Chapter 154 : Chapter 154

Chapter 154. I Believe a Person Should Know Their Place (1)

The knightly order of the Marquis Raines family fell silent all at once.

Their lord, who rarely showed anger, had publicly erupted in fury.

They could well guess the reason for it.

“I was defeated in a legitimate duel. This is something that cannot be helped.”

“……”

“And yet you seek revenge? And the entire knightly order is going to join forces to do it?”

The knights hung their heads low.

This was a sin for which there was no excuse.

Marquis Raines vented his frustration at his knights.

“I did not know that my own knights would try to drag my honor through the mud. Are you truly the knights of me, Adolph Raines!?”

“My lord, that is….”

“What is it?”

“……”

“Are you going to say it was out of loyalty to me? Is the me that you know such a petty person as to desire revenge?”

Every single word became a dagger and pierced the knights.

To seek revenge for a lord defeated in a duel?

In fact, this was an act that made no sense.

What was a duel in the first place?

Was it not a life-and-death struggle between two parties fighting for honor?

To hold a grudge over the result and seek revenge?

Thinking about it calmly, it was a fatal dishonor, enough to make one’s heart freeze.

Marquis Raines spoke to his knights.

“As punishment, all knights of the Marquis Raines family are stripped of their qualifications.”

“My lord, that is….”

“Shut up! Be grateful that I am not having you beheaded.”

“……”

“All of you, abandon your positions as knights and return to being squires, and start from the beginning. What the true honor of a knight is….”

“Um, just a moment.”

The one who stopped the furious Marquis Raines was none other than Patrick.

Patrick said with a kind smile.

“Let’s calm down a bit. It’s a clear fact that these people did wrong, but still, if you strip all the knights from the fortress, will the field operate properly?”

“Ummm….”

There was a point in that.

As Marquis Raines seemed to be contemplating, Patrick continued to speak.

“The honor of a knight is good, and a clear system of rewards and punishments is good, but you also have to consider the situation on the ground. What will you do if you cut all the knights on the front line meant to stop the monsters of the Great Forest?”

At Patrick’s words, the knights of the Marquis Raines family were greatly impressed.

‘Ah…’

‘Such consideration and tolerance.’

‘Is this the dignity of the strong?’

‘To shield an enemy who tried to attack him…’

‘We lost. We couldn’t win in either swordsmanship or heart.’

The knights of the Marquis Raines family were greatly impressed by Patrick’s character.

And Marquis Raines himself, seeing that Patrick, the one who was about to be attacked, was shielding his subordinates, found it ambiguous to just hand out punishment.

“But as it is, there will be a problem with discipline. This is not a matter to be glossed over.”

“Well, in that case, let’s settle it with appropriate compensation to me, the direct victim.”

“Compensation? Will that be enough?”

“Yes. Well, it may seem insufficient in your eyes, marquis, but what’s good is good, right? Let’s handle it smoothly.”

“Hahahaha….”

Marquis Raines was impressed.

To possess the skill to overwhelm a 7-star knight at such a young age, and even the character to be considerate of and forgive his opponent….

‘It’s a pity all my daughters are married. My granddaughter is too young…. Is it possible?’

Marquis Raines spoke to Patrick seriously.

“Do you like younger women?”

“How much younger?”

“A cute nine….”

Sssreung.

“Ahem, let’s talk later. In about seven years….”

Does this old man want to see someone die?

If he brought home a nine-year-old girl as a daughter-in-law, his mother, Ava, would immediately tear Patrick’s back to shreds.

Patrick, who had silenced Marquis Raines, looked at the commander of the marquis' knightly order and said.

“Commander, shall we have a word separately? Let’s not drag it out and quickly discuss and conclude the compensation issue.”

“Ah…. Yes. I understand. No, I will.”

“Hey, what’s with the honorifics to a brat who doesn't even have a knighthood yet? You can just call me Sir Schneider.”

“How could I do such a thing?”

The knight commander bowed his head with the utmost courtesy he could muster.

Patrick, who possessed both skill and character, was a person worthy of respect, regardless of nationality or affiliation.

Yes.

That’s what he thought.

For about 15 minutes, that is.

* * *

“Ahem, I said appropriate compensation is needed. Ap-pro-pri-ate. Compensation. Who’s nose are you trying to wipe with this?”

“Sir… Sir Schneider. This is already half of the knights’ personal assets.”

“Ah…. I saved your entire position from being blown away, and you’re going to settle it with just half?”

“……”

“Wow, how can a person be like that? They say your heart changes when you go to the bathroom and when you come out. Tsk tsk tsk.”

Seeing Patrick clucking his tongue and lamenting, the knight commander clenched his teeth.

‘I was an idiot to have thought well of this bastard.’

Correct.

In any case, to resolve this situation smoothly, the knight commander pleaded earnestly.

“Young Master. Please consider our situation as well. Not all knights are financially well-off.”

“Keeuuu…. I didn’t want to say this, but when you were all trying to gang up on me earlier….”

