There is a way in the darkness (2)
It was time to go, but it seemed like winter was still sad to go away.
Because the way it was hanging out, holding on to the window, looked just like that.
A thought occurred to Josef as he watched the winter wind blowing through the window.
“okay. Joseph of Bayezid. “You came to see me from quite a distance.”
Josef was awakened from his thoughts by the voice he heard and looked at the man facing him.
An elderly man smiling with a crackling fireplace behind him.
He had an impressive and stylish mustache and was Baron Moldavir, the lord of Kisignor, a city here.
“Thank you for providing an opportunity to meet you in person. “Baron.”
“This year’s winter was long and there were fewer customers coming. “There were so few people visiting so far that it was rather lonely.”
From what I heard, it was clearly an answer full of affection.
However, Josef, who was looking closely at the Baron’s eyes, could tell that he was not particularly pleased with him.
“But no matter how long it’s been since I’ve been a guest, I don’t think I can really help you this time.”
As expected, Baron Moldavir, who put down the teacup just as Josef had thought, shrugged his shoulders and continued his refusal.
“It’s really embarrassing to meddle in someone else’s family affairs without any justification. Besides, you have already been eliminated from the head of the family competition.”
The Baron didn’t say it with any particular malicious intent, but it made his words all the more sharp.
He was now saying that Josef’s unqualified proposal was nothing more than an empty cry.
Josef, who understood the Baron’s words, simply bowed his head quietly.
“Although I cannot give you much help, please rest comfortably while you are here.”
Josef was uncomfortable to meet and there was nothing to be gained from seeing him, but Baron Moldavir did not harshly throw him away.
This was because he did not want to lose ground with Bayezid, who was now gaining power in any way.
“Anyway, this car you gave me is pretty nice.”
“…I’m glad you got it right.”
“what. “The appearance of the tea leaves is black, but that is not the case.”
Perhaps because of the rejection just now, the air in the room seemed a little cold.
However, even in that atmosphere, Josef did not show any sign of disappointment.
It seemed too natural to say that he was trying to hide his disappointment.
“But the teaware I brought with me and the tea I gave away are the same. “For someone so young, you have quite refined tastes.”
“These are the teacups my mother gave me. “He wanted me to always drink warm tea instead of alcohol, which ruins my body.”
Josef, who was arranging the tea utensils he had taken out with natural gestures, was just looking indifferently at the baron, who was drinking tea as if nothing had happened.
Josef’s tea had an ominous black color that made it difficult to call it ordinary green tea.
Josef’s eyes began to sink deeper and deeper as he watched the Baron slowly gulping tea.
※※※※
While Josef was meeting Baron Moldavir, Vlad and Nibelun were searching throughout Kisignor.
To be precise, I was looking for rumors left behind by the disappeared Frausen and the Black Woman.
“Ha… I guess I should go back to the north again.”
However, despite all the hard work, there seemed to be no results.
The nicely dressed driver ruffled the back of his hair as if he was annoyed, and the customers nearby started to notice and slowly get up from their seats.
“People here don’t really know anything.”
The bar owner was crying as he watched the customers slowly leaving, but Vlad was just lost in his own worries.
“Let’s go to church at least once. “I think they would know the news well.”
“…The church here belongs to the Vatican.”
Vlad tapped the left breastplate as if to take a look.
In the place where my fingers were tapping, there was clearly a text engraved by the Pope of the Northern Orthodox Church.
“The people there probably hate me more than you, the beastman.”
“oh. “You can’t do that.”
In the north, it may have been an honorable phrase, but in the central region, where the Vatican’s power was strong, it was merely evidence of heresy.
Since there was no place to ask for help, Vlad tried to do it himself, but the results he achieved were extremely minimal.
“…But the way you eat looks so natural?”
Vlad’s expression began to turn grim as he saw Nibelun arbitrarily biting off the skewer in front of him.
Even the store owner had an expression that made him flinch, but Nibelun just put another skewer to Vlad’s mouth as if nothing had happened.
“Anyway, we need to find it quickly. “It is certainly an unusual sign that dragons continue to die in the West.”
“that’s right.”
As Vlad listened to Nibelun, he thought of Frausen, who had a strange obsession with dragons.
And with him, the black woman who was spreading mist in the city of Moshiam.
“I hope we can stop it before something happens again.”
Cutting down evil beings was a natural duty for knights, but Vlad had a slightly more special motivation.
Frausen is connected to Quijano.
And from the fog-filled village to the black woman who had long been entangled in a bad relationship.
It was because I felt a sense of duty that was difficult to shake off as I continued to see them.
“It’s been a while. “Vlad.”
“…!”
Was it because I was lost in worry?
Vlad was startled by the sudden voice.
