Chapter 60

***

Amarion was embarrassed. She put her hand on the captain’s shoulder to calm him down.

He jumped up at great speed and stood upright like a stone statue. He looked like a new recruit who had just been drafted.

She was speechless. However, the captain seemed to be immersed in emotion.

“It is an honor to be able to meet the master’s family.”

“Your lord…?”

“Malick* was an apprentice of the Knights of Morte when he was young, but he didn’t have the skills to become a senior knight. He returned home and became the captain of the guard. I thought I would never see a Lady of the Morte family again, but this is glorious…”

[*E/N: Malick is the name of Victor and Mortheon’s father.]

She stared at the captain’s face with a strange feeling.

Perhaps the Master he served was not Victor, and the Lady was not her. He was overjoyed just to meet a member of his old master’s family.

It seemed unreasonable at first glance, but he had truly unshakable loyalty. She admired the captain’s heart and held out her hand.

“You are a true knight. The Grand Duke will be delighted to hear your story.”

“I…! It is an honor, your highness!”

The captain of the guard bowed his head and kissed the back of her hand. He looked like he might faint. Amarion wanted to give him more time to calm down, but now was not the time.

She coughed briefly.

“I have some news for you.”

“Tell me, my Lady.”

The captain immediately stood at attention.

Amarion asked seriously.

“Did you know that a Hydra lived in the swamp outside the outer castle?”

“What?!”

The captain’s mouth widened. The same was true of the soldiers who were training. Amarion didn’t notice, but they had stopped working a long time ago and were listening in on their conversation.

It was understandable. Hydras were terrifying monsters that disappeared only after exterminating entire villages.

She calmly reassured the captain who was on the verge of fainting, though for a different reason than before.

“Don’t worry, we took care of it on the way. But it will need some cleanup. It was burned, but the body is still there, so small monsters will flock to it.”

“Well then, what should I do…”

“I want to oversee everything, but… As you know, we’re in a hurry.”

She sighed.

If she had a little more time, she would have helped them with the disposal, but the situation in the East wasn’t too good. It was unreasonable to wait when they had to leave early tomorrow morning.

Since there was a large hydra, there would be no other large monsters in the area…

She thought for a while and suggested.

“Can I watch your training?”

The captain looked surprised. Then he looked at her stiff shoulders and dry, calloused hands.

He bowed his head.

“Please, your highness.”

She smiled and nodded.

＊ ＊ ＊

“Your arms are too high. Lower them.”

At her command, the soldier lowered his elbow. The spear became vertical and his posture stabilized. He swung his weapon left and right with a surprised expression.

“It’s a lot more comfortable.”

“It should be. Your arm muscles are under-developed, so you’ll be more comfortable in this position. Make sure to train your upper body from time to time.”

Having said that, she moved on.

The guards’ soldiers were practically novices. They practiced hard, but most of them were sloppy and had bad posture.

She showed them demonstrations and focused on the postures of those with little experience. She also taught the captains and squad leaders useful exercises and the weaknesses of monsters that might appear nearby. Of course, they knew these things to a certain extent, but there were many inaccuracies in their knowledge.

The captain seemed very impressed.

“It’s amazing, Madame. I didn’t know that until now, so I’ve been attacking sandworms’ necks.”

“It’s a common mistake. In reality, their stomachs are much weaker. But I’m sorry… Do you not have much experience fighting monsters?”

If he was a guard of Morte, shouldn’t he have a lot of experience?

As she tilted her head, the captain scratched the tip of his nose shyly.

“Originally, subjugating monsters was the job of the Knights Templar. Every year, we were left to either drink or assist the knights who got into fights. During my apprenticeship, all I did was follow the Knights and clean up monsters.”

“I see.”

“But in a few months, the number of monsters increased significantly, so we were on patrol because we thought we had to do something. It didn’t really work, but……”

Amarion smiled.

“No, you must have been scared. It’s amazing that you fought with courage.”

