Warning (1)
Chapter 51
Osiris Count’s knights had their pride thoroughly wounded by Ray, who promptly prepared to leave the manor.
He had other plans anyway and saw no reason to keep showing up just to provoke Mendes or Abensio further.
After one warning, Osiris House’s knights would likely refrain from causing trouble in Alesya’s presence for a while.
In this world, knights were elites with academic knowledge as well, and it was rare for those who received knighthood to repeat the same mistake twice due to lack of intelligence.
‘Might have to test my strength on the way to the Magic Tower.’
But what can you do?
As Ray sighed and stepped out of the manor, Alesya came out to see him off at the gate.
“Ray! Be careful and visit often!”
“I think I’m already visiting quite frequently…”
He appeared at the count’s residence at least once a week.
His visits were frequent enough; they certainly weren’t scarce.
“Young Miss should visit the orphanage occasionally too. You used to come every day, but why have your visits become so sparse lately?”
“…”
Alesya fidgeted and turned her head away.
As Ray quietly observed Alesya, he raised a corner of his mouth and asked.
“Scared?”
“How could that be!”
Alesya huffed and kicked Ray’s shin.
Ray pulled back his leg, protecting Alesya’s foot, then lifted the other corner of his mouth.
“Afraid?”
“Ray! Stop teasing me!”
Alesya began pounding on Ray’s chest with both hands.
Her strong reaction clearly meant she disliked it immensely.
Ray inwardly felt troubled and stiffened his expression.
‘Your self-esteem seems pretty hurt.’
If Ray had found Alesya on the street, what grade would he have given her?
She lacked the talent for Rare, but Normal seemed too harsh an evaluation.
Perhaps a new category like Negative Rare, a middle ground, could have been created for her.
‘Anyway, compared to Rare, she’s lacking.’
Four years ago, Alesya surpassed most of the children at the orphanage in many areas.
However, now all the Rare orphans have overtaken Alesya in their respective specialties.
The always confident Alesya visiting the orphanage became disheartened over time, and now hardly visits at all.
Ray massaged his temples.
This was undoubtedly a sensitive issue not to be discussed lightly.
Alesya believed herself to be of noble blood, and indeed she was born of a hero’s lineage.
But falling behind orphans without parents in terms of talent and growth greatly damaged Alesya’s self-esteem.
Rather than being hurt by comparisons with commoners, it might be easier to simply shut out such thoughts.
Ray also understood this but hoped Alesya would maintain some closeness with the orphanage children if possible.
‘Just in case.’
Among the orphanage children, there are at least two ‘real geniuses’ capable of reaching the peak.
If Alesya establishes early connections with them, it will surely help her greatly.
For now, Ray can act as a bridge, but no one knows how situations may change.
After carefully choosing his words, Ray spoke.
“Alesya, you’re a noble lady and the heir to the Phillip’s family.”
“?!”
A question mark hung over Alesya’s head.
It was unusual for Ray, who usually teased her as “this girl” or “that girl” and gave her light taps, to say something like this, naturally raising doubts.
“What are you talking about suddenly?”
“Nobility doesn’t mean you need to excel at everything.”
Whether swordsmanship, magic, or accounting, ultimately the practical work is done by subordinates.
“What you truly need is the ability to employ others. To gain loyalty from good talents, you must know how to embrace and inspire them.”
Ray patted Alesya’s head as he continued.
“It might be embarrassing… But even Lord Phillip isn’t superior to knights in swordsmanship or to mages in magic, right? Still, Lord Phillip is a respected noble admired by everyone.”
“…”
Alesya fidgeted with her lips.
She understood what Ray was trying to say but, as a proud noble, it wasn’t easy advice to accept.
Alesya looked at Ray intently and asked.
“Ray, don’t you want to become a noble?”
An offer to make him a noble.
One of the few rewards Alesya could give if Ray stayed by her side.
However, as Alesya grew older, she began to worry whether what she could offer Ray would really appeal to him.
With a gloomy face, Alesya turned toward Ray, who smiled and nodded.
“Noble? Of course, I’d love to. If Alesya asks His Majesty the Emperor for a title later, I’d be very grateful.”
“…If you faithfully remain by my side, I’ll consider it.”
