Chapter 107 – Accumulation.
“He saved the green dwarves and provided them with shelter.”
After the knights who went out with Donnar returned. Aiolus was listening to Gerardus’ report.
“Yes, according to the adjutant’s report, it is.”
“Rescue all remaining survivors. Has there ever been a case like this?”
It wasn’t that there were cases where green dwarfs were rescued from monsters.
“This is the first time that all of them survived, even if you exclude those who were eaten by monsters.”
It was as Gerardus said. The green dwarves that had been rescued before were only accidentally saved or survived while fighting monsters. Yes, when green dwarves make a village, they dig a hole and live in it, so the monsters make a breeding ground there. Because of this, in order to annihilate the monsters inside, they have used a simple way to light a fire in the cave and kill the monsters when they escape.
The survivors in it would of course die of suffocation, but since there was no other way out, it was the method that all the territories of the Federation had used. But today, an unusual incident occurred where all the survivors survived. And also by the knights of Paciphenia who accepted it a while ago.
“Dig the ground with a sharpened shovel and hit and kill the monsters that pop out. It’s a ridiculously inefficient method.”
Rescuing survivors is good, but the process is simple and cumbersome. The biggest problem is that the series of processes take too long. The invasion of monsters that started at dawn ended in the morning. The time to return after dealing with the remnants is in the evening. The process of rescuing the green dwarves took too much time. Even if the knights had time to rest, it was too late this time. It was never a desirable thing from Aeolus’ point of view, who had to protect the territory.
“Then would you like to discard this method?”
At Gerardus’ words, he tapped the desk with the quill in his hand. It was a quill made from Hildisbiny’s tough feathers selected for use as a pen, but he had shaved off all the fine feathers that are usually left for decoration, so it looked like a simple pen. He took out a small key and opened the locked drawer. What was inside was another quill, still intact with the feather attached to Hildisbini.
It was a gift from his wife. Did she say it was given to her by her green dwarf, who originally took her? He gently opened and closed his eyes.
“No, it’s simple, but it’s a good way to save survivors. But it’s not profitable for knights to use that way.”
This was not a matter of method, but a matter of manpower. He closed and locked the drawer and wrote down on a piece of paper. And he completed the contents and handed it to Gherardus.
“Let’s put out an announcement.”
Even soldiers who are conscripted, not knights, receive basic combat training. If you complete all of the courses, you will be at a useful level. He decided to select applicants from among them. It was to create a new class specializing in the method used this time. Of course, the salary was lower than that of a knight, but that alone was an amount and treatment that ordinary people could not even dream of. Gerardus, who read the contents, nodded his head.
“I will copy it as it is and inform the soldiers.”
He bowed to Aeolus before leaving and left the office.
“It’s going to be a lot of work.”
Creating a new class like that is tantamount to formally treating the green dwarfs as territories, so it was already expected that there would be a lot of work, as well as various problems and disturbances. The resistance from the locals would probably be considerable. But in the long run, this was a win-win. If discrimination against the green dwarves was reduced, there would be no need for them to create villages on fire, and it was like saying that the number of hosts for monsters would decrease.
He looked out the window at the stars and then at the cage. The inside of the cage was empty.
“So, Yosif, can you tell me why you changed your mind?”
After reporting to Aeolus, Gerardus asked as he walked with the knight waiting outside the door. Being his lieutenant, he couldn’t help but notice that he hated the green dwarf. Although most people in Lantua hate the green dwarf, he was particularly odious. But I couldn’t help but be surprised by the news that he helped the 4th Knights to save the green dwarves.
“…I do not know.”
He too couldn’t believe what he had done. He said that if he was asked about the green dwarf from before, he should resolutely pull out the buds. Since he had lost his family to the monsters that used green dwarves as hosts when he was young, he thought it was inevitable even if he insisted.
“It didn’t feel too bad to save them, though.”
Then he changed like this. Thinking that the members of the 4th Knights had some influence, I held out the paper to him.
“Ask Lord Heath for help. He’ll prepare it for you after reading this.”
“Yes.”
