Chapter 65 – Visitor
After separating from Leticia, Wynn wandered down the main street and before he knew it, he was walking towards the Wandering Bird’s Nest. When he walked through the door, it was full of customers today, as well as those who wanted to have a drink after work.
“Welco… me, eh? Wynn-san.”
Seri came out of the kitchen.
“Good evening.”
“Did you come to dinner?”
“Yes. Before I knew it, I was here.”
Wynn scratched his head embarrassed and laughed, having eaten here in the morning as well. Then Randall came out of the kitchen.
“Wow, Wynn is here too. Did you come to dinner? Just in time. Seri-chan.”
“What? Umm.”
“Just in time for what?”
“I was teaching Seri-chan to cook, and I was wondering if you could taste some things.”
“Randall-san!”
“Oh, that’s nice. If it’s okay with you, I’d be happy to.”
What Seri was making was a chiken stew. Although it was a prototype, it was a stew with meat. Besides, it was on the house. Seri’s eyes moved back and forth between the stew and Wynn’s face as Randall served it on a deep plate.
Is he going to eat it or not?
That kind of conflict could be seen in Seri’s eyes.
“Well, thank you very much for the food.”
He took a spoonful of the stew with a wooden spoon and put it in his mouth to eat. Seri looked at the scene.
“Yes, it’s delicious!”
The taste of the meat spread through his mouth along with the chicken floating in the stew and he chewed it in his mouth. As he swallowed the meat, a smile appeared on Wynn’s face naturally from the delicious food.
Seri put a hand to her chest, relieved.
“Good for you. If someone who has already taste it says it tastes good, then it’s worth it.”
Randall said that when he saw Wynn eating the delicious food, and Seri looking at him happily. The meat and vegetables were pretty well cooked. He also chewed the bread he had ordered separately from the stew along with it.
“This reaffirms it, I want a girl who is a good cook as a wife.”
“I agree…”
“Wynn, what do you think of Seri-chan? She could be a good wife too, huh?”
“Bwah!”
“W-W-Wait, what are you talking about?!”
In Randall’s words, Wynn choked on the bread he had been eating. Seri also became agitated and screamed with surprise.
“Wy-Wy-Wynn-san has Letty-san, hasn’t he?”
“Oh, well, that’s certainly true.”
Wynn was coughing violently. Seri’s long ears moved a little as the thin cloth around her head was shaken by the violent agitation. The tips were slightly red.
Randall looked at the two younglings with amusement.
‘But you know… Letty-chan is obviously the daughter of a nobleman. Is it possible for the two of them to even end up together?’
He had seen Wynn since he was a child. Randall had a desire to see the boy happy, as well as his two children. And since he had known Letty since she was a child, too, he knew that deep in her heart, she would be happier if they could end up together.
But Letty was clearly a girl living in a different world.
Although he also thought that Wynn might be happier with a girl like Seri. He also knew she had those kinds of feelings for him. Randall looked at them as he crossed his arms.
When he finished eating, Wynn was somehow in the kitchen helping to clean up.
“Hey, is there a man named Wynn Bard at this inn?”
A loud voice calling Wynn’s name was heard from the inn’s dining room.
“Wynn-san.”
It wasn’t long after the voice was heard that Seri came calling to Wynn with a puzzled look on her face.
“Wynn-san, you have a visitor here.”
“Who is it? Is it from the Order?”
“I don’t think he’s a knight.”
For the moment, Wynn left the kitchen and entered the dining room.
“Wow, that was exhausting. It wasn’t The Wandering Bird Pest, it was The Wandering Bird’s Nest, wasn’t it? Running all over the Imperial City has ruined my day.”
He was a tall man in traveler’s attire, with a cape that only looked like a worn-out rag, sturdy-looking thick fabric pants and heavy leather shoes. He wore a leather scarf from his mouth to his nose to avoid inhaling dirt and dust, and his golden, slightly reddish-brown hair was disheveled by his long travels, almost hiding his only exposed eye.
In short, few good things could be said about his physical appearance.
“I am Wynn Bard, but who are you?”
“Hey, are you really him?”
The man looked closely at Wynn from the top of his head to his toes as he stepped forward, calling his name.
“I see… you look like someone else.”
