Chapter 4: Paper Is Mightier Than the Spear

Spring quickly gave way to summer. So far, it did not seem like there were any issues with the compost made from animal feces. I’ll admit that sounded a bit passive, or even negative. Let’s try this again. Hooray, I did it!

The tomatoes in the kitchen garden had a healthy appearance and were so large that it almost seemed as if they were going to burst at any moment. They looked much healthier than the ones that were growing semi-wildly in the village. Their shapes were uneven, but considering the current level of agricultural development, the aesthetic beauty of the vegetables was not a matter of concern. For now, the volume was more important than the appearance. Without delay, I picked the ripe red fruit and cooled them down in well water.

After hearing what was going on, Mrs. Rihn arrived at the scene. When she saw the tomatoes floating in cool water inside a wooden bucket, her composed expression turned into a broad smile. “Those are some beautiful tomatoes. I haven’t seen fruits this big in a long while.”

“I am glad to hear that. If this is thanks to the influence of the compost, then it is indeed a big success. But it is too early to draw any conclusions.”

I had also planted some tomatoes in a different spot without fertilizer, which had grown smaller and looked less healthy. However, it was too early to speak of success with only two batches and such a small harvest.

“For now, confirming that there was no bad influence will be good enough.”

“I’m sure it will be alright as long as you stick to your plan.” Unlike the first time I met her, Mrs. Rihn showed her faith in me. “I just wish you approached all your activities with that same careful attitude.” Or maybe she did not have so much faith in me after all. I wondered which one it was.

As I contemplated the difficulty of human relationships, we—all the project members excluding Mother Yae—finished writing down the sizes of the tomatoes. As expected, the fertilized batch was larger in size and quantity. While it was not enough for a conclusive judgment, it felt good to collect valuable data on the first try.

I smiled as I took one of the cool tomatoes in my hand. “I cannot wait to try it. I imagine you might not necessarily want to eat the ones that used compost, so please feel free to eat the other batch,” I said to the others.

There was nothing better than biting into a fresh tomato in the heat of summer. I could not resist anymore, so I went ahead and took a big bite. Everyone, dig in! Wait, why do you all look so shocked?

Mrs. Rihn, Lord Arthur, and Lady Reina looked at me in disbelief. It had been a while since I had seen that expression on their faces. Lady Maika, on the other hand, was ready to bite into one of the tomatoes grown with fertilizer, but stopped just short of it as she noticed their reactions. I wondered what exactly had happened.

Lord Arthur cautiously pointed at the tomato in my hand and said, “Aren’t tomatoes poisonous?”

No way. It was a serious question. Lady Reina nodded along in agreement. Mrs. Rihn shook her head in an effort to stop me. What’s happening?

“What do you mean? We’ve been eating them every summer back at the village. We’ve never had any trouble.” Lady Maika was the only one backing me up.

The other three, still firm in their belief, turned pale upon hearing her statement.

Lord Arthur seemed especially startled, shouting in a voice which was more high-pitched than usual. “Don’t eat that! You two will end up getting sick in the head and die!”

It felt like there was some strange superstition at work again.

Lady Maika and I both looked at each other before stuffing our cheeks.

“What are you doing?!” Lord Arthur yelled.

It tasted a bit sour, but it actually felt pleasant and refreshing. The ample fruit juice quenched my thirst and revitalized my exhausted body after the straining harvest work. I was now determined to start a calm discussion with the three poison believers.

“Ash!! You’re always reckless, but this time you’ve outdone yourself!”

“He’s right! Your body is not yours alone!”

“Lady Maika! Lord Itsuki has repeatedly asked you to take care of yourself!”

Everyone besides me and Lady Maika had lost their cool. I decided to let them vent for a while. Although, admittedly, it made me feel a bit guilty to see them get teary-eyed.

After the three of them were done expressing their worries, I began to question them as calmly as possible. “So, why do you think tomatoes are poisonous?”

“There you go again, playing cool... Do you realize how worried we are?” Lord Arthur pouted after grumbling about my behavior.

Considering that even Lady Maika now nodded along enthusiastically with them, it appeared that my calmness had quite a bad reputation.

“I just wanted to further a detailed discussion based on those worries.” As I uncharacteristically voiced my true intentions, everyone else let out a big sigh.

Human nature was a strange thing indeed. It was such a mystery that I did not know how to react, so I just decided to press for an answer. If you’ve got something to say, Arthur, just let it out.

“I guess I’ll explain... A long time ago, there was a prince who loved tomatoes,” Lord Arthur began.

“You cannot blame him for that—tomatoes are delicious,” I remarked.

Even a royal family member could not resist the temptation that was the taste of tomatoes.

Unusually, Lord Arthur gave me a sharp look. “Ash... That prince ate too many tomatoes and ended up going insane. Alongside all of his closest followers.”

“In what way?” I asked.

“According to the stories, he had memory loss, and started hallucinating and suddenly crying or laughing out of nowhere. To put it simply, his mind was not well.”

I had my doubts as I listened to Lord Arthur tell this story with an uneasy look on their face. That sounded more like he had taken suspicious drugs than eaten tomatoes.

“The prince was brilliant and had a bright future ahead of him. Accordingly, all his followers were equally brilliant people, but they all started suffering from the same disease. Their minds deteriorated alongside that of the prince, resulting in a tremendous loss for society,” Lord Arthur finished the story.

All that talk of hallucinations reminded me of narcotics. Cannabis and magic mushrooms were easy-to-use drugs, and mood fluctuation was often associated with highs and lows from drug usage.

“Ash, you’re a genius. And I like you as a person too... I mean as a friend, of course! You’re a dear friend!”

I wondered if there were any drugs in this world. There must have been. I had come across a plant that looked just like wolfsbane, so they should not have been too different from my past life either. Actually, it might have even been bad if there were no drugs at all. Some of them could be used as anesthetics in medical treatments. Those would become indispensable if I wanted to introduce surgical procedures at some point in the future. According to my past-life memories, a plant called “devil’s trumpet” could be used as an ingredient for anesthetics. It was highly poisonous, but it was part of the nightshade family of flowering plants, just like eggplants, which were a delicious treat in summer.

“You shouldn’t eat anything as dangerous as tomatoes! They’re just for viewing!”

Right, nightshades. I reflexively nodded several times at my own realization.

“I’m glad you understand, Ash,” Lord Arthur misinterpreted.

Tomatoes were nightshades too. I had said they were not poisonous, but that was not entirely true. The three poison believers had been right. Sort of.

A ripe tomato did not contain enough poison to harm a human body. I did not remember the exact numbers, but you had to eat more than 100 or 200 kilos before it reached a lethal dose. It was ridiculous. Your stomach was bound to explode before you could die from tomato poisoning. However, unripe fruits and stalks or petals contained higher doses of poison. Was it possible that the Tomato Prince’s love for the fruit had led him to eating those parts? I can’t imagine the stalks and petals being very tasty, though.

“So, essentially, if I want the consumption of tomatoes to become accepted again, I first need to find out what exactly the prince was eating. Maybe I can find some of his recipes.” That was a case for Mother Yae, the only member of our project group who was currently not here. “I guess I should head right to the temple and ask Mother Yae about any records relating to that prince...”

As I informed my collaborators about the conclusion that I had drawn for myself, Mrs. Rihn and Lady Reina both put their left hand on their foreheads. Like mother, like daughter. But why did they look so exasperated? Also, why did Lord Arthur look so angry? I guess this calls for an apology.

“Uhm... I am not sure why, but it looks like I have made a blunder, so I am sorry.”

“Don’t apologize if you don’t know what you did wrong!”

My apology did not seem to have the desired effect, since Lord Arthur was still angry.

“Please calm down. I will listen to anything you say.”

As I tried to diffuse the situation, a teary-eyed Lord Arthur tried asking Lady Maika for help. “Maika, please say something too!”

Their cry of desperation was answered by a soft, silk-like laughter. “Hehe, do you really think I didn’t say anything to him?”

“Ah, sorry... Please don’t make that face... I’m going to try my best to keep up with you.”

Thanks to Lady Maika, Lord Arthur finally calmed down. I felt relieved. By the way, I still don’t know what expression Lady Maika made that day, I couldn’t see her face from where I was.

It was not like I was scared of knowing Lady Maika’s expression or facing everyone’s judgmental stares, but I had hurried to the temple as fast as I could.

Mother Yae, who seemed to become prettier by the day, smiled after hearing my inquiry. “Yes, there are records of the recipes of the prince who died from eating tomatoes. There are copies here at the library too.”

Today was my lucky day! I wondered if there was a guardian angel watching over me. Or to put it in terms of this world, I must have benefited from the divine protection of the monkey god.

“That is wonderful! But I wonder why they are still preserved even though tomatoes are considered to be poisonous food.”

“It must be because the prince really loved tomatoes. He kept notes of all the tomato dishes he ate in his journal, and generally speaking, all journals from royalty or nobles are preserved.”

“I see, so it is not so much a cooking book but his personal diary.” That made sense. “Although, it is still a bit strange that copies are kept at the library of a provincial city temple.” I tilted my head as I asked Mother Yae for an explanation.

“That is probably because tomatoes are cultivated in an extremely wide area. In summer, you can see them all over the gardens of Sacula.”

“Ah, right. In the dormitory there were some planted for viewing only. So, in other words, the copies were distributed all over the country as a cautionary measure to prevent accidental ingestion.”

“That is how I see it too. Back when those copies first made the rounds, tomatoes were still widely cultivated as food.”

It was not an overstatement to say that the long-time waste of such a nutrient-rich food constituted a mutiny against civilization. That was unforgivable, dear Tomato Prince. As a punishment, you will be known to posterity as the person who deprived humanity for centuries of your own favorite food.

“Let me get to work and see what the issue with that prince was then.”

“This is the copy of his journal.”

Mother Yae, who had become used to my research methods, presented me with the book in question. It was yet another old transcript. While it was at the very least 50 years old, it was still among the newer documents of this world. I started reading it at once.

“He really loved tomatoes...”

