Chapter 50

Part 25: The Gift Seems Strange (3)

"Cough, cough."

Water spurted from my mouth, and I managed to open my eyes.

In front of me was the female mercenary known as the Phoenix Hunter.

'Am I not dead?'

I looked around with my barely regained consciousness.

I saw a middle-aged knight scratching his head in a corner.

It seemed that the last person I saw before losing consciousness was not a hallucination.

"What happened?"

In response to my question, she looked apologetic, and the knight approached me and said,

"I'm sorry. I mistook you for someone else because you were holding a sword with a phoenix emblem. I thought you were a noble... Ah, no, a young lady who had stolen the noble's belongings and was being chased..."

His voice was deep and pleasant.

However, upon hearing his words, she covered her face, and I shook my head inwardly.

Does she not realize that changing 'noble' to 'young lady' makes no difference?

There's no way a mercenary would be called 'young lady' by a knight, so she must be a noble from a high-ranking family, as he said.

Or, did he think that about me too?

"What? You thought a kid like me could do that?"

I pointed to myself with a bewildered expression.

She looked at me with an incredulous expression, but the knight apologized again with a guilty look.

"No, there was a young assassin who attacked before... Anyway, I'm sorry. As a knight, I formally apologize."

"Formal apology as a knight?"

It seemed that while I was unconscious, the Phoenix Hunter had told him my story.

And it seemed he had also learned that I was a noble.

Otherwise, the knight wouldn't have apologized.

However, a formal apology as a knight? What a stroke of luck.

A formal apology as a knight was a nearly extinct chivalric courtesy.

I didn't know how high-ranking the knight was, but he was as old-fashioned as her.

Seeing the two old-fashioned people, I got up from my seat.

I felt a bit dizzy, but after circulating my mana once, the dizziness disappeared. Hooray for mana.

"Anyway, do you know... No, this isn't the time."

I was lying in a collapsed tomb, and water was overflowing from a hole in the center.

I wondered how far the water would rise.

"Let's get out of here quickly."

They had stayed because of me, and as soon as I spoke, they moved.

She looked back several times with a reluctant expression as she left the broken tomb, but eventually stroked her shield and started to retrace her steps.

The knight, despite his heavy armor, ran well.

Thanks to my brief unconsciousness, my mana was fully restored, and we could quickly run out of the underground cave.

Escaping alongside fleeing underground animals, we reached the bottom of the abandoned well where we had first descended.

The dry well bottom began to soak, and we climbed the well wall to reach the surface.

Fortunately, the water that had been chasing us stopped after filling the well halfway.

On the surface, I looked for Juan.

Fortunately, Juan was safe.

He had a large bruise on his face, a cloth in his mouth, and was tightly bound with ropes, but he was otherwise unharmed and lying next to the well.

He shook his body when he saw the knight emerge from the well, but his eyes widened when he saw me.

The knight went to Juan first and untied the ropes.

Juan removed the cloth from his mouth and asked about my well-being.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

I nodded to indicate that I was fine.

"There was a misunderstanding. It seems you two were on the same side."

Upon hearing my words, the knight looked at me and complimented Juan instead of apologizing.

"You have a good soldier."

It wasn't a proper apology, but it was a gesture of respect as a knight.

Since I was a noble, he apologized, but a knight wouldn't apologize to a commoner.

Juan seemed satisfied with that.

However, having experienced a more equal world in my past life, I was dissatisfied.

It was an out-of-place thought for this world, but I didn't like that Juan didn't receive an apology.

I had no intention of abolishing the class system in this world.

I had suffered and benefited greatly from the class system, but I wanted to ensure that I and those around me benefited from it rather than being harmed.

Hmm, it feels like my thoughts are changing from the beginning...

While I was thinking, she spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave immediately because something has come up."

It was as expected.

The knight wouldn't have come for no reason. He was a messenger to take her away.

It was surprising that he found her here, but if he had left a note at her lodging, he wouldn't have missed her.

Whatever it was, it seemed to be very urgent.

At least, it was urgent enough to send a high-ranking knight from a decent knight order as a messenger.

It seemed they had discussed this while I was unconscious, and it was clear he had no intention of telling me.

Instead, she talked about another issue.

"But, we can't part like this..."

If we had just found the treasure and divided it according to the contract, there would have been no problem, but the current situation was completely different from the contract.

