Before dawn, Abel and the others woke up.
Walter and Ayla pulled surprising items from the large chest that had been left casually in the room—
Armor and swords.
They were both tools meant for battle, and their very presence felt dangerous and unsettling.
Abel couldn’t help but wonder how such things had been in the house all along without his noticing.
Walter put on a chainmail shirt, then donned a streamlined helmet.
The visor covered his eyes and nose, with leaf-shaped slits to see through.
With most of his face hidden, he looked strangely fearsome.
He then slung a large rectangular shield over his back, big enough to cover half his body.
It was wooden, rimmed with bronze.
His weapon was a slender, double-edged longsword made for one-handed use. About a meter from hilt to tip.
Ayla wore cloth trousers and a thick, padded jacket, the kind meant to make armor more comfortable against the body.
Her protective gear wasn’t the sort that covered her whole body.
Her chest and back were guarded by dull-colored metal, but her thighs were left exposed.
However, both she and Walter wore unusually heavy protection on their arms and hands and from the knees down, metal greaves and tall boots instead of their usual leather sandals.
Ayla didn’t wear a helmet.
Her weapons were a bow and a sword.
She filled her quiver with about twenty arrows, every one they had.
The sword looked much like a Japanese katana.
With a black-lacquered scabbard, a dark iron guard, and a hilt wrapped in brown cord.
It was even longer than Walter’s longsword.
Abel wasn’t given any weapons.
The adults had judged that not only would it be meaningless for him to carry one, it might be more dangerous than helpful.
The two stepped out of the house fully armed, standing with a poised dignity that, to Abel, was breathtakingly cool.
And now…they were going off to fight.
Two horses borrowed from the village chief were tied up in the yard.
Abel climbed onto the wooden fence and used it as a step to mount the saddle.
Since he rarely had the chance to ride, the height of the view made him feel almost afraid.
Sharing a horse with Walter made it bearable, but all he could do was cling on tightly.
Ayla, on the other hand, rode with practiced ease.
It seemed that Fores, the knight who had come as a messenger, was also ready to depart.
They stopped by the village chief’s house in Tenana to announce their departure.
Walter had already explained the situation in detail the previous evening when borrowing the horses.
The chief would inform the rest of the village that the clinic would be closed for a while.
Out in front of the house, Abel’s eyes met Rick’s.
All of Rick’s brothers were there too and since every one of them had the same potato-like face, Abel couldn’t help but chuckle a little.
Rick, seeing the armed adults, was practically trembling with excitement.
Abel had to admit he felt the same.
Mounted warriors were enough to set any boy’s heart on fire.
Rick followed the group all the way past the edge of the village, even after they had crossed its outskirts.
Of course, once they reached the forested area, Walter sent him back.
Rick who was left behind cried in frustration.
It was pitiful, but there was nothing they could do.
For Abel, this was his first time leaving the village, so everything was fascinating.
The scenery was mostly mountains and forest.
They passed people felling trees.
That reminded Abel that in Tenana there were not only farming households but also families who made a living from timber and lacquer.
By midday, they reached a wider highway.
There, they stopped for a short rest and a light meal.
The portions were small. Most likely to avoid becoming sluggish from eating too much.
Abel discreetly studied Knight Fores’s expression.
Fores looked to be around forty.
White hairs had begun to mix into his beard.
He had thick eyebrows and slightly sharp eyes, with a stern, upright bearing.
He didn’t like idle chatter, so he didn’t talk much.
He gave the impression of a serious, no-nonsense middle manager.
Abel didn’t sense any danger from him, but having an unfamiliar, fully armed man nearby was still uncomfortable.
The highway had a fair number of travelers.
Some walked alone, but most moved in small groups.
Some carried swords, while others seemed to have no weapons at all.
As they traveled, Abel began asking Walter one question after another.
“Father, are there travelers who don’t carry weapons?”
“It’s common sense to carry at least a knife when traveling. Even if it’s not for self-defense, you’ll find you need one for various little things.”
“Does imperial law permit carrying weapons?”
“It’s permitted. Protecting yourself is your own responsibility. In the forests or mountains, there are tigers, leopards, and even magical beasts.”
“Father, you’re a junior knight. How is that different from being a knight?”
“A junior knight is part of a system meant as a sort of concession for people who aren’t quite recognized as nobles but aren’t exactly commoners either. I personally dislike nobles, so I wouldn’t have minded being a commoner. But as a commoner, I wouldn’t be granted permission to open a magical healing clinic.”
“So commoners can’t become knights?”
