Chapter 10
“You… is that any way to treat your master…?”
Even after entering the room, Jullitan rubbed his back with a pained expression as he spoke to Kanelian, who was peeling and eating the red fruits atop the round table.
“Ah, this is delicious.”
She continued popping the small, grape-like red fruits into her mouth. In truth, Bellesima was not a land fertile enough for fruits or grain to grow, so any fruit found here was entirely imported. The very presence of such expensive fruit was proof that this was the inn’s finest room. Indeed, nearly every piece of furniture in the inn, and even the wood used for the flooring, was a costly import from the south.
“Please, just listen to someone else for once.”
Jullitan’s voice was exhausted. That woman was impossible—anger was useless, and coaxing was useless.
Kanelian swallowed the rest of the fruit in her mouth and glanced around the room—large enough to be three times the size of the others—before speaking in a languid voice.
“You see, a knight… doesn’t need to pay money no matter where they go. Especially a knight who travels with a Seal. The Seal itself proves their knighthood, so they pass anywhere without trouble. You should learn a thing or two about that, Master.”
“What? Then anyone would want to be a knight.”
Jullitan looked incredulous.
Kanelian went into the other room, poking only her head out to continue speaking. The “other room” was the bathroom.
“If anyone could do it, it wouldn’t be valuable. To be a knight, you first need a title. Without it, no matter how much you shout that you’re a knight, it’s useless. Since only a king or emperor can grant a title, it’s something commoners can never obtain in their entire lives. Well, you can buy a title with money, too.”
“A title? I don’t have anything like that. I don’t have money, either.”
It was the first time in his life he had heard the word “title” from Kanelian.
“Don’t worry. No one with guts would try to verify the title of someone traveling with a Seal like me. For a commoner to doubt a knight’s title is a tremendous insult.”
She looked quite used to such matters. Well, except for Jullitan, every master she had served had been a knight of considerable skill.
“R-really? Then as long as you have a title, you never have to worry about food for the rest of your life.”
“Well, you wouldn’t have to worry about making a living. If you set your mind to it, handling large sums and living comfortably wouldn’t be difficult. But being a knight… a true knight… isn’t that easy and comfortable. There are duties. Obligations you must absolutely keep, even though no one ordered you to.”
“A knight’s duty? What is it?”
When Jullitan said that, Kanelian’s expression suddenly stiffened. She grabbed the silver longsword she always kept nearby and approached him. He had been just about to take off his clothes.
“Someone’s coming. Three of them. A knight and a Seal… and maybe that innkeeper from earlier? Their intent isn’t hostile.”
“A k-knight? Why here?”
“A familiar… feeling.”
Soon, footsteps could be heard. A moment later, a knock sounded, and the innkeeper’s voice came from outside the door.
“Pardon the intrusion. Knight Rii has come to see you.”
“…Open it.”
Kanelian spoke in a low voice, adjusting her grip on her sword in case of trouble. In moments like these, she looked quite reliable. Jullitan glanced back at her, then opened the door with an awkward expression, only to freeze the moment he saw the woman standing outside.
“First, allow me to apologize for arriving so suddenly.”
It was a voice unlike Kanelian’s—melodious, like a whisper. Wrapped in an ivory cape that was not flashy but luxurious, Rii stood a little taller than even Jullitan. Her vivid blue hair, as if painted, and her dark eyes resembling obsidian possessed a beauty that held not the slightest hint of frailty. Her face was so alluring it could be likened to a sculpture formed from delicate lines. Yet despite possessing beauty that seemed to surpass even the elven dancer he had seen earlier, Jullitan somehow felt that she was a knight. It wasn’t only because of the thin scabbard peeking slightly from within her cape. Was this the power of a knight that Kanelian had spoken of? Jullitan was intoxicated in an instant by her appearance and some indescribable, powerful aura, losing all words entirely.
“Ah… I-I am…”
Jullitan couldn’t even meet Rii’s eyes properly and simply faltered. In any case, it was often Jullitan who ended up looking pathetic.
“…?”
Rii, too, was inwardly flustered because Jullitan’s appearance was far different from what she had imagined. Wasn’t this just an ordinary young man who looked like he was about to serve drinks in the common room? She herself was quite young for her position, but he looked even younger than her. No matter how she looked at it, he did not resemble the “excellent knight” she had pictured, but Rii decided that she simply hadn’t yet discovered his true nature.
“I am Rii Dietrich, a Hanain knight who serves the nation of Risenberre.”
Rii bowed her head slightly, then looked at Jullitan. The reason she hadn’t introduced herself in detail as “a senior knight of Risenberre, called the Blue Falcon” was likely because she was confident that this man, Jullitan, had already heard of her. After all, her name was known even in the south.
“Ah, y-yes. I’m Jullitan. It’s nice to meet you.”
Jullitan answered with his usual overflow of innocence, smiling bashfully.
“…?”
There had likely never been anyone who could fluster Rii to this degree even before an army of a million. Was he simply saying, “I’m Jullitan. Nice to meet you,” and that was all? Rii thought hard about the name “Jullitan,” but she could not recall it at all. In any case, thanks to Jullitan, she was left bewildered, wondering if she had committed some breach of etiquette.
