8-Episode 7: Sage, apply for duel




 A feast was being held in the estate for the first time in many years.
 Liquor was being served and men and women were dancing in circles.
 Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.

 In the middle of the feast was the fur and horns of a narwhal tiger.
 Children my age are looking at them curiously.
 When I bravely tapped it with a stick, my parents were furious with me.
 Tomorrow, I'll take these to town and sell them.

 The pelts and horns of demonic beasts sell well.
 I've heard they're a luxury item for the nobility.
 It's a little different than what we had in my day.
 A hexenbiest's pelt is very resistant to slashing and poking, and their horns are almost as hard as steel.
 The horns are almost as hard as steel, they can be used as weapons, and if roasted, they can also be used to strengthen your body.

 To use it just to look at it........
 Times have changed a lot.

 But still.....
 I stare at the narwhal tiger.
 I didn't feel it when I was fighting, but it's much smaller than in the past.
 Perhaps it's a juvenile body.
 I decided to think so, but it bothered me a bit.

 I was drinking a bowl of soup with meat in it.
 It was narwhal tiger meat.
 The meat of a demonic beast is basically tasteless.
 But if you kill it and process it right away, it will have a nice taste.
 Demonic beast meat was the privilege of adventurers who hunted demonic beasts.

 It was a valuable source of protein for this territory as well.
 The size of it is huge.
 It was easy to fill the bellies of about 50 people.

It's amazing, Lasell boy. You're indeed the son of the mansion.

 One of the lords tapped me on the shoulder with a bash.
 Did he cultivate it through farming?
 The power of the [villager] is quite strong.
 It was sober and painful.

''It's amazing that you killed the monster beasts, but........ You're really good. You saved people's lives. If it were me, I'd be a coward if I saw a hexenbiest.

 The woman at the waiter's table offered him a refill.
 I received a steaming wooden bowl and put it in my stomach.
 The meat of a demonic beast can also help increase the amount of magic power.
 If I don't eat it here, I don't know when I'll get it.

''How did you get past the narwhal tigers?''

 An old hunter who was listening beside me asks.

 He replied, looking as hard as he could with a difficult look on his face.

'I was so selflessly trying to save Bornga.... Actually, I don't remember it at all.

Great.... You tried to save your friends. You did what you had to do.

Yeah!

 I turned a huge smile on my face.
 That's the only thing I could see the adults dusting off.

 Let's get through this for now, I thought to myself.
 I decided that I would get through it.


 ◆◇◆◆◆◆.


 Right after I defeated the narwhal tigers, Luxol came with the territory's hunters.
 He noticed that two of his children were missing and came looking for them.

 Naturally, both me and Bornga were stiffly squeezed.
 But the adults were more interested in how we managed to defeat the narwhal tigers.
 I decided to reply vaguely.

 And so here's the guess that Luxor and the others made.
 I chased Borunga into the forest and encountered a narwhal tiger.
 I shot a desperate arrow to save Borunga and hit him in the vital point - and I was immediately made a hero.

 Thus, I was instantly made a hero.
 This is how I was instantly made a hero.

 Incidentally, Bornga was not present at the banquet.
 It is indeed difficult to appear in front of people.

 The feast finally ended when the moon was in the northern direction.
 As expected, I'm sleepy.
 Although I was able to nourish my spirit, I used too much magic today.
 If possible, I'd like to sleep until noon tomorrow.

"Lacelle.

 Standing on the path to the mansion was Luxor.

'Father. Have you not returned yet?

'I've been waiting for my son. Come home with me.

Yes!

 I line up next to Luxol, like a child.
 I smiled, proud of myself.
 Then Luxor stroked my head.

 It's quite ticklish.
 Come to think of it, this might be the first time in my life that I've had a specific father like this.
 In his previous incarnations, most of them had been war orphans.

''You've done well, Lacelle,''

'Thank you. But I really don't remember anything about it.

Well....

 Luxor stopped in the middle of a footpath.
 There were fields all around them and not much to block them.
 The sky was wide and the stars were twinkling in the night sky.
 The moon was pale and white, enveloping his father, Luxor.
 His expression was hard and he was staring at me.

'Lacelle. I need you to tell me the truth.

Is it true?

I thought you said you could do magic?

 ----ck!

 I gulped.
 I could feel the muscles in my face tensing up.
 Not good. It's on my face now.

 I try my best to fake it.
 But it's no use.
 Luxor seems to have convinced me of something.

 Still, I'm surprised.
 I didn't expect them to find out so quickly....
 As expected, the narwhal tiger was too much.

''It's true, isn't it?''

Father, I'm...

'No, I don't blame you. If anything, I'm proud to be a father.

What?

''Lacelle......... Do you know how many [villagers] are here in Galveer right now?

About half?

 That was true when I was alive.
 Is it different now?

I've heard it's already below 30 percent.

Nah!

 Nonsense!

 I was violently upset.
 But when I asked Luxor what the truth was, he nodded.

 The war against the demon race was over, and the battles that occupied most of our daily lives were gone.
 Then, the people in the six major professions that were responsible for the battles were raided, and they began to take on the management and maintenance of the city and castle, which were originally done by the [villagers].
 It's not that I'm not a fan of it.

 The number of women who are forced to have an abortion is increasing due to the development of the appraisal technology, and babies are killed just because their occupation is 【Village】.

 The result is a figure of 30 percent.

 However, the [villagers] who survive are said to have a fate worse than death.

"Why did you have me, father?

'Of course I was worried. He was the first kid. Of course I was troubled, because it was my first child. No life should be unborn. That's why I've decided to have my mother give birth to Lacelle.

So that's what it is.

Lacelle..... What's your target?

 My father's face was serious.

 I decided to answer honestly.

'....Strong. I want to be strong!''

"Even if you're at the mercy of your profession as a [villager] in the future?

Well, then, Father. I'm going to change that perception.

Hmm....

If I become the strongest person in the world, I can prove that [villagers] are a great profession.

 My goal is to be the most powerful person in the world.
 That's just the tip of the iceberg, and it doesn't interfere with my plan.
 The reason why this happened is because I destroyed the demon race.
 I don't want to feel overly responsible, but I will have to atone for some of my sins.

''My dad is against it.''

What?

I admire your spirit. But as a father, I want you to have no trouble in this land. You're an important heiress.

 What on earth does Luxor want?
 I think he was praising and agitating her and telling her to stay.
 As a father, he would be about to send them off with a good feeling.

'Then here's what I'll do. Tomorrow we'll have a duel with your father.

Duel...?

'If Lacelle wins against my father, I will allow her to leave the house. If he loses, I will allow him to take over the house... What do you think?

 I didn't have a quick answer.

 Luxor is strong.
 I still haven't shaken the impression of my father when I first met him.
 But this was an opportunity.
 An opportunity to get out in front of the Stark family.
 I had to take a chance.

All right, Dad. Okay, Dad.

 I let my eyes gleam.
 The child's face in my father's eyes has a beastly look to it.

''Hmm. I like the spirit of it, but...''

 Luxor raises the corners of his mouth.

'My father is strong,'

 He made a gesture as if he were grasping a sword and raised his arms.

 It was then that I finally realized Luxor's intentions.
 I see.
 It's all an excuse....

 My father just wanted to fight me.