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147. Engagement – Yuan Extra

“Get up! You lazy kid. The sun is up, and you still won’t get out of bed. What kind of child is this, destined to fail?”

Again, Yuan was greeted by the rough shouts of the innkeeper in the morning. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he pushed away the dirty blanket and mumbled, “Sorry. I’m sorry.” — the apology sticking to his tongue as he awoke.

It had been over two months since he started working at this inn. Yet getting up at dawn was still a struggle.

“Just your mouth is awake. Aren’t you getting up?! Hurry and fetch some water! You need to give water and feed the horses before the guests leave!”

“I-I’m going now! Ah, please don’t hit me! I’ll do better!”

Yuan quickly ducked past the plump innkeeper who had raised his hand.

Feeling the bone-chilling cold, he dashed towards the well and started to draw water with a rattle-rattle.

“Thank you! Please come by again. Our ‘Ice Island’ inn always guarantees the best service.”

The innkeeper bowed repeatedly to the departing guests while collecting their fees, then turned around and looked down at Yuan, who was also bowing his head.

Crouch.

Wincing in anticipation of a hit, Yuan was relieved when the innkeeper merely patted him on the shoulder.

“Good job. Go eat, and clean up the room the guests left. With all that sleep, how are you going to earn your bread?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Sorry, huh? Raise your shoulders! You say you can earn your keep with dignity. No need to act so small.”

“…Yes.”

“When it’s like this, you respond loudly with ‘Yes!’ Got it? When I was your age…”

Leaving the lecture behind, Yuan entered the inn’s dining area.

The breakfast served to boys working in exchange for accommodations consisted of a few rough pieces of bread and a cup of cold milk. He quickly stuffed the meager meal into his mouth, washed it down with milk, and started his day cleaning the room of the departing guest.

Thus, a year and a half passed.

“Yuan!! Wake up quickly!”

“I’m awake!”

“You’re still lying down!”

“I’m putting my shoes on! Can’t you even see?”

Grumbling, Yuan rushed outside, wondering, ‘Was there something I was supposed to do this morning?’

Nothing. He’d done everything yesterday.

He rubbed his cheeks and grouched.

“Why the fuss when there aren’t even any guests leaving today?”

“Hmm. You’re out, huh? Today come out with me.”

“Right now?”

“No, after lunch.”

Yuan responded with an incredulous look.

“Then why did you wake me up so early? You scared me.”

“Hahaha. I just wanted you to hurry and have breakfast. Come, sit down.”

The innkeeper smiled broadly. He knew that if he yelled, Yuan would jump into action.

After breakfast, Yuan swept the inn and soaked laundry in lye, cleaning the stable floor before finishing his morning chores.

Yuan pushed a small cart along with the innkeeper. They were heading out to buy ingredients, and it was Yuan’s first time accompanying him.

As they passed through the alley, he saw a familiar street unfolding.

Not far away stood the mansion where he used to live, and this street was where he used to ride in a carriage as a child.

For a moment, Yuan gazed at the road, feeling strange.

He pushed the cart with all his strength. Although the innkeeper scolded him, “Hey! Why are you pushing so hard? Take it slow,” he simply kept his head down and pushed with all his might.

Images of tossing silver coins out of the window flooded back. He once laughed at those who bowed gratefully when struck by the coins.

Soon, they arrived at a produce shop. A man with a shining head greeted them playfully under the summer sun.

“Ah, barbarian! Welcome. You brought a new face, huh?”

“Haha, baldy. You’re shining as bright as ever today. I came to teach this kid a thing or two. From now on, he’ll be the one buying goods.”

The innkeeper was just as quick-witted, pushing Yuan forward and showing him off, the feather tattoo on his thick arms twitching.

“Is he your son?”

“No, he works for us. Say hello. You can call him bald uncle.”

“Hey!”

The two middle-aged men exchanged banter. However, Yuan couldn’t manage a smile out of politeness…

He was staring blankly at a boy inside the produce shop, who, upon meeting Yuan’s gaze, frowned in return.

Daniel Kazak.

Though they weren’t close, he was a peer from Yuan’s days as a noble.