“My master is currently a free knight who avoids joining any order and is undertaking his training. And he prefers not to speak of his own house… I apologize for that, but I ask for your generous understanding.”
When Kanelian spoke thus from behind Jullitan with a polite voice and demeanor, Rii finally regained her composure with an expression of understanding. Of course, it was all lies.
“Knight Jullitan is a remarkable person. Knights who abandon a stable life to train are truly rare. Seeing such a person makes me feel ashamed. It is only natural that an excellent Seal would follow someone like you.”
*Damn. I don’t even know anymore. What the hell is Kanelian trying to do…?*
Rii might have a personality the exact opposite of Kanelian’s. Always polite, kind, and unexpectedly innocent. Though, of course, Rii’s true nature remained to be seen as well.
“Please, come in. I-I’ll make some tea…”
Jullitan spoke, still flustered.
*Good grief. Why are you the one making tea?*
Kanelian decided she would have to teach him the basics of knighthood from the ground up.
“It’s been a while. Do you remember me? My name is Ikates now. Please call me that.”
From behind Rii, Ikates—who looked like a beautiful boy—entered the room with a bright smile. The moment Kanelian saw his face, her eyes widened. That orange hair? That face that was always grinning from ear to ear? Ikates was a Seal of such beautiful countenance that he did not pale in comparison to his own master, brightening the room simply by entering. Unlike Jullitan’s side, these two truly suited each other.
“Y-you! …Ah, no. You are Knight Rii’s Seal?”
So surprised that her usual way of speaking slipped out, Kanelian approached Ikates. She looked more shocked by the sudden appearance than glad. Suddenly, she donned a mask of obedience and courtesy, speaking in a gentle tone.
“Ever since coming to this city, I felt a familiar presence and wondered if it could be… This is truly unexpected. To think you are the Seal of such an excellent person—I am envious. I have been given the name Kanelian.”
She stressed the words “I am envious” particularly strongly. Though she deliberately spoke with honorifics to Ikates, Kanelian’s face couldn’t hide an expression that truly said, *I’m so jealous I could die, damn it.* Whether Ikates knew this or not, he merely looked at her with his usual grinning face.
On the plains half a day’s distance from Bellesima, the army of Helmonde—a nation hostile to Risenberre—was gathered, and inside the commander’s tent, a strategy meeting was underway.
“It is no exaggeration to say that the victory or defeat of this battle ultimately depends on Knight Jellid.”
O’Connell, the supreme commander of the Helmonde army, spoke as he looked at Jellid, a man clad in black sitting in the corner of the tent. At those words, Jellid raised his eyes with a piercing gaze and stared back. It was a gaze so intense that O’Connell had to avert his eyes.
“Whether we win or lose? If you doubt that… then why did you hire me? Just keep your promise. If you don’t pay the promised sum after Bellesima falls, the next city to fall will be your capital.”
At Jellid’s cold voice, which dug into their hearts, everyone gathered in the tent couldn’t help but lower their gazes. O’Connell asked again in a frightened voice.
“B-but Bellesima has Knight Rii of Risenberre and her Seal, Ikates. She is an outstanding knight whose name is known even in the south… and Ikates is also a high-ranking Seal who wields powerful magic. It won’t be easy to face them.”
A sneer crossed Jellid’s lips at the mention of Rii’s name. He looked as if he had known her for a long time. Jellid answered in a low, dark, and parched voice.
“The only reason I accepted a worthless request from your country is because I have personal business with Rii Dietrich. She lost to me in the past, and in this battle, she will lose her life. While my Seal Karina and I deal with Rii, you lot just take Bellesima. It’s a simple matter, but if you keep cowering in fear, I’ll start by cutting off your heads right here and now.”
No one could speak anymore at Jellid’s cruel tone and demonic gaze. His name was Jellid Vinkristine. Like the Dietrich house, the Vinkristine house had been one of the knight houses that produced the finest knights, but it had now fallen. And the reason for that fall, people said, was because Jellid had killed everyone in his house. Why he had done so was still a mystery, but wiping out an entire house, including his family, all by himself was nothing short of terrible madness; there was no other way to explain it. Afterward, Jellid lost his title and became an exiled knight, and his demonic abilities—which few could equally oppose—made him sought after by various nations at enormous prices, turning him into one who only took on “dirty, dangerous, and cruel work.” Thus, if Rii was famous as the “Blue Falcon of Risenberre,” respected by the people, Jellid was infamous by the moniker “Nightmare” (凶夢)—one whose mere appearance made even other knights tremble in terror. In truth, the number of knights he and his Seal Karina had killed in duels and wars numbered in the dozens, and those were only the named ones. And now, he had contracted with the nation of Helmonde to bring down Bellesima, one of Risenberre’s major cities.
“Bellesima… a city I’d like to burn to the ground, as always.”
Jellid muttered in a voice full of scorn.
Dragon Lady
Author / Gim Cheolgon
Publisher / Bak Seong-in
Managing Editor / Editorial Department
Published by / Next Level Studio
Address / 4F, 113 Seongsu 2-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Main Phone / 070-8801-6987
ISBN 979-11-92729-25-1
This book was published as an e-book by Next Level Studio in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder.
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