12 – 3. Heading South
A newfound tale, but compared to anyone of her age, Licia is an adorable girl.
This is conclusively proven by the reactions of the church boys.
And this is the wild medieval era. A time where fists are closer than the law.
There weren’t many ways for her to protect herself from those who had completed the residency application before their brains moved to their lower halves. Preemptive attack was the best defense.
But I had a lifelong companion, a humble injector. Seeing it strapped to my waist, the innkeeper mumbled and turned away.
Wearing armor openly on the streets has its restrictions, but if you tuck it neatly into a black scabbard and let it hang down, it’s discreet enough to go unnoticed.
Moreover, in this world, there is an ancient tradition called private sanctions. Such a deep-rooted tradition that revenge is even excused from the laws of the empire, evolving into a culture of chastity.
And remember this. Knights are individuals who have honed their skills in warfare throughout their lives to become war machines.
Keeping in mind the innkeeper’s movements, I took the girl upstairs.
That brat just enjoyed the meal as if disappointed. I saw it with my own eyes.
“Licia.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t leave or disappear without a word.”
“…Huh?!”
Licia had a bewildered expression as if she didn’t understand a word of English. Keep growing up so innocently….
Instead of starting family education, I chose to remain silent. After all, it was soon time to sleep.
Medieval nights arrive swiftly.
In a world where you can’t lie in bed and browse the internet, and if you ask whether there’s anything to watch or play at night, the answer would be no.
Of course, among those in the clergy, there are those who use magic to create light and engage in other activities. However, from the perspective of ordinary people, they simply chose to fall asleep quickly.
You can leave the candles lit, but wouldn’t it be more cost-effective to wake up early the next day?
So, at night, tens of thousands of guards carry torches and occasionally people with less reputable professions commute. It’s a boring time when that’s all that happens.
From Noble mtl dot com
So, what I want to say is.
“Is it still night?”
For the first time in a while, I woke up in the middle of the night.
Even though I’ll deeply regret not sleeping a few hours later, don’t you sometimes feel not sleepy at all? I was in that state right now.
Even though it’s usually okay, there were times when insomnia struck like this.
Habits are formed by accumulating memories. And I got my memories updated once.
Unfortunately, the junk memory from the 21st century included smartphone addiction, disrupted sleep patterns, and even insomnia. So, I woke up like this in the middle of the night from time to time.
Modern memories really weren’t helpful at all. Except in terms of hygiene.
With less alertness due to lack of sleep, I absentmindedly reached towards the table next to me. There was nothing to grab. Usually, at times like this, a smartphone should be within reach.
I withdrew my hand awkwardly and checked on Lycia. Fortunately, it seemed that I didn’t wake her up.
It seemed futile to try to sleep again now, but there was nothing to be gained from lying around idly.
-Geez.
“…It’s a bit cold.”
I grabbed my sword, opened the inn door, and stepped outside.
It was something I often did when this happened. It was also a good way to cool down a head that was unnecessarily complicated.
When I arrived at the stable near the inn that I had scouted before, I went to a place with few people, relying on the faint moonlight, and aimed at an imaginary target with my sword.
Just in case, because when other insomniacs saw someone walking around, they would start screaming that a murderer had appeared and blare their bio-sirens. Since I didn’t want to get caught up in unnecessary trouble after seeing it a few times, I had been careful like this.
-Hoong!
-Shack!
In the so-called fantasy world, there wasn’t anything particularly special. Just gripping it tightly so as not to let go, and slashing through.
Drawing a sword to part the sea, using the power of martial arts to incorporate inexplicable mysteries into swordsmanship was impossible.
It was a world without such irrational powers, but precisely because it was such a world, knights could dominate the battlefield despite the existence of magic.
Horses were for speed, and speed meant weight. And my warhorse had really… really gained a lot of weight.
-Blurrr.
I noticed the presence nearby and looked up at the warhorse, which had bright ears. Horses indeed had keen senses.
Usually, it would rot its stomach by eating, but on the battlefield, there was nothing more reliable. Darting out ahead at a speed unimaginable for a human, leaping and slashing through enemy ranks. Even the wizards of the church or holy bubble spells found it not easy.
Only a knight could do it! And I could do it quite well.
Of course, they say saints or holy maidens can bless weapons to produce something similar to a sword, but I’ve only heard rumors and don’t know much about it.
Moreover, how much success do you need to achieve that? At the very least, you should have your own territory, but the dream of a real estate magnate is still far off.
