Chapter 148 - When Taking a Step Forward

Around the time the affairs within the territory had been settled to some extent, Ferda contacted Count Concillus for the first time in a while.

"What is the state of your territory, Count?"

-There was nothing to call a state of affairs except funerals.

In Grand Duchess Valdrova's territory, a splendid banquet had been held for the victors, but in Count Concillus's domain, only a modest banquet had followed the joint funeral.

Most of the deaths had occurred on the far eastern alliance's side, and though the number of deaths was small compared to the size of their forces, death was still death.

"I will add to the consolation money."

-No, it is still something we can handle within our finances...

"Do not refuse. Take it and pass it on to the bereaved families."

-If you put it that way, I will accept it gratefully. I will take care to ensure it reaches the hands of every fallen soldier's family without omission.

The reason Ferda was being this generous was because he knew his own position.

No matter how high Ferda stood in the far east, he could not make himself their center of gravity.

Concillus, the eldest among them and the one who had protected this place for so long, was their spiritual pillar, so when Ferda supported him, he had to do it properly.

"Come to think of it, I heard someone else took down the colossal demonic creature we had planned to deal with."

-That is correct. He stood alone on the battlefield, killed all those demonic creatures, and slew the demonic creature.

At the time, Ferda had only received a report that he had taken everything down alone, so he had not known the details.

He decided to ask properly while he had the chance.

"Was he a mage?"

-No. He was a knight.

"A knight took down a colossal demonic creature alone?"

It was a rather unbelievable situation.

"Is he skilled with magic?"

-Not that either. I asked the mages, but they say he cannot use magic, or even aura.

He was strong despite not even being able to use aura.

If so, it became increasingly certain that he was the armor-clad knight who had beaten the wolf demonic creature to a pulp.

-I suspect he may be the knight you spoke of before.

"If he is the knight I was searching for before..."

-You said you were looking for armor that would make one's breath catch in one's throat, did you not?

Ferda remembered.

'The moving fortress, Alberto.'

When he had described him, that was what he had said.

Of course, Ferda had not thought he would actually be able to find him.

He was a free wandering knight, one who focused solely on beating demonic creatures to death.

-When asked what he wished to do about this achievement, he pointed toward Grand Duchess Valdrova's territory.

"You mean he intends to receive that merit from me?"

-That seems to be the case. After saying so, he set out alone. Originally, I should have told you yesterday...

"You have told me now, so that is enough. Do not worry about it."

Ferda did not mind either way.

If anything, the person he had been looking for was coming to him on his own, so what reason would he have to refuse?

"When does it seem he will arrive?"

"Judging by his walking speed, I suspect he will arrive sometime tomorrow morning."

Tomorrow morning...

Even if he was not riding a horse, he would walk without stopping, so in practice he would likely arrive at a speed similar to riding one.

Ferda waited for him to come.

Around the time Hestia's territory regained stability.

Valdrova put on her armor for the first time in a while and went outside.

When she had last gone to Hanson, she had said she was going back to her hometown, so she was pretending to be someone who had returned from home.

'I was gone too long.'

Guilt washed over her.

In truth, she had been keeping watch from atop the Lonely Mountain, but in this armored form, she had gone home and never come back.

The fact that she had not been there when they needed her weighed terribly on her heart.

'Will people hate me because I wasn't here?'

Why were you not here when we needed you?

Do you know how many people suffered because of you?

Carrying those fears, she carefully approached the walls of Hestia village.

The walls had been completed while Valdrova was absent, and now there were gatekeepers as well.

"Stop! State your identi... Huh? Aren't you the armored knight?"

"?"

"I'm Hans, from the village construction site. Ah, well, all I did was watch you from a distance by myself."

The young man who introduced himself as Hans smiled brightly and made way for her.

"Please, hurry inside! Everyone has been waiting for you!"

Waiting for me?

When she went inside after hearing that, there really were people waiting for Valdrova, just as the gatekeeper had said.

