Book 4: Chapter 9

「A shining future……huh.」

「It doesn’t match at all.」

Calling to mind the face of the village chief that resembled a bear, Teg made a displeased-looking face.

*Kotsun* Ria hit Teg’s head.

After saying “bad” and rebuking Teg, who was sending her a protesting gaze, Ria turned to Al.

「Still, Al-san, you’re somehow pretty cool.」

「Eh? I am?」

「Yes. You somehow feel like……a knight-sama.」

「You’re talking about that dream that you had some time ago, aren’t you.」

Hearing Teg’s words that he spoke from the side, Al went “hou” and held an interest in it.

Slipping through the side from Ria, who flusteredly tried to cover his mouth, Teg talked about Ria’s dream.

The dream of the knight of justice, that defeats the bad feudal lord.

Hearing that, Al made a troubled-looking smile.

「I see, a knight-sama of justice……huh. But still, haha. In that case, that means I would end up having to defeat the feudal lord of this place.」

「Isn’t that fine? Al-san, you defeat him and become the feudal lord-sama.」

Ria said “that’s no good” and rebuked Teg who went and said that.

「There’s no telling who is listening and from where. Besides, the age where the person who defeats the feudal lord becomes the feudal lord has long since ended.」

「Is that true?」

「Yeah, the bad guys are judged by the law. That is the current age.」

Teg made an expression that said that he was unconvinced.

In that case, why wasn’t the bad feudal lord being judged?

When Teg spoke that out loud, Al made a complicated face which scratching his head.

「U, uーn. That’s the complicated part. When the bad guy is on the side carrying out the law, it won’t be applied correctly. That is why there are investigators meant to prevent that, but as you can see, this is the current state of things.」

Investigators were people that were dispatched from the country’s capital city and would do investigations to see if the feudal lords were doing anything bad.

However, if the feudal lord was still a bad person despite that person being here, that investigator might also be a bad person……that is what Ria thought.

「Al-san.」

「Nn?」

Al took his gaze off from Teg, who found the talk difficult and was brooding over it, and looked at Ria’s face.

From Al’s perspective, Ria looked much smarter than Teg.

The fact that he thought “furthermore, if she has this cuteness to her at this age, she’ll be very popular in the future……” was kept a secret.

「Will we……will this village, be fine like this?」

「What do you mean by that?」

Al replied to Ria’s words sounding gentle.

If he were say his answer, it was no good like this.

The village’s current state was too unstable.

Even if the foundation for their livelihood was sufficiently established, on official documents, this village was still a pioneer village. In other words, it meant that it was in a dangerous situation where it was more autonomous and sought more self-responsibility than normal villages in various aspects.

In the case of pioneer villages, if, for example, they were attacked by monsters or bandits, their degree of priority as a problem to be dealt with by the feudal lord was low. In exchange for that sort of treatment, they were tax-free.

However, this village was still being treated as a pioneer village──the feudal lord was still not bearing the duty of protecting them──and yet the tax collector was coming. Normally, this was impossible.

If investigators were to do a proper job, they should find irregularities in the tax records. For there to not be any particular censures despite that, it must be that it is being very skillfully hidden, or the investigator is also in on it.

If done poorly, there was even the possibility that this village would end up not even existing on the documents.

Al didn’t know how much Ria understood about the situation when she said that.

That is why he was thinking about how he should answer her, but Ria then said this.

「The fact that we aren’t recognized as an official village means that we aren’t official population of the fief, doesn’t it. In that case, I wondering if it would be best if we migrated somewhere else……」

「O, oi, Ria……」

Teg looked at Ria with a surprised look.

On the other hand, Al also felt surprise towards Ria in another way.

She was certainly correct.

In its current state, if they wanted to improve their own situation with their positions as villagers, there was no other choice but to do that.

They would have to escape from the current feudal lord’s range of control, and migrate to a place under a different, better feudal lord. If they were to create another pioneer village there, then they would surely be recognized as an official village this time.

As a matter of fact, there existed quite a number of pioneer villages placed in the same situation in just this territory alone.

Having learned of this, Al intended on bringing evidence of this to the royal capital, and thoroughly clamping down on the feudal lord of this place.

──Al’s real name was Alford.

He was the first prince of the St. Altlis Kingdom, and in order to learn of the state of the country that he would eventually be governing over, he was in the middle of travelling incognito through it. For that reason, the kingdom’s spies were actually secretly guarding him.

Having learned that such misgovernment was happening within this territory that he had first visited on his journey, Alford felt intense anger.

A majority of the people of the pioneer villages of this territory had given up saying that they had no other choice.

He was thinking that he would already have no choice but to report the situation to his father the King, and have the feudal lord punished.

That is why the existence of Ria who was thinking about how to change the situation on her own was something surprising to Alford, and was also something that made him happy.

「That’s right……Ria, what you said is correct.」

「Eh, ehh!?」

After reining in Teg who was pretty much saying “what are you saying”, Al continued on.

