Chapter 249: Returning Home
After waiting for night to fall, I left the field.
Conveniently, it looks cloudy tonight. I could hardly see any stars.
The moonlight behind the clouds was unreliable, but this was my second home. I had no hesitation in moving forward.
There is no better time to be vigilant.
I made full use of my detection magic, which I rarely use, and moved my feet, conscious not to panic. I had to act with caution.
It was after the moon was high in the sky that we arrived at the village. Normally, I would have been able to walk this distance in no time, but I may have moved too cautiously.
It seemed that the clouds had thinned considerably before I knew it.
No one was out and about. The lights were out, and the silent night was spreading endlessly.
I moved to the house I wanted to visit and knocked on the door several times.
After a while, he felt someone moving inside.
I said, “……Who is it?”
The door opened just a little and a voice filled with alarm flew in.
It was a small voice, almost drowned out by the night wind.
My name is Mergin.
As he said this, he felt a change in the air beyond the door.
Oh, you're back. Come on in.
I did as I was told and entered the house.
I know I'm safe now in the village, but I want to hide myself as soon as possible.
I ask, “Is …… Rupetta not here?”
I was convinced that my bad premonition was right when I saw the village headman say so as he closed the door.
The city seems to be having a hard time collecting taxes, as is the case in this village.
I was taken to the living room, where the mayor told me about the current situation in the village.
I heard that life in Spierzeig is much worse than it used to be.
Was it the effect of the fall of the Reischliefe?”
I guess so. If this is the case, he will have no choice but to live.
I see…….
The village will not be able to survive without more men.
It was last month. I went to the Adventurers' Support Center near New Nellie Field and found a message board with a call out to me.
Apparently, the village head had asked a peddler to pass on a message. I answered the call and went to talk to him, and received a message that he wanted me to come back to the village.
Since the peddler was only in charge of delivering the message, I could not confirm the details of the message. That is why I have come here to confirm the details.
I left Lupetta in New Nellie City.
In the past, when Lupetta returned to her village, she was discovered by Spiasek's military officers and was chased.He managed to escape that time, but there was no guarantee that he would be able to escape the next time the same thing happened. .
Rupetta told me before that it would be more dangerous if you were to wander around.
That's true, but……
In fact, I went to Levios and Quardenze territories to escape conscription, so I have a dark side.
……This time, it was better for me to move.”
Given that Lupetta had been found, it was possible that the next infiltration would be guarded.
Considering the range and accuracy of detection magic, he decided that the probability of being caught was lower if I moved, and persuaded Lupetta.
So, what happened?”
I apologize to the village chief for rushing the conversation, but it is not a good idea to stay here for too long.
If possible, I would like to finish my business and return to the Værdberg Field before daybreak. The detection magic is less effective inside the field, so it is unlikely to be discovered.
As …… Said. I want to conclude by saying that I want Lupetta to come back to the village.
This was exactly what I had heard in New Nellie City.
I had a bad premonition that it would come true.
I'd like to hear the reason. Now that Raishleif Castle has fallen, if Lupetta returns to the village, she will eventually be drafted into the army.
This may sound a bit accusatory, but it is true.Lupetta's gentle nature and inability to abandon her family and village make her a useful pawn for the Spierzeig family.She could be used up as one of the follower soldiers.
Let me tell you a little story……. Recently, there has been a confirmation of the powerful in the territory.
The fall of Raishleif Castle and the splitting of the serpent's shield were major events for Spierzeig's army. I think it is inevitable that the war will intensify in the future.
The knight lords of Spierzeig have begun to reconfirm how many squires they have in the territory who can be mobilized as soldiers in times of need.
But I thought they said that I and Lupetta were out of the territory.
It is true. When we return to the village, we conceal our identities and sneak in secretly.
But recently, the number of adventurers from the Kingdom of Levios has been increasing,……
The story sounded familiar.
I've heard rumors about this. I've heard rumors about it.
Not long ago, adventurers from all over the continent gathered in the royal capital. The Levios family has been giving preferential treatment to adventurers who entered the field after the disaster caused by the magical beast Elsinia. I and Lupetta were so taken in by this that We decided to go to King's Landing.
Thanks to this preferential treatment, there were not many magical beasts in the fields of King's Landing. Adventurers hunted them all for gold.
The reason why Lupetta and I moved to New Nellie City was because the longer we continued our activities, the less profitable they became. I am sure that even after we left, the yield continued to deteriorate.
Then, this year, the Levios Army apparently carried out a large-scale cleaning operation of magical beasts in the territory.
According to what I have heard, they used manpower and manpower tactics to exterminate the monsters in the field at will.
Looking back on it now, I can see that this sequence of events was exactly as the Levios family had planned.