Those who recognized her cheered and rushed out.

"It's the knight! The knight has returned!"

"It's the armored knight!"

"Our savior!"

But contrary to what she had expected, they were welcoming her with great joy.

Surrounded by the crowd, Valdrova thought.

'Why?'

Valdrova was dumbfounded.

She had become a hero and grown more well-known during the demonic creature attack, but they had not welcomed her to this extent.

Valdrova thought it over carefully.

'All I did was build buildings, though...?'

Valdrova wondered if that was why.

Was this reaction because she had built the walls and buildings so well?

'Now that I think about it, they did say they were building faster thanks to my help.'

They were thanking her because she had built houses and walls capable of sheltering many people in a short time, making everyone safe.

That was what Valdrova thought.

'Maybe that's why...!'

She came to an incredibly simple conclusion and let it pass just like that.

Under their welcome and admiring gazes, she made her way toward the labor union office.

"Oh! Our hero has come!"

Hanson, who had now become the labor union leader, welcomed Valdrova.

"I thought you would come this way once you returned, so I was waiting. Now, now, please come inside! There is someone who wishes to meet you. I would like you to meet her, if that is all right."

Valdrova nodded.

At that, Hanson twisted his body as if making way, and then Valdrova saw a woman sitting at a table in the union leader's office.

She had blue hair and a pure-looking face.

She was dressed like an adventurer, with a Platinum badge pinned to her chest.

When she saw Valdrova, she extended her hand with a friendly expression.

"Hello. I'm Eri, branch manager of the far eastern adventurer's guild."

She was using an alias to hide her identity, but Valdrova recognized who she was at first sight.

'Isn't she the child Iorga cherishes?'

She was the girl who was always attached to Iorga's side whenever Valdrova encountered her.

She was a dragon spawn with an image as serious and intellectual as Iorga herself, and Valdrova had secretly admired her.

'Why is she pretending to be human?'

Valdrova badly wanted to ask, but remembering that she was supposed to be mute, she silently took her hand.

Just that light handshake made her feel somehow smarter.

"I have heard a great deal about you. They say you have been here since this village was being built?"

Nod, nod.

"Everyone thought you were merely someone with monstrous strength, but then you distinguished yourself when the demonic creatures attacked."

Nod, nod.

"And this time, I heard you sliced an entire colossal demonic creature apart. I was truly impressed."

No...d?

Valdrova tilted her head.

'A colossal demonic creature?'

Killing those was part of Valdrova's daily life, but that was probably not what Erica meant.

The only demonic creatures she had killed in this armor were about two wolves.

'Besides, I was definitely here, wasn't I...?'

Had the armor moved on its own and gone off somewhere?

Bronze Dragons were masters at making things, but if they knew Valdrova's personality, they would not have put in a function like that.

'Then there must be another armored knight.'

Only then did she understand why she had been welcomed.

Did that not mean she had been strutting around on someone else's fame this whole time?

Her face flushed with shame, and at the same time, she was at a loss.

She had to explain, but her mouth was sealed by the Vow of Silence.

"Thanks to your dedication to Hestia's prosperity, you have become an example for many adventurers."

That wasn't me!

She had to say that, but praises she would normally never hear were pouring out one after another, so she could not find the right timing at all and could only feel troubled.

"If it is not too rude, could you at least tell me your name? If you are an adventurer, I need to check whether you are registered."

Her name.

Of course, she could not tell her.

Her persona was one reason, but Luri's glare reflexively came to mind, and her throat seized up.

"It seems it is difficult for you to tell me after all. I understand."

As if Erica understood as well, she did not press any further.

"Union leader."

"Y-yes!"

"I apologize for borrowing the place without permission, but may I speak with this person for a moment?"

"Ah, of course!"

There was no way a mere labor union leader could refuse a request from a Platinum adventurer.

Hanson left them like that.

