Chapter 12 - Recipe (2)

Silveryn took me to the warehouse.

There were many of her personal items there. Clothes and shoes of unique styles from unknown origins. Furniture of various shapes. Old magic wands.

In one corner of a display cabinet, there were dozens of trophies and medals. There were so many that some trophies were stacked on top of each other like plates and left unattended.

Looking at the emblems engraved on the trophies, they were from all over the world—the Empire, the Principality, Magic Societies, Knight Orders, and Guilds. What kind of life had Silveryn lived?

The warehouse held Silveryn's past. An incredible past.

I didn't know Silveryn's exact age. All I could tell from her appearance was that she was very young. At most, she might be in her mid-twenties.

Is it possible to achieve such accomplishments at such a young age?

Could she be suppressing aging through alchemy with an old woman inside?

Silveryn called me as I was lost in thought, looking around.

"Come here."

She was holding a sword in a leather scabbard and stood still with her back to me.

As I approached her, she slowly turned around. Then she handed me the sword.

"Take it."

I took the sword and examined it. Simple and plain decorations. It was a one-handed sword and quite light, easy to hold and swing.

Looking at the scabbard and handle, there were traces of long use.

"Did someone use this?"

"Yes. But now it's a sword without an owner."

"Who was the previous owner?"

"My brother."

"..."

"It's yours now."

I stared quietly into Silveryn's eyes. Her expression was indifferent.

Then, this was her brother's memento. Was it okay for me to use something like this?

Silveryn spoke as if reading my thoughts, "It was something to be thrown away. Don't cherish it, just swing it until it breaks."

Silveryn didn't seem to want to burden me, but I felt like I shouldn't use it carelessly.

How could I treat such a sword recklessly?

Silveryn put on a gray robe and left through the entrance. In front of the mansion, a servant was waiting with a horse.

I had hoped otherwise, but there was only one horse. This meant I had to ride the horse while being held by Silveryn.

Silveryn gestured to me.

"Get on first."

"..."

My goal was to acquire skills that wouldn't be laughed at in the academy. It seemed I might need to learn horseback riding before swordsmanship.

As I mounted the horse, Silveryn got on behind me.

She said to the servant, "Tell everyone to stop all outside activities today and stay within the mansion's barrier."

"Understood, Miss."

She gripped the reins and shook them, and the horse started running.

We quickly left the mansion grounds. After riding for about thirty minutes, we began to see the village. We dismounted when we were near the outskirts of the village. This was my first time seeing a village in this area.

As we passed the entrance of the village, there were too many people to ride on horseback, and the roads were bustling with merchants.

I had expected the size of a small hamlet, but the village was much larger than anticipated. It was at a stage where it was gradually taking on the appearance of a small town.

We led the horse along the road leading to the center of the village. Peddlers with bundles and villagers glanced at Silveryn and whispered.

It didn't seem like they recognized her as a mage. The reason people's attention was drawn was because of her unusual appearance.

Her height far exceeded the average of the village women, and her strikingly refined features and white skin made her stand out even from a distance.

Because Silveryn drew so much attention, I seemed to be viewed merely as a servant following a noble young lady.

I looked at Silveryn's face. Despite capturing the gaze of men at a glance, she didn't seem to be conscious of it at all.

Silveryn's gaze was fixed on one place.

Dozens of knights were in the center of the village. Only the lord could command such a number of knights.

It seemed the lord had also organized a subjugation team and sent them here upon hearing of the ghoul's appearance.

Silveryn moved towards those knights.

As we approached them, the knights' gazes also fixed on Silveryn.

One knight on horseback drew his sword, pointed it at Silveryn, and said, "Who are you? State your identity and affiliation."

Suddenly, someone shouted from a distance, "Insolence! What are you doing?"

Everyone's gaze turned in that direction. There was a knight with a graying beard, standing straight. He was the commander of the knights.

The commander immediately stopped his subordinate and dismounted. Then he approached her with confident steps and knelt on one knee.

"I am honored to meet you, Archmage Silveryn."

Silveryn extended her hand towards him.

"It's been a long time, Popper."

Popper kissed the back of Silveryn's hand, showing respect.

"I apologize on behalf of my subordinate's rudeness."

"Think nothing of it."

Upon hearing Silveryn's name, all the knights dismounted at once, knelt on one knee, and bowed their heads.

