Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 33

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Slightly anxious, Sener soon relaxed and began examining the weapons displayed in the armory.

They gleamed and were well-maintained, clearly meant for noble use.

Selecting a long sword with a slender blade, Sener turned around.

“You have a good eye, sir.”

He signaled to the shopkeeper, who had been following at a reasonable distance, to step back.

“Step aside for a moment.”

“Yes, sir knight.”

Then he called out to Irtel, who stood near the door.

“Sir Irtel, would you mind crossing swords with me for a moment?”

A few days ago, the Grand Duke had made Sener an offer.

He had extended a sweet invitation to join the Northern Knights.

All he had to do was pass a formality of an entrance exam, just for show.

The Northern Knights, known as “Royalte,” were a symbol of power and authority. Simply being associated with them opened doors for recruitment elsewhere.

Even if Sener stayed for just a year—or even a few months—he would build his reputation, earn money, and get access to top-quality weapons. It was too good an opportunity to miss.

Irtel, standing by the door, nodded.

Sener gripped the platinum handle of the sword.

The way it fit snugly in his hand gave him a pleasant sense of tension.

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Clang, clang, clang.

Cling, clang, clang, clang.

On the fourth floor of the armory, the sound of swords clashing echoed.

The fourth floor, reserved for high-ranking customers, had space to test and evaluate weapons.

In this room, Sener and Irtel lightly crossed swords.

Sener, moving swiftly, swung his sword as he approached Irtel.

Clang, clang.

The slender blade clashed with the heavy greatsword, producing a sharp sound.

Just a few strikes were enough for Sener to realize how formidable Irtel’s skills were.

Irtel, who easily wielded the greatsword that others struggled to lift with both hands, effortlessly parried Sener’s thrusts, causing Sener’s mouth to twist in frustration.

‘He’s not even delivering proper blows, just pushing me away.’

Every time Irtel swung his greatsword, Sener felt the strain in his arm all the way up to his shoulder as he resisted the force.

Watching Irtel’s movement, which maintained perfect balance, Sener frowned.

‘It’s irritating. This isn’t something polished through training; this is the difference between our bloodlines.’

As Irtel tried to pin him against the wall, Sener deflected the blow with a long thrust.

Irtel caught the attack with his massive blade and deflected it.

Sensing an opening, Sener quickly pressed forward to take advantage of the retreating greatsword.

But Irtel had been waiting for this.

He pulled his sword back even further, causing Sener to lose his balance and overextend.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Irtel countered with a powerful shove, nearly making Sener drop his sword.

Despite the short exchange, Sener was already breathing heavily.

With some distance now between them, Sener clenched and unclenched his fist, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

‘It’s like fighting a boulder.’

Sener nodded slightly toward Irtel, signaling the end of the sparring session.

“Thank you, Sir Irtel.”

Irtel gave a brief nod.

“You’re welcome.”

Though they had exchanged only a few blows, Sener wiped the sweat that had gathered on his forehead and looked around at the now-quiet room.

The shopkeeper and his assistants stood in the corner, clapping softly.

Sener muttered to himself.

‘Those cheers are surely for Irtel, not for me.’

He handed the sword to the still-applauding shopkeeper.

“I’ll take this one.”

“Understood, sir knight. Is there any other weapon that catches your eye?”

“If you see something you like, don’t hesitate to pick it out,” Irtel added before the shopkeeper even finished speaking.

Sener slowly looked around the armory again.

Simply wielding rare and expensive weapons wouldn’t make anyone more skilled.

However, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he didn’t want to miss it.

‘The House of Count Herins often struggled with budget issues, so weapons and armor weren’t always provided on time. If things go wrong, I could always sell the weapons we bought today.’

“Boss, how about this? The laurel pattern engraved here is said to grant wisdom to whoever holds the axe in tough situations. It looks like copper, but doesn’t it seem useful?”

“Telon, they just write stuff like that to sell more easily.”

“No, they don’t!”

“Yes, they do. Boss, wouldn’t this be much better than that? They say it’s a chain forged from gems imbued with the breath of a spirit. Doesn’t it feel special?”

“Ashler and Telon, instead of just browsing, pick what you want.”

Hearing this from behind, Ashler and Telon shouted loudly in reply.

“Yes, thank you, Sir Irtel!”

“There’s so much I want to get. Are you sure it’s okay, Sir Irtel?”

“As much as you want.”

“In that case, I’ll show you weapons made from rare jewels this time.”

Sensing the moment was right, Sener smirked as he followed the storekeeper, who began leading them to a dazzling array of unique and ornate weapons.

It was turning out to be a lucky day.

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At the Herins estate, a new training ground was under construction.

The eastern garden of the estate was once famous for its maze-like paths that offered small delights to visitors and stray cats alike.

But as the family’s fortune declined, the garden fell into disrepair.

The paths, once laid out as a maze, were now overgrown with weeds, and the flowers that had once adorned the garden withered one by one due to lack of nutrients, their heads drooping sadly.

The tangled mass of thorns resembled uncombed hair, growing larger despite the gardener’s efforts to clear them.

The estate’s gardener, Gio, worked tirelessly to maintain the grounds, but the vast garden was too much for one person to handle.

Trees infected with disease or lacking fertilizer couldn’t recover, and the estate’s finances were too poor to plant new ones.

But as soon as the Northern Knights began moving, the garden was quickly restored.

Branches broken by last summer’s typhoon and piles of sand swept in by the wind had been left unattended, but the Northern Knights cleared everything up in a day, flattening the mounds of soil that had formed into small hills.

They then erected frames by planting ironwood—the hardest tree in the empire—into the ground and covered the structure with a broad, oil-coated fabric.

In just a few days, the temporary training ground, resembling a circus tent with its large, domed roof and spacious, circular layout, was complete.

As Sener and his men looked around the interior, Ashler spoke up.

“Is this where the entrance exam for the Northern Knights will be held?”

The structure, built from tightly packed ironwood and covered with fabric resistant to fire, water, and magic, felt so sturdy and spacious that it seemed almost empty.

Telon tapped the floor with his foot. It wasn’t cheap wood but a polished stone floor, smooth and shining.

‘This is expensive stuff.’

He had heard that stone of such high quality could be magically enhanced, but why put so much effort into a training ground that wouldn’t even be used by the House of Herins?

As Telon tilted his head in confusion, Irtel spoke.

“Yes, this is where today’s entrance exam will be held. You can use weapons from the rack or bring your own.”

Irtel pointed to a weapon rack along one wall.

The rack displayed a variety of weapons, from large tridents to small daggers, in all shapes and sizes.

Well-maintained weapons gleamed as they reflected the sunlight streaming in whenever the training ground doors opened, the light flashing and fading as it moved across the blades.

“I’ll be using this one I bought yesterday.”

Telon smiled as he revealed the sword and axe he was holding.

“And I’ll use this.”

Ashler smiled as well, holding up a large sword.

Both were rare and high-quality weapons they had purchased from Rock Weapons Shop the previous day.

‘Just having these is great, but if I pass the exam, I’ll be able to join the Northern Knights!’

As Ashler was getting excited, Irtel gave a small nod and signaled the nearby knights with his eyes.

The knights then laid down armor to protect the chest, as well as wrist and ankle guards, and left the training ground.

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