78 - The Second Generation
Inside the jewel.
When I woke up, a circular room stretched out before me, and I was sitting in a chair.
I looked up and scanned my surroundings to see the Third Generation perched on a table, looking at a silver bow.
It was the place where the Second Generation had sat.
The chair was gone, and the door behind it had vanished as well.
The First Generation had left me the silver greatsword.
And the Second Generation had left me the silver bow.
Only the Third Generation and I were in the room; none of the other ancestors appeared.
"...It looks like Father's bow. I don't recall it being this large. Or does the size change? How interesting,"
the Third Generation said, smiling at me, but I couldn't find the words to answer.
As I looked down, the Third Generation continued to smile.
"What? Are you worried about it?"
I began to voice my feelings bit by bit.
"...I couldn't even give him a proper farewell. Even though I could use skills."
Would I be scolded?
Would he be appalled by me?
I wondered, but the Third Generation's voice remained bright, his smile still in place.
"You're overthinking it. He was happy at the end. For my part, I'm grateful to you, Riel. I was glad to see a sight that looked as if my brother had been saved."
I looked up, and the Third Generation hopped down from the table.
"I was the second son, you see. I thought that as long as my serious older brother worked hard, I could do whatever I liked. But on a rainy day, he went outside... and tried to protect me with the bow he had learned."
As a knight, a bow cannot be called a fitting weapon.
In a world where being a noble meant being able to use magic, long-range attacks were conventionally handled by magic.
Relying on anything else was seen as a sign of insufficient strength.
"What did you think of the Second Generation?"
When I asked, the Third Generation kept smiling.
"Meddlesome, perhaps? In my time, he prepared everything from arranging my bride to the development plan for my territory, but that was only because he thought I was unreliable."
He seemed to hold complex emotions, but the Third Generation began with "But."
"But you know, even if my brother had died because of me, I would never have blamed him. He'd just say it would have been better if he had inherited everything, that it was his own fault... that man was just prone to hardship, I suppose. I laughed when I heard later that he was the plainest of them all. Despite how hard he worked on the foundations."
The Second Generation was a man unpopular with the people, who wielded a weapon unfitting for a noble, and who remained unappreciated, sandwiched between the First and Third Generations.
"I will not forget the Second Generation."
"Hahaha, if a descendant appreciates him across the ages, I'm sure he'd be delighted."
My heart felt a little lighter.
...I'm sorry, Second Generation. For causing you trouble until the very end.
After apologizing in my heart, I shifted my gaze slightly above the table.
I looked at the bow.
The bow, shining silver and firing arrows of light, floated above the table.
The First Generation had a greatsword, while the Second Generation had a bow—.
It seemed the two of them hadn't spoken for a long time.
I felt as if the weapons they used reflected that relationship.
"Did the Second Generation choose the bow as a form of rebellion against the First Generation?"
When I said that, the Third Generation tilted his head.
Then, once he understood what I meant, he burst out laughing.
"No. Besides, even if they're father and son, they're still human. I don't think perfection exists. There are grievances, and things one doesn't like. That was likely strong between the First and Second Generations. But..."
The Third Generation told me the reason the Second Generation had chosen the bow.
"Even though I chose the sword, Father didn't say anything. I thought he'd recommend the bow, but he didn't push it that hard. So I asked him about it."
"The Second Generation did say that you wouldn't do anything unnecessary."
The Third Generation nodded.
"Well, it would just reduce my free time. I don't want to put in unnecessary effort. Oh, as for why the Second Generation took up the bow, apparently he chose it so he could follow the First Generation's back."
If that's the case, wouldn't he choose a sword?
As if sensing my thought, the Third Generation spoke.
"You look puzzled, don't you? But see, at first he wanted to catch up, but even then it was no use... so he decided to provide support from behind the First Generation. I think he admired him."
The First Generation, swinging a greatsword and slaughtering monsters, was certainly cool.
