Two days had passed since Sir Volpen’s funeral.
The atmosphere during those days was anything but pleasant, even in polite terms, now that the man who had long ruled the family was gone.
As a husband, he had been reliable, he never delayed payment to the servants, and as the owner of a few slaves, he refrained from whipping them.
That man had passed away.
In the minds of many, he would be remembered as someone warmer than the title of knight might suggest.
This wasn’t the case for Keldric, but when asked if he was happy about it, the answer wasn’t a clear yes either.
Keldric acknowledged that Sir Volpen had fulfilled every role except that of a father.
However, to Keldric, Sir Volpen was his father, and that role could not be dismissed.
Whether others mourned or not, the two days after the funeral were just regular days for Keldric.
He rose early in the morning, went to the small prayer room to pray with Father Martin, ate a hearty breakfast, then packed a simple lunch and headed to the edge of the village.
At the outskirts of Carlton village, a well-trodden dirt road stretched far into the distance, winding its way through the landscape.
On the right was the threshold to a snow-covered forest.
It was there that Keldric trained his body daily, lifting logs or performing bodyweight exercises.
“Exercise is something I can’t skip.”
Even in his past life, he never missed a day at the gym after work.
Now, though there were no modern exercise machines, Keldric had been born with immense strength, and had come to enjoy exercising even without advanced equipment.
“Phew…”
White breath escaped from Keldric as he let out a sigh.
He wiped the sweat from his calloused hands and habitually raised his head to gaze at the towering mountain peaks.
Two sharp peaks loomed large, and with each breath of that cold, crisp air, his lungs felt deeply refreshed.
His body, fully warmed up, quickly cooled down in the chilly northern wind.
Keldric’s calm eyes turned toward the village.
A snow-covered mountain range stretched out, with about a hundred villagers living in clusters below.
Carlton village was a small place, like a frog looking out from inside a well.
But when one looked up at the mountain range…
“It’s vast.”
The world was vast—vast enough to contain such a giant mountain range.
Keldric wanted to venture out into that wide world.
Though an uncertain future awaited him at the end of it, Keldric thought it would be nothing more than a bit of amusement.
He stared at the tall mountains for a long while.
Beyond those mountains lay an unknown land.
From stories told by the occasional woodcutters who climbed halfway up, it was clear that no trace of civilization existed beyond those peaks.
But Keldric thought differently.
Even if the land beyond was an icy wilderness, perhaps a unique civilization existed farther afield.
“The Earth is round.”
Even if this wasn’t Earth, it was still likely a planet, and planets are round.
After staring at the mountains, Keldric’s gaze shifted back to the dirt road that stretched beyond the village’s outskirts.
The road crossed a snowy plain, continuing straight toward larger villages and eventually leading to the biggest nearby city, Bellam.
Peddlers who occasionally visited the village all traveled this road.
In a few days, it would be Keldric’s turn to walk this road as well.
He quietly etched the humble dirt path into his mind.
“Keldric, sir!”
Just as Keldric was about to put on his coat, a familiar voice called out to him.
Turning around, he saw Yakov running toward him, out of breath.
“Yakov?”
“Huff… huff…”
“Calm down. Take deep breaths; it’ll help.”
Keldric patiently waited until Yakov caught his breath.
Soon, Yakov finally spoke.
“I heard you’re leaving the village in a few days.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Have you already chosen a servant to accompany you?”
At this, Keldric understood Yakov’s true intention.
Yakov had been a servant to the family for as long as Keldric could remember.
To Yakov, who now bore deep wrinkles on his face, Keldric likely still appeared as a young boy.
It was undeniable that Yakov had played the role of a second father during Keldric’s childhood.
A servant who had been more of a father than his real one…
A faint, bitter smile crept across Keldric’s lips.
“Sir Keldric?”
“…No, I haven’t chosen anyone to accompany me.”
“Oh…”
Yakov sighed, a mix of emotions crossing his face.
“Will you not be taking a servant with you?”
Even as he asked, Yakov had already guessed Keldric’s answer.
Keldric wasn’t going to take any family servants with him.
If he had been planning to, he would have chosen one by now, with his departure just a few days away.
An inescapable feeling of disappointment and sadness washed over Yakov’s face.
Keldric gave a wry smile and nodded.
“Yes, I’m planning to go alone, without a servant.”
“…Understood.”
An awkward silence fell between them.
Yakov, wiping away his sweat and putting on his coat, spoke again.
“Since you’ve come looking for me, it seems it’s time to return to the manor.”
Judging by the position of the sun high in the sky, it was nearing lunchtime.
With only a few days left before leaving the estate, this would be one of Keldric’s last chances to share a meal with his family.
Keldric didn’t have much affection for the Velaf family, but family was still family.
In the fiercely competitive world of medieval society, especially as a noble, family ties were much closer than they appeared.
Though he would leave the estate in a few days, Keldric would still be acting under the name of the Velaf family, so there was no need to create unnecessary friction by avoiding shared meals.
“I should return to the manor. I’m getting hungry.”
“I will accompany you.”
Yakov, who had been wiping his brow, nodded but couldn’t hide the lingering bitterness from his face.
He then led the way back, and Keldric silently followed behind.
“Sir Keldric.”
“I’m listening.”
“My family is humble compared to yours, but we have served the Velaf family for three generations.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Yakov’s family had been servants to the Velaf family for generations.
His grandparents had served the family, and Yakov’s twelve-year-old son was set to carry on the tradition.
Despite being commoners, those who had served noble families for generations were afforded a certain level of respect.
Yakov was a man with considerable influence within the estate.
It could lead to pride, but only with humility and pride could such a long-standing family tradition continue.
