Turning Chapter 1091

Chapter 1091

"For now, it's not good to keep a guest standing, so let's sit and talk."

Welliven offered Yuder a seat and brought out two cups. It was a simple tea made by boiling dried fruits that commoners mainly drank.

'I think I used to drink this a lot in the winter when I was young too.'

Small red fruits that grew well anywhere in the fall could be picked and dried to be drunk throughout the winter. It had the property of generating heat in the body, so it was good to drink when the cold wind blew.

'They drink this here too. I wonder if Kishiar has ever had it.'

As Yuder took a sip of it while reminiscing about old memories for the first time in a while, Welliven slowly opened his mouth.

"The reason I remember that person named Fay is because of the name of his hometown village written on his application form. The beginning of that place was made by those who had fled from here and there, and it's located in such a remote and small corner that even the same northern people wouldn't know about it unless they were really familiar with the area. Most of the residents of that village are people with mixed southern blood."

Yuder understood what he was trying to say just from those words.

'In a word, it was a village where mixed-blood southerners like Nahan or their descendants gathered to live.'

There are many remote and dangerous lands in the North where people don't live. In such lands that even the country couldn't properly manage, sometimes those who had risked their lives and fled for various reasons would hide and live. It was incomparably dangerous because they didn't receive the protection of the country, but some people wanted to hide even if they had to do that.

Most villages formed in such a way don't last long. However, 'most' means that there are some exceptions. Like Fay's hometown. Hearing about it, although it lacked presence now, it seemed to be somehow incorporated into the administration and getting by as a proper village.

"How did you know about that village, Captain Welliven?"

"My younger brother had married someone from there. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have known much about what kind of place it was either."

A faint smile rose on Welliven's lips.

"As you may know, even though time has passed, there are still subtle gazes of avoidance when people who know hear that someone is from that village. So the people of that village also don't usually interact much with the outside world... but I was surprised to see that an awakener had come out of there and even took the Cavalry exam."

Yuder didn't know. He had never heard that the Fay of his previous life was from such a village.

'But... I can certainly understand why Welliven was reminded of Nathan.'

A closed-off village of southern descent. A person who was born and raised there and came out to develop his ability. In many ways, it was a condition that would remind one of Nathan Zuckerman.

"In my view, although that person seemed a bit timid, I thought it was inevitable since he was born in such a village, and he seemed like someone who would work hard if given a task. Since he's still young, I thought it would be fine for the Cavalry to give him a chance. But... I apologize, but did that guy cause any problems? Or is he related to the anomaly that occurred this time...?"

"No. That's not it."

Not yet. Although he didn't know what would happen in the future.

'There could be something more to that guy that even Welliven doesn't know.'

Yuder spoke to the Knight Captain, who looked concerned that Fay might be a strange person.

"Don't worry. I am very grateful to you, the Knight Captain, and the chef who helped with the Cavalry's new recruit selection. The reason I'm trying to find out about Fay is simply due to my personal reasons."

"Is that so..."

"But by any chance, does your younger brother's family still live in Fay's hometown?"

"No. That child passed away a long time ago. It was an accident."

A bitter look appeared on Welliven's face and then quickly disappeared. Yuder immediately bowed his head.

"I asked an inappropriate question. I'm sorry to hear about your younger brother."

"It's an old story now, so it's alright. Hoho. But anyway... if Baron Aile wants to find out about the reputation of how that new recruit lived in his hometown, there is a way I can sufficiently help even without my younger brother."

Welliven was quicker-witted than he looked.

"What is that method?"

"Even though my younger brother died, his wife and children still occasionally interact with the relatives who remain in that village. So if we just send a letter to the village, it will be resolved right away. Shall I do that for you?"

According to Welliven, his deceased brother's family members were all tight-lipped, and if it was said to be for official business, they would sufficiently understand the situation and help. He also said that it would be more difficult not to know the news about someone who came out of such a closed-off and small village to become a Cavalry member.

'It's really fortunate for me.'

Yuder immediately asked him to do so. Welliven sent someone right away without a word.

"For now, I asked if they had heard the story of that person named Fay this time. Please wait a moment. By the time you finish your tea, the news will come."

"Thank you."

"What for? If you are the Duke's esteemed guest, you are also my esteemed guest, so this much is not difficult at all. If I had known this would happen, I should have at least casually mentioned it to Fay when I found out he was from that village."

"Pardon?"

"Ah. I apologize. Actually, my sister-in-law's name is also Fay. The people of that village intentionally give common names, so it seems like almost half of them are named Fay, to exaggerate a bit."

Welliven revealed that one of his nieces was also named 'Faila', which was derived from 'Fay'. Since Faila's nickname was also Fay, there were two Fays in the family.

'By the way... it would be worth mentioning to the family that there is a new Cavalry recruit from the same hometown, but he hasn't done it yet. He's really something.'

While finishing his tea with such thoughts, Welliven opened his mouth.

"Actually, I was hoping that Baron Aile would have a match with our knights someday... It's really regrettable that something like this happened this time."

"Ah..."

Come to think of it, he remembered having such a conversation on the first day he visited Peletta. However, he hadn't had a match with the knights yet because he had been constantly with Kishiar.

"That guy Nathan said that Baron Aile's skills in handling monsters are great, but he was truly unrivaled when dealing with assassins. I wanted our knights, who don't often deal with people, to see the skills of someone who is good at both and receive guidance from them, but the heavens are not helping."

"Did Sir Zuckerman say that?"

"He said a lot more than that. In my view, that guy definitely likes Baron Aile very much. Seeing how he doesn't mind even though all his skills were exposed, I could tell that he truly trusts you, Baron. Ah! Of course, I don't mean it in a way that crosses the line."

"..."

"What I mean is that it had been a long time since that guy had highly regarded someone else's skills and talked about them so much. It's like... the feeling of a left arm and a right arm that can stand shoulder to shoulder with their lord. That's the sense in which I said it."

Even if he didn't say that, of course Yuder wouldn't have misunderstood, but Welliven emphasized too much that he didn't mean it that way, making the atmosphere slightly strange. Yuder let out a small sigh and nodded.

"I also have great trust and goodwill towards Sir Zuckerman. I learned a lot from seeing his personality that doesn't pursue honor and his skills. The Commander's words about the left arm and right arm seem appropriate. I also sometimes got a similar feeling."

"Really?"

Welliven's expression brightened. It was the look in his eyes of a parent who had heard praise for their child. Yuder felt from that expression that he truly cherished Nathan Zuckerman like a son.

At that moment, the reply to the letter Welliven had sent arrived. Welliven, who had been about to talk more about Nathan Zuckerman, calmed down thanks to it and changed the topic with a slightly regretful face.

"The answer has come. Let's read it."