Chapter 83
(Kyle
Calendar Year 506: Age 13)
The Second Harvest Festival
Translator : PolterGlast
It was a frantic
preparation, but we somehow managed to hold the Harvest Festival.
"It's a bit late,
but we will now begin the second Teigun Harvest Festival and Victory
Celebration.
Everyone, thank you so
much. Teigun's victory is all thanks to your cooperation. I want to express my
gratitude again.
From now on, I plan to
develop Teigun into a much larger, safer city where everyone can live in peace.
Also, regarding the joint elite tournament that we are currently preparing for,
I would greatly appreciate everyone's help.
To make the city you
all protected even more livable, to the bounty of the earth, and to everyone's
victory, cheers!"
"To everyone's
victory!"
"To the future of
Teigun!"
"To our
city!"
Finally, I feel like
I've truly returned to my own city, Teigun.
There's still a
mountain of things to do.
I can develop more
than before!
I can strengthen
defensive facilities!
There's plenty of
labor!
There's abundant
funding for that!
A branch of the
Frontier Knights will also be established!
Compared to before,
when we had nothing, this is a huge change. You could call it a great leap
forward.
I want to connect this
result to a brighter future, no matter what. It's hard to believe the situation
from a little while ago.
The citizens of Teigun
were once again savoring the festival and the joy of protecting and winning
with their own hands.
By the way, this
festival is more extravagant than before. Including the eve, all sake and
drinks for three days are free. The evening meals served at the festival venue
were also all free.
We arranged for each
restaurant to provide free meals and drinks, with the promise of payment.
We also asked those
working behind the scenes to rotate shifts so that everyone could enjoy the
festival.
※
The Harvest Festival
provisions were also delivered to the prisoners of the Gryphonia Imperial Army.
They are living in a
temporary prisoner-of-war camp set up next to the mercenary troop barracks in
the Fourth District, just inside the city's entrance.
They are provided with
daily meals and clean beds, and their safety is guaranteed, though their
freedom of movement is restricted.
They also receive a
small payment for their labor. Basic necessities like food, clothing, and
shelter are free, and they have no tax obligations. This means they can send
money to their hometowns through merchants.
Letters and
remittances cannot be sent freely, but they are possible if sent through
designated merchant routes we have prepared. Letters are, however, subject to
censorship.
The representative of
the prisoners is a man named Masrur. He is apparently a soldier who surrendered
during the Battle of the Checkpoint. I met and spoke with him once, and he
seemed like an honest and trustworthy man.
"I am someone who
previously received a favor from the Third Imperial Prince. I served the wrong
master and unwillingly found myself in the camp of the First Imperial Prince, who
was hostile to the Third Imperial Prince. I no longer hold any grudge against
the people here.
On the contrary, I am
grateful for the many compatriots you saved and for the respectful burial of
the deceased. From now on, I will cooperate to the best of my ability."
He not only said this
but also demonstrated it through his actions, working tirelessly every day to
cooperate with us and improve the treatment of the prisoners.
"He is a very
capable man. I'd almost want to bring him over to our side," Miseri said
with a wry smile, evaluating him.
Whether it was thanks
to him or not, many of the prisoners were cooperative.
When I heard that we
had taken a large number of prisoners in this war, I wanted Teigun to handle it
similarly to the Matsuyama Prisoner-of-War Camp, which was established in
Shikoku during the Russo-Japanese War.
It might be dismissed
as hypocrisy based solely on my personal feelings, but it also served as an
atonement for taking so many lives in the war.
In fact, Rosa, Mia,
Ranatoria, and the staff of the infirmary, as well as the townspeople,
desperately and kindly cared for the enemy soldiers they had been fighting just
moments before.
Seriously wounded
soldiers, abandoned even by their own comrades, received thorough nursing care from
the very people whose city they had intended to attack.
In the prisoner-of-war
camp, they received exceptionally good treatment, unheard of in their own
country, and even wages, albeit small.
To alleviate their
boredom, a market was set up in front of the camp, where prisoners could shop
with the wages they received.
These things slowly
but surely extinguished the animosity of many prisoners. Some even expressed a
desire to live in Teigun as settlers in the future.
※
After the eve of the
festival, the first day of the festival began with a memorial service. I
absolutely wanted to do this at the beginning of the festival celebrating
victory.
When offering prayers
to the fallen, prisoners who wished to attend were permitted to do so.
