A Slave Of Rubelfast – R15 - Chapter 22

Actually, Ellier wasn’t sorry at all.

 

Rather, she thought that Tariq should thank her.

 

Because of this weakness, Tariq, in his previous life, could not hold a sword again.

 

‘Well, although he was stabbed.’

 

Even then, Tariq regarded Princess Lilliette, who held a sword and stood before him, as a joke.

 

And during the mission to clear out insurgents from Northern Castil who were urging each other to kill, she ended up stabbing his shoulder.

 

Back then, Tariq had arrogantly mocked Princess Liliette, calling her “Clyde’s puppet” while hesitating at the teary-eyed gaze of the Princess.

 

It was a weakness she used comfortably when he was an enemy, but this time, it wasn’t like that.

 

‘Since we’re on the same side in this life, Tariq, you must realize that weakness quickly.’

 

In this life where there was no Princess Lilliette, there was another Princess for Clyde to choose but Ellier, no matter how much she thought about it.

 

Around this time, Ellier had a crush on Clyde, so she would never reject his advances.

 

While he didn’t believe Ellier would personally wield a sword perfectly, she needed to educate Tariq in advance so he wouldn’t lose his composure in the face of dazzling beauty.

 

Since he was Tariq, who was hypersensitive to the presence of sl*ves, it would be difficult for him to easily forget his memories of being beaten in this way by a cheeky sl*ve girl.

 

“That was an impressive duel.”

 

Slarhan, watching them from the side, lightly clapped his hands and shook the stagnant air.

 

As he started clapping, the knights watching beside him reluctantly clapped their hands together, but they were careful not to make Tariq uncomfortable.

 

However, after hearing Ellier’s whisper earlier, Tariq’s expression turned serious, and he immediately stood up.

 

And he lightly bowed to Ellier standing in front of him.

 

The best knight within the Ventiark family bowing to a mere sl*ve girl was an unthinkable sight.

 

“Never forget this lesson.”

 

“…It’s all for the Master’s sake, after all.”

 

“Of course.”

 

And Tariq turned his head and spoke to Slarhan.

 

“She has exceeded the usual standards, as expected. How about the knights train alongside her during their training sessions?”

 

At that proposal, the knights who had been watching enthusiastically jumped up in agreement.

 

“Lately, the training has been somewhat lax. Everyone would hate to fall behind this woman more than death itself, so it might be a good motivation.”

 

“A good idea indeed. But is there no possibility that the knights or soldiers might mistreat her?”

 

In response, Tariq looked around at the bewildered knights and gave a low threat and chuckle.

 

“If there’s anyone like that, well, I’ll consider them disobedient to my and Your Excellency’s orders, and let’s just hang them upside down from a tree.”

 

The knights couldn’t understand why the sparks of Tariq’s anger toward the sl*ve child were flying their way, but Tariq and Slarhan’s decision wasn’t reversed.

 

Thanks to that, Ellier decided to train with the junior knights from the next day onwards.

 

And when everything was settled, Tariq, following behind Slarhan, suddenly blurted out.

 

“That kid… should I dig into her background a bit?”

 

“Do you also find her unusual?”

 

“I’ve thought so for a while. Having a strong nerve and such swordsmanship are entirely different matters.”

 

“I thought she might have come from a noble family.”

 

“I’ve been thinking the same. Not just her knowledge, which seems unusual for a commoner, but also her swordsmanship… Despite openly displaying her skills, she doesn’t come off as a spy or assassin. I can’t quite figure out what she’s up to.”

 

Slarhan agreed to that. Really, the more Ellier went through, the more he was amazed.

 

A presence that seemed entirely transparent from the outside, yet impossible to understand anything about…

 

“Whether she wants to conceal her past or has genuinely lost her memories, we can’t know for sure, but she claimed to have no memories before Rubelfast… Just in case, let’s put out a bounty through the information guild.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Seeing even Tariq acknowledging some aspect of Ellier made one corner of Slarhan’s mouth subtly rise.

 

He couldn’t quite comprehend why he was feeling somewhat proud.

 

And there was one more person here, wondering what he was thinking.

 

‘If they didn’t treat her like a doormat, what the heck is she…’

 

Vedell, who had been pretending to examine the ground near the practice field, slightly furrowed his brow as he watched Slarhan walking away.

 

There hadn’t been a time when Slarhan Ventiark’s attitude had made sense to Vedell.

 

Slarhan had always operated within the boundaries of nobility and the sensibilities of a decent human being.

 

He lived without wasting time and never came close to frivolous things like drinking, women, gambling, or deviant hobbies, no matter how trivial they might be.

 

He didn’t engage in unnecessary actions just to stand out from the crowd to stay in the Emperor’s favour, and he didn’t carelessly dismiss the advice of those around him.

 

If it were Vedell, he would have felt suffocated within a month and rushed out.

 

Slarhan, who had lived quietly, virtuously, and monotonously, had changed somewhat after bringing that sl*ve along.

 

‘I suspected it, even if I didn’t want to, but it was from when he brought Ellier.’

 

If Ellier had been a bit more beautiful or had been a bit more reserved, Vedell would have suspected their relationship from the start.

 

However, despite Ellier’s cheerful personality, she didn’t appear to Slarhan’s eyes as someone familiar with the delicate manners of noble young ladies, contrary to their seemingly good-natured appearance.

 

She wasn’t ugly, of course.