“Do we know each other?”
He didn’t know anyone nearby who would travel a long distance to visit him. If possible, it would be people related to the adventurers who came and went when he was a child, but from the tone of his voice, it didn’t sound like anything. Even by the voice, he still seemed young.
“No, we have never met before. I heard about you from a little acquaintance. And I wanted to meet you at least once.”
“An acquaintance?”
“I guess so. There are reasons why giving my real name can lead to trouble… but you can call me Lowe.”
He may have thought he was whispering quietly in the first half, but he was heard loudly.
‘It’s a false name, isn’t it?’
Wynn thought, but nodded.
“Oh, sure, you’re Wynn. By the way, do you have any rooms available at this inn? Do you think I could stay here? I need to sweat a little for now. If you have a room, I’d like it to have hot water. Also, please get me some food.”
Lowe realized that Randall owned this inn, and when he approached him, he spoke right up.
“There are rooms available. I can get you hot water too, but you have to pay in advance.”
Hannah, who had been watching a bit of a retreat, responded to Lowe.
“Oh, yeah. Well, that’s a relief.”
Lowe said and was about to follow Hannah, who urged him to approach the inn’s counter, but suddenly stopped.
“Oh, right. Wynn-kun, I heard you were living at this inn, is that still true?”
“I now live in a dormitory at the Knights’ School.”
“Oh, so it’s true. I saw you come out from the back of the kitchen, but for some reason you didn’t look like an employee…”
Lowe scratched his disheveled and unkempt hair.
“Hey, you, stop scratching your head or it’s gonna get all dusty! Why don’t you go take a hot bath or something?”
“I was allowed to use hot water in the house I stayed in yesterday, but… well, I’m sorry.”
Lowe answered Hannah’s complaint honestly and rubbed the stubble on his chin.
“So, can we have some time tomorrow or something? Actually, I’d like to ask you to do something for me before my acquaintance finds out.”
“What do you want me to do for you?”
“Yes, yes. I want you to fight with me. A fight.”
◇◆◇◆◇
The next morning. Lowe, who spent the night at The Wandering Bird’s Nest, visited the school as soon as he heard that Wynn was living in the Knights’ School dormitory. It was early in the morning when the morning fog was still thick.
“Hey, who are you? This is a restricted area, you… that is! Uwaaa, I-I’m sorry!”
“No, no, thank you for your service. Don’t say anything about me, okay? Please? Haa, so this is the famous Simurgh Knights’ School in Lemmrousell.”
Lowe, who showed a small piece of paper to the guard at the front door of the Knights’ School, who at first saw him as a suspicious person and raised his spear and shouted, looked at the huge front door and exclaimed in admiration.
“The last time I came here, I never left the Imperial Palace, so I could only see it from a distance. As I remember, they are using the ruins of the old Imperial Palace as a school?”
“Yes, that’s right. We also have other facilities such as the Knights’ headquarters. And by the way…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Oh, do you mind if I shake your hand?”
“No, in fact, I couldn’t be happier.”
“Thank you! Oh, and here’s your pass. Please show it every time you visit one of the facilities.”
“Thank you.”
He stuffed a palm-sized wooden tag with a red stamp, a permit, into his pants and grabbed the hand offered by the guard at the door.
“Yes, I’m not going to wash my hand for the rest of my life.”
Lowe shook the hand of the whispering guard slightly as he walked through the door. The path that extended from inside the door was not as crowded. And that’s the way it should be. It was still too early for the church bell to ring. At this hour, many students were still sleeping, as were the people who lived in the city.
In the silence, all you could hear was the sound of Lowe’s footsteps as he walked down the cobblestone path. Several buildings could be seen as black shadows among the trees planted on the ground.
“Hmm… come to think of it, I don’t know which building you live in, Wynn-kun.”
He had heard that Wynn would be training only at dawn, and that’s why he went to the Knights’ School so early, but he hadn’t heard where he would be, which was crucial.
“I could ask the guard before, but it would be silly to go now…”
He was walking with his arms crossed while thinking.
“Oh?”
Light and really tiny, Lowe felt the change of air.
“Is it this way?”
A slight hint that almost amounted to a hunch. Until now, he had relied on this intuition to survive. So, doing as he always did, he trusted his instincts again and proceeded in that direction.