As I offered words to
the fallen, the faces of those who had passed away floated into my mind.
Clan.
The knights I caused
to die because of my reckless actions.
Those who died
protecting my brother.
The fallen soldiers of
the mercenary corps.
Again, I sincerely
thanked and apologized to them. Before I knew it, I was crying again.
"Regardless of
their affiliation, I offer my condolences and a moment of silence for all souls
who fought for their homeland and fell on the battlefield."
Somehow, I managed to
say it all. After the ceremony ended, I cried again in a secluded spot and felt
quite dejected.
I realize that I
myself have become a bit emotionally unstable since then. My heart is tormented
by Nishida's common sense of living in a world without war.
The
"Nishida" part of me in my heart blames myself for taking so many
lives, both ally and enemy. I huddled down, hiding from others.
At that moment, my
back was enveloped in a very reassuring, gentle sensation. Yes, I was being
hugged from behind.
I've made Anne worry
unnecessarily again...
or so I thought.
"Takuhir-sama,
I'm sure Clan and the 52 knights are pleased to know that their lord cares for
them so much.
They wouldn't want to
see you sinking into sadness for their sake. Please send them off with a
smile."
This voice... it was
Claire.
"Claire, thank
you.
I heard that you saved
Miseri-san in her moment of crisis when Teigun was attacked, and that you
reluctantly made the final decision to repel the enemy.
I'm truly glad you're
my comrade. I agonized over it until the end, but I'm really glad I left you in
Teigun.
Claire, you absolutely
must not let me send you off like this. If that happens, I won't be able to
recover."
Huh?
Claire, who was
supposed to be comforting me... was now crying.
※
As night fell, the
second night of the Harvest Festival began.
I was at a corner of a
food stall in the central plaza, looking forward to reuniting with someone I
had long wanted to meet.
"Congratulations
on your recent victory. As a citizen, I offer my congratulations.
Also, I am truly sorry
and humbled that you, a person of your stature, have come all the way here to
speak with a woman of my standing."
Last year, I happened
to meet and speak with a woman named Yoru in this very spot. She was one of the
key figures in this defense battle, having helped Miseri during her speech.
And as an aside,
thanks to her words, the matter of attracting brothels didn't incur my mother's
wrath, and everything was settled. I desperately wanted to reunite with her and
thank her, so I had her come here.
I couldn't very well
go to the brothel myself.
"No, no,
Yoru-san's words saved Teigun. Because of your words, everyone listened to the
words I left behind. Thank you so much, I've wanted to thank you for so
long."
I remembered her name
because it was the same as a character "Nishida" knew, and she was a
beautiful woman with long black hair, which left a strong impression.
"Your words are
too kind, I am truly humbled. As one of the residents here, I merely did what
was natural. When we met before, I used the name Yoru, which I used at the
brothel, but my true name is Yoltia."
"What!"
A shock ran through
me.
Yoltia Kreis, a woman
with the incredibly rare magic skill of Gravity Mage on the list of magic user
candidates.
A woman who lives in
the city of Est, one of the rare individuals with a family name outside of the
nobility.
I thought she would be
easy to find, but I couldn't get any leads on her whereabouts. And now, here
she was, right in front of me.
"I apologize if
this is rude. Are you, by any chance, Yoltia Kreis?"
Yoru-san's eyes
widened in surprise.
"That is correct,
as you said. I had already stopped using it, but my father was a merchant in
the city of Est.
The Kreis family, a
few generations ago, had an ancestor who was the third son of the Baron Kreis
family. They were allowed to use the surname for generations, even though they
couldn't inherit the family.
My father failed in a
business speculation and lost everything. When he fell behind on debt payments,
I was taken in by a brothel in the city of Est, and when a brothel was
established in Teigun, I moved here.
But, how did you know
my surname?"
"Ah, my father
had dealings with merchants, so various things..."
Yeah, that's an excuse
scoring less than 30 points.
"More
importantly, I'd like you, Yoltia-san, to work under me in the administrative
office or reception desk in the future... Would that be alright?"
"Someone like me
working under Takuhir-sama would tarnish your name. Also, I have debts to
repay, so please forgive me."
"Don't worry
about that, just tell me your honest feelings, Yoltia-san. Do you want to work?
Or do you not want to work?"
"...I, too, was
one of those who were moved by the words the Lord spoke to me when we met
before. If it's possible for someone like me, I want to work!"
Yes! Thank you.
This settles it, I was
overjoyed.
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