How to Survive as a Knight’s Son – Chapter 36

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Anya and I hadn’t received a proper education. Originally, we were supposed to be educated at the Baron’s castle alongside the other vassals’ children, but I, being the sole heir, and Anya, due to Sophia’s interference, were unable to do so.

While I had overcome my illiteracy by regaining my past life’s memories, Anya still had many shortcomings.

‘Even if she grows up like this, Anya will just become a pretty mannequin.’

The Blood Princess was the daughter of the previous king, a princess. This meant there was no better educator than her among women.

The environment was also favorable. Wasn’t she keeping her distance even from her vassals due to her ability? Under her tutelage, Anya could also prevent any problems arising from her beauty.

Moreover, if, as in the game’s setting, witches’ abilities didn’t affect each other, the Blood Princess, who was bound to be lonely, would inevitably take a liking to Anya.

In other words, this was an opportunity to foster Anya’s mental growth and make the Blood Princess an ally.

The problem was whether Anya would accept it.

“I’m overflowing with leisure.”

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Just as I returned from Quaran and entered the mansion, I stopped abruptly. I had heard a voice I shouldn’t have. There was a man getting up from a shadowy corner of the entrance hall.

“Janbolt?”

It was Janbolt, the son of the ailing scribe and the Baron’s current scribe.

He, once my closest friend, had left, disappointed after I became a scoundrel due to Roland’s influence. It had been years since we last saw each other.

“Do you know what’s happening in the capital?”

How should I interpret Janbolt’s sudden appearance? The fact that he was the Baron’s scribe bothered me.

He was a friend I once thought I could trust with my life, but the magic of time often tangled everything up, didn’t it?

“I know the war isn’t going well. Father requested additional supplies recently.”

Thanks to confiscating Bertio’s assets, I had some leeway, but I hadn’t sent any military rations. What could be more foolish than investing in a war destined for defeat?

“Ha, it’s not just ‘not going well’! We’re about to have to hand over not only the reward money but also the taxation rights of several villages in the border region!”

“That’s unfortunate.”

I already knew this thanks to my memories from my past life. What’s more, I also knew that the Baron, who would lose land and rights bit by bit to the opposing nobles due to this war, would soon be ruined.

I couldn’t not know this, as Anya, whom I had sold to the Baron in exchange for protecting the small manor in the game, would become the mistress of that noble.

That future would not happen now.

Janbolt interpreted my indifference differently.

“Unfortunate? Is that all you have to say? You fool! You don’t even realize there’s a knife at your throat! Stingy and greedy! Do you think the Baron will just let them take his things?”

Janbolt’s gaze was the same as when he declared he was leaving. No, back then, I thought he was only disappointed, but in reality, there had been concern hidden within it. I realized that now.

It was a strange feeling. Memories and emotions I thought I had forgotten came flooding back. I asked without revealing my feelings,

“Then what? Is there any other way?”

“The Baron intends to hand over a vassal’s land instead.”

“What? Does that make any sense? The vassal in question, let alone the other vassals, would never accept it. The Baron can’t be unaware that such an action could lead to a rebellion, can he?”

I knew the Baron would actually commit this absurd act. The reason he lost the entire territory was because he lost the trust of his vassals due to this incident.

“Hmph, do you think there are any sane vassals under a stingy Baron? Most of them only care about saving their own skin, and things are already moving in that direction.”

Janbolt smirked. Was he mocking me, or the foolish vassals who didn’t realize they could be next?

“What about the vassal in question? He’ll definitely object.”

“If there’s a vassal left to object, that is.”

The smirk vanished from Janbolt’s face. For a moment, he seemed to be gauging my reaction.

I understood why Janbolt had suddenly visited me.

“Has your father passed away?”

“Yes. I heard he was hit by a stray arrow during the war. Who would have thought that he, renowned as the strongest knight in this region, would die like that? Truly, unfortunate.”

“Unfortunate-”

I chuckled softly. Was my father’s death truly an accident? If I hadn’t regained the memories of my past life, Sophia and Roland would have taken control of the family around this time, and upon Father’s death, they would have revealed their true colors and devoured the manor.

However, it wouldn’t have been for the war reparations. Sophia had entered the mansion before the war.

‘She must have thought it was better to offer up a vassal’s land, neatly packaged for her to consume, rather than lose her own.’

Janbolt frowned.

