On the other side, Knight Cines returned along with his squire. While his squire returned to the barracks, Cines went with the little girl to meet the Baron and his son.
Cines knelt, the girl following by kneeling beside Cines. In front of the two of them, a middle-aged man with a long beard and mustache sat with a satisfied smile while looking towards Cines. His potbelly protruded clearly as he leaned back in his grand chair.
"I have returned, my lord. I have brought the youngest and most beautiful girl from the village to be proposed to by your son," Cines said as he raised his head.
"Good! Sir Cines. I was very sure you would succeed with such an easy task. How are those people? Do they regret their behavior?"
"My apologies, my lord. However, they are still causing trouble. In fact, I almost got into a fight with a Wandering Knight who only wanted to replenish his supplies."
Hearing that, the Baron clicked his tongue. His forehead creased deeply in displeasure.
"They really are useless. I told them not to cause trouble with their foolishness. It seems I'm expecting too much from a bunch of fools." The Baron stared sharply at the girl. "Let's just hope their foolish heads do not pass down to my son's child, because that would be a big problem for this land."
To the left of the Baron, the Baron's son, Lorde, who similarly had a large build but looked more trained with well-formed muscles on his arms, looked at the Baron.
"Father, earlier Sir Cines spoke about a Wandering Knight… I am quite curious about who he is. And since he is a knight who no longer has a place, could we persuade him to stay here and protect Tomavel?"
"Clever, Lorde!" The crease of displeasure instantly turned into a pleased crease from a smirk. Baron's eyes gleamed with amazement at his son's cleverness. "You are right. Sir Cines! Tell me everything you know about this Wandering Knight and invite him here. I am curious about what he is like."
"Understood, my lord."
"Then, father. I will take my concubine to make her look more proper as the Baron's family." Lorde took his leave from his father and brought the little girl along with two servants who would take care of the little girl's needs.
"Do it well, Lorde."
"Of course, father."
***
Kaiser stopped his hand from cleaning his sword upon hearing the sound of his room door being knocked.
"... Soldiers?" Kaiser whispered under his breath, turning towards Sol-yure who was watching his activity.
"Do you want me to open the door?"
Kaiser shook his head and stood up while sheathing his sword back. "No need. They are just ordinary humans."
Kaiser opened the door and was faced by Cines' two squires. One of them gave a standard soldier's salute to Kaiser. "Good afternoon, Sir. We were ordered by Lord Baron to escort you to meet him."
"Baron? What is it?" Kaiser questioned curiously.
"We ourselves do not know, Sir, because we were only asked to fetch you to face the Baron."
Kaiser turned back to look at Sol-yure. He turned back again and nodded to the two squires. "What about my companion, can she come along or not?"
"You may bring your companion if you wish, Sir."
[Do you want to come along?] Kaiser asked mentally.
[Of course. I am curious about human nobles of this era.]
"Very well. She will come along."
"In that case, please follow me, Sir."
Kaiser and Sol-yure left the inn together with the two squires. The eyes of the patrons and also the inn workers were glued to their group. In that situation, Kaiser's clothes were no longer the center of attention, but rather because he was fetched by two squires belonging to Knight Cines.
"How do you like Tomavel so far, Sir, Lady?" one of the squires asked Kaiser and Sol-yure. He was the same squire who had asked Kaiser on the journey earlier. He will be called as Squire A from now on.
"It is a peaceful and beautiful place," Kaiser replied with a smile. Sol-yure gave a brief nod.
"Glad you like it, Sir." The other squire spoke this time, Squire B, "If there is an opportunity, I hope you can visit my wife's alehouse."
"I will gladly visit it if there is an opportunity."
Kaiser's reply made the two squires feel calm and relaxed because he was not what Cines' thought of him. Some Knights were known to be strict, cold, and arrogant. However, it seemed that Kaiser was not one of them. He was very friendly to them.
While Kaiser's eyes observed the surrounding city he hadn't explored, a boy accidentally bumped into him. Before the boy could say anything, Kaiser caught the boy's shoulder and held him in place.
"Ah!" the boy groaned.
"What is wrong with that boy, Sir?" The two squires saw Kaiser stop and catch a boy. They saw a Knight holding the shoulder of a boy who did not look dangerous very tightly and holding him in place.
"If there is a problem, please allow me to handle it, Sir," Squire B asked and approached Kaiser.
