Chapter 43
Silestin spoke as though he had seen straight through Jade's thoughts.
It was because Silestin could also see anything Jade could see.
-I remember that. But this village has one too. Weren't people with the talent to become spirit mages rare?
-Jade is from the marquisate too! Maybe that's why?
-Hmm, that makes sense.
There were no memories of spirits among those that remained.
No, there wasn't even anything resembling a spirit.
That meant either he had no spirit affinity, or that it was extremely weak.
-Of course, Jade's spirit affinity back then probably wasn't very high.
-If it had been, a sylph or undine would have noticed long ago. Spirits can see them even if humans can't.
Silestin and Elestra had come to a similar conclusion.
Meanwhile, Jade followed the village chief around and made five more wells.
“Thank you so much, my lord.”
“It's all right. It was partly for my sake and the territory's as well. So just grow your crops well and pay your taxes faithfully.”
“I will do my best.”
“Good. And I'd like to meet your grandson in private.”
“You mean my grandson?”
The village chief, who had been bowing repeatedly, blinked.
He found it strange that Jade suddenly wanted to meet his grandson.
“He seems to have talent as a spirit mage.”
“M-my grandson, my lord?”
The village chief's voice rose.
He had been startled by the unexpected words.
But he soon realized his mistake and hurriedly bowed at the waist.
After all, he had committed the blunder of raising his voice at the lord, of all people.
“I-I'm sorry! I'm truly sorry, my lord!”
“It's all right. I'm not the sort to nitpick over something like that. Anyone might react that way when surprised. In any case, I'd like to meet him.”
“I'll show you the way immediately!”
The village chief had witnessed the miracle of a defensive wall being erected before his very eyes, not merely heard some fanciful tale.
So, afraid that Jade might take back what he had said, he hurried to guide him.
Matching Jade, the greatest spirit mage in the Kingdom of Polstein, would be difficult, but even reaching a quarter of his level might let the boy rise in status.
For that reason, the village chief led Jade along while imagining all sorts of things.
“Rael! Are you inside?”
“Yes, Grandfather!”
The village chief had barely managed to conceal his impatience by the time he reached the house, and he shouted without realizing it.
His urgency had naturally made his voice louder.
A moment later, a boy who looked about fifteen or sixteen came rushing out of the modest two-story house.
He had hurried out after hearing his grandfather loudly call his name.
“Come here.”
“Huh? M-my lord?”
Rael, who had rushed out in a panic, began to fidget.
He had been startled to see Jade standing half a step behind his grandfather.
“I came because I wanted to ask you something.”
“M-me?”
“Yes.”
Looking at Rael, whose surprise was plain to see, Jade smiled gently.
He had seen Rael when he built the defensive wall, and the boy had seemed remarkably mild-mannered.
Jade met Rael's eyes, set in a fine-boned face that would suit him even dressed as a woman, and got to the point.
“Please, ask whatever you wish. I will answer as sincerely as I can.”
The relatively relaxed atmosphere helped Rael compose himself.
He could tell that, despite being a noble, Jade was not particularly authoritarian.
He still didn't understand why his grandfather had been acting as nervous as a dog that needed to relieve itself, though.
“The territory's current situation isn't very good. We have a defensive wall, but the order of knights has been annihilated. Though I suppose I'm not one to talk, since I was the one who wiped them out. In any case, I plan to fill the gap in our forces with spirit mages.”
“C-could it be?”
Rael's pupils widened.
He was young, but he wasn't so ignorant that he couldn't understand what Jade was implying.
Moreover, since the person before him was undoubtedly Jade, the greatest spirit mage in the Kingdom of Polstein, Rael wore an expression of disbelief.
“You guessed right. You have the aptitude to become a spirit mage. But I have no intention of forcing you. In the end, what matters is your own will.”
“I will! I will devote my life to serving you, my lord!”
Unlike Jade's calm voice, Rael shouted, his face flushed with excitement.
He even dropped to his knees at Jade's feet.
Though young, he understood better than anyone that this was an opportunity.
“...I think you've misunderstood. I wasn't saying that I would raise you as my disciple.”
“I know. I know my place. I don't even expect to become your disciple! I know that I should be grateful if you simply guide me as a spirit mage and give me even a little instruction.”
Even in this status-based society, such an intense reaction left Jade bewildered.
But Jade's bewilderment quickly faded.
In any case, the important thing was that Rael was willing to do it.
“Good. Then it's settled.”
“Thank you!”
“Pack your things and come to Baden Village. You'll be living there for the time being.”
“I'll leave today!”
“There's no need for that. Prepare properly and leave tomorrow. You need to say goodbye to your family.”
Jade shook his head at Rael, who was already overflowing with enthusiasm.
Even though Jade would be there, Baden Village was the village closest to the Great Forest in the marquisate.
Besides, this would involve more than a day or two of training, so Jade thought Rael should have plenty of time to say goodbye to his family.
He would eventually experience actual combat, and some of them might suffer unforeseen accidents.
“Understood.”
“Thank you for giving my inadequate grandson this opportunity, my lord. I will work even harder from now on.”
“You don't need to thank me so much. I'm doing it all for the territory.”
Jade waved his hand.
Even so, the village chief smiled brightly.