And not much later…
“Oh? There you are.”
Lowe had found the person he was looking for.
◇◆◇◆◇
“Hey, not bad…”
The air was so tense that even the sound of Lowe’s murmuring was suppressed. He had seen many battlefields and several knights training in the past, but the figure of Wynn wielding his sword in front of him had an unusual air.
It’s not like he has a devilish expression on his face. Rather, the expression on his face could be described as calm.
…Actually, there was a long way open from where Lowe was standing to where Wynn was. But he couldn’t take another step. The presence Wynn was giving was interfering with that.
‘I want to try it too…!’
Lowe shuddered. He even stopped walking. He had heard the stories of his acquaintance, but it was true that he had to recognize it himself, now he could respect it.
‘If we fight like this, I won’t lose, but I’d like to see how far he can go.’
His instincts as a swordsman spoke to him.
And so, Lowe stepped forward to approach Wynn.
“—?!”
Wynn stopped wielding his sword and looked at Lowe.
“Hello.”
“Lowe… -san?”
Wynn was surprised to see Lowe approaching with his hand raised.
“That’s impressive. I thought I was keeping a pretty low profile, but…”
The place where Lowe had stopped was probably the very edge of the boundary where Wynn could feel a presence. In a way, it was a border. As he walked over it and entered, Wynn could feel Lowe’s presence.
Of course, with the skill he had, he could have come even closer if he had seriously hidden his presence, but there was no point in doing so here.
“Good morning, Lowe-san. But this is off-limits to outsiders, isn’t it?”
“I’m here with permission.”
Lowe waved his right hand toward Wynn, who had a somewhat cautious look on his face as he greeted him.
“I told you so. I know someone in this country. That person is something important around here.”
“…Yes, I see.”
In fact, since the Knights’ School was originally an imperial palace, its outer walls were also very sturdy and high, and did not allow for easy entry. There was no commotion, so he must have really entered from the front.
“What brings you to the Knights’ School?”
“I think I told you yesterday that I want to have a fight with you.”
“A fight?”
“Yes. I was hoping to have a fight with you, preferably before my acquaintance finds out. I’ve heard so much about you from that person!”
“Umm…”
Wynn scratched his cheek.
“I’m not that important, you know? I can’t even use magic, so I’m not that strong in the Order…”
“That seems to be the case. But I’ve seen you train before, and I still want to have a fight with you, as a swordsman. There’s something that makes me think that. Please, Wynn-kun.”
“Even if you say that…”
Wynn didn’t know what to do. It would be a good workout, and he was looking forward to having a match. Lowe would definitely be a top-notch swordsman. He could tell by his gestures. He had his hair was so disheveled, and his beard was just as shaggy. He was no longer wearing a thick cape, as he had taken it off, but his shirt and pants were worn out from his long journey.
However, Lowe’s appearance, standing naturally, exuded a certain elegance. He could be a nobleman or a famous knight, since he had acquaintances among the important people of the empire.
…He wanted to fight. He wanted to catch up with Leticia and gain experience by fighting opponents as strong as possible to be by her side. But…!
“Are you worried about your position? Is it because you became a Knight of the Princess’ Royal Guard?”
“…What? How did you find out?”
This information was known only to those in the palace or those involved in the Order.
No, as long as you couldn’t build a door in a man’s mouth, the information would leak out from somewhere, but it wasn’t information that a traveler like Lowe could get his hands on.
“It’s all right. I don’t think you’re going to be blamed for anything. In fact, you could even brag about crossing swords with me, you know?”
Lowe pondered, closing one eye as he spoke of how great he could boast about it.
“Hey, please. I only need to do this once. I don’t know if they’ll let me take it seriously if my acquaintance finds out…”
“…Haa, I understand. But it’s annoying to fight here, let’s have that showdown at the training field.”
“Yeah! That’s what made the whole trip here worthwhile!”
Wynn smiled at Lowe, who was so happy he could clench his fists and start dancing. Wynn was also, in fact, a little overheated with excitement.
Lowe was definitely a first-rate swordsman. He wanted to test him to see how well his sword skills worked.
Wynn was also a knight and a swordsman at the same time.
