ROTLE- Chapter 26- Like Throwing Down The Gauntlet (Patreon)

For the next two days Aiden had the most awkward training sessions he’d ever had the displeasure of experiencing.

He trained under the attention of watchful, baleful eyes. He and Valdan trained only their techniques with no skills and the others watched them like hawks waiting for their prey to make a mistake. None of the eyes were directed at Valdan. And knowing what he now knew of Valdan, Aiden didn’t fear suddenly being jumped by many people during training.

Not all the soldiers showed such open hostility towards him during training, however. There were those that always kept to themselves, training and honing their skills in practice.

Every now and again there was always a soldier a little too enthusiastic, willing to show off some powerful skill or the other. Aiden remembered the woman who led the league of extraordinary baleful eyes displaying a powerful striking skill with a battle axe any chance she got. It charged a deep blue blade of mana over the blade of the axe that was as long as almost five feet and fired it over a distance with a swing.

Aiden thought it was stupid. It was a powerful technique, but it still remained stupid to display it so blatantly.

If you disliked someone well enough, the last thing you wanted to do was show them some of the things you were truly capable of when you knew the both of you could come to blows.

And Aiden had no doubt there would be blows on the training ground. He had met people like this multiple times. Men and women with blind loyalty to their masters. Subordinates who didn’t care who was in the wrong or who was justified, they fixated on their superior’s adversary and directed all their anger there.

Coming to blows was inevitable. Especially since everytime he was about to leave there was always someone who decided that they wanted to stab a training dummy in the chest with a sword and leave it there.

Lord Naranoff finally appeared on their fourth day in the manor. It was late in the evening and Aiden was doing his best to increase the mastery of his skills when a maid knocked on his door.

Skill mastery could only be improved so much when it wasn’t a foundational skill or a basic skill. There was a limit to how much a person could increase maybe a [Basic Swordsmanship] skill mastery from just swinging a sword or sparring with an opponent. Sadly, most of Aiden’s skills had reached that threshold.

Aiden opened his door, ready to collect his tray of food, as house Naranoff liked to feed him so extravagantly, but was met with a maid and no tray.

She bowed at the waist. “Good evening, Lord Lacheart.”

“Evening, Vanisi.”

For some reason the very same maid that had shown them to their rooms on their first day was the one that always brought his food. Aiden had a feeling she had been assigned to him to deal with any requests he made.

“I feel like I’ve been eating too much and you’ve decided to put me on a diet, Vanisi.” Aiden gave her a warm smile. “Am I, per chance, being starved?”

Vanisi tilted her head up slightly to look at him and he saw a touch of a smile on her lips. Aiden was a fan of those who worked servitude jobs. While he would not claim that he made or had ever made close friends of them, he could say he always tried to do anything to make serving him even less uncomfortable.

A joke every now and again was always good enough to make them less uncomfortable.

“No such thing, Lord Lacheart,” Vanisi answered, returning her eyes to the ground.

“You know you can rise at anytime, right?” Aiden bent at the waist so that he could meet her eyes, still smiling. “Or would you like me to bow with you?”

Vanisi came up hurriedly. “I wouldn’t dare, Lord Lacheart.”

Aiden wasn’t sure if she was truly panicked so he added quickly: “I was merely joking, Vanisi. So what’s happening today?”

Hands placed gently in front of her stomach, Vanisi said, “Lord Naranoff has returned and wishes to have dinner with everyone at the dining hall.”

Aiden paused. He scratched his jaw in thought.

“Just between you and I,” he began with an awkward smile. “How do my chances of saying no look?”

Vanisi smiled back, it looked more like a suppressed laugh, the beginning of a chuckle. “Abysmal.”

Aiden nodded.

I guess I’m having dinner with the lord of the manor.

…

Tonight was Aiden’s first time in the dining room of the Naranoff family on account of having all his meals in the room. Vanisi always delivered them at every meal time and came for the emptied plates when bringing his next meal.

The dining hall was as large as could be expected. A chandelier hung from the high ceiling, casting the room in blue light. Other bulbs hung from the walls, their lights dimmed to give some form of aesthetic appeal to the room.

The dining table itself was large enough to host at least twenty people. It could hold more but Aiden didn’t do the pointless task of counting. All he knew and was interested in knowing was that the table was rectangular, covered in a fashionably designed table cloth, white with golden embroidery, held a seat at each end of the table and at least ten chairs on each side.

There was a candelabra very close to both ends of the table complete with lit candles, and the table was set for five.

Aiden was the last to arrive.

Lord Naranoff sat at the head of his table. To his side, princess Elaswit sat like a proper lady. To his left, Nella sat down like she couldn’t be bothered, you could put her plate on the ground and she’d look more at ease. Beside her Valdan sat like a proper gentleman.

Aiden took the empty seat beside princess Elaswit.

