Arrival at Torgenberg
When the heir of a vassal house pays his first visit to his lord's castle, it is a major event for both families.
The Meyer family had always been a house of meritorious retainers, and their achievements in the recent war had only heightened their standing. Naturally, every eye was fixed on this particular ascent to the castle.
The Meyer household dispatched fifty knights and soldiers under Asilia, whose martial prowess was second to none. For a personal escort, it was a considerable force.
We rode northeast by carriage, toward Torgenberg.
Heading that way, I inevitably found myself looking out over the fields I had burned. Of course I did. I had scorched the approaches to Torgenberg in particular, so the blackened earth was impossible to miss on the road leading there now.
"…"
For a moment I debated what I ought to do. Should I apologize to the owners of those fields—to the people I had killed? Or should I simply look away?
If the people I had killed to stop the enemy ever came back alive, I would pay them restitution. I would offer a sincere apology. But whispering an apology in my heart to the already dead would only ease my own conscience. It would give them nothing.
So I simply stared at the burned fields and villages. These were sins I had to carry. Shrugging off that weight with some half-hearted apology would be nothing but hypocrisy.
"What a fucked-up world I landed in."
If only I'd gotten some instant-death cheat skill and built myself a harem of beautiful girls. But I already knew this world was not that kind of easy ride. I was a weak character. To survive, I had to get thoroughly dirty.
Outside the carriage, a family that had lost their village was wailing.
I did not stop the carriage.
We entered Torgenberg. The fortress sat halfway up a mountain—but it was no ordinary mountain stronghold. They had carved part of the mountain flat and raised the castle there, yet the level ground was scarce. Most of the structure followed the natural contours of the rock. That very form made Torgenberg Castle a natural fortress of the highest order.
To the north, the mountain peak made approach impossible. To the east ran a river; to the west, forest left no road. The only path was from the south, and even there a vast moat tens of meters wide guarded the southern gate. Without the drawbridge lowered from the gatehouse, entry was nearly impossible.
At the foot of the mountain lay a castle town of considerable size, home to more than ten thousand people. If battle came, some of them would be taken inside the walls; others would have to flee to other cities.
"This is educational."
I had read about Torgenberg Castle in books more than once, but seeing it in person was another matter entirely. Details the texts had never captured became clear—how the castle's defensive perimeter did not end at the walls but extended outward into the surrounding land. This fortress had enlisted nature itself as an ally. A true natural stronghold.
I had little leisure to study it further, however. Because—
Clunk! Thud!
The carriage I was riding lurched as if it had struck a stone. True to the Meyer family's character, my carriage prioritized defense over comfort, so the jolt slammed my rear hard against the unyielding seat.
"Ow!"
I cried out, dignity forgotten. Asilia, the escort knight with long black hair tied back and glowing red eyes, let out a sigh.
"Asilia, how much farther do we have to go?"
"Halfway remaining."
"Are you kidding me? Halfway?"
"In truth, a little more than halfway. I tried to be considerate and only disappointed you. My apologies."
"Fuck…"
I swore, gripped the handrail hard, and settled back into the seat. Still, every time the carriage hit a stone or bounced over the uneven road, my backside paid the price.
Thud.
"Ow!"
I yelped again. Asilia sighed and spoke.
"Perhaps you might take a page from your younger sister?"
My sister.
Yes—Lucill had come with me. Not at my request. The Setia family, our liege lords, had asked to see her as well.
Her backside had to be aching too, yet she sat with her usual composed expression, reading a book.
Whissh.
The sound of her turning a thick page reached me. I glanced at the cover.
Melgia… I can read that much, but nothing after it.
The cover was written in Ancient Imperial. My automatic translation only covered Standard Imperial; Ancient Imperial I could manage only at the most basic level I had learned here. And yet my eleven-year-old sister was reading a difficult treatise in the original tongue.
Just go unify the world already.
I thought that to myself, then asked her,
"What are you reading?"
"A history of the rise and fall of the ancient Melgia Empire. By Ferdinandus. I've already read the translation several times, but I wanted to try the original, so I spent my allowance on it."
"Is that so? I spent mine on pretzels."
"Pretzels are delicious too."
Pretzels were a kind of pastry. I had tried them for the first time after coming to this world, and the long-missed taste of sugar had been excellent.
"Doesn't your backside hurt?"
"It does."
"Then how are you so composed?"
"I'm enduring it."
Asilia, our escort, snorted with laughter. I wanted to punch the insolent knight for mocking her lord's son, but I would clearly be the one getting beaten, so I held back.
We talked for a while about the rise and fall of the ancient Melgia Empire, and before I knew it the carriage had stopped. I looked outside, wondering if something was wrong—but nothing was wrong. We had simply arrived at the castle.
"Please disembark."
Asilia stepped down first and escorted us. Outside the walls, a company of knights in silver armor stood waiting to receive us.
"We greet the heir of House Meyer."
"We