Her worried expression had lost all traces of a mercenary. She had never really looked like a mercenary, but now she clearly looked like a noble of high standing.

However, she was still the same person, whether then or now.

She clapped her hands, seemingly having found a solution.

She asked me,

"At your age, you'll have to go to a proper educational institution in a few years, right?"

An educational institution. She must mean a monastery or a royal academy in the capital.

My second brother... It's about time for him to study abroad in the capital. A proper noble would leave for study or an educational institution in their early to mid-teens.

Well, I have a sister who went to a monastery when she was very young...

But in my case, it didn't seem like that would happen.

I had inherited the ability to succeed, but as a half-noble, I wouldn't be sent out, and the duchess was well and alive, so I would probably stay in the mansion.

I shook my head to indicate that, but she didn't mind.

"It will take time, but if I send an invitation in the family's name, the duke won't refuse. Besides, he wouldn't just abandon a genius like you."

The middle-aged knight said worriedly,

"But, in this situation, it might be better to think carefully before sending a formal invitation..."

She shook her head.

"There's no choice. He's no longer an outsider. There are many things to verify. Everyone will agree."

The knight tilted his head, seemingly unaware of what had happened while I was unconscious. Was it a secret?

But surely the invitation isn't to a biological lab? The thought of being a lab rat made my spine shiver.

I shook my head to clear the unnecessary thoughts.

More importantly, if the duke has to think carefully about the invitation...

Who exactly is she?

"Um, I don't think it will be that easy. Besides, you're not sending the invitation as the 'Phoenix Hunter,' right?"

She nodded.

"I originally wanted to part as just a mercenary called the Phoenix Hunter, but since it's come to this, I should tell you my real name."

Finally, I would hear her name.

The knight nodded, and Juan moved away.

Then she spoke.

"My name is Katrine de Latenhamar. I'm the second daughter of the Latenhamar Count's family."

She added that I could call her Katrine.

A count's family. Indeed, a high-ranking noble.

But I was puzzled.

Second daughter. As a woman and the second child, the likelihood of her being the heir was low.

From her actions and words, I thought she held an important position in her family...

But it seemed that wasn't the case.

Moreover,

Would the duke be swayed by an invitation from a count's family? It wouldn't be easy unless there were political considerations.

I tilted my head, confused by her words.

But then, the name of the count's family echoed in my mind.

Wait, Latenhamar? I've definitely heard that name before.

Then, a person came to mind.

No, no way?

I asked urgently,

"Wait, isn't the third queen's surname Latenhamar?"

She answered proudly,

"Yes, she's my sister."

I opened my mouth in shock.

The third queen of our kingdom and the mother of the kingdom's only princess is her sister.

So, the invitation to the duchy is from the queen's family.

Of course, the duke wouldn't refuse easily. I understand now.

No, no, this isn't the time to be stunned.

The third queen's family. Unbelievable. It's not just a powerful family. Why is it the royal in-laws?

This could get me involved in kingdom politics!

And how will I explain this to the duke?

She then warned me,

"Please keep what happened inside a secret. It's part of the contract, and it's important to our family."

I understand, but this makes it even harder to explain!

But she continued without regard for my thoughts, and after a few more words, the two of them left the ruined village.

After they left, Juan, who had been tense, sighed. He asked me with a tired voice,

"What exactly happened down there? A knight shows up, and all three of you come out drenched."

Juan, who usually wouldn't ask such questions, seemed unable to contain his curiosity this time.

If I had known her identity, I might not have asked, but I couldn't say that.

Still, since Juan had protected me from the knight, I should tell him the story, leaving out a few secrets, on the way back.

Before leaving, I looked back at the village that had been swallowed by the forest. It had become a ruin after the well dried up and the people left.

"Now that the well is filled with water, can this village come back to life?"

Juan shook his head.

"It's unlikely. The forest didn't reach here when the village was still around. With the village buried in the forest, it will be hard for people to return. Well, the underground water might make the forest grow even more."

His reasonable explanation made me nod.

Even if we correct a wrong, it doesn't mean everything will return to the way it was.

That's only possible if we go back in time and make the right choices.

The right choices...

Many things have happened, and many things have repeated. There are many things left, and many more things will happen in the future.

As we left the forest and returned to the city, I kept wondering if I was making the right choices.

Meanwhile, the dagger at my waist and the gold coins in my pocket provided great comfort.