Chapter 21 - The Hero (2)

Chapter 21 – The Hero (2)

Translated by : betterdays

Proofread by : ch17175

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“Wait here.”

Charon stepped out of the carriage with a stiff expression. Asher followed suit.

“You stay here.”

“Why? I’m not weak enough to be beaten by bandits either.”

“This is not a matter of how strong you may be with your sword, it’s a matter with how tough your mind is.”

Reika was not ready to kill people yet, and Asher knew that would only be a hindrance right now. Asher came out and closed the door. Charon frowned at Asher, but he looked at the bandits without saying anything.

“Well.”

Charon was flustered at the sight of the so-called bandits. The bandits that were blocking the carriage’s way were holding farming tools and dirty rags. One of the bandits reached their hand out and begged.

“Oh please, I just need something to eat.”

He was so skinny that Asher could break his bones even if I tapped him lightly. Half of the members were women and children.

They were clearly farmers who had fled and were begging to survive and in need of food. Charon’s eyes slightly shook at the sad scene but then strengthened his resolve as a knight.

Boom-

Charon brought his sword out it’s sheath and stabbed it in the ground, stomping his foot with a loud sound. The farmers trembled at the display of strength as the ground slightly shook from Charon’s stomp.

“Back off. This carriage is property of the lord of our estate, Lord Halvark. I will cut down any of you who dare to come closer.”

The reality of the knight’s cruel words scared the farmers. The women and children especially paled their faces.

But they didn’t move out of the way. With eyes full of desperation, they still tried to break through the line and reach the carriage where the food was kept.. Charon clasped the sword with a firm grip and cold expression.

As soon as he tried to move, Asher pulled him back the armor placed around his neck.

“Stop.”

“Cough-!”

Caron violently coughed by choking himself on the armor for a moment. He then turned around with a riled expression at Asher.

“What are you doing?”

“All you know is fighting because you’re an ignorant knight.”

“Are you insulting me?”

The attention of Charon and the farmers turned to Asher. It was a glare from charon that emitted a cold and dense pressure of killing intent, but Asher shrugged it off and patted Charon’s shoulder with nonchalance.

“If I am, are you going to continue and try to shed blood in front of her?”

At Asher’s words, Charon paused. He soon opened his mouth as if to protest.

“…I don’t intend to. I’m only going to make them run away.”

“They won’t run away and you know that. They’ll die either from your blade or starvation, are you prepared to do that?”

The people who had collapsed from Charon’s stomp earlier, slowly rose up, but they were still blocking the carriage. Chron clenched his teeth.

“So you want to make a deal with… bandits?! As a knight of the great Halvark territory, you can’t….”

“For the dignity and pride of your servitude as a knight, you should never compromise with bandits.”

Asher took out the gold coins and threw them at the farmers and then spoke to them instead of Charon.

“If you go to a nearby village with it, you’ll get something to eat.”

The farmers seized the gold coins in a hurry. They shook their heads gratefully and got out of the way.

“But I’m just an employee of the estate, so I have no honor….”

“…then… that would be your money, that you’ve saved up..”

He was being paid because he was an employee. Asher spoke in a profound way.

“There’s no place to spend it anyways.”

“…….”

They went back into the carriage. Asher followed behind Charon and Reika asked with a bored face.

“How did it go?”

“It worked out well.”

“That’s a relief. Though, why did we meet thieves if we just entered the Belturia Territory?”

Reika grumbled and Asher closed his eyes and recalled something. The clothes the farmers were wearing were familiar to him.

They didn’t come from a distant area. They had escaped from the Belaturia estate.

‘What’s going on, Balbaca?’

***

It had been two days. Fortunately, the group had not encountered any more bandits as they reached the Belturia Estate.

“Didn’t you say they didn’t have a proper manor or estate?”

It was Reika’s first impression of the large, white buildings with spires. It was clearly a noble household, which also went against what Charon had mentioned earlier in the trip about Balbaca Belturia not owning a small castle or manor like most nobles.

Charon stuttered.

“Oh…what… how?”

