Chapter 4: People who keep watching (2)
Griffins are legendary animals, which don’t exist in reality.
With the body of a lion, wings of an eagle, and the skin which was as tough as steel, it is a monster that looked like something out of a fairy tale.
However, the creation Kirill Pareira was currently riding had the appearance of a Griffin.
Seeing that, people in the training ground, especially the rookies, couldn’t hide their shock.
‘So this is the power of the magician Kirill Pareira!’
To use creation magic, to move the creation, and to infuse it with mana to make it seem as if it were alive.
It was a skill that cannot be explained by common sense alone. Of course, it wasn’t something anyone could teach or learn either.
Such a special power had awakened at the age of 10, and now at the age of 11, she was recognized as a magician by the royal palace, it made it difficult for one to guess how large the prestige of Kirill was.
“You.”
“Hmph!”
Kirill Pareira jumped off the griffin and pointed to someone.
A small cute looking girl slightly raised her head and pointed.
As a result, the sun shone on her dazzling blonde hair, giving her a cute and bright look.
When the newcomers saw this their hearts sank.
Kirill then moved to point to two more people.
“You and you.”
“Hah!”
“Hu-yes! Young lady!”
“Why aren’t you working? Are you still messing around?”
“I- I just finished my shift, so I don’t have an afternoon shift, and I am not creating any problems! No, I don’t plan on creating any problems!”
“That’s right! We don’t slack off when on duty!”
The two senior guards made excuses in trembling voices.
Their legs were shaking, and hearts pounding, and although they were making up excuses, they were only telling the truth.
They couldn’t act any other way.
Young lady Kirill Pareira is the pride of the Baron.
Just as the people of the kingdom rejoice and hold their shoulders high at the appearance of a genius, the people of Pareira estate too felt proud about Kirill’s reputation.
However, that was all when they weren’t this close to her.
She wasn’t scary because she is a celebrity, but because she is their superior and surprisingly demanding person for her age.
Someone who made others nervous.
She had a frown on her face as if she was displeased.
And above all.
“Really? Are you saying that I’m wrong? That I, who pointed you out, is the one who made the mistake?”
“Ah-no! absolutely not!”
“As if. What No? Instead of training in the sacred training grounds, you’re chatting again, right? Is this how veterans set an example?”
“T-that…”
“You too! It hasn’t been that long since you were hired, can you be doing all this stuff?”
“Sorry! I’m sorry!”
Biting the insides of their mouth, they apologized.
This was the biggest reason why the soldiers respected Kirill but avoided her.
Of course, she wasn’t always like that.
Although she was an arrogant child because of her great abilities, she was still a good-natured child of the Baron.
However, she seemed to be in a bad mood today.
It was at that moment when she continued to yell at the guards.
“Kirill.”
“…”
“Phew. Pant… what is it?”
Irene Pareira walked closer to her and as he walked with shaking legs, he wiped off his sweat.
“…”
Kirill stared at the guards and then turned to the young lord.
With a dissatisfied expression, she opened her mouth and closed it, twice.
She wasn’t the kind to hold back her words. That was her character.
Kirill spoke with a furious tone.
“Stop all this.”
“… what.”
“What? This, this stupid thing.”
“…”
Irene looked at his younger sister without saying anything.
Her bitter expression.
He couldn’t believe that she was four years younger than him.
If he was the old self, he would have nodded and obediently returned to his room.
No, if that was the case such a collision would have never happened.
But things are different now.
He wasn’t satisfied.
His body was itching and didn’t show any signs of subsiding yet.
Irene went back to where he was and began to train again.
“Th, this…!”
Kirill’s eyes turned angry.
She trembled in anger, never had she thought that her words would be ignored.
However, in a short moment, a voice resounded in the training ground.
“Do you think swordsmanship is that easy?”
“What do you think? You slept all your life and then you suddenly pick up a sword and swing it?”
“Look there! That is so awkward! You know the newcomers guard over there can do much better than you!”
“Was it because of what you heard two weeks ago? Ha, if that is the case, then you really are stupid.”
“Kirill.”
A clear and beautiful voice was heard amidst the abuse the young lady threw.
It was weird. The voice wasn’t that strong or loud, rather, it was soft, but everyone’s attention focused on it.
Kirill too stopped talking and turned back.
The second wife of the Baron, and her mother.
Amel Pareira.
A look of disappointment crossed Kirill’s face as she saw her mother.