“That’s not true. If you’re extremely strong or clever, you can. Or if you’re wealthy.”
“How does one become a knight?”
Walter thought for a moment before answering.
“First, you choose whom to serve; that’s the most important part. If you find a lord you want to serve, you either send them a letter requesting to be taken on as a squire or approach them directly. But even then, being accepted is difficult. In most cases, parents rely on personal connections to make the request.”
“If you get permission, can you become a squire?”
“That’s right. It’s normal to become a squire as early as six years old or as late as twelve. The apprenticeship period depends on the circumstances. If your performance is good, your lord will acknowledge you as a junior knight. A junior knight isn’t considered a noble.”
Abel decided to press further about the noble system.
“I don’t really understand what a noble is. How do you become one?”
“If His Imperial Majesty the Emperor recognizes you as a noble, then from that day forward, you are one. Also, dukes and counts have the authority to appoint knights. Knights are the lowest rank of nobility in the empire, but as I mentioned earlier, there’s also the junior knight rank, which is even lower.”
“How many nobles are there?”
“…So many that I couldn’t tell you exactly. But you can think of dukes as the great nobles. There are only ten duchies in the empire. Counts if I recall are twenty-one houses. Viscounts are more numerous. As for barons, there are so many I couldn’t guess the number. Below baron is the rank of baroness, an honorary title for women. And last are knights… plus junior knights, technically.”
“Is the titleholder the only one considered a noble?”
“No, not necessarily. For example, if a count has children or siblings and grants them inheritance rights, those children are called squires. Even without holding a title themselves, squires are considered nobles.”
Abel’s thoughts turned to his own position, leaving him confused.
If the family of a noble was also noble…
“Then… am I a noble too?”
“Hmm… that’s a tricky one. A knight’s or junior knight’s status only lasts for their lifetime. Even their own children can’t inherit it. So a child isn’t called a noble….but in many cases, the child of a knight will become a squire. They’re essentially a candidate for future nobility. Though, I never wanted you to become a noble, Abel.”
“Who is your lord, Father?”
“That’s obvious. His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, of course.”
“That is… I meant in the sense of who you directly serve.”
“Count Barth Highwand. I’ll tell you more about the count when you’re a bit older, Abel.”
Abel then decided to ask about magical beasts.
“What kind of magical beast is the goblin we’ll be fighting?”
“Abel, have you ever seen a monkey?”
“Is that the quick one that darts through the trees?”
“That’s right. They’re somewhat similar. A bit taller than half my height, with skin the color of earth or grass. Sometimes they carry clubs or crude knives. Not very smart, but aggressive toward humans. Alone, they’re weaker than a wolf, but when they gather in packs, they can be troublesome.”
“What’s the difference between a magical beast and an ordinary beast?”
“Good question. The truth is, it’s a bit vague. If I had to say, I’d call it malice. They have an unnatural, greedy hostility toward humans. But some magical beasts are actually quite intelligent and won’t attack unless provoked. Dragons, for example. People sometimes call such creatures ‘wise dragons’ or ‘sage beasts’ to set them apart.”
So there really are dragons, Abel thought to himself.
“How many times have you fought magical beasts, Father?”
“More than I can count. I became an adventurer at seventeen, and my very first job was, come to think of it, killing goblins. Brings back memories… After that, I wandered through the non-human lands, even going as far as the Kingdom of the True King. There were some unpleasant times, sure, but those were good days. Especially after I met Ayla when I was nineteen.”
“What is the non-human lands? A foreign country?”
“Ah… that’s tricky to explain. You see, the Empire claims it is the only true country in the world. So officially, it doesn’t recognize the Kingdom of the True King or any non-human lands as countries. That’s the official stance, at least. non-humans is a collective term for the various races like beastkin, elves, demons, and the like.”
“So magical beasts and non-humans are different?”
“Completely different. Humans and non-humans can have children together. Magical beasts only kill and eat humans.”
“And the Kingdom of the True King…what is it?”
“It’s a human kingdom. But it’s been in conflict with the Empire… for about seven hundred years now. There have been periods of peace, but…”
“That’s a long time.”
“It is. Long ago, humans built a vast unified state known as the Great Empire. It eventually split apart, leading to centuries of massive wars. Out of that chaos came the two nations: the Empire and the Kingdom of the True King. For the past thirty years or so, war has been flaring up again.”
“I’ve never seen a non-human before. I’d like to meet one someday.”
