Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Leasis’ oldest memory was a single room in the orphanage. Even a small candle used to be a luxury at that time, there used to be a dreary smell of mold pricking the nose, a cold floor freezing the heart, and the director’s beating for no reason.

Every day used to be a pain. What had caught her eye then was a book abandoned on the floor of the orphanage.

[Catching up with the Wolf Knight… Ten minutes a day to become a knight!]

“Where is this?”

Her head was spinning. She felt dizzy and sick, and seemed to be injured somewhere. Her arms and legs, spread without strength, clung to the ground.

She had to get up. She breathed deeply and rubbed her eyes. After a moment of rest, she managed to pull herself up halfway.

But she was still dazed after that as if she had not woken up. She slapped her cheeks hard with her palms. Leasis came to her senses and tried to find the other two, but it was hard in the dark.

She tried to force herself up, but a strong pain rose from her toes. She seemed to have broken some bones in the aftermath of the shock.

She held the ground, supporting her throbbing ankle. She caught a girl’s slender wrists.

“Oh… it hurts.”

“Owen! Are you all right?”

“Uh-huh…”

Leasis sighed with relief. She crawled on the ground to find Jason.

At that time, a strict voice spread through the darkness.

“Tsk. I can’t believe he fainted like this. This knight is so weak.”

Huff. She breathed heavily at the unusual energy. The pressure felt in the dark made her flesh sting. It was the same as what she had felt when she had first met Hizen.

A person’s name came to her mind. It was the name Jason said on the way in the carriage.

Ramashter de Oles. He was the former Commander of the Imperial Elite Knights, the owner of the mansion, and Hizen’s mentor.

“…Ramashter-nim?”

“Hahaha. Good job getting here.”

It was a loud voice. At that moment, the surroundings became clear and bright. Leasis opened her mouth in admiration.

The man who appeared before her was an old man with gray hair. He closed his eyes like a blind man. But it was unusual: the old man looked as brave as a wild wolf. He was as tall as Hizen, and he had a magnificent frame.

What stood out the most was his outfit. He was dressed in a very old training suit. It was like the black training suit worn by the Imperial Elite Knights at dawn when climbing mountains.

The rats on her shoulders rushed to Ramashter. A hand the size of a pot stroked the rats’ heads. They squeaked and liked it.

“These guys really like you.”

Leasis smiled brightly at his words. She gladly bowed down to her waist from where she was sitting.

“Hello, Ramashter-nim. I’m from the Imperial Palace!”

Ramashter grinned at the voice full of spirit. He strode toward her.

“You hurt yourself. Tell me where you are uncomfortable.”

“I’m okay. Before that, Owen first… Is there any medecine in the mansion?”

“We don’t need medecine.”

Ramashter approached Owen, who had fallen next to him. He put his hand on her little head. His hand was so big that it covered half of her face.

A faint light escaped from his fingertips. Leasis’ eyes sparkled at the mysterious sight. She had read about the existence of paladins in a book. They were able to use healing magic while carrying a sword and serving God.

“Wow. Was Ramashter-nim a paladin?”

“Don’t put me with those nerds. I’m just… a magic swordsman.”

It sounded somewhat unpleasant. Her red eyes blinked with wonder.

“A magic swordsman?”

“Yes.”

Affirmative, Ramashter smiled bitterly. He did not believe in the Emperor and himself, let alone God. This magic was the only magic he forced himself to learn to save his colleagues.

But this was not much help either. The number of colleagues who he had to bury had more than three digits.

This. Leasis held hands as if praying. She looked at him with sparkling eyes.

“You’re a great magic swordsman! It was just like the Wolf Knight-nim’s skill.”

“It’s like the Wolf Knight’s skill, because I’m the Wolf Knight.”

“Wow!”

The basement resounded with the cheers of Leasis. It was an unexpected response, so Ramashter slightly faltered.

