Homecoming (9)
A single trip into the Forest of Delusion had shifted something in me.
The thought that this was no time to sit idle.
"Right. Even if I don't make bombs, traps are worth setting up, aren't they?"
Our village already had a wooden palisade around its perimeter, thanks to the Forest of Delusion nearby. I decided to inspect it first and reinforce it wherever needed.
How? I borrowed the power of magic.
"Magic really is something else."
Even the Instructor nodded in quiet approval at the sight.
The work itself was simple. Using the existing palisade as a support frame, I piled earth and stone on top of it. Doing that by hand would have been backbreaking, but I handled it with magic—scooping up the surrounding ground in great sweeps and dumping it over the fence.
Crude and inelegant as the method was, the palisade came out far sturdier. Once I had circled the entire village and reinforced every stretch of wall, it almost looked as though a small fortress rampart had risen around us.
What made the reinforcement truly effective was the ditch that formed in front of the palisade as I turned the earth. Standing before the wall, the drop in height made the barrier feel taller still—and far harder to climb.
"Keeping this up long-term will be tough."
"Yes, I imagine so."
Unless someone could use magic the way I did…
I had half a mind to plant stakes in the ditches as traps, but the Instructor pointed out that a villager might fall in and get hurt, so I dropped the idea.
Of course, I prepared other traps instead. These ones would work against monsters as well, so there was nothing to lose by making them.
All in all, I kept myself busy. And somewhere in the middle of that, a small stir reached the village.
"Apparently the army has moved."
An army—and a sizable one at that. Word was it looked to be about five hundred strong, and they were headed for the forward outpost near the border.
"So the young master has come."
I didn't even need to dig for information. It was obvious who had arrived. Young Master Maximilian had clearly brought the territory's soldiers with him.
Honestly, just remembering the confession incident made me too embarrassed to face him again.
Still, if I wanted solid information, meeting him in person was best. And word from the Church was due around now as well—the goods I had commissioned should be finished and on their way. Delivering them meant seeing him face-to-face.
I could have sent Priest Daniel or Sister Mary, of course… but we were comrades, after all.
Yes. I wasn't harboring any other feelings. Just comradeship.
The day after the Instructor brought word that the army had entered the outpost, I began preparing to go out first thing in the morning.
"You said you would be going there today, didn't you?"
Sister Mary asked, a faint worry in her expression.
"Yes."
"Are you… all right?"
I knew exactly what she was fretting over. Even so, I needed to meet him.
"Ahaha…"
I told myself I was fine for now, but I had no idea how I would feel once we were actually face-to-face. Even now, just recalling that day made me burn with embarrassment.
Extremely embarrassed.
But for the sake of protecting the village, I had to face him properly.
"While I'm at it, I need to buy a few things as well."
I explained that the village had no blacksmith of its own, so anyone needing tools had to go to the forge at the outpost.
"I see."
Now then—what to wear?
My old men's clothes were still in the house, but my hand wouldn't quite reach for them. I was going to see the young master, though. Dressing properly was only polite, wasn't it? And he was a noble—if I didn't observe the formalities, I might not even get an audience. That was why I was dressing up. That was all…
I put on an ordinary beige shirt and a black circular skirt. The result looked less like a plain village wife and more like a young woman from the city.
"This should do."
Once dressed, I added the necklace, bracelet, and pendant.
This sort of outfit had become truly familiar by now. When I finished changing and stepped out of the room, Sister Mary wore a faintly disapproving look.
"Mary? Is something wrong?"
"No. May I ask who you intend to go with?"
Ah…
"Daniel has the children's lessons today, so I was thinking of going alone…"
"Then I shall accompany you."
Sister Mary declared she would come along as well. In her eyes, me wandering about without an attendant was no doubt a source of worry. I told her that was fine. Even if I ordered her not to follow, she was the sort who would talk me into it anyway.
There was no point starting an argument over nothing.
Sister Mary's clothes were those of an ordinary village woman, yet somehow she still looked beautiful. Was appearance really what completed an outfit? Especially once she cinched the fabric around her waist and midriff, her chest stood out and her feminine figure was all the more pronounced.
I felt a small twinge of envy at the sight.
"Shall we go, then."
Together with Sister Mary, I left the house and walked toward the village square. Along the way, my sister came scampering up.
"Where are you going?"
"The blacksmith."
Emma tilted her head, then nodded.
"Come back safe."
"Yeah. See you later."
I had worried she might try to tag along, so I was relieved.
We left the village and set out for the outpost. At a leisurely pace it was about a three-hour walk, so we took our time.
Before long the outpost came into view.
As expected, the arrival of fresh troops had filled the place with a restless energy you could feel even from a distance. How could I tell? The dust hanging in the air, the increased number of people moving about, and the powerful auras of those commanding them made it obvious.
Those powerful auras almost certainly belonged to knights.
