Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Outing

Chapter 82. Outing

The high autumn sky and multicolor autumn leaves.
Even for that, not much time remained.
They were all turning into fallen leaves, tumbling down and transforming into a blanket that covered the ground.
It was late autumn.
“Beautiful.”
Looking up at a landscape she had only gazed down upon from above thousands of times felt refreshing.
Perhaps because of that, Valdrova could not take a single step beyond that point.
The feeling of becoming part of that landscape felt infinitely precious.
“An outing…”
Not an excursion simply to defeat monsters, but an outing taken solely to enjoy the atmosphere.
It was nothing special, yet she could not control the racing beat of her heart.
What if I make a mistake?
I must not make any mistakes…
Murmuring that to herself, she exhaled a deep breath of air and finally moved her feet.
“What kind of place is the village Ferda built?”
After hundreds of years of seclusion, Valdrova was encountering a village for the first time.
That place was none other than the village being erected beneath Valdrova Castle.
“Is this… a village?”
In Valdrova’s last memory, there were houses made of stone, earth, and wood.
But what was here now?
Only tents.
People had gathered around the tents and were working.
“It has degenerated enormously during this time.”
Valdrova could not hide her pity.
When she listened to Ruri, she was told it was definitely enjoying prosperity…
Had she lied, telling her not to worry?
“Hey, who are you, mister?”
While she gazed at the place absentmindedly, someone approached.
Valdrova was startled and turned her head.
A man in his 30s who looked like he had tumbled quite a bit across rough terrain.
Valdrova felt overwhelmed by his appearance.
It wasn’t simply because he looked fierce.
“A human spoke to me.”
It was purely a symptom stemming from her anthropophobia.
A human who wasn’t Ferda approached her without hesitation and asked who she was.
Valdrova felt as if time had stopped for a moment.
How should she respond? Should she run away?
“What’s wrong, why aren’t you speaking? Did you take a Vow of Silence or something, mister?”
Vow of Silence?
She didn’t know what that was, but Valdrova nodded for the moment.
The man accepted it without asking further questions.
“Ah, I see. So you are a knight who swore loyalty to Alte. Are you a wanderer trying to obtain a knighthood at Valdrova Castle?”
Shake, shake (shakes head).
“Is that so? Then you seem like someone from a knight family who became an adventurer… but it seems you arrived too early. The village construction is in full swing right now. We need to build houses fast, but damn it…”
The man clicked his tongue.
Valdrova tilted her head and pointed at the tents with her finger.
It was an inquiring question about whether those over there weren’t the houses.
“Eh? What are you saying? Those are temporary staying places until the village is built! Those aren’t houses!”
Ah, those weren’t houses.
Valdrova scratched her head bashfully.
“You’re a mister who still doesn’t know the ways of the world. Well, it can’t be helped. Those are temporary barracks, and what we need right now are communal barracks. Houses that properly block the winter wind and allow you to warm your hands by a warm fire. If we build fast, we can spend the winter warmly before it arrives.”
“…”
“They say they put out a notice in the Empire to bring in lots of people, but damn it, there’s no word of anyone applying. Do you know why?”
Shake, shake.
“A lot of people dislike it because they get dragged to the front line. I’d be the same. The world inside the Wall is already harsh enough, so what would the world outside the Wall be like? Shivering in fear and dying inside the Empire; that is the youth of today. No guts, no guts.”
“…”
“So, mister. Do you happen to be able to use some strength?”
Strength…
A woman who has nothing but strength.
That is why she is a dragon called the Aspect of Fire and Strength.
Valdrova nodded without much confidence.
“Actually, there are few people like you. I’m the foreman of this construction. If you use some strength, wouldn’t you help us? I won’t stop you if you have somewhere to go, but if you want to work in this Far East, we have to build as fast as possible, right?”
The man offered a job proposal to Valdrova.
Although she looked like a knight and an adventurer, he did not hesitate because labor was scarce.
Valdrova looked around again at the proposal.
People living in tents.
They wore padded clothes, yet they shrank back whenever the cold wind hit them.
“It must be very cold.”
Sleeping in those tents would be even colder.
“Then what I can do is…”
After reflecting, Valdrova nodded.
“As expected of adventurer misters… no, so you’ll do it?”
Nod, nod.
“Hah.”
The man stared at her with wide eyes, observing her as if she were a rare specimen.
In truth, the foreman had made that proposal to other adventurers several times, but this was the first time someone accepted it.
