When Taking a Step Forward

When things in the territory had been settled to some extent, Ferda contacted Count Consilius for the first time in a long while.

“How are things in your territory, Count?”

-There was nothing to do but hold funerals, if you could call that a situation.

The Grand Duchy of Valdrova held a lavish banquet for the victors, but in Count Consilius's domain, only a modest banquet was held after the joint funeral.

Most of the deaths had occurred on the Far Eastern Alliance's side, and although the number of dead was small compared to the number of troops, death was still death.

“I'll add to the condolence payments.”

-No, these are still expenses we can cover with our finances, and……

“Don't refuse. Accept it and distribute it to the bereaved families.”

-If you put it that way, I will gratefully accept it. I will take care to ensure it reaches the families of the fallen without exception.

The reason Ferda was being so generous was that he knew his own position.

No matter how high Ferda stood in the Far East, he could not make himself their focal point.

Consilius, the eldest and the man who had watched over this land for so long, was their spiritual pillar, so Ferda had to support him properly.

“Come to think of it, I heard that someone else took care of the colossal monster we had planned to deal with.”

-That is correct. He stood alone on the battlefield, slew all those monsters, and killed the colossal one as well.

At the time, Ferda had only received a report saying that he had taken care of everything alone, so he had not known the details.

He decided to ask properly while he had the chance.

“Was he a mage?”

-No. He was a knight.

“A knight took down a colossal monster alone?”

It was difficult to believe.

“Is he skilled with magic?”

-That is not the case either. We asked the mages, but they say he cannot use magic or even aura.

He was strong without even being able to wield aura.

If so, it was becoming increasingly certain that he was the armored knight who had turned the wolf monsters into pulp.

-I believe he may be the knight you mentioned before.

“The knight I was looking for before…….”

-You said you were looking for armor that looked as though it would take your breath away, didn't you?

Ferda remembered.

‘The Walking Fortress, Alberto.’

That was what he had called him when describing him.

Of course, Ferda had never expected to find him.

He was a freewheeling wandering knight who focused solely on beating monsters to death, after all.

-When asked what he wanted done about this achievement, he pointed toward the Grand Duchy of Valdrova.

“Does that mean he wants to receive his reward from me?”

-It would seem so. He said that and then set out alone. I should have told you yesterday, but……

“You told me now, so that's enough. Don't worry about it.”

Ferda did not mind in the slightest.

On the contrary, if the person he had been looking for was coming to him of his own accord, why would he refuse?

“When do you expect him to arrive?”

“Judging by his walking speed, I believe he will arrive sometime tomorrow morning.”

Tomorrow morning…….

Even without a horse, he would walk without stopping, so in practical terms, he would arrive at roughly the same speed as someone riding one.

Ferda waited for him to arrive.

* * *

Around the time stability returned to Hestia Territory,

Valdrova came outside wearing her armor for the first time in a while.

The last time she had gone to see Hanson, she had said she was going back to her hometown, so she was pretending to be someone who had returned from there.

‘I've been gone for too long.’

Guilt came rushing over her.

In truth, she had been guarding her post on a lonely mountain, but in the guise of this armor, she had gone to her hometown and never returned.

The fact that she had not been there when she was needed weighed heavily on her mind.

‘What if people hate me because I wasn't here?’

Why weren't you here when we needed you?

Do you know how many people suffered because of you?

Carrying those fears, she cautiously approached the walls of Hestia Village.

The walls had been completed while Valdrova was away, and there were gate guards now.

“Halt! State your identi…… Huh? Aren't you the armored knight?”

“?”

“I'm Hans. I worked on the village construction. Ah, well, all I did was watch from afar by myself.”

The young man who introduced himself as Hans gave her a bright smile and stepped aside to let her through.

“Please, come on in! Everyone has been waiting for you, Knight!”

Waiting for me?

When she entered at his words, there were indeed people waiting for Valdrova, just as the gate guard had said.

Those who recognized her came running out with cheers.

