A week has passed. It will take three weeks to get from Lamuur to King's Landing. We took another break on the road this evening and are currently in line and in the middle of getting our dinner rations.
Is this only for ......?
I looked down at a piece of ticklish black bread given to me by a middle-aged man with a cook's look and couldn't help but ask. Sure, Rosemary and her friends have the same carriage, but my travel expenses were paid in advance by the vendor. That's what Grandpa had told me. So there is no reason for me to be treated like this in the first place.
This was Lord Frakton's order. Look, I'm stuck in the back. Go, go, go, go!
A middle-aged, cock-esque man waved his right hand as if to scare away flies.
Fracton is that pompous aristocrat with the beard. He dislikes me a lot, calling me incompetent and harassing me in this childish way whenever we meet.
However, with the exception of a few, Lohse's followers here are not much different from Fraktons in their attitude towards me. It would be pointless to protest.
As I'm about to return to the tent, I'm pushed off my back and face-first into the ground.
'Hey, incompetent! Why are you bumping into me!
An older, overweight swordsman with a beard and a thick blue streak on his forehead kicks me in the stomach.
'Guh!'
One moment I couldn't breathe, followed by a dull pain.
'What will you do if I get dirty too! Ah!
I'm going to be able to pass off the kick of the guy who kicks at me again by crouching down like a turtle.
If it's dirty, don't touch it. It seems that these guys can't even come up with such a natural idea that even a toddler can remember.
And the followers around them just stand by and watch the inexcusable situation and don't even stop it. These people are corrupt. I'm sure that's what I think from the bottom of my heart.
When I was kicked a couple of times - "Stop!
"Stop!
A young woman's angry voice rang out, and her kick at me stopped abruptly.
When I looked up, I saw a red-haired girl angrily grabbing an older, overweight swordsman by the shoulders.
"Hey, Anna, you're defending such a traitor?
The older swordsman shouted at him with a thick blue streak on his forehead.
I'm not protecting you. It's just that Master Lohse ordered us to have him as our guest!
The red-haired Lohse's servant girl, Anna, not stepping back.
While the two sides stared at each other.
What's going on here?
Seeing a man with blue hair and stubble walking towards me, the older, little fat swordsman clicks his tongue, spits on the ground and walks towards the cook who is serving the food.
'Oh, thank you,'
I bow to Anna for helping me, but
"If it weren't for Master Lohse's life, who would care to help you! Go back to your tent!
When I speak quickly, she moves away from me at a fast pace.
A man with blue hair and a stubble comes up to me, carrying a large sword in exchange for Anna's. I stare at him for a while, and then he turns his sharp, hawk-like eyes on the followers around him. Then, after staring at me for a while, he turns his hawk-like gaze on the followers around him and
"You guys will be fully briefed later!
He says in a horrifyingly cold voice.
The white armored squires move away from the blue-haired swordsman, their cheeks twitching fiercely as they run away from the blue-haired swordsman.
This blue-haired swordsman is Al-san, who is the organizer of the entire Lohse's followers. He is one of the few people who treats me, an incompetent person, like a human being.
''Kai, it looks like you're in trouble again. I'm really sorry.
Mr. Al bows his head deeply to me.
"No, no. It's always the same.
That's right. Scum gift holders like me are more or less subject to this kind of discrimination in Lamur.
This Holy Amelia Kingdom, in particular, has a strong devotion to the Holy Warrior God - Ares. It's not as extreme as my hometown, Lamur, but it tries to figure out humanity in terms of the value of the favors (gifts) that God Ares gives. In other words, with the title of [the most incompetent person in the world], I am not only the most worthless person in the world, but also an apostate who is hated by God.
The elderly swordsman who said he was defiled by touching me earlier, the cold attitude of Anna, and the contemptuous glances from the followers around me are all due to the fact that I am an apostate, hated by God.
Al often grits his back teeth at this response from me, but
I'll carry the food to your tent next time.
He suggests this in a strong tone.
No, you don't have to do that--
"Kai, kids should be more obedient.
Mr. Al uttered this and went to a middle-aged man in the style of a cook.
While Lohse's followers, who were lined up, hurriedly opened the way.
"Give me his food.
As we walked up to the middle-aged man with a cock-like appearance, Al quietly instructed him to do so.
'But Lord Frakton--'
Didn't you hear me! I serve the food. I said that!
While glaring at him with stationary eyes, he grabbed the chest and shouted hard.
'Haha! Just let me!
With a small scream, he spooned the food into a container with trembling hands and placed it on a wooden tray and handed it to me.
I'm going to teach these shameless people a thing or two. I want you to feel at ease. I won't let them do it again on the road.
As soon as he said that, he walked away in the shape of an evil demon to the tent where a nobleman named Frakton was staying.
I'm going to bring my own food and head to my own tent.
◇◆◆◆◆◆◆.
--Silke Great Forest Mountain Road
A few days later, we enter the Silke Great Forest. Tonight we are still camping in the resting areas set up at various points along the trail.
The food is now delivered by Al, and Lohse's followers' overt harassment of me has stopped.
However, they still look at me as if I'm dirty, and I'm thoroughly avoided. It's just that the harassment is gone, which makes it much more comfortable for me.
I've been doing this ever since that day. Since that epiphany, my life has changed dramatically.
