"Haven't I made myself clear when I told you to bring that thing?!"
Crack!
The candlestick flew towards the elk antler trophy hung on the wall of the tavern. That wretched, hopeless punk and drunkard began throwing another tantrum as always. I was hoping to avoid it for once, but there it was.
How long do you plan to keep wasting away like that?
I breathed a heavy sigh. This was why I clearly told the punk not to drink alcohol today. I even explained how it was my wish to spend one day in peace.
To no avail.
To be fair, it was my fault for letting Lloyd Frontera step inside the tavern in the first place. I should not have trusted him when he said he was only going to get some dinner without any alcoholic beverage. It was only two hours ago when he argued like a stubborn child, saying I am only a personal bodyguard and should not prohibit him from eating.
I should have.
But I couldn't. That was my mistake.
Or perhaps accepting this order in the first place was a mistake.
I recalled when my liege Baron Frontera summoned me a few days ago. He had said he wanted me to escort his eldest son, with a worrisome look on his face. I had simply nodded and accepted since Baron Frontera was my lord and master, whom I was going to serve for the rest of my life. Because I admired and respected him as a person. However, his eldest son Lloyd Frontera was the complete opposite.
I don't understand why he's wasting his life away instead of trying to emulate his father.
A shot glass flew to my face this time while I was lost in thoughts. Of course, Lloyd Frontera had thrown it.
"Take a shot!"
It was extremely easy to catch the flying tankard. I could see and feel everything, including the flow of air, even with my eyes closed. The Swordmaster Syndrome, which amplified all sensations throughout my body, was bothering me twenty-four-seven already.
"Sir Javier Asrahan... Please..."
The master of the tavern looked at me desperately. His establishment was in a state of chaos with tables knocked over, chairs broken, and bottles and plates cracked. They were all Lloyd Frontera's doing. And the punk was continuing to abuse his power by wrecking everything in sight.
I decided to finish the escorting duty for the day. I had to cross the line. I walked over to Lloyd Frontera and grabbed the drunkard who was about to break another bottle of mead by his hand.
"Master Lloyd. I think this is enough."
"...What?"
"You've drunk a lot and caused enough of a scene."
"Ha."
"Master Lloyd."
To be completely honest, I had the desire to smack him across the face. This drunkard was staring at me without focus in his eyes, and faltering like someone that couldn't even walk straight, not to mention the smell of alcohol each time he opened his lips. It was detestable and pitiful at the same time.
"Master Lloyd. You mustn't do this. You must realize what kind of position you're in and your responsibility," I said, suppressing such thoughts in my head.
"Position? Responsibility?"
"Yes, Master Lloyd."
"Ha. Give me a break," replied Lloyd Frontera, as he stared at me through lightless eyes and tapped my chin with his finger. "Who do you think you are, huh?"
“...”
"You're a bodyguard. Act like it."
"Master Lloyd."
"How dare you."
“...”
"Dude. Don't you think I have it rough?"
“...”
"Because I do. Why the hell did I have to be born to a countryside nobleman? Huh? I can't go anywhere and act like one because I'm so freaking embarrassed. Don't you think?"
"Not at all."
"What?"
"You're obviously taking it all for granted."
"Ha. You little..."
Slap!
My face turned red from the slap. Of course I saw Lloyd Frontera's flying hand, but I did not dodge because it wouldn't even hurt. But perhaps my nonchalant response caused the pathetic man to flinch a little.
"...Well."
Lloyd Frontera behaved as if he hadn't expected me to get slapped in my face. But it didn't last long.
"Ugh. You're ruining the fun."
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
Lloyd Frontera chugged down the bottle of strong alcohol next to him. I could see that it was a brand with high alcohol content. I anxiously examined Lloyd Frontera's reaction and breathing pattern. And I waited. It finally paid off.
"...Ugh... Damn it... This is unfair. Ugh. I... hiccup! have so many... things... ugh... I want to do... but my house... is so impoverished. Hiccup! Ugh..."
Lloyd Frontera was visibly nearing his limit. His eyes completely lost focus, and he couldn't even move his body properly.
Finally.
That drunkard was severely drunk. He wasn't going to remember anything that transpired starting right now. I signaled to the master of the tavern.
You didn't see anything. Understood?
The master of the tavern, who was holding his prized, broken elk antler trophy in his arms, nodded. With the owner's approval, I began the work.
"Master Lloyd."
"...Huh?" He instinctively turned his head towards me. And I threw a punch to his stomach.
"Urgh!"
Lloyd Frontera's body shook from the impact.
"Ugh. Agh."
He held onto me with his arms for a short while, before drooping down to the floor, unconscious. The peaceful silence that ensued in the tavern was so refreshing.
Perhaps I should have resorted to this earlier.
Except I couldn't bear the consequences of my actions, should this failure of a man remember the incident. That was why I waited until he nearly passed out, and that was why I only punched him in the stomach. This way, he wasn't going to remember what I did to him tomorrow. The pain in his stomach was going to be covered up by the hangover. I picked the knocked-out man up on my shoulders and turned toward the master of the tavern as though he was a comrade-in-arms on the battlefield.
"Are you alright?"
"Whew. Not really."
“...”
"First, my mother falls ill, and now this."
The master of the tavern was about to burst into tears, and I could understand why. This establishment was one of very few decent businesses in the small countryside village. It was where hunters from other regions would stop by during the hunting season, and use it as a base so they could acquire some fur and hide from the eastern mountains. Lloyd Frontera had wrecked the business, and that was obviously a huge blow for the master of the tavern who was expecting to greet seasonal visitors.
"I... will speak to the baron about what happened today," I apologetically replied.
"About the compensation...?"
"Yeah."
