Chapter 34

When reading sources like Wikipedia, it seems that in countries like Britain, nobles of baron rank and above are addressed as "territory name + title + given name + surname" or "territory name + Lord." However, knights are not addressed as "Lord." In this work, for the sake of clarity, I will describe the setting where they are addressed as "territory name + title" for nobles and "territory name + Lord" for knights (or "surname + Lord" for those without territory).

Al followed Reta's instructions and used light spells to illuminate the campsite in sequence. Reta seemed to have accompanied this caravan's guard many times before, as she was familiar with most of the merchants and remembered the places where lights had been set up before. This made it smooth for her to decide where to cast the light spells. After setting up the lights, the two were about to return to Eric's carriage when they were called by Sir Jonas, the captain of the guard.

"Miss, the new face seems to be working hard."

"Yes, the lights for the campsite have been set up."

Reta stopped and replied with a stiff expression. Al, standing beside her, lightly knelt. He thought it was appropriate to do so when addressing a knight. His reaction to Nareesh when they arrived in the city was a significant point of reflection for him. If they were in the middle of a battle, it would be different, but they were not under attack in the camp. However, seeing Al's reaction, Sir Jonas shook his head sternly.

"New face, do that only for Lord Hawthorne. This is the frontier, where a battlefield can appear at any time."

Hearing this, Al stood up and bowed slightly.

"Yes, that's fine. I would like you to set up the lights in about three more places. Has the number of mages increased this time?"

Reta looked at Al. They had already set up 15 locations. It was still manageable. Al nodded in response. Of course, the duration of the light would not be as long as Al's, but Reta could still cast it.

"Yes, it's fine. Where would you like us to set them up?"

Reta asked, and Sir Jonas pointed to a gentle slope about 100 meters down from the hill where the campsite was set up.

"Set them up around there. Having lights there makes it easier to watch for attacks. When you need to relight them at night, we'll provide guards."

Hearing this, Al realized that the campsite was surrounded by steep cliffs and slopes except for this road.

"I was thinking that using light on the hill might be dangerous, but perhaps..."

Sir Jonas nodded vigorously in response to Al's question.

"Exactly. You noticed well. There are still many barbarians in this area. We are trying to lure them with the lights and eliminate them. However, there's no need to tell the merchants this. They won't make the mistake of letting their guard down, so you can rest assured."

Sir Jonas answered calmly. The idea of using the merchants as bait to hunt barbarians while developing the frontier was a bit shocking to Al, but he nodded. Fitz must have understood this and asked about the brightness and duration of the light. Al confirmed with Fitz which areas would be best to set up the lights and followed the instructions, making sure to explain that the light would last until morning.

"You learn quickly. You even spotted the Giant Eagle before we did. I'll report to Lord Hawthorne that his new apprentice, though young, is excellent. Miss, you need to work harder or you'll be outdone."

Al bowed and thanked him. Reta, standing beside him, had a tense expression. The two then parted ways with Sir Jonas and headed back to Eric's carriage.

When they returned to Eric's carriage, dinner had already started. It was common knowledge that cooking was avoided outside the frontier city to prevent attracting barbarians, but in this caravan, a fire was lit under a tent, and soup was prepared. In addition to dried meat, there were soft white bread and dried fruits.

"Wow, dried grapes. They're sweet and delicious. The bread is so soft."

Al took the meal from Lucas and leaned against the carriage, starting to eat immediately. For him, white bread and dried fruits were luxuries. They were served occasionally in the dormitory of the intermediate school, but when he was a child, eating them once a year during a festival was considered a happy year, so the image was strong.

"Since you're a mage, it's only natural."

Reta sat on a wooden box that had been taken out of the carriage. Marcus and Lucas, who had already finished eating, were drinking water from their canteens and looking at Al's reaction curiously.

"I come from a poor noble family in the countryside. It wasn't always possible."

Al said with a wry smile. His father was a knight, but the village he governed was in the mountains with poor harvests. The three of them ate while talking about their backgrounds as apprentices. Marcus and Lucas seemed similar, and it turned out they were cousins because their mothers were sisters. Their fathers all served as junior knights in the viscount's household in the frontier city of Lester. None of them were the eldest, which put them in a similar position to Al. After graduating from the primary school in the frontier city of Lester, they immediately became apprentices to Eric. When they first joined, there were more apprentices, but most of them left due to a lack of magical talent. Reta was the oldest, having been an apprentice for seven years, while Marcus and Lucas had been apprentices for six years.

"That means I'm one year younger than Reta, and the same age as Marcus and Lucas. I wish I could grow a bit taller."

Al looked at the three, who were all over 10 cm taller than him.

"Well, try to eat a lot and work hard."

Lucas patted Al's shoulder with a slight wry smile. When Al looked disappointed, Reta, who had been quietly eating, stood up.

"Al, our watch duty is the first shift. Let's go soon. The guard's command post should be near Lord Hawthorne's carriage."

Al realized that the first hour after arrival was almost over. He had been so engrossed in conversation. He quickly used the remaining bread to wipe the soup bowl and stuffed it into his mouth, then hurried to catch up with Reta, who had already started walking.

"What exactly does helping the guard involve?"

"Patrol. We also provide support with magic arrows. We can only cast one each, so we won't be much of a force, but it should be enough to take down goblins."

Al was about to correct the fact that he had only cast one but decided it was fine.

"Got it. I'll go to the bathroom and catch up soon."

"Hurry up, please."

Reta walked off briskly, leaving Al behind.

Thank you for reading.

I plan to post twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays at 10 AM. Thank you for your support.

Thank you for correcting the typos. I always appreciate your help.

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I would be very grateful if you could give me likes, ratings, and comments. Thank you very much.

On July 7, 2023, I changed the reference to Jonas, the knight, to Sir Jonas. I also changed the reference to Lord Hawthorne to "Lord Hawthorne."