Behind the Triumph

Translated by Raizu

Melgins point of view this time. (Lupettas fellow adventurer and lover).

The timeline is the day after the previous story.

The sign that had been propped up at the entrance of the store had collapsed, perhaps because it had been kicked by a passerby.

It lay on its back, staring at the sky.

The name of the shop is written in red paint slightly overlaid on the picture of the carriage drawn in black paint, and at the bottom of the signboard is written in white paint that makes no sense.

The characters written in red paint are in Eruo, so even I can read them.

Shionoyado Station.

That was a common name for a store here in Newnelly.

Ive asked the landlady of this inn before. It seems that words with the same meaning are written in white paint. Not in Eruo, but in ancient language.

Its not like the owner of this store is knowledgeable about ancient languages.

In the city of Newnelly, this ancient language has become established as a shape and pattern, not letters.

No one understands the deep meaning.

This kind of place is very similar to the city of Othelloria.

There were many stores that painted the corners of the signboards and background pictures in ancient words that have become standard over there.

[..Should I fix it?]

Ive been indebted to this inn for quite some time. I thought it wouldnt be a good idea to leave the fallen signboard as it was, so I rearranged it as I remembered it before entering the inn.

[Welcome back, Melgin-san.]

As soon as I took a step inside, a girl approached me with a clattering sound.

This is Holte, the eldest daughter of the youngest child of the family that runs this inn.

[Is the store open?]

[Yes. everyone is preparing next room.]

This is not only an inn, but also a restaurant with set meals.

As Lupetta, who places importance on eating, likes the food here, it must be good.

I rented a tenement house for a while, but when I realized she was going to this restaurant, I also rented this inns room and moved.

[My big brothers went out to play with their friends. So cunning of them.]

Holte waved the broom she was holding in her hand in the air, as if she was sweeping.

[Ah, I want to go to the festival too.. Hey hey, were there a lot of stalls?]

She couldnt help but want to go out and play.

Holte might be taller than Lupetta, but shes younger than me. There are parts of her that are still childish in nature.

[The main street was full of people, and there were many stalls.. Do you want one?]

[Whats this? .Ah, turtle skewer!]

When I handed over the package I bought at the stall earlier, Holte guessed what was inside without even opening it.

[How do you know?]

[Because it smells like grilled turtles.]

[You can tell that much?]

[Yeah. Its a spring feast. If Melgin-san lives in Newnelly, youll learn it right away.]

Holte picked up a skewer of grilled turtle meat from the package and gleefully pouted.

Although the city of Newnelly has recently become famous for its silk production, it was originally famous for its rock salt and turtle crafts.

It seems that the turtles that are the ingredients can be hunted in early spring, so it may be that the locals often eat turtle meat.

[Its nice. The festival I mean. Its the Young Masters triumphant return, so Im sure its exciting]

Holte said with a booed tone.

She seemingly couldnt help but feel resentful that her older brothers abandoned their jobs and went out to play.

[It wasnt as busy as it was at the beginning of the year, but it was quite lively. Its a triumphant return after taking Reisleaf Castle, so the lord seems to be serving celebratory liquor.]

For the Quordenze family, the fall of Reisleaf Castle is the greatest military exploit.

I think they want to make this triumphant return even more exciting in terms of letting people know about it.

Even so, its really surprising that Reisleaf Castle fell in such a short period of time.

Its all the more so because I passed by Reisleaf Castle when I headed for the Royal Capital.

I wonder how they managed to capture the great shield of Voistra, the pride of the Spierzeig family.

However, Holte didnt seem very interested.

[Hmm? I dont know much about Reisleaf, but our lord won the war, didnt he?]

[Simply put, thats what it is. Its overwhelmingly advantageous against the Spierzeig family.]

[Thats fine. Everyone will be happy if we win. I dont want the enemy army to attack.]

Holtes opinion was the same as the old men and women at the food stall.

