novelraw Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Chapter 73
While I was marveling at Tito’s surprising pick-up(?) ability, the Three-Horned Mountain Goats that had fainted from the Paralysis Dog’s effect began regaining consciousness one by one.
Since the area was already crowded with domesticated mountain goats, from the perspective of those goats, it was as if they had suddenly been dropped right in the middle of enemy territory(?).
They had no choice but to act cautiously, wary of their surroundings.
Welcome, stranger. If you obediently become a mount, there shall be no bloodshed.
Just as the rabbit fellow said, it would be really nice if they obediently became mounts.
Prrrng, prrrng!
But at that moment, Ultra, the leader of the existing herd, began approaching the new goats.
He must have been trying to solidify his authority by welcoming the newcomers.
The strange goat I had been keeping an eye on also seemed to be the leader of its herd, as it stepped forward to confront Ultra.
‘Is this… popcorn time?’
As I had suspected, if that goat had indeed been leading its own herd, then a clash between the two leaders was inevitable.
In this confined ranch, there was no way for two separate goat herds to coexist. When two organizations merged, only one leader was necessary.
In the end, the goat that emerged victorious in this contest would become the new leader of the herd, commanding all the others.
“Oh, are they really going to fight?”
“Since such an imposing one joined the herd, of course he has to be wary. It’s a natural course of things.”
“They won’t get hurt, right?”
“If they do, we can just feed them potions.”
“Ah, well, that’s true.”
As everyone watched with great interest, Ultra jabbed his horns at the newcomer in a probing attack.
The new goat, unwilling to back down, thrust its head forward as well, beginning the standoff.
The two goats, glaring at each other……
“…Oh my.”
“What the—what is that?”
Suddenly, they clung to each other and began mating.
Apparently, that new goat was not only the leader of its herd but also a female.
Yes, that physique certainly was that of a female.
‘But mating bounce happening right here, of all times?’
Could it be that this female goat hadn’t found a stronger male until now…?
No, still, to go that far at first sight.
Truly, is this not the mystery of life? The desire for species reproduction is stronger than anything.
Not wrong, but I was at a loss for words.
“So a female can become the leader of a herd too, it seems.”
“Indeed, I didn’t know that myself. The leader was simply whoever was strongest.”
“Has she… been holding it in all this time?”
“Perhaps so. I don’t know much about the habits of Three-Horned Mountain Goats, but if she’s that strong, she probably wouldn’t have easily given her back to anyone.”
As an awkward silence spread, Irene spoke up.
She, too, looked quite flustered by the sudden turn of events.
The knights, who had been looking forward to a heated clash of goats, had already fled far away.
Well, technically speaking, it was still heated even now.
Because they were still passionately engrossed in mating.
“So, Sir Irene. Do you plan to keep that goat?”
“Hmm, since I caught it, I’ll take care of it, but I think I’ll need another goat to ride in battle.”
“Is that necessary? Even if she’s female, she looks far stronger than the other goats.”
“Because she’s female. If she ends up carrying kids, that’s the end of service. And don’t you think we’ll hear news soon enough? She’s working so hard.”
“That’s true. A goat with kids can’t be sent into battle.”
“Still, I’ve decided on a name. From now on, that goat’s name is ‘Big Mama.’”
“Big Mama, huh. Well, the size certainly matches.”
Big Mama was undoubtedly a female, but she looked stronger than most male goats.
If Ultra went onto the battlefield while Big Mama stayed behind in the ranch, managing the remaining goats would be easier.
And if offspring were born between Ultra and Big Mama, it would surely result in a super-elite breed of goat. So, in the long run, this wasn’t a bad outcome at all.
After letting the goats roam freely in the ranch, I invited Irene separately and served her tea.
“Are there still goats left in the habitat?”
“Of course. Plenty came in this time. I plan to go back tomorrow and bring them all.”
“Then Crimson Comet will also be able to ride goats.”
“Depending on the situation, I plan to choose between a warhorse and a goat. Like alternating between leather armor and full plate.”
“That does make sense. But how about the new armor? Did everyone like it? This was its first outing, right?”