“I didn’t know what to do, your highness. I don’t think a noble person should have to watch the training of people like us…”

She blinked.

‘Why are you speaking so modestly? Isn’t it admirable that these soldiers were determined to fight terrifying monsters? Besides, it’s my pleasure to help those who are working hard.’

Instead of saying all these things, she just patted his shoulder.

“We are knights. It’s only natural.”

“Your highness…”

“Then shall we finish training?”

She gave the captain a wooden sword and corrected his footwork. The sun set in the distance.

＊ ＊ ＊

Their training ended late in the night. Although the guards were tired, they bowed their heads several times with satisfied faces and retired for the night. It was rewarding, though more difficult than usual.

She headed to the dining room with sagging shoulders. Maybe she could scrounge for some leftover bread.

But, to her surprise, there was food on the table.

Crisp roast pork belly, pickled onions, black bread, and soup.

‘It’s the food of Morte! They eat it here too.’

She smiled happily and sat down at the table. She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether it was someone else’s food, but it didn’t seem so. She hurriedly wiped her hands and stuffed bread into her mouth.

While emptying her plate at a tremendous rate, someone entered the dining hall.

“Greetings, your highness.”

It was Baron Yulwald.

Amarion was so startled that she almost choked.

No, she did choke. She hit her chest, and a worried servant filled her cup with water. She drank as she glanced at the Baron.

‘Why are you here? What did I do wrong? Come to think of it, I’m wearing a dress that doesn’t look lady-like…’

The old Baron approached, not paying any attention to her as she struggled to hide her soiled sleeves. He suddenly asked.

“Why were you teaching my soldiers?”

“Yes?”

“I saw you helping the guards train all day today. No, everyone in the castle saw it.”

She was even more perplexed.

‘Could that be the case? I thought they needed help, so I just helped.’

She struggled to shake off her habit of thinking the worst. Even if that was what he thought, it was something she had to do.

She answered calmly.

“Looking at the hands of the soldiers, they had been training hard enough to get calluses in the wrong places.”

“…”

“It just hurts my heart that they don’t have a proper instructor so their skills aren’t improving. I’m not a great instructor, but… The situation outside is not good these days, so it would be nice for your mansion to be protected, even when we aren’t here.”

She drank another sip of water.

It was a pity that she could only train them for one day, but maybe, just maybe, since she trained them today, the fire wolf pack would be easily wiped out. In the future, they might be able to protect the village by hunting bigger monsters themselves. Then they would not have to wait for the knights to come every year, and the village would be safer.

She was proud of these people, who were so sincere in their work and wanted to do well. She thought it was beneficial for both sides…

The Baron did not speak for a long time. A dry, expressionless face stared at her.

Suddenly, he bowed deeply.

“Thank you, my Lady.”

Amarion opened her eyes wide in surprise.

But the Baron was very polite. It was quite different from the rude attitude he had when they first met. He spoke, his head still bowed.

“My soldiers have been getting wounded every day. It was only natural. They told me they were going to hunt and catch monsters, which they didn’t have the skills for.”

“…”

“They run into battle and don’t fight properly… you don’t know how upset I am.”

He twitched and clicked his tongue. He looked dissatisfied, but in reality, it was his way of speaking about those he held affection for.

He raised his head and coughed awkwardly.

“Anyway, so… Thank you. You also killed the Hydra.”

“I just did what I had to do, Baron Yulwald.”

“There are a lot of people in the world who wouldn’t do that, Madame. Fortunately, the Grand Duke and his wife seem to be doing something properly.”

The rather mean-looking man coughed once more. When he finished speaking, he seemed embarrassed. He beckoned.

“Eat well, Madame. My chef made this for you.”

“Thank you.”

“Have a good night, Grand Duchess.”

The Baron bowed his head and disappeared from the dining room.

Amarion stared at his retreating back, then down at her half-empty plate.

Her mood was very strange.

***

Kofi shop updated till chapter 67.