They dont really know how their Young Master did it, but he captured an important base in enemy territory and returned safely to Newnelly. Its treated like an auspicious moment, since this means hes a competent future leader, so its worth celebrating. Thus, its festival time..

Since its about the lord of the land where they live, they should be a little more interested.

Is it because of my background that I think this way?

[Come to think of it, Melgin-sans hometown was in Spierzeig territory, wasnt it? Are you alright?]

Holte said as if she just remembered.

I pointed out her mistake while wondering if she had said that before.

[Youre mistaking me for Lupetta.]

[Eh, is that so?]

[I ran away from home when I was a kid. I wandered aimlessly here and there, and before I knew it, I landed in the Spierzeig territory. Thats why my hometown was separate from Lupettawhile mine was in one of the Free Cities.]

[Isnt Melgin-san a Lord? Why didnt your family hold you back?]

The answer to that question is simple.

[It used to be one of the Free Cities. By that I meanits no more now.]

[Ah.]

Holtes expression stiffened a little, probably because she felt that she had touched a part that should not have been touched.

But for me, its something Ive gotten over with a long time ago. So I continued as if it was nothing.

[The fate of a knight who lost his master is really nonsense. Its over, dont worry about it.]

[Huh? Melgin-san, is it possible that youre from a family of knights?]

I burst out laughing a little at the overly abrupt, pretentious wording.

[No, no. Like Lupetta, I was a Lord born in a farming village. There are some villages in the Quordenze territory that have that kind of Lords bloodline as property, right? Thats why Im an ordinary commoner. You dont have to speak strange words.]

Well, there are various reasons why this lineage remained, but it has nothing to do with Holte.

I decided to continue my words before the conversation progressed in that direction.

[You may know this already, but the Free Cities are engaged in nothing but wars. There are many small-scale skirmishes, but there are also large-scale wars that destroy Noble families. Back then, my hometown was under attack by a Great Noble called the Zeldomitra family, and it was already on the verge of extinction.]

[Zeldomitra family? Are they a strong Noble?]

When I told her that the Zeldomitra was as big as the Quordenze family, Holte exaggeratedly exclaimed, [Ehh~].

Both of them are said to be one of the five Great Nobles of the Kingdom, so its not a mistake to say that they are Nobles with similar powers.

[Thats why, right after I was born, I was under the protection of a knight family. I guess they wanted me to be a Lord-class soldier to protect the territory.]

But, I couldnt tell her anything else.

Thanks to that, I was illiterate until I was taught by Lupetta, and because I was living a strange life as if I was half stuck in a knights house, I feel like my life as a commoner was also halfway.

Humans who only know how to kill enemies on the battlefieldone of the weapons wielded by Nobles.

Giving it some thought again now. To prevent escape, the old knights probably didnt give me the knowledge of the world.

Well, thanks to that, they were able to obtain something comparable to a person from a knight family if only in terms of mana.

[At that point, it was still a better life than a normal commoner.]

However, there is no way that a small independent Noble family can resist the large Zeldomitra family for long.

By the time I can remember, I was thrown onto the battlefield, but I vaguely felt that the war situation was getting worse day by day.

Loss after loss, the feudal lords family fell on the battlefield one by one, and before long, the last of them had been killed.

The severance of the Highlords bloodline. That is to say, the downfall of a Noble.

[..thats how the war ended. It wouldve been nice if things ended there.]

Of course, it doesnt end there.

[I was summoned by the surviving knights grandfathers. It was a last-ditch resistance to the Zeldomitra family. A revenge.]

In order to martyr themselves for their lord, a unit was created to launch a desperate attack on the enemy army to deal a heavy blow, and another unit was created to hide in the villages and forests of the territory to continue sabotaging and resistance activities to interfere with the rule of the Zeldomitra family.

Unfortunately, I was assigned to the former, the suicide squad.

[..To put it bluntly, I thought they were stupid. I didnt understand the mindset of the knights at all. Fighting for your dead master is silly. The Zeldomitra family is the new ruler. Since theyve won, why not obey them?]

