"Wait—the royal hunting grounds?"
"Stop acting so surprised. We need to head out of the capital by dusk if we're going to make the meeting tomorrow."
"Wait… the capital is enormous. And it's already afternoon."
"Enough with that. I've already booked us a carriage while I waited for you to wake up."
"Wait—doesn't that mean you left my body here—"
Pow.
"You think too much."
Clutching my head, I walked side by side with him.
He glanced at me. "Hm. Hmm. Go to your inn and take a shower. I'll get the carriage by the time you're done. Also—here."
He tossed a small pouch my way. The jingle of coins inside was unmistakable.
I looked in—and nearly screamed.
"That's at least two dozen gold coins!"
"A gift for becoming my squire," he said nonchalantly. "But you'll also need a proper set of armor and a sword. Go to the Hammer and Nail workshop. Their wares aren't bad."
"Wait, Master. What exactly should I buy?"
"Buy a simple longsword. A dagger that feels right in your hand. Light armor. After that, get what you want. Think of this as a present for making it through everything you've been through."
"Thanks, Master!"
Before the old codger could take his words back, I sprinted straight to the inn I'd been staying at.
After getting freshened up, I paid my tab, left, and headed straight to the Hammer and Nail.
Walking in was like stepping into a fantasy dream. Working lights hung from the ceiling. Display cases showed off weapons, armor—even enchanted items with absurd price tags.
Forty gold for a dagger with the enchantment of digging? What the hell does a dagger need that for?
A cleric in polished robes approached me.
"Hello, sir. May I—"
"I'm not a knight yet. Just a squire."
"Oh! Then, hello, sir."
That threw me for a loop.
Quick note: I'm not actually speaking English here. I learned this world's language when I was reborn. One of the weird things is that their honorifics for knights are gender neutral—but when translated, it all just becomes "sir."
Anyway, back to it.
"Ah, so you're a young squire," the cleric said, beaming. "Are you here to buy gear for your journey?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful! May I know your budget and what you're looking for?"
"I have nine silver and thirty-four gold."
The cleric's eyes lit up.
"Not a bad sum at all. And what do you wish to purchase?"
"A longsword—thin and simple in design. A dagger that fits my hand. And a set of light armor."
"Hmm. Okay. Let me ask: do you know math?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Good. Makes this simple. How much do you want to spend on each item?"
"Uh… let me think."
"No problem."
After a few moments, I answered. "Five gold and nine silver on the dagger. Fifteen on the sword. Fourteen on the armor."
"Good choices. Based on those specifics, we have three longswords that match, fourteen daggers, and two sets of armor. Would you like to see them?"
"Yes, thank you."
He brought out the swords first. They were nearly identical, differing only in the leather wrapping on the handles.
I picked up the first—it looked like crocodile skin, but dyed red. It felt too soft in my grip.
The second had a purple wrap—felt better, but the leather seemed thin, easy to tear.
Then I picked up the third. Black leather. It felt solid in my hand. Durable.
"I'll take this one."
"Good choice, sir."
"What leather is this?"
"Ah, that would be meth-chicken leather."
I flicked it and even chuckled. The clerk looked surprised.
After that came the armor. Both sets were identical in design. One was silver with engraved grooves along the shinguards and breastplate. The other—black.
"Is that also meth-chicken leather?" I asked.
The clerk just smiled.
Then came the dagger. I ended up picking a long, single-edged blade that looked suspiciously like a combat knife from my old world. Sleek. Efficient.
And I still had two gold left over.
After I finished preparing, I made my way back to the inn. I stood quietly outside, waiting for the old coot to show up. The silence stretched on, and just as I began to wonder what was taking him so long, I spotted a carriage approaching in the distance.
To my surprise, I recognized it instantly—a white-lacquered carriage trimmed with purple-gold inlays. A small purple flag flapped proudly in the breeze, bearing the sigil of two narwhals clashing on a violet field. The carriage was being pulled not by ordinary horses, but by three towering knights—each one over two meters tall—clad from head to toe in gleaming white and purple armor. I had fought alongside them just recently.
But what truly caught my eye were the creatures they rode. They looked like pure-white Friesian horses, but with striking purple manes. Each one was easily the size of a Shire horse, their hooves thudding against the ground like war drums as they advanced.
Before I could fully process the sight, the carriage rolled to a stop directly in front of me. The knights dismounted in synchronized motion—two of them flanking the carriage door, while the tallest of the three, standing a good two or three inches above the others, took position front and center. Then he spoke.
That voice... I knew it. He was the one who'd tossed me to that damned chicken. He must have caught the flash of recognition in my eyes because, though his voice remained calm, his eyes gleamed with amusement.
"The Countess requests an audience," he announced.
"Um... I'd be honored," I replied, scrambling to find the right words. "But I'm actually on my way to a meeting with my master—"
A voice rang out from within the carriage, smooth and commanding. "I've already spoken to the old man. You'll be traveling with me to the royal hunting grounds."
And just like that, I found myself inside a carriage more luxurious than anything I'd experienced in either of my lives. Velvet seats, gold accents, the faint scent of roses in the air. Sitting across from me was the Countess herself—a beauty in her late twenties. Her golden hair was swept up into an elegant rolled bun, her sharp violet eyes unwavering, and she wore a sapphire-blue cocktail gown that spoke volumes of her status.
Her expression remained unreadable. "So, child… what was your name again?"
"Um, Alex. Short for Alexander."
She tilted her head, curious. "Hmm. And what family do you belong to?"
"None. I'm an orphan."
For the first time, she seemed genuinely surprised. "An orphan, is it? I assumed with a name like that, you'd belong to the nobility—if not a direct line, at least an external branch."
Her tone sharpened slightly. "So… how did you come to know the knight known as Gerald?"
Well, if this isn't an interrogation, I don't know what is.
"I met my master—" I began.
Her brows rose. "Master?"
"Uh, yeah. I became his squire today."
"I see. Continue."
So I told her everything. How we met, how I became his squire, the events that followed. She listened silently, lost in thought as I finished. Just as I was about to ask her something in return, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.