episode_0037

A strange combination of a knight wandering the battlefield and a cute girl who seemed out of place on the battlefield.

This unfamiliar duo, which seemed to cause cognitive dissonance, was a good material that stimulated the imagination.

Even if they were knights, they were adults who had graduated from romantic literature and lost their innocence while being pushed around by reality.

When their mouths were bored and in need of some gossip, this kind of material that rolled in became a good topic of conversation.

The simple fact that they brought such a young girl to a place that was soon to be a battlefield was unacceptable, regardless of the era. Even if it was the wild Middle Ages.

If the knight was not a human scum who didn’t care about the child’s safety, there must have been some reason for it.

Could it be kidnapping? No, would a nobleman have brought her all the way to the camp? Then maybe for some other purpose?

The thoughts of adults tainted by reality had ultimately reached the point of vulgarity, and to confirm the truth, a soldier stepped forward.

God said not to go too far with such injustice. Each of these actions may come together and lead to salvation in the end.

With a faithful and just nature, the soldier could not stand idly by. And if it was indeed a scene of injustice, he was determined to report it to his superiors.

Apologizing to his horse, the soldier asked the girl he was petting, “This isn’t a place suitable for you. Why are you here?”

“My guardian is here!”

“Guardian. Even so, wouldn’t it be safer to be looked after by other family members or relatives for a while? If you are being forced into this…”

“I don’t have any other family.”

The soldier could no longer continue speaking and sank into silence. Just as he had risen up out of a sense of justice, the guilt that deeply penetrated his heart made him quietly retreat in front of the girl.

His friends who had been watching the situation nearby soon surrounded him, criticizing him.

“Ugh, you trash.”

“Die.”

“How could I have known it was you.”

“You trampled on the child’s feelings.”

When the soldier, whose sense of justice had been betrayed and whose heart was broken, was being scolded.

Behind him, Lycia let out a small, awkward cough.

Usually, in such situations, asking for more details would lead to more accurate information.

Moreover, in preparation for such a situation, Raven had prepared plenty of answers.

And as the girl’s simple statement was interpreted and subjectively analyzed, various interpretations and judgments snowballed and stuck together.

As the word “guardian” was passed from mouth to mouth, at some point, it was disguised as “father.” This was more provocative, as it mixed the word “guardian” with the word “father.”

Now the question moved on to the next stage. Why on earth did the man who was supposed to be her father bring his daughter to the battlefield?

In such cases, the answer was usually that the knight’s personality was eccentric. If that was the answer, the soldiers would have understood and put an end to their doubts. Because… he was a knight. No other reason was needed.

But upon closer inspection, it seemed that the man was not indifferent to whether his child lived or died on the battlefield.

The imagination that should have exploded with low and provocative elements suddenly came to a halt.

“…What’s going on? The rumors were better than I thought?”

“I heard he saved a whole village.”

“After making a vow, he couldn’t bear to leave those suffering under bandits, so he came back up the pilgrimage route?”

No smoke without fire.

Here, there was a bishop who had reached a level of discernment as sharp as his wit.

He quickly picked up on the rumors, instructing the priests to respond naturally and discreetly when soldiers requested healing or prayers.

Of course, the bishop wasn’t suddenly becoming charitable and focusing on boosting someone else’s reputation.

“If things continue like this, my standing in the church will be over.”

“At the very least, to survive, I must prove my usefulness and sincerity to the marquis and the duke…!”

With a few kind words, he went from being feared by the pope and preparing for a break-up to becoming a desperate speculator trying to delist the emperor’s stock to survive, meaning he had to use every means at his disposal to raise his stock even a little.

Of course, the knights the bishop called were lacking in other ways as well, each with minor issues such as inadequate swordsmanship or character flaws.

Among the clean backgrounds, private lives, and rumors, Lavender was the only one shining. It was a moment when the heroic tales diligently spread around him began to shine as his personal PR or propaganda.

In other words, the bishop was throwing out this message.

“These knights I called! I am such a useful person!”

“So please, let’s make it a draw….”

Unexpectedly, the soldiers eagerly took the new bait and started brainstorming.

And with their imaginations, the soldiers each came to their own conclusions.

