Chapter 5

One of the helpers Rodericus had assigned carefully lifted the mirror.

“Should I just keep holding it like this? It’s heavy enough that I’m afraid I might drop it.”

“It won’t take long. I only need to assemble it.”

I applied the adhesive and joined the wooden pieces together. Since I’d prepared everything beforehand, the work didn’t take long.

The final piece was a cloud-shaped ornament that sat at the very top. Like a cover, it slid down from above and clicked neatly into place.

The mirror was complete.

We hung it back on the wall.

I brushed away the dust and polished the mirror’s surface.

“It’s finished.”

Rodericus stood there in silence, admiring the mirror.

“…Calling it beyond my expectations wouldn’t even do it justice. I can’t remember ever seeing a finer piece in my entire life. My wife has to see this. It’s a shame she happened to go visit her sisters today.”

Unlike the craftsmen, Rodericus was accustomed to appreciating works of art, so he didn’t make a spectacle of himself just because he saw angels.

He gave one of the servants a look.

The servant had been staring blankly at the mirror. It wasn’t until Rodericus gave him a kick that he snapped back to his senses and hurriedly produced a pouch filled with silver coins.

“This is the payment we agreed on. I added a little extra. I expect we’ll be seeing each other often from now on, so consider it a form of patronage.”

The patronage of a noble was something every artist dreamed of.

At just thirteen years old, I’d gained my first patron.

“Are you heading back right away? If you have time, let’s visit one of Neufchâteau’s famous restaurants.”

“Thank you for the invitation. I have no reason to refuse.”

The restaurant Rodericus brought me to was called the Temple of Olympus.

The name sounded rather childish, but it was the sort of establishment you could find almost anywhere.

“I was only planning to pay and leave, but the smell of the food has made me hungry too.”

He ordered bread and vegetables for me, then went to his own reserved seat and ordered meat for himself.

He was a generous man, but not so easygoing that he would share a table with a commoner.

The food was delicious.

All in all, it had been a very satisfying day.

Now I can use the money I earned to buy meat for my family. I wonder what kind of reaction I’ll get from the butcher.

After we finished our meal, I thanked Rodericus.

Just as I was about to head to the butcher’s shop, he stopped me.

“One last thing. Take a look at the furniture in my room. I’m not commissioning anything right now. I’d just like to know if there’s anything worth adding in the future.”

“I’d be happy to.”

Being asked to return to the manor was a little bothersome, but thinking of the commissions that might come later, I nodded.

One of the servants came to greet us.

“My lord, the Madam has returned.”

“Oh!”

Rodericus immediately quickened his pace.

The mirror had turned out beautifully, and he was eager to show off his discerning eye to his wife.

No matter how old a man gets, there’s always a childish side to him.

I followed a few steps behind.

If he abandoned me the moment he saw his wife again like he had last time, I might end up forgotten for the rest of the day. I wanted to finish this quickly and head home.

I’m not forcing my way into the house. He told me to come with him, so it should be fine.

As we climbed the stairs, I heard someone humming cheerfully.

Rodericus, who had been striding ahead, suddenly came to a stop.

“…Ha.”

I could only see his back, but I could tell his expression had gone completely cold.

What’s going on?

Then I saw it.

A woman was dancing in front of the mirror.

It wasn’t clumsy.

Even though I knew nothing about dance, I could tell she possessed genuine talent.

Rodericus suddenly shouted as if screaming.

“You’re dancing that vulgar street trash again! Have you already forgotten the promise you made to me?!”

“Ah…”

Serena’s face turned deathly pale.

In a fit of rage, Rodericus grabbed her by the hair. Holding her head in place, he repeatedly slapped her across the face.

“You promised me! You promised you’d never do something this filthy again!”

At first Serena cowered in fear, but before long, the resentment she’d kept bottled up finally spilled over.

“Ngh… ngh… What have I done that’s so wrong? I didn’t earn money by dancing, and I wasn’t performing in front of anyone!”

“…What did you say?”

“Am I really asking for so much? I’m not refusing to obey you. I just… I just want to feel free, even if it’s only for a little while!”

Dance was how she found her emotions, her identity, and her confidence in who she was.

Every now and then, you meet someone like that. Someone born with a gift that other people simply don’t have.