“Lord Lacheart,” she greeted in a quiet voice as he pulled his chair out and sat.

“Princess,” he returned.

“You have scarcely been seen since we got here.”

“That’s baldadash,” Aiden said as Valdan touched the cutleries beside his empty plate simply because he could, arranging what did not need arranging. “Vanisi has been seeing me quite often. So has Sir Valdan and a handful of squires and soldiers.”

“Well I have scarcely seen you since we got here.”

There was a note in her voice that he was more than happy to ignore. Befriending a princess was proving to be an amusing thing. She was just a girl with female interactions when not in her official capacity, but she was also a princess.

She was, arguably, always in her official capacity. And one needed to watch their words with royalty.

Unfortunately, Aiden had a bad habit of forgetting people’s capacity until he was reminded of it.

“Well,” he leaned a little towards her, lowering her voice, “if you’ve missed me, princess, all you have to do is say so.”

Elaswit gave him a look with a raised eyebrow and Aiden gave his words some more thought.

“My apologies,” he said. “That was corny and cocky of me. Won’t happen again.”

Elaswit returned her attention to her empty plate. She adjusted her cutleries, though Aiden noted they didn’t need arranging.

If you’ve missed me all you have to do is say so. Really? What are you; the male lead in a corny romance novel?

Aiden fought back the embarrassed groan that threatened to escape him.

When he raised his head to officially greet Lord Naranoff, he caught Nella staring at him and Elaswit.

She pointed at the both of them with her fork. “And when did this become a thing?”

Elaswit groaned like a tired older sister.

“There is no ‘thing’,” she said, mater of fact.

“Nope.” Nella shook her head. “There’s definitely a thing.”

She paused, then gasped dramatically. “Has princess stone cold made her first real friend?”

Her eyes narrowed diabolically and Elaswit shot her a glare.

“I will have you know,” she said, “that [Archer] classes should not tease classes beyond their level of violence.”

Nella pouted and turned to her father. “Lord Naranoff, I wish to report a slight perprated within your territory.”

Lord Naranoff groaned and placed his head in his hand. For some reason he looked like a stressed father of ten.

“Please submit an official report through the official channels in three weeks,” he said in clear reluctance. “Once the report has been reviewed, the house will get back to you in two to five business days.”

Aiden looked at Valdan. When he caught his attention, he mouthed, what’s happening?

Valdan shrugged, looking equally confused.

Elaswit smiled but shook her head. “Nella, you should really stop dragging adults into the matters of children.”

“Says the childish adult,” Nella said. “If it were your house you’d be reporting me to the king.”

Lord Naranoff groaned again. This time it was louder. “I feel like I’ve been transported ten years in the past.”

“Oh come off it, father,” Nella said, then twirled her fork between her fingers. “You’re enjoying the attention.”

Lord Naranoff shook his head. “I’m really not.”

“I’m really sorry about this, Lord Naranoff,” Elaswit apologized, her tone official. “I will do my best to keep my friend on her best behavior during my remaining stay here.”

Lord Naranoff nodded in acceptance of the apology.

“Please do,” he said. “And if you can, teach her how to apply makeup like a proper lady. She has the dresscode down—” he gave Nella who was currently dressed in pants and a shirt a tired look “—at least when she wants to. The make up, I believe, is where her problems lie. I know my words will later come to bite me in the back but sometimes I worry that the only men that will ever propose to her will be adventurers.”

“What’s wrong with adventurers?” Nella asked, petulant.

Aiden knew what was wrong with adventurers.

“As harsh as it might sound,” Lord Naranoff said with a careful voice, “nobility should marry nobility. And if they cannot, then they should marry one who is worthy of nobility.”

And by that very logic, adventurers were out of the equation. Adventurers were more brute force and less tact when it came to most things. They were not political in nature. Swinging a sword at the problem was most often the better solution in their world than having a conversation, while it was the opposite in the world of nobility.

Yes, Lord Naranoff was right. It was harsh, but should an adventurer lead a noble house, the other houses would eat that house alive.

“I see your point, Lord Naranoff,” Valdan said. “Although it is no slight to their person, the average adventurer is not cut out for the world of a noble.”

“As the average noble is not cut out for the world of an adventurer,” Lord Naranoff replied.

“Ventel is prim and proper,” Nella said.

Everyone paused and Elaswit gave her a questioning look. “Ventel?”

“Ventel is an exception to the rule,” Lord Naranoff said to his daughter. “And if I’m not mistaking, in his own words, and I am paraphrasing here, aren’t you like a sister to him?”

Nella pouted. “Only because he hasn’t gotten to see me in a gown.”

Aiden almost laughed. Ventel sounded like an interesting man. Who would dare to friendzone a daughter of a powerful lord in the kingdom?

