Aftermath Processing (1)
The Canal closed.
The monster horde could no longer be reinforced, and they were slaughtered by the elite parties led by the two Heroes and the kingdom army, which was furious beyond measure over the loss of the granary region.
As expected, an army without support or supplies was bound to collapse quickly.
“Allen, have you lost your mind?”
Though we had achieved considerable results, the moment I returned I was getting an earful—from none other than General Grinaldo, who had entrusted me with command.
It was a natural reaction, really. He had trusted me with command, only for me to essentially abandon Orlando’s party and leave.
I hadn’t done it without reason, but from a general’s perspective my actions were clearly not something that could be overlooked.
“What are we supposed to do if the commander abandons command and just walks off?!”
“…I judged this to be the fastest and most certain method. And I didn’t abandon command.”
“Didn’t abandon it?”
I glanced at Orlando.
“Hero Orlando would be more familiar with the Paladins’ operations than I am, so as the field commander’s judgment I left it to him. Our party was to handle the Canal assault, and Hero Orlando’s party was going to open the path and pull out anyway.”
Honestly… yeah, it was a cobbled-together excuse. Anyone listening would hear it that way, and I knew that full well. So why put it like this?
Because there was a high chance General Grinaldo wasn’t truly intending to reprimand me. As a general he had responsibilities, so he had to at least make a show of scolding me for leaving my post without taking responsibility after he had entrusted me with command.
After all, the one thing that absolutely had to be accomplished in this command—closing the Canal—had succeeded… so there was no real reason for General Grinaldo to hold me accountable.
“…Is that true?”
As I expected, General Grinaldo asked Orlando for confirmation. And Orlando….
“…Yes. It was an agreed-upon matter.”
He answered, having caught on to my intent.
At least the guy had a conscience. Or maybe he just didn’t want things getting noisy.
If he had said it wasn’t agreed upon here, I would have had to explain why I abandoned command of Orlando’s party… and that would have exposed Orlando’s blunder.
Either way, it was a good choice for both me and Orlando. Hearing that, General Grinaldo looked at me once more and stopped reprimanding me. Then he immediately said:
“Hero Erinn, I’ll be borrowing him for a moment.”
“Go ahead. Feel free to really tear into him~♡”
There’s no way that’s happening, you brat.
“Come with me, Allen.”
I followed General Grinaldo into the tent. Surprisingly, the tent wasn’t empty. Staff Officer Rosero was already there, having arrived before me.
“No need to be tense. Rosero already knows the full circumstances.”
“…So it was just for show after all?”
“I had no choice. A field commander must take responsibility. As overall commander, I had no choice but to rebuke your actions.”
General Grinaldo said with an awkward smile, as if apologetic.
“I hope you’ll be generous in understanding.”
“I already knew, so it’s fine.”
“You’re considerate. Thank you. And let me state this clearly.”
General Grinaldo bowed his head slightly, and Staff Officer Rosero also bowed to me.
“It was thanks to your strategy. The granary region will likely be cleared within a week at the earliest, and including purification of the contamination, it will become farmland again within a month.”
I smiled lightly at their gratitude and said:
“That’s truly fortunate. But I only did what I was told; they did all the actual work.”
“Of course I know that. However, the ability to trust in your party members’ strength, devise such a strategy, and have them carry it out is worthy of recognition.”
General Grinaldo raised his head and said:
“You did excellently.”
“…Haha.”
Praise like this always felt good no matter when I heard it.
“I will also apologize on behalf of Hero Orlando for not following your words.”
“Please raise your head. That’s not something the general should do; it’s something I need to hear from the person himself.”
I said.
“If he doesn’t, well… it can’t be helped. At the very least, it’s not something for the general to apologize for in his place.”
“…If the person involved says so, then I have nothing more to say. However, I hope you’ll understand just one thing.”
General Grinaldo spoke as if requesting.
“Hero Orlando is only lacking in experience; his nature is not twisted.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
I’d figure that out by watching him. About to leave after finishing the conversation, something suddenly occurred to me and I spoke.