“Nonsense. A proper lady has no business doing something as disgraceful as the antics of common entertainers. If the other nobles hear about this, our family’s honor will be dragged through the mud!”

I understood where she was coming from.

What was so wrong about dancing?

She’d only been dancing by herself, where no one else could see.

Even so, I had no reason to take her side.

Rodericus was a good client. Whenever he was pleased with my work, he paid me more than we’d originally agreed.

More importantly, he was a noble who held both legal authority and political power. Just because he was a provincial lord didn’t mean he was someone I could afford to offend.

This place was isolated from the outside world, and the walls of the class system were thick.

Think of North Korea. In a society like this, no matter how small or poor it may be, the people in power often wield even greater control over everyone beneath them.

Their argument only grew louder.

In the end, I quietly walked back down the stairs.

This wasn’t a situation for an outsider to interfere in.

No one saw me off as I left the manor.

Considering the generous payment I’d already received, the message was clear enough: I could find my own way home.

I didn’t mind.

***

“I’d like some meat.”

The butcher greeted me with a broad smile.

He admitted he hadn’t actually believed I’d come back, and in his good mood he even gave me a discount.

I’d finally bought the precious protein my family deserved.

The satisfaction of buying meat didn’t last long.

The fact that I’d turned a blind eye to the violence weighed heavily on my mind.

Whatever the circumstances, I’d still stood by and done nothing.

What should have been a satisfying day ended on a bitter note.

On my way back to Domrémy, I began hearing another set of footsteps behind me.

At first I tried to ignore them, but they kept following me until I couldn’t pretend not to notice anymore.

“I already gave you something to eat earlier. Stop following me.”

“Pant? Pant?”

It was the little mutt I’d run into before.

The thing clearly understood what I was saying yet kept pretending it didn’t as it trotted after me.

Clomp.

Tap, tap, tap.

I came to a stop.

“I don’t have any intention of raising a dog.”

“Woof!”

No matter how I looked at it, this dog understood human speech.

I’d rather you go after the meat.

Suppressing a sigh, I set my pack down and unpacked it. I cut off a small piece of the meat I was carrying.

“Here. Eat this, then be on your way, all right?”

“Hrrrm…”

Drool dripped from the dog’s mouth.

It obviously wanted the meat, yet deliberately looked away from it.

It was enduring its hunger to get what it really wanted.

What a ridiculous little guy.

I tucked the meat away again and resumed walking.

For some reason, the mutt happily wagged its tail and followed after me.

Shameless.

Before I realized it, the heaviness I’d been carrying all day had started to lift.

If even a stray beast could live so shamelessly, why couldn’t I?

The human heart really is fickle.

Just having something trail after me because it liked me was enough to improve my mood.

I’d always assumed I’d never keep a pet in my life, but… if it were this little guy, maybe living together wouldn’t be so bad.

He’s smart, and since he’s survived on his own outdoors, he should be pretty resilient too.

The only thing that bothered me was how dirty his fur was.

I didn’t want him passing some disease on to my younger siblings.

“Come here.”

“Woof?”

The Meuse River happened to be along the way.

I set my jige down beside the river, picked up the stray, and waded into the water with him.

“……?!”

The look on his face practically screamed betrayal.

Grabbing him by the scruff as if he were a dirty piece of laundry, I started scrubbing.

“Hold still.”

“Yelp! Yelp!”

“Oh, quit squirming. Damn it, I got water in my eyes. No matter how fast you are on land, you’re just a regular dog in the water… Huh. So your fur was white all along? Just how much rolling around have you been doing?”

“Yip!”

Once I’d washed him clean, I discovered he was a male.

So I gave him a suitably masculine name.

“From now on, your name is Walter.”

***

“Wahaha! He looks like a little mouse.”

“Brother, where did you find him?”

Walter spun around in circles like a pinwheel.

Enjoying all the attention from my siblings, he gave his tail a timid wag.

“I met him in Neufchâteau. If Mother and Father say yes, I’m thinking about keeping him.”

“And if they say no? You can’t just throw family away.”

“When did he become family? We only just met. Besides, he lived in the wild before this. Even if I let him go, it’s not like I’d really be abandoning him.”

