Flowers of Worship

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That afternoon, I called Leon, who had arrived in the capital the day before, and headed to the Capital Guard. Leon murmured, “I wanted to rest for a day,” but he stopped by in much more comfortable clothes than usual and headed to the south gate of the castle with me. That’s where the head office of the Water Guard was located.

“Do you have to accompany me every time you come to the Capital Guard?”

Leon shook his head. Of course. I nodded vigorously. The Captain of the Metropolitan Guard, Grieg, was Leon’s eldest brother. I am a duke and commander of the Knights of Hastred, so that I can do a lot of chores, but depending on whether Leon accompanies or not, the speed and atmosphere of the work are really different.

“Leon! You’re here!” I heard Grieg, who was rather heavy, rushing down from the wall and screaming. Alas, if we could use this word even between brothers, unrequited love would be excruciating.

“Ah, brother. Long time no see.” Leon was blunt. He must be the older brother that he hadn’t seen in two years… . Thinking so, I changed my mind when he said, “I am not.” It may be the older brother who hadn’t seen him in a long time. Due to Leon’s personality, there was no guarantee that he would see his family every time he came to Yenson.

“My brother is still in good health. You’re handsome, and your sister-in-law is as kind and beautiful as always?” That was a book-reading-flattery that came out when money was at stake and had no motivation. It’s a skill of flattery. As I shook my head inwardly, his older brother jumped down and hugged Leon as if thrilled. He said,

“My brother! You are still sweet!” and hugged him tightly. There was a desperate affection in that hug, but Leon said, “Ah, yes, yes,” and patted his brother’s back a couple of times without sincerity and pushed him away. It wasn’t just pushing him away, it was driving him with great force, so if it weren’t for a big guy like Grieg, he would have been thrown on the ground.

“I’m sorry, brother. I’m out of breath.”

Wow, every time I look at him, it’s dishonest to lie.

“No, I am sorry. Why are you so thin? Did you eat? Does the meal at Hastred doesn’t taste good? Who is bothering you?”

Who will torment Leon? Leon bullied many people.

I was looking up at the sky, wondering when the hell this brother’s reunion would end when suddenly Leon pointed at me.

“Brother, she’s my master whom you are pretending not to see.”

Hahahahaha, Grieg burst out laughing. He looked at me and smiled wildly, and bowed down to me.

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“Welcome, your grace.”

“It’s been a while, Captain Nossen.”

Grieg Nossen. He was the eldest son and successor of Count Nossen and was a man in charge of the Capital Guard. He gained control over the city’s police and was more famously nicknamed ‘The Cunning Bear.’ As one of the strong pillars of Count Nossen’s iron tightrope, he was also a man of bright demeanor, to the point that he held important posts in both the previous and current kings.

“I think this child has lost some weight, my lord.”

Except for his desperate love for his youngest brother, Leon, he was a bright and clever person. But when Leon was involved, he becomes a beggar. This was characteristic of the entire family of Count Nossen. It was said that Leon was a little handsome now, but when he was younger, he was cuter than a fairy and more beautiful than an angel, he had aegyo, and he was so lovely that the whole family lived and died because of Leon. Because of the memories of that time, Count Nossen has become a family that does anything for his youngest son.

tl/n: aegyo is a cute display of affection expressed in all cutesy manners.

The youngest son was tired and troubled by the count’s overprotectiveness and lived a life where money was the best, so Count Nossen was known as a pitiful family in the Order of Hastred.

“Did Leon lose weight?”

It looks like he’s not losing or gaining… In other words, there is no significant change. When he asked, Grieg was furious.

“Can’t you see this half-faced face, lord!”

“Brother, my career is in jeopardy.” Leon, with an annoyed face, waved his hand like a handkerchief, roughly drying his brother. “But but!” So he tried to tell Leon more, but Leon shook his head to keep his brother shut.

“Brother, there’s a doctor named Orssen.”

“Doctor?”

“Huh. There is a big bastard who has blood drawn from the grand duke and sold it.”

Grieg seemed to be thinking, “Ah.” and shook his head. But I believe Grieg must have noticed the business from when he heard that his brother was coming. Perhaps Leon is also thinking of this.

Cunning bear.

That nickname came for nothing.

“I want to talk to him.”

