Chapter 49

The barracks of the Royal Capital Guard were a single-story wooden building.

While it might sound good to say it had character, it would be more accurate to say it was old and dilapidated.

As I entered, I felt as if I were being pierced by suspicious glances, as if I were some kind of shady character.

Perhaps it was better that the captain of the guard greeted me; otherwise, I might have only met the deputy.

However, even when I asked for their cooperation, the response was no different from the others.

I felt quite disheartened, but lingering was pointless, so I turned my back on the barracks and started to walk away.

"Twenty soldiers with Chaf Trinen, and me alone. This is hopeless."

Sora scratched the back of his neck as he gazed at the blue sky, thinking that this was far from a simple game of chess with a missing rook.

His mind was working continuously, but he couldn't come up with a strategy.

He was even considering the ridiculous idea of attaching a cat to a shield and charging forward to scare the enemy when he noticed something noisy at the end of the road.

A crowd had gathered, blocking the entire width of the street, making it difficult to pass through.

"Is something happening?"

"I'll go and find out."

Lazette approached the crowd and asked a man on the outside what was going on.

"The royal guards started a fight with the Royal Capital Guard during their patrol."

"…What?"

In other words, it was an internal conflict between the national army.

I thought about taking a detour to go home, but the people who noticed Sora parted to the sides of the crowd to avoid being harassed by a noble blocking the road.

Since they had made way for him, he couldn't very well take a detour.

At the end of the divided path, fifteen royal guards and ten capital guards were facing off, ready to start a fight at any moment.

All the capital guards had burn scars on their bodies. Sora realized that half of them were the ones who had searched his carriage the night before.

"…Do you think my popularity will drop if I ignore this?"

"…I think it will."

While having a quiet conversation with Lazette, he noticed a friend from the town waving from the crowd, realizing that his escape route was blocked.

Thinking it was really a bad day, he approached the arguing royal guards and capital guards.

"What are you doing in the middle of the street?!"

The guards were surprised by Sora's reprimand, which was surprisingly mature for a seven-year-old, and turned to look at him.

However, as soon as they realized a child was speaking, the royal guards became visibly angry.

"Shut up, kid!"

"I wouldn't say that, considering you're having a childish fight that even I wouldn't get into."

Sora retorted without flinching, and the crowd applauded.

"Capital guard, explain the situation."

Ignoring the royal guards' complaints, Sora asked for an explanation.

According to the capital guard, a royal guard, who was in a hurry, had turned a corner and collided with a pedestrian, causing an injury.

The royal guard tried to flee, but a capital guard on patrol who witnessed the incident blocked his path, leading to an argument that escalated to the current situation.

"Is the injured person okay?"

"…They are being treated at a nearby house. There's a possibility of broken ribs."

The capital guard answered with a surprised look, impressed that Sora was concerned about the injured person first.

He hadn't expected the son of the Count Kleinzelt to care about commoners.

Sora turned to the royal guards.

They were wearing formal equipment, including metal chest plates, shoulder guards, gauntlets, and greaves, which were likely expensive and well-maintained. A full-speed collision could break a person's bones.

"Is what I just heard true, royal guards?"

"Who cares about that! We're in a hurry!"

"Are you going to meet Chaf Trinen?"

"–!?"

Seeing the royal guards' hesitation, Sora shrugged in exasperation.

The reason they were in a hurry was that Chaf Trinen had visited the barracks and was recruiting participants for a duel.

Sora had seen through it accurately.

"I can't imagine that stick-in-the-mud wanting to use the likes of you, but even so, if all of you here write a petition, he'll politely decline. Give up."

After looking at the royal guards with a disdainful gaze, Sora turned to the capital guards and instructed them to lean in.

"If you don't have money for the injured person's medical expenses, go to the Kehl's Box tavern on the west side and tell the blonde beauty with red hair. Mention my name, and she'll pay without complaint."

"Um…?"

He spoke quickly to the crouched capital guard.

Sora waved goodbye to the crowd with a smile and quickly left the scene.

As Lazette and the guards followed Sora, the capital guards looked at each other.

"Is that really the heir to Kleinzelt?"

"No way. Maybe there was a mix-up somewhere?"

The two who had searched Sora's carriage the night before chuckled at their colleagues' comments.

"That's what I've been saying, he's different from the count."

"He doesn't flinch at our appearance and even asks for the reason not to flinch. He's off the mark."

The capital guards looked at their own appearance.

The burn scars all over their bodies, which gave a frightening impression, were the reason they had been demoted from the Royal Capital Guard to the city guard.

The burns were from a fire that occurred three years ago in the slums outside the capital.

While the residents of the capital were afraid of these scars, it was clear that the royal guards were in the wrong this time.

The royal guards left the scene, glaring at the capital guards with hatred, muttering, "You monsters," which made the capital guards angry, but they suppressed their anger to avoid further trouble.

The crowd dispersed.

When the capital guards finished their patrol and returned to the barracks, their colleagues, who had been drinking and talking about Sora, turned to them and clicked their tongues.

"At least he didn't get discharged."

"You're ruining the reputation of the guard. As punishment, patrol again!"

Catching the empty beer bottle in mid-air and placing it by the corridor, the guards returned to their rooms.