Colder than North (2)
Snowflakes piled up on the grate.
Vlad was staring at the door of the mansion that had never moved and had no intention of moving.
“······.”
In fact, seeing a tightly closed door was a familiar experience.
In my life, the number of places that have opened their doors wide for me can be counted on one hand.
“Am I funny?”
“yes? “No… it’s not that.”
The gatekeepers’ reaction to the wandering driver from the north is cold.
Their attitude of daring to look down on knights gives an idea of the power of the Vitskaya count family.
I should have recognized its power before knocking on the door, and it was definitely my fault for not knowing.
“I just want an answer. “I’m not asking for permission.”
So it must be your fault for not recognizing me.
As soon as Vlad finished speaking, he took out a small flag from his baggage and slammed it into the ground.
Kyaang-!
A small spark that bounces.
A sound like swords clashing against swords was heard from the solidly frozen ground.
“What are you doing now…?”
Vlad showed his level through his actions just now.
The gatekeepers who saw this began to recognize that Vlad was different from the knights they had seen before.
This knight was not the one who came to beg the earl for something.
“No matter how much he is just a knight, he will be able to get at least an answer from the Count.”
The wind was blowing.
The cold wind that started from the north raised the flag planted in the frozen ground.
And I found out who Vlad was.
Emblems of families and organizations engraved in the fluttering flags.
And among those sentences, there was one sign that caught the gatekeepers’ attention.
“Let’s live.”
“this······.”
The gatekeepers would not have been able to recognize all of the northern family coats of arms.
However, there was a mark engraved on Vlad’s flag that was easily recognizable to their eyes.
It was a sign that anyone could recognize no matter where they were on the continent.
“I will wait for the answer from now on.”
A dark line is drawn below the head of a fire-breathing dragon.
The mark of the dragon slayer.
The complexions of the gatekeepers who recognized the mark began to turn blue.
A small northern flag was waving within the County of Vitskaya.
There is only one way to break down reasonless neglect and discrimination.
It will only prove itself.
And the knight standing in front of the mansion now was the one who proved himself with the most perfect blood.
The flag was shaking in the wind, but the knight’s blue eyes were steadfast.
※※※※
A tray full of vegetables and fruits.
The sauce that was sprinkled generously on top was flowing poorly.
“How old are you?”
“I’m 18 this year.”
Count Vitskaya, who had been eating for a while, had a mountain of salad piled up in front of him.
No, maybe he was scolding Vlad for his sudden visit like this.
“You’re 18 and you caught a dragon?”
“I was 17 at the time.”
“······her.”
The fastest dragon of the North. Lindwurm.
Count Vitskaya could not help but harbor deep doubts that the young knight in front of him had caught it.
‘But the mark is real.’
Fame is vain, but honor never loses its shine anywhere.
And on the flag that the young knight brought, there was clearly an honorable mark engraved on it that could not be ignored.
However, in order to use that mark, you must have permission from the Dragon Slayer Knights.
“Who gave permission for the use of that mark?”
Vlad quietly looked at the lord of the central region who was looking at him in response to the question he heard.
Even though the emblem and mark on the flag were not the same, the count just kept asking about the dragon slayer’s mark.
Looking at that, Vlad could recognize it.
The northern influence does not extend to here.
“This is Sir Mirshea Dragulia, leader of the Dragon Slayer Knights.”
And the majesty of the Dragon Slayer Knights encompasses the central region.
“Mirsea…Chief of the Dragon Slayer Knights.”
At the single name that came out of Vlad’s mouth, not only the count but also the knights standing around began to murmur.
Vlad was momentarily taken aback by their sudden reaction, but decided not to show it.
“If this is false, you will die here.”
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After hearing Mirshea’s name, the Count stood up and started growling at Vlad.
How dare you bring up the Dragullia family and the Dragon Slayer Knights in the topic of wandering people in the North.
Count Vitskaya’s eyes began to grow fierce as he heard the names of beings who should not be dared to impersonate them.
The blue blood of the nobility in his eyes was pressuring Vlad mercilessly.
“There is no lie in what I say, Count. I definitely killed Lindwurm, and Lord Mirshea watched it clearly.”
However, Vlad just calmly ignored even the Count’s sharp warning.
Vlad’s attitude, which was neither arrogant nor servile, made Count Vitskaya think a lot.
‘······I don’t know who raised it, but they made it.’
The pressure of the title of Count is truly great.
However, looking at the young knight who was completely unwavering even in front of him, Count Vitskaya had no choice but to hold out his tongue.
At this point, it would be right to admit it, even if it is a fraud.
“okay. “You want to borrow a wizard?”
“That’s right. “I would like to convey some urgent news to my lord in Shoara.”
Coming to borrow a telegram during a mission was not common, but it did happen.
If Vlad had been a knight from the central region rather than the north, the count would have gladly lent him the crystal ball.
“May I ask what you are writing the telegram for? “It seems like a pretty urgent matter.”
“······.”
However, it had never happened before that a knight from the north came down to the territory located in the central region, especially in the east, and borrowed a telegram.
Count Vitskaya needed to know what news the young knight in front of him was trying to convey, not just out of curiosity but also out of duty as a monarch.
The urgent news that an extraordinary person wants to convey must be important.
“······A few days ago, I discovered a strange being in the forest of Dobrechti. “It was in the shape of a troll, and even if you killed it, it wouldn’t die.”
When the Count told him to tell the inside story, Vlad didn’t worry much.
Even if I didn’t say it here, I would have known it anyway.
And even if it were known, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Being wary of evil and evil beings is probably not a special thing anywhere.
