The grassland under the setting sun was so beautiful and charming. However, most of the people who could see this scene were not in the mood to appreciate everything about 'her'. This was because most of them were laborers who were escorted to the capital by a group of soldiers wearing steel armor and holding heavy swords or steel spears.
Of course, these people were escorted to the capital by these seemingly strong soldiers to work as laborers not because they had committed crimes, but because of the needs of the royal family and nobles. Therefore, the vast majority of them were honest people who had never committed any crimes in their lives, so they were dragged out of their homes and escorted to the capital by soldiers who were slightly better than bandits.
However, among those who were being escorted to the capital as laborers, there was a small and thin child with a head of short golden hair and a pair of big blue eyes that were different from the others. He was admiring the grassland that was dyed red by the light of the setting sun. Although this child was admiring the grassland, he was also rubbing his stomach that was constantly protesting against him.
"There will be food in a while, so stop shouting.”
The child, who had not eaten anything all day, comforted his stomach with a tender voice. He had not eaten a full meal since he was a little over three years old.
Unfortunately, the child's comfort did not stop his stomach from protesting against him. It even made his stomach growl even more loudly, as if it was saying that he was lying.
Faced with such a result, the helpless child could only choose to tighten the hemp rope around his waist to shut his stomach. Otherwise, the soldier who had just glared at him on his right would definitely teach him a lesson, even though this child looked less than ten years old and thinner than his peers.
In fact, the reason why this child was treated this way was related to his unique blue eyes. Because in this continent called Great Britain, only a few nobles had blue eyes, but they were not blond. The rest were blue-eyed or brown-eyed blond or brown-haired Celts. Only those barbarians who came here with the Roman who had done all kinds of bad things on this continent and were called 'Germanic' by the Roman people had blond hair and blue eyes.
When night fell, the soldiers who were hostile to the foreigners but did not kill him because he was too young were locked up in a temporary open-air cell with the adults. The child was driven by hunger to the edge of the fence and said to the soldiers guarding him,"Can you give me something to eat? I'm very hungry."
"Are you hungry?"
"Yes, I…Why did you kick me? I didn't touch you, I just asked you for something to eat.”
The child, who was kicked back by the soldier guarding them, said these words with a dissatisfied expression. The moment he finished speaking, he raised his dirty little hand and rubbed his chest through the coarse linen cloth that was as dirty as his hand.
"Why did I kick you? You haven't eaten yet, and you're asking me for food. Why am I kicking you?! Also, you little thing, listen carefully. If you dare to ask me for food again, I'll... chop off your head, roast you, and throw you to them!”
After saying that, the soldier pulled out the broadsword which was as wide as the child's palm from the brown scabbard hanging on his waist. After saying that, he glared at him fiercely, indicating that he was not joking. After that, he loosened his grip on the sword hilt, causing the sword to disappear from his sight. He then turned around and ignored him.
After hearing the soldier's words, the child glanced at the people who were only a few meters away from him, who he knew and didn't know, who were looking at him as if they wanted to eat him up. He quickly crawled to the fence, turned around, leaned against the fence, and looked at them with a vigilant expression."A bunch of liars. I clearly said that I would be able to fill my stomach if I followed you, but now, let alone filling my stomach, I'm not even allowed to drink enough water. I even beat people up when I wanted food.”
"Little thing, if you continue to cripple…"
"Alright, don't argue with a child. Besides, he didn't say anything wrong. Also, everyone, I know you're thirsty and hungry, so…Da…Take this bucket of water and this bucket of bread to fill your stomachs.”
As he spoke, he pushed open a movable fence and entered. He placed the bucket of water and bread in his hand at the side of the crowd. When he stood up, he took two loaves of bread and returned to the entrance under the gaze of these people and the soldier. He placed the two loaves of bread in the arms of the child."Eat. After you're full, we can continue our journey tomorrow.”
"Thank you, but…can I have some water?”
"You little thing, your requirements are quite…”
"The captain is calling you.”
The soldier who interrupted the soldier once again looked helplessly at the old man who was famous for being a good man in the team and sighed."You, ah, you, sooner or later, you'll be killed by your damn character!”
"Sooner or later, I'll be killed by my own personality, not now. But if you don't go see the captain now, I guarantee that you'll definitely be beaten up.”
The soldier who said this with a hateful smile made the soldier who had been acting like an evil person immediately put away his expression. With a worried expression, he rushed towards the tent where the captain was at as fast as he could.
