Van

THANKS TO THE QUICK CONSTRUCTION WORK, creating the village wall and ballistae went off without a hitch. By the end, we had one hundred ballistae facing each direction. The village only had a hundred residents in the first place, so activating every ballista at once was never going to happen.

“Care to take a break, Lord Van?” Till asked me, holding a lunch box and water bottle. It was already noon.

I nodded, then looked up at the fifty-meter towers we’d built—one to the north and one to the south. “Good idea. How about we climb the tower and enjoy the view from the top while we have lunch?”

“Hey, we should climb Oligo Tower! You can see the road from there!” Khamsin cried. He was fond of high places.

Till forced a smile and nodded. “Personally, I like Grape Tower. You can see the whole lake.”

I beamed, watching them chat in front of Oligo Tower. During this peaceful moment, Dee, Arb, and Lowe arrived in full armor. Arb and Lowe looked like they were on the verge of death, but Dee seemed thrilled.

“Oh, if it isn’t Lord Van! Are you about to climb Oligo Tower?” Dee asked. “I thought we might climb it as a training exercise, but we can do Grape Tower instead. By your leave!”

Without waiting for a response, he dashed off to the tower on the opposite end of the village. Arb and Lowe ran after him, yelping in pain the whole time. I had to hand it to them—despite their moaning and groaning, they had guts.

We laughed among ourselves as we opened the doors to Oligo Tower and started up the spiral staircase. It took about ten minutes to get to the top, assuming you didn’t stop to rest. It was a real test of stamina, but Khamsin was skipping steps even as he carried all our things.

“He’s so energetic,” Till said.

“You’ve got plenty of stamina, too, Till.”

“Well, once I get to the top, I can barely move.”

Till and I had average endurance, so we took our time, chatting as we went. Once we emerged at the top, powerful gusts of wind brushed our skin. There was little in the way of shelter aside from a single rooftop over four pillars, but the view was wonderful and the air felt great.

“Finally!” Till said, leaning against a pillar and gazing down below.

I had made the handrail thin so it wouldn’t get in the way of the panoramic view. The sights were breathtaking: tall mountain peaks, lush forests, endless fields of green, the roads stretching beyond the village… You could also see the wall in all its hexagonal glory, the villagers on patrol, and the apkallu swimming in the waterways.

“Maybe we went a bit too hard for a village of a hundred people,” I said, smiling as I leaned on the handrail.

As Till unpacked our lunch, she replied, “Maybe so. But I would argue that no village has buildings or facilities like this. Perhaps it’s time for you to name this place and make it a proper town.”

“Aw, but then everyone’s gonna try and give it some ridiculous name, like Van Town or something. I already turned down Van Village, and people refused to give that up.”

Till chuckled. “And what’s wrong with that? I think Van Town is wonderful.

Van City as well.”

“This is funny to you, I’m sure. You’re just messing with me!”

“I-I swear I’m not!”

When I cast a doubtful gaze at her, Till panicked and shook her head. No, it’s totally obvious that if I let my guard down, they’re gonna slap some weird name on this place. In that case, why not go all out with “Van Land” or something?

Khamsin had his eyes fixed on the road. “Lord Van, look…”

“Hm?” I followed his gaze and could just barely make out something in the distance. Even if I squinted, the best I could see was some sort of line. “Khamsin, your eyesight has been weirdly good recently. You must be going through the same evolution as the villagers. I’m not quite there yet.” It was enough to make me question my physical abilities.

He nodded. “I doubt they’re soldiers or adventurers, but they also don’t look like merchants. The group has lots of children and elderly folks, but they don’t seem like slave traders either…”

I was stunned. “Wait, you can see all that?! Just how sharp are your eyes now? You’ve totally become a citizen of this village.”

Down below, near the base of the tower, I heard someone else point out that a group of people was approaching. Seriously, how good is their vision?!

Still reeling, I turned back to Till and sat down. “Well, it’ll take about an hour for them to get here, so should we eat?”

“Huh? O-oh, right! Yes, let’s. I made your favorite: fried egg sandwiches!

Thanks to Bell, the quality of our bread has improved, so it should be delicious.”

“Yay!”

With that, the three of us enjoyed a wonderful lunch.