“Charon….”

“No, miss. It certainly wasn’t there in the past.”

“When was that?”

“I’m talking about the time twenty years ago.”

“So it was before I was born. Then, I’m sure he made one in the meantime it seems.”

“I can’t believe it.”

Charon muttered as if he had just lost complete faith, but the carriage continued to approach the tall-standing property.

“I can’t believe Balbaca Belturia did this….”

“What do you mean?”

The door opened. A young man, who appeared to be in teens, approached Reika with several guards. The man reached out to Reika with a smile.

“The eldest daughter of the Halvark estate. Are you Reika Halvark?”

“That’s right.”

“I humbly welcome you to our estate and am glad for your visit. I’m Boros Bellaturia. The young heir to the Belturia name.”

Reika let out a small exclamation. She soon realized the identity of the young man before her.

“Then you must be…”

“Yes, your fiance.”

Boros smiled bitterly.

“I don’t want to.”

“What?”

Reika was flustered by the rather unwelcome atmosphere that Boros suddenly had created. Charon took a step forward as if he were protecting Reika behind him.

“I don’t think this is the Belaturia estate.”

“Oh, how impolite. What’s the name of the knight?

“The Knight of the Halvark family. It’s Charon.”

“Charon?”

Boros frowned and soon burst into admiration.

“Ah… it’s you. I was wondering where you went, and it seems you were wandering around on that estate.”

Charon’s expression hardened slightly. Boros continued with an expression of interest plastered across his face.

“The Headmaster of the Academy said you were the most talented swordsman to graduate in your knightage. Every family wanted your loyalty, but you suddenly disappeared and left everyone wondering where you went. I personally didn’t even expect you to still be in this Empire.”

“…you seem to have good ears in the right places.”

Boros just laughed at the stoic words from Charon.

“You have to get information to survive.”

“…….”

“If I remember correctly, haven’t you met my father?”

“It was 20 years ago, the last time.”

“Then you know my father. You’d better erase those memories.”

Boros said with a gloomy face.

“Because now my father is nothing but a simple monster.”

“…….”

For the heir to the lord, the words from Boros that were directed at his father were too harsh for him to say, but Charon shut his mouth. Boros turned his eyes away to face the young teen boy looking at him indifferently.

“Who are you?”

“Asher, I’m an employee of the estate.”

“Is that so? Oh, I didn’t greet you out of courtesy up until now.”

Boros bent down in a restrained position.

“Welcome to the Belturia Estate then.”

“…….”

There was no reply. Reika’s expression began to sway from the different atmosphere that felt unexpected. Boros turned familiarly without being flustered by such a reaction.

“Then come inside. I’ll show you to the state of the territory.”

The group went into the carriage together and traveled through the estate at the command of the driver in accordance to Boros’ directions.

The first thing Reika saw were dirtied, naked and skinny people. The children were looking up at the carriage with their fingers in their mouths. Asher frowned at the pitiful sight.

‘It’s… too different.’

In the past, Belaturia was a place full of energetic life, even though it was poor. There was no concern about the people’s wellbeing and everyone was happy.

But now Asher felt like he was looking at a slum. The people’s eyes were dead and their movements were lifeless. Every now and then, there were people yelling and crying at others.

When Reika looked at the village’s condition, Reika’s face became dark and Boros opened his mouth with a bitter face.

“You’d better be careful. The atmosphere is not good because there’s been rumors of a murderer targeting women, and the atmosphere is not good.”

“Yes….”

Reika replied with a distraught and saddened look.

***

“What is this!”

Reika, who was guided to the castle’s quarters, shook the hem of the dress roughly.

“This is the hero’s territory? What a slum!”

“Uh, Miss…”

Charon was still fumbling in embarrassment to regain his surprise as well from the visit. Reika sat roughly on the bed.

“I think it would be better to just live in the middle of a battlefield than to live here.”

Reika rubbed her hands on the covers of the bed. A soft touch wrapped around her hand.

“The rooms are luxurious to no end. I heard they always looked at the common people from the same place of mind. What a load of crap.”

