Chapter 60

In the town center of the frontier territory, Sutrena—in one corner of the streets—I was helping with the reconstruction work.

Several days have passed since that new moon night. Fortunately, the damage was less than expected; aside from the residential area near the manor, most of the town remained untouched by the magical beasts. Everyone says that previous incidents were incomparable to this, so Lord Nazel’s countermeasures must have been incredibly effective.

Lord Nazel and Sir Henry were issuing orders while their subordinates moved about busily. Even Torre had enlarged himself to take on the task of clearing rubble. He is highly valued by the people of the frontier; with him around, the work time is significantly shortened.

I focused on reinforcing the buildings and roads, working diligently by Lord Nazel’s side. As we worked, a question that had been on my mind occurred to me, and I decided to ask him.

“Sutrena seems to suffer from significantly more magical beast damage compared to other territories. We aren’t the only ones bordering the forest… do other territories have some kind of special countermeasure?”

Lord Nazel narrowed his amber eyes gently as he looked at me. Seeing my beloved husband like this made my heart race uncontrollably, just like always. Despite my simple question, he answered me kindly.

“I checked the records, but the information wasn’t there. That’s why I’m planning to conduct a survey of the regions bordering the forest and the neighboring territories. Apparently, no official has ever actually visited the sites before. Henry tried to move forward with an investigation once, but it seems the local nobles found it bothersome and obstructed him. Well, it’s a long way from the town center, and arranging accommodations and such… it does put a burden on the locals.”

“Oh my. So, this time you’ll be going under your own authority?”

“Exactly. We can’t just leave the damage unaddressed.”

Lord Nazel may have been exiled, but he is still a high-ranking nobleman, after all.

“U-Um, I would like to go too. I can help with my magic.”

“You too, Agnes? It’s true that your magic is always a huge help, but…”

As I gazed into his eyes, his face gradually began to turn red. Wait, is he blushing? It gave me a ticklish feeling, somewhere between happiness and my own embarrassment.

“All right, I’ll consult with Henry. In exchange, you mustn’t leave my side or Torre’s side, okay?”

“Of course. I won’t do anything dangerous.”

“…You went out on your own on the night of the new moon, didn’t you?”

“Ugh.”

“I was terribly worried, though I know you were out there saving the injured.”

Lord Nazel leaned in and dropped a soft kiss on my cheek.

“But please, don’t do anything reckless, okay?”

“U-Um, Lord Nazel, people are watching.”

There were so many people working on the reconstruction around us. I thought it was a bit much to be so lovey-dovey in public… but everyone was watching us with warm, fond smiles.

“Well now, seeing a married couple get along so well is a fine thing!”

“Please, both of you, stay in Sutrena forever.”

It seems our public displays of affection have been officially sanctioned. It’s incredibly embarrassing, but Lord Nazel looks delighted.

And so, it was decided that once the reconstruction work had settled down, we would head to the areas near the frontier forest to investigate the extent of the damage and its causes.

A short while later, Lord Nazel, myself, Sir Henry, Torre, Kelly, and several officials and soldiers set out for the outskirts of Sutrena on our riding beasts.

The weather was clear, with a pleasant breeze blowing through. It looked to be an uneventful journey. Lord Nazel and I rode on Geni the wyvern, while the rest of the group rode on pegasi.

Our destination this time was the village of Catena, located to the northeast of Sutrena. To the east lies the forest, and to the north are the Zazame and Hihime territories. The Zazame territory is the one closer to the forest. Catena sits right next to the forest and the Zazame territory, with a small wooded area acting as the border between the lands.

By the way, I was the one handling the wyvern today. Geni was thrilled to be out on a long trip for the first time in a while, and he hadn’t stopped his “joyful barrel rolls” for some time now.

“Whoa—sorry! Lord Nazel… Geni is just so excited.”

“Hehe, it’s fine. I’m having a good time. Besides, this way I get to stay stuck close to you, Agnes.”

“Hyah!”

It was true; during the barrel rolls, we were even more tightly pressed together than during a normal flight. Lord Nazel, for his part, seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.