 

Arte ran toward me as I came back down from the tower, her hair swaying and shining in the sunlight like beautiful silver thread. Though she hadn’t been sure what to do with herself when Panamera left the village, she’d ultimately opted to stay—thanks in no small part to the viscount’s advice. Actually, Panamera had pretty much made the decision for her.

“Lord Van!”

She called my name as she ran, adorable child that she was. Arte was the kind of kid you wanted to coo over while you ruffled her hair.

“What’s wrong, Arte?” I actually did ruffle her hair without thinking, making her face turn cherry red. She was suddenly lost for words.

How is this little critter so darn cute?

“Um, w-well… Some people have come to the, um…village? And…”

She clearly wasn’t sure whether to call it a village. I guessed it was time to finally start calling it a town, which meant it needed a proper name. I encouraged Arte to continue. “From the road, right? Big group?”

“Uh, yes.” Arte managed to collect herself enough to explain things clearly. “Like you said, there are quite a few of them coming down the road. What should we do? There’s nothing between the wall and the village, so would you like to meet them at your manor?”

These days, she seemed to find it easier to have normal conversations. Maybe she was getting used to me. She still had bouts of nervousness, but her overall approach was definitely more optimistic, and she even got along with the kids in the village. It put a big ol’ smile on my face to see them chatting every once in a while.

I grinned at Arte, nodding. “Great idea. It would be weird to talk to them out here, so I’ll meet them at home. First, I need to see if they’re friendly. Ortho and his party are still off in the woods, right?”

“Correct,” Till chimed in. “They left just before noon, so I imagine they won’t be back until nightfall.”

I crossed my arms. “In that case, call Dee and his men back. Have Esparda come as well.”

“Got it! I’ll be right back!” Khamsin said promptly. He dashed off to Grape Tower on the other side of the village.

He’s a real ball of energy. Maybe it’s all the muscle building he did while I was doing construction. It sure seems like he got a stamina boost.

“Khamsin is incredible,” Arte said, lashes fluttering as she blinked over and over.

Hmm. Even in this world, the athletes are the real heroes. Well, whatever.

I decided to head back to the manor and wait there in as dignified a manner as possible. If our visitors were just travelers, I had to show them what made our village great.

 

A knock came at the door while I sat in the reception room. “You may enter,” Esparda answered in my stead.

“Pardon us!” It was Arb. He opened the door for our guests.

Standing on the other side was a thin, elderly man with hardly any hair left on his head. His posture betrayed his lack of self-confidence, and judging by his attire, he wasn’t wealthy. I surmised that he came from the neighboring village.

With a smile, I motioned for him to take the chair across from me. “Please, have a seat.”

The old man glanced around warily before lowering himself onto the edge of the seat. I couldn’t blame him. While I was the only one seated on the sofa before him, Dee and Esparda were behind me, and Khamsin and Lowe were behind him. It must have been a bit intimidating.

Doing little to mask his confusion, he said, “Um, I assumed this was Seatoh… What is this place?”

I was equally confused. “Seatoh?” I turned around. “Esparda, do you know what he’s talking about?”

Esparda offered a self-possessed nod. “According to the village elder, the people who lived here before this place was built were called the Seatoh. Some called the place itself Seatoh as a result.”

It does have a name! I almost complained, but Esparda’s expression was defiant. I’ve been completely had. The pure-hearted eight-year-old Van has been taken for a ride! Esparda kept his mouth shut so we’d end up naming it something like Van Village!

In awe of the cruel machinations at work, I did my best to stay calm. “It looks like this is Seatoh. Do you have business with us?”

The elderly man gaped, then scanned the room again. “No, um, things are just so different that I couldn’t believe it,” he muttered, shocked. “I haven’t been here since I was a child. To think that so much has changed…”

This wasn’t good. He wasn’t hearing a thing I was saying. To snap him back to his senses, I yelled, “Why are you here?!” It worked.

“Hrk! R-right, right. Well, I am from a village not too far from here. There are fewer young men and women than ever before, and now we’re starving. Yet our lord claims we haven’t paid enough in taxes.” He cast his gaze downward, visibly angered.

I studied him, crossing my arms. “Depopulation, huh? So are they going off to the big city to make money, then refusing to go home to the sticks because they’re having too much fun?”

Fury flickered in the man’s eyes, and he shook his head. “They aren’t leaving of their own accord. They’re being conscripted into the military.”

