Dolion Ormund stirred awake with irritation due to an incessant tapping on the window. Did they send a return message already? He got out of bed and opened the door to the terrace, but to his confusion, there was no messenger bird in sight. Huh? He looked around and finally spotted a piece of paper lying on the floor. He bent down to grab it and lifted it to the moonlight for a better view of its contents. The paper in his hands soon crumpled along with his expression. These damn Reidars…! He threw the paper down in a rage and momentarily debated calling some knights to immediately raid where these bastards would be waiting.
But his head quickly cooled as he realized the implications of such a thing. Gah, no. Father will be furious. All operations of the Bloody Gold were carried out without his father's knowledge. If his father found out about his current predicament through the knights, rather than solving it, he might instead throw him to the Reidars for punishment. The count valued profits above all, so wouldn't take any kind of loss to cover for his miscreant son.
Dolion let out a long exhale and retrieved the letter before returning to his room, a dark expression hanging over his face. He tore up the paper and disposed of it as he pondered. I already called all the agents in Ormund to gather to put in place countermeasures against the purge. Perhaps I can take this chance to deal with all those involved. It was a risky gamble, but he had no choice. If all of Reidar's higher-ups knew of this, he would be walking to his grave. But if this were an undercover or private operation carried out by just a few, just dealing with the related party would rid him of this mess. He dressed himself in inconspicuous clothes and slipped a dagger into his coat as a last line of defense before secretly making his way out of the castle.
It was not a long trip, so he made it to the inn just as the first rays of sun greeted the world. He stuck up his chin in an attempt to hide his nervousness and pushed open the doors, half expecting to be greeted by a posse of knights. But he felt as if he were struck by a thunderbolt when the inside of the inn came into view. Bloodied bodies lay strewn about wrecked tables and chairs, with only one man standing in the center. Dolion was about to flee as fast as his legs could take him, but the sight of the man's face that turned towards him made him freeze in fear. "C-c-caption Farrel?!" He squeaked out, hardly believing his eyes. Or perhaps not wanting to believe them.
"You didn't think this day would ever come, did you?" Farrel stalked towards the frozen Dolion, blood-covered and crazy eyed. "You. You are the one who left my daughter in such a state."
Dolion tottered a step back, face pale as a sheet. "No— I-I-" He wasn't even able to get out a proper sentence. His eyes darted around frantically, and as Farrel took another step forward, he turned to run. But the hard feeling of wood on his back forced him to stop. He craned his neck to look behind him and saw a short-statured, cloaked figure pressing a stick against him. Just as he grabbed his dagger to fight, the cloaked person revealed a heart-stealing smile.
A strong force then sent Dolion flying to the side. "Agh!" He shouted in pain, the dagger he had just grasped fell out of his grip and clattered to the ground as his body smacked against a broken table. He managed to raise his head to see Farrel standing over him, and he began shaking violently. He forced a half smile and put his hands together in a pleading gesture. "Hey- hey- if you spare me, I'm sure my father will reward you greatly, you know! And I'm- I'm- really sorry! I swear I'll never touch a woman again, okay? Okay?" He began begging with anything he could think of, but flinched as he met Farrel's icy gaze. "Ah!"
"I'll leave you be. Just remember to deal with the scene when you're done." Eitan called over from the doorway of the inn.
Farrel only acknowledged him with a sideways glance, but that was enough. The sound of the door slamming shut echoed through the inn before silence descended. Then, only blood-curdling screams could be heard.
Eitan ignored the chilling sounds coming from the inn, just leaning on a nearby post and staring up at the red sky. The grand view distracted him from his aching and exhausted body. He had pushed himself far too hard to reach the Ormund Castle in time, not to mention sneaking past the guards and getting to Dolion's terrace. He attempted to regulate his labored breathing as Dolion's screams slowly died away to nothingness.
A bit more time passed before the door creaked open and Farrel appeared. Although looking as if he had aged a few years in just this short time, there was also an air of relaxation that wasn't present before. "Sir Farrel-" Eitan pushed off the post and moved to approach him, but was hit by a sudden, overwhelming wave of dizziness. "Uh-" He managed to lock onto Farrel's golden eyes before darkness overtook him.
*****
Eitan blinked awake to see a ceiling of rotten wood above him. He bolted upright, his hand instinctively grasping for a weapon to find none. Shit, did I pass out? Where am I? He was quite disoriented after barely coming back to consciousness, but immediately on full alert.