Who would want to do this kind of heavy labor?
“All right. I’ll tell my manager. My name is Hanson. You can call me foreman… ah, you took the Vow of Silence. If work is needed, I’ll give you a nameplate later, so use it to call for me.”
Nod, nod.
“Then, before working… how about taking off that armor?”
“?”
Armor? This?
Valdrova pointed at her own helmet.
“Yes, that armor.”
CLANG!
Valdrova startled and shook her head firmly.
“How can you work with that on?”
Shake, shake!
“It’s not like you’re minding appearances among men, or can you not show your face?”
Nod, nod!
“Hah, you can’t show your face, you took a Vow of Silence. You are a very mysterious mister.”
Hanson told her to take it off a couple more times and then gave up.
Clothes don’t matter anyway.
Only using strength properly matters.
Hanson put her to work right away.
He walked with Valdrova to where the log materials were gathered.
“See those logs over there? You just have to hand them all to the mister sawing over there. Simple, right?”
Nod, nod.
“All right, then go to that end. Since we have to carry them together, load them one by one into the cart. Ready, one, two, heave…!”
It’s strange.
She applied strength and stood up, but strangely there was no resistance.
Impossible unless this wood was made from a bundle of feathers.
Hanson looked at his hands just in case.
The logs were floating.
The knight on the opposite side had lifted them alone.
With one hand.
As if they were extremely light.
That helmet stared fixedly at the foreman.
Where do I put this?
“Uh, just put it over there…”
The word “mister” vanished and respectful honorifics emerged.
Valdrova moved just like that and began to transport the logs.
Holding the end of the log, she moved in that exact manner.
Even someone using considerable strength cannot hold a pillar by its end and endure.
“Isn’t it heavy?”
Nod, nod.
When Valdrova acted as if it were nothing, Hanson asked just in case.
“Can you perhaps lift two?”
Valdrova nodded and lifted two at once.
Again, with a single hand.
“How many more can you lift…?”
“?”
Valdrova tilted her head.
She doesn’t know either.
But isn’t it fine to find out from now on?
Thus, lifting them one by one, she stacked a total of 10 logs.
She could already carry two cartloads all by herself.
“…”
Hanson was left dumbfoundedly agape at the scene.
It wasn’t just Hanson who was surprised by that display of monstrous strength.
“What in the world is that?”
“Is he holding all that alone?”
Naturally, the attention of the surrounding workers was drawn.
Wearing knight armor and carrying 10 logs at once, people began to whisper.
“Is it not supposed to be like this?”
Valdrova grew scared at the attention and ended up dropping the logs.
At Valdrova’s action, Hanson regained his senses and shouted at the surroundings.
“What are you looking at, you bastards! Why aren’t you doing your work?!”
The workers returned to their posts after he growled and threatened them.
Hanson approached Valdrova and appeased her.
“Heavens, Sir Knight. Don’t worry. Anyone who treats Sir Knight like a spectacle, this Hanson will personally smash their head and set them straight!”
Hanson made a chopping gesture with his hand and made a slashing sound with his mouth.
Valdrova was an A-class talent more coveted than anyone.
After persuading and calming her down like that, Valdrova began to work again.
Even if he hadn’t said all that, she was going to do it again.
“Because we have to build the houses fast.”
She wanted to help them sleep in warm houses before the northern cold flowed downward.
At least while sleeping, without any worries.
That was the best she, with her shallow thoughts, could do.
“We should stop for today. Good work, Sir Knight!”
Valdrova followed the foreman and looked toward the sun.
The sun was tilting toward the west.
Thinking there was still time left, she tried to move to work, but Hanson stopped her.
“Ah, it’s fine to stop. The sun is setting, isn’t it? When the sun sets, one sleeps and promises for tomorrow. Isn’t everyone tired?”
Ah, I see.
Valdrova nodded.
Hanson headed over to where people were gathered.
It was to return their tags and collect today’s daily wage.
Hanson turned in Valdrova’s share as well and received the money.
Hanson returned with the money pouch, grumbling.
“Those damn bastards, you did the work that 4 people should do for a week all by yourself, yet they won’t even give 15 shares, only 10. They really are filthy bastards, aren’t they?”
She doesn’t really know.
So she just nodded for the moment.
“Anyway, the higher-ups are the problem. That Ferda fellow, that Regent, definitely ordered this! Acting stingy despite being so young… gasp!”
Hanson hurriedly shut his mouth.
