🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 11
The Unwelcome Guest
“Have you heard about Master Maier?”
“Of course. I heard he knocked down Lord Morgan in one blow?”
“Exactly. But why would someone like him…”
“No idea. But it seems that his condition has finally improved.”
“Then what about Master Kyle…”
Whenever two servants in the lord’s castle gathered, the conversation inevitably turned to Maier. This was because the people were intensely curious about the new side of Maier, who had been called the reclusive noble.
It was only natural.
Even though the family had recently adopted a talented young man named Kyle as an heir, Maier was the only legitimate heir of the Erigo Garden.
“Maier? Was there someone like that?”
“You didn’t know? He’s in the annex.”
“Oh, that place… isn’t it haunted?”
Of course, because Maier had been secluded in the annex for a long time, there were still people who knew nothing about him.
But even through gossip like this, Maier’s existence was slowly becoming known. That was exactly what Maier wanted, and Roilun had secretly ensured that it happened.
And when servants whispered stories like that, they inevitably spread to the soldiers inside the castle.
Most of those soldiers came and went every day, carrying with them the stories circulating in the lord’s castle.
The rumors about Maier had begun to spread across the Auwis territory.
Five days after his duel with Morgan, Maier finally made an appearance.
And where he appeared was astonishingly unexpected.
“Is this the Viktor unit?”
“Nyushu, since morning?”
Maier, carrying a slender sword and cradling a meal wrapped in a cloth, spoke to a soldier standing guard in front of the unit.
“They say Maier Garden.”
“Maier? I’ve… never heard that name…”
The soldier, initially thinking this was just another wandering merchant, suddenly widened his eyes. The recent rumors flashed through his mind.
Realizing that the skinny boy in front of him was the subject of those rumors, the soldier dropped the spear he was holding.
Clunk!
“Oh my, I dropped it.”
Maier, seemingly amused, picked up the spear and handed it back. The soldier, now fully alert, grabbed the spear and shouted:
“Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma-Maier Master!!!!”
As the saying goes, even kings curse when unseen. But now that the person was right in front of him, as a mere soldier, it was as if the heavens had appeared before him.
Maier smiled faintly at the trembling soldier.
“Alright. May I come in?”
“Y-Yes…!”
“Wait.”
As the soldier stammered, someone suddenly appeared. When Maier looked at him, a man in a slightly better uniform bowed his head.
“I am Lieutenant Vector. Greetings, Master Maier.”
The soldier visibly relaxed at the appearance of Vector, Rando’s right-hand man. Though a commoner, Vector had Rando’s trust and acted as the unit’s officer.
“Pleasure to meet you as well.”
“Please wait a moment. Even though this is a unit, proper procedure must be followed.”
Vector spoke calmly, but sweat glistened on his temple and trickled down.
The man before him was Maier, the lord’s legitimate heir.
Even though Viktor Unit was somewhat looked down upon within the family, one mistake could have deadly consequences, so he had to be cautious.
Maier smirked at the sight.
So this is the one who commands the soldiers while Rando fights at the front.
During the duel with the Iron Bear Knights, Maier had not only observed Rando but also Vector. He had anticipated that Rando might not be naturally skilled in strategy, so Viktor’s repeated victories must have had another explanation.
And Vector had caught his attention.
“Of course. You may enter. They will be waiting.”
Maier smiled faintly. Vector sighed in relief that Maier had not caused a scene, despite being the lord’s son.
He’s different from other young masters or lords.
The lord’s bloodline, the Iron Bear Knight commander, and his sons all treated ordinary soldiers as if they were servants.
This made them difficult to deal with if they acted up, but fortunately, Maier showed no such arrogance, which reassured Vector.
His respect for Maier slightly increased as a bonus.
A moment later, a running soldier returned and announced:
“You may enter.”
Vector nodded and told Maier,
“I will guide you.”
“Thank you.”
The undefeated unit, Viktor. Maier stepped into it.
Even in the early morning, Rando had already taken his place. He looked at Maier sitting before him with a slightly uncomfortable gaze.
“Do you wish to train here?”
“Yes, Sir Rando.”
Rando had not yet given a definite answer to Maier’s proposal. Five days later, Maier unexpectedly visited the Viktor unit.
But Maier had not come to hear Rando’s answer.
“I have heard that your Viktor unit is undefeated. That must mean they are famous as elite troops, correct?”
Rando took pride in this. The elite soldiers of Viktor were leagues ahead of regular troops.
Even the lord Erigo acknowledged this.
