17 – 4. Miracle?
The village was surrounded by a wooden fence.
If anyone thought the village seemed safe from here, it was a misconception. People who couldn’t immediately grasp the fact that the area’s security was not so great that they had to enclose the village with a fence were better off camping on the road.
As if to prove this fact, the guards in front of the village, upon seeing me, immediately began clamoring, and soon more guards gathered.
Seeing that the door was locked and they hadn’t switched to defense mode yet, it meant the enemy hadn’t been successfully pinned down yet. Not wanting any trouble, I slowly reduced the speed of my horse.
As I raised my hand to the doorknob, they observed us closely. When I didn’t rush forward at full speed, they gradually eased their guard. By the time they approached close enough to see our faces, they let go of their weapons.
The reason Ricia, who had just blinked with no understanding of the situation, was facing these guards who had come out in the middle of the night was probably because they had been pulled out complaining, saying they were dragged out on such a late night.
Observing the guards who had gathered in front of me, I approached the gatekeeper, who was standing with a blank expression.
“I’m planning to stay overnight.”
“Where are you from? And what’s your destination?”
“I’m heading towards the Papal See in the south. I came from Volle, they call me Lavender.”
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“Ah, are you perhaps one of those affected by the ‘Volle Plague’?”
“That’s right… but just once.”
The guard gave a reflexive response. He should change his nickname soon.
But that wasn’t an easy task either. Once a name spread, the only way to change it was by building a greater reputation and covering it with something new. The urgency to reach the Papal See grew day by day.
“I’ve heard of that reputation. They say there’s a knight responsible for dealing with the Northern savages.”
“Well, that’s partly true.”
Perhaps he could just change the nickname a little. The phrasing sounded awkward though.
Still, having a good reputation was indeed beneficial. One had to make a name for themselves.
Beyond that, the guard didn’t question me any further. The thorough inspection that would have been strict in a city ended quickly like roasting beans in a bonfire. Since I was considered a protector for Lycia, they let me pass without a word.
After entering the village, I looked for an inn just in case, but the village was too small for such a thing.
“No save point…?”
“Why do you say that?”
“I need to find a good place. Hm…”
It was rare to come across travelers on the road, and it was even more difficult to find them in such a small village. There wouldn’t be an inn when there was no demand.
In times like this, unless I wanted to sleep on the roadside, there were two options.
One was to approach
Wandering around the reasonably spacious house, people avoided making eye contact.
Of course, if you raise your hand to the sword handle and scratch your stomach, asking for food, they might let you stay, but there’s no need to scratch and create a fuss.
Well, there’s no other choice.
I decided to go for the latter. After all, it’s my way to the papal office, and they should be able to accommodate that much.
I wasn’t worried about the possibility of no church. Even if there’s no hotel, there’s bound to be a town hall.
I grabbed a passerby and asked for directions to the church. As I could see the light seeping out from inside, it wasn’t closed for business. I knocked on the door without worry.
-Knock, knock, knock.
“Trick or treat.”
“I don’t know who you are this evening, but please wait a moment.”
The locked door soon opened, and an elderly priest extended his head. After scrutinizing the faces of both me and Lycia, he asked.
“You’re a face I haven’t seen before. Are you a traveler?”
“I’m on my way to the papal office. Can I stay overnight?”
“It’s unusual in these ominous times, a pilgrim, I see. The church has no reason to turn away such individuals. Come in.”
The priest opened the door wide.
Since we were going to the holy land of the papal office for a pilgrimage, he seemed to think, there was no need to correct any misunderstandings in the village where we planned to stay overnight.
Since there was no stable nearby, I loosely tied the horse to the front of the church.
Believing that with the bond we’ve built up through numerous battlefields, the horse wouldn’t run away overnight, and even if it did, there was no one else but me who could handle it, I decided to trust its behavior.
And, if there’s something to give, there’s something to receive.
Although the priest didn’t mention it, I put a few coins in the donation box near the entrance. Seeing that, the priest led me and the girl to a room inside the church.
“Where are you coming from?”
“Following the road to the north, there is a city, isn’t there? That’s where I came from.”
“You’ve traveled quite a distance. Must be tired spending the whole day on the road.”
