The Country Knight
Everyone let out gasps of astonishment.
Auger in particular clapped and cheered even though his own man had lost.
...Looking at him, this guy doesn't seem entirely normal either.
Judging by the reactions, Arke — being Auger's squire — had apparently been one of the stronger fighters among the private soldiers. The looks directed at Joseph had completely changed. Some soldiers now gazed at him with shining eyes; others averted their gazes, a hint of fear in their faces.
After that, at Auger's arrangement, several more private soldiers requested spars with Joseph. Honestly, he didn't think facing those men would do him much good.
You wouldn't even catch a glimpse of a mage on a battlefield to begin with.
On a real battlefield, magic would come from completely unexpected directions, in completely unexpected ways. There would never be an opportunity to square off one-on-one like this.
Still, Joseph glanced at Auger — who was huffing with excitement — and decided to play along for a while. Thanks to the man, he was getting a comfortable ride all the way to the city, and he was even being paid. There was no reason to stop here.
Still, let's not drag this out.
Some abandoned their shields and tried to dodge the orbs. Others tried to smash them with maces. They all went flying just the same. Once six private soldiers had fallen to a single orb, no one else volunteered to fight Joseph.
When the sparring ended, Auger approached.
"Truly remarkable. Are all mages like this?"
"...Probably not."
Joseph himself had no idea how other mages fought. The only mage he'd ever met was Rophen. But even Rophen, impressive as he had seemed, had never been able to create Mana Orbs the way Joseph did. Other mages' combat styles would be entirely different from his to begin with.
"Haha. I see. Still, this has been a great help. The soldiers will have realized just how lacking they are from this fight."
As he said it, Auger's eyes shone like a child's. Watching his men spar seemed to have stirred something in him as well. At this rate, though, Auger himself would be volunteering next — so Joseph struck first.
"I think I've used too much mana today. I don't believe I can go any further."
"Ah. Of course. You've worked hard. Get in the carriage and rest well."
He looked a little disappointed, but Joseph had no desire to indulge that competitive spirit.
Am I crazy?
Honestly, he didn't think he'd lose to Auger, who wasn't even a proper knight — but winning didn't look like it would do him any good either. Nobles were nobles, after all; their pride was something else. Sparring with a noble, win or lose, rarely led anywhere pleasant.
If I'm unlucky, instead of money I might get a sword flying at me.
And so Auger began lecturing his soldiers on their skill.
"Not a single one of you lasted even one exchange! Are you truly soldiers of House Danoa?!"
He shouted as he turned on them, and the private soldiers averted their eyes, having nothing to say for themselves. Then, apparently worked up, Auger immediately started putting them through the wringer, drilling them this way and that.
This is awkward...
Joseph watched the groaning soldiers for a moment, then slipped into the carriage to get out of their line of sight. In the end, the training didn't finish until late afternoon.
Because Auger spent the entire afternoon training his soldiers, they ended up camping for one more night. When the next day dawned, the carriage set out toward the castle once more. Thanks to Auger's consideration, Joseph could sit comfortably inside, unlike the private soldiers walking alongside.
"Mage, is there anything making you uncomfortable?"
"I'm fine."
What had changed was the soldiers' attitude — they had become extremely attentive. The private soldiers walking near the carriage watched Joseph's expression carefully, as if trying their utmost not to offend him.
"If you need anything, please call. Lord Auger has instructed us to see to your comfort."
Arke, Auger's squire, in particular would occasionally come by to ask if Joseph needed anything. His manner was so different from when they'd faced each other in the spar that it was almost awkward.
The carriage really is comfortable, though.
Thanks to it, Joseph could catch his breath for the first time in a while. His backside ached a little whenever the carriage jolted, but it was incomparable to traveling alone. Come to think of it, how long had it been since anyone looked after his comfort?
Of course, the mercenaries of the Roph Merchant Guild had treated him as a mage as well. But that stretch of memory was a complete mess — fighting an ogre, and Seymo dying on top of it.
I did get an Artifact out of it, though.
Joseph casually ran a hand over his inner pocket. The gem that restored mana was by far the most useful of everything he currently owned.
Nothing particular happened after that. Occasionally someone would appear from the opposite direction, but that was all.
"We're not far from the castle, so no one would dare harbor any other ideas."
That was what Arke said, but even without that, Joseph doubted any madman would pick a fight with a mounted knight and a column of soldiers at the head of the road.
"There it is!"
"Oh..."
Once they passed through the forest dense with trees, a vast plain unfolded before them. Perhaps because it was a city where countless people lived, the scale of the plain itself was enormous. And Joseph wasn't the only one astonished by the sight. The private soldiers, and even Auger himself, were busy letting out gasps of wonder as they gazed across it.
Far across that plain, the massive outer walls of Valois Castle came into view.
...That's a castle?!
The first thing that caught his eye was the overwhelming height of the walls. Watchtowers were positioned at intervals along the outer wall, and beyond it, thick smoke rose from various places within the city. The crown of what appeared to be the Count's inner fortress peeked over the outer wall like a head craning for a look.
"Wow..."
It was distinctly different from every village they had passed through so far. The scale was so vast it felt almost unfair to compare them.
"Incredible..."
