Chapter 46

* * *

I was squatting in the hallway, resting my chin on my knees.

‘Nowhere to go.’

Dione said she would come to pick me up at 5.

There was still a long time to go.

‘I should have brought a book.’

I had packed so much luggage to bring Alexis, that annoying guy, that there was no room for a book.

The instructors, who were dressed as guards, glanced at me.

Even though it’s a training camp, it’s pretending to be a prison. Maybe I was being too obvious.

A prisoner-looking child stopped and looked at me as he passed by.

“Hey? It’s that lady.”

When I first came to the Egret Training Camp, this child was with the commander (the man in guard’s uniform I just talked to).

The child squatted in front of me.

Looking at him like this, he seems really young.

He looked about the same age as Alexis.

“Who are you?”

When I asked, the child grinned.

“I’m a squire.”

A squire is someone who serves a knight and learns swordsmanship.

‘Isn’t he too young for that?’

“You’re a baby.”

The child curled his lips into a smile.

It was as if he was saying, “Who’s calling who a baby?”

“I’m a genius. My name is Luca.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Are you waiting for the commander?”

I shook my head.

“Really?”

“I’m waiting because Alexis told me to.”

“Wow, you must be really bored. Do you know how to play chess?”

I nodded.

Luca laughed and stood up.

“Come with me. I have a chess set in my room.”

Luca looked around.

“Do you guys want to come too?”

Then, faces of boys appeared from behind the corner.

“That’s so unfair. I wanted to talk to her.”

“She’s a noble lady, but she’s talking to us.”

“Hey, we’re going to be knights too.”

“They say the knights here are all messed up.”

The boys were only talking among themselves and not approaching me.

I looked up at Luca.

“I don’t like being uncomfortable.”

“Of course not. Who would be uncomfortable with such a cute lady?”

Luca leaned in, smiling.

‘He’s easy to talk to.’

He has a talent for making people feel at ease.

His slightly upturned eyes and cat-like appearance are very likable.

He would be very popular when he grows up.

“Is it okay if those boys come too?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Luca nodded and said to the boys.

“She said it’s okay.”

The boys hesitantly approached.

I quickly got up from my spot.

I walked down the hallway with Luca and three other boys.

“Wow...”

“Wow...”

The boys kept looking at me in amazement, which made me a bit uncomfortable.

Luca chuckled, covering his mouth with his fist.

“It’s because you’re the first noble lady they’ve seen.”

“Squire, right?”

Squires will be living in noble houses, running errands for knights.

“We’re all orphans. We lived in the orphanage at the Bushes Manor, but it burned down, so we had nowhere to go.”

“...”

“They took us in here at the training camp.”

“...”

“Whether we can really become knights, I don’t know.”

Luca shrugged.

Luca’s room was close.

He offered me a chair at the table and brought out a chess set and a clock.

It was a wooden chess set and pieces he had carved himself.

One of the boys said,

“Luca-oppa made this. He’s good with his hands. He sharpens our pencils too.”

The boys seem to follow Luca very well.

Luca tousled the boy’s hair, and his smile was very refreshing.

‘Hmm, if these kids were reborn in Korea, they would become idols.’

The image of Han Ji-hyuk as an idol popped out of my head.

We started playing chess.

Luca’s skills were excellent. His vision was broad.

I thought chess was something only nobles played, but it seems I was biased.

‘At this level, he could even play against Joshua, who is the best chess player in the Duke’s mansion.’

I thought hard during my turn.

‘If I put it here, my queen will be captured, and on that side, there’s a rook...’

Time ticked by.

As my turn was ending, I had no choice but to move my queen back to protect it.

But as soon as I moved it, I groaned.

‘I put it in a position where it can be captured by a knight.’

This is a flaw that a skilled chess player like Luca would immediately exploit.

Feeling like I was going to lose, I became gloomy.

But Luca moved a bishop instead of a knight.

‘Huh?’

Did he not notice?

No, he glanced at the knight just now.

Luca made a regretful face, squinting one eye.

“Oh, I could have captured it with the knight.”

‘He let me off.’

I could understand why all these kids follow Luca so well.

After playing chess for a while,

“Ouch.”

I cried out when I touched a chess piece.

It seemed I had been pricked by a splinter, and my finger hurt.

Luca quickly pushed the chessboard aside and came over to me.

“Let me see...”

Just as Luca was speaking,

“Erylot.”

A familiar voice came from the door.

I turned my head to see Alexis.

“Are you hurt?”

“...Just a little prick.”

“Can I see?”

He said that earlier, but...

But what’s the point of complaining to such a young kid? I nodded.

“...Mm-hmm.”

Alexis carefully unfolded my hand.

“No blood. Go back and apply some medicine.”

“...”

“Come on. I’ll take you to the front.”

Saying that, Alexis was already waiting by the door as if he was waiting for me.

I sighed.

‘What a stubborn kid.’

Even when reading the novel, I thought he was stubborn, but meeting him in person, he’s really tough.

I waved to Luca and the kids.

“See you.”

The kids said goodbye with regretful faces.

I walked down the hallway with Alexis.

“Don’t spend money on me.”

“Huh?”

I opened my eyes wide at Alexis’s words.

“If you can play here, you must have spent a lot of money. Since you’re the owner of this manor, you can do anything.”

As we approached the tightly locked main gate, the commander (who was pretending to be a guard) was just coming in.

Alexis said,

“Go.”

“...”

“Don’t come back here.”

“Do you hate me that much?”

“If I say don’t come, don’t come. You should live in the light.”

“...”

“Don’t come to such a dark place.”

I stared at Alexis.

‘What can I do with this kid?’

When reading the novel, I thought he was pitiful, but seeing him in person, even more so.