In the place where the bride led, there was a small room. There was a window above, and though less luxurious than an inn, it had its own bed.
Understanding that it wasn’t a place accustomed to receiving many guests, and still better than sleeping on the floor in a local household during dinner.
“It’s a room often given to pilgrims; however, it has been vacant for a while due to nearby bandit activities. But we’ve kept it clean, so it shouldn’t be uncomfortable to stay in.”
“This will be more than enough. Thank you.”
“I’ll be staying in the room across, so if there’s anything, come over there. Rest well.”
The bride coolly withdrew, wishing me a good night’s sleep.
Once the door was closed, I removed the armor and set down the weapons that I had been carrying all day. After minimally organizing them, I placed everything neatly in a corner. Since I would be departing again tomorrow morning, there was no need to pay much attention to it.
Arriving at a place where I could relax, Licia also seemed to ease her tension.
Although she seemed fine until a while ago, the girl started to yawn, returning to her morning state.
“Yawn….”
“Feeling tired?”
“Yes….”
“Since there’s nothing else to do, let’s call it a night.”
Anyway, dinner was roughly taken care of on the road.
With permission granted, Licia went straight to bed, and after that, having observed the room, I extinguished the candle that was providing some light.
Another ordinary day came to an end.
*****
It was a time thicker with darkness and filled with silence, closer to night than dawn.
The good children were having a great time playing in Dreamland.
“Is your mind clear?”
“Ugh….”
Raven, a certified good child of the self-proclaimed New Kingdom, could not help but wake up because of the shaking caused by the priest. This wasn’t helping her lack of height.
The bride, seeing that I had regained consciousness, let go and stepped back.
I sluggishly sat up. My head wasn’t functioning properly, still intoxicated with sleep.
“I apologize for waking you up in the middle of the night, but there’s an urgent matter.”
“What’s going on?”
In the moment when my remaining fatigue and wavering faith were about to collapse.
Desperation was evident on the bride’s face.
My half-awake mind suddenly sharpened.
In the disheveled appearance of the bride, who seemed to have hastily dressed, and then looking out the window, I could tell that the situation was far from ordinary. The village was far from the calm of the night.
“Did you wake up the guards?!”
“Yes, they’ve all been sent to the walls. Hunters were told to grab their bows too. By the way, weapons?”
“Everything is ready! Gather everyone who can fight. If we’re short on weapons, grab a club or something!”
“Did you also summon people from outside the walls? Then close the doors!”
“Wait, hold on! I haven’t gone in yet! Waaait!”
The church was a bit distant from the road, so the commotion wasn’t too loud.
But if you listened closely, you could hear words that couldn’t be easily dismissed. Occasionally, shouts, urgent footsteps, and the torches flickering outside the window hinted at the situation. It was something I had experienced countless times, so how could I forget?
The sound of metal clashing and wood breaking had not yet reached my ears, but experientially, I knew it was imminent.
Somehow, the journey seemed unusually peaceful.
Despite the chaos erupting, I turned my gaze towards Lycia, who was still deeply asleep, perhaps due to her extreme fatigue.
The necklace remained untouched, confirming its comfort. Carefully leaving the room to ensure the girl remained undisturbed in her slumber, I said, “I’ll be back soon, so stay hidden safely.”
She probably wouldn’t hear, but I felt the need to instruct. I trusted she was a clever child who knew at least that much.
The priestess accompanying me had a book in her hands, which I only noticed now. Upon closer inspection, it emitted a faint light in the darkness – a relic.
Given the circumstances thus far, it was only natural to wonder what had transpired. If I still didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t safely conclude the seed life or redeem my knighthood.
Without delay, I started putting on my armor. In response, the priestess said, “Thieves have come to the village.”
“Let’s go.”
Rushing to the nearby lord, even if the news were to be delivered promptly, the village would likely have already ceased to exist at that point.
“If the news is delivered in time, when can we expect the reinforcements?”
“It could be as quick as half a day, but if the situation there is not favorable, it might extend to a day.”
“Half a day, at least half a day….”
The guard said so and tightened his grip on the sturdy sword.
In my mind, I roughly tapped a calculator. Could we endure this?
Though not certain in the darkness, the number of enemies was undoubtedly greater than the guards on the watchtower.