Seeing the soldier walk away, the soldier took off the water bag hanging on his waist and handed it to the child who had eaten the two loaves of bread while he was talking to him."Drink up. Although there isn't much left, it should be enough for you to drink.”
"Thank you."
The child thanked the soldier again. When he saw the soldier nod at him with a kind smile, he quickly opened the sheepskin water bag and poured the water into his mouth.
Seeing this scene, the soldier felt a little sad and patted the child's head."Drink it with your mouth. Don't choke. Also, why are you here? Where are your parents?"
"I was sold to Nord Village because you said that I could fill my stomach by following you. Besides, I can't drink from my mouth, because if I drink from my mouth, your water bag will be dirty.”
After drinking all the water in the sheepskin water bag, he answered the soldier's question with a childish voice with an expression that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
After hearing the child's words, the soldier sighed and said," What a poor child." He took the water bag from the child and put it back in its original position. Then, he turned around and sat beside the child." Looking at you reminds me of my daughter. She's just like you, a well-behaved and obedient child who had a hard life. Because her mother died early and I'm a Knight, she…Oh right, child, I haven't asked your name yet.”
"Ritter, Ritter, what about you, uncle?”
"Riteeroya, huh…that's a pretty good name. Also, my name is Will, and my daughter is Betty Will.”
Will smiled and told Ritter his name and his daughter's name. He had a good impression of him because he was very similar to his daughter.
"Will…Betty Will…Uncle, is your wife called Betty?”
"That's right, smart kid. My wife's name is Bei Di.”
Although Will still had a smile on his face after answering Ritter, his eyes were flickering with longing and sadness. The reason was that his wife had died of illness eight years ago.
Just like that, the two of them started a long conversation that ignored everyone else. To put it bluntly, it was just a small chat. However, Ritter learned a lot of knowledge from the chat with Will, such as how to train his body to become stronger and how to catch small animals.
From this moment until they were about to enter the towering and majestic royal city, which was the heart of Gilly, the city where King Yuse lived and the eye-catching blue spire-shaped palace roof, not only did Ritter never go hungry again, but he had also become a little sturdier and looked more energetic than before. With a happy smile, he looked at Will, who had been taking care of him all along the way."Uncle, after entering the capital, can we still meet?”
"I should be able to, provided that I'm not transferred away and you, this increasingly…um…beautiful little guy, isn't brought home by someone to be a child husband.”
"What is Tong Yangfu? Also, Uncle, you said that beauty is used to describe girls, so can you stop saying that I'm beautiful as a boy?”
With a pair of big blue eyes, short golden hair, a fair and delicate oval face, a straight and slightly delicate nose, crescent-shaped golden eyebrows, and pink lips, Ritter looked like a little girl who would definitely grow up to be a beauty. However, Will, who had taken a bath with him, knew that he was a boy through and through.
"Okay, okay, okay. Uncle, I won't say that you're beautiful anymore. However, you have to be careful, Ritter. The palace is not what it looks like, so…you're really too smart. If you weren't targeted by the captain, I would definitely bring you home to be my daughter's child husband.”
Halfway through his words, he saw Ritter casually grab a handful of mud from the muddy ground that had become muddy from yesterday's rain and paste it on his face. He said these words with a somewhat surprised, happy, and regretful expression.
After hearing Will's words, Ritter used the handful of soil in his hand to turn himself into a little tramp that no one wanted to look at. He grinned at Will."Hehe, now no one will hit me because of my face! What do you think, uncle?"
"Someone hit you because of your face?”
"Ah, the mistress of the family who bought me would hit me because of my face. As she hit me, she said that this face should not be mine but her son's. She even wanted to ruin my face several times, but for some reason, she gave up. She also warned me to make my face so dirty that no one would even want to look at me.”
When Will looked at him with a strange expression, Ritter used the remaining soil in his hand to dirty his small arm that wasn't covered by the coarse linen clothes. He only dirtied his face and small arms, but he forgot about his neck.
Fortunately and unfortunately, Wier didn't forget this, but he didn't have the chance to remind Litte because a cavalryman who was coming towards him said this.
"All children under the age of ten, step forward immediately! Men on the left, women on the right, form two lines and enter the city! In addition, to prevent anyone from causing trouble, these children will return to their parents in three days. Therefore, parents of children can rest assured!”