“But in the past, he really did.”

“Not now, What does the past matter anyways if it isn’t the present?”

“I can’t believe it either.”

Asher bushed his fingertips over the smooth walls of the room. The bright red linen on the wall was embroidered with gold jewelry that could easily be sold for high amounts of gold in an auction.

‘yeah…different.’

In the past, Balbaca Belturia’s relatives  begged Balbaca every day. That as a lord, he always should protect the minimum amount of dignity at the very least.

And Balbaca refused, holding a potato in one hand and a plow in the other, asking if dignity would make him a wholesome human being.

‘It’s weird.’

“But hopefully the Lord will be gentle.”

Reika murmured with light hope in her voice. Balbaca was a good man with the title of a hero, right? She had the expectation that such a man couldn’t be too strange.

The very next day, they met with Lord Balbaca.

“Welcome to this place.”

Reika’s first emotion when met with Balbaca was disgust. Balbaca spoke at the table with a wrinkled face without even looking at Reika.

“You must have had a hard time coming all the way from that country bumpkin estate.”

Charon and Reika’s faces hardened at the rude words that could not possibly be meant to be spoken in hopes of a political marriage.

“I told you not to ask me to do this, Boros. Take care of them yourself.”

“But shouldn’t the Lord see the guests of the estate at least father?”

“Ugh.. words of a dog.”

Balbaca spat out with disgust at his son Boros.

“I’m already busy, Starleena….”

Asher narrowed his eyes. It was so different. There was not much of a difference looking at Balbaca from a physical standpoint. The Balbaca in front of him, was just moderately aging as he should be.

But the atmosphere was very, very different. In the past, the atmosphere was humble, soft even. But, now a cold, heartless, and disgustingly impolite Balbaca had seemingly replaced the old Balbaca he once knew.

“Bring me a drink, Starleena.”

A maid at the side of the dining table shivered and brought a bottle of liquor. She spilled a little bit of alcohol while pouring the liquor into Balbaca’s glass.

“… I’m sorry!”

The maid kneeled immediately as she pressed her face as hard as possible on the ground. If it were Balbaca in the past, he would have laughed and said it was okay, but Balbaca’s face contorted in rage.

“You don’t need a hand that can’t work properly. Guards take her hand and cut if off.”

“Lord, my lord!”

The maid lifted her head in a hurry.

“I have been with you for twenty years!”

“You’ve been serving me for 20 years and you can’t even pour alcohol? I don’t need a maid like that. Shut up and take your punishment.”

“Lord! Lord!”

The maid kept struggling as she was dragged by the guards. Boros grabbed the guard’s arm with a stiff and cold expression of disgust.

“Stop it.”, Boros spoke out.

“I am the Lord. Boros, get out of the way.”

“We can’t behave like this in front of the guests, father. I think it’s a good idea to keep your manners to some extent.”

“What’s the matter with… Ah yes…”

Balbaca stopped after a long pause. He looked at Reika. Reika stepped back unknowingly at the glance that seemed to be eyeing her entire body up and down.

“…yeah, okay.. let her go. You, what’s your name again?

“Re, it’s Reika….”

“Yes, I see now.”

Balbaca made an insidious smile. Reika was terrified.

***

“What!”

Charon shouted harshly. Shortly after his meeting with Balbaca, Reika was assigned another room. To the room near Balbaca. It was an assignment that clearly showed ill intent and malice. Charon bit his lip.

“What the hell is going on? Mr. Balbaca, why would the hero….”

“I guess he’s not a hero anymore.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Charon stared at Asher with blazing eyes at Asher’s easy words.

“You can say that because you don’t know the Balbaca from the past at all.”

“Well.”

There was nothing he didn’t know. If anything, he knew the Balbaca of the past better than anyone.

“Why the hell is this happening… What happened to that good old man I once knew?”

“People change over time.”

“Don’t try to be funny. Balbaca is not the kind of person you are.”

“Then for at least for another reason… he’s definitely changed.”

Asher smoothed his hand over the wrist brace.

Chapter 21 – Fin