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Chapter 47

“Spirit! Guess what?” Mara ran down to the pond excitedly.

Another year had passed since the investigators came. For a time after, Tanner had been exceptionally worried, keeping a watch of any unfamiliar riders approaching his farm. However, it looked like his worry had been for nothing, and soon their farm life returned to normal. Tanner had eventually restocked my pond with new fish, and I had slowly built a new ecosystem of algae, bacteria, and organisms. I didn’t have to mimic being a pond anymore. That meant I could clear my waters again and give the place its supernatural charm once again.

Mara was fourteen now, and her body was starting to blossom into that of a young girl. She was the prettiest girl in Ramphart, or at least that was my assessment of her. She still seemed to have a strange attachment to me. As soon as she came to my shore, she stuck her feet into the pond and excitedly kicked the water. She seemed to like the feel of cool running water between her toes. Well, a pond didn’t have moving water, but maybe I used Water Jet and gave the area around her feet the current of a stream.

I squirted a little water to denote that I didn’t know. She squirmed excitedly.

“A paragon knight is coming to town.” She declared. “He’s recruiting new knights in training to bring to the capital Arcford. Markus is going to try it out. He might become a knight!”

As soon as she mentioned Markus, my enthusiasm for this conversation dissipated like smoke. I didn’t mind the juicy gossip that she told about the various people in town she interacted with, I did have a long solitary existence and things did get boring from time to time.  That said, her ability to go on and on about that playboy couldn’t be outmatched, and I did not care in the least.

“Wouldn’t it be so wonderful if Markus was a knight? Maybe… he’ll rescue me one day. Perhaps, I’d be attacked by bandits, and before they ravish me, he’ll come and save me!”

I nearly shot a stream of water at her. This was also a new thing with her. She had been going through puberty, and her interest in boys had taken on a sexual undertone. It used to be harmless crushes, but now, occasionally, she’d bring up naughty perversions. She had started taking books from her mother’s romance collection. Both of them had quite the salacious side, although I couldn’t say I was surprised considering Carolina was pregnant at age sixteen. It was hard to believe that her daughter was nearly the same age.

“He’ll rise just in time to protect my chastity…” Mara’s eyes were bright. “Once he slays the two bandits with a swipe of his hand, he’ll pick me up princess carry, and bring me to his cottage. Th-then… w-we’ll… do…”

Her face turned red as her mind went to places and scenes too naughty for her fragile mind to put into words. I wish she didn’t use me as her dear diary. Some of these things shouldn’t even be put in a diary. What happened to that cute little girl who leaped playfully into my shallow waters? She was replaced by this pervert when I wasn’t looking.

Perhaps, if her perversion was aimed toward me, I could forgive it. However, most of her fantasies involved this Markus guy. It was true that he had grown tall. He had muscles from working out and a farmer’s tan. If anyone Arcford could be said to be attractive beyond the Tanner family, he’d be the closest candidate. However, as someone who grew up in the age of the internet, I had seen far better men, and I knew it was a crush by proximity, not because Markus had anything worth possessing.

From the way I heard it, this Markus had half the girls tied around his finger. He would flirt with all of them and had most of them convinced she was the only one he loved. I knew he was just playing Mara, but I also knew that if I got in the way of their relationship, it’d have the opposite effect. In the end, I decided I wouldn’t do anything. In the worst-case scenario, he takes her purity and then breaks her heart.

At that point, if Tanner doesn’t break his legs, I might have to come up with a way to get him to my pond and it myself.

“Mara!”

Ah, speak of the devil. Markus was coming up the road when he started waving and calling to her. Mara gasped, still lost in her perverted fantasy. Seeing Markus immediately after having such naughty thoughts caused her to turn bright red. Thankfully, he was too far away to see her reaction. He approached, and next to him was a man on horseback. The pair walked across the farm. Mara ran up the hill to meet them halfway.

After my last level, I had enough sense that I could hear things clearly from the house. This was how I had a general understanding of what was going on. It wasn’t like Carolina talked to me, and even Tanner only said a few things every once in a while. Yet, I could more or less eavesdrop on their lives whenever I wanted. It wasn’t pervy about it! When Tanner and Carolina were going at it, which was usually health twice a week, when they sent Mara to town, I stopped listening.

Either way, I could hear their conversation.

“Markus! Why have you come? Ah… sir…” She noticed the man look down at her from the horse and attempted a clumsy curtsy.

He was a man who was more fat than muscle, although it would be misleading to say he was fat. It was clear he trained, but also he had a belly on him. When he saw the girl, a slimy smile appeared on his face.

“How about you introduce us, Markus.” He spoke in a somewhat creepy voice as he dismounted. “Don’t be rude.”

“Ah! That’s right, this is Knight Swallow! He officially works under Lord Nikola for the city. He’s a Champion paragon.”

A second level evolved? Pathetic…

“Hello, miss… what was it?” The man gave an oily smile, reaching his hand out toward her.

She looked nervous as if she didn’t know whether to take his hand or not. She may be fourteen, but her father had made sure to teach her not to trust strangers.