If it was like before, he wouldn’t have done this to him. He was a knight too, so of course he wouldn’t break an order, but he knew what his heart would be like to deliver something like that. I watched him as he walked away holding the paper. He didn’t like this little change.
“Sif, I’m back.”
Donar had finished his report before Gerardus and returned to his room. He had originally intended to wait for Gerardus, but he had been told to go first because it would take a long time.
“Are you very late today?”
“Ugh, don’t say anything. Monsters have been attacking since dawn. The number must be fairly large.”
Feeling a little embarrassed to see Sif accepting his helmet, he began to take off his armor one by one. He had to be kept by his side at all times, as he had to quickly put on his armor and go out on the battlefield, but he was better than when he had to live wearing his armor at all times, unless it was absolutely unavoidable.
“Did you eat properly?”
“I was so busy that I couldn’t eat properly, and at lunch I ate a few dried tresca.”
At least for the evening, the knights who had been on the battlefield gathered at a banquet hall, had a late dinner, and drank a glass of beer each. Did you call the beer Yell here? Whether it was because of the different regions or the difference in manufacturing method, the beer here was too sweet for their taste. It wasn’t bad though. Where can I drink? For reference, dinner was a separate set of hard rye bread and thick beef stew. The stew was not bad because it could be easily heated, but the problem was breaking the rye bread and soaking it in the stew. After all, the white rice was canned bouniette.
“Buniette, if it’s canned food…”
Sif heard him and looked at him with a strange expression. Yes, it was also included in the rations of the upper ranks as a preserved food in its own way, and it was because Sif had also eaten it. Could it be that he was actually trying to trick them into thinking that it was included in the food? It was to the extent that he seriously contemplated with the people at the top. Even though I put off eating it until the very end, I ended up eating it all when I had to. What is Sif’s impression of him?
“It’s a bit hard to say this, but it’s the first time I’ve tasted anything worse than a ship biscuit.”
Anyone who has eaten it can’t help but agree.
“Uh, I found something Ur left in his pocket and forgot today and used it in the penalty game.”
Ship biscuits taste like chewing paper when eaten as they are soaked in water, but at least they don’t taste like anything and can be improved by cooking them, but canned bouniettes didn’t have that. The smell of fish mixed with the indescribable fishy smell made it difficult to even eat, let alone eat. Thanks to this, it was fun to see the knights and colleagues of the 2nd Knights who were penalized bit by bit and suffer.
“But I’m still a bit hungry, maybe because I worked too much today.”
Still, canned bouniettes were not recommended unless you were really starving to death. As he held on to his hungry stomach, Sif admired as if he had remembered something.
“Ah! Come to think of it.”
“What’s there?”
“Do you want to wash up first? I’ll prepare it in the meantime.”
I felt uncomfortable because of the sweat, so when I came out after washing my body, I could see two pieces of pies the size of his palm.
“What kind of pie is this? Did you make it yourself?”
“I didn’t make it.”
Then, if you look where she winks, there is a girl sleeping soundly with Usher. It seems it’s still early for me to sleep, but I wonder if something tired happened. Sleep soundly
“Could it be that Belka made it?”
“Yes, from one day on, he sometimes followed me and asked me to teach him various things, and he made something like this.”
Besides, on top of the pies were small signs with the names of Sif and Donnar respectively. The sweet taste and aroma of the apple filled my mouth.
“Is it delicious?”
“Yes?”
It’s sweet, but the slightly sour taste makes it feel burdensome. It made me wonder if this was really made by a girl. As I ate pie with Sif, the plate was empty before I knew it. Thanks to that, the feeling of being out has disappeared. Is this what it feels like to raise a child?
“Sif.”
“Yes?”
“If you have a child, let it be a daughter.”
I don’t think my son would be bad, but I thought my daughter would be better. She had said it before, but this time she took his word for it.
“You are too. We can do that as we please.”
“Is it?”
While Sif went to put the empty dishes in the kitchen, Donnar went over to the bed and stroked the heads of the children who were soundly asleep once in a while.
“Thanks.”
In his daily life, children have become an indispensable family member.
