Chapter 304
My Villains Episode 304
55. Marquis of Eavon(3)
The knights of the Golden Age guided Hayla and I to the cathedral. It turned out that the Marquis of Eavon and his associates were staying in the cathedral's inner room..
It is a bit unnatural for people who are not priests to stay in the depths of a cathedral. But old-fashioned rules cannot take precedence over power..
“Your Excellency is more faithful than most divine lords..”
One of the two knights wearing yellow surcoats opened his mouth as if defending his lord..
“You support numerous churches, monasteries, and clergy. This place, the sacred site of Gwangmyeong Bridge, is of course one of them..”
“okay.”
The cathedral we came across after climbing the stone steps looked quite different from usual..
Dozens of elite soldiers guarded the arched gate and low fence decorated with ring crosses..
«......eww ”
......*53
The Arriaga family's family soldiers covered their faces with chain drapes attached to their helmets (Aventail), leaving only their eyes exposed. It appears to be wearing high-quality chain armor and a plate chest armor..
They had long ax spears slung over their shoulders and were on guard in all directions. In addition, there were heavy crossbows leaning against the nearby wall, and they were even loaded so that they could be fired if necessary..
I could tell just by looking at their eyes that they were not only well-armed..
I have experienced quite a few battles so far, and now I can roughly tell whether the opponent is a proper warrior or a forcibly brought in just by looking at their eyes..
In that context, their eyes, that is, eyes that showed no color or movement at all, seemed to be the result of harsh training and mental education bordering on brainwashing..
It was not only soldiers who protected the cathedral..
After passing through the wall and reaching the main gate of the chapel with the icon engraved on it, two other knights from the Golden Age were guarding the place..
It may be a close escort, but entrusting the entrance security to a knight. If you become a marquis, will you be able to command such authority?.
At first glance, you might think this is a big deal, but using knights as guards is like appointing a lieutenant-level officer to a guard post. Although it is a similar example, it means that it deviates from common sense..
Even after entering the chapel, I encountered knights every time I passed through the corridors and hallways..
I met a total of eight knights before reaching the separate room where the Marquis' family was waiting, and I eventually decided to put aside common sense for a moment..
“Come quickly.”
In the heart of the cathedral, which seemed to have been taken over by an earthly army, the Marquis of Eavon and a man and a woman greeted us..
“I've heard stories about you all. “It’s nice to meet you here.” The Marquis sitting on the red chair held out his hand. The gesture of gently turning the outstretched hand and showing the back of the hand as if asking for a handshake is very natural..
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency the Marquis of Ea Bonn..”
When I said this while kissing the signet ring that looked like a mixture of gold and silver, the Marquis smiled and responded..
“Same goes for me. You can’t imagine how much I wanted to see you..”
Heyla then kissed his signet ring, and then the young woman sitting to the left of Marquis Eavon also extended her hand..
“Nice to meet you, Lord Phoenics. I also often heard stories about scriptures..”
“Nice to meet you too, lady..”
“……yes?”
As he kissed the back of her hand, the woman widened her eyes for a moment and then burst into laughter..
……What, why are you laughing all of a sudden??
The Marquis read my puzzled expression and joined in with a smile..
“It looks like Panabel's beauty made you miss the headkerchief..”
“••••••Uh, yeah?”
After staring blankly at the woman with blushing cheeks, I slapped my forehead..
“Oh my, you were a lady, not a lady. Excuse me.”
“I'm fine, Sir. But my jealous husband is worried..”
A woman named Panabel glanced at the Marquis with a mischievous expression..
……What is it, no way?
“Could it be that your wife… … As I trailed off, the Marquis shrugged his shoulders and said,.
“she's my wife.”
“Are you saying this is the Marchioness??”
“That's right.”
I looked at the marquis and the woman alternately with my mouth half-open..
The Marquis of Eavon looked to be in his late 50s or older at best, and Panabel looked to be in his mid 20s at most..
But, you two are a couple? Holy crap. This old man was an even worse thief than Baron Mallory.?
I was so dumbfounded that I was cursing under my breath, but I suddenly came to my senses when Heyla's hand patted my back..
“Well, I've done a great disservice to you and your wife..”
“There's nothing to worry about. It's also because the introduction was late..”
Then the Marquis pointed to the handsome-faced boy sitting to his right..
“This is my eldest grandson, Count Os. I became an adult two weeks ago.”
