Chapter 521 – Evacuation
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Hilda was in full charge of training Velvet, who became my squire.
The training focused on running to build up physical strength and the basic movements of swordsmanship, but the training was so extreme that even a man could not handle it.
Perhaps because Hilda worked as a mercenary, she seemed to have a knack for influencing people.
I felt sorry for Velvet rolling around so hard to Hilda, so I told her I could give up.
Each time, Velvet seemed more determined to grit her teeth and hold on.
She was sincere.
When I actually tried it, I thought, ‘Huh? Couldn’t you have thought, ‘Isn’t this right?
Regardless of Velvet’s sincerity, it did not seem easy to become an article in a short period of time like Karen.
But that kind of velvet was also the appearance of a normal person.
Awakening does not occur immediately just by taking an elixir. You must be able to feel the energy to a certain extent and know how to control it.
This is the Beoror training method for that.
Karen had better physical strength than I thought from the beginning, and I had some understanding of her magical powers.
Hilda, she wasn’t just awakened, she trained for a long time, so there’s nothing to say about her.
But velvet is different.
She was completely clueless about the concepts of aura and magical power.
No, it was my first time doing bodywork.
Since I had no concept of aura or magical power, let alone moving my body, there was no point in taking the elixir now.
It seemed that taking the elixir would be at least after the concept of Auror training methods was fully grasped.
To do that, I think I need to study about Aurors for a while doing basic training.
Still, shouldn’t we prepare supplies in advance for students who work hard?
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The atmosphere of the city was heavy and subdued.
It was a completely different atmosphere than not long ago.
It seems that the story about the devil has now spread widely among the citizens of Ramona.
Anyway, I walked diligently and visited Louise’s pension shop for the first time in a long time.
〚Not open for business〛
There was a sign like that hanging in front of the door of Louise’s pension shop.
It wasn’t just Louise’s store.
Many other stores were also closed.
I thought the store was empty, but I could feel the presence inside.
I ignored the sign, opened the store door, and entered.
-A rattle.
“We’re not open for business~ Huh? Mr. Bark!”
Louise was also inside the store.
“What’s going on?”
Inside her shop, Louise is busy packing her belongings with her student and assistant, Ronet. The store shelves were already half empty.
“What’s going on? They say the devil’s army is coming, right?”
“Are you really planning on running away?”
“Escape? Please say evacuation. I feel bad for the refugees I hear.”
Louise scolds me with a calm expression.
It must be said that she was quick to judge the situation… Louise seemed to have a better sense of crisis than she thought.
Is it because she was tormented by Liliana?
The reason Louise was able to take refuge was also because she was a woman.
It was a situation where strong men were prohibited from going outside the city.
This is because he was subject to conscription.
All men who could work hard were being dragged away.
Even if you were a minor by district standards, anyone in their mid-teens was subject to conscription.
The same goes for mercenaries.
Although it was a form of employment with compensation, it was controlled to prevent escape.
However, Louise, a woman, is not subject to conscription.
Unfortunately, she had no reason to stop Louise from fleeing.
However, there were not many women like Louise who tried to take refuge.
It was unthinkable to leave one’s hometown behind a conscripted husband or child and take refuge in a place with no connections.
I have Hilda, and there are some tempting elements like a large amount of experience points that I don’t know about, so I’m struggling…
If I were Louise, I think I would have made the same decision.
“Louise, do you really not trust the knights of the territory?”
“I believe it. I believe it… You don’t know what will happen to people, right? And what can I do here?”
She was Louise who spoke clearly.
“… I’m disappointed.”
“What are you disappointed in?”
“You took my first kiss and left me like this?”
“What kind of first kiss is that? It’s not the first kiss! Not even a passing dog would believe that it was Bark, the leader of the Knights of the Rampant, who was the first kiss!”
“Nanbong… The knight commander?”
“There are a lot of rumors spreading among the virgins in the city! Don’t you know that he is a person of interest among virgins these days?”
For some reason, these days, there aren’t any women hitting on me.
“… It’s my first kiss with you.”
“You speak so eloquently. No, you have a child right now, so what are you talking about!”
“A kid?”
Louise’s student Ronet was pretending not to hear, but was listening to the conversation between me and Louise.
Ronnet was blushing after hearing Louise’s shocking secret.
“Rone, forget what you just heard! It was an accident. You can just pretend it never happened. You can’t tell anyone?”
“Yes…”
Rone answered in a hushed voice.
No matter who sees it, Louise looks more like a child.
