Outing

The high autumn sky and vividly colored autumn leaves.

There wasn't much time left for even those.

They would soon all fall as leaves, becoming a blanket over the ground.

It was late autumn.

‘Beautiful.’

Looking up at scenery she had only ever looked down upon thousands of times was refreshing.

Perhaps that was why Valdrova could not take another step.

The sensation of becoming part of it felt incredibly precious.

‘An outing…….’

This was not an expedition to beat monsters, but an outing undertaken simply to enjoy herself.

It was nothing special, yet she could not control her pounding heart.

What if I made a mistake?

I mustn't make a mistake…….

Repeating that to herself and taking several deep breaths, she finally moved her feet.

‘What might the village Mr. Ferda built look like?’

After centuries of seclusion, Valdrova was encountering a village for the first time.

It was none other than the village being built beneath Valdrova Castle.

‘This is…… a village?’

The last village in Valdrova's memory had houses made of stone, earth, and wood.

But what was this place now?

There were nothing but tents.

People had gathered around the tents and were working.

‘It has regressed so much in the meantime.’

Valdrova could not help feeling sorry.

The last time she had heard from Luri, she had said the village was clearly prospering…….

Had she lied so Valdrova wouldn't worry?

“Hey, who are you, mister?”

Someone approached while Valdrova was staring blankly at the place.

Valdrova was startled and turned her head.

He was a man in his thirties who looked as though he had rolled around on the rough ground quite a bit.

Valdrova was overwhelmed by his appearance.

It wasn't simply because he looked fierce.

‘A human spoke to me.’

The symptoms arose from her fear of interacting with people.

A human other than Ferda had casually approached her and asked who she was.

For a moment, Valdrova felt as though time had stopped.

What should I say? Should I run away?

“What is it? Why aren't you saying anything? Are you perhaps a fellow who's sworn an oath of silence?”

An oath of silence?

She didn't know what that was, but Valdrova nodded for the time being.

The man did not press her any further and accepted her answer.

“Ah, I see. You're a knight who swore an oath to Alte. Are you wandering around hoping to receive a knighthood at Valdrova Castle?”

She shook her head.

“Really? Then you seem like someone from a knightly family who became an adventurer…… But it seems you've arrived too early. We're in the middle of constructing the village. We need to build the houses first, and quickly, but this is quite a situation…….”

The man clicked his tongue.

Valdrova tilted her head and pointed at the tents with a finger.

She was asking whether the houses weren't over there.

“Huh? What are you talking about? Those are places to stay temporarily until the village is finished. They aren't houses!”

Oh, so those weren't houses.

Valdrova scratched her head awkwardly.

“You don't know much about the world yet, do you? Well, that happens. Those are temporary barracks, and what we need now are communal barracks—houses that can properly block the winter wind and let people warm their hands by a fire. We need to build them quickly if we're going to spend the winter warmly.”

“……”

“They say they're going to post an announcement throughout the Empire and bring in lots of people, but damn it, there hasn't been any news of anyone volunteering. Do you know why?”

She shook her head.

“Lots of people don't want to be dragged to the front lines, don't they? I would have felt the same way. The world inside the walls is harsh enough, so what in the world is the outside like? Young people these days would rather tremble in fear and die inside the Empire. They have no spirit, no spirit at all.”

“……”

“So, mister. Are you perhaps good with your strength?”

Strength…….

A woman who possessed nothing but strength.

That was why she was a dragon known as the Aspect of Fire and Strength.

Valdrova nodded uncertainly.

“There are a few people like you, you know? I'm the foreman for this construction project. If you're strong, why don't you help us out? I wouldn't stop you if you had somewhere else to go, but if you want to work in the Far East, shouldn't we build this as quickly as possible?”

The man offered Valdrova a labor job.

Although she was dressed as a knight and an adventurer, he did not hesitate because they were desperate for workers.

After hearing his offer, Valdrova glanced around once more.

People living in tents.

They wore quilted clothes, but they hunched their bodies whenever the cold wind blew.

‘It must be very cold.’

It would be even colder sleeping in tents like those.

‘Then what I can do is…….’

After thinking it over, Valdrova nodded.

“As expected of adventurers…… Wait, you're actually going to do it?”

She nodded repeatedly.

“Huh.”

The man stared at her with his eyes wide, as if she were some kind of oddity.

The foreman had made that offer to other adventurers several times, but this was the first time anyone had accepted.

Who would want to do this kind of hard labor?