Thus, Yakov truly held a deep loyalty to the Velaf family.
It also meant that Yakov felt an affection for Keldric akin to that of a father for his son.
“Now that you’ve grown into such an outstanding man, I couldn’t be prouder.”
“Yes.”
“Lord Hilmor has said he’ll be patrolling the hunting grounds soon, so I won’t be able to see you off personally. There’s much to prepare.”
“If you must attend to my eldest brother, so be it.”
“…It has been an honor serving you, Sir Keldric.”
Each word carried genuine sentiment.
Keldric noticed this as well and nodded heavily.
“…I understand.”
That marked the end of their close conversation, which had spanned 18 years.
Yakov occasionally shivered from the cold wind, while Keldric silently walked toward the manor.
The snow that had accumulated on the village’s fence had melted into icicles or formed puddles as it dripped down.
Winter was coming to a definitive end.
Even the snowstorms that had frequently occurred throughout the season would soon stop.
This was a sign that in this cold northern land, they could briefly enjoy a fleeting moment of warmth.
“Ah, Sir Keldric!”
A man with a rat-like appearance approached Keldric with a sly smile.
Having just finished exercising, Keldric turned his head, white steam rising from his clothes.
“Hm? You are…”
“Joseph from the Moramon Trading Company! Hehe… How have you been? It seems you’ve lost some weight since I last saw you.”
Joseph, a peddler from the Moramon Trading Company, rubbed his red, frostbitten hands together and bowed.
Behind Joseph were three or four carts pulled by mules, and standing around them were several mercenaries.
The mercenaries wore scowls, clearly displeased to have come to such a remote village, each of them holding dangerous-looking weapons.
‘Gambeson. Proper armor… Leather armor, shields, and swords.’
Most of them had fairly decent gear.
The gambeson was cheap but offered decent protection, and the leather armor was boiled in oil, making it so stiff that it was difficult to bend by hand.
Of course, Keldric could easily tear it apart without much effort.
Few of them carried swords—only about two had falchions, while the rest were armed with clubs or hastily made spears.
While they posed no threat to Keldric, their equipment was more than enough to intimidate the villagers.
There were ten of them in total.
As Keldric realized this, his brow furrowed slightly.
‘That’s a lot of people.’
It was unusual for Joseph, who usually traveled with only three or four men, to bring ten this time.
As Keldric stared intently at the mercenaries, he sent Yakov, who had been standing idly by, back to the manor.
“You should head back. I’ll have a quick chat and follow soon.”
“Understood. Shall I fetch Lord Fritz?”
Keldric’s gaze turned back to Joseph, staring straight at him.
Being stared down by Keldric, with his towering, muscular frame, Joseph instinctively shrank back.
‘Damn, he gets bigger every time I see him. Is he half-ogre or something?’
Despite these thoughts running through his head, Joseph maintained a smiling face—it was a basic skill for a merchant.
As Joseph nervously swallowed, Keldric continued to wonder.
‘Joseph is here already? It should still be difficult to travel outside.’
The northern region of the empire faced two periods each year when massive snowstorms blanketed the land, cutting off travel between the northern snowy plains and the empire’s interior, as if a boundary had been drawn.
The “Wall of Snow” and “The Eternal Frozen North” were not mere titles given without reason.
It was for this reason that Keldric had delayed his departure from the estate by about two weeks.
Naturally, merchants avoided traveling to the northern region during this period.
Yet Joseph was here now.
“Was your journey difficult?”
When Keldric voiced his reasonable suspicion, Joseph, sweating nervously, waved his hand dismissively.
“Oh, you have no idea! You know the mining town across the creek to the southwest? A rock troll has taken over the mines there, so, ugh… we had to take a long detour!”
Hearing Joseph’s explanation, Keldric understood why he had hired so many mercenaries this time.
A rock troll, a rock troll indeed.
“That must have been tough.”
“Tough doesn’t begin to describe it! If it weren’t for those damn rock trolls… Last time I barely avoided getting caught in a snowstorm because I misjudged the season, but this time, we were this close to getting trapped!”
“Be thankful you avoided the rock trolls. Negative thoughts will only bring negative outcomes.”
“Ah, wise words! I will take them to heart!”
Joseph had a tendency to exaggerate, and Keldric didn’t particularly enjoy listening to such flattery.
At that moment, as Keldric nodded slightly toward the obsequious Joseph, the bridge of his nose twitched briefly.
However, Joseph, busy grinning and rubbing his hands together, didn’t notice.
A subtle change, too slight for even a seasoned merchant’s sharp eye to catch.
“…Are you sure you really avoided the rock trolls?”
Keldric casually asked, his tone light.
Joseph, not sensing anything strange, simply nodded.
“Yes, of course! If we had encountered a rock troll, we wouldn’t have made it here in one piece. The carts would’ve been smashed to bits, and this old body of mine would’ve been destroyed along with them.”
“Then, that…”
“Yes?”
“…No, never mind.”
Joseph tilted his head in confusion at Keldric’s demeanor but soon returned to his usual grinning expression.
“I’ll go and start setting up. By the way, Lord Volpen—”
“Oh, you haven’t heard yet. My father passed away a few days ago.”
“What? Then, who is the current lord?”
“My eldest brother, of course. You’re asking the obvious.”
“Ah, haha. Of course! I suppose I should call him Lord Hilmor from now on!”
“Mm.”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Joseph said his goodbyes to Keldric and went off to begin his business.
As Joseph and his rowdy group of mercenaries disappeared from sight, Keldric continued to watch their retreating figures.
The bridge of his nose wrinkled slightly, twitching once more.
“…It’s definitely the smell of blood.”
His animal-like sense of smell had reached a conclusion.