「But you know, I think it would be better if you wait just a bit longer.」

「Why, do you say that?」

「It is because there will always be justice. For example, Ria, even if it looks like it’s hopeless in your eyes right now, there is justice that will break that down. That’s pretty much what I mean.」

Hearing those words, Ria stared at Al’s eyes.

Al accepted that pure and straightforward gaze that seemed to try and ascertain the other party’s inner face.

That’s right, justice will always be there.

Al would……The kingdom would perform that justice.

「How about it? Do you feel like trying to trust me?」

After saying something so rash, Al himself also started thinking.

From Ria’s point of view, Al was just a mere travelling swordsman, and on the same level as the local vagrants that would take up guarding and subjugation requests to earn a daily income.

Al was welcomed here because they just happened to be some good-natured villagers, but normally, vagrants wouldn’t be trusted. If some wanderer were to say something like 「there is justice」, there was no way they would be trusted.

However, Al thought “by some chance, it might work if it’s Ria……”.

There was no reason for it, and was something close to intuition.

「Yes, I’ll believe you.」

Ria answered like that.

As expected, Ria also didn’t have a clear reason for it.

However, “I feel that Al is a person that can be trusted……”, that is how she felt.

If that were to be described as a simplicity due to her being a child, then that would be the end to the story……but Ria had decided to believe in Al’s eyes.

「……I see. Thank you, Ria.」

「……? I haven’t done anything, you know?」

Al had placed a hand on Ria’s head, who had said that as she tilted her head, and rustled her hair.

「No, you did. And it was enough for me.」

That’s right, for Al, he had received something from Ria that was more than enough.

In villages where the situation was tightening and intensifying, there were a lot of cases where it would be pointless no matter what he said.

That is why when Ria said that she would believe him, Al’s heart was slightly saved by it.

She seemed like a child that didn’t know anything, but once he looked closer, Ria seemed like a she wasn’t that far off in age from himself.

By some chance, this young wise girl might become a talented person that would support the country in the future.

While thinking something like that, Al gazed at Ria.

「Say, Ria, Teg. How old are you two? By the way, I’m 17.」

「I’m 14.」

「I am 13. But next week, I will be 14.」

For some reason, Al was relieved by the fact that she wasn’t that far off in age from himself as he had expected.

However, at the same time, he was a bit sad towards the fact that he would have already left this village by Ria’s birthday.

「……I see. So your birthday is next week……」

「Yes! I’m looking forward to it very much!」

Seeing Ria answer with a whole faced smile, Al also went into a smile.

And then, Al took off a single dagger along with its scabbard that he was carrying on his waist.

「I see. But, I won’t be here anymore by that time……So including my thanks for today, Ria, I will give you this.」

That was a dagger made with the extraordinarily expensive metal, Holy Silver.

The decorations were kept to a minimum, and from an amateur’s point of view, it was probably at a 「somewhat expensive looking dagger」-level.

However, if one looked closely, the crest of the St. Altlis royal family was placed on a spot that didn’t stand out.

The fact that royalty would grant something like this to someone meant that that member of royalty had their eye on that person.

If Ria were to accept the dagger here, through the country’s spies that were lurking in the surroundings, it should be officially recorded that Alford was trying to usher Ria into the royal palace.

「Eh……but, I haven’t done anything. And even if you say that it’s as thanks……」

「It’s also a somewhat early birthday present.」

「B, but. Something so expensive looking is……」

「It isn’t anything special. A protective sword is something that you would normally carry around once you become 14.」

Ria sent her gaze to Teg as if seeking for agreement with that statement, but Teg shook his head saying that he didn’t know.

Perhaps that sort of custom might exist in the city, but for Teg and Ria who lived out in the country, they didn’t know if it was true.

In truth, the act of a man presenting a protective sword to a woman was a custom handed down among nobles and royalty, and had the meaning of a confession of love.

Of course, for Al, it wasn’t intended as a marriage proposal, but it was merely an excuse to have Ria accept the dagger as a symbol of gratitude……that was just the explanation he was giving himself though.

「Say, here’s the thing about men. They’re creatures that can’t take back the things that they’ve already put out once. So could you please accept it? Just think of it as protecting my pride, okay?」

「Uh. E, erm……Th, thank you very much.」

Thinking that it would instead be rude to refuse it after being told that much, Ria accepted the dagger.

It was a dagger with a heavy weight to it.

Al then took out something that looked like a belt and handed it over to Ria, who was thinking “what should I do with this”.

「You should put it on your waist with this. That’s the sort of thing a protective sword is.」

「Ah……yes.」

「I will put it on you.」

Teg watched Al, who said that and put his hands around Ria’s waist and started putting the belt on her, with a somewhat unsettled look.

When the good young man Al was lined up together with Ria, they suited each other.

Come to think of it, even in the heroic tales that a minstrel who came not too long ago had sang, he felt that there was a story about a village girl and a hero.

However, he just didn’t like it for some reason.

Even though I was the one who liked Ria first.

Having that sort of thing appear in his heart, Teg shook his head and stared at Ria and Al.