Perhaps they saw through my thoughts. I feel like Im going to give up on the resistance because its troublesome.

Thats why they assigned me to the suicide squad before I could think about anything else.

[In general, against the Zeldomitranone of the Highlords in my former masters family can win no matter what they do, right? But if their bloodline dies out, its over for them. Even though the war is over, how long will they continue to daydream and fight?]

What I didnt tell Holte, the most disappointing thing was that even everyone in my hometown was not against it.

Our village seems to have been the birthplace of a concubine who was beloved by the previous family Head, thus was treated a little better than the neighboring villages.

Naturally, once the Zeldomitra familys ruling system was established, their rights would be lost. I think thats why they didnt want to admit defeat.

[Well, thats how I got sick of everything and left my hometown.]

At the time, I couldnt put my thoughts into words.

I was just scared of the fanatical ideas of the old knights, and I was disgusted by the blind faith of the villagers who didnt see the reality.

Then, the night before the attack. I lied about wanting to urinate and fled the territory.

[I see.]

[Its no big deal.]

Holtes voice has become gloomy, but this is not a sad story.

At least, it is not one in my mind.

[..Thanks to that I was able to meet Lupetta.]

I unintentionally said out loud.

Holtes expression completely changed after hearing those words, and her eyes widened.

[Ehh..Ehh? Love? Is it love? Right? Right? Love?]

Even though you were listening to me with a solemn expression just a little while ago, ah, you idiot.

Girls of this age love talking about marriage and things like that, so its a problem.

[Hey hey hey, did you get a reply from Miss Lupetta? Huh?]

[Dont bother, kid]

[Huh? Was it no good? I dont think so, since Lupetta-san loves Melgin-san, absolutely! Ah, but Lupetta-san has become really beautiful lately. I have to say this, but when she first came to stay at my house, I thought she was a bit of an idiot, but now even my brother would steal a glance at her. Hey, do you know? There are a lot of people staying at the inn who ask about Lupetta-san, right? Hey, are you fine with that? Melgin-san, wont she be taken by someone else if you dont care?]

In the way that she keeps talking, she looks a lot like her mother, who is the owner of this inn.

I picked up the turtle skewer package and lightly poked Holtes forehead with my index finger.

[I told you earlier, Spierzeig territory is going to be in trouble from now on Shes not in a situation where she can casually say that shes getting betrothed. The Quordenze army might invade the Voistra plain tomorrow.]

[So, you havent received an answer yet?]

Unfortunately, it seemed that the direction of the conversation couldnt be changed.

[Take care of the store quietly.]

[Owie.]

This time, I poked her forehead with my middle finger.

Its unfortunate that I had to deal with a young girl who is dazzled by love affairs. I briskly walked down the corridor.

I ignored the squealing voice from behind.

I proceeded through the well-cleaned corridor.

This inn is reasonably priced and comfortable to live in.

[Im coming in.]

It wasnt until I came to Newnelly that I started knocking first before opening the door.

It started when Lupetta started taking baths. Up until then, she hated taking baths, and only occasionally rubbed her body with a cloth.

Then one day, she suddenly started taking baths. And now she goes to the bathroom almost every day.

And now that shes all cleaned up I started seeing her as a member of the opposite sex.

Just looking at her hair, which resembles the deep blue of the sky before dawn in summer, makes me fall in love.

I felt like Lupettas beauty as a woman was hidden under the dirt and dust, and now its being shown in full force.

I still dont know what sort of happening that led to Lupettas change of mind.

All I knew is that my state of mind had also changed.

The existence of the big sister Lupetta had become dimmer, and the Lupetta as a single woman had grown larger.

I guess its because of that I started calling out to her before entering the room.

I may have been overly conscious, but for some reason, I suddenly couldnt enter the room.

[..Can I come in?]

There was no reply from the other side of the door.

