Chapter 6

6. To His Excellency, with respect

In any case, as she looked at the furniture in the room, one fact came to mind.

According to the game's setting, there was a certain amount of money provided by the kingdom when a new lord took office.

He decided to ask Majuk about this again...

“Have you all lived in this village all your lives?”

“Yes.”

“I want to ask about Galant and the previous chief of the guard.”

The moment Galant's name was mentioned, Alice burst out excitedly.

“Please don’t punish Uncle Galant!”

...It didn't seem necessary to ask any more.

By the way, Majuk is an older brother, and Galant is an uncle.

I thought I heard they were the same age.

For some reason, Galant felt pitiful.

* * *

Majuk stopped in front of the village's only tavern, 'The Migratory Birds by the Lake.'

The new lord, Kammin, was meticulous in a way that was uncharacteristic of a knight.

Following him around all day had left Majuk utterly exhausted, and he was desperately craving a drink.

“Hmm?”

Unlike usual, loud voices were spilling out from the door.

“Strange. Why are there so many people here today? It’s not even the day of the wheat harvest.”

“It’s because of the new gossip. Have a drink.”

“There were a lot of people hanging around Lord Kammin, but I didn’t expect them all to be here.”

Majuk had to run around all day with Kammin, sweating from the effort.

He wanted to soothe his tired body with a glass of wine.

With so many people, it was impossible to rest comfortably.

“Why are you giving me a drink first?”

The first rule of The Migratory Birds by the Lake was to pay in advance.

This ironclad rule had been upheld since Jaine's father's time.

While outsiders grumble when asked to pay upfront, they soon shut up.

The taste of the drinks and the food is so good that any complaints melt away like snow in the sun.

Jaine's father, who had traveled all over the kingdom, had many secret recipes.

Of course, he is no longer with us, but...

The recipes have been properly passed down to his daughter, Jaine.

Jaine, the current owner of The Migratory Birds by the Lake, is a few years older than Majuk.

“Try it first.”

At Jaine’s urging, Majuk took a sip.

“Gah...! What is this?”

“I tried a new blend. Is it too strong?”

“It’s too intense. I knew it was free. I’m not good with strong drinks. Give me the old one.”

As Majuk placed a coin on the bar, Jaine frowned.

She had grown up with Majuk since they were children.

“Do some exercise. You’re weak because you don’t. Look at those guys. They’re drinking and enjoying it.”

“...Are you bringing up old stories? And being weak with drinks is genetic.”

“I’m not talking about old stories. I saw you stumbling near the western forest earlier.”

When did you go there and come back?

Majuk started making excuses.

“It was too tiring. The new lord is a knight, and the western forest is dangerous. When we were young, monsters often appeared there.”

“Now there’s a barrier. The fruits grow there, so people go to collect them. There’s no profit in making wine from the fruits they buy.”

Actually, the entire western forest is not covered by the barrier.

Majuk knew that the villagers often went to the forest to collect things.

“Still, small monsters can slip through the barrier.”

“Hey! I’m Jaine. I can handle a goblin or two.”

“Good grief.”

The people of Halrun were tough.

Men and women alike.

They were pioneers who fought together against monsters to secure their living space.

“Lord Kammin isn’t particularly robust either. I secretly watched you panting while following him.”

“Mages are naturally weak. They have to read a lot of books...”

“Don’t make me laugh. You were weak even before you became a mage.”

“Let’s drop that. Why did you change the blend?”

“I brought out the old blend because the new lord is here.”

“Are you expecting outsiders to come?”

“I have a good eye for people...”

Jaine smiled.

The only thing that had changed from before was the slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

Majuk cleared his throat.

A different statement came out of his mouth.

“With such good eyes, why are you still single?”

“Do you want to die?”

Jaine’s hand, which she raised, held a kitchen knife.

“Ouch.”

“Go over there. I need to slice some pickles. You suddenly came, and now I’m behind schedule.”

Chop, chop, chop!

Her knife skills were impressive.

Majuk rested his chin on his hand and watched her.

He had missed the daily life of this small village while studying abroad.

The cheerful sound of the knife on the cutting board made him feel at ease.

'So that’s why Galant came back to the village.'

To protect this peace.

The world recently had an ominous atmosphere.

A short while later, the colander was filled with finely sliced pickles.

Jaine, who had wiped the knife, cutting board, and her hands with a damp cloth, looked at Majuk.

“Seeing the new lord, I can smell something.”

“What kind of smell?”

“The smell of money. If we can deal with those mercenaries, the situation might improve.”

Majuk nodded without realizing it.

Halrun wasn’t always like this.

The new lord is enthusiastic, even if it’s a bit unsettling.

He seemed capable of solving the current situation.

* * *

Duke Gareth of Berte was having a busy and sleepless time.

Despite that, he felt strangely lonely.

