The Living Doll
Kaisent had been told it was a margrave’s domain straddling the border of two nations, so he had pictured a bleak military city.
But as the broad forest fell away along the road, the landscape that opened before him overturned every expectation.
It looks like a giant production plant.
Near the forest, lumberjacks worked beside processing lines that cut timber into uniform widths; beyond them stretched vast fields and pastures, ordinary smithies, and more—an entire territory deliberately laid out so that everything circulated and sustained itself from within. And farther still rose a castle wall so massive it was visible even from a great distance.
“It’s been cleared a lot more than the last time we came.”
“Yeah.”
The mercenaries who remembered the place before clicked their tongues at how far the reclamation had progressed.
Hearing them, Kaisent scurried over to Lillian.
“This place wasn’t always like this?”
“No. Originally the Halrot Kingdom side was nothing but endless forest.”
Even though this was a border city that could face an assault from the Saryeong Kingdom at any moment, Lillian stared blankly at the bright faces of the laborers.
“Lillian?”
“…….”
Unlike her usual self, she could not keep her attention on Kaisent; her eyes remained fixed on the workers. Priscilla gave him a signal and drew him to her side.
“Priscilla. Something’s wrong with Lillian.”
“It can’t be helped. Most of the people working here are citizens of Luciarkenel.”
“What do you mean?”
When the Luciarkenel Kingdom fell and even its nobles were wiped out, some of the commoners who realized no one remained to protect them chose to flee abroad. At the time, Countess Akina had been thoroughly sick of having to beg the capital for nearly every supply. Most of her territory was forest; reclaiming it required an enormous population. When the Luciarkenel refugees arrived, she accepted them as settlers and launched a massive reclamation project. By reporting attacks from the Saryeong Kingdom—attacks that had never actually reached the capital—she secured vast quantities of supplies, and on that foundation the gamble of reclamation succeeded. She had prepared for a Saryeong offensive, yet strangely only leaderless undead packs ever assaulted the walls from time to time. In the end, the refugees who had escaped Luciarkenel toward Halrot became the people of Margrave Akina.
“For Lillian the feelings must be complicated. Honestly, my own heart isn’t calm either.”
“…….”
When Priscilla’s expression turned equally complex, Kaisent could only keep silent. He simply could not think of any comfort to offer the children of a fallen kingdom.
“Lillian.”
“Ah.”
All he could do instead was take her hand. She wore gloves to conceal that she was a woman, yet through the leather she felt the gentle pressure of Kaisent’s fingers, and the heaviness in her chest slowly eased. He could not hold on long—other mercenaries might notice—but the eyes visible beyond her helmet told him her expression had lightened, so he released her and stepped back.
-Master.-
Hm? What is it?
Until now Artemis had remained quiet; now the AI spoke through Kaisent’s bio-device.
-The griffin riders in the sky fixed their gazes precisely on Master.-
On me? Weren’t they just scanning the mercenary company?
-No. Their eyes locked exactly on Master.-
Why? Do I look that strange?
-If it were merely appearance, the dark elf Lilith or Priscilla—who became an ideal beauty under the curse—would draw far more attention.-
…So they have some business with me.
-If Master sensed no killing intent, they are not enemies. Still, remain cautious.-
The knowledge that the griffin riders had focused on him alone left Kaisent tense.
The Wolf Mercenary Group passed through the sprawling production zone—neither quite village nor city—and entered the massive walls.
“Ugh?”
“Huk!?”
Inside stood buildings that looked like military facilities, yet the mercenaries froze at the sight of knights lined up on both sides of the road. The formation was not a formal review; the knights’ eyes darted about as though searching for someone.
“Is it that one?”
“The pure-white kid.”
“That little brat?”
Every gaze locked onto Kaisent.
U…uugh……. So many strangers…I feel like I’m going to throw up…….
-If you vomit here you will become ten years’ worth of drinking stories for everyone present.-
The “white one” is me, right? Why are they looking for me?