Walter enjoyed Agathe’s gentle touch. After our little swim earlier, he was still slightly wary of me.

Colette wasn’t used to dogs, so she kept her distance and watched.

Agathe was far too trusting. Worried that Walter might bite her, I took hold of his snout.

Walter shot me an aggrieved glare.

“Son, we’re not raising livestock, so what do we need a dog for?”

“First, have a seat.”

We were outside. I’d asked everyone to come out to celebrate my first personal commission.

I lit the firewood I’d prepared.

Burns nicely.

We settled in as though we were at a campsite.

“There’s no food, so what’s the firewood for? Oh my, those are wooden skewers. Are we grilling vegetables?”

The only reason my family even knew you could grill vegetables was because of me.

It was the result of all my efforts to eat something even a little more delicious after coming back to the past.

“Today, we’re grilling meat.”

Agathe sprang to her feet. Walter, who had been happily enjoying the petting, flinched in surprise.

I revealed the meat I’d been hiding from my family.

“W-Where did you get meat?”

“I got it thanks to Walter. I happened to meet a man who knew him.”

It was true that Walter had led me to the butcher, and it was true that I’d ended up with free meat.

I just left out the part where I’d also bought some.

“Then hurry up and grill it!”

“I’ll skewer the meat. You each hold a skewer and cook your own.”

We grilled the meat over the campfire.

“Ah…! It’s so good…”

“Brother was right. Meat and vegetables really do taste good together.”

When you rarely got any protein, even a single proper meal made you feel the difference almost immediately.

Seeing my younger siblings so happy softened our parents as well.

“We must have earned the Lord’s favor to be blessed with such a dependable son.”

Mother smiled openly, and Father wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

We enjoyed our special meal together in the warm, cheerful atmosphere.

“Can we keep the dog I brought home?”

“If this is the fate God has given us, then I suppose it’s only right that we raise him.”

Our family had a new member.

***

The year was 1422.

It was a time when illiteracy was widespread throughout the world.

There were no sophisticated news media like newspapers. More often than not, information spread by word of mouth rather than through writing.

.

That didn’t mean people in the Middle Ages underestimated the value of information. There were even town criers who made a living delivering the news.

Domrémy, in particular, was eager for news from the outside world. Whenever a town crier happened to pass through, the villagers would gather to hear the latest reports.

Today, however, the atmosphere was different.

The excitement in the air was clear.

I was puzzled, so I made my way toward the crowd.

‘Why’s everyone so worked up?’

Just then, someone shouted,

“The Devil of England is dead! The bloodthirsty invader is dead!”

“The Devil of England” was what the French called Henry V, the king who had crushed France.

He ruled through relentless terror, making sure the French never dared rise against him.

His massacres left the French so terrified that they came to call him a devil incarnate.

“So the devil’s dead… Does that mean the war’s over?”

“Of course! This long war is finally over.”

The villagers celebrated the news of Henry’s death. A vague sense of hope spread through the crowd.

Hearing people confidently declare that the war was over for no real reason filled me with unease.

There’s no way the Hundred Years’ War ends this anticlimactically.

No, that couldn’t be right. I might not know much about the history of other countries,

But I knew a conflict as monumental as the Hundred Years’ War wouldn’t simply fizzle out like this.

I raised my voice.

“Mr. Crier, have you heard anything about the front lines?”

“I don’t know the details myself. From what I’ve heard, the king’s death has thrown everything into complete chaos.”

“You all heard him. It’s too soon to let our guard down. The last time the front fell into chaos, our village was attacked. Times like these are exactly when we need to prepare in case an invasion reaches us.”

“I suppose that’s true. If an army makes it all the way here, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“And what good would preparing do? How are we supposed to fight an army? Don’t ruin good news with pointless worries!”

“Exactly. There’s no reason for anyone to come all the way here. We’re far from the fighting.”

“That’s true. With everything in such chaos, why would they bother coming this far south?”

The response was lukewarm. Many dismissed my warning as far-fetched.

“I’m not saying we should fight them. I’m saying we should at least be ready to flee safely.”

“Run away? Never! I’m a man of honor. I’d rather die than flee like a coward!”

When a crowd is swept up in excitement, it tends to drown out the minority.

Even those who normally listened with an open mind refused to hear me out today.