Regardless, currently there was no one in either group foolish enough to approach Climb and splinter their own faction.
The result was that the two factions concluded that they each did not want to hand Climb over to the opposing side, but at the same time, also did not want him on theirs.
This was why he did not to speak to anyone and ate alone.
Simply moving his spoon without speaking to others, nary a glance, his breakfast did not even take ten minutes to finish.
“I should be going.”
A habit possibly formed from being alone so often, Climb muttered to himself in satisfaction. As he was rising from his seat, a passing soldier bumped into him.
The soldier’s elbow touched the wound from Gazef’s training, causing Climb, his expression still blank, to stop his feet.
The soldier continued to walk by without a word. Needless to say, the soldiers around him did not say anything as well. The few who saw the incident frowned slightly but did not speak.
With a long sigh, Climb grabbed his empty plate and walked on.
This type of incident was an everyday occurrence. He even felt it fortunate that it didn’t happen when he had a bowl of hot stew.
Sticking out a foot to trip him or bumping into him on purpose and faking it as an accident, such behavior was quite common. However—
— What of it.
Climb calmly walked forward. Those people could not do any worse, especially so if he was in a place with as many eyes as the mess hall.
Climb straightened his chest, his eyes pointed forward; he absolutely did not look down.
If he were to appear unsightly, it would be a slight against his master, Renner. The reputation of the woman whom he pledged his absolute loyalty was on the line.
Chapter 2
Blue Rose
Part 1
White, full plate armor and a sword fastened to his waist. His equipment in perfect condition, Climb stepped into Valencia palace.
Valencia palace was divided largely into three main buildings. The one Climb made his way into was the largest and where the royal family resided
Different from where he had been moments ago, the place was designed to let in as much light as possible, making it blindingly bright.
He walked down a wide hallway that was scrubbed so clean that not even a trace of dust could be found, let alone any litter. His full plate armor did not make any noises, the reason being that it was tempered with mithril and orichalcum and enchanted with magic.
The palace guards— knights, also wearing full plate armor, were standing at attention in the wide and clean hallway.
The Empire’s ‘knights’ referred to the common folk who were part of the standing army. On the other hand, the knights of the Kingdom were those who were granted a title of nobility. As an example, there were numerous occasions where the third son of a noble household would become a knight, since they were unable to inherit his household. However, since the Kingdom paid the knights handsomely, they only accepted those who were skilled with the sword. It was impossible with only connections even if one were a noble.
The most fitting way to call them would be as the King’s elite guards.
Coincidently, ‘Warrior Captain’ was a newly fashioned title for Gazef since there was much opposition to granting him a knighthood.
Climb lightly greeted those same knights. As expected, only a few greeted him in response, but some did respond and even greeted him with sincerity. While they were nobles, these people swore their service to the King and carried a warrior’s heart. Their loyalty unforgotten, they carried great respect for those with skill.
On the other hand, among the people Climb passed in the hallway, there were those whose hatred was obvious at a glance.
They were the maids. Most of them showed a bitter face whenever they saw Climb.
The maids who worked in the palace were different from normal maids in that they were the daughters of noble houses who came to gain experience. In a way, the maids held a higher position than Climb. Especially the ones who worked close to the royal family, most of them were daughters of high-ranking nobility. Their displeasure at the fact that they had to lower their head to a man who was less than a commoner showed itself as anger.
In terms of rank, it was true that Climb was beneath them. They probably wished to show their distaste while Renner was not around. Having thought as much, Climb did not show any anger over their behavior.
But what Climb failed to realize was that his thinking spawned a vicious cycle where the maids would misunderstand his expressionless face as him ignoring them, infuriating them further. On the other hand, if he was the type who could notice such a thing then perhaps everything else would have been handled more smoothly.
It was also true for Climb that every time he was in the palace, his nerves would wear away slightly.
Although it went without saying, Renner and Ranpossa III were not the only people living in this palace.
Ugh?!
Speak of the devil, Climb moved to the side of the hallway, straightened his back and stood at attention with his hand over his chest.
Two people were approaching. The one following from behind was a tall, thin man with blond hair brushed behind his head.
Marquis Raeven, one of the six great noble families in the Kingdom.
The problem was the short, fat man walking in front of him. His name was Zanack Valurean Igana Ryle Vaiself, the second prince and second in line for the throne.
Zanack stopped his feet, his chubby face turning into a frown.
“Why, Climb. Are you on your way to show your face to that monster?”
There was only one person Prince Zanack would call a monster. Although he knew it was insolent, Climb could not let it stand.
“Your highness, I’m grateful for your words but Renner-sama is not a monster. She is kind and beautiful, some even call her the Kingdom’s treasure.”
What else could you call someone who got rid of the slave trade and proposed many policies in order to help the citizens? Although the number of them that saw light was small because of the checks in place by the nobles, Climb knew better than anyone else how much she cared for the people.
Every time a policy that would otherwise help the common folk was shot down for foolish reasons like nobles trying to save face, the kind-hearted girl would shed tears in front of him. This man, Zanack, who did not even lift a finger, had no right to say anything.
He was consumed by the desire to shout, to bring down his fist.
Even if they were only half-siblings— these weren’t words that should be said about someone who shared the same blood. However, he could not allow his anger to show.
Renner had said this:
My elder brother will try to anger you so he can hold you in contempt. He’s most likely looking for an excuse to separate us. Climb, never let him see you weak.
That sad expression— his master who was not accepted even by her own family, Climb remembered the day when he swore that at least he would never betray her.
“But I wasn’t referring specifically to Renner though? That must be what you really think… well, let’s stop stating the obvious. But treasure… was it? Is she really proposing her ideas thinking that they would work? It looks to me like she already knows that they won’t, but still acts on them.”