Turning Chapter 996

Chapter 996

The majority of the Cavalry members were not well-versed in dancing the Rancha, so unlike the Imperial Palace party, only a few participated in the dance. Although it was an invitation they received after achieving great feats, there was no atmosphere of disrespect for not dancing. At this rate, the only thing people would remember from today's party would be the dance of the Cavalry Commander, Duke Peletta, and his Assistant.

A peculiar relationship where they were both men, yet simultaneously of different second genders. If Kishiar had planned to leave an impression of the still unfamiliar existence of the second gender in the minds of the southern people, this dance could be considered quite successful.

Among the few people dancing the Rancha were the two individuals who had made the greatest contributions in this battle. How could anyone not watch the combination of these two?

'Anyway... it seems today's party will mainly be about eating and chatting,' Lusan thought with a relaxed smile. It was at that moment when slightly noisy voices suddenly came from not too far away.

'What is it this time?' Lusan's expression turned serious as he turned his head.

'That's...' In the corner of the party hall, in a spot not easily noticeable, a group of distinctly vivid red hair had gathered. Among them, one person with a tall stature was Gakane Bolunwald, whom Lusan knew well.

A Cavalry member from a southern noble family, often called the face of the Cavalry for his striking good looks. He was currently standing with his back to the people with red hair resembling his own, as if protecting them, confronting someone.

"After leaving your hometown and rising in the world, it seems you've lost sight of things, Gakane!" The person standing in front of Gakane taunted.

Gakane frowned and stared at the face of the person in front of him. "You know it's best not to raise your voice on a good day like today, don't you?"

"..." "Brother..." "Big brother..." His younger siblings mumbled softly behind his back, frightened by the sneering voice.

"It's alright. Giten. Gaila. Come here..." His parents, equally anxious, called out to the younger siblings, trying their best to maintain composure.

'Why... did this happen again?' Gakane sighed and thought about what had happened today.

As his opponent said, today was an exceptionally joyous day. As a member of the Cavalry, he had been invited to attend the succession ceremony of Duke Herne and was recognized for his achievements, receiving a monster crystal engraved with the Herne family's coat of arms.

It felt similar to the award he had received at the Imperial Palace after completing the mission in the West, so it was fine up to that point. The problem was that this was his hometown in the south.

“Gakane!”

“Oh, Mother. Father? Even the younger siblings... What's going on?”

“We were also invited, of course. Hoho. Surprised?”

When his family from Ulan called out to him after the succession ceremony, as he was about to head to the party hall, Gakane was quite surprised but simultaneously felt joy. Yuder had previously mentioned that it would be good to prepare for Gakane's family to come to Charloin at any time, and it seemed he had really kept his word and pulled some strings to get them invited separately.

The Bolunwald family members, invited by both the Cavalry Commander and the Herne family, rode the finest carriage to Charloin and stayed in accommodations even better than their own home.

“You have no idea how much people on the streets are talking about you. We all heard about the great things you did this time. We're so proud of you, Gakane.”

“I always regretted not being able to support you when you said you wanted to become a knight... But you've achieved your dream splendidly. Thank you, God.”

His father's eyes reddened as he patted Gakane's back. His mother also held Gakane's hand and offered a short prayer of gratitude. Feeling touched, Gakane briefly embraced his parents before letting go. Seeing his usually noisy younger siblings unusually quiet, he burst into laughter.

“Could it be that these kids are overwhelmed after coming to Charloin?”

“Haha. When have the children ever been to a place like this? They've been out of it since entering Charloin, and they've been like this ever since coming here. I'm worried they might get lost.”

Gakane understood that feeling. He had felt something similar when he first left Ulan and reached the capital. However, despite being from a noble family, he had no money at the time and had to find the most run-down inn to stay in, so he felt more exhaustion than admiration.

Meeting Yuder there and reaching this point, it had become a very good memory in retrospect, but at the time, he had mixed feelings.

Gakane brightly smiled and gathered his younger siblings.

“After the party, let's go to the Cavalry's southern branch together. I'll introduce you to my friends! They'll all love you. Especially Yuder and Kanna…”

“Oh, Gakane Bolunwald. Long time no see?”

It was at that moment. Someone called out to Gakane from behind.

Turning his head, Gakane saw someone he had known long ago when he dreamed of becoming a knight. He was a noble of similar age to Gakane and, as was common for children of lower nobles aspiring to become knights, had been part of a knightly order from a young age.

