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Chapter 11
The distance between him and his subordinates riding ahead was gradually widening. The sound of heavy breathing from beside him could no longer be ignored.
“Haah, haah…”
It had been about two hours since they left the castle gates. They hadn’t even made it halfway to the North, but Ronin Alistair’s stamina was depleting rapidly.
‘His basic physical fitness isn’t good. To begin with, his attire wasn’t suitable for horseback riding at all.’
Callion’s gaze swept over Ronin.
The fabric of his clothes was as thin as a dragonfly’s wing. On top of that, the sleeves were so long and fluttering that it looked uncomfortable just to watch. Even if his stamina hadn’t run out, he wouldn’t have lasted long in those clothes. Although spring had arrived, the cold of the North was not something a person from the capital could easily endure.
Soon, Callion made his decision.
Fwip!
“All halt!”
At the sound of the whistle, the marching procession ahead came to a stop. Only then did Ronin, who had been practically slouching over his horse, straighten his back.
However, that didn’t mean Ronin was in good condition. Despite the whistle being blown right next to him, his gaze wandered, unable to locate the source of the sound. When his eyes finally met Callion’s, they were completely hazy.
‘As expected, he reached his limit.’
Callion felt reassured in his decision.
“You cannot ride any longer. I strongly recommend getting into the carriage.”
“I am fine…”
“I have a duty to safely escort you to the Leofric fief. I apologize for my bluntness, but what I just said is not a suggestion.”
What if Ronin Alistair died on the way to Leofric? That would give House Alistair a perfect justification—a pretext to strike Leofric.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
Callion stared at Ronin with cold eyes. The subordinates also held their breath, watching Ronin. Normally, Ronin would have been completely overwhelmed by that fierce aura and remained silent, but right now, he couldn’t see anything else.
To be precise, he could only see Callion right in front of him. Ronin barely managed to look Callion in the face as he spoke.
“…Sir Leofric, please reconsider. I wish to ride a horse to the North.”
“Denied. Baldwin! Assist Lord Ronin…”
“Sir Leofric, are you really going to drag me off my horse? As you mentioned, I am Ronin Alistair.”
At those words, Callion shut his mouth. It wasn’t because he wanted to grant Ronin’s request.
‘…If looks could kill, I would have been torn into pieces by now.’
The fiercely burning yellow eyes held raw anger. Receiving that unbridled fury was no easy task.
Furthermore, Ronin’s physical condition was at its worst. His legs were trembling, and his frozen hands were barely gripping the reins. Yet, Ronin could not back down here.
After a few minutes of silence, Callion opened his mouth. The fiery anger had now turned into a razor-sharp, icy hostility.
“I truly do not understand why you are being so stubborn. I was trying to let you move on your own feet out of respect for Alistair’s dignity.”
It meant that if Ronin didn’t follow his words, Callion would use whatever means necessary to force him into the carriage.
Callion’s judgment was accurate. They had already traveled two hours away from the capital. As central nobles, House Alistair’s influence naturally diminished once they left the capital. Moreover, Ronin hadn’t even brought proper vassals with him. Leofric strictly controlled any Alistair-related personnel entering the North. Because of that, the only vassal from Alistair included in this journey was a single maid.
Dozens of eyes focused on Ronin. They were all members of the Black Wolf Knights, and Callion was the strongest wolf among them. In their group, where the hierarchy was absolute, Callion’s will was law.
By this point, Ronin had no choice but to notice the hostility of the others, as well as the fact that Callion would absolutely not back down. However, Ronin couldn’t give up either. Recalling the words of his father, the Marquis, Ronin spoke in a trembling voice.
“But if I take the carriage… I won’t be able to go together with you, Sir Leofric.”
Only then did Callion realize why Ronin had been acting so recklessly. He remembered seeing Ronin Alistair conversing with the Marquis before leaving the capital.
‘He must have received orders to stay as close to me as possible.’
“If that is the problem, I can solve it. Baldwin!”
Callion called out to his vice-commander, Baldwin. Then, he nimbly leapt down from his horse. Once on the ground, Callion strode toward the prepared carriage. Baldwin took the reins of Callion’s horse and led it away.
By this time, Ronin also realized what Callion was trying to do.
‘…He intends to get into the carriage himself.’
For Ronin, this was not a bad proposal—in fact, it was a welcome one. His body already felt like it was breaking apart.
Stumbling as he dismounted his horse, Ronin climbed into the carriage. Callion also boarded without a word and closed the door.
“Move out!”
Baldwin shouted on Callion’s behalf. At that command, the carriage began to roll forward slowly.
Inside the luxurious carriage, the two shared no words.
‘Does air have weight…? It feels suffocating.’
Ultimately, Ronin spoke first.
“…Thank you for accepting my stubbornness.”
For some reason, his own voice sounded as if it were coming from far away. He forced himself to stay conscious, but his physical strength had already reached its absolute limit.
“I am glad you realize you were being stubborn. If you hadn’t, things would have gotten ugly.”
If there was any solace, it was that he couldn’t properly feel Leofric’s hostility anymore. It felt as though he were submerged underwater; external stimuli couldn’t penetrate the surface and simply drifted away.
He barely managed to utter something akin to an apology—I’m sorry or Please forgive me. Having used those phrases since childhood, he didn’t feel particularly embarrassed, especially since he knew he had been unreasonable.
‘But why is it rattling so much? Are we traveling along a mountain path?’
Ronin thought with a hazy mind, completely unaware that his body was swaying back and forth, left and right.
Ronin’s slumped body slid downward. Soon, he even began to groan in pain.
“Ugh…”
Seeing that he couldn’t even open his eyes, he was clearly losing consciousness. Sitting across from him and watching the spectacle, Callion found it almost laughable.
‘What a disaster.’
It had barely been thirty minutes since they boarded the carriage, yet Ronin Alistair looked no different from a half-dead corpse. If left without any treatment, he would likely die on his own.
‘Then Alistair and the Imperial Family would pounce on us immediately.’
He couldn’t let that happen. Callion let out a deep sigh.
“Haah… You really are a nuisance.”
Callion opened the carriage window. He spoke to Baldwin, who had ridden up beside the window.
“Hold on a moment.”
