Anxiety (2)
Just as I had expected. When I opened the box, what greeted me was the absolute pinnacle of black opulence. Judging by the length, it was clearly the sword I had commissioned. No—the presence of a kitchen-knife-like dagger made it certain.
But why was it so extravagant?
The pommel bore some kind of floral motif with what looked like a gem set in the center. The guard gleamed with brilliant golden patterns, as if gold itself had been worked into it. The grip needed no comment; whatever leather it was, it was clearly expensive.
And the blade itself surpassed every expectation. Using Silver Iron as the base explained the smooth luster, yet a beauty that went beyond mere polish radiated from it. Had the color changed during the forging? It was so pure I almost mistook the silver for pure white.
“Is this… really the sword I commissioned?”
“It is. The blacksmiths polished it with such dedication that the color shifted a little, they say.”
Priest Daniel’s sword, forged from the same Silver Iron, had a grayish-white cast mixed in. Clearly they had put even more effort into mine because it was my weapon.
It was beautiful, if a touch crude. Still, it was an exceedingly sharp blade.
The crowning touch was the dagger—or rather, the kitchen knife. They had engraved floral patterns across its broad blade. And that was not all. Every place that could take decoration—the grip, the pommel, everything—had been adorned. The result was that a mere kitchen knife looked like a work of fine craftsmanship.
“Haha…”
My expression had stiffened as I stared at the swords, and my reaction was clearly not glowing. The people around me grew restless.
“Do they… not please you…?”
The supervisor’s voice trembled badly. He was anxious… hanging on my every reaction, swinging between joy and despair. That only made the pressure worse. Honestly, neither piece suited me. I preferred practicality above all else… weapons this flashy simply were not my style. An even bigger reason was that anything looking this expensive made you a target.
Bandits would be far more likely to come after it.
But I was no longer the person I used to be. I had escorts traveling with me… so it should be fine, right?
“Ah, no? It’s just that my taste runs more toward the understated? The ordinary?”
The sheer extravagance had simply cowed me. Probably because my roots were commoner.
“I-is that so…?”
I should have kept my mouth shut. I had only meant to reassure him, yet he was still shaking with anxiety…
It felt exactly as if I had scolded him……
“It’s fine.”
I carefully lifted the sword from the box. When my hand closed around the grip, it settled into my palm with an unusual rightness. The weight felt perfect as well… better than I had expected, actually.
It had been a long time since I last held a sword, so I did not entirely trust my own senses, yet this one had won me over completely. I picked up the scabbard that had come with it and sheathed the blade.
“Not bad.”
The scabbard was just as ornate as the sword, but after looking at it long enough my eyes grew used to it and I decided it was acceptable. Next I drew the kitchen knife and tested its weight in my hand. This one was fine too. I set the knife down roughly near the kitchen area and moved on to the next item.
What appeared next was likewise a sword. Its color, however, was peculiar. Black-red? Or black-brown? It radiated a thick, ominous aura.
Staring at that dense blade, I felt as though I might be drawn in… a sense of foreboding that strong.
“Th-this is a sword?”
Was this what a demonic sword from a novel felt like? Looking at it left me with a strange sensation.
I reached out and touched it myself. The moment I did, the ominous feeling faded, and the sword gradually began to feel ordinary.
Was it because I knew so little about swords? Or had I simply grown used to it? Unlike mine, this blade had almost no decoration and felt plain—just a sharp sword.
I could no longer even remember why it had seemed so sinister at first.
“Judging by the length, this one’s for Older Sister.”
It had a slightly different roughness from my own sword, yet it still fit my hand reasonably well. The weight was a bit heavy, but for a Knight Class who could use mana it would be no problem.
I sheathed it carefully and set it aside. I would deliver this to my sister a little later.
The final remaining box held a similar sword. Having already experienced the first one, I felt no foreboding this time—only a plain sense that it was remarkable. But both blades had arrived? I was fairly sure one of them was meant for the baron……
“Well, I can leave that to the young master, I suppose.”
I decided to keep this one in its box as it was. Next came what looked like a gauntlet—or had they called it a sword stopper? I had never used one, so I was not sure. At any rate, a single piece of rather sinister-looking equipment sat there by itself. The structure looked quite complex, too…
So the church blacksmiths had made this as well?
“These are fine.”
“Is that so? The craftsmen will be delighted when they hear the news.”
A wry smile rose unbidden. In any case, I had received the equipment properly…
Now it was time for the important conversation.
“About the escorts remaining here?”
“Yes. I’ve recently obtained information that barbarians have been scouting as far as the border.”
“That is a serious matter.”
The supervisor’s eyes turned grave as he focused on my words.
“So I’m uneasy. This village is simply too close to the border. If it becomes a target, it will almost certainly be the first one hit.”
