The horses have rested enough.
It’s about time we set off.
“Neil-san, shall we get going soon?”
“Yes, I underst- oof!”
Neil-san stumbled as he tried to stand.
“Ah, my leg’s numb.”
His leg had apparently fallen asleep from sitting seiza, which he wasn’t used to.
He was crouching with his hand on the ground.
“…I’ll wait until it feels better, so it’s alright.”
But he looks so defenseless.
A mischievous impulse bubbled up within me.
“Fufu.”
“What’s that, Katia-san, that evil-looking smile?”
When you see someone with a numb leg, don’t you want to poke it?
Is it just me?
“There, there.”
“S, stop it-!!”
I attacked the area around his calf that he was trying to protect with his hands.
I’ll just say that his reaction was quite good.
He’s definitely the kind of person who’s fun to tease, this guy.
“Alright, let’s get going again, Neil-san.”
“That was mean, Katia-san…”
I might have gone a little too far, but the mood lightened, so it’s all good.
We rode our horses toward the town of Raza.
We should arrive before the sun is fully up.
The Raza territory is located at the eastern edge of the country.
The town of Raza is the central hub for the frontier, a logistics center that gathers and transports agricultural products from the surrounding villages.
Frontier development requires military power to repel monsters, so there are many mercenaries and soldiers sent as reinforcements from other territories.
Therefore, the scale of the Soldier’s Guild is considerable – that’s the explanation Neil-san gave me so far.
“Look, Katia-san. It’s the town of Raza.”
At the end of the road, we could see the stone walls surrounding the town.
Luckily, we hadn’t encountered any monsters along the way.
“It’s a stone wall, huh? The wall in Kaisa Village was made of earth.”
“Stone walls are stronger, and they look better, too. There’s a stone quarry nearby, so they bring the stones from there.”
I see, so it’s also about the resources available.
Magic can’t create something out of nothing.
With earth magic, you have to channel magic power into earth or rocks.
The other three elements apparently only require air to activate.
Even with magic, the laws of physics are pretty close to my past life, I guess?
I wasn’t a science major in my past life, so I don’t know the details.
“Young master! Are you back home? And who is this beautiful lady with you?”
I’d been lost in thought, and we had already arrived at the gate.
One of the two gate guards, an older male soldier, called out to Neil-san.
Young master?
He seems to know him.
Oops, it would be rude to stay on horseback.
Let’s get down.
“Don’t call me ‘young master’. She’s a guest from Kaisa Village. Can we pass through?”
“Of course – Open the gate!”
The iron gate opens.
The gate is large enough for a carriage to pass through comfortably.
Well, first, I need to leave my horse somewhere.
I left my horse at the stables near the entrance.
I should ask him about the “young master” thing from earlier.
I have a guess, though.
“Neil-san, you’re actually the son of the lord here, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am. I’m the second son, so I’m a knight in the royal capital.”
Well, yeah, that makes sense.
He did say his name was Neil Raza.
I was too thrown off by his initial attitude to ask.
“So, please stay at the lord’s mansion today. I’ll introduce you to my family too.”
At the lord’s mansion?
This is the first I’m hearing about our lodging arrangements for today.
“I thought we’d be staying at the barracks or something.”
“Please, by all means, stay at my home. Since you’ve come all this way.”
Ah, he’s making the same face as the village chief from a little while ago.
The face he made when he talked about where grandpa was going to live.
“Okay, I understand…”
I realized resistance was futile.
But still, a lord.
He’s a noble, and basically a politician, right?
They’re a type of people I never had any connection with in my past life.
I’m a bit nervous.
I’m going to meet royalty later anyway, so it shouldn’t matter now, but…
Next up is the Soldier’s Guild.
We head there while looking around the town of Raza.
There were buildings that looked like warehouses for gathering crops, and several food stalls set up.
Merchants were buying and selling everywhere, and it was quite lively.
I bought a cheap rye bread for lunch and took a bite.
Where’s the guild?
“We’ve arrived, Katia-san. This is the Soldier’s Guild.”
A common crest of a shield and two crossed swords was above the entrance.
It’s easy to understand, which is good.
It’s a fairly large stone building.
Inside, there’s a bulletin board, a reception desk, and a waiting room.
Beyond the reception, I could see desks where staff members were working.
It’s more like a government office than I thought.
This is supposed to be a world of magic, but it’s very realistic, and that lacks a certain fantastical feeling –
“Oh, isn’t it Neil?”
A black-haired woman, who looks to be in her early forties with the ears of a wolf? or a dog? on her head, was sitting at the reception desk, exuding a very fantasy-like feeling.
Probably a wolf.
She speaks in a very manly tone.
There weren’t any wolf-type beastmen in the village.
“…Branch Manager, what are you doing?”
Neil-san replied with a puzzled expression.
The receptionist was the guild’s branch manager.
What’s that about?
“We’re short-handed, the regular guys are dropping like flies with colds. I’m here temporarily. So, what’s your business?”
“I have a letter from the royal capital. I believe reading this will explain it.”
Neil-san took the letter from his coat and handed it to the branch manager.
“From the royal capital? … I can’t open it here. You two, come with me. You, little lady, you’re involved too, right?”
The branch manager stood up from the chair.
She’s using a cane—
A cane?
I couldn’t see her lower half from the counter.
The right leg that should have been there, was missing for the branch manager.
“What’s surprising you? You must be new to the Soldier’s Guild. Everyone here is like that.”
Looking around at the other staff members, I could see people who were missing an arm, had scars over one eye, or even people who seemed normal but were dragging their feet.
The most likely explanation is,
“Are the staff members mostly injured soldiers?”