I entered the room while suppressing my heartbeat, which has increased a little.

[Lupetta? Are you there?]

Lupetta and I rented the largest room at this inn.

There are three rooms, and Lupetta is usually in the room immediately after opening the door, tending to her work tools or drawing a map of the field.

[..What is it?]

[Oh!? There you are!]

In the room immediately after opening the door, Lupetta was sitting in the far left corner.

In the dimly lit room, she was sitting cross-legged on a linen mat on the floor.

[Its noisy outside, what are you doing?]

Lupetta slowly opened her closed eyes and looked at me.

The large eyes that I thought were childish, combined with the dimness, reflected light mesmerizingly.

[..The festival has begun.]

[I see.]

[What are you doing over there? Sitting on the floor.]

With a long sigh, Lupetta said.

[I was training my magic I couldnt concentrate at all because it was noisy outside.]

Lupetta silently stood up and looked at the souvenir package. I put it on a nearby desk and urged her to eat it.

She smiled and picked up the turtle skewer that was inside the package.

[What kind of meat is this?]

[Turtle meat. Newnelly Citys specialty.]

I also sat on a chair and faced Lupetta.

Then, we started chatting while eating the turtle skewer.

[Training magic is difficult after all. I cant do it as well as Melgin does.]

It was cute how she bit into the meat while making a troubled face.

[It cant be helped anymore. But, it wont be wasted from now on. Its important to keep going.]

Lupetta is not good at training magic.

First of all, Lupetta didnt even know how to train her magic until she met me.

The old knights said that training magic in childhood greatly affects the amount of magic power in the future.

Thats why Lupettas magic power is less than mine. Diana and the others who attacked us in the past also had less mana than me.

This is a characteristic of a Lord who came from a commoner background.

This is because in order to increase the magical power of infants and toddlers, it is essential to have other people with magical powers.

In a knight family, there will be plenty around you.

However, when someone like Lupetta was born in a small farming village as the sole Lord, there was no way to train her, and she wouldnt know how to train. Serf doesnt know how to train magic after all.

In that sense, you could say Im the lucky one.

This is because I had been treated by a knight family since I was an infant to improve my magical powers.

By measuring the amount of mana, you can make a guess on someones origin.

And having a large amount of mana isnt always a good thing.

No matter what territory I entered, I would be surrounded and interrogated by knights.

Because my magic power, which is comparable to that of a knight, is enough to make someone wary.

However, it cant be helped even if its troublesome to talk about myself every time.

Lupetta began training her magic power after meeting me, so her magic power growth rate is gradual.

Its a bad way to put it, but because its far too late for her, she cant expect dramatic growth anymore.

I dont understand it at all, but it seems that if youre not used to using magic from an early age, youll find it difficult to train yourself.

Training is something you can easily do in your spare time, but Lupetta says that it cant be done without a lot of mental concentration. Should I say that its because her sense of magic is dull?

[But, why did you start training again? Usually you only do it before going to bed, right?]

Lupetta answered while reaching out for the second turtle skewer.

[When I returned to the village, I was chased by a military officer from the Spierzeig army. Thats why I thought it would be better to have a lot of magical power after all.]

[You were chased? Huh? Are you talking about the last time you went home alone?]

[Yes.]

Although Lupetta said this casually, it was the first time I had heard of it.

At the end of last year, on my 15th birthday, I asked Lupetta to marry me.

I summoned the courage of a lifetime and put all my thoughts into words.

There has been no formal reply from Lupetta yet.

She treasures her hometown very much.

Therefore, she said that she would not be able to reply unless she returned to the village and consulted with the elders.

Of course I knew that would happen.

The reason why I made a surprise confession was because I wanted to hear Lupettas honest answer, not the villages opinion.

I like Lupetta. Its a real feeling that I cant hide anymore.

Then, what about Lupetta?

I wanted to know how she honestly felt, unaffected by the words of her mother and everyone else in her village.