"It is nothing. This boy almost fell while walking, I caught him," Kaiser replied calmly. His golden eyes stared into the boy's eyes.
[You are very brave for a boy your size, kid. Or very foolish. Trying to steal from someone escorted by the Baron's soldiers.]
The boy's eyes trembled when he heard Kaiser's voice inside his head. His breath hitched and his body broke into a cold sweat. He tried to look at the people around, but they did not react strongly to the word "steal" at all.
No one heard it except him.
[Because I am feeling kind, I will not punish you, but I will give you a piece of advice.]
"Be careful with strangers, kid."
Kaiser's voice was clearly heard entering the boy's ears. This time the two escorting soldiers heard it.
"Sir Knight is very right," Squire A replied.
Kaiser released his grip on the boy's shoulder and walked away together with the two squires and Sol-yure. "Let's continue. We must not keep the Baron waiting too long."
[Because not everyone is as kind as I am to forgive you.]
Sol-yure smiled faintly looking at Kaiser. She could hear what they were talking about thanks to the fluctuations of Ether and Kaiser giving her a way to hear.
[You are very forgiving, Warrior.]
Kaiser glanced at Sol-yure.
[Just a small matter. No need to resort to violence. He is not a threat to me, and if he still does what he did even after all this, that is his own decision.]
After walking for the next few minutes, they reached the Baron's residence smoothly without any problems. In reality, not many people were brave, or foolish, like the boy before.
Soldiers opened the castle gate for them to enter. In front of the open gate, Cines was already standing waiting. "Sir Kaiser, Lady Solus. I will guide you to meet the Honorable Lord Baron."
"Thank you, Sir Cines," Kaiser replied.
"It's my duty."
Cines guided them into the residence. On the way, all the soldiers and servants greeted Cines and them respectfully. Knights were the strongest shield of the land. They were highly respected because their extraordinary abilities could change the direction of war just by standing in front of all enemies.
Before long, they reached the place where the Baron was. A spacious room with a grand chair at the end. In that chair sat the Baron, a middle-aged man with a potbelly, with several people by his side.
The Baron welcomed Kaiser and Sol-yure. "Welcome to Tomavel, Wandering Knight. I am the lord of this land, Stakes. I heard about you from Sir Cines."
Kaiser bowed his body to respond to the Baron. Giving him respect as a host, but not too low.
Sol-yure followed him.
"Pleasure to meet you, Honorable Lord Baron. I am Kaiser, a Wandering Knight from the south."
"The south? Are you a Knight from the city of Opus?"
"No, Lord. My mentor was a Warrior from the far east continent, so I do not have a Master."
"So that is the story. It is said that the origin of all Knight's training comes from the far east continent. Is that true?"
"My mentor believed it to be true."
The Baron nodded.
"Where are you staying tonight, Sir Kaiser?"
"We're staying at the Dragon Grass Inn, Lord. Sir Cines and the two squires recommended that place to us."
"Dragon Grass Inn? It seems I have heard the name before?" The Baron turned to his servant.
"That place was once mentioned by the late Knight of Banner, Sir Tirus," the servant replied.
"I seem to somewhat remember it. Whatever." The Baron turned to Kaiser and Sol-yure again. "Tell me how much your rent is and I will return it to you. You will stay at the castle tonight."
"You do not need to trouble yourself, Baron. We intend to set out and continue our journey tomorrow."
"So soon? No, no. You have not experienced Tomavel fully yet. There are still many things in this city to try. You must try them. Servant! Go quickly, do not make Sir Kaiser and Lady Solus wait!"
"This is really not necessary, Lord."
"No. For this one, I do not accept a refusal. This is my way to welcome the guests."
Kaiser exhaled a soft breath in resignation.
"Please follow me while the other servants fetch your belongings, Sir, Lady." A servant approached the two of them and guided them towards temporary quarters inside the noble residence.
[Is it fine to you if the plans change?]
[No need to ask, Warrior. I will always follow you wherever the world takes you. Meanwhile, are you okay with this?]
[Of course. It's not like I'm in a hurry for something.]
"...."
In his silence, Kaiser was happy because Sol-yure was fine with their change of plans.
This was an unexpected development, but Kaiser would use this situation to his advantage. Whatever the Baron's plan was, it seemed he wanted to make Tomavel look good and welcoming to them.