Vol 3 Chapter 24 – Boyhood: Autumn at Thirteen・Part 3

Gazing up at the endlessly high sky, I was suddenly struck by a sensation as if I might just fall off into the vast unknown.

Yet it wasn’t a feeling of terror at all—it was a delightful anticipation, as if I were about to be immersed in that beautiful blue. I couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel to embrace those few, delicate autumn clouds.

Ah, speaking of clouds, it reminded me that I had received a letter from Margit last week. She had arranged for a caravan bound for the imperial capital to deliver a letter addressed to me. Judging by its contents, it appeared that the letter had been written shortly before my arrival—and only now had it reached me.

The letter’s main news, as expected, was the rather swift tidbit that onii-chan Heinz had gotten Mina pregnant. Due to his slender build, his stomach had become noticeably rounded in about two months, and rumors of her pregnancy spread throughout the estate in no time. In fact, his gap between marriage and conception was remarkably short—second only to one other record in the estate.

Well, getting someone pregnant only one month after the wedding wasn’t quite enough to surpass that old man next door who once mentioned the fairy coin incident, but it was still astonishing.

It seems I have become an uncle. How delightful. Even in my past life, family celebrations like these were always welcome.

I’d really love to send a proper report as well, but since I don’t have the luxury at present, I wonder what to do. At the very least, thanks to this latest windfall, I’ve managed to set aside time to write a reply, and I suppose I can at least convey a word of congratulations.

But really—what am I doing, resting my head on a friend’s lap while I’m mulling over all these thoughts?

“Are you feeling alright?”

I thought to myself that I was perfectly fine, yet I couldn’t help but study Mika’s handsome features as he looked down at me with a strangely inquisitive gaze.

True, I was the one who had suggested we take a break—plagued as I was by a headache from my lack of magical power and the strain of rapid, multilayered thinking, I just wanted to lie down. Somehow, the idea of lending one’s lap came to mind.

If he were to say, “What’s with you, always taking advantage?” I wouldn’t even muster a groan of protest—my head simply felt much more comfortable resting here than if I used my own arm as a pillow. Before I knew it, I had yielded.

And indeed, it was so comfortable that it nearly became a problem. While my own legs had gradually grown stiff through constant training, Mika’s legs offered just the right amount of elasticity, making them incredibly pleasant to rest on. Strangely enough, I wondered—shouldn’t his muscles have also developed from all that long riding with me?

“But you’ve grown again… you really do grow fast,” he observed as he took hold of my now-lengthened hair and scrutinized it intently. I felt a slight tug on my scalp. Ah, so that’s it—I’m being treated like a toy.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing—it was just that I got a little idle. Your hair feels so nice, I couldn’t help but fiddle with it.”

Somehow, it appeared as if my hair was being carefully braided. Sure enough, the ends had finally grown past my neck, and my bangs had become bothersome if not swept to the back—but having them styled in such an unmistakably feminine fashion left me rather at a loss.

“Hey, hey—don’t go plucking like flowers, tangling, or decorating them. What kind of taste do you have, anyway? I wouldn’t ever pull off a princess style like that. This sort of thing really only shines when done by Eliza. When I try, at best it just ends up looking like I’ve been overgrown with grass.”

“There, done. Now if you just lift your head a little, it’ll be perfect. Please, raise your head slightly.”

Since I was resting on Mika’s lap, I couldn’t refuse; as commanded, I used my abs to gently lift my head. I noticed that part of the braided bangs swung back in a style resembling a headband braid—a trend I had seen among elegantly adorned ladies in town. No way—making me wear that is nothing short of a punishment!

“If you’re so keen on playing with hair, Mika, why don’t you grow yours out too?”

“Hmm? Oh, no thanks. This suits me just fine. Short hair is all right, but if it grows, it tends to get unruly,” he replied nonchalantly, adding even more white clover into the mix. I couldn’t help but wonder—had I done something to earn his ire?

Anyway, with my headache finally easing up, perhaps it was time to let my head rest freely a bit. Though I’d much rather not be seen like this by the inspection team who seemed to be on their way…

“Ah, it appears someone has arrived.”

Damn—my hair is ruined…

“Now, so you all planned to track them down and capture them while on your errand… is that right?”

“Yeah, that’s about it.”

Lord Lüningen, the Imperial Knight, is a veteran inspector who has guarded the trade routes of the Threefold Empire for sixteen years since his knighthood. Though he is a one-generation noble without any lands—a knight in title only, holding neither hereditary rights nor real estates—his loyalty is unwavering, and he has devoted countless battles to keeping the highways safe.

