Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: Picnic Mood
Chapter 17: Picnic Mood
“This is delicious! It was worth spending extra on the spices. And to think it was the Captain who suggested it, it’s unbelievable, isn’t it?”
As Simon took a bite of the salmon pie from his lunchbox, the others nodded in agreement, as if echoing his sentiment. They were currently having lunch seated on the stairs at the entrance to the ruins. Although there’s no sea in this border territory, there are rivers, so during autumn, salmon can be caught, making salmon pie a specialty dish in this area.
Until now, I had thought that dishes here were somewhat bland, not really bringing out the flavors of the ingredients. However, this salmon pie, with its savory flavor and the rich aroma of butter permeating from the pastry, had transformed into an exquisite dish. This was probably due to having extra budget for spices, allowing for the allocation of funds towards ingredients like butter and olive oil.
“Thanks to Captain Justin’s Magic Bag, we can eat it while it’s still warm. Even though the sun is shining, the wind is cold, so it’s nice to warm up from the inside.”
Marius, the squire, crunched on chickpea fritters while turning his face towards the sun. It almost made me want to ask my subordinates if they had forgotten why they had come here, as they were leisurely enjoying their meal.
I’m the only one feeling uneasy about what comes next. Damn it, if it were the me before I recovered my memories, I wouldn’t be so troubled. Right now, I just want to go back to being the previous me, Justin.
“After we finish eating, we’ll head back to the capital. It’ll take about an hour to get back since we don’t have carriages or horses.”
“Oh, right… It would be nice if we had some kind of magical device that could contact the barracks from here.”
Since our usual mode of transportation is horses, Arnault started complaining.
“Well, it’s not exactly a magical device, but if we could change the color of the smoke from a rocket firework… No, a smoke signal to indicate when we need to be picked up… But is there anything that could serve as a substitute for a smoke signal? Using real wolf droppings would stink, and carrying them around or using them would be unpleasant. And if we made it with magical devices, it would be expensive…”
While muttering to himself about communication methods, when I lifted my gaze, I noticed my subordinates were all looking at me.
“What’s up?”
“Well… Captain, you started saying something complicated… I didn’t understand some of the words you used, but I was impressed that nobles know so many difficult things.”
Simon handed me his empty lunchbox as he said that. It seemed like he didn’t want to be considered at the same level as Simon, who was the most muscle-headed among them, or perhaps the other subordinates were eating their lunch or looking around, avoiding eye contact.
“Well, well, commoners have limited access to libraries. Simon, with your intellect, you probably wouldn’t be able to get into the Royal Academy.”
The Royal Academy, attended by noble children from the ages of twelve to sixteen, is accessible to only a handful of exceptional commoners. Naturally, both myself and Vice-Captain Orel have attended in the past, but the other members, despite their excellent swordsmanship, would have been expelled due to their behavior.
“That’s harsh… but you’re not wrong.”
“Haha, Simon’s good point is that he knows himself well, right?”
When Arnault started laughing, the others joined in. Any tension that was present upon arrival had completely dissipated, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. However, by the time we finished our meal and left the forest, everyone had relaxed too much, so I had to give them a stern warning.
Upon returning to the barracks in the capital, I left my subordinates there and entrusted the report to Orel and his team, then I headed to the Lord’s Manor. Oh… I feel uneasy. I’m worried about being accused of something unfounded.
As I rang the door knocker at the entrance, the steward appeared. He informed me that the border count was in his study, so I was escorted there. The steward didn’t bother hiding his puzzled expression, so perhaps he suspected that we had abandoned our mission and returned.
“Master, Captain of the Vandière Knights is here.”
“What!? …Let him in.”
Trying not to be caught by the steward as he opened the door in response to the count’s command, I took a deep breath quietly. Because we came suddenly, there were no border knights to escort us this time.
“Weren’t you supposed to go to the forest for Stampede countermeasures?”
With a cold gaze, he threw those words at me. Well, I can understand his feelings.
“Stampede won’t happen anymore. Thanks to the achievements of my subordinates, we successfully destroyed the Shard of the Evil God.”
“What…!? Stampede hasn’t happened yet, has it!?”
Surprised, the border count stood up energetically. Yeah, I expected that reaction.
“It can only be described as a coincidence, but considering the circumstances, it seems undeniable that we destroyed the Shard of the Evil God. I brought what appears to be a shard for confirmation by a high-ranking priest from the temple. If this is indeed the case, the Taleraan border territory will no longer be troubled by Stampede in the future.”
As I gently touched the Magic Bag hanging from my waist, the border count swallowed hard. Depending on the outcome, the safety and prosperity of the territory could be affected, so it was only natural.
“Girem, send a messenger to the temple immediately and summon a high-ranking priest for the judgment of the Shard of the Evil God.”
“Understood.”
The steward replied in a slightly elevated tone and then left the study, leaving me behind. Could it be that the border count and I will be alone together until the high-ranking priest arrives…?