Chapter 18
“And there’s one more thing.”
The Knight Commander spoke again.
“I apologize for what happened with the fight against the knight. I don’t mean to blame our lord, but he’s been rather nervous lately.”
“Huh?”
Apparently, he was going to explain what had led to the fight in the plaza between Krena and Vice Commander Raybrand. Gerda and Rodan listened to the Knight Commander. The Village Chief was also urged to listen, so the chief paid close attention as well.
“Actually, about three years ago, the son of a certain count became a Sword Saint.”
(A Sword Saint born into a count’s family? Wait, wasn’t it only serfs, commoners, and barons who could produce Sword Saints?)
Allen recalled the relationship between noble ranks and Jobs that he’d looked up while creating his character in the real world. Sword Saints were supposed to be born only among serfs, commoners, and barons.
The Knight Commander continued. The young man had been hailed as a Sword Saint and served the royal family. He was indeed well-built, and his skill with a sword was beyond reproach. But when the time came for him to demonstrate his power as a Sword Saint, he didn’t measure up. There was another Sword Saint named Doberg, and the gap between their abilities had been obvious.
“Y-yes...”
Gerda gave a hesitant response, as if to ask what this had to do with anything.
“So they had him reassessed, and it turned out he wasn’t a Sword Saint at all. He had the talent of a Swordsman. The kingdom was shocked and had other nobles investigated as well. They found people who’d claimed to have talents they didn’t possess, along with Swordsmen and Mages who’d falsely claimed to be Sword Saints or Grand Magi. The kingdom was thrown into quite an uproar.”
(I see. So a lot of nobles in the kingdom had been embellishing their talents.)
The king was furious and handed down some very severe punishments. The territory of the count who had falsely claimed to have a Sword Saint was confiscated.
“When we heard there was a Sword Saint here, we were ordered to make absolutely sure. We investigated the church, and there didn’t seem to be any false reports, but...”
If someone was a Sword Saint, they had to be reported to the royal family. But nobles had recently received severe punishments for falsifying talents. The lord had the church investigated, and it really did seem that Krena was a Sword Saint. Even so, he was still concerned. So the church was investigated thoroughly, and now, three months later, the Knights had been dispatched to confirm that she truly was a Sword Saint.
This explanation was also an apology to Gerda and Krena for putting them through what had amounted to a test. Allen felt the Knight Commander was explaining the circumstances in considerable detail, especially for serfs.
Allen looked at Krena.
Perhaps some of the food was new to her. She was eating heartily with single-minded focus, barely listening to the conversation. She excitedly bit into her bread.
“I-I see.”
“Yes. So, from now on, make sure you report the results of next year’s Appraisal Ceremony and those after it honestly. I wouldn’t want to punish the Village Chief who built a village like this.”
The Knight Commander made sure there was no misunderstanding: they had to report everything honestly, even unfavorable results.
“What should Krena do from now on?”
Once the discussion reached a pause, Gerda asked. Now that Krena was a Sword Saint, Gerda didn’t know what to have her do or what she should do herself.
“Hmm, well. For now, just let her grow up healthy and strong.”
The Knight Commander replied as he watched Krena eat as if the food were her sworn enemy.
“Y-yes.”
“And as for what comes next, she’ll attend the academy when she turns twelve. She’ll need an education, too. After she graduates, she’ll likely serve the royal family.”
(Oh! So there’s an academy, too!)
“The royal family!”
Allen reacted to the mention of the academy, but everyone at the table, including the Village Chief, reacted to the royal family. Serving the royal family meant becoming a direct subordinate of the king.
“An academy?”
“Yes, an academy city. Talented people go there to receive an education and train.”
He briefly explained the academy. It was attended by people whose talents had been recognized during the Appraisal Ceremony. Admission and student life cost money, but the lord would cover the expenses for a Sword Saint.
“If I go to the academy, can I become a knight?!”
“D-Dogora, you idiot!”
It was Dogora, who had the talent of an Axeman, interrupting the conversation. He was big, with a face that looked like a potato. His eyes were shining brightly.
“Hm? Who’s that child?”
“My apologies. This is my son, Dogora. He has the talent of an Axeman, and he’s always saying he wants to become a knight.”