“Her name is Mara!” Markus seemed excited to fill in any information.

“Mara… that is a beautiful name.” He grinned, revealing a gold tooth in place of one of his upper canines.

The door slammed open, and Tanner stepped out. “Excuse me, I haven’t had the pleasure.”

He immediately walked over to his daughter. She got behind him, clinging to his shirt. Her uneasy expression was still there. Carolina appeared at the doorway, watching with concern.

The paragon made a face seeing Mara pulled back, but when he saw Carolina, his eyes flashed and his smile returned. “I didn’t expect to encounter so many beauties this far out from the capital. I must say, I’m impressed.”

“H-his name is Knight Swallow!” Markus declared.

“A knight?” Tanner raised an eyebrow. “A bit far from home, aren’t we?”

“Every few years, we do a recruitment drive. Knights are sent out to the less visited districts, and we see if there are any young promising youths.” He explained. “Most of them are shit, but I was surprised by young Markus here. He seemed to have a lick of potential.”

“Is that so…” Tanner responded icily. “Then I must congratulate Markus on his luck.”

“You see…” The knight shifted slightly, causing Tanner to stiffen. “Here’s the thing. This boy shows no understanding of the sword, but his footwork is topnotch… practiced even… to imperial standard. I asked him who taught him those steps, and he’s brought me to you.”

Tanner laughed. “I see, you’re wondering where I learned it. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but a year back, someone from the city came to investigate a tribulation event. You’re welcome to check into it. Anyway, I was at the pub and offered one of the guards some of my best mead if he could show me a trick or two. I taught young Markus here since he asked me if I knew any moves, but I’m little more than a student myself.”

His words were surprisingly well rehearsed. He had already come up with such an excuse ahead of time. I might have believed it myself if I didn’t know a few hints about his backstory.

“I see… well, knights have no age requirement. If you can pick up such a complex technique after a single lesson, you might do well as a knight.”

“Daddy can become a knight?” Mara spoke up, looking a bit excited.

“Mara, over here!” Carolina called to her, quickly dragging the girl indoors before closing them.

Knight Swallow’s smile nearly became a sneer. “What say you?”

“I will have to decline.” Tanner gave a helpless shrug. “My family… this farm… I’m already settled here. There is no way I could leave them behind.”

“You could bring them to the city.” He spoke as if he already knew the answer.

“I’m sorry.” Tanner shook his head. “We’re not suited for city life, I’m afraid.”

“That is unfortunate.” The Knight hesitated for a second. “You know… you give me a feeling of familiarity.”

“How can that be?”

He shrugged, but he still looked at Tanner intensely. “Since you live out in the country, you may not know this, but there are three major family houses in Arcford. The Boran, the Damini, and the Capala make up the families that support Lord Nikola. When you become a knight, you are often assigned to one of these families. I am a knight of Damini.”

“Is that so…” Tanner looked uncomfortable.

“Although that makes it sound like the houses are all at peace under the lord, it couldn’t be farther from the truth. They constantly plot against each other. It is my benefactor, the Damini, who are recruiting aggressively.”

“You don’t say…” Tanner continued with the noncommittal responses.

“It wasn’t too long ago that there were four houses in Arcford. The house of Lyn was well-established too. Yet, the Damini and the Boran plotted and eventually succeeded in wiping them out. The Capala were the only ones who didn’t help, as there were too many marriages between them.”

“That is… unfortunate,” Tanner spoke tightly. “Wiping out an entire family is a bit much.”

“It’s a necessary evil.” The knight shrugged. “Less future generations return and try to take back what was lost. That’s why, they even wipe out extended family. There was a rumor, however, that the youngest Master Lyn escaped with his pregnant wife, a Capala. They were hunted down and killed though.”

“To kill a pregnant woman.” Tanner wore the appropriate amount of anger on his face.

“If she had just gone to the Capala home, they would have protected her. By choosing the run with her husband, she sealed her fate. Sometimes, if you wish to survive, you have to sacrifice others.” His eyes flickered to Carolina who was still peering out the door. “Do you understand my meaning?”

“I understand,” Tanner spoke bitterly. “Your home is my home.”

The knight suddenly laughed as if the previous mood wasn’t stifling, and he slapped the young Markus on the back. “Come, show me this bar with the best ale you spoke about earlier.”

“I-I didn’t say it had the best… it’s the only…”

“That’s fine. That’s fine…” He looked back at Tanner. “I’ll be seeing you again later. Make sure your wife and daughter are… ready to receive guests.”

“You’re coming back?” Markus asked obliviously.

“Of course, didn’t you listen? Tanner is offering me a place to stay the night. I’d be a fool not to accept his…warm intentions.”

He got onto his horse, and rode just a bit too fast, forcing Markus to jog after him. Tanner waited until they were gone, and then walked down to the pond.

“I presume you heard all of that?” Tanner spoke through clenched teeth.

I made bubbles.

“I haven’t asked you for anything in a long time.” Tanner made a face. “But I have to ask you a favor now. I do not care about the cost. That man… cannot be allowed to live past tonight!”

I responded with bubbles again. My bottom line had also been crossed.