<>

The question came out of the blue, so Ricardo is visibly confused. Normally, the act of demanding a nobleman’s glove would signify taking that nobleman as one’s subordinate. This gesture doesn’t seem to suit the current Imogyeran, who is standing before him, though.

Had the two of them not had this long talk with each other, he might have lashed out again but instead Ricardo chooses to listen to what this new person has to say to him.

<>

<>, the boy makes a wide smile, seemingly happy by the young master’s reaction.

<>

The boy holds up two fingers.

<>

, thinks Ricardo.

<>, he asks inquisitively.

<>, Imogyeran answers him.

Next the boy urges him to come closer and places his mouth near Ricardo’s right ear.

<>, he whispers into the young man’s ears.

For some reason, the whisper makes Ricardo unsteady and he feels slightly numb around his chest-area, though he doesn’t understand why.

He is focused entirely on the small guy’s whispering words.

<>

The boy throws out each word separately into Ricardo’s ears, making his symptoms worsen.

<>

He gulps, excited what Imogyeran wants to convey to him. What could be an appropriate reason for this behavior?

<>

After he finishes, he dashes up to the confused Ricardo on the bed and quickly takes hold of his left glove, which the latter had been playing around with so it was loosened up a little.

<>, the still confused Blueseva-noble shouts.

But Imogyeran continues his plan. He stands up on top of the bed, momentarily forgetting to take off his shoes and throwing the silver glove down in front of the disbelieving Ricardo’s lap before making a grimace and talking in a haughty and slightly ridiculing tone:

<>

Ricardo is still baffled but Imogyeran simply takes the left glove he threw down a moment ago, puts it in his breast-pocket of his gown and turns around to leave. While leaving he has these last words for the young man sitting there in befuddlement.

<>

Then he changes his words one last time to his usual demeanor and turns around to give the boy one last bright smile.

<>

With these words he leaves the room closing the door and leaving a lone man.

At this moment, the man sets his eyes on a single mission for the next 5 years of his life.

<>

Then he silently adds these words on top of that.

<>

He pauses

<<… I promise to serve you as your loyal sword.>>

Their next meeting will have profound consequences for the two of them.

___

POV of Esteban Blueseva:

I must have given the two of them enough time by now, so I am currently back on the way to my chambers. In the meantime, I have been conversing with the honorable guests as well as with our attendants about what happened after Ricardo and I left the scene. And I must say I was shocked by what had transpired.

Honestly, these last two days changed everything I have thought to have known about this boy and turned them on their head. Was our entire relationship really nothing more than just a construct of lies?

‘What’s up, gramps? Anything weird going on?’

The words from yesterday come back to mind at this time.

Those weren’t words spoken out of duty or intrigue. I don’t know why he never addressed me that way before, but I will choose to believe that our relationship was not just a fake.

I don’t know when it started, but I truly see the boy on the same level of importance as my own grandchildren.

*Sigh*

<>, I say out aloud while straightening my clothes.

Now is going to be the time of my conversation with the boy and I must present myself appropriately.

Thinking this I turn a corner and I am met by said boy, who is still wearing his outfit from the fencing match. I can see something silver-colored peeking out of his chest’s pocket.

Wait, it couldn’t be?

<>

After noticing my presence, the boy puts up a bright smile and walks up to me before saying these words.

<>

I never had any problems with swinging speeches to boost the morale of my comrades during moments of crisis. In fact, I would consider myself eloquent with words, even among fellow nobility. But if this object in the boy’s pockets is truly what I think it is, then even my seasoned expertise cannot comprehend the situation quickly enough to understand what is going on.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

<>,

Imogyeran looks down into his pocket and pulls out a silver glove. It is needless to say, whose it might be.

<>, he says while making a mischievous expression.

This is also the last I see of his face before my vision seems to twist and turn and before I know it, my body is in free-falling mode.

My fall is broken moments before hitting the ground by the young boy, who is holding and helping in steadying my posture.

<>

To my surprise, I can see a concerned face looking at me with a few tears welling up in these red eyes.

<>

I can feel a slight tremor coursing throughout his body.

That is the moment that I remember, who I am talking to right now.

<>

At this moment, my surroundings begin to sharpen again. I sit myself down on the ground, while leaning on the hall-floor and look down on the young boy, who is wrapping his arms around me, as if afraid that I would break at any moment.

I raise my hand, which causes the boy to slightly shrink together. This sight alone is breaking my heart. I put my hand on the back of his head and pull him closer to me.

<>

I can still feel the tenseness in his body by the unfamiliar feeling and I simply hold my embrace of the little boy without saying anything for a while.

<>

He is shaking more and more, confused about this gesture, clumsily remaining in position without doing anything else. I can feel the gaze of his spiritual familiar on myself, while it is evaluating me in regards to my danger to this boy.

However I don’t move. It doesn’t make a move either.

I can feel his face heating up as he is shaking like a leaf and his already red eyes’ corners begin to redden even more.

He looks up at my face with a cautious look. It feels like he is scared of accepting this simple gesture I am showing him. I warmly smile back while continuing to stroke through his black hair.

He finally makes a move on his own. I can feel his head digging into my chest as if he is trying to hide inside a place to keep him safe.

