey, hey, you’ll kill the mage with your iron hands!”

“It’s all right, I’m fine.”

“See, the mage says he’s fine! He took down a monster, you think my hand’s a big deal?”

“Arthur, was it? You were amazing too! Charging a huge monster with just a sword, you’re not ordinary!”

“So, what level are you? Are these little ones also knight cadets?”

“Could anyone but a knight cadet throw a sword so skillfully? I saw it get stuck right in the monster’s claw.”

“We’re Lifi and Leticia! We’re both level 3!”

The burly knights surrounded Lifi and Leticia, doting on them like uncles to nephews, or even like grandparents to grandchildren.

“Phew, so young.”

“Amazing! Can you draw sword energy, too?!”

“Of course!”

“Wow!”

Just as the knights seemed about to hoist the twins onto their shoulders, Laisa quickly intervened.

“Hey, hey, hey, they’re not your little siblings, all right? Take it easy. These two girls are the daughters of Viscount Angelium, that handsome blue-haired one is the only daughter of the Tangpete de Neige family, and the stern redhead is the child of Viscount Kishion. And this little mage is the second son of the Aser family. The three of them are all level 4, so don’t be too casual.”

It was as if question marks appeared above the heads of the two big knights and the small one. Clearly, they hadn’t understood a word Laisa said.

A beat later, Trude snapped his fingers.

“…Ah! I know Aser. They run those trade ships!”

“So, a rich kid, huh~. No wonder his clothes looked fancy.”

Fortunately, the school documents didn’t list their titles. Being treated as the clueless youngest son of a rich family, Cleio let out a sigh of relief.

“And what’s with all these viscounts’ families?”

“I don’t really know. Trude, doesn’t your grandma know all the noble family stories? Didn’t you pick up anything?”

“My grandma knows all the hero stories, but not much about new nobles. What kind of nobles are they, huh.”

Laisa smacked Trude on the back of the head, making him shut up.

“Hey, hey. Loose lips. Enough chit-chat. Lastly, that blonde prince over there is level 5. He’s higher level than any of you. Did you see him fight? Wasn’t it amazing?”

“Prince?”

“Who’s a prince?”

“Are you blind? Hair like molten gold isn’t common. That’s Prince Arthur Riognan, third prince.”

As the three knights started to get nervous, Arthur waved his hands with a bright smile.

“Is there any point making a fuss now? Just treat me comfortably. I grew up in the mountains with my mother, so I’m not used to this royalty talk.”

“Still… is that really okay?”

“Why not? Please keep calling me Arthur.”

With Arthur’s innate sociability, the awkward mood was quickly resolved.

Right on cue, the bearded old man in charge of the kitchen entered the lounge, cradling a large ceramic kettle wrapped in cloth.

“Knights, sorry I’m late. Have a cup of this while you talk.”

As the old man whipped off the cloth, a fragrant and tangy aroma spread through the room. It was the kind of scent that instantly made your mouth water.

“Oh, thank you, sir.”

“Your hot toddy is the best, sir!”

The knights grabbed the ugly earthenware cups stacked on one side of the table and poured out drinks.

“Students, have a cup too.”

“Wow, thank you!”

Even Cleio, who had been tense, relaxed a bit and savored the taste of the drink.

The knights’ praise was no exaggeration; with a single sip, it felt like the last chill left his body.

‘It’s watered whiskey with cinnamon, lemon, ginger, and honey. Tastes like it’d cure a cold.’

Arthur, who drained his cup before Cleio, scratched the back of his head and held out his empty cup to old Baku.

“Um, could I have another?”

“Look at that, the kid knows good stuff. You like the taste?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then drink up!”

The old man, pleased with Arthur, filled his cup to the brim.

“Wow, Baku, this is an honor. Even the prince likes your hot toddy.”

“Who’s a prince?”

“This one, right here.”

“Well, he is a fine-looking lad. Is it good?”

“It’s honestly the best hot toddy I’ve ever had.”

Laughter broke out.

The fireplace roared with heat, and as the warm alcohol flowed, everyone’s expressions softened even more.

Arthur was at the center of it all. Our protagonist, who naturally drew attention and made everyone want to listen to every word.

‘A down-to-earth boy prince is always popular.’

Cleio saw no need to intervene further. Only then did his tension melt away, his limbs slacken, and the fatigue on his shoulders become apparent.

He wasn’t the only one feeling a little out of place in the lively lounge.

There was one more.

Rotan, clutching the onyx magic stone in his front pocket with both hands, shyly asked Laisa,

“But Laisa, when did you figure out all that about the kids? Today’s the first time you saw them.”

“Paperwork, vice-captain. When I came back to the castle with my ankle broken, you didn’t even worry, just dumped a mountain of paperwork on me. It was all in there.”

“Ugh, of all times….”

“Vice-captain, maybe it’s time to stop being so stubborn. Our apprentice found in the records that the winged snake monster was called Python. A real big shot, apparently? Thanks to these kids, the damage was minimized.”

Pretending to sip his drink, Cleio listened in on Laisa and Rotan’s conversation.

“I’ve already sent word to the subjugation team and His Grace, both by courier and telegraph. Flying monsters can cross the defense line, so we’re reinforcing the castle’s defenses in case one appears again. I’ll take the first watch tonight. From tomorrow, you’ll all stand guard at the watchtower in three shifts. Don’t waste time here—go get some sleep.”