Apparently, I hadn’t noticed anything until just now, but now a man was sitting next to Vlad.
“Marcus?”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking so hard about.”
A man with scars all over his face.
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Marcus, who gave a new name every time they met, picked up a skewer in front of him and looked at Vlad.
“…What about here?”
“I have some business to attend to.”
Although he was clearly a familiar and welcome person, Vlad’s face was full of wariness as he faced him.
This is because Marcus, Bayezid’s hidden blade, could not have come here without any intention.
“What are you doing?”
“As I said before, I can’t tell you about the mission.”
“Did you come because of Joseph?”
“…….”
Marcus, who didn’t say yes or no, just looked down at the skewer that Vlad was holding.
“Are you well, Master?”
“I think you know more about Josef than I do.”
Josef has the right to succession, but is eliminated from the head of the family competition.
The fact that he was traveling around the central region on his own and meeting other lords would not be something Bayezid would be happy about.
Vlad was wary of Marcus, wondering if that was the reason, but the answer he actually received was only vague.
“I do not know. Just by looking at it from the outside.”
“……?”
“Anyway, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
Marcus’s slightly incomprehensible answer made Vlad want to ask what he meant, but the conversation was dominated by the scar-covered man.
“You’ve traveled east alone before, right? “When I met the elves.”
“…Why that suddenly?”
“Did something unpleasant happen back then?”
It seems that the reason Marcus appeared this time was himself, not Josef.
Vlad made a questioning expression as he saw Marcus suddenly asking about what happened in the past.
“What if it’s something unpleasant?”
“For example, stealing something from someone.”
Marcus slowly began to look at Vlad.
Although his presence around him was faint, Vlad naturally became nervous as he saw him leave a strong impression on those he met.
“Or killed them outright.”
“…….”
Vlad missed the moment to answer Marcus’ question, which was difficult to understand.
However, Marcus, who was closely examining Vlad’s expression, just nodded quietly as if he understood.
“Of course it wasn’t. “I hope this clears up any misunderstandings.”
“yes?”
Jangle-
Despite Vlad’s question, Marcus just put down the coins without saying a word and quietly left the store.
However, the coins he left behind were more than enough to pay not only for his own meal, but also for Vlad and Nibelun’s meal.
“The central region is not a good area for you to operate. Personally, I would like to advise you to quickly move to another area.”
“…….”
“See you later.”
Vlad was staring blankly at Marcus as he left, giving advice.
Vlad couldn’t erase the complicated expression on his face when he saw him disappearing even though he had just thought he had blended in with the crowd.
※※※※
The sun has set and it is time to close the gates.
Heeeeeee-!
Now, at a time when not even peddlers would be looking, there was a group approaching the city with the loud sound of horses’ hooves.
The gatekeepers of Kisignor began to get very nervous as they saw them coming in shiny armor and riding sturdy-looking horses.
“stop! “Please identify yourself!”
He was the guard captain who stopped the men according to his assigned duties, but his face turned white when he recognized the flag hanging behind the horse.
A white lightning bolt striking a flag on a black background.
Not only the guard commander but also the surrounding guards hurriedly raised their hands and began saluting the simple but powerful symbol of the flag.
“Welcome to our city!”
“……We have received intelligence that Vlad Aureo, the knight of the North, is in this city. “Is that true?”
However, the men who received the polite salute only asked cold questions as if they were not impressed at all.
However, the guard commander, who realized that there was anger that was difficult to hide in that coldness, quickly began to think of the name Vlad in his head.
“Vlad… If it’s Lord Vlad Aureo, he must have visited our city yesterday!”
I don’t know why I was looking for it, but Vlad’s gorgeous blonde hair still remained in the guard captain’s memory.
The knight who came with the dark-eyed nobleman was the one who brought with him so many symbols that it was difficult to count them.
“okay?”
A knight from the north who came with a flag full of honor.
However, when the men heard the answer, their expressions simply hardened.
“I command this in the name of Prince Armand, who protects the imperial family. From now on, block all the gates of Kisignor.”
“……Ha but.”
“Do it without questioning it.”
The guard captain bowed his head as the knights’ eyes flashed fiercely.
Court Duke Armand’s name was also his name, but his cold eyes, as if he had Marshal Cheolcheon in front of him, were even more frightening.
“…I finally found it.”
Even without the owner’s permission, knights carrying unfamiliar flags were entering the gates of Kisignor.
All of them riding horses had such a flawless spirit that it was impossible to look at them in vain.
“I can finally avenge Auguste.”
The appearance of pure white lightning engraved on a flag with a black background.
The only people who could raise the glorious flag, which was said to be a tribute to the Sword Master, were the Imperial Military Police, responsible for the security of the capital city of Brigantes.
