Chapter 148

Chapter 148: Taking a Step Forward

Taking a Step Forward
Chapter 148. Taking a Step
When the territory’s affairs were resolved to some extent, Ferda contacted Count Consillus after a long time.
— How is the territory’s situation, Count?
— There wasn’t much to call a situation aside from the funeral.
In the Grand Duchy of Valdrova, they held a splendid banquet for the victors, but in Count Consillus’s territory, only a simple banquet was held after the joint funeral.
Most deaths occurred on the side of the Far East Alliance, and the number of dead was low relative to the number of troops, but still, death was death.
— I will add some condolence money.
— No, it’s something that can still be resolved within our finances…
— Don’t be like that, accept it and hand it over to the families of the bereaved.
— If you say so, I will accept it with gratitude. I will pay close attention to ensure it reaches the hands of the fallen soldiers’ families without fail.
The reason Ferda was being so generous was that he knew his position.
As much as Ferda stood at the highest point of this Far East, he could not serve as its central point.
Consillus, the elder who had guarded this place for a long time, was their spiritual pillar, so when supporting him, he had to do it properly.
— Come to think of it, I heard that colossal monster you planned to deal with on schedule was killed by someone else instead.
— That is correct. He stood alone on the battlefield, slaughtered all those monsters, and killed the monster.
At that time, I only received a report that he took care of everything alone, so I didn’t know the details properly.
I decided to ask properly this time.
— Was he a mage?
— No. He was a knight.
— A knight killed a colossal monster alone?
A situation barely believable.
— Does he handle magic well?
— That isn’t it either. I asked the mages, but they say he cannot wield magic, let alone aura.
He doesn’t even wield aura, yet he is strong.
If so, that Armored Knight who crushed the wolf monsters was becoming increasingly certain.
— I wonder if it is that knight you mentioned before.
— If it’s that knight you were looking for earlier…
— You said you were looking for a knight wearing armor so suffocating it cut off his breath, did you not?
I remembered.
“Walking Fortress, Alberto.”
When I described him, that was what he said.
Of course, Ferda didn’t believe he would be able to find him.
After all, he is a free wandering knight who only focuses on defeating monsters.
— When asked what he wanted to do with this achievement, he pointed toward the Grand Duchy of Valdrova.
— Does that mean he wants to receive merit from me?
— That seems to be the case. He said that and set off alone. Originally I should have told you yesterday…
— It’s fine, since you told me now. Don’t worry about it.
Ferda didn’t care either way.
Rather, the person he was looking for was coming directly, so what reason would there be to refuse?
— When is his estimated arrival?
— Judging by his walking pace, he will probably arrive tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow morning, huh…?
Even without riding a horse, he would walk steadily, so in practice, he would arrive at a speed similar to horseback riding.
Ferda simply waited for his arrival.
Around the time the Hestia Territory regained stability.
Valdrova put on her armor and went out for the first time in a long while.
When she went to Hanson last time, she said she was going to her hometown, so she was pretending to be someone who had returned from her hometown.
“I have been away too long.”
Guilt overcame her.
In reality, she had held her position at the Peak of the Solitary Mountain, but in the form of this armor, she hadn’t gone to her hometown and returned.
The fact that she wasn’t there when needed weighed heavily on her mind.
“Will people hate me because I wasn’t there?”
Why weren’t you there when you were needed?
Do you know how many people suffered because of you?
Carrying such fear with her, she approached the wall of Hestia Village cautiously.
The wall had been completed while Valdrova was away, and now there were even gatekeepers.
— Halt! Identif… Huh? Aren’t you the Armored Knight?
— ¿?
— I’m Hans, from the village construction. Ah, well, I only watched from afar, that’s all.
The young man who introduced himself as Hans smiled widely and made way for her.
— Please, come in quickly! Everyone has been waiting for you, Knight!
Waiting for me?
Hearing those words and entering, there were people waiting for Valdrova, just as the guard said.
Those who recognized her erupted into cheers and ran out.
— It’s the Knight! The Knight has returned!
— It’s the Armored Knight!
— Our Savior!
Contrary to her expectations, however, they were receiving her with great enthusiasm.
Surrounded by the crowd, Valdrova thought.
“Why?”
Valdrova, dumbfounded.
She had high recognition for having become a heroine during the monster raid, but they had never welcomed her with such enthusiasm.
Valdrova thought deeply.
“All I did was build structures, didn’t I…?”
Valdrova wondered if it was because of that.
Because she built the walls and buildings so well, is that why they are reacting like this?
“Come to think of it, they did say it was being built quickly thanks to my help.”
Because she built houses and walls that could shelter many people in a short time, keeping everyone safe, they were expressing gratitude for it.
Valdrova thought so.
“So that could be it…!”
Reaching a truly simple conclusion, she simply let it pass.
Receiving that welcome and those envious gazes, she walked toward the Workers’ Guild office.
— Oh! Our heroine has arrived!
Hanson, who had become the President of the Workers’ Guild, welcomed Valdrova.