After having skilled adventurers exterminate a good number of demonic beasts, the military wiped out the pikas as a last-ditch effort.
Thanks to this, the number of monsters that could be hunted in the fields of King's Landing had been drastically reduced. Well, it is a good thing for the people of Levios, but it is a problem for the adventurers. Who had gathered in the Levios territory have scattered to various parts of the continent in search of new hunting grounds.
……Oh, I didn't know there was such a situation.
I heard that recently from an adventurer who came to New Nellie City from the royal capital…….But are they coming to Spierzeig territory as well?”
It seems that the purchase of magic stones in the Spiaseik territory is reluctant.
I think they are just stopping by on their way to the west.It is said that few people stay long in the area because of the unsettled atmosphere.
Certainly, a follower adventurer would leave before getting into unnecessary trouble.The shock of the fall of Castle Reishleif was so great that adventurers from other places were talking about it.It is only natural that they are concerned about the future of Spierzeig.
So what's wrong with the adventurers who moved here?
“You guys seemed to have made a good name for yourselves in King's Landing, didn't you?”
Well, in their own way.
The chief let out a breath.
The adventurers left King's Landing, stopped in New Nellie City, and then headed west.On his way, he stayed in a village near ours to earn some coins.
So?”
The shield-splitting must have rattled his lord, and the adventurer was interrogated.
So the adventurer was a follower. The fact that he came from King's Landing meant that he might be an acquaintance.
I heard that he was questioned in detail about adventurers …… Who had left King's Landing for the future, especially about powerful adventurers.
Knowing the situation of adventurers in King's Landing, it is perhaps not surprising.There might be a few more adventurers coming into Spierzeig's territory in the future.As a knight who protects his territory, he would want to make sure of this.
The man who conducted the investigation was our lord. It is not surprising that there are officials who know Lupetta.
It is safe to assume that, aside from a drifter like me, a squire like Lupetta, whose hometown is in the territory, is recognized to some extent by the lord's side. As hosts, they are more likely to listen to what you say.
I have seen many squires, both friend and foe, who have been sent to the battlefield in such a way that they cried and cried.
Even for Lupetta, they would have her name, the fact that she was from this village, and the fact that she had gone to work in the capital.
If we were to cross-check the adventurer's testimony, we would be able to predict his movements to a certain extent.
The officials must have their own opinions when they hear that Lupetta, who left King's Landing, is active in New Nellie City,…….
I don't know who this person is, but he or she has given me some extra testimony.
I was not very open about my birthplace in either King's Landing or New Nellie City, but I never thought it would come to this.
I'm sorry about the time of the term too. …… I'm sure you've heard that Lupetta was chased by the soldiers the other day, right?
Oh…… That too, huh?”
I was still adversely affected by the discovery.
After that I was summoned by the city officials. I was called by a city official afterwards and asked if Lupetta had returned to the village.
He was able to play it off and get away with it.
But the adventurer rekindled my suspicions. I knew that the suspicious person the army had identified at the time was Lupetta, who had returned to the village. They said that our village was secretly connected to Lupetta, and that she was pretending to break off relations with him to avoid being drafted.
That was as close to a correct answer as I could get. Sweat broke out on my face.
The military's report was not needed, but the moment it was discovered that Lupetta was in New Nellie City, that was the end of it. I was told by a government official. Send a messenger to call Lupetta back, and although the capital is as far away as possible, New Nellie City is not too far to go.
The fact that she continues to work as an adventurer in New Nellie City, near her hometown, suggests that she may be attached to the village. If that's the case, it's not a bad idea to call them back for a trial run,.. …., Spierzeig's officials must have thought so.
It's a bad idea. For us.
From the way they are talking, it seems that the officials are expecting a big battle soon. At that time, a large number of men from our village will be drafted into the army.
The village chief looked bitter, as if the number of men he requested was too large.
'……What happens when Rupetta returns to the village?'
Here's the important part.
I have my own guesses, but I need to hear it from the mayor's mouth.
He will not be taken by the army right away. They will tell you to stay in the village in case of a decisive battle.
Then what about the big battle?”
…… Then Rupetta will be assigned to our lord's unit and will move. The men from the village will support him. I have confirmed this many times. There should be no mistake.”
It sounds like he will be assigned as one of the squire soldiers under the direct control of the knight army. And the men from the village will be deployed in the rear of the force: ……. Then Lupetta would not be able to escape, but the rearguard would be relatively safe. Even if the knight army were to be crushed by the Quordenze army, it would be easier to escape from the rear.
Lupetta's life or death would depend on which battlefield the knight army would be placed on, but I have a feeling that the men of the village would be relatively more likely to survive.
What is being offered is survival of the village at the expense of one of the squires. However, with luck, both will survive. The more the Spierzeig forces gain the upper hand, the more hope there is for the story.