“Alright, I’ll try.”
“Understood. Be careful.”
As Alesya sent Ray off, she thought:
If someone possessed shining talent instead of being merely a nominal noble, wouldn’t Ray have paid more attention to them?
Thinking of some of the children at the orphanage, Alesya felt envious and pouted as she turned away.
*
“Ray hasn’t been around much lately!”
A few days after Florya visited the Phillip’s Manor.
Karen crossed her arms with an aggrieved look on her face.
When Ray’s name came up, Johanna immediately frowned.
Luna, following Karen and Johanna’s lead, tried to contort her face but found her facial muscles uncooperative. She instead puffed up her cheeks to express her dissatisfaction.
Karen huffed, blaming Ray.
“It’s been a week since he showed up at the orphanage!”
Ray had been busy preparing to visit the Magic Tower.
Of course, Karen knew nothing about the Magic Tower matter.
Had she known, the orphanage would’ve already been flipped upside down by now.
“I heard another young noble lady visited the manor.”
Karen was worried.
Could Ray be infatuated with the newly arrived noble lady and thus avoiding the orphanage?
“Let’s go check the manor!”
They didn’t intend to barge into the manor itself.
They only planned to circle around nearby to see if Ray was staying there.
Though such behavior should normally be avoided, this was Phillip’s County.
Even if they wandered near the manor, Lord Phillip wouldn’t scold them. Moreover, Karen and Johanna were beloved students of Phillip’s family knights.
Initially, the knights were dissatisfied with teaching swordsmanship to commoners, but now they eagerly competed to teach Karen and Johanna new techniques.
“Let’s get a ride!”
Karen trotted up to a knight finishing his shift and pleaded for a ride.
The knight hesitated briefly but soon lifted Karen, Johanna, and Luna onto the saddle and led them to the vicinity of the manor.
“Where is Ray?”
Karen stretched her neck as they circled the manor fence.
If Ray wasn’t there after a couple of rounds, she intended to explore the market area while they were out.
However, halfway through the first lap, she spotted an unfamiliar woman walking in the garden with Alesya.
The elegant braided red hair and regal glowing eyes revealed her as the famed daughter of the Osiris Count.
The beautiful floral fan and silk dress flowing gracefully under the sky momentarily captivated the children’s attention.
“Nobility sure has it good.”
Karen muttered, smoothing her plain clothes.
The jealousy and resentment she once felt toward Alesya resurfaced through Florya.
“Sometimes I wish I were noble too.”
From childhood, nobles receive special care and education, exuding an aura commoners can barely approach.
Karen envied them.
At nine years old, she could admit her feelings more honestly.
The elegance and splendor unique to nobility were things she might never achieve, even if she gained a title later in life.
Watching Alesya and Florya walk, Karen couldn’t shake off her gloom.
Seeing her friend’s disappointment, Johanna spoke up.
“Karen, you could be a noble too!”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes. You have red hair too, just like that lady.”
“Hmm…”
Karen laughed.
Of course, Johanna’s statement was absurd.
While red hair is one characteristic of the Osiris family, it’s not uncommon among commoners.
Still, imagining her parents might have been nobles improved Karen’s mood.
“So that lady could be my sister?”
“I’m her half-sibling!”
All said in jest.
The problem arose when Victor returned from a short outing and overheard their conversation.
“What nonsense is this?”
Victor approached quickly, raising his voice in anger.
“Dare you mock Lady Osiris…!!”
“…!”
Karen jumped in surprise and turned her head.
Her fiery red hair fluttered in the evening sunset glow, and her sparkling eyes resembling clouds filled with the setting sun turned toward Victor.
Victor momentarily lost his words.
“Uh, uh…”
Victor thought.
‘She’s beautiful.’
Is this what people mean when they fall in love at first sight?
Victor felt the anger in his chest melting away.
Regaining his composure after a brief pause, Victor cleared his throat.
“Cough, you shouldn’t say such things lightly. If it reaches the ears of nobles or knights, you could face serious punishment.”
“Sorry.”
Karen bowed her head.
Victor shook off his dizziness and introduced himself.
“Hmph, I’m Victor, Squire to Sir Mendes.”
