Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Magic Beast Hunt (1)
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About a week had passed since the Supply Officers' visit.
The weekly paper brought fresh news from the western front.
One of the Continent's Seven Strongest, Flame Flower Igret, had seized the capital of Palban in just three days, exactly as Elric had predicted.
No, it was more accurate to say she had burned it all to the ground.
Her magic had roasted Palban—which boasted centuries of history—into a pile of ash.
Now only seven kingdoms and one empire remained on the front lines, and the situation had grown even more urgent. Yet there were places where such events still felt like distant tales from another world.
Weibin was one such place.
"The weather's getting chilly."
Unlike the dire developments in the west, Weibin exuded a leisurely air.
The bustle from merchant caravans loading up on designated stockpiles had been the most exciting event in ages, but truly, there were no major incidents to speak of.
With full winter upon them, the territory's folk were busy chopping firewood or maintaining long-neglected tools.
The Portman estate, meanwhile, was enjoying a relaxed time reviewing issues too big for the common folk to handle alone.
Elric was no exception.
"The firewood in the hearth seems low. Shall I fetch more?"
"Hm, if it wouldn't be a bother, could we keep it like this? It's hard to focus when it's too warm."
In the Portman family office.
The room was so cold that one needed an overcoat indoors, prompting Elric to ask. Tiria simply shook her head.
She cited focus issues, but... Elric had his doubts.
"You must prefer it cool."
"If you're cold..."
"No, it's fine. I'm not that sensitive to weather changes."
He had lived a life of curling up on frozen ground even in bone-chilling cold where the earth itself was rock-hard. A mere draft wasn't enough to bother him.
He had only asked out of concern for her, and her response was answer enough.
"If it gets too cold, just say the word. I'll fetch more firewood myself."
"Yes."
Tiria nodded, her pale skin glowing even more ghostly white with the onset of winter.
The tip of her nose was faintly red, her lips far more vividly so. The contrast stood out sharply against her skin.
Amid it all, Elric found himself idly noting how worn the fur cloak draped over her shoulders seemed.
He let out a hollow chuckle.
'Bored, aren't we.'
All the major tasks he needed to learn were done, leaving only minor paperwork.
These were things she could handle alone, yet Elric lingered in the office because of Tiria's advice: "You need to build a habit of coming and going regularly."
Observing her was all he had left to do.
That naturally brought certain thoughts to mind.
Namely, the emotion that had stirred on the day of the Supply Officers' visit.
The stifling unease at the thought of her left alone again, possibly facing the same ordeal.
That feeling hadn't subsided; it still gnawed at him.
It was still just a small ripple.
But it was irritating enough that he couldn't simply ignore it, so Elric often found himself lost in such ruminations.
Of course, brooding didn't yield easy answers.
Thus, he kept propping his chin and glancing at her, only to suddenly meet eyes with Tiria as she looked up.
He flinched.
Tiria asked.
"Is there something you need?"
It was too embarrassing to say he was just staring.
Elric hurriedly made an excuse.
"No, I was looking at your fur cloak."
"Oh, this?"
Tiria stroked the fur cloak.
"It's a cloak made from magic beast hide. The townsfolk gave it to me as a gift about seven years ago."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. A magic beast from the back mountain came down to the village, damaging homes. That year, the townsfolk went out to hunt it, and the hide became this cloak."
A nostalgic name.
"A magic beast from the back mountain... brings back old memories."
Elric shook off his fluster and chuckled.
"I used to raise hell back then, trying to catch a glimpse of one of those things."
Behind Weibin territory loomed a vast mountain range with peaks numbering well over two dozen.
Dense forests and steep slopes kept human feet away, allowing a magic beast ecosystem to flourish unchecked.
To children, magic beasts were a staple foe in knight games.
Elric had been no different.
The village troublemaker that he was, he would sneak off to the back mountain with the other kids whenever adults looked away, hunting for magic beasts.
'I think I saw one just once...'
He recalled spotting a wolf several times the size of a grown man from afar and fleeing in terror.
The funny part was that even after such a scare, he kept dragging the kids back up there.
Looking back, it was a miracle he was alive.
'Hm, no, that's not quite it.'
Perhaps the reason he never saw another was his master.
His master had lived midway up that back mountain, and given the man's personality, he had likely cleared out all the nearby beasts.
Come to think of it, his master often grilled suspiciously gamey meat. It might have been magic beast.
'It had quite the addictive flavor.'
Fishy at first, but once you got past that, nothing compared—and he'd occasionally crave it since.
Even on the battlefield.
Whenever homesickness welled up, that fishy taste came to mind too.
Elric smacked his lips.
Then he noticed Tiria staring at him.
"Er, sorry. Got lost in thought. Hearing about back mountain magic beasts just reminded me of old friends. Got caught up in memories..."
"...It's fine."
Her gaze dropped.
Her demeanor felt subtly off from usual, but Elric had no way of knowing why.
He tilted his head.
That was the moment.
The door creaked open.
"Milady, new paperwork."
Aldio entered, thrusting a stack of documents up to his waist height.
Elric's eyes widened in shock.
"Wh-what's with all this?"
"Nothing major. It's just that compiling the townsfolk's requests added up."
Requests piled this high?
A sudden dread washed over Elric.
Weibin wasn't even that large a territory—did bigger ones mean even more?
Being a noble might be far harder than it looked.
Of course, the misconception faded quickly.
"We don't review every single one."
Tiria explained.
"The minor ones we skim. We collect these requests to grasp how the territory's running. Knowing what kinds of demands are common and which goods are in high demand keeps operations smooth, doesn't it?"
Ah, so that was the reason.
Elric rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward laugh.
"Almost scared me. Thought we'd have to address every last one."
"We're the lords, not the servants."
A clear declaration of intent.
As she flipped through the papers with a rustle and pulled one out.
"Of course, some issues require our direct intervention."
"This is..."
Tiria handed the document to Elric.
He read it and blinked in surprise.
"Magic beast hunt?"
A magic beast from the back mountain was rampaging; please handle it.
The entire village was pleading in unison.
Details noted: "Wolf-type magic beast, size about that of a house."
"We should investigate. For something like this, hearing it straight from the village head is fastest."
Tiria rose from her seat.
Elric awkwardly stood to follow.
"Coming along?"
"Wouldn't I?"
Even so, had she planned to leave him behind?
Puzzled, Elric soon understood why.
Her eyes were fixed on his knee.
Elric gave a small smile.
"It's fine. Much better than when I first arrived."
"But if a magic beast shows up..."
"You'll carry me out on your back?"
Tiria stiffened.
No doubt about it—she didn't look pleased at the idea.
Elric regretted his lighthearted quip, yet felt a surge of injustice.
'...Elbus pulls this and the ladies love it.'
Elbus Graham enjoyed self-deprecating jokes like this when chatting with girls his age.
The young ladies would fret and blush, nodding along.
Why did it work for that guy and not him?
Indignant, Elric hung his head.
"...Just a joke. Let's go."
"Ah, yes."
Elric had no idea.
In Tiria's mind—oblivious to the jest—she pictured herself struggling to piggyback him, only for her frail stamina to doom them both as magic beast fodder.
Until he said "just a joke," she had been seriously pondering physical training.