“If our Leon wants to talk, of course, we have to. But what should I write the reason for in the meeting room?” Grieg asked.

“Interrogation. I want to ask him something about selling blood.”

“Because it’s a crime, the guards will do it, so I don’t think it can be used in the meeting room. Is there anything else I can use?”

The words were said to Leon, but the meaning behind it was meant for me. The Guard handles the Crime. Strictly speaking, the mercenary knights had the warning to step back. Well, I wasn’t curious about who sold the blood to. Instead, I would like to know more about the threat approaching the Grand Duke. Of course, if I say this, Grieg Nossen will tell me to trust the guards, but how can I trust the guards and Grieg Nossen? There are too many people on guard. Among the factions, Grieg Nossen and Count Nossen are notorious neutrals who did not take a stand. One day he can be my ally, the next day, he can be my enemy.

“Brother.” Leon also frowned, knowing why Grieg was doing this.

“Uh, huh?”

“Should I care about such a little thing? You can do that on your own.” Leon threw a sudden tantrum because we don’t have a day or two. In the end, Grieg lost.

“…Well, that. Of course! Your brother will take care of it. Alright, Orssen, the doctor? Does it mean you want to talk to the doctor?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, wait for a moment.” The moment Grieg stepped back with a face that said, “That’s enough warning,” Leon said with a hateful remark.

“Brother, I have to go to sleep. Bring him quickly.”

“Alright. I will bring him like the wind as my youngest brother want.”

Grieg was cold to me, but he was a real pushover to his younger brother. I can’t help but bring Leon into this state; that’s why I burst into laughter.

The road leading inside the dungeon wall was dark even during the day. There were also cracks in the wall. Even though it was daytime, the torch was hung, and that’s why the smell of oil was pungent. And the scent of various filth, which even the smell of oil could not be erased, floated in the air. As we went underground, the smell of dirt was worse than the smell of oil. Things like feces or blood and the smell from people who haven’t washed. Squeak. Somewhere a mouse cried and ran back and forth.

I was not immune to places like this. Most of this work has been handled by subordinates. And since my knights were in a position to go on an expedition, I didn’t like prisoners because they were just a food source. We mainly kill monsters and people, but it was rare to manage criminals. The loot was often managed separately by the king’s troops, who moved with us. Even if we usually act as if we were all knights, we were treated as mercenaries in important areas, and we were comfortable with that. We were mercenaries who could leave at any time. Of course, it was good for us not to go, but it’s a huge difference whether we can leave or not.

“Leon, when are you coming home?”

He wanted to stick to Leon, but Grieg asked as he walked a little further away since Leon hated it. He acted as if he had no interest in anything but Leon. But I also knew that Leon was interested in everything.

“I will go when I go.”

“Your mother misses you and weeps every night, baby.”

Baby.

I almost laughed at the word, but I barely held it in. Leon’s existence in the Nossen family is like a sanctuary because they know that a wrong step will cause a crusade.

“No way,” Leon responded bitterly. So he rolled his big eyes and waited for the youngest brother to speak. Leon shrugged his shoulders as he entered the giant stone gate leading to the dungeon.

“You wrote in the letter that you were doing well. You said you had back pain, so I sent some medicinal herbs, and you seem to be listening well.”

“Did that herb come from you?!”

“Uh. No, to be precise, it was the lord.” Leon pointed at me and followed me quietly as if he was air, and I was startled. Me, me? I asked with my eyes, but Leon pretended not to see me, turned his back, and walked forward.

“It is the core of the platinum basilisk that our lord captured.”

“That is… that is so precious.”

“No, there’s a little bit left on us. The lord had swept away all the magical sea monsters (creatures that harm humans among god’s creations).”

“… Wow. Is it that bad?”

“Uh, a little.”

Grieg gave me a flattering look for the first time since he saw me today, but Leon’s side face, standing slightly in front of Grieg, showed signs of trouble and boredom. I used to catch sea monsters when I was on the road, but this habit started to disrupt the knights’ schedule. In the past, the knights would see them as well, but I go on my way with a straight face when they catch it these days. And the only people who caught sea monsters with me were Chris and Sophia. These were all Leon’s achievements. They started cracking down on Leon to stop anyone from helping me except Chris and Leon. Thanks to this, I was a little tired, but the movement of the knights kept pace.