I Was Reincarnated as a Poor Farmer in a Different World, so I Decided to Make Bricks to Build a Cas

Chapter 102 - New Year's Celebration

 

"So that's the peasant knight they're talking about."

"Isn't he really a child? I can't believe he defeated Raymond-sama."

"Did you hear? They say he spends his winters selling scraps of vegetables to the poor."

"Why did Carlos-sama give a domain to such a lowly man, when there are plenty of other knights with merit who deserve it?"

"No, you can't be so foolish. He seems to be able to use a different kind of magic than that of the Fontanas'. The other day, when I was mobilized, I saw a camp being built in no time at all. I've seen some frightening things!"

"I'm sure he's tied to some noble family. I'll have to advise the head of the family!"

　It seems that I am attracting a lot of attention.

　The people around me observing me were not the peasants and other ordinary people I usually see.

　All of them are knights and belong to a privileged class different from the common people.

　To become a knight, you have to work on the battlefield, and in that respect, your origin is irrelevant.

　However, in reality, those whose parents are knights are more likely to be trained as knights.

　After all, ordinary peasants don't have proper weapons and farming is all they can do just to eat every day.

　I guess there is a big difference in being able to educate the gifted if your parents are knights.

　For such a knight, the sudden appearance of me would be both noteworthy and an eyesore.

　It was not a good atmosphere.

　But even so, no one seemed to be unintentionally trying to make things difficult for me.

　I guess they were just looking at me from a distance.

　Why am I being stared at by these knights?

　It's because the year has begun.

　Apparently, the custom of the nobles around here is to celebrate the New Year.

　Those who are anointed as knights come to greet their lords at the end of the year.

　Naturally, even as a newcomer, I had to participate in the event.

　I went to Carlos' castle in Fontana City on the date I had been informed.

　Incidentally, thanks to Valkyrie, I am able to move around even during the winter.

　But that's not the case for the other knights.

　So, not all of them, but the knights who own land gather in the city of Fontana when the snow begins to fall.

　There are also noble residences in the city, and they stay there during the winter to celebrate the New Year.

　In fact, there may be more knights who live in the city than those who have deputies in their own territories.

　I came to Fontana City while it was snowing and walked up to Carlos' castle.

　The castle, located in the center of Fontana City with its outer walls, is on a hill, one level higher than the other buildings.

　The castle was built not as a fortress, like the one I had built in the north of the river, but more as a residence for powerful people.

　It was more like a large Western-style building with white walls, blue roofs, and tall towers, and was rather luxurious.

　Inside, there was a large entrance hall, which seemed to have a parlor for knights.

　We were made to wait there for a while, and when our names were called, we were led to the head of the family room where Carlos was waiting.

　Carlos was seated on a luxurious chair at the back of the hall, which was covered with a beautiful carpet.

　When the knights who had come to celebrate the New Year entered the room, they lined up in front of Carlos and greeted him one by one.

　As a newcomer, I seemed to be the last in line, so I had to wait and wait, and after a long time, I finally finished my audience.

　But that was not the end.

　This time, we moved to the banquet room, where a buffet party began.

　There, I was once again observed by the other knights while being told this and that.

"I feel a bit homesick. It's too hard not to know anyone."

　I felt so alienated since I arrived at Carlos' castle that I couldn't help but talk to myself.

　In general, those with the family name of Barca are also considered knights, but they are my subordinates, and I am the only one who has been anointed a knight by Carlos.

　That's why I was the only one who made it inside the castle.

　In fact, it would be better to talk to various people here.

　However, there were many knights who may have had relations with Raymond, and some of them were very hostile.

　I don't want to go out of my way to talk to them and cause trouble.

　So I decided to pass the time by observing the knights.

　I watched the knights as I ate the meal that had been prepared for me.

　Of course, I wasn't just going to watch them.

　I concentrated my mana into my eyes and observed them.

　I knew it.

　I noticed a certain rule as I looked at the knights, whom I had never met before.

　It was obvious that those who seemed more experienced in the battlefield had better quality mana.

　There were those who had a lot of mana, but the quality was low, and my eyes couldn't see anything but thin sprouts of mana.

　They were probably the ones that Raymond had raised to the top of the spiritual connection pyramid in the past.

　However, those who seem to be battle-hardened seemed to have at least a good quality of mana.

　I'm sure that the experience they've gained on the battlefield has given them a natural way to improve their quality.

　Even so, I think I have a better quality of mana than they do.

　I think this is a pretty big piece of information.

　Maybe I should tell my nii-san to add magical power training to the training regime, not just physical training.

　I'll think about it later.

"Hmm? Who's that guy?"

　However, there was one person who stood out from the crowd.

　The magic power reflected in my eyes at that point was completely different from the other knights.

　It may be that the quality is high.

　However, what was even more different was the uneven distribution of mana.

　The person has a sleek body and a physical appearance that makes it hard to believe that they have ever been on the battlefield.

　If anything, that person wasn't a knight.

　The person was working as a waiter, carrying food for the banquet held in the banquet room.

　All of their mana was concentrated in their head.

"I wonder if that guy looks like that when they concentrate their magic power. It's quite uncomfortable, isn't it?"

　All the knights are clothed with mana all over their bodies, and the fact that it is not unevenly distributed makes it look even stranger.

　I was curious about the person who was so different from the others, so I went to talk to them for the first time since I joined this banquet.

CadmarLegend Oooh... we get more character interactions!