What if we don't call them back?
It would be a bad thing.
I asked reluctantly, but the village chief who answered also looked disgusted.
He said, “Then the men from the village will be put into one of the units that will be deployed to the front lines.
I can't …… Imagine commoner soldiers on the front lines of a major battle.
That's like being told you're going to die.
It's a terrible way to treat them. It's a role that someone has to play, but I don't want the people of this village to play it.
If we don't acknowledge that there is a rupeta in New Nellie City,…… We can't just go along and say we don't know,……
I asked, hoping for a ray of hope, but the mayor quietly dismissed my idea.
If Rupetta comes back, good, if not, we can condemn her and make her a front line soldier,…… And we will be treated as such.
I was already lost when I showed the lord's side a chance.
I'm sorry,……,” He said. The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that the Spierzeig family is in such dire straits. I didn't realize the war situation was so bad that they would use this kind of means …….”
I thought the Spierzeik family had more leeway.
It is not your fault.
But the fact that I couldn't even send him good information while he was staying in New Nerry City is ……
As I regretted this, the village chief smiled darkly for a moment.
I am grateful for the information you bring back to me.
The village chief then turned his expression hard.
'…… It is infuriating. The men of the village are swayed by the thoughts of the lord.”
The village chief's anger was palpable in his matter-of-fact tone his.
I have heard from an elderly villager that the village chief used to be a rebellious and spirited man. I guess he is usually still and contained as the head of the village.
I don't care…… About the quarrels of the nobility.
But I can not keep saying so. I am the head of this village, and I must work for the good of all.
And he looked at me.
He looked at me and said, “Tell …… Lupetta to go back to the village.”
The chief does not want to cut off Lupetta.The village head does n't want to cut Lupetta out of his life.
I understand…….
I don't want to tell him.
If I do, I am sure that Lupetta will say she will return to the village. But if I don't tell her, she will be angry, and she will mourn. I don't want her to die, but I don' t want her to be sad either.
The only way for both Lupetta and the men in the village to survive was to return to the village.
I was sorry, but it was understandable for you to be angry.
I still seemed to be unconsciously glaring at him.
“I'm sorry,……”
It wasn't the village chief who was to blame. I somehow managed to suppress my indignation.
The village chief, perhaps sensing our situation, abruptly changed the subject.
He said, “I have heard from Lupetta. She has asked you to marry her.
“What ……, No, ……, That ……”
As the head of the village, I am happy to hear this.
The village head has been hoping for a long time that Lupetta and I would get married.
Well, I am a follower of Lupetta and she is a follower of mine. If we have a child, we may have a cousin. If that happened, the village would be happy.
It was a bit of a calculation, but the presence of a follower was a big deal.
But as an old man, I would be happy too. It's just a joy to see the children of the village grow up and have families.
The village chief smiled kindly as he said this. He has seen Lupetta since she was a child, so he must feel something for her.
He said, “I think Lupetta was puzzled by your proposal of marriage. She may have been thinking about the village, but she seemed to be happy about it. She seemed to be pleased with the wedding, though …… Rita welcomed it with open arms.
At that moment, my heart was hot.
I felt guilty that I had found out about Lupetta's feelings for her here, but the joy was more than enough to overcome that.
And the fact that Rita, who is also Lupetta's mother, was happy was irreplaceable. The obstacles to our marriage were now gone.
I don't know what the future holds for this war, but please take care of …… Lupetta.
“Yes, yes!
I was shouted out unintentionally.
I was so happy that I shouted out loud. I'm sure she would love to meet you.
I'd like to do that.
The chief of the village pondered for a moment as he told them that if they stayed too long, Spierzeig's army might find out about them and cause trouble.
The village chief thought about it for a moment. “I have the feeling that the number of military personnel has decreased in recent days. I'm sure it's all right, but ……
'That's because the Great Society of the Kingdom of Levios is over. The covenant of non-war between Spierzeig and Quardenze has been dissolved, and now the army's attention is inevitably focused on the front lines.
This is one of the reasons why he returned to the village at this time of the year.
Now that the heads of the Spierzeik and Quardenze families have returned to their respective strongholds and taken a breather, they will be able to focus on the front lines rather than on the boundaries of their territories. At the front lines. It was a good time to infiltrate.
But that doesn't mean the army is gone. I heard from Lupetta that there is talk of building a military base or fort around here, isn't there? I heard that the village is also asking for men to help out. The case, I thought it would be better to leave as soon as possible…….”
The village headman clapped his hands in agreement.
I'm not sure if that's what he meant. I'm sure that's what happened at the beginning of the year when Lupetta came to town.
The village chief's face was once again covered in a dark smile as he said this.
