Chapter 41 – The Bright Pair I

15 minutes

The moment he first set foot upon the soil of Ode, the air was thick with the pungent scents of earth and charred ash.

As Shuou passed through a market lined with shabby, lifeless stalls, he asked a merchant for directions to the barracks and leisurely walked while observing the surrounding scenery.

Most of the people he passed by had reddish-brown skin. Young women carrying baskets of food and enjoying chatting with each other suddenly fell silent when they saw Shuou, averting their eyes and running away with hurried steps.

During the hours when the sun shone strongly, the residential area was lined with white clay-walled buildings that stretched vertically toward the sky. From the fully open windows, strings extended out like nests, and laundry was neatly hung like soldiers forming a battle line.

Walking in the shade that fell between the buildings, Shuou headed towards his destination. The luggage bag he shouldered with a grunt had been getting heavier with each passing day since the start of his journey.

It seemed the route he was instructed to take was not a straightforward one. Even relying on the information given as landmarks, his confidence in the path he was taking was somehow fading.

Climbing a hill hidden by trees, Shuou wiped his sweat while glancing at a small stone statue of an ogre placed along the way.

Reaching the top of the hill, he felt relieved upon seeing the building that came into view.

What appeared was a massive structure. Its shape was unique, too sentimental to be called a mansion and too soft to be called a castle.

The moss-colored gate was fully open, and a signboard reading “Southern Front Headquarters” hung from the top of the gate.

Brown-uniformed squires stood guard at the gate, looking bored.

When Shuou presented his orders and stated his business, they readily let him inside. However, they didn’t seem to have the kindness to guide him, so he had to rely on a squire’s finger pointing in the air to deliver the orders to the person in charge of the barracks on his own.

The structure of the barracks was even more complex and strange when viewed from the inside compared to the outside. Beyond the gate, there was a large open hall at the front. At the back of the room, a black, large ogre god statue with two horns on its head, flaring its large nostrils and baring its pointed canine teeth, was enshrined, staring straight ahead as if to intimidate the onlookers.

The smell of a peculiar incense was strong, amplifying the eerie atmosphere inside the building along with the fierce ogre god statue.

In the end, not knowing where to enter or which rooms served what functions, Shuou wandered around in search of the office while visually tracing the corridors extending in various directions through the courtyard.

After roaming around the premises for a while, Shuou had completely lost his way. Looking around, there was a strange lack of people. As he continued walking and started considering returning to the entrance, he encountered a man wiping his back with a dry cloth while half-naked in the shade at the back of the courtyard.

“Oh?”

The man, who appeared to be in his early forties, had soft-looking chestnut hair and a beard extending from his sideburns to his chin. He was a sturdy-bodied individual who could be instantly recognized as a military man. Judging from the dull burnt-brown color of his Miracrystal, there was no doubt that this man held a Bright rank.

The military-looking man observed Shuou, who was standing there in his travel attire, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head, as if licking him with his gaze.

“I got lost.”

When Shuou briefly explained his current situation, the man nodded several times in understanding.

“I see, you certainly have the face of someone who is lost. So, where is your destination?”

“I’m headed to where the master of this place is to greet them upon my assignment.”

“Hmm, I see—”

The man stared into the distance as if lost in thought, his slightly droopy eyes, and then spoke.

“—Alright, I got it. I’ll guide you. Follow me.”

Without giving Shuou a chance to express his gratitude, the man started walking with the dry cloth still hung over his bare upper body.

Following his instructions, Shuou took off his shoes and climbed the stairs, walking down a long, well-polished wooden corridor. After turning two corners, they came to a corridor with a view overlooking the town, and Shuou involuntarily stopped in his tracks upon seeing the scenery.

On the opposite side of the urban area, a desolate landscape covered in yellow soil stretched out. Under the smoke rising here and there, people dressed in rags were engaged in labor. They were throwing branches with fine leaves and dry wood into large bonfires.

“You have a look of curiosity. This is a common sight around here, though.”

The man who had stopped to accompany Shuou stroked his chin beard while gazing at the scenery together.

“What are they doing?”

“They are firing pottery. It may be unusual not to use kilns. When you add a powder made by crushing special stones to the yellow clay-like soil abundantly found here, it becomes a good, sticky soil. If you knead it and fire it thoroughly, you get a finished pot for stewed dishes. It’s one of the few specialties of this here Ode. Well, most of the things made here are cheap items used by the common people. They are bulky and low in profit, so they are not popular as trade goods.”

The man spoke rapidly, feeling pleased with his own explanation.

Wherever one goes, there are always the activities of people living in that land.