Kaisent’s introverted nature made his stomach churn under the fierce auras of the knights staring him down.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
A booming voice rang out and a woman appeared. Akina, clad in full armor, had come the moment she heard of the Wolf Mercenary Group’s arrival.
“I leave training alone for a short while and already you’ve grown soft. Out here sightseeing, are you?”
“We apologize!”
Margrave Akina released a light pulse of presence and glared; the knights scattered in every direction and returned to their posts.
“Ben.”
“Yes, Margrave.”
“Inform the Wolf Mercenary Group of their quarters and the rules of this place. I will not demand they be treated as regular troops, but show them respect beyond ordinary mercenaries.”
“Understood.”
The knight called Ben, who had arrived with Akina, told the company to follow and led them away. They had expected to pitch tents in some corner; instead they were given a proper barracks.
“Each of you take one of these.”
“What is it?”
Ben had them draw green card-like tokens from a prepared box. As though anticipating the question, he explained their purpose.
“These cards serve as both identification and pass. The entire castle is managed by magic; anyone found wandering without one will be punished. For reference, even a knight who served Margrave Akina for over ten years once forgot his and was placed on probation. If knights themselves are disciplined, I am honestly curious what will happen to you if you break the rules.”
He continued that the color of the pass determined which facilities one could enter.
“If you enter without a card, or enter a place your card’s authority does not allow, a warning will sound and you will be subdued by force. The card color is marked beside every door; claiming you ‘didn’t notice’ will not save you.”
Finished with the mercenaries, Ben produced blue cards he had kept separately and held them out to Lillian and Priscilla.
“You two must answer the Margrave’s summons, so you receive cards one rank higher. Do not exchange them with your subordinates.”
Finally, with open displeasure, he pulled a last card from his pocket and offered it to Kaisent.
“This is yours.”
“Red? What is this?”
“A card that grants access to every place except the castle’s most critical facilities. Even I have never held one of this grade.”
“…….”
Until now Ben had been purely businesslike; for the first time emotion showed—strong enough for anyone to feel.
Jealousy……. I see. These people were jealous of me.
-It appears Margrave Akina spoke of Master. Excessively so.-
Ugh…Margrave…….
Only then did he understand. The griffin riders staring at him, the knights searching for him, Ben’s sour look—all of it came from Akina having talked him up in advance, half warning, half expectation.
“Prove that Margrave Akina’s eyes were not mistaken.”
“Y-yes…….”
“Tsk.”
Ben clicked his tongue at the weak, intimidated answer instead of a bold retort.
“The Margrave says training begins tomorrow. Curfew at the gates is ten at night. The last day of each week is a holiday—do not forget.”
After giving Lillian the remaining details, he left with an expression of clear dissatisfaction.
“…….”
As though a storm had just passed, the entire Wolf Mercenary Group turned their eyes toward Kaisent.
“I don’t know why the knights marked you, but…….”
“Uh…hang in there?”
The mercenaries were sharp enough to see it: every scrap of the knights’ hostility had concentrated on Kaisent alone.
“From tomorrow we train under Margrave Akina. Remember the door colors, the cards, curfew at ten, and the holidays.”
“Unpack and claim your beds. There are shops outside the walls—once we’re settled we head out.”
“Yes!”
They could not fully relax at the thought of training alongside the army famous throughout Halrot as the Margrave’s elite, yet—
“What’s going to happen to that kid?”
“No idea. The knights were openly gunning for him.”
—thanks to Kaisent drawing all that rough attention, the pressure on the rest of them felt lighter than expected. A small mercy, at least for everyone except Kaisent.
While the company sorted gear and claimed beds, those who had learned mana or were sensitive to presence suddenly jolted.
“Wh-what is that?!”
“Something’s coming!”
“Coming? What is?”
“I don’t know! Just—something with a monstrous aura!”
BOOM!
“Ka.i.sent!”
An armored knight with a woman’s voice smashed through the barracks door, riding a wave of overwhelming presence. Fully enclosed from head to toe in integrated plate, she rolled her eyes behind the visor, scanning the room.
