Chapter 30

While clearing away the monkey corpses, Baldur and the others stood guard with the knight until morning, while Rio was summoned to the Rakudoi dojo.

The temporary command post in the Rakudoi dojo was filled with the commander, Rasmoa Rosiz, and his guards. Rasmoa Rosiz, the next head of the Rosiz viscount family, who had led the knights, was a young man of about eighteen. He was a handsome noble with bright blonde hair, but his sturdy, unwavering physique and well-worn longsword revealed that he was a formidable fighter. The middle-aged man standing beside Rasmoa seemed to be his deputy and guard, but he remained silent, glaring at Rio and the others.

Rasmoa, seated in a prepared chair, listened to the village chief recount the events leading up to the attack, the battle on the main road from Rakudoi and Baldur, and the repulsion of the surprise attack from the rear of the village by Karil. Then he looked at Rio.

"You took down the enemy commander with your own style of swordsmanship. Tell me, what was your impression of the enemy commander? Was he a skilled fighter?"

Caught off guard by the direct question, Rio straightened up and carefully chose his words.

"The monkeys don't seem to have any martial arts. They just swing their weapons with brute force and don't even consider counterattacks. However..."

"However, what? Go on."

"Though it may deviate from your question, the monkey commander seemed to feel a sense of responsibility for leading the group. While he didn't understand tactics, he had the intelligence to grasp them. He showed his emotions but remained calm enough not to be swayed by them."

Rasmoa smiled slightly, as if finding Rio's answer interesting, and turned to the village chief.

"This village has a smart boy. Moreover, he's brave. It's reassuring to have such a youth in our family's domain. I'd like to meet the children who fought on the main road individually later."

"Yes, I'll call them immediately."

"Fool. They must be exhausted. Let them rest. However, it's fortunate that we arrived in time. If we had been a few hours late, we might have lost this intelligent boy."

Rio felt flattered but was more concerned about something else. However, he didn't think it was his place to ask questions and remained silent, looking down. Rasmoa, noticing Rio's expression, narrowed his eyes and turned back to the village chief.

"We hurried as much as we could, even overtaking the vanguard from the Adventurer's Guild. This was because there was something that worried me. ... Village Chief, have you seen any suspicious groups of humans around the mountains near this village?"

To avoid confusion with the monkey group, Rasmoa emphasized his question. The village chief looked at Rakudoi and Karil. Karil, who had been searching the mountains for traces of the beasts, spoke up.

"May I explain, if I may?"

"Go ahead."

"Thank you. We have been monitoring and investigating the surrounding mountains in detail since last autumn to find traces of the beasts. From autumn until now, we have not seen any groups of humans. Not only in the mountains, but no groups have come to this village. During our investigations, we found no traces of groups or travelers camping."

"Of course... I expected as much."

Rasmoa looked at his middle-aged deputy.

"Report this to my father. Once the matter here is resolved, I will inspect the other villages by taking a roundabout route to the east. Also, summon Oggan to this village."

"Understood."

After the deputy acknowledged, Rasmoa turned to the village chief.

"Tomorrow, we will eliminate the surviving monkeys that attacked from the rear. Please select a few agile and knowledgeable people familiar with the mountains. That boy, Rio, will guide my unit."

Suddenly chosen, Rio's mind went blank. He was already struggling to choose his words carefully, and he had no confidence in avoiding rudeness to a noble in the mountains.

The word "beheading" filled Rio's mind. The village chief, worried for Rio, spoke up.

"Please, Rio doesn't know proper etiquette and might commit some rudeness. There are others who are familiar with the mountains. Besides, he is inexperienced in martial arts and might be a hindrance."

Rasmoa laughed softly at the village chief's enthusiasm.

"To be honest, I don't expect you to know etiquette. Any rudeness will be offset by the merit of defeating the monkey commander tonight. Besides, my unit is composed of elite fighters. An inexperienced person won't be a hindrance."

Politely responding to the village chief, Rasmoa smiled at Rio.

"You use a self-taught style of swordsmanship, don't you? If so, it would be good for you to see the practical swordsmanship used by the elite knights of my house. I'm sure you'll learn something. I'm interested in what this boy will learn. It might be a chance to understand what I missed and what I should teach in the future as I raise people."

With Rasmoa's words, the village chief had no further objections and looked at Rio with resignation. The village chief's gaze, urging Rio not to be rude, was met with a nod. Rio himself had no intention of being rude to the next lord.

Rasmoa looked around the villagers and continued.

"Since I'm asking for a guide, I should explain our situation. Last early summer, several reports came in from the town. They said that unfamiliar people were gathering a large amount of camping supplies."

Hearing this, Rio understood why Rasmoa and his group arrived earlier than Karil had expected. Unfamiliar people were gathering a large amount of camping supplies, enough to reach the lord's family through a merchant guild.

It could be a large-scale bandit group or a village planning an uprising. Rasmoa, seeing Rio's reaction, smiled with interest and chuckled at the village chief's unease.

"Don't worry. I don't think any village is planning an uprising. However, the information doesn't suggest a bandit group either, as there have been no reports of bandit attacks in the domain."

If there was a risk of an uprising, the next head of the family wouldn't have come even with a cavalry unit. The village chief, realizing this, let out a sigh of relief.

Rasmoa continued.

"However, I couldn't ignore it, so I was appointed as the commander of a rapid response cavalry unit. That's why we were able to reach this village today. In peacetime, it would have taken more than two days to gather and transport supplies like horse feed."

If they had been two days late, they would have had to face the monkeys with the vanguard from the Adventurer's Guild, and the village would have suffered some damage.

Perhaps it was good luck, but Rio reconsidered that being attacked by the monkey group was unfortunate.

"We will be searching the mountains for both the monkeys and the mysterious group. Therefore, the guide should be prepared for combat with humans as well."