He removed his hand from Owen and coughed. It had been a long time since he had talked to people, and her reaction was a little embarrassing.

“Hmm. Is it that amazing?”

“Of course! The first book I’ve ever read was of Wolf Knight-nim!”

“What? You have my book?”

“Of course! Catch up with the Wolf Knight! You can be a knight, too! Even beginners can be knights with 10 minutes a day!”

Leasis said, waving both hands in the air. However, the impression was distorted by the poor title and content.

She walked a little and grabbed the loose end of his uniform. Surprised, Ramaschter freaked out and immediately stepped back. His appearance was similar to that of Hizen when he had faced Leasis.

“What are you doing!”

“Ramashter-nim, no. Wolf Knight-nim! Please teach me healing magic.”

A retired knight, and an old man who could not see anything, could not teach her. Bewildered, Ramashter hardened.

She added words in a brazen voice.

It was the same as when she was dealing with Hizen.

“I’m going to join the Imperial Elite Knight soon!”

“The imperial Elite Knight?”

“Yes. When I’m on a mission with my colleagues, I think it would be nice to be able to use great healing magic like Wolf Knight-nim!”

“What? Are you an aspiring knight?”

“No, I’m a maid now!”

“What?”

That was ridiculous. He could not believe a maid wanted to learn magic. Embarrassed, Ramashter closed his mouth.

“Please.”

“Kid, magic doesn’t mean you can use it however you want.”

“But…”

The active figure reminded him of his old disciple. Ramashter explained the reason for his refusal in a friendly manner. He said that becoming a wizard required not only hard work, but also natural talent.

“…It can’t be helped then.”

Leasis tried to understand. But even if she could grasp the problem with her head, she did not feel good. Her trembling voice expressed regret.

With a weakened heart, Ramashter stroked Leasis’ head. A bright light came down on her red hair.

It was a warm and cozy feeling. Leasis opened her eyes wide. The first healing magic she had ever felt was heterogeneous, but she felt good. A bright laugh spread through the basement. Ramashter, who smiled warmly, said politely.

“You had a hard time getting here. Leave the luggage here and go back.”

The rats moved on the floor, and the basement became brighter. Leasis did not follow his words. She lifted up her lighter body and approached Ramashter.

Ramashter’s hand was a mess. It had slight cuts that looked like he had been doing something else. She could feel the faint scent of flowers in the basement.

“Ramashter-nim, were you making flower arrangements or flower crowns?”

“You’ve noticed.”

Ramashter hid his hand behind his back a little embarrassingly. He said with a false cough.

“Today is the birthday of my late wife. My wife said she wanted to get a flower crown made of her own flowers.”

“Oh, your wife was the one who took care of the flower garden.”

“Yes. After the death of my wife, these guys took care of the flower garden, but making the flower crown is a problem.”

Leasis looked sad. The reason why the flower crown was a problem was that Ramashter could not see with his eyes. He murmured in a bitter voice.

“I failed every time. I’ve never done anything other than holding a sword. Blindness plays a part, but…”

He fiddled around his eyes with his injured hand. Leasis, worried, asked carefully.

“Can I help you?”

“Hmm? You?”

“Yes. The Duchess, from the Duchy where I used to work, liked flower arrangements, so I helped her and often made flower crowns. If I help you, you’ll be able to make a nice flower crown soon.”

He appreciated it, but he could not accept it easily. Ramashter’s only friend was solitude, and he was unfamiliar with the goodwill and help of others, ever since he was left alone in the mansion.

While he was hesitating, Leasis wiped her hands clean on her apron. She strode up to the iron door of the basement.

“Let’s go together. It’s a reward for allowing me to see such beautiful flowers.”

She smiled at Ramashter. She did it even though she knew he would not see it.

*

Sitting on a wooden table, Leasis worked hard to make the flower crown. Her hands were constantly moving. There seemed to be some force coming from the end of her long, thin fingers.