Unfortunately, right after confessing, an official from the Quordenze family came to visit.

Its a pity that we both were taken away without saying yes or no because of the ongoing investigation of what happened in the Field.

Its an interrogation about a mature demon beast. If I resisted poorly, both I and Lupetta would have easily been decapitated.

Besides, I am indebted to the Quordenze family for saving my life. I couldnt complain. After that, Lupetta returned to her room and answered, I will reply after I return to the village.

Its frustrating to think that if there hadnt been an intruder, this relationship might have turned out a little differently.

[If Melgin had been there, Im sure he would have been searched in earnest. Im glad I was alone.]

[..Perhaps. Who knows?]

I was thinking of secretly following Lupetta to her hometown of Weadburg VIllage in the spring to get the permission to marry her.

However, at the beginning of the year there was a dramatic development in the war between Spierzeig and Quordenze.

The fall of Reisleaf Castle.

There is no doubt that this major incident will have a major impact on the Spierzeig territory.

Therefore, Lupetta returned to Weadburg village to discuss the future.

I wanted to go along and talk about marriage, but Lupetta stopped me.

I, who possesses the amount of magical power of a person from a knight family, would be completely suspicious if I acted in secret. What would happen if we were found while staying in Weadburg Village? The opponent is Spierzeigs army, who is on edge after the fall of Reisleaf Castle.

[That was pretty dangerous, wasnt it?]

[If you were running in the woods or plains, youd probably get caught.]

Lupetta continued to chow on the turtle skewer, but my heart was more confused than I had imagined.

According to rumors, the Spierzeig family is outnumbered.

Reisleaf Castle was not the only thing lost in the battle at the beginning of the year. It seems that many knights, military officers, and Highlords were killed.

If a military officer of the Spierzeig family captures a young female Lord like Lupetta, it will surely be for a bad thing.

[You managed to escape well Where did you find me?]

If chased by the Spierzeig knights, theres no way Lupetta can keep up with me.

This is because the amount of magic power greatly affects the duration of physical strengthening magic.

[Alkunoa Corrupted Area.]

[Ah, did you escape through Weadburgs Field?]

However, if its a Fieldespecially Weadburg Field, its a different story.

Since childhood, Lupetta has been hunting demon beasts in this Field near the village.

For her, Weadburg field is like her own backyard.

The inside of the Field is filled with fog, the topography is ever changing, and detection magic doesnt work, making it a terribly ambiguous world.

In order to move quickly through that misty world, experience is more important than simple physical strength and magical power.

Ive been to Weadburg Field many times myself, so I have some confidence in the internal geography.

However, I dont have much confidence in chasing Lupetta over there and winning.

[Yes. Thats why my shoes rotted.]

I wish I could say, Then Ill buy you new shoes. Lets go to the store together. ..What came out of my mouth were different words.

Where did the courage I had when I proposed? Have I exhausted myself of my courage because I squeezed too much back then?

[But, why was there a military officer in such a place?]

[..Patrol? The Mayor said that military facilities might be built in that area. Conscripting men out of the village.]

Listening to Lupettas story brought back memories of my childhood.

..The day is finally approaching when the Voistra Plain becomes a battlefield.

Somehow, that intuition worked.

For some reason, no matter how much preparations were made for a Noble territory that was outnumbered in the war, it felt like it was lagging behind.

Since I was four years old, Ive been fighting against the Zeldomitra army, one of the five major Nobles of the Kingdom of Levios. I know full well the feeling of always being outnumbered.

Listening to Lupettas story made me feel like I was being cornered.

There was something nostalgic about the unpleasant heaviness and stickiness I felt at the bottom of my stomach.

[Isnt it better not to go home until the situation cools down?]

[Actually, my mother and the village chief also told me not to come back for a while.]

According to the village chief, the air of conscription became even stronger after the fall of Reisleaf.

Lupetta cherishes her family and village.