And following the flickering flames, glimpses of some form of armor on the opponents’ torsos could be seen, indicating that some had equipped themselves with their own kind of protection. It wasn’t the typical gear of ordinary thieves.
“Could they be the mercenaries rumored to be former thieves?”
“Some seem like it, but not all of them.”
“What does that mean?”
Mercenaries, being human, didn’t necessarily want everyone to become criminals. It wasn’t an uncommon thing to have a few faithful individuals among them.
Even if that were the case, once transformed into thieves, they couldn’t move as a unified body like before. Would they engage in robbery if there was a solid control and system in place?
“Not everyone is armed like mercenaries. Some didn’t even bother with more than a club.”
“Then….”
“Probably a mix of poor and insignificant thieves.”
Presumably, they were a fraction of former mercenaries who changed their profession to robbery.
And actively engaging nearby individuals in similar trades, it seemed. Upon closer inspection, the inconsistency in armament suggested the involvement of commoners as well.
Fortunately, a silver lining was that the enemies didn’t seem to carry appropriate siege weapons. Not that one should expect much from thieves.
So, the situation was likely to evolve into a rough battle or a skirmish. Quite fitting for the skills of knights. Of course, the crucial factor would be the opponents’ state of armament.
Gradually loosening up for battle, the light reached the front of the village.
At that tense moment when hunters pulled together for a demonstration, someone among the rumbling rogues stepped forward and shouted.
“Is there a representative of the village here?”
“….”
A resounding voice, enough to awaken everyone in the village, burst forth. Conversations like these served the dual purpose of asserting dominance.
By this point, there should have been someone in the village shouting back. Strangely, there was no one answering. Perhaps a display of resolve not to mingle words with the remnants of dirty looters. Impressive.
With a dignified expression, I looked around, expecting to see the guards preparing for battle as they glared at the approaching enemies.
“Excuse me…”
“…Why are you like this?”
Contrary to my thoughts, however, all eyes around were on me.
Surely, unless they had eye holes instead of eyes, they knew I wasn’t a villager here.
“Can you speak for them instead?”
“I can, but is there no village head or someone like that here?”
“There is, but upon receiving the news, he collapsed and hasn’t recovered his senses yet.”
“Oh, gods.”
Is this village, with the mayor as its backbone, going to be alright like this?
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The guards opened the way discreetly, and I moved to the center, pushed around by the crowd.
It seemed alright. It’s not like I haven’t done this a couple of times before. Didn’t I wrestle with barbarians in the north?
Taking a good position, the rogues looked much clearer than before. Only when a rogue locked eyes with me did he shout upon seeing the armor I wore.
“Who are you? You don’t seem like someone fitting for a small village like this.”
“Halt, passing knight!”
“A knight, you say? What’s your name then?”
“I am Laven, hailing from Volle!”
The thieves who overheard me began whispering amongst themselves. They weren’t exactly discreet, so if you listened closely, you could hear everything.
Opinions varied from recognizing the name to not knowing at all, and some thought they heard it before but weren’t sure. After hearing all of this, the representative of the thieves nodded, opening his mouth.
Even the guards of such a small village had heard of my reputation; it wasn’t likely that mere bandits from the south would be unaware.
“We don’t know who you are!”
Fair enough.
It seems one must continue to make a name for oneself. Perhaps the influence of my name only extends this far.
I hope the day comes when just hearing my name makes opponents retreat. Then, such troublesome matters would be nonexistent.
Yet, it seemed the title of a knight, which carried the significance of a war machine, had more weight than my name. The bandits began offering a different proposition.
“But it’s true you have no connection with this village as an outsider! So, I have a proposal.”
“What is it?”
“You won’t engage in any activities here, even if you leave the village! Will you accept?”
“Hm.”
“Um, sir knight?”
A knight could miraculously exchange their military strength for a hundred times its value. However, this was true for ordinary foot soldiers; for well-trained mercenaries, the situation was a bit different.
It might be selfish, but considering the situation of waiting for reinforcements that might never come, Ricia had to be taken care of as well.
Though it was an extremely self-centered thought, if asked whether it was detrimental to my social reputation, even if it meant sacrificing that, it wasn’t necessarily a bad idea.