“The Empire isn’t a friendly place for non-humans. We’ve fought wars against them, and they aren’t allowed to live here without special permission. There are plenty of non-human slaves, but slaves are not treated as people. They’re considered someone’s property. That’s why there are those in the Empire who persecute non-humans….but Abel, don’t you do that. No matter where someone is from, there are good people and bad people. Even a slave’s life has value, and there are villains among Imperial citizens too. Judge each person for yourself.”
Abel thought to himself that no matter which world, there’s always a difference between what people say publicly and what they truly think.
Abel and his father arrived in Kaizan town before evening.
It was much larger than the Tenana village, with general stores and clothing shops. The population seemed to be in the thousands.
For the first time, Abel saw someone in the position of a beggar.
It was an older man of unknown age, sitting in a half-kneeling position under a makeshift tent. It was just a cloth draped over a wooden stick set up on the roadside.
A small wooden box sat before him with a few copper coins inside.
Riding on horseback, they passed him in an instant.
“Father, that man we just saw on the road, trying to get money…”
“Ah. A beggar.”
“So there are people like that here. I never saw any in Tenana.”
“Three years ago, taxes went up, and the number of beggars increased. They say there are too many to count in the Imperial Capital.”
On the outskirts of Kaizan town stood the home of Knight Ise Ark.
It was an old, unadorned mansion.
A crest of a sword and a horse which was the mark of a knight was displayed at the gate.
When they knocked on the door, an elderly servant came out alone and said,
“Knight Ise has already departed.”
Fores spoke in surprise.
“That’s a problem. We don’t know the full details.”
“Yesterday, a villager who had been attacked by magical beasts came, pleading for urgent help. Knight Ise could not simply ignore them. It’s a small village called Fumu, about a day’s ride from here.”
Walter and Fores exchanged glances.
“Sir Fores, do you know the village?”
“Only the route there.”
“Then let’s head out right away. If something happens to the villagers, it would be terrible.”
Fores silently nodded at the suggestion.
Walter was genuinely concerned for the villagers and determined to help them.
They quickly left town with the horses picking up speed.
As dusk fell, Ayla took the lead, lighting a torch to guide them.
When Abel, struggling against drowsiness, began nodding off in the saddle, they camped by the roadside. It was less for Abel’s sake than because the road had grown too dark to travel safely.
They gathered dry wood for a campfire.
Ayla took out a cooking pot, and Walter filled it with water using water magic, adding dried meat, dehydrated vegetables, and seasonings to simmer.
He moved with the ease of someone well used to this.
—It feels like a campfire back in my previous life… though I never actually tried it then.
The makeshift soup turned out surprisingly delicious.
“Mother, it’s delicious.”
“Cooking is another skill you need for traveling. Want to learn how to make it?”
Abel nodded without hesitation.
***
Before dawn, they set out again.
By the time the morning mist had yet to clear, a faint outline of a village came into view.
The place felt… strange.
The forty or so houses all had their shutters tightly closed.
They found the house marked with the village chief’s crest.
Walter knocked on the door.
“Hey! Is anyone there? We’re knights in service to Count Highwand!”
A small peephole opened.
An old man’s face peered out, full of cautious relief.
“Oh, thank goodness! You’re the reinforcements, yes? How many dozens have you brought?”
“Two knights, and the rest are attendants.”
“Eh… only that?”
The man’s eyes that were visible through the slit twisted in doubt.
“We were told the magical beasts were goblins.”
“They’re not just goblins…. there’s also a Great Ogre! Yesterday at noon, a family working their fields was attacked. The beasts killed and devoured all five of them, then retreated to the mountains once their bellies were full. In that brief moment, we sent a messenger to the knights of Kaizan.”
“What are the beasts doing now?”
“They seem to be targeting a lone house on the eastern edge of the village. We even heard sounds of battle earlier.”
“Was it the knight who arrived before us?”
“No, I don’t know. At dawn, the attacks began again. We could do nothing but flee indoors. As for checking on them….impossible, utterly impossible.”
“How many are there?”
“Plenty of goblins! As for the Great Ogre, I don’t know!”
“Will you fight alongside us?”
“If it were only goblins, perhaps… but a Great Ogre is beyond us.”
Realizing they could expect no reinforcements, Walter ended the conversation with the village chief.
“Ayla. There are more of them than I expected, but this is a knight’s duty. If, by some chance, Sir Fores and I can’t handle them, take Abel and run.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Why do you think I came along? Walter and I can take down a single Great Ogre. We’re all going home together, the three of us!”
They rode on toward the commotion.
Abel narrowed his eyes. His eyesight was excellent.
Something was swarming around a lone house on the edge of the village.
They stood about half as tall as a grown man. They were hideous, two-legged creatures.