That was why Rando was given a degree of autonomy to utilize Viktor as an independent unit. Viktor was not part of the knights, but not ordinary soldiers either—a unique position.
Of course, other units often envied Viktor’s privileges, and there were times when supplies were inadequate, as had happened before.
“I too must take up the sword, but I cannot do it alone. You understand my situation, I am sure.”
Maier spoke, smiling faintly in a way that suggested resignation. Rando groaned at the half-hearted excuse.
“I did not mean to trouble you.”
“No, it is fine.”
Though Maier spoke as if he did not wish to cause inconvenience, the truth was otherwise. Rando, unaware of Maier’s hidden motives, shook his head.
“I do not wish to burden you, but you are the only person in this territory I could even have a conversation with. That is why I had no choice but to come here. I apologize.”
Maier bowed respectfully and pleaded earnestly. It was a request that successfully left the chivalrous Rando in a difficult position.
“I do not need anything else. No special treatment. I simply wish to be treated as one of Viktor’s new recruits.”
Rando’s expression softened slightly.
No special treatment.
To be treated as a recruit.
Whether Maier’s claim was sincere or not remained to be seen, but Rando could at least sense the basic decency behind it, and unconsciously relaxed his furrowed brows.
“As a recruit?”
“Yes. If…”
Maier looked at Rando.
“If I fail to meet your standards or Viktor’s, you may dismiss me. I must be prepared for that, must I not?”
This is my only chance to survive.
Maier was desperate. This was the only way to survive Kyle’s machinations. Seeing the earnestness in Maier’s eyes, Rando let out a deep sigh.
I cannot refuse.
If he were to refuse now, he would be failing as a knight. A knight who could not protect the weak had no right to wield a sword.
“Understood.”
“Really?”
Maier’s face lit up. Rando, however, spoke strictly:
“Remember what you said if you fail to meet the standard.”
“Yes, Sir Rando. I understand.”
Maier glanced at Rando and shouted confidently:
“Captain!!!”
Maier stood at the very back of the formation at the training grounds, and the soldiers glanced curiously.
Viktor was a small unit.
Anything that happened there spread like wildfire.
And the reclusive noble had come to Viktor with his own feet—within thirty minutes, the entire unit knew.
He lined up.
At the very back.
The soldiers were burning with curiosity, but no one explained what was happening. Then Rando, lightly dressed, appeared.
Clack!
The moment Rando appeared, the secretive glances toward Maier vanished. His presence exuded the strict discipline that filled the unit.
Maier clicked his tongue in admiration.
Rando’s true talent is not swordsmanship, but training soldiers.
Even without being a 4-star knight or wielding a legendary sword, perhaps Rando’s ability to mold soldiers alone would leave his mark in history.
Maier, swept up in the atmosphere, swallowed hard.
“Attention!”
Attention-!!!!!
The echo of voices shouting in response pierced his ears. Maier was fully alert.
This is like the military.
Such an atmosphere was familiar to Maier, or rather, to Park Yeon-ui. Twenty months of mandatory service in South Korea came to mind.
Naturally, he tightened his posture and engaged his core. Rando glanced at Maier at the back of the formation, then turned back to the soldiers.
“Prepare to run.”
A run.
The foundation of all physical training. Maier followed the soldiers awkwardly as they all moved in unison.
“Start.”
Rando led from the front. The soldiers followed. Maier, at the back, clenched his teeth to keep up.
This is just the beginning!
It was the start of Maier’s long journey to survive. But soon, he felt his lungs burning and his chest about to burst, cursing his cursed body.
This is insane.
Despite running, the distance seemed to grow. Worst of all, no one told him the destination.
Maier’s body and stamina were worse than that of the law student, Park Yeon-ui. The leading soldiers pulled far ahead. He wanted to stop, but bit down on his cheek.
“Quit running just because this is hard?!!”
The path he chose to survive: Kyle’s threat, the mockery of the reclusive noble, the lord Erigo who had cast him aside—they all forced him forward.
The original Maier—or the original Park Yeon-ui—could never have done this. But now, combined, they had to at least perform as one person.
Law student Park Yeon-ui.
Reclusive noble Maier.
Together, even half of one person’s effort was necessary to survive. Maier, fueled by some unknown energy, began to follow Viktor, now a tiny dot in the distance.
His speed was painfully slow.
Exaggerating slightly, it was as slow as a crawling turtle.
Before Maier had even covered a tenth of the distance, the lead, Rando, returned. Neither Rando nor Maier met each other’s gaze.
The time it took for Rando and Maier to meet again:
A staggering ten hours.
