Chapter 35 - Reason Becoming A Knight

____________________「Aah, lord knights. Please save us! 」

Night――

At the end of the first day, there’s a long line of people who had obviously been waiting, in front of the mayor’s house. Fortunately, they had not encountered another monster after the orcs.

「Shall we go at once and hear the detailed information about the current situation and the historic ruins where they witnessed the demon race? 」

「Naturally. The historic ruins are few minutes distance from this town. Regarding the missing persons, the truth is last night another young woman was also………」

The town mayor was replying so in response to Cedric question.

It seems the number of victims keep increasing.

Aria hugs Tama even tighter, grieving for the victim.

「……….If that is the truth, let’s raise our vigilance, but we cannot set sentries immediately seeing as it hasn’t been long since we arrived and we’ve yet to gather necessary information about this town」

「come to think of it, this village was originally a village of the demon race」

Howard the lizardman recalled something in hearing the town mayor’s words.

This city, Renault was originally a demon race settlement that was destroyed by the hero during the previous Ragnar?k. In addition, being located near the labyrinth city which contained the adventurer guild and knight order, the defense of this city is paper thin.

「Well then, everyone must be tired right. That’s why we prepared an inn with a hot spring and meal」

After confirming the type of sighted monsters and the distance till historic ruin with their map, the town mayor said so to them.

During the parting, they issued instructions toward the citizens of the town to refrain from going out at night.

◆

「Ooh, this meat is delicious! 」

「These deep-fried wild plants are also incredible」

Dany and Howard are unintentionally shouting when they taste the dishes prepared by the inn.

The dishes that are lined up on the table are made from edible wild plants and meat.

From the explanation of the poster girl in dining room, it seems everything is made of fresh ingredients because aside from historic ruin, this town is also close to a small mountain.

「The dish is best matched with liquo~r! 」

「You must keep it in moderation you know, Marietta? We’re going to subjugate the demon tomorrow after all」

Kenny reminded Marietta who sat in front of her happily chugging the liquor.

Cedric, their commander was smiling wryly at his four subordinates.

「It seems everyone isn’t nervous at all」

「Nye~ah. As expected, is it because they were the people who survived Ragnar?k, they have different level of courage? 」

In the corner seat, Aria and Vulcan are having such an exchange.

(Fumu, you might say so. Rather than knights, their nature is closer to that of adventurers)

Tama also has such an impression of them after seeing their manner from the start of their journey till now.

Then, suddenly………

「Everyone, why did you become knights? 」

「I’m also curious about the reason nya~」

Aria and Vulcan ask such a question to those knights.

They, who fight during Ragnar?k, and were hailed as braves………. One might wonder what kind of reason drove them to become a knight.

「Ooh, are you interested in hearing our reason? 」

「Well it’s not like it’s a secret, our reason isn’t that interesting you know? 」

Dany and Howard say so with flushed faces due to the liquor.

When Aria said that she really wants to know, Dany began with

「’Kay then, me first…….」

「I was born in a poor family. One day, we fell into debt with bad guys. We were crushed just to pay the absurd amount of interest. Finally, my mother who had already been forced into a corner prepared to sell herself, but……..」

At that time, by some chance a chivalric order passed by Dany’s hometown.

And fortunately, this chivalric order was also in dire need of young war potential.

By that time, Dany had already mastered swordsmanship to some extent..

「I was a kid back then, I prepared myself to fight one knight to the death since they promised to hire anyone who can beat one of them in a match. They said that my wages were going to be paid in advance to pay our family debt. Naturally, I thought that they were mocking me, but I accepted the match against those eccentric knights」

The result……….. Naturally, Dany was defeated.

But, it wasn’t a shameful match.

He kept wondering what the knight commander of that time was saw in Dany.

In short, he took over the whole sum of the debt.

「That’s why I have to repay this debt of gratitude. Thus I keep honing myself through training and rise in position all the way to the vice commander of the first troop. Never thought that I could survive that horrible Ragnar?k though. Nahahaha!! 」

After saying so, Dany is laughing as if that matter is just another persons trouble.

「…………」

Aria ended up sinking into silence.

Speaking of the first troop of the knight order, there was a rumor that the members of that troop are cream of the crop.

Surely……… Everyone would think that the members of that troop will be nobles like Cedric, but in fact he was a man who zealously worrying about his family…..

「I’m also a commoner like Dany. And became a knight for the same reason as him, debt」

「I became a knight with the condition of shouldering the fee to purchase drugs for the illness of my older sister」

「I became a knight to buy back my own father who had fallen into slavery and was doing manual labor」

In turn after Dany are, Howard, Kenny, and then Marietta.

「It’s heavier story than I expected Nya~. My apologies for asking that question thoughtlessly nyaa~…….」

Vulcan is hanging her head down in an awkward manner, even her pair of tiger ears were drooping.

「He~y, don’t make such face girls」

「Yeah. Everyone already repaid their favor to the knight order, and now we’re following our line of duty of our own will」

Seeing Aria and Vulcan feeling down like that, Dany and Howard told them not to mind that story.

「Well, we can repay our debt thanks to the help of the younger brother-in-law of commander Cedric though」

「Riight!　”Maiya”-chan…….. By now, he must be having his fill of harem life with Sakura-san and the other girls right? 」

Kenny and Marietta say so as a follow up to Dany and Howard.

「W-Wooow!　Y-You guys……… Are that close with Maiya-sama……… The archmage!　Moreover, what’s that mean?　Thanks to the archmage………… You say?　EH?　Moreover, with Sakura-san………. Right now!? 」

Aria is getting excited in hearing Marietta and Kenny’s words.

Come to think of it, she heard someone mentioning Sakura’s name before, but such thoughts were buried deep in her head.

「Nyah?　Hadn’t you heard about it before, Aria-chan?　The one who impregnated Sakura-chan is Maiya-chan you know」

「E!??　You never told me about that, Vulcan-san!　Moreover, why is Vulcan-san also attaching “-Chan” to the name of the archmage!? 」

「Nya~…….. Come to think of it, do you remember when I’m talking about a “Trap” magician before?　Maiya-chan was a regular patron of my store even before he was hailed as the archmage nya~. How……….. I miss those days nya~…………」

「…………… WHAT!? 」

The strongest youth who saved the world, the archmage is――

Being able to form a party with Vulcan, the old acquaintance of such a personage……….. Left a huge impact in Aria’s mind.

「The matter of us being able to repay our debt to the knight order was because we were accompanying him to finish a large-scale commission when he just came to this world, and then he split the reward of the commission of that time equally with us」

「Lord Maiya is an extremely powerful, and kind person. Moreover, by that time, he was already powerful enough to annihilate the devils by himself……… Is a shock itself」

(Annihilating the devils………. By himself. That rumor was the truth huh. Moreover, being adored so much by these noble hearted knights…….. It seems that my master is going to meet the archmage someday in the future)

The height of his strength.

And then, the height of himself as a person.

For Tama, a former knight, those two factors were his pursuit.

And, the archmage fulfilling both of those condition.

Someday, Tama wanted to meet that person too.

By the way, they wanted to ask the reason why Cedric wanted to become a knight, but……..

「I become a knight since I can only befriend women not loving them, thus I abandoned my position. Moreover, once I become a knight it won’t be limited to just monsters, I can also legally kill a person as long as they’re a criminal right?　You can’t get enough of that, isn’t it☆」

Such a dangerous reply was what they heard from the handsome man flashing his smile on them.

Naturally, Aria and Vulcan are drawing away from him.

His reply basically messed up the somber atmosphere………