Some of them wore nothing more than ragged scraps of cloth.
One among them was extraordinarily large.
It walked on two legs. It looked humanoid in the loosest sense, but its large frame was grotesque.
If he had to compare, it was like a cow standing upright, with arms and legs as thick as tree trunks.
It gave the impression of a second-rate Minotaur.
—So that’s a Great Ogre?
Abel’s heart quickened with excitement.
The presence of such an unmistakably life-threatening monster was overwhelming.
And yet, someone was fighting it alone.
A small figure clad in armor. It was apparently the knight who had arrived ahead of them, Ise Ark.
Around the knight’s feet lay roughly ten goblins, all cut down.
They lay dead in pools of their own spilled entrails.
Ayla raised her bow and nocked an arrow.
The first shot.
It struck a goblin straight away.
The arrow pierced its neck. It didn’t die instantly and continued thrashing about,
But soon its movements grew sluggish.
Walter let out a loud, attention-grabbing roar.
He spurred his horse forward, but the mount they’d borrowed from the village chief wasn’t trained for battle. It quailed at the sight of the Great Ogre and refused to move.
An unexpected setback.
Abandoning the idea of a mounted charge, Walter dismounted.
Fores’s horse had no such hesitation.
It plunged straight into the goblin horde and, without a moment’s pause, confronted the Great Ogre head-on.
Abel couldn’t help but admire such knightly boldness.
But then, the Great Ogre swung its thick arm and slammed it into Fores.
Fores who was by no means a small man was sent flying as if he weighed nothing.
His startled horse neighed and bolted aimlessly.
Abel’s eyes widened.
—What’s with that old man? He’s weak!
No… the monster’s just too strong!
Fores hit the ground hard. He stirred faintly but showed no sign of getting back up.
The Great Ogre moved to finish him.
If nothing was done, it would surely kill him.
Ayla loosed an arrow without hesitation.
The shaft hissed through the air.
It struck the Great Ogre in the chest, but the wound was far from fatal.
Still, it managed to draw its attention.
The beast’s bloodshot eyes turned toward Abel.
Its face was every bit as ugly as its name implied. Like a pig’s face, distorted and deeply wrinkled, with an even larger mouth.
Drool dripped in heavy globs from its lips.
Filthy yellow fangs jutted out.
A shudder ran through Abel.
His spine prickled.
Every instinct screamed of deadly danger.
There stood a true monster. A monster with not the slightest understanding of human ethics or conscience.
In this hellish moment, even the experiences of his past life seemed useless.
There were no police officers here, and the law meant nothing to such a creature.
—Or wait, since I’m the knight here, does that make me the law?
Dying in battle… is that basically death from overwork?
The man at Abel’s core let such scattered, nonsensical thoughts flicker through his mind as he trembled.
Even if he wanted to act on instinct, he couldn’t think of a single thing to do.
Ahead of him, Walter began chanting something.
Abel could feel the unseen stir of magical power.
“Fireball.”
A fist-sized ball of flame appeared and flew toward the Great Ogre at about the speed of a casual throw.
It was aimed at the chest, but not fast enough….because an arm moved to block it.
An instant later, it exploded.
Abel thought it looked like a hand grenade.
The shockwave shoved his body back.
One of the Great Ogre’s arms was nearly torn off.
It let out a blood-curdling scream.
From behind, the small knight closed in and swung a greatsword far too large for her frame.
With that single blow, the thick, rock-like torso of the Great Ogre was split in two.
Abel stood with his mouth wide. He was surprised by the ferocity of the strike.
A torrent of blood gushed from the cleaved body, followed by a spill of red-purple organs of every kind.
The stench was thick and disgusting. Abel gagged before he could stop himself.
Just then, he sensed a large presence lurking behind a nearby house.
“Father! There’s still something here!”
“What?!”
Two more Great Ogres emerged. Their heavy footsteps pounded the earth as though striking it with massive hammers.
They were even bigger than the one just slain.
And on top of that, goblins began swarming out as well.
There were more than twenty of them.
Fores still showed no sign of standing, likely struck too badly to move.
As the situation worsened, Abel turned again to the knight named Ise.
—A girl?
To his surprise, she was a female knight.
She wore only a brow guard instead of a helmet, leaving her face clearly visible.
She looked about fourteen or fifteen.
Her long hair, rich and full, fell to her chest. It was black hair, an exceptionally rare color in this world.
It was the first time Abel had ever seen it.
Her profile was breathtakingly beautiful, almost absurdly out of place here.
Leave a Reply