“Ah, right.”
I asked General Grinaldo.
“Do you know the name Astorius?”
When I asked that, General Grinaldo and Staff Officer Rosero’s expressions stiffened slightly in surprise.
“Why would you know that name….”
“You know of him as well, Lord Allen?”
“Huh? No. I don’t know who he is, but….”
I explained the whole story. That the undead monster we met in front of the Canal this time was named Astorius, and that after destroying it we had brought back the remaining armor.
“It looked exactly like the armor the Estire Kingdom’s Paladins wear. It’s with the luggage I brought; shall I get it now?”
“…We’ll go with you.”
“You will?”
Something… was he a pretty important figure from the kingdom’s perspective?
The fact that General Grinaldo and Staff Officer Rosero’s expressions weren’t great, and their determination to check the armor themselves, gave that impression.
I left the tent with them and walked over to the horse I had ridden back on. Freya’s choice had really been fortunate; without keeping the horse alive, the return trip would have taken forever.
If we had discarded the warhorse like consumables the way ordinary people would have….
Disregarding life is a sin after all.
Reminding myself of that realization, I approached the horse that had carried our luggage. Then I pointed to the armor firmly tied with rope next to the large backpack.
“That’s it.”
“…!”
“Th-that is… indeed the armor of our kingdom’s Paladins.”
“Then he really was from the kingdom. Good thing I brought it.”
General Grinaldo trudged over to the armor and ran his bare hand over the rusted armor.
“…You said the undead’s name was Astorius?”
“Yes.”
“He was the one in charge of the defense of this northeastern region. In life, he was a Paladin who was a model for all with his outstanding skill and excellent character.”
No wonder he was strong. So he really had been an outstanding knight even in life.
“When the Canal appeared and monsters poured out, he defended the northeast until… we thought he had fallen in battle.”
General Grinaldo spoke with a shudder, as if imagining him turned into an undead by the monsters’ schemes.
“Those vile bastards. Not letting a warrior’s soul depart with honor, but binding him to this land in such a way.”
“…But now he should have entered proper rest.”
No one else but the Saintess herself purified him, after all.
General Grinaldo looked at me once, then bowed his head toward our party members.
“Truly, thank you. We find ourselves indebted to you a second time.”
Having overheard the conversation between General Grinaldo and me, the Paladins who had been resting nearby suddenly stood up and approached.
“General, Sir Astorius’s armor…?”
“Surely, has he returned alive?”
“…No.”
General Grinaldo shook his head.
“I understand your hopes, but even Sir Astorius could not have survived that hell.”
“That’s….”
“Instead, these people ensured he would not suffer even in death and granted him rest, so be grateful for that.”
Hearing the general’s words, the Paladins looked at us. Then they clenched their fists, thumped their chest armor with a thud, and bowed their heads.
“Thank you so much…!”
…They seemed to be the Paladins who had followed him in life.
Just from the fact that he had managed to send his subordinates back alive against the monsters pouring from the suddenly appeared Canal, one could tell he had been an outstanding knight in life.
Our party members responded to their thanks with gentle smiles.
“It’s thanks to Allen bringing it back.”
Freya said that.
I had brought it just in case, and that choice didn’t seem to have been half bad. Bringing back the remains of the dead so that those left behind could properly grieve… was the only comfort one could offer the living.
“If it was a comfort, then I’m glad.”
The fact that a minor choice had helped others left me feeling not half bad.
Over the next few days, we remained in the northeast and helped the Estire Kingdom’s army. There were still many remaining monsters, so the kingdom’s forces alone might have had trouble with the work speed.
Erinn also said there was no particular word from the Empire, and that it would be good to put the kingdom in our debt, agreeing to help them.
Today as well, I had just returned covered head to toe in monster blood.
Why do they keep dragging me out when I’m useless…?
“…Allen.”
“Hm?”
I was washing my blood-caked hair when the Thief came looking for me.