All the entries from spring, when the seeds were planted, until summer, when the fruits were harvested, were about tomatoes. They were in stark contrast to the entries from fall and winter, which detailed in a serious tone the government affairs of the prince’s territories. His existence was a joke in itself. As a thank you for making me laugh, I’ll make sure you go down as a funny story in the annals of food and agricultural history.

Someone who had loved tomatoes this much surely would have wanted them to be reintroduced as a food. And no doubt he would have loved to be immortalized alongside his favorite food. But even if I was wrong, I would not be able to hear a dead person’s objection.

“I found it. From here on, the entries start looking questionable.”

Around the same time that stranger recipes started showing up, the writings also gradually became more confusing. There were several footnotes stating that the original text was not legible anymore. Outside tomato season, the writing seemed to normalize a bit, but the entries no longer resembled those of a brilliant statesman.

“Judging from the abnormalities in the recipes of this journal, it does not seem like the consumption of tomatoes was the reason for his mental decline.”

“As usual, your opinion is quite provocative. Would you mind giving me some time before you continue?” Mother Yae stopped short of saying it was bad for her heart as she took a few deep breaths.

After a few seconds, she made a fist to steel her resolve. It was baffling to see her go through all that just to listen to my calm and logical explanation.

“I’m ready, Ash. What do you think was the reason?”

“Most likely the stalks and petals of the tomato plant. He was so enamored with tomatoes that he made his chef use parts that are usually thrown out.”

According to the journal, the prince had ordered his cooks to constantly come up with new recipes involving tomatoes. It was not clear how much he pressured them, but considering he had been keeping records and evaluated his daily menus, it must have been substantial. As a result, the chef was pushed to use not just the fruit, but also other parts of the plant, like the stalk and petals. Technically, it was all part of the tomato plant, so it would qualify as a tomato dish. However, I was not sure if I wanted to call something that poisoned you a proper meal.

“The entries only start becoming disordered once the chef started using parts other than the fruit of the tomato. Until that point, it does not seem like there were any problems, so it would be unlikely for the fruit itself to be the culprit.”

“I see. If the fruit itself had been poisonous, there should have been problems much earlier.”

“Besides, back then, tomatoes were widely eaten. Is that correct?”

“Yes, you are right. In that regard, your reasoning seems to hold up. However, is it really possible for only part of a plant to be poisonous? I’m no expert, but it seems strange...”

“Ah, yes, that does indeed sound strange if you are not aware of plant biology.”

However, it was not unusual for plants to have different concentrations of poison in different parts. There were a lot of cases where the plant lost its poison once it fully matured too.

“Fundamentally, plants are not able to defend themselves against enemies or run away. Therefore, in order to survive and not get eaten, they produce poison.”

It was a natural poison produced by the plant itself that acted as a pesticide against harmful insects and animals. The food chain was relentless, but no life form existed solely for the purpose of sustaining others. Everyone was fighting for their own survival on equal terms.

“At the same time, plants realize the advantage of sowing their seed in an area as wide as possible. If they only reproduced in the same narrow area, one single fire could lead to the destruction of their species.”

“So, since plants can’t move, they use other animals to transport their seeds?”

“Precisely. There are parts of a plant which it does not want anyone to eat, but conversely, there are also parts that it requires to be eaten. The former are filled with bitter poison, whereas the latter are sweet and nutritious. For example, you can often see birds pecking at the fruit of tomato plants.”

“I see!” Mother Yae sounded excited as she realized the workings of the natural world. “That makes a lot of sense! In that case, a ripe tomato, which carries the seeds for the next generation inside its red flesh, would not contain any poison. That part of the plant exists to be eaten by other animals.”

“Exactly! However, this does not mean that all ripe fruits are edible. They are fit for animal consumption, but that does not necessarily mean that humans could tolerate it too.”

“That’s good to know. But in this case, there is a history of people eating tomatoes. And it is safe to assume that they are the same type as the ones which are currently being cultivated.” Mother Yae frantically nodded. “It appears very credible. The red part of the tomato plant, the fruit, doesn’t contain any poison.”

“I am glad to hear you agree. In fact, I have been eating them for years at the village, and I ate one just earlier. I will write up a report after a few more experiments.”

“Leave the rest to me. I’ll take responsibility and give the approval of the temple.”

The approval of a temple, which acted as an academic institution in this world, had a lot of weight among the intelligentsia. If the temple had not appraised our agricultural improvement plan as “logical and proven via credible sources,” Lord Itsuki would have been much more hesitant to give his approval. Mother Yae was well aware of this, and she generously appraised my proposals. I was very grateful, especially considering that Master Folke had never told us about this system.

“Thank you very much. If this goes over well, you will be able to use tomatoes to make a delicious meat dish using one of these recipes,” I suggested.

And I knew exactly what she was going to do with said dish. As his adjutant apprentice, I was aware of Sir George’s latest meal plans and who provided them.

“That would be lovely. Apparently, he loves meat too.” Mother Yae almost sounded like a new wife when she passionately referred to “him.”

Sir George was still indecisive as ever, but thanks to Mother Yae’s resolute attack plan, all the obstacles in their way were steadily being removed.

She was in good spirits, since she had received new ammunition with those new recipes, and promptly scanned through the Tomato Prince’s journal. “I think I can summarize the relationship between the poisonous parts of the tomato plant and the mental decline of the prince myself. I’ll write up a rough draft and have Arthur and Reina tidy it up for me.”

“If you do not mind, I will gladly take you up on your offer.”

After all, kindness was best repaid with kindness. A collaboration desired by both sides produced the best results. Both Mother Yae and I nodded at each other with a beaming smile on our faces.

In order to collect data proving that tomatoes were not poisonous, I visited the shack outside the city wall. Since the prisoners were already experienced test subjects, I was going to ask them for their help again.

“Please, eat up these tomatoes!”

The prisoners looked at each other questioning after seeing the basket filled with tomatoes. It felt surreal to see these tough guys being afraid of a red fruit.

Belgo was pushed out of the crowd as the representative in front of the basket. “I mean... I don’t think you would feed us poison at this point... but are you sure this is alright?”

“I only came because I concluded it was alright. I have been eating them every year back at the village. They are delicious!”

I held out a round tomato in front of him. Just take it and eat it already. Any resistance is futile. And I won’t let you leave until you’ve eaten, so don’t waste your precious time. Although I realized it took some courage to eat something which was considered to be poisonous.

Belgo took a step backwards, but was immediately pushed back again by his comrades. “Hey, don’t push me!”

“It’s ’cos you walked back! I know how you feel, but aren’t you the boss?”

“He’s right! You always want to be the leader, so you should take one for the team! I know how you feel though...”

“C’mon, Belgo! He ain’t done any harm so far! I know he looks scary, but still!”

It seemed like they were more afraid of me than the tomatoes. How strange considering I was only an 11-year-old boy. But that was an issue for another day. For now, I needed to focus on shoving this tomato into Belgo’s mouth. Thankfully, the other prisoners helped me by holding him down. To an outsider it might have looked like Belgo was about to be sacrificed to the Devil.

“Open your mouth and get ready to chew!”

“Wait! I’ll eat it myself!”

“If you are going to eat it anyway, it does not really matter. Eat up!”

I stuffed the tomato in his mouth the moment he was about to shout something else. Since I was dealing with a middle-aged man, of course I did not say, “Here comes the airplane!” Observing Belgo moan for a while, I realized that it may have been a bit too big to make him eat it all at once.

After he finally swallowed it, he only gave a very brief comment. “That was a terrible experience!”

Good grief! How inconsiderate of him to not tell us how he liked it!

I turned towards the others with a smile. “You see, everything is fine!”

I ignored the fact that most poisons did not produce any symptoms this soon after ingesting them. Several of the prisoners seemed to want to say something, but none of them did, so I assumed it was nothing important. Any unvoiced opinions were not valid anyway.

“Everyone, please try it. It is delicious.”

“He’s right! Eat up!” Belgo backed me up in a commanding voice. This was probably the closest I could get to him admitting that he liked it.

He took tomatoes in both his hands and shoved them in his comrades’ mouths. Since the prisoners lived together in a group of men only, it felt a bit like I was among a bunch of manly jocks. While the air was filled with shrieks and jeers, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. A few managed to escape Belgo and grab a tomato from the basket with their own hands.

“So that’s what it tastes like!”

“It’s juicy! I like it!”

“Really? I don’t fancy it too much... The smell’s a bit too much...”

“Me neither. The smell is strong, but the slimy inside is even worse!”

All those grim fellows munching on tomatoes was a strangely funny yet endearing sight to behold. There were several people who did not like the taste, but none of them refused to eat them. Moreover, the reasons cited for not liking the taste were the smell and texture. In that case, it was mostly just a question of preparing it the right way.

“Since we all finished poison-tasting the raw tomatoes, I propose we start preparing lunch! Who is in charge of cooking today? Please come help me!”

Some of them put on a tough look and started vocalizing their actions. Ever since arriving in the city, I had had several new cooking pupils, but none of them were as eager as these guys. They only had a few pleasures. As convicts, they were only provided with the bare necessities for their daily lives, which in my view did not even amount to the bare minimum, and they did not have access to any small luxuries.

Those bare necessities of course included groceries, which meant that the prisoners could spend their time preparing them with great care, cooking delicious meals. I dare say a very efficient pastime.

I was helping the quite decent convicts with that pastime as much as possible. I frequently bought them ingredients, cookware, and firewood, so that they would not run out. As a result, they were all very grateful to me. Although I would have been fine without any thanks too. If the prisoners served their time without any dissatisfaction, that helped to keep up the public order, which was an important issue for anyone living in the city, including me. Unfortunately, there were not enough resources to simply leave that job to the prison guards.

Additionally, I had an interest in improving the living environment of my co-workers, since that would lead directly to an increase in productivity. And above anything else, they enjoyed the time-consuming and tedious task of cooking! They even did it for free!