“It's the knight! The knight has returned!”

“It's the armored knight!”

“Our savior!”

Contrary to her expectations, they were welcoming her with great enthusiasm.

Surrounded by the crowd, Valdrova thought,

‘Why?’

Valdrova was dumbfounded.

Although she had become famous as a hero during the monster attack, she had never received this much of a welcome.

Valdrova thought about it carefully.

‘All I did was build things, wasn't it……?’

Valdrova wondered if that was the reason.

Had she built the walls and buildings so well that they were reacting this way?

‘Come to think of it, they did say they were building faster thanks to my help.’

They were thanking her because she had built houses and walls capable of accommodating many people in a short time, making everyone safer.

That was what Valdrova thought.

‘Maybe that's why……!’

She reached an incredibly simple conclusion and let the matter pass.

Receiving their welcome and admiring gazes, she made her way to the labor union office.

“Oh! Our hero has arrived!”

Hanson, who had now become the head of the labor union, welcomed Valdrova.

“I was waiting because I thought you'd come here once you returned. Come on, come inside! There is someone who has been wanting to meet you. I was hoping you could meet her. Would that be all right?”

Valdrova nodded.

Hanson twisted his body aside to clear a path, and a woman sitting at the table in the union chairman's office came into view.

Blue hair and a face that looked pure and delicate.

She wore an adventurer's outfit and a platinum badge on her chest.

When she saw Valdrova, she extended a hand with a friendly expression.

“Hello. I'm Eri, the branch head of the Far Eastern Adventurers Guild.”

Although she was using an alias to conceal her identity, Valdrova recognized who she was at first sight.

‘She's the child Iorga dotes on, isn't she?’

She was the girl who was always by Iorga's side whenever Valdrova encountered him.

A dragon spawn whom Valdrova had secretly admired because she seemed as serious and intelligent as Iorga.

‘Why is she pretending to be human?’

She desperately wanted to ask, but then remembered that she was mute and quietly took the offered hand.

Even that brief handshake made her feel as though she had become a little smarter.

“There are many rumors about you. I hear you have been here since this village was built?”

Nod, nod.

“Everyone thought you merely possessed tremendous physical strength, but then you distinguished yourself when the monsters attacked.”

Nod, nod.

“And this time, I heard you cut an entire colossal monster apart. I was truly impressed.”

Nod……?

Valdrova tilted her head.

‘A colossal monster?’

Killing those was part of Valdrova's daily life, but that could not be what Erika was referring to.

As for monsters killed in this armor, she had only taken care of two wolves at most.

‘Besides, I was definitely here……?’

Had the armor moved on its own and gone there?

The Bronze Dragon was a master craftsman when it came to creating things, but if he knew Valdrova's personality, he would never have added a function like that.

‘Then there must be another armored knight.’

Only then did she understand why she had been welcomed so warmly.

Hadn't she been acting proud on the strength of someone else's reputation all this time?

Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she was troubled at the same time.

She had to clear up the misunderstanding, but the vow of silence had sealed her lips.

“Thanks to your devotion to the prosperity of Hestia, many adventurers have found you an example to follow.”

I didn't do that!

She wanted to say so, but praise she would never have heard under normal circumstances kept pouring out, leaving her no opening to speak and making her feel even more awkward.

“If it isn't too much trouble, could you at least tell me your name? If you are an adventurer, I need to check whether you are registered.”

Her name.

There was no way she could reveal it.

Aside from the matter of maintaining her cover, Luri's fierce glare immediately came to mind, making her throat close up.

“I suppose it must be difficult for you to tell me. I understand.”

Erika did not press her any further, as though she understood.

“Chairman.”

“Y-Yes!”

“I'm sorry for borrowing your office without permission, but may I speak with her for a moment?”

“Of course!”

There was no way a mere labor union chairman could refuse a platinum adventurer's request.

Hanson left them alone.

Erika went a step further and cast magic, transforming the room into a space completely cut off from the outside, with only the two of them inside.