The way he carved out the future of House Walt with a single sword had many problems, but there was still something alluring about it.
The Third Generation spoke.
"The end was a bit ambiguous, but he got to say what he wanted to say, and he got to see a boy who looked like his son be saved. In the end, wasn't it a good result?"
Hearing that made my chest tighten.
I felt a sense of apology.
If only I had been more composed—.
If only I had been able to deliver the finishing blow myself back then—.
Suddenly, the faces of Marcus and the others came to mind.
The Third Generation called out to me.
"Riel, do you hate Marcus and the others?"
I checked my own feelings. Thinking about it, a childish reason came to mind.
"...I dislike them. But it was also my responsibility. I don't know what to do."
"It's fine to hate them. In fact, from the perspective of those of us who use people, they're a nuisance. They can't even do the jobs they're asked to do properly. And yet they try to climb the social ladder, which is almost laughable."
The Third Generation's expression became serious.
"They're exactly the type the Second Generation hated. If he were here, he might have been shouting at them even if they couldn't hear him. Thinking about that, that female knight named Norma was excellent. If she had followed a good superior, she surely would have become an outstanding knight."
I asked the Third Generation what should be done regarding their treatment.
"What should I do?"
"Their treatment, huh? In that case—"
I decided to adopt the Third Generation's opinion.
—Novem was reviewing Norma's report.
She was making her rewrite it numerous times near Porter, while people around them moved busily, dismantling monsters and treating victims.
Along with repairing the broken walls, Marcus and his group, who had ignored orders, were being forced to cooperate in the village's restoration as punishment.
Novem let out a sigh.
"This is no good. Why does your name appear so frequently it's almost excessive? One moment you're on the east side, and the next you're giving instructions on the north side. Furthermore, you've gotten the number of monsters defeated wrong."
Norma argued back.
"If I don't do this, I won't stand out!"
Novem replied sharply.
"This report has no credibility. If you don't write something convincing, it will be judged as a falsehood."
"B-but..."
A commander's job is not to fight on the front lines.
Even as she told herself this, Norma continued to finish the report by inserting her own exploits.
Nearby, Clark, with a bandage wrapped around his head, sighed and tried to persuade Norma.
"Captain, defeating the Griffon is undoubtedly an achievement. Besides, the village was protected and the damage was minimized... to put it bluntly, the number of casualties is extremely low at three. Your promotion is certain."
According to Clark, if a Griffon defeat didn't lead to a promotion here, it would be a disadvantage for the royal palace as well.
Because if knights and soldiers felt they couldn't expect a reward even after slaying a Griffon, it would greatly dampen their motivation.
Norma, who had produced visible results, would certainly be promoted.
Rather, Clark explained that if she weren't, the future standards would be skewed.
Then, Clark looked at Novem.
"However, it's fine to say the Griffon and monster corpses were bought for five hundred gold coins, but even if the Griffon's condition was good, I don't think that much money would be paid, right?"
Regarding the money distributed during this monster subjugation, it would look bad if the knights or soldiers had received it.
The transfer of command was also a problem.
However, since money had been scattered throughout the village, it wasn't something that could be hidden even if they tried.
Therefore, it was arranged that Norma and the others had borrowed money from Riel and his group, and repaid the debt with the corpses of the Griffon and Hippogriffs.
Novem hadn't asked too deeply into those details, but since it was something Riel did, she followed along.
"It's Riel-sama's instruction. Now, Norma-san, you must write the reports for everyone."
Norma continued writing reports on the efforts of over a hundred subordinates, and how those who died had fought valiantly.
Since Clark couldn't write them, Norma was completing them under Novem's supervision.
Since the treatments had settled down, Novem, who was knowledgeable about paperwork, had been chosen as the supervisor.
Norma grumbled and complained.
"For everyone... those five are unnecessary, right? They didn't even deliver the finishing blow to the Hippogriff. That's a grave mistake. I think it's grounds for demotion?"