In the royal capital, the majority of the workers made their living by digging stones. The people of Adulelia were engaged in blacksmithing, refining, and fishing, while here in Ode, it was pottery.

Shuou accepted the fact that with each change of location, the sights he saw, the smells he sensed, the quality of the air—everything was different—as a joy.

“You have a face that says you can’t contain your excitement.”

The man said with a smile, raising one corner of his lips.

“I am excited.”

When Shuou stated that straightforwardly, the man let out a hearty laugh.

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone delighted in front of this scenery. Depending on the wind direction, the smoke can be so thick it brings tears to your eyes, but well, you’ll probably get used to it in time.”

The destination room was located at the end of a long corridor after turning three more corners. The guard standing in front of the room saw the man with the dry cloth on his shoulder and raised his voice in a salute.

“Your Excellency, Brigadier General Al Baden! Solar Bright Keishia is waiting for you inside.”

“Alright.”

Even seeing the man respond with a single word, Shuou wasn’t particularly surprised. A thought had crossed his mind along the way that this might be the case. After all, judging from this man’s dignified demeanor, he possessed an aura that ordinary people lacked.

Brigadier General Al Baden, the person in charge of this area whom Shuou had been looking for, was glancing at him repeatedly as if expecting something.

—Should I have acted surprised?

While Shuou was hesitating on how to react, the middle-aged brigadier general’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.

Beckoned with a wave over the shoulder, Shuou followed Al Baden as he entered the room. In the spacious room, a female Bright was sitting at the desk placed in the center.

She had a slender build and wore the familiar black military uniform. Her flaxen hair was meticulously tied up, and her sharp, slender eyes possessed the sharpness characteristic of a soldier. When she saw Al Baden, her face briefly lit up, but upon noticing Shuou’s presence, she immediately tightened her expression to conceal her emotions.

The woman rose from her chair and gave a light salute.

“Welcome back, Your Excellency. I didn’t see you around.”

“I was warming up my body in the garden when a new squire who had lost his way showed up. I brought him along since it was on the way.”

“A new squire…? Don’t tell me it’s just one person? Are there no others who came with him!?”

Asked by the female Bright with a desperate look, Shuou shook his head.

“I received orders in Adulelia and came here alone from there.”

Al Baden laughed.

“Keishia, you’re overthinking it. Don’t worry, they’ll at least send the minimum number of reinforcements.”

The woman called Keishia lowered her gaze and nodded.

“Yes, you’re right.”

Al Baden settled himself on the desk where Keishia had been sitting and put his arms through his undershirt.

“It’s a bit late, but let me introduce myself. I’m Al Baden. I serve as the commander here and the governor of Ode. This woman is Keishia Baden, my loyal deputy and wife.”

Saying that, Al Baden slapped Keishia’s buttocks with a smack.

“Hey!”

Keishia pretended to be angry, but being a married couple, there was a sense of familiarity between them.

“You’re married?”

As Shuou widened his eyes at the sudden introduction, Al Baden observed him with a delighted expression.

“You have a look that says it’s unusual. That’s good. Indeed, even within the Murakumo Kingdom’s military, a husband and wife having the relationship of a superior and subordinate is rare.”

Al Baden laughed boisterously, while Keishia admonished him with an exasperated face.

Keishia cleared her throat as if to compose herself and directed a strong, soldier-like gaze at Shuou.

“If you’ve been handed an assignment order, show it to me quickly.”

At her words, Shuou handed over the paper detailing his military career and the letter instructing his placement in Ode.

Keishia narrowed her thread-like eyes even further and alternated between looking at the paper and Shuou’s face.

“Your name is Shuou… Squire Sergeant?”

Upon hearing that, Al Baden raised his voice.

“Oh, you look young, but to be promoted at that age, you’ve got some skills.”

Unlike her simple-minded husband, Keishia seemed to sense something amiss. After reading the information on the paper, she kept the placement order and returned the identification paper to Shuou.

“I’ve grasped the gist of it. Let me say, good work. Welcome to Ode. Based on your rank, it would be appropriate to entrust you with a unit. To be honest, we were short on manpower, so I welcome you from the bottom of my heart.”

Shuou returned a light nod.

“I look forward to working with you.”

After exchanging formal greetings, Keishia handed over a sheet of paper placed on the desk.

“We have set up a barracks nearby for your lodging. I’ll assign someone to guide you, so take this order and join your unit.”

Receiving the new order, Shuou left the office.

*

Confirming that the door had closed, Keishia relaxed her facial tension and turned to face her husband Al.

“You noticed and volunteered to guide him, didn’t you?”

Keishia said, tapping the area around her waist.

“Of course. I couldn’t possibly overlook such a fine piece.”

