Section VII Residence

Skadra, the head of the court, was an old man with deep facial features.

Perhaps because the Griffins were indeed a large family, the Mr. Scadler and the two sisters—and even Aunt Mary—were scarcely invisible. The only thing that was the same was silver hair - but to be honest, Ashrufat couldn't really tell if it was born silver or if it was the result of the passage of time.

Mr. Skadera is a man who is able to impress visitors. It is not so much that his figure is emaciated, but that his figure is barren, and that his complexion is burnt rather than pale. His eyes were deep-set and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. In particular, the pair of glasses rests on the bridge of his nose as if it were part of the body. Mr. Skadera was dressed in a pure black gown, and his shoes were black, except for the bow tie at the neckline. This outfit can't help but remind people of mourning clothes, or waiters at funeral homes. However, if you look closely, you will see that he has a blue ribbon hanging from the button on his chest. This should be derived from a title or an honorary title. However, this blue strap is placed on the black dress, giving the impression that the place is a wound, and blue blood flows from the wound.

With these details of clothing, one can probably understand that this Skadera is the type who is extremely conservative and widely respected (in general, conservative people are always more respectable). In fact, it is. If his appearance is not enough to give a sense of his character, then his expression will make up for it. At least for the first time of their meeting with Mr. Skader, Ashrufat had always had a haughty and rigid countenance, his gaze sometimes calm and cold, sometimes piercing and inquiring. As he spoke, his shoulders and neck were always stiff and motionless. The gesture was like that of a judge, condescendingly asking the defendant a question.

Mr. Skadera read the letter of recommendation as he was accustomed to, and then asked Ashrufat a great deal of questions, including Aunt Mary, within the family, and on the part of the city of Brasian. From this it can be seen that this Mr. Skadera actually maintained a relatively close contact with Aunt Mary. It was only after Ashrufat answered the questions one by one—and even corrected some of Skadra's mistakes (it was unclear whether they were true or whether Skadra had done them on purpose), and the venerable Mr. Skadra finally smiled.

"Sure enough, it's you, Ashrufat. The Countess Marianne has written one step in advance, saying that you will take on this responsibility. I've been waiting for you for a long time. ”

"Take responsibility?" Ashruphat hadn't expected the word to come out of Skadra's mouth. Wait, isn't this position of a personal guard a good thing? You can get it after a year...... A knight's title?

"Well, I asked her to find a suitable and reliable person for this position. Skadera didn't mean to hide it, so he said it directly. "A man of clean background and infallible reliability to take on this position. He shook his head and sighed softly. "The situation is treacherous, the situation is changing, and the future of the royal family is worrying. There's only so much I can do. ”

"Skader...... Mr. ......"

"Now that you're part of our Griffin family, you can call me 'uncle'. Skadera replied. "Of course, if you don't feel used to this, you can call me Mr. Skader. ”

"Skader...... Uncle ...... "Ashrufat felt that the matter did not seem to be as good as expected, or at least rather suspicious. "Aunt Mary told me that if I held this position for a year......"

"You'll get the title of knight. Skadra replied immediately. "It sounds easy, but it's not that simple. There were already four people before you. ”

"Four people?"

"All of them are people I have found, who have a clean background and are absolutely reliable. Skadera sighed softly. "None of them have been in their positions for more than three months. ”

"Left...... Or are you dead?"

"Dead. Skadera replied, frowning as he answered the word.

"So, what is the cause of death?"

"Three died in a duel with others, and the other contracted the plague. Skadera replied. "When you came, the cousin who believed me—Marianne—should have told you that Falcon City is far less peaceful than it seems. There are some things I can't talk about, but if you want them, just find a few taverns in the streets and alleys, and ask more. He paused. "Truth be told, there's still a chance you're going to get out of this undercurrent now. ”

"Here in Eagle Castle...... Is a duel allowed?"

"It's okay to have all the formalities. Skadera replied. Each of them took a friend of their own as a witness and went to the dueling arena on the other side of Seongnam Park with their weapons. Then a person's life is completely entrusted to his arms and weapons. Oh, and by the way, in addition to your own friends, you need three neutral references that you can agree on. Under the certificate of a document jointly signed by five certifiers, life and death are fate. ”

"However, a duel should be refused, right?"

"That's right. But how many people can endure provocations and insults? especially the arrogant lads. Skadra shook his head again. "It's all legitimate duelings, and at least on the surface, no one can find fault. ”

Is this why Aunt Mary is "low-key, low-key, low-key"?

"Do I need anything else to know?" asked Ashrufat. "What do I need to pay attention to in my role in particular?"

