Chapter 40 - Request for Support
When I dragged the half-asleep Beatrix by the hand to the Marcelo Company to do some rat extermination, Paul-san was there, looking unusually lively.
"You're late! I've been waiting!"
No, it's the usual time. I am a priest, you know. I'm punctual. Please don't lump me in with the mage sleeping while standing next to me.
"What are you making a racket about so early in the morning? You're noisy."
See, what did I tell you? The one who's even noisier has woken up.
"How can I not make a racket? A request for support came from the Town Guard. We're moving out."
Beatrix's eyes blinked wide.
Behind Paul-san, Marcelo-san and Angelica-san were nodding with smiles.
"Is it spider extermination?"
When I timidly asked, he said no.
"Then what is it? Did an army of bears appear?"
Wait a minute! I'll die! If we move out against something like that, I'll die! Please ask someone else. As you can see, I'm busy with rat extermination.
When I reflexively made a fuss, he said it wasn't bears.
"Goblins. They raid fields, steal livestock, and kidnap children and women. They are also soldiers of the Demon Lord's army. Although it's to assist the Town Guard, this is the first official request for support recognized for our Marcelo Company. Let's do our best."
"Goblins?"
While Beatrix and I were looking at each other, wondering what that was, Marcelo-san explained.
Apparently, Angus-san, who is doing the spider investigation, found a goblin nest. Based on that report, a mobilization order was issued for one squad of the Town Guard, and requests for support were sent to nearby hunters and us. It seems a request was also sent to the church, so a priest will likely be going as well.
"Are goblins strong?"
"In a one-on-one, a man could win even without magic. The problem is they form packs, so their numbers are large. Since a request for support was issued, the target is a nest with at least ten of them."
Marcelo-san was smiling, so it probably wasn't a big deal. If five members of the Guard go as one squad, and the enemy is double that, then ten sounds about right.
"This time, it's said there are at least sixty. There might even be over a hundred."
A hundred!
"Wh... what about the rat extermination?"
Hearing Marcelo-san's words, I barely managed to keep from fainting and asked.
"Who cares about that? We've mostly finished off the foxes and boars, so this time it's goblins."
Paul-san was enthusiastic. My opinion of trying to earnestly tackle my daily duties was treated as "who cares."
"So, how much is the reward?"
This is bad. Even Beatrix is starting to get into it.
A hundred, you know, a hundred! They're surely stronger than one bear!
"The reward for emergency support is a flat-rate system. In the case of a goblin nest, regardless of the number killed, everyone who participates apparently gets two silver coins each."
"The equivalent of one bear. That's fine, let's do it."
"Umu. It must be so!"
Ah... Beatrix gave her answer...
A-Angelica-san...
When I tried to get Angelica-san to help me, she just told me to do my best.
"I can't go because I have to look after the children. I'm jealous of Jeanne, who can go with everyone."
Angelica-san's smile looked like the smile of a witch from a fairy tale who deceives people.Well, she is a witch, though...
When I went to the Guard station with my head hanging low, besides Hans-san, there were five members of Beowulf's squad who were going for the goblin extermination.The squad leader is McBurn-san, a light infantry type. He has two short swords equipped on his left and right waist.
He has short dark brown hair and is rather thin, but according to Beowulf, when he takes his clothes off, the muscles on his back are amazing. He apparently turned down an invitation to the Kingdom's army and decided to live in Nakanohara with his wife and children.This squad is said to be composed of those skilled in close combat, so the hunters will likely handle the bows. In other words, the Marcelo Company is in charge of magic.
In addition to those five, there are two from the workshop, five hunters, one church priest as a healer, and the four of us from the Marcelo Company, making a total of seventeen people. Furthermore, several hunters led by Angus-san, who is currently investigating on-site, will join as local guides.
Since there are over twenty people, I want to believe it'll be fine.I mean, I'm a priest, so I'll be in the rear, right? Surely...
And then, the day of departure.Adolf-san and the Archbishop came to see us off.The destination is apparently about a day's journey by carriage and on foot to the north from a village with a station four stops away. Since it's not an emergency, we'll take about two full days each way at a reasonable speed. Of course, the town provides not only the carriage fare but also the lodging expenses.
It's my first time riding a carriage. And it's not just any carriage. Since it was a direct request from Adolf-san, it's a specially made carriage.
When I climbed in, there was a round hole in the middle of the floor with a tube sticking through it.Apparently, a person dedicated to the special carriage from the town hall uses wind magic to send air through it, lifting the carriage off the ground to lighten the load on the horses.There was something called a skirt—thick leather-like material—attached to the outside of the carriage hanging down to the ground, which apparently works well to keep the wind from escaping.