She was fidgeting a little. Like someone who wanted to say something.
“What is it?”
When I asked first, the Thief’s eyes widened slightly as she spoke.
“…Th-that… a-about the name….”
“Ah….”
What to do. I still hadn’t thought of one. We’d been so busy for a while that I hadn’t had the leisure….
But if I said that straight out, the Thief might take it weirdly and start crying. How should I put it so she wouldn’t get hurt.
“…I told you before, right? That you need a special name.”
“…Yeah.”
“But I don’t know much, so even after thinking about it, nothing appropriate comes to mind. It seems like it’d be faster to research some words and names a bit and find one that suits you.”
“…Research?”
“Once this is over, we’ll probably visit the royal palace, right?”
Of course there would be a place set up to commend the Hero parties’ efforts. We hadn’t just helped a little; we’d saved the kingdom from crisis, so of course.
“You know every royal family has a library, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Royal libraries have sections open only to a few royals that others can’t enter, but there are also areas that collect books from across the nation.
“I’ll research names a bit there, and then let’s decide your name too.”
I added a plausible reason.
“Since you’ve gone without a name as a Thief until now, I think you need a special name rather than one slapped together. So rather than deciding roughly with my own thoughts, that’ll help.”
When I smiled, the Thief’s eyes widened as she said:
“…I-I’m surprised.”
“Hm?”
The Thief spoke a little apologetically.
“…I thought Allen was just saying it and not thinking about it at all….”
I flinched. It wasn’t on purpose, but it was true I hadn’t thought about it at all.
“…Sorry for misunderstanding.”
“…No. It’s fine. From your position, it’s understandable to think that.”
I really should go to the library this time, look up some personal names while researching, and give her one. Seeing her ask like this, she seemed to want a name soon… and I couldn’t keep putting it off this way every time.
What kind of parents abandon a kid without even giving her a name.
Had she been abandoned right after birth? Thinking that made my blood boil. If you can’t take responsibility, don’t have kids.
“…Ah, sorry for interrupting your washing.”
“No. Ah, more than that, good timing.”
“…Hm?”
“Splash some water on my back here. There’s blood on it but I can’t reach well.”
The muscles trained by farming got in the way in places like this for no reason. It wasn’t like my strength stat was high matching the muscles. Wasn’t there a way to get rid of these balloon muscles?
When I handed her the dipper of water I’d scooped, the Thief nodded.
I bent over deeply waiting for her to pour the dipper water, when suddenly a voice called out to us. More precisely, it was speaking to the Thief, not me.
“Thief, if you need a name, want me to give you one?”
“…?”
Wondering who it was I lifted my head, only for water to suddenly pour over my face.
Splash!!
“Ah…!”
“…”
“…S-sorry! I made another stupid mistake…!”
“It’s fine….”
Of all timings for this to happen.
The Thief had ignored the guy speaking and tried to do what I asked by pouring the water, but as I stood up the timing overlapped weirdly.
“I was the one who asked, so….”
Saying that I looked forward again. The voice had seemed familiar somehow, and it was Kael, the assassin from Orlando’s party.
I looked at him with a somewhat sullen expression. Why suddenly speak up… because of that the Thief’s action was delayed a beat and I got hit with the water dipper.
“What’s this about a name?”
“You were just talking about giving the Thief a name.”
“I was, but what’s this about you giving one.”
“When I met the Thief before and she said she had no name, I was thinking of giving her one next time.”
Kael said.
“I originally had no name either, but my master gave me one, just like that.”
So this guy was an orphan too. No wonder he seemed like he hadn’t received proper home education… ah, maybe I shouldn’t say that. The Thief next to me was in the same situation.
I asked the Thief.
“…Thief, is this guy your master?”
“…Hm?”
“No, there’s no way, right? Just looking at him he’s about the same age.”
Yeah, no way. A master wouldn’t be inferior to the Thief in every way.
“Then why are you saying you’ll give her one?”
“…What?”
“Did the Thief ask you?”