He was referring to the pair of swords at the waist of the squire named Shuou who had come to greet them upon his assignment. It was a custom-made item that could be recognized at a glance. If that were all, it would only attract momentary attention, but the issue was that the emblem of the Ice Wolves was engraved on those swords.

“Only high-ranking nobles or those with a high position in the hierarchy are permitted to engrave emblems on swords. If he received those, it means he is someone considerably close to Adulelia.”

“When he said he came from Adulelia, was that what he meant?”

“It said he was staying in Adulelia while under disciplinary confinement. Before that, he had taken the recruitment exam and was assigned to the Winter Fortress.”

“The Winter Fortress!?”

Al widened his eyes and exclaimed in surprise.

“The Winter Fortress is a remote area that far surpasses this Ode, which country bumpkins point at and laugh at. He came from the eastern edge, through a city like Adulelia, all the way to a place like this. And carrying swords bearing the Ice Wolves’ emblem—it doesn’t make sense.”

“On top of that, he was informed of his promotion to Squire Sergeant at the same time his disciplinary confinement ended.”

When Keishia said that, Al looked up at the ceiling in an exaggerated manner.

“It makes even less sense. Who the hell is he?”

Keishia had a vague grasp of the answer to the suddenly appeared mysterious individual.

“Do you remember what the messenger who visited from the royal capital recently said?”

“It was about Lady Sa’salia’s incident, right? That story is still a topic of conversation among the guys stationed here.”

“Yes. They said Her Highness was safely rescued, but at that time, her return was made possible with the assistance of a commoner who happened to be at the scene.”

However, no one believed that information.

Al put his hand on his chin and made a knowing face.

“I get it. The commoner from that time is the current squire, right?”

Keishia nodded slightly.

“If that’s the case, it makes sense. Well, the quickest way would be to ask him directly, but it wouldn’t be amusing if he gets carried away by that and demands special treatment from us.”

Al raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“You won’t give him special treatment? Even if he’s a commoner, he’s someone who received a sword from Adulelia. If we cater to him, we might be able to gain a connection with Lady Orthoclase.”

“That’s why I always say you’re too soft-hearted. That person gives plenty of honey to those they favor, but to those they don’t, they point their sword directly at them. If we do something careless based on our own assumptions and anger them, it’s over for us. If we’re not careful, we might end up spending the rest of our lives in this Ode.”

Both Al and Keishia were from lower-ranking noble families. Their older siblings would inherit a small amount of wealth and titles, and they had to acquire everything they wanted through their own efforts.

Al, who was a skilled Bright in the military, and Keishia, who could make calm judgments in each situation, had climbed the ladder of success relatively quickly through their cooperation and military achievements. However, unexpected pitfalls awaited them. Al, with his magnanimous personality, incurred the displeasure of a superior officer in the Imperial Guard. As harassment, he was sent to Ode, a land where everyone was reluctant to be assigned.

Upon his assignment, he was given the rank of brigadier general to maintain his appearance as a commander, and the position of governor was added as a bonus. However, in reality, it was a nominal honorary position where he wasn’t even allowed to intervene in economic activities.

Don’t attack, defend, do nothing. The person who firmly ordered these three things was none other than Supreme Commander Gwen, the supreme authority of the Kingdom’s military and the mastermind behind the fall of Ode a generation ago. There was no way to defy him or even an opportunity to file a complaint.

The only thing Al and Keishia, who had been together since their graduation exam at the Gemstone Academy, could do was to seek an increase in their small budget while using their meager pieces at hand to defend their territory. It was a difficult task, equivalent to being told to paint a grand picture using a fragment of charcoal within a small frame.

Al calmed his excitement and lowered his gaze.

“…It’s getting cold.”

“In the midst of only being able to fight battles that bring no honor, the morale of the Brights is low. On top of that, the soldiers we have are all people who only see things in terms of the amount of money. Al, now is the time for us to stand firm. If we successfully complete our mission in this Ode, surely there will be an opportunity for us to be called back to the central. Please give our child a title and territory.”

Gently placing her hand on her lower abdomen, Keishia appealed to Al with a wish.

“That’s right. There are no shortcuts to anything. Let’s tighten up and tackle this.”

Keishia thought her husband, who spoke with his mouth tightened like a child, was simple-minded but lovable.

“That’s why I chose you.”

Rarely being praised, Al raised his index finger, closed one eye, and said:

“As a reward, give me an extra bottle of alcohol tonight.”

Keishia immediately turned serious and looked away.

“That’s not allowed. Don’t forget that we must do our utmost to live frugally.”

“…Yes.”

Al hung his head and let out a puppy-like whimper.


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