novelraw Chapter 48 : Isn’t It Funny
Chapter 48 : Isn’t It Funny
Chapter 48: Isn’t It Funny
The party had ended, and everyone had gone to sleep.
Robin took a silver pocket watch out of his chest pocket.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
The ticking of the second hand was clear, but that wasn’t what Robin was hoping for.
‘The dagger hidden on the outskirts.’
Golden particles gathered around the watch’s central axis, forming a distinct golden needle.
No matter how he shook the pocket watch, the golden needle pointed in the same direction.
“This is an incredible artifact. It tells me the direction of what I want.”
The keepsake Jeremy had left for Robin wasn’t an ordinary pocket watch.
It was an artifact that pointed toward whatever the user desired.
A treasure so priceless that Robin couldn’t even begin to guess its worth.
‘Jeremy’s father.’
He wondered if Jeremy’s real father might be Baron Tefir.
The golden needle spun around in circles.
‘Baron Tefir.’
The needle, which had been wavering, pointed firmly in one direction—toward Baron Tefir’s residence.
“It’s not an omnipotent tool that answers every question, I see.”
He had roughly figured out how to use the pocket watch.
All he had to do was think about what he wanted to find.
Simple, but not without flaws.
Sometimes, it couldn’t find the direction at all.
When he placed two sets of his servant clothes on either side—one to the left and one to the right—the golden needle wavered back and forth between them.
“The more specific my desire, the more accurate it gets.”
If the user’s intent wasn’t clear, the watch couldn’t locate it.
If it couldn’t distinguish between two identical objects, neither could the watch.
“Still, this is amazing.”
He limited the use of the pocket watch to ten minutes a day.
Any longer, and Robin’s head would start to tighten painfully.
“So that’s why Jeremy was always so good at finding his way.”
The people of Baron Tefir’s household didn’t treat Robin poorly.
Imelda considered him a friend, and Jessie acknowledged his hard work.
Even the other servants didn’t act territorial toward him.
Yet even on a day like this, Robin couldn’t bring himself to smile freely.
Baron Tefir, his wife, and Imelda—such a harmonious sight.
Whenever he looked at that happy family, he couldn’t erase thoughts of Jeremy.
Knock, knock.
The sound of someone knocking broke his thoughts.
Who could it be at this hour, so close to midnight?
When he opened the door, today’s birthday girl was standing there.
“Young lady? What brings you here at this hour?”
Imelda stepped into his room without a word, pouting slightly.
The single room Baron Tefir had promised him was comfortable.
It was about six meters wide, and the view of the mansion’s garden from the second floor was beautiful.
“Robin, aren’t you going to wish me a happy birthday?”
“Of course I am. I was at your birthday party too, wasn’t I?”
“Then why didn’t you give me a present?”
Robin was lost for words.
Imelda had received armfuls of expensive gifts befitting a noble lady.
Hadn’t she smiled brightly as she opened all those presents during the party?
Of course, Robin could have prepared something, but it would never have matched Imelda’s standards.
Robin was, after all, a commoner. The difference in their status couldn’t be ignored.
Besides, it was rare for a servant to personally prepare a gift for a noble’s birthday.
“Were you expecting one?”
“Of course! You’re my first real friend. I was so excited wondering what you’d get me that I could hardly sleep…”
Imelda looked at him with teary eyes.
As Robin tried to think of a way out of this predicament, his gaze landed on the white flowers by the window.
He picked one and handed it to her.
“I’m sorry, young lady. I should’ve been more thoughtful. It’s late, but please accept this.”
“Hmph! Don’t think I’ll forgive you just because of this.”
“Of course. I’ll make sure to prepare something more properly next time.”
Though her words were stubborn, Imelda’s lips twitched upward as she accepted the flowerpot.
The white flower was a Starflower Robin had brought from Butterhills.
He had been carefully tending to it every day.
“Well, since you said that, I’ll take it. It’s pretty.”
“It’s a rare flower, so make sure you don’t kill it.”
“What do you take me for? As if I’d ever neglect a flower you gave me.”
If it grew well, it could yield Vitalitis, but he didn’t tell her that part.
Seeing Imelda happy settled the restless feeling in his chest.
“I’m finally allowed to go outside tomorrow. Robin, do you need anything? I can buy it for you.”