But this was something that had occurred for the first time in his life.

As he proceeded along a scarcely traveled road with seven mounted riders in tow, it wasn’t unusual for a raven—with a note tied to its leg—to swoop down at his feet. Such occurrences were common; after all, the tamed creatures used by mages as familiars were frequently dispatched to nearby patrols to request rescue or assistance. However, today, instead of one of those usual messages, the note read, “We’ve caught some bandits; please take them in.”

This was somewhat unusual, though not unheard of. It is said that adventurers accompanied by mages or magicians with a strong sense of public duty sometimes capture more prisoners than they can handle—and then come seeking help—about once a year, more or less.

Still, I never expected that two handsome, evidently underage boys would be the ones summoning us.

On one hand, there was a striking young man, his appearance unmistakably masculine; on the other, a fair-skinned boy whose hair was adorned with white clover in a manner reminiscent of a princess in a flower field—how was one supposed to react? If it had been a cute little report about a petty thief, one might have been impressed and even offered a congratulatory pat on the head; but when told that bandits had been captured and rendered powerless, what adult response could there be? Even Lord Lüningen—known around these parts as a battle-hardened veteran—couldn’t immediately come up with an answer.

“Ah… Lord Lüningen, there are, well, twenty-four of them over there… er, they seem to be encased in something. For the most part, they’re all alive, though.”

“And here, there are eight individuals with their bodies buried from the neck down in the ground…”

To top it all off, the captives—if indeed they were bandits—were displayed so pitifully that it left little doubt this was no ordinary feat. It had to be the work of a mage, a sorcerer, or perhaps even fairies.

“We are affiliated with the Magic Academy, and though our magical ability is modest, we can indeed perform magic.”

“Right. I am an auditor at the Magic Academy, and he, working as a mage under a professor, has some proficiency in his craft.”

Modest? Some proficiency? What exactly do they think they’re up to?

Could it be that the two of them—two fully equipped adults numbering over thirty—managed to capture these criminals? And from the traces left at the scene, it appears they clashed with them head-on. Looking closely, the fact that the fallen lack thumbs seems to indicate that their thumbs were severed to render them helpless.

Everything about the incident was utterly out of the ordinary. Yet the tokens they produced were authentic; when paired with a verification token, they glowed blue—if they were fake, they would have glowed red.

“Report! We’ve spotted what appears to be a campsite nearby! One carriage bearing the Imperial seal—apparently laden with loot—has been found!”

“Furthermore, we can see evidence of a hasty burial. What should we do?”

To rally his equally bewildered subordinates, Lord Lüningen gently massaged the corner of his eye before switching his focus. Once he realized that what lay before him was not a mere child but something truly fearsome, he set about handling the situation like the responsible adult he was.

“Understood. Please wait a moment; after the inspection, I’ll prepare the referral letter.”

Work must go on regardless. We have to reassess the situation, check whether these individuals are wanted criminals based on their features, count their numbers properly, and compile everything into the proper format for the referral letter—otherwise, they won’t be able to receive their reward from the authorities. Thoughts like “the reward is far too high for children” or “minors shouldn’t be taking such reckless risks” crossed my mind repeatedly, but he ignored them and got down to business.

Sometimes, there’s no use overthinking things. After all, there are those who, on their very first battle, disarm foes by severing armored heads, and there are monsters who, at fifteen, pull off full-on dragonslaying feats. Then, isn’t it perfectly acceptable to decimate bandits at, say, twelve or thirteen?

After finally forcing himself to reconcile reason with feeling, he—ever the dutiful inspector—went off to inspect the faces of those fools, whose expressions were fixed as though cemented in mortar.

Somehow, with expressions that suggested they’d barely managed to swallow their mixed emotions, the inspectors proceeded to lead away the bound bandits. I can understand why one might doubt one’s eyes or brain when two brats manage to neutralize such numbers, especially when one of them is dressed in such a ridiculously silly manner.

“Now then, you’re looking forward to getting paid, aren’t you?”

Mika, having received the referral letter, watched me as I frantically tried to pull the flowers out of my hair by hand—hardly noticing his gesture. The braid had been done so neatly that what was once an annoyance had become manageable; in fact, it looked so good I was even tempted to have it done again.

“This will make life easier. But is it really acceptable? I mean, to split the reward?”

“Of course it is. It’s not as if we did nothing.”

