Chapter 180: Winter’s Moon (1)
There was a clear pond in the uncharted forest of Reccordak. It was a mysterious place that didn’t freeze even in this cold season, perhaps due to the mana it contained.
Plop—
I was fishing there now. Thanks to the option of Attract Fish on the fishing rod that I improved with 「Midas’ Hand」, it wasn’t so boring. In this way, if I cast the lure, they would quickly catch the bait. I flicked the fishing rod up.
Splaaash…
A fish breached the surface, helpless to stop me from pulling it in. When I was about to check the size and species of the fish and put it in the bucket-
“I want to ask.”
A familiar and unexpected voice drew my gaze.
“Why do you want to become the chairman so much?”
Julie. She stood upright, looking straight at me without even the slightest emotion in her transparent eyes.
“Why do you want so much power?”
My eyes slid back to the pond. Throwing the lure, I responded.
“Protecting Reccordak isn’t what you wanted?”
“Yes. But the ones who will leave should do—”
“If everyone leaves, do you intend to die here?”
“…I am a knight who knows how to step back. When millions of monsters are your opponents, the Reccordak’s only purpose is to buy time. I am willing to make time for them.”
Another one bit. Julie’s eyes followed the shaking line.
“…I heard that you are investigating the Rockfell and Veron accident in your way.”
I changed the topic. Julie’s body trembled.
“I heard you commissioned a famous adventurer. Even though you’re a broke knight.”
“…”
“Give up. There is nothing you can find.”
Julie’s gaze sharpened. But I hoped she didn’t learn what was inside Rockwell. Even with the betrayal of someone she trusted, she would blame it all on herself.
“Then let me ask you. Did they die in an accident?”
“…Wasn’t that written in the report?”
Then, Julie’s head bowed. A shadow fell over her eyes.
“Really, you…”
I casually picked up the fishing rod.
Splash-!
Drops of water wet Julie’s shoulder as I pulled another in.
“Okay. As you said, I want a lot. That greed might stab me in the back someday.”
Julie raised her eyes, cold as the winter around us. Satisfied with them, I laughed.
“But I don’t care.”
“…”
“If I were going to regret the words I would hear someday; I wouldn’t have lived like this in the first place.”
Julie clenched her teeth.
“Now I ask. Are you regretting your life now?”
This was a question that penetrated to the core of Julie’s identity. She didn’t have her own life. This child was born by killing her mother. She thought so herself, and she eventually gave up on everything for herself.
“Yes. I regret it. Every moment that has anything to do with you.”
I gently nodded.
“It’s pitiful, you. It’s like you’re trying to fill that life with a knight’s identity.”
“…Are you insulting me?”
“Right. Because you are a person whose true meaning has been inverted, who made the job of a knight the purpose of your life.”
At that moment, Julie’s body swelled with mana. The air around me dropped in temperature sharply.
-Here… huh?
Julie’s anger subsided for a moment, and we looked toward the young voice that cut us off.
“…”
“…”
Among the bushes were two children. As if they had come to go fishing, each held a large fishing rod on their backs. Lia and Leo.
“…Hello.”
Lia bowed, and Leo mimicked her a moment later. I thought they would leave right away since the atmosphere was serious. However.
“Sit here, Leo. It’s easier to catch here.”
Instead, they stretched out a simple chair and sat down. Julie and I stared at them blankly.
“Okay! Do fish taste good?”
“Of course! Let’s catch some, and I’ll grill it for you.”
Plop- plop-
Their fishing hook sank into the pond. I looked at Julie, our eyes meeting for a brief moment.
“…I’ll just go. I have a mission.”
“Okay.”
So Julie left, and I went back to fishing.
…Splash–!
I caught a fish. The two children stared at me.
…Splash–!
I caught one more. The two children pouted.
…Splash–!
A third. They whispered to each other.
“…Lia. Why aren’t we catching anything?”
”…I think the Professor is catching them all.”
Splaaash–!
A fourth. Just as their resentful gazes found me, I left.