Though Dogora’s parent apologized, they eagerly pushed their son forward. Of course, they’d taken a seat at the Knight Commander’s table to promote their child.
“An Axeman, eh? Hmm. The Knights need Spearmen most of all, but Axemen are valuable, too. If he gets good results on the academy entrance exam, we provide assistance with tuition.”
(I see. Spearmen over Axemen, huh? And they help with tuition, too.)
They had a proper system for tuition assistance. Allen wondered if there were conditions, like having to work in the territory that had funded their studies after graduation.
“Got it!”
Dogora looked happy that the Knight Commander had listened to him.
“Well, let’s see. We’ll send a teacher to make sure Krena passes the entrance exam, though that won’t be for a while yet. Make sure she studies hard. And you, Dogora—if you want to become a knight, you should study alongside her.”
“Got it!”
Apparently, having talent alone wasn’t enough to get into the academy. The Knight Commander made sure the Village Chief understood that, too. It seemed a failed entrance exam would be a problem for the lord as well. He added that others could attend the teacher’s lessons, as long as they didn’t interfere with Krena’s studies.
Dogora’s parent rubbed his head vigorously, apparently hoping he’d use a little more polite language. But despite that, the parent looked delighted. They began talking with the Knight Commander about Dogora’s future service.
“Is Allen gonna study, too?”
(Huh?)
“What?! That black-haired kid’s talentless! Why would he study? Weak people can’t become knights!”
“Allen’s strong! We play knights together all the time!”
“Hah! I know all about him. He doesn’t have any talent, and all his stats are super low, right?”
“That’s not true! Allen’s really strong. He knows everything, too!”
(Hey, Krena, stop it. Why are you pouring oil on the fire?)
Krena’s face turned bright red when Dogora insulted Allen. She puffed out her cheeks angrily. Her loud voice drew the attention of the other knights and villagers, too.
The eyes of everyone in the room turned toward Allen, who’d been quietly eating as if he were invisible.
“Come to think of it, who’s this black-haired boy?”
The Knight Commander had noticed the unusual black-haired, black-eyed child sitting beside Krena. Compared to the Sword Saint, it hadn’t seemed important, so he hadn’t brought it up before.
“He’s my son, sir.”
Rodan bowed his head. The Knight Commander looked at him as if to ask who he was. The banquet had been going on for a while, but Rodan hadn’t joined in the conversation with him.
“This is my friend, Rodan.”
Seeing the Knight Commander’s expression, Gerda introduced Rodan. The name seemed to ring a bell, and the commander said it as if he’d just remembered something.
“Rodan? Are you the Rodan who hunts Boars?”
(Huh? He knows him? And did I just hear something like a nickname?)
The Knight Commander’s attention shifted from Allen, the black-haired boy, to his father, Rodan.
“Y-yes. My name is Rodan.”
For some reason, the Knight Commander knew who he was.
“Oh! I’m sorry—I should have recognized you! I was about to leave without realizing you were the village’s hero!”
The Knight Commander’s attitude changed abruptly.
“Huh? You know about me?”
“Of course. Our lord has praised you as well. The most important thing in this territory is increasing our food supply. The lord is delighted that, since you founded this village and expanded the fields, Boar meat somehow began arriving every winter.”
Every winter, processed meat had begun arriving from the Pioneer Village. The Knight Commander cheerfully explained that people in the lord’s city now said the meat delivered from the village marked the arrival of winter.
A Great Boar yielded over a ton of edible meat. The village didn’t even consume half of one. Most of it was transported to the city where the lord lived. Nearly ten Great Boars were hunted each year, and several tons of their meat became precious winter food.
“When we looked into it, we learned that Rodan and Gerda were leading the serfs on hunts. That’s impressive! These aren’t my words—please accept them as the words of our lord himself.”
Rodan hadn’t received any particular reward, but the Knight Commander praised him loudly enough for the whole hall to hear. All the villagers were listening, too.
“Th-thank you.”
Rodan felt something welling up inside him, as if all those years of hunting Boars had finally been rewarded. Allen was so happy that Rodan was being praised, as if it were Allen himself being praised.
Before long, the banquet ended, and they set off for home. Allen managed to hide about four Mormo fruits inside his clothes and take them with him. He wanted to tell Telesia how Rodan had been praised, and his steps felt a little lighter on the way home.