REFDL 14

While Kaelus was lost in confusion.

Haa…

The dragon let out a sigh.

Kaelus resisted the urge to hit his own head with the hilt of his sword.

Srrr.

The Kremlis shook off the leaves, and it carefully lifted the nest with its front paws.

Then, wobbling on its hind legs alone, it scrambled away from the fallen tree.

The crow flew down.

Caw!!

Grrr…

Caw!!

Grrr…

Its trembling front paws gently set the nest down.

As if it had been waiting, the crow pecked at the Kremlis’s head and clawed at it. 

The Kremlis didn’t react.

No, it did react.

It curled its large frame as small as possible, flattening itself against the ground. Its neck drooped downward.

Kaelus suddenly recalled Count Zirfen. A prominent figure who sided with the Second Prince during the civil war, he was abandoned at its final stages.

He was trapped in the castle with the few remaining supplies. Naturally, he didn’t hold out long. The count, who came out waving a white flag, was dragged before Tortan.

Back then, the count, forced to kneel before the knights and Tortan, looked exactly like this.

But comparing them is a bit much.

The count was a petty coward, but this one saved a crow chicks…

“……”

Thwack!

His clenched fist struck the side of his head. Neither the crow nor the Kremlis noticed while Kaelus clutched his slightly dazed head.

The Kremlis, eyeing the crow, rebuilt the nest with its front paws. Then it slowly rose into the air.

Kaelus bit his tongue.

‘Damn it.’

He’d spaced out and missed his chance. He hesitated. Should he ran out now and slit its throat?

The Kremlis, who he’d expected to fly far away immediately, held the nest carefully and circled the area. Then, like a honeybee, it flitted from tree to tree.

‘……?’

It was searching for a suitable tree to place the nest on.

‘…….’

The strength drained from Kaelus’s hands. He lowered the sword he’d been gripping so tightly his veins stood out.

‘…Let’s go back.’

He conceded.

He must have been tired and seeing things.

* * *

Kaelus returned to the village.

“Captain, you’re late!”

“Yes. I need to rest a bit.”

The knight standing guard at the village entrance looked shocked. Rest? Did he just say rest?

‘No, I must have misheard.’

He probably said he was going to relieve himself.

That was strange enough, but the knight didn’t dwell on it.

“I’ll hear the report after I take a nap. For now… I need to lie down.”

The knight turned ashen. He’ll hear the report… later?!

“Hea…”

“…?”

“Healer!! Anyone! The Captain is acting strange…!”

“……”

Twack!

* * *

They found the Kremlis but could not capture it. They also discovered traces of Denos’s scouting.

The priority was clear.

“The forest seems fine. A monster that wandered out from deeper inside killed the wolves, then retreated, unable to bear the pain. But just in case, I’ll report it to higher-ups.”

The Kremlis would be killed after this mission. It would grow a bit more by then, but it was still just a youngling, not even a sub-adult yet. It was fine for now.

More than anything…

Kaelus forcibly cut off the thought that threatened to follow. Thinking it would be fine if it was that thing made no sense… What a crazy idea.

“The Kremlis was nonsense spoken by the aide who misunderstood something. Forget about it.”

“…Yes.”

The village chief hesitated, then bowed his head.

Kaelus stared at the chief’s perfectly bald crown, then turned away without a word.

The knights pretended to return to the castle, but instead re-entered the Sea of Trees.

The forest that had descended from above over a thousand years ago gradually thickened at its base, forming a V-shape by modern times.

This was its southernmost tip.

The end of the V-shape.

What that meant was, the width of the forest between Denos here was a mere 10 kilometers.

Of course, the forest didn’t end here. It extended further down, meeting the sea. But that area had treacherous terrain and weak ground.

‘If we were to move an army through it.’

This vicinity was the most suitable.

Kaelus’s expression grew serious. He signaled to his men. The knights, sharp as blades yet heavy with resolve, gleamed like beasts in the thicket.

They traversed the Sea of Trees stealthily and quickly.

* * *

I ended up taking the crow as my master.

Clearing up the misunderstanding, and me saving the chicks, were big factors.