After hearing the cavalryman's words, Wier glanced at the cavalryman who stood by his side for some reason and refused to leave. He lowered his head and looked at Ritter, who had taken the initiative to step out of the formation."My neck…"
"No one is allowed to whisper! Violators will be whipped forty times!"
Will, who had wanted to bite the bullet and warn Ritter, was rudely interrupted by the cavalryman. He knew that if he dared to speak again, he would be whipped forty times. He could only warn Ritter with his eyes, but unfortunately, Ritter could not understand his eyes.
"Uncle, are your eyes uncomfortable?”
"Don't you understand what I just said?!”
"I understand, but I didn't whisper to uncle. I asked uncle openly if his eyes were uncomfortable, so you can't give me forty lashes!”
The cavalryman, who had asked Will before he could warn Ritter not to speak, received a reply that left him speechless.
Seeing that Litte was still young and that the higher-ups had specifically ordered them to treat these children well, the cavalryman could only glare at him with an unhappy expression and ignore his existence.
Seeing this scene, Will, who had been worried that Ritter would be pulled out and given forty lashes, heaved a sigh of relief. He raised his hand and patted Ritter's head."You little fellow is really…Hu, forget it, go.”
"Oh, then I'll be leaving, uncle."
"Hmm…right, three days from now, if you lucky little fellow isn't taken away by anyone, then come to the north of the city to find me.”
After saying that, Will waved at Ritter, who was one step ahead of all the children, but received no response. The reason was that Ritter, who had attracted the attention of some people because of his words, knew that if he, an outsider, got too close to Will, it would bring him trouble.
Will, who understood why Ritter was like this, had an indescribable feeling in his heart. However, no matter what he felt, he couldn't bring Ritter, who was as obedient as his daughter and was also a kind child, away from the capital, which might be a place for others to develop, but to him, it was extremely dangerous and could very likely cause him to lose his life. He didn't have the power.
As the first child to stride through the city gate and enter the palace, Ritey did not follow the instructions of the middle-aged man who was wearing a noble's red robe with golden edges. Instead, he waited for his peers to enter. Some of them had tears on their faces, some were still crying, and some had dull expressions. After a portion of them entered, they found an opportunity to mix into the queue.
However, Ritey did not know that his every move was not only seen by the middle-aged man in the noble's red robe with golden edges, but also by an old man in a white robe and a pointed hat of the same color, which was also a wizard hat.
Although the old man saw Ritter, Ritter couldn't see him. The reason was that the old man wasn't here. Instead, he was in a luxurious hall with twelve pillars and a red carpet on the floor. He saw Ritter and the others through a crystal ball placed on a brownish-red wooden frame that looked a little blackish-red due to age.
"Everything is predestined. You can't hide no matter how smart you are.”
After leaving behind such a sentence, the nobles who couldn't see what was displayed in the crystal ball were filled with question marks. After closing the crystal ball, the old man in a white robe and a white wizard hat put the crystal ball back into his sleeve that could easily fit a child. He then raised his right hand and took his hairstyle that seemed to be made of a special sapling from the servant beside him. The staff that was embedded with an unknown transparent white crystal at the top of the branch point laughed.
The nobles who didn't understand why this old man, who was relied upon by the current king and King Yosef, would laugh. They looked at each other with confusion and found that the other party was the same as them. Then, they unanimously cast their eyes on the middle-aged man with short golden hair who stood closest to the old man. He looked different from these wealthy nobles who gave people a feeling of emptiness. He was burly but not rough, making people feel that he was very strong. The noble, who understood what they meant, rolled his eyes at them. Then, when he saw them using their eyes to convey the message that they had the best relationship with this lord. If you don't ask, who will? He sighed helplessly and asked the old man,"Sir Merlin, what did you see? Also, what do you mean by that? We are stupid and can't understand what you're saying.”
"When the time comes,'you' will naturally understand what I mean, Sir Eckart.”
The old man who said this with an amiable smile was Merlin, the strongest mage in the British Isles. He said this on purpose because he knew that only by saying this would these nobles, who had no other use other than eating, drinking, and playing, give up on those ideas.
Upon hearing Merlin's words, Sir Eckart immediately shut his mouth and chose to lower his head to look at the red carpet that covered the hall in silence. The reason was that this old man who had been like this more than twenty years ago was a little unhappy, even though he still had that smile on his face.
