Only Obedient to Me! Sir Knight Chapter 7

Van glanced over at Rowy again.

‘If it’s what Master wants, then I suppose there’s nothing that can be done about it.’

“Ahem.”

Van rather awkwardly sliced through the pie that had already been completely cut. By now, the pie had entirely lost its shape and was chopped into tiny, fragmented pieces.

“I want to eat the strawberry cake.”

Van, who had been ruthlessly dissecting the pie, was startled by Rowy’s sudden voice and hurriedly pushed the plate forward. Rowy’s face brightened with satisfaction as he dug in with his fork. The strawberries inside the cake were exceptionally delicious. Feeling too full to stomach the actual cake bread… Rowy began plucking and eating only the strawberries one by one.

Having mostly replenished his sugar levels in that manner, Rowy’s fork movements gradually slowed down. Losing his focus on the desserts, Rowy stared at the catalog sitting on one side of the table.

‘I’m glad to see you’re doing well.’

Why did he say something like that? Seilan and Rowy were not friends. The only person Rowy could truly call a friend was Joseph. Even so… they did seem to have conversed quite a bit in the past. Of course, the last time they saw each other, they had had a massive fight over a demon’s claw.

‘Still, should I take a look to see if there’s anything worth buying?’

Rowy pulled the catalog over in front of him. Aside from the large mana stone Seilan had shown him, there was a surprisingly large selection of mana stones up for sale. There were processed ones, but there were also far more uncut mana stones than he would have expected.

‘They aren’t even artifacts, so what do people buy mana stones for anyway?’

Lately in the Empire, it was highly fashionable to pick out a mana stone that suited one’s personal taste and enchant it with a desired spell to create customized accessories. Having no way of knowing this, Rowy simply tilted his head in confusion.

“Is there something you would like to purchase, sir?”

As Rowy examined the catalog page by page, Van spoke up.

“Mmm, I think it would be nice to buy you a new restraint. Something pretty, that makes you listen well.”

“…”

Van shut his mouth again and went back to mincing the pie.

“…?”

Tilting his head at Van, who had suddenly gone silent, Rowy laid down the catalog he had been scanning.

“But anyway, the auction is tomorrow night. We’re returning to the island tomorrow, so I guess we won’t be able to go.”

After saying that, Rowy pushed the remains of the cake—which had all the inner strawberries thoroughly hollowed out—over to Van. Van naturally swallowed it all in a single bite. Rowy was now burying his nose in the parfait he had been saving.

“When you say the island, do you mean a resort island, sir?”

“Mmm. Somewhere near there.”

Rowy glossed over the detail vaguely. The current state of that island was a bit… Even for Rowy, dragging someone into that place pricked his conscience.

“…There are no desserts like this on the island.”

Rowy subtly checked Van’s reaction. In truth, it wasn’t just desserts; many different things were entirely lacking there. That was why no one ever imagined Rowy would be able to survive on such an island. Not even Rowy himself, for that matter.

“Then you will have to eat plenty before we leave, sir.”

Van gave a warm smile and held out a plate. On the plate lay a neat pile of strawberries. It seemed he had scooped out all the embedded strawberries from the cake specifically for Rowy. At that gentle gesture, Rowy’s conscience—which he didn’t even know existed—ached slightly.

‘But… it’s not like we can just not go.’

I’ll just have to take him there secretly. Once they set foot on the island, it was impossible to leave unless a boat was launched.

“Sorry.”

Rowy whispered softly. Because he spoke so quietly, the sound was swallowed right into his mouth along with the whipped cream.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

Amidst the subdued atmosphere, the dessert onslaught continued. Van was starting to worry that if things went on like this, Rowy might literally turn into sugar.

“Ugh, I can’t eat another bite.”

I have been waiting for those words. Van quickly snatched the fork out of Rowy’s hand. As if he didn’t even want to look at them anymore, Rowy began pushing all the cups and plates over toward Van’s side.

“Ah.”

As he pushed a plate away, Rowy’s hand brushed against the catalog. Van reached out his hand to pick up the fallen catalog. And at that exact moment, a breeze blew in from somewhere. The pages fluttered open slowly. …Van’s hand froze mid-air.

‘This is…’

A blade forged from dark iron that seemed to hold the dark abyss itself, sacred words of the heavens wrapped around the hilt, and a blood-red gem embedded directly in the absolute center.

‘Why is this here…?’

The hand Van used to pick up the catalog trembled faintly. It was a deeply familiar sword.

‘The Holy Sword, Ignis.’

The blade bestowed by God to eradicate demons. However, the Holy Sword was definitely…

‘When I last checked, it was unquestionably in the Empire.’

While other sacred relics might be different, the Holy Sword could only be wielded for its true purpose by the one chosen by God. In other words, currently, Van was the only person capable of using it as intended. The sole blade capable of slaying a demon. The Great Demon Mamon, who had parasitized the continent for a long period, had ultimately fallen by this very Holy Sword, Ignis.

Though the strongest demon had been killed, it did not mean one could simply rest easy. Van had been continuously tracking the location of the Holy Sword through an information guild just to prepare for an uncertain future.

