“Alright, I’m heading out now.”
It’s been a while since I heard about the expedition from Alexia and consulted with Miu and Lucy about it.
Today is the day the expedition begins. Unusually, the words I uttered at the front door were sucked into the back of the house without reaching anyone else.
Miu moved to the Academy dormitory a few days ago. After Lucy recommended using the dormitory for a short stay, the procedures proceeded unexpectedly quickly, and now Miu’s main residence had been temporarily moved to the student dormitory of the Magician’s Academy.
I’m thankful that there was a vacancy just now, but I don’t know if this was just a lucky chance, or if it was the will of the Magician’s Academy Headmaster. I think it’s just uncouth to know if that was the case.
From the time I talked with Lucy until today, the days have been busy for some reason. I went back and forth with the Magician’s Academy several times to exchange documents and also discussed detailed schedules and travel plans with Alexia. As for the latter, I just listened and nodded, so it wasn’t something that could be called a meeting.
When I told Miu that she was temporarily moving to the dormitory, it was great that she accepted without any particular objections. Well, there’s absolutely no merit in commuting alone from this house. If it’s a dormitory, food and housing are guaranteed, and there’s no problem with clothing as there was the gift from Ibroix.
The documents needed both my and Miu’s signatures, but it’s a secret that I was impressed that her name was written properly compared to when we first met.
If anything, after I return from the Frumwelk territory, I’m a little worried about whether Miu will like life in the dormitory and say that she will live there from now on.
If she said that, I would feel a little lonely, but I wouldn’t object.
It’s not like I took the place of her parent for a long period, but she will eventually be able to stand on her own. Even if I, who left my parents’ house for the first time at 45 say that, it may not have any persuasive power.
“It’s getting cooler, isn’t it?” I said.
It’s always the time to start moving soon after sunrise, but it’s pretty cool at night and early morning, probably because we’ve passed late summer and entered early autumn. When the sun rises in earnest, the sunlight is still strong, but it’s time to feel the change of the seasons.
From now on, the comfortable season will continue for a while, and then we will be approaching the not-so-happy winter. Of course, I don’t like it when it’s simply cold, but when it snows, it’s such a hassle. Due to the sudden delays in transportation, the remote countryside of Bidden Village would have a lot of trouble.
It’s the first time I’ve experienced winter in Baltrain, but the climate won’t be that much different from Bidden Village.
However, it would be bad if wood transportation was delayed, so it might be better to stockpile a lot of wood before it gets really cold. Anyway, I can’t let Miu feel cold.
If she chose to stay in the dormitory, this would be an unnecessary worry.
Well, even if I think about Miu now, nothing will change. I should be conscious of the Frumwelk territory that I should be heading to and the secret orders are hidden behind it.
In the end, the day came without any predictions about the true identity of Margrave Frumwelk.
Considering Alexia’s personality, if I hadn’t figured it out, she would have sent me the correct answer immediately, but surprisingly she didn’t give me any information after that.
I wonder if maybe this shows her mischievous side. If it’s important information for a mission, she doesn’t have the personality to put aside it and give priority to personal feelings. In other words, she probably decided that daring to blur the identity of the margrave would not lead to any disadvantages to the operation.
Then, whether or not I and the margrave are acquaintances, the outline of this expedition will not change at all. If I really don’t know him, we can just proceed without me knowing, and if I really just forgot about him, I’ll have no choice but to apologize after I arrive.
“… I wonder who you are, Margrave.”
I’m really worried about it.
Of course, there were people who were not from Bidden Village in our dojo, but there was no regularity. There must have been people from Baltrain, and there were also people from other nearby villages.
But even so, if the other party is noble, I should be able to understand. There are various factors such as the clothes and the number of people following them, but in any case, it is clearly different from a general petty citizen like me.
In that case, it seems that there are lines of connection other than those related to the dojo, but that is even less likely.
It’s because I haven’t been able to leave the village until now. I don’t have any connections other than the dojo. I have nothing to brag about.
Then I thought it must be someone affected by my disciples. Or an acquaintance of Pops. However, there are surprisingly few common acquaintances with Pops, and after all, the connection to the dojo is the strongest.
