PDCOO Chapter 20

When he spoke so confidently, surely he couldn't be wrong?

Erich also accepted this indoctrination. Since Franz was also Bertram's friend, there was no reason to doubt.

"I'll remember! His Highness's social skills are dismal, His Highness dislikes noisy places..."

As Erich muttered, Franz smiled slightly.

"You're enthusiastic, Erich."

"I... I'll be enthusiastic about everything!"

"Don't overdo it. I brought you despite your lack of experience partly to show a promising soldier a wider world."

"Do I, weak as I am, really have promise?"

"You have the ability to think and listen. Those are virtues rarely found in cocky new recruits."

Before Franz's gentle smile, Erich's face melted.

The other soldiers smiled wryly. To be caught by a blatantly dangled carrot—how naive could he be?

Just as the moved Erich was about to rush out immediately to find Bertram, someone knocked on the inn door.

"Um, is Sir Erich here?"

A woman's voice. Franz and the soldiers exchanged glances. Erich also looked like he didn't know who it was, but when the woman stammered on, his eyes finally widened.

"Is this the room of Sir Erich who was looking for someone named Bertram last night?"

"Yes, I'm here!"

Erich opened the door.

Lara saw the incredibly spacious inn room and her eyes widened, then recognizing Erich's gentle face, she grinned broadly.

"Hello! Wow, are you staying alone in such a large room?"

"Alone?"

Erich turned around.

Franz and the other three soldiers had already crouched in the corner of the room. Franz communicated through lip-reading and gestures.

If men swarm, it'll be scary. Get the testimony alone. We trust you.

Erich solemnly accepted his role.

"Lady. What testimony have you brought?"

"Hehe, 'Lady' again. I heard about that big man with black hair who's shabby you mentioned!"

"Where is he!"

"You know there's a pig festival in this city today? Taking advantage of the noise, he seems to be targeting the sheep flock at the ranch in the city's southeast!"

"The sheep flock?"

Questions rose on the faces of Erich and the others.

Bertram wasn't someone who'd target others' livestock—if he was broke and hungry, he'd chew stones instead.

"Did you really hear such a story? You're not confusing him with someone else?"

"I'm just telling you what I heard. Hmph, if you're going to ignore my opinion, I don't know why you asked for information."

"Then where did you hear this? The person I know really isn't someone who'd target livestock..."

"I don't know."

Lara's words grew increasingly pointed.

"I didn't come expecting compensation, but you're dismissing my words too much. Fine. Believing is your freedom, Sir Erich."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean..."

"I thought you'd be brave since you're a knight, but I'm disappointed!"

Lara deliberately made loud thump-thump sounds as she left down the corridor.

She'd conveyed false information as Bertram requested, so her job was done.

Meanwhile, with the stunned Erich in the center, the soldiers emerged one by one from the room's corner.

"It's hard to believe His Highness Bertram would target a sheep flock, but since we currently have no leads, we should check it out."

"Let's do that. Even if we catch a thief targeting sheep, that's a harvest in itself. We can do the guards a favor and put them to work. So, Erich."

Erich looked at Franz with a wilted expression.

Franz smiled slightly.

"Good work. You obtained good information."

"Th...thank you!"

Erich's eyes sparkled with joy, but only briefly.

Franz's eyes narrowed.

"But what did that girl mean by 'Sir Knight' just now? Don't tell me you impersonated a knight?"

"...Ah. About that—aaah!"

While impromptu new recruit education was being conducted, Bertram and Anna headed to the festival site.

Young men participating in the festival were busy sizing up each other's arms. But Bertram's gaze was fixed only on today's prize pig.

It was truly large and plump.

Bertram said, "I'm returning to impose on you again, so I should at least bring a pig as a gift. Will Karlah like it?"

"Of course! She'll definitely smile ear to ear the moment she sees that pig!"

But right now, no one was smiling brighter than Anna.

Just imagining the sight of Bertram's back carrying a pig to gift Karlah made laughter seep out irresistibly.

Soon stalls lined the main street. Delicious smells came from all directions.

Anna pressed a lollipop into Lara's hand. Lara's eyes widened.

"This cost a bag of sugar!"

