To The Battlefield (14)

I had never done anything in particular hoping that someone would recognize me for it. Everything I had done back home had simply been my duty as the heir, and things were still much the same now.

Whenever I built walls, taught swordsmanship, or slew the monsters that came pouring in, my only thought was relief that fewer people would be hurt as a result. No matter how exhausted I became, this had always been my life, so I had grown accustomed to expecting nothing in return.

But hearing someone thank me directly felt different. They were not people from my homeland, nor were they close to me or particularly fond of me.

It felt completely different from the thanks I received after sharing snacks or gold coins others had given me. More than that, they recognized me as the Grand Duchess of Mort. Not merely because I was Victor’s wife, but because my abilities had helped them.

An unfamiliar sense of pride filled my chest.

Deep down, I had always believed that I was unsuited to being the lady who managed a territory.

But what if there was another way? What if I could help the people and the territory in my own way? Even a “Grand Duchess who could do nothing but swing a sword” might still become a good lady of the house. Not merely a woman who remained because Victor had asked her to stay beside him.

I pressed a hand against my pounding chest at this newfound realization.

“……I should finish eating first.”

I muttered to myself for no reason, then placed pickled onions atop the warm meat and put it into my mouth.

As I diligently emptied my plate, the maid I had seen during the day approached hesitantly and served me more food.

“P-please eat plenty.”

“Thank you. It’s really delicious.”

When I smiled brightly, the maid flushed and hurried back into the kitchen. She soon returned carrying a refreshing fruit juice.

I quenched my thirst with the sweet drink and enjoyed a happy dinner.

The baron even appeared at breakfast the next day. His expression was still sour, but he greeted me politely when he saw me, and the attendants served delicious food in generous portions.

The knights seemed to have roughly realized why our treatment had suddenly improved.

“That is only natural for anyone with a conscience. A lady of such high standing personally rolled around in the dirt to train their soldiers.”

Raul snorted. Another knight asked curiously.

“But, my lady, why did you really do it? Did the lord ask you?”

I smiled quietly and shook my head. I wanted the story of the captain, the soldiers, and the baron to remain mine alone.

Leonard scolded him from the side.

“Shut your mouth and eat. Have you never heard that one must not question a noble lady’s actions?”

“That saying is for when a lady is having a secret conversation with a handsome young nobleman.”

“Shut up before I make it impossible for you to speak with any lady ever again.”

Leonard threatened him ominously.

Come to think of it, the way he spoke was subtly similar to Kaltz.

I giggled softly and finished the rest of my meal.

Soon, the knights who had finished eating gathered before the entrance. I received a new sword, and every horse had bulging sacks of provisions hanging from its saddle.

The baron grumbled.

“We’ll starve all winter now that you’ve emptied the entire storehouse.”

“We have already sent a report to Mort Castle, so relief supplies will arrive soon.”

The baron snorted. However, he was not as hostile as he had been on the first day.

I offered him a gentle farewell.

“Thank you for allowing us to stay, Baron Yulvalt. I pray for peace and prosperity throughout your territory.”

“……Since the lady has blessed us, I suppose it will be so. I wish you fortune in battle, my lady.”

Leonard and Mary exchanged startled looks. They were clearly astonished by the entirely different form of address he had used.

I pretended not to notice, nodded, and turned my horse around. However, the smile never left my lips.

I heard Mary whispering rapidly.

“What could have happened? I heard he had been furious all day ever since that affair with Baron Angster…….”

“From what I heard, the one who actually interfered first that day was Jemaher of Bulvarg…….”

It was another episode of “Mary and Leonard Discuss Northern High Society.”

I pretended not to hear and rode down the street. In the distance, the soldiers of the guard waved at me.

I waved back and thought that I should work even harder.

We were drawing closer to the east. The farther we traveled, the more jagged rocky mountains and wastelands appeared. Farming was difficult on the parched land, so most settlements between here and our destination, Fidelburg, were said to be mining villages.

The weather also grew steadily cooler. It was still slightly warm to me, but the knights from the south found it chilly.

Yet regardless of the changing environment, the strange procession of monsters continued.

There was a Sunflower Draka, said to live only in the south because it needed several hours of sunlight each day; a Sandworm that emerged from a crevice despite there being no sand anywhere; and a Nightmare Urg that appeared in broad daylight─at which point Mary nearly fainted at the hideous sight of the monster—. Strange monsters continually sprang out and threatened us.

But I was brimming with enthusiasm. Mining villages were generally vulnerable to monsters, so we stopped at a village every day to eliminate them. Saving the residents and receiving their thanks directly was deeply moving, just as it had been at Yulvalt Castle.

“Thank you, truly! Your Highness is our savior.”

“No, I’m sorry we could not come sooner.”

“How could you say that? Had it not been for Your Highness and the knights, by now we would have…….”

