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The wind, which brushed a ridge of the Pleo Mountains, swept the Free City Nordburg. In the city, lights came on one by one as the sunset in the west.

The Free City Nordburg was located at the northeast edge of the Kingdom of Scandia. The Kingdom of Scandia was in the northeast part of the continent. Although Scandia did not have a large territory, it was in command of a strong army. Despite not being one of the more substantial powers of the continent, it had managed to defend against many invasions of adjacent kingdoms and dukedoms for hundreds of years, thanks to its territory being composed of rugged mountains. It all came to an end twenty years before, due to the invasion of the overwhelmingly mighty Icarus Empire. Although Scandia then became a tributary of the Empire, Icarus ensured Scandia’s independence, and Icarus has not interfered with Scandia’s domestic affairs, as long as Scandia paid a yearly tribute.

On the whole, there was no significant change in Scandia after it had become Icarus’ tributary. On the contrary, Scandia’s economy has constantly been improving thanks to the imperial gift granted by Icarus, of which the value even surpassed that of the yearly tribute provided by Scandia. Moreover, Scandia’s national strength has expanded as its trade with Icarus grew more extensive year after year. Adjacent kingdoms no longer dared to invade Scandia, as they were afraid of Icarus’ interference. Thus, Scandia has been enjoying a peaceful era for the last twenty years.

Nordburg was a corporate town located at the northeast border of Scandia. The city autonomously maintained its public order employing its own guards, and it had its own judicial proceedings. It was how Nordburg has survived as an isolated city at the border.

Three people were walking along the freeway from the capital of Scandia to Nordburg. A hairy man with numerous scars crisscrossing his face led them. At a glance, he looked like a man who had lived a tumultuous life. He wore a washed-out leather mail, and on his belt dangled a mace and a short sword. He looked like a typical mercenary soldier with a little shield and a large backpack on his back. A woman in a robe and a boy seemingly about eight years old struggled behind the man. The boy looked exhausted while the woman`s face was hidden deep in the hood.

The struggling boy finally collapsed. Heartbroken at the sight, the woman turned to the man as she rushed to help the boy back up.

“Id is exhausted. Let’s take a rest.”

Hearing the woman’s voice, the man stopped and looked back.

“It’s a pity. But the checkups at the gate of Nordburg shall be intensified after sunset. That might be troublesome…….”

Realizing there was nothing to be done about the situation, the man walked back to the boy. Even whilst grumbling, he was fully aware that the journey had been too excessive for the boy. The eight-year-old boy’s face was ashy pale as he gasped for air. The man arrived at the boy’s side and handed him a canteen. Watching the boy about to chug the water from the canteen hastily, he said in a deep voice.

“Don’t drink too much. Otherwise, you’ll get a stomachache.”

“I got it, sir.”

Having taken a couple of sips, the boy returned the canteen to the man. With the interaction between the boy and the man, it could be seen that they were not father and son. The hooded woman, still holding the boy, looked at the man.

“Thank you.”

“Sure.”

The man frowned and wiped the sweat on his forehead. The woman slightly raised her head and stared at the Free City Nordburg, where lights were coming on one by one.

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“Are we going to live there?”

The man nodded.

“Yes. It’s better to go to the Free City Nordburg if you no longer want to work as a mercenary. Besides, I have several acquaintances there. We can open a small pub, or I can at least hunt in the forest nearby the city to earn our living.”

Slightly hesitating for a moment, the man murmured.

“I spent almost all of the money I had earned until now to purchase you and your son.”

The woman just stared at the ground beneath her feet without saying anything.

“I believe you won’t betray me… by any chance.”

The man turned his head after his harsh comment as a wave of regret surged within him. Feeling sorry, he could no longer face the woman. Unlike his appearance, he was tender-hearted, which proved his fatal flaw during the mercenary work. It was why he retired comparatively early. His comment, however, definitely burdened the hooded woman, Julia. A teardrop fell from beneath the hood, landing on the young boy Id’s face. His pupils visibly shivered as he looked up at his mother. The boy stretched out his hand and reached for his mother’s face beneath the hood.

