LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 64
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 64
-Peek.
Olivia, lying face down on the bed, hugged Gomtangi tightly and glanced out the window.
Ricardo, who had gone to catch the thief.
A tall man who, despite being a thief, stood brazenly at the front gate.
-Leave.
-…
-I said, leave!
The atmosphere between the two was unusual.
It seemed like they were having a serious conversation, but from Olivia’s position on the second floor, all she could hear were shouts.
Ricardo, clenching his fist tightly and yelling at the thief, sighed deeply in frustration, while the thief stood silently, staring at Ricardo.
‘This looks interesting….’
It seemed like they were having an amusing conversation. Feeling left out, Olivia hugged the squirming Gomtangi closer and muttered.
‘Let me join too…’
Ricardo gestured for the thief to leave. The thief, however, stood still, silently holding his ground.
The two of them continued their push-and-pull.
Watching this entertaining scene from afar made Olivia itch with curiosity.
‘Ugh… I can’t see properly…’
Olivia peeked her face out of the window.
‘He looks familiar.’
Brown hair.
Stubbornly wearing a black uniform.
A sword with a golden hilt.
It was a look she had often seen during her time in high society.
He seemed like someone who always stuck close to the Emperor…
Who could he be…
Olivia sank into deep thought.
‘I don’t know…’
Ricardo and the man were still talking.
The unfamiliar man, with a stern expression, stared at Ricardo, while Ricardo let out an empty laugh and ran his hand through his hair.
-Are you telling me to do that?
-…
-Is that something a father should do?
-That’s not for you to judge.
-…Ha.
Shaking his head, Ricardo let out a deep sigh.
It was a familiar expression.
He had made that face back at the Academy when she had told him she liked Mikhail, and he couldn’t reason with her.
Please, don’t do this.
-Why… Why won’t you listen to me…
-Why are you stopping me? I can like him too!
-I’m doing this because I don’t want you to get hurt, Young Lady.
-Shut up. Shut up… You’re just like everyone else. You won’t even support me…
-Young Lady… Please. Just this once, won’t you listen to me?
-I said shut up!
Running his hand through his hair with a deep sigh was a habit Ricardo often showed when he was angry.
He couldn’t bring himself to say harsh words.
He was frustrated and angry.
Unable to do anything else, this was the only way Ricardo could vent his feelings.
Olivia, who had frequently angered Ricardo back at the Academy, knew this habit of his better than anyone.
It seemed like their conversation wasn’t going well.
Ricardo glared at the man.
The man returned the glare with a chilling expression.
A tense energy, like a heat haze, began to emanate from the two of them.
Watching the scene, Olivia clenched her fist.
‘Ah… This isn’t good.’
Ricardo’s arm is going to hurt.
Olivia was still worried about Ricardo.
A brief moment passed.
-Sreung…
Both of them drew their swords.
Olivia looked out the window and shouted.
“Gomtangi, bite… Bite him!”
-Goom…
Gomtangi burrowed deeper into Olivia’s arms.
“Eeeek…”
Gomtangi, valuing her own life, refused to act.
***
A massive mountain loomed before me.
Histania Rowen.
The strongest man in the Empire stood before my eyes.
[Histania Rowen Lv. 100]
[Job: Imperial Knight Commander]
[Favorability: -61]
[Favorite Topics: Histania’s Honor/Talented Swordsmen/Praise for His Children/Children’s Safety]
[Disliked Topics: Incompetent Fathers/Talentless Swordsmen/Evaluations of Himself/Arrogant People/One-sided Disregard]
Just standing there, Histania Rowen exuded an overwhelming aura. I couldn’t fathom the idea of defeating him.
Rowen, looking at me standing awkwardly, spoke.
“It’s been a while.”
A deep, resonant voice reached my ears.
The voice of a swordsman who had crossed countless lines of death.
My hands were slick with cold sweat from the tension.
Even without exchanging a single word, I was crushed by the sheer presence he exuded.
‘Why is he here?’
I spoke to Rowen with a serious expression.
“We don’t entertain peddlers.”
It was a kind of survival instinct.
It was the distilled essence of the butler’s experience, honed from chasing away countless peddlers and beggars who mistook the estate for an empty house.
When faced with a crisis, deflecting efficiently was a butler’s virtue. So, I looked Rowen straight in the face, as if he were someone kicked out of the house, and said.
“We’re not buying electric heated blankets, germanium bracelets, or taking out loans. Please leave.”
I desperately pretended not to recognize the man in front of me.
If I acknowledged him, it felt like my blissful unemployed life would be at risk. Even if a being capable of destroying the world stood before me, any creature that disrupted my idle life was less important than Gomtangi.
This was the survival instinct of a possessor.
Rowen looked visibly flustered.
It was a rare sight to see the Empire’s Knight Commander thrown off by mere words, but I suppressed the laughter bubbling up and firmly repeated.
“Leave.”
“Do you not know who I am?”
“This winter is going to be cold, so just go.”
-…
At my resolute words, Rowen clutched his throbbing forehead.
Internally, I cheered.
‘Please, just go.’
‘Please, just go.’
‘Go back home and wash your feet.’
Considering how dangerous the world is, why would you come to such a shabby place? With that thought in mind, I told Rowen to just leave, but he let out a deep sigh and said to me.