“Wait, why?”

“The count is preparing for war.” The elderly man glared at me. “But a village without workers can’t pay taxes. The nobility care nothing for those who live under them. Not one bit!”

“Oh, this is about one of Lord Ferdinatto’s villages? Thank goodness.”

A deep crease settled on the man’s forehead. “Are you saying you don’t care because it isn’t your territory?” His fists trembled.

I flapped a hand. “No, that’s not it at all. The only person it’d be a pain to bump heads with is my old man. Things sound pretty rough for you guys, so do you want to move here?”

“Y-you would take us in?” The man suddenly looked like a puppy caught in the rain, except he wasn’t particularly cute.

If I wanted to be considerate to the count, I wouldn’t take them in. Snapping up his citizens was tantamount to saying his territory had issues; he wouldn’t be too pleased.

“Eh, why not?”

I wasn’t particularly concerned. Father and the king were the only people I hesitated to act against. There was no way the count would invade Father’s territory. If he did, I could just play the age card and pretend I didn’t know any better.

“Anyhow, until everyone’s settled in and living a proper life, I’m not going to

tax you. We’ve got food here, and if you work for the village, I’ll build you and your people houses to live in.”

The elderly man nearly collapsed. “My word! Have I died and gone to heaven?!” At least he was happy about it. His reaction was so old-school it tickled me.

“How many of you are there?” I asked.

Tears streamed from his eyes. “About three hundred.”

“Okay, then it’s going to be one generation per house, and each house is going to be one story high. Don’t expect too much from me.”

“This is a dream come true! Are you absolutely certain? Oh, I know! If you’d like, I’ll offer you my granddaughter to be your servant. She is only three right now, but she will surely grow up to be a cutie!”

“Hey, don’t just offer up your granddaughter like that. She isn’t a cat or dog,” I replied, exasperated.

I knew it was customary for people to offer women or children to their lords, but it just made me feel icky. Learning about royal customs outside of the country, I heard all kinds of stories about things that would be unthinkable in modern-day Japan. When it came to nobility, people were passed around like New Year’s presents. Honestly, there were tons of things I wanted to point out as absurd, but if I got started, it would never end. I decided to stop thinking about it entirely. It was too late for me to be surprised that human life was given way too little value here.

Upon further questioning, the man told me that it would take about two weeks on foot to get back to his village. When I asked him why they came to us instead of a town, he explained that they feared punishment for not paying taxes if they stayed in their lord’s territory.

“I’ll lend you some carriages. As for horses, the only ones here are mine. Are you okay with just two?”

“P-pardon? You would lend us carriages?! How can I ever express my gratitude? We have about ten cows grazing the fields, so once we get back to the village, we’ll use them to pull the carriages and deliver your horses back to you in pristine—”

“Wait, cows? Seriously? Do they produce milk?”

The elderly man looked perplexed, but I didn’t have time to worry about that. He said cows!

He started sweating, perhaps concerned that he’d made some misstep. “Uh, yes. The count’s territory is graced with plenty of pastures, so we have cows in our village. Even though we’re out in the country, we’re often visited by border knights stationed at the nearby fortress. We always make sure to have at least ten cows on hand every year.”

“They breed annually? Isn’t that kind of incredible?! How many do they produce?”

Despite his confusion, the man continued to answer my questions. “Five to six every year. Cattle typically take a year to mature, so we wait a year to give those cows to the knights. Most villages operate the same way, as far as I am aware.”

I wondered if the cattle here differed from those on Earth. If these villagers could breed livestock in an environment like this, then I would gladly ask them to bring that practice over here.

“All right,” I said, giddy at the prospect. “Let’s move the cows here and breed them. Now, about the travel… I’ll get Ortho and his guys to keep you all safe. Mayor, you must be terribly exhausted from your trip. Feel free to rest in our village for today. We have lodging and food, though not much.”

The man blinked, wide-eyed. “I’m not the mayor.”

“You’re not?!”

Apparently he wasn’t. I slipped down off the sofa in disbelief.

 

The shabby-looking group from Ferdinatto County stood gaping at the lodgings I’d prepared for Panamera and her men. They were of all ages: one elderly couple, three middle-aged folks, three young women, and five children. Thirteen in total. They said they felt unable to live in their village any longer, so they’d done everything they could to escape.