Seeing this scene, the other nobles also tactfully shut their mouths and did not want to anger this seemingly amiable old man who had actually done many shocking and terrifying things.
After quite a while, the hall which was so quiet that only breathing could be heard recovered to its previous state under the guidance of the etiquette officer. This noble said that he would select a few smart boys to focus on training, and that noble said that he would select a few smart girls to train into excellent maids. Knowing that the nobles were actually trying to bring the boy or girl who had jumped out home, Merlin raised his staff and knocked on the one-meter-tall pedestal in front of him where the crystal ball had been placed."I don't care what you want to do, but you'd better not do anything that will make an old man like me come to your house and take advantage of my seniority.”
"Uh…I suddenly remembered that I still have something to do, so I'll take my leave first.”
"What a coincidence. I suddenly remembered that I still have something to do, so wait for me.”
The first noble chose to leave, and the second noble immediately followed. The other nobles did the same, so that before the children entered the hall, only a few nobles who really wanted to jump out of the children and bring them home to nurture were still standing by Merlin's side.
He tilted his head and looked at the remaining nobles who looked about the same age as him, except for Sir Eitko. He nodded to them with a smile, and when they nodded to him with the same smile, he took out his staff and came to the boy who stood in four teams on the left facing the three teams of girls on the opposite side. Under their gazes, he took out a gold coin from his sleeve and said with a smile,"Children, do any of you know what this is?”
“……。”
Seeing that no one answered him, Merlin did not feel discouraged or regretful because he knew that these children did not answer him because they were afraid of being beaten up if they hit the wrong person. Therefore, he continued without changing his smile,"Whoever can tell me what this thing is, I'll give it to him.”
"…I know."
Just as Merlin thought that he needed to add a little more bargaining chip to tempt these children, a tender voice came from the boy on the left. However, Merlin, who had given up on that idea, did not know who the owner of this tender voice was.
However, just as Merlin was about to open his mouth to ask who the person who had just spoken was, that person walked out of the formation and bowed to him.""This is gold coins."
"…That's it?"
Upon seeing that this person was the child whom he had seen through the crystal ball, Merlin was extremely disappointed with the answer he had received. However, at this moment, a voice that made him feel both happy and angry came from behind.
"Litte, didn't you say that this thing was a life-saving treasure? Why was this thing called a gold coin now?”
"Shut up! You…you…you…"
"You can continue, ignore him. Also, what's your name?"
Merlin raised his hand to interrupt Ritter's words. After saying these words to the little girl who had suddenly spoken, Merlin ordered the little girl to quickly run out of the formation and come in front of him. Then, she bowed to him like Ritter did."My name is Nasha, Nasha Nordley, grandpa.”
"Okay, continue."
"What did you say…Oh, I remember now.”
Nasha, who remembered what she should say after Merlin's reminder, told him the reason why she had seen gold coins but did not know that they were gold coins. She only knew that they were life-saving treasures. Ritter, who had wanted to be the leader and then pretend to be stupid to fool this matter to free himself, could only roll his eyes at her frantically to signal her to shut up.
Unfortunately, Nasha took Ritter's behavior as a must to tell the truth. Through Nasha's honesty, Merlin understood why Ritter said that gold coins were life-saving treasures. He looked at him with a smile that was not a smile."I'll give you one more chance. Tell me what I'm holding in my hand.”
"This thing is a gold coin…A gold coin that can fill one's stomach and buy many useful things, including life-saving potions.”
Under the pressure of Merlin's amiable smile, Ritter chose to answer his question truthfully.
In fact, the clever Ritter knew very well that Merlin, who was holding a gold coin in his hand, was not asking what this thing was, but what it could do. Therefore, he was worried that he, a foreign tribe member, would be dragged out and killed if he stayed here for too long. That was why he jumped out to be the leader who could inspire others and make others think that he was stupid.
Unfortunately, Ritter had forgotten about Nasha. Or rather, he didn't expect Nasha to be so bold. If he had thought of it, he would never have been the leader.
"What's your name?"
"Ritter, Ritter, Roya."
"I want this child and this little girl.”
Although Merlin had learned Ritter's name through Nasha, he did not know Ritter's last name. Therefore, after Ritter told him his last name, he thought for a while before saying this to the nobles. Ritter did not know whether it was good or bad.
