Chapter 125 – Reverberations of Autumn.
“Whoah. It’s been a while since I came out.”
As Mediah breathed in her breath, Lyudmila shuddered.
“It’s nice to be outside. Weren’t we banned from going out until yesterday?”
Yes, because of the recent disappearances, they couldn’t leave the castle. Because of that, it was only yesterday that she even complained about being stuffy.
“Whoops, I was frustrated with my father and said I wanted to go out, so I had a hard time begging him until he got permission.”
“Yeah, yes.”
Lyudmila agreed even as she felt the corners of her mouth quiver.
“So Belka, did you do the favor?”
“Thank you.”
“What, did you want Belka to come out, not you?”
She looked at Belka with her eyes wide open at her surprise. She was all the more surprising because she was a girl with a quiet personality and almost never asked for anything.
“That’s because I want to buy Usher’s clothes.”
“…Well then.”
That feeling soon disappeared without a trace.
“Still, Usher’s clothes look old these days, don’t they?”
Although he didn’t seem to be aware of it, they saw that his clothes were noticeably getting old.
“Well, even if I offered him new clothes, he seems to refuse.”
Lyudmila had asked Usher about him, as she only changed her clothes from day to day and she rarely wore new ones.
“My older sister Sif said that, but it doesn’t matter as long as I can wear it, doesn’t it?”
She probably had a lot of rolling on the gymnasium, but the problem seemed to be that she herself had no interest in that kind of thing. Her father’s business forced her to be fashion-conscious, and it was surprising that she treated her clothes as nothing more than really cover-ups.
“Anyway, I wanted to come out too. That’s great. In addition to buying Usher’s clothes, I was able to dress Belka in the clothes I picked out for her!”
When Lyudmila listened to Mediah’s words and saw Belka, she was wearing a black one-piece dress with lots of frills, unlike her usual maid outfit or plain one-piece dress. It was her Medea’s gift to her and put on her. Even her hair was not touched by Medea, so it was what she usually insisted on, but it really went well with the clothes she was wearing now. Thanks to that, the already beautiful girl was even more lovable like a doll.
“But there is a condition that you have to go with the guards.”
It is normal for the guards to secretly escort them when they go out for inspection, but now they were escorting them right next to them wearing uniforms and light suits instead of heavy armor or flimsy clothes. Because of this, people’s eyes are gathering, but since troublesome things are happening, it was also an unavoidable action.
“Yeah, that doesn’t matter.”
As the girl smiled faintly, gasps could be heard from here and there, and Lyudmila shook her head. If there are knights around you, even if they attract attention, they will avoid it or look at it secretly, but it wasn’t because they were upset that they drew more attention. And most of the reason must be for Belka. I’ve heard that Medea and Ludmila are pretty, but even among them, the girl’s beauty is unrivaled.
So much so that Medea could simply understand why she couldn’t get Belka to change her clothes, and she was so annoyed.
“Usher deserves to be nervous.”
Lyudmila remembered how many people in her castle wanted to talk to the girl. If Belka were to walk in her path now, the number of those who would target her would grow exponentially. People often emphasize that the inside is important, but in the end, it is only natural that people are attracted to beautiful things. Just like jewelry or jewelry that are just pretty and not very useful are traded for a lot of money.
There was something strangely interesting about Belka, but Ludmila couldn’t understand even that. It was her only minor complaint to be inadvertently fooled by the girl’s kindness. Anyway, that’s how their shopping started.
“How about this?”
What Mediah chose was a suit that emphasized her neatness and even looked a bit stiff. Lyudmila didn’t look too bad for her, but Belka briefly approached her, touched her suit, and shook her head.
“Usher would like something more comfortable.”
As Belka said, it seemed that he would prefer comfortable clothes that would not be hindered by violent movements rather than such hard clothes. It’s because it’s my job to roll around the gymnasium on an imaginary day.
“But it’s good to have at least one set of clothes like this, right? It’s hard not to have it when you need it.”
“That’s right.”
Medea seemed to be disappointed and recommended more, and Ludmilla also agreed with her. I don’t think I’ll need clothes like that, but there will come a time when I really need them. At their persuasion, Belka seemed to think again, but she shook her head.
“Usher is still in his growth phase. It’s difficult if he buys it in advance and gets smaller. It’s expensive, but it’s a shame if he can’t wear it.”
The price of the suit Lyudmila saw was 6 gold coins and 2 silver coins. Even if they didn’t know, it was a price that would be burdensome for the girl. Medea eventually returned her suit to its original place.
“Then how about this?”
What Lyudmila put out was loose-fitting clothes that made it easy to move in. She thought it would be suitable to wear as underwear under a training suit. Belka, who was examining her clothes carefully, shook her head again.
“It’s too small. Is there anything bigger?”
“Is it?”
For Lyudmilla, her dwarf, the size of the clothes worn by humans was so indistinguishable to her that she could hardly tell unless she tried it herself. They had to go to various stores for a while, considering this and that and choosing clothes.
“Ugh, it’s too dirty and hard.”
Usher crumpled as he was impressed by the fishy smell and hard texture of the fish that spread in her mouth. Unbelievable, but they were really eating dried Tresca for lunch. It seemed that the intestines had been removed, but the tresca dried without any manufacturing method was fishy, tough, and hard.