Auger's voice of wonder came from beside him. Joseph turned his head to find Auger staring blankly at Valois Castle from horseback. Noticing Joseph's gaze, he opened his mouth with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"Not every castle is like that. Cities enclosed by outer walls like those aren't common, either."
Auger was a noble with his own territory as well. It seemed the small castle he governed simply wasn't anything like this.
Count Valois... what an enormous figure.
Living in a mountain village in the countryside, you couldn't hear news of the outside world — so Joseph couldn't help but be amazed. Shifting his gaze a little, he noticed houses lined up outside the outer wall as well. It looked like a small village situated not far from the castle entrance. The houses clustered together almost like a little wall blocking the path to the castle.
As they drew near, the people spotted Auger's banner and hurriedly scattered. Most of those living here appeared to be farmers. There were gazes watching from a distance, but no one approached. Being a district outside the outer wall, unlike the small villages, there didn't seem to be anyone managing the place.
Around the time they left the little settlement, a long line of people queued at the castle entrance came into view. Merchants leading wagons, and armored men escorting them, were especially numerous. They would talk with the guards for quite some time before going inside. Among them were some who couldn't enter and turned back, but none dared to protest. Causing friction with the guards wouldn't do anyone any good, so that was understandable.
Because of the war, maybe...
Seeing them, Seymo of the Roph Merchant Guild suddenly came to mind. If he hadn't died, perhaps he too would have been standing in this line.
In any case, it looked like they'd have to wait a long time to get inside. Joseph turned toward Auger.
"Well then, I'll be taking my leave here."
But Auger shook his head at Joseph, who was about to climb down from the carriage.
"Look at that line. If you get off here alone, there's no telling when you'd get in. Why don't we just go into the castle together?"
Meaning he can just walk right in?
Sitting quietly in the carriage, Joseph watched Auger's procession pass the line and head straight for the guards. The people waiting glanced at the group as they went right past them to the front.
"Halt!"
When they arrived at the very front, a guard came out, took one look at Auger, and blocked their path.
"Where have you come from?"
The guard could be seen glancing Auger and Arke up and down. Then Arke stepped forward.
"This is Baron Auger, who governs Danoa Territory in the southwest of Valois Territory."
Arke introduced his lord. His manner was quite high-handed — as if he were determined not to be cowed.
The guard's expression stiffened slightly at Arke's words. He glanced behind him, and a man who appeared to be the guard captain, watching from the rear, came forward as if taking over.
"For what purpose has the Baron come?"
"To participate in the demonic beast subjugation."
Arke said it, then drew a document from his coat and handed it to the captain. The captain checked it briefly, then immediately bowed at the waist. He gave some instruction to the guard who had first blocked Auger, and the man sprinted into the castle at once.
Oh...
That document from a moment ago seemed to be the identification papers nobles carried.
"We'll just confirm the number of private soldiers and check inside the carriage."
At the captain's order, several guards came out and counted the soldiers. One of them spotted Joseph sitting inside the carriage and asked Arke,
"Is there another companion with you?"
"There is. I will vouch for his identity."
Auger answered in Arke's place. The guard nodded, reported to the captain, who checked the carriage briefly himself, then opened the way as if it were nothing of consequence.
Once they entered the castle, the carriage's jolting noticeably lessened. They went a little farther, then the carriage stopped. Joseph climbed down and bowed his head to Auger.
"Thanks to you, Baron, I was able to arrive in comfort."
"I received a great deal of help from you as well, so don't think too much of a thing like this."
That's what Auger said, but there was something regretful in his eyes. Joseph had other goals, though, and no intention of following him. Auger knew it as well, so he couldn't hold on too strongly. Joseph intended to look for spellbooks and a decent way to make money for the future; Auger intended to join the subjugation for honor.
"I plan to remain at the castle until the subjugation is over, so if you need anything, come find me anytime."
"I'm grateful for your consideration."
With that, Auger departed toward the inner fortress. Joseph waited until he disappeared, then turned his gaze to the surroundings.
"Finally arrived. The city."
The corners of Joseph's mouth lifted. All sorts of things had happened since he'd fled Bari Village. He'd faced death more than once, and gotten tangled up in inexplicable affairs. But one way or another, he had finally arrived.
"...It's on a completely different level from Bari Village, that's for sure."
Unlike the countryside houses clumsily built of stone, mud, and straw, every house here looked neat. In particular, the sight of roofs lined up in a row with not a scrap of straw in sight naturally drew a gasp of admiration. The road was packed quite flat as well — they seemed to maintain it properly. That was probably why the carriage had jolted less once they entered the city.
"Doesn't even smell much."
Most of all, it was strange that the faint odor that had lingered in every village he'd visited was completely absent. Of course, it couldn't even begin to compare to the modern world Joseph remembered from his previous life — but as a large city, it was distinctly different from everything he'd seen so far.
Fuck, as if that comparison would even make sense.
Passersby looked strangely at Joseph, who had been snickering to himself. He looked up at the sky. The sun was still high — there was quite a bit of time left before nightfall.
For now, maybe I should look for an inn.
His plan was to drop his luggage at an inn first and then wander the city. The Count's castle was large, but spellbooks wouldn't be that easy to find. He'd received some money from Auger, but it might not be quite enough. If possible, he wanted to look into some simple work as well. As for what to do first, he'd think about it as he went.