Chapter 25
Armed adventurers had gathered in front of the Adventurers' Guild.
There were clearly fewer of them than there had been at the count's manor yesterday.
It seemed many had decided not to take part after all.
Felicia and I also signed up for the Mobile Force and headed for the west gate.
On the way, we spotted four familiar faces.
"Claude-san."
"You came."
It was the Silver Wolf.
"You guys are joining, too?"
"Yeah."
Claude looked over our equipment before speaking.
"You two are going, too."
"Yes."
"I see."
There was a brief pause.
"There's one thing I want to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Don't think this is the same as fighting monsters."
"I understand."
I'd been thinking about it over and over since yesterday.
This wasn't a request to defeat monsters.
We might end up fighting people.
Claude shook his head.
"No. You probably still don't understand."
".........."
"I was the same way at first."
He didn't say anything more.
"Let's go. Apparently, they're assigning squads at the west gate, too."
We set off with the Silver Wolf.
Felicia and I followed them.
◇
Soldiers from the Count's household had already gathered outside the west gate.
Horses.
Wagons.
Carts loaded with food and weapons.
This was on a different scale from the escort jobs we'd taken before.
Once all the adventurers had assembled, a knight stepped forward.
He looked to be in his mid-thirties.
He had short-cropped black hair and a sun-tanned face.
The crest of House Belgrant was on his chest.
"I'm Lloyd Hasen, deputy commander of House Belgrant's knights. I've been put in command of the adventurer Mobile Force for this mission."
Deputy Commander Lloyd looked over everyone.
"First, I want to make this clear. You're not regular soldiers. I have no intention of breaking up your usual parties."
The adventurers listened closely.
"I don't know every detail of how adventurers fight, and I don't intend to dictate every little decision."
Then he raised his voice.
"But if everyone does whatever they want on the battlefield, you'll put your allies in danger, too."
No one spoke up.
"We'll have several parties operate together as a single squad. We'll assign your general missions, but on-site decisions will be left to the squad leader."
He began calling out names in order.
"First Squad: The Silver Wolf."
"Yeah."
Claude answered.
"I'll leave you in charge of the squad."
"Understood."
Deputy Commander Lloyd looked at the paper in his hand.
"The first squad has eight members: the four from the Silver Wolf, Allen Valdis, Felicia Roth, Raoul Becker, and Ena Reese."
"Yes."
"Yes!"
Felicia and I answered.
Two people stepped forward from a little farther away.
One was a man with a long spear strapped to his back.
He looked to be in his early twenties.
He had short reddish-brown hair and a face that looked like he loved to talk.
The other was a woman with two daggers at her waist.
She looked to be in her early twenties as well.
Her black hair was tied back.
"I'm Raoul. I use a spear. Nice to meet you."
"Ena. Scout."
That was pretty brief.
"I'm Allen. I use a sword."
"I'm Felicia. I'm an attack mage."
Claude introduced his companions.
"I'm Claude. I'm a swordsman. And the others are—"
"I can introduce myself."
A large man with a greatshield strapped to his back cut in.
"I'm Bork. As you can see, I'm the shield-bearer."
Next was a woman holding a staff.
"Lydia. Attack mage."
Finally, a woman in a white cloak gave us a gentle smile.
"I'm Cecil. I use healing magic. It's nice to meet you."
That made eight of us.
Claude was a swordsman.
Bork was the shield-bearer.
Lydia was an attack mage.
Cecil was a healer.
Raoul used a spear.
Ena was a scout.
And then there were Felicia and me.
"We've got a pretty well-rounded group."
Raoul said as he looked over the squad.
"We've got both frontline and backline fighters, and even a healer."
"Maybe that's why they put us together."
Ena replied.
"That makes sense."
Deputy Commander Lloyd mounted his horse.
"Is everyone ready?"
His voice rang out.
"We're leaving!"
The gate opened.
The soldiers moved out first.
Then came the wagons.
The adventurers followed behind them.
Once we were through the gate, I looked back just once.
The high stone walls.
People passing through the gate.
Beyond them lay Belgrant, just as it always was.
I hoped the city would still look the same when we returned.
I turned to face forward.
We headed west.
◇
Day One.
The road looked much the same as usual.
Merchants heading for Belgrant.
Wagons.
People carrying crops.
Some were surprised to see our group, but that was all.
First Squad walked together along the road.
"By the way..."
Raoul, who was walking a little ahead, turned around.
"Allen, how old are you?"
"Fifteen."
"...Fifteen?"
He turned around so quickly he almost stopped walking.
"Yes."
"Fifteen as in fifteen years old?"
"What else would it mean?"
Ena chimed in from the side.
"I know that!"
Raoul looked at me.
"Wait. You only had your Ceremony of Bestowal this year?"
"That's right."
"And you're C-Rank?"
"I just ranked up."
"Just..."
Raoul clutched his head.
"It took me four years to reach C-Rank."
"You're only making yourself feel worse by comparing yourself to him."
"Ena, you could at least comfort your partner a little."
"It's the truth."
I couldn't help laughing.
Bork turned to look at me, too.
"Are you really fifteen?"