“All right. I'll tell the administrator. My name is Hanson. You can call me Foreman, but…… Ah, you swore an oath of silence. If you need work later, I'll give you a tag. Use it to summon me instead.”

She nodded repeatedly.

“Then before you start working…… How about taking off that armor?”

“?”

Armor? This?

Valdrova pointed at her helmet.

“Yes, that armor.”

Clatter!

Valdrova was startled and violently shook her head.

“How are you supposed to work wearing something like that?”

She shook her head vigorously.

“It's not as if you're worried about appearances among men. Is there some reason you can't show your face?”

She nodded repeatedly.

“Huh. You can't show your face, and you've sworn an oath of silence. You're a mysterious fellow.”

Hanson told her several times to take it off before finally giving up.

What did her clothes matter?

As long as she used her strength well, that was all that mattered.

Hanson put her straight to work.

He walked with Valdrova to where the logs had been gathered.

“You see those logs over there? You need to carry all of them to the man sawing at the other end. Simple, right?”

She nodded repeatedly.

“Now, go to the far end. We'll carry them together, so load them onto the cart one at a time. Come on, one, two, heave?”

Something was strange.

He exerted his strength and rose, but there was strangely no resistance.

That would have been impossible unless the timber were made of a bundle of feathers.

Hanson looked down at his hands, just in case.

The log was floating in the air.

The knight standing opposite him had lifted it alone.

With one hand, at that.

As if it were extremely light.

The helmet stared directly at the foreman.

Where should I put this?

“Uh, you can put it over there…… I mean.”

The word “mister” disappeared, and an honorific sprang from his mouth.

Valdrova moved just as she was and began carrying the logs.

She simply moved while holding the end of the log.

Even someone known for being strong couldn't hold onto the end of a pillar and keep it from moving.

“Is it perhaps not heavy for you?”

She nodded repeatedly.

Seeing that Valdrova appeared unaffected, Hanson asked her just in case.

“Can you perhaps lift two as well?”

Valdrova nodded and lifted two logs in one smooth motion.

With one hand again, that was.

“How many more can you lift, by any chance……?”

“?”

Valdrova tilted her head.

She didn't know, either.

But couldn't she find out starting now?

Lifting one at a time in that manner, she stacked and raised a total of ten logs.

She could already carry enough by herself to fill two carts.

“……”

Hanson stared at the sight with his mouth hanging open.

Hanson was not the only one surprised by the feat of strength.

“What is that?”

“Is she holding all of those by herself?”

The attention of the workers constructing the buildings nearby was naturally drawn to them.

Since the knight was holding ten logs at a time while dressed in armor, many people began whispering.

‘Is this not right?’

Frightened by the attention, Valdrova suddenly put the logs down.

Hanson came to his senses and shouted at the people around him.

“What are you looking at, you idiots? Get back to work!”

After growling and threatening them, the laborers returned to their places.

Hanson approached Valdrova and tried to calm her down.

“Goodness, knight. Don't worry. If anyone treats you like a sideshow, this Hanson will personally crack them over the head and set them straight!”

Hanson made chopping motions with his hand while making whooshing sounds with his mouth.

Valdrova was an A-rank talent they desperately needed.

After being coaxed and reassured, Valdrova began working again.

Even if he hadn't said all that, she had intended to continue anyway.

‘Because the houses need to be built quickly.’

She wanted to help them sleep in warm houses before the cold from the north flowed down.

So they could sleep without worry, at least while they slept.

That was the best she could do, with her limited ability to think things through.

“We'd better stop here for today. Good work, knight!”

Valdrova followed the foreman and looked up at the sun.

The sun was slanting toward the west.

She thought there was still time and tried to move back to work, but Hanson stopped her.

“Ah, you can stop now. Isn't the sun setting? Once the sun goes down, we sleep and continue tomorrow. Aren't you all tired?”

Ah, I see.

Valdrova nodded.

Hanson headed toward the place where the people had gathered.

He was going there to return his tag and collect today's wages.

Hanson submitted Valdrova's share as well and collected the money.

Hanson grumbled as he accepted the money pouch.

“Damn those bastards. She did alone what four people were supposed to do over a week, and instead of giving her fifteen people's pay, they say they'll only give her ten. Aren't they a filthy bunch?”

I don't really understand.

So she nodded for now.

“The people up top are always the problem. That regent fellow named Ferda must have ordered it! He's young, but he acts like such a cheapskate…… Hmph!”

Hanson hurriedly shut his mouth.

He felt a gaze glaring at him from the shadow of that helmet.

