Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 109

Chapter 109   Journey with Charlotte 2

In the early days of December, in the 567th year of the Unified Calendar—

Snow had already accumulated in the village, and the winter was raging across the mountain peaks.

At this time, we embarked on a journey with Queen Charlotte. Naturally, we couldn’t travel alone, so we were accompanied by Eclair and Professor Gunther.

“Sir Reister, where will you take me first?”

“How about a bandit hideout to start with?”

“…Oh, how peculiar,” she remarked with a dubious expression. However, the bandits on the northern side of the port city Europa had mostly been subdued. They welcomed us with great hospitality.

“Your Highness, please enjoy some wine!”

“Thank you kindly!”

The princess was warmly welcomed at the bandit hideout. They treated her with grilled seasonal river fish and a pot filled with the bounties of the mountains. Although they were still called bandits, they were actually a group of hunters and foresters now.

“Sir Reister, what is there to see here?”

“Well, Your Highness, it is their territory in these mountains!”

“These bandits are currently under the rule of the House of Rillburn, but should our power weaken, they would surely rebel against us with force. To that end, they have built fortresses here and there. By observing their territory, we can learn strategies for mountain warfare.”

“Hmm, I had thought battles were limited to siege and open field combat, but there’s a field called mountain warfare as well?”

“Indeed, Your Highness. Typically, a large army is often defeated by a smaller force due to the difficult terrain. Simply being aware of this can be a precaution in itself!”

“Hmm,” she nodded.

We bid farewell to the bandits and left their territory behind. Our next destination was to explore the ruins from the ancient Ishtar era.

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We left the main road from the bandits’ hideout and proceeded northwest through the forest. It was an unexplored region where no one had ventured before. As we went further, we began to see glimpses of ruins here and there.

Wading through snow up to our knees, we led the horses carrying our supplies. That was when we encountered the creatures that had made their lair in this area.

“Screech! Screech!”

“Yip! Yip!”

Three small goblins, so-called low-grade monsters, let out sharp cries as they charged toward us.

“I’ll handle this!”

The Queen swiftly leapt down from her white horse and drew her longsword, advancing towards the goblins through the deep snow.

“If things get dangerous, be ready,” she ordered.

“Understood,” I replied.

I signaled to Belchi, a sniper from the hidden demon tribe, to be on alert in case anything went wrong with the queen. The queen swung her sword sharply, but the monsters kept their distance, dodging her attacks.

“Tch…”

Encased in her grand metal armor, the princess began to tire under its weight. Gradually, the goblins’ evasive movements began to outmaneuver her.

“You lowly creatures!”

“Screech! Screech!”

“Cackle! Cackle!”

Seeing that the princess was clearly at a disadvantage, Pokorina and Eclair joined the fray. They quickly used magic and ranged weapons to drive the monsters away.

“Your Highness, are you hurt?”

“…No, I’m fine. But it’s frustrating. Why did I struggle so much against such low-level monsters?”

“The deep snow, for one thing. In terrain like this, wearing heavy metal armor would exhaust even the bravest warrior in no time.”

“But in the books, knights in heavy armor defeat monsters, don’t they?”

“In those stories, there are often lightly armored attendants who provide support. Even on a battlefield, heavy-armored knights can’t fight alone.”

“I see. That’s why you’re lightly armored?”

“Haha, yes. I’m a mercenary by nature, used to work in the background, handling tasks like construction and transport, not just fighting.”

“I see… Battle is indeed a complex matter.”

We managed to take down one of the three goblins with an arrow. When we inspected its belongings, we found some copper and silver coins inside a leather pouch at its waist.

“Hmm, Sir Reister. Do monsters use money as well?”

“No, they only cherish shiny objects. During certain seasons, they might use them as gifts for females…”

“Oh, I see.”

“Conversely, so-called adventurers—often rogues—hunt monsters for the gold and treasures they hoard.”

“So, how can one tell which is the real monster?”

“Indeed, Your Highness. What is called a ‘monster’ is something arbitrarily defined by the clergy of Norland, so I couldn’t say for sure…”

“…Hmm, I will pretend I did not hear that!”

The queen said this with a slight smile. The influence of the Norland religion is immense even within our kingdom. Carelessly speaking ill of it in public could lead to being branded a heretic and burned at the stake.

We continued further into the forest and arrived at the entrance of a cave. By then, the weather had deteriorated further, turning into what seemed like a fierce blizzard.

◇◇◇◇◇

“Phew, we’re safe now.”

“Indeed.”

Inside the cave, unlike the snowy landscape outside, the ground was exposed. Lighting a torch revealed that the cave was actually quite warm.

We took a short break inside the cave, warming ourselves and having a modest meal.

“Isn’t this what adventure is all about?”

“…Huh?”

The queen was heading deeper into the cave with the torch in hand.

“According to a book I read long ago, brave knights would defeat the monsters within caves to gain fame. Or is there no such monsters in this cave?”

“…No, there were monsters outside, so there should be some inside as well.”

“Then let’s proceed! Follow me!”

…Huh? We’re going?

This is a remote area deep in the forest. The cave is dark and appears to be very deep; surely the monsters living here are strong.

We three exchanged glances, but the queen was full of determination. Despite our own spirits being a bit low from the cold, the queen’s boldness managed to lift our spirits a little.