Chapter 36

"Hmm..."

"You're awake?"

"Eh--"

The woman suddenly sat up and looked around her.

She had a puzzled look on her face, as if she didn't understand what had happened to her.

Most of the onlookers had already dispersed.

We had borrowed the eaves of a nearby teahouse to lay her down, and Jiji had taken care of her, and she had unexpectedly woken up quite quickly.

"Who are you?"

"You should be grateful to this person. He's the one who saved you."

The teahouse owner, a kind-looking middle-aged woman, said this to the woman while attending to her customers in the bustling shop.

"You saved me?"

"How much do you remember?"

"I was fighting... and then, an attack from an unguarded spot..."

"The man you were with secretly ordered his companion to attack you."

"How despicable!"

The woman said this with visible anger.

"I don't deny that it was despicable, but you were also too careless."

"Ugh..."

"Why were you doing something like that? You didn't intend to lose, no matter who your opponent was, right?"

"How do you know...?"

I chuckled.

I felt like she was about to say, "A kid like you?"

"You can tell just by looking."

This time, her eyes were wary, as if she was thinking, "This guy isn't just anyone."

"If you were going to do something, you should have done it while I was unconscious."

"...That's true."

"So, why were you doing that?"

"...I ran out of travel money."

"Travel money?"

The woman nodded and began to speak with a bitter expression.

"I came to the capital for the knight selection this year, but it didn't work out. I thought it was a mistake, so I stayed in the capital and had them investigate. But my travel money ran out. If I stayed like this, I couldn't even return home, so I did that..."

"Wait, that's strange."

The woman, who had started to look down in disappointment at the mention of failing the knight selection, suddenly looked up at me with an angry face.

"What do you mean by strange?"

"Don't be angry, that's not what I meant. I saw your skills just now. There's no way you should have failed the selection."

Even discounting the fact that your opponent was just a random man in the city, your skills were quite impressive.

They were on par with Shirley, the only knight I've ever taken on.

It's inconceivable that you would fail.

"I thought the same thing. So I asked someone to investigate through connections and managed to meet the Tenth Prince. The Prince said, for a woman, you know..."

The woman hesitated, her face turning red.

It was a look that could be interpreted as either embarrassment or anger.

"Ah, never mind. I understand the story."

I know the character of the Tenth Prince, who is also my brother.

He probably said something very direct, along the lines of, "If you're a woman, you should offer your body."

That's the kind of man he is.

I thought for a moment and then asked the woman.

"Do you still want to become a knight?"

"Of course. I plan to come back next year. No matter how many years it takes, I will become a knight through my own abilities."

"Then there's no need to rush back to your hometown."

"Eh?"

I took a small bag from my pocket and handed it to her.

"Is this... money?"

"There's 100 Reen in it. It should be enough to stay in the capital for a year."

"Eh...?"

"Jiji, there were a few empty houses on Tyler Street, right?"

"Yes, my lord."

Jiji, who had been standing quietly behind me the whole time, answered.

"Have Dylan arrange for her to use one of them."

"Understood."

"What... what's going on?"

The woman was confused.

She still didn't seem to understand what was happening to her.

"Stay in the capital. It's easier to get information about the knight selection here, and it's easier to prepare."

"That's not what I mean. Why are you doing this for me?"

"I sponsor many people. I gave you money because I liked you."

"Me?"

"I like people who don't easily use their feminine wiles and want to be recognized for their abilities."

"..."

The woman was stunned for a moment.

"Who are you? You're not just anyone--"

The woman looked at me with admiration.

At that moment, an inconsiderate intruder arrived.

"There he is!"

After the voice, many footsteps approached.

Looking around, about twenty people had surrounded us, including the teahouse.

In the center was the man from earlier—Chad.

Chad had a bandage on his shoulder and had changed into proper pants.

"This is the brat. Get him! And you, big brother!"

At Chad's command, the men attacked all at once.

Honestly, they never learn.

I stepped forward.