He is also shorter.
I am in a situation where I cannot guarantee whether I will be able to take care of Louise if the devil comes. She had no intention of stopping her from escaping.
“Anyway, what brought you here?”
“I’m worried about you.”
“Really? I see you’re doing well, right? You can leave now.”
“Hmm… I wish they would give me two more elixirs.”
Louise’s face had an expression that said, ‘Yes, then.’
“I have something I made to sell, and I’ll give it to you. Since the situation is like this, I guess I should try the next opportunity.”
It was a story about the elixir business.
Due to the descent of the devil, the business was in a state of disarray.
There were two elixirs: Velvet and Zion.
Sion said he had no intention of becoming a knight.
It may not be now, but you never know if you might regret it later.
And just because you don’t become a knight doesn’t mean you can’t awaken.
There is nothing to lose by awakening.
She went to Louise with the intention of preparing supplies in advance, and she seemed to have good timing.
“Aren’t you making them eat too much raw food?”
I guess he doesn’t like that I give my disciples elixirs and awaken them too easily.
“Why don’t you meet your teacher and eat it raw? Are you jealous?”
“What is jealousy…”
Unfortunately, she said that taking the elixir had no effect. She said it was probably due to the drugs she took while she was Liliana’s student.
“Rone. If you become my disciple, you too will be able to become a knight very soon. If you have any thoughts, just quietly shake the herb root in your hand. I will take care of the rest.”
“‘Gwae, it’s okay.”
Ronette declined my invitation with an awkward smile. It seems that Louise is trusted by Ronet more than expected.
“Don’t try to steal someone else’s student! And Roné is a child who will become a wizard!”
“How?”
“Even though I didn’t become a wizard, my knowledge of magic is still pretty good.”
It felt like I learned it from Liliana.
I heard that Liliana also put in some effort to make Louise the magician she is.
Opinions were sharply divided on whether it was effort or abuse.
A wizard is more valuable than a knight.
I also had no intention of holding back Ronet, who had a better path open to him.
“Then, I’ll go.”
“Wait a minute.”
Louise caught me as I was about to leave and handed me a piece of paper.
“Hey… This is the location of the Louise Pension Store in Payson.”
Payson was a fiefdom south of Ramona.
Louise seemed to be planning to take refuge there.
“Do you have a store in Payson too?”
“It’s a smaller branch than here.”
It seemed that Louise’s business skills were better than I thought.
“Surely Payson won’t be in danger? What do you think, Bark? Should we organize things in advance too?”
“Well…”
The more territory you occupy, the more troops you need. It seemed to vary depending on how many demons there were on the demon king’s side.
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“Captain!”
When I returned from going out, Caria, the vice-captain of the Mongoose Knights, came running in a huff and called me.
“Has the devil’s army invaded?”
“No! They say the Holy Knights of Terraism have arrived!”
Originally, it seemed like the Holy Knights called by Hestia had arrived to deal with the demons.
In any case, it was at least a good thing that the Holy Knights of Terraism arrived before the Demon King.
“Is that so? That’s a good thing.”
I thought that was it and headed to my room.
“Captain? Where are you going?”
“It’s my room. After patrolling the city for the first time in a while, my body feels sore. I need to take a nap.”
To prevent me from saying unnecessary things, I made an excuse that I had done work beforehand.
“Aren’t you going out to meet the Terra Cult Holy Knights?”
“Meeting? Why me?”
“Because… Saren also left… And Lord Baldwin…”
… Shouldn’t Saren be like that?
The Holy Knights were a ray of light in a territory that was mired in wind.
Even bowing down and welcoming it is not enough.
Whatever Saren’s situation is, she came in now, and it would be a hassle to go out again.
And what are you going to do?
Are you applauding in welcome?
Even if you don’t see it now, you will see how much it is anyway.
“Karia! I am the leader of the Mongoose Knights! Are you saying that I should first bow to the Holy Knights of Terraism?!”
“Well, that’s not it, but…”
“Karia! Right now, you look like a messenger from the Holy Knights. As a vice-captain, that kind of attitude is problematic. You need to be more proud of being the vice-captain of the Mongoose Knights!”
“I’m sorry, leader. I didn’t know the leader was so proud of the Mongoose Knights.”
“It’s okay if you’re sorry. You don’t have to do that next time. Then I’ll go.”
“Ah, I understand. Huh? Then why did Saren come to meet me…”
I quickly got out of the way before Karia came to her senses and grabbed me.