“Again,” Elaswit said, with as much politeness as her impatience could handle, “who is Ventel?”

“Some young adventurer my daughter has taken a liking to,” Lord Naranoff answered. “I must say I do like the young lad. He might’ve come from less but he has the makings of a lord. Honestly, I would take him as a son-in-law in a heart beat. Alas, my Nella is too much of a sister to him for that to happen.”

“I’ll have him courting me before the year runs out.”

“I do not blame the young man.” Lord Naranoff sighed dramatically, pretending to ignore his daughter. “He is too dashing a man, and the adventuring life is already stress enough. I would not wish the strain of a woman in his life when he can find a lady.”

Elaswit chuckled in easy entertainment. Then she caught the look of amused confusion on Aiden’s face.

“This is entirely normal,” she assured him. “I used to come here a lot as a child.”

“She’d come here and have all the young boys blushing down to their necks at her beauty,” Nella added. “And she was always so fun, not stuck up like her brother.”

Elaswit laughed. “How Derenet hated coming here. He always wanted to spend time going on father’s hunts instead.”

Lord Naranoff scoffed. “Bless the king for having a firm hand. The kinds of things your father hunts would kill his children by just being present.”

Aiden’s mind went straight to the [Multiverse Agent]. Not for the first time he dreaded his return trip through teleportation.

“So true,” Elaswit agreed. “That said, I’ve spent more time here as a simple girl than I have spent in any other noble house as a princess. Lord Naranoff is like something of a favorite uncle.”

“And that’s why I remain confused as to why you have come to visit us as a princess without telling me why?” Lord Naranoff said.

“I promise you, Lord Naranoff. You have nothing to worry about. Lord Lacheart is merely here to take on adventuring tasks to help foster his growth as an adventurer. My purpose here is for a vacation.”

“Your documents say that you are here on official duty.”

Elaswit waved a casual dismissal. “It’s just a piece of paper, not even system sanctioned. It was the only way I could take advantage of Lord Lacheart’s use of the teleportation center without making it seem like I wanted to simply follow the enigmatic young lord on some dashing adventure. I assure you that the king and queen know I am merely abusing my office to take a vacation.”

Her words seemed to appease Lord Naranoff.

“And how long will you be staying?” he asked.

Elaswit turned to Aiden. “For as long as he is, apparently. Which shouldn’t be too long.”

Aiden nodded. “I have business elsewhere by the end of the new week so I cannot dally for long.”

“Well, if you need any help smoothing things over with the adventure society, just let me know. I will be more than happy to help.” Lord Naranoff placed his hand on a small napkin beside his set plates and a small enchantment lit up in a soft green glow.

Maids started entering the dining hall after that, pushing trollies with covered plates of food. There were three maids in all and they set the table, stacked it with each plate or bowl, then uncovered them.

The room was filled with the sweet smell of meals of different kinds almost immediately. Aiden’s stomach was pleased. When the table was set, the maids made their exit in equal silence and they were left to serve themselves.

“Until then,” Lord Naranoff continued as the others began filling their plates, “my training grounds are your training grounds. Some of the men present served under my son during his time as a knight but were sent back home when he lost his title. So the few that are privy to what happened may not like you very much.”

Aiden nodded, remembering the uncomfortable attention they’d been giving him.

“I’ve noticed,” he said.

Lord Naranoff shook his head in dismay. “I hope they haven’t done anything ontoward.”

Aiden shook his head. “Not at all, they just tend to go overboard with their training when I’m present. I believe its some form of intimidation tactic. Childish antics. I’m more interested in what they do when I’m leaving the grounds. Now that I think of it, it seems ceremonial, somehow.”

Everyone around the table had started eating by now. Aiden’s plate was full but he was yet to take a bite.

“And what is that, Lord Lacheart?”

“They keep impaling their dummies with their swords. So far there are currently four swords stabbed into one poor defenseless training dummy.” Aiden shook his head in mock dismay. “I won’t be surprised if there’s fifteen by the time I’m gone. Can a training dummy even hold fifteen swords, I wonder.”

Everyone stopped eating. The room was heavily silent. Actually, Valdan wasn’t bothered.

Aiden looked around.

They were all staring at him except for Valdan who continued his meal, unbothered.

Just my luck, he sighed. “It means something, doesn’t it? It’s not just some intimidation tactic.”

Lord Naranoff nodded. “It does. If I’m not mistaken, you are a [Weaver] right? I believe you made mention of it at the ball.”

“I am,” Aiden confirmed.

“And if it’s alright with you, would you mind telling me your level?”

Aiden knew that it was impolite to ask another person their level unless in an official capacity.

In this instance, he didn’t mind. Besides, Lord Naranoff had been polite about it.

“I don’t mind. I’m level 14.”

“A level 14 [Weaver],” Lord Naranoff mused. He turned to Valdan.