My strength was more than enough to think about on my own. Learning swordsmanship from my master was slow, but I could compensate for it mostly with sheer brute force.
I even had a nickname in the vicinity of Bolle, and my skills had gained some recognition. Of course, it was far from vibrating across the entire empire.
Furthermore, the northern lords, with their backwardness and looting as a fixed event, were somewhat stingy.
Even if you rampage on the battlefield for a hundred days, what you bring back is not a permanent, life-long piece of land but just gold coins that are resolved temporarily.
“Lord Viscount, your performance greatly impressed us! Your contribution to driving away those savages was truly remarkable. Is there anything specific you desire?”
“Thank you. Well, perhaps a territory!”
“That’s a bit tricky. Even if I wanted to reward you, there’s nothing suitable in the city I own.”
“Please, grant me a territory!”
“Sure, I’ll empty my pockets and give you the gold coins!”
And so, heading south towards the Holy See.
Considering the eminent figures, such as the successors, the Pope, and the Emperor, all entangled in the grand arena, one couldn’t help but wonder if something good might come out of it. Also, in pursuit of the dream of real estate magnates unfulfilled in their past lives.
Hence, one had to tirelessly strive.
What if I had responded like this against the enemy to the north during the battle? Would it have been easier if I had done it that way? – Pondering various methods with the mindset of a test-taker who wishes they had chosen option 4 instead of 3, swinging the sword in different ways.
And who knows? Would good things really happen if one worked so hard?
*Swoosh!*
“…Huh?”
It was a moment when one was contemplating about wanting to succeed in life to some extent.
The sword glowed for an instant, and soon, a branch at an unreachable distance from the trajectory I had swung was cleanly cut off.
Picking up the fallen branch, the cut surface wasn’t rough as seen when a branch breaks due to a sword; it was neat, as if the sword had smoothly passed through it like cutting tofu.
In an instant, a shock hit me like a lightning bolt to the head. I knew what to call this phenomenon.
“No way.”
This is… well, it must be that.
The awakening event that happens to those on their second lives. It was undoubtedly a belated patch by the gods, considering me pitiful. Or perhaps a cliché development of awakening hidden powers. Without that, it couldn’t be explained.
Indeed, modern common sense was right. I always believed in it.
I was not wrong!
“…Status window.”
“…”
“Status window!”
“Ugh, why the hell is this happening when the sun hasn’t even risen yet!”
Strange.
Why isn’t it working?
*****
In the end, morning arrived with no gains whatsoever.
All that remained was a parched and cracked throat from mumbling about reproducing that and checking the burned arm and status window without any results.
Did I see something useless because I was still half-asleep? If it’s a mental issue, things get a bit complicated.
No sane psychological treatment is available. In this era, medicine treated injuries with magic, and minds were patched up with a club. So, it’s a job you can’t talk about anywhere.
With a hint of suspicion, I fumbled inside my pocket. Luckily, I grasped a twig of etiquette.
There’s evidence, so, for now, it wasn’t just seeing things. Then, maybe there are conditions to fulfill to exert this power. Yesterday was just a coincidence.
While contemplating how to fulfill the conditions for my awakening event, it happened.
“Are you up?”
“Oh, Lycia. Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, mmm.”
It wasn’t until around dawn that I stopped the futile effort and sat at the inn’s first-floor table. Not long after, Lycia came down.
With disheveled hair and tear-moistened eyes due to yawning, she still seemed sleepy.
The girl approached me quickly and sat beside me. Not much later, a child working at the inn brought the pre-paid meal.
The stew, whose cooking time was unknown, and the tough bread were average here. If you wanted to eat something better, the price skyrocketed exponentially.
“…Hey.”
“What’s wrong?”
Worrying might also consume a lot of calories. While deeply immersed in melting bread in the stew, the girl hesitated and spoke.
Is there something difficult to say? Until now, with the Risia I knew, there was no incident like breaking things or causing accidents.
“Last night.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you happen to go outside for a moment?”
I froze for a moment. Did she witness me shouting at the status window?
First, I tried to casually reply. It could be that she briefly woke up from the sound of me opening the door and then fell asleep again.
Moreover, the window of the room we stayed in at the inn and the stable were in the opposite direction. Unless Risia opens the window and listens, she wouldn’t hear it.
“Sometimes, I wake up like that. After waking up, I don’t get sleepy again and go out for a walk.”
“Uh, then… were there any incidents at that time…?”
Ah, I got caught.