“… Well, I’ll find out if I go.”
Ever since I heard about it from Alexia, I’ve been thinking about this specifically, but in the end, I don’t know anything. If I asked Pops, he might have figured it out, but it feels like I’m moving just for that.
If you are my former disciple, I will sincerely apologize. It’s not like I remember everyone perfectly.
“Oh, there are a lot of them.”
I often walk while thinking leisurely about the future. When I came to the front of the knights’ headquarters, there were usually a few guards, but this time dozens of people were gathered.
There are two types of equipment I can see. A few in silver plate armor and dozens in leather armor and light coats. The former are the knights and the latter are the garrison.
And on the side where they gathered, there were several carriages lined up. One was as splendid as when I returned to Bidden village, and the rest were somewhat inferior, but they seemed to be fairly sturdy.
“Master. Good morning”.
When I approached them while keeping them in my field of vision, the conspicuous knight commander noticed me and called out to me.
“Good morning. Did I keep you waiting?” I asked.
“No, it’s no issue,” Alexia said.
I should have left the house in time for the meeting time that was said to be, but should I say that a large number of people had already gathered?
Although there were people gathered to fight, the atmosphere of the place didn’t seem that tense. Well, they’re not going to the battlefield, so it can’t be helped if they don’t get antsy before their departure. Everyone seems to know about it, and many of them are chatting modestly or inspecting their equipment.
“Hey, are you Sir Beryl?”
When I was exchanging greetings with Alexia, a man approached me.
The equipment is that of a standard garrison soldier. Leather armor and coat, and a long sword on the waist. Are your physique and age roughly the same as mine? It’s hard to tell from the coat, but at least I don’t get the impression that his belly is protruding or that he has extra meat on him. The black hair was cut short and styled, giving a neat impression, and he radiated a gentle atmosphere and sincerity about him.
“Yes. My name is Beryl Gardenant, a special instructor with the Rebellio Knights.”
In response to the greeting, I return my title. I still can’t get rid of the discomfort of saying this from my mouth. I’m a little embarrassed. However, there is no point in complaining about such personal circumstances.
“That’s quite polite. I’m Zed Hanbeck. I’m the platoon commander of the garrison. Well, I suppose I’m more of the facilitator for them.”
“I see. Thank you for your help along the way.”
While glancing at the guards gathered in front of the government building, I shook hands with the man who called himself Zed. The feeling transmitted to his hand was still tough, it was the hand of a person who handles weapons on a daily basis.
Regardless of swordsmanship, a person who has mastered some form of martial arts will show such signs somewhere in their demeanor or body. The so-called, you’ll know it when you see it, or something to that effect.
I don’t bother mentioning them, but somehow I feel happy when I can find them. In that sense, Zed is a person who is well-trained in martial arts. It seems to be reliable and above all.
“Mr. Hanbeck, what about the men?” Alexia said.
“Yes, we’re all here. We can leave anytime,” Zed replied.
After finishing the greeting, Alexia asked Zed for confirmation.
The tone is calm to each other, but I wonder what will happen to the hierarchical relationship at times like this.
The Rebellio Knights and the Kingdom Garrison are separate organizations. Of course, the chain of command is also different. Perhaps in terms of public perception, the knight order is probably seen as superior.
However, on the other hand, it seems that there are cases where retired knights join the garrison, and I feel that there are circumstances where it cannot be said that they are generally lower in the ranks. It is highly possible that the former upper knights now belong to the garrison. I think I’ll ask around here if it seems like they’re free while we’re moving.
“Then, Master, come here.”
“…… Huh?”
It looks like we’ll be leaving soon. Alexia instructed us to go to the one and only splendid carriage.
“Do I ride here, too?”
“Of course. You and I are the guests of honor this time, Master.”
“I, see…”
I asked about it, but of course, that was what came back. I’m still not used to this treatment. I know I have to get used to it.
“Move out! Into your positions!”
Right after we got into the carriage, there came a sharp instruction from Zed. He had been talking calmly, and now his voice booms.
The carriage began to move slowly, feeling the presence of the garrison marching in droves around us.