“Yes, in the mountains, leather was definitely better than iron armor. Everyone was satisfied.”
Crimson Comet, who had struggled all winter in iron armor, had finally gotten new Ogre Leather Armor.
It hadn’t been too difficult.
Ogres were relatively common monsters in the Monster Mountains, so acquiring materials wasn’t a big problem, and there were still mana crystals left for enchantments.
Processing ogre leather, however, took time, so they couldn’t be given armor during the winter.
The stock of ogre leather already prepared had to be used to equip the newly formed 2nd Knight Order.
Naturally, it was more important to first equip the 2nd Order, who had nothing at all, than knights who at least had iron full plate. So Crimson Comet had no choice but to suffer through the winter in iron armor while defending.
‘The townsfolk were also quite busy all winter working on the ogres we caught. Thanks to that, as soon as winter ended, we could finally provide armor.’
Even though I already knew the knights of Crimson Comet were satisfied with the Ogre Leather Armor, I brought up the topic as a way to set the mood.
I wanted to create the right atmosphere before presenting Irene with the new hammer.
It felt a little embarrassing to just hand over a weapon so suddenly.
After all, strictly speaking, it was nothing more than providing a subordinate knight with equipment. But somehow, it still felt different.
“Now that the knights have their gear, it’s time to get you equipped too, Sir.”
“My gear? But since I have Phoenix, is there really any need?”
“No, not armor. I mean your weapon. Yours isn’t a relic, after all.”
“That’s true, but… it’s not exactly easy to find a better weapon. This one was carefully crafted by a craftsman of Haken Castle.”
“Of course. But it doesn’t look like it was made with particularly remarkable materials.”
“You’re right. Though a mana crystal was ground into it, at its core it’s just regular steel.”
“That’s why I prepared something for you.”
“For… me? What is it?”
As Irene tilted her head curiously, I brought out the box I had prepared in advance.
It was a case that Master Smith Nicki from Johnson Castle had crafted specially for her war hammer.
The box itself was quite luxurious, even decorated with flowers, showing just how much care had been put into preparing this gift.
Which only made me feel even more burdened.
“G-goodness. It’s so beautiful.”
“Really? Then I’m glad you like it. It should be far easier to use Aura with it. The material is attuned to fire.”
“Just looking at it, I can tell. And this elegant headpiece here……”
It seemed that the bet had gone to Master Smith Nicki’s favor.
Even Elder Benetrang’s complaints about the design appeared to have matched Irene’s taste.
I couldn’t quite understand what she liked so much about that rough and bulky hammerhead, but I didn’t bother to add unnecessary words.
After all, I was of the belief that personal taste should be respected.
“Between the goat and my beloved weapon… it feels like I’ve gotten the perfect birthday gift.”
“Ah, just so there’s no misunderstanding—this isn’t like a birthday gift or anything. It’s more like… a token of gratitude for saving me in that last battle, that’s all.”
“Pfft, what’s that supposed to mean. Fine, fine. I’ll just think of it that way.”
Whether she really understood my words or not, her response was frustratingly vague.
“Did you actually get what I meant?”
“I said I did. Not a birthday gift, but a reward. Satisfied?”
The reason I was being so sensitive about this was because I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea.
In this era, men often courted women by presenting them with expensive birthday gifts.
Just last month, on Selin’s birthday, Rudick had prepared an expensive gift.
A golden ring set with a large mana crystal.
And he used it as a wedding gift, sealing the marriage.
For reasons I couldn’t fathom, they even rushed to move in together right away, like beans roasted on lightning fire.
Despite her outstanding beauty, Selin had been subtly shunned by men because of her height, while Rudick had been wandering without ever settling down. It seemed both families hurried the union along.
For someone of a Knight Order Captain’s standing, it would’ve been normal to at least hold a proper banquet before living together, but they hadn’t even done that.
Though it was rare in this age to actually hold formal weddings, still, marrying without even a word of greeting did feel excessive.
Of course, in a way, that unorthodox action was very much like Rudick.
Still, he’s a male who knows how to feed himself. Better than his master.
‘Shut it.’
Whatever the case, I felt continuing down this topic would only do me harm, so I shifted the subject elsewhere.