“Young Master. The expression ‘gang up’ lacks dignity….”

“Forget it and listen. That kid who was with me when you were trying to gang up on me, right? The one who looks a bit clueless and gentle.”

“There was.”

“He is the one and only son of the Elbador Merchant Guild. Do you know the Elbador Merchant Guild? It’s a prominent merchant guild in the east, isn’t it?”

“Heok….”

How could he not know?

The Elbador Merchant Guild was famous in the Kingdom of Atronia, but it was a grand merchant guild with a distribution network throughout the east for trade with other countries.

If they had attacked the one and only heir of that place….

‘Just imagining it is terrifying.’

And that wasn’t even the end of it.

“And the beautiful woman with black hair and a stunning beauty who was next to him, right?”

“Yes. That… by any chance, is her status also?”

Patrick slammed his palm on the table and said.

“That beautiful young lady is none other than our country’s Princess Isabella Black Atronia. A princess. Do you understand what that means?”

“Uh… uh uh….”

“This is a big problem, as the knights of the Decator Kingdom tried to gang up on the princess of a nation.”

“Wai…. wait a moment.”

“Hmm, now that I think about it, I don’t think I can cover this up on my own. I should probably report it officially….”

“N…. no… no, you can’t!”

“Why not?”

“That is…. th… that is… that….”

“Tsk, I suppose if that happened, the matter would escalate into an international issue, right?”

“……”

“If you just cough up a generous amount of compensation, the head of the Elbador Merchant Guild won’t be pissed off, and the peace between the two nations won’t be cracked, and it will all end well…. am I right?”

“That’s true, but….”

“But?”

“If you could just cut us a little slack….”

“Ahem, international issue. International issuuuuue!”

Watching Patrick slam the table and shout, the knight commander of the Marquis Raines family thought.

‘I would have rather been stripped of my knighthood and been done with it.’

* * *

Marquis Raines called Patrick separately.

“Has the compensation matter been settled well?”

“Yes. Very satisfactorily, indeed.”

Patrick’s expression was full of happiness, as if he was full without even eating.

The knight commander he had just seen had a face as pale as a skeleton, though.

‘Just how much did he extort?’

Marquis Raines was curious, but he decided to just forget about it.

In any case, if a matter that could have upended the entire knightly order was resolved with money, no matter how much it cost, it was a good thing.

And as the problem was resolved, another desire arose.

“Ahem, yes. Sir Schneider.”

“Why?”

“Where do you plan to go from here?”

“For now, I’ll look around the Decator Kingdom a bit more, and then go to another country.”

“Yes. I see. It will be a long journey.”

“Well, I suppose so.”

“Just because the journey is long, you shouldn’t be impatient. You should rest well when you can.”

“Hey, I don’t need to do that.”

“No, you must.”

Marquis Raines' words were firm.

And he looked at Patrick, smiled, and said.

“As it happens, there is a hot spring behind my mansion. It’s the best for recovering from fatigue.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. So, for the time being, please rest comfortably in our fiefdom. If you want, you can stay for a year or two, it doesn’t matter.”

“Hey, I’m in a hurry to get going….”

“Ahem, don’t they say that the more you rush, the more you should take a detour?”

“That’s nonsense. Telling me to take a detour when I’m in a hurry to death is the forty-first thing I hate.”

“Why do you hate so many things?”

“That’s my business.”

At Patrick’s words, Marquis Raines said urgently.

“Don’t be like that, and rest for a while. While you’re resting, we can spar with each other, discuss the sword, and it’ll be good, won’t it?”

“Hey, it’s a hassle….”

“Don’t be like that. I will do my best to treat you as an honored guest while you are here.”

At that, Patrick’s expression softened slightly.

“I can’t help it. Since you’re insisting so much, Marquis, I’ll rest for just a little while.”

“Thank you.”

And so, Patrick came to stay as a guest at the mansion of the Marquis Raines family for a while.

What that meant, Marquis Raines did not know at that time.

* * *

A beautiful maid of the marquis' family brought a tray with simple snacks and several bottles of alcohol.

It was prepared as soon as Patrick asked for a drink.

Just by looking, they were all expensive-looking liquors.

Patrick looked at them with ecstatic eyes and said.

“Keeuuu. This is great, so great. As expected, expensive alcohol tastes best when you drink it at someone else’s house. Why is that?”

“Because your personality is rotten?”

“Hehehe. Then I’ll just live rotten.”

“……”

Matthew looked at Patrick and shook his head.

Originally, Marquis Raines was not a person who enjoyed alcohol.

However, the study and the wine cellar were lined with fine liquors brought as gifts by those who wanted to get on his good side, and those fine liquors met their rightful owner for the first time today.

“Huh? Isn’t this the wine from the Alkeporte region that’s supplied to the imperial family of the Empire?”

“Hey, is that thing terribly expensive? A single bottle must be at least 50 gold….”

Pong!

Before Matthew could stop him, the wine cork was lightly sent flying by Patrick’s hand.

“The aroma is absolutely amazing. Do you want some too?”