Mika, happily waving the referral letter about, suddenly furrowed his brow and asked with concern. I was the one who suggested splitting the reward. I fought head-on, while he spotted the bandits and thwarted their surprise counterattack—he had sensed the attack from behind, which is why he dodged so well—and during the melee, he even managed to transform the ground into a mire of mortar to aid us. For someone like me who had been struggling alone, having a rear guard to debilitate the enemy was invaluable. Not to mention, after the fight, he took care of rounding up the prisoners—a task I would never have managed alone, as I didn’t carry enough rope and couldn’t maintain a continuous stun with my limited magic. And resorting to slicing their tendons was not an option either.

In any event, his assistance was something I deeply appreciated. After all, fighting isn’t merely about recklessly swinging a weapon on the front lines.

“Or are you dissatisfied with the fee for this lap pillow?”

“…Honestly, you really are something else.”

Seeing that he seemed genuinely troubled, I teased him not to worry, and his usual smile returned. Indeed, when he smiles, it suits him perfectly.

“Come on, let’s go. I want us to reach our destination before nightfall. We’ve been camping and scrimping for three days now—I’m practically pining for a bath.”

“Alright, then. Let’s hurry.”

We mounted our horses, loaded our modest spoils, and set off once more—leaving our detour behind and returning to the main path.

By the way, I kept only one sword for myself, leaving the rest with the inspection team. It’s fine for use on the spot, but carrying seven swords in total is utterly impractical. They’re far too heavy, and even if tied to the 【Polydukes】, they would consume too much of its capacity. So I politely declined, taking only those that appeared to be of superior quality from the mercenary’s stock. I did have a few that I would have liked to keep if they were lighter or if there were another means of carrying them.

Now then, this errand quest was a commission I received directly from Agrippina de Staal. The reward was an astonishing sum of one drachma—and the expenses allotted were a generous ten libra (enough to make anyone’s sense of money go haywire when becoming an adventurer). Furthermore, any remaining expenses could be kept as a bonus, so naturally, one ends up being a bit thrifty.

We had been camping for a while in a small town called Vustro—a town situated in the far northern part of the empire, toward the northwest of the imperial capital. It is the type of unremarkable regional town that developed around the governor’s mansion, overseeing nearby estates and serving as a depot for supplies.

However, according to Agrippina, this town is also home to a renowned reproduction master—a true expert in creating copied manuscripts. It is said he once resided in the imperial capital, but growing tired of the crowds and the constant commissions for lavish, elaborate books, he retired to his hometown.

The magical reproduction of books is an extremely advanced art, usually undertaken by penniless students—even by desperate researchers and occasionally by professors—whose eyes would turn red while laboring over a handwritten copy. Moreover, because the binding and finishing must ultimately be entrusted to specialists, these copies are, needless to say, extremely rare.

Yet each reproduction master employs his own method to channel magical power in order to produce copies of exceptional precision and quality. In particular, Lord Marius von Feige—whom I am scheduled to visit this time—is renowned for producing copies indistinguishable from the originals; so much so that Agrippina, who rarely even remembers people’s names, managed to blurt out his full name in one go—a high praise indeed.

I was told he is rather eccentric, so one must be prepared; but as an errand—and with the handsome reward on offer—it isn’t a bad proposition at all. It seems almost exactly as it should be.

Owing to a professor being assigned to supervise the autumn tax revenue calculations—once again proving that the mages of the Threefold Empire are nothing but bureaucrats—I roped in Mika, who fortunately had some spare time, to accompany me on this journey.

Our destination was now in sight. There were a few minor events along the way, but having come this far, it might as well be over.

Well then, I’ll give it my all—for Eliza’s tuition fees, no less. Ah, I do wonder what would make a good souvenir…

【Tips】It is rare for a deity to pass direct judgment on a heretical divinity; at most, only an apostle is dispatched. Thus, casual insults or being treated merely as a joke are considered everyday occurrences. Moreover, even if nearby clergy overhear and engage in a real fight, it is not regarded as divine retribution.

【Tips】The reward for capturing bandits is not paid immediately; rather, after sufficient deliberation, the funds are dispersed, so it usually takes about a month for the payment to come through.

【Tips】Manuscripts: These are handwritten copies of parchment books bound and finished on commission by local guilds. Among magical tomes, many items would be meaningless unless they were handwritten with imbued magical power. Thus, just because a book is a manuscript does not mean it lacks value—in fact, there are extremely rare copies considered to be equivalent in worth to a peerage.