It was his grandson, not his son. Seeing that he was wearing the title of earl at such a young age, he appears to be the heir of the Marquis of Éavon.…….
“Greetings, * Khom* Greetings, Sir Phoenix. If Arya calls you Os of the family, no, you say Count Os..”
Just as I was about to reciprocate, the Marquis raised his hand and stopped me..
“Do it again. Don't stutter.”
“Yes, yep.”
The boy, shaking his shoulder slightly, coughed slightly to clear his throat and opened his mouth..
“Nice to meet you, Lord Phoenics. I'm going to Aria.”
“You called yourself wrong, Os..”
“Oh, yes, sorry.—”
“It's your reputation that's been hurt, so why are you apologizing to me?.”
“……yes. Sorry, no, I understand..”
Os, whose face turned pale, finished the greeting without mistake after several attempts. The boy count, who only sighs with relief after receiving my return gift, looks very pitiful..
……No, it's a pitiful piece of shit. It's a diamond spoon that surpasses a gold spoon, but I have to endure this much..
After a longer than expected greeting, I sat down on a chair and quickly glanced around the room..
The separate room attached to the chapel had white curtains draped on every wall. It was a badge embroidered with things like a ring cross or the sun..
Because the windows had been lined with wood to block the wind, the only lighting was the candle holders hanging in the corners, four candles on the center table, and a burning fireplace on one side..
The number of lights was not absolutely small, but because the room was so large, there were places where light could not reach. The darkness created makes me feel very cozy..
Naturally, the marquis's guards were also in the room..
There were several couches a little away from the central table, and four knights were sitting there watching them. Everyone is sitting in an uncomfortable position as if they are going to get up at any moment, so the soft couch covered in good leather seems like a waste..
There were two drivers guiding us near the fireplace. I'm pretending to search for fire with a poker, but I can clearly feel that all my senses are focused on this..
Also, behind the boy, Count Os, stood an old knight who appeared to be of similar age to the Marquis of Eavon..
Nogi Sa, whose menacing aura weighs down the surrounding air even without a ounce of magical power. At a glance, he looks like an old man who made a name for himself in his past..
But the person who caught my attention the most was not the seven knights, but Inyoung standing in the corner..
A monster about a hand taller than me, who is considered a half-giant, and is so slim that he has a body as dry as a tree branch..
He has the same body type, but his entire body is covered with a black cape and two swords, so he looks extremely suspicious..
“Ah, it looks like 'Raph' is worried..”
The Marquis noticed that my gaze was focused on the monster and continued speaking with a smile on his face..
“He's my favorite wizard. Even though he looks like that, he's a very gentle guy, so there's nothing to worry about..”
“……okay.”
A wizard with a body reminiscent of a water strider or a spider and the appearance of an assassin..
Why does it come to mind that a dog owner walks around with a fierce dog and says things like ‘our dog doesn’t bite’?.
My attention, which was briefly focused on the knights and monsters, soon became completely focused on the Marquis of Eavon..
“……So, I think it's very important to choose a nickname for yourself..”
“Why??”
“What do you think is the reason why Kyeong is given all kinds of rude nicknames? When introducing yourself, don't give yourself a nickname. If I had just chosen the one I liked best among the many nicknames, wouldn't the titles of noblemen have been unified??”
“Was it so??”
“then. You can see this by looking at examples from other articles..”
The Marquis took a sip of wine made from rowan berries and continued speaking..
“Sir Carl Liora, who is said to be the greatest knight of our time, did not choose a nickname for himself like you did. So what happened? He was given all sorts of mischievous nicknames, including ‘The King’s First Knight’, ‘Guardian Knight of Zeo Re’, ‘Sword Demon’, ‘The Wall Breaker’, ‘Requiem Sword’, ‘The Most Dangerous Man on Earth’, etc..”
“Well, I see. Is there also the opposite case??”
“of course. “Baron Geisel is the exact opposite.” “If Baron Geisel.”
“Do you know what he does when he introduces himself? This is how they do it.”
The Marquis covered the bottom of his nose with his index finger and let out a deep voice..
“This is Baron Geisel, the 'Thunderbolt Sword', His Majesty's first rider and head of the Free Fire family..”
Madame Panabel burst out laughing again at that ridiculous sound and scolded her husband while wiping away her tears..
“dismissal! Please don’t do that without Chae Shin-meori.!”
