How to Survive as a Knight’s Son – Chapter 43

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Was he truly the Baron’s left-hand man? He knew a great deal. Thanks to him, I learned the details of my father’s death and the subsequent events as vividly as if I had witnessed them myself.

“Are you alright?”

Fiore, leaning against the wall of Bertio’s house, couldn’t hide her concern. My expression must have been quite grim for even the tomboyish Fiore to worry.

I looked up at the sky. The cloudless night sky revealed a dazzling display of stars.

In my past life, humanity had used scientific advancements to explain most of the world’s phenomena, including the fact that those twinkling stars were planets like the one I stood upon.

However, death remained an enigma.

“Honestly, he wasn’t a good father.”

He had favored my sister and found fault with even the smallest things I did. My memories of him were always accompanied by his large, calloused hands and a club.

Perhaps that was why I hadn’t felt much when I regained my memories and learned of his impending death. I had even planned to exploit his demise.

However, learning the details of his death now stirred a profound, indescribable emotion within me.

“Even so, this unbearable heat rising from deep within my chest… it must be because he was my father.”

The shared blood between us was terrifying. I took a deep breath, letting the cold winter air temper my rage.

It wasn’t time to unleash it yet. Not yet…

“Ah…”

Fiore fidgeted, unsure of what to do. Then, squeezing her eyes shut, she pulled me into an embrace.

“Fiore. You’re cold.”

Fiore seemed to have forgotten about her chainmail. The metal against my face was freezing.

“What? Oh, that…”

“Well, this isn’t so bad.”

I slipped my hand inside Fiore’s chainmail, grasping her firm, toned body.

Her well-defined muscles, like those of a warhorse, were clearly visible beneath her skin. Yet, there was also an underlying softness. She was still a woman, after all. Her body heat was surprisingly warm.

“Hey, you…!”

“Now I’m finally warm.”

As I buried my face in Fiore’s shoulder, her struggles gradually subsided. Then, with a sigh of resignation, she hugged me back.

“J-Just this once.”

“That’s how it always starts.”

“You, really…!”

Fiore grumbled, but she didn’t push me away. We stood there, embraced, sharing each other’s warmth. Fiore finally spoke again once her tense muscles had relaxed somewhat.

“W-Well, I did help you, but what are you going to do now?”

Was she deliberately changing the subject to avoid the awkwardness? I decided to let it slide, knowing that pointing it out would only break the comfortable silence.

“Isn’t it a bit late to be asking that?”

“You were the one who asked for my help!”

“And you were the one who accepted without thinking. Oh my god, the daughter of Lord Andrei, a vassal of Quaran, helped kill the Baron’s left-hand man? Isn’t that practically a declaration of war?”

Fiore’s face paled at my exaggerated exclamation.

“I-I only helped subdue him!”

“And what about aiding and abetting torture and murder?”

“Oh, whatever. It’ll work out somehow. He’s not going to kill you, is he?”

It was so like Fiore. Realizing her own shamelessness, she blushed and averted her gaze.

“What about you? You’re in bigger trouble than I am. I at least have someone to rely on, but you have nothing.”

“Are you worried about me?”

“W-Worried? No way! I’m just, just saying… if things get bad, come to Quaran. My father won’t abandon you.”

The way she kept glancing at me suggested she wanted me to come to Quaran.

I shook my head.

“I can’t let this opportunity slip by.”

“Opportunity?”

“Yes. I’ll use this incident as a stepping stone to devour the Baron and become a Grand Lord.”

Leaving Fiore, who was staring at me wide-eyed, I looked up at the stars. Yes, this was just the beginning.

‘I will avenge you, Father.’

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A week later, I arrived alone at the Baron’s capital, Polton.

Polton was a proper city. The outer walls were thick and tall, the towers interspersed along them reaching for the sky.

The Rhine River, which flowed through the southeastern part of the continent, ran past the southern gate. Crossing the arched stone bridge that spanned the river led to a paved road, the only proper road in the area.