“Amazing,” one of them said, gazing up at the building. “I can’t believe we get to stay in such a nice place…”

“Isn’t it bigger than the lord’s manor?”

“Don’t say that, dummy!” one of the kids cried. “The lord might make us swap buildings!”

How rude. Size isn’t everything, kiddo! My manor is also luxuriously furnished! Bwa ha ha ha!

With that in mind, I called out to the group. “Hey folks, we’re gonna hold a welcome party, so gather in front of the manor in half an hour.”

“A-a welcome party?”

The elderly man was confused again, but since I had prep work to do, I left it at that and made my exit. “Till, Khamsin—let everyone in the village know that we’re preparing for a barbecue.”

“You got it!”

They ran off, and Arte—who’d been watching from a distance—trotted over to me. She was worried about our guests. “Um, what will happen to these people?”

Oh, I almost forgot she’s the daughter of Lord Ferdinatto himself. While this wasn’t exactly a hostile move, it wouldn’t leave a good impression on him. It was a bit too late to fret about that, though.

“They’re from the next village over, but they ran away because it’s falling apart. I’m going to give them food and a place to live.”

“Really? That’s wonderful! I am sure they’ll have a great time here.” She sounded genuinely elated, probably because I had strategically left out some details. Being only ten years old, she wasn’t thinking about where their village was—otherwise she might have realized it was within her father’s territory.

“Do you want to live here as well, Arte?” I asked.

Arte flushed and bobbed her head. “Well, um… I imagine it would make me rather happy.” Her reply was a product of her honed noble etiquette.

“Don’t worry. I’m not thinking about marriage or anything. We’re both still kids! That sort of thing is way off for us.”

Arte shook her head. Tearily, she said, “I want to get married, but, um, I…”

“Wait, you do?”

She froze, blushing till her cheeks were red as apples.

“Want me to pretend I didn’t hear that?”

Arte looked down. “Yes.”

Why, Van is a gentleman who would never do anything to make a young lady feel embarrassed! I kept my face composed as we walked on in silence, but on the inside, this gentleman was pumping his fist into the air.

“Um, Lord Van? You are walking kind of weirdly…”

“Just your imagination.”

She shot me a puzzled glance, then nodded.

Come on, let a man (or boy) skip with joy every once in a while! I can’t believe I’m finally popular with the ladies!

 

A half hour later, the village’s party planners had finished preparing the meat. They were more than used to this process by now.

“I’m having mine with salt and lemon today.”

“So refreshing, right?”

“I like it fried, personally.”

Lately, villagers had started chatting about topics usually reserved for nobility —like the aspiring gourmands I’d just overheard. Meanwhile, our visitors from the next village over acted like they were in a whole new world. Their eyes were vacant little dots staring into the light of our big barbecue.

One of the children approached us, bursting with excitement. “A-are we allowed to eat?”

I turned to Till. “Can you cook up some lightly salted meat without too much fat?”

“I’m on it! Right this way!” she said to all the kids, who let out a big cheer. Till smiled warmly at the children running toward her, then looked at the adults who were nervously watching. “Come on over! Feel free to cook up some meat and eat the night away! You can pick which one you’d like from the dishes on the side. For seasonings, we have salt and lemon. We have a little bit of pepper and ginger, so please only use a pinch of those when you cook your meat, okay?”

She then demonstrated how to cook the meat, and the adults rushed over to cook and season their own. Few could resist the urge to sample the meat before it was ready. Even then, they shed tears of joy, grinning ear to ear as they gushed to one another about the delicious food. That got the residents of Seatoh smiling too. How could we not be delighted by such a heartwarming sight?

After about an hour of everyone enjoying the meal, Ortho and his party returned from their expedition.

“Whoa, a barbecue?!”

“I had no idea we were having a barbecue today.”

“Boss, I told you we should’ve hurried home!”

They were drenched in blood as they bickered among themselves, a shocking sight to behold. Till and I spoke in unison.

“A-are you guys okay?”

“You’re all covered in blood!”

Ortho glanced down at his blood-soaked armor and forced a smile. “Uh, sorry.”

I tilted my head, unsure why he was apologizing. “For what?”

He laughed dryly. “We accidentally found the dungeon entrance.”

