Chapter 82: An Outing
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 82: An Outing
The high autumn sky was vast, framed by the vibrant, multi-colored canopy of the trees.
Even that beauty wouldn't last much longer. Soon, the leaves would fall, turning into a brittle blanket to cover the earth. It was late autumn.
‘It’s beautiful.’
Looking up at the scenery she had looked down upon thousands of times felt fresh. Perhaps that was why Valdrova couldn't take another step. The sensation of becoming a part of that world felt incredibly precious to her.
‘An outing...’
It wasn't a sortie to hunt down monsters, but a genuine outing—moving simply to enjoy the atmosphere. It was a trivial thing, but she couldn't control her racing heart.
What if she made a mistake? She really shouldn't...
Repeating those anxious thoughts and taking a deep breath, she finally moved her feet.
‘I wonder what the village Ferda built looks like?’
After hundreds of years of seclusion, Valdrova was encountering a "village" for the first time in ages. It was none other than the settlement being built beneath Valdrova Castle.
‘Is this... a village?’
In Valdrova’s last memories, houses were made of stone, earth, and wood. But what was this before her eyes? There were only tents. People were gathered around them, busy at work.
‘Humanity has regressed significantly in my absence.’
Valdrova couldn't help but feel a sense of pity. When she had heard the news from Ruri, she was sure they were enjoying prosperity... Had Ruri lied to her so she wouldn't worry?
“Hey, who might you be, mister?”
As she stood there staring blankly, someone approached her. Valdrova jumped in surprise and turned her head. It was a man in his thirties who looked like he had spent a fair amount of time living a rough, weathered life.
Valdrova found herself overwhelmed by his presence. It wasn't just because he had a fierce impression.
‘A human spoke to me.’
It was a pure symptom of her social phobia. A human other than Ferda had approached her without hesitation and asked who she was. For a moment, Valdrova felt as if time had stopped.
How should she answer? Should she run away?
“What’s the matter? Why the silence? Are you one of those fellas who took a Vow of Silence?”
A Vow of Silence?
She didn't know what that was, but Valdrova nodded for now. The man accepted this and stopped pressing her.
“Ah, I see. A knight who made a vow to Alte, then. Are you a wanderer looking to receive a knighthood at Valdrova Castle?”
She shook her head.
“Is that so? Then you must be a noble-born who turned into an adventurer... but it looks like you’ve arrived too early. We’re right in the middle of village construction. We need to get the houses built quickly, but man...”
The man clicked his tongue. Valdrova tilted her head and pointed a finger at the tents. She was asking if the houses weren't right there.
“Huh? What are you talking about? Those are just places to stay until the village is finished; they aren't houses!”
Ah, so those weren't houses. Valdrova scratched her head awkwardly.
“You really don't know how the world works, do you? Well, I suppose that happens. Those are temporary barracks, and what we need now are communal barracks. A house that can properly block the winter wind and where you can warm your hands by a fire. We need to build them fast so people can stay warm before winter comes.”
“...”
“They say they’re putting out notices in the Empire to bring in more people, but I haven't heard a peep about anyone applying. Do you know why?”
She shook her head.
“Isn't it because people hate being dragged to the front lines? I would’ve felt the same. Life inside the walls is hard enough; what do you think the world outside the walls is like? Young folks these days would rather shiver and rot inside the Empire. They’ve got no spirit, no spirit at all.”
“...”
“So, mister. Do you happen to have some strength to spare?”
Strength...
She was a woman who had nothing but strength. That was why she was a dragon known as the Aspect of Fire and Power.
Valdrova nodded tentatively.
“There are a few others like you around. I’m the foreman for this project. If you’ve got some muscle, why not give us a hand? I won't stop you if you have somewhere else to go, but if you want to work here in the Far East, shouldn't we get this built as fast as possible?”
The man offered Valdrova a labor contract. Though she looked like a knight or an adventurer, he didn't hesitate because they were desperate for manpower.
Hearing the offer, Valdrova looked around the area again. People living in tents. They were wearing quilted clothes, but they huddled their bodies whenever the cold wind blew.
‘It seems they are very cold.’
It would be even colder sleeping inside those tents.
‘Then, what I can do is...’
After a moment of thought, Valdrova nodded.
“As expected of adventurers... wait, you’ll do it?”
Nod.
“Huh.”
The man stared at her with wide eyes, as if she were an oddity. In fact, the foreman had made that proposal to other adventurers several times, but this was the first time anyone had accepted. Who would want to do such backbreaking manual labor?