The moment Ritter mentioned his name, the nobles who had the idea of bringing him home and nurturing him wholeheartedly shook their heads regretfully when they saw Merlin's unyielding tone. However, an old noble who was not plump but rather thin did not shake his head. Instead, he looked at Ritter with an unwilling expression and said to Merlin,""This isn't fair, Sir Merlin."
"What's unfair about that?"
"This isn't fair at all! However, if you let this child…um…choose whether to go with you or not, then it would be fair.”
The old noble who did not want to give up on Litte knew what his name meant and knew that he was very smart. That was why he strode to Merlin's side after saying these words, ready to snatch him away. Even though he knew very well that he could not snatch Merlin away, he still had to snatch him away so that he would not feel too regretful.
Ritey, who had silently listened to the conversation between Merlin and the surrounding old nobles, raised his head and looked at the two of them with his big blue eyes the moment the two of them cast their gazes on him."As an outsider and a slave, I don't have the right to choose who to follow, so…Sir, can you lend me that gold coin?”
"I see. Take it.”
After thinking for a moment, Merlin understood why Ritter wanted to borrow this gold coin from him. As soon as he finished speaking, Merlin handed the gold coin in his hand to Ritter. He gave the old noble, who also understood what Ritter wanted to do, a look that said,'Let fate decide everything'.
Upon seeing this, the old noble returned Merlin's gaze and raised his hand to stop Litte, who was about to throw the gold coin."Child, don't you think you should say something to Sir Merlin and me before throwing this gold coin?”
"The front is white, and the back is blue.”
Ritter, who understood what the old noble meant, thought for a moment and said this sentence, which made him and Merlin nod in agreement with a satisfied expression.
Seeing that both of them had nodded, Ritter threw out the gold coin without any hesitation. However, just as Ritter was about to reach out and grab the tumbling gold coin, Merlin caught it in his hand before he could."Alright, it's the front. Let's go.”
"No! I haven't seen if the gold coin is positive or negative…Sir Merlin, you…you…you're cheating!”
The old noble was so angry that he wanted to say,"You're too shameless." He gritted his teeth and changed his words. Merlin, who had 'grabbed'(fished) the gold coin with his palm facing up, had flipped his hand when he was showing him whether the gold coin was upside down or upside down. In other words, the gold coin thrown by Litte was upside down when it fell into Merlin's hand.
"This isn't a trick, it's a scheme. Moreover, even if it was a scam, so what? Did we say no cheating? I don't think so. So…I'll treat you to tea another day.”
Merlin did not have to leave behind such infuriating words and lead Ritter, whose little hand was held by Nasha, out of the place. Regardless of whether Ritter caught the gold coin or not, the gold coin would end up facing up.
Ignoring the old noble's shouts, Merlin led Ritter and Nasha into a black carriage with simple interior and exterior decorations. Merlin did not wait for the owner of the carriage to follow him and ordered the coachman to drive the carriage towards Sir Eckart, who was also the owner of the carriage.
The first impression he gave others was that of a kind and serious Merlin. Now, he was not serious at all, just like the old man next door. Ritter really did not know what to say. However, he did not know what to say, but it did not mean that Merlin was the same. Therefore, he took out a gold coin under Ritter and Nasha's gaze."Tell me, Ritter. If you had caught that gold coin, would it have been heads or tails? Of course, if you can't guess it, you can use this gold coin to try.”
"There's no need to try. It doesn't matter if I caught the gold coin or not, the gold coin will still be heads.”
"Why?"
"Because you were the only one who didn't care that I was an outsider and even brought her along. Although Litte didn't know what you wanted him to do, he wanted to go with you.”
Ritter, who had answered Merlin, took the gold coin from his hand when Merlin looked at him with a gratified gaze. Under Merlin's gaze, he threw the gold coin, which was facing up like the gold coin, with the same force as before, and quickly caught the gold coin as it fell.
"This gold coin is yours, Ritter.”
Merlin, who had seen every move of Ritter, did not say whether the coin in his hand was heads or tails. Instead, he smiled and asked Ritter to stuff the gold coin into Nasha's hand.
However, Merlin, who had said these words with a smile, wiped the smile off his face when he saw Ritter put the gold coin into Nasha's hand. The reason was that he needed Ritter to give everything to that person. In other words, he could only "pretend"(think about) that person in his heart.
