Chapter 78

As I slipped through the gates of the fortified city of Midleag, fields and pastures spread out before me. It was a common sight in any territory, but the scarecrows modeled after heavy-armored knights were quintessentially Galbreyth.

(Still, they are remarkably lifelike.)

Just as I thought that, one of the armors waved its hand vigorously at me. It must be moving automatically by magic or something. Since Captain Blanche and Lillian were waving back, I imitated them and waved too. Then, several armors clattered as they hurriedly lined up, presenting their swords in a knightly salute.

Indeed, they were real knights. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be a considerable number of knights mingling with the peasants working the fields.

"Captain Blanche, are the knights in that field guarding against monster attacks?"

I asked Captain Blanche, who was sitting in front of me.

"Yes. Monsters come to target crops and livestock, so they are on guard all day long."

"Speaking of which, Midleag is overpopulated, isn't it? It must be difficult to secure food."

"That's right. After the disaster, the pastures and fields within the original city walls were opened up as living spaces for the refugees. As a result, we had to reluctantly move the fields outside the walls. There is a plan to expand the walls, but it would be extremely expensive."

The food situation in Galbreyth is serious. Thanks to the water from the Galbreyth Mountains, they can almost cover their staple grains. However, vegetables and meat are a different story. They can only produce about half of what they need, and the rest is purchased from the royal domain and other places. Livestock, in particular, requires feed and grows slowly, making them easy targets for carnivorous monsters.

(If my monster food research succeeds, we might be able to produce everything within the territory... but I mustn't rush. It's only just beginning.)

For now, I need to build a track record and gain recognition. There are no monasteries in Galbreyth that prohibit the consumption of monster meat, as is common in the Spirit Faith. The people here don't seem to be as devout as those in Martial Raid (I haven't even heard anyone recite the prayers of the Spirit Faith). The knights, who deal with monsters daily, don't seem to have much resistance to eating them.

But—many of the people in Galbreyth have suffered from the attacks of maddened monsters during the disaster seventeen years ago. I know that many have been hurt by monsters or have lost family and friends. How do they feel about what I'm doing? Since the Yggrosh Centipede Crab extermination will involve knights from other territories, I might find out more then.

"Princess, we are moving at quite a speed. Are you not feeling uncomfortable?"

Captain Blanche, perhaps worried about my silence, turned halfway to check on me. The four-legged magic bird, Shutingru, is faster than a horse, and the scenery flies by. We quickly passed through the fields and over the wooden fence made of logs stuck into the ground. The earth dragons following us were also running smoothly.

"No, I'm very comfortable! I've ridden military horses in Martial Raid, so don't worry about me."

"You're tough. The road to Yggrosh Fort is mostly flat, but we have to cross a few hills, so we'll take a few breaks."

"Um, it's fine..."

"Understood, Princess. But don't push yourself, okay?"

"...Yes."

I was immediately reminded. I'm not a troublesome child, but Captain Blanche might see me as one. She has already seen me forget to eat and sleep when I'm absorbed in something, so I can't deny it (I'm used to enduring when I can't let go). As a mother of two growing children, she's not to be underestimated.

As Captain Blanche said, the road was flat for a while. After the paved road ended, it was a bit bumpy, but I didn't get motion sickness.

During the first break, we ate lunch prepared by the Midleag kitchen staff. The round bread was filled with boiled sweet potato, which was incredibly sweet and delicious. Sweets are rare, so they are only given to those on harsh missions like this, and even the tough squad leaders and knights were smiling.

At that time, Lillian accidentally mentioned that she had eaten the fruit of the Scrymwood, and the knights, who love sweets, crowded around her. Recalling that Mullan had once fallen ill after eating the Scrymwood,

"Was it the black, ripe one? Please prepare it when I bring it!"

Her plea was followed by a flood of requests from other knights and kitchen staff for monsters they wanted to try.

"I missed out on the Moodler, so I'd like to try it."

"Me too, me too! Mullan and the others were lucky to have eaten the Royal Moodler."

"You said you'd have no complaints about the Sword, Shield, and Bow, but the fresh Royal Moodler was exquisite."

"Still, it's unfair!"

