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Published at 23rd of May 2023 05:36:18 PM


Chapter 56

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Characters in this chapter:

Sapphiras Perfectio, 2nd son of the Earl of Aldridge

Percival Belisario, 3rd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier

Theodore Belisario, 1st son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier

Curtis Belisario, 2nd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier

Adeline, Margravine of Vanderwall, Percival’s mother

Sandrion Timberlake, daughter of Earl Timberlake, Theodore’s fiancée

Bruno Kingsleigh, Commander of the Kingsleigh unit

Matteo, Percival’s horse

Gladius, Austin’s horse

In front of the castle gate where the morning mist drifts, the subjugation squad was waiting for the signal to depart.

“Father, take care.”

“Take care of the castle, Curtis.”

Curtis-san will not be taking part in this time’s subjugation. He said he would stay at the castle in case things goes wrong.

The two were also seen off by Madam Adeline and Sandrion-san. However, Sandrion-san and Theodore-san were acting strangely. Even though we were about to go on a dangerous subjugation, the atmosphere between the two, who are usually on good terms, is awkward. What’s going on?

As I was being curious about it, the margrave gave the signal to leave and the formation began to move, the discomfort I felt went out of my consciousness.

“Sapphiras, are you uncomfortable in your seat?”

“I’m fine! I’m comfortable.”

Today I’m also riding on Matteo’s back too, but I’m riding behind Percival, not in front of him. If I were riding in front, Percival wouldn’t be able to swing his sword when the time came. As a magician, I’ve settled into my natural position as rearguard.

There were a total of 34 men in the squad. Kingsleigh’s unit consisted of 20 men, two white magicians as recovery staff and two medics. Then, there are six people who prepare meals and do chores at the camp. After that, there was the commander, Margrave, his assistant Theodore, Percival and myself. But still, there are two precious white magicians. Come to think of it, Sandrion-san is also a white magician. I guess there are some where there are some.

The Margrave and Theodore led the troops, and we served as rearguards following behind the three carriages. The margraves’s horse, Gladius, is really brave. That majestic walk. I’m really looking forward to seeing how he will perform in practice.

It is only a few hours to the forest of magical beasts. The people working in the fields are waving to the formation, and I wave back. Some of them were children chasing after us with cheers. I guess the people of the territory love the Vanderwall Army and has expectations of them. I felt proud, even though I had nothing to do with it. And Percival has a margrave who leads such a Vanderwall Army as his father. He should grow up to be a fine man. It’s rude to compare them, but he’s very different from my father. I can’t choose my parents, so I can’t help it, but it was a blessing in disguise that I got rid of them early on.

I enjoyed the long, tranquil road so much that I didn’t think we were going to subjugate magical beasts, and arrived at the demon beast forest around noon. It seems that there is a campsite in a somewhat deep part of this forest. We will use that place as our base to subjugate the magical beasts for several days.

Today’s goal is to reach the campsite, pitch a tent and prepare dinner before nightfall. We have to secure a safe zone before night falls.

The forest was brightly lit through the trees for a while from the entrance, but gradually the trees became thicker and darker. Not even the twittering of birds can be heard. But I was told that it was still safe up to this point.

Soon, a bright light came into view, and suddenly the forest opened up to reveal a large clearing.

“……Wow, amazing.”

“This is where we’ll be based.”

Only that place was completely empty, and the ground was neatly levelled. This should make it easy to pitch a tent.

When the soldiers got off their horses, they unloaded the carriages and skillfully started preparations for camp. I also went to the wagon to help out, but the strong men don’t seem to want me because I’m a lanky man. 

“Sapphiras-dono, please rest.”

When a soldier carrying two large barrels of water beamed at me, all I could say was that I’d be happy to do so.

……I am too weak.

In that case, I went to see the magicians who were deploying defensive barrier magic in the camp. If I help, a safe zone will be completed quickly. It’s good because they can save their magical powers for the subjugation.

“Um, if it’s a barrier magic, then I’ll…”

When I was about to call out to the magicians who were about to start chanting, I was tapped on the shoulder.

“Kingsleigh-san?”

“This is their business. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I have to confess that you are too powerful, Sapphiras-dono. It is true that it would be easier if you could put up a barrier, but Sapphiras-dono is not a member of this unit. It is not in the interest of this unit, and by extension Vanderwall, to learn to rely on a strong force.”

……Oh, I see.