<’A child needs to feel the love of their parents.’ It was such a simple statement but we still argued over it so many times.>

The boy lets out a whimper inside my arms as I give him a proper embrace. I can feel him sobbing properly for the first time.

During the incident, where Imogyeran’s father died, I have been out on a hunting trip. I heard from a subordinate of mine that this was the first and only recorded incident of the boy’s crying being heard.

I listen to the increasingly echoing sobs while watching the vast hallway that we are sitting in. If anybody saw the two of us in this position, then I would surely be the talk of the house for a while. But at this moment I don’t care for such trivial things like gossip and bantering. Maybe it is because the place is this mundane public location of our estate that my actions have a meaning.

<>

My voice carries such a warm undertone, that it feels alien to me.

It seems, that he isn’t able to bottle his torrent of emotions up anymore and he breaks out in a waterfall of tears and cries.

I can see his nose dripping and his eyes are closed, just like a little child.

I catch myself shedding a few tears as well. Today is a day of so many tears, is it not?

But that is fine.

<>

I don’t get an answer but I don’t need one. At least right now, all that needs to be said, has already been said.

All that remains is to wait through the showers of rain until we reach a new dawn.

___

It was a hall made of yellow, smooth stone. Its walls were embroidered with blue embroideries, which in themselves were decorated with golden patterns to make up a serene and noble view. The patterns depicted a black trunk with blue insignia on top of it. Inside this ordinary hallway, there was a pair of a child and its guardian silently lying there for minutes, crying and holding on to each other.

…

After letting out their emotions, the two of them decide to go to Imogyeran’s room. They suspect that Ricardo might still be in Esteban’s quarters and thus choose the desolate place that is the small room, that the boy has lived in his entire life. While walking there, Imogyeran talks to his Gramps(he is officially allowed to call Esteban that) about all the stuff that he has lived through from his perspective. He talks about his connection with ‘Donmir’ and --. . Imogyeran portrays his struggles in learning different fields of study and briefly mentions his studies with ‘Naga’ as a swordsman. The boy even talks about more mundane things like the color of the bricks built into the shed outside the mansion or a myriad of cool bugs he found while hunting with Gramps before.

Esteban simply listens to the boy with a warm smile and gives a comment here and there.

Imogyeran is still uncomfortable with this new way of interacting with Esteban and even though the distance between them has drastically closed, there is still an invisible wall separating them even now.

The old veteran is saddened and curious about its origin but chooses not to speak up about it until the boy himself brings it up out of his own volition.

He watches the back of the leading boy, which is swaying from side to side. The testimonies from the duel have seen this way of him walking.

Esteban is certain that the boy is by nature a very energetic boy and now that he has been freed from his position, he is able to more freely express himself resulting in all his actions being tainted by a touch of jittering and antsyness.

Seeing this fulfills him with happiness, because he can feel the happiness inside the boy permeating outside like a shimmering gem.

However all good things must come to an end someday. Esteban notices Imogyeran’s swaying lessening the closer the two of them get to their destination.

Through the last few days, he has been getting a better and better impression of the boy’s mind and his years of experience tell him that the conversation, the two of them are going to be holding is not going to be pretty for both of them.

Nevertheless, he has firmly made up his mind to, whatever they may discuss and whatever decision Imogyeran Ashenwald may come to, he will accept and support him.

…

The both of them have arrived inside Imogyeran’s room after deliberately taking their time; Imogyeran locked the door of this place and they both settle down in the middle of the room.

Esteban is waiting for the boy to start the conversation and the latter seems to mentally prepare himself for what is about to come.

When he is ready, Esteban can see the expression on his face mirroring the one, he has been used to seeing over the course of their time together. It makes him sad to see that.

<>, his red abyssal eyes gaze directly into Esteban’s clear blue eyes.

<<‘What do we mean to you?’ That is the question I have asked you.>>, Esteban responds.

<>

He lets out a sigh before continuing.

<>

<>

<

<>, he is about to go on a long and proud tangent but is stopped by Imogyeran

<>

The young man makes sure of having Esteban’s attention before continuing.

<>

Esteban got a bad foreboding feeling from that.

<>

…

<>

…

<>

...

<>

…

For the next couple of moments Esteban lost his ability of human speech and regressed back to an infancy stage of cognitive function.

Imogyeran watched his blank and baffled reaction without even batting an eye and simply observed the entire spectacle before eventually continuing

<>

Esteban Blueseva is a very patriotic man, who loves his country as much as his own family. He has always been engaged in national affairs and permanently tries to improve this country for the better due to the warrior’s love for his home.

This realization of him potentially having betrayed his home country out of negligence and his own personal feelings has hit him harder than anything before in his entire life.

He is unable to bring himself to answer, look up at the boy in front of him or even to think. Inside his mind is an infinite void of nothingness gnawing away at him.

The man stays in that position for a long time before being awakened by a warm feeling.

He can feel somebody speaking. It is not the Estican tongue he hears but the spirit’s language he feels.

Understanding the tongue of spirits is a compulsory assignment for every leader of a group of larger than 100 men. This is why he can hear and feel the words Imogyeran utters in that tongue.

<

I shall never utilize the information of Estican military secrets gained from Esteban Blueseva against the country of Estica.

If I break my vow, all the spirits may feast on my mind, for I give my everything to my words.>>