"It's fine, so just enjoy it. I can't let you go home with only bad memories of this place."

"...I appreciate the thought, but I'm not a little kid."

But the moment the candy went on her tongue, orange flavor bloomed. Lara stopped being proud and took the candy fully into her mouth.

Anna grinned and stood before the next stall. This menu was sausage.

"Bertram, sausage okay?"

But Bertram brought up something more important.

"Is it okay not to persuade the village chief more?"

This morning, when the village chief heard Anna's declaration, 'I'm taking Bertram back!' he said he absolutely couldn't answer and ran off somewhere.

But Anna shrugged as if completely unconcerned.

"Don't worry. He definitely went drinking using this as an excuse."

"An excuse?"

"Yes. When he returns to the village, he'll claim, 'I was drunk so I didn't even know Bertram was following! I didn't bring him on purpose!' The old man's so transparent."

"Then we don't need separate permission?"

"If he really wanted to stop you, he'd have skipped the festival and everything and started the carriage with us right away, right? So what we need to worry about isn't getting the chief's permission!"

Anna resolutely pulled out her purse.

"We're preparing a good gift so my mother won't chase you away. You can bring back a plump pig, right?"

"I'll have to do my best."

"Right, so mister, give me one sausage."

Before Bertram could question the connection between these two sentences, Anna had already slathered mustard generously on a sausage and held it out to him.

"Eat this and win with your strength up!"

"...Miss Anna."

"Haha, you don't think I'm 'someone who gives up delicious snacks because she's short on money,' do you?"

"I thought exactly that."

"Ugh. Well, that's true! But if you bring back the pig, it works out."

"......"

"Hurry up and take it! I want to fatten you up, but you don't like watching me eat meat?"

It was clearly twisted logic.

Yet Bertram had no inclination to argue with Anna, who spoke sharply while wearing a mischievous smile at the corners of her mouth.

In the end, Bertram accepted the sausage.

As he bit into it, warm fat flooded his mouth.

He couldn't tell what it tasted like, but...

Just from Anna's expression alone, he could tell this was a delicacy.

From somewhere distant came a voice calling, "Pig festival participants, come this way!" Bertram quickly swallowed the sausage and said:

"I'll be back. I'll obtain the meat, so please make sure to prepare something delicious."

"Of course!"

Bertram headed toward the gathering point, and Anna and Lara made their leisurely way toward the arena.

It seemed they were using the empty field after harvesting spring crops as the competition venue. Here and there, poles that had served as vine supports doubled as obstacles. The roughened ground from harvesting would be smoothed beneath the feet of rampaging pigs and people alike.

"An efficient festival in many ways."

"Oh, sis! Look over there! I can see Bertram!"

"Hm? Wow... I can see him! I can see him too!"

Anna was tremendously pleased.

Being short, Anna often suffered the humiliation of being unable to see anything over others' shoulders at any viewing event. Even now, for the other people standing at the starting line, she could barely see the tops of their heads, if that.

But Bertram's exceptionally tall height meant Anna could clearly see all the way to his jawline. This had never happened before.

Lara, who didn't understand the real reason for Anna's happiness, smiled warmly.

"Sis, you really like Bertram, don't you?"

"Hm?"

"I was truly shocked at first. Who would've thought a romance-novel couple would emerge from our village... When did you two confirm your feelings for each other? Haven't you only known each other for a week?"

"Lara, what are you talking about? Me and who confirmed what feelings?"

"Huh? I mean... you and Bertram."

Only then did Anna remember last night.

After Lara had rushed out saying she'd 'give the two of them time alone,' Anna had meant to clear up the misunderstanding later. But when Lara returned, she'd shown her touching Bertram's chest, and then immediately got caught up worrying about the pursuers, completely missing the chance to explain.

"Lara, I have no feelings whatsoever for Bertram! What happened in the bedroom—it's a long story to explain. Anyway, don't misunderstand. We're just worker and restaurant owner."

Anna cut off her words sharply and turned her head, trying to display sisterly coolness.

But when the wild boars were released at the competition grounds and began to run, Anna's composure immediately crumbled.

"Wait, I didn't say something important!"

"What?"

"I should have told him not to get hurt! What do I do?"

"Sis..."