And more than that, the village cherished Lupetta. The power of a Lord is a powerful asset of the village.

To put it bluntly, even if the village is devastated by the war, if Lupetta returns after that, the reconstruction will be quick.

Therefore, it is not desirable for her to remain in the village and be conscripted.

For that reason, Lupetta is set to be [Absent because she is working in the Royal Capital].

As a former member of the Knight House, I dont know what to say, but I think the villages actions are correct.

For commoners, wars between Nobles really dont matter. The best sense of distance would be to have a side dish at a bar.

As I was thinking that I wouldnt be able to go to Weadburg Village for a while, Lupetta put down the now meatless skewer and said, [..so, about that I, still cant give you a reply].

She squeezed out those words, looking deeply apologetic.

I could immediately guess that she was referring to the marriage proposal.

[Okay, Ill wait forever. Um I, Lupetta, Ive alwaysconsider you as someone important.]

I was able to say it properly. Well said, me. Im amazing.

[Melgin.I-Im sorry..]

If its true, Id like to go to Weadburg village with Lupetta right now and get her approval for marriage.

But, I cant trample on her feelings of cherishing the village.

The timing was just really bad.

It would have been better if the Quordenze army also invaded a little more slowly.

[..But now that weve taken Reislief Castle, it seems like we can see the end. Well be able to get to Othelloria in five more years, wont we? The Spierzeig army will use all of their forces to stop the invasion. There may be room for us to enter once the invasion of the Voistra Plains begins.]

[Is that so?]

Lupetta is familiar with the affairs of the adventurer community, but lacks the knowledge of power relations and military affairs in the Noble community. Or rather, shes not interested.

Ive been on the battlefield for a long time, so I know some of those stories, and I still have some interest in them.

[Its a prediction based on the speed of the invasion so far. I think the Quordenze army will gain the upper hand as time goes by. With their number of Highlords, the Spierzeig family wont have much leeway. Probably.]

[I agree.]

We dont know for exact the military power possessed by each Noble.

But even so, there are some things that can be understood by walking around the territory. It was a sign of conscription for Lord-class commoners.

In the event that the number of Lord-class soldiers is insufficient and there is nothing to be done about it, the Noble will recruit Lord-class soldiers from the commoner neighborhood as a last resort.

At first, they will prepare money and invite them to join the army, but if the inferiority continues, they will be taken away without question.

For a Lord-class commoner who lives completely freely, the story would be over if he just ran away, but for someone like Lupetta, who has regrets, she cant simply escape.

If you disobey, your village and family will be burned down. Theres nothing we can do about it on our own.

For that reason, looking at how the commoners reacted, it is possible to infer to some extent how the Lord-class army was secured.

Play

Unmute

You can feel a sense of leeway from the Quordenze territory.

Even though Im living in Newnelly, theres no sign of being drafted. Rather, I even feel the pressure as if to tell me to leave because I might be deemed a suspicious individual.

Its proof that theres no shortage of Lord-class soldiers.

On the other hand, the smell of conscription is puffing in the Spierzeig territory.

The reason why Lupetta and I went to work in the Royal Capital was to escape from this.

And just now, listening to what Lupetta was talking about, the atmosphere is getting thicker. They must be in a really tight spot.

[The Quordenze army originally had a lot of Lord-class soldiers to begin with, and it seems that the number has not been reduced much due to the strange disease of the great demon beast Yersinia.]

[Demon Beast Yersinia.]

Lupetta immediately made a correction.

[The orb hasnt been found yet. Thats why its a mistake. Its not a great demon beast.]

I wanted to say that small things are fine, but Lupetta gets hung up on trivial things like this.

Even when I was taught the Eruo language, I would be pointed out my mistakes in the language.

I was a little happy to be reunited with Lupetta, who had treated me like her sibling in the past.

[Thats right. Everyone in the Royal Capital already calls it the Great Demon Beast Yersinia, so Im not wrong.]

[Yes.]

Just when I thought this was the end, Lupetta continued.

