Ch.22Beginning (1)

A few days later. The unexplored territory of Baron Colland.

‘So this is where I’ll be staying for the time being, the place where I need to build a pioneer village….’

Having arrived at the destination ahead of the prospective residents as part of what could be called an advance party, I momentarily felt overwhelmed looking at this truly barren plain where absolutely nothing existed.

But that feeling didn’t last long. After scanning the surrounding landscape with my eyes and examining its features, I was finally able to escape that sense of helplessness.

Because looking at the terrain of this area, it was clear that my father had been considerate of me in this situation.

First, the foundation where the village would be established was a field where only some wild grass and shrubs grew, and considering that the ground wasn’t particularly hard or rocky, clearing the land shouldn’t be too difficult.

There was also a small forest nearby with several straight trees perfect for timber, and from what I saw on the way here, there’s even a relatively wide river with abundant water in the vicinity.

Since I don’t know what resources exist in the surroundings, I can’t make a definitive judgment right away, but I could tell that this was at least land where people wouldn’t starve to death if they farmed it.

…Of course, not being an expert, I couldn’t properly understand the details.

And that’s when it happened.

‘…Hmm?’

While I was sitting on a mound, I sensed something behind me, and then a voice that sounded slightly unfamiliar yet somehow familiar reached my ears.

“What are you doing sitting there looking so pitiful, Lord Alzar?”

A feeling of joy naturally blossomed in my heart upon hearing a voice I hadn’t heard in a very long time since childhood.

When I turned my head toward the voice that belonged to practically my only friend, given my complete lack of social connections, there stood Charlotte, a welcome face.

Unlike when we last met, Charlotte’s childlike features had faded, replaced by a more mature appearance. She stood looking at me with her long, slightly purple-tinged hair flowing in the breeze.

She wore practical clothing: leather pants that clung tightly to her legs (similar to leggings), a tunic with a long hem like a dress, and over it all, what appeared to be a ready-made robe.

“…Charlotte? Is that really you?”

“Yes, young mas— No, Lord Alzar. I am Charlotte Mainster, the administrator of the pioneer village you will be overseeing. It’s been years, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s been a long time! Have you been well?”

Considering that about four years had passed since I last saw her, and that she had gone through puberty during that time, she had changed considerably though traces of her former self remained.

Charlotte Mainster, who had arrived with a riding horse loaded with various items… How should I put it? She definitely had a different aura about her, perhaps from learning magic.

Magic power tinged with the mysteries she had studied leaked slightly from her eyes. I suspect her hair, which now had a faint purple hue, had also changed color due to the influence of those mysteries.

And as I conversed with Charlotte, who was looking at me with a faint smile, I suddenly realized that she wasn’t the only one who had arrived here.

“Has everyone arrived?”

“Yes. I arrived first. The architect and carpenter should be arriving soon, and the rest are on their way with the supplies provided by the Baron.”

“I see. And the means of transport?”

“Oxen. The Baron has transferred ownership to us. Four of them.”

“Four oxen…!!”

In a pioneer village, oxen are comparable to heavy machinery in the modern world.

As depicted in Korean media about ancient Joseon, oxen are used for “ox-farming” as tools for cultivation, and for carrying heavy loads, a single ox can do the work of dozens of humans.

Additionally, while these are working oxen and produce less milk than dedicated dairy cows, they can still provide milk, and in the worst-case scenario, they could even be slaughtered for food if necessary.

Although they are herbivores and occasionally need to be fed grains like beans to maintain their strength, the fact that their main diet can be grass that humans can’t eat (though this still requires attention) is definitely an advantage.

And as we were having this friendly conversation, just as Charlotte had mentioned, two construction specialists arrived along the path, escorted by a family of hunters.

They put down their luggage in one place and then began to look around the area, seemingly searching for building sites or taking measurements…

‘…Hmm?’

As I was assessing the situation through their movements, I suddenly realized something and was struck by a sense of incongruity.

Come to think of it… I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t noticed Charlotte’s approach on horseback.

It might sound a bit unpleasant, but my senses are extremely keen thanks to my aura and “hyper-intuition” factor, to the point where I can detect the detailed movements of approaching hunters without even looking.

Yet despite this, I hadn’t noticed Charlotte approaching on horseback, not even when she came up behind me…

‘…So this is Charlotte’s magic.’

There was only one possibility I could think of: this was the magic of Charlotte Mainster, the half-baked magic user.

Although she had dropped out of the magic tower, considering her father the librarian is a magician, she could certainly have learned magic if she wanted to.

And in fact, looking back, if one were to ask whether Charlotte Mainster is a proper magician… that would be rather ambiguous.

She was detected by my senses, which were almost defenseless, even though she slightly hindered detection, so her level probably isn’t that high.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“…Oh, it’s nothing. Just worrying about the future, I suppose?”

Anyway, as I was carefully speculating about Charlotte’s circumstances while chatting with her…

“Charlotte, I’m going to talk with those people over there for a bit. It’s about work.”

“By all means, Lord Alzar.”

When the family of hunters who had escorted the architect and carpenter here came into view, I suddenly remembered what I needed to do, excused myself to Charlotte, and walked toward them.

Of course, the hunter was a bit flustered to see his distant superior and noble suddenly appear before him, but I didn’t seem to have any reason to concern myself with such trivial personal circumstances.

So, I approached the male hunter who was quickly sending his family back and addressed him.

“Excuse me.”

“…Yes, Sir Knight. Please speak.”

“Thank you. May I know your name?”

Despite facing me, the power holder of the territory where he lived, he maintained his confident posture. Inwardly impressed by his boldness, I asked the hunter a question, and he gave me an unexpected answer.

“Felix Jäger, hunter.”

“Jäger… You’re from the Holy Empire?”

“Yes, that’s right. I was scouted by the Baron.”

The man from the Holy Empire who appeared with his family (probably all hunters) who resembled him and introduced himself as Felix Jäger was clearly a skilled hunter, true to his surname.

He wore a fur cloak made from skinned wolf fur, with a temperature-regulating inner lining underneath that allowed him to wear the hot and tough fur cloak even in this late spring.

At his waist, he carried several daggers with handles made from animal bones and a skinning knife, while inside his clothes he had a hand axe or small spear, and on his back, he carried a quiver and a hunting longbow.

Facing this man who anyone could identify as a hunter at a glance, I voiced the concern that had just come to mind.

“This might be a bit sudden, but could you patrol the area and assess the situation regarding magical beasts or other creatures living nearby?”

“I can certainly do that if it’s not too much trouble. However… if I may ask, why the urgency?”

“The reason is simple. I want to clean up any potential threats in the vicinity beforehand. Especially if there’s a mid-level beast that has claimed this land as its territory, that could be fatal.”

“…I see. Yes, I understand. I will follow your orders.”

The man seemed surprised that I, a knight generally perceived as uneducated, and moreover a nobleman often ignorant of common people’s lives, had thought this far ahead…

It was a response with a nuance so subtle that even he didn’t realize it, and I could barely sense it through my intuition.

However, since my intuition told me that the hunter before me harbored no ill will, I decided to overlook this “minor disrespect” and, seeing the prospective residents approaching in the distance, thought to myself:

If I were to consider what should be prioritized in the current situation, securing the safety of the village would undoubtedly be determined as the most important.