Volume 6 Chapter 7 Naresh
After leaving Patricia's room, Al was guided by a maid to Naresh's office. Earlier, Lord Radyard had mentioned that Naresh's bodyguard's room should be right next door, so even if Naresh wasn't there, it would be fine.
The lord's mansion was very big and a bit confusing. Inside, it wasn’t as fancy as Al had thought; there were just some carvings near the ceiling, which made the place feel calm. As Al followed the maid, he noticed two men in black robes coming down the hallway. One looked about 40, and the other seemed to be in his 30s.
They were likely magicians, and Al’s heart raced because he guessed they were the Viscount's personal magicians. The two men were looking around, probably checking the security systems in the mansion. Eric had told Al that there were magic tools here to stop intruders.
"Hello."
Al couldn't help but speak up. The two men looked at him with puzzled expressions.
"Who are you? I don't recognize you."
The younger man stepped forward, as if protecting the older one, and asked.
"I'm Al. I will be working as Sir Naresh's attendant for a little while."
Once, Al's grandfather had served as a magician for the Margrave. He had heard stories about that time many times, and for Al, working as a magician serving a noble was a dream. Of course, his priority was to master magic himself first, and that was just the beginning.
"Al? I've heard that name somewhere. Ah, right, Lord Eric said something strange, and you must be the guy he was talking about. You're still young. Are you an apprentice? And you're doing something confusing as Sir Naresh's attendant."
The older man muttered this, but next to him, the younger man whispered something in his ear.
"...Sir Wald's... disgrace..."
Al couldn't catch everything, but it didn't sound good. Was it some kind of slander? The older man frowned at what the younger man said, but he lightly shook his head, as if to stop him from talking.
"Alright, Al. Do your best as an attendant. Just be careful not to get in our way. And, as you probably know, don't use magic inside or near the lord's mansion or the government office unless it's an emergency."
He was probably saying there are magic detection tools around. Al smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I understand. If there's anything I can help with, please let me know."
In response to Al's offer, the older man shook his head dismissively. Then, as if the conversation was over, he waved his hand and started talking to the younger man again. Feeling disappointed by their unapproachable attitude, Al left the scene.
* * *
"Ah, that must be Sir Wald and Sir Emerson. The older one is Sir Wald, and both serve my father as magicians. Sir Emerson is a bit jealous, and there's a rumor that he tries to bring down other magicians who try to shine, except for his master, Sir Wald. I heard this from a magician who left the Viscount family, so I can't say for sure if it's true."
When Al told Naresh about the earlier conversation, he explained it to him with a wry smile.
"I just wanted to hear more about magicians."
Naresh smiled wryly at Al's expression.
"You're really eager about magic, Al. I didn't know you were such an interesting person. I wish we had gotten closer back in middle school."
"Even if you say that, Sir Naresh, you seemed really busy with studying and martial arts. I can't say much either, but you weren't exactly playing around, were you?"
Al replied to Naresh's disappointed tone.
"By the way, what are your plans, Sir Naresh? What should I do? Lord Radyard said it would be good for me to stay with you, but what exactly should I do?"
When Al asked, Naresh suggested that he should ask a young man nearby who was wearing a dark blue tabard. The young man's name was Craig, and he was a servant assigned by Radyard to take care of Naresh. After Naresh said this, Craig nodded.
"I've heard from Lord Radyard. Sir Naresh, I have a request. You've been calling him Al, and since he will be working as an attendant, it's best to keep it that way, so others won’t be confused."
After thinking for a moment, Naresh nodded.
"Ah, you're right. I'll be careful."
Seeing this, Craig lightly nodded and then turned back to Al.
"Alright, Al. Please watch your tone. You're just a temporary hire right now, but while you work here, all servants of the Viscount family will wear the same colored tabard. So, no one will know if you're temporary or not. You’re all equal servants of the Viscount family. Do you understand?"
Craig paused there. He smiled lightly when he saw Al nodding seriously.
"Be careful with your tone; it can hurt Sir Naresh's honor. I thought that coming from a knight family, you would communicate better. After your earlier talk with him, I’m feeling concerned."
Al could only nod honestly. It wasn't a job he truly wanted, but since he was doing this kind of work, Craig's comments were reasonable.
"Of course, I understand that you and Sir Naresh were friends in middle school, so I have no intention of breaking that bond. Please feel free to talk freely when it's just the two of you. However, I kindly ask that you be careful when others are around."
Craig said this again, turning to Naresh, and bowed deeply. Surely, Craig must also be Naresh's tutor.
"I understand, so you don't need to worry. Now, Craig, could you briefly explain the schedule for the next week and the expedition to Al?"
Naresh's words made Craig nod, and he started to explain things to Al. Before the expedition, Naresh spent his mornings listening to the Internal Affairs Minister for the Viscount family, trained with the knights in the afternoon, and attended dinner meetings with related organizations at night. Al usually enjoyed tea with Patricia in the morning, but he decided to join Craig for the afternoon training. He thought he could skip the dinner meetings since they mostly happened at the lord's mansion.
During the expedition, attendants should move to the back when the fighting starts. If you’re inexperienced, it might be tough to find the back, but try to stay close to the supply troops and healing priests. After the fighting is over, find your master to regroup. However, for Naresh to earn the military honors that Lord Radyard and Viscountess Tara expect, staying in the back won’t be good enough. Al had never been in a big battle before, but he thought he could help with his magic.
"Is it okay if I stay close to Sir Naresh when I think it's not dangerous?"
At Al's offer, Naresh initially looked puzzled but then nodded vigorously. He had a strong impression of Al's performance during the fight with the Blood-Soaked Bandits.
"Are you going to use 'Illusion'? Or are you going to use magic to behead a higher-ranked enemy?"
Al shook his head. This time, they were up against Barbarians. It probably wouldn't be as desperate a situation as last time.
"To see how far I can go, I have to try... But I definitely want to find a higher-ranked species somehow."
Hearing that, Naresh smiled and nodded lightly.
"In a war between humans rather than against the Barbarians, it is seen as dishonorable to attack non-combatants like servants or church members who help and heal. This belief is based on the idea that these people do not fight. We didn’t consider that servants might join the battle, and I didn’t think of it either. However, I’m glad Al brought it up. To avoid being called cowards for having servants fight, I will talk to Baron Oliver about it."
Al tilted his head. If there's such a taboo, why did they hire him as a servant? Maybe they thought it was okay because they were fighting Barbarians, or perhaps they didn't think he could do anything too noticeable.
In that regard, Naresh must really value Al and is considering his reputation later on. Al felt happy about that once again.
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