Not to mention the fact that those who were not on the same page with me in the first place, and even those who I had considered friends before, began to call me an incompetent traitor.
Initially, I was quite hurt, but I had three people in my life: Lila, Raina and Keith. They were the only three people who treated me the same way, even though I was incompetent.
I wonder how Raina and Keith are doing right now: ......
The revelation confirmed that Raina and Keith have the blessings (gifts) of the Swordsman and the Great Mage, respectively, and they are currently living in King's Landing for their training.
In this regard, they also strongly refused to go to King's Landing at first, but unlike Roman, they were not allowed to do so.
The reason for this is the uniqueness of their gifts.
Keith's gift is the Great Mage. It is a gift about magic. But although Lamur is a martial arts city to begin with, magic is not that strong. You can't practice magic in Lammur. Therefore, it seems that the Amelia government ordered Keith to be apprenticed to the head court magician in the royal capital.
I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it. I'm sure the existence of a girl who has expressed the gift of the Swordsmanship was made known to the public at an early stage. It's not just a good idea to have a good time, but it's also a good idea to have a good time.
I've been forced to train from a young age, unlike me and Laila, who have never held a wooden sword in their hands. It is essentially insane to admit such a child into the party of the heroes, the most elite team for defeating the Demon King's Army.
Of course, I was against it. But no matter what an incompetent person like me says, they won't listen to me. Rather, the people around me just chided me for being jealous.
"Kai, are you awake yet?
A crystal-clear female voice from outside the tent made my eardrums quiver.
'Yeah. I'm awake.'
I immediately responded, and when I got up, a beautiful girl in a pure white robe entered the tent, brushing her glossy peach-colored hair.
Lohse is the master of those followers. If I confess to myself, I don't like her. I don't want to have anything to do with her as much as possible.
What can I do for you?
Nervously asking
"I'm sorry!
He bowed deeply to me and apologized.
'What? Huh?
The apology, for no apparent reason, is blindingly obvious.
Al ...... told me. It's what the knights did to you the other day.
It's not that she's so cheerful, but she's so thoughtful that she can't believe she's so cheerful, and she twists her hands together and mutters in a weak voice.
"No, I don't really care ...... I'd be lying if I said I didn't care, but it's already done.
There is nothing good for either of us to dwell on this any longer. At least now I'm being treated as a decent human being. That's enough.
It is unlikely that I will ever be involved with a high-ranking nobleman's rosé in the future, and there is no particular need to get used to it.
"But because of my selfishness to Master Swordsman that I wanted to travel with Kai to the royal capital: ......
Do you want to travel with me? If you didn't know about me, Kai Heinemann, from the beginning, you wouldn't even think of it. Of course, he's famous in a way because he's the only disgrace of the Swordsman, but he doesn't look like the kind of person who would ask his grandfather to go out of his way to satisfy his snobby intellectual curiosity.
''Why did you decide to let me accompany you on your journey, Mr. Lohse?
Because you're a childhood friend of Raina and Keith.
You know them both?
Yes, the head of the court magician is also my magic master. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. And Lena Groat is my best friend.
What is this person who is really studying with the head court magician? Isn't she really a saint? No, no, no, it's not possible. If he did, Lamur would have been in a tizzy.
"Well, did you hear about me from them?
Yeah, especially since Raina always talks about you so much, she probably knows more about you than Keith does.
I'm sure that even the past lasciviousness has been told in the open. It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
Yes. I wanted to meet you, the person you are so obsessed with, so I asked Ken Sei-sama to accompany me on this trip.
"Raina, how are you doing with your team of heroes?
To be honest, I wasn't sure if she was seriously injured or if she was being tortured, because she is an outlier.
It's not just a matter of time before you get your hands on it. It's the favorite of the knights, including the brave men and women.
I see. I'm really glad to hear that. That alone made it worthwhile to join this group.
'Thank you for teaching me, Rose,'
I bowed my head in sincere gratitude.
Then I was chatting with Lohse about our lives as children, when Lohse's attendant, a red-haired woman named Anna, rode in with the expression of an evil demon, and she returned quietly to her tent.
Not long after she left, a middle-aged blue-haired man with muscular stubble, Al, entered my tent, saying, "I'm sorry to be late at night.
I'm sorry to be late,
No, what's wrong?
You ask me at this time of night. I'll assume you have some business to attend to.
Thank you for talking to Master Lohse after all that happened. He was really happy to have a heart-to-heart talk with you.
When I straightened up, Al bowed to me.
'No, no, please don't! I'd rather be grateful to her for talking to an incompetent like me. Uh--
I'm not as good as you, but it was a boon to the bottom line. So I have a kind of sympathy for you.
"The Bottom Line Benefit
Yeah, so I can say this. Go for it! Work hard and it will pay off!
With a mysterious look on his face, Al lightly taps my chest with his right fist, as if he were grappling with fate, and walks out of the tent.
If you work hard, you'll be rewarded. That's the first time I've ever heard someone say that. From what I've learned so far, I can tell you that that girl, Rose, is quite a noble young lady in the kingdom. I'm sure you've worked your way up to the top of that squire's hierarchy through hard work alone. It's really amazing. I'm sure that someday I will become someone who is needed by someone else like Al-san.
As soon as I lay down, I suddenly lost consciousness.