— I was waiting here thinking you would come this way when you returned. Come on in! There’s someone who wants to meet you. Would you mind meeting with them once?
Valdrova nodded.
Then Hanson turned his body aside to make way, and in the guild president’s office, a woman sitting at a table appeared in view.
Blue hair, a pure-looking face.
She wore adventurer attire with a Platinum Badge on her chest.
Seeing Valdrova, she extended her hand with a friendly face.
— Hello. I am Eri, the Branch Master of the Eastern Adventurers’ Guild.
She was using an alias to hide her identity, but Valdrova recognized who she was at first glance.
“Is she the girl Iorga cherishes?”
The girl always clung to Iorga’s side whenever they met.
A Dragon Spawn with a serious, intellectual image like Iorga, whom she secretly admired.
“Why is she pretending to be human?”
The desire to ask burned, but remembering she was mute, she took her hand in silence.
Just a light handshake made her feel as if she had become smarter.
— Your reputation precedes you. You’ve been here since this village was built, right?
Nodded.
— Everyone thought you were just a possessor of brute strength, then you were active when the monsters attacked.
Nodded.
— And this time it was said you sliced a whole colossal monster to pieces, I was truly impressed.
Nodded…?
Valdrova tilted her head.
“Colossal monster?”
Killing those is Valdrova’s daily routine, but what Erica is talking about isn’t that.
The monsters she killed in this armor were only two wolves at most.
“Besides, I was definitely here…?”
Did the armor move on its own and leave?
Bronze Dragon is a master craftsman in production, but knowing Valdrova’s personality, he wouldn’t have added such a function.
“Then there must be another Armored Knight.”
Only then did she understand why they were welcoming her.
She wasn’t strutting around with someone else’s reputation, was she?
Her face turned red with embarrassment, and simultaneously she felt lost.
She had to explain, but her mouth was sealed by the Vow of Silence.
— Thanks to your dedication to the prosperity of this Hestia, many adventurers were able to become role models.
It wasn’t me!
She had to say that, but because good words she would normally never hear were pouring out, the timing just didn’t come, leaving her in a bind.
— If it’s not rude, could you tell me your name? If you’re an adventurer, I need to check if you’re registered.
Name.
Naturally, she couldn’t tell her.
It was the concept, but Ruri’s glaring eyes flashed reflexively and her throat tightened.
— It seems difficult to tell me. I understand.
Erica nodded as if understanding and pressed no further.
— Guild President.
— Y-yes!
— I apologize for borrowing the seat without permission, but could I speak with this person for a moment?
— Ah, of course!
There was no way a simple Workers’ Guild President could refuse a Platinum Adventurer’s request.
Hanson vacated the seat.
Not satisfied with that, Erica cast magic, making the room completely isolated from the outside, a space just for the two of them.
Valdrova waited in silence.
She believed Iorga’s daughter wouldn’t do anything bad to people.
— What I am about to say is a story that only harms us if others hear it, so let’s do this in secret.
Nodded…
She tensed involuntarily.
Erica cast magic once more.
Then, the guild president’s office warped to another place in an instant.
No, it was reproducing a certain space.
Valdrova knew this place.
It was where she had been when the monsters attacked.
— I reproduced and examined the moment you faced the wolf monsters. Please excuse me for doing so without your consent.
There, a wolf monster and a man wearing the exact same armor as hers faced off.
Grrr, grrr!
The wolf monster charged fearlessly,
Puhk!
And died at the hands of the Armored Knight.
— The time it took you to deal with one was barely 0.3 seconds.
Erica exclaimed, unable to hide her surprise.
— For someone at the level of the Empire’s Sword Master, handling a wolf monster like this on their own is no big deal. But you are in a different league from those Sword Masters.
— …..
— You used neither weapons nor aura; no, you killed it with pure strength alone.
Valdrova tensed at the word ‘strength’.
Erica rewound and replayed that scene several times as she spoke.
— They say everything is powerless before overwhelming strength, but this is a technique for which mere strength is not enough. You are a veteran who has faced dozens of monsters, right?
Overwhelming strength and experience.
Valdrova, inside the armor, trembled.
She was nervous, wondering if all this would lead to the conclusion that she was the Phase of Power.
Was she exposing herself like this?
Before Iorga’s daughter, whom Ruri had strictly told her should never find out?
The lecture that would follow was too terrible for Valdrova.
Was she going to die like this??
— Don’t worry. I have no intention of digging deep into you. What is important to us is not your past or identity, but solely your skill.
Valdrova relaxed at her words.
— Based on these skills, I would like to make you a proposal.
Erica handed her a sheet of paper.
The title read ‘Demon Land Exploration Plan’.
— I am the Branch Master of the Eastern Adventurers’ Guild, and as an adventurer, I am forming a team.
Nodded.
— And I want to recruit you for this team.
Adventurer, huh…?
A group that wanders the Serdes Continent, uncovers mysteries, and defeats evil.
In that process, mingling with people is fundamental.
And in that process, she wouldn’t be able to return to the castle for days.
Shook her head!
Valdrova shook her head reflexively.