* * *
The knights of the Imperial Palace were deeply troubled. Whether they would ignore Deculein’s warning and leave Reccordak or pretend they were crazy and join forces with him… of course, if they succeeded in defending, they could gain enormous financial and social benefits as well as the honor of the knights.
The problem was that the chances of that happening were very slim. It would be rather fortunate if they deserted in the middle and saved their skins.
“…Hey.”
With all those thoughts, the knight Delric, who was patrolling the wall with his lieutenants, witnessed an unusual scene. One of the guards was fiddling with some machine.
“Yes, knight?”
“What is that?”
A bizarre object with a handle attached to a large crossbow. The guard answered Delric’s question.
“It’s an automatic crossbow.”
“…Automatic crossbow?”
“Yes.”
The guard hefted it up.
“It was invented by the Professor. The power is amazing.”
“…All crossbows are the same. Take a shot.”
“Yes.”
Then the guard took his stance. First, he grabbed the handle of the automatic crossbow, and—! Dozens of bolts rattled off in an instant. Delric and the knights were astonished.
“200 arrows consumed in 10 seconds. Of course, the accuracy is lower, but it is very good against large numbers.”
“…That’s what it seems. Is it the Professor’s invention?”
“Yes. It seems that he’s planning to craft dozens of them in the future.”
“…”
It seemed that his preparations were well at hand. It was then-
Whooong!
Someone came up from under the barrier. The wind blew past, sending their red hair fluttering around their face. Delric bowed almost instinctively.
“Aren’t you, Captain Ganesha?”
“Yeah? Oh, how are you, Delric?”
“I’m fine.”
“I heard you failed to escape? You were caught by the Professor~.”
Ganesha laughed and joked. Delric matched her cheer, cursing inside.
“Haha, yes. It wasn’t that I was caught trying to run away; I was persuaded by the Professor’s personality, but… where are you going?”
“I want to help too.”
At those words, Delric and his lieutenants’ eyes widened.
“H-Help? Or have you been assigned a mission by the Professor?”
“Huhu. These dangerous missions start with at least 50 million Elnes. It’s just free help. We also go way back.”
“How?”
“Hmm~. Do you know why the demonic beasts come in winter?”
“Isn’t it the moon and their hunger?”
Ganesha laughed softly.
“Yes, that’s right. That’s right. In winter, blue and red moons appear alternately, and they are too hungry to keep their sanity, right? So they go south as if possessed… thanks to that, I can interfere even by myself~.”
Ganesha started stretching out. She clasped her arms and pushed them up and down, then her legs left and right.
“Then… a horde of beasts alone?”
“Yeah, that’s right~. I’m going to drive them away~. I think I can delay the march for a week or so.”
Delric’s mouth fell open. That huge army, alone for a week.
“So, until then, work hard on the preparations. Don’t even think about running away.”
Ganesha grinned.
“I know the professor very well. It will be less painful to die here than to run away~.”
She said the cruel words with a smile, killing even the smallest thoughts left in the knights’ minds of fleeing.
“Why don’t you answer~? Do you intend to run away?”
“Yes, yes? N-No. No. Run away? As a knight, I never run away, hahahaha… right, guys?”
“Of course!
Hahaha- Hahaha- Hahaha-
Delric looked at his lieutenants and forced himself to laugh.
* * *
The next day, I started a full-scale inspection of Reccordak.
“We have about two weeks left on food. Three weeks if we save some. Eight weeks if we starve the prisoners.”
“What about the supplies?”
“Oh… that.”
Reccordak’s food warehouse. The administrative supply officer scratched the back of his neck with a slightly vague look.
“Tell me.”
“…The top is reluctant to supply us. Now, maybe it’s because the prediction that the monster wave is more than usual is spreading to some extent… it seems like they’re stocking up. Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to be blunt-“
“It’s okay.
I nodded and handed him the fish I caught today. There were a total of thirteen in the bucket. The officer was amused.
“Oh, thank you. I will salt it and store it well. The fish you catch are also very helpful. Already forty-“
“Enough, just tell me their names.”