They refused to compromise on any front when it came to their food, and as such, what they cooked was on a whole other level than the dishes served at restaurants and bars in the city. Since they were still prisoners in charge of waste disposal, it could not be helped that people avoided them, but their meals were popular among the guards in the barracks as well as the nursing staff. I was also allowed to eat their delicious food—which even Chef Yacoo would have approved of—together with them, and could even take the leftovers back to the dormitory to eat on my days off. I felt ashamed to be thanked on top of all that. In secret, I also gave some of the food to Lady Maika, Lady Reina, and Lord Arthur. It had to be kept a secret from Mrs. Rihn, although considering her wit I was sure she had started to notice.

Anyway, now the prisoners could add yet another item to their menu: tomato puree! It took a lot of time to make it from raw tomatoes, but the process was not difficult. Furthermore, the puree could be used as sauce or stew too.

“Ash, we grilled the bread!”

“We fried the cooked tomatoes with the smoked pork, just like you said we should. Does this look alright?”

Pile them on top of each other!

In reality, I had wanted to make pizza, but with the current cookware that would have probably ended in failure, so I had settled for pizza-style bread, like a panini. We placed bacon and tomato sauce on top of a loaf of bread that had been grilled in a pan. Then, we sprinkled it with some expensive cheese before reheating it one last time. Done! Time to dig in.

“Everyone, enjoy the meal!”

As I started saying grace, all the other prisoners joined in. It appeared that they had naturally adapted the practice only after seeing me do it repeatedly. They were probably the best-mannered prisoners in this entire world.

“Woah, this is great. It tastes different from the raw tomatoes!”

“The sour and sweet taste goes well with the meat! This would be nice as a stew too!”

“Yeah, it’s great with the meat, but also with the bread. I love the taste of the soaked loaf!”

Everyone greedily devoured their meals. There were no longer any doubts regarding the poison in their minds.

As for me, I was focused on enjoying my first tomato dish in over a year. Tomatoes were really great. These had taken up a lot more time and effort than the ones in the village, and the difference in taste was remarkable. If I continued eating them like this every day and there were no side effects, I could easily submit a report to the temple and receive approval.

The theory of poisonous tomatoes had taken me off guard, but a positive resolution was on the horizon. I was yet another step closer to my ideal life. I had to make sure not to forget to take back the leftovers, or Lady Maika, who already knew the taste of tomatoes, would end up getting mad at me. This was yet another step towards a brighter tomorrow.

Maika’s Perspective

Today I was yet again separated from Ash. Unfortunately, that had been a frequent occurrence recently. Nevertheless, I refrained from letting out a sigh. This is for Ash! Yes! I felt fired up.

After lunch, I held a study group at the cafeteria, where we went over the materials from the morning classes at the temple. There were some people whom I had to send home. Since this study group was an extension of Ash’s missionary work, I did not allow any Ash haters to participate.

“Let’s get started then! If you need any advice, please raise your hands!”

The dispersed participants answered in an energetic tone. They were all excellent students.

“Today we’re going over multiplication. As it is harder than addition, I’m sure many of you will have some trouble, so let’s take it slowly. How about we use a sack of wheat as an example? If you have a sack of wheat with ten servings inside and there are three sacks, how many servings do you have?”

After I laid out the question, one student raised their hand.

“Yes, Hermes?”

“Are there ten servings in all three sacks of wheat?”

“Oh, my bad! I should have been clearer. Yes, there are ten servings in all three of them.”

I had not expected them to get stuck on that part. That was quick and sharp, or rather pedantic. When Ash had asked me a similar question, I had never even questioned the premise and just assumed it was the same. Ash had warned me that there may be students who try to tease me. That warning in itself was very mature and cool and...

“In that case, the answer is 30 servings.”

As I was ruminating over my interactions with Ash, Hermes answered the question. I needed to pay attention. Ash had the power to distract both my mind and my feelings. Apparently, this was referred to as an “addiction.” Or in other words, Ash was highly addictive.

“Yeah, that is correct! You’re fast at math.”

“Thanks.” He lowered his head and closed his mouth again.

He was not very talkative, but judging from the study group so far, he was smart and motivated. It was a case of still waters running deep.

While I considered him to be a capable person, Reina, who acted as my assistant, seemed to object. “Hermes, you are good at math, but you need to work on your language. We are supposed to learn manners here at the academy too. It might take you some time to get used to it, but please be aware of that.”

“Ok—”

Reina glared at him.

“I mean... Yes, ma’am...”

“Very well.” Reina looked pleased after hearing Hermes correct himself. She paid great attention to detail. I tended to let these things go because I thought it was kind of refreshing.

“Hermes was really quick, but how about everyone else? Did you know the answer? Please raise your hand if you didn’t! Arthur and Reina will help explain it!”

Several hands went up. I imagined there were quite a few boys and girls who reacted to the mention of Reina and Arthur. I knew how they felt! I would have also raised my hand if it was Ash who helped explain! And while some of them may have had ulterior motives, them raising their hands made it easier for the students who may have been too embarrassed to reach out on their own. It all worked out!

“Let’s separate into groups then. I’ll keep going for those who understood it. The problems will get harder, but if you take your time and use the same approach, you will be able to solve them!”

On the one hand, I wondered if we could make it to double-digit multiplication today. On the other hand, it felt strange to be doing this, considering I had not been able to calculate myself until recently. I had not believed I was capable of this. Nor had I even imagined anything like this existed. It was all thanks to Ash. He had shown me so many things and taught me how to embrace the future. He had given me a purpose. And now it was my turn to teach everyone else. I wanted to help them expand their view of the world and find a way forward. Hopefully they were going to see the same light that Ash had shown me back then. I was more than happy to share this wonderful light with everyone if they could see it. All I expected in return was for them to go out and spread it even further. The world was prettier, kinder, and much more fun when seen in that light. And full of delicious stuff!

As we continued our session, an inviting smell wafted our way from the kitchen. Since we were in the cafeteria, that was to be expected, but it disrupted our study group. How would anyone be able to concentrate once their stomach started to grumble? The session was doomed to fail! Or maybe not. This was not so much a study group as it was a gathering to propagate the word of Ash under the guise of studying! I wanted everyone to appreciate how amazing Ash was. I didn’t really care about the studying, that was just a bait. Although Ash had become quite invested in the studying aspect of these gatherings... But it was nothing new for Ash to act differently than expected, so I didn’t mind too much!

All went according to my plan, as everyone slowly became intrigued by the sweet and savory smell coming from the kitchen. Even the serious Glen and untalkative Hermes could not help themselves! Arthur and Reina, who were instigators themselves, started fidgeting! And I was reaching my limits too. Now was the time to start the operation!

“Alright, good work everyone! That’s enough for today! I’m sure you’ve noticed the delicious smell.”

Especially the girls replied enthusiastically.

“I see you’re all as curious as I am! Yacoo, please bring it out!”

They all sat in awe when Yacoo appeared with a large plate. As usual, everyone went silent faced with his threatening aura, but they were considerably less tense due to the sweet smell lingering in the air. Everyone’s eyes were drawn to the large plate in his hands.

“I saw y’all working hard from the kitchen. I hope this will help motivate ya!”

He placed a large pancake on the table with a thud. It was a dream-like size, big enough for everyone in the study group to get a piece. Tender, sweet steam rose from its appetizing golden-brown surface. Wow! This looks amazing! But I did not expect anything less from a cook whom even Ash sought out for knowledge. Just looking at the pancake made me feel like jumping up and ecstatically dancing around.

“Chef Yacoo, this is amazing! This smell... Is it a cake?” Reina inhaled the smell with a smile on her face. She had quite a sweet tooth.

“Yeah, it looks delicious. What kind of cake is it?” Arthur asked with anticipation.

“It’s a Tanya pancake!” Yacoo answered in a low voice, puffing out his chest.

Yes, this was indeed a creation of Noscula village’s own beekeeper! The Tanya pancake! I also puffed out my chest next to Yacoo. This had been a request from me and Ash. We had even covered the cost of all the ingredients, so I had every right to be proud!

“Tanya? Is that the name of the person who came up with the recipe?” Reina asked as we were both puffed up with pride.

Naturally, they wouldn’t have known who she was without any explanation...

Or so I thought. Arthur reacted to the mention of the name. “Isn’t that the person who started beekeeping in Noscula village? So that sweet smell must be honey!”

“How did you know? Did you hear from Ash?”

“Oh, yes, a little while ago.”

Arthur seemed embarrassed, as his face and ears turned red again. I felt uneasy seeing that expression, but I realized it was a natural reaction. It was much better than suppressing your emotions. I was sure Ash had encouraged him to show his feelings more. Since Ash was brighter than the summer sun, just being by his side increased one’s power hundredfold. But anyway, now was time to enjoy the Tanya pancake!

“When we were studying at the church back at Noscula village, Tanya regularly used to bring us these pancakes.”

Of course, only after she started beekeeping. Since there weren’t many sweets in the village, I had always looked forward to them. There were even some children who started joining our study session lured by their smell.

“According to Ash, the recipe itself is quite simple and probably similar to that of other cakes. However, since this one uses the honey collected by Tanya in Noscula village, it’s called the Tanya pancake.”

Yacoo nodded in agreement. “She’s right. I know a similar recipe. There are some small differences with the proportions and the heating temperature, but calling it the Tanya pancake makes sense, since she’s the collector of the honey.”

“Now, please enjoy today’s reward, the Tanya pancake!” Let’s not lose any more time and eat!

At once, I dug my spoon into the golden-brown dough. At that moment, the sweet smell became even stronger! The Tanya pancake was characteristically a little soft in the middle, with its edges being crisp. Since it was so big, the edge naturally ended up firmer after cooking it. Here I go! It’s so good! The slightly burnt edge had its own unique taste. I loved sweet foods. I melted alongside the pancake in my mouth.

“This is amazing!!”

“Yeah, it’s delicious.”

Reina and Arthur both loudly expressed their delight. Usually they were very elegant and refined, but they couldn’t help raising their voices. As Reina basked in the attention as usual, Arthur closed his mouth and sat in slight embarrassment as everyone stared at him.