“Ah, I'm sorry. Still, you're a knight, so insulting a noble was a bit much, wasn't it? Please understand. I'm just a middle-aged man with nothing to show for himself, grumbling about things.”

“……”

“If it were up to me, I'd empty my own purse and give you everything, but please accept this for now. In return, I'll become a connection who can be of great help to you later, adventurer. How about it?”

If Valdrova had been even slightly familiar with the adventurer profession, she would have realized how useless those words were.

However, Valdrova had no idea what the man meant.

So she nodded for the time being.

“Hoho! You really have a different sort of generosity! Here you are.”

Hanson held out a heavy pouch to Valdrova.

The clinking sound from inside the pouch was familiar.

‘It sounds like the gold coins piled up in the treasury.’

It was similar to the sound made when she tapped the pile with a claw.

Valdrova accepted the pouch.

“Come to think of it, knight, this is your first time here. Do you have lodging? If not, I could arrange a sleeping platform for you…….”

Enjoying the human-like experience was pleasant, but she could not stay here.

Valdrova nodded and unconsciously pointed toward Lonely Mountain.

Then, realizing her mistake, she pointed to the side opposite Lonely Mountain.

“Are you planning to leave this place forever?”

Hanson asked with a troubled expression.

When Valdrova shook her head, the color returned to his face.

“Ah, I see. I suppose you're planning to stay somewhere else. All right. If you want to help with the construction, come by anytime. You have no idea how reassuring it is to have someone like you!”

Unable to answer, Valdrova merely kept nodding.

Let's leave this place quickly.

With that thought, she turned away.

“Knight?”

“?”

“You said you were going home, didn't you? Where are you going?”

Valdrova's feet were heading toward Lonely Mountain.

Oops.

I'm not supposed to go that way.

Valdrova awkwardly turned around and walked in the direction she had pointed.

Hanson burst out laughing at the sight.

“Get home safely! And don't run into any monsters!”

After exchanging farewells, Valdrova moved away from the village.

Once the village was no longer visible to the naked eye, Valdrova made a wide circle and headed for her lair.

The return took only three seconds and was over in an instant.

Valdrova pushed open the huge iron door, returned to her lair, and lay down.

Still wearing her armor, she stared up at the pitch-black ceiling.

‘What was that?’

It had been a strange day.

The day had passed like an arrow.

She wasn't tired, but she had no idea what had happened.

She had simply kept moving, and the people had admired her.

‘Was I…… helpful?’

She felt dazed by the fact that this alone had been enough.

Valdrova untied the bundle resting on her chest.

Ten copper coins per laborer.

A total of one hundred for ten people's share.

She stacked them neatly and stared down at them.

Money humans had given her.

‘Money they gave me to thank me.’

They had been grateful.

‘They said we'd meet again tomorrow.’

Their figures were vividly drawn in Valdrova's mind.

They had not been trembling with fear, but smiling brightly.

‘Humans want me.’

She did not know how to express this swelling feeling.

She only wanted to share in this joy that made her heart feel as though it might burst.

“Luri……”

The first person who came to mind was the girl who knew her well.

The kindhearted girl who had served her faithfully for a long time.

“I mustn't tell her……”

Valdrova reflexively covered her mouth.

Luri was loyal, but when she got angry, she was more frightening than anyone.

She would certainly nag Valdrova about the dignity of a dragon and all that.

It would only give them more opportunities to make each other suffer, so she decided to keep it a secret.

She needed someone else to share it with, someone other than Luri.

“Then…… Mr. Ferda?”

A gentle man.

She always needed a topic to talk about with him.

This was a good topic, even among all the possible topics.

Her heart tickled.

She inexplicably began to grin, and her body moved on its own as if it didn't know what to do.

She wanted Ferda to draw this feeling out of her.

‘No, not yet.’

Valdrova hugged the pouch of copper coins tightly.

She wanted to tell Ferda, but not now.

This was a village being built through Ferda's will.

She wanted to collect the coins carefully and give him a gift that would surprise him.

Someday, if this village prospered, she would tell him that she had raised its main beam.

That she had built it with her own hands.

That she could do more than destroy.

She wanted to see the expression on his face.

She wanted to hear what praise he would give her.

So she decided to hide it away carefully.

Even so, it felt like a waste to keep this feeling only in her heart, and it slipped out of her mouth before she knew it.

“Mr. Ferda…….”

Valdrova uttered his name tenderly.

“I…… helped Mr. Ferda.”

That was the first step Valdrova took.

The beginning of a small change.