Chapter 114 : Chapter 114

Chapter 114 : The Oath of Bastion (3)

On the way back to the barracks.

“The coronation is in ten to fourteen days?”

I asked again.

“Yeah. But that’s just the planned date; it could be delayed by a few days.”

I didn’t get it.

A lord’s coronation was a major event, wasn’t it?

Shouldn’t it be held on a precise date after thorough preparations?

Why was it so up in the air?

“Well, it seems Her Excellency dislikes such grandiose ceremonies. With all the streamlining and whatnot, there’s some administrative what not… Henry explained it, but I forgot. Hehe.”

“….”

“Oh, and there’s something important.”

Bill looked up at the now-darkened sky, raising his index finger sharply.

“They don’t know exactly when the delegation from the imperial capital, Aleos, will arrive.”

“Delegation?”

“Yeah. Conwell was in the middle of a civil war, right? Seems like the imperial capital had trouble coordinating the schedule because of it.”

It seemed that major events in each of the Kingdom’s territories, even if just formality, required approval or coordination from the imperial capital.

Especially for something as symbolic as a lord’s coronation.

‘The imperial capital, Aleos.’

In my past life, that place had been utterly crushed early in the war, a hollow shell long before that, with the king having already fled.

Since the king showed such disgrace, my impression of the Kingdom was naturally poor.

Anyway.

‘Still, I should see the coronation before leaving.’

No matter how detached I tried to act, I was still human.

Ignoring the first fruit of my efforts in this life would be disrespectful—not just to those I fought alongside, but to myself, who vowed to live a better life.

“The delegation will probably be quite large this time.”

“Large?”

“Yeah. There’s the coronation, and also the rank evaluation.”

“Rank evaluation? What’s that?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. In the Kingdom, each territory holds a rank evaluation once a year, and the imperial knight commander oversees it. Final ranks aren’t decided without the commander’s approval.”

“The knight commander…”

“Not just the knight commander. The heads of the Sharon Faction and Langster Faction might come too.”

My ears perked up.

They were figures who didn’t exist in my past life but did in this one.

“Of course, their attendance isn’t mandatory. It’s more like they drop by for fun, so they often skip it. But for a major territory like Conwell, they rarely miss it as a matter of custom.”

Bill kept jabbering on.

Due to the worsening atmosphere from the previous lord’s illness and the eventual outbreak of civil war, various delayed events were now happening all at once.

Besides the Kingdom’s big shots, many Kingdom citizens would visit Conwell as tourists, so there was a lot to prepare to showcase Conwell’s strength.

It was, in effect, the first diplomatic stage after taking power.

No matter how much Adeline disliked pomp and pretense, she couldn’t just ignore it.

‘Dealing with the aftermath of the civil war internally, preparing for diplomacy externally—she’s swamped.’

I didn’t have much to contribute, but bothering busy people and wasting their time felt wrong.

‘I’ll see everyone at the coronation anyway.’

…Well, for now, I'll rest easy.

Thinking about it, I've been pretty busy so far.

Who knew when I’d get another chance like this? Rest was just an extension of battle, after all.

The next day.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I spoke to Bill, who was cleaning the barracks.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Where?”

“The Oath of Bastion. Time for breakfast.”

“Ooh, Bihen.”

In the army, they drilled into us to never miss a meal—it was the minimum maintenance to prevent loss of combat strength.

In other words, eating was an extension of battle.

“Huh?”

As we reached the alley where ‘The Oath of Bastion’ was, Bill stopped in his tracks.

The area in front of the restaurant was already bustling with people.

My slightly excited mood couldn’t help but sink.

“…Didn’t you say it was a hidden gem nobody knew about?”

“Yeah. I’ve never seen it this crowded before.”

I quickened my pace slightly, approaching the crowd and standing on my toes.

I could barely see inside, but something was off.

‘They’re not lining up to wait?’

The people were surrounding the entrance like a barricade.

They whispered among themselves, watching the door with worried expressions, while one man stood firmly in front of it, facing them.

I pushed through the crowd to get inside.

Swish.

The man raised his hand to stop me.

I checked his face again—his sour expression confirmed he was a stranger.

Dressed in plain clothes, but with a sword at his waist.

‘Grim face and light armament.’

Only one thing came to mind with that combination, but I decided to be polite for now.

“What’s this about, standing in front of someone’s shop?”

“….”

The man silently shook his head, arm still raised.

“Move. I’m hungry.”

This time, he closed his eyes as if to say, Don’t piss me off, and jerked his chin to tell me to leave.

…That was me trying my best.

I turned and walked back to Bill.

“Know him?”

I asked, thumbing behind me.

Bill glanced over and shook his head.

Confirmed.

I went back.

“Just checking.”

“….”

“Are you a territory soldier? A military man?”

No answer this time either.

Wasn’t it only fair to respond at least once when someone asked so politely?

He was doubling down on earning a beating.

Swish.

I pulled my hood lower and glanced back.

The crowd was already watching anxiously, sensing an imminent clash.

Bill was the same.

Suddenly, I felt bad for him.

Yesterday, I listened to his worries and, without realizing it, indulged in a fantasy that in some abundant future, his talents might become useful.

