Chapter 18

Nines, the orphanage director, twisted his neck to greet the visitor. His purple eyes wavered as if questioning.

"What brings you here, Ruis? I didn't expect you to come to this place without Alyeno."

He had been enjoying a brief respite until the next orphan or stray child arrived. Moved by a certain peculiar emotion, he spoke dismissively.

"But, boy. If you came here to be coddled, I'm all ears. Just, that look on your face doesn't seem right."

With a teasing smile, Nines sighed and invited the visitor inside. The sweat and scars on Ruis's forehead, and the gleam in his eyes, made it clear that Ruis hadn't come here for that. After all, Nines had seen this look since Ruis was a child.

"It's not just a casual visit. Things have been getting restless lately, with bandits and rumors of old believers forming a power base around local priests. The northwest is likely to get noisy again."

"Hmm, I've heard that too. So, if you came to preach to me, it's fine. I'm a follower of the Holy Church, after all."

"Oh no, nothing like that. Actually, I have a favor to ask... Nines, you have connections in the eastern autonomous city, right?"

*

That day, the tavern was filled with boisterous and cheerful noise.

Everyone held wine and undiluted ale, not just to get drunk, but to savor the true taste of the alcohol.

At the center of the tavern, Ruis, dressed in neat clothes instead of his usual rags, raised a small barrel.

"Go ahead, do as you please today. It's on me!"

"Wow, you're in a good mood, Ruis! What's up, did you find a good connection or a job?"

"...Yeah, something like that."

Laughing heartily, some patted him on the back. Others, sensing the smell of money, tried to share in the bounty. Some were there just to drink, but everyone welcomed the lively atmosphere that dispelled the gloom of the lower class.

The patrons of this tavern were not necessarily virtuous. It was a place frequented by former adventurers, thieves, fraudsters, and adventurers, who sometimes formed groups.

Naturally, Ruis was one of them. They always came when they smelled money, which, in a way, was Ruis's greatest connection.

"Hey, Ruis, you must have a good deal, right? To throw a party like this?"

"Yeah, come on. Let us in on it, don't hog all the good stuff, okay?"

Rough smiles and cheerful words, the poor approached, greedy for a share of the good fortune. These types always came when they smelled a deal.

"There's a good job. Wait for me, I'll call you by the next full moon."

So today, let them drink to their heart's content, and open new barrels to keep them drinking. New wine, the smell of money, a symbol.

Ruis repeatedly let the visitors drink to their heart's content, showing off his good fortune and maintaining the facade.

*

The Bardonic family once ruled the entire northwest and were prominent nobles with vast territories.

However, after the Great War, they declined. The payment of war debts led to the sale and confiscation of most of their lands. As knights, the territory they now hold is far from vast, consisting of a few small towns and villages centered around the rural city of Siffler Trix.

"Miss, if anything happens, please call me immediately."

"Yes, I understand. You may go."

While saying this to one of the few remaining servants of the Bardonic family, Karia Bardonic retreated to her private room.

Her private room, however, contained almost no personal belongings. Her sword, armor, and history books had been taken away, leaving only poetry collections and sculptures that she had little interest in. These remnants of the family's former glory as high nobles were the only things left.

"Boring..."

The solitary murmur was not out of place.

It had been several months since she was placed under house arrest, and nothing had happened. No events, just well-arranged meals and a life of doing nothing but sleeping. No danger, no hardship, no refreshing joy or sense of achievement, as she had experienced in the knight's order.

Of course, this was the life of a true knight and noble.

—Perhaps I should have followed him, even if it meant going against my will.

If she were to recall the events that had occurred here, it was only a moderate bandit uprising in the territory. When the economy worsened, such people sprang up immediately.

Her brother, acting as the lord, had taken his private army to suppress the bandits, leaving her with even less to do. Karia Bardonic had offered to go with him, but was naturally refused. She couldn't disobey her father's orders.

Should she run away? The thought crossed Karia's mind, but it quickly faded. What would become of me if I ran? Without a sword or any other skills, and with a good knowledge of the capital, she would be brought back immediately.

So, she had no choice but to stay here. Eventually, her father would bring up marriage. Then, she would marry a suitable man, have children, and end her life.

Thinking about her future, she sighed. Then, out of boredom, she wondered, what became of that man?

He was a foolish man. One moment he would charge at a large monster, the next he would speak condescendingly to people, and he seemed to know a lot about things.

But he was brave. Karia Bardonic's lips involuntarily curved. Had anyone ever spoken to her father so directly? At least, she had never seen anyone like that. He was a fool, a simpleton, but she didn't dislike him. He wasn't bad. Yes, he was far better than her, bound and unable to do anything.

Was it a self-deprecating smile, or one of respect for him? She couldn't tell if the emotion in her heart was affection or something else entirely.

But whatever it was, it didn't feel bad.

"If I were to give him a nickname... How about 'The Savage Hero Ruis' or 'The Adventurer Ruis'... No, 'The Fool' might be better?"

"...If you're going to give me a nickname, can't you make it a bit cooler, Miss?"

A voice came from the window, where it shouldn't have been. Karia Bardonic's eyes widened, and her gaze was drawn to the window.

"In some backwater taverns, I'm even called 'Romeo' sometimes."

There, where he shouldn't have been, stood the man who was supposed to be a Savage Hero, an Adventurer, and a Fool—Ruis, perched by the window.