What Can't Be Helped (1)
"Reporting. A rift has opened in a nearby region."
"What grade? Is it dangerous?"
"No, sir. Confirmation puts it at 5th-grade."
At the scout's report, Knight Commander Brender gave a nod. Then he turned his head slightly to look at Sien.
"What would you have us do?"
"What do you think, Commander?"
"...To be honest, I believe it would be best to simply leave it to the soldiers."
Of late, whenever word came that a rift had opened, Sien would be in the saddle at once, racing for the site. There she would join the knights and soldiers already in position, personally slaying the demonic beasts and closing the rift. Every time, the soldiers and the people of the territory would cheer. Their lord of Lichtenauer did not sit in safety while others fought in her name — she went out herself and met the demonic beasts in battle. Cheering for that was only natural.
The murmurs of worry that had once circulated — that she was a woman, or of mixed blood, and that Lichtenauer's future was therefore in doubt — had melted away entirely.
But...
But Brender and the knights who served the family head directly could not help but hold their breath every time Sien took the field. The family head could not ride out every time a rift appeared. No head of any house behaved that way. It was not a matter of fearing for her own life, or of the danger itself. The footsteps of one who bore a family on her shoulders could never be light.
One who commanded others had to trust those people, and know how to leave the smaller matters in their hands. Try to shoulder everything alone, and the things that truly mattered would slip through your fingers.
Until now I have watched, telling myself she was gaining real combat experience. But it is time she showed herself as a true family head. She cannot keep taking the field in person.
Just two days ago, a reasonably important guest from another house had arrived — and Sien had been absent, fighting demonic beasts. Over nothing more than a 5th-grade rift, at that. They had nearly found themselves in an awkward situation, though fortunately Sien had handled it well enough that it passed without incident.
"You cannot attend to every matter yourself, my lady. At times you must trust those beneath you and leave other work in their hands, so that you may concentrate on the things that only the family head can do."
Even Brender, who had held his tongue until now, was speaking in a tone of dissuasion. Sien had no choice but to think it over once more.
"So you are saying I should leave the lesser battles entirely to others."
"Precisely, my lady."
"...Have I been getting in their way?"
"That is not it. As I said, those who stand above must know how to trust those below. You need not do everything yourself. It only reduces efficiency. If you take the field only in grave situations, there will be no problem at all."
At Brender's words, Sien found herself turning her head. Behind her stood Adel, who had been watching the situation in silence all this time.
"Adel."
"Yes, Lady Sien."
"What do you think?"
Asking an attendant for his opinion rather than a knight — under ordinary circumstances, it would have been a decidedly strange sight. But Brender, who had witnessed Adel's true worth, seemed to think nothing of it. If anything, he was shooting Adel looks that pleaded with him to talk some sense into her.
...Shouldn't she always go out and fight?
That was what Adel was thinking. He had been the First Wolf of Ulfhedinn. He had been called captain by his comrades and had commanded them. But he had never once stood at the rear, in any situation. He had always fought at the front. He had always killed the enemy. He had never fallen back. He had considered that only natural.
"...I believe it would be best to follow the Commander's advice."
But Brender's gaze looked so desperately earnest, and Adel believed that he and she were surely different. So that was the answer he gave Sien when she asked for his thoughts.
"You think so as well, Adel?"
Sien decided to accept the two men's opinions. She left this rift entirely in the hands of the commander and his soldiers, and returned herself to Lichtenauer's main castle.
"You've returned early today, my lady."
"Yes. So it seems. But why are you out here?"
"There are several matters that require your urgent review."
At the steward's words, Sien let out a sigh. She had thought that becoming the head of Lichtenauer would mean little more than honing her swordsmanship and gaining combat experience. What awaited her instead was something far more difficult and exhausting.
The hell of paperwork.
"The retainers have already sorted through a good deal of it, but in the end every decision is issued in Lichtenauer's name, so it requires your approval. Particularly anything involving funds, or the assignment of personnel."
The moment she stepped into the family head's office, an armful of documents appeared. At the sheer volume of it, Sien sucked in a breath.
"Th-that's... isn't that far too many?"
"Pardon? Not at all. This is less than half of what the previous family head used to handle on a regular basis."
"Ugh..."