“Huh?”

Did he say “dungeon”?!

Time stopped for everyone as we all exchanged glances. A dungeon! One might see big yellow birds, jolly round merchants, or tiny monsters in such locales. Amazing riches lurked deep within.

While my mind drifted off into daydreams, Esparda appeared from nowhere. “Lord Van, if a dungeon has been located, we must report it immediately. We need to dispatch an envoy to the capital.”

“And if we don’t hurry, Daddy Dearest will take all the credit for this, right?”

Esparda nodded. “Almost certainly. Our best move is to go straight to the capital and report to the king without letting anyone else know.”

Ideally, I would’ve become a baron—officially granting me this village as my territory—and then reported the dungeon. There was no use crying over spilled milk, though.

I only knew what I had heard, and that was that dungeons promised immense profit. There were treasures, for example, plus materials and ore only available in dungeons. The guild would undoubtedly build a branch here once word got out, which meant weapons shops and inns would pop up as well. With all the men flooding in, a brothel and a gambling hall were bound to go up afterward.

As far as the latter two went, we’d be better off building them a decent distance from the residential area—similar to what we did with the apkallus’ lake. Building a second settlement between here and the dungeon seemed like a good solution to head off any issues. But for that, we needed manpower.

Normally, this would be something to celebrate, but Ortho and the others hung their heads. “Sorry, little lord.”

“Hey, what’s done is done. I’ll lend you guys a horse, so if one of you could report back to the capital for me…Kusala, you’re perfect for the job.”

Kusala sprang up in surprise. “On my own?!”

“I figure you’ll be fine by yourself, and let’s face it: since you’re a scout, you’re probably the one who actually spotted the entrance. Am I right?”

Kusala groaned. “How’d you know?!”

Ortho furrowed his brow. “He is the right man for the job, but shouldn’t we go with him?”

“Actually, I was hoping you guys would handle guard duty for some folks from the neighboring village. It’s a two-week gig, give or take. The payment’s one large gold.”

Ortho, Pluriel, and the others whirled on Kusala and nodded deeply. “Good luck in the capital!”

Outraged by this betrayal, Kusala shouted, “You guys suck!”

“Okay, fine.” Feeling bad for the guy, I threw in some precious equipment as a reward. “I’ll give you a mithril short sword. How does that sound?”

Kusala beamed. Ortho and Pluriel closed in on him, their eyes wide and hungry.

“W-wait, Kusala! Swap with me, man! I’ll go to the capital instead!”

“This is utterly unfair! I should be the one to go!”

Kusala placed a hand on each of their shoulders and let out a raucous laugh. “Hey, this is my quest. Sorry, guys.”

 

Kusala

I LEFT THE VILLAGE ON HORSEBACK AND IN HIGH SPIRITS. My cohorts were green with envy over the short sword ​hanging from my hip. I just laughed as loud as I could.

Take that, suckers! What goes around comes around!

I drew the short sword from its sheath as I headed down the road. The little lord had made a seriously flashy blade. He had one heck of an eye for this kind of thing. It was as ornate as the blades royals passed down like heirlooms, except this one was way more comfortable to wield. Its short length made it light and easy to swing, and it had a great form for thrusting. The fact that it barely had a guard was another benefit.

For adventurers, short swords were either a reserve weapon or a hidden tool to be used as a trump card. My primary weapon was something partway between a long sword and a blade of this size. You’d rarely use regular short swords or knives against monsters in combat, but having a light blade at the critical moment could change everything. This one wouldn’t get snagged because it had almost no guard, and it slid easily into gaps.

Now that I had my new weapon, my trip to the capital breezed right by. In just a few more kilometers, I’d see the sprawling cityscape. I was riding at a leisurely pace toward my destination when I noticed a strange carriage. It was rolled over on its side, just off the road, its door facing the sky. A bunch of creatures with bumpy, dark-green skin were gathered around it. They had bald heads, pronounced facial features, and deep wrinkles around their fearsome yellow eyes.

Orcs, the ugliest of dudes. You didn’t see their kind near roads like this one very often.

There were three of them. Two were hauling up the legs of a horse— presumably the one that had pulled the carriage—and chowing down on its belly. Its guts dangled from their mouths when they glanced my way, but they soon returned to their meal.