“Alright then. I’ll let the administrator know. My name is Hanson. You can just call me Foreman... ah, right, the Vow of Silence. If I need you for a task, I’ll give you a token later, so use that to call for me instead.”
Nod.
“Now, before we get to work... how about taking off that armor?”
“?”
Armor? This? Valdrova pointed at her helmet.
“Yeah, that armor.”
Clatter!
Valdrova jumped and shook her head violently.
“How are you going to work wearing something like that?”
Shake, shake!
“It’s not like you’re trying to save face between men, so is it that you can't show your face for some reason?”
Nod, nod!
“Hah, can't show your face, and you’ve taken a Vow of Silence. You’re a mysterious one.”
Hanson tried to get her to take it off a few more times before giving up. What did clothing matter? As long as the person was strong, that was all that counted.
Hanson immediately put her to work. He walked with Valdrova to a spot where timber was piled up.
“See these logs here? You need to bring all of them to the folks sawing over there. Simple, right?”
Nod.
“Alright, go to that end. We have to lift them together and load them onto the cart one by one. Okay, one, two, heeeave...?”
Something was wrong. He had put strength into his legs to stand up, but strangely, there was no resistance. Unless these logs were made of bundled feathers, this was impossible.
Just in case, Hanson looked down at his hands. The log was floating in the air. The knight standing on the other side had lifted it alone. And with only one hand. As if it were incredibly light.
The helmet stared blankly at the foreman. Where do I put this?
“Uh, you can put it... over there.”
The casual "mister" vanished, replaced by the respectful tones one might use for a superior. Valdrova moved as she was told and began transporting the logs. She moved while holding just the very end of the log. Even someone considered strong wouldn't be able to hold a pillar by its end and maintain their balance.
“Is it... not heavy?”
Nod.
Seeing Valdrova act as if it were nothing, Hanson asked her just in case.
“Can you perhaps carry two?”
Valdrova nodded and hoisted two logs up. Still with just one hand.
“I wonder how many more you can carry...?”
“?”
Valdrova tilted her head. She didn't know the answer to that herself. But she figured she could find out now.
In that manner, she picked them up one by one until she was carrying a stack of ten logs. She was already carrying enough to fill two carts all by herself.
“...”
Hanson watched the scene with his mouth hanging open. He wasn't the only one shocked by this feat of strength.
“What is that?”
“He’s carrying all of that alone?”
Naturally, the attention of the other workers nearby was drawn to her. Seeing someone in full knight’s armor carrying ten logs at once caused a stir of whispers.
‘Is this not right?’
Frightened by the sudden attention, Valdrova abruptly dropped the logs. At Valdrova’s reaction, Hanson snapped out of it and shouted at the surroundings.
“What are you looking at, you lot! Get back to work!”
After threatening them with a growl, the workers returned to their posts. Hanson approached Valdrova and consoled her.
“Goodness, Sir Knight. Don't you worry. If any of those runts treat you like a sideshow, I, Hanson, will personally knock some sense into them!”
Hanson made a chopping motion with his hand, making "shoo-shook" sounds with his mouth. To him, Valdrova was an elite talent he desperately needed.
After being coaxed and soothed like that, Valdrova began working again. Even if he hadn't said all that, she had intended to continue.
‘Because the houses need to be built quickly.’
She wanted to help so they could sleep in warm houses before the northern chill swept down. So that at least when they slept, they could do so without worry. That was the best she, with her limited perspective, could do for them.
“I guess we should call it a day. You worked hard, Sir Knight!”
Valdrova followed the foreman’s lead and looked up at the sun. The sun was sinking toward the west. Thinking there was still time left, she tried to move back to work, but Hanson stopped her.
“Ah, you can stop now. See, the sun is setting. When the sun goes down, you sleep and look forward to tomorrow. Isn't everyone exhausted?”
Ah, I see. Valdrova nodded.
Hanson headed toward the gathering area. It was the place to return their tokens and collect their daily wages. Hanson submitted Valdrova’s share as well and collected the money.
Hanson grumbled as he brought the pouch of coins.
“Those damn bastards. You did the work of four men for a week all by yourself, and instead of fifteen shares, they only gave me ten. Aren't they just filthy?”
She didn't really know. So, she just nodded for now.
“Anyway, the ones at the top are the problem. I bet that Regent fellow named Ferda told them to do it! Isn't he just acting like a petty brat at such a young age... Gasp!”
Hanson quickly shut his mouth. He felt eyes glaring at him from behind the shadow of that helmet.