*

Yuan and Daniel grew close rapidly. They filled the cart together every time Yuan visited the shop and sat side by side on the cart after finishing their tasks. There wasn’t much talk, but it brought them some comfort.

They had much in common.

Both once heirs of noble households, they lost their parents, and their assets were confiscated for siding with the Aster Kingdom.

However, they had clear differences; Daniel had many people taking care of him. The baldy shopkeeper was one among them.

This was thanks to Daniel’s father, Baron Kazak, who had shown kindness to those below him.

The Baron’s servants and handmaidens remained loyal. Though they lacked the strength to fend off knights attacking to kill the baron, they could hide Daniel.

“Yuan, look at this.”

As they sat side by side gazing at the street once more, Daniel pulled something out to show Yuan.

A few jewelry pieces embedded with small gems. Nothing special, but for them at present, they were treasures of high value.

“I’m going to leave. Not right now, but when I grow a bit more. Do you want to come with me?”

“…You’re leaving? Where to?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Just… I don’t want to stay here.”

“Why?”

Daniel fell silent. It seemed he was struggling to find the right words, but finally he confessed.

“This sounds strange, but it’s painful to see the uncle and aunt taking care of me. It reminds me too much of my dead mother and father; I can’t bear it. Honestly… I want to forget everything and run away. Don’t you feel the same?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Then are you going to stay here?”

“…”

Yuan stood up.

“I’ll think about it.” Saying this vaguely, he pushed the cart back to the inn, and as he mulled over Daniel’s words, something surged in his chest.

Their family had fallen. Living like a parasite in the inn without a home or roots. It wouldn’t be such a bad idea to leave with Daniel.

But…

‘I can’t leave like this.’

Yuan halted the cart. Realizing the true nature of his pent-up emotions, he gripped the cart handle tightly.

The feeling he experienced when he saw the notice mentioning his parents.

It was… hatred.

A feeling so deep that it dwarfed the childish tantrums he had thrown or the anger that had lacked sincerity, something the young boy had never realized until now.

Yuan pushed the cart again. By the time he returned to the inn, having stood there for who knows how long, it was a dark evening.

He moved the food to the kitchen and sought out the innkeeper. However, the innkeeper wasn’t around, so he wandered around the inn for a while.

Eventually, he spotted the innkeeper leisurely strolling in a wide-open space, perhaps out for a walk, and he called out.

“Uncle.”

“…”

“Uncle. I’m leaving.”

“…”

“Thank you for everything.”

“What an interesting kid. Why do you want to leave?”

Just as he was about to turn away, the innkeeper asked with a dark expression. His voice was unusually low, but filled with hatred, Yuan bluntly replied.

“I have things to do. Please don’t stop me.”

“Yeah, you’re worthless anyway.”

“…What did you say?”

The innkeeper didn’t answer. Meeting his blank eyes, the boy gritted his teeth.

Right. This was the kind of world they lived in.

Without any baggage to pack, he turned away and walked toward Barnau, while the innkeeper watched his retreating figure with a vacant expression.

In the darkness, a flock of crows took flight, flapping towards the ‘Crimson Moon.’

*

“Go back. We don’t need a little brat like you.”

“Please! I’ll do any odd job! I’ll work hard on whatever you ask!”

“Oh, how persistent. Get lost if I say so… Oh? Captain, is that you?”

“What’s going on?”

Yuan, who had been pleading with the mercenary guarding the office, turned his head. There stood a robust and vigorous middle-aged man.

Knowing that his arrival was imminent, Yuan quickly clung to the man’s pant leg.

“Please let me work here! I’m begging you! I’ll do anything!”

“How dare you speak to the captain like that! Get lost! Captain, I am very sorry. I will throw him out immediately.”

The mercenary tried to detach Yuan from the captain. As they struggled, the captain raised his hand to stop him.

“Let him be. Sorry, kid, but I don’t think there’s much for you to do in our mercenary group. Here, take this and buy something to eat.”

A couple of coppers.

Yuan hesitated for a moment before accepting the coins. He nodded politely and rushed out.

“Ugh… The captain is just too kind-hearted.”

“Well, he sent him away nicely. You better watch out, though. We’ve just changed our group name, and kicking people out like that will spread bad rumors.”