That’s right. Kingsleigh-san has a point. I’m the kind of guy who’s quick to take the easy way out, so if you’re willing to do it, I’d appreciate it! Saying that is easy, but I understand that it’s not good in the long run.

“Yes, that’s right. Sorry……”

“But if our life is in danger, please don’t hesitate to lend us your help. If we die, there’s nothing left to do!”

Gahahaha! Kingsleigh-san laughed and slaps me on the back.

“Uwah……hey,……!”

“Kingsleigh-dono, Sapphiras is going to collapse, please stop around there.”

Percival came and quickly rescued me from Kingsleigh-san’s powerful smack.

I-I’m saved……

Uwah, my back hurts. This is an absolute handprint. Kingsleigh-san is a nice guy, but he doesn’t know how to control his strength.

“Hey, Percival. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Well…… then, could you help me with the cooking area?”

When Percival turned his gaze, I saw that the people in charge of the chores had set up a kitchen with a stove for cooking. I see, I can do that too.

“I’ll go and help then.”

“Yeah, I’ll leave it to you.”

I joined the scullery workers in setting up four cooking stoves. Everyone was amazed at my dexterity.

After that, I peeled a lot of potatoes and cooked the meat. After all, that’s two large pots of soup. That’s something you don’t get to experience in a small adventuring party. I also found that mass cooking is difficult to season. If you add seasonings in small quantities, they don’t taste good at all.

By the time darkness fell, the base was all set. We gathered around a big bonfire and ate together. The soup with roasted meat was delicious. It is said that putting roasted meat in soup is a way of eating because there are few dishes, but I had never heard of it before, even though I had been an adventurer for a long time. It’s interesting that there are so many different dishes from one place to another. I somehow forgot that this is a magical beast subjugation.

After the meal, the Margrave and Kingsleigh-san called Theodore and Percival to spread out a map of the forest, so I left the place and collected the dishes that everyone had used into a bucket. When I carried them to the cooking area, I splashed them with magically produced water and poured the dirty water into a hole I dug in the ground. Then the wind dried the dishes in one go. The scullery workers stared at what I was doing. They could use magic to light a fire in a kettle, but they couldn’t do something like pouring out water without recreating, like I could. In truth, this is probably what they should be doing too. The people who are responsible for the chores are not soldiers and are probably tired from the move, so it would be good to make it easier for them for a day or so.

When the meal was all cleaned up, Percival came to get me.

“Sapphiras, the tent, is it alright if brother Theodore and I are with you?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

The tent I was led to was spacious and had a cot in it, which was quite luxurious for an encampment sleeping area. I heard that the other soldiers’ tents also had similar specifications. Are the soldiers given the same favourable environment as their commanders? The treatment in the Vanderwall Army is amazing. That should boost the morale of the soldiers. However, that is also something that can be done because horses are strong, and ordinary horses cannot pull that much load with just three horses.

As I was nodding my head, Theodore-san came into the tent.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Theodore-san.”

“Oh, I’m sorry it’s so small.”

“No, it’s me who’s intruding on you. And it’s not small at all.”

“Well, make yourself at home. Let’s talk a bit about tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

We sat down and unfold the map. You must have explored this dangerous forest quite a bit. The map shows the forest in great detail.

“It’s amazing.”

Our ancestors went into the forest and drew it up bit by bit. The forest is roughly divided into three layers, and where we are now is outside this layer. Up to this point, it is not so dangerous.”

Fumufumu…I see. In other words, the third layer, which is the deepest part of this forest, is the most dangerous.

“This time, we plan to go into the second layer. In the second layer, large magical beasts usually appear. With Sapphiras-dono’s ability, I don’t think there would be any problem if you go this far together, but I don’t think any students have experience with such subjugation. If you can’t, you can stay here and serve as a guard for the base.”

“It’s no problem.”

“……That’s dependable.”

Theodore-san seemed a little surprised at my immediate response. There is no problem even if it is up to the third layer.

“Also, don’t stray even if you make a mistake. If you get separated, it will be difficult to find you.”

“Brother, Sapphiras can use transference magic. so even if he gets separated, he can return to the base without any problems.”

“Yes. Please don’t mind if I get lost. I’ll be fine.”

“……I see.”

That’s all he had to warn me about. After that, Theodore-san and Percival had a meeting in front of the map with a difficult face until late. Even though I felt sorry, I climbed into my bed early and slept soundly until morning.




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