“Ah, I’m sorry. You’re a knight, after all; it was wrong of me to insult a noble, wasn't it? Please understand. It’s just a middle-aged man who’s achieved nothing venting his frustrations.”
“...”
“If I could, I’d give you everything out of my own pocket, but please accept this for now. Instead, I’ll make sure to be a good connection for you later so it helps your adventuring career. How does that sound?”
If she had even the slightest ear for the adventuring business, she would have known how useless that statement was. But Valdrova had no idea what this man was talking about. Therefore, she just nodded for now.
“Haha! As expected, your generosity is on another level! Here, take this.”
Hanson handed a heavy pouch to Valdrova. The clinking sound from inside the pouch was familiar to her ears.
‘It sounds similar to the gold coins piled in my vault.’
It was similar to the sound made when she tapped the piles with her claws. Valdrova accepted the pouch.
“By the way, Sir Knight, this is your first time here. Do you have a place to stay? If not, I could arrange a wooden bench for you...”
While experiencing human life was fun, she couldn't stay here. Valdrova nodded and reflexively pointed a finger toward the Lonely Mountain. Then, realizing her mistake, she pointed in the opposite direction of the mountain.
“Are you leaving this place for good?”
Hanson asked with a troubled face. When Valdrova shook her head, his expression brightened.
“Ah, I guess you’re just planning to stay somewhere else. Understood. Come back whenever you want to help with the construction. You don't know how reassuring it is to have someone like you around!”
Since Valdrova couldn't answer, she just kept nodding her head.
Let’s leave this place quickly.
With that thought, she turned to leave.
“Sir Knight?”
“?”
“Didn't you say you were going home? Where are you going?”
Valdrova’s feet were heading toward the Lonely Mountain.
Oops. That wasn't the way.
Embarrassed, Valdrova turned around and walked in the direction she had originally pointed. Hanson burst into laughter at the sight.
“Get home safe! Don't run into any monsters!”
After saying goodbye, she moved away from the village. Once the village was out of sight, Valdrova made a wide circle and headed for her Lair.
The return trip took only three seconds—a mere instant. Pushing open the massive iron doors and returning to her sanctuary, Valdrova lay down immediately. Still wearing her armor, she stared up at the pitch-black ceiling.
‘What was that?’
It was a strange day. The day had truly flown by like an arrow. It wasn't tiring, but she didn't even know what had happened. She had just repeated the same movements, and people were amazed.
‘Was I... helpful?’
The feeling that that alone was enough left her dazed. Valdrova untied the bundle she had placed on her chest. Ten copper coins per worker. For ten people, a total of one hundred.
She stacked them neatly and stared at them quietly. Money given to her by humans.
‘Money they gave me because they were grateful.’
They were thankful to her.
‘They said they’d see me again tomorrow.’
Their faces were vividly drawn in Valdrova’s mind. Not faces trembling in fear, but faces smiling brightly.
‘Humans want me.’
She didn't know how to express this overwhelming emotion. She just wanted to share this joy that felt like it would burst her heart.
“Ruri...”
The first person who came to mind was the girl who knew her well. The kind-hearted child who had served her for a long time.
“...I can't tell her.”
Valdrova reflexively covered her mouth. Ruri was loyal, but when she got angry, she was scarier than anyone. She would undoubtedly nag about the dignity of a dragon or something similar. It would only increase the things they worried about, so she decided to keep it a secret.
She needed someone else to share this with besides Ruri.
“Then... Mr. Ferda?”
The gentle man. She always needed a topic to talk about with him. This was a great topic.
Her heart felt ticklish. She found herself smiling foolishly, and her body moved restlessly as if it didn't know what to do with itself. She wanted Ferda to soothe this feeling.
‘No, not yet.’
Valdrova hugged the pouch of copper coins tightly. She wanted to tell Ferda, but not now. This village was being built by Ferda’s will. She wanted to save up bit by bit and give him a gift that would surprise him.
In the future, if this village prospered, she would tell him that she was the one who set its pillars. That she had built it with her own hands. That destruction wasn't the only thing she was capable of.
She wanted to see the expression he would make. She wanted to hear what kind of praise he would give.
So, she decided to keep it hidden deep inside. Still, it was a waste to keep this feeling only in her heart, and it inadvertently leaked out of her mouth.
“Mr. Ferda...”
Valdrova whispered the name tenderly.
“I... was helpful to you, Mr. Ferda.”
That was the step Valdrova had taken. It was the beginning of a small change.