He felt glaring eyes piercing into him from beyond the shadow of the helmet.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Still, since you are a Sir Knight, badmouthing a noble was a bit wrong, wasn’t it? Please understand. Just a middle-aged man who has achieved nothing grumbling.”
“…”
“I’d love to give you all my personal money, but please endure this for now. Instead, I’ll become a contact who can help you greatly later on as an adventurer, how about that?”
If only she had a slightly sharper ear for the adventurer business, she would know how useless those words were.
But Valdrova couldn’t even grasp what this man was saying right now.
So she just tried to nod.
“Hahaha! As expected, your magnanimity is different! Here, take this.”
Hanson held out a heavy pouch to Valdrova.
The clinking coming from inside the pouch sounded familiar to her ears.
“Similar to the sound of gold coins stacked in the vault.”
Similar to the sound when she tapped the stacked coins with her claw.
Valdrova received the pouch.
“Come to think of it, Sir Knight, since it’s your first time here, do you have lodging? If not, I could arrange a platform bed for you…”
Experiencing human life is fun, but she couldn’t stay here.
Valdrova nodded and subconsciously pointed toward the Lonely Mountain.
Then she realized her mistake and pointed toward the opposite side of the Lonely Mountain.
“Do you plan to leave here for good?”
Hanson put on a worried face and spoke.
Valdrova shook her head, and the man’s complexion returned to normal.
“Ah, I suppose you plan to stay somewhere else. Understood. Come anytime if you want to help with construction. Having someone like you, Sir Knight, is so reassuring!”
Valdrova couldn’t answer, so she just kept nodding.
Let’s move away from this place quickly.
With that thought, she turned around.
“Sir Knight?”
“?”
“Did you say you were going home? Where are you going?”
Valdrova’s feet were heading toward the Lonely Mountain.
Oops.
That wasn’t the way.
Valdrova turned around bashfully and walked toward the direction she had pointed.
At that scene, Hanson let out a hearty laugh.
“Get home safely! Don’t run into any monsters!”
Concluding the farewell like that, she moved away from the village.
When the village was no longer visible to the naked eye, Valdrova took a large detour and headed toward her lair.
The time it took her to return was an instant: 3 seconds.
Pushing the massive iron door and returning to her dwelling, Valdrova lay down just as she was.
She looked up at the pitch-black ceiling, still wearing the armor.
“What is this?”
A strange day.
Truly, the day flew by like an arrow.
It wasn’t hard, but she doesn’t know what happened.
She just kept moving, and people admired her.
“Was I… of help?”
The fact that just that was enough felt bewildering.
Valdrova untied the bundle placed on her chest.
10 copper coins per worker.
The equivalent of 10 people, 100 in total.
She stacked them neatly and looked down in silence.
Money that humans gave me.
“Money they gave me saying thank you.”
They were grateful.
“They said to see each other again tomorrow.”
Their faces were vividly drawn in Valdrova’s mind.
Not faces trembling with fear, but faces smiling brightly.
“Humans want me.”
She did not know how to express this overflowing emotion.
She just wanted to share this joy that felt as though her chest would burst.
“Ruri…”
The first one to come to mind was the girl who knows her well.
The kind-hearted girl who has served her for a long time.
“… I must not tell her.”
Valdrova covered her mouth reflexively.
Loyal, but when she got angry, she was scarier than anyone.
She would definitely nag about the dignity of dragons and things like that.
It would only increase mutual heartache, so she keeps it a secret.
She needs someone else to share with, not Ruri.
“Then… Ferda?”
A gentle man.
She always needed topics to talk about with him.
This was a good topic among all topics.
Her heart tickles.
She smiles involuntarily, and her body moves on its own as if not knowing what to do.
She wanted Ferda to scratch this heart of hers.
“No, it’s not right.”
Valdrova tightly hugged the pouch of copper coins.
She wants to tell Ferda, but not now.
This village is being built by Ferda’s will.
She wants to save up and give it to him as a gift that surprises Ferda.
Later, if this village prospers, she wants to say that she raised the main beams of this village.
That she built it with her own hands.
That what she can do is not just destruction.
She wants to see the expression he makes.
She wants to hear what praise he will give her.
So she decided to hide it very well.
Even so, it was a waste to keep this feeling in her chest, so it slipped out of her mouth unintentionally.
“Ferda…”
Valdrova uttered that name fondly.
“I… was of help to Ferda.”
That was the step Valdrova took.
The beginning of a small change.