“You don’t have a hair cut? He is much better than Baron Geisel, who is almost 40 years old and uses nicknames such as Thunderbolt.!”
The Marquis of Eabon looked back at me with a grinning smile, just as Madame Panabel had said..
“So, act like Baron Geisel, who is embarrassed by the nicknames such as the bloody swordsman and the bloody beacon. I think a beheader or immortal would be appropriate..”
“Those two are a bit cringy too..”
“Instead, the story behind it is cool. A witch, a robber baron, and a knight who cut off a dragon’s head! … … No, looking at it like this, I just look like a fool..”
“But I have never cut off a dragon's head. I heard that the ones that fought in South Harbor were closer to snakes or centipedes than dragons..”
“Well, then an immortal would be better. Invulnerable to spears, rain of arrows, and even lightning - a knight who knows no death.!”
Several knights held their faces as if they could not stop the Marquis of Eabon from talking scornfully..
The old knight standing behind Osu also twitched his lips, looking like he wanted to say something to his lord..
“Looking at the expression on Sir’s face, I can tell without saying anything. It wouldn't look cool to talk about my achievements. Because that's important to young people..”
Regardless of what his subordinates said or not, the Marquis continued talking..
“Now let me give you some really realistic advice..”
“This is realistic advice. I'm really looking forward to it..”
“For real this time. From now on, you will call yourself ‘Guardian of the Holy Land.’” “Guardian of the Holy Land, you mean??”
“Isn’t it true? And, you need to consider your reputation..”
“……If it's my reputation?”
“He was a warlord who enjoyed blood, had a heart-devouring barbarian as his friend, and was known as the protector of the Fire Witch. Moreover, your master, the Third Prince, is affiliated with the Church of El Ganor... … Yeah, I'm going through a bit of a struggle..”
The Marquis leaned back against the backrest and continued to give advice..
“To put it simply, there are many aspects of your reputation that are not religious..”
«eww ,,
“I think recent events will help change this perspective. Be it slaying vampires and demons, or defeating undead armies and protecting sacred places..”
When I looked lost in thought, the Marquis of Eavon smiled and added,.
“And, if you're really embarrassed, there's a way to work around it a bit..”
“If you bypass it.”
“Kyung is already famous throughout the kingdom, so if you just name him, everyone will react in the same way! Calling you a bloody swordsman and the Red Knight of the Silver Prince..”
The Marquis tapped the table with his index finger..
“That's when I say this. If you want to call me by a nickname, please call me the Guardian of the Holy Land, not the Bloody Swordsman..”
Woo O ”
“If you say that and even smile with that handsome face of yours, it's perfect..”
The Marquis, who was giving a thumbs up, made eye contact with Hayla and made an expression that said, “Oops.”.
“Wow, the time and place were not right. I will give you more detailed advice on this later when we are alone together..”
The Marquis of Eavon was quite a pleasant talker, despite his status and age..
When I saw him sternly scolding his grandson in front of guests, I thought he was a bit of an old man, but he seemed to have a very good relationship with his subordinates. I was able to recognize it right away when I saw that the knights' eyes toward the marquis were full of respect and affection..
Madame Panabel laughed non-stop as the Marquis continued chatting for a while, and Os, who had been scolded, also smiled and munched on the duck meat that the servant had cut for him..
Hayla, who had been preoccupied with the alcohol brought in, listened to the Marquis' story with her ears pricked up..
Some time passed, and as darkness deepened, the Marquis sent his wife and grandson back to their home..
When I first saw him, I thought he was a pure thief, but when I saw the look the wife gave the Marquis as she left, my thoughts changed a little. If an old man is noble, wealthy, and even gentlemanly, wouldn't even a young woman be able to find him attractive??
“ruler.”
As I was thinking that, the Marquis, who was following behind his wife and grandson, turned his gaze and spoke to me..
“Now let's get to the point..”
he was still smiling.
However, the moment his wife and grandson left and the door to the separate room closed, his dark brown eyes took on a completely different light than before..
“……The main point, you mean??”
“That's right.”
Just the change in the Marquis' eyes completely changed the mood in the room..
The knights wiped their smiles, and the servants who were clearing the table also hurriedly retreated..
“Tell me. why are you here.”
“What do you mean by that?.”
“What do you mean? You ask why the concubines of Zaharkar and Baluin are here..”
At the completely unexpected question, I kept my mouth shut..
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