SOTBW - 152

At Amelia’s desperate cry, Belshua, who had been walking away, abruptly stopped. Slowly turning around, his expression was strange, as if he had just been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.

Amelia, realizing her words might have been too much, quickly shut her mouth. Belshua, who had been walking far ahead, swiftly turned back toward her.

Belshua looked down at Amelia with eyes full of turmoil.

“Gambling debt? Did you just say gambling debt?”

“Yes, yes... gambling debt...”

Amelia, thinking that Belshua was angry, cautiously watched him. But Belshua said nothing, just continued to look at her.

A complex emotion briefly passed over his normally expressionless face. Belshua ran a hand over his eyes, then asked Amelia calmly.

“Do you remember my name...?”

Amelia frowned in disbelief, unsure if he was serious.

“Of course. Even if I’m a fool, I remember the names of all the knights in Romsoa. You’re Sir Belshua Chernon.”

Amelia put her hands on her hips and gave him a sullen look, as if she couldn’t believe he doubted her. Belshua didn’t respond and slowly closed his mouth. His brown eyes, once again, became emotionless.

For a moment, Amelia thought he might be remembering his past life.

A brief shock passed over Belshua’s face, but he quickly smirked faintly and covered his eyes with his palm.

Remembering a past life was impossible. All souls leave their bodies after death and enter the cycle of reincarnation. Souls sink into the lake surrounding the cycle, shedding all memories of their previous life and preparing to be reborn.

However, sometimes there are those who remember their past lives. Those who have faced great trials in their life and overcome them purely with their own will. Among them, some can still remember their past lives.

But knowing a past life was never a blessing. If one couldn’t forget the past, they would be shackled by old memories, unable to live fully in their new life.

Belshua slowly suppressed his shock. He needed to find out how Amelia had learned about the gambling debt.

“Where did you hear about the gambling debt?”

Belshua asked in a flat tone, and Amelia hesitated before answering in a small voice.

“Someone named Ashu... told me.”

Ashu.

Ashu...

Ashu...

Belshua repeated the name over and over in his mind, then tilted his head back and looked up at the sky. With his eyes tightly shut, Belshua once again covered his eyes with his palm. As he closed his eyes, he naturally thought of the bright red hair.

Amelia, wondering if there was some deep connection between Belshua and Ashu, nervously twitched her fingers before cautiously adding a few more words.

“He’s someone staying in the Archbishop’s quarters, though I don’t know his exact name... Anyway, he was a kind person. He said I should go to Sir Chernon and learn to use a sword... Oh, and he mentioned that if I brought up the gambling debt, you’d help me.”

“Ashu, you say?”

Belshua repeated the name with a mocking laugh, as if in disbelief. Amelia, desperate to receive sword training, eagerly agreed.

“Yes, that’s right. Ashu... or, ‘Su.’”

“Do you remember what he looked like?”

Belshua, lowering his hands, looked down at Amelia as he asked the question. Amelia, not wanting to upset him, thought back to that day.

“He had bright red hair, and his eyes were dark green. His voice was cheerful, and his physique was well-balanced, you could tell right away. His speech had a sense of ease and grace, and as soon as I saw him, I knew he must be someone important.”

Amelia finished speaking and nervously glanced at Belshua to gauge his reaction. Belshua seemed both slightly excited and completely perplexed, constantly running his hand over his face.

Amelia was curious about the relationship between the two, but she wisely kept silent, fearing that asking might cause her chances of sword training to disappear forever. Instead, she tried to lighten the atmosphere by saying something casual.

“He’s probably a high-ranking noble or a clergyman, right?”

At this, Belshua scoffed.

“He’s not just a noble.”

“Huh?”

Amelia asked in confusion. Without responding, Belshua pushed Amelia toward the servant’s quarters.

He nudged her along with a gesture that seemed to suggest she should hurry back, wash up, and get some sleep. Amelia, like a cart being pulled along helplessly, was pushed forward, but she glanced back at Belshua with desperate, eager eyes, still determined to learn the sword.

Her eyes were more desperate than ever before. Belshua, trying to avoid looking at her pleading gaze, thought about her earlier mention of gambling debt and bit his lower lip in annoyance.

“...After the field battle, don’t go back to the quarters. Wait for me at the training ground. I’ll give you about thirty minutes of practice.”

“Really?”

Amelia, who had been dragged along as if she were about to be shoved into the ground, brightened up immediately upon hearing this. She was overjoyed.

However, Belshua still seemed reluctant about the idea of teaching her.

“Thank you! I’ll definitely keep it a secret that Sir Chernon got so deeply involved in gambling. I won’t tell anyone, I promise!”

“I’m not obsessed with gambling, nor do I like it.”

“But you still got into debt? That doesn’t make sense.”

“...Do you even know who I owe this debt to?”

Belshua asked in an incredulous tone, and Amelia shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t want to know the details. It would just make things more complicated, right?”

Amelia gave a bold grin, as if to imply she could keep certain boundaries in check. Belshua, his face showing an expression full of things he wanted to say, fell silent, as though drained of energy.