I comforted the weeping residents, trained the guards, reinspected the damaged wooden barricades, and then departed for the next village.

I was gradually becoming accustomed to seeing people gathered at the village entrance to bid us farewell. Smiling, I lightly urged my horse forward.

As we crossed the wasteland, Raul glanced at me and asked.

“You seem to be in a good mood, my lady.”

“Yes, I simply……. I feel relieved. The relief supplies will arrive on time, won’t they?”

“We sent a carrier pigeon, so they will arrive soon.”

Leonard answered in his place. Whenever we sent a report, Mort Castle, where Victor remained, spared no expense in sending relief supplies.

I asked a question that had suddenly occurred to me.

“Um…… But why are the villages in such terrible condition? Even the guards’ equipment is poor.”

As far as I knew, the mining villages of Mort were extraordinarily wealthy. They produced many precious gems, earning substantial income, and the miners were said to be highly respected. I had even heard that some were richer than the castles of ordinary lords.

Yet strangely, most of the mining villages we had passed through had suffered severe damage. There were few guards, and some villages were even short on food because they could not break through the monsters surrounding them.

Wouldn’t places like these normally be more thoroughly defended?

Leonard explained.

“The mining regions are difficult for wagons to reach, so the local lords rarely have much influence there. That is why Mort Castle separately sends weapons and food, and sometimes dispatches guards as well.”

“But then?”

“Do you remember that the retainers of Mort Castle had been embezzling the budget?”

I closed my mouth. Of course I remembered. The retainers Victor had intended to execute had been accused of insulting me and embezzling funds.

“A significant portion of the money they stole had been intended to support the lives of the territory’s people, including those in the mining regions. It might not have caused serious problems during peaceful times, but the damage worsened when the number of monsters increased. You cannot imagine how many lives they ruined.”

I suddenly remembered Victor asking me how thieves ought to be punished. His serious eyes and the anguish in his voice. Even though he had been seated on a soft bed, it had seemed as though a massive stone rested upon his shoulders.

He had agonized over it greatly. As I thought this, the knight quietly added.

“I know that His Grace is cruel. I also know that he is even less capable of remaining calm when the matter concerns you. But he is not a man who kills without reason.”

“…….”

“He fulfills his responsibilities to Mort.”

I quietly lowered my head.

This was yet another side of Victor I had not known. My beautiful husband, a great knight, and a meticulous lord.

I had been disappointed after learning of Victor’s cruelty and had even argued with him, but the longer I traveled, the more I learned other things as well. He was not merely cruel. He cherished his knights and worked tirelessly for the people of his territory. Everything I had heard and experienced proved it.

I still could not agree with Victor’s methods, but…….

“Leonard.”

“Yes.”

“Could I write this report?”

Raul and Mary exchanged surprised looks.

Since the reports were delivered directly to Victor, Leonard had always written them without even asking me. He had known since the day we departed that things between Victor and me were not particularly good.

But.

I avoided his gaze for no reason.

“It’s all right if you say no. I simply wanted to…….”

“Of course, my lady. Please do as you wish.”

Leonard answered hastily.

I nodded and turned my gaze away.

As soon as the campsite had been prepared, I sat before the campfire. I placed <The Adventures of Doldopin, the Wandering Knight> on my lap and used it as a writing board while spreading a sheet of paper over it.

The paper Mary took from her bag was absurdly fine stationery, unlike anything we normally used. It was likely the kind reserved for correspondence between members of high society. When I gave her a questioning look, Mary strongly insisted that a noblewoman’s letter naturally had to be written on good paper.

Could Mary’s bag be filled with things like this?

I glanced at Mary as she wrapped a bandage around a knight’s scratched arm, then dipped my wooden pen into the ink.

The report was straightforward. I recorded the circumstances of the battles, the villages we had visited, the types of monsters, the extent of the damage, and precisely why we had requested relief supplies. It was not difficult because I had also received reports written by my knights back in Amari.

When I finished, about two-thirds of the page had been filled. I stared at the blank space for a long time. Then I wrote.

[At Yulvalt, I met a loyal knight.
The Sunflower Draka looked very strange, and I have almost finished the second volume of .
Your people thanked me. I was happy.]

After thinking for a long time, I continued writing.

[Are you sleeping well? Are you free from dreams?]

The final question carried the earnest feelings I had pressed deep inside.

[I am healthy, so do not worry about me. Please take care of yourself.]

By the time I finished, the entire sheet of stationery was full.

It was a mess, but they were the things I wanted to say. Things I had wanted to tell him ever since the first day but had been unable to.

I let the ink dry, folded the letter, and tied it to the ankle of the carrier pigeon used for reports.

It was an animal that could cross several mountains in the blink of an eye, so the letter would probably arrive by tomorrow.

I stroked the pigeon’s head, opened the cage, and released it into the sky.