“You’re right! It’s so good!”

“Yeah, I like it. I feel like the gentle sweetness of the honey calms me down.”

Right? Right?

To Tanya, this was the taste of family. It reminded her of her dad when he was still alive, and of her mom, who always made the pancakes. When Tanya had made them for us, Jigil had ground the wheat and Ban had gathered the eggs from wild birds, shaping it into the taste of her new family. Of course it was going to have a gentle taste! It was a recipe born from the strong bonds of family. Honey, wheat, and eggs were the only ingredients. All you had to do was mix them together and then cook that mix. Simple yet so delicious!

“Hehe, Ash wanted to share some of the new honey that he’s received from Tanya.”

Yes, you had heard right! Ash was providing the honey! Let me say it one more time: Ash made this delicious dessert possible!

“Since Ash is busy with the plan that was approved by my uncle—I mean, Lord Itsuki, and can’t come to the study group very often, he wanted you to enjoy this dessert as a small apology,” I explained.

Ash had also covered the costs for the eggs and firewood. Quid had provided the wheat from Noscula village for free! Yacoo had been more than willing to cooperate, so it didn’t take too much effort to make these pancakes.

“Oh, really? In that case, I’m gonna have to thank him next time I see him.”

“Yeah, I should thank him for taking us into consideration even though he’s so busy.”

“This is good. Sooo good!”

“Slow down, you idiot boys! You should savor it to show your appreciation! And make sure to leave enough for everyone!”

It was a great success! Hehe, it was already starting to take effect. I had tried imitating the crepe strategy that Ash had used on Reina. As he had said, it was better to make friends by offering them something delicious rather than threatening them right away. Yet another lesson I’ve learned from you, Ash!

●　●　●

“Dewicious!!”

Lady Maika voiced her enjoyment of the pizza bread that she was chewing. It was endearing to see her rounded cheeks and a bit of tomato sauce around her mouth.

In the late afternoon, after we were both finished with all our tasks for the day, we treated ourselves to a snack break. We sat in front of the dormitory’s kitchen garden, since no one apart from our fellow collaborators ever approached this area. Well, no one apart from those guys who came around to make snide remarks about me. Fortunately, they stayed away today, so we could peacefully enjoy our break from the hard work.

“Your tomato dishes are the best!”

“Everyone helped make it, so no wonder it turned out great!”

I agreed as I took a small slice of the bread for myself. Since Chef Yacoo’s dinner was still coming up I had to refrain from eating too much or else I was going to regret it, but I could not help myself when I saw how much Lady Maika was enjoying the food.

“I feel sad thinking about how the others can’t even taste this.”

“Me too. There is no harm in having a wide variety of dishes.”

I had to finish the report so that at least all the students at the academy were going to be able to enjoy tomato dishes by next summer. Once it gained popularity among the future leaders at the academy, it was likely going to diffuse quickly to more remote regions too. Increasing your food options was always good.

After finishing our snacks, we both started talking about our days. Ever since I had become busy helping out Sir George and the prisoners, we promised to meet up to report our daily activities to each other. It all started with Lady Maika saying, “I don’t even know what you’re doing anymore these days! That’s not fair!”

“Other than making Belgo and the prisoners eat tomatoes, I did nothing special. Just my usual work of looking after the compost.”

“That does sound like a quiet day for you... Although I can’t help but feel that there is a bit more to the part where you made them eat tomatoes than you are letting on...”

What are you assuming about me?

“Everything went according to plan on my end too! Everyone in the study group is doing fine reading and writing, and they are getting pretty good at calculating!” Lady Maika proudly puffed out her chest.

I noticed how she appeared more mature, either due to the better nutrition here in the city or possibly to puberty. Girls of her age grew more beautiful by the day, and I would have loved to send a picture to her parents every day. Mrs. Yuika and Mr. Klein, your beloved daughter is slowly turning into an adult.

“Mother Yae praised us, saying that we may be the year with the highest standards in the history of the academy!”

“That is wonderful. That praise is also directed at your teaching.”

“Hehe, I’m just applying the Master Folke method as I learned it from you. Of course it would work even in the city!”

By the way, Lady Maika was hosting a study group which was essentially a branch off edition of Master Folke’s church school. Of course, Master Folke, who was crazy about his research, would have never left the village. Therefore, just as I had taught Lady Maika back at the village, she was now teaching others. She was using my methods or, if you asked her, Master Folke’s methods, and as such it was essentially an extension of the study group in Noscula village. The reputation of that lovable fool researcher went up without him doing anything at all.

The study group was made up of influential people from outside Itsutsu city, with a focus on people from the outskirts of the city. Lady Maika said that this composition was a result of her attempt to gather a resistance to Moldo, who held influence inside the city. While I would not have minded just leaving him alone, it appeared that Lady Maika was acting on her statement of opposing him. Needless to say, she had neither engaged in any reckless behavior like kicking him nor stooped to Moldo’s level of propagating slander. Everyone was seriously studying, discussing their hometowns, and talking about their experiences in the city. It was just a regular, friendly classroom.

Eventually, they were going to read books and summarize their contents to gain knowledge for their future activities. I did not understand how any of this was going to work as a countermeasure to Moldo, but I did not care either. The study group had the hidden power to increase my collaborators, increase productivity, and improve the living environment surrounding the city. Whenever I was free, I helped however I could. And at the very least, the effectiveness of Moldo’s slander had been dampened, or in some cases even rendered null and void.

The very honest Glen had approached me during one of the sessions, saying, “You may be a bit of an oddball, but you’re a decent person.” Apparently, he had thought I was out of my mind judging from the slander and all my activities in the city. After talking to me at the study group, he had realized it was all a misunderstanding. Although I could only reply with a strained smile when he had called me an oddball directly to my face. Putting that aside, Glen was an honest, good boy. Someone who can say, “I’m sorry for judging you prematurely,” was raised the right way and was sure to become popular.

“Reina and Arthur have also gotten used to teaching! At this rate, they’ll also be able to teach math in fall!”

“That is good news! Finally, we are approaching the next stage!”

The world of essay writing! First, it was probably best to have them do practice in groups summarizing a single topic. Or maybe we could start by having them evaluate something we had written. Or even better, we could form a group with me and Lady Maika at the center, where we could get straight to writing practice.

“Ash? Hello? Please calm down! You’re running off again!”

“Do you think so? Is it not more efficient to make plans in advance, so you are prepared when the time comes?”

“No, when you’re smiling like that, you’re running off way too fast for any normal person.”

I felt a resolute but mysterious energy radiating off her smile. It was as if she was a mother bird in fighting mode protecting her little chick. However, in my pursuit of my dreams, my ideal life, I had turned into a demigod who would not even show mercy to his childhood friend.

“By the way, Ash.”

“What is it?”

Oh? Lady Maika had suddenly taken the initiative.

“Did you know that George’s lesson tomorrow is canceled?”

“Yes, as his assistant I have to be aware of his schedule. Apparently, there was a report which he could not ignore, so he will be going on a special patrol around the city.”

“Ah, I forgot. Yeah, it would have been weirder if you didn’t know. Well, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go to the administrative hall together tomorrow, during that time. You know, instead of doing self-study. I asked them if we could help with their work.”

The administrative hall?! “What work would we be helping them with?”

“Since they know that we’ve been writing the reports for our village, they want us to double-check the data relating to their budget and resources. Do you want to come?”

“Yes! I would love to go!”

If I gained insight into that kind of data, I might be able to determine whether or not I can obtain certain resources in this region. There were a lot of materials like coal, sulfuric acid, fire-resistant stone, or all sorts of metal which would come in handy. I could not miss this chance no matter what other tasks I had to push aside.

She smiled like the Holy Mother after hearing my straightforward reply. “I knew I could count on you! Let’s go to the administrative hall together tomorrow then!”

“Yes, let us do our best reviewing all those documents!”

I could not wait! Any information relating to resources was considered sensitive and unavailable to outsiders, so it was not kept at the temple either. Or maybe it was hidden away somewhere, but either way, I did not have the reading privileges. There must have been some circumstances for Mother Yae, with whom I had become very friendly, to not let me see them.

I wondered how much I was going to be able to read in one day tomorrow. If I did not manage to read everything, I needed to find out how I could get to help them again. It looked like I was going to become busy again! It was going to be fun yet painful!

As I was racking my brain, next to me Lady Maika clenched her fist as if she had successfully completed a job. “Yes! I kept control, Mom!”

She had kept control? What was she talking about? Judging from the content of our conversation, I had a growing suspicion that she was referring to me.

Summer in the city went by in a flash. Sir George’s classes were still canceled more often than not, and we continued to spend our days helping out at the administrative hall. While I told everyone in the study group that he was just busy as usual, I knew that it was more serious than that. Since I was assisting Sir George in managing the equipment, I had no choice but to know.

For example, the ballistae on the city wall were usually stored away inside one of the towers, but these days half of them were basking in the sun on clear days. Locked and loaded. Only the other day, I had been in charge of preparing the spare parts. The ballistae needed to be ready since they could be used and/or destroyed at any moment.

There was no information about any large band of thieves in the area or tensions with neighboring cities. The danger came rather from a third type of common enemy who tended to unite humans—demons.

Over the course of history, demons had destroyed many cities and contributed to the decline of humanity. They were the natural enemy of humans in this world. They were undeniable—there were concrete signs of their existence.

Ever since I had heard about demons back at the village, I had been unsure what exactly they were, but now I had learned about them in class at the academy. Besides being tools for maintaining public order, weapons were mostly used to defend humanity from demons.

Given the circumstances, the gatekeepers stealthily cautioned me when I left the city on my way to see Belgo and his crew. “If anything happens, come running to us,” they told me. They pointed at the ballista positioned above the gate. “This is the closest point from the prisoners’ shack.”

“Thank you for the warning. I will keep it in mind,” I answered, praying I would not have to act upon it.

It had only been one year since I had fought Sir Bear and I did not intend on encountering Death yet again. Surely the Grim Reaper was too busy to come and see me again after such a short time.

