Chapter 38: Prologue - Budding Buds
The imperial capital Arsis is in the northwestern part of the Arsis Empire.
On the main road leading to it, several towns and forts were built as walls to protect the imperial capital, and one of them, Krust, was located in the north-northwest.
Kurst was under direct rule and was governed by the captain of the Royal Guard. When they retired from their posts, they went to their new territories and handed over their posts and Krust to their successors. This has been the custom for a long time since Arsis was settled in the imperial capital.
The soft sunlight gradually soothed the chilly air.
There were more than a dozen figures on a hill on the outskirts of Krust.
There are simple tables and assembled chairs.
Fitalio Krust, his beloved son, Litius Krust, and several other knights, who had been close associates of Fitalio since he was a mere Royal Guard, and who were now guardians of Krustseated at the table were the current captain of the Royal Guard. Around the table were the squires, who were careful not to disturb their lord and lady's moment, and to make it comfortable for them.
"Father! This pastry is delicious!"
"Which one is it?"
"It has red fruit in it!"
Fitalio picked up the pastry his little finger pointed to and popped it into his mouth.
He tasted it for a while and smiled, and Litius looked proud.
It was six years ago, at the age of thirty-eight, that Fitalio had a child. After ten years of marriage, he was still unable to bear a child, and his wife had suggested that he have a second wife, but Fitalio refused it, saying they should grow old together. And just when he had completely given up on the idea, she conceived a child. When Litius was born, not only the men under his command and the people of his domain, but even the emperor, congratulated him and presented him with a lot of birthday gifts.
Litius, his cheeks relaxed, was eagerly eating the pastries.
Fitalio gently stroked his soft, pale gold hair, reminding him to eat slowly.
The knights watched in silence as the father and son interacted with each other.
A peaceful moment passes.
At first glance, it appears to be a stroll. But most of them, including Fitalio, were armed.
The name of their presence here was a patrol.
A few days ago. Suddenly, Fitalio is permitted to inspect the territory.
Fitalio was puzzled. He had not applied for it. He is a captain of the Royal Guard, so he returns to the territory only a few times a year, most of the time for a day trip. He often makes one-day trips.
Krust was administered here as a helper from the empire. So there was nothing for Fitalio to do.
Nevertheless, the inspection was scheduled for three days.
When I told him that it might have been a mistake, he told me that it turned out to be an order from Emperor Formes.
Looking back, it had been six months since he had returned to Krust. He had been busy recently and had little time to spend with his son. Thankful for the consideration, Fitalio decided to accompany his son to the city for a rest called "inspection tour.
Lithius tipped his cup with a satisfied look on his face.
It was a citrus fruit, Tato Acre, a subspecies of Acre. The high sugar content made it Litius' favorite.
As the squire poured the fruit water into the empty cup, Litius suddenly shouted.
"There's a squirrel, Father!"
A small shadow was moving in the branches of the grove to which he was pointing.
Perhaps startled by the voice, the squirrel raised its upper body slightly and peered at Fitalio and the others.
"Don't let appearances deceive you, Rithi. There are some small monsters out there."
"Then there's that one, too……."
"That's just a squirrel. He's not a monster."
Litius smiles.
"Well, then, may I give him some sweets?
"Sure, but you might not eat it."
"Don't worry. It's delicious!"
He grabbed some sweets and ran toward the grove.
Two knights quickly stand up and follow.
After stretching his arms hard under the tree, Litius struggle to get the squirrel's attention.
One of the knights speaks to Fitalio with a tear in his eye.
"You have grown up to be a good child."
"He's too good for me. Perhaps a little too overprotective."
Fitalio laughs.
He looked at his son's back, his expression a little shadowy.
"He wants to be a knight of the Royal Guard."
"A successor, then."
"I would be more than happy if that were the case – but I don't think it will be possible."
Fitalio thought back to the events of a few months ago.
After hearing his son's decision, he gave him a little practice. The results were scattered. He had no aptitude for any weaponry. When asked about his status, his abilities were the same or lower than those of other children his age. Those with superior talent have a glimpse of it at a young age. It was the same for me. I at least tried to find out about his magical qualities, but the court magician who investigated him seemed to have no words to say.
