Chapter 12

A few days after Lauro met the Duke's daughter Spencer, Lauro was still working at the freight store.

That day, he was loading heavy cargo onto a carriage.

"Phew..."

Lauro was the only one who could lift and carry cargo weighing over a hundred kilograms by himself. Lauro was wearing very tattered civilian clothes, but he was in his usual uniform today, so he looked normal.

In the evening, Baron Dianu came to the freight store. He had a job for them to pack and send some cargo urgently.

Usually, it was one of Baron Dianu's servants who came, but for some reason, the daughter was there with the servant that day.

It was Oriane, the Baroness Dianu.

When Lauro saw her, he didn't think much of it, but he did recall something.

(I remember that person was asking about Baron Dianu's daughter. I wonder why.)

Lauro continued to carry the heavy cargo as usual.

Then, Oriane approached Lauro.

"Isn't it heavy? I think each box weighs over fifty kilograms."

"...Not particularly."

Lauro answered while carrying three boxes at once.

"Hehe, I see. Just as I heard, then."

"Heard? What do you mean?"

"I heard from my father that there's an incredibly strong man working at this freight store. You're even stronger than I expected."

"Ah, thank you."

He answered curtly and continued to carry the cargo. Oriane, noticing Lauro's expression, frowned slightly but continued to smile.

"May I ask your name?"

"...Lauro."

"Lauro, what a nice name. Lauro, would you like to work for me?"

"...What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. You're strong because you can handle magic. With that much talent, you could become a very strong knight."

"Can you see magic?"

"Yes, I'm a saint. Not only saints, but powerful mages can see it too."

"I see."

So that's why that person could see it, Lauro thought.

"How about it? I can promise you better pay and treatment than you get at the freight store."

After finishing loading the cargo onto the carriage, Lauro met Oriane's gaze. Oriane was smiling, while Lauro remained expressionless.

"I'm sorry, but I have to decline."

"Wh-Why? You don't have that much attachment to the freight store, do you?"

"That's true."

"Is it because you have a younger brother and sister, and you want better pay for them?"

"...How do you know that?"

"Hehe, I did some research."

Lauro thought Oriane's smile seemed a bit distorted.

"I also looked into your home. It seems to be a very poor house."

"Well, that's true."

"If you come to work for me, you can buy a much better house with your pay. That house isn't even secure, and it's dangerous for your younger siblings to be alone there."

"..."

The same thing was said by that person, but with Oriane, it felt like she was saying, "I know your weakness."

Her tone and expression didn't seem genuinely concerned; she was just smiling falsely the whole time. Lauro found her even more mysterious than that person.

"I don't think an offer like this will come again. How about it? Would you like to work for me?"

Oriane smiled and said this to Lauro. Normally, an offer like this wouldn't come to a commoner like Lauro.

But Lauro was not ordinary.

"Thank you, but I have to decline."

"Huh...?"

Oriane's eyes widened in shock, and her smile, which had been constant, finally broke.

"Why? It's a chance to become a knight of a baroness, no, a saint, a holy knight. An opportunity like this won't come again."

"...Indeed, in terms of being a holy knight, that's true."

"That's right. There are very few saints, and there are only two in this country now."

The other saint already has a holy knight, so if Lauro wanted to become a holy knight, he would have to become Oriane's knight. However, Lauro didn't really understand how honorable and wonderful the job of a holy knight was.

Even if he did understand, it didn't matter to him.

"I'm sorry, Baroness Oriane. I've already decided who I will follow."

"Wh-Who? The owner of the freight store? But he's letting you live in his house, and he's making you work for an unfair price..."

"Of course, it's not the owner of the freight store."

"Then who? No, whoever it is, there's no one who can value you more and offer better treatment than me!"

At that moment, Lauro saw a woman appear behind Oriane. She had long, red hair that fluttered in the wind, and she wore a wicked smile.

"Good day, Oriane."

"Ah! Lady Asaria...!?"

Oriane's body trembled, and she turned around with a very surprised look.

"W-Why is Lady Asaria in such a commoner's neighborhood?"

"Oh, are you ignoring my greeting, Oriane? I took the trouble to greet you, a duke's daughter."

"Ah! I'm sorry, Lady Asaria. I was rude."

"Hehe, it's fine. I'm in a very good mood today."

"Is that so? That's wonderful."

"Yes, it is."

Both Asaria and Oriane were smiling, but from Lauro's perspective, Oriane's smile had lost its confidence. On the other hand, Asaria seemed even more amused than usual.

"Do you know why I'm in a good mood?"

"No, I have no idea. If you could tell me, I'd be grateful."

"Hehe, it's because my personal knight candidate is finally becoming mine."

"Wh-What, a personal knight candidate?"

Oriane's smile froze, and Asaria's smile deepened.

"Hey, Lauro? Are you coming to work for me today? I couldn't wait, so I came to pick you up."

"...Yes, Lady Asaria. Thank you."

The moment Lauro answered, Oriane's eyes widened as she looked at him. She probably didn't expect that Lauro, who worked at a freight store in a commoner's neighborhood, would know Lady Asaria, the duke's daughter, and be scouted as a knight.

"Lady Asaria, you're making Lauro your personal knight?"

"Yes, that's right. I met him by chance, saw his physical strength, and realized he was unconsciously using magic. I thought he would be a valuable asset to our duchy."

"Indeed, your keen eye is impressive."

"Thank you, Oriane."

Oriane was smiling, but it was a strained smile, while Asaria was smiling very brightly.

(...It seems these two don't get along.)

Lauro understood this from their conversation and attitudes.

"But I'm sorry, Oriane."

"What for?"

"You were trying to recruit Lauro just now, weren't you?"

"..."

"I heard you say, 'There's no one who can offer better treatment than me.'"

"Ah, that...!"

"Could you tell me what kind of treatment you were offering? I need to think of something better to keep Lauro from being poached."

Asaria seemed very amused, as if to say, "But there's no such possibility."

"By the way, I've already bought him a house. Since he's going to be my personal knight, it's a mansion on par with or better than a baron's. His younger siblings are already living there happily, and I've provided three servants."

"Y-You've done that much?"

"Yes, it's only natural for a personal knight of a duke's daughter to have such treatment."

Lauro was already living there, and it was so different from his previous life that he felt uneasy about living in such a mansion. But seeing Leo and Lena so happy and sleeping in warm beds made him feel happy and determined to work hard.

"Of course, I'll also provide a good salary and a comfortable life. How about it? Can you offer better treatment than this, Oriane, as a baron's daughter, or if he becomes a holy knight?"

"...No, I don't think I can."

"Hehe, that's right. It's difficult. Being a holy knight is a very honorable position, but providing good treatment is a different matter."

Asaria walked over to Oriane and Lauro, and as she passed Oriane, she whispered to her.

"I'm sorry. If I hadn't been here, Lauro would have become your holy knight."

"Ah... No, Lady Asaria, there's no need to apologize. I think it's a good thing that you've decided on a knight."

"Hehe, thank you. Your blessing means... yes, more than anything, it means a lot to me."

Asaria smiled and moved away from Oriane.

The moment Asaria was behind her, Oriane's smile broke, and she clenched her teeth in a look of regret.