Chapter 65 – Visitor
After separating from Leticia, Wynn wandered down the main street and before he knew it, he was walking towards the Wandering Bird’s Nest. When he walked through the door, it was full of customers today, as well as those who wanted to have a drink after work.
“Welco… me, eh? Wynn-san.”
Seri came out of the kitchen.
“Good evening.”
“Did you come to dinner?”
“Yes. Before I knew it, I was here.”
Wynn scratched his head embarrassed and laughed, having eaten here in the morning as well. Then Randall came out of the kitchen.
“Wow, Wynn is here too. Did you come to dinner? Just in time. Seri-chan.”
“What? Umm.”
“Just in time for what?”
“I was teaching Seri-chan to cook, and I was wondering if you could taste some things.”
“Randall-san!”
“Oh, that’s nice. If it’s okay with you, I’d be happy to.”
What Seri was making was a chiken stew. Although it was a prototype, it was a stew with meat. Besides, it was on the house. Seri’s eyes moved back and forth between the stew and Wynn’s face as Randall served it on a deep plate.
Is he going to eat it or not?
That kind of conflict could be seen in Seri’s eyes.
“Well, thank you very much for the food.”
He took a spoonful of the stew with a wooden spoon and put it in his mouth to eat. Seri looked at the scene.
“Yes, it’s delicious!”
The taste of the meat spread through his mouth along with the chicken floating in the stew and he chewed it in his mouth. As he swallowed the meat, a smile appeared on Wynn’s face naturally from the delicious food.
Seri put a hand to her chest, relieved.
“Good for you. If someone who has already taste it says it tastes good, then it’s worth it.”
Randall said that when he saw Wynn eating the delicious food, and Seri looking at him happily. The meat and vegetables were pretty well cooked. He also chewed the bread he had ordered separately from the stew along with it.
“This reaffirms it, I want a girl who is a good cook as a wife.”
“I agree…”
“Wynn, what do you think of Seri-chan? She could be a good wife too, huh?”
“Bwah!”
“W-W-Wait, what are you talking about?!”
In Randall’s words, Wynn choked on the bread he had been eating. Seri also became agitated and screamed with surprise.
“Wy-Wy-Wynn-san has Letty-san, hasn’t he?”
“Oh, well, that’s certainly true.”
Wynn was coughing violently. Seri’s long ears moved a little as the thin cloth around her head was shaken by the violent agitation. The tips were slightly red.
Randall looked at the two younglings with amusement.
‘But you know… Letty-chan is obviously the daughter of a nobleman. Is it possible for the two of them to even end up together?’
He had seen Wynn since he was a child. Randall had a desire to see the boy happy, as well as his two children. And since he had known Letty since she was a child, too, he knew that deep in her heart, she would be happier if they could end up together.
But Letty was clearly a girl living in a different world.
Although he also thought that Wynn might be happier with a girl like Seri. He also knew she had those kinds of feelings for him. Randall looked at them as he crossed his arms.
When he finished eating, Wynn was somehow in the kitchen helping to clean up.
“Hey, is there a man named Wynn Bard at this inn?”
A loud voice calling Wynn’s name was heard from the inn’s dining room.
“Wynn-san.”
It wasn’t long after the voice was heard that Seri came calling to Wynn with a puzzled look on her face.
“Wynn-san, you have a visitor here.”
“Who is it? Is it from the Order?”
“I don’t think he’s a knight.”
For the moment, Wynn left the kitchen and entered the dining room.
“Wow, that was exhausting. It wasn’t The Wandering Bird Pest, it was The Wandering Bird’s Nest, wasn’t it? Running all over the Imperial City has ruined my day.”
He was a tall man in traveler’s attire, with a cape that only looked like a worn-out rag, sturdy-looking thick fabric pants and heavy leather shoes. He wore a leather scarf from his mouth to his nose to avoid inhaling dirt and dust, and his golden, slightly reddish-brown hair was disheveled by his long travels, almost hiding his only exposed eye.
In short, few good things could be said about his physical appearance.
“I am Wynn Bard, but who are you?”
“Hey, are you really him?”
The man looked closely at Wynn from the top of his head to his toes as he stepped forward, calling his name.
“I see… you look like someone else.”