I asked Irene, as the de facto representative of the immigrants, if there was anything else she needed.
“By the way, is there anything inconvenient about living here?”
“Why ask something like that all of a sudden?”
“As the representative of the settlers from Haken, you’re bound to hear things, no? I figured there might be some murmurs.”
“Ah, that. Well, no, I don’t think anyone has real complaints. They seem to be getting along fine with the existing residents.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Though……”
“Though?”
“It is a little boring.”
Well, compared to the bustling Haken, our Johnson Territory was indeed a boring place.
Even TRPG, that so-called advanced(?) pastime, had been introduced to us by the settlers from Haken.
“Do you have any good ideas?”
Surely, Haken people were the experts in this area.
So I asked for her opinion.
After a moment’s thought, Irene clapped her hands as if she’d just remembered something and spoke.
“How about a festival? Spending time together laughing and playing should make the people’s bonds stronger. Back in Haken, we always held the Spring Festival every year. Around the time of my father’s birthday.”
“A festival, huh. Certainly.”
“Has Johnson ever held a festival before?”
“No, never. We never had the luxury for it.”
“Then maybe it’s not a bad idea to try one at least once. Now that we’ve got some breathing room.”
A festival.
I’d never even considered such a thing, but hearing it now, I couldn’t help feeling a little tempted.
As I’d told her, until now Johnson Territory hadn’t had the leisure to host such an event.
When survival itself had been a struggle, we couldn’t afford to waste resources on something like that.
But now, with some stability, holding a festival at the right time didn’t sound like a bad idea.
“So, what exactly happens at a festival?”
“Well, there are competitions, performances and shows, food stalls, that sort of thing.”
“Competitions? Like a martial arts tournament?”
“No… not exactly a tournament.”
Even if she said “festival,” I had no idea what that entailed.
What kind of competition would it be, if not combat?
And if I were to prepare performances or shows, what exactly was I supposed to do?
At least I understood the part about sharing food, but the rest was incomprehensible.
No, more accurately—it wasn’t that I didn’t understand, but that I had no idea what we were supposed to prepare.
In all my life, I had never once seen a festival.
Not in my previous life, nor in this one.
“Lord Iron, have you truly never seen a festival before?”
“Unfortunately, no. We never held festivals around here. I’ve only ever visited another territory once.”
“Ah, really?”
When Irene saw that I didn’t even understand the concept of a festival, she asked again.
There was a certain expectation in her tone.
“Then why not take this chance to visit a festival in another territory? Soon, the Spring Festival will be held in Haken.”
“In Haken?”
“Yes, and it’ll be a good chance to see the city again. You’ll probably be shocked, Lord Iron. It’s completely different from before.”
Going to Haken to see the festival.
It wasn’t a bad idea, but was it really necessary?
Just traveling down to Haken and back would take at least two weeks.
The territory’s situation wasn’t bad, but for a lord to be absent altogether was another matter.
Since stability still wasn’t absolute, it felt burdensome to leave the land unattended just for something like that.
So it seemed best to postpone visiting a festival in another territory.
“Still, leaving the territory feels risky. Are festivals only held in spring?”
“No, there’s one in autumn too. But wouldn’t that be too late?”
“That’s true.”
“Festivals aren’t only in Haken, though, so it doesn’t have to be there specifically. Levelium or even the Holy City Saint hold theirs in late spring or early summer. If things don’t work out here, going there wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”
Though her words said it didn’t have to be Haken, her expression betrayed a hint of longing.
It had only been a few months, but having lived outside, perhaps she did feel a bit homesick for Haken.
“If you wish, you could even go alone……”
“Oh, come on. Why would I? There’s no need for that.”
“Is that so?”
I had offered her permission to visit home alone if she was homesick, but she immediately refused.
Returning to her homeland without cause must have felt burdensome.
And since she said so herself, it would be strange for me to force her to go.
I told her that if she ever wanted, she was always free to visit Haken, and that wrapped up the conversation.
At least, I thought that was the end of the talk about going to Haken.
“But then, what’s this?”
That is—if my diary hadn’t glowed red again that very day.