It seemed it was feeding time for them. Orcs were faithful to their desires: eat, sleep, mate, and kill. All orcs abided by the desire driving them at any given moment. If those two desired a feast, then it was easy to imagine what drove the one trying to enter the carriage: either lust toward the individual inside or a primal urge to kill.

“Normally they’d be a bit much for little ol’ me to handle,” I said to myself.

“But right now? Heh, they ain’t ready.”

I drew my mithril short sword. Before they went on alert, I slipped close and sliced the arms off the orc trying to climb into the carriage. The thing let out a bloodcurdling scream. I grimaced, then immediately slashed its neck. The sword was unbelievably sharp—with a single strike, the orc was half decapitated.

When the wounded one lost its balance and fell from the carriage, its allies finally realized what was happening. They let out bellowing roars.

“You want some?!” I shouted. “Honestly, I suggest you guys call it a day for your own sakes.”

I raised my sword in warning, but the two orcs kicked off the ground and charged me. I let out one long breath, then ran diagonally at one orc that was about to pummel me. I cut off its arm as I passed, swung around behind both orcs, and took position behind them. “You guys got no teamwork, huh?”

I thrust my sword and pierced both their skulls. Damn, this feels way too good!

As I stood there, grinning like some adventuring hero, someone climbed out of the toppled carriage. At first, her slim and elegant form led me to believe she was a child, but she was actually a petite, slender woman with long, dark-brown hair and half-lidded eyes.

This lady’s cute. Is she traveling all by herself?

After a moment, she found her footing and looked at me. “Thank you so much for coming to my aid. My name is Flamiria Stratos. You must be a man of great significance! Might I ask your name?”

I cleaned off my bloody sword and looked back at her. With full honesty and a smile, I said, “The name’s Kusala. Just your average insignificant adventurer. I ain’t got no fame to speak of.”

Flamiria shook her head and smiled back. “That is clearly untrue. One look at that ornate sword of yours tells me that you are an individual of high status. Are you keeping out of the public eye to carry out some monumental task, then?

Worry not, I shan’t pry.”

“Uh, no, seriously. I’m just—”

“Hee hee! Oh, I understand. Now then, I will have to walk to the capital from here, so I hope you’ll allow me to show my gratitude in the coming days. Of course,” she added in a murmur, “if this had happened a year ago, I would have been able to do more for you. If you’ll excuse me…”

She was about to leave. Before I realized it, I called out to stop her. “Wait! I’m on my way to the capital myself. C’mon, I’ll give you a ride. It’ll be faster that way.”

“Oh, but I couldn’t possibly cause you more trouble…”

“Now, now. I’m sure this horse here would be much happier carrying a young lady such as yourself.”

I persuaded her to get on the horse and she sat with practiced posture, flashing me a bashful smile. “‘Young lady’…? It’s been quite some time since anyone called me that. I’m already thirty years old, I’ll have you know!”

“Ha ha ha, surely you jest! You don’t look a day past twenty.”

“Oh my. You’re quite the flatterer.”

And so, for a brief time anyway, I no longer traveled alone. The two of us laughed together, in high spirits as we entered the capital.

“Where are you off to, Flamiria?”

“Well, I… My guide ran off on me, you see.”

I tilted my head. “What brings you to the capital?”

“Um… My house has fallen to ruin, so I came here looking for any noble families seeking a maid. Oh, goodness! I didn’t plan on telling you this… How embarrassing.”

Seeing her shoulders droop, I said something entirely unlike me: “Oh, then you’re a free spirit like me! There ain’t nothing to be embarrassed about. Heck, if you’d like, come with me. I’ll protect you myself. I promise you won’t regret it.”

Flamiria looked dazed for a moment, then put a hand over her mouth, her cheeks blooming red. Then she smiled radiantly. “It would be my pleasure. I look forward to accompanying you.”

 

With a beautiful woman in tow, I dropped into the Adventurers’ Guild to report the dungeon business to the receptionist. It kicked off a real commotion, and the guildmaster summoned me immediately.

I made my way to the second floor, where he asked me all kinds of questions: where the dungeon was located, whether it seemed like any monsters were present, and so on. While I was there, I also reported the dragon and armored lizard attacks, only to learn that the parts had just been submitted to the auction.

