Only Obedient to Me! Sir Knight Chapter 3

‘I could have sworn he was brimming with charisma back at the slave market.’

A chilling, jewel-like gaze devoid of even a shred of emotion—Dare recalled that arrogant look the master had given him. Yet, completely contrary to that intense first impression, his master was…

“Ah, hot!”

“Water! Please drink some water first!”

Dare hurriedly pushed a glass of water toward his master, who had just scorched his mouth by taking a direct gulp of hot chocolate. His master was… young. At least, in his behavior.

They hadn’t walked more than a few steps out of the slave market when Rowy spotted an ice cream sign.

‘Ice cream!’

Without even properly processing the fact that he had been turned into a slave and sold to someone, Dare found himself dragged into a dessert shop by his new master’s hand. And that led to this current situation.

Having ordered enough desserts to completely fill the table, his master was so excited that he was practically stomping his feet up and down. Well, he was a bit like a child, but since he had become his master anyway, Dare resolved to serve him well from now on and…

“…!!!”

“Spit it out!”

Unable to wait even a moment, Rowy stuffed a pie packed with hot honey into his mouth and let out a silent scream. Terrified, Dare thrust out his own palm.

“Ugh… it’s hot.”

Swallowing a sigh that threatened to burst out, Dare snatched the pie away from Rowy.

“Please drink your cold beverage first. I will cool this down and give it to you.”

“Mmm…”

It must have been incredibly hot, as tears were welling up in his eyes. Rowy wiped the corners of his eyes and took a sip of the iced tea Dare had pressed into his hand. Dare swallowed another sigh at the ridiculous sight. Then, he pulled every single pie over to his side and began cutting them into bite-sized pieces.

Cutting them with precision as if using a ruler, it looked almost like a performance. The former Commander of the Holy Knights, who had reached the absolute peak of swordsmanship, didn’t leave behind a single crumb. Even while holding a tiny dessert knife instead of a holy sword, Dare did his best, as he always did.

Rowy stared at Dare with twinkling eyes. To be exact, he was staring at the pie Dare was cutting. Feeling that gaze, Dare picked up a piece of pie. Rowy’s eyes followed the pie as if spellbound. Dare, without realizing it, waved the pie in front of Rowy’s eyes. Rowy’s gaze tracked it left, right, left…

‘So, my new master is… cute.’

Stopping his teasing, Dare handed over the piece of pie. Rowy quickly snapped it up and smiled. It was a beautiful smile. If this was what a slave’s work entailed… then maybe being a slave suited his aptitude quite well. Of course, if life were that easily resolved, Dare wouldn’t have become a slave in the first place.

“I’m Rowy. What’s your name?”

“I am Dare, sir.”

“Mmm, I see. From now on, I’ll call you Van.”

“…Pardon?”

What does that mean? Dare stopped his hand from cooling the pie and stared blankly at Rowy. He couldn’t keep up with the sudden conversation.

“I came up with it.”

“You mean… my name?”

Even though I already have a name?

“You’re mine now. So I should be the one to name you.”

“…A name?”

“Why? You don’t like it? No way you’d dislike it, right?”

“…”

“I’ll call you Van from now on, okay?”

Rowy beamed once again. It was undeniably a beautiful smile, no different from before. However…

‘O Elyon.’

The exact moment that smile somehow felt terrifying, Dare—no, Van—intuitively knew that his new master was by no means a lenient trial.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

“Hehe.”

Having sampled almost every single dessert in the shop, Rowy laughed happily. Lately, his mood had been riding a roller coaster. He had definitely been in a foul mood back at the slave market.

‘Could it be that I was just depressed because I couldn’t eat desserts?’

That was possible. There was no one on the island who knew how to make a proper dessert. It was so bad that when Rowy had been dying to eat ice cream, he had once frozen juice using magic. The juice frozen that way tasted completely different from the ice cream Rowy had envisioned. Still, he had eaten it quite happily. Having just gorged himself on all sorts of sweets, including ice cream, Rowy smacked his lips once more.

The dessert shop he had entered on a whim after seeing the sign was magnificent. From the cakes to the ice cream and drinks, everything perfectly suited Rowy’s fastidious palate. Having eaten to his heart’s content while swinging his feet, Rowy was currently in a hazy state, feeling as full as if he had turned into a lump of sugar.

‘What if it really was just because of the desserts? Should I buy a pastry chef too before going back?’

It seemed like a good idea. He had already bought a slave anyway, so why not? Rowy looked at Van, who was standing beside him. His gaze traveled way up.

“How tall are you?”

“I am 195 centimeters, sir.”

“Wow.”

Wow, how infuriating. Rowy, who had barely reached 180 centimeters by rounding up, once again felt the exact same sensation he used to feel among the inherently tall members of the Duke of Irad’s family.

‘Everyone loves looking down on people when they talk.’

His mood was subtly about to sour again. But well, if he was going to take someone around, they should at least be this stature. Rowy, who quickly became generous under the power of sugar, nodded his head. Rowy turned completely around, scanning Van from top to bottom. He was tall, and his physique was good. Mmm, as expected of my discerning eye.

However, the ugly restraint around his neck and the clothes provided by the slave market bothered him. Especially that ugly restraint. The crude magic on it was far too distasteful. He was supposed to be a mage’s slave, yet it was so flimsy. It would be much better if a more sophisticated magic were cast on it. Something like making him fall to his knees with just a flick of a finger… Of course, he didn’t have the setup to make that right now.