In a way, it's thanks to the big shield-splitter,” He said. In a way, it was thanks to the shield-splitter that we didn't have to do any extra labor.
The number of military personnel wandering around the area has decreased since the construction schedule was scrapped.
I'll go back to New Nellie after I see Rita-san,” I said.
The chief nodded his head in satisfaction.
If there was no need to rush back, I would return after hearing all the stories.
'……Speaking of which, why was the construction cancelled?'
That was the first question that came to mind.
Why did they want to build a military facility in such a remote area in the first place?
I expected an immediate answer, but the village head looked up at the ceiling and pondered for a while.
I don't know,” He said. I don't know what will help you. Maybe I should tell…… You.”
After checking his surroundings, the village chief beckoned to him.
He probably wanted us to come closer.
From the look on his face, I could tell that an important conversation was about to begin.
It was six days later when we returned to New Nellie City.
Mr. Melgin~!”
I turned to look at the familiar voice and saw a familiar girl standing there.
“Oh, Holte?”
The girl came fluttering across the street and pushed a large burlap sack toward me.
Then she handed me a large burlap sack as if to push it toward me.
A large burlap sack was placed in front of me.
Inside the bag I received was a large amount of fruit. Maybe they serve it in the cafeteria.
Yes! It was so heavy. Take it with you, Mr. Melgin! You're going home now, aren't you?”
Don't tell me that after I push it on you.
Lupetta and I have been staying at the inn run by Horte's family for a long time.
I was wondering if she was going back to her homeAren't you going home?
'I was going to buy some things at the store. …… Well, never mind. It's probably heavy, so I'll take it to the inn first.
Wow, thanks!
Horte began to lead the way in the direction I was walking, occasionally turning around to look back.
I have a feeling that this girl is good at using older people. Perhaps it is because she is used to relying on someone else, but she is not sneaky or sarcastic. Perhaps it is because of her easygoing demeanor, but I don't feel bad about being dependent on her.
The shy Lupetta sometimes talks with Horte, and I think she has a good disposition as an innkeeper's daughter.
'Shopping, where were you planning to go?
'A general store for now. I also want to repair shoes, so I'm going to the workshop.
Then Horte made an expression as if to say, “Oh, no.
'If it's not urgent, Mr. Melugin shouldn't be wandering around today.
Why?”
'Because your lordship is moving on. Mr. Lupetta also said he would be in his room his all day today.'
According to Horte, as of this morning, the city had been informed. The city has sent out a manpower to clean up the main street because of this.
If the nobles are going out of the city, there must be officials keeping an eye on them here and there in the city. It would be better for an unattached squire like me to stay out of trouble.
Who exactly is this lord who is on the move?
I don't know. 'A lord is a lord, isn't he?
Then you don't even know where you're going?
'I don't know? …… Oh, by the way, the people at the landing place were busy. Aren't they going to the royal capital again?”
So I guess he is the Marquis of Quardenze of his day.
It seems that the great society of the Levios Kingdom was interrupted by the appearance of magical beasts. Will it be resumed? I hope there will be another covenant of non-war between Spierzeig and Kuordenze.
'Did Mr. Melgin just come back?'
It was more of a confirmation than a question.
Do you know?
I don't know,” He said. I'm still the innkeeper's daughter.
She was dressed as a traveler, and her clothes were a little dusty.I was dressed as if I had just arrived from out of town.
Where have you been? I haven't seen you for a while.
Come to think of it, I had only told the inn that I was going away for a while.
…… The hometown of Rupetta.”
That's Spierzeig territory, ah!”
I poked Horte on the forehead to make him stop talking.
I don't want to say too much about Spiaseik here.
Didn't you say before that you can't leave because it's too dangerous, even though you're a……?”
He doesn't seem to want to stop chattering.
I had to risk it all to get home.”
'Hmmm? But I'm glad you made it back safely.
While we were talking like that, we reached the inn.
It is a strange thing to feel like “I'm back” When I see them like this. I feel more at ease now that I am back at the inn than when I returned to the village. I am sure it is because Lupetta is waiting for me here.
It's……”
Ummmm…”
I wonder if they saw through my feelings for Lupetta. Horte was grinning and peeking at me with a mischievous expression.
This little brat is observing the relationship between me and Lupetta in an amusing and curious way. I was at an age when I might be getting excited about relationships with men and women, but it was bad enough that he was trying to mess with me.
I told him, “……, I'm going to leave your luggage here.
Oh, yeah. Thanks.
I put the burlap sack at the entrance of the inn and went to the room I rented.
She was cleaning the room.
Welcome back. Mergin.”
Her voice was small, but I could sense that she was happy that I had returned.
I'm home. Lupetta.
I felt happiness in this casual conversation.
I don't want to lose this life.
