Chapter 57
The next day, I headed with Harris to the place where the heir of Sinice’s lord was said to be. I had heard that Pato Sinice was once considered a highly promising talent in his youth.
“I heard he spends every day drunk. His father died a tragic death, and he was driven out by his half-uncle, stripped of his rightful claim as heir. There must be no hope left in him.”
I had no desire to root for someone who had simply given up.
After all, compared to me—someone who had lived on Earth in the 21st century and then fallen into this world—his situation had to be better.
Now that I thought about it, when I first arrived here, I was treated as a child possessed by spirits.
At first, I couldn't hide my shock, and then I simply gave in to despair and acted however.
The result was the infamous label: “a child possessed by a ghost.”
‘Looking back now, it was a pretty reckless way to behave…’
Even so, I didn’t believe I could have acted any differently if I’d lost my memory and had to relive it all again.
A person from Earth suddenly waking up in the body of a child, in a cold and uncomfortable feudal noble family in the medieval age—who could be expected to behave properly?
As I pondered all this, we arrived in front of a modest manor.
It looked barely fit for a local noble’s residence, yet it was heavily guarded.
Strangely, the watchful eyes weren’t directed outside—but inward.
‘Looks like the lord’s soldiers have been dispatched to keep watch.’
A typical move from a lord wary of rebellion.
“Is there a way inside?”
“They won’t stop me. The current lord doesn’t consider a one-armed swordsman like me a threat.”
“Wouldn’t they pay more attention with an outsider like me coming along?”
“It’ll be fine. They’re not going to think twice just because another knight showed up.”
True enough. The idea that a real Free Knight had suddenly appeared in this remote barony, and that he came not for the current lord but to help the ousted heir, didn’t make much sense.
And so, without much resistance, the two of us entered the manor to meet Pato Sinice.
“Well, well… Who do we have here? The pride of us all, Sir Harris the Flashing Blade! But wait—what’s this? Why are you missing an arm? How did the pride of our land, Sir Harris, end up like this? Ah! I almost forgot!”
The room reeked of alcohol.
Pato, reeking drunk even in broad daylight, staggered toward Harris.
“Oof… My body… just won’t… ha ha ha.”
Pato, who looked barely in his early twenties, had eyes so vacant they seemed void of all will.
“Hmm? And you are…?”
“Karl, a Free Knight.”
No one else noticed, but when I introduced myself, I caught the briefest flicker of sharpness in Pato’s otherwise dull gaze.
“Oooh… a Free Knight, are you? So what do Free Knights even do these days? Gotta pick up gigs just to eat, right?”
“I just wander.”
“Ah, the wandering life, eh? That must be rough too.”
He clapped and laughed mockingly as he looked at me.
“Young Lord… what happened to the sharp man you once were? You can’t let yourself sink like this.”
“Sink? So should I drink standing up then? Come, come. Sir Harris, you’re here after so long—join me for a drink.”
Pato pulled out two more glasses and filled them to the brim.
“Here, drink up! If it’s cheap and strong, this is just the thing! Ha ha ha!”
He staggered and raised his glass, clinking it against Harris’.
“Young Lord… if you carry on like this, your late father won’t be able to rest in peace. Please, come to your senses. Return to the wise man you once were…”
Even as Harris pleaded sorrowfully, Pato simply topped up his glass.
After a few more rounds, Pato passed out, ending the gathering.
“Young Lord… Please…”
Harris trailed off, unable to speak more.
Pato’s head had lolled sideways, resting against the chairback.
“Sir Harris, let’s go.”
As we left the room, Pato’s eyes suddenly snapped open.
“Harris… that man has never had a shred of tact. But his loyalty… it reaches the heavens. No wonder my father trusted him so much.”
His gaze turned distant.
‘Karl, the Free Knight… was it?’
***
“He wasn’t drunk at all. And he didn’t pass out either.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Harris, completely oblivious, widened his eyes in shock.
“There’s no way the manor wouldn’t be under surveillance. He was putting on an act.”
“Ah…! Young Lord…!”
Tears welled up in Harris’ eyes.
“All of this… happened because I was too weak.”
I shook my head as I watched Harris.
That evening, I left him behind and went alone to meet Pato.
I slipped unnoticed into the manor under the cover of night.
“Welcome, Sir Karl the Free Knight. I’m Pato Sinice.”
The moment I revealed myself, Pato greeted me.
As expected, he already knew who I was.
“You know why I came? What if I’d been sent by the lord to kill you?”
“If that were the case, I’d already be dead.”
Even faced with such a sudden visit, Pato remained calm.
“I don’t know your reasons, but it seems you intend to help me. Is that right?”
“Why would I?”
“Then why come to me at night, when all the manor’s guards are asleep?”
His expression was difficult to read.
“Are you here to help me? If so… I’m even more curious. Why?”