Novem smiled.
"No. I'll have you write it so that everyone receives a reasonable reward. Also, regarding the numbers, we'll add the monsters defeated during the march back."
Since her own promotion was at stake, it wouldn't have been strange for Norma to aim for a solo victory here.
Because of that, near Norma—.
"Come on, just write it already. I'll make sure to report it properly to your Father. Just how hard you worked."
A smirking Shannon sat in front of Norma.
While drinking a beverage, she enjoyed watching Norma look frustrated.
"...I wasn't told there was a daughter of the Sarcly family here!"
"I didn't tell you. By the way, she has an older sister too, so if you break your promise, I will retaliate."
At Novem's threat, Norma turned back to the documents.
Her hands became stained with ink, and the pile of scrapped papers grew steadily.
"I'll do it! I'll just do it!"
Screaming in frustration, Norma continued to write the documents.
Seeing this, Novem gave an instruction.
"Don't write your own name! You were commanding from the center, so why are you writing that you gave precise instructions during the battle on the north side! It's confusing!"
Seeing just how much she usually lied in her reports, Clark seemed to feel a pain different from the one in his injured head—.
I looked at Luca, who was firing arrows at a target.
He was pulling the bow with all his might, sweat dripping from his forehead.
That sight somehow overlapped with the memories of the Second Generation.
The arrow hit the target, and Luca was overjoyed.
"I did it! Maybe now I can become like Riel-sama!"
Having seen me defeat the Hippogriff with the silver bow, Luca wanted to be like me and was seriously trying to learn archery.
It had been two days since the Griffon was defeated, and while I left the work to Novem and the others, I had been instructing Luca.
"Surpass me quickly. I'm not a specialist... but you've got a good arm."
When I praised him, Luca beamed.
Nearby, Clara was preparing books using a skill.
"Riel-san, I've prepared them all."
What Clara brought were copied books.
Since Clara remembered books written for children on reading, writing, and arithmetic, I had her prepare them.
As for the paper and ink, I gave him what I had since I had been taken care of at Luca's house.
"T-there are this many?"
When Luca looked at Clara, she had a slightly exasperated look on her face.
He was likely poor at studying, but he had declared he would work hard at it because he wanted to be like me.
Clara said with a smile,
"The letters are large and easy to read. There are illustrations too, so I think it'll be easy to understand. It might also be a good idea to ask someone who can read."
As Luca tried to return the bow to me and take the books, I spoke.
"I'll give those to you."
"Eh? But..."
I decided to give the bow, with its restrung string, to Luca along with the remaining arrows.
I felt that the Second Generation would be happier that way.
"I have my own bow. Besides, this one is a bit small, so you can use it too."
"Yeah!"
Seeing Luca hold the bow happily, Clara smiled as well.
Then, I asked about something that had been on my mind.
"Clara, when do those books disappear?"
Then, Clara replied with a straight face.
"...Riel-san. There are some things in the world that are better left unknown. For example, let's say someone copied books infinitely. Wouldn't that cause trouble for some people?"
Hearing that, I was surprised that books copied with a skill could be made permanent.
The Third Generation's voice came from the jewel.
"...Oh my, this girl looks so cute."
To the Third Generation, who loved books, Clara must be the ideal woman.
Then, Clara laughed and said, "I'm lying."
"You're lying?"
"Rather than a lie, copied books disappear when the person who used the skill dies. For example... if important documents were managed by a skill-user and then vanished, wouldn't that be a disaster? Besides, this skill basically manifests in people who love books. If a bad future for books could happen, most of those people wouldn't want it."
In this case, it seemed there was no problem from Clara's perspective.
Skills aren't omnipotent, it seems.
"...The one who masters it is the strong one, huh."
When I muttered the words the Second Generation had once said, Clara tilted her head.
Looking at Luca, who was happily holding the bow aloft, I said,
"It's nothing."