It was common knowledge that to become a knight, one had to first become a squire of a knight belonging to a knightly order. Only after dedicating oneself to a senior knight and mentor for several years could one be recognized and officially appointed as a real knight. However, the problem was that becoming a squire was more influenced by family name and money than swordsmanship talent or hard work.

He always mocked Gakane, who lacked both money and talent and awkwardly stuck around the knightly order without becoming anyone's squire. His mocking voice, asking who would accept a poor pretty boy like Gakane as a squire rather than having him do menial tasks, roll around, and get beaten up by senior knights as a punching bag, often made Gakane feel more depressed.

Now, it seemed he had become a knight, wearing a proper symbol of belonging to a knightly order on his chest.

“You disappeared for a while, rumored to be marrying a commoner, and I wondered where you went. I heard you became part of the Cavalry?”

“...”

“You used to cry and clean up my horse dung, saying you wanted to become a knight... You've risen quite high.”

Indeed. Gakane laughed bitterly to himself.

He had already prepared himself for the possibility of encountering such fellows while coming to his hometown in the south. However, hearing such words while with his family still hurt and angered him a bit.

“Gakane…”

“He's someone you don't know well, so don't look at him and just go. I'm fine.”

Gakane smiled and gestured to his anxious family. They turned around and entered the party hall. However, the other person followed and grabbed Gakane's arm.

“Where are you running off to?”

“Running? Why would I? Isn't it more strange to keep facing someone with whom I have nothing to talk about?”

The person who grabbed Gakane's arm flinched at the voice that was so cold it surprised even Gakane himself. Gakane took advantage of that moment to lightly shake off the other person's hand and gently brush his arm.

“You...!”

“What do you want, chasing after me like this?”

The other person's eyes blinked in confusion, clearly visible to Gakane. He seemed surprised that Gakane wasn't reacting as he wanted.

In the past, it would have been difficult for Gakane to calmly discern and respond to such hostility. But now, Gakane could see through the other person's ill will and mediocre skills with utmost clarity.

It was all thanks to the time he spent in the Cavalry.

The monsters and enemies he had faced so far were far more terrifying and powerful than this fellow. Someone who had never properly faced a monster in his life could no longer hurt Gakane in the slightest.

The flustered opponent regained his composure after seeing Gakane's parents behind him.

“Money.”

“Money?”

“You have to pay back the money. Remember when you broke my sword and ran away? You should pay for it, even now.”

Thinking back, Gakane recalled a memory of fighting with that fellow just before quitting the knightly order. Of course, it was that fellow who had picked a fight and attacked first, and it was also that fellow who accidentally struck his sword against a hard rock, chipping and cracking it. Gakane had merely tried to avoid the fight to follow the knightly order's rules against internal conflicts, but he still received punishment for it, and his chances of becoming a squire became slim. That incident was the decisive trigger for Gakane to completely leave that knightly order.

It was truly upsetting at the time, but thinking about it now, it was simply ridiculous.

Gakane looked at him and spoke.

“Money? I don't mind giving it. I have that much money now. But... why should I give it to you?”

“What?”

“I didn't break it. I didn't run away either. So why should I give it to you?”

“You insolent... Then I'll get it from your parents!”

The other person's face turned bright red as he shouted angrily. People's gazes gathered. And then, it happened.

"Gakane? Gakane Bolunwald? Judging by the red hair, it seems to be him."

"What's going on?"

Gakane sighed as he heard the curious murmurs of the southern people around him.

It was a good day, but it had truly become troublesome. He felt embarrassed to face his Cavalry colleagues who had already entered the party hall.

'I need to resolve this quickly before others see this sight...'

Poverty was not shameful, but it was embarrassing to show such a sight in his hometown where he had finally returned. He already felt apologetic for having more people recognize him compared to other Cavalry members due to his ancestral name, despite not having achieved anything tremendous.

While the other person was engrossed in shouting, Gakane's shadow secretly squirmed beneath his feet. He was just thinking about how to quietly deal with the other person when two figures suddenly appeared and blocked Gakane's front.

"Megdolgen Mijelskan. A degenerate gambler and pervert who swindled 300,000 gold in gambling debts, leaving him with neither a horse nor a sword. Gakane, a strange person has latched onto you."

"..."

Kanna and Yuder were standing in front of him.