‘I am certain that when I last checked, it was still in the Empire…’

Yet for it to suddenly appear here in Serafilla, at the absolute southern tip of the continent?

“…”

He felt suffocated. Where did all of this even begin? From suddenly being sold into slavery, to being invited to an auction where the Holy Sword was being sold… Was all of this a mere coincidence, or was it divine providence?

At that moment, a sudden, massive roar of thunder boomed, and rain began to pour down. The sky dyed pitch black as a torrential downpour cascaded down heavily enough to make his ears ring. Sensing that even this weather was no mere coincidence, Van clenched his fists tightly.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

The rain continued to pour relentlessly into the next day. Naturally, no boats could set sail today either. The sea had met rough gales, continuously battering the shore with waves as massive as houses. Conditions in the city were slightly better. Instead of the torrential downpour from yesterday that felt like a hole had opened in the heavens, a steady, gentle rain fell without a moment’s rest. Beyond the horizon, a faint rainbow could even be seen. However, Rowy’s condition was steadily deteriorating.

“It hurts…”

Having tossed and turned all night, Rowy continuously complained of a headache and could not get out of bed.

‘To hell with the Holy Sword or whatever, a person is in this much pain.’

With a grave expression, Van continuously massaged Rowy’s arms and legs. Rowy groaned in agony without even being able to open his eyes. Ultimately, it was only after a doctor prescribed painkillers that Rowy regained some clarity and called out to Van with a pale face.

“Van…”

“Yes, sir. Are you alright?”

“Get me honey ice cream…”

Ah, right. Van wore a somewhat hesitant expression. Even so, he dashed right out into the rain to fetch the ice cream. Recognizing Van as the customer who had conquered the entire menu the day before, the dessert shop owner handed him various complimentary cookies as a service.

Van offered his thanks and raced back through the rain, terrified the ice cream might melt. Rowy’s pale face, looking as though he might collapse at any second, kept weighing heavily on his mind. Returning to the inn shortly after, he found Rowy sitting in a chair waiting for him, his complexion noticeably better than before. No, to be precise, he was waiting for the ice cream.

“Ice cream!”

“Please eat slowly, sir. What if your head starts to ache again because you ate it too quickly?”

Van spoke out of worry. Of course, Rowy didn’t even pretend to listen. Van fussed over him, setting down a cup of warm tea right beside him.

‘Haa, I feel like I can breathe again.’

Rowy exhaled a deep breath. The moment the sweet food entered his mouth, even the headache began to fade. Is it the medicine kicking in, rather than the ice cream? Rowy rolled his brain, which had grown sluggish under the influence of the medication. It was a horrific headache, the likes of which he had never felt before.

The headache that had started ever since he left the island was growing worse with every passing hour. While his physical stamina was weak enough that he suffered from colds every season, this was his first time being sick without knowing the cause or reason.

‘Though it might not be that I completely don’t know the cause.’

By this point, Rowy had a suspicion. …Even so, it wasn’t as if he could restore his aching body to normal right this instant. Letting out a sigh, Rowy completely relaxed his body and slumped back.

The medicine had kicked in, lessening the pain slightly, but his body was still in a poor state. His hands trembled, and cold sweat broke out continuously. Van hovered right by his side, fussing over him by holding his cold hands and wiping the sweat from his forehead. Rowy stared at Van blankly.

“Does somewhere else hurt, sir? Would you like to lie down?”

“No…”

As the pain subsided a bit, Van’s actions suddenly caught his attention anew. Had anyone in his life ever taken care of him with such utmost devotion?

‘I don’t think even a mother would cherish me this deeply. Though, of course, I don’t have a mother.’

Rowy, who casually thought that Van would literally carry him around in his arms if he knew the truth, lightly plopped his foot onto Van’s thigh. It didn’t have any real meaning; it was just a bit of mischief brought on by a ticklish sensation in his chest.

Without showing any signs of displeasure, Van cradled the foot and began massaging it. Seeing him hold and rub it with a serious gaze while murmuring that his foot was cold too, Rowy actually felt embarrassed and wriggled his toes. However, Van paid it no mind and now began to blow warm breaths onto his foot. The embarrassing sight naturally warmed his entire body up.

“…”

Why does he go to such lengths? How long has he even known me? Rowy looked at Van with a strange glint in his eyes. Regardless of whether Rowy was watching or not, Van bustled around frantically, bringing a blanket one moment and a cup of warm tea the next. Whatever the case… it didn’t feel good to cause him worry. If he was sick for the reason he suspected, it wasn’t as if there was absolutely no solution either.

“Let’s go to the auction.”

“I have no need for such things, sir. We do not have to go!”

Van suddenly grabbed Rowy’s foot with an air of desperation.

“…Huh?”

“It’s just, since the Holy Sword was appearing, I only intended to verify it, I swear!”

“The Holy Sword?”

What on earth is he talking about all of a sudden? Rowy looked at Van, utterly bewildered.

“No… I just intended to go buy a mana stone.”