"Monsters like Mors and Zebra Garoy also come to the fields outside the walls, so I'd like to develop new dishes while exterminating them."

"Everyone's only interested in meat. Princess, I focus on magic trees and magic herbs..."

Everyone seemed to have monsters they wanted to try. I was both pleased and troubled, as I hadn't discussed how to handle such situations. I decided to gather everyone's requests and put them on hold for now.

"I have no objections. It's up to Aristide to approve it."

As I said this, Zeph immediately added,

"His Excellency is weak for Melfiera. It was a shame we couldn't have the Backhorn because the wolf ate it, but at least we can finally have the Underbrick."

"Is he weak for her?"

"Of course. Melfiera is the strongest in Galbreyth. His Excellency is completely at her mercy when she asks for something."

Is that true? I tilted my head, unsure of what Zeph was saying, but everyone, from the knights and kitchen staff to the blacksmiths and carpenters, nodded in agreement.

"His Excellency is so dedicated."

"He is, isn't he?"

"But he smiles more and has fewer frown lines."

"He seems to be having fun every day. Lately, he even whistles while slaying monsters."

"It's touching to see him finally taking care of himself."

Mullan, Zeph, and Ambry, who have known Aristide for a long time, turned to me and sighed.

"By the way, His Excellency now sleeps in his room every night."

"He also shaves regularly now."

"He eats all his vegetables without leaving any!"

Captain Blanche, Lillian, and Reina also looked at me. I was at a loss for words, being the center of attention.

(Does he sleep on the floor? Could Aristide be a floor sleeper too?)

Aristide is expressive and often smiles, and he seems to be having fun from the morning greetings. Unfortunately, I haven't seen him whistling while slaying monsters, but he does get absorbed in monster-related matters, as he himself has said. In Little Fort, Aristide had called me "abnormal" for falling asleep anywhere, and I haven't seen his beard yet. As for vegetables, he seemed to eat them without pickiness in front of me (the only thing he dislikes is the sour fruit of the 'Cabo').

"Um, is all of that about Aristide?"

To my question, everyone replied in unison, "That's right." It seems there are still many sides of Aristide I don't know. Hmm, I need to make more effort to get closer. The path to becoming a duchess is steep.

◇◇◇

Thanks to the occasional help from Mullan and the others in the sky, driving away any lurking monsters, the group made steady progress and reached the campsite after two breaks. The hilly area southeast of Midleag would be our bed for the night.

While the knights kept watch, the mages set up a protective barrier using modern magic, primarily to repel monsters. Then, the carpenters unloaded the supplies from the wagons pulled by the earth dragons and set up the tents. The tents were set up efficiently, similar to the hunting tents I had seen at the autumn festival.

I helped the kitchen staff, including Reina, set up a makeshift stove and prepare the camp food. Tonight's dinner was a soup made with heavily spiced dried meat and thin bread made from Monigal yam flour. The soup was simple, just water, finely chopped dried meat, and dried vegetables boiled in a large pot.

"Princess, Princess, what do you think this dried meat is?"

The heavily spiced dried meat Reina showed me had long, vertical fibers, resembling bird meat. There was only one possibility, and I swallowed hard.

"Surely not..."

"That's right. We caught a lot of Bergnions, so we developed this with my father, the head chef. It's called 'Special Bergnion Spiced Soup Mix,' and it's a great product that warms you up with just hot water!"

We had recently processed a large number of Bergnions that had fallen into Midleag's courtyard, more than we could eat.

"Well, livestock meat is expensive, and if we were going to develop new dishes, we needed to feed the knights... and then you provided us with a large amount of Bergnion meat, and my father and I got excited about using it to create new dishes..."

Reina fidgeted, looking anxious, saying, "I hope it tastes good."

Faced with her, I was a bit stunned. I had always thought that this research was something I had to do alone.

"Princess?"

Reina, looking worried, peered at my face. I took her hands in both of mine and squeezed them tightly.

"Reina... I'm, I'm so happy. Monster food is considered heretical. It's wonderful to have someone who can make it, someone who will eat it, and everyone enjoying it together. This is something I've never experienced before."

Reina is a cook, a fellow 'maker' like me. Meeting a kindred spirit for the first time, my heart was trembling with excitement.