When the nest fell, I was really terrified…

The crow just wanted to protect its nest. With dangerous creatures like a Kremlis flying nearby, it was only natural to be on guard…

Caw caw!

…I’m not an idiot, Master.

Anyway, there was much to learn from the crow’s flight, moves impossible with membrane wings and maneuverability impossible with a dragon’s bulk.

I can’t guarantee how much I can replicate through practice.

I’ve time to spare.

There’s no harm in learning anything.

After the restriction on going outside ended, I belatedly heard from the children who rushed over that the knights had come.

I was startled, but fortunately, they said the knights left quickly. Phew.

“Next time, it’d be better to be more cautious.”

Rotol spoke seriously, clearly shaken. Yet she seemed slightly flushed.

“I saw real knights for the first time! Not dragon knights, just regular ones… but they were super cool!”

Yes, I bet they were…

“But the adults hated it. Why? They were the ones who asked for help.”

“They are pobably just shy. Odan’s like that too.”

“My sister is a bit shy around people…”

Thwack!

“Ow…”

“So, did the wolf leader leave for good?”

I don’t know.

I got worried too, so patrolling the forest became my routine after that.

But.

He wasn’t anywhere.

Considering the nature of monsters, it’s only logical to assume he returned to his original place, deeper into the Sea of Trees. They don’t think like humans.

Even if they harbor resentment, they can only follow their instincts.

…But why do I feel so restless?

Well, I’m just a coward, I guess.

I dismissed it as nothing.

I shouldn’t have.

* * *

The village adults headed back into the forest.

Hunters cleared the wolf carcasses from the basin, while herb gatherers harvested cotton flowers. Despite the events, the men’s expressions were relatively bright.

Unexpectedly, the knights had visited personally to confirm everything was in order.

“But why did the village chief come out with us?”

“I can understand the axe, but a sword at your waist?”

“I didn’t even know the village chief had a sword until today.”

The herb gatherers murmured briefly, but soon focused on the gold nuggets, no, the cotton flowers, before them. This quantity would be more than enough for the entire village.

They could sell it at a generous price to the traveling merchants who regularly visited the village.

Imagining their improved livelihoods, their moods grew as warm and fuzzy as the cotton flowers themselves.

Nothing happened on the first day.

Nor on the second.

Then, on the third day, when the cotton flower gathering was nearly complete.

The hunters and herb gatherers returned to their main occupations. 

For some reason, the village chief requested they only venture to shallower areas than before. The hunters nodded obediently. …It felt like the right thing to do.

The village chief was a good man.

Almost too good for a village like this.

He was strong and responsible. He always quietly did what needed to be done. But he was also a difficult person to deal with. Not that he used his authority to bully people or anything…

“There is something.”

“Oh, yes. That’s it. There’s something hard to deal with. Yes.”

“It can’t an’t be helped. The village chief wouldn’t do that without reason.”

“But winter’s coming soon. Won’t we be short on meat?”

“We’ve got plenty of cotton flowers, so when the peddler comes next time, let’s buy lots of grain!”

The hunters chuckled and disappeared to set traps.

“……”

The hunter at the very back stood quietly, then headed in a different direction. He entered the Sea of Trees. Deeper than the basin.

He hesitated occasionally but didn’t stop.

The hunter was Mirim’s father.

Mirim had never spoken of it, but he knew his son’s dream.

To become a knight, money was needed.

A great deal of money.

The new emperor had established an academy for commoners. But even that academy required money. He had been saving for years, yet it was still woefully insufficient.

And once this winter passed, Mirim would be old enough to enter the academy.

Clank.

Clank.

Having passed the basin long ago, he set a trap on the ground. It was a trap capable of catching something larger than rabbits or weasel monsters. He carefully placed the bait meat on top.

He had seen Mirim training with Rotol. It was child’s play, and being blind as a bat, he couldn’t discern any talent, but Mirim was happy.

…That was enough for the hunter.

He himself had learned nothing else his whole life, so he stayed in the Forest Village.

‘Mirim isn’t like me.’

It didn’t have to be a knight. As long as he could leave the Forest Village, go somewhere safer.