The Retired Magic Knight Runs An Inn On The Frontier (1)

Just one last time.

After passing through the great gate, I looked back at the royal castle, my heart filled with emotion.

Although I had chosen to retire of my own accord, this was the place where I had worked for fourteen long years, counting from my days as an apprentice.

Apparently, some part of me still felt reluctant to leave.

“Lydia.”

When I turned around, I saw someone who should never have been there.

“Lord Philip…”

I did not bow.

Even now, countless people were coming and going through this place. I could not allow them to discover who this gentleman was.

He had at least taken the precaution of disguising himself. From every angle, he looked like a well-bred young nobleman, but he was not wearing the attire of a prince.

Lord Philip hurried over to my side.

“So you really are leaving.”

He murmured those words in a sorrowful voice tinged with melancholy.

Remaining on horseback, I bowed my head deeply.

“Yes. I am deeply honored that you have come to see me off.”

It was an honor for a knight to have someone of such extraordinarily noble standing regret their departure, but if I were to be perfectly frank, I wished he would hurry back inside the castle.

The royal castle’s great gate was a nightmare from a security standpoint. Not only was it crowded with people, but there were blind spots everywhere.

It had been the scene of numerous assassination attempts.

“I wanted you to stay here.”

His Highness had tried to persuade me to remain countless times, but I had no other answer to give him.

“I am honored. However, this is what I wish for. I must now take my leave.”

“Your Highness, it is time to return.”

The knight standing behind him quietly addressed Lord Philip.

“Yes.”

Lord Philip acknowledged his words.

“I pray that you remain in good health, Lord Philip.”

And so ended my farewell to His Highness the Crown Prince.

After leaving the royal capital, I rode west.

My beloved horse, Olivia, had turned her head in that direction. That was my only reason for choosing it.

On the sixth day, I reached a town where I decided to settle down.

If I traveled any farther, I would cross the national border.

As a former knight, I needed permission to travel abroad.

The necessary paperwork could only be completed at the Knights’ Headquarters in the royal capital, which was now far behind me. I had absolutely no desire to return to the capital I had only just left.

Although this was frontier territory, it was sufficiently far from the border that there was little danger. Fields and farmland stretched across the surrounding countryside, making it a rural town surrounded by deep forests.

This region belonged to Margrave Goran.

The town, named Fus, possessed a pleasant degree of liveliness, and I felt I could live comfortably there.

I visited the town hall and asked them to find me a house that met my requirements.

Handling the sale and purchase of land and buildings, along with preparing the associated deeds, was among their responsibilities.

What I wanted was a detached house in a quiet location with a vegetable garden.

The young man at the town hall introduced me to several properties that met my requirements. In the end, I chose an unoccupied farmhouse approximately five kilometers outside town.

Its former owner, an elderly woman who had been widowed after her husband’s death, had decided to sell the property. The house had been vacant for only a month.

None of the buildings required repairs, and the elderly woman had apparently continued cultivating the fields until just before she left, so the soil remained in good condition. It was the ideal property for me.

I paid for the land and, while I was at it, also paid this year’s taxes to the local lord.

Apparently, taxes could be paid in money, but payment in kind, such as pigs or honey, was also accepted.

The property included the house, fields, and part of the nearby mountains, making it roughly ten times larger than I had originally envisioned. However, its inconvenient location meant that the price was lower than I had expected.

Thanks to my savings, I was not short of money, but one never knew what life might bring. I was grateful that the purchase had remained within my budget.

After all, I had no intention of working for quite some time.

As we exchanged the deed, the young man at the town hall gave me a concerned look.

“The area gets somewhat dangerous once you leave town. Are you really planning to live there all by yourself?”

He was worried about a woman living alone.

I had not told him that I was a former knight. That was a past I had left behind.

A little investigation would reveal the truth easily enough, but I had no intention of volunteering information about my former occupation.

Even with training, female knights could not develop as much muscle as their male counterparts. Furthermore, I had devoted myself to recuperating until my injuries healed, so my body had weakened considerably. The only thing about me that still resembled a knight was that I was slightly taller than the average woman.

“I can use a little magic.”

The young man looked at me with admiration.

“Oh, so you’re a mage!”

“Nothing quite so impressive. But I can at least protect myself.”

I had simply told him that I had retired from my previous line of work after suffering an injury and had come here seeking a peaceful life of farming on fair days and reading on rainy ones.

The young man might have mistakenly assumed that my former profession was that of a mage, but he was not entirely wrong. I had not lied.

“Still, there’s absolutely nothing out there.”

“That’s precisely why I like it. I’ve retired, and I want to live somewhere quiet.”

Feeling a little embarrassed, I revealed my intentions.

“…I’m thinking of cooking meals using vegetables I’ve grown myself.”

“I see. In that case, that property should be perfect for you.”

To the young man, it was probably an entirely ordinary reason for wanting to live in the countryside. However, anyone who knew “Lydia Venesca” would have been utterly astonished to hear me say such a thing.

More than anyone else, I was the one most bewildered by the idea.

Apparently oblivious to my embarrassment, he continued.

“If you ever run into any trouble, please don’t hesitate to come see us.”

“Thank you very much for your kindness.”

I thanked him and took my leave.

My first order of business in town was to acquire a wagon, which I loaded with the supplies I purchased.

These consisted mainly of cooking utensils and ingredients.

After that, I acquired several chickens and a Milhy-breed cow.

The Milhy breed was a cross between a magical cow and an ordinary cow.

Milhy cattle were hardy and produced milk even without giving birth. Furthermore, their milk was renowned for its excellent quality.

That might have sounded like nothing but advantages, but their aggressive temperament meant that anyone wishing to raise them had to establish a familiar contract.

In other words, they would not become attached to anyone without magical power, making them difficult for ordinary people with little magic to handle. Their relatively low reproductive rate was another disadvantage when it came to raising them as livestock.

Neither drawback presented much of a problem for me, so I purchased a Milhy cow and tamed the beautiful animal with its brown-and-white spotted coat.

And so, accompanied by a mountain of luggage, several chickens, and a cow, Olivia and I set off for our new home.

The house stood approximately five kilometers down the main road leading toward the mountains.

“…It’s a more impressive house than I expected.”

With no one else around, I shared my impressions with Olivia.

Olivia responded with a “Brrr,” as though she agreed.

Apparently, the previous owner had operated quite a substantial farm.

There was a large two-story main house, a storage barn, a stable, a cowshed, a chicken coop, and even a silo farther back.

The fields were spacious as well.

Surely a house like this already had residents.

House fairies.