Lord of Caldera

Chapter 6 The Count Child

It was about a day later that the knight regained consciousness. Just as he was changing the bandages, the knight opened his mouth with a dry voice.

"Water... !"

"It's here."

As Sylas handed him the water, the knight quickly snatched it and began to gulp it down. After drinking two bowls in quick succession, he seemed to recover a bit and took a breath.

"Thank you."

"It's nothing."

"No, you saved my life. I will never forget your favor."

Seeing the knight bowed his head, unlike the forceful attitude from yesterday, Sylas was slightly surprised. It was rare for a knight to acknowledge a favor so readily. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the knight was quite young. He looked like he had just finished his squire training and become a knight.

'Is he a believer in chivalry?'

Knights typically value chivalry, but among them, there are those who dedicate their lives to it. From Sylas's perspective, the knight in front of him seemed to belong to that category.

"My name is Roderick Vale. What is your name?"

"Sylas. Sylas, son of Lyria."

"Lu, Sylas ?"

The knight, Roderick, flinched at the name. Sylas—wasn't that the same name he had been searching for ? The name Lyria also sounded familiar. It was certainly the name of the woman his lord had mentioned.

With a sense of hope, Roderick asked Sylas.

"Have you lived in this village all your life ?"

"I was born here, but my maternal grandfather and mother lived in Baneheim to the north."

"Baneheim !"

"Norman. He said his name was Norman."

"Oh !"

Roderick felt tears welling up in his eyes. To fulfill his lord's command and simultaneously discover such a connection—it was almost too much to bear!

From the moment the villagers rushed to protect him, he sensed that Sylas was no ordinary child. Yet, he never expected that he would be the blood of his lord !

"Sir Roderick pays his respects to the young master !"

"Huh? Young master ?"

Seeing Roderick kneel painfully with one knee on the ground, Sylas tilted his head in confusion. Noticing Sylas's puzzled expression, Roderick continued, "I understand this must be surprising for you. Allow me to explain. I am originally from the Corleone family..."

***

Hearing the grand explanation, Sylas nodded as if he finally understood the situation.

"I see. Sir Roderick, you came to fetch me."

"That's correct. Although things turned out this way because of a problem..."

Roderick trailed off. He had come to greet Sylas, only to nearly lose his life to a mere village mob, a humiliation unbefitting a knight. The more he thought about it, the more anger and shame surged within him.

"I understand the circumstances. However, for now, you should rest until your wounds heal."

"No, I'm fine. This wound is nothing; I can go to the neighboring village right away and contact the count..."

"Sir Roderick."

Sylas spoke softly to Roderick.

"Though I know little about being a knight, I understand that the body is a valuable asset. I can't allow you to overexert yourself while injured."

"However, now that I know the situation, I must hurry..."

"For me, it's only a matter of arriving a few days early. But for you, Sir Roderick, this is precious time for your recovery. You will stand on the battlefield again someday, so take care of yourself."