A tragic family story, a tale that cannot be seen without tears. While the details of the rumors were all different, the common theme was roughly like this.

A girl who lost her parents while her father was away on knightly duties.

Due to the nature of the job as a knight who has no relatives and has to wander, he was planning to leave his daughter in the care of the church, but he felt longing for his family when he met his daughter after a long time.

Lastly, the needs of the girl who longed for family affection were combined with the father and daughter who ended up traveling to the battlefield together.

…This novel with such content was distributed on the camping site.

“Such a pitiful story…!”

“It’s a pity. The child might be in danger on the battlefield, but it’s inevitable.”

Adding a touch of tragedy to the cliché of this era, where friends, relatives, and family are all killed off, I tried to mix in a story that stimulates emotions.

Surprisingly, the resulting product turned out to be a surprisingly delicious combination.

The sight of the girl following the knight around the camp added credibility to the rumors.

The fact that she called him “knight” was because the word “father” didn’t come to her lips after meeting him for the first time in a long while!

Thus, the knight (23 years old, single) became a father with a daughter following him around without doing anything.

*****

Having settled into a new home in the camp and spent about a week with Lycia, they were getting along well.

Passing the time until the troops were summoned, he realized that the soldiers in the camp these days were strange.

“Are you training again today?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, right. You were talking with the other knights yesterday and didn’t get your share of the good bread that came out in the evening. I saved some for you, so let’s have dinner with the child later.”

This is a collapse of the setting.

Normally, knights are nothing special, but somehow they are being treated as potential armed robbers.

But when did the world become so warm and overflowing with affection?

Of course, even in the medieval era, not everyone was barbaric and cold-hearted. Despite the chaotic world, there was family and love at the opposite end, and sacrifice and sharing existed.

It’s just not the kind of scene you’d expect to see in a bleak and harsh camp on the eve of battle.

In the vicinity, a group of soldiers gathered to take care of Lycia.

After a while, the girl came back carrying freshly baked bread, saying that one should eat well to grow well.

“Really, what is this?”

Could it be… that they have become so enamored with my reputation, like moths drawn to light, that they cannot help but follow me without offering anything in return?

“Knight.”

“Yes? What is it, Lycia?”

The girl gently tugged at my sleeve as I pondered deeply. Looking down, I could see a determined expression on her face, as if she wanted to say something.

After a moment of hesitation, the girl finally spoke up.

“Um, I asked why I was on the battlefield, and I said I followed as a guardian.”

“That’s what we agreed on. Well done.”

“But, I don’t know where things went wrong. It seems like other people think of me as your, um, daughter…”

“What?”

Lycia’s voice lowered in gradient.

As I waited a bit longer to see what she was trying to say, the girl spoke in a barely audible voice.

“I, thought I was your daughter…”

“What.”

I roughly understood how things were unfolding. It was obvious that it was something gossip-hungry people would do.

And as a girl, being tied to someone by blood relations wouldn’t be all that pleasant.

Not expressing this fact verbally was probably a form of consideration.

Even if mud splattered from a passing carriage splashed on her, she wouldn’t be the type of child to express anger by saying ‘I’m also angry’. Understanding the intention, I said to the girl.

“I see. Wait here for a moment. I’ll go clarify things and come back.”

“No, that’s not it!”

As I turned to go gather the soldiers to correct the rumors, Lycia grabbed my sleeve tightly.

“Why are you doing this?”

“In fact, isn’t it easier to just leave it like this for now?”

“Well…”

“If someone else were to ask why we’re together, they might keep making excuses until the fact that I’m a mage is revealed. It’s better to avoid any unnecessary trouble, right? Isn’t that so?”

Before I could respond, the girl fired off her words.

But her logic was sound.

If it wasn’t a blood relation, the atmosphere was such that safety and responsibility weren’t big concerns.

It felt like a family matter that others wouldn’t touch unnecessarily.

If Lycia wasn’t comfortable with it, I wouldn’t know, but since the parties involved had agreed, there shouldn’t be any issues.

“Alright, if you’re okay with it.”

“Uh, yes…”

The girl nodded.

This meant that Lycia and I had built enough intimacy to overlook this matter.

I had worried that she might find it difficult to continue accompanying me, but it was fortunate that our relationship had progressed.