“Are you laughing? Is this a time to laugh? It seems you don’t believe me…”

The information about me in the game was fragmented. I wasn’t the protagonist, after all. I had always wondered how the scoundrel me in the game could have made a deal with the Baron before losing the manor, but the answer was right in front of me.

Friendship.

“Who else would I believe if not my only friend?”

“You…”

Janbolt frowned. He seemed embarrassed.

“Don’t worry. The Baron won’t be able to take my land.”

Even the ignorant scoundrel in the game hadn’t lost his manor. How could I possibly lose mine? I planned to use this incident as an opportunity to devour everything the Baron possessed.

“This is not the time for bluffing!”

Janbolt didn’t know the changed me. So, he took my declaration as a bluff and expressed his frustration.

Just then, there was a sound from the stairs leading to the second floor. Someone was quickly ascending. The curvaceous figure, with its prominent curves and hollows, was very familiar.

‘Sophia.’

‘Maxim is dead…?’

Maxim Tolbatz was renowned as a strong knight in this region. Sophia, who had shared his bed, knew better than anyone that he was even healthier than he appeared.

But for him to die? She knew the battlefield was inherently dangerous, but it was hard to accept.

The problem was that he was her last hope.

She had thought she could escape Allen’s clutches once Maxim Tolbatz returned, but now, it seemed she would never be free.

‘I have to inform the Baron…!’

Of course, she wouldn’t be praised. She had been sent to reclaim the manor, but instead, she had been toyed with by a mere scoundrel. She might even have to return to her past, more miserable than a serf.

Compared to that, Allen’s embrace might feel warmer. After all, he was a man who was incomparably warm to his women.

‘No, I can’t…!’

Just thinking about him made her body react reflexively. Feeling her dampened lower body, Sophia bit her lip. She couldn’t succumb to such physical pleasure.

Never.

‘The letter, no.’

The servants were already on Allen’s side. No one had questioned them spending the night together in the master bedroom, even though it was quite blatant. What was even more frightening was that no rumors had spread.

This was proof that Allen’s influence was absolute, impenetrable.

If she entrusted a letter to a servant, it would undoubtedly reach Allen. That meant she had to move herself.

Sophia hurriedly left the master bedroom, wearing only light clothing and a coat. The two who had been in the entrance hall were nowhere to be seen. Had they moved? She didn’t have time to check. It was late; Allen would soon come looking for her, just like every other night.

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“Hiya!”

Sophia kicked the horse’s flank hard.

The village below the hill was shrouded in darkness. It was silent, as if even the mice and birds had gone to sleep. The sparsely placed torches along the main road guided Sophia to the village entrance. But there, someone was waiting.

People were gathered at the entrance of the village. Numerous torches illuminated the area, pushing back the veil of night as if it were daytime.

“Whoa, move aside!”

Sophia shouted as she pulled on the reins. Even as her horse reared up in warning, the villagers didn’t budge. They simply looked up at her with grim faces, silent.

‘How dare mere peasants ignore me?’

Anxiety outweighed anger. Her sensitive horse, sensing its owner’s unease, took a step back.

“Do you not know who I am?! I am the mistress of the Tolbatz family!”

Sophia yelled, tugging at the reins impatiently. Finally, a man stepped forward from among the villagers. Bowing his head, he said,

“Master Allen has ordered that no one be allowed to leave.”

Sophia felt as if a heavy stone had dropped into her stomach. When had he mobilized the villagers? After overhearing her? Then why were they only blocking her and not chasing her? Could it be that he wanted her to return of her own accord?

The important thing was that if she returned like this, escaping Allen’s grasp would become impossible.

Sophia composed herself and spoke calmly,

“I have urgent business, so step aside. I’ll explain to Allen later, so you don’t have to worry about being reprimanded.”

“I apologize, My Lady.”

“You…! Do you truly wish to die?!”

Neither persuasion nor threats worked. The villagers simply bowed their heads and refused to move. It couldn’t be helped.

Sophia had only settled in this village after marrying Maxim Tolbatz. Moreover, she had kept her distance from the peasants, who reminded her of her miserable past, so her influence in the village wasn’t strong.

Allen, who had settled here after his father received the fief, was in a similar position, but the difference was that he had imprinted his influence on them through his numerous acts of debauchery.

That difference was evident now.

“It’s late. Please return.”

