Chapter 321
My Villains Episode 321
57. Preface(2)
The palace of the Marquis of Eavon was quite spacious and luxurious, as its name ‘palace’ suggested. A high, thick wall served as a fortress, and in the middle of the four buildings facing each other from a distance, there was a small forest and a wide courtyard..
I followed the servant, whose expression was unreadable, across the courtyard. Along the way, I saw trees covered with dry leaves, a peaceful forest..
Beep-
A sparrow with all black feathers jumped out of a small nest perched on a thick branch. The bird, which cried for a moment, made eye contact with me as if it had noticed the gaze being directed at it. And then it flew away somewhere..
Below, a squirrel with its cheeks puffed out was busy running somewhere. It's still winter. Where did they get food?.
Contrary to the common sense I had accumulated while living as Seungsu Kim, the forest was not a very peaceful place in this world. This is because wild beasts, thieves, and all kinds of monsters lurk under the lush leaves and branches..
However, there was no way goblins or murderers were hiding in the forest in the middle of the palace. In short, it is a safe forest where you can walk unarmed, which is extremely rare in this world..
The servant who was walking ahead of me must have noticed that I was impressed by the forest, so he suddenly opened his mouth..
“The Marquis loves this forest very much. Be sure to take a walk at least once or twice a week..”
“......is it so?”
“However, as if they feel that the size is a little insufficient, they have been trying to expand the forest for a few years now. The streets of the wealthy village north of the wall are being emptied, and that's because of the forest..”
“If you empty the streets.”
“Of course, we are not forcing them out. Persuade them by giving them enough money..”
“Hmm.” The owner of the city asks you to vacate the building, but can that really not be coercive??
I looked back at the forest with a bitter smile on my face..
It seemed like a peaceful place just a moment ago.…….
Now it seemed to be something that symbolized the power and will of an old powerful man..
“Welcome, Lord Phoenix..”
Wearing a silk tunic and a housecoat
The Marquis welcomed me into a large room..
The large space covered with marble was filled with all kinds of objects, and dozens of paintings were hanging on the walls in all four directions..
“dismissal. This is……
“It's an exhibition room. It is a place containing the history of the Ariaga family..”
It feels more like a museum than an exhibition room... … . Yeah, whatever. That or that.
A quick glance showed that old weapons and crosses were on display in the hall, and there were also many stuffed animals and monsters. Most of the paintings on the walls were portraits, except for a few landscapes..
There were only about ten people in the exhibition room, including the guards and attendants, but the exhibits and paintings made the room feel small..
“wait a moment.”
With a wrinkled smile, the Marquis approached the nightstand at chest height and placed his hand on the crystal ball placed on it. A ring glowed and the mana it contained flowed into the crystal ball..
flashing!
In an instant, the exhibition room became brighter..
After squinting and adjusting to the bright light, I looked again and saw that the paintings on the wall were emitting colorful light..
“What is it like? Have you ever seen anything like this??”
“……No, what is this??”
“‘It's called Colvian's magic paint. When you infuse mana, the painting looks alive like this..”
As he said, the strange light was adding vitality to the painting..
Although the picture was not moving, the people in the portraits had sparkling eyes and lively faces. It felt like dozens of people were surrounding and watching..
“ this way.”
The Marquis led me, who was shaking, with a wave of his hand..
On the northern wall, three large paintings each occupied a spacious space. One was a painting depicting a scene of fifteen warriors charging at a crowd of monsters, and the other two were portraits..
“These people are like the roots of the Aria family... … Do you know who it is??”
Of the two, the one on the right was a handsome man with blonde hair. His scarlet eyes somehow gave off an intellectual glow, giving him a calm appearance..
The one on the left was the same blond guy, but he had a bushy beard and a face full of scars, making him look very scary. The maroon eyes had a dark tone, but they looked like they could burst into flames at any moment..
I recognized his identity right away..
“…… This is Zeot of Zeore. “A fierce conqueror and founding king.” “That’s accurate.” “Then the person on the right is the Margrave of Os, the only younger brother of the Conqueror.?”
“That's right. Aria is the one who started the family..”
I looked blankly at the two portraits and then turned to the Marquis..
“Is this really something you drew after looking at the Conqueror and the Margin of Os??”
“Ha, isn't it obvious? Could it be that they hung up a replica??”
“but… … Still, it’s a bit surprising.” Is it because of the effect of the magic paint, or is it because of the artist’s outstanding skills? It was a vivid picture, as if the King of Conquerors would jump out and shout at any moment..
“Hehe, I'm glad that you're showing interest. Would you like to see this too??”
The Marquis pointed to the taxidermy standing opposite the portrait of the Margrave of Ouss. It was a stuffed giant orc with red skin..
“‘I am Mkawe'. A very legendary orc.”
Hearing that explanation reminded me of the story Heyla told me..
“This is the orc that the Margrave of Oth killed..”
“Yes, that's right.”
The Marquis nodded with satisfaction and continued speaking..
“Nowadays, most of the greenskins in the kingdom have been subdued, but in the long past, hundreds of thousands of these hideous creatures gathered together to form a huge group. This place, Antram, was also infested with such a group, and Mkawe was the leader of that group..”
He pointed to Mkawe's stuffed stomach, chest and neck in that order..
“The family's founder swung this huge orc's stomach with a long spear, drove a long sword into its heart, and slit its throat with a dagger..”
The Marquis of Eavon, who was reaching out and touching the wound on Mkawe's chest, looked back at me and smiled..
“I'm only fourteen years old, I'm talking at that young age.”
“That's amazing.”