“Yes?”
“Say it. I’ll make the supply come in three days.”
“Oh, yes! The most famous in the North are Rotlin and Veola.”
I wrote their names in the killing book. As soon as I left, Epherene and Louina approached. Since Allen left, her position had been occupied by these two.
“Epherene. Transmit this.”
“Yes.”
Epherene inadvertently looked at the sentence written in my killing book, her eyes going wide as saucers.
“…I’ve heard that Rotlin and Veola’s Reccordak supply will be delayed.”
“Don’t say it loudly.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Epherene whispered.
─I can forgive this degree of delay, but if it grows any later, I have no choice but to file a lawsuit for breach of contract. Of course, I’m sure you all have your problems, but I don’t care. This is because your contract with Yukline must be kept. Even if you have to reduce what you give to other families, we will surely receive our supplies.
If that’s hard to do, think of Yukline’s myth. Or maybe there is at least one Demon Blood among you. Even if you say there isn’t, is there not even one? I will not accept a reply. Just send the supplies.
“…”
Epherene swallowed hard.
“Um, boss?”
Then, Louina tapped my shoulder. I glared at her.
“I think something’s happening there.”
“…”
Louina pointed to the other side of the wall, to the entrance to Reccordak. As she said, it was bustling.
“Next time, don’t touch me.”
“…You are the same sensitive boss as before.”
I clicked my tongue and walked towards the commotion.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“Oh, yes. Professor.”
The jailer answered, flustered.
“The mountain villagers are flocking in.”
“…Residents? Here?”
“Yes. They say that even if the barrier blocks them, there is a high risk of leaking outside if the number of beasts is so large, so they would rather help out in this area…”
I looked out the gates.
“Open it.”
“Yes.”
The guard ran quickly and opened the gate.
Creeeeeak—
—Huh! It’s opening!
—It’s opening!
—Thank you, guards!
—Thank you! We brought a lot of food too! I have my body too, so that I will help out!
“…”
I stood up straight and looked over it as Louina walked up.
“…There’s a lot, boss.”
There were a lot of people. In the distance, there were crowds down the road. Their innocent faces and clear eyes were looking up at the prison.
“Right.”
I didn’t know that there were so many living in the mountains around Reccordak, but now I had a vague understanding of why Julie was so protective of this line.
“Thank you-“
“Hey! Don’t come in yet! No decision has been made!”
The guards stopped the residents from entering. They listened obediently.
“Oh, that’s the professor!”
“It’s the professor who came to Reccordak!”
“Nice to meet you!”
That voice with a thick accent bothered me. I didn’t like their smell either. I shook my head, dissatisfied. Their faces darkened in an instant.
“Oh, we’ll do our best! We-“
“Shut up.”
The whole crowd grew quiet. Someone reached out to slap the cheek of the man I just spoke to.
“…What will you do?”
Louina asked while the guards and all those refugees were looking at me. I pondered. Of course, they didn’t suit this personality either, covered in dirt and surrounded by flies as they were.
“…”
I looked back without a word. Epherene approached.
“Epherene.”
“Y-Yes…?”
Epherene nodded a little nervously. I looked ahead again, catching the tense crowd once more in my eyes. Staring at them, I spoke to Epherene behind me.
“…You can make a temporary shelter with Drent, right?”
“Oh, of course!”
Epherene replied loudly. I also nodded and turned back without a word. The villagers were silent, but Louina and Epherene came forward and beckoned them.
“Everyone, what are you doing? Come inside.”
“Hurry up!
“…Oh!”
“Yes! Thank you, thank you!”
There were a lot of people rushing in. The sound of footsteps and carts resounded through the prison. But it wasn’t just people. The villagers entrusted the guards with all their livestock, including chickens, cattle, and foals.
“…What is this?”
The knights came running late to join the crowd, Julie among them. I called the warden who stood by them.
“Hey.”
“Yes, yes?”
“From today, block the road leading outside of Reccordak.”
“Ah… yes?”
“We will stop them here, for sure.”