It did not take a long time to trim the thorns and leaves of the flowers and shape the flower crown with elaborate touches.

Ramashter, with his eyes closed, was deeply impressed. Just by listening to it, the sharp scissors were making unusual sounds.

“That’s great. It’s like you’re performing some kind of trick.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

Her cheeks were finely colored. She did it for granted at the Duke’s mansion, but she felt good to be praised. When she had first touched flowers, she used to be stabbed by the thorns and the condition of her hands was no joke. She was even prouder because she had a good result after a lot of efforts.

With a happy smile, she agonized over the colorful flowers on the table. She was worried about which flower to choose as the main decoration.

“Ramashter-nim. What kind of flowers did your wife like the most?”

“White roses.”

“Wow. She really liked pretty flowers. Is that why there are so many white roses in the mansion?”

“That’s right. But my wife was much prettier.”

Ramashter, recalling his wife, smiled pleasedly. She chose five white roses with exceptionally large petals.

While weaving the white roses and making the flower crown, she looked around. On the big terrace was only a wooden table, a small mug on it, and tools to make flower crowns. She looked at it again after rubbing her eyes, but there was nothing related to swords.

Ramashter quickly noticed her question. He said, fiddling with the petals on the table.

“I also once had the dream of becoming a knight protecting his colleagues like you. Now I’m a terrible old man who can’t even see an step ahead…”

“No.”

Leasis denied, tying a knot in the petals. The surprisingly firm voice made him pause for a moment. She spoke from the bottom of her heart.

“You’re really great, Ramashter-nim. Actually, I was surprised when I took out Ramashter-nim’s sword on the way here.”

“You took the sword out?”

“I’m sorry I did it without permission. It felt like the sword was calling me…”

Fortunately, Ramashter did not get angry. She was encouraged to speak her mind.

“I was so surprised. The blade wasn’t worn out at all, and it was even sharper than the swords of the Imperial Elite Knights that I saw while cleaning.”

It was obvious that the handle of the sword was worn out from the past decades. Nevertheless, the sword still had a beautiful figure. She could feel the sincerity of its owner who cared deeply about his sword.

“The mere presence of a knight like Ramashter-nim would serve as a model for many knights. If I were a knight… I would never forget the glorious day I met Ramashter-nim, like today.”

Leasis, who said so, scratched her red face.

“Of course, I won’t forget today even if I’m a maid and not a knight.”

“You… sound a lot like my student.”

Ramashter’s slightly opened gray eyes were full of longing. Now he could not see anything, but he clearly remembered his lovely student. She was a red-haired girl who was always full of energy.

Leasis had no way of knowing who his disciples were. She asked in a curious voice.

“Are you talking about Count Dratius-nim?”

“Huhu. I had two students. Hizen was my second student. He was terrible compared to the first one.”

She could not believe the war hero Hizen was terrible. What kind of great person was the first disciple? When Leasis remained silent, he asked surprisedly.

“Do you know Hizen?”

It was nice to talk about someone she knew, and she was glad that Hizen’s name kept coming out. She answered bravely.

“Yes, I’m working as a maid for Hizen-nim’s Imperial Elite Knights.”

“A maid of the Imperial Knights… What’s your name?”

“Leasis.”

“What? Leasis?”

Surprised, Ramashter asked back loudly. Leasis was even more surprised by his reaction.

“What’s wrong?”

“Leasis… You must be having a hard time.”

Ramashter, with his arms folded, looked somewhat awkward. He shook his head and said, as if it were nothing.

“No… Phew. Now that the flower crown is ready, I’m going to go see my wife. It’s late, so you should go back with the other two.”

“Well, excuse me, but… Can I come with you?”

Leasis fiddled with the beautifully decorated flower crown. The white roses were exceptionally beautiful. They looked warm and friendly.

She had seen many beautiful flowers, but it was the first time they made her feel affectionate.

“I’d like to thank her myself for allowing me to see such pretty flowers.”