Amelia thanked him for walking her to the servant’s quarters and went inside the building. Her face briefly appeared in the first-floor window before disappearing.

Belshua stood there for a moment, watching Amelia disappear into the hallway before turning around to retrace his steps. He didn’t have the time to dwell on the moment. Standing in front of the servant’s quarters for too long would make him appear suspicious.

As he descended toward the knight’s quarters, Belshua took off his gloves and brushed back his hair, which was now stiffened with dried blood.

Ash.

How could he forget that slightly childish yet endearing nickname? Gripping his gloves tightly, Belshua let out a helpless laugh.

He thought Ash was completely gone...

Arriving at the knight’s quarters, Belshua stopped and stared at the window. The curtains were drawn, so he couldn’t see inside, but he knew that somewhere within, Rakhshu’s sword was hidden.

The person who had first introduced Mahilen to card games.

And the scoundrel who played a part in Mahilen’s immense gambling debt to Aron.

The last princess of the Kingdom of Schnellia.

The only person who could wield the sacred relic, Rakhshu’s sword.

Rakhshu Elgort, the first star of Astrun.

Belshua stared at the silent room for a moment, then turned toward the entrance. He knew he would need to make proper preparations to meet Rakhshu.

Heading up to the lounge, Belshua casually grabbed a few cards that had been carelessly left by the window.

________________________________________

Daniel mulled over the address on the invitation as he looked around the area in Elbision, where the wealthiest residents lived.

The streets of Elbision had tall iron rods stuck in various spots, which marked the places where heroes had once tied their horses during a rebellion in the southern region decades ago.

When it came to the most famous families in the Kingdom of Bastronia, the nobles would naturally mention the ducal houses of Luamars, Armunzen, and Schneitz, but the common folk always referred to the Elgort, Elderkerth, and Rochelle families.

The reason why the Elgort family is famous is, of course, because of Rakhshu. The family’s recognition is so high that even people outside the kingdom of Bastronia knew of Elgort.

So, what about the Elderkerth family?

The Elderkerth family became famous not because of Taylor, the commander of the Recheo Knights and a sword master, but because of Taylor’s grandmother, Renes Elderkerth.

Elderkerth is not a noble family. It is a common merchant family that had never appeared in the history of the Kingdom of Bastronia, which spans over a thousand years.

Renes Elderkerth was a genius who rose to prominence at a prestigious knight training academy located in the Efendion region (which is now unfortunately closed). She defeated the army of the Derkas Kingdom, which had attacked the Noctis Fortress, and put an end to a seven-year-long war, becoming a hero.

Renes was a great sword master beloved by all in the Kingdom of Bastronia. In recognition of her achievements, the king offered her a noble title, but Renes, who detested nobility to the point of disgust, refused the title outright.

Renes Elderkerth married her peer, Kylders Merrillion, who had attended the academy with her. The two hated each other immensely, and even their professors considered them to be not just rivals but arch-enemies, akin to cats and dogs. So, when they announced their marriage, everyone assumed it was a ridiculous rumor.

What’s even more interesting is that the Merrillion family, which Renes despised so much, was an ancient noble family. Fortunately, Renes’s own fame and stature were greater than the Merrillion family’s, so during her marriage to Kylders, she was more often called “Lady Elderkerth” than “Countess Merrillion.”

Kylders himself often joked, saying, “I can’t even imagine how lucky I am that people call Renes Lady Elderkerth instead of Countess Merrillion. Otherwise, I would’ve been divorced long ago.”

Taylor, too, was originally “Taylor Merrillion,” but after being recognized as a sword master, he discarded his noble status and changed his surname to his grandmother’s.

Now, how about the Rochelle family, a marquis family like Elgort?

While most people have long since forgotten, Noctis was originally Rochelle’s territory.

Rochelle had guarded the kingdom’s borders since the founding of the Kingdom of Bastronia, but about two hundred years ago, the family was stripped of their title and exiled from Noctis after being accused of moving the king’s army for personal reasons.

It was later revealed that all of this was a misunderstanding by the king and the work of others’ schemes. However, the Rochelle family never returned to Noctis. They had devoted their lives to protecting the kingdom, but they could not forgive a king who had not believed in their innocence and a populace who mocked their beheaded patriarch by throwing stones at his neck.

The Rochelle family received a new domain, a small land with a forest, but they secluded themselves and avoided meeting anyone. It wasn’t until the southern rebellion and the rise of King Rodney that the young Marquis Rochelle finally opened their doors and came out to join forces with Taylor Elderkerth to suppress the rebellious elements.

The story of how the Marquis of Rochelle, who had even refused to attend the king’s banquet, personally raised his own army to quell the rebellion without royal command was enough to ignite the hearts of the people. As they saw the flag with a bear and pinecone fluttering, the people shouted that Rochelle had returned.

The Marquis of Rochelle restored his family’s honor, which had been trampled upon by the foolish king. He then passed on this pride and honor to his only daughter, who would one day lead the Rochelle family.

That daughter was Rachel Rochelle.

So, had Rachel not contracted an incurable disease, she would have wielded absolute power alongside Maximón as the commander of the knights at Noctis Fortress, forming a powerful duo.