Once our conversation wrapped up, the guildmaster stood in front of the reception counter and announced that he was gathering a group of adventurers. “A dungeon has been discovered on the border of Lord Fertio’s territory. Even though it’s out in the middle of nowhere, this is the same village that reported slaying a dragon and a horde of armored lizards. The lord of the area, the new baron Van Nei Fertio, is the talk of the town. The guild will now prepare to build a branch there. As usual, all materials gathered will be purchased at twice the regular price for a limited time after the branch has been completed. Any adventurers who map out the dungeon will also receive special rewards.”

Excited chatter broke out among the adventurers. Those hoping to strike it rich would probably head straight to the village.

Welp, that’s my job done. Now we can finally do some dungeon diving. I’d better hurry back, I thought. But before I could do anything, some nearby adventurers accosted me.

“I heard you guys defeated a forest dragon out there! Who actually did it?!”

“Is it true that Lord Van took it down?”

“How far is the dungeon from the village?!”

“Calm yourselves!” I told them. “I’m busy, got it?! I’ve done my business, and now I’m going home!” I grabbed Flamiria’s hand and fled the guild, but when we turned around, we saw the guys running after us.

“Wait! You’re planning on getting first dibs on the dungeon, aren’t you?”

“Ain’t happening! We’re gonna follow you the whole way!”

I rounded on them. “We’re staying the night in an inn before heading home!

Following me ain’t gonna get you nothing!”

Wait, did I just tell them I’d be spending the night with Flamiria?

I turned to my side and found her smiling warmly.

Huh, I guess it’s fine!

 

Flamiria

MEETING SIR KUSALA CHANGED MY LIFE. The gallant knight and heroic adventurer strode into the guild—that den of ruffians—and reported discovering a dungeon and slaying a dragon as though it were nothing. He was straight out of the storybooks!

When we stayed at an inn for the night, he booked a room for me before I could protest and even took me to dinner. The next day, he bought a large carriage and two horses, along with some food and clothing, before we left the capital. He drove the carriage down the road, apparently not the slightest bit concerned that a throng of adventurers were following us.

“What a shocker. I can’t believe that dragon sold for 180 platinums! I guess it helped that it was in great shape. I bet those armored lizards’ll sell well too.”

“What an astonishing amount of money,” I said. “I cannot begin to imagine having such a fortune.”

Sir Kusala looked my way with a smile and a nod. “It’s all thanks to the little lord. He’s still a kid, but he’s something else, lemme tell you. He expanded the village in no time, and we’ve been pulling off some ridiculous things on the battlefield thanks to the weapons

he made us. You’re gonna be amazed, Flamiria. The village we’re headed to is

incredible.”

His expression was worry-free as he told me all manner of unbelievable stories. Strangely enough, I believed every one of them.

After my father, the baron Lord Stratos, died in battle, our house had steadily declined until it was absorbed altogether. It seemed like the end of the world, and the despair I felt at the time left me scarred. But thanks to Sir Kusala, I could smile with all my heart for the first time in years.

“I simply can’t wait!” I said, and Sir Kusala smiled bashfully in return.

 

Ortho

“YOU THINK KUSALA’S ARRIVED AT THE CAPITAL by now?” I asked no one in particular.

My party members chuckled.

“Who knows? He does have that shiny new mithril short sword. Maybe he’s cutting down weeds along the road to try it out.”

“I can see it. If it were me, I’d take all kinds of detours.”

We shared a laugh just before Pluriel cut in, “Hey, could you guys please pay more attention to our surroundings? Last time you fooled around, a damn forest dragon attacked us. Or did you forget?”

“Hey, that wasn’t our fault!”

“Don’t talk back. Get into position.”

“Yes, ma’am…”

Pluriel sure was becoming more and more proactive about sharing her opinions.

I raised a hand in acknowledgment and walked forward, scanning the area. We had ten carriages, with the elderly folks, the children, and their bags loaded in. Two-hundred-plus men and women—young and middle-aged—walked alongside the vehicles. The carriages themselves were pulled by thirteen cows and two horses.

We’d been pretty surprised when we arrived at the neighboring village; we hadn’t expected so many people. It was even more shocking when the elderly folks told us that all of the villagers were moving.