 

Her impression was cute, and if you look closely, her face wasn’t ugly.

 

However, Slarhan also held standards similar to those of the nobility. He must have standards similar to the average noble, meaning she was a little short of meeting those standards.

 

Of course, some people value inner qualities more than appearance, but Vedell never fully believed in that saying among men.

 

It was one of the few stereotypes that came from growing up in a back alley where you could see the bottom of a human being and running an information guild where you could see all kinds of filthy things.

 

Whenever discussions about young women in front of men, the first question was almost always, “Is she pretty?” So, it took him a while to notice the change in Slarhan’s demeanour.

 

However, the puzzle remained unsolved even after he thought it might be because of Ellier.

 

Both in Ventiark Castle and in the capital’s mansion, Ellier had consistently been suspected of being after Slarhan’s wealth or being his mistress, but in the end, the two weren’t involved in a romantic relationship.

 

Even when the rumour circulated that Slaarhan, the least likely person, had been with a sl*ve girl in the warehouse, Vedell couldn’t believe it, and even now, knowing that he taught her swordsmanship, he found it equally unbelievable.

 

‘She doesn’t seem exceptionally outstanding, so why would a Duke bother to teach her personally?’

 

‘Is it just a pastime? Or does that sl*ve girl hold some noteworthy value?’

 

Vedell placed a practice sword in the warehouse, glanced at Ellier coming out while chatting with the surrounding knights, and mulled over a few more assumptions.

 

However, none of the assumptions were explicitly explained.

 

‘This is not the time to judge the relationship between the two hastily. Let’s watch more.’

 

As Vedell realized this, he smiled widely and waved at Ellier, his eyes cold despite his smile.

 

***

 

Count Roland was a tall, lean man in his fifties.

 

Living buried in books, he married Princess Margaret as his father had arranged and inherited the family title without much opposition from his siblings or the main family line.

 

He spoke as little as he had hair on his head, and his emotions were rarely expressed while he was on the gentle side.

 

At first glance, he seemed like an inconspicuous timid man.

 

However, Margaret, who had lived with him for thirty years, knew well that he never leaned towards failure.

 

He was remarkably wise, adept at reading the currents, and extremely cautious. He was someone one could trust and rely on.

 

“How do you think Slarhan?”

 

Margaret finally brought up the question that had been on hold for several days.

 

Since the grand feast, the topic of conversation in the aristocratic society has definitely been “Which side will you stand on?”

 

Although there hadn’t been a chance yet to assess the Emperor’s candidates’ abilities, everyone was observing quietly. But after the hunting competition ends, movements will gradually begin to surface.

 

However, Margaret wanted to secure a favourable position earlier than that.

 

And for someone like her, Slarhan was a choice that could fill each other’s shortcomings, to the point where she would even consider him as a foster son if he couldn’t become the Emperor.

 

However, Count Roland was as cautious as ever.

 

“Duke Ventiark is a great person in many ways. He is an excellent knight who resembles his father and has been rumoured to be brilliant since he was young, and he is also very handsome like a man, so he seems like an ideal Emperor in many ways.”

 

“Do you also think that way?”

 

“But whether to support him or not requires a bit more consideration.”

 

“Why?”

 

Count Roland chuckled slightly while looking at his innocent and adorable wife.

 

He knew the reason behind her affection for Slarhan, but unfortunately, Slarhan wouldn’t rely on them. He was already a fully-formed man in his own right.

 

However, the reason for hesitating to support Slarhan wasn’t because of that.

 

“Duke Ventiark lacks two essential things to become an Emperor.”

 

“What is lacking? What is it?”

 

“Luck and momentum. Those are lacking.”

 

“What? What do you mean? Are you saying that merely lacking a bit of luck isn’t enough to become an Emperor?”

 

“Margaret, having exceptional abilities alone won’t make you a small country ruler. You have to have luck and momentum. That’s how people gather around you. That’s how strength is built. In fact, saying that’s everything isn’t an exaggeration.”

 

“Is it really that crucial?”

 

“Yes. In fact, I believe it’s because he lacks that luck and momentum that Duke Ventiark stands out to such an extent. If he had possessed those, he might have taken the throne earlier and still held onto it.”

 

Margaret thought about it for a while.

 

“But my thoughts are a bit different. It seems like luck might be favouring Slarhan too.”

 

“Why do you think so?”

 

“The discovery of something special in our mine is highly confidential. Yet Slarhan came to me first, out of all people. Mind you, even on a day when I was trying to be the least noticeable. It’s probably just a coincidence. And isn’t that what luck is?”

 

The diamond mines owned by the Count of Roland were a great fortune. This was because the quality of the diamonds mined in the mine was superior.

 

However, towards the end of the previous year, a messenger sent by the overseer in charge of the mine sent an urgent message requesting Count Roland’s presence. Something even more astounding had been discovered deep within the diamond mine.

 

Count Roland, who rushed to check it in a month, even used his magic scroll to crack down on the mouths of the officials.

 

It was clear that no outsiders knew this.

 

And somehow, Slarhan, who nobody paid any attention to, and with whom there had been hardly any interaction, was the only one to approach Margaret.

 

Was this truly a stroke of “luck”? Or just a passing coincidence?

 

“You also have a point. Let’s keep an eye on him.”

 

In Count Roland’s mind, the option of Slarhan Ventiark seemed to shine a bit brighter today than it did yesterday.