Valdrova quietly waited.

She believed that Iorga's child would never do anything bad to people.

“What I am about to discuss is something that would only harm the two of us if others heard it, so let us speak in secret.”

Nod…….

Valdrova could not help but tense up.

Erika cast another spell.

The chairman's office instantly warped somewhere else.

No, it was recreating a certain space.

Valdrova knew this street.

It was the place where she had been standing when the monsters attacked.

“I recreated and examined the scene from when you dealt with the wolf monsters. Please forgive me for doing this without your permission, Knight.”

There, a wolf monster was facing a man wearing armor identical to Valdrova's.

Yap, yap!

The wolf monster leaped forward without fear,

Thud!

and died at the armored knight's hand.

“It took only 0.3 seconds to deal with one.”

Erika spoke, unable to conceal her astonishment.

“For someone at the level of an Imperial Swordmaster, dealing with a single wolf monster like this alone would be no trouble. But you are in a completely different league from those Swordmasters.”

“……”

“You killed it without using a weapon or aura, relying solely on pure strength.”

Valdrova tensed at the word strength.

Erika rewound and replayed the scene several times as she spoke.

“People say that everything is powerless before overwhelming strength, but this requires technique as well as strength. You are a seasoned fighter who has faced at least dozens of monsters.”

Overwhelming strength and experience.

Inside the armor, Valdrova trembled violently.

She anxiously wondered whether Erika would conclude that all of this was the result of the Aspect of Strength.

Will she discover everything like this?

Will she discover it as Iorga's child, whom Luri had strictly warned her never to let find out?

The thought of the lecture that would follow was agonizing for Valdrova.

Am I going to die like this??

“Don't worry. I have no intention of digging deeply into you. What matters to us is not your past or identity, but solely your abilities.”

Erika's words reassured Valdrova.

“Based on these abilities, I would like to make you a proposal.”

Erika handed her a sheet of paper.

The title read, ‘Demon Lands Exploration Plan.’

“I am forming a team as both the branch head of the Far Eastern Adventurers Guild and an adventurer myself.”

Nod, nod.

“And I would like to recruit you to this team, Knight.”

If she became an adventurer…….

A group that traveled throughout the continent of Serdes, unearthed mysteries, and defeated evil.

Mixing with people was fundamental to that process.

And she would not be able to return to the castle for days at a time.

Shake, shake!

Valdrova reflexively shook her head.

She strongly conveyed that all she wanted was to build things here.

Erika nodded as though she had expected that response.

“Of course, I expected you to refuse.”

If she had merely expected a refusal, there would have been no reason to make the offer.

She already understood the source of Valdrova's unease.

“Considering your behavior patterns, I imagine you are uneasy about teamwork and uncomfortable with having to face people over the long term, correct? I will take those concerns into consideration using my authority.”

Although she had been offered special accommodations, Valdrova only shook her head again.

“You must have a complicated reason, after all.”

A knight with seasoned combat skills and overwhelming strength who did not fight for honor.

Erika understood that well.

She was in a state where something that had sustained her heart had collapsed, leaving her unable to care about anything anymore.

The greatest warrior of the 12th Expedition had been the same way.

However, Erika could not back down.

“But if you would consider the survival of Hestia Village, I ask you to reconsider just a little longer.”

The purpose for which Hestia had been built.

“Hestia Village was built to conquer the Demon Lands. Its purpose is to accommodate many adventurers and research means of fighting the demons.”

Valdrova had heard that before.

But she had thought it had nothing to do with her.

“As always, good intentions do not guarantee a smooth outcome.”

Ferda generously supported everything within the territory.

Under Vernel's leadership, their technology had advanced dramatically.

But turning people's hearts could not be achieved through support alone.

Everything depended on the will of the people.

Everyone dreamed of striking it rich.

But that was only when the risks and returns they had to bear were clear.

The Demon Lands were a place where the returns were uncertain.

That was why those with real ability refused, while only assorted riffraff continued to gather.