“Do we know each other?”
He didn’t know anyone nearby who would travel a long distance to visit him. If possible, it would be people related to the adventurers who came and went when he was a child, but from the tone of his voice, it didn’t sound like anything. Even by the voice, he still seemed young.
“No, we have never met before. I heard about you from a little acquaintance. And I wanted to meet you at least once.”
“An acquaintance?”
“I guess so. There are reasons why giving my real name can lead to trouble… but you can call me Lowe.”
He may have thought he was whispering quietly in the first half, but he was heard loudly.
‘It’s a false name, isn’t it?’
Wynn thought, but nodded.
“Oh, sure, you’re Wynn. By the way, do you have any rooms available at this inn? Do you think I could stay here? I need to sweat a little for now. If you have a room, I’d like it to have hot water. Also, please get me some food.”
Lowe realized that Randall owned this inn, and when he approached him, he spoke right up.
“There are rooms available. I can get you hot water too, but you have to pay in advance.”
Hannah, who had been watching a bit of a retreat, responded to Lowe.
“Oh, yeah. Well, that’s a relief.”
Lowe said and was about to follow Hannah, who urged him to approach the inn’s counter, but suddenly stopped.
“Oh, right. Wynn-kun, I heard you were living at this inn, is that still true?”
“I now live in a dormitory at the Knights’ School.”
“Oh, so it’s true. I saw you come out from the back of the kitchen, but for some reason you didn’t look like an employee…”
Lowe scratched his disheveled and unkempt hair.
“Hey, you, stop scratching your head or it’s gonna get all dusty! Why don’t you go take a hot bath or something?”
“I was allowed to use hot water in the house I stayed in yesterday, but… well, I’m sorry.”
Lowe answered Hannah’s complaint honestly and rubbed the stubble on his chin.
“So, can we have some time tomorrow or something? Actually, I’d like to ask you to do something for me before my acquaintance finds out.”
“What do you want me to do for you?”
“Yes, yes. I want you to fight with me. A fight.”
◇◆◇◆◇
The next morning. Lowe, who spent the night at The Wandering Bird’s Nest, visited the school as soon as he heard that Wynn was living in the Knights’ School dormitory. It was early in the morning when the morning fog was still thick.
“Hey, who are you? This is a restricted area, you… that is! Uwaaa, I-I’m sorry!”
“No, no, thank you for your service. Don’t say anything about me, okay? Please? Haa, so this is the famous Simurgh Knights’ School in Lemmrousell.”
Lowe, who showed a small piece of paper to the guard at the front door of the Knights’ School, who at first saw him as a suspicious person and raised his spear and shouted, looked at the huge front door and exclaimed in admiration.
“The last time I came here, I never left the Imperial Palace, so I could only see it from a distance. As I remember, they are using the ruins of the old Imperial Palace as a school?”
“Yes, that’s right. We also have other facilities such as the Knights’ headquarters. And by the way…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Oh, do you mind if I shake your hand?”
“No, in fact, I couldn’t be happier.”
“Thank you! Oh, and here’s your pass. Please show it every time you visit one of the facilities.”
“Thank you.”
He stuffed a palm-sized wooden tag with a red stamp, a permit, into his pants and grabbed the hand offered by the guard at the door.
“Yes, I’m not going to wash my hand for the rest of my life.”
Lowe shook the hand of the whispering guard slightly as he walked through the door. The path that extended from inside the door was not as crowded. And that’s the way it should be. It was still too early for the church bell to ring. At this hour, many students were still sleeping, as were the people who lived in the city.
In the silence, all you could hear was the sound of Lowe’s footsteps as he walked down the cobblestone path. Several buildings could be seen as black shadows among the trees planted on the ground.
“Hmm… come to think of it, I don’t know which building you live in, Wynn-kun.”
He had heard that Wynn would be training only at dawn, and that’s why he went to the Knights’ School so early, but he hadn’t heard where he would be, which was crucial.
“I could ask the guard before, but it would be silly to go now…”
He was walking with his arms crossed while thinking.
“Oh?”
Light and really tiny, Lowe felt the change of air.
“Is it this way?”
A slight hint that almost amounted to a hunch. Until now, he had relied on this intuition to survive. So, doing as he always did, he trusted his instincts again and proceeded in that direction.
