Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
The Interwar Period
"HUFF! HUFF!"
The sound of a sword being swung echoed from inside the warehouse early in the morning.
Having successfully retrieved Diablo, Rudian was enjoying a brief rest after returning to the village.
Rebecca watched with a "heh" expression as Rudian, shirtless and dripping with sweat, trained.
"Why are you training again? Didn't you say you were giving up?"
Rebecca knew there was a time when Rudian had been frustrated by his lack of talent.
That's why she found it quite surprising to see such brightness overflowing in Rudian's expression as he answered.
"Because I've found hope again."
The 20 magic stat obtained by breaking Casley's blood stone.
And the new powers, Adi and Diablo, brought a new direction to Rudian's extra life that had been blocked until now.
Especially unlike Adi, Diablo has the characteristic that the amount of power that can be exerted varies enormously depending on the owner's capacity.
'At the very least, I need to build up power at Casley's level to survive when Chapter 3 progresses.'
Chapter 3 of is none other than a space war fighting against alien species.
To survive in such a situation, not only did he need good items, but he also had to hone his own skills to keep up with the power inflation of the original work.
No matter how much weight items carry in this world, in the end, what you can truly rely on is your own strength.
Rudian pondered slightly about his future course of action.
'...Should I participate in the knights' training again?'
A magic stat of 20 is certainly comparable to the magic possessed by a decent knight.
However, realizing magic and handling it are clearly separate matters.
'Of course, I absolutely cannot show it.'
It was the knights of Lion Hearts who had passed judgment on Rudian as a magic cripple.
If he were suddenly caught handling magic in such a situation, he would likely find himself in quite a troublesome predicament.
'I'd be in trouble if they accused me of making a contract with a dark magician or something.'
Yet, no matter how much he trained alone, there was no way he could properly hone his swordsmanship.
'Isn't there some good method? If I could enter something like an academy, that would be great.'
No matter how much money he had saved, there was no way that Rudian, a commoner, could afford the tuition of an academy that only nobles could manage.
While Rudian was lost in various thoughts about magic, Rebecca, who had been staring blankly at him, spoke up.
"Hey. About that incident the other day... Are you thinking of working out a plan with the village chief?"
That incident from that day must certainly refer to those fellows who were either bandits or mounted bandits.
At those words, Rudian stopped swinging his wooden sword and glanced slightly to the side.
-There are no anomalies yet.
Then Adi, who had appeared like a ghost, reported on the situation in the outskirts of the village.
Rudian nodded at those words and answered Rebecca.
"We should make at least minimal preparations. Requesting help from the main castle is a separate matter."
The number of vigilantes operated by Baran Village was around thirty.
They were all vigorous and sturdy men, but unless they were an army, there were limits to their fighting power.
"At the very least, we need to prepare enough so we don't fall helplessly."
No matter how few memories he had of this village, it was still a place Rudian could call his starting village.
Of course, the best outcome would be if nothing happened at all...
"Yeah. I hope nothing happens."
Rebecca seemed to have heard Rudian's muttering and agreed in a small voice.
'Well, if push comes to shove, I can just take care of those guys myself.'
Of course, that would be using the item powers of Adi and Diablo rather than his own strength.
But then...
One chilling supposition flashed through his spine.
'Surely, this isn't an awakening event?'
To begin with, Rudian had previously stopped Rebecca from nearly being kidnapped.
This was an intervention significant enough to affect the content of the original work.
Although that day's actions were done out of compassion, thinking of the butterfly effect it could cause, it was also a fatal mistake that twisted things by his own doing.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
Rudian felt a slight chill run up his spine the moment he saw Rebecca's snickering expression.
***
After the general morning routine was finished, extensive repair work began throughout Baran Village under the proactive leadership of the village chief.
Honestly, it seemed excessive to prepare with construction work in a place so close to the main castle, but the village chief, who favored precaution, pushed the work forward passionately.
Despite the gloomy weather with drizzling rain, not only the vigilantes but all men under 50 in the village were mobilized for construction.
"Rebuild the fence! These rotten pieces of wood would barely stop even a single wild boar!"
"Mason, you bastard! You call this a trap?! It's so crude that even those empty-headed goblins would calmly avoid it!"
"Mr. Cox! Sharpen it properly! The blade condition isn't that good! Are you trying to cause tetanus with this?!"
"Hey, you bastards! Are you not going to do this right? Have you all decided to die in peace together?!"
The village chief drove the villagers like an enraged bull.
Usually just a kind butcher, when he started working as the village chief, he showed a transformation no different from a living bulldozer.