Whatever the case, this was good news for his grandson.
“I will work hard for the territory from now on!”
“You'd better come prepared to steel yourself. Like any other path, the path of a spirit mage won't be easy.”
“I'll keep that in mind!”
Jade shook his head at Rael, who was brimming with excessive determination.
It seemed the boy was exerting himself too much from the very beginning.
“Then I'll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
“Um, my lord. Would you care to have dinner with us? You built our wells and all, so though it would be a humble meal, I'd like to repay you somehow.”
“Spend today with Rael. I'll arrange a meal with the village chiefs later, so we'll see each other then.”
“Ah, I understand.”
The village chief cautiously broached the subject, but Jade turned him down flatly.
He understood the man's feelings, but thought he should spend today with his grandson.
Besides, he still hadn't finished everything he had to do.
“Then I'll see you next time.”
“Please travel safely, my lord!”
With the grandfather and grandson seeing him off, Jade mounted Silaphe.
Soon, his silhouette vanished in an instant.
Gulp!
“If you learn well from and follow the lord's teachings, you'll be able to summon spirits too, Rael.”
“I like wind spirits, but I want to make a contract with an earth spirit first.”
“Why?”
Rael, who had watched Jade ride Silaphe away until the very end, swallowed dryly and spoke in a resolute tone.
The village chief asked with a warm smile.
“Because then I can make the village safer.”
“Ha ha ha.”
“Of course, I'll make a contract with a wind spirit too. I want to fly through the sky myself.”
“If you keep working hard, you'll be able to do it.”
“I'll work really hard. I want to become the second spirit mage in the kingdom.”
Rael clenched his fist.
He didn't even dream of becoming the greatest.
Even in a rural village, Rael knew how difficult it was to become a high-ranking spirit mage.
But he thought that becoming the second might be possible if he worked hard.
“I really hope you do.”
“I'll succeed and restore our family's fortunes!”
“Don't push yourself too hard.”
Seeing Rael burn with excessive enthusiasm, the village chief wore a slightly worried expression.
The proverb that too much was worse than too little came to mind.
Working hard was good, but going too far was not.
“I'll make sure you live in comfort.”
“I'm fine. Just think of yourself, your parents, and your siblings.”
The village chief gently stroked Rael's head, his expression tinged with concern.
But Rael didn't hear him.
He was already letting his imagination run wild.
Patter-patter-patter!
A group of people crossed the Great Forest.
There were about thirty of them, and all of them were in poor physical condition.
The men, along with the women carrying children, all bore wounds both large and small.
Even so, they did not stop running.
“Those cowardly wolf bastards...!”
“This is when we need to conserve even the energy to speak. Save as much energy as possible.”
“But, Chieftain...!”
“Silence.”
A young man whose face was flushed with anger called out to the middle-aged man at the front.
But the middle-aged man, covered in blood from head to toe, did not answer.
Instead, he opened his eyes wide and scanned their surroundings.
“...Are you really planning to seek out that human?”
“That human is feared by the ignorant orcs and those irritating troll tribes alike. We absolutely need his help.”
“But will he help us? To him, we must be no different from monsters.”
“We have to make a deal. A deal that human can't refuse.”
The middle-aged man's gaze became grave.
However, the young man following behind him did not notice the expression on his face.
Instead, all he could see was the broad, dependable back, covered in wounds but still sturdy.
Awoooo-!
Then, a wolf's howl rang out from not far away.
Howls rang out in every direction.
At the sound, the faces of the group sprinting at full speed grew dark in an instant.
They could tell that the distance between them and their pursuers had narrowed considerably.
‘As expected, there's no comparing us when it comes to mobility.’
As the howls drew closer, the middle-aged man's face stiffened.
Even though they were moving as fast as they could, the distance was closing far more quickly than he had expected.
‘Even so, I can't abandon my family.’
The elephant tribe was small to begin with.
Then an unexpected ambush had killed many of their tribesmen.
For that reason, the middle-aged man could never give up, no matter how many of them were wounded.
He would get them all out alive somehow.
‘Even if I become a slave, I will make sure my family survives.’
Using his characteristically keen ears to gather information from every direction, the middle-aged man pressed onward.
But after running desperately all that way, he was greeted by an empty house.
As they had heard, they passed the traces of the black drake and crossed the defensive wall, whose ivy naturally served as camouflage, but all that greeted them was a mass of weeds.
There was not a single sign of life.
“...Chieftain.”
At that sight, one of the tribesmen who had barely managed to make it there through sheer force of will spoke in a despondent voice.
Despite finally making it there, the sight of only an empty hut had sapped their strength in an instant.
Then a howl rang out from not far away.
Given the werewolves' speed, they were so close that saying they were right outside would hardly be an exaggeration.
“Where should we go now? No, is there anywhere we can go?”
“Chieftaiiin.”
A woman muttered blankly.
Then the child in her arms whimpered and called out to the middle-aged man.
“This is rich. The elephant tribe, said to be the strongest of the beastkin, put its faith in a mere human. I can hardly believe it, even seeing it with my own eyes. Though I suppose we have to give up the title of strongest beastkin now. ‘Strongest’ isn't a title a fugitive can claim.”
Grind!