“I understand. But what will you do if a bunch of beggars come flocking?”

“Then I’ll run away. Hahaha.”

The captain burst into laughter as he headed upstairs. But,

“…You’re back again?”

“Please let me work here!”

What was meant to be a small incident turned into a recurring event. For three days in a row, Yuan returned at the same time, each time receiving a copper coin from the captain while the captain shook his head in exasperation.

“Ugh, at this rate, it might be cheaper to hire you. Hey, take this kid with you.”

“Do we really want a kid like this?”

“Who knows? Use him as a errand boy for the mercenaries or boil him down. Do what you will.”

“No, captain! How could this little brat handle mercenaries’ errands… Ah! I understand. Hehe.”

The mercenary assigned to office work understood the captain’s words and took Yuan away.

And then four months passed.

In the now chilly winter, as Elson visited the mercenary quarters for the year-end party, he caught sight of Yuan.

“…He’s still here?”

“Ah, don’t even get me started. The stubborn kid… He keeps wanting to leave but never does.”

The mercenaries were rough.

Even if they were no better than thugs, they were still robust men who made their living with swords, and if you disturbed their precious relaxation time even a little, a fist would soon fly.

Consequently, the management of the mercenary lodging was usually entrusted to burly individuals who would not be bullied by others or to cheerful ladies (being young and pretty could lead to trouble).

But if there was a small boy just the right size for a good whack?

He would likely get kicked for not bringing food, punched for not tidying up clothes, and booted for not making the beds properly.

Elson watched as Yuan washed the laundry in ice-cold water, and he shook his head at the sight of the clothes piled high above Yuan’s head.

“For the prosperity of the Dexter Mercenary Group!”

“For the prosperity!”

A feast was being held in the mercenary dining hall.

The mercenaries drank and ate to their heart’s content. For them, who could only drink the daily ration of half a pint of ‘Calados,’ today was a celebration.

Elson, who didn’t drink much, felt pleasantly tipsy after a few toasts and stepped outside.

Recent boredom had driven him to light a cigarette, and while stretching, he spotted Yuan in the far yard. He must have just finished hanging the laundry, as he was bouncing around, flinging clothes onto the high line.

As he exhaled smoke, Elson quietly approached. The sight of the hopping boy against the backdrop of the twilight yard was oddly endearing.

Elson dropped the stub of his half-finished cigarette and picked up a few damp clothes. As he draped them over the line, he felt a piercing gaze on him.

“…You shouldn’t hang them like that; they won’t dry.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Responding dismissively, Elson adjusted the clothes.

Time passed silently as they hung the laundry. When Elson finished his work, he reached out to pat Yuan’s shoulder, but he flinched, the boy shrank away.

He must have thought he was going to get hit.

Elson squatted down, embarrassingly bending his large frame to meet the boy’s eye level, and ruffled his messy hair and cheek with gentle affection.

“Good job.”

Turning back towards the dining hall, Elson felt Yuan’s gaze on him, tinged with a touch of confusion as he brushed his cheek.

A few days later, with the New Year, Yuan’s place of work changed.

He took on a role in the Dexter Mercenary Group’s office as a servant to the captain, though there wasn’t much work for him to do.

Elson had never kept any servants; insisting, “I don’t know how to read,” he shifted all the simple tasks onto Yuan, leaving him with little to do.

Yuan, worn out by hard labor, started to feel like he should be doing something but found that Elson didn’t give him any significant tasks.

So among the trivial tasks he did each day, the most important one was looking out for Elson’s meals.

At first, when Elson said, “Bring me something you want to eat,” Yuan timidly brought back a piece of bread. But then he heard, “Who am I supposed to feed with this? Get something richer.”

And they started to eat together.

“So what do you think I did? I couldn’t just kill him, so I threw his armor and sword into the latrine.”

“…The knight probably didn’t just stand by though, did he?”

“What could he do? I had already left Barnau. He couldn’t catch up unless he left the Knights Order. Hahaha.”

“…You’re reckless.”

Despite his capable, hulking frame, Elson, who didn’t look like he would flinch even if stabbed deeply with a sword, talked a lot.

He was a man who rambled purely for amusement.