Built at a key transportation hub in the southeastern part of the continent, the city bustled with activity even in the early morning. It was a true city, unlike my small manor. Greed stirred within me.

I rode towards the gate, a cloth-wrapped bundle slung over my shoulder.

Those I cut in front of frowned, but no one voiced their complaints. Clad in full armor, I was unmistakably a knight.

“Halt! Where do you hail from?”

The gate guards were different. They stopped me, as they had never seen me before, and I wasn’t wearing any gear bearing my family crest.

The guard flinched when I glanced down at him. My gaze, which seemed provocative to superiors, was intimidating to subordinates.

“I am Allen, son of Maxim Tolbatz. I’ve come to see the Baron. Now, go and inform him of my arrival.”

“Lord Maxim’s…?”

The guard’s eyes darted nervously. Deciding it wasn’t a matter he could handle, he left the gate to his colleague and entered the city.

I addressed the remaining guard,

“Should I wait here?”

“My apologies. We have orders from the Baron to bar entry to any knights until their identities are confirmed.”

The guard apologized, adding that it was all due to the ongoing war.

“The Baron’s orders, you say. I suppose I have no choice.”

The guard who had gone to deliver the message returned a short while later. His expression was grim as he led me into the city.

“He summons you.”

Once inside, I immediately noticed the well-maintained roads and the buildings constructed from wood, stone, and plaster. The people were lively, and the children who looked at me were filled with curiosity.

The atmosphere was far more relaxed than my manor.

My ambition grew with every step I took within the city, reaching its peak as I faced the lord’s castle.

Built on high ground, the castle was a massive structure surrounded by another wall, with square watchtowers at each corner.

Looking down at the city from the castle gates, the buildings and people looked like ants. This was the perspective of a true power holder.

“Sir Knight?”

“Ah, yes. Let’s go.”

I followed the urging guard into the castle. The Baron and his vassals were waiting for me in the grand hall.

A carpet stretched from the entrance of the hall to the top of the short flight of stairs at the far end, with vassals lined up on either side. The Baron sat on a chair placed on the level platform at the top of the stairs.

“Ahem.”

The vassals, who had made no effort to hide their discomfort when I first arrived, averted their gazes and coughed awkwardly as I met their eyes. Having conspired with the Baron, they were naturally uneasy around me.

‘Traitors.’

The Baron’s attitude was unexpected. Thin as a skeleton, he simply stared at me with an unreadable expression.

He gestured towards me.

“Come closer.”

I walked along the carpet, stopping midway, then knelt on one knee, placing my right hand over my left breast in a respectful greeting.

“Allen, son of Maxim Tolbatz, greets you, Baron Rasino.”

“Yes, I remember you. I believe I saw you at Sophia’s wedding? What brings you to my castle unannounced?”

I briefly glanced at the Baron and his vassals. They were all my enemies, and I had walked right into their den.

Yet, I intended to provoke them further. It was a necessary rite of passage to manipulate them. Better to rip off the bandage quickly, wasn’t it?

“I’ve captured an imposter. He not only impersonated a knight of yours but also made absurd demands in your name.”

The Baron’s brow twitched. I unwrapped the bundle. The object inside tumbled out, rolling across the floor before coming to a stop against the stairs.

Simultaneously,

Shing.

The vassals lining the hall drew their swords and pointed them at me. The object was Jude Horn’s head.

Thanks to the winter cold, the head, despite being a week old, hadn’t decomposed, its expression frozen in a moment of despair.

“H-How dare you!”

“Th-Th-That’s Lord Horn, isn’t it!?”

The horrified vassals looked back and forth between the Baron and me. The Baron stared intently at the decapitated head. I feigned a confused expression and looked at the vassals.

“Do you all know this imposter? He seems to be quite famous. Well, I suppose someone who impersonated a knight of the Baron and tried to seize a manor in his name isn’t exactly common.”