Despite me not even answering yet, Pato boldly threw the question back.
“Yeah, to be blunt, I’m here to help you. Because I have a story I need to continue.”
“…?”
His face showed confusion.
But he didn’t dwell on it.
Truthfully, he hadn’t even fully made up his own mind, so Karl’s offer of help didn’t exactly feel welcome.
“You’re a Superior-class knight, aren’t you?”
Pato, once a gifted swordsman himself, could sense my level.
Though there were no servants to sweep the floors, this small manor—his prison—was one where even whispers were tightly monitored.
“I’m afraid. Even if I killed my uncle tonight and took his place, Count Calido wouldn’t leave me alone. He was behind my father’s death, after all. Even if I said I’d become his puppet, he’d never trust me.”
The brief spark of determination in his eyes faded.
He was intelligent, and for his age, an exceptional swordsman—but fear had consumed him.
“As long as Count Calido lives, I’ll always be under threat. I’m his target just by being my father’s son, just by being the rightful heir… and yet, look at me now.”
I said nothing. Everyone cherishes their life. And in this case, the power imbalance was undeniable.
“I understand.”
“What?”
“I doubt I could act easily either. I’ve had cowardly moments of my own.”
“….”
Pato's expression changed at my unexpected answer.
“I didn’t expect you to say that. You seem so unshakable.”
“I ignore what I don’t like. But in truth, there’s a force compelling me to act.”
With a faintly bitter smile, I said something he couldn’t quite grasp.
He tilted his head.
What did I mean by ‘force’?
Who could possibly compel a Superior-class Free Knight?
“Just know that it exists. Anyway, you haven’t made up your mind to stand yet, have you?”
“…I’m ashamed, but yes.”
“Sir Harris said he was ready to give his life. Even losing an arm couldn’t stop him.”
“…He said that?”
Harris’ unwavering loyalty struck something in Pato’s hesitant heart.
“Think carefully.”
I turned away.
And Pato stared for a long time in the direction I disappeared.
***
“Huff… Huff… Huff…!”
Ever since losing his arm, Harris had come out before dawn every day to train.
He hadn’t stopped for a moment since recovering from that terrible injury.
“Just once more! One more!”
Though already exhausted, Harris forced himself up and grabbed his sword again.
His muscles screamed, and his left arm bore the full weight of his body.
Still, he didn’t stop.
From his encounter with me, he’d discovered a tiny clue to overcoming his current body.
His sweat soaked the ground like rain.
His breath came in dry, wheezing gasps.
His lips were stuck together with crusted spit—but he didn’t stop.
“Ah!”
As he threw his weight behind a slash, Harris lost his balance and stumbled forward.
But just as he looked about to fall, his body spun naturally, and the blade drew a smooth arc through the air.
“Ha ha ha ha ha!”
The one-armed knight collapsed on the spot.
Unable to breathe properly, he lay on the ground, staring at the sky—and laughed.
Having pushed himself to the point of collapse, Harris didn’t even realize someone was watching him as he lay unconscious behind the inn.
***
For days after meeting Karl, Pato had barely slept, lost in thought.
Eventually, he jolted upright, needing to clear his head.
Despite an excellent knight like Karl offering help, Pato couldn’t summon the courage to reclaim his place.
He feared not his uncle—but Count Calido.
Frustrating thoughts plagued him like chains.
Unable to sit still amid the cheap stench of spilled liquor, Pato impulsively headed toward the inn where Karl and Harris stayed.
He wasn’t expecting answers or solutions.
He just needed to move—anything to shake the restlessness.
“Maybe it’s too early…”
He’d gotten up in a daze. It was still dark—the sun hadn’t even risen.
“Just once more! One more time!”
Then he heard a familiar voice.
Drawn to it like a moth to flame, Pato walked toward the sound.
“Ah…!”
There stood Harris, swinging his sword with only his left arm.
He looked like he might fall over at any moment, but he never let go of the sword.
‘Stop… Stop already, Sir Harris… You’ve done enough…’
Pato knew exactly what Harris was fighting for.
He clenched his eyes shut.
“Open them wide and watch carefully.”
“…!”
At the voice behind him, Pato’s eyes flew open.
“That man was your father’s knight. And now, he’s your knight. So don’t look away. Watch his will—the reason he swings that blade.”
“….”
Before his eyes, Harris was pouring every ounce of strength into each swing.
He lacked balance, his body faltering with every move, and his swordsmanship grew sloppier over time.
…!
Just when it seemed a pitiful struggle, Harris used his own lost balance and centrifugal force to carve out a graceful curve.
Turning his greatest weakness into his weapon—it was awe-inspiring.
“A single step to overcome fear can change everything.”
With those words, I stepped away from Pato.
He stayed, watching Harris lie collapsed, unconscious in the clearing behind the inn, for a long time before finally walking away.