“Yes, Lord Naranoff,” Valdan said before he could say whatever he wanted to. “His class is known for its non-combat use even if Lord Lacheart has found a way to use it for combat. With that, his choice to ignore such gestures can be viewed if brought to the public as reasonable. Amongst the soldiers it would be viewed either as cowardice or condescension. None of which matters.”

“Some of those soldiers are squires who hope to one day become knights,” Lord Naranoff said. “Some by title and some by class.”

“Then that will be a problem for the future. And I assure you that it would be a problem Lord Lacheart will more than be able to crush.”

“And I am yet to know what is happening,” Aiden chipped in.

Lord Naranoff turned to him. “My apologies. You said you are a son of some noble house that has refused to name itself.”

“I am.”

“And prior to this you have known no noble culture or military culture.”

Aiden nodded. “Correct.”

“I am sure Sir Valdan is unaware of what is happening as I’m sure he would’ve told you.”

“Oh no, Lord Naranoff,” Valdan interrupted. “I am very much aware of it.”

“And you’ve said nothing?”

“Correct.”

“Why not?” Nella asked.

Valdan did not turn to her as he answered. “Lord Lacheart is quite literally above such petty squabbles, and I don’t mean by his title as lord. I mean by his capabilities as a man. And since he didn’t ask, I saw no need to tell.”

“Well now he’s asking,” Aiden said.

Lord Naranoff paused for a moment, looking to Valdan. When Valdan made no attempt to speak, he spoke.

“Their gesture is one done when there is an outsider amongst their ranks,” he said. “The nobles do it, and so do soldiers. At the end of an event, they take a sword or a spear or a knife, it could even be an arrow, and they stab it into the most human-like object present. The outsiders know themselves and it can be viewed as an official challenge.”

“Like throwing down the gauntlet,” Aiden mused.

“Yes, but the gauntlet is more of an action amongst knights. No knight is so uncouth as to use this method. This is more for squires and soldiers and noble brats seeking a duel.”

“So every sword currently there is a challenge.”

“That is correct.”

“Alright. And let’s say I do not know who put what sword where, how do I know what sword belongs to who?”

Lord Naranoff gave it some thought. “In cases where the swords being used are not customized they would inscribe their names or initials either on the blade somehow or on the hilts. Only fools would make such a challenge and not do that.”

“And how long will the challenge stand? I can’t be expected to believe that the sword will be there forever.”

“It is customary to leave it until midday the next day or until the owner of the territory deems it fit to remove the weapon.”

Valdan waved the entire conversation aside. “I say we leave them be. They are just children trying to do evil under the protection of culture. If any of them had the balls, they would make a move without waiting for a challenge.”

“He has a point,” Aiden agreed. “But just out of curiosity. If I wanted to accept their challenge—”

Valdan raised his eyes to meet Aiden’s.

“—I said just out of curiosity,” Aiden clarified. “If I wanted to accept their challenge. I just had to pull their sword out, right?”

Valdan was still staring at him.

“You pull their sword out and stick it in the ground,” he answered slowly. “Then you either wait or return before nightfall of the same day. In some cases, you could remove it and find the owner to hand it over personally.”

Aiden nodded. “You all have strange cultures. No offense.”

“None taken,” Lord Naranoff said. “You learn that the higher you go in a caste, the stranger the culture becomes.”

Aiden didn’t think it was really about the higher a person went, though. The Order had a strange culture of their own. There was only one kind of challenge and it was always to the death. But you had to be worthy to make the challenge.

You would cut your palm and make your way to the person you wanted to challenge and rub your blood down the person’s face unhindered. If you were stopped even once before your blood got to their face, you forfeit the right to make that challenge.

It was a barbaric culture for a place as civilized as the Order.

And Aiden had only ever made a death challenge once.

Valdan was right. These were children playing children’s games.

It was also funny to realize that he’d already known of the custom. It was just some random piece of information in his brain that he never bothered to remember. To him, it had always been that unimportant.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. Mundane conversations were held but mostly between the princess, Lord Naranoff, and his daughter. Everything else proceeded smoothly.

When dinner was concluded, each of them returned to their rooms and turned in for the night.

…

Latvud had been a squire by class and title for two years now and had been serving under house Naranoff’s name for the same period of time. And in all his time serving, he had never seen something as stupid as what he was witnessing right now.

It was early in the morning, just after the break of dawn. First light had pierced the skies and every creature on Nastild, save the nocturnal were rising from their slumber.

“…And eight.”

The voice was simple and clear in its finality but also amused. It was like the owner was curious about something he couldn’t even be borthered to think of as important.

“… And that should do it.”

Latvud watched as the visiting lord stuck the final sword in the ground, forming a ring of swords and two spears.

Then he sat in the middle of the ring.

He had officially accepted the challenges posed to him.

All eight of them.