However, Merlin, who needed Ritter to do this, did not say anything. He did not want to say those words in front of Nasha, who seemed to have a good relationship with Ritter. Therefore, he would say those words when he was alone with Ritter.
Therefore, Merlin, who did not speak much to Ritter and Nasha along the way, opened the door of the carriage and saw a woman in her thirties, who was wearing a long black long-sleeved dress, a white lace hairpin, and a large white apron, waiting at the bottom of the steps."Nasha, go with Head Maid Lina.”
"Then…what about Litte?"
"Litte, come with me, but you can still see him every day.”
Merlin answered Nasha with a kind smile. She looked at him and then at Litte. She nodded with a slightly reluctant expression and walked to the carriage door. Then, she was carried away by Head Maid Lina.
Of course, the reason why Nasha was like this wasn't because she cried and didn't want to separate from Ritter. It was because her backbone, Ritter, had nodded to her.
"Ritter, you…"
"See you tomorrow, Nasha."
Ritey interrupted Nasha with a smile. He walked to the door of the carriage and waved at Lina, who was standing beside her, before closing the door.
Upon seeing this scene, Merlin, who grew more and more fond of Ritter, knocked the end of the staff in his hand on the carriage board to remind the coachman that it was time to leave. When the coachman started the carriage, he looked at Ritter, who staggered back to his seat."Aren't you going to turn around and take a look?"
"No."
"Why?"
"…Because you just said that she can still see me every day in the future.”
After a moment of silence, Ritter answered Merlin. He raised his wrinkled hand, which was obviously an old man's, and gently stroked his head.
"Ritter, you're a smart kid, so I'll be frank with you. I need you to use your life to protect someone who's as old as you, and give everything you have to 'him'.”
"…Alright, Sir Merlin."
After a long and painful struggle in his heart, Ritter said these words with a smile that anyone would think was fake. However, this smile soon disappeared from Ritter's face and was replaced by a bright smile as happy as he could be. The reason was that Merlin had said that from now on, he would be able to eat freshly baked milk bread every day and meat once a week.
Just like that, Ritter, who was initially reluctant, sold himself willingly. Merlin, who saw the smile on Ritter's face and thought that he had made a killing, also smiled brightly.
Ten minutes later, at Merlin's request, Ritter opened the door and jumped out the moment the carriage stopped. After washing himself in a stream not far away, he ran back to Merlin, who had let the coachman drive the carriage away."Big…"
"From now on, don't call me lord. Call me teacher.”
"Teacher?"
"Yes."
"Then…Teacher, I've already done what you asked me to do. What should I do now?”
Ritey did not understand why Merlin wanted him to call him that. He did not ask why, but obediently changed his words and asked this question.
"Wait…What you should do now is wait.”
"Wait? Wait…"
"Teacher Merlin, you called for me?"
Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a pleasant voice that sounded like a child's voice. After glancing back secretly, just as he was about to raise his head to say something to Merlin, he was pulled around by Merlin, who beat him to it."Litte, guess which one of these two is the one I want you to protect.”
"The one on the left has a strand of golden…mm…hair on his head. He looks…mm…very beautiful…mm…sir.”
"Why not the one on the right?”
"Uh…I don't know."
Due to various reasons, Ritter, who knew why it wasn't the one on the right, chose to lie.
Merlin, who knew that Litte was lying and why he was lying, smiled and patted his head. He looked at the two who had just run to him."You guessed right.'He' is the person you want to protect. Also,'he' is my student, and his name is 'Artolia'. This is Sir Eckart, the son of the owner of this house, Kel.”
"Greetings, my lord. I am Riteeroya, your servant from today onwards.”
Ignoring Kel, who had short brown hair, a pair of big brown eyes, a round face, thick eyebrows, a mouth and ears that were bigger than his own, he looked quite stupid. Ritter looked at him with golden shoulder-length hair and a strange hair on his head. However, the strange blonde hair, big emerald eyes, small and thin pink lips, small and exquisite nose, and handsome face of Artolia made 'him' look at him with doubt.
"Why do you want to be my servant from today onwards? Also, as a knight, I don't need servants, so I don't want you to be my servant.”
"Uh…what should we do? Teacher Merlin."
Litte, who did not expect Altolia to say this, did not know what to do. Therefore, he believed that Merlin knew what to do and asked him.
Merlin, who had already guessed this, smiled and shook his head unhurriedly. Then, he looked at Artolia, who was sizing up Litte with a serious face."You're right. As a knight, you don't need servants, but as a knight, you need attendants because a knight without attendants is not a real knight.”
