Chapter 52
"The territorial capital?"
I asked back before I could stop myself.
"Yes. We'd like to hear more about this stampede."
The knight answered.
"Does it have to be us?"
"Allen-sama was the one who fought the King Ogre directly."
"And we'd also like to hear from both of you, since you saw the monster horde from the very beginning."
It was true that I was the one who'd checked the monsters' numbers and movements with Mana Detection.
I looked at Felicia.
"What do you think?"
"I don't mind."
"We're on our way to the royal capital, though..."
When I said that, the knight nodded.
"I understand. The carriages heading to the royal capital also pass near the territorial capital."
"After today's incident, the public carriages will be staying in this town overnight."
In that case, our plans wouldn't change much.
"All right."
"Thank you."
The knight bowed.
"Then let's leave tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we'll assess the damage."
Around us, territorial soldiers and knights were inspecting the fallen monsters.
I looked at the King Ogre lying a little way off.
"Can I take this with me?"
"The King Ogre?"
"I have Storage."
The knight looked from the enormous corpse to me.
"...Will it fit?"
"Probably."
The Mithril Golem had fit, so it should be fine.
"You were the one who defeated it, Allen-sama, and we've already finished inspecting it. You may take it."
"Thank you."
I touched the King Ogre.
The next moment, its enormous body vanished.
"It fit."
"..."
The knight fell silent.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing."
Lately, I felt like people had been reacting that way more often.
◇
The next morning.
The public carriage left town with the knights.
Fortunately, it seemed no one had died in yesterday's stampede.
Several people had been injured, but none were in life-threatening condition, and the buildings hadn't suffered major damage.
Keeping the monsters out of town had made all the difference.
As we neared the territorial capital, more and more of the scenery became familiar.
The road grew wider, and more carriages passed in both directions.
Before long, stone walls came into view in the distance.
"It's huge."
Felicia looked out the window.
"It's the largest city in the territory."
"You lived here too, right, Allen-san?"
"Yes. The estate is here in the territorial capital, too."
"Would you like to go see it?"
"No. We're on our way to the royal capital."
Felicia smiled a little.
We passed through the city gate.
The territorial capital looked almost exactly as I remembered it.
Shops lined the main street, and crowds of people bustled about.
As the carriage continued onward, I saw the marquis's estate beyond the buildings.
I grew up there.
Back when my mother was still alive.
Back when I practiced swordsmanship with Kyle.
And I remembered the day I left home for the last time.
"Allen-san?"
"What is it?"
"Is that the estate?"
"Yes."
"...Are you really sure you don't want to stop by?"
I thought about it for a moment.
"I'm sure."
I wasn't here to go back to that place.
The carriage didn't head for the estate, but continued along the main street.
◇
We were taken not to the marquis's estate, but to a building that handled the territorial capital's administration.
That was a relief.
After we went inside, we waited in a reception room until a man entered.
He looked to be around fifty.
I recognized his face.
"...Allen-sama."
The man stopped in his tracks.
"It's been a long time."
"It really is you, Allen-sama."
He was the steward of House Valdis.
Apparently, while my father was away in the Kingdom of Alsrein, he was one of those overseeing the territory's administration.
The steward bowed deeply.
"It has been a long time."
"Yes."
"I never thought I would see you again."
I wasn't sure how to respond.
"Neither did I. I was only passing through on my way to the royal capital."
"I see."
For a moment, the steward's expression turned complicated.
Felicia and I sat down.
The man who had been leading the knights' squad sat with us, too.
"Now, let us first go over what happened."
I explained what had happened the day before.
How we'd been stopped by the territorial soldiers while heading for the royal capital.
How a large horde of monsters had emerged from the forest to the northeast and reached the highway.
How we'd returned to town and fought alongside the territorial soldiers.
And how the King Ogre had appeared at the end.
"So neither of you had taken on a quest?"
"No. We just happened to be passing by."
The steward looked toward the knight.
"What was the damage to the town?"
"There were no deaths. The buildings suffered no major damage."
"In a stampede of that scale?"
"Yes. Allen-sama and Felicia-dono stopped the monsters before they could reach the town."
"It wasn't just us. The territorial soldiers fought too."
When I said that, the knight shook his head.
"Even so, things would have been entirely different if the King Ogre had entered the town."
The steward looked at me for a while.
"You really have... grown strong."
"A lot has happened."
"We've also received a report that you defeated the Sword Saint in the war against the Doran Empire."
"So the news has made it this far, too."
"It's become quite the rumor within the territory. People are saying you must be the older brother of Kyle-sama, who was granted the title of Sword Saint."
Hearing that right in front of the person they were talking about still felt strange.
The steward lowered his gaze to the documents on the desk.
"We'll also make an official record of this incident."
"A record?"
"Yes. The emergency response to the stampede, the defense of the residents, and the defeat of the King Ogre."
"We'll record that the two of you provided significant assistance to the Valdis Marquisate."
The steward took out another document.
"We'll also send a report to the Adventurers' Guild in the royal capital."
"You'll do all that for us?"
"Of course. The two of you are adventurers who saved the people of this territory."
Felicia looked at me.
"Allen-san."
"Yes?"
"This counts as a contribution to the kingdom too, doesn't it?"
"Oh..."
I remembered what the guildmaster in Belgrant had told me.
To become A-rank adventurers, being strong wasn't enough.
We also needed to contribute to the Kingdom of Sahar.
"The guild in the royal capital will decide how this is handled in your evaluation."
"But there's no doubt that your actions this time will be recorded as an official achievement."
The steward said.
It seemed we'd gained an unexpected achievement on our way to the royal capital to become A-rank adventurers.
"That includes you too, Felicia-san."
"Of course, we'll also include Felicia Roth-dono. I've received a report about your coordination with the territorial soldiers as well."
"Thank you."
The steward began writing our names on the document.
He paused partway through.
"Just to confirm, should I write your name as Allen Valdis?"
"...Yes."
There was a brief pause.
Maybe it was time I stopped using the Valdis name.
I'd thought about that yesterday.
But there was no need to decide right away.
"Please write Allen Valdis."
"Understood."
The steward resumed writing.
◇
After we finished talking, the steward suggested that we stay at the estate.
"It will be late by the time you leave today. If you like, we can prepare a guest room at the marquis's estate."
"Thank you, but we'll find an inn."
"I see."
"We're traveling as adventurers now."
The steward was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Understood."
"I'm sorry."
"There's no need to apologize."
The steward smiled faintly.
"Then at least, please take this."
He handed me a sealed letter.
"What is this?"
"It's a report addressed to the Adventurers' Guild in the royal capital. We'll send an official report from our side as well, but I'd like you to have a copy."
I looked at the letter.
I'd unexpectedly acquired something else to take to the royal capital.
"Thank you."
"No, we should be thanking you. We're truly grateful that you saved the people of the territory."
The steward bowed deeply.
I bowed in return.
We left the building.
"In the end, we didn't go to the estate."
Felicia said as she walked beside me.
"There was no reason to."
"But are you at least a little curious?"
"Well, a little."
I answered honestly.
It was where I'd lived with my mother, too.
It wasn't as if I had no good memories there.
But I didn't need to go back now.
"Let's head to the royal capital tomorrow."
"Yes."
I looked at the sealed letter in my hand.
We were heading to the royal capital to become A-rank adventurers.
Along the way, we'd unexpectedly gained another achievement.
I hadn't intended to return to Valdis territory.
Even so, maybe there had been some meaning in coming here.
Total P Acquired: 93,145P