That thought hadn’t changed, but…

This world was still far from that.

It was harsh to people like Bill, quietly seeking their path in life, and full of problems only someone like me could solve.

No, most problems were like that, weren’t they?

Today, too, I’d have to open the door by force.

Crack—!

I turned, grabbed the arm of the guy blocking the door, and snapped it instantly.

The sound of breaking bones was chillingly satisfying.

Man… I really was something.

“Arghhh!”

Ignoring his scream, I grabbed the doorknob, but for some reason, my feet wouldn’t move.

‘…This pisses me off.’

I turned back to the guy sprawled among the crowd.

He saw me and, in a panic, dragged himself backward on his butt.

“Your eating hand’s the right one, yeah?”

“Ugh, what the hell are you—”

Crunch!

“Arghhh!”

I crushed his right arm too.

He’d suffer for a few days.

‘Phew, now I feel better.’

With a lighter heart, I opened the door.

Creak.

The moment I opened it, the frustration I felt yesterday doubled.

The small interior was packed with people, but only one was seated—the portly middle-aged man in the spot I’d sat in yesterday.

The rest stood pressed against the walls.

All their gazes turned to me at once.

Godin, standing in the kitchen, looked at me too, facing the middle-aged man.

“You…”

“What’s that?”

The voices came almost simultaneously—Godin’s and the middle-aged man’s across from him.

I pushed through the standing men and managed to sit next to the middle-aged man.

“Customer, what else?”

Only then did I respond, looking around.

Everyone’s faces screamed disbelief.

“Hah, really…”

The middle-aged man next to me scoffed, crossing his arms.

Godin, looking flustered, just stared at me.

I stared back at Godin, about to order…

‘Bill said there’s a breakfast-only menu.’

By the way, ‘The Oath of Bastion’ didn’t have a menu.

Was that the chef’s pride?

I shouted toward the outside.

“Bill! Hurry up and get in here! What’re you doing?”

As I shouted, the back of my head and shoulders burned from the stares.

I was half-turned, almost facing away, but it definitely started with the middle-aged man next to me.

His eyes were urging the standing men to do something about me.

The moment someone reached for my shoulder from behind, I warned.

“Touch me, and I’ll break all your limbs.”

I fixed my gaze back on Godin.

How did this cranky old man end up with such a desperate expression?

“Let him be. He must be starving.”

The middle-aged man next to me.

Now that I looked, his friendly face felt oddly sinister.

While watching him, I said,“If you’re done eating, get out. It’s already cramped enough—why’re you all standing around?”

Seven or eight of them?

All with faces similar to the guy outside.

No…

I got that they were crowding here to intimidate Godin for some reason.

But with so many empty seats, why not just sit instead of standing?

My face must’ve twisted pretty menacingly as I looked at the middle-aged man.

“Who’re you?”

He didn’t answer, just smirked and propped his chin on his arm resting on the table, looking at Godin.

“So, Godin.”

He was treating me like I didn’t exist.

…Hmph.

“I keep telling you… you can’t keep being so stubborn about this. Why? All these people trying to run their businesses, struggling to get by—they’re the ones who suffer.”

“Hmph! All I do is make and sell my food. How am I causing anyone harm?”

“Look, you’re not getting it from the start. This alley, it’s been the centerpiece of the commercial district redevelopment plan since before the civil war. Even Lady Adeline mentioned to me once, in passing, that the aesthetics here aren’t great.”

Unfamiliar terms and familiar names came up one after another.

Commercial district redevelopment?

What, rebuilding or something?

Whether openly or not, Adeline had been deeply involved in Conwell’s affairs for a long time.

‘Did this guy get tangled up with her?’

That’s how people’s lives worked, wasn’t it?

You go about your business, and before you know it, you cross paths with all sorts of connections, leading to pointless misunderstandings or odd bonds.

Anyway, since Adeline’s name came up, I had no choice but to listen.

“It’s all going to be torn down and reorganized anyway, so why not make a quick buck before that? I don’t get why you’re so stubborn. Changing the festival district just for you, Godin—does that make sense?”

“Hmph! They arbitrarily set the district and demand rent from the shops included. Isn’t that highway robbery?”

“Hahaha. Godin, I keep telling you. That rent will be covered in a single day during the festival. A day! It’ll be over in the blink of an eye. There’ll be a ton of people for the coronation, right? And you should appreciate the effort we’ve put in to make this happen for Lady Adeline. Why’re you being so cold, really?”

At that moment, the middle-aged man glanced at me, then lowered his voice as if sharing a big secret.

“I didn’t want to bring this up, but… Godin, you know me, right? I was with Theodore’s supply unit during the civil war.”

Good thing I wasn’t drinking anything.

Supply unit, my ass.

Even that Declan Theodore had gone without food to set an example when supplies were running low.

It lasted only a day, but still.

“That’s when I met Bihen Benkou. He told me in secret that if he got the chance, he’d love to spread the Kingdom’s food culture to the Empire and asked if I could help.”

…?

“It’s a real opportunity, Godin. Why can’t you see further? You could introduce your food to the Empire.”

The shameless conman was grinning ear to ear.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.