Of course, with me, the Instructor, and Older Sister here, we could repel anything short of an overwhelming force. But there would still be casualties in the process.
We would have to accept losses. I hated that.
If possible, I wanted a flawless victory with no one hurt. Therefore I needed the merchant caravan—no, the church’s Holy Knights—to stay even a few more days.
Moreover, Holy Knights and priests from the church would also be a help to the soldiers at the border fort. That would please the young master as well.
When I finished speaking, every face in the house had grown serious.
The only one still at ease was Priest Daniel.
“Priest Daniel mentioned there was a way to keep people here by constructing a temple.”
“Oh…?”
The supervisor looked past me at Priest Daniel, who wore a sly, calculating expression.
“A fine method. We cannot make it very large in scale, but we could dispatch people as the Saintess desires.”
Yet his reaction felt oddly off.
“However… I do not have that authority…”
He lowered his head.
No authority? Meaning the caravan supervisor could not freely move church personnel?
“There is no need to worry about that. The Saintess need only give the order.”
“Huh?”
Sister Mary spoke with a blank face.
“If you issue the directive in the Saintess’s name, there will be no problem whatsoever. The Saintess possesses that privilege.”
The moment Sister Mary finished, every expression in the house changed. Shock? No—that was… hope? Expectation?
“I see! Then we can help!”
Ah… so that was it. They wanted to be of use to me. They had been disappointed in themselves for lacking the authority. Now a way had appeared, and they were glad.
“C-can I really just do this however I like?”
“Of course.”
Seeing Sister Mary declare it without the slightest hesitation left me with no reply.
Come to think of it… I had already squeezed quite a lot of support funds and supplies out of the temple…
Remembering that… this should not be a problem either, right?
“Ahem. Will it truly be all right?”
“Yes. We need only send an official document.”
Is that so?
“Then I’ll do it…”
I had already used the young master’s feelings to protect the village. There was no reason I could not use the church as well!
I steeled my resolve.
For the sake of the village, I would do it!
The discussion did not last long. They settled on building a small temple large enough for roughly ten people to stay. That would require bringing in laborers beyond the caravan members, and Holy Knights would be dispatched to protect them during the process. When assigning priests or deacons, they would even use the crude method of sending Holy Knights instead of deacons.
“Is this really okay…?”
Everyone insisted it was fine, yet a heavy stone sat in my chest.
The order would be drafted jointly by the caravan supervisor and the priest who had come with him; I would only need to affix my seal.
Well, one major problem still remained.
I had to persuade my foster father, the village chief, to grant permission for the temple’s construction. That might actually be the harder part.
I headed for my foster parents’ house both to persuade Father and to deliver the sword to Older Sister.
“Sis, what are you doing?”
When I stepped inside, I found Older Sister working at something that looked like embroidery—or knitting.
She glanced my way, then abruptly hung her head and did not answer. Someone else replied to my question instead.
“I’m giving her bridal lessons.”
It was my foster mother.
“Oh—Mother?”
Bridal lessons for Older Sister?
I looked at her again. She was knitting as bridal training? Her skill was better than I expected.
“It’s not bridal lessons. It’s mental cultivation.”
She clearly wanted to deny the bridal-lesson part.
“Is that so? Here’s a sword—check it later! And keep up the mental cultivation.”
I decided not to press further. I set the box containing the sword down in an empty spot and asked Mother where Father was.
She told me he had gone to the caravan wagons to check whether any supplies the village needed were available.
Had he still not finished choosing while I was talking?
In any case, I went to Father and asked what he thought of building a temple.
“A temple, you say…?”
“Yes. Once a temple is built, priests or nuns will stay, so it will be a great help to the village.”
Even people in a backwater like this knew what a priest could do. Father did not hesitate.
“Haha, a temple in our village? That is truly wonderful news. But they brought this matter to you first?”
Ah, that…
Normally something like this should go through the village chief—Father. Bypassing him and speaking to me first was a problem.
“W-well, my companion Daniel is a priest, you see? It came up while I was talking with him.”
“Is that so?”
Father regarded me with a doubtful look.
“Y-yeah. I think he grew fond of this place while staying in the village.”
“Hmm, well then…”
In the end I persuaded Father and told him the details could be discussed with Priest Daniel and the caravan supervisor.
“So a priest will come to our village as well…”
The presence of a priest who could heal the injured and even neutralize poison was enormous.
Especially in a village without a proper apothecary, a priest’s value was beyond words.
“Father…”
Eyes filled with longing…
He was probably thinking of my late older brother right now. I carefully put my arms around him.
“Nothing like that will ever happen again.”
“Yes…”
Father gently stroked my hair.
Once the temple was built… once a priest or nun was permanently stationed here, such a tragedy would never be repeated.