"You fainted, so I brought you back to my house."
Eitan turned his head at the familiar voice to see Farrel standing not far away from him. His vision focused, and he realized he was indeed in Farrel's shack, on his bed. His tense muscles relaxed, and he released an airy exhale. "... Did you clean up the scene properly?"
The corner of Farrel's mouth twitched slightly, and he nodded. "It should look no different from a usual gang fight."
Only after hearing this did Eitan fully feel at ease. He trusted Farrel's capabilities. This way, there would be little to no suspicion of political play, and his family would naturally not be suspect. He suddenly noticed something and touched the side of his head. My hood fell off. His gaze leveled on Farrel. "I have no doubt you've figured out who I am by now."
"Black hair with dark pink eyes, a small frame, and a pretty face. The third young master of the Reidars, Eitan Reidar." Farrel confirmed while staring at Eitan.
Golden and pink eyes held each other's gaze for a while. Then, Farrel finally broke the stalemate. He slowly lowered himself onto his knees, placing his hands on his lap and lowering his head. A posture of absolute submission. "I could not figure out for what reason a noble like yourself would go so far for me. The only thing I have is this ragged body of mine. So, I shall gladly offer that to you. If you so command, I will become a slave or a dog."
Eitan turned his legs off the bed and gradually rose to his feet. He took a shaky step toward Farrel and leaned down, pulling the sword out of the sheath at his waist. Farrel made no effort to stop this, simply keeping his head down and awaiting Eitan's next action. Despite its intense weight, Eitan kept an impressive grip on the longsword. It was definitely too heavy for his current self to wield, but that didn't matter for the moment. He lifted the sword and swung it down above Farrel, stopping it just above his shoulder. "I have no need for a dog or a slave. What I, Eitan Reidar, desire is the knight Farrel Falkur. Can you give me this?"
Farrel's numb golden eyes seemed to be reignited by these words. He placed both hands on the dusty ground and bowed his head, his forehead landing not even an inch above Eitan's boots. "I, Farrel Falkur, forsake all my previous oaths." This was considered the most dishonorable thing a knight could do, in many circumstances, worse than even directly opposing their lord. Most knights would rather die or be enslaved than rescind an oath, but he didn't even hesitate. "From this moment on, I pledge this body and soul to Eitan Reidar. His will is my will; if commanded to die, I shall die. May the heavens and earth bear witness, may my aura forsake me, and my soul be condemned to eternal damnation should I violate this vow." A surge of white aura radiated off Farrel's body before converging around his heart and dissipating. If he ever went against the oath he had just made, his aura would explode his whole body, including his heart, killing him with great pain. This was the most binding oath a knight could make, and few did so in their entire lives.
"From this moment on, our lives are bound. Please, rise." Eitan was pleasantly surprised at Farrel's excessive display of loyalty. He knew it would be easy to bring Farrel under him if he assisted in solving his grudge, but he didn't think he would go to this extreme.
"Yes, my liege." Farrel obediently stood up, and Eitan returned his sword to him.
"Come with me to the castle." Eitan decided it would be easier to bring Farrel along with him than to try to pick him up when he left. "The only problem is, officially, it'll be impossible to bring you in as a knight. You'd have to follow me as a slave I picked up."
Farrel merely showed a slight smile at this. "I naturally shall act as whatever my liege wishes." His entire demeanor had changed after swearing the oath of fealty. He now treated Eitan with gentleness and immense respect, a sharp contrast to the brusqueness of the past.
Eitan's eyebrows twitched a bit at the drastic change, but he let it go as this would become natural with time. "Pack up and then let's go." He found his walking stick placed beside the bed and watched as Farrel efficiently gathered his few belongings into a rucksack, carefully packing his weapons inside as well.
They left the shack, and Eitan looked up to see the sun hanging nearly in the middle of the sky. … Hopefully, Lind hasn't confirmed my absence just yet. His previous order meant Lind shouldn't have entered the room too early, but it wasn't certain. He made his way back to the estate as quickly as possible, weaving through the secret passages to reach his bedroom. He slipped back inside with Farrel following closely behind him, just in the nick of time to hear a banging on the door.
"Young Master Eitan! It's officially noon, so I'll be going in without your permission!"
Before Eitan had the chance to say anything, Lind pushed the door open and was about to step inside, but halted in a daze. "Uh… Young Master? What's going on?" He stared at the disguised and disheveled Eitan in absolute confusion before looking at Farrel in shock. "And why is there a strange beggar in your room?!"