“I’ll come again.”

“If I say don’t come...”

“Wherever Alexis is, it’s not dark.”

“...”

“See you.”

I waved and said to the guard,

“I’m leaving now.”

“Okay.”

I walked out with the commander.

I could feel Alexis’s gaze on my back.

* * *

I returned to the castle in a carriage with Dione.

“Thank you, sister.”

At the front of the castle, Dione waved both hands and said,

“I had fun in the shopping district too. I bought a gift for Mother! Oh, and I bought something for Erylot...”

She handed me a sketchbook.

It had much more paper than a regular sketchbook.

“Winter break is long, so I thought this would last you through the winter!”

Dione laughed shyly, and I hugged the sketchbook.

‘She’s so kind.’

“Then, Erylot, go inside! I’ll watch the luggage being moved from the carriage.”

“Okay.”

After saying goodbye to Dione, I walked down the hallway.

“Miss.”

I heard Conrad’s voice from behind.

I turned my head to see him smiling at me.

“Did you go out?”

“Yes, with Sister Dione.”

I showed him the sketchbook, and Conrad smiled and said it was good.

“Where are you going, Conrad?”

“To the artifact storage.”

“Artifact storage...?”

“Yes. It’s where artifacts are stored. It’s for the birthday of Lord Matuadi, a member of the Senate.”

Ah, Grandfather asked me to give something to Lord Matuadi, who likes artifacts.

“Have you never been there before?”

“No.”

“You’ll see it during your classes. History classes often request to view items. Would you like to see it?”

Since I have a history class soon, I might as well take a look. I don’t have anything else to do.

“Sure.”

I headed to the end of the second-floor hallway with Conrad.

The servants were already opening the artifact storage and organizing it.

Conrad nodded, checking the list he brought.

“Where are the ancient coins?”

“This way.”

So these are ancient coins.

I had only seen round coins before, but these have a unique shape.

They are triangular with a convex surface.

Conrad placed the list on the table and checked the condition of the ancient coins.

“Gather the clean ones. And that vial...”

While Conrad was talking to the servants, I looked around the artifacts.

‘I don’t understand why people like artifacts so much.’

They don’t have any special power like relics.

To me, they’re just decorations, and the prices are astronomical.

I looked at the list Conrad had put down.

It was a list of both relics and artifacts.

The relics were marked in red.

‘Right. Relics are better.’

I nodded, looking at the ‘High Priest’s Bracelet’.

It’s amazing that it can store magic.

Such things exist in Astra too.

Thinking about it, I flipped to the next page.

There was a picture of the Holy Grail, checked as a relic.

“Conrad.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Why is there a scissors mark here?”

Only the Holy Grail has a scissors mark.

“It’s because it’s a lost family treasure. It disappeared in the previous generation.”

‘A family treasure? There was such a thing?’

I tilted my head, hearing this for the first time, and looked closely at the picture.

But it was a Holy Grail that seemed familiar.

‘Where have I seen it...?’

After thinking for a while, something suddenly clicked in my mind.

‘Oh, this...!’

It’s the Holy Grail I saw in the basement of my room.

The gems had fallen off, and it was so rusted that I couldn’t recognize it at first.

Is this the lost family treasure?

“What is this?”

“It’s called the ‘Grail of Truth.’ It’s a relic that can make false power disappear.”

‘Does it have that kind of power?’

I need to check it out myself.

I put the picture on the table.

“I’m bored. I’m going.”

Conrad smiled.

To a child, it might not be interesting.

“Yes, have a good evening.”

“Bye.”

Saying that, I quickly returned to my room.

I closed the door tightly, checked it twice, three times, and then went into the dressing room.

I grabbed the lantern I had hidden to bring in.

I pressed the button to open the basement door.

I lit the lantern and slowly entered the basement.

When I went down the stairs, the Holy Grail was lying on the floor as usual.

I quickly approached and picked it up.

I shone the lantern I brought closer to the Holy Grail.

‘It looks like the one in the picture.’

But it was so damaged that I couldn’t be sure.

‘If this is really the Holy Grail...’

Just thinking about it made my eyes sparkle.

The possibilities are endless!

False power usually refers to curses.

If it can break curses, just having it would be a source of power.

‘Let’s check it out.’

Relics resonate with magic.

I gathered magic from my dantian and slowly flowed it into the Holy Grail.

“...”

The basement was silent.

‘Is it a replica? What is it?’

Well, there were also blessing stones for replicas.

Replicas of artifacts and relics are common.

Thinking about it, they probably wouldn’t store a Holy Grail with such great power in such a state.

Feeling disappointed, I put the Holy Grail back and climbed up the stairs.

I put the used lantern back in the dressing room and opened the door as if nothing had happened.

But.

“Miss, when did you return?”

“You were here?”

There were maids in the bedroom, Hilda and Greta.

I was startled and rolled my eyes.

“Um... just now.”

“We came at the right time.”

They didn’t seem to find it particularly suspicious that I came out of the dressing room.

Hilda and Greta helped me change into more comfortable clothes and wiped my hands with the basin Greta brought.

“I’ll have dinner brought to the dining room. What menu would you like today?”

“I... I want meat... Ouch!”

Suddenly, I felt dizzy.

“Miss?”

“What’s wrong?”

I gasped for breath.

My vision blurred.

My head spun, and tinnitus echoed in my ears.

‘Why is this happening? Is it because of the Holy Grail?’

Am I being punished for being too greedy?

“Ah...”

My body swayed, and my vision narrowed.

The last thing I remembered was,

“Miss!”

“Ah! Doctor!”

—The maids screaming in panic.

* * *

When I regained consciousness, I felt a strange