CH 71

The beginning of the fallen sun.

Translated by SoundOfDestiny

Edited by Zil

Meanwhile, at the same time.

A group of men were visiting the house of the Viscount Ulfert in the centre of Ulfin.

About a dozen men, all clad in armour and armed with swords at their waists.

A soldier on guard duty shouted out in panic as they came to the gate.

“Stop!　Who are you?”

The soldiers guarding the gate of the mansion naturally stopped the group that appeared in front of them.

At a time when a clash with the royal army was imminent, a group of armed men appeared in the house of the lord, the highest authority in the town.

The soldiers were understandably alarmed.

“Who do you belong to?　You are not soldiers of the Viscount’s!”

“I am sorry to startle you, sir. They are my men.”

“You are …… Sven Arbeil!”

The soldier on guard bows his head in surprise as the boy steps forward.

The armed group was led by Sven Arbeil.

He was a survivor of the Earls of Arbeil, who perished in the war with the Alsatian  Empire.

Normally, there was no need to pay homage to the children of a noble family that had already died out, no matter how privileged their upbringing.

However, Sven was also the nephew of their employer, Viscount Ulfert. And if he was treated unkindly, she would punish him.

The soldier on guard changed his tone to one of politeness, which was not appropriate for a boy of thirteen.

“Well, Sven. What are these soldiers doing here?”

“They are vassals of the Earls of Arbeil. They were among the refugees who fled to this town and were reunited with me, and they have become my servants again.”

“Oh! Well, well, well, you’ve made it this far, alive!”

“I have brought them here to introduce them to the Viscount. …… I hope you don’t mind if I enter the house?”

“Is …… no, it’s a bit ……?”

The soldier slurred his words at the unexpected suggestion.

If it is Sven alone, he has permission to come and go freely in the house, but can he let his subordinate soldiers in without permission?

He can’t refuse to let them in, but it’s not something that a lowly soldier like him can really judge.

“Wait a minute. I’ll give you permission.”

The guard was about to run to the soldier’s office to check, when a well-dressed middle-aged man stopped him.

The man who had stopped him was the head of the servants in the house, a man who had been given the rank of “head of house”.

The man was not a nobleman, but he was the second most powerful man in the town. Naturally, he was not someone a simple soldier could talk to on equal terms.

The soldier on guard stood there with his mouth hanging open at the unexpected appearance of the big man.

“What’s that, ……?”

“A quick hello is okay. It would be too much trouble for us to go to the trouble of checking your identity and making a physical examination. We have been on friendly terms with the Earls of Arbeil for many years, and I think we can trust them.” 

“……?, but it’s …….”

“Or is it …… you don’t trust my judgment so much?”

“No, sir, not at all!”

The soldier straightens his back in a hurry as he is stared at by the house commander.

The armed group, led by Sven, entered the interior of the house of the Viscount Ulfert, passing by the soldiers, who were now standing like stone statues.

“Thank you, Your Excellency. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go to…….”

“Yes, take your time”

Just before he passed through the door of the house, the housekeeper gave Sven a sign by closing one eye.

But no one noticed the secret sign.