Celeste took a moment, fighting to hold back her tears.
"Darien…"
He remained composed, offering her a neatly folded handkerchief.
"Th-thank you." she whispered, a few tears escaping. Carefully, she used the handkerchief to wipe them away herself.
Darien watched her in silence. Though he was newly made lord of Brindlemark, Celeste offered her all, aiding without question and holding him as the rightful lord.
He wondered if anyone else from another world would do the same. In her place, he might've run off instead of serving a stranger.
That's why he trusted her—and why he'd given her those gifts.
Once she'd composed herself, he said,
"You good? You wanna sit this one out, take a breather?"
She sniffed, straightened up. "No, I'm good, Darien. Really—thanks."
Darien gave a small nod. "Alright then. Let's haul this stuff into the treasure room."
Celeste followed, curious and eager.
The space was packed—eight cubic meters of stuff. To Darien, it wasn't much, but in another world, these were treasures. Plenty for the two of them to manage.
"Darien, what's this?"
She pointed to a small metal stove, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"That's a gas stove. You can cook without firewood. I'll leave these here for now—I'll use them later."
Celeste had never seen anything like it, but she stayed quiet—both of them had work to do.
"Is this… truly a knight's armor?"
Her gaze fell upon the two sets of mail, the round shield, and the sword. The weight of the steel pressed upon her mind, and the blade felt unnervingly cold to her touch.
"Yea, I brought this set of armor. Full weight it bear—"
Darien stood still, struck with awe. Celeste, fully armed with helm, shield, and sword, swung with the grace and purpose of a trained knight.
"Whoa!"
Startled, Celeste let fall her sword and shield, hastily doffing the armor.
Thud! The floor trembled beneath her.
"Darien… I—"
"That's nuts!"
Though not fully clad, the armor, shield, and sword together surely weighed nigh a hundred stone. Yet she swung them with the skill of a seasoned warrior. Darien's jaw set in utter amazement.
He stepped forth, grasping her hands—fine and dainty, yet steadfast enough to wield such weight.
"What's wrong, Darien?" she asked.
He gestured at the armor. "Don't you think this stuff is heavy?"
Celeste shook her head. "A little, but I can handle it."
For real?
"Mind showing me how you swing that sword again?"
"Sure!" she said right away.
Celeste lifted the bastard sword and swung it like it weighed nothing—each chop, slice, and thrust precise. Darien shook his head, completely blown away.
"D-Darien?"
"You're… amazing, Celeste."
Celeste's eyes brightened, but she shook her head. "No… I'm not that amazing, Sir Thorin. He's far better than me."
Darien exhaled, trying to steady himself. "So… everyone in Brindlemark like you? Strong, able to fight with a sword?"
Looking at the commoners' delicate frames, he couldn't picture them as warriors.
"Not really. I passed the knight assessment, so I should be stronger than most. Only two real knights here—Thorold and Galen. I guess I'm like a half-knight," Celeste said, recalling the facts.
Darien let out a breath. Brindlemark wasn't as weak as he'd feared—but knighthood wasn't just a title. It was a measure of real strength.
If Celeste was already this formidable, how powerful must Thorin and Galen be?
He looked at her, uneasy. If she hadn't agreed to serve him—or if Thorin and the others had objected—he shivered at the thought.
"Darien, what's wrong?" Celeste asked, noticing his expression.
"I'm fine… just saying, you're so strong, I'll be counting on you to watch my back from now on."
He gave a wry, bitter smile—accepting that Celeste might already be stronger than him.
Celeste didn't hesitate. "Don't worry, Darien. I may not be the strongest, but with me here, no one will hurt you… unless they step over my corpse first."
---
🔍 Did you know?
- The bastard sword, also called a hand-and-a-half sword, was popular in medieval Europe during the 14th–15th centuries. It could be wielded with one hand or two, giving knights flexibility in battle.
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📢 Announcement
Hey everyone! The next update will be released on October 10, 2025. I'll be rolling out a major update that day, so stay tuned—it's going to be a big one! 🚀
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