[The Levios family deliberately called it that. I want to say that it was inevitable because the disaster could not be prevented.]

[Really?]

It was a consideration that didnt suit Lupetta very well, as it was the speculation of a nobleman.

But, its certainly true that Lupetta said that the Levios family was talking about the terror of the demon beast Yersinia.

Even when I went to a facility for adventurers in the Royal Capital, there was information on the magical beast titled The Fear and Threat of the Great Demon Beast Yersinia on the wall. The content was interesting and I read it all, but there were a lot of sentences.

Since the appearance of the demon beast Yersinia, adventurers from all over the continent have gathered on the capitals field.

If what Lupetta said is correct, it may be that they are trying to popularize the name [Great Demon Beast Yersinia] among adventurers and spread it throughout the continent.

I was frankly impressed that Lupetta was also thinking about the Noble community.

[They couldnt defeat any of the great demon beasts that appeared a long time ago, so its like their excuse, saying that it cant be helped this time.]

Originally, the expression [Great Demon Beast] was only used for the strongest and worst mature monsters, the number one threat class.

Is the Levious family intending to make Yersinia something of the same level in publics eyes?

[Or something like that.]

[Its kind of unusual. Lupetta talking about the Nobles intentions and conspiracies. I quite like that kind of story.]

I intended to praise her, but for some reason Lupettas face turned pale.

Im sorry, she didnt say, but it was easy to understand what she was thinking.

[..I heard about it from the people.]

[Hmm.]

She may have been ashamed of telling what she had heard from others as if it were her own thoughts.

Well, if I pursue things here, it will only make the atmosphere worse.

I wanted to enjoy my conversation with Lupetta, so I decided not to mention it.

[Barriora-class demon beast Yersiniahuh? I think its a correct assessment. What do you think, Lupetta?]

But, personally.

I think that the Levios family, having seen the demon beast Yersinia in person, truly believed that it was a great demon beast.

Its a threat comparable to the ancient Great Demon Beast Barriora.

However, Lupetta didnt seem particularly concerned about it.

[Any strength is fine. Mature monsters are mature monsters, and they cant be defeated all the same.]

It was the usual reaction. And it was an opinion more fitting to come from a Lord born of commoners.

No matter how many Lord-class soldiers gathered together, they couldnt beat the mature demon beasts. The difference between terribly strong, super strong, and insanely strong is the same.

The only thing that bothers me is the knights who fight mature demon beasts together with their Highlords.

I used to be taught by an old man who was a knight in the past about mature demon beasts from all over the world.

Despite being born as a special Lord, he considers a mature demon beast as an incarnation of absolute terror, and that he cannot beat it by himself.

The one who can fight it is a Highlord who possesses even greater power.

A fierce battle between the Highlord and mature demon beasts has unfolded throughout history.

I remember feeling a sense of excitement in my childhood with that heroic tale full of courage.

[Its interesting to talk about mature demon beasts]

Perhaps because of that, I still have an interest in demon beasts.

About the other day, I went to see the magic stone of the mature demon beast that the eldest son of the Quordenze family defeated. During the exhibition, I went to see it almost every day.

Even then, Lupetta didnt say she wasnt interested.

[Magic stones of mature demon beasts Arent you interested in the orb, Lupetta? Because all the Nobles are carefully preserving them, they can only be seen when they are unveiled after the subjugation.]

While saying that, I feel like Ive said the same thing before.

Then, Lupetta replied with the same expression as at that time.

[Im not interested But, Im interested in the demon beast Yersinias orb.]

[Youre just interested in the bounty.]

When I was active in the Royal Capital, Lupetta and I were famous as reasonably skilled adventurers.

Having heard the rumors, I was once summoned by a civil servant of the Levios family.

The reason for the call was a work request. It was to go to the Imperial Noble territory in the western part of the continent and search for the orb of the demon beast Yersinia.

[..That was an amazing reward.]