As we passed through the main gate and onto the highway with a clattering sound, the person sending wind into the tube chanted a spell, and the carriage shook slightly. Peeking out the window, the skirt inflated and dust was blowing out from underneath.The carriage, lifted by wind magic, moved forward as if it were sliding.
So this is a carriage!The townscape flowed past the window...
There's the sound of the wheels turning, but since it's basically floating, it runs without much shaking. It's like being on a boat.I heard that until the method of lifting carriages with wind magic was devised, they shook terribly, and when they picked up speed, people used to bite on cloth so they wouldn't bite their tongues. It's a cynical story that the practical application of such magic apparently improved drastically during the previous war.
Originally, it started when someone made a model carriage float with wind magic to please children, making it look as if it were running. Someone saw that and thought it would be useful for increasing the marching speed of transport units, and so it was created. I'm sure someone like Paul-san came up with the idea, and someone like the old man from the workshop built it.
A river flows to the south of the highway, and to the north, the same scenery of fields, pastures, forests, and hills continues endlessly, with small clusters of farmhouses here and there, and the northern mountain range visible in the far distance. Normally one would get bored, but Beatrix and I stared out the window intently, while Marcelo-san and the priest dozed off.
Including a break on the way, we arrived at the first station in about two hours.It's a village along the highway surrounded by a stone wall about as tall as a person.The village, which I was seeing in person for the first time, was larger than I thought; within the scope of what I'd read in picture books, it was more of a town than a village. However, in the Nakanohara District, only Nakanohara is called a town and everything else is called a village. The clusters of houses we saw on the way also seemed to be part of this village's territory once we passed the Nakanohara town limits, so this place is likely the central hub of the area.
A "village" refers to the region, not the cluster of houses. The man in charge of the air supply told me that there's usually a large cluster of houses with a station in a place called "Central [Village Name]," and that cluster is called the village for convenience.The population of this entire village is about five hundred, and the largest cluster where the station is located apparently has about two hundred residents.
Since the village also utilizes the water transport of the Nakanohara River, houses are lined up along the river and the highway.The village station is in the central square. It seems to also serve as the Town Guard station, and the Guard captain was also serving as the station master.There's a stable next to the station, where several replacement horses are tied up.Since we aren't in a desperate hurry this time, we won't change horses, so we'll take a break to let them drink water and such. The person lifting the carriage also needs to rest, so we went outside during that time.
The place called the central square is probably in every village, but it was surrounded by houses in a circle, and several stalls aimed at people coming by carriage were lined up near the station. Among them, I went to a stall run by a middle-aged woman with a sign for "Highway Cookies."
Highway Cookies are a specialty of Sertoria, sold in villages with stations.It's a snack made of dough with wheat, eggs, and butter, mixed with honey. Some have raisins in them. They are sold at the stations, made from ingredients brought in by farmers. Originally conceived as souvenirs for farmers who lacked cash income, the woman at the stall is surely a farmer too.
In other countries, things like bread ovens are strictly managed by the noble lords, and it seems you have to pay quite a bit of money to use them, so you can't eat things like cookies very easily.
In Sertoria, anyone can freely use public facilities. It's said to have started when a mother in some village started selling cookies she made for her children at the morning market, and a town hall official who noticed how delicious they were turned them into a product for the entire region. Since the initial cost isn't much, the price is low, and now they are popular as souvenirs even for people from other countries.
The mother who first made and sold them was invited to the Royal Capital to spread them throughout the country. She even received a medal for her contribution to the regional economy.
Of course, they sell not just cookies, but also vegetables and fruit cheaply.As is the case in Nakanohara Town, when the morning market is held, things brought in by farmers and fishermen are sold freely at stalls, and it gets quite crowded.
We also used to sell things made at the orphanage workshop at the morning market. The children and one teacher would line up products on a straw mat, and it was a joy when they sold. We had to pay the town hall's space organizer to secure a spot, but I believe it was two copper coins. Thankfully, the orphanage was free.
When Beatrix and I went to the woman's stall, we bought three cookies with money from the Class of 175's purse. The price for one is one medium copper coin, which is half a copper coin. Even though it's a snack, it's about the size of a child's fist, and for a small eater like me, eating two is just right for lunch.
When we bought them, we were given a wooden tag.A small brand was stamped on it, and I could read the name of this village. It's the same brand stamped on the cookies.Apparently, if you collect thirty brands from stations in the Nakanohara District and take them to the Nakanohara Town Hall, you can get a set of ten Highway Cookies.On this mission, we plan to use six more stations. I'll buy them little by little as preserved food and collect seven brands.