A Certain Knight’s Melancholy

Viewpoint: Harris — Lumoria Kingdom, Yōntsu Territory, Private Knight Corps, Company Commander

My name was Harris. I was a soldier serving the Yōntsu Territory of the Lumoria Kingdom.

Commoners sometimes called me a knight, but in terms of standing I was a squire-knight… and if commoners around the royal capital called me a knight, it would make me feel terribly out of place.

By the way, I held the grand-sounding rank of company commander, but it wasn’t because I was particularly skilled with the blade, nor because I excelled at command. And to add to that, it wasn’t as though I was good at flattery or sucking up either— the only reason I was a company commander was simply because I’d been in service a long time.

Personally, I had not the slightest interest in promotion. If possible, I wanted to live an ordinary, uneventful life without getting involved in troublesome matters.

After graduating from the royal capital’s knight academy with passable grades, while my classmates threw themselves into the promotion race—becoming royal knights or joining the private armies of great nobles—I chose employment in Yōntsu Territory to avoid trouble as much as possible.

Yōntsu Territory wasn’t particularly large, wasn’t a hub of transport or trade, didn’t border another country, and the noble who governed it wasn’t a newly rising power nor a great aristocrat—just a moderate standing. It was the ideal workplace for me.

And just as I’d wished in my youth, I lived a smooth life with no real upheavals, not getting dragged into trouble.

Of course, as a soldier, I wasn’t completely unrelated to conflict. Dealing with bandits and monsters, aiding border disputes… Naturally, since it was our job, I had no objections to throwing myself into battle. I thought it was better if there was none… but if it vanished entirely, our reason for existence would vanish too.

Living that way, I received an order the other day. It said a goblin settlement had been discovered in a forest near a village, and we were to exterminate it…

“Haa…”

“What is the matter, Harris-dono? Sighing like that.”

Lumbart-dono, appointed as adjutant for this operation, spoke to me.

“Ah, my apologies, Lumbart-dono. I’ve shown you something embarrassing.”

“No… Is there something you’re worried about?”

Lumbart-dono asked with an utterly serious face, as if gauging my expression. He really felt like an earnest, promising young man.

“Lumbart-dono… do you know about goblins?”

“Goblins? I’m not very familiar, but I understand them only as monsters that harm people. What we must be careful of is… their strong reproductive capacity, and that if we don’t respond swiftly upon discovery, their numbers can become a serious problem.”

“I see…”

He didn’t have accurate knowledge about goblins… and that was only natural. Lumbart-dono had graduated from the royal capital’s knight school just last year. Practical knowledge would come with time.

Still, after graduating with excellent results, he had been selected as a royal knight… and now, to gain experience while learning about places beyond the capital, he had been assigned to Yōntsu Territory. So this, too, was one of the things he needed to learn.

Explaining goblins… was, for me, an extremely depressing task, but even if only temporarily, I was his superior. This meant it was an order from above: convey it properly. Well, I’d known as much the moment he was sent along on this mission…

“Lumbart-dono, what I’m about to tell you is, in principle, not to be repeated to anyone.”

“…? Understood.”

He looked briefly puzzled, but accepted at once—his earnestness showed clearly.

“And one more thing. This won’t be a pleasant story… especially for someone like you, it may be difficult to accept. But as your senior, I must tell you. And after hearing it, you must still obey orders.”

“As long as I am a knight, I understand that such things cannot be avoided.”

Seeing him say that with clear, unclouded eyes made my melancholy deepen just a little.

To teach an innocent young man an inescapable reality like this… I’ll hold it against you, Battalion Commander.

“…Very well. Then let’s talk about goblins. First: goblins are not creatures with unusually high reproductive capacity. They are about the same as us. After a ten-month pregnancy… they generally give birth to just one child.”

“…Is that so? …One child? Not one ‘beast’?”

So he noticed I’d phrased it deliberately. Truly capable students were a pleasure to teach… if only the content itself were pleasant.

“Yes. One child. Goblins… are not monsters. They are what you might call fairy-folk, like elves and dwarves.”

“I see…”

Lumbart-dono’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. He still had composure, but… the main point was yet to come.

“In other words… goblins are not mindless monsters, but fairy-folk capable of conversation.”

“…I understand.”

“And now comes the main point…”

At my words, Lumbart-dono’s face tightened as if startled. Yes—I understood. What I’d said so far was already shocking enough.

Among the people, goblins were recognized as savage monsters. Well, it was probably known they could use language, at least.

“Generally speaking, goblins do not attack people.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly that. Goblins are not beings with the kind of barbarity that would attack people for no reason. If anything, they live quite civilized lives. I haven’t seen it myself, but… I’ve heard that in some goblin settlements, they even practice farming.”

“Farming…”

“Of course, goblins are individuals like anyone else. There are bad ones, and such goblins do sometimes raid human settlements… but that’s no different from bandits. The difference is… the damage is mostly limited to food. Cases of valuables being stolen or women and children being abducted are rare. If goblins existed in far greater numbers, they might bring humanfolk back as slaves or seize wealth… but fortunately, no goblin settlements larger than a village have been discovered.”

“……”

Yes, there were bad goblins… but conversely, that meant there were also goblins who simply lived ordinary lives—good goblins.

As my explanation progressed, Lumbart-dono’s complexion grew worse. But I couldn’t stop here.

“As for the goblin settlement found deep in the forest this time… we have received no reports of harm to nearby villages. Which means it is a settlement living quietly so as not to be discovered… in other words, it is nothing more than a small village.”