She strongly appealed that she only liked building things there.
Erica nodded as if expecting it.
— Of course I expected you to refuse.
If she only expected a refusal, there was no need to propose it.
She had already perceived the anxiety factors Valdrova felt.
— Considering your behavioral patterns, you are anxious about teamwork and uncomfortable with long-term face-to-face interaction, right? I will take that into account with my authority.
She heard she would be accommodated, but even so Valdrova only shook her head.
— As expected, there is a deep story.
A knight with veteran combat skills and overwhelming strength who does not fight for honor.
Erica knew it well.
Something supporting her heart collapsed, leaving her in a state where she no longer cared about anything.
Because the greatest Hero of the 12th Expedition was like that.
However, Erica could not back down.
— But if you think about the existence of this village, I hope you reconsider a little more.
The purpose for which this Hestia was built.
— This Hestia Village was created to conquer the Demon Land. It had the purpose of housing many adventurers and researching means to oppose the Demon.
She had heard that before.
But she thought it was a story far removed from Valdrova.
— As always, good intentions do not mean things go well.
Ferda supports the territory’s work unstintingly.
Under Vernel’s leadership, technology advanced remarkably.
But moving people’s hearts was not something support alone could achieve.
Everything follows human will, after all.
Everyone dreams of getting rich.
But that is only when the risks and rewards to take on are clear.
The Demon Land was a place where that return value was not certain.
So capable people refuse, and only mediocre types keep gathering.
To escape that situation, she became the Branch Master of the Eastern Adventurers’ Guild.
— I don’t know what circumstances you have, but surely you want to distance yourself from violence. But we cannot let someone with such skill rot in a construction site forever.
Erica stated firmly.
— If you truly love this Hestia Village, I wish for you to do what others cannot, together with us.
— …..
What others cannot do.
No one can move more things than her.
But if people gather, it’s something anyone can do.
Then what about monsters?
Monsters are not like that.
Even if dozens gather, if they have no power against them, they are just prey.
“I… like the present.”
From the moment she descended to this Hestia Village until now, all she did was erect buildings and stack walls.
Working modestly, receiving money, watching smiling faces; that was so rewarding and good for her.
“If I start killing something…”
If she uses violence, she won’t be able to control it.
What if?
She misuses this power to protect everyone and ends up killing them instead…
She would never forgive herself again.
Erica, watching Valdrova’s expression, thought.
“As expected, is she going to refuse?”
She had already noticed that the Vow of Silence hadn’t been kept for a long time.
She figured there must be secrets she couldn’t tell others, like Ferda.
It is truly necessary and desperate, but if she refused again, Erica decided to give up as well.
Forcing an adventure produces nothing good.
Valdrova, who had been pondering, finally gave her answer.
Nodded.
— As expected, a refusal… no, you mean you will do it?
Erica asked again, startled.
Nodded.
Valdrova nodded again.
Had it been the day before the Spring Festival, she surely would have thought this way.
That she was sufficiently satisfied with the modest life of a laborer, just building structures.
The reason she couldn’t think that way was because Valdrova saw with her own eyes.
Those monsters rising beyond that land were that huge even from so far away.
Hestia Village, beneath Valdrova’s castle, is close, but it is that small and fragile.
Lives like duckweed that would be swept away instantly if a single one fell accidentally, are beneath her wings.
She grieved over that and sank into worry.
At the same time, Valdrova thought this.
If that land disappeared, there would be no need to worry like this…
“That kid is right.”
Just building isn’t enough.
“I have to do what others cannot.”
She must stop and eliminate those disgusting things from being created.
The little bird that broke its shell must take one more step.
In front of the castle gate of Hestia Village.
The gate guards enjoyed their leisure while chatting.
— What’s for dinner today?
— Did they say mixed stew? They have to use all the leftover ingredients.
— Ah, the cooks have it easy, they just throw everything in if worst comes to worst.
— I saved a piece of sausage, I gotta put it in and eat.
— Share some. Are you going to eat all the good stuff alone?
— Buy your own then.
— Ah, you pig bastard, eat it all.
— How many minutes left in the shift?
— The sun was there before we arrived, so 20 minutes left. Gotta get ready for shift change soon.
— Ugh, felt like three hours passed. How do you endure this boredom?
— Boredom is better. If monsters keep charging in, we’re the only ones working ourselves to death.
— True. Better to die of boredom.
The place where they lived was where beasts and goblin-type monsters, drawn by food smells, ran rampant.
Yet the forest stretching out before them was as silent as a dead mouse.
It was peaceful enough that the Demon Land, being beyond it, didn’t even feel real.
While yawning widely and waiting.
— Mmm?
— What is it?
— No, don’t you feel the ground vibrating?
— Can you even feel the squad leader’s leg shaking?
— No, just feel it. It feels like something heavy is thudding out there.
— Ah, this bastard, trying to play a weird trick on me again…
The mocking words stopped.
Just as he said, vibrations rose through their boots.
Growing stronger and stronger, becoming certain beyond mere imagination.
Something is approaching here.