As the eldest son of the Sigriwell family, renowned as the “Silver,” and the heir to a noble lineage of righteous defenders,
whether it was the selection for the Holy Sword of Justice bearer or the crowning appointment of the Knight’s Hall Honor Medal,
Norsen had always sailed through with ease.
It was as if this world was made just for him,
the best and most perfect things were naturally meant for his enjoyment alone.
Norsen’s interest in Lorltissa was not born from admiration or love,
but purely because the Kingdom’s strongest Commander of Soldiers commanded respect with her formidable strength.
Imagine—if one were to bear offspring with such a gifted woman,
how powerful those descendants would be.
Surely, the Sigriwell family would once again produce heroes standing atop the nation, becoming a great symbol worthy of all reverence and worship.
Yet now, standing near the most suitable vessel for breeding was a man who should not be there.
And they seemed to have some sort of acquaintance.
“—Hey, who’s that bastard?”
Norsen waved his hand, and his adjutant immediately approached like a little puppy.
“Reporting, young master, I asked the guarding soldiers just now. It seems he’s a mercenary brought back yesterday by Commander Lorltissa during an external patrol.”
Norsen’s mouth twisted into a sneer at once.
He had thought it was someone of significance, but it turned out to be a picked-up stray dog.
As a noble, Norsen was highly fastidious,
he had long assumed anything was his property and would never allow others to taint it.
Not to mention being physically soiled, even having a lower-class scoundrel’s dirty gaze linger on it was enough to disgust him.
He raised his hand to dismiss his adjutant and strode toward the gates of the Advance Guard Battalion’s camp.
“Lady Lorltissa, so you’re here.”
The young female Commander of Soldiers barely turned her head, giving only the minimum attention required.
The noble knight youth standing before her—his appearance, voice, posture, mannerisms, expressions, and speech—all exuded a level of refinement surpassing ordinary men,
combined with an excellent character and family background, earning him an impeccable reputation and prestige even among knights.
Even Vees felt a twinge of illusion, as if the person before him was a prince plucked straight from a fairy tale, too perfect to be real.
If he weren’t secretly involved in some shady business, such a character with maxed-out stats and attributes would simply be unbalanced.
Norsen slightly raised his eyes.
Though he didn’t receive the barest acknowledgment for his greeting, he was not embarrassed and still smiled politely, deliberately softening his tone with a hint of apology:
“I didn’t expect you to be in the middle of a discussion, my apologies for the intrusion. If you don’t mind, I’ll wait and come back later.”
Lorltissa said nothing, making it impossible to discern her attitude.
But Vees was no fool when it came to reading the atmosphere.
The other was obviously a knight within the military,
and judging by the commanding presence of his attire and the emblem on his shoulder, his rank surely wasn’t low.
If he had come for an urgent matter and delaying Lorltissa’s business because of him was to be avoided.
“Ah, sorry, my matter isn’t that important. If you two have urgent military affairs, please discuss first—I’ll just step aside.”
Vees forced a nervous smile and raised a hand to leave.
In truth, there was also the matter of the glaring contrast in their aesthetics, making him reluctant to stand beside such a person.
Like having your barely passing test paper next to a top student’s perfect score—it was bound to be uncomfortable.
Hmph, smart of you to know when to tuck your tail and leave. Norsen shifted his gaze away, pressing down an urging look as he observed the rather ordinary mercenary.
Before Vees could move away, Lorltissa spoke:
“You, don’t leave.”
Calling Vees back, she begrudgingly turned her face a little more toward the noble knight,
her emerald eyes slanting coldly as she asked,
“If you have something to say, just say it, Norsen.”
Norsen swallowed the twitch of dissatisfaction at her tone and maintained his smile:
“It’s like this. During the combat meeting earlier, I was quite concerned about the Devouring Lord of Souls you mentioned as a Disaster Source. I came over specifically to learn more about what happened to you last night during the skirmish… Also, may I ask who this is?”
The knight’s deep blue eyes shifted, directing their long-held attention to look down at Vees.
Beneath the superficially friendly gaze, there was a faint trace of caution.
After all, as an outsider and a mercenary, such a reaction was normal; Vees understood this well.
“Unaffiliated mercenary, Vees. Yesterday, I was attacked by the Devouring Lord of Souls in Static Sun Town. Fortunately, Commander Lorltissa saved me and brought me back to the camp for treatment. Sorry for causing trouble to your forces.”
His tone was respectful, lacking the usual roughness of mercenaries, almost refined.
Norsen raised an eyebrow in surprise:
“Oh? So, you are a survivor of the Devouring Lord of Souls’ grasp? To dare venture into Static Sun Town, already covered by the Cursed Tide—that’s not something an ordinary mercenary could do…
Perfect timing. Regarding the Disaster Source Cursed Tide issue, may I ask you to share more? Could you describe the situation in detail?”
“Hmm. Norsen—may I address you that way?”
“No need for formalities. A brave man need not be so reserved.”
Hearing the noble knight’s response, the distance seemed to shrink considerably.
Like Lorltissa, though a person of status, his attitude was very approachable.
(Perhaps this is just how the Kingdom’s military culture is? Quite rare in this world, indeed.)
Comparing with experiences inside the Imperial Territory, whether firsthand or witnessed, Vees felt this deeply.
“Well then, Norsen, since you mentioned the combat meeting earlier, I suppose Commander Lorltissa has already outlined the situation. I’ll just add some details—”
There was nothing to hide.
They had come to Static Sun Town on a commission, and encountering the Devouring Lord of Souls was purely accidental. Vees recounted everything he saw upon entering the town and the ensuing attack, detailing it all.
Of course, he glossed over the “Prayer” part—after all, his survival wasn’t due to that.
“…I see. So that’s why Mr. Vees stayed behind injured. Understood.”
Norsen nodded thoughtfully,
but his suspicious gaze secretly flicked toward Lorltissa.
This mercenary named Vees was clearly the first eyewitness to the Cursed Tide Disaster Source.
Yet in the report at the combat meeting, Lorltissa hadn’t mentioned him at all.
Was this not a case of concealing an important clue?
It was hard to imagine the famously meticulous, upright, and dutiful Commander of Soldiers of the Advance Guard Battalion behaving this way.
However, Norsen concealed his private musings, maintaining his usual expression and displaying an air of easily accepting the situation as natural.