“…Then… that means…”

The hand holding Lumbart-dono’s reins trembled… not from fear, and not from excitement.

“What we are about to exterminate… is nothing more than villagers. We must wipe out the entire village—men and women, young and old alike.”

“…That’s… absurd.”

When I first learned this… no, when the mission ended… I broke down in tears.

Cutting down unresisting children and elderly… They had done nothing wrong—yet we had to kill them simply because their race was different. Honestly, it was easier to swing a sword against bandits of our own kind, or on a battlefield.

As I thought that, Lumbart-dono, his face rigid, forced his voice out.

“Why… must we exterminate goblins…? If they can truly speak, then like elves and dwarves, shouldn’t we grant them self-rule, or levy taxes and bring them in as citizens…?”

“…This is something I once heard from an acquaintance in the royal capital long ago, and something I have never told anyone else, but… even before the Lumoria Kingdom was founded, there was once a great goblin nation in these lands.”

“…A goblin… nation?”

“I’ve heard it possessed an army said to number in the tens of thousands—some even say hundreds of thousands—and fought a war of blood against our ancestors. As you know, no such nation exists now, so the war must have ended in our ancestors’ victory… but after that, the humanfolk began the thorough expulsion of goblins. To prevent goblins from gathering again and gaining the power to threaten us.”

“For such a reason…?”

Lumbart-dono looked stunned, as though he’d lost his words.

“Well, I can’t say I don’t understand fearing goblins. One account even claims that the goblin nation’s territory was larger than that great empire in the central plains—the current hegemon.”

“T-that’s impossible. At that point, it wouldn’t be a nation you could deal with through war. Even if all our ancestors united as one, it would be impossible.”

The great central empire… the strongest nation, maintaining a ridiculous territory covering roughly half the continent. Defeating a nation with an even greater reach was, realistically, impossible. At best, you’d provoke internal division and drive it to self-destruction.

“Indeed. I also believe it would be impossible. People can never become perfectly unified. But what matters here is not the truth—what matters is the idea that if goblins gather, they might be able to create such a great nation.”

“……”

“Unlike elves and dwarves, goblins can become a threat to our humanfolk species. With that history, exterminating goblins is, for us humanfolk, an act of justice.”

“…Is that truly an act of justice?”

“It is justice. There is no room to doubt it.”

I met Lumbart-dono’s eyes squarely and declared it. Because… if that righteous pretext collapsed, we would no longer be able to swing our swords—especially someone young and earnest like Lumbart-dono.

“Behind us are the people. And not just the people of Lumoria Kingdom—every people who live on this continent stand behind this cause. If our will… if our blades dull, and we let goblins escape… a goblin hero might be born.”

“……”

“When a hero is born… it means it is already too late. That is why, even if we must be stained in mud and dye our hands in blood… we must not loosen our resolve. So that the people we must protect will not be made to weep tears of blood.”

“…Understood.”

Biting his lip, Lumbart-dono said it… He looked like he was taking it hard. Well, that was likely why he’d been assigned as my adjutant… Even in a small unit, the commander and adjutant didn’t swing swords on the front line, after all.

In his state, standing on the front line would be suicidal. Even if goblins were no different from villagers… they weren’t entirely unresisting.

And this time, the settlement was in a forest… It wouldn’t be strange if these goblins had extensive experience fighting monsters. Normally, that sort of opponent was easier to deal with… but hesitation made things dangerous.

“I may have talked big, but… even after being involved in this matter for many years, I still end up sighing.”

“…That cannot be helped, I think.”

“You’re a serious man, Lumbart-dono, so you must have many thoughts. I won’t tell you not to think, but I believe it will be easier if you treat it as your role as a knight.”

“…Thank you.”

“I’ll say it again: the goblin matter is not to be spoken of. ‘Heavy’ doesn’t even begin to describe the crime it would become, so be careful.”

Lumbart-dono swallowed hard and nodded. Yes—he seemed fine. It was about time I stopped intimidating him.

“Your involvement in this matter was an order from above… which means they likely have high expectations of you, Lumbart-dono.”

“H-huh…”

I spoke as lightly as possible.

“For someone as young as you, Lumbart-dono, to participate in a goblin extermination is exceptionally rare. This is only my speculation, but… when you return to the royal capital, might you be selected as a Royal Guard knight?”

“A-a Royal Guard knight!?”

“Hahaha, it’s only my guess. But they’re revealing a state-level secret to someone who just graduated the academy… so I suspect they intend to place you in a suitably weighty post.”

“…Me… a Royal Guard knight…”

He looked dazed in a way he hadn’t been earlier. It was understandable… Becoming a Royal Guard knight was the highest honor for a knight. To be the king’s shield meant the country had acknowledged your might, intellect, decorum, and loyalty—everything.

At the very least, it wasn’t something someone obsessed with promotion could obtain. Not the Royal Guard.

As for me, I was far from that path… but I knew about three Royal Guard knights, and each was a splendid knight—friends worthy of respect.

It was still too soon for Lumbart-dono to stand shoulder to shoulder with them, but in a few years it wouldn’t be strange for him to be appointed… so it wasn’t an outright lie.

And so, as I continued our march while speaking with my adjutant, Lumbart-dono, about various things, we arrived at the village where goblins had been reported.

Along the way, nothing particularly happened, and the journey could be called smooth. We had sent word ahead from the previous town, and they should have arrived at the village about three days ago… and yet…

“My name is Lynferia! I am a knight who serves Overlord Fels-sama!”

…It seemed we had a problem.