'Indeed, it’s lonely without Kammin.'

As Gareth tilted his glass, the old butler approached.

“A letter has arrived from Sir Kammin.”

“A letter? I bet it’s full of complaints.”

“The inside is your domain, my lord. I recommend you brace yourself before opening it.”

Gareth, who was about to break the seal, hesitated and asked the butler.

The old butler had served the previous duke since he was young.

He might know something about Halrun.

“Have you ever been to the western part of the kingdom?”

“I went there when I was young. At that time, monsters often appeared, so the villages were located a bit further east.”

“I heard they expanded the territory by developing the western area.”

“That was quite a while ago. Despite that, it’s still a remote area, and it hasn’t made much difference. The previous lords were almost like exiles.”

“I see.”

“In fact, that area is tightly controlled by the cadet branches of the Berte family, including Baron Bardum.”

“It’s fortunate that she hasn’t completely turned to their side.”

Just because he gained the favor of the duke doesn’t mean everything is over.

In fact, this is the beginning of the real challenge.

The stronghold of the Berte family was shaken because a bastard became the Duke of Berte.

Carmelia is still an unknown entity, whether she is an ally or an enemy.

That’s why he sent Kammin there.

A hunter is best at handling a weasel.

Of course, it was a bit faster than expected...

But Kammin can get some rest, so it’s a win-win.

Well, that rest won’t last long.

“Is there a reason you specifically sent Sir Kammin to Halrun? I heard that all the family’s knights praise his skills as the best. I even saw Captain Canatu furious about this sudden personnel change, specifically about sending Sir Kammin to Halrun.”

“He was eager to eat him alive when Kammin was around. What’s he up to now?”

“Isn’t it the nature of people to torment those they cherish?”

“Anyway, there was no choice. The western territories of the kingdom will soon become a goldmine. I had to send someone reliable and skilled.”

“Ah?”

Gareth smiled.

“The kingdom no longer has the power to maintain the barrier.”

“Then...”

Even the experienced old butler realized something from his words.

“The weaker the barrier becomes, the more monsters from the Demon Realm will appear. There will be no place easier to obtain monster cores than the western part of the kingdom.”

Monster cores are materials for cores, and cores are money.

“I’ve heard such stories before, but they were just hypotheses from the empire.”

“No. The current king lacks long-term vision. He indulges in a life of luxury and debauchery. The kingdom’s treasury is already empty. The powerful families like mine no longer have any loyalty to him.”

That’s why the great lords are sending strong knights to the western territories one after another.

But Gareth, who had just become a duke, had almost no capable people under him.

He even lacked the strength to sort out the internal chaos.

In the end, he was taking a gamble by entrusting everything to Kammin.

But he was confident of success.

“Aren’t the monsters from the Demon Realm much stronger than ordinary ones? Isn’t it dangerous, even for Sir Kammin? I’ve heard he has unparalleled martial prowess, but he can’t do everything alone.”

Gareth chuckled at the advisor’s words.

“He’s a monster. Do you believe there’s a human who can defeat a two-headed ogre in a one-on-one fight?”

“Pardon? Single-handedly?”

Ogre hunting is usually done by a unit of soldiers.

Just thinking about it made Gareth shudder.

That’s why he planned a great journey and finally managed to defeat a dragon.

Based on that achievement, he rose to the position of duke, surpassing his legitimate brothers.

The old butler couldn’t believe Gareth’s words.

He had seen an ogre with his own eyes.

“Even if I tell you, you won’t believe me. Anyway, I should read the letter now.”

Gareth picked up the paper and started reading the letter.

Contrary to his expectations, there wasn’t much content.

Halrun is a beautiful place, but it has many harsh conditions.

There are discrepancies from the promises, and he’s asking for more funding.

“Huh. Instead of complaining, he’s making additional requests. Truly, it’s typical of Kammin.”

“5,000 gil isn’t a large amount. It might still be insufficient.”

“Considering our situation isn’t good either, he must have taken that into account. He’s strangely quick at calculations, so he’ll definitely manage somehow.”

“Ah...”

After finishing the letter, Gareth noticed a familiar emblem.

“Ah, I have a question.”

“Yes.”

“He always draws this emblem at the end of his letters. Do you know what it means?”

Kammin always drew an emblem unrelated to the content at the end of his letters or notes to Gareth.

He had asked Kammin several times, and Kammin said it meant “with respect.”

But it didn’t seem to mean that, no matter how he thought about it.

“Is it a signature?”

“No, the signature is at the bottom.”

“Let me see it.”

The knowledgeable old butler confidently took the letter.

After examining the emblem for a while, the old butler shook his head.

“I’ve never seen this emblem before. It’s quite simple.”

“Hmm. You don’t know either. There’s nothing we can do.”

Gareth took the letter back.

At the last line, there was a drawing-like character.

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