"Wu…Alright, then he will be my attendant from today onwards.”
After that, Artolia looked at Ritter from head to toe and extended her right hand to him.""Pleased to meet you, my attendant.”
"Nice to meet you, my lord.”
Ritey reached out his right hand and shook hands with Artolia, who was wearing ordinary clothes. He was about to withdraw his hand when he heard Kel, who he had ignored for a long time, shout.
Due to various reasons, Ritter had to take back his right hand from Altolia's soft hand. He reached out his hand to him with a smile that could paralyze most people, and shook hands with him, who thought he was a girl and wiped his right hand with his gorgeous noble clothes.
Faced with Kel, Litte felt the need to tell him his gender. After glancing at Merlin who was staring at him with a faint smile, he said with an unchanging smile,"Please don't do this kind of thing again in the future, because I'm a man like you.”
"Are you a man? This was impossible! This was absolutely impossible! I won't admit that other than Toria, there's no other man who's prettier than me!”
Unable to accept this fact, Kel hugged his head and let out a cry that made two of the three people present, the old and the young Merlin, feel helpless.
However, it did not take long for Kel to return to normal. The reason was that Artolia's stomach was growling in protest. Under Merlin's reminder, she dragged her servant, who knew nothing about this place, and Rittery, who had left him here alone, and ran to the dining room.
As for the elusive Merlin, the moment Artolia dragged Litte and ran, he left behind a sentence," Your residence is in the east ", and then disappeared.
Seven years later, Ritter, who had once thought that his life would become very blissful from a beautiful boy to a graceful and handsome young man, lay on the bed that he had just repaired last month. It had been broken down countless times in the past seven years, but it was still usable after his own repair. He lazily nibbled on the red apple in his hand while reading the mythical novel that he had spent ten months of pocket money to buy from outside."The happiest thing in life is to be able to lie on your bed in the morning and nibble on a sweet and crispy red apple while reading your novel.”
"What about the most painful thing in life?”
"Of course, it's nothing more than being ignored by my lord, who would feel uncomfortable if I didn't practice the sword that day, and forcefully dragged me out of bed to practice…”
Ritter couldn't continue. He didn't notice that someone had entered his wooden house, which was located in the middle of the training ground in the west, Merlin's house in the east, and Sir Edrick's house in the south. He didn't even realize that this person was his increasingly beautiful master, Atoria.
If Rittery found out, he would immediately jump off the bed and use his glib tongue to fool Artolia to avoid the danger of being beaten up.
"Tell me, Ritter, why don't you continue?”
Artolia said in a dangerous tone with a fake smile, which made Ritter, who felt that he was going to be unlucky today, turn around stiffly and look at her, who was standing by his bed and looking down at his hair."My lord, when did you…?”
"That's not what you said just now. That's not what I want to hear either.”
"Apple! I picked the apples from the orchard this morning. Do you want to eat them?”
Ritter saw Aaloria draw out the wooden sword from her waist and put on a battle stance. He glanced at the half-eaten red apple in his hand and took out a whole red apple from under his pillow which was stuffed with cotton and other things while speaking.
"Bribing an upright knight…Not only is it wrong, but it's also chewing…You'll be punished by flogging.”
"You don't look convincing at all when you're preaching to me while eating my apple.”
Ritey accidentally said something that he could only think about in his heart. When Altolia pointed the wooden sword at him, he changed his words with a fawning smile.
Seeing that Ritter had changed his words, Artolia didn't argue with him anymore. After putting the wooden sword back into her waist, she turned around and pushed Ritter to the side in a very indecent way."Ritter is mine, Ritter's things are also mine, so my Ritter giving me his things is not a bribe!”
"Since you say so, then are you and your things also…?”
"Me and my things are all mine, because I am a knight, and Ritter is my servant!”
Artolia was just saying that when she interrupted Ritter. If Ritter really wanted something that belonged to him, he would definitely give it to her.
"Can you stop coughing…Can you be more unreasonable? My lord."
He almost said,'Can you be more shameless?'The moment Ritter felt the surrounding temperature drop, he quickly changed his words and said that the temperature should return to normal.
Even so, Rittery's stomach was still hit by Artolia's elbow. He didn't care about it because it was much better than Artolia torturing him in the name of 'duel'.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]