“Kirill. Don’t disturb your brother and come here.”
“…”
“Did you understand me?”
“But…”
“Now.”
Amel treated her daughter with the usual smile.
But the atmosphere contained a force that seemed different, even the ferocious Kirill couldn’t resist her mother.
In the end, she trudged towards her mother, turning into a subdued dog.
“Then, everyone please continue to work hard.”
“…Yes!”
“Yep!”
“Irene, you too. But don’t push yourself too hard.”
“…I know.”
Everyone, including Irene Pareira, responded to her.
Amel turned and walked away with Kirill, leaving everyone.
Despite her departure, it took a while for everyone to go back to normal.
A strange silence kept lingering in the air.
Wheeik!
Whheeeiikk!
In the meantime, only the young lord, who was practicing the vertical slash, continued as if nothing happened.
It was rather early in the evening to call it night.
Irene Pareira fell asleep early.
It wasn’t the usual forced sleep he used to escape reality. It was sleep he fell into because of all the energy he consumed during the day.
Unlike the usual sleep, today he was in a deep state of sleep, not caring about anything that was happening.
At that moment, Kirill Pareira snuck into his room with a bag in her arms.
“The young lord is asleep.”
The voice came from behind her.
Kirill looked around in shock. Behind her, was none other than Irene’s exclusive servant.
With a fierce expression, she responded.
“So?”
“I think you should come back later.”
“I have something to do.”
“Wouldn’t it be possible to come back when the young lord wakes up?”
“Are you talking back to me?”
Kirill started letting out energy from her body.
It wasn’t just his body, even his voice was subdued.
The magician’s mystical power managed to subdue the entire body of the servant.
‘What…’
Sweat began to flow from the servant’s head.
A girl, younger than his daughter, was doing this to him.
As if he was looking into the eyes of Medusa, he went as still as a stone.
“Hmph… you are not that great.”
“…”
“Never think of telling anyone what happened here today. If you do… you know, right?”
Kirill Pareira entered the room of the young lord after giving out a threat.
The servant looked at her back, but couldn’t say anything.
Early morning.
Irene Pareira opened his eyes.
Even considering that he went to sleep early, his sleep didn’t last very long. It was much shorter than usual.
Still, it felt refreshing, and his muscles hurt less than before.
Irene felt puzzled when heard music, then he slowly turned his head towards the source of the melody which was entering his ears.
And burst into a smile.
Ahhhh! Ahhhhh!
A soft voice that calmed the heart of the listener.
It wasn’t a human voice. It was the sound of a paper doll that had been processed into something.
It was shocking enough that any other person would have thought that a ghost possessed the doll, but Irene wasn’t shocked.
He picked up the paper, which was next to the paper doll.
[To Brother,
I am sorry for what I said earlier. When I heard that my brother wasn’t eating and overdoing it, I was so worried… when I said those things, I wasn’t able to convey my emotions properly. I got mad at mom too. I was just too pissed.
… omitted….
Anyway, I hope you don’t overdo it because of that garbage’s words.
I’ll leave the doll to help you relax, I hope it helps you.
Then… sleep well.
PS. Keep this a secret from mom. She told me not to visit you. I wasn’t going to disturb you… but I worry too much.]
Kirill’s letter was written in a crooked font that didn’t look neat.
After reading his sister’s letter, Irene burst into laughter.
Thanks to his sister.
The precious little sister who gave him a chance to laugh in his depressed life.
‘Even though I haven’t been such a great brother…’
Irene put down the letter with a bitter expression.
Then, he looked over at another note which was next to him.
[If Kirill is bothering you, tell me. Until then, I’ll pretend to turn a blind eye to her - Your dear mother.]
As far as precious people came, his mother was no less important to him than Kirill.
Although not his blood-related mother. Amel loved and cared for him.
A warm smile, words that valued him, and a hug.
Thanks to that, Irene’s heart, which was always closed, opened up for his family.
And was it the influence of the dream? Or was it because his narrow thoughts opened up because of his vigorous training?
The window in his heart, which had only been slightly open, opened a little wider.
Knock.
“May I come in, young lord?”
While he was immersed in various emotions, he heard a voice from outside the door.
Irene gave a low answer, and the attendant brought in a tray just like the day before.
But today when the servant came in the lazy noble shook his head.
‘Do you not want the meal, sir?’
The servant asked with a puzzled expression.