“This is the first time I’ve been treated like a peddler.”
Rowen seemed to find this kind of treatment amusing.
In the original work, Rowen was someone who disliked introducing himself. His face was his business card, and his sword was the symbol of the Empire.
Not knowing who he was meant, in his eyes, that the person wasn’t worth talking to—a lofty knight indeed.
In the novel, when Rowen first met Yuria.
-Who is this person?
-I am Histania…
-No matter how I look at it, you seem like a peddler.
-…
There was a scene where Rowen, dismissed as a peddler by Yuria, left without looking back. Later, Mikhail introduced him as his master, clearing up the misunderstanding. But it became clear that Rowen was sensitive about his reputation being ignored.
His name.
The influence of Histania.
His fame as Histania Rowen was so great that there was no one in the Empire who didn’t know him, which probably explained his confidence.
‘If you don’t know me, go study.’ That was likely the sentiment.
That’s why I was doing my best to utilize my knowledge of the original work, hoping Rowen would just leave.
Rowen let out a deep sigh.
“I am Histania Rowen.”
It seemed my plan had failed.
“Commander of the Empire’s Knights. Also known as the Sword of the Empire.”
“…”
“I came to speak with you.”
Rowen spoke to me.
With a resolute expression, as if he had something he absolutely needed to hear, he left me with no room to escape.
I had no choice but to bow my head politely and show proper manners.
“I am Ricardo, the butler of Lady Desmond Olivia.”
Slowly bowing, I looked directly at Rowen’s face and said.
“It is an honor to meet the Sword of the Empire. Could you forgive my earlier rudeness?”
I displayed a clumsy form of courtesy to Rowen.
Implying that the fault lay with him for arriving unannounced, I said.
“Had you informed us beforehand, I wouldn’t have shown such disgraceful behavior. My apologies.”
“…It’s fine.”
Rowen waved his hand, forgiving my mistake.
To guide Rowen into the estate, I politely said, ‘Though it’s humble, please come in.’ But Rowen lightly waved his hand, declining. ‘I’ll just say what I came to say and leave. It’s fine,’ he refused to enter the house.
It was a relief.
Since the estate was a mess from not being cleaned. Moreover, if the Young Lady saw Rowen, she would undoubtedly call him a ‘blockhead with nothing but swords in his brain.’ To protect the Young Lady’s neck, I silently thanked Rowen for his wise decision.
-Plod.
Rowen looked me over.
From my shoes.
To the sword strapped at my waist.
And up to my red hair.
After thoroughly examining me, he said.
“Do you know Histania Hanna?”
“Yes, she’s a friend I recently made.”
“A friend…”
“Yes.”
Rowen gave a small nod and began to speak about the main topic.
“I heard about you from Malik. He said you’re a brave and talented swordsman.”
“You’re too kind.”
A generous patron indeed.
Offering such flattery.
Though it was praise from someone I wasn’t thrilled to hear from, it didn’t feel bad.
After all, it was a compliment from the Sword of the Empire.
When Malik last visited the estate, he had made one request of me.
-Hey, Ricardo.
-Yes.
-Can I ask you for a favor..?
He wanted me to help reconcile his father and Hanna.
Since he himself had been able to reconcile thanks to my help, he cautiously asked, thinking my assistance might also open Hanna’s heart to her father.
-No.
I had firmly refused Malik’s request.
Personally, I believe it’s wrong for an outsider to interfere in someone else’s family matters.
Knowing the future where Hanna dies due to indifference, I was even more reluctant to get involved.
I didn’t want to utter the cruel words of asking her to open her heart to the father who had tormented her all her life.
Frankly, even if I told Hanna to try to get along with her father, I doubted she would listen.
Most importantly, it wasn’t Hanna’s will.
So I had rejected Malik’s request.
I didn’t want to meddle in someone else’s family affairs.
I believe the thing to avoid most in the world is meddling in others’ family matters.
With a cold, detached gaze, I waited for the words Rowen would say next.
“I came here with a request.”
“I thought that since you were the one who put a sword in Hanna’s hands, you might be able to do this.”
A bad feeling crept over me.
“Find a way to make Hanna put down the sword… No, make her give it up.”
I clenched my fist.
“Is that something a father should say?”
“You’re overstepping.”
“I wouldn’t know my place since I’m an orphan.”
A surge of blue aura erupted from Rowen’s body.
The intensity of the aura was sharp enough to sting my skin.
In contrast, I began emitting a faint aura. I couldn’t win, but I planned to move cunningly, gathering aura at my fingertips to bite back if necessary.
Even a bear would feel pain from a bee sting.
When Rowen drew his sword.
I also drew mine.
As our auras gathered at the tips of our swords.
A loud voice echoed from the second floor.
“Guards! You lazy tax thieves! There’s a thief here!!!”
The Young Lady was holding a gomtangi high and hiding her face.
“St… Stop fighting!”
The Young Lady squeezed her eyes shut and trembled.
She must have been terribly worried about me.
“Pfft..! Yes, understood.”
I let out a small laugh and sheathed my sword. Then, looking at Rowen, who wore an expression of disbelief, I said.
“Leave. It seems the Knight Commander has no chance of getting closer to Hanna.”
Though I heard Rowen mutter ‘Arrogant bastard’ behind my back, I ignored it lightly and headed up to the estate.