As if that was not enough, Erica deployed magic, making the room completely cut off from the outside, a room for just the two of them.

Valdrova waited quietly.

She believed that Iorga's child would never do anything bad to people.

"What I am about to say is something that would only hurt us if others heard it, so I will keep it confidential."

Nod...

Valdrova grew tense in spite of herself.

Erica cast magic once more.

Then, in an instant, the union leader's room warped somewhere else.

No, it was reproducing a certain space.

Valdrova knew this street.

It was the place where she had stood when the demonic creatures attacked.

"I recreated and examined the moment the wolf demonic creature was dealt with. Please forgive me for doing this without your consent."

There, a wolf demonic creature and a man wearing armor identical to her own stood facing each other.

BARK! BARK!

The wolf demonic creature charged in without fear,

SHUNK!

And died at the armored knight's hand.

"The time it took to deal with one was only 0.3 seconds."

Erica spoke, unable to hide her astonishment.

"If someone is on the level of an imperial Swordmaster, dealing with a single wolf demonic creature like this alone is no great task. However, you are on a different plane from those Swordmasters."

"..."

"Because you killed it not with a weapon or aura, but with pure strength alone."

Valdrova grew tense at the word strength.

Erica rewound and replayed the scene again and again as she spoke.

"There is a saying that everything is powerless before overwhelming strength, but this is technique that cannot be achieved with strength alone. You are a veteran who has faced at least dozens of demonic creatures."

Overwhelming strength and experience.

Valdrova trembled inside the armor.

She was terrified that this would somehow lead to the conclusion that she was the Aspect of Power.

Was she going to be found out like this?

By Iorga's child, whom Luri had told her never to let discover her?

Valdrova was already suffering at the thought of the scolding that would happen afterward.

Was she going to die like this??

"Do not worry. I have no intention of digging too deeply into you. What matters to us is neither your past nor your identity, but only your skill."

Valdrova felt relieved at her words.

"Based on these skills, I would like to make you one proposal."

Erica handed her a sheet of paper.

The title read, "Land of Demons Exploration Plan."

"As the branch manager of the far eastern adventurer's guild, and as an adventurer myself, I am putting together a team."

Nod, nod.

"And I would like to recruit you for this team."

Adventurers were...

A group that traveled all across the Serdes Continent, uncovering mysteries and defeating evil.

In that process, mingling with people was basic.

And in that process, she might not be able to return to the castle for days.

Shake, shake!

Valdrova reflexively shook her head.

She strongly appealed that all she liked was building things here.

Erica nodded as if she had expected this.

"Of course, I anticipated that you would refuse."

If she had merely expected a refusal, there would have been no need to make the proposal.

She had already seen through the factors that made Valdrova uneasy.

"Considering your behavioral patterns, it is because you are anxious about teamwork and uncomfortable with prolonged face-to-face contact, correct? I will take that into consideration through my authority."

Though Valdrova had been told she would be accommodated, she still only shook her head.

"As expected, you have a deep reason."

A knight who possessed seasoned combat skill and overwhelming strength, yet did not fight for honor.

Erica knew that well.

A state where something that had supported one's heart had collapsed, leaving one unable to care about anything anymore.

The greatest hero of the 12-member expedition had been that way.

However, Erica could not back down.

"However, if you care about the continued existence of this village, I ask that you reconsider, even just a little."

The purpose for which Hestia had been built.

"This Hestia village was made in order to conquer the Land of Demons. It was meant to accommodate many adventurers and research means to oppose the demonic."

Valdrova had heard as much.

But she had thought it was a story far removed from her.

"As always, good intentions do not mean things will go smoothly."

Ferda spared no support for the affairs within his territory.

Under Burnel's leadership, technology had advanced dramatically.

However, turning human hearts around was something support alone could not accomplish.

Because everything depended on human will.

Everyone dreams of striking it rich.

But that is only when the risks and returns one must accept are clear.