Seeing the village chief like this, Rudian was reminded of someone.
'Seeing the chief like that sometimes reminds me of someone.'
-Who do you mean?
'There's this famous person who's good at cooking.'
Looking at those juicy curses and wrinkled appearance, it's just like that gentleman.
Anyway, the work itself proceeded quickly under the village chief's direction.
The fences, which might stop goblins, were doubled in height.
The edges of rusty weapons stored in warehouses were sharpened.
Work on digging pits and setting traps around the village continued throughout the afternoon.
As previously agreed, the village chief delegated authority regarding trap installation to Rudian.
"Ask Rudian for details! That fellow is a veteran who has gained much experience while accompanying the young lord!"
Having traveled around various border outposts following Calline and even studied some military knowledge to assist with the squire duties, Rudian's accumulated knowledge and judgment were at a fairly good level.
If there were skilled hunters or foresters in the village, it would be good to entrust them with this task, but unfortunately, Baran Village was situated in a location with no connection to mountains or trees.
However, there were those who openly expressed dissatisfaction with Rudian giving such instructions.
"Tch, an orphan giving orders so arrogantly?"
"The beggar from the chief's house has sure come up in the world."
Some of the young men in the village were heard openly hurling abuse.
"......"
Rudian remembered clearly who those guys were.
After all, they were the ones who had subjected Rudian to all sorts of humiliation in this village over the past few years.
Of course, with the village chief's threats, they acted cooperatively with the instructions, but as soon as they turned around, all kinds of insulting words no less offensive than modern profanity filled their mouths.
-...Are you alright, Master?
"Not particularly. It's not like I've only been hearing this for a day or two."
Someone they looked down on had become an employee directly under a Count's family, so from their perspective, it was only natural to feel resentful.
Especially since Rebecca started acting friendly, this tendency had worsened.
"It's just the jealousy of losers anyway. I don't really care."
-...Your expression doesn't say that at all.
As Adi pointed out, while his tone was calm, inside he was quite boiling with anger.
Honestly, while he was furious, without even guys like them, there would be major setbacks in preparing for potential situations.
And despite what he said, he was also thinking of properly dealing with them if the opportunity ever arose.
-Kuk kuk kuk, that negative emotion looks quite good. But it's not particularly pleasant to see my contractor being ridiculed by such trash. I could turn them into low-level demons if I leaked just a little magical energy, how about...
"Don't do that. Do you think I'm leaving them alone because I can't handle it?"
-Tsk, that's a shame. We could have seen quite an interesting sight.
"...You're just desperate to use your power, aren't you?"
-I'm bored, that's all.
"Hey, Rudian! The person you've been looking for is here!"
While chatting with those guys and working on various places in and around the village, the village chief's sudden shout was heard.
When he turned his head, Rudian saw a guild member from the information guild that the village chief had commissioned.
"Greetings, Sir Rudian."
He seemed to know that Rudian was Calline's squire, as despite appearing to be over 40, he was using honorifics with Rudian.
But what was important to Rudian now wasn't the honorifics.
The problem was that quite an unexpected situation had come out of his mouth.
"...You're saying Dera Village and Conchen Hill have been attacked?"
"That's right. By now, news should have reached Lord Iskar's ears as well."
The two places Rudian mentioned were not far from here.
While Baran Village was relatively central in Iskar’s border territory, if those guys' identity was as Rudian expected, not even villages in the rear could feel safe.
Rudian sighed and mentioned their identity.
"Conchen Hill is a military strategic point, so they're definitely not naturally occurring within the empire. Those guys' identity is clearly..."
"That's right. Those mounted bandits are likely disguised infiltrators from the Kingdom of Rohans."
The southern kingdom of Baria, which shared a border with the Kingdom of Rohans, was also a suspect, but they had maintained peace without any significant conflicts in recent years.
The fact that not just any border region but a frontline adjacent to the kingdom was hit carried a different meaning.
"Those guys hide in the nearby mountains in groups of forty to fifty, and when the pursuing garrison retreats, they resume activities, stirring up nearby territories. The Shuron, Alphara, and Benayun territories have already suffered damage from them in this way."
The three territories mentioned by the guild member were lands of lower nobility existing within Iskar’s border territory.
He opened his mouth while cautiously checking the reactions of Rudian and the village chief.
"A large-scale subjugation force will soon be formed, so the matter will be resolved quickly, but..."
'The mounted bandits themselves aren't the problem.'
If they were simply a cavalry, the current Rudian could somehow handle them alone.
'The biggest problem is whether there are mixed demons or minions among them.'
If so, it would be a more difficult battle than expected.