Moreover, the reports from the servants who frequented the mansion informed the villagers of the current power dynamics, further encouraging them to obey Allen.

The village head bowed his head again, but it wasn’t a request. Sophia, unaccustomed to such treatment, grimaced.

“How dare you! I won’t forget this!”

Despite her bluster, Sophia trembled as she turned away. It wasn’t from the cold.

‘What should I do now…?’

The people who could have helped Sophia were either dead or gone by Allen’s hand. The servants had turned their backs on her as if nothing had happened. The villagers looked down on her and refused to obey.

She was completely isolated.

‘Wait, could it be…?’

Sophia’s gaze turned towards the mansion on the hill. Wasn’t this isolation too perfect to be a coincidence? It was then that she considered the possibility that this was all Allen’s scheme.

He might even know about Maxim Tolbatz’s death. She didn’t know how, but that was the only explanation for him so brazenly revealing his relationship with Anya and laying his hands on her.

She had been playing into Allen’s hands all along. It was a conclusion without any concrete evidence, but the more she thought about it, the more certain she became.

However, that didn’t change anything. It only filled her with despair at the depth of Allen’s machinations.

‘Is this really the end?’

Just as her last hope was about to crumble,

“My Lady? Do you perhaps need assistance?”

A voice called out to her as she wandered aimlessly around the village entrance. The voice came from the shadows of an alley. Sophia instinctively reined in her horse.

“W-Who’s there?!”

“I am called Marie.”

The owner of the voice stepped out of the shadows. She was a young woman with a delicate face, unusual for a peasant.

“I didn’t ask for your name!”

“Please don’t be alarmed. I wish to help you, My Lady.”

“Help me? Why would you?”

“I want revenge on Allen, that scoundrel.”

Just as Sophia was about to question her further, she heard the sound of hooves approaching from the distance. Had Allen finally come after her? As Sophia panicked,

“This way, please.”

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Marie led Sophia towards a nearby building. With no other options, Sophia couldn’t refuse.

It was dark inside the building. A single candle provided the only light. This put Sophia at ease.

“Revenge? What do you mean?”

“He is the one who violated me in front of my husband. My husband took his own life because of it. Since that day, I have been waiting for a chance for revenge.”

“Ah, it was you.”

Sophia recalled the servants’ gossip. She had dismissed it as irrelevant to her, but hearing it directly from Marie, she could imagine the extent of her hatred for Allen.

“Yes, My Lady. The moment that scoundrel ordered that you not be allowed to leave the manor, I knew my chance had come. You must have something on him, a weakness that could ruin him.”

Every word dripped with hatred and resentment. Still, Sophia was suspicious. Could this be another one of Allen’s tricks? The problem was she had no other options.

“Yes, if I can only contact the Baron, I can drive him out. I might even be able to reduce him to less than a peasant.”

If she used the excuse of incest, she could even have him expeld. Considering that expels were treated worse than animals in this era, Allen would pay a price worse than death.

Marie knelt before Sophia.

“Please, please entrust this to me.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“Don’t trust me. Trust my hatred for Allen.”

Sophia ran a hand over her face. She was in a situation where she had to grasp at straws.

“Very well. I’ll write you a letter. Ride straight to the capital and deliver it to the Baron. If you succeed, I will reward you with wealth beyond your wildest dreams.”

As if she had been waiting for those words, Marie presented parchment, ink, and a quill pen. Sophia immediately began writing the letter. She sealed it with wax, stamped it with the ring she never took off, and then handed it to Marie.

“You must deliver this to the Baron as quickly as possible. Can you do it?”

“I swear on my life.”

“I’ll give you my horse, so go now. Quickly.”

Sophia urged Marie, pressing the letter into her hand. Marie looked down at it, then looked up at Sophia with a smile.

“I don’t need a horse.”

“What nonsense are you talking about! It takes a week to reach the capital even on horseback! Didn’t you hear me say you have to get there as quickly as possible?”

Marie didn’t answer. Instead, she turned and opened the door.

Creak.

The sound of the unoiled hinges was ominous. There was someone beyond the door. The moment a familiar shadow stepped into the room, Sophia felt her breath catch in her throat.

Marie prostrated herself before him and, raising both hands, presented the letter.

“Ah…”

Sophia stumbled backward. The one who received the letter looked up at her.

“Mother. Where are you going in such a hurry?”

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