“…”

The uproar died down instantly. The vassals averted their gazes again. Indeed, if they had any shame or conscience, they wouldn’t be able to meet my eyes. I turned to the Baron.

“But I wouldn’t be fooled! Who is my father? A knight who served you faithfully for over ten years, fighting on the front lines against your enemies! Would you really seize our manor just because he’s dead? You wouldn’t do such a thing, would you?”

Honestly, I couldn’t deny there was a personal element to my plan.

The atmosphere grew heavy. The vassals held their breath, glancing nervously at the Baron. I tilted my head, feigning ignorance.

“Why do you all look so troubled?”

The Baron finally slowly raised his head. Despite his left-hand man’s head being delivered to him out of the blue, his expression remained unchanged.

“Lord Jude was indeed my knight.”

“I-Is that true? Then why did this man…?”

I trailed off, feigning shock.

“Sophia and Roland would have confirmed his identity.”

The wily Baron subtly changed the subject. However, his tactic didn’t last long.

“With all due respect…”

“Speak.”

I glanced at the vassals and spoke as if forced to,

“The two of them have eloped.”

The Baron’s languid eyes finally widened slightly. The vassals exchanged glances, their expressions confused as they struggled to react to the unexpected scandal.

“Eloped, you say.”

It was a marriage he had arranged, a knight he had introduced. Despite the undeniable responsibility, the Baron chuckled. He didn’t ask for details, as if aware it was pointless.

Indeed, even if he asked, there was no guarantee I would tell him the truth. It would be a meaningless question.

Instead, he focused on the facts.

“My niece has eloped with a knight I introduced, and the knight I sent as my envoy has returned as a head. You, son of Maxim, don’t you find that a bit too coincidental?”

His complicit vassals came to his defense.

“He’s right! He must have orchestrated this!”

“Perhaps he’s an enemy spy!”

I ignored them and calmly kept my gaze fixed on the Baron. Then, I brought up the topic he had so deftly avoided.

“Was it truly your intention to seize our manor immediately after the death of a loyal vassal?”

The Baron chuckled.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. I never issued such an order.”

The Baron was shameless, but he had the power to be so. The vassals, knowing full well he was lying, remained silent.

The Baron continued,

“However, even if it was a misunderstanding, the crime of harming my envoy is severe. Especially since he was my most trusted and strongest knight. To compensate for this loss, you must not only forfeit your manor, but also your life.”

The Baron intended to use this opportunity to eliminate me, a potential threat, while achieving his original goal. There was a reason he had maintained his position despite his miserliness.

Indeed, the Baron was the one who wanted me dead the most. However, he was also the only one who could save my life.

At the Baron’s signal, his knights surrounded me, their raised swords gleaming menacingly. I ignored them and looked at the Baron with an incredulous expression.

“Are you saying that the man who couldn’t even block a single blow from me was your most trusted and strongest knight? You must be joking.”

“How dare you insult Lord Horn!”

One of the knights surrounding me stepped forward and pointed his sword at me, the blade trembling with barely contained rage.

“Wait.”

He would have struck me then and there if the Baron hadn’t intervened. The Baron raised his hand, stopping the knight, and looked at me. His gaze was like that of a merchant assessing the value of goods in a marketplace.

Indeed, he hadn’t asked the most crucial question. How and by whom had the formidable Jude Horn been killed?

The veil of prejudice created by my reputation as a scoundrel had been lifted. Would the greedy Baron, having lost both his left and right-hand men, simply execute someone who claimed to have killed his prized knight in a single blow?

I, myself, was the bait to snare his greed.

“You killed Lord Horn. Alone? And in one blow?”

“It was easier than wringing a chicken’s neck.”

The Baron smiled at my arrogant display.

“If that’s true, I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Adrian.”

The knight who had been pointing his sword at me bowed to the Baron and turned to face me again.

“Draw your sword, son of Maxim.”

Before drawing my sword, I opened my status window. The double-digit bonus points shimmered enticingly, urging me to use them. Without hesitation, I chose to allocate them.

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All in my mate!!