“I’m fine, young lady. Please take your time and enjoy your outing.”
“Really? Then I’ll just pick something myself.”
She was allowed to go out twice a week.
Even without her help, Robin already had everything he needed.
“I’ll go now. Sleep well.”
“Good night, young lady.”
Whether she had truly come just to get a birthday present or not, Imelda left the room.
Robin sat on the edge of his bed and looked out the window.
He could see guards holding torches as they patrolled the grounds.
“Seriously, what’s going on with all this…”
He took out the locket he always carried.
Jeremy’s keepsake, given to him by Burt.
Inside was a strand of bright blond hair.
It was a color that didn’t match Baron Tefir’s hair at all.
While Imelda went out with Baron Tefir, Robin was granted a rare bit of free time.
After practicing swordsmanship at the outskirts clearing and returning, he found Imelda waiting for him.
“Tada! I picked this doll myself. Isn’t it cute?”
“A bluebird doll. Thank you. It’ll look lovely by the window.”
Imelda, still excited from her first trip outside the mansion, chattered endlessly.
As they headed toward the training yard, she suddenly made an unexpected suggestion.
“Let’s go out together tomorrow.”
“I’d love to, but does the Baron know about this?”
“Huh? Um…”
Imelda avoided his gaze, fumbling with her words.
Before Robin could say no, she spoke up first.
“It was fun going out with Father, but there were so many guards—it was uncomfortable. I want to see how the townspeople live!”
“Still, we can’t. If the Baron permits it, then we can go.”
Though Robin refused firmly, Imelda didn’t give up.
“Robin, pleeease come with me. I’ll buy you something delicious.”
“If you insist that much, I’ll talk to the Baron.”
“No! He won’t allow it. He’ll just get even more cautious.”
Still, no was no.
When Robin didn’t yield, Imelda pouted resentfully.
“You get to go out whenever you have free time to practice swordsmanship! But I can’t go at all—so unfair.”
“What?”
“You went out again today while I was gone, didn’t you?”
Robin blinked rapidly, startled.
‘Stay calm. Maybe she just saw me practicing last time and assumed it.’
He kept his face composed, but her next words shattered his calm.
“You go to that clearing outside all the time, so why can’t I?”
“How did you…”
“I have my ways!”
At the Knights’ Training Yard, he only did physical drills and practiced with weapons when no one was around.
He had been careful not to be seen, and the days he truly practiced swordsmanship were rare.
But the clearing on the outskirts was different.
For some reason, no one ever went there.
Just as Calimacos had said, even the weapons stored in the shanty there had never been stolen.
“Does anyone else besides you know about this, young lady?”
“No? No one but me.”
“That’s a relief. Please keep it a secret that I’m practicing swordsmanship. I’m asking you, please.”
When Robin earnestly asked, Imelda’s eyes widened.
“Why? What’s wrong with practicing swordsmanship?”
“It’s just… embarrassing. I don’t want anyone to know.”
“Hm. Is that so? Then you know what I’m going to say, right?”
“…You’re going to ask me to sneak out of the mansion with you. Fine. But in return, you must keep my secret.”
Imelda smiled and nodded.
Robin let out a sigh of relief.
He wasn’t ready to reveal his talent yet—not before he had truly grown.
‘Tomorrow happens to be Jessie’s day off, so it shouldn’t be hard.’
He began to form a plan on how to leave and return without being caught.
Imelda, delighted at the thought of going outside with Robin, beamed brightly.
Before lunchtime.
Having finished cleaning his assigned area, Robin waited for someone in front of the servants’ dining hall.
Soon, a large wagon rolled up and stopped in front of him.
“Hello, James. Thanks for helping me out like this.”
“With all the favors I owe you, don’t mention it. You brought the trash?”
“Yes. It’s pretty bulky.”
Saying that, Robin carefully loaded a large sack onto the wagon.
“So, Lady Imelda isn’t looking for you today?”
“She said she wanted to be alone.”
“Well, that’s odd. Maybe our mischievous young lady’s finally learning to settle down.”
The sack on the wagon gave a faint twitch, but it went still when Robin placed his hand over it.
He climbed onto the back of the wagon naturally.
The wagon rolled smoothly through the front gate.
When it stopped in front of a woodworking shop, Robin quickly unloaded the sack.
Then he stacked some old, broken furniture on top to hide it.
“Thanks, Robin, for helping me move the furniture. I think I’m the one who got help today.”
“We’re just helping each other. Since I’m out, I’ll look around the market a bit. I’ll come back by evening, all right?”
“Sure. If walking back’s too much, wait here—I’ll give you a ride.”
“Thanks. I’ll be here on time.”
Once the wagon was gone and the carpenters were busy moving the scrap furniture, Robin carried one sack into an alley and hid it.
After making sure no one was around, he opened the mouth of the sack.
“Phew!”
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah! That was fun. I felt like a spy on a secret mission.”
Imelda grinned mischievously.
Robin wrapped the scarf he’d prepared tightly around her face.
“We have plenty of time. Let’s go, young lady.”
“Great! From now on, I’m just an ordinary resident of Regiville!”
When the two children left, only the sack remained in the alley.
Robin and Imelda believed firmly that no one had seen them—but a man appeared.
As if he had been there all along.
The man lifted the sack.
“Polite speech, to a child?”
A sly smile curved across his lips, as though he’d found something amusing.
Imelda was full of excitement as she explored the common homes and the bustling market.
Whenever she saw food she hadn’t tried before, she bought some and shared it with Robin.
Though Robin thought the dishes prepared by the Baron’s cook were tastier than market food, these weren’t bad either.
For some, this was ordinary daily life—but to a noble girl, it was pure joy.
She especially gazed with envy at groups of children running around and playing together.
“This is my favorite bakery. The honey bread here is really good.”
Sitting at an outdoor table beneath a parasol, Robin offered her some bread.
Imelda took a bite and quickly devoured an entire piece.
“Sho goot.”
“It’s good, isn’t it? Take your time—there’s plenty.”
As Imelda happily savored her bread, a man approached their table.
“Hey there, little friends. Mind if I join you?”
There were other empty seats around.
But Robin had chosen this spot by the street so Imelda could people-watch comfortably.
Assuming the man wanted a similar spot, Robin nodded.
“Sure, have a seat.”
The man in a straw hat sat across from them and pulled a loaf of bread from his coat.
It was a hard, black loaf.
So tough that it was difficult to eat plain; usually, people dipped it in stew. But the man didn’t care—he simply gnawed at the edge piece by piece.
Imelda seemed amused by even that and began nibbling at her honey bread the same way.
“Cute little lady, don’t you wonder why I eat my bread like this?”
Imelda looked up at him curiously.
“When famine struck my homeland, bread became as precious as gold. To survive, we mixed whatever we could find into the flour—dirt, grass, bark.”
“That must’ve been hard for you.”
Robin’s brows furrowed with sympathy.
The man nodded and continued.
“Even then, there wasn’t enough. Half the villagers were about to starve to death.”
“So? What happened then?”
Imelda asked brightly.
The man smiled back and began his story.
“What else could we do? We survived however we could. The largest bakery in the village produced bread like this—black bread.”
He bit off the end of the hard loaf.
The sound of his teeth striking the crust told how solid it was.
“When the bread came out of the oven, people fought over it like mad. Then, crack—something broke. Everyone turned to look.”
“What was it?”
“A fool had taken too big a bite and lost all his teeth. Top and bottom—every last one dropped out.”
“Hahaha! He lost all his teeth trying to eat bread!”
Imelda burst out laughing, honey bread forgotten.
The man’s eyes also smiled.
“Ever since then, I always start from the edge when I eat hard bread like this.”
Imelda’s laughter faded.
The man’s eyes were smiling, but his mouth was frozen shut.
In a calm tone, Robin asked,
“Did that man ever get treated?”
“No. He died.”
The man’s voice was cold, as if passing a death sentence.
“Once his teeth were gone, he couldn’t chew anything. Two days later, they found him dead.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. The real fun part’s coming. When we were starving so badly we were gnawing on shoe leather, a knight showed up with men. One of the lord’s subordinates. Guess what he said to us?”
Robin subtly inched closer to Imelda.
He focused on the man’s next words.
“He said he’d come to collect overdue taxes. Isn’t that hilarious?”
Goosebumps ran down Robin’s arms.
The man’s eyes were still smiling.
But it wasn’t just that that made Robin feel danger.
Those slanted, smiling eyes were fixed squarely on Imelda.
Thump.
The flow of air around them shifted.