“You’ve hit the nail on the head. You’re quite perceptive, little lady. The fact that you didn’t look at me with pity is also a good quality.”
Part of my surprise was due to the unexpected sight.
But none of the staff looked glum, and it was probably proof that they were proud of their fighting.
Regardless of the outcome, they didn’t deserve pity.
I was led to a private room that seemed to be the branch manager’s office.
There, the branch manager opened the letter and quickly read through it.
“–Hmm, I see. But to think that the Sword Saint was living so close by.”
She raised her face, and tossed the letter.
She crossed her arms and faced us, saying this.
Every one of the branch manager’s actions is so cool.
Can I call you big sis?
“So, the gist is that I need to register you, little lady. And then, assign you to a high-profile job, or a troublesome one that most people would turn down.”
“Was anything written about my affiliation?”
That’s something I was wondering about before.
“No, nothing. I can guess what’s up, but do you want me to tell you?”
“Yes, please.”
“It’s simple. If you can build up enough reputation before reaching the royal capital, you’ll become a royal guard or a high-ranking official; if you fail, you’ll start as a regular soldier and gain experience from there.”
They seem to have planned for the risks of failure.
Politically, that’s probably correct… isn’t it?
“So, after registration, you’ll technically be a regular soldier in the royal army. However, Neil, the former king’s messenger, is with you, so it’s unusual. You won’t be looked down upon even if you go to other territories.”
It’s a delicate position.
If I don’t do my best, it’s going to be rough later.
“Well, I’ll take care of the registration here, but we need to do a rank assessment. We’re going to the training ground. Neil, show her the way. I’ll follow later.”
“Understood. Are you going to evaluate her yourself, Branch Manager?”
“Of course. I was a warrior myself, and I want to see the skill of the Sword Saint’s disciple.”
She has very high expectations.
I’m getting nervous.
The training ground was a plaza-like space made with thick earthen walls.
There was no roof.
Several groups of soldiers were doing mock training with wooden weapons.
From young recruits to old veterans, and with a variety of races and genders, it was a lively place.
“Oh, there you are. The little lady’s red hair is easy to spot, that’s good.”
The branch manager has arrived.
I was being used as a landmark, it seems.
I guess this hair really stands out.
Even after entering the training ground, I’m drawing quite a bit of attention.
“Well then, let’s begin. First, show me your aura.”
The branch manager held up a magic power measuring device, a bit like a speed gun.
“Okay.”
It seems we won’t be doing a mock battle.
I grasped the magic power flowing within me and wrapped myself in it.
It feels a little strange without holding a weapon.
“It’s a beautiful and powerful aura… wonderful.”
The branch manager murmured.
Auras and magic power on standby for activation are in a visible state.
“–Oh!”
The measurement seems to be finished.
How did it go?
“I’m impressed! To think that you are a ‘Supreme-rank’ user, one of the few in the country! As expected of the Sword Saint’s disciple!”
The people who had been listening in on us started to murmur.
I’m so embarrassed.
“Branch manager, why are you speaking so loudly—”
The branch manager came closer using her cane, which resembled a crutch.
She put her arm around my neck and whispered to me.
“Half of it was on purpose. You need to get used to standing out from now on. Just having a ‘Supreme-rank’ aura is enough to make you a hot topic, anyway.”
She’s right, there’s nothing to say in response to that.
But, half?
“What was the other half?”
“No, I was just genuinely surprised. You’d only meet a ‘Supreme-rank’ user once in a lifetime, usually.”
So that part was genuine.
Oh well.
“What’s next? Magic?”
“Huh? You can use magic too, little lady?”
“If it’s fire magic, I can do up to intermediate level with a single element.”
“Then we should probably take a look. But,”
The branch manager looked around.
Yeah, I understand what you’re saying.
“It’s going to be underwhelming after seeing the ‘Supreme-rank’ aura.”
Of course it would.
It would have been better in the opposite order.
Because there are other people watching.
“That’s true… then, I’ll show you my original technique. It’s going to be flashy.”
I have an idea.
“Oh, that’s interesting. Do you need a target?”
“Yes, please get me a wooden target.”
And so, I had them prepare a wooden scarecrow-like target.
I held the wooden sword they lent me.
“Hoo…”
I channeled magic power into the sword.
Together with the aura, I mixed in another magic power.
The two did not repel each other, but rather, they melted and combined–
“Hah!”
I cut the scarecrow in half with the wooden sword.
The scarecrow that was split in two, scattering sparks, in the next moment–
Bursted into flames spectacularly.
“Oh, as expected of wood. It burns so well.”
“…”
The silence surrounding us is scary.
Oh no, did I do something wrong?
“Um, Branch Manager,”
“W, what was that just now! No, I understand. It was a technique that combined aura with fire magic. But that doesn’t mean it would actually be possible!”
She was ranting really fast.
Was that really that amazing?
“But, the spell books say that it’s possible in theory–”
“It said ‘in theory’! Normally, it’s impossible! Why do you think there’s a distinction between frontline warriors and mages! It’s common sense that you can’t use magic and aura at the same time!”
I thought they’d already achieved it because the magic textbook I was using was old.
Why didn’t the old man tell me that it was unusual?
If it’s different from the norm, I have too many reasons to be able to handle two magic powers at the same time.
“B-but it stood out, so isn’t that good?”
The branch manager let out a long sigh.
“It definitely stood out more than enough… haa. Let’s just go back to the guild. We need to register your rank.”
She said with a defeated tone, looking tired.
I feel… like I should apologize.
While dragging along a Neil-san who was frozen in shock, we left the training ground with the murmurs still lingering.