He was puzzled because the young lord wasn’t someone to be picky about his food, but now he didn’t want to eat.
However, unexpected words came out of his mouth.
“I’ll have my meal with my family today.”
“…”
“Call me when it is time. I’ll be ready by then.”
“… ye, yes! Then, I will call for you, sir!”
The servant barely managed to walk properly with all the thoughts running in his mind.
Gradually, his pace picked up, until it turned into running.
There was a smile on his face, a smile he hadn’t had for quite some time.
‘Young lord… has changed!’
It wasn’t just the change in sleep cycle.
It wasn’t even about the swordsmanship training he had been doing for a couple of days.
It was more fundamental, a change in mindset.
After confirming that the cold heart of the young lord had defrosted a little, the servant couldn’t help but feel happy.
It was the family he had been serving, so he felt connected to them.
“… pay special attention to today’s meal.”
“Ye, yes! Lord!”
Baron Harun Pareira ordered.
He had a serious expression, but he couldn’t stop his lips from twitching.
Unlike his blunt tone and rough appearance, he had a very delicate and kind personality, so he had no choice but to leave his son be, who had locked himself up in the room.
So did Amel, and his little sister, Kirill.
“Brother, have this!”
“Huh.”
“This too, and this one, this is a good one too!”
Kirill Pareira clutched her fork and kept on placing her food on Irene’s plate. Because of her small figure, she had to stand up to do this.
Seeing that, Amel tried to hold her back, but then Irene smiled.
And cautiously spoke.
“Thank you. Father, mother and Kirill.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“I always wanted to thank you. For letting me lie in bed without doing anything… not even scolding me. I am very sorry and I love you all.”
Totally unexpected.
Even more shocking were the happy words from his son.
Upon hearing that, Amel greeted Irene with a warm smile.
Kirill began to cry, and the Baron’s eyes turned slightly red.
Even if he knew what his son was feeling, hearing them in person was different.
At that moment, the family had a realization.
Harun Pareira, who had been seated silently for a long time, spoke.
“… I love you too, my son.”
“Sorry for worrying you.”
“You don’t need to say that. Let’s have our meal.”
With the Baron’s words, the meal continued again.
Without a word, only the rustling of dishes continued.
Yet the room felt good. Warm.
A meal together for the family of four finally happened after 10 years. It was full of laughter and smiles that took 10 years to surface.
How long had everyone been looking forward to experiencing such a precious moment?
After a while, Baron Harun Pareira’s question came.
“Son.”
“Yes, father.”
“I heard that you have been focusing on the sword these days. It is good to train your body, even if it’s late, I am glad you picked it up, but don’t overdo it.”
“…”
Irene stopped eating.
Not being a Baron, but as a father, he looked at his son with concern that couldn’t be hidden and continued speaking.
“There is a saying that excess effort doesn't make one catch up with the lack of effort they've shown so far. If you try too hard from the beginning, you may get tired easily and get hurt. I will give you a trustworthy knight to train under, so how about taking a little break till then?”
“Thank you for your concern. But it’s fine.”
Everyone was shocked at those words.
Baron, Kirill and even Amel.
It was because Irene never displayed stubborn behavior before.
“It’s really okay. I am not overdoing myself, so there is no need to worry.”
Although his voice wasn’t loud, it held power.
Because it wasn’t a lie. He actually wasn’t overtraining.
‘Compared to the training that the man in my dreams did. This is nothing…’
Irene Pareira continued to eat, and no one else talked about it again.
The show of confidence by the boy who had always crouched his shoulders.
They didn’t want to break it.
Even if they were worried.
‘Even though… it will be difficult.’
‘Even if he gets frustrated in the middle, you need to have the strength to get back up.’
‘Idiot brother, I see everything you are doing, but I know your lies.’
The family didn’t have high expectations for Irene.
They loved him and were happy with the change in him. But that was all.
They didn’t wish for something bigger since they knew not to hope for something that they weren’t sure the young lord could handle.
However, the thoughts of the family went wrong, one after the other.
Irene didn’t even give up.
He didn’t even take time to adjust to his intensive training.
Instead, he increased his practice time slightly, making people around him go quiet.
As a result, Kirill Pareira began to turn tense, which caused soldiers to groan in pain.
However, after ten days, the wandering knight who visited the mansion was different.
He was a person who could only look at the present, regardless of Irene’s Pareira’s past.