I was about to use Leviathan, but Lutiaer spoke directly to my mind.

Not just Leviathan, but give this one a chance to shine too.

Since the emotion came through so clearly, I decided to respond to it.

I linked the two rings.

I linked Lutiaer's ring with the armor ring, transforming them into gauntlets that covered both arms.

Instantly, my fists were engulfed in flames.

I met the men's attack with these flaming fists.

I punched their exposed bodies and shattered their defenseless jaws.

I threw a flame that crawled along the ground and grabbed their throats, causing an explosion at point-blank range.

I recreated Lutiaer's techniques in the same way I did with Leviathan.

Each time my attacks hit, the men's bodies burst into flames.

The flames burned brightly for a moment and then quickly extinguished, a characteristic of Lutiaer's techniques.

"Amazing... He looks like a young boy, but he's so strong..."

The woman, who had been slow to react, was amazed.

By the time she said this, I had already defeated all the new arrivals, including Chad, who was now too much trouble to deal with.

Except for one man, who was dressed like a knight and hadn't attacked because he was at the back.

Since he hadn't attacked, I hadn't retaliated and had missed him.

He had a bitter expression on his face.

If he wasn't going to fight, it was no trouble, so I said to the knight:

"Take these guys somewhere—"

"You! You're the Tenth Prince's knight!"

"Huh?"

The woman said this, and the knight flinched.

Looking at the knight, his face quickly turned pale.

"Oh, I see. That's it."

"---!"

When I said this, the knight flinched again.

It seems this man is a knight of the Tenth Prince, Dustin Aralart.

And while I don't know him, he certainly knows me.

Ah, that's right. Chad had also said something like, "Big brother, please."

He had been dragged along by Chad, but upon realizing I was his opponent and that I didn't know him, he had remained silent, hoping to get away without incident.

However, he was exposed by the woman, who had likely met him during the incident with the bribe.

If I hadn't known, it might have been fine, but now that it's out in the open:

"Please forgive me! Thirteenth Prince!"

The knight immediately prostrated himself before me.

The onlookers, who had dispersed once, gathered again and began to murmur.

"Eh...?"

The woman, suddenly faced with the knight and me, looked back and forth between us, as if she had been taken aback.

"Thirteenth... Prince? The wise prince, the Minister of Justice!?"

The woman was greatly shocked.

"Yes, Noah Aralart."

"R-Really...? No, the knight is bowing so deeply. It can't be fake..."

It seems the knight had also said something to her.

"A prince and a minister who doesn't flaunt his status...?"

The woman's eyes were half in awe and half in admiration.

Leaving her aside for now, the problem is the knight.

Unlike the incident on Cobalt Street, this one is aware of the situation.

"Are these your companions?"

"Y-Yes... I mean, they're... bad friends, I suppose."

"Then I'll leave the punishment to you."

"Eh?"

"Didn't you hear me?"

"N-No, that's not it, I...?"

"Did you attack me?"

The knight shook his head vigorously, almost as if his neck would snap.

"Then I'll let you off. Take them and go somewhere else quickly."

"Ah, what a blessing!"

The knight bowed his head so hard that the sound of it hitting the ground could be heard, then woke up his companions and left with them.

Now, the only one left is the woman—

Clap, clap, clap.

In the midst of the lingering murmurs of the onlookers, a loud clapping sound echoed.

Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw an old man clapping at a stall across from the teahouse that served alcohol.

"Hmm, a fine young man. Both his face and his skills are top-notch. I haven't seen such an impressive young man in recent years."

The old man, who was praising me, had a very distinctive presence.

I wondered who he was—then I noticed the golden gourd on the table.

My heart skipped a beat.

Thump!

Sometimes, a person's unusual possession can be more famous than the person themselves.

A clear example is a knight's nickname based on their favorite weapon.

The golden gourd is one of those.

I had recently learned about its owner.

I had investigated and found out.

I approached the old man and knelt before him on one knee.

"It's an honor to meet you, Lord Lightning Prince."