I mean, Lord Van’s village was amazing. I would’ve recommended it over any other town or village, easy. But most folks born in villages like that typically lived out their life there. It was like their entire world, and making the decision to leave was never an easy one.

Over and over I had seen entire populations of villagers try to tough out bad situations, and they were always wiped out. “That just goes to show how bad things were,” I said to myself, thinking of how they must have felt.

The occasional mooing or swishing of the cows nearby lent a pastoral feel to the place, but the area was filled with grim-faced villagers on their guard. It didn’t feel right to give them a pep talk when they looked so down.

Next to one of the carriages was a thin girl who looked like she’d missed more than a few meals. She walked on unsteady feet; just watching her had me worried. Then again, she had more stamina than the people riding in the carriages.

“You okay?” I asked her. “We’ll be at the village soon.”

The girl hung her head. “Thanks,” she replied in a shaky whisper. “I was against this, though. Why move from one middle-of-nowhere village to somewhere even more remote…?”

I didn’t know what to say. When someone reached the depths of despair, shallow words of comfort were meaningless. I just nodded. “Yeah, I know. We definitely are going out to the middle of nowhere.” She groaned, so I patted her on the back and added, “But, listen, this middle-of-nowhere village is like paradise. Better than any town you could possibly go to.”

“Huh? That doesn’t make any sense.”

I waved it off and kept walking, leaving the girl puzzled. There was no point trying to explain when it would be faster for her to see for herself.

One day later, we made it back to the village. Spotting the towering wall on the horizon, I raised my arms and stretched out my back. “Ahh! Home sweet home!”

We’d hardly had any monsters to deal with along the way, but moving as a group with slower folks was exhausting in its own right, so I was pretty tired. Having to camp outside on a trip for the first time in ages also really took it out of me. There’s no place like home. Considering most adventurers were nomadic, thinking like this was crazy. But it was true for me, anyway.

“Just a li’l farther, everybody!” I turned around to wave at the crowd, only to find them frozen in their tracks. They gawked at the village, murmuring among themselves.

“Th-this is our destination?!”

“That’s no village…”

“Did we take the wrong road?”

Needless to say, we hadn’t made a mistake. “Come on now, folks. Just a bit more! Once we arrive, there’ll be food and water!” I announced, but nobody moved.

That was when Pluriel jumped in. “All right, everyone. Don’t you worry your pretty little heads! Things are going to be a-okay, so let’s head to the village!” She used a cheery, angelic voice that sounded nothing like her usual self.

Surprisingly, that got the kids to take the adults by the hand. “Let’s hurry.”

“I wanna go over there.”

The adults traded looks and nodded at one another. Someone said, “Well, um, we’ve come this far. It’s all or nothing.” With that, the group started walking again.

It wasn’t long before we heard whoops and hollers from the direction of the village. Pluriel ran up to me and whispered, “Awesome! Looks like we’re having a barbecue today.”

I scowled. “Don’t say that. I’m already starving as it is.” I was less annoyed than I sounded, though. Pluriel burst out laughing and slapped me on the back.

Once we made it past the gates, the villagers welcomed the newcomers and kicked off the festivities. Everyone enjoyed seasoned meat and bread along with water and booze. The adults cried, patting each other on the back, while the children relished their hunks of meat.

As for us, we laughed among ourselves and dug into our first freshly cooked meal in ages.

“Hey, nice work out there,” Lord Van said warmly, waving one hand while holding fruit wine in the other. “You guys saved their lives.”

“Aw, please,” I replied. “This is normal work for us adventurers. If anything,

the reward was way too good.”

Pluriel walked up to us, munching on a meat skewer. With her mouth full, she said, “Lord Van, is this monster meat different from the usual? It seems very fresh.”

Maybe I was imagining things, but it felt to me like Pluriel was opening up to the people around her. I peered at her through one half-open eye while Lord Van grimaced and nodded. “Monsters attacked yesterday. This time near the apkallu. I’ve got to say, it had me sweating.”

“Whoa. What attacked?”

“These huge triclops boars. Ten of them, actually.”

“Augh, they’re more annoying than armored lizards! When they get up close, they use magic, which is a real pain. You get stunned and can barely move.”

“That does sound annoying. Fortunately, they went down with one round from our ballistae.”

We shared a laugh. I was beginning to think I’d become desensitized to all this, but maybe it was just my imagination.