As the shack came into my sight, I spotted Belgo waving at me. Let’s start another day of hard work!

I had a strange sense of impending doom. It was similar to what I had experienced when a wolf had attacked me and Ban in the forest. Once a human felt that their life was in danger, the brain gave orders to prepare for war. This heightened one’s awareness, resulting in clearer vision, the capacity to hear a broader sound spectrum, and a more sensitive sense of smell. In a way, the world appeared richer.

That sensation itself was not unfamiliar to anyone who hunted. However, usually it was triggered by an external stimulus, like the nervous predator’s sweaty smell hanging in the air. Or the sound of footsteps grazing against the grass behind you. Or sharp, glowing eyes peeking out of dark bushes. As soon as the brain sensed one or more of these, it concluded that there was danger. However, strangely enough, this time around none of my five senses had picked up anything out of the ordinary. Neither my vision, nor my hearing, nor my taste, nor my sense of smell, nor my sense of touch. It felt like my brain, which was only supposed to process data with input from other organs, had just picked it up on its own. It seemed impossible unless there was some kind of telepathy or brain wave transmitter at work. I remembered certain professions employing such methods in my past life, but I had never come across them in this world.

As I ruminated, I fixed my gaze on the plain leading to the forest in the opposite direction of the city. I sensed something coming from there. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I blinked once. Everything seemed fine. I blinked again. Still fine. I blinked once more. There it was. It had the silhouette of a four-legged animal. Drawing from my experience, I concluded it must have been a wolf. Putting aside the strange omen, a stray wolf emerging from the forest was nothing special. I took one of the shovels that the prisoners used for waste disposal and warned Belgo and the others.

“Everyone, there is a wolf approaching from the forest! Grab something that you can use as a weapon—”

In the middle of my sentence, I realized something strange. The movements of the approaching wolf silhouette were accompanied by a heavy bass sound. Just to be sure I took a look around, but I could not see anyone beating a drum. Therefore, there was no other option—it must have been the sound of the footsteps of that wolf, or rather wolf-like creature.

As the heavy bass sound grew louder, the silhouette became bigger too. Since the creature was running across an open field with no points of reference, it was hard to tell, but it appeared definitely bigger than a wolf. Then it hit me. My hunch had been right. A suspicious figure that showed itself after reports of demons outside the city and an impending sense of doom. Was this a demon?

“Belgo, close the gate! Quickly!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” He complied with a pale face.

“Can some of you let the farmers know?”

The demon was already close enough to get a look at its expression. Belgo wavered for a moment. Understandably so. Anyone seeing this ferocious creature would have wanted to get away as fast as possible without any detours. However, the people on the farm were important personnel. As I had learned through my life at the village, people with knowledge of livestock farming were hard to come by.

“I will buy you some time. It will be the first time I am fighting a demon, so I cannot guarantee anything, but I will try my best.”

“What are you saying? You wanna fight a demon?!”

I know. You don’t have to scream with your eyes wide open.

Either way, I could not think of any other method, and I did not intend to abandon the prisoners and the farmers. Or, in other words, I had to abide by my ideals. Once I had decided to act, there was no going back.

“There is no use in arguing. Just do as I say. I order you as the adjutant of Sir George. Belgo, Zebb, Am, Moddy, run to the farm and let them know what is going on. Everyone else, inform the guards at the gate about the demon attack.” I did not want to hear any objections. I might have only been 11, but I gave orders with as much dignity as possible. “Everyone, move out!”

The orders were barely effective. They caught their breaths before running off. Only Belgo stayed behind for a moment. “Make sure to survive! And come show yourself later!”

I turned my back on him as he quickly ran off towards the farm. I greatly appreciated Belgo’s bravery. Once all this was over, I was going to get him a large serving of his favorite meat.

As all of this was happening, the demon had shifted its course. It was no longer running straight towards me, but in the direction of Belgo and the others. This is bad.

“I will not let you off so easily!”

I picked up some stones from the ground with the shovel. It was time to see how well this tool that I had steeled through hard labor, day in and day out, could perform.

I lifted it up and threw the stones using centrifugal force. It was almost like a catapult. The first shot hit the mark. I might be a natural at this. However, I was surprised at the sound of the impact.

“That... was a very metallic sound.”

I did not understand, but it should not have been a surprise. I remembered hearing Sir George say during one of his lectures that werewolves, a subspecies of demons, had metallic fur. As such, he told us to treat them as if they were wearing chain mail or scale armor.

The stone-throwing did not cause any injury to the demon, but it managed to redirect its attention towards me again as it kept getting faster. It sounded as if the werewolf’s whole body was filled with coins jingling. Then, it suddenly stopped in its tracks. There was no doubt that its glazed, iron blue fur was indeed made of metal. I had wanted it to be a bad joke, but it looked like it was true after all.

Why are the odds always stacked against humans in fantasy settings? Swearing to myself, I glared at the werewolf. An indescribable, ferocious bloodlust radiated from its eyes, possibly fueled by my earlier stone-throwing. While smaller than Sir Bear, the werewolf stood still taller than me. It must have measured about two meters from the tip of its snout to the rear end, excluding the tail. In some regards, it also resembled a wild boar. If I had to define it, I would have said it was a hybrid human beast. Or rather a demon beast, since it did not seem like there was much humanity left in it.

As I was lost in thought, a creaking, twisted sound coming from the werewolf’s body put me on alert. It stretched out its forelegs and broadened its shoulders while bending its spine.

“I see, you really are a werewolf after all.”

The monster transformed into its bipedal form. The prolonged forelegs had already turned into full-fledged arms, surely giving it a more diverse attack range than any four-legged animal would have had. Standing on its hind legs, the violent, imposing figure easily exceeded two meters. I’m repeating myself, but why are the odds always stacked against humans in fantasy settings?!

While I was fed up with the unfair circumstances, the werewolf let out a menacingly loud roar, letting me know that he was not going to let me escape. He was determined to kill. But I’ll have you know, Sir Werewolf, that I’m not the type of person to shrivel from that.

“You seem angry. Well, to be fair, I did throw stones at you.”

After all, I was angry too.

“I want you to understand how rude it is of you to just suddenly interrupt my sprint towards my dreams. Do you realize how much I writhed about while going through both joy and pain?”

Since I had come to the city, both my resources and funds had increased. I had more goals than ever and I had managed to achieve more things than before. I had gained friends. I was closer to achieving my dreams than ever before. And with every step, my desire grew stronger and less patient. It was a natural outcome. I had spent time and effort. I had used up resources. I had received help from so many people who entrusted me with their hopes and expectations. I had no choice but to achieve my goals. The more I put into my ambitions, the stronger they grew. My dream-chasing frenzy was even more unstoppable now than it had been back at the village. And anyone who jumped out in front of me had to be prepared to get steamrolled.

“I am warning you—I will pulverize you with everything I have got for interfering with my dreams!”

I readied myself, lifting up the shovel. My aim was the raised right arm of the werewolf. The beast was the first to make a move. The metallic sound of its blunt right arm crashing into my defending shovel reverberated across the plain. After parrying, I tried to counterattack with my shovel, but I was intercepted by its left arm. Its reaction was beyond imagination. Even though its skin was solid, the muscles on the inside were as flexible as rubber. Apparently, it did not even feel the impact.

Since I had no way of dealing any significant damage through its metallic fur, I had to aim for the soft parts—his eyes and mouth. However, I was not sure how to go about it. I did not have any time to think either. Sir Werewolf bent over and attacked me at a speed that felt like a time-lapse. He repeatedly thrust his nails of steel at me, swinging downward and back up again. The attack was so powerful that any hit would have certainly ripped my torso apart.

But I had no time to be afraid. If I had closed my eyes, I would not have been able to see his attacks, so I kept them open. I had to make sure my view did not narrow due to nervousness or I would not have been able to follow his quick movements. If my limbs had shivered, my movements would have grown dull. Therefore, I released as much strength as possible to stay agile. If he had gained even one inch on me, I would have been torn to pieces, so I kept pressing forward while warding off the incoming attacks.

I killed my fear and kept fighting with composure and a cool head. I did not consider myself to be a fighter, but I excelled at withstanding fear. I used that to my advantage in this battle for life and death. I handled it the same way as my practice matches with Lady Maika. My arms tingled with each metallic sound. The edge of the shovel was already tattered, and the old wooden handle was not in good shape either. It was hard to breathe. My head felt heavy. I was about to faint. I did not know for how long we had been exchanging blows, and I did not know how long it would keep going.

“Aargh!”

Possibly sensing that I had reached my limits, Sir Werewolf launched a powerful attack which snapped the damaged shovel in two. However, I was not done yet. As compensation for the wrecked shovel, I managed to use the force of the strong blow to retreat to a safe distance.

Before recovering my breath, I reached for the small porcelain bottle that I kept around my waist. I was indeed not much of a fighter. Even Lord Arthur had raised doubts, saying, “How did you beat a bear with those skills?” But the answer was simple: I had not used my fighting skills to defeat the bear. Among other things, I had relied on my fearlessness and my knowledge of poison. This bottle pertained to the latter category. Ever since the Sir Bear incident, I had perfected my poison for self-defense. Now was the time to put it to the test.

The bottle was just small enough to clutch it with my hand, and I aimed it at the werewolf’s face. Its body was bent over a bit, but it did not seem like it made any effort to evade. Considering that the earlier stone throw had not damaged it at all, it must not have considered the bottle a threat worthy of evasion. That was a fatal mistake. The porcelain bottle broke and the red viscous liquid inside stuck to the face of the werewolf. One second later, the sturdy demon held its face writhing in agony. Hehe, I guess you can’t handle spices?

Inside the bottle was a concentrated solution of the spicy component capsaicin, which had been extracted from chili peppers soaked in alcohol. The formula described it as a pesticide to protect crops from harmful animals and insects. Unfortunately, the cost of distilling alcohol made it impossible to widely use it as a pesticide, but it worked fine as a tear-inducing solution. This was one of the self-defense measures that I had taken after fighting with Sir Bear. Since it was non-lethal, it was easy to carry around, and considering that I was involved with important people like Lady Maika and Lord Arthur, I always had a bottle with me.