The corners of Eitan's mouth twitched as he stifled a chuckle. But he quickly put on a stoic expression and glared at Lind, allowing some bloodlust to trickle towards him. "You say nothing of this to anyone, not even my father, do you understand?"
"Hic!" It wasn't as intense as the first time, but the terrifying feeling made Lind feel faint. "Yes, Young Master! Yes, Young Master!" He repeated while nodding his head like a chicken.
"Now, bring a set of servants' clothes that will fit this man," Eitan ordered him strictly, and Lind did a quick bow of acknowledgement before zipping out of the room.
The interruption gone, Eitan turned to Farrel. "I'll introduce you to my father as a slave I picked up on an outing because I thought you looked strong. I'll be going to the border soon, so he'll think I was grasping at straws out of fear."
Farrel bowed his head in agreement, but his expression changed subtly as Eitan's words processed. "What do you mean by going to the border, my liege?"
Eitan put down his walking stick and removed the cloak as he responded casually, "The count is exiling me to the Saoirse Region as a punishment. Well, officially, I'll be enstated as lord of the place." He looked up at Farrel provocatively. "What, regretting your oath now?"
Farrel shook his head assertively. "Of course not. I will do my best to protect you no matter the circumstance, my liege."
Eitan smiled and began heading over to the bathroom. "Get cleaned up after Lind brings you those clothes. Then, we'll go see my father."
Farrel bowed and went to wait for Lind by the door. By the time Eitan finished changing his own clothes into something suitably formal, Farrel had received the outfit from Lind. Eitan left him to freshen up and waited in the chair for him to be done. When Farrel emerged, Eitan felt as if he had momentarily been transported to the past. Sharp golden eyes, accentuated by a large scar running down one side of his face, and medium-length gray hair tied out of the way. An aged yet vigorous face, and the slightly too small clothes displaying a sturdy body. This was the knight, Farrel Falkur.
Eitan stood up from the chair too quickly due to his wavering emotions and ended up wobbling a bit. A firm hand quickly steadied his shoulder, and his walking cane was presented in front of him. "My liege, are you not well?" Farrel's eyes shone with genuine concern as Eitan supported himself with the cane. Pairing Eitan's recent fainting with the consistent unsteadiness he observed, Farrel worried he was sick with something.
"I'm fine. I was just born with a weak body. So you'll have to work hard to protect me for now." Eitan laughed a bit as he shrugged Farrel off.
Farrel's expression loosened as he took a step back. "Of course."
Eitan gestured for Farrel to follow as he exited the room, glancing at Lind, who was fidgeting outside the doorway. "Where is my father right now?"
Lind fixed his posture while responding, "His lordship is currently in the study."
Eitan continued walking after hearing this. After coming back to the past, during the times he was unable to train, he refamiliarized himself with the layout of the estate. This, of course, included the study, which he had visited to 'borrow' the seal. So he no longer had any issues navigating the castle by himself. He reached the study before long and knocked on the door. "Eitan Reidar wishes for an audience with the count."
"... Enter."
Eitan motioned for Farrel to follow behind as he entered the room. "Father, I have a request to make." In his memories, since he was a child, he hadn't addressed the man in front of him as father until he died. But he did so now.
Everade's brow cinched at Eitan's words, and he temporarily ignored the presence of Farrel. "Speak now."
He probably expects me to beg not to be sent to the border. Eitan could tell from his father's edged tone approximately what he was thinking. But he was destined to sever those expectations today. "When I went out recently, I found a strong slave. Please permit me to take him with me to Saoirse. I also seek permission to take some medicines from the warehouse in addition to the prepared supplies."
Only now did Everade's attention shift to Farrel. Farrel's head was currently bowed, so he couldn't see his face. His eyes narrowed, and Eitan noticed a slight shift in the aura originating from the count. So, he wants to check if Farrel is an aura user.
But he would find nothing. On their way to the castle, he had already instructed Farrel to conceal his aura. Unless one was of a much higher mastery, which Everade was not, no one would be able to tell he was anything but a muscle slave.
The aura receded as Everade's gaze returned to Eitan. "Do as you please."
"Thank you, Father." Eitan bowed gratefully before leaving the study with Farrel trailing behind. The first hurdle officially passed, it was time to focus on his main concern.