“What does it mean to not die even if you kill him…?”
“This has happened in the North too. “I think something unknown is slowly spreading.”
The lobby, which had been noisy just a moment ago, became quiet as if cold water had been poured on Vlad’s words explaining the evil being.
To that extent, stories related to black magic made people nervous.
“······Where was the guy who didn’t die?”
“This is Dobrechti, the Dalmatian family’s fiefdom. “The closest city there is Tanovo.”
I have my work to do, but I am also here to warn you.
But how can you treat me so poorly?
Count Vitskaya felt as if Vlad’s blue eyes were saying that.
“Lend the crystal ball to the guest from the North!”
The Count, who realized the seriousness of the situation from Vlad’s unwavering gaze, quickly elevated Vlad’s status from an uninvited guest in the North to an honored guest.
It looked like he had been hit by a knight, but the count was a man who didn’t care about such things.
“thank you.”
“I feel sorry for leaving it outside. These days, there are a lot of drivers coming to look for positions. “I thought you were one of those knights.”
Even though he was a count, Vlad could not help but be quite surprised to see his attitude of directly asking for an apology.
It was a change of attitude too quickly to be considered someone who ignored him without even opening the door.
“I understand. “Count.”
“okay. “Hurry up and go report.”
Clean greeting, educated attitude.
The Count’s eyes were shining as he looked at Vlad, who came from the North but had a central attitude.
The Count had even Vlad’s last appearance engraved in his eyes.
“Find out now.”
“yes. “Someone to Dobrechti right now.”
“Not that one!”
The lobby suddenly became quiet after Vlad left.
Count Vitskaya’s small but firm voice came from above.
The Count’s voice was urgent as he was conscious of Vlad, who was already outside the door.
“Is that kid really a dragon slayer? “Find out if he is Bayezid’s knight!”
“Yes, yes!”
A leader who doesn’t even understand the priorities of work.
The Count’s eyes were fierce when he saw that scene.
“Everyone, go out!”
The knights in the lobby began to flock out at the sight of the count, who even gestured with his hand as if to hurry up and give the order to welcome the guests.
Everyone looked impatient, but the knights’ somewhat impatient footsteps seemed to show Count Vitskaya’s temperament.
“under!”
The Count, who was now alone, quietly muttered as he looked at the salad in front of him.
“He’s cocky and confident.”
The count’s eyes were shining strangely as he sat down to a late meal due to a sudden uninvited guest.
“I’ll have to find out if you have the skills to be so confident.”
A figure was hovering over the silver spoon the Count was holding.
The mark of the dragon slayer engraved on the flag was still vivid in the count’s mind.
※※※※
“It’s very expensive…”
It was the first telegram I had ever sent.
A telegram that used magical techniques to send news to distant places was certainly irreplaceably useful, but it came at a high price.
“How expensive is it?”
“I heard it’s 1 gold per letter. “The farther away it is, the more expensive it is.”
“······How many letters did you write?”
Goth couldn’t keep his mouth shut at Vlad’s explanation.
The cost of extorting money from the Count of Dalmatia by all means was only about 10 gold.
However, according to what Vlad said just now, if you send only ten letters, the money will be gone.
“They said don’t worry about the cost.”
“Oh my… I’m glad.”
Cost wasn’t the only issue.
The Count’s wizard said that in order to send a telegram to a specific place, you must know the wavelength number corresponding to that area.
However, there was no way that Vlad would know about the telegram that he was attempting for the first time in his life.
In the end, the Count’s wizard had to sigh and find out the number corresponding to Shoara himself.
“If I had just gone to any wizard, I would have given up.”
“······.”
Feeling embarrassed by Goth’s words, Vlad scratched the back of his head and walked down the hallway of the mansion.
The colorful sculptures and decorations carved here and there have long since disappeared from view.
‘I didn’t even know this. What kind of article is this?’
I thought I would just blindly send a telegram, but there were knowledge and common sense that I needed to know in the process.
Even if he had stayed in Shoara, he would have needed a lot of time to function as a proper knight.
Just knowing how to use a sword did not mean you could become a knight.
“·····Well, the start here wasn’t that pleasant. “Still, I think it was a good thing I got to know the Count.”
Looking at Vlad’s face becoming increasingly hardened, lost in self-reproach and thoughts, Goth quickly tried to change the subject.
Goat knew very well that he had to be more faithful to this role since he could not directly help with the sword.
“What does that mean?”
Vlad, who was momentarily pulled out of his thoughts by a voice from beside him, asked about what he had just said, but Goth only shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the decorations around him.
“What is this?”
I was deep in thought and noticed the sculptures and decorations of the mansion that I had never noticed before.
Although he did not know much about these luxuries, the decorations seemed quite exotic even to Vlad, a layman.
“They said it was a gift from the elves.”
Goth was not idle while Vlad met the Count.
A good conman must always be sensitive to trends around him.
“When I asked the servants here, I heard that the elves don’t let anyone into their land.”
The County of Vitskaya, a territory located in the eastern part of the central region.
In the past, it was no different from a rural fiefdom than Dobrechti, but during the current fiefdom era, it was able to stand tall as one of the bases for ordinary trade.
“But I don’t know how the Count here was able to open a trade route. In other words, he is someone who can communicate with elves.”
“······.”
Vlad felt like he had come to his senses at Goth’s words, but he didn’t bother to answer.
Instead, I simply raised my hand and touched one of the murals carved on the wall.
Where Vlad’s hand touched.
There was a carved image of a person with ears too long to be considered an ordinary human being.