With a heavy breath, I jumped at a pitchfork to use it as my next weapon. Sir Werewolf was in too much pain to pay any attention to my movements. The fiery hot ingredient must have entered his eyes and nose directly. I did not even want to imagine how painful that was. Just looking at it I felt pity, so I decided to finish the beast off.

I cautiously walked around the monster to aim for the head. Since it was rolling about while scratching its face in pain, it was difficult to get a clear shot at the eyes or mouth. However, due to its own scratching, parts of the skin had come off to a point where I could probably penetrate it with the pitchfork. Here I go! I hit the skull and the pitchfork slipped. I guess I’ll need several hard blows. Let’s try again! And again...!

It was no use. It was harder than I had assumed. I was not able to kill him at all. Besides, it looked like his face had reverted back to normal. Since he was covered in blood, I had not noticed right away, but the bleeding had stopped. The injuries from the pitchfork had also turned into mere surface scratches.

“You have got to be kidding me...”

I had learned from Sir George that demons had fast recovery powers, but seeing it heal in less than a minute in front of my eyes still made me question all logic. This was the power of a demon. Why does this world allow such a supernatural phenomenon just because it’s a demon? And why does it keep stacking the odds against humans again?

Either way, this was bad. I did not carry around a second bottle. If I did not use this chance, I was going to be driven into a corner. I tried to stab one of his eyeballs, only to realize it was looking straight at me. At the same moment that I swung down my pitchfork, the werewolf raised its right arm. I heard the sound of its nails scraping the skin off my left collarbone before feeling the pain. I clenched my teeth and pressed my whole body against the pitchfork. As a result, the nails penetrated even further into my left shoulder, but I did not care. I was piercing Sir Werewolf’s right eye in return. Two different cries of pain echoed across the plain: one a beastly roar, another a human scream. They sounded desperate.

We had reached a critical moment with both of us on the brink of taking the other’s life. If only I had been a little older, I would have been taller and bigger, making it easier to push through. Finally, I penetrated the hard skull and pierced a soft mass. From my experience as a hunter, I knew I was now gouging his brain. The werewolf’s giant body unnaturally jumped up and its right arm started spasming before falling to the ground.

“Yes!”

After I pushed in the pitchfork a little more to make sure it was dead, I let go of it. Instinctively, I staggered back two or three steps. At once, fatigue came over my whole body. My arms as well as my legs and groin felt like worn-out rubber from parrying the werewolf’s strong attacks. It seemed that I had pushed myself past my limit.

“My left shoulder hurts too... Hopefully it will not fester...”

I also wanted to avoid another scolding from Lady Maika. Once again, it was not like I had wanted to fight. I appreciated her concern, but I also hoped she would understand. Although I realized that, based on my past experience, that was just wishful thinking. At the very least I did not want my mother to find out back at the village. If she did not know, at least I could evade one scolding.

As I inspected the wound on my left shoulder, thinking about a way to stop the bleeding, I heard a sound. It was the sound of the pitchfork falling to the ground. I turned my tired head around, only to find the werewolf looking down upon me.

“Are you already awake again?”

Had he reincarnated? He did not look any different, so he had probably just resurrected himself. Its right eye, which I had stabbed with the pitchfork earlier, stared at me as it was regenerating. What a load of nonsense.

While I was caught by surprise, Sir Werewolf came straight at me with its fangs. I felt a new pain as its fangs sunk into my left shoulder, but I prevented the beast from biting it off.

“I will not yield! I am a huntsman apprentice after all! I am Ban’s best pupil!”

My mind was blank, but my body moved on its own, remembering Ban’s teachings. My right hand had reflexively drawn the dagger from my waist and shoved it into the wide-open mouth. Ban had given me this dagger during one of our hunts. It was a sacred tool of hunters used to finish off their prey, but it was also used as a self-defense weapon once you were out of arrows and spears.

I made eye contact with Sir Werewolf. I imagined it wanted to bite down, tearing into my shoulder and chest. However, my dagger was stuck inside its mouth, pointed towards its skull. If the beast closed its jaws in this position, the dagger was going to stab right into its brain.

“What are you going to do? Do you want to try and attack at the same time? Do you think I will die from this?”

If the monster did think that, it was probably right. Under the current circumstances, I was likely going to die. But surely you don’t want to take the risk? Come on, open your mouth!

I was quite scared that the beast did not care at all, considering it had just survived having its brain gouged. If I had been able to push the dagger further, the werewolf surely would have let go, but unfortunately, its fangs were also sinking into my right hand, preventing any real movement. Besides, the excruciating pain made it impossible to move. What was I going to do? There was not much that I could do in this position. I could only wait for the werewolf’s next move.

We both glared at each other while frantically breathing. Hurry up and let go! My right hand had gone numb. Was this it? Was the only option left to wait for one of us to run out of strength? That was bad. In that case, I was definitely going to lose. Even I turned pale at that thought. However, Sir Werewolf readily opened his mouth and let me go.

“...What happened?”

I wondered why the beast had withdrawn even though it was sure to win if it only waited long enough. Prepared to go at it again, I readied my dagger, but the werewolf was ignoring me. It was looking at something behind me.

As I pondered my next course of action, I heard the sound of a horse’s hooves coming from behind me, followed by a spear passing right beside me. The cavalry had arrived! Although, in this case, the cavalry was Sir George—all by himself. Showing great fighting spirit, he threw down the werewolf to the ground with a single spear strike.

Sir George turned his horse around to face me. “Ash, hold on to me!”

“Yes, sir!”

Sir George wanted to retreat after a single strike. That made sense. His appearance meant that Belgo and the others had informed the guards at the gate of the demon attack. All that was left to do now was to lure the werewolf into the firing range of the trusted ballista. That was their purpose after all.

I whipped up my exhausted body and jumped up from behind onto the horse. I did not have any strength left in either arm, and it felt like I was going to fall off at any moment.

“Ash, you did a great job!”

Sir George propped me up with his strong arm. How smooth. I can see why Mother Yae would fall for him. I’ll leave the rest to you. That’s ok, right? I can’t do it anymore. I’m at my limit. I felt my consciousness drifting while clinging to Sir George.

As the city gate came into sight, a heavy bass sound approached from behind. Several spear-like projectiles came flying from the ballistae on the city wall, and before I knew it, the sound had stopped.

Even though I had closed my eyelids, I could see something flickering. Somehow, I vividly recalled a memory from my past life. Was this my life flashing before me before it all ended? I had thought my wounds were not as serious as when I had fought Sir Bear, but maybe I was wrong. I could not see any clear signs, but it felt like the Grim Reaper stood close by. It looked like this was going to be my third round with Death. The first round I lost when I died in my past life, and the second one I edged out a win after surviving my battle with Sir Bear, making it a tie. I was starting to get used to this. Do your worst, I’ll take the lead.

Arthur’s Perspective

A werewolf had appeared outside the city wall. I was not too surprised when I learned that news. Of course, I was not calm either. In the capital city, demons had not shown up for the past 100 years or so. In that regard, I did catch my breath when I heard that one of them was right outside. However, it was nothing compared to my shock at the news that came afterwards.

Following the orders of the knights who had been dispatched for protection, the study group was canceled. We returned to the guarded dormitory, where we were unable to calm down. Everyone was agitated and gathered in the lobby when the real surprise rolled in.

“Doesn’t that knight on the horse look like...?”

“Yeah, that’s him!”

I heard two members of the study group, Glen and his roommate, talk in an unsettling tone. Naturally and unconsciously, my eyes fixated in the direction they were looking. I had a bad feeling about this situation, but I could not keep myself from looking. There was a knight on a horse running past the dormitory towards the mansion. It was indeed Sir George, who was clenching his teeth. He was covered in blood from his neck downwards. That took me by surprise... But I was even more surprised when I heard Maika murmur next to me.

“...Ash?”

It couldn’t be. I didn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it. Ash was a child, a student at the army academy. He had almost officially become an adjutant to Sir George, but it was not like he had been formally appointed. There was no way he would have been standing on the firing line of a demon attack. At the same time, strangely, Ash had not yet returned to the dormitory. And it was true that a child-like figure was holding onto Sir George’s blood-drenched body. Above anything, and while I didn’t want to believe it, there was no way that Maika would have mistaken Ash.

“Arthur, follow me!”

“Wah?!”

Maika pulled me along as my mind had blanked. She was very strong. Our physiques weren’t that different, but it felt like an adult was pulling me. Before I knew it, we arrived at my room. What were we doing here? Shouldn’t we be looking after Ash?

“M-Maika, calm down!”

“I’m fine. You should try and relax a bit yourself.” Compared to my shaking voice, Maika’s tone was sharp and on point. “Ash should be keeping some medicine here. And a white cloth to bind the wound. We’re going to take it to Ash.”

“What?”

She went ahead and just opened Ash’s cabinet and handed me the supplies.

“What do you mean by ‘take it to Ash’?”

“They were both covered in blood. It’s probably all Ash’s. That means there was no time for any first aid. Since they came here, that probably means that Sir George is carrying him to the mansion’s doctor.” She took some supplies herself and stood up. “I’ll help treat his wounds. I’ve done it before.”

She was chewing her lips. I had heard that once she had been hard at work to treat a severely-wounded Ash after the bear incident.

“Let’s go! Help me carry these supplies.”

“S-Sure!”

She was running fast. I ran at full speed too, but I couldn’t keep up with her.

“Stupid Ash...”

I heard some mumbled words coming from Maika’s direction. I also saw some drops fall on the floor. I fully understood her. It was only natural for her to say those words. To look like that. To feel like that. I knew what she was going through. She liked Ash after all. I knew what she was going through all too well.

I had expected the guards and maids to stop us when we left the dormitory and entered the mansion, but none of them did. And it was not because of me. It was because they couldn’t stop Maika.

“Please get out of the way!”

Maika spoke in an aristocratic, leader-like tone to the waiting lady blocking the way to the guest room where Ash had been brought in judging from the tumult inside.

