Isaac was taken aback. His adoptive father, Edward, had never mentioned this.
He knew Edward had lived in Vista, but the old man had never spoken in detail about that time. As for a duel... Edward had never mentioned one at all.
Carlo had already gone out the door. Isaac came to his senses, quickly put away his sword cane, and hurried after him.
Red Maple Street was quiet at this hour, and the cool morning breeze carried the fresh scent of dew and vegetation.
Isaac still wasn't used to walking with a cane, so he could only carry it in his hand. After a few steps, he couldn't help speaking up. "Boss, my father killed a church knight in a duel..."
"Mm-hm."
"He never told me about it."
"I'm not surprised. He wasn't one to brag about his victories, and it wasn't an experience he cared to remember."
Isaac was silent for a while. "What exactly happened? Can you tell me?"
"It wasn't all that complicated. Back when Lessing was in Vista, the Church of the Golden Bough demanded he stand trial for blasphemy, for certain reasons."
"...Blasphemy?"
"Basically, the church believed his research had violated a taboo and demanded he be brought before an ecclesiastical court. But the name Edward Lessing carried some weight in Vista's academic circles, and several influential people spoke up for him. Things never reached the point of a public trial."
"Later, after mediation between several parties, the matter was ultimately settled by a secret tribunal," Carlo said. "The tribunal's ruling was a duel, witnessed by Vicania."
Isaac's hand tightened around his cane.
"The church sent a knight, and Lessing had to fight him in person. If he died in the duel, his sins would naturally be erased, and that would be the end of it. If he survived, he would be exiled from Vista and forbidden from ever returning, and the church would no longer pursue him for his crimes.
"As I just said, Lessing was an excellent swordsman, and he quickly defeated the knight. But the knight refused to surrender and let down the goddess's glory, and ultimately died by Lessing's sword."
Isaac listened to the story in silence. He knew his adoptive father had seen quite a few battles in the past, but he had never imagined that the gentle old man who often sat turning pages in his study and occasionally walked around campus with a cane had once killed a church knight in a duel.
"Did he go to Palmer after leaving Vista?"
"I wasn't keeping an eye on where he went. Who knows?"
"...He never told me any of this," Isaac said quietly.
"Of course he didn't. If someone decides to bury the past, they won't dig it up for others to see so easily. He was willing to teach you how to shoot and fight, so he's already passed on what he could. As for those stories, he didn't think you needed to know them. That's his business."
Isaac walked in silence for a while, then turned onto a broader street.
The commercial street was already bustling that morning. Shops on both sides were opening for business, clerks were putting goods in their display windows, and cleaners were using buckets of water to wash away the dust that had accumulated overnight.
Carlo looked around and stopped in front of a clothing and hat shop. Isaac put his thoughts aside and followed Carlo's gaze.
Harper and Sons Clothing and Hat Shop. Several ready-made garments were folded on stands in the window. They looked conventional, neither high-end nor at all shabby. The shop probably catered to people who needed formalwear but didn't have enough money for custom tailoring.
"This one will do," Carlo said, raising his chin.
Inside, a man wearing glasses stood behind a counter farther in. He was probably the owner, Mr. Harper. Hearing them enter, he looked up and smiled. "Gentlemen, what can I help you with?"
"Pick out an outfit for him." Carlo gestured toward Isaac. "The whole lot."
The shopkeeper sized up Isaac's build and took out a measuring tape. "Sir, I'll take your measurements first. Everything here is ready-made, but it has to fit properly to look good."
Isaac held out his arms and let the shopkeeper measure him, while Carlo strolled over to a nearby rack and looked at the coats hanging there.
When he had finished measuring, the shopkeeper moved between the racks and took down a few garments. "Sir, you can try these on first. If they don't fit, I'll find you something else."
Isaac nodded, and the shopkeeper went to find a few more outfits. Carlo glanced over from the side. "You have to try them on too? Tch..."
The man might as well have had "what a hassle" written on his face. He was clearly impatient with the whole process of choosing clothes.
"Boss, you don't usually come to shops like this, do you?" Isaac ventured.
"Of course not. I have a tailor make everything to measure. High-end stuff, nothing these cheap, ordinary clothes can compare to."
Isaac looked at Carlo's trench coat. The fabric was indeed good, and the cut was refined, but the collar was a little crooked, and there were several stubborn creases. Its owner had clearly treated it carelessly for a long time.
Carlo noticed Isaac looking. "What are you staring at?"
"Nothing." Isaac looked away. "I was just thinking, the way you wear high-end clothes is pretty..."
"That's called being at ease, understand? A truly respectable person doesn't need clothes to make an impression."
"Then why did you bring me here to buy clothes?"
"Because you haven't reached my level of ease. You're not at the point where you can make an impression without relying on clothes."
Isaac had no answer to that.
"Besides that, there's something else worth noticing about this shop."
"What?"
"Do you sense anything unusual?"
Isaac glanced at the shop window. "Unusual?"
"I chose this shop on purpose," Carlo said. "Didn't you notice anything wrong?"
Isaac thought carefully back over what had happened since they entered. The shopkeeper had behaved normally, the shop was clean, and the goods were neatly arranged. Nothing had particularly stood out...
"I didn't notice anything unusual," he said truthfully.
"That's right." Carlo nodded. "If you'd spotted the problem as soon as you walked in, that would have been strange."
"So you didn't choose this shop because the clothes here were suitable?"
"The clothes were incidental. I mainly wanted you to get a feel for it." Carlo slipped his hands into his pockets. "There is something wrong with this shop, but it's buried deep. You can't see through it at a glance. Once you've gained more experience, you'll naturally be able to sense when something's off."
The shopkeeper came back carrying another stack of clothes and spread them out on the long table. "Sir, see if any of these suit you. You can try them on first."
Isaac took off his waistcoat and coat, picked up a dark gray suit, shook it out, and tried it on.
"Not bad." He moved his arms and couldn't help taking a few more looks at the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper was standing behind the counter, arranging something. Everything looked perfectly normal, and it was hard to imagine what could possibly be unusual.