“Squire?”
“Yes, a squire. It means trainee knight. We assist knights and learn various martial skills including swordsmanship.”
“Wow, really?”
Not fully understanding the concept of a squire, Karen felt a sense of kinship with Victor and continued talking.
“I learned swordsmanship from a knight too.”
“What?”
Could this child be a squire as well?
Victor asked cautiously.
“Were you also a knight’s heir?”
“Not really sure about that… A knight taught us at the orphanage.”
Orphanage?
Knights teaching swordsmanship at an orphanage?
What nonsense is this?
“That… Lady, not everyone who wields a sword is a knight.”
“I know. Knights wear splendid armor and receive formal knighthood.”
“No, wait…”
Why would a formally knighted person teach swordsmanship at an orphanage?
While Victor struggled to figure out where to start questioning this absurd story, Hamus, who had followed Victor, interrupted.
“Sounds like a crazy girl to me.”
“Hey, Hamus, wait a moment. There seems to be some misunderstanding.”
“Victor, forget misunderstandings. This girl is insulting us right now.”
Karen clearly stated that a ‘knight’ had taught ‘swordsmanship’ at the ‘orphanage’.
Since this was far beyond common sense, Hamus concluded that Karen was making ridiculous statements to insult them.
Just as the atmosphere started to turn hostile, another voice interjected.
“Hey, those kids aren’t lying.”
*
Picor, a knight of Phillip’s County, delivered Karen’s group and informed Jimmy Family about the situation, considering the presence of the Osiris family at the manor to prevent any issues.
Coincidentally, Ray was visiting Jimmy’s office to gather a few items when he heard the story and headed directly to the manor.
Fortunately, he managed to join the conversation at a good time.
“What, what is it?”
Ray paused for a moment.
The rumor of a knight from Phillip’s County teaching swordsmanship at the orphanage had already spread throughout the county.
There was no point hiding it now, so he explained the pre-agreed reason with the count.
“Phillip’s County has a small population, so we don’t discriminate based on background when recruiting talents. That’s why we send knights to the orphanage to teach promising children and take them as disciples.”
Ray added.
“I also became a squire through this process.”
Hamus let out a bitter laugh.
“Are Phillip’s knights unaware of honor?”
“One could think that way.”
Ray nodded.
Even with the shortage of manpower, teaching swordsmanship to low-born children and taking them as heirs goes against the universal thinking of this world.
“But this is Phillip’s County.”
Ray repeated what he had said a few days ago.
“If you want to say such things, do it outside the county.”
“…”
A brief staring contest ensued.
Ray wasn’t particularly upset but found the current situation rather favorable.
Victor and Hamus were selected as squires at a young age and were nearing adulthood.
Their skills would likely surpass Karen but fall slightly short of Johanna.
‘Karen and Johanna haven’t had much experience sparring with peers of similar skill levels…’
Helping Karen and Johanna gain experience while preemptively deflating these guys’ egos wouldn’t be bad.
Ray proposed.
“Hey, let’s stop the verbal spat and have a sparring match instead.”
“What? Sparring?”
“Yeah. Let’s see if Phillip’s talent scouting has been effective or just a dishonorable waste.”
“Hah. You don’t know your place. Are you challenging me to a duel?”
“First, check the kids’ skills. Then it’s my turn.”
“What kind of confidence is this?”
Hamus sneered but secretly rejoiced.
Mendes had warned against unnecessary trouble, but since the opponent initiated the challenge, there was no need to back down.
He planned to properly humble them.
Meanwhile, Victor had to work hard to suppress his laughter.
‘A chance to close the distance.’
Despite Karen’s low status, Victor’s heart was already racing for her.
Sparring kindly might spark some affection.
Things went smoothly as Ray intended.
Except for one oversight Ray had:
“Karen, Johanna. How about using this opportunity to witness the swordsmanship of Osiris House? It might help improve your skills.”
It was Johanna.
“Why should I?”
Johanna furrowed her brows and shot back at Ray.
“Do I have to do everything you tell me? You’re so annoying.”
“?!”
“I’m not doing it.”
“…”
After observing Johanna for a moment, Ray finally clenched his fist.
“You brat, come here.”