“Lady Maika, please!” the waiting lady pleaded.

“I’ve come to help with the treatment. I won’t repeat myself! Please get out of the way!”

The maid turned pale. She probably couldn’t fully believe what was happening. Neither could I. Maika was as resolute as ever. She had said those were her last words, so I wondered what was going to come out next. Her small hands were grasping the supplies tightly.

Meanwhile, the maid had already recovered from the pressure. Remembering whose relative stood in front of her, she replied in a firm voice, saying, “Lady Maika, the family doctor is already taking care of the treatment. It is the responsibility of us maids to help him. So please understand.”

It appeared that Maika wanted to say a few more words in response to the maid claiming that the necessary arrangements for the treatment had already been taken. Those carefully chosen words showed off her strength. “I brought the aloe ointment that Mr. Quid always delivers. I also brought a clean white cloth that is regularly washed. And I have painkillers and fever medicine.”

“Still...”

“Do you have enough knowledge of the situation to confidently stop me?”

The perplexed maid was saved by Sir George from the inside. “I heard what you said. Maika can come in. Besides, the doctor seems to need the supplies.” After having the maid move out of the way, he turned towards Maika. “I have to warn you—he is badly injured.”

“I will be fine. I want to be with the person I love.”

She was concise and unwavering in her reply. It was as if those words alone were enough. As if her feelings could make her do anything.

Sir George seemed to be dazzled by the reply and politely stepped away. “It was insensitive of me to stand in your way. Please come inside.”

She gave a quick nod and stepped inside. I followed her. The foul stench filling the air made me gag. It smelt as if life and death were fighting. And it all originated from the person lying on the bed.

He could not speak. The sheets of the guest bed were covered in blood and so was his body. Yes, this was Ash. But he was nowhere his usual self. He did not smile. He was sweating profusely, and his breath was faint as if it was about to stop at any moment. It all seemed like a bad dream. Nevertheless, it was so real and vivid.

“The bleeding has almost stopped already,” Maika proclaimed as she rolled up her sleeves and washed her arms in the prepared hot water.

How was he still so red if the bleeding had stopped? I could not believe it, but the doctor, who was holding a sewing needle, agreed. “Yes, he will probably be alright.”

“There are scratch wounds and bite marks... Did you clean the wound?”

“Just now. I was about to stitch it together.”

“Got it. I will hold him down while stopping the bleeding.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Maika looked at me. “Give me the cloth,” she ordered.

“Ah, y-yes.”

I took it out from the bag I was carrying and handed it to Maika, who pressed it against the wound on Ash’s left shoulder.

“Aaagh!!”

At that moment, Ash let out a moan.

“I’m sorry, Ash, please bear with me.”

“This is good. Keep pressing it down. Hey, someone grab the other arm and the legs!”

Hearing the doctor’s orders, two of the maids grabbed the legs. The third maid didn’t react right away. She looked weary, possibly from helping out earlier.

Sir George headed towards the remaining arm, but my body moved on its own. “Uhm... I-I’ll d-do it.”

My voice was shaking. As were my feet and hands... But my body had moved.

“Lord Arthur, are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes. You are covered in dirt, Sir George—that is not good for the wound.”

This was something that I had learned from Ash while we were doing research on composting. My body wasn’t perfectly clean either, but it was better than Sir George’s, who had ridden a horse outside.

“I will do it.”

After saying it out loud, I was shaking even more. I felt cold. So cold. It was strange. Why was I shivering? I hadn’t felt this cold in a long while. I wondered why. Why had I stopped feeling this cold again? Ah, right. It had stopped because of Ash. His presence always warmed me up. That was why I had to muster up all of my courage and make my intentions clear.

“Please let me do it!”

Maika was the first to respond to my request. “Hey! Hurry up and hold him down!”

“Ah, y-yes...”

Sir George looked slightly concerned, but he kept quiet after inspecting his own body covered in dirt and blood. He couldn’t do it.

I dragged along my freezing and shivering body to grasp Ash’s right arm. It was cold. It was the first time that I felt Ash this cold.

“No, that’s not good enough! You have to press down harder, with all your strength!”

“G-Got it!”

Following Maika’s scolding, I pinned down Ash’s right shoulder. It was still cold. Almost as if it wasn’t Ash’s. I was scared.

“Y-You’ll get through this...”

Ash’s body moved with each stitch. That must hurt. But if he struggled too much, it wouldn’t be possible to treat him properly, so I pressed him down with my shivering arms. It was an eerie sensation, giving me goosebumps that wouldn’t go away. Still, I kept using my shivering arms to press down.

“Hang in there, Ash...”

I wanted him to live. He was my friend who had kept me warm all this time. I had been so happy. He had become such an important person to me. If only I could have given my life to him... I’m sorry I can’t do that. I was only able to hold down Ash while he was in terrible pain.

“I’m sorry...”

I’ll apologize as much as you want. And I promise I’ll help again with your research. So please... Don’t die...!

Ash didn’t wake up that day. When I returned to our room by myself, I found myself confronted by a surprisingly chilly atmosphere. I looked at the bottom bunk bed, and then at the stack of papers on the desk, but there was no trace of his usual warm laughter. What a lonely room. Now more than ever, I wanted to talk to Ash. I felt hopeless without him. The doctor had said that it all depended on Ash himself now. I was sure that someone like him was going to be fine. Someone as energetic and gentle and pleasant as him. Someone who always dragged others along. It was no wonder Maika was attracted to him. I understood her all too well...

“...What am I thinking?”

I shook my head, realizing how tired I was. I had no longer enough strength left to control my feelings.

“I should sleep...”

Staggering towards the bed, I couldn’t muster up enough strength to climb up the ladder. My eyes fixated on the bottom bunk. Ash’s bed. It felt as if his warmth was still lingering in the sheets... But I caught myself before touching them.

“Ah... What am I doing?”

I pretended to be a boy, but inside I was still a well-mannered girl. Especially in regards to Ash, I didn’t want to drop the act even when he wasn’t looking.

“Aren’t you gonna sleep there?”

“Who’s there?”

Suddenly, there was another voice in the room.

Turning around, I recognized Maika, who had just shut the door. “Just lie down,” she said.

Maika’s tired face showed a frail smile. She was not her usual self. I felt a cold presence around her, as if she were shrouded with clouds.

“There’s no way I can do that...”

“Why? Ash isn’t here.”

“Yeah... but still... it’s embarrassing...”

Although, as Arthur, it may not have been embarrassing...

I quickly shook my head at the passing thought. Whether I was a girl or a boy, I still needed his permission. I almost gave in to the temptation of Ash’s bed. I needed to control myself.

“Is that so? Well, I’ll be using it then.”

Her words came out faster than a flash and, before I realized it, she jumped onto Ash’s bed. Wait! Seeing her outrageous behavior, my ears turned red.

“W-What are you doing?”

How disgraceful of her. Admittedly, I was a little jealous. It looked very warm.

“Stupid Ash...”

Nevertheless, Maika’s voice was not warm at all. She was lying face down with her face buried in the pillow. Her small shoulders were shaking. I didn’t know what to say. She had appeared so courageous and yet she had been full of worries. Undoubtedly, she had reached her limit. All the suppressed emotions flowed out after coming here.

Seeing her crying while holding Ash’s pillow, I felt like I wanted to join in. I wanted to be honest with my feelings and cry... But I had to show restraint. If I let it out now, it was no longer going to be possible to uphold my lie. Ash was only my friend. It would have been weird to cry side by side with Maika, who considered him much more than that.

“Arthur...”

As I was lost in my thoughts, Maika called out to me. Her head was still buried in the pillow, but her hand reached out towards me.

“What is it, Maika?”

Did she want me to take her hand? As I stretched out my hand, she clutched it.

“Huh?”

In a matter of seconds, she grabbed not just my hand, but also my collar, dragging me on the bed. Before I knew it, I was lying on Ash’s bed, looking up at Maika.

“What’s... happening...?”

Not fully realizing what had happened, I stared into Maika’s tear-filled eyes. The sensation of her tears falling down onto my cheeks was warm.

“...M-Maika?”

“You know...” Noticing my bewilderment, Maika softened her voice. “I really hate people who lie and suppress their feelings.”

Her words pierced straight through my heart.

I tried to deny her statement, but the lie got stuck in my throat. It was as if cold blood had spouted out from my broken heart and accumulated all the way from my stomach up to my mouth. I felt like I was drowning inside my freezing blood. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. My body remembered the cold and started shivering.

“You’re in pain. You want to cry. You want someone to help you. And yet you can’t bring yourself to do any of it. I hate the look of resignation on your face.”

As I was drowning, her tears came falling down upon me.

“I really hate it. It’s okay to cry... I just... I just can’t hold it in anymore... Just let me cry...”

Listening to her speak, it sounded more like an excuse for herself to cry than she was genuinely mad at me. I felt the bleeding inside of me stop, and put on a comforting expression.

“There you go again, making that face!” Maika scolded me. “Hasn’t Ash made you smile? Time and time again? And you’re still holding in your tears while putting on that fake smile!”

Maika hugged me while sobbing. Was it possible that she had come to comfort me? Even though she was hurting this much herself? She was a saint. I felt her warm cheek touch against mine. Let it all out, Maika.

It was good that Ash—or for that matter anyone else—wasn’t here to see her like this. Her face was drenched in tears and her eyes were bright red. She cried so much—it was almost as if she was crying for two people. But her tears were warm. Just as warm as Ash’s smile.

●　●　●

The wind was blowing in from the window. Summer was almost over, but this was a textbook summer breeze. With a sense of accomplishment, I idly enjoyed the refreshing breeze. I had just seen a great dream. I had secured victory over my long-standing rival, the Grim Reaper, via pinfall after a German suplex. After both of us had secured a victory in previous encounters, this was the deciding match. It was a magnificent showdown, packed with dramatic developments and surrounded by a cheering crowd. Lady Maika and Lord Arthur’s screams when I was down on the ground were almost lifelike. Since I had emerged as the hard-fought winner in the end, I felt like basking in the glory even after waking up from the dream.

