Chapter 5

"Hey, you...! The Vandeer Knight Captain gave us the medicine!"

"What!?! That damn knight captain... Vandeer Knight Captain!?"

He seemed quite drunk, as he stumbled in, lost his balance, and walked while arguing with his wife. When he saw me, he was surprised and exclaimed.

"Leaving your sick wife and young children to drink is quite a way to behave, isn't it? Don't you think it's strange that you have money for alcohol but not for your wife's medicine?"

"Well, that's our problem, not something a person like the Vandeer Knight Captain should be concerned about. Don't worry about us, just go home."

He looked at me with disdain, but the man was grinning and trying to shoo me away. However, if I left now, I had a bad feeling that the children and the mother would suffer.

"Ah, I see. Let's talk a bit first."

I tried to smile gently, but apparently, it came out as a terrifying grin, and the man's face twitched. That's odd. This face is supposed to be quite handsome, even if it's a villain's.

"Big brother... are you taking daddy away?"

"Just going to have a talk. I might have to hit him a little to drive out the bad bugs inside him, but he won't get seriously hurt, so don't worry."

"Okay, I understand!"

I patted her head, and Chloe nodded in relief. Then, I approached her father, grabbed his upper arm, and led him outside.

"What do you think you're doing? Don't you care about your family?"

"Heh, someone like me is better off not being around!"

"Troublemaker?"

"Yeah, I used to be a craftsman, but I got injured during military service while fighting monsters and can't work properly anymore. When I saw her working herself to the point of getting sick, I felt even more sorry for her and had to drink to cope!"

It seems he's just feeling down, but he's not a bad person. The problem is that there's no compensation for the injuries he sustained during military service.

"Hmm... I can't promise it immediately, but I'll suggest to the lord that he implement measures to help those with lingering injuries from military service. Even if you can't use your hands, you can still use your feet, right? It would be good if there were jobs you could do despite your injuries. ...For now, you don't have to pay back the cost of the medicine for the sake of the children, but if you don't cherish your wife and children, you'll regret it. I'll come back to check on you someday."

"Y-Yes!"

When I mentioned the measures, I could see a glimmer of hope in the man's eyes. It's true that having a sense of purpose is important in life. I should request an audience with the lord when I return.

Holding his arm and glaring at him, it seemed the man sobered up. When I let go, I left him slumped on the ground and returned to the barracks.

When I went to the knight office and called out to the clerk, he jumped up in surprise. I used to be harsh with him because I didn't like his overly fearful attitude.

"Tell the Margrave that I want to see him. Say I found a problem when I went to the city."

"Y-Yes!"

The clerk replied and hurriedly started writing the request. In the past, I would just barge into the Margrave's office whenever I had business, so he might be surprised to see me submit a request.

...I must be quite hated, huh? It's not surprising if they think of me as a pest who tries to court a girl who doesn't want him, especially since I've been pressuring them with the protection of the territory.

I should pull myself together and go watch the training. Even if I can't wield a sword, I can still give guidance. I believe Casius, who just became a knight, is training today.

Casius is a lot like my younger brother in personality, and he's the same age, eighteen. I've taught my older brothers all the household chores, but I'm worried if they can manage without me.

When I arrived at the training ground, I heard the metallic sounds of swords used by the knights and the wooden swords used by the squires. The third knight squadron still had a gloomy atmosphere. This is probably because the first and second squadrons call them a ragtag group, lacking in class, and expendable.

In terms of skill, they are far superior, so I don't think they should feel inferior. This might be because I'm a noble, and most of them are commoners.

Since we've been fighting monsters daily since coming to this margravate, I feel everyone's skills have improved. More people have crossed the line into the next level of proficiency, which often leads to more injuries.

"Ow!"

"Are you okay!?"

I heard someone exclaim and saw Casius bleeding from his arm. It seems even with the blades dulled, he still got cut, from his upper arm to his elbow.

He was holding the injured arm, which was likely limp, and blood was dripping continuously. Everyone around him had stopped moving and was just watching, so I couldn't help but run over.

"Hey! Get a healer immediately! Casius, raise your arm!"

"It hurts, but it's not a big deal, I'm fine."

I tried to raise the injured area above his heart and tie a handkerchief around his upper arm to stop the bleeding, but Casius resisted.

"Just listen to me, okay!"

I realized I had made a slip of the tongue when the training ground fell silent, as if frozen.