"Yes."
"I thought you were older, since you carry that sword."
He was looking at the Flamefang Sword at my waist.
"That's a pretty nice sword, isn't it?"
"I bought it recently."
"How much was it?"
"1,280,000 Jenny."
".........."
Bork fell silent.
Even Raoul fell silent.
"What?"
"Do fifteen-year-olds these days buy million-Jenny swords?"
"You shouldn't use Allen as the standard for fifteen-year-olds."
Ena said.
"I agree."
Claude joined in, too.
"What about Felicia?"
Raoul turned to look at her this time.
"I'm sixteen."
"Sixteen?!"
"Yes."
"You two are way too young!"
Cecil's expression clouded slightly.
"...A fifteen-year-old and a sixteen-year-old, going to a battlefield?"
The lighthearted mood from earlier shifted a little.
"You two."
Cecil looked at us.
"You really decided to join of your own free will, right?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
Felicia answered, too.
Cecil still looked worried.
"I understand that you're C-Rank, but... a battlefield is different."
"I think so, too."
Bork said.
"Even setting aside how strong you are, you're fifteen."
Raoul wasn't joking this time, either.
"You can still turn back now, can't you?"
".........."
They weren't making fun of me.
They were genuinely worried.
I understood that.
Claude looked at me, too.
"Allen."
"Yes."
"You don't have to participate. No one will blame you if you turn back now."
If this had happened a little earlier,
I might have hesitated if someone said that to me.
But things were different now.
"I'm not going back."
I answered firmly.
Raoul looked at me.
"That was quick."
"Yes."
"Aren't you scared?"
"I am."
I answered without dodging the question.
"I've never fought people in earnest before. I've been thinking about it nonstop since yesterday."
"In that case—"
"But..."
I cut Raoul off.
"I'm the one who decided to come here."
Everyone looked at me.
"No one told me to go."
My father hadn't decided for me.
Kyle hadn't driven me out.
This time, it was my decision.
"I don't want Belgrant to become a battlefield. If there's something I can do to prevent that, I'll do it."
".........."
"That's why I'm not going back."
For a while, no one said anything.
Eventually, Claude spoke.
"Then remember one thing."
"Yes."
"Choosing to do something for yourself and being willing to die are two different things."
".........."
"If you've decided to go, then come back to Belgrant alive."
I looked at Claude.
"Yes."
I didn't hesitate this time, either.
I glanced beside me.
Felicia gave a small nod, too.
"Well..."
Bork slapped his shield with his large hand.
"I'm not planning to let you die that easily, either."
"Exactly."
Raoul smiled, too.
"If we let a fifteen-year-old die and went home, we'd never sleep at night."
"I'm sixteen, too."
Felicia said.
"Oh, right."
"Don't forget that."
"Sorry, sorry."
The mood lightened a little.
We kept walking.
Until just a little while ago, they were people whose names I barely knew.
But...
Little by little, I was starting to get to know the people in First Squad.
◇
Evening.
We reached an inn town along the road.
The Count's soldiers camped outside, while the adventurers split between the inns and campsites to rest.
First Squad decided to eat together in one place.
Hard bread.
Dried meat.
Warm soup.
"Eat while you can."
Bork said, tearing off a piece of bread.
"Once we reach the front, you might not get to choose when you eat."
"Have you been through that before?"
I asked.
"A few minor skirmishes, sure."
Bork glanced at Claude.
"The Silver Wolf has taken jobs near the border a few times."
"Have you fought in a war, too?"
"Nothing on this scale."
Claude answered.
Raoul looked at the Flamefang Sword.
"Still, 1,280,000..."
"You're still hung up on that?"
Ena said with exasperation.
"Of course I am. My spear cost 180,000."
"It works just fine."
"Yeah, but..."
Lydia turned to Felicia.
"You're Felicia, right?"
"Yes."
"You said you're an attack mage. What spells do you use?"
"Magic Bullet."
"Magic Bullet?"
Lydia looked a little surprised.
"That's unusual."
"Is it?"
"Some people can use it, but you don't see many mages who rely on it as their main spell."
"It doesn't have much power in a single shot."
Felicia continued after saying that.
"But I'm good at firing them in quick succession and hitting a specific spot."
"I see."
Before,
Felicia hadn't sounded very confident when she explained her Magic Bullet.
Now,
things were different.
She was able to talk about her spell's strengths clearly.
"That sounds interesting."
Lydia smiled a little.
"I'm looking forward to seeing it in action."
"Yes."
"I've seen a Magic Bullet before, too."
Raoul chimed in.
"It's the one where a little ball of light goes flying, right?"
"That's about right."
"Can you use that on a battlefield?"
"Raoul."
Ena said.
"You're saying something unnecessary again."
"No, I'm just asking a genuine question!"
Felicia smiled a little.
"I think I can."
"Oh?"
"Though it's probably a little different from what you're imagining, Raoul-san."
"What does that mean? Now I'm curious."
"You'll see."
Lydia laughed.
"You've got some confidence."
I smiled, too.
I was eating soup from the same pot as people I'd barely known until yesterday.
It was so ordinary, it was hard to believe we were on our way to a battlefield.