Arthur quietly joined the vice-captain and his deputy’s conversation.

“If you’re short on people for shifts, we can stand night watch too.”

“It’s not that I doubt your abilities, but standing guard at the watchtower on a freezing night isn’t work for guests, or for kids like you. Sleep at night.”

Rotan’s tone was as stern as ever, but the content of his words was completely different. Cleio hid a secret smile.

‘I thought he was just an old-fashioned hardhead, but this guy’s deeper than he looks. Well, he wouldn’t be vice-captain of the Tristain Order just by luck.’

Laisa, who seemed more sociable than the vice-captain, smoothed things over.

“I can’t take you up the outer wall or monster hunting, but once my leg’s better, want to go hunting? The monsters have stirred up the wild beasts, so they’re running wild everywhere, not even hibernating this winter. Have you ever hunted?”

Lifi and Leticia answered without a second’s hesitation.

“Yes! Tons! We love hunting!”

“We’ll do it! Please take us!”

The twins’ eyes shone as brightly as Sirius on a winter night.

“Laisa! What are you doing with the kids?”

“They said they know how, so why not? Have you ever handled a gun?”

“Of course!”

“You can test us if you want.”

“What do you mean, gun? The rest of the kids are eighteen, but these twins are even younger.”

“Haha, I was just their age when I first went hunting with the vice-captain. What’s the problem?”

“You and them are different…?”

“Well, it’s true I lost my father to a wild beast at eleven, and my mother died in a fall at twelve, guts spilling out. Right?”

“Laisa, come on!”

Cleio’s eyes narrowed.

‘For someone so friendly in speech, Laisa’s eyes are awfully cold… Is it from surviving in this harsh land?’

It seemed her welcome of Arthur’s group was simply because more manpower was useful.

‘Still, she doesn’t seem to have any special prejudice or malice toward the kids. She just draws a clear line between her people and others. On the other hand, vice-captain Rotan is much warmer than he looks.’

While Cleio updated his mental files, the children enjoyed a cheerful evening with the knights.

Outside, snow swirled in waves, but inside the castle’s thick walls, it was a warm night.

---

The next day.

The snowstorm from the night before didn’t let up until morning. The castle’s storm windows were closed and barred, but still rattled violently.

When the children secretly opened a window, they screamed in childish delight. The snow had piled up to the second story of the building.

“Wow, amazing!”

“We could swim in the snow!”

Because of the weather, all activities were canceled, and breakfast was served late.

The day after slaying the monster, breakfast was completely different from the day before. While they hadn’t been slighted with meals before, today was a true feast.

With fresh produce scarce in the region, there weren’t many greens, but the table was lavishly set with pickled fruits and vegetables, preserved and salted meats, and smoked fish.

‘They even have pastries topped with stewed peaches. Incredible.’

The children, helping themselves generously from the big table, each enjoyed a happy breakfast.

Cleio didn’t feel like eating pickled anchovy fritters or salted cod pilaf for breakfast, so he just took a little scrambled eggs with smoked salmon.

After they’d satisfied their hunger, the twins, always interested in Cleio’s magic, asked questions.

“So Ray, what was that magic you used yesterday?”

“I’ve never seen an arrow pop out before!”

“Ah, that…”

“It was just one shot, but it swerved! It pierced right through the monster’s tough scales!”

“If you put in a [Tracking] spell formula, the attack gets guided like that. I tried an application.”

When first designing [Achilles’ Spear], he didn’t have much money. To conserve mana crystal bronze, he used [Attribute Amplification][Throw][Acceleration] with [Replication], but now he could use as much mana crystal bronze as he wanted, so he upgraded the spell.

[Attribute Amplification][Tracking][Throw][Acceleration].

Changing the formula combination changes the manifestation and design of the spell. Yesterday’s magic was the result.

‘Honestly, if I used magic silver, the verses and resonance would match better, but I don’t want to waste that kind of money right now.’

“So what’s it called?”

“Did you come up with another fancy, weird name?”

Chewing his scrambled eggs, Cleio improvised a name to match the incantation he’d used.

Since he’d quoted Byron’s lines about the “god of the silver bow,” there was only one possible name.

“How about calling it [Apollo’s Arrow]? Just named it now.”

“Wow, when did you come up with that?”

“It’s a weird name I’ve never heard, but it’s super strong.”

Hearing Lifi’s words, Cleio quietly smiled.

‘Even a famous god like Apollo becomes an unknown in another world where Mnemosyne is the chief deity. What a humiliation. He’s the god who was supposed to prophesy Python’s judgment….’

“I can’t believe Ray, who’s hopeless at writing and never reads a book, can come up with such cool incantations only when casting magic.”

Cleio smiled vaguely, lost in old memories.

When ‘Jeongjin,’ who had only lived in small towns, entered university, the most moving thing was the library with 250,000 volumes.

He worked his student job in the library. When there was little to do, he read books to his heart’s content. There were few joys in his previous life, but those days were quite good.

‘Thanks to that, I can even use magic now. Life is really unpredictable.’

“Hmm, it just comes to mind. Maybe I’m a natural?”

“Ugh, show-off!”

The twins didn’t believe him, but he spoke the truth. Regardless of Lifi’s glare, Cleio just chewed his salmon scrambled eggs.