“Don’t cry, mom.”

Id’s appearance was quite impressive, considering his young age and the arduous journey he had been through. His greenish-blue pupils looked like a mix of sapphire and emerald. And his shining silver hair and flawless complexion made him look like a young noble from a high-class family. In stark contrast, the rags he wore as clothes led to a certain air of insignificance.

“We have rested enough. Let’s go.”

Mother and son stood up and started to walk. There was no hope to be found in their drooping shoulders.

Having walked quite a while, they could see the gateway of Nordburg. Soldiers in chainmail were strictly guarding the gate. They were regular soldiers in metal mail, not the conscripts in padded clothes holding wooden spears, who could be typically found guarding the gates of smaller towns.

Among the guards of Nordburg stood a big man wearing a helmet. He looked like a Knight as he wore plate chest armor and pauldrons over chainmail. He shouted harshly as the hairy man’s group approached.

“Halt.”

At the same time, the guards readied their spears. They showed clear intent to attack should the group disobey the order. Three people stopped after a short hesitation. The Knight approached them, taking off his helmet and looked around at them. 

“Do you want to enter Nordburg?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I am Knight Thomas, the head of gatekeepers in the Free City Nordburg.”

The Knight Thomas looked the man up and down.

“You are armed quite heavily. Are you a mercenary soldier?”

“That’s right.”

“Show me your identification card.”

The man quietly thrust out a wooden card that hung on his belt. Having scrutinized the wooden card, the knight nodded.

“George. No surname. A second-class mercenary. Your face tells you have gone through hell and high water. Good. You are allowed to pass.”

The Knight moved slightly to face the hooded woman.

“Take the hood off.”

Julia hesitated at the command. As the Knight raised his brows, George hastily told Julia to remove her hood.

“Hurry up. Take the hood off.”

Julia unwillingly took her hood off. Momentarily the eyes of the Knight widened. The woman was quite beautiful. She was a blue-eyed blond in her late twenties. But astonishingly, she was branded with a hideous complex pattern on her forehead. Every gatekeeper was paying attention to the brand on the forehead of the beautiful woman. As the Knight raised a signal, the guards approached the woman, spears raised. The Knight sternly ordered George.

“That pattern on her forehead is branded only on maids who have been expelled from the palace. Explain yourself.”

The guards couldn’t understand how anyone could brand such a beautiful woman with such a hideous pattern. The Knight Thomas, on the other hand, had a pretty good idea of the situation. Although he now works as the head of gatekeepers in such a remote location, he had served as a regular Knight in the palace in the past.

There were so many maids at court where the King of Scandia lived. Most of them were from aristocratic families. Naturally, they were not daughters of lords with a large feudal territory such as marquises or counts. Usually, daughters of barons or baronets, who had a smaller estate, entered the palace as maids who took care of everyday life at court.

Rules and etiquettes requested in the palace were many and complicated to a degree beyond imagination. It was nearly impossible to remember every rule and etiquette even for aristocrats’ daughters educated well from their very early ages. Maids in high positions called Court Ladies or Maids of Honor were treated at the level of baronets and paid well. Therefore, many aristocrats’ daughters made efforts to be a maid in the palace. But this was not the case for all maids.

Women were needed to entertain envoys from powerful countries or distinguished Knights in the palace. For this job, they required young and pretty women, and these young women, mostly daughters of peasants or serfs, were also referred to as maids. They were a kind of high-class prostitutes.

Maids from aristocratic families wore a blue-laced uniform with a blue sash, while maids from low-class families wore a red-laced uniform with a red sash. At least in Scandia, this distinction was quite well known. Of course, these two groups of maids were treated entirely differently.

The red-laced maids couldn’t move around the palace freely. They stayed in a separate building in the corner of the courtyard and executed their tasks when needed. Though their main job was to entertain foreign envoys or knights with contributions, some high-ranked aristocrats tended to visit them from time to time as well.