What's going on?

I was probably the most surprised person among them. I was dumbfounded seeing the knights' behavior. The knights were also nobles, so the fact that they were so deferential to Silveryn felt somewhat strange.

This was largely due to Silveryn treating me too casually. Archmage? Was Silveryn such a high-ranking person...?

"Please rise. I'd like to leisurely exchange greetings, but given the urgent situation, we don't have the luxury for that."

As the commander stood up, the rest of the knights followed suit.

Silveryn pointed at me and said, "Ah, this is my disciple."

Commander Popper looked at me with an expression full of questions.

Then, all the knights' gazes turned to me at once.

I greeted the knights according to etiquette. I never imagined that the etiquette I learned at Loreil Hall would be so helpful.

"I'm Damian. I've come with my teacher to be of some help in the ghoul subjugation."

It's burdensome. Aren't these people also nobles? 

The mention of being Silveryn's disciple made everyone focus their attention on me. They stared so intently that cold sweat ran down my back.

Popper said, "Given the Archmage's eye for talent, can we expect much?"

Expect? I'm just an insignificant teenage boy.

Then Silveryn replied, "Haha. He doesn't know how to do anything yet, so don't expect too much. I brought him to learn by watching the seniors' activities."

"Judging by his age, he seems to be about the same age as our youngest. We brought our youngest to give him some experience, too, but he's already causing trouble before we even start, tsk tsk..."

Popper turned his gaze to the knight who had first been wary of Silveryn and pointed his sword at her. He had the youngest-looking face among the group of knights. His face was stiff, seemingly very nervous.

That young knight approached Silveryn and knelt.

"My name is Joyce Carroll. I sincerely apologize for my rudeness."

"It's alright. You were acting according to regulations. Stand up."

As Joyce stood up awkwardly, Popper patted his shoulder and said, "This lad is preparing with the goal of entering the academy next year. Though young, he's intelligent and excellent in swordsmanship. This subjugation mission will be a great experience for him."

My ears perked up at the mention of the academy.

That means he could be my classmate.

"Then he's the same age as Damian. I've also sent a recommendation letter to the academy in this child's name. They might become classmates in the future."

At the mention of an academy recommendation letter, Joyce and I briefly made eye contact.

Joyce looked me up and down as if sizing me up. It didn't feel very good. There also seemed to be a hint of jealousy at the mention of a recommendation letter.

Popper said, "There must be a lot to talk about regarding your disciple. Let's put that aside for now and talk about the ghoul situation first."

The conversation immediately shifted to the topic of the ghoul.

"Very well. Have you located the ghoul?"

Popper stroked his chin beard and said, "Hmm, not yet. We've sent scouts to the windmill area in the southwest and the potato field in the east. We're focusing our investigation on the potato field area as the soft ground and few rocks make it a good place for ghouls to dig burrows."

A subordinate quietly approached and unfolded a map to show Silveryn. How considerate.

"Then, since we have some time until the scouts return, may I examine the place where the ghoul first attacked?"

"Of course. I'll guide you there."

Popper took two knights with him and guided us.

After walking for about ten minutes following him, we arrived at a small terracotta house.

Two knights were standing guard in front of the house's door and saluted when they saw us.

This house was located in the center of the village. It was puzzling how it had gone unnoticed on the way here, given the limited routes.

As Popper opened the door of the house, the smell of blood hit even me standing at the back. I covered my nose.

"Ugh."

As we entered the house, we were greeted by the corpse of an old woman.

"This was a house where a grandmother and granddaughter lived. It seemed the ghoul broke through the window and attacked."

Grandmother and granddaughter. I remembered the blood-covered girl brought to Silveryn's house. Could that be the granddaughter?

If so, that child might have lost her only blood relative and had become an orphan. It felt too close to home, and my heart grew heavy.

Silveryn said, "It seems the ghoul escaped."

"That's right. When the villagers heard the screams and rushed over, it fled."

"Didn't you pursue it?"

"We did, but it was so elusive that it disappeared in an instant."

"It might still be hiding in the center of the village. We need to find it quickly before it rejoins its group."

The image of a swarm of ghouls flashed through my mind.

Popper said, "We'll search the village immediately. Hmm, it would be a big problem if the escaped one brings back its group."

Popper's face turned serious.

Soon after, he issued an assembly order to his subordinates.