[Well, but the request in itself is unreasonable.]

I had heard rumors that the area was heavily contaminated.

The Imperial Nobles who rule the land have tried many times to retrieve the orb, but they have not been able to retrieve it yet.

Aside from subjugating it, it is difficult to find the orb of a mature demon beast that has used up its magical power and died.

This is because the corpse of a mature demon beast that has exhausted its power will turn into dust and disappear.

You have to search for small jewels without any clues in the earth where the corrupted land spreads.

Its difficult.

Serfs body is weak even if many were gathered to find it. The corrupted land can cause sores on the skin, and if you go to a heavily corrupted place, even the air will be polluted, so you will faint with just one breath, and then fall into the corrupted land and die.

Considering the contamination of the demon beast Yersinia, any serf would probably die before reaching the center of the corruption.

This wouldnt have happened to a Lord, but its unclear if Yersinias orbs are worth the effort to devote staff to such a thing in the first place.

The Levios family is the only one who spares no effort.

If you can get the orb and its the same size as the legendary demon beast I dont think everyone can blame the Levios family as strongly as they do now.

Humans have never defeated a mature demon beast that ranks first in the threat class. So, it cant be helped.

And then Lupetta exhaled.

[Money is important. I want to make it easier for my mother.]

The reason why Lupetta and I left the village to go out and work was partly because we needed money to avoid being drafted.

The war between Spierzeig and Quordenze had already started when Lupetta was born.

And the Quordenze family always had the upper hand.

Perhaps because of this, Lupetta grew up seeing the reality that taxes from the feudal lord were getting heavier year by year.

[Im the same as Lupetta. Im indebted to Rita-san and everyone in the village.]

It was Lupetta who took care of me when I was wandering aimlessly, but everyone in Weadburg Village warmly welcomed me when I was disgusted with everything and my heart was chaotic.

Im also indebted to Lupettas mother, Rita.

I think that only the village chief made a plan to leave my Lord bloodline behind, but well, even though that village chief sometimes seems calculating, I think hes a good-natured person.

I have never felt nostalgic for my hometown, but remembering my life in Weadburg Village makes me feel nostalgic.

The most important place for me.

I think that the hometown that is reflected in my heart is Weadburg Village.

[I dont know how the Quordenze army will proceed, but I hope the village doesnt come under fire.]

[..Yeah.]

Lupettas gaze seemed to be directed somewhere far away.

She may be worried about everyone in Weadburg Village.

I wanted to cheer her up even a little.

[Thats right. If the Quordenze army invades near the village, you should talk to the village chief and surrender. Lupetta is acquainted with Quordenzes eldest son, right? If we mediate and surrender, You might even be able to ask them not to loot the village.]

As I said this, I thought this might be a better idea than I thought.

It seems that Lupetta is highly regarded by the eldest son of the Quordenze family for reporting criminals of the Holy High Society and for seriously responding to subsequent investigations.

Thanks to that, I was also saved from the verge of death.

The Young Master must trust her, so it wouldnt be a bad idea to introduce herself as the villages messenger.

Even if the war ended, if it remained in the Spierzeig territory, it would still be heavily taxed, and this might be a good opportunity to amicably annex the village to the Quordenze territory.

I talked to Lupetta about this idea that came to my mind.

[Right? The village wont be burned in the war. We might be able to help?]

Perhaps taken aback, Lupetta remained silent for a while.

However, she seemed to understand immediately. Her expression remained a little stiff, perhaps because she was still worried, but she eventually smiled.

[Yeah. With this, I can protect the village.]

[Right? You are lucky to be acquainted with the eldest son. If the village can merge into the Quordenze territory, the tax should be lower than it is now, and you wont have to go out to work as much.]

[..Yeah.]

My head was already filled with a bright post-war future.

If we dont have to go out to work, I can go back to Weadburg village with Lupetta and live there.

I can make a family with Lupetta in that village.

Itll be a dazzling future.