Chapter 30
“Everyone.”
“Yes… We’re supposed to run fifty laps around the territory, then swing clubs a thousand times, right?”
“And after that, we spar in pairs?”
“Hmm, now that you seem fairly used to it, let’s learn how to use shields, too.”
“….”
It had been fifteen days since training began.
Heter, who had insisted on teaching them only what he had learned himself, taught them with even more enthusiasm than expected.
“Uuugh….”
“Kill me. Kill me. Kill me.”
“I can see my grandmother….”
As a result, the young men dropped dead by the end of every training session.
“Aaaaaah! I’ve made it past sixty laps!”
“I did sixty-one!”
“Graaagh….”
They had somehow managed to meet the standard Heter wanted.
“I think each of you can now pull your own weight. Of course, I’d like to train you for another half a month, but….”
“No!”
“We’ll slaughter any magical beast that comes our way!”
“I understand. You’ll have to continue training while serving in the militia, after all.”
“Huh?”
Ignoring the young men’s murderous intent, the Fortune militia was finally complete.
“Always move in pairs, and unless the situation is truly urgent, be sure to send someone to me.”
“Yes!”
“You don’t even need to tell us, Sir Heter!”
To begin their actual duties, the militia split into a guard unit that protected the soap factory and a patrol unit that made rounds around the territory.
“All right, then. Let’s get moving.”
“Yes!”
“…That’s a relief.”
Watching the militia scatter through the office window toward the factory and their assigned areas, I muttered,
“With this, the people of the territory can feel at ease.”
Just as Sir Gold had feared, more and more magical beasts began appearing in Fortune.
From needle larvae to meat rabbits, killer hornets, and gnolls.
Ordinary people could handle meat rabbits, which were carnivorous rabbits, but killer hornets and gnolls required Heter to intervene, leaving everyone working at the soap factory deeply uneasy.
‘With the militia around, that anxiety should lessen, too.’
Besides….
“Heter can finally get some rest, too.”
Protecting the territory was indeed Heter’s duty.
Even so, how worried had I been whenever I saw him rushing out because magical beasts had appeared at the factory or in the territory, morning or night?
Of course, even if he claimed he was fine… he might simply be pretending so as not to worry me.
“My lady.”
“What is it, Ruby?”
“Aren’t you worrying a little too much?”
“Huh?”
Ruby, who had now taken on the role of my bodyguard as well, said this with a wry smile.
“I know you like Sir Heter, my lady, but even I’m starting to get tired of hearing about him.”
“?”
When I stared at Ruby in confusion, she pointed at the clock with her finger.
“Huh?”
The minute hand was pointing at the number three. In other words, it was a quarter past the hour.
‘Wasn’t it exactly on the hour when I got up to catch my breath?’
Yes, I remembered. I had definitely thought that, since the hour had just changed, I would take a short break.
If so, had I been talking about Heter for fifteen minutes?
‘This is crazy.’
There must have been something wrong with my head.
No matter how worried I was about him, how had I failed to notice how much time had passed?
“Ah, no. This is only natural.”
Stammering, I made excuses to Ruby and to myself.
Heter was currently the only lifeline our territory had.
We had built a soap factory, but without him, other nobles could take it away from us just as they had before.
Besides, hadn’t Heter nearly died fighting the snow worm before?
It was only natural to worry, even if the magical beast was weak.
And lastly… I wasn’t worried because the person in question was Heter.
Even if Sir Gold were in a similar situation, I would have worried just as much.
“In other words, I’m not treating Heter specially!”
“Aha~ I understand~.”
“Quit looking at me like that.”
Ruby’s expression as she looked at me was far from approving.
“Ugh, I’m starting to feel lonely over here, too….”
“Then put on more clothes.”
After answering Ruby curtly, I sat back at my desk and focused on the documents.
Then, about an hour later.
“…!”
“…. …!!”
Judging by the young men’s voices, those who had finished their patrol seemed to have returned.
“…!?!”
“…!!”
What on earth had happened to make them so noisy?
“Strange.”
I had an ominous feeling.
“My lady?”
“Ruby. Let’s go downstairs for a moment, too.”
“…All right.”
Since Ruby also glanced toward the window, she seemed to have had a similar thought.
After draping a blanket around myself and leaving the mansion, the first thing I saw was two men explaining something to Heter with grave expressions.
“What’s going on?”
“My lady!”
“Well, you see….”
One of the young men who had been speaking earnestly to Heter explained it to me as well.
“I was patrolling when I found tracks belonging to magical beasts in the forest near the territory. And… they weren’t the tracks of just one beast, but several!”
“!”
When I turned toward him with a look that asked whether this was true, I saw Heter frowning.
“They weren’t there when I patrolled yesterday.”
“…Could you have mistaken them for ordinary animal tracks?”
The young man shook his head at my question.
“The tracks of quadrupeds and bipeds differ in depth and stride. Those were wolf tracks, but the stride was that of a biped.”
“….”
“That’s what happened, my lady. And even if they aren’t magical beasts, we still had to investigate. Ruby.”
Heter turned toward us and addressed Ruby.
“You stay inside the mansion with my lady. Do not come out under any circumstances until I return.”
“I understand.”
“….”
I wanted to go with him and find out what was happening, but if I followed, I would only get in the way.
I wasn’t some useless heroine from a novel, so I decided to obey him without protest.
Instead, I had no choice but to do what only I could do.
‘Of course, all I can do is worry and pray for his safe return.’
Still, that was better than doing nothing.