“That’s… no, but.”
“Then why are you saying you’ll give her one? You and your master are master-disciple so that makes sense, but you and the Thief have no relationship at all.”
I was asking purely out of curiosity. If I figured out this reason, I felt like I’d understand why this guy kept glaring at me.
Then, as if he had nothing to say, Kael picked on my tone and said:
“Your tone’s been off from earlier. I’m purely wanting to help the Thief?”
Of course my tone’s bad. Does he not even know how he looks at me every time.
“Then did you ask the Thief’s opinion?”
“What?”
“I’m trying to help with naming because I made a promise with the Thief, but did you make such a promise too?”
“…Promise?”
Kael looked at the Thief with slightly flustered eyes. And the Thief hunched her shoulders a little, hid behind me, and said:
“…I-I like it when Allen gives me one.”
Oh… that was a rather touching answer. At least it meant I was better than this scrawny hikikomori. It felt like my self-esteem was being filled.
And conversely, having essentially heard a rejection, Kael’s expression twisted. He glared at me fiercely with savage eyes, then passed us without a word and left.
“…Quite a strong reaction.”
Thinking of a name in advance and all… could it be that he likes the Thief? If so, then I’d unintentionally gotten in the way. Not that I felt sorry for the guy, but it still left a somewhat unpleasant feeling.
“…I’ll do it again.”
“Ah.”
Right, there was the request.
I bent over again and this time the Thief properly poured water, washing the sticky blood off my back. Feeling much better thanks to that, I raised my head.
“Man, thanks. Feels refreshing thanks to you.”
As I thanked her, the Thief’s expression suddenly looked strange. Like someone who had seen something and been surprised….
“…A-ah….”
“Thief?”
“…Th-that… euk, sorry!”
The Thief suddenly flung the dipper away and dashed off. I blankly watched her back, then slightly lowered my head.
“Ah.”
Because I’d poured water over my clothes to wash the bloodstained ones as well, the wet clothes clung and revealed the contours of my upper body.
It wasn’t like I’d taken my clothes off and there was nothing particularly wrong, but for the Thief who was scared of men, even this must have been a shock.
“I did something unnecessary that made her feel bad….”
I should have just done it alone.
Worrying that she might get even more scared going forward, I finished pouring the water.
“Thief?”
Letisia called out to the Thief who was passing by. She did so because she saw her running hard as if trying to escape from something. The Thief also stopped her steps upon hearing Letisia’s call.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“A-euk…… no, nothing….”
Letisia tilted her head slightly. The Thief’s face was bright red. And when she shifted her gaze along the path the Thief had fled from, she saw Allen washing off blood at the well.
“…Aha.”
“…Euk.”
Letisia nodded as if understanding and reached out, lightly stroking the Thief’s head.
“You know Allen doesn’t do weird things anymore. Don’t be too scared.”
“…Yeah.”
“If you’re too scared, Allen’s human too so he might get hurt.”
“…Sorry.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.”
Letisia looked at Allen. Having roughly washed off all the blood, he wrung out the hem of his clothes to squeeze out the water, roughly brushed off the dust, and headed back.
“There, Allen’s gone now so….”
“…I wasn’t scared.”
“Pardon?”
The Thief fidgeted a little then said:
“…I just wanted to run away somehow….”
“…You mean you were embarrassed?”
At Letisia’s question the Thief nodded. At that sight Letisia spoke a little happily:
“So you weren’t scared? You’re improving a lot, Thief!”
“…Ah.”
Hearing Letisia’s words the Thief nodded.
“…It’s thanks to Allen.”
“That’s right. The current Allen is a huge help.”
Letisia said with a slightly bitter smile.
“…I wish he’d just stay like this.”
“…That’s… too cruel a thing to say to Erinn.”
“…Sorry. I was thinking too shortsightedly again.”
Letisia took the Thief’s arm and said:
“For now don’t run away and let’s go back to the tent. If you go that way it’s the battlefield, you know?”
“…Yeah.”