There was a lot to do. They couldn’t go without putting things into order.
After confirming that everyone was in good condition, they were given meals and let to use the restroom and rest.
After checking it out, forty-eight people came from the same village and four were livestock breeders staying in the village from nearby. The majority were beastkin, the rest humans.
Ria nodded at Carlos’ words. If there weren’t any, Carlos and Ria would have had to get off their horses and guide the wagons.
They were asked the details as to how they were enslaved, but they couldn’t help being completely resentful.
They said that people who resisted were killed.
While they were free from other nations, that also meant they couldn’t defend against military forces.
Ria and Carlos both shook their heads from hearing Serge’s opinion.
“It’d be good if the Ogre King made a country though. Then they could belong to it.”
Besides, although Labyrinth City was a major force in the area, they wouldn’t assume leadership of the people and form a country. They wanted to remain as a city-state as they have so far. Though it seemed that the surrounding settlements more or less belonged to it, supplying food, they didn’t appear to take a tax.
“When I return, I’ll need to talk to father about this area.”
Though she went on a journey to improve as a warrior, she took many things into consideration.
Carlos woke the fainted knight to interrogate him.
Then, they found out that the slave hunting wasn’t performed as a thing for the country. To get some extra money for himself, their district troops’ commander was trying to sell slaves to Labyrinth City.
“Well, hunting for slaves without permission, if he got away with these losses he would just get executed.”
“For now, should we head to the village? It’s the middle of the night, but I don’t want to stay here.”
Riding on Rudolph’s back in the lead, Ria lead the mass of people to the village.
The village was on a small hill. Surrounded by a fence, it was protected against damage from beasts. Though if their opponents were the ferocious demons, it wouldn’t be very useful.
(Other than those in their prime, they only took the women that looked good.)
They couldn’t couldn’t oppose the army.
Borrowing an empty house, the group rested.
Would the army come? Would it not? How would they respond if they came? It wasn’t for a child like Ria to talk about it. Normally.
“It’s a nice color…”
The ferrite’s color was a calm brightness, the blade’s edge shining, though not too much. Though it had killed people, there weren’t any nicks in the blade. [1]
She only looked at this one. Because she didn’t use it.
Though she didn’t think she had to confirm something like its durability, if she showed it to any master blacksmith, it would be quite a story.
Serge trembled from the shadows as he watched Ria gaze at her katanas.
“Ria’s been like that for a long time. Rather than dresses and jewelry, she prefers weapons.”
According to the story Lulu knew, Ria, who was recognized as the country’s princess, received various gifts from her father and nobles.
On a certain occasion, when she was given a dagger to train with by the royal master blacksmith for self defense, you could see her whole face turn into a smile as she looked at the shine of the blade.
After she joined in with the knights’ training, almost half of the gifts she received were some kind of weapon or armor.
Concentrating now, she tried to create a new katana from her mind.
As she unsheathed it from the long scabbard, the blade she imagined appeared.
“Gig, hold this.”
Gig held the katana that was just created horizontally. Meanwhile, Ria held up Nagasone Kotetsu, swinging it down without much force.
“Ah, it’s a failure after all then.”
“Nee-chan, you’re already giving up? I mean, isn’t the katana like its original in the first place?”
When she can make the real thing, it should be be no worse than Nagasone Kotetsu.
Grumbling, though Ria tried to make the katana again, Carlos returned with the chief so she stopped for now.
According to their established setting, since she’s a noble with guards, Carlos wanted Ria’s opinion as a matter of course.
Standing in front of Ria, the man gave a ruggedly honest elderly feeling.
When they entered the house, the village chief started giving his request.
“Yes, though according to talk it’s not normal army movement, after something like that…”
In the short term at least. Ria couldn’t afford to be held up here for long. That being the case, for the sake of the village’s defense afterwards, they would teach the villagers that could fight how to use weapons.
But there was a problem. That was how long it would take.
The village was basically self-sufficient, so it didn’t have much money stocked up. And due to rescuing the villagers from the slave hunting, considering that their horses and wagons were claimed, they couldn’t pay much.
“For the time being, how about a meal? If a need to fight comes up, with the money in the village, the first thing necessary is to pay for our meals.”
If they would obtain something from this, rather than being paid, it was experience. If Cordova’s army attacks with a battalion, it would already become a war and they would repel it.
She had the Gift. Divine Protection of the War God. That Gift’s specialty in war might finally see the light of day.
On that day, Ria made a massive amount of long spears with genesis magic.
In this case, for the villagers who were unaccustomed to fighting, though large spears could keep a distance from the opponents, fear was difficult to embrace, so there was an advantage in having easy maneuverability.
Making about one hundred spears for the time being, she went to the house’s garden and built a bath.
Pulling in the reluctant Lulu, the three girls entered the bath.
“W-why are you saying that so loudly!”
Giving damage to Carlos mentally, the night grew late.