And not much later…
“Oh? There you are.”
Lowe had found the person he was looking for.
◇◆◇◆◇
“Hey, not bad…”
The air was so tense that even the sound of Lowe’s murmuring was suppressed. He had seen many battlefields and several knights training in the past, but the figure of Wynn wielding his sword in front of him had an unusual air.
It’s not like he has a devilish expression on his face. Rather, the expression on his face could be described as calm.
…Actually, there was a long way open from where Lowe was standing to where Wynn was. But he couldn’t take another step. The presence Wynn was giving was interfering with that.
‘I want to try it too…!’
Lowe shuddered. He even stopped walking. He had heard the stories of his acquaintance, but it was true that he had to recognize it himself, now he could respect it.
‘If we fight like this, I won’t lose, but I’d like to see how far he can go.’
His instincts as a swordsman spoke to him.
And so, Lowe stepped forward to approach Wynn.
“—?!”
Wynn stopped wielding his sword and looked at Lowe.
“Hello.”
“Lowe… -san?”
Wynn was surprised to see Lowe approaching with his hand raised.
“That’s impressive. I thought I was keeping a pretty low profile, but…”
The place where Lowe had stopped was probably the very edge of the boundary where Wynn could feel a presence. In a way, it was a border. As he walked over it and entered, Wynn could feel Lowe’s presence.
Of course, with the skill he had, he could have come even closer if he had seriously hidden his presence, but there was no point in doing so here.
“Good morning, Lowe-san. But this is off-limits to outsiders, isn’t it?”
“I’m here with permission.”
Lowe waved his right hand toward Wynn, who had a somewhat cautious look on his face as he greeted him.
“I told you so. I know someone in this country. That person is something important around here.”
“…Yes, I see.”
In fact, since the Knights’ School was originally an imperial palace, its outer walls were also very sturdy and high, and did not allow for easy entry. There was no commotion, so he must have really entered from the front.
“What brings you to the Knights’ School?”
“I think I told you yesterday that I want to have a fight with you.”
“A fight?”
“Yes. I was hoping to have a fight with you, preferably before my acquaintance finds out. I’ve heard so much about you from that person!”
“Umm…”
Wynn scratched his cheek.
“I’m not that important, you know? I can’t even use magic, so I’m not that strong in the Order…”
“That seems to be the case. But I’ve seen you train before, and I still want to have a fight with you, as a swordsman. There’s something that makes me think that. Please, Wynn-kun.”
“Even if you say that…”
Wynn didn’t know what to do. It would be a good workout, and he was looking forward to having a match. Lowe would definitely be a top-notch swordsman. He could tell by his gestures. He had his hair was so disheveled, and his beard was just as shaggy. He was no longer wearing a thick cape, as he had taken it off, but his shirt and pants were worn out from his long journey.
However, Lowe’s appearance, standing naturally, exuded a certain elegance. He could be a nobleman or a famous knight, since he had acquaintances among the important people of the empire.
…He wanted to fight. He wanted to catch up with Leticia and gain experience by fighting opponents as strong as possible to be by her side. But…!
“Are you worried about your position? Is it because you became a Knight of the Princess’ Royal Guard?”
“…What? How did you find out?”
This information was known only to those in the palace or those involved in the Order.
No, as long as you couldn’t build a door in a man’s mouth, the information would leak out from somewhere, but it wasn’t information that a traveler like Lowe could get his hands on.
“It’s all right. I don’t think you’re going to be blamed for anything. In fact, you could even brag about crossing swords with me, you know?”
Lowe pondered, closing one eye as he spoke of how great he could boast about it.
“Hey, please. I only need to do this once. I don’t know if they’ll let me take it seriously if my acquaintance finds out…”
“…Haa, I understand. But it’s annoying to fight here, let’s have that showdown at the training field.”
“Yeah! That’s what made the whole trip here worthwhile!”
Wynn smiled at Lowe, who was so happy he could clench his fists and start dancing. Wynn was also, in fact, a little overheated with excitement.
Lowe was definitely a first-rate swordsman. He wanted to test him to see how well his sword skills worked.
Wynn was also a knight and a swordsman at the same time.