As if to say this was not the end, the steward then had the maids bring in still more work documents. With every towering stack of paper that piled up, the face of Sien sitting before them grew paler by the moment.
"Wait, wait a moment!"
At last, apparently deciding this would not do, Sien grabbed the steward in a hurry and opened her mouth.
"L-let's stop at that for now. If you bring them all, there won't even be a place to put the ones I've finished, will there?"
"You needn't worry about that. Most of these are urgent, so as soon as you review them, we will come and collect them all."
To Sien's ears, those words may well have sounded like Not a chance! After stacking a terrifying quantity of documents in front of her, and with a request that was not quite a request that she please review them quickly, the steward took the maids and departed.
"..."
Sien stared blankly at the documents piled before her. Stacked in a single column, they would have reached the ceiling — and that was no exaggeration. And this was not a volume to be worked through slowly over several months. These were documents that needed to be finished as quickly as possible for the family's benefit.
She had heard that after her father and brother had fallen in battle, there had been no one to handle the family's affairs. Considering that period had lasted less than two months, the volume was truly beyond words.
"Adel."
This is too much. Even for too much, this is too much! Thinking that, Sien found herself calling for her escort.
"Yes, Lady Sien."
"This is... I'm only asking just in case, but. Do you know how to do paperwork?"
"...Paperwork, you say?"
At Adel's question, Sien nodded. Was the faint hope lingering in her eyes merely her imagination?
"...I consider myself reasonably good at it."
"Really?!"
Sien shot up from her seat, so delighted was she. The final review would all have to be hers, of course — but perhaps she could get help with the miscellaneous parts. That, at least, seemed to be what she was thinking.
"However, when I put it that way, a former comrade of mine used to say this."
"What did he say?"
"That if I was going to call that being good at it, I should please go outside and freeze to death."
"..."
His face was far too serious for it to be a joke. And Adel did not seem the type to tease.
"Did that... comrade of yours really say that?"
"Yes."
Having heard that much, Sien gave up cleanly. If someone had gone so far as to tell even Adel to go freeze to death, his paperwork skills had to be unimaginably terrible.
"But I truly am confident I can do it well."
"Thank you. But it's all right, Adel. I'll take the thought for the deed."
And Adel's eagerness only made her more suspicious. She had a bad feeling that if she entrusted him with the documents, something unimaginably dreadful would happen. Sensing that ill omen, Sien hurriedly changed the subject.
"Adel. Now that you're back at the castle, shouldn't you go to your training?"
"...Will you be all right on your own?"
"Escort duty is important, but so is your education."
Adel's swordsmanship was, without question, of the highest caliber. But a knighthood was not a position given to just anyone simply because their physical abilities — swordsmanship, unarmed combat, and the like — were outstanding. One's personal bearing, of course; the proper respect toward superiors; trust among comrades; the fitting attitude toward those of lower rank — all of it mattered. Building strong bonds was considered essential.
Because they would one day be the people who watched her back, education was not merely education. It was a part of social life itself. Seen in that light, it was clear why training a knight could take as long as several years. Adel had lived that kind of life for a very long time, of course — but Sien had no way of knowing that, so her concern was only natural.
"...Then I will go for a short while."
Having received Sien's permission, he headed for the training grounds, where the attendants were in the midst of their personal training. Perhaps because it was still afternoon, every last attendant was gathered there. Some were reviewing one another's swordsmanship; others were doing light physical conditioning.
"Hey. Wait a second. Over there, over there."
"Is he here?"
"He's here."
"He's here."
Then, at Adel's appearance, the atmosphere changed all at once. Everyone stopped what they were doing and focused on him. Adel, who had entered the training grounds quietly, was slightly taken aback. Had he made some mistake? He thought it over, but no matter how he searched his memory, he had caused no trouble recently.
"Um, Adel."
At that moment, the attendant who had come closest spoke up. Adel could not quite recall his name, but he remembered that this was the one who served as a sort of leader among the attendants.
"Could you... grant us one request?"
"A request...?"
At Adel's question, the attendant glanced behind him. The others all nodded. Confirming that, the attendant turned back.
"We want to become strong, like you. So... we want you to lead us!"
"...You want me. To lead you."
"Yes!"
For a moment, Adel wanted to say this.
Are you sure you won't regret that decision?