“It’s because you just eat it without any tips. You have to beat it like this to make it soft before you eat it yourself.”
Donar slammed the tresca in his hand. Usher tried to imitate him and was barely chewable, but that was it.
“Still, it’s corrupt.”
“It can’t be helped that the fish was originally fishy.”
He wanted to say that he didn’t mean it, but Usher was at a loss for words when he saw the knights slicing and eating fish as if they were used to it.
“Anything else?”
“It’s different.”
Then Donard, now that autumn had come, plucked one of the grasses overflowing in the golden fields of Lantua and held it out to him.
“…What is this?”
“Didn’t you say there was nothing else?”
“You want to eat this?”
“Rye is definitely something to eat, right? If you eat it raw, the astringency is strong, but if you chew it thoroughly, it’s edible.”
“Are you kidding?”
Donnar silently pointed behind him.
“It’s okay, but I won’t starve to death here.”
“That’s why it’s called paradise.”
There were people who plucked a bunch of grass and shoveled it into their mouths, and others who chewed rye grains with Tresca. Usher tried to eat what he held out just in case, but the taste of raw rye was bitter and sour and very astringent. Whether he looked at it strangely or not, they decided to finish their lunch and head to their next destination. I couldn’t save the survivors, but I solved the breeding ground, but I didn’t know why I was looking at other villages, but it was included in the knight’s job, so I followed it without saying anything.
“Was it a simple overcast?”
The next town they visited was completely fine, to the point where their worries were not worth it. The walls they had built in their own way seemed to be strong, and there was no sign of being damaged or attacked anywhere. Rather, as if they were embarrassed by the sudden arrival, there were clumsily armed men on the wall watching them with a wary expression.
“Where are you knights?”
Even so, he recognized that they were knights and asked as politely as possible. Donnar took out a tile and showed it to the appearance of the captain.
“That’s Yeongji’s?!”
Although the plaque is simply used as a proof of identity, the treatment varies depending on the type. Originally, the plaque they received upon entry was simply a square piece of iron, but as they became vassals of Aeolus, they received round-shaped plaques. It was also larger in size so that the engraved picture could be seen better. The intaglio on one side is simple personal information, but the picture engraved on the other side shows four overlapping feathers. The position of the knight can be known according to the number of feathers.
One Feather is those who are treated as knights given by the body of an ordinary soldier like a centurion. The two feathers are common knights. The three feathers are the lieutenants who assist the knight commander. The four feathers belong to the knight commander. It’s like saying that the five feathers are knights who have been bestowed with manor.
“…Could you confirm which territory the knight is from?”
Donard threw his hand at him without hesitation. He could do nonsense, but it was stupid, apart from giving up the protection he received from Yeongji, so it couldn’t be. After finally confirming that they were knights of Aeolus, I relaxed my guard, opened the door, and bowed respectfully to him, holding out my hand.
“Sorry. It’s the first armor I’ve ever seen, so I thought knights from other territories came to plunder.”
“It can’t be helped.”
It was really unavoidable. The officers and scouts of these outlying villages took turns rotating their duty, but their turn hadn’t come yet. He pondered as he set them up to bow down as a group. It was a little intrusive, as he realized that he was originally a knight from a foreign country in this way. He thought about changing the armor to the Lantua style, but that was impossible. They considered the armor they had been wearing for a long time as if they were one body.
However, if you suddenly change the armor, there is a high possibility that it will become uncomfortable and make familiar movements impossible. They decided to regard it as just their own peculiarity.
“By the way, there’s something I want to ask you.”
The Silk Moss breeding ground they had just dealt with was an unlicensed village not shown on the map. If he had been properly protected by the territory, he wouldn’t have been late until then, and it wasn’t listed on the map he was given, so it was certain. Currently, the village they visited was a village marked on the map with permission.
“Did you know that the nearby unlicensed village has become the home of Silk Moss?”
“Yes? It’s the first time I’ve heard of it, but if it’s true, the guild members who work here would have told me…”
Seeing him blurry, Donnar asked hastily.
“Do you know how many unauthorized villages are around here?”
And his answer.
“Probably two.”
It was a reason for them to move hastily. When I asked for directions, they moved frequently, so I couldn’t give them detailed directions, but that was enough. Thanks to him, I went to a direction I hadn’t been to before, and I was able to find white from a distance, as if it had become a den of silk moss. I was running, hoping that there would be survivors out there.
“Isn’t that strange?”
Usher, who was riding the Hildis Beanie with Donnar, eventually questioned the appearance of the town as it got closer and closer. That’s right, the appearance of that village is enough to feel the ideal even for those who went through the first actual battle this time. There was a sense of incongruity to simply call it a silk moss breeding ground. If the white threads surrounding the village are proof that it has become a breeding ground for silk moss, then it should be normal when no one is there. There were too many traces of people around the village.
When Donar, who raised one hand as a signal, stopped Hildisbini, the knights stopped one after another. Usher was unfamiliar with the situation.
“Is this the Knights who went out to manage the outer village this time?”
“I don’t think so. The number of Hildisbini is so small that you can see them carrying something.”
Donar guessed at the appearance of camps around the village, but Odur immediately denied it. He seemed to be able to see the town even from this distance.
“It can’t be helped. Let the apprentices into the wagon. Just in case, we surround the village and approach.”