“…I don’t know anymore.”

Matthew gave up and held out his glass.

A fragrant wine of a deep ruby color was poured into the glass.

Patrick drank the wine, and then said with admiration.

“Waaaah…. The aroma is insane. It’s like I’m sitting in a flower garden.”

From the moment they treated this alcohol demon as a guest, the wine cellar of the Marquis Raines family was destined to be plundered.

Even the wealthy head of the Elbador Merchant Guild had started storing his fine liquors in a separate secret cellar after having Patrick as a guest.

Come to think of it, his stomach had churned back then, but now….

‘Huh? Wait, this time it’s not my family’s alcohol, is it?’

Matthew realized an important point.

And then….

“Miss Maid.”

“Yes. Please speak.”

“Could you please get me that amber-colored liquor on the cupboard over there?”

“Uh, that…”

For a moment, the maid hesitated.

Then, Patrick took the liquor down himself and said.

“Is this a good one?”

“It’s a liquor used in ceremonial events in the Holy Theocracy. If it’s genuine, it would be worth over 100 gold.”

“Keeuuu. As expected of the heir to the Elbador Merchant Guild. You have a good eye.”

“I’m pretty good, right?”

“Uahahaha. Let’s drink. Drink.”

“Let’s drink till we drop.”

Matthew was quickly corrupted.

This must be why they say you should be careful about the friends you make.

* * *

While Patrick and Matthew were depleting the liquor of the Marquis Raines family.

Princess Isabella was enjoying a specialty of the marquis' family in a different way.

“Is this a hot spring?”

Isabella, with a towel wrapped around her body, looked around with a hesitant expression.

She had bathed many times.

As a princess, she had been attended to by ladies-in-waiting since she was young, soaking her body in a hot bathtub to relieve her fatigue.

Among the many benefits she enjoyed as a princess born into the royal palace, bathing was one of the few pleasures she enjoyed.

And when she heard the words ‘hot spring,’ her eyes had secretly sparkled.

She had heard of it in stories, but she had never experienced it herself.

And now that she was actually here….

‘It is strange.’

Steam was rising from the hot pond, and there was a strange smell.

But what was most peculiar was that this hot spring was outside the building.

Although a high wall had been built with a wooden fence and soldiers were said to be guarding the surroundings so that no one could see, she still felt uneasy.

‘To undress outside….’

Since it was her first time, she couldn't help but feel a sense of reluctance.

She was anxious.

She was anxious, but….

‘It will be fine. Surely no one would try to peek….’

If someone were to peek at a princess of a nation bathing, it would really escalate into a serious international issue.

Could there really be a person with such guts?

Having made up her mind, she let go of the hand holding the towel.

At that, her naked body was brightly revealed in the cold night air.

Her naked form, with her innate beauty and a lean body sculpted through training as a knight, should rather be called a work of art.

Her milky white skin passed through the steam of the hot spring.

And her small, fine feet drew ripples on the surface of the water as they slowly submerged into the hot spring water.

“Haaaaaaa….”

A sigh escaped her lips as she submerged her body up to her shoulders.

Before entering the hot spring, she had felt a sense of repulsion due to the smell of rotting eggs.

But once she soaked her body, the feeling of fatigue leaving her entire body was indescribably pleasant.

‘So this is why people come to hot springs.’

When she touched it with her hand, the water felt strangely slippery, unlike ordinary water, but even this did not feel unpleasant, as she thought it was special.

When she looked up, the light of the night sky, shining in the cold air, was decorating the dark night sky.

In this feeling where a sense of liberation and tranquility coexisted….

Kkiiik.

‘Kkiiik?’

Isabella’s mind snapped to attention.

Along with the sound of a door opening, she heard the sound of someone’s footsteps entering.

‘Who is it?’

Isabella’s body tensed.

To enter so brazenly when she had announced she would be bathing?

Who in the world could it be?

An enemy?

Or perhaps a ruffian blinded by lust….

‘I don’t even have my sword.’

In fact, even if she had her sword, she didn’t have the courage to wield it naked.

Isabella, with all sorts of thoughts running through her mind, curled her body up tightly.

Just then, from outside the door, she heard a voice familiar to her ears.

“Your Highness. I have come to attend to your bath.”

It was a voice she knew well.

“Ace?”

“That is correct.”

While feeling a little relieved, she was also dumbfounded.

It was common to be attended to during a bath.

But that was the job of ladies-in-waiting, not a male butler.

“Step back immediately. If you, a man, come inside here….”

Just then, the door opened and a naked woman entered.

At that moment, Isabella’s jaw dropped.

‘…A goddess?’

She could have fully believed that the goddess of beauty had descended upon this place.

Blonde hair that shone brighter than gold.

White skin that would make even marble look dull.

A perfect body that would make even her, a woman, jealous.

And on top of that body was a beautiful face that had become familiar from seeing it many times.

It was Patrick’s exclusive butler, Ace.

And she spoke to Isabella.

“I will attend to your bath.”

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