Yuan learned that this was one of the foolish habits of commoners, yet he didn’t realize he was enjoying it and often chiming in as well.

Then one night, after leaving work early, Elson returned home drunk. Yuan, sleeping in the office, puzzled over what made him drink that night as he helped him.

“What happened?”

“Haha. Good news came in, really good news… hic.”

Elson plopped down on the Chesterfield.

This sofa had recently been bought by Elson with much thought, and it was still covered with the blanket and pillow he had just been sleeping on.

“My… nephew, hic. just got engaged… oh no, I’m going to pass out. Yuan, I’m sorry, but could you… bring me some water?”

“Yes. Just a moment.”

Leaving the rambling Elson to fetch water, Yuan hesitated, standing there blankly before returning to hand Elson a glass of water, a dagger hidden behind his back.

“Yuan.”

Elson, taking the water, stared straight at him.

Did he notice? If Elson, who had once been a squire, caught on, Yuan’s life would be forfeit.

Caught in taut tension, Yuan stayed silent. Elson hadn’t managed to acknowledge it, yet he pressed on.

“Would you… hic, consider being my son?”

“……Why?”

“I don’t know. Living without a wife to cook for me, hic, I’ve started to think it might be nice to have someone around who provides meals. You seem a bit… hic, like me.”

Gulp, gulp.

The water-drunk Elson collapsed onto the couch.

As his loud snoring began, Yuan raised the dagger high, then sighed and covered him with a blanket.

Though it was a deed no one knew about, that night Yuan held Elson’s hand against his own cheek. The warmth of his hand was painfully gentle.

Months later, having become Elson’s adopted son, Yuan moved his things to “Father’s” mansion.

As he passed the wall covered thickly with resentful inscriptions, he was guided by a servant throughout the mansion.

“This is the house my wife and I use. I’m usually not around, but if you need anything, just ask my wife. And over there is the warehouse. Would you like to take a look? …And here are the well and shower. Oh! Young Master, look at this. You probably haven’t seen this before.”

A washing machine. Behind the shower was a wooden washing machine.

“They say it’s very expensive, but the lord bought it last month for some reason. He’s never spent a coin in this mansion… I apologize. It’s strange that he finally decided to spend some money. My wife is very happy about it.”

“…Why? It’s a bit too difficult for women to operate this.”

“That’s exactly it. I’m now in charge of all the washing. Haha. Should we go over there? We used to have two horses in that stable, but the lord…”

Peaceful days continued thereafter.

It was a small but suitable home to be called a mansion. The owner treated him like a friend yet upheld proper standards, along with a kind-hearted lady. Economically prosperous, a family with a storied knightly lineage.

Here, Yuan found he didn’t have much to do. Elson, now a father, had no expectations of him. One day, he asked, to which Yuan responded,

“Do whatever you want.”

That night.

Waking in a huff from his sleep, Yuan quietly slipped outside. Being careful not to wake the servant, he retrieved a small wooden sword from the warehouse.

It was the wooden sword said to be used by Noel Dexter in his childhood. Yuan struck it against the wall, full of curses and resentment, and broke it.

Tossing aside the broken wooden sword, Yuan stood there, unsure of what to do, gazing up at the sky.

He dreamed.

A dream of returning to the vast mansion of the Count.

Yet his mother was nowhere to be found, and his father, dressed in splendid noble attire, looked… ridiculous, bearing Elson’s face.

“Ah… Aaaah!”

I can’t remember the faces of my mother and father. The hatred towards Noel Dexter faded under Elson’s goofy laughter, gradually growing dim.

I am a noble. A noble. I was a noble.

Yuan picked up the broken wooden sword. Trying to force the shattered wood back together, the cracks refused to disappear, just like he could never call Elson “Father.”

At least not in front of others.

– Thud thud.

Years passed since then.

Yuan spent his time either helping out the mercenary group or training in swordsmanship at home. One day, he opened the door and found…

“My name is Leo Dexter. I have come to meet my uncle.”

A young man resembling his father stood there. Yuan responded,

“I cannot turn away a young master, but please understand I cannot let a stranger into my home.”

He couldn’t send away someone resembling his father, nor could he allow Noel Dexter, whom he had never met, inside.

That was his true intention.