“Sir Heter.”
The moment our eyes met,
“I’ll return without getting hurt.”
“!”
I couldn’t help but jump in surprise.
He had stolen the words right out of my mouth.
‘Haa.’
If I said anything more, it would only sound like nagging.
“Very well. I shall trust you.”
“Yes.”
After exchanging those brief words, he gave the militia their orders.
“Watt, Jim. You two tell me where the tracks were found. The rest of you, go to the soap factory and inform them of this.”
“Yes.”
All the militiamen except the two whose names had been called headed toward the soap factory.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“All right.”
Before long, Heter left the mansion grounds with the two young men.
“Ruby.”
“Yes.”
“It’s not strange for me to worry about Heter right now, is it?”
“Of course not.”
“Good.”
I clasped my hands together and prayed.
Please… let it be nothing.
***
“Here it is.”
Jim, the slightly older of the two young men, pointed to tracks stamped into the muddy ground where the snow had melted.
“They don’t look like ordinary wolf tracks. What do you think, Sir Heter?”
“They certainly don’t look ordinary to me, either.”
Heter agreed with Jim.
To Heter, too, the tracks looked like those of a lycanthrope rather than an ordinary wolf.
“By the way, this location isn’t within the area I told you to patrol.”
“We were patrolling a little more thoroughly….”
“I wanted to check the results of our training, so my brother suggested we look around a little farther.”
“Watt!”
“I’m not scolding you.”
He meant that sincerely.
If not for their spontaneous decision, they never would have found these tracks.
‘I should consider allowing them to expand the patrol area at their own discretion instead of making them follow the route rigidly.’
While thinking that he would have to revise the patrol plan after returning, Heter continued examining the tracks.
‘Something is strange.’
Even though they were outside the patrol route, how had he failed to notice them at all?
“For now, the two of you return to the factory.”
Heter decided to send them back so he could investigate the area a little further.
It was regrettable to say so, but if the magical beast was a lycanthrope, the two of them would only get in his way.
“What? Are you sure you’ll be all right alone, Sir Heter…?”
“Hey, don’t you remember fighting the snow worm? We’ll only get in the way. I wish you good fortune.”
Quick-witted Jim grabbed Watt by the back of his neck and hurriedly withdrew.
Heter then followed the tracks cautiously, keeping his footsteps silent.
“Grrr.”
Before long, the foul smell peculiar to beasts suddenly reached him, accompanied by the howls of lycanthropes.
The smell and sound had appeared so abruptly, as if someone had switched on a magical tool.
It was obvious that something artificial was involved.
‘The number… around nineteen?’
Just two or three of these creatures could reduce a small territory to ruins, yet so many of them had gathered here.
If they had come to Fortune while he was away, the territory would not have lasted even a day.
And at the center of the lycanthropes,
“$#%^#…!”
‘This is….’
Someone was speaking in an unfamiliar language.
A language used neither in the North nor anywhere in the Empire.
‘The language of southern barbarians?’
Why was he hearing it here in the North, rather than the South?
Heter focused on the words he could hear and deciphered what was being said.
“Is everyone ready? I’ll set the lycanthropes in motion when I give the signal, so move at once as well.”
‘Is he speaking to someone?’
Judging by the content, they seemed to be using a magical tool for communication.
It was not surprising that barbarians who had come all the way to the North used magical tools, but what mattered was what was said next.
“Yes, the Grand Chieftain will surely like a beauty like that.”
“…!”
The moment he heard the word beauty, only one person came to Heter’s mind.
“Then let’s begin.”
At those words, the lycanthropes that had been standing still all began to move.
That direction… was where the factory was.
Heter realized their plan at that moment.
‘These bastards. They plan to attack the factory with magical beasts, then kidnap someone amid the ensuing chaos.’
That someone would be the beauty mentioned a moment ago.
And as far as Heter knew, there was only one person in Fortune who could be called a beauty.
‘Alice is in danger!’
Heter immediately turned back toward the mansion.
But.
“….”
The faces of the people working at the factory flashed through his mind.
With the forces currently at the factory, they could not even hold out.
Many people would certainly be killed or injured.
The Heter of the past would naturally have put Alice first, but.
“Good morning, Sir Heter!”
“Sir Heter! Take this! It’s liquor that’s good for men. Hee hee.”
“Wow! It’s the knight big brother!”
“Knight bro! Teach me how to use a sword, too!”
“Ho ho, the head of the household’s husband has arrived.”
Now, he could not bring himself to leave.
Besides, Heter knew that now.
Alice was someone who thought of the people of her territory… someone who valued others more than herself.
“Damn it.”
Heter changed direction and took off running.
This time, his footsteps felt light.
“Hey, barbarian.”
“!”
From among the magical beasts, one emerged… No, it was a man wearing the hide of a lycanthrope, walking toward Heter.
“How unexpected.”
The man had long hair braided and tied back, and his face was covered in tattoos.
He looked out of place against the pale northern landscape.
“I never expected to come all the way here and hear someone speaking our language.”
“I warn you. Leave the North immediately.”
Shing.
Heter drew his sword and leveled it at him, warning him in a low voice.
However.
“Did you really think I would leave just because you told me to?”
“Grrrr.”
The lycanthropes’ savage eyes soon focused on Heter.
“It seems words won’t solve this.”
“We’re out of time. Finish him quickly.”
The man’s tattoo-covered face twisted into a smile as he waved his hand,
“Graaah!”
The lycanthropes that had remained still until then all charged at Heter.