However, where exactly was I? This was not my dormitory room. I was surrounded by unfamiliar and extravagant furniture. The garden outside the window gave me a strange sense of déjà vu. Sitting up in bed, I noticed my upper body was wrapped in bandages. It looked like I was two or three steps away from being turned into a mummy. But this was to be expected considering Sir Werewolf’s fangs and claws had hurt my left shoulder and right wrist. My memories appeared clearer than they were after the encounter with Sir Bear. At the very least I remembered getting hurt and fainting afterwards. So, this must have been a private room reserved for medical treatment. I wondered how many days I had slept. Lady Maika and the others must have been sick with worry. I needed to let someone know that I had regained consciousness. Was anyone here?

“Hello? Is someone outside?”

My wounds hurt a little as I yelled out, especially my left shoulder. Also, my stomach felt empty. Very empty. I was starving. How long had I not eaten?

“Hello?”

I needed food. Meat, if possible. My body needed protein to recover from the loss of blood and flesh.

“Is anyone there?”

No one replied. Where was everyone? I started to lose hope. Just calling out for someone had already used up all my strength. Maybe this was the end of the line. Someone please listen to my last words.

“I want meat, please!”

The door opened. Lord Arthur and Lady Maika, who was carrying nursing supplies, peeked into the room. It was a miracle. My words had reached someone. Instinctively, I felt gratitude towards the gods. I welled up with tears of joy.

“I want to eat meat.”

I was convinced that these two kind souls were going to prepare it for me right away, but they looked as if their expectations and hopes had been betrayed. Their kind expressions said, “This is not the reaction we expected.”

Regardless, while their expectations had been destroyed, they did bring me a meal right away. I felt the joy of living again as I put the soft-boiled pork into my mouth.

“So good!”

No doubt Chef Yacoo had prepared this meal. I tasted his careful and time-consuming approach. Although, even considering his skills, this meat tasted much better than usual.

“Are you sure it is okay for me to eat such exquisite food?”

At the same time, my hand just kept taking more and more food. It was too good. And I was too hungry.

“Chef Yacoo made it just for you, so I don’t see why there would be a problem. Besides, the farmers brought this meat as a token of gratitude for you.”

Lord Arthur pouted while I was happily chewing the delicious pork. The kind people who had brought me my meal were not able to hide their anger. It looked like there was a scolding waiting for me after the meal. Did I really have to listen to it? I tried to delay it a little bit longer by asking some questions.

“A token of gratitude?”

“Because you are the hero who subjugated the demon. Especially the people outside the city wall feel indebted towards you.”

“I feel a bit guilty receiving something this delicious just for doing my job...”

By now I had almost officially become the adjutant apprentice of Sir George. As such, it was part of my regular duties to deal with a werewolf in such a case. I had some personal interests in play too, but since they did not deviate from my duties, there was no problem.

While I was thinking to myself, Lord Arthur smiled. “Ash, you really are...”

“Arthur! Don’t go soft on him now!” Lady Maika immediately reprimanded them.

“You’re right. I need to show I’m angry.”

“Exactly! If we just leave him be, he’s going to keep being reckless!”

Personally, I would have preferred if they went soft on me. I did have a reasonable excuse after all. Just like I did for fighting Sir Bear.

“You both are quite harsh. I did not intend to do something reckless, so even if you leave me alone, there will not be any more problems.”

In response to my perfectly reasonable statement, they both gave me a fierce glare.

“See. No introspection at all. Even though he got hurt this badly and made us all sick with worry, he doesn’t regret anything!”

“Yeah, I get it now. I can’t go soft on him anymore. Ash, you need to change your way of thinking.”

Change my way of thinking? Now you’re being unreasonable! Besides, I already changed my body when I was reincarnated, isn’t that impressive enough?

“I really did not intend to hurt myself.”

“That would have made us even angrier! Here, eat up.”

As I sighed, Lady Maika held out a fork with a piece of meat. I happily obliged.

“How is it?”

“It is great!”

Seeing my smile, her expression loosened up a bit.

“Maika, now you’re being too soft!” Lord Arthur protested.

“I’m not! Not at all!”

“You’re smiling! Okay then, I’ll have to do it myself.”

Lady Maika looked unhappy with Lord Arthur’s proposal, but she seemed to be aware of her facial expression slipping up, so she reluctantly handed over the fork and dish. It was Lord Arthur’s turn to feed me.

“Here you go, Ash!”

“Mmh...”

“How is it?”

“It is great!”

Lord Arthur also started to lighten up seeing my smile.

“Arthur... your face...”

“What? Am I smiling?” Flustered, they patted their cheeks. The more they checked their face, the redder it became. “I-I’m sorry. It’s just that, when I realized that I’m taking care of Ash, I couldn’t help but smile.”

“I get it. I feel the same. Usually Ash is so self-reliant, so this feels like a special service.”

Am I supposed to say, “Sorry for burdening you”? And what do you mean by “special service”? They both were in complete agreement, but I had no idea what was going on.

Wait a minute...

“If it only applies when I am injured, that means that it is a scarce opportunity, only available for a limited time, and therefore the value goes up, right?”

Hearing me mumble to myself, both of them barked at me at the same time. “He’s not sorry at all!”

Why are you angry at me for that? In the end, any resistance was futile, and I was knocked out by their tag-team scolding.

Maika’s Perspective

I had been too naive. I was not strong enough. I had believed that I could help out Ash. In fact, he did rely on me more often these days. Compared to our first study group at the church in Noscula, I had grown immensely. Nevertheless, once again Ash had been on the verge of death. I was unable to help him at all, making it clear that I still had a long way to go. I needed to become stronger. Much, much stronger. I had to change my strategy if I wanted to get anywhere. No matter how good I was at sword fighting, it was useless in the case of Ash being attacked by a werewolf while going off on his own. And he acted on his own a lot. It was not possible for me to watch over him on my own. I needed partners; people who looked out for Ash and stopped him from doing anything dangerous or got rid of the danger before him.

My train of thought made me come to a realization. I finally understood why Ash was concerned about the students in the study group. He was thinking the same. He didn’t have enough strength to do everything on his own, so he decided to join forces with others. Ash was amazing after all. He was always a step ahead of me. Walking in front of me, he lit up the way for me. It was a bit frustrating. I did not think I could have liked him even more. However, I didn’t intend on walking behind him forever. Someday I wanted to catch up and walk beside him. For that I needed to run at full speed on the path that he had illuminated for me. Arthur appeared in that same way in front of me.

“Arthur, let’s help Ash.”

“Of course! I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I will cooperate!”

I had expected nothing less than an immediate response from Arthur. I didn’t need any preamble to convince him.

“Did something happen to Ash?”

“Not at the moment, but I’m sure something will happen in the future.”

Arthur eagerly agreed. “Okay, got you. It really is bad for the heart to see Ash behaving recklessly time and time again. Basically, it’s not so much about helping him when he’s in trouble, but rather to plan ahead so as to avoid trouble as much as possible, right? Hopefully nothing will happen, but that’s not realistic.”

“That was a perfect explanation.”

“Not at all. But it’s going to be difficult. Ash won’t listen to us and it’s hard to predict his actions.”

Arthur was quick to understand. I was glad I talked to him first.

“Yeah, that’s the problem. I thought about what we should do first and I came to the conclusion that we need more people who help us.”

“I see. Let me think about it for a moment.”

Arthur sat down in his chair and gestured for me to sit down in Ash’s chair. We were in their shared room. I politely refused Arthur’s suggestion and sat down on Ash’s bed. Hehe, Ash’s bed. But since Ash was sleeping at the mansion to treat his wounds, it no longer smelled like him.

While I sulked, Arthur glared at me with reproachful eyes.

“Do you want to sit next to me, Arthur?”

“You’re a girl! As a boy, I shouldn’t get too close!”

“I don’t mind. But I can’t force you if you don’t want to. So, what do you think we should do about Ash?”

“I wasn’t finished yet with our previous topic...”

Arthur let out a dissatisfied sigh and got ready to move on. His eyes still looked reproachful, but he was willing to let it slide for Ash’s sake.

“Let’s see... There are already some people in the city who will look out for Ash without us saying anything, right?”

“Of course. We’re talking about Ash after all.”

Once Ash talked to someone with all his heart, that person was sure to become a comrade.

“So, for a start, we’ve got Rihn and Yae as well as George and all his subordinates. Then there’s also Yacoo and Quid, of course. And the prisoners would probably help too.”

“Thinking about it now, there are a lot of influential people among them. Not to forget Reina too. Someone as caring as her wouldn’t be able to ignore someone like Ash under normal circumstances, let alone now that they’ve become friends.”

Arthur showed a pitiful smile. “That leaves us with the members of the study group at the academy. It seems like it would be easy to get them to cooperate. They are amicable towards Ash, right?”

“Yeah, they think highly of him. I’ve provided them with several snacks and desserts in Ash’s name!”

“Then, one of our goals should be to enlist members of the study group.”

“That should be possible if we just keep on going with the study group like usual.”

That was my thought, but it appeared that Arthur wanted to be more proactive. “That’s not bad, but maybe we should focus on the most talented students.”

“Oh, right. Like Glen and Hermes?”

Just like me, Glen didn’t like studying very much, but he was serious about his fighting skills. Hermes was not very talkative, but studious and fast at math. They were the first two that came to my mind after hearing Arthur’s suggestion.

“Yeah, they both stand out. I was also thinking about Saias, Kei, and Horus. Each one of them has their own talent, so it should be interesting to get them on board.”

“You’re very observant,” I remarked.

“I’m just focusing on details while you are looking at the whole picture. And some of it is due to my upbringing, I guess.”

Arthur showed his fake smile, signaling that he was suppressing something. It appeared that he noticed it himself after seeing me twist my lips. He awkwardly put a hand on his cheek.

“I’m sorry. Was I doing the fake smile that you hate again?”

“Yes.”

“You really are frank...”

I hated