“The men of the Arriaga family hear this story so hard they hear it. Because courage, determination, and composure are the most important things for a nobleman..”
The Marquis, who was quietly looking up at the stuffed oak, guided me around and introduced me to other collections, taxidermy, and paintings..
I was curious as to why they showed me, as an outsider, this, but I kept quiet for now. The Marquis was good at speaking and had a lot of knowledge, so it was very enjoyable to tour the exhibition room under his guidance..
I followed the Marquis for a while, feeling like I was visiting a history museum, but when I looked at the portraits hanging on the western wall, I felt a new appreciation..
“This is a collection of living people.?”
“It's a little different. It's just that they are drawn relatively recently, and I didn't intentionally collect living people..”
Hanging on the western wall were portraits of people from this era..
The first thing that caught my eye was a middle-aged man with a square jaw and a benevolent air. He was the Duke of Wevelter, the great lord of the North and one of the three noble dukes of the Milanol Kingdom..
Next to it was another northern great lord, the Margrave Prix, and next to it was the recently deceased great lord of Marva, Count Tristan..
“however… … There is no portrait of Lionel III.?”
The Marquis shrugged his shoulders at my question..
“Because it's not possible to get portraits of everyone. As you may have guessed, this is all stuff I collected. Me and People] 'I couldn't draw portraits of people who didn't have good teeth or didn't interact with each other..”
He said that and gestured to one side. When the waiting attendant handed him wine, the Marquis moistened his dry lips..
“Thanks to this, there are not many portraits of eastern lords. Eyland is even worse. In the entire exhibition hall, there is not a single portrait of anyone with the last name Zaharkar or Baluin..”
“……Is this person who showed me this place?,”
“Oh, don't get me wrong..”
He waved his hand lightly..
“What I personally introduced to you here is a gift for my debt to Youngji. Actually, it's not a place that anyone can enter..”
“Hmm, I see..”
“However, I would like to draw a portrait as a separate gift..”
“yes?”
“Of course, assuming the Lord agrees. As you can see, our family has put a lot of effort into recruiting skilled painters for generations. It's a big loss to just make fun of him..”
“......O w
When I tilted my head with an ambiguous expression, the Marquis persuaded me with a smile..
“Don't think too hard about it. I just want to leave behind a portrait of a famous knight. It won't be a loss to you either. No, it's actually beneficial..”
“If it's actually beneficial?”
“Nobles are often invited here for cultural exchange. If there are people who have misunderstandings about Kyeong after only hearing rumors, they might change their minds after seeing his handsome face. It'll be quite helpful for your reputation.?”
I don't really like this suggestion..
I quietly scratched my eyebrows and asked the Marquis just in case..
“Could you please give me the finished portrait??”
“of course. As a painter's wage, I will add the original to my collection and give the replica to you. If you sketch today, I will color it with magic paints later and give it to you as a gift. What is it like??”
……Well, in a world without cameras, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a portrait..
After much deliberation, Marquis Éa Bonn accepted the offer and immediately called the painter. Since we couldn't paint among the precious relics, we settled down in the small inner room next to the exhibition room..
I sat on a chair wearing my usual shirt and black tunic, and the artist sitting across from me scrutinized my face and sketched it..
The Marquis of Eabon was sitting behind the painter with his legs crossed, sipping wine, as if he had nothing else to do. Then he glanced at the sketch and spoke..
“I think conversation is going to be okay. Isn't it??”
“Yes, Your Excellency.” As soon as the Marquis received the painter's consent, he started chatting..
It's not like there's no one to talk to in this large palace, so why do you keep doing this to me? It's annoying.
“……So, I guess I'll have to send Os to college..”
“You mean college? in the royal capital?”
“That's right.”
“Count Ors is sixteen this year, right? But you're sending me to college.?”
The Marquis nodded calmly..
“My grandson was educated by some of the greatest scholars of the West. There's no way you can't send them to college..”
“Anyway……
I narrowed my eyebrows and then closed my mouth. Tracing Poinix's memories, I realized that the university in the royal capital was a little different from the university in Kim Seung-su's common sense..
“……but. If it's Count Os, there won't be any problem..”
In the case of commoners, no matter how smart they were, they had to be over 20 to enter college, but this was not the case for nobles..
Nobles are those who must prove that they are superior to the ruled. For them, entering college at a young age and receiving higher education was a very good career path for authority..
For that reason, it has always become a custom for the more powerful the family to go to college at a younger age..
Of course, there were quite a few families that did not send their children to college due to traditional education methods..
There were many nobles who were embarrassed to show their poor children outside, and there were also many who could not afford the expensive tuition..
“then. He's my grandson, but he's not lacking in anything except that he's a little lacking in power..”
However, the Count of Ost is the grandson and successor of the Marquis of Eavon. If you entered a university, even counting all the faculty and students, it would be difficult to find someone more noble than him..
“however… … . Actually, I want to give him some different experiences before I send him off to college..”
“It's a different experience.?”
“That's right.”
The Marquis pursed his lips for a moment and then continued..
“I'm thinking of making him the commander of the troops being sent west..”
“……Yeah? no. what is that,”
“Of course, he is a nominal commander. The actual command will be left to an expert general..”
“Well, it doesn't really matter if that's the case..”
I scratched my eyebrows unconsciously and quickly lowered my hand when I saw the painter's glaring gaze..
“……Is that decision because of Baron Lujan??”
Instead of answering, the Marquis wet his lips with wine. Then, with a small sigh, he sent the painter, servants, and even the guards out of the inner room..
……Uh, X arm. What is it, uneasy??
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