“Hik!?”
A mercenary who accidentally met her gaze stiffened from head to foot; his face went bloodless. Her height and bulk were only a little smaller than Akina’s, and those piercing eyes froze him like a frog before a snake.
After a swift sweep of the room the female knight found the pure-white figure of Kaisent and strode toward him.
Thud—thud—thud—
Armor weight and massive frame together produced a sound that felt like a threat.
“That’s far enough. Come any closer and I will attack.”
Arty stepped forward at once to shield Kaisent. Behind her, Lillian and Priscilla raised their auras, ready to strike from the rear.
“Wait, Arty.”
Sensing no true danger, Kaisent moved past her and calmed the machinaroid.
“I’m Kaisent. What do you want?”
“…….”
“??”
The female knight looked down at the boy far smaller than herself. The crushing pressure that had blanketed everyone simply vanished. They stood facing each other for nearly a full minute before Priscilla frowned and opened her mouth.
“Hey. What the hell are you—”
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Before the words finished, the giant figure spun and fled the barracks as if running for her life.
“…What?”
“What was that?”
Everyone stared in bewilderment. Lilith, who had watched the entire scene in silence, let out a quiet snicker.
“What a mess.”
Bang!
“Well, sis? How was that Kaisent punk?”
A woman in robes whose silver-white hair—identical to Akina’s—had been swept into an elaborate updo with glittering ornaments greeted the giant female knight without the least surprise. Her lively, almost mischievous features, seductively upturned eyes, clear-cut face, and full lips gave her a charm poised exactly between girl and woman.
“Hah… hah… haah… hah…”
“Sis?”
The knight could not answer; she was too busy dragging in ragged breaths. Her sister knew the pattern—when Merencia’s tension exploded she always ended up like this—so she simply waited until the breathing steadied.
A short while later the armor shrank as mana was withdrawn, revealing the woman inside. The same silver-white hair, but left simply straight and neat. Soft lines, gently drooping eyes that looked perpetually lacking in confidence—an impression both cute and fragile. The only problem was the physique inherited from their mother, which completely transformed that delicate air into something else entirely.
They were Margrave Akina’s daughters. Both had inherited their mother’s beauty and allure, yet each expressed it in her own way.
“Th…”
“Th?”
“Th-th-the doll is moving…”
“…What?”
When the knight finally spoke, her sister’s face went blank with incomprehension.
“Something like a doll, chattering with those tiny lips… it was so cute I wondered if I’d fallen into a fairy-tale world.”
“You only looked and came back? I told you to bring him.”
“B-but… he looked so fragile that if I used even a little force by accident he’d be crushed…”
The eldest daughter, who had inherited their mother’s blood most strongly—Merencia Karayden—explained with a thoroughly cowed expression why she had failed to drag Kaisent along.
There’s that, but I am absolutely not telling her I stood there like an idiot because he was too cute and then ran away…
She deliberately omitted the part; if her sister found out she would scold her to “act her size.”
“That fragile?”
“Yeah…”
“Mom said he was a genius, didn’t she?”
“She did…”
“What? A genius Mom would acknowledge is that small and delicate? I heard he was young, but still…”
Unlike Merencia, the second daughter had inherited their father’s blood more strongly and possessed a normal, refined build. Patisha Karayden could not contain her curiosity.
“The mercenaries start training tomorrow, right? Mom’s been itching to personally drill him, so when I have free time I should go take a look.”
Anyone their mother would declare a future son-in-law—even of unknown race—had to possess ability and talent to match. If she went simply to gawk, Akina would complain, but the excuse that she wanted to see the face of a possible future husband would settle the matter easily.
Haa. I’d love to go watch tomorrow if I could.
Akina was constantly on the move, strengthening the family’s power so other nobles would not look down on them. Naturally she needed every trustworthy hand she could get, and so she loaded work onto her daughters; Merencia and Patisha had already grown competent at handling official duties.
Still, it looks like I’ll have time the day after tomorrow. I’ll see him for myself then.