The Land of Demons was a place where those returns were uncertain.

That was why the skilled refused, and only the riffraff kept gathering.

It was to escape that situation that she had become the branch manager of the far eastern adventurer's guild.

"I do not know what your circumstances are, but you surely wish to distance yourself from anything related to violence. However, we cannot let someone with this much ability rot away at a construction site forever."

Erica spoke firmly.

"If you truly love Hestia village, I hope you will join us in doing what others cannot."

"..."

What others could not do.

No one could move more objects than she could.

But if people gathered together, it was something anyone could do.

Then what about demonic creatures?

Demonic creatures were not like that.

Even if dozens gathered together, if they had no armed might, they were nothing but prey.

'I... like things as they are now.'

From the time she had come down to Hestia village until now, all she had done was raise buildings and build walls.

Working modestly, receiving money, and watching people smile was immensely rewarding and good to her.

'If I start killing something...'

Once she used violence, she could not control herself.

What if.

What if she swung this power wrongly to protect everyone, only to kill them instead...

Then she would never be able to forgive herself again.

Erica watched Valdrova and thought.

'Is she going to refuse after all?'

She had long since noticed that this was not someone who had taken a Vow of Silence.

She simply assumed that, like Ferda, she must have some secret she could not tell others.

Erica truly needed her and was desperate, but if she refused again, Erica had decided to give up.

There was nothing good about forcing someone into adventure.

After agonizing over it, Valdrova finally gave her answer.

Nod, nod.

"As expected, you refuse... No, you mean you will do it?"

Erica asked again, startled.

Nod, nod.

Valdrova nodded once more.

If it had been the day before the Start of Spring Festival, she surely would have thought this.

That a simple life as a worker building things like this was enough to satisfy her.

The reason she could not was because Valdrova had seen it with her own two eyes.

Those demonic creatures standing beyond that land were so large even from so far away.

And Hestia village below Valdrova Castle was so small and fragile despite being so close.

Lives like floating duckweed, sure to be swept away if even one thing slipped through by mistake, were under her wings.

That saddened her and filled her with worry.

At the same time, Valdrova thought this.

If that land disappeared, there would be no need to worry like this...

'That child's words are right.'

Building alone is not enough.

'I have to do what others cannot.'

She had to stop those disgusting things from being created, and she had to destroy them.

The baby bird that has broken out of its egg must now take another step.

In front of the gates of Hestia village.

The gatekeepers were enjoying their leisure and chatting among themselves.

"What's for food today?"

"They said it's mixed stew. They have to use up all the leftover ingredients."

"Man, cooks sure have it easy. If things get dicey, they can just throw everything in."

"I've got a whole bundle of sausages saved up, so I'll toss those in and eat them."

"Share some with me. You gonna eat all the good stuff by yourself?"

"Buy your own and eat it."

"Ugh, you pig bastard. Stuff your face, then. Eat it all."

"How many minutes are left on duty?"

"The sun was over there before we came, so twenty minutes left. They'll start getting ready to switch soon."

"Ugh, I thought about three hours had passed. How the hell do you endure this boredom?"

"Boring is better. If monsters keep attacking, we're the only ones who have to work ourselves to the bone."

"True. Better to die of boredom."

The places they had lived before were places where beasts or monsters like goblins ran wild after smelling food.

But the forest spread out before them was quiet as death.

It was so peaceful that it did not even feel real that the Land of Demons lay beyond it.

As they waited like that, letting out long yawns...

"Hm?"

"What is it?"

"No, doesn't it feel like the ground is shaking?"

"You can feel the duty officer tapping his foot from here?"

"No, stay still and feel it. I'm telling you, it feels like something heavy is thumping."

"Ah, this bastard, you're trying to pull something weird on me again..."

His sarcastic words stopped.

Just as the other man had said, vibrations were rising up through his boots.

They grew stronger and stronger, until it was too clear to dismiss as a mere worry.

Something was approaching this place.