◇
Day Two.
We headed west again.
A little after noon.
"Huh..."
Felicia looked ahead.
"What is it?"
"Aren't there a lot of wagons coming from that direction?"
I noticed it once she pointed it out.
One wagon.
Then another.
A little farther along, two more.
They were all heading east from the west, toward Belgrant.
"They're not merchants."
Ena was the first to notice.
She looked at the approaching wagon.
There were no goods in its bed.
An old man.
A woman.
Children.
And a huge amount of luggage around them.
Wooden boxes.
Pots.
Chairs.
Blankets.
They'd crammed all kinds of household belongings into the wagon.
"They're evacuating..."
Raoul's voice dropped.
The next wagon was the same.
A family walked behind it, leading their livestock.
".........."
Raoul, who'd been talking so much until yesterday, fell silent, too.
The farther west we went, the more people we saw heading east.
An old man sitting in a wagon called out to us.
"Are you folks heading west?"
"Yes."
"I see..."
The old man looked at our weapons.
"Be careful."
That was all he said before the wagon continued toward Belgrant.
We kept walking west, too.
◇
Day Three.
The road had changed even more.
We hardly saw any merchant wagons anymore.
Almost everyone was heading toward Belgrant.
Carts loaded with household belongings.
Parents riding horses with their children.
Elderly people traveling on foot.
Families resting by the side of the road.
On the other hand, the only ones heading west were soldiers and armed people.
"It's completely different from when we left Belgrant."
Felicia said.
"Yes."
A wagon was coming toward us.
It slowed down as it was about to pass us.
A boy sitting in the wagon bed was looking at us.
He looked about ten years old.
His gaze turned to the sword at my waist.
"Mister."
"Hm?"
"Are you an adventurer?"
"Yeah."
"Are you going to fight the Imperial soldiers?"
"Yeah. That's why I'm heading west."
The boy gripped his knees.
"Can we go home?"
I couldn't answer right away.
I didn't know.
I couldn't promise him that he'd definitely be able to go home.
"I'm going so you can."
The boy looked at me.
"Don't get hurt."
I gave him a small nod.
The wagon started moving again.
The boy kept looking at us for a while.
Eventually, he disappeared from view.
".........."
No one spoke right away.
After a while, Bork lightly tapped my shoulder.
He didn't say anything.
Neither did I.
"Allen-san."
"Yes?"
Felicia gripped her staff a little tighter.
"I'm a little more scared than I was yesterday."
"So am I."
".........."
"But let's go."
"Yes."
We started walking again.
This time, there were eight of us.
◇
That evening.
Ahead along the road, we saw a large wooden palisade and countless tents.
"That's the eastern staging ground in the Duchy of Scotty."
Claude said.
"We're already in the Duchy of Scotty?"
"Yeah. But we're still in the east. It'll take several days to reach the border."
It seemed we'd finally entered the Duchy of Scotty.
As we got closer, we could see just how large the camp was.
Dozens of tents.
Carts lined up in rows.
A huge number of horses.
Soldiers carrying weapons.
Messengers hurrying back and forth without rest.
It was nothing like the inn towns we'd seen before.
I looked farther in.
"The wounded..."
Felicia's voice grew quiet.
A soldier with a bandage wrapped around his arm.
A man with cloth covering his head.
A soldier walking with the support of two others.
"They're probably wounded soldiers sent back from the front."
Claude said.
The border was still several days away.
Even so, people wounded there had already been brought this far.
".........."
Yesterday,
Claude had said,
not to think it was the same as fighting monsters.
I didn't think I fully understood what he meant yet.
Even so,
I felt like I understood a little more than I had when we left Belgrant.
We passed through the palisade.
Deputy Commander Lloyd stopped his horse.
"We'll rest here for today!"
He called out to the soldiers and adventurers.
"Tomorrow, we'll join up with the representative from the Duchy of Scotty's army! After that, you'll carry out your missions in coordination with them!"
Then he looked west.
"Assume the situation will get worse the farther we go!"
No one made a joke.
Just then,
Clop, clop, clop, clop!
The sound of pounding hooves came from the west.
A single rider.
He was racing toward us at tremendous speed.
"Make way!"
The soldier on horseback shouted.
"Urgent report from the front!"
The guards at the gate hurriedly cleared a path.
The horse raced into the staging ground.
The man riding it was covered in mud.
Blood was seeping through the cloth over his left shoulder.
Deputy Commander Lloyd rode over.
"What happened?"
"The Imperial Army has crossed the border again!"
The soldiers around us all froze.
"How large is their force?"
"The vanguard alone numbers over a thousand!"
"A thousand..."
Felicia gasped.
"We've also confirmed the main Imperial force behind them! They're still advancing toward the border!"
"The main force..."
Raoul had lost his lighthearted air, too.
The staging ground suddenly erupted into commotion.
Orders flew back and forth.
Soldiers ran.
Messengers hurried to other tents.
Horses began moving one after another.
I looked toward the western sky.
The battlefield was still out of sight.
The border was still some distance away.
And yet, the war was already right in front of us.
Total P Acquired: 25,300P