"A mere knight would be able to do it. There are many such people in the imperial capital. But not the Royal Guard. He is the emperor's sword and shield. Even if it were her, I would not accept her."
The knights were at a loss for words.
Perhaps sensing such an atmosphere, Fitalio burst out laughing.
"Well, your loyalty to His Majesty is just splendid. You are no less than the Royal Guard."
Feeling the air relax, Fitalio thought he had made a mistake in raising them.
He had told him too much about how Konoe should be. Somewhere along the way, Litius had come to admire it and wanted to be one himself. If he had realized his lack of talent earlier. This would not have happened. Someday he will realize that he will never reach it. How much it will hurt then.
One of the knights muttered as if such sentiments were on his face.
"If only the world were at peace…"
Inwardly, Fitalio agrees.
If so, the role of the Royal Guard would be somewhat lighter. It would also create possibilities for
Litius, who might have forgiven him even if he didn't accept.
"What is the Holy Knight doing?"
"Most likely, he's busy chasing women's asses."
The knights complained.
Savilius, the holy knight, is the strongest knight in the Arsis Empire and the holder of the advanced title "Holy Knight". However, his personality is the complete opposite of his title, and his behavior is so problematic that if the empire were not divided into factions and fighting each other, he would be punished long ago.
Sensing the danger in the conversation, one of us wanders off the subject.
"If we could at least get the East on our side, your Majesty's reign would be secure."
Fitalio shakes his head somewhat self-deprecatingly, thinking of the rugged aristocrat.
"Duke Braslad? He won't move. He must be rather taken aback. What is he playing at while Hazel and Baromat are building up their strength?"
As soon as he spoke, Fitalio was instantly ready for battle.
A beat later, the knights drew their swords and surrounded their Lord.
"Who are you!"
A man appears, leaning against a grove of trees, to the knight's who-something.
At first glance, I recognized the adventurer. But his right arm and leg were bent in an impossible direction, and he managed to stand with his sword as a walking stick. When he sees Fitalio and the others, he bursts into tears.
"Help me…help me………………."
The man's voice breaks off and he collapses in place.
"Where's Lithi!"
Fitalio looks around, but his son is nowhere to be seen.
The hills are dotted with groves of trees, and beyond them is a forest. There are no monsters in the vicinity of the imperial capital for the knight to fall back on.
But the adventurer in front of him was dressed in magnificent equipment.
With a bloodlust in his veins, he issued a command.
"Find them!"
Without saying a word, Fitalio starts to run.
All at once, the knights scatter to the trees, followed by the squire.
A roar.
Fitalio gasps.
He weaves through the trees and leaps over the overhanging roots.
He cuts through the bushes, and just as he leaps into the air, he stopped dead in his tracks.
(What the hell is this? ……)
The devastation before him left him speechless.
Three adventurers and two knights were lying on the ground.
And then there was the Hill Giant.
The Giant was lying on its side, holding one of the adventurers' legs and not twitching.
The knight, a man of many years of experience, devoured the small figure, unable to comprehend the situation.
"Oh, Father!"
Litius turned.
His bloodied face was somewhat proud as if he had found a delicious pastry.
Fitalio slowly approached with his sword in his hand. He looked at the giant.
There is no land in the vicinity where the giant species can live.
A collar of servitude.
The adventurers had used it.
But it failed to control them, ripped off one of the adventurers' legs, and went on a rampage using it as a weapon.
But – why is the head so deformed?
As if he kept hitting it with a small mallet.
Fitalio notices that both of Litius' hands are soggy and wet.
"I told him I was the son of a knight of the Royal Guard, but he didn't understand."
Litius took one look at the giant as if he were looking at a child who was not listening.
Then.
"You are an enemy of the empire, aren't you?"
He looked up at his father and smiled.
At that moment, some kind of emotion surged up in Fitalio.
Fear or joy?
Unsure of himself, Fitalio simply held his son in his arms with trembling hands.
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