Erika had become the branch head of the Far Eastern Adventurers Guild in order to escape that situation.

“I don't know what circumstances you have, but you undoubtedly want to distance yourself from anything associated with violence. However, we cannot let someone with this much ability waste away at a construction site forever.”

Erika spoke firmly.

“If you truly love Hestia Village, I hope you will join us in doing what others cannot.”

“……”

What others could not do.

No one could carry more things than she could.

But if people gathered together, it was something anyone could do.

Then what about monsters?

Monsters were different.

Even if dozens of people gathered, without the power to fight them, they were nothing more than prey.

‘I…… like things the way they are now.’

From the moment she came down to Hestia Village until now, all she had done was raise buildings and stack walls.

Doing small jobs for money and watching people smile had been immensely rewarding and wonderful for her.

‘If I start killing something…….’

Once she began using violence, she would be unable to control herself.

If.

If she wielded this power wrongly while trying to protect everyone and ended up killing them instead…….

She would never be able to forgive herself again.

Watching Valdrova's expression, Erika thought,

‘Is she going to refuse after all?’

Erika had already noticed that Valdrova was not someone who had taken the vow of silence long ago.

She assumed Valdrova had some secret she could not tell others, much like Ferda did.

She truly needed her and earnestly wanted her, but if she refused once more, Erika decided she would give up.

There was no good in forcing someone into an adventure.

After pondering, Valdrova finally gave her answer.

Nod, nod.

“As expected, you refuse…… Wait, are you saying you will accept?”

Erika asked again in surprise.

Nod, nod.

Valdrova nodded again.

If it had been the day before the Spring Welcoming Festival, she would certainly have thought this.

That she was perfectly satisfied with a simple life of building things like a laborer.

The reason she could not do that was because Valdrova had seen it with her own eyes.

The monsters standing beyond that land were enormous despite being so far away.

Hestia Village beneath Valdrova's castle was so close, yet so small and fragile.

Under her wings were lives like duckweed, certain to be swept away if even one thing were to spill over by mistake.

She grieved over that and became consumed with worry.

At the same time, Valdrova thought,

If that land disappeared, I would not have to worry like this…….

‘That child is right.’

Building alone was not enough.

‘I have to do what others cannot.’

She had to stop those disgusting things from being created and wipe them out.

A hatchling that had broken out of its egg now had to take one more step.

* * *

In front of Hestia Village's gate,

The gate guards were enjoying their leisure while chatting.

“What's for dinner today?”

“I hear it's stew made from everything. They said they have to use up all the leftover ingredients.”

“Tsk, cooks have it easy. When push comes to shove, they can just throw everything in.”

“There was a whole bunch of sausage left over, so I'm going to add it and eat it.”

“Share some with me. Are you going to eat all the good stuff by yourself?”

“Buy some and eat it yourself.”

“Ugh, you little pig, go ahead and eat it all. Eat it all.”

“How many minutes are left on our shift?”

“The sun was over there before we came, so twenty minutes. I should start getting ready for the shift change.”

“Whoa, I thought about three hours had passed. How are we supposed to endure this boredom?”

“Boredom is better. If monsters keep invading, we're the ones who have to work ourselves to the bone.”

“Exactly. It's better to die of boredom.”

The place they had lived was one where predators and goblin-like monsters prowled freely, drawn by the smell of food.

But the forest spread out before them was silent as the grave.

It was so peaceful that they could hardly believe the Demon Lands lay beyond it.

As they waited, letting out long yawns,

“Hm?”

“What's wrong?”

“No, doesn't it feel like the ground is shaking?”

“Can you even feel the duty leader's foot trembling?”

“No, just feel it carefully. I mean, it sounds like something heavy is going thump, thump.”

“Ah, you bastard, are you trying something weird with me again…….”

His sarcastic remark cut off.

Just as the other man had said, a vibration traveled up through his boots.

It grew stronger with every passing moment, until it was too definite to dismiss as mere worry.

Something was approaching them.