‘I should buy all sorts of things before returning to the island.’

When people heard that someone lived on an island in Serafilla, they usually imagined enjoying a dip in a calm sea, but the situation of the island where Rowy lived was a bit different from the resort islands of other nobles. The island, which had fierce currents running through its front sea, frequently experienced days where people were trapped inside depending on the weather.

Had they said it was originally an uninhabited island? The servants who managed the castle commuted from a nearby island, but when the weather didn’t cooperate, even they couldn’t make it to the island. On nights when storms raged like that, the island became empty and dead silent.

“We need to buy some clothes. Come to think of it, what about a sword?”

“We are not allowed to possess weapons in the slave market.”

“Then let’s go buy one!”

“Pardon?”

Rowy shouted impulsively. The Duke of Irad’s family was a martial house that traditionally produced the Empire’s Knight Commanders, but Rowy was a deviant who was born possessing a vast amount of mana. Far from ever holding a sword, Rowy had grown up without even being allowed to watch the family’s training process with his own eyes, so he always held a fantasy about swordsmen. It was his chance to freely realize a long-standing romance.

“You need to have a sword. You’re a combat slave.”

“Are we traveling to another region, sir?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Rowy shook his head. Large cities or borders had barriers erected to keep out monsters. However, those barriers weren’t perfect, so people frequently encountered monsters when traveling between cities or crossing borders. At times like that, combat slaves were usually brought along because they were the cheapest. Of course, Rowy had no intention of leaving Serafilla for the time being.

“It’s not that, I just want to try hunting.”

“Monster hunting, sir?”

“I was thinking of something like rabbits.”

“Ah, rabbits.”

Van gave a rough nod. So he bought a slave to catch rabbits…

“We definitely need a sword, right?”

Rowy’s eyes shone brightly. Van, who was gradually growing accustomed to Rowy’s impulsive train of thought, quietly followed behind him. A slave couldn’t exactly stop his master, after all.

The blacksmith shop was located at the far edge of this bustling district. It was a place he had passed by two years ago, but Rowy, managed to remember it, leading Van as if he were a regular at that blacksmith shop.

‘White Beard Blacksmith Shop’

“Here.”

“What are you looking for?”

At Rowy’s call, a man with a thick white beard stepped out and asked. He looked like the epitome of a blacksmith. It felt like embarking on an adventure. Rowy, completely thrilled, lifted his chin and spoke.

“Show me a sword.”

At those words, the blacksmith scanned Rowy.

“What kind of sword are you looking for? If it’s a silver ornamental dagger, we have a few over that way.”

Naturally, Rowy had no intention of using a silver ornamental dagger.

“I said a sword. To cut monsters and cut humans.”

“And can you even cut anything?”

“He’s the one who will use it.”

Rowy pointed directly at Van. Only then did the blacksmith nod his head.

“So you’re looking for a real sword. We don’t carry the kind of swords the knight gentlemen use here.”

It seemed that way because the blacksmith shop was right in the middle of a resort area. Rowy was visibly disappointed. Noticing that expression, Van spoke up instead.

“As long as the length is right, it’s fine. Even a ceremonial sword doesn’t matter.”

“For a knight gentleman to use? Those kinds don’t have a proper edge.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Van replied casually. It really didn’t matter. Not at his level. Van could fight well even if he was only given a tree branch. Of course, it would be better if he held a masterpiece, but because of that, unless it was an exceptionally good sword, he couldn’t feel much of a difference. Furthermore…

‘If we are going to catch rabbits, we don’t actually need a sword.’

However, Rowy’s eyes were sparkling with anticipation. Just how on earth was he supposed to catch a rabbit to satisfy his master’s expectations? Van fell into deep thought. Meanwhile, the blacksmith, gauging Van’s height, went inside and brought out a few swords.

“It’s dull.”

“It’s a good sword.”

Rowy and Van spoke at the same time. Rowy, pouting his lips slightly, quietly stepped back. Since strapping on a ceremonial sword for the first and last time at his coming-of-age ceremony was the extent of Rowy’s experience with swords, the only thing he could say upon looking at a sword was whether it was pretty or not pretty.

As Rowy stepped back, Van and the blacksmith became engrossed in conversation. Center of gravity this, the edge that. Contrary to their appearances, the two had a lot to say. Becoming bored, Rowy looked around at the display items nearby. A gold cutlery set for nine million sen, gem-studded pasta tongs for fifteen million sen.

‘Mmm, I definitely entered the wrong shop.’

Just as he was starting to grow bored of looking around, their conversation ended. It seemed Van had chosen a sword.

“Um, Master. About this, the price is…”

Van, who had not only clearly realized the terror of money but had even degenerated into a slave because of it, hesitated and couldn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t think there was any need to buy a sword at such an expensive price. Van was truly strong even if he only held a tree branch. It would just look a bit unseemly, that was all.

However, completely rendering Van’s worries useless, money meant absolutely nothing to Rowy, who possessed the bloodline of an imperial ducal house. It was just something that overflowed, so he spent it. Rowy pulled out his wallet.

“How much is it? I’ll pay.”

“It is one million five hundred thousand sen.”

“Huh?”

A sword cheaper than cutlery, is that really okay?