"According to normal rules, there are a total of eight personal guards around the king. Skadera had a helpless smile on his face. "Two people in a group, exactly four groups. Each group was on duty all day, starting at dawn and continuing until dawn the next day. These included accompanying the king on his travels and standing guard outside the king's chambers at night. In other words, at all times, the king had two personal guards by his side to protect his safety. And the personal guards can take three days off for every day they are on duty...... But," he spat out in a particularly heavy voice, "no one can tell what is going on." Because with you, our queen has only three personal bodyguards. So how exactly to perform duty is a complete confusion. ”

"For what?" Ashrufat almost asked. However, there seems to be no second answer to this matter. Obviously, there is absolutely no shortage of candidates for this position, and the reason why this vacancy is maintained is undoubtedly due to some political considerations. When selfishness is covered with all kinds of righteous words, who can carefully analyze them.

"As for your duties, the duty of your personal guard is needless to say, the first is to protect the Queen's safety, please note that this is above all else, even above her own orders. The second is to carry out her orders on the premise of ensuring her safety, and that's all. Ashrufat, since you have been a mercenary, I don't need to explain many details. ”

"So when am I ......?"

"I'll give you three days off. Skadera replied, "Three days, arrange everything in Eagle City, including a place to live." Three days later, in the morning, come to me to collect the uniforms, armor, and weapons you need—all that you will wear every time you enter the palace—and then you can go to the queen and receive your first mission. ”

"Ah, didn't you arrange room and board?"

"Unfortunately, no. As long as you are on duty, you can get food from the palace kitchen, but you cannot live in the palace during the time you are not on duty. Skadera replied. "But don't worry, you have a corresponding salary, and solving the problem of room and board is not a particularly big problem. He pointed to a map hanging on the wall. Ashrufat looked at the map, and what he saw was the map of Eagle City, almost identical to the one he had bought before, with the only difference being that it was larger, more detailed, and more refined. "Here, do you see it?"

Ashruphat realized that he was referring to the neighborhood north of the palace. He had made a detour from the post station, passing through the main road of the neighborhood, which was known as the "Flower Street", and then came to the gate of the palace.

"This neighborhood should be the most suitable place. You can rent a house here," Skadera said. "It's easy to get everything here, and it's close to the palace, and the rent shouldn't be expensive. ”

"There's no other option? It's close. Ashrufat pointed to another position.

"I'm afraid it's more difficult. This is the aristocratic quarters," Skadera replied. "There are very few houses to rent here, so you have to buy them if you want to live in them. Not only is the price extremely high, but even worse, there is no market. Who would sell their home in the royal city unless they had to? If they were unlucky, they wouldn't be able to wait a year or two for a suitable house to sell. ”

Based on this detailed map, Ashrufat had a general idea of the layout of the city of Eagle Falcon. The core of the city is the royal palace, surrounded by the aristocratic and wealthy quarters, the official residence area, the park area, and the "flower district" that Aeshurufat just saw in the afternoon. And then the other neighborhoods are outside of these districts. In this way, the palace was naturally within the protective circle, guarded by these relatively noble and tidy neighborhoods, isolated from the chaotic neighborhoods. Although I don't know who conceived it, it's really ingenious.

But at least Skadera is right, the area around this flower street is indeed the most suitable area for him to live.

......

At dusk, Ashrufat returned to the flower street once more. The street was much livelier than when he passed by in the afternoon. Pedestrians in twos and threes, prostitutes, gangsters who shout loudly on the roadside to attract customers, and some vendors selling snacks and snacks. Some of the little boys who served as messengers ran up and down the streets, and from time to time male prostitutes could be seen standing on the side of the road. Compared with this "flower street", even the prostitution houses in Wallonia City are not worth mentioning.

Although I decided to rent a house in this neighborhood, I didn't know where to start for a while. In addition to this street, he also looked for a few alleys just now, but he couldn't find a rental agent in them, and he couldn't see the kind of apartment that looked like it was for rent.

"Sir, do you need help?" someone pulled the corner of Ashrufat's coat from behind, and Ashrufat turned around to see the timid face of a boy. He looked thin and small, and his clothes were dirty.

Ashrufat reached into his pocket, trying to touch some copper. But he had no such money on him, so he took out a small silver coin and put it in the boy's hand.

"I want to rent a house, where do I go?"

The boy immediately put the silver coins away. "Over there, sir. He pointed to a shop facing the street. It's a big shop, and you don't even see a few women soliciting customers at the door. Guests are straight in the door.

"Inside?" said Ashrufat, looking at the shop's sign, which clearly read the words "Red Rose."