"I'm not sure we'll even be able to see Maximilian like this."
"Oh, come now. If you call for him, he'll come."
Even so, a small worry began to nibble at me.
I turned down his confession, after all. What if he doesn't want to see me and simply refuses to come out?
That… might actually make me a little sad…?
Just as we reached the vicinity of the outpost, the young master happened to be outside making his rounds.
He hadn't spotted us yet.
I approached slowly—and in that instant his gaze swung toward us. His face flooded with sheer astonishment.
Why that reaction? Even after everything that happened, looking at me like that might actually hurt a little…
He blinked several times, then rubbed his eyes with his hands, as if checking whether I was really there.
"Young Master Maximilian? You've seen me—aren't you going to come over?"
Annoyed, I called out to him myself.
His mouth fell open. He stared at me in a daze.
"Young Master?"
"J-Julian?!"
Only then did he seem certain of my presence, and he hurried over. His reaction was so endearing I almost laughed.
"W-what brings you here?"
"What do you mean, what brings me? Our village is nearby, so of course I came."
"Th-that is…"
He fell into thought for a moment.
"I did tell you I lived near the border."
"Well, yes, but even so…"
Had he not believed me? At any rate, I had meant to talk with him properly, when—
"There are… quite a lot of people behind you."
The eyes of the crowd at his back were all fixed on us. There were far too many to simply ignore—nearly two hundred?
Something like that, at least…
"Ahem. Would you come this way?"
He escorted me with natural ease, and I took his hand just as naturally. Sister Mary followed quietly behind.
The murmuring at our backs swelled, and I felt a flicker of unease. Had I approached too thoughtlessly?
I really should have met him somewhere quieter, shouldn't I?
The place he led me to was something like a reception room within the base. It was a reception room in name, at least—the furnishings themselves were rather shabby.
We sat facing each other and eyed one another carefully. Now that we were close, finding the right words suddenly felt difficult.
From a distance I had felt nothing at all, but now…
Why did a man this handsome confess to someone like me? The thought rose unbidden.
We kept watching each other without speaking until Sister Mary, apparently unable to bear the silence, opened her mouth first.
"Have you been well?"
"Y-yes?! Yes, well enough…"
He answered in a fluster. Once Sister Mary had broken the ice, the young master—who had been waiting for a cue—found his voice as well.
"S-so what brings you here?"
"I, ah… wanted to exchange information about the barbarian problem."
"I-I see…"
I couldn't tell why he sounded so disappointed.
I passed along the information I had gathered through the Instructor, though it seemed the young master already knew most of it.
"So there were traces of scouting near the village as well."
"Yes. Honestly, it makes me uneasy."
I had hoped it was only my imagination… but a real attack seemed increasingly likely.
"I can't very well tell you not to worry."
He shared what he had learned in turn. There had been many suspicious traces inside the border—hideouts that looked as though spies had used them.
"Is that true?"
"Yes. Certain."
This… could be dangerous.
We needed to prepare more thoroughly.
"I brought troops from the territory, but if they strike while bypassing this place, our response will be late."
That was exactly what worried me. If they were aiming for a full-scale battle, they would naturally target the garrison with its soldiers. But if plunder was the goal? They would slip past the watch and raid the nearby villages. And of those, ours was the most likely to be hit first.
"Perhaps I should send soldiers after all…"
He muttered to himself, lost in thought.
"That might be… a bit much."
I was grateful that he was thinking of us, but stationing soldiers in the village would create a whole different set of problems. I was reluctant.
"Is that so…"
"Yes. If soldiers come, there will be trouble."
"If I send a knight to keep them in line…"
"It would be difficult unless you came yourself."
I could only say it with an awkward smile.
"I suppose so…"
His reaction suggested he had already known as much.
"W-well, we've been putting our own countermeasures in place, so please don't worry too much."
"At the very least, we should establish a means of communication."
His expression turned thoroughly serious.
"A means of communication?"
"Yes. If we raise signal beacons, we can respond even a little faster."
Beacons… At roughly two hours' distance, smoke ought to be visible enough.
"But wouldn't it still take time for soldiers to arrive?"
"We have cavalry, if only a few. If the cavalry alone rides out, they can reach you quickly."
It would still take time. And depending on the number of barbarians invading, the village could be wiped out before help arrived…
Of course, that was only if Emma and I weren't there.
The Instructor was there too, and if Priest Daniel and Sister Mary joined the fight, we could hold. If help arrived while we held the line? We could keep the damage down.
"Beacons. Beacons sound good."
"Then we shall plan the installation of signal beacons."
"But is it all right for you to decide that on your own?"
Noble or not, heir to the territory or not… this was a personal matter. Would it really be fine?
"I am the commander here. It is perfectly all right."
He was smiling brightly.
Commander…
So he stood above the thousand-odd people stationed here…
"Commander—that sounds impressive!"
He seemed to be in a much better mood.