23. First Assignment

The day after the Tourney of Champions, Reet was called by Commander Ursu and headed to the knights’ office.

“First, congratulations on winning the tournament. It’s reassuring to have the tournament’s champion join our unit,” Ursu said.

“Thank you, but it was mostly luck…”

Reet genuinely believed that to be true.

William Argyle’s presence had been preoccupying me the entire time.

He had won by his opponent’s surrender, but it was clear that William hadn’t been fighting seriously.

And despite Reet fighting at full strength, William had never truly matched him.

Because of that, while he was happy to have won the tournament, he couldn’t celebrate it wholeheartedly.

There were many people stronger than him.

So he had to train harder.

Reet had resolved that firmly.

I would learn a lot from Commander Ursu.

Reet was looking forward to it.

Ursu was the commander of the First Escort Unit of the royal family protecting Princess Iris, and would be Reet’s superior officer.

From here on, there would be many opportunities to work together.

“Now then, I’ll have you begin your duties today. We’re going to take a short trip together,” Ursu said.

His first assignment.

Reet listened silently to Commander Ursu’s explanation.

“Your first task is to eliminate the Lizardmen near the village of Ultan, which is about a hundred kilometers southwest of the royal capital.”

“So we’re not escorting the princess?”

“Palace guard knights exist to protect the royal family in times of emergency, but as long as the princess remains within the palace, there’s little danger. Therefore, during peacetime we take on duties protecting the people, just like other knight orders. We also serve to maintain the prestige of our unit as part of the direct royal guard, and to demonstrate our strength to the people and other knight orders.”

“I understand.”

“Then let’s depart at once. We’ll likely be away for about a week, so prepare accordingly.”

“Understood, sir.”

†

Reet and Ursu departed from the royal capital in the morning and arrived at the village of Ultan by evening.

Ultan was not a particularly large settlement.

The population was around a hundred people.

Located at the base of a mountain, most of the scattered buildings were small, single-story structures.

There didn’t seem to be any industry. They appeared to live a self-sufficient lifestyle.

“—Knights! How wonderful that you’ve come,” a white-haired old man greeted them as they entered the village.

“I serve as the village chief. My name is Henry.”

The village chief was an old man with a gentle demeanor and humble manner, yet he carried an air of dignity.

“I am Ursu, commander of the First Escort Unit of the palace guard knights. And this is Reet. We’ll be handling this assignment together,” Ursu introduced himself.

The village chief bowed again.

“We’ve been living in fear, never knowing when the Lizardmen might attack our village. Please, we’re counting on you.”

The current assignment was to exterminate Lizardmen living near the village.

Lizardmen had taken up residence in the mountain, and the village’s swordsmen had attempted to deal with them, but had been overwhelmed.

That’s why the village had requested aid from the knight order.

“Do you happen to know how many there are?” Ursu asked.

The village chief shook his head.

“I’m afraid not. But according to the villagers, they spotted swarms of dozens near a cave deep in the mountain.”

“Then there could be several hundred hiding there. Extermination may take some time. Reet and I will take turns going into the mountain—one of us will go while the other remains in the village to protect the people. Since Lizardmen are nocturnal, we’ll conduct the extermination during the day when they’re less active.”

Ursu explained the strategy briefly.

“Please do. Let me show you to the house where you’ll be staying. It’s modest, but I hope you’ll forgive us.”

“Not at all, we appreciate your consideration,” Ursu replied.

The village chief led the way and showed them to the house.

Then, on the way there, a child came running toward us.

A small girl, around six or seven years old.

“Knights! You came to help us!!” she exclaimed, her eyes shining as she ran up to them.

She had blue eyes and an intelligent expression.

“I apologize for the trouble. This is my granddaughter, Lily. She’s been looking forward to your arrival…” the village chief introduced her.

Reet bent down to meet Lily at eye level and greeted her.

“Hello, Lily. I’m Reet. Nice to meet you.”

When Reet spoke, Lily asked innocently.

“Reet! Can you defeat all the Lizardmen by the day after tomorrow?”

I was suddenly startled by such an unexpected question.

“The day after tomorrow? Is something happening then?”

Reet asked, and Lily clenched her small fists in front of her chest and spoke.

“The day after tomorrow is ‘Star Day’! If we go up the mountain on that day, we can meet Mom and Dad!”

“…Star Day? Your mom and dad?”

Reet repeated her words, prompting an explanation.

But before an answer came, the village chief gently reprimanded Lily.

“Now, Lily. Don’t make unreasonable requests! Lizardman extermination is dangerous. Don’t rush the knights.”

Then Lily began to look like she would cry.

“…So… I won’t be able to see my mom this year?”

Seeing her face, the village chief looked uncomfortable.

“‘Star Day’ will come again next year. You’ll just have to be patient this year, Lily.”

As the village chief spoke as if reasoning with her, Lily burst into tears.

Then, as if having heard the conversation, a middle-aged woman emerged from the house.

“Lily, don’t cry. Come here. Let’s have dinner,” she said, bowing to Reet and the others before leading Lily inside.

She seemed considerate of their feelings.

“I apologize. My granddaughter has caused you trouble,” the village chief said apologetically.

“Um, what exactly is ‘Star Day’?” Reet asked.

“It’s a local legend. This season, the sky is clear, and on Star Day, it’s said that the spirits of the dead descend the mountain. That child lost both her parents… She had been looking forward to Star Day, but with the Lizardmen on the mountain now, there’s nothing to be done about it, and she’s disappointed.”

“I see…”

Reet felt sorry for her, and seeing this, the village chief was considerate of them both.

“I’ll have dinner brought to you shortly. Please rest well this evening…”

The village chief walked again and led them to the house. The rooms were small but separate.

“The villagers will bring dinner shortly, so please wait a moment. My house is across the way, so please don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

With that, the village chief turned on his heel.

After seeing his retreating figure, Reet turned to Commander Ursu and asked.

“Um, after dinner, would it be alright if I had some free time?”

“Of course, but… is there something you need?” the commander asked.

Reet answered.

“I’d like to do some training, outside the village.”