NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5 - Episode 5: Slip of the Tongue
Episode 5: Slip of the Tongue
“You…! Knight Commander Vandière provided the medicine!”
“What!? That damn Knight Commander did that… Wait, Knight Commander Vandière!?”
Seems like he’s quite drunk; as he enters, he staggers, struggling to maintain his balance, and looks at us with surprise while arguing back against his wife’s voice.
“You’re drinking while neglecting your sick wife and young child. It’s quite a privileged life you have. Don’t you think it’s strange that you have money for alcohol but not for your wife’s medicine?”
“Well, this is our family matter, so it’s nothing for someone like Knight Commander Vandière to worry about. Don’t concern yourself with us, please leave.”
Though he looks down on me, the man laughs and tries to usher me out. But if I leave now, I can’t shake the feeling that the children and their mother will suffer.
“All right, understood. But before that, let’s have a little chat.”
I intended to smile gently, but it seems my villainous smile was rather terrifying; the man’s face contorted in response. Odd. He has a villain’s face, yet he should be quite handsome.
“Big brother… are you taking daddy away?”
“I’m just going to have a little talk. Well… I might have to give him a little smack to get rid of the bad bug in him, but don’t worry, I won’t hurt him badly.”
“Okay!”
After patting her head, Chloe nodded with relief. I approached her father, still holding his arm, and led him outside.
“What do you think you’re doing? Aren’t your family important to you?”
“Heh, someone like me, who’s nothing but a troublemaker, is better off not being at home!”
“A troublemaker?”
“Yeah, I used to be a craftsman, but I couldn’t work properly due to injuries suffered during military service. After seeing how my wife got sick from overworking, I couldn’t bear it and had to drown my sorrows in alcohol!”
Seems like he’s just disillusioned; he’s not such a bad person after all. The problem lies in the lack of compensation for the injuries he sustained during military service.
“Hmm… I can’t do it right away, but I’ll suggest to the lord to provide relief measures for those who suffer from injuries due to military service. Even if you can’t use your hands, you can still use your feet, right? It would be good to have a place that offers jobs suitable for those with injuries. …For now, you don’t have to repay the medicine for the children, but if you don’t treat your wife and children well, you’ll regret it. I’ll come by to check on you someday.”
“Y-Yes.”
When I mentioned relief measures, a glimmer of hope appeared in the man’s eyes. Indeed, a sense of purpose is necessary to live on. I should probably arrange a meeting with the lord when I return.
Perhaps due to my firm grip on his arm or my stern gaze, the man’s drunkenness seemed to have completely disappeared. I let go of his arm, leaving him slumped, and returned to the barracks.
Heading to the knights’ office, I called out to the clerk, who visibly jumped. Previously, I had been harsh on him for his overly timid attitude, so perhaps he expected me to be even harsher now.
“Tell the Margrave I want to meet him. Say I found some issues during my visit to the town.”
“Y-Yes.”
The clerk responded and hurriedly began writing an application. If there were any previous matters, I would have barged into the Margrave’s office without hesitation, so he might be surprised when I submit a meeting request like this.
…I’m quite disliked, aren’t I? It wouldn’t be surprising if I were regarded as a pest bothering an unwilling daughter, especially considering how I used my position to pressure others regarding territorial defense.
Let’s refocus and go see the subordinates’ training. Even if I’m not swinging a sword today, I can still provide guidance. I believe Cassius, who just became a knight from a squire, should be there today.
Cassius has a personality similar to his younger brother’s, right? Come to think of it, they’re both 18 years old. While I’ve taught the older brothers all the household chores, I’m worried if they can handle everything properly in my absence.
As I arrived at the training ground, I heard the clashing of swords wielded by knights and the thuds of wooden swords used by squires and below. The Third Knights still exuded a tough atmosphere as always.
It’s probably because of all the remarks from the members of the First and Second Knight Orders about being a ragtag group or having no quality that they feel inferior.
Even though we’re clearly winning in terms of strength alone, I don’t think there’s any need to feel inferior. Maybe it’s just my noble perspective, or perhaps it’s because most of them come from commoner backgrounds.
Since coming to this Margrave territory, we’ve been hunting monsters daily, and I feel like overall, everyone’s skills have improved. There are more individuals who have crossed the line of progress, a common occurrence during skill advancement, which makes them more prone to injuries due to changes in body movements.
“Whoa!”
“Are you okay!?”
When I looked towards the source of those words, I saw Cassius bleeding from his arm. It seems even though the blade was crushed, it still managed to cut through, leaving a deep gash across his forearm from elbow to wrist.
He was holding the limp arm with little strength, trying to stem the bleeding, but blood kept dripping. While everyone around us froze in shock, I instinctively rushed over.
“Hey! Get a healer immediately! Cassius, keep your arm elevated!”
“Ouch… it’s not a big deal, so I’ll be fine.”
For the time being, I tried to elevate the wound above the heart and use a handkerchief to apply pressure and stop the bleeding. However, Cassius resisted my attempts.
“Just listen to what your big brother says!”
Realizing I had accidentally made a slip of the tongue by associating him as my younger brother, the training ground fell silent as if frozen solid.