"But the rumors I've been hearing suggest that even the baron has been struggling financially..."
"I will speak to him anyway. I don't know if it would work, but..."
"Whew. I really appreciate your kindness, sir knight."
"I appreciate your patience. Please accept my apologies for what happened today."
I couldn't dare look the master of the tavern in the eyes. I quickly scurried off with Lloyd Frontera on my shoulder. It was already past midnight, and the misty night sky welcomed me.
"Whew..."
I inadvertently breathed a heavy sigh. To be completely honest, I was lost.
I wonder what's going to become of House Frontera.
I really had no idea. I couldn't understand why and how the eldest son of the good baron was such a hopeless punk, and if he was going to succeed the baron. I didn't want to accept it.
I wish Master Julian was the eldest.
Master Julian was hard-working, wise, kind, and had the potential to make an excellent lord of the estate.
But it is only a pipe dream.
I shook my head in disappointment. Master Julian couldn't become the next baron, because he was the second son. He couldn't inherit the estate. That was why he had gone to study abroad in the royal academia.
That leaves this drunkard as the only person who could inherit the house and the estate.
Things were absolutely hopeless. I couldn't fathom how much further this estate would decline and the downfall of this house, to which I had sworn fealty, when that day would come.
"Whew."
I breathed another heavy sigh, as I glared at the stars in the sky.
…Huh?
That was when I saw a shooting star that flashed intensely for a brief moment and disappeared. I was reminded of a sudden phrase I had heard in the past.
Wait. If I make a wish to the shooting star, it's supposed to come true.
It was a childish superstition. I knew it was only a myth. But I was driven by an unknown desire to count on that dumb saying, most likely because I did not see a way out of this tight spot. I gave myself leeway from facing the harsh reality and glared at the sky, waiting for another shooting star.
Flash.
And it did. I quickly iterated my wish.
My wish is for the man I'm carrying...
Swoosh.
A shooting star is always too short for anyone to complete the wish. I couldn't finish my sentence either.
...to come to his senses and start behaving like a proper young lord.
The latter part of my wish was nothing more than a mumble, as the shooting star had already disappeared. I chuckled bitterly without realizing all this.
"What the hell am I thinking."
I found myself ridiculous. I had just made a wish to a falling star, while carrying a hopeless drunkard on my shoulder at night. And I couldn't even do it properly.
I should get back.
I picked up a little bit of speed, holding the pathetic feeling inside. Lloyd Frontera continued to mumble like the clueless punk he was.
"Ugh... I'm so sick and tired... of working every day... I hate... my tiny room..."
I couldn't make sense of what the drunkard was saying.
"Tsk."
I could never bring myself to have a good opinion about this man. I hurried and headed inside the mansion, before tossing Master Lloyd on the bed. I then sat down on one of the chairs in his room to spend the night. Of course, I couldn't fall asleep because of the Swordmaster Syndrome.
“...”
The sound of the breeze against the window frames, the flapping of owl's wings from the woods, the heartbeat, and every single sound that existed at the moment rattled my ears without giving me a moment of peace. The worst of them all was the sleep-talking noise of the drunkard, Lloyd Frontera.
"Manager...? I really need to get paid today. You can't hold it off any longer."
“...”
"But you clearly promised last week you were going to."
“...”
"I'm going to get evicted if I don't get paid today. I'm already so behind on my rent."
“...”
"Please, manager! How is this a good thing, when I'm struggling to pay rent? I'm being serious!"
“...”
The strange murmuring by the drunkard was so clear, and it woke me up immediately. And I was just about to fall asleep, albeit lightly.
What the...
I wondered what kind of dream he was having for this hopeless punk to desperately plea with someone. But it continued even as I looked at him with curiosity.
"I'm so sorry, father and mother."
“...”
"If only I had gone home early that day. If only I hadn't taken that job."
“...”
"Javier Asrahan..."
"Huh?"
"He was so cool when he took care of the Wall of Namaran. Ehehehehe."
“...”
I couldn't make sense of anything the drunkard said. It appeared that he was having ridiculous dreams due to the effects of alcohol. And I realized this.
Whew. There goes my chance to fall asleep, again.
It was all because of the Swordmaster Syndrome. I wondered just when I was going to overcome this, so I could get some much-needed sleep. I was getting sick and tired of getting a few minutes every now and again. I leaned on the back of the chair hopelessly and looked at the ceiling in the midst of darkness. Lloyd Frontera's strange sleep talk continued.
"I just... want an ordinary life. I hate this... I don't want this anymore... Living day to day sucks..."
“...”
"I want it easy. I want to live in the land flowing with milk and honey... Maybe I should go to the convenience store to get some honeyed water... But that's probably just sugar in reality... And it's expensive too... Screw that... I could get something to eat with that money... Ugh..."
“...”
"Honey..."
“...”
I plugged my ears with my fingers, but still couldn't stop the drunkard from murmuring. That was how I spent my night waiting for the morning to come, enduring Lloyd Frontera's meaningless murmuring throughout.
"Javier Asrahan... what a Chad."
“...”
I wondered if he was just talking crap about me. I couldn't tell anything, save for one.
That's still miles better than his usual sleep-talk.
Even the tone in which he spoke as he mumbled was more diplomatic than usual. That was enough for me. Although I had clearly failed to iterate my wish in whole to the shooting star, I decided to take this as a form of wish granted. That made me feel slightly better.
"Good night."
I placed the blanket, which Lloyd Frontera had kicked away, over him in the hopes that he may be a slightly better person by the time the sun rose in the morning. I just wanted him to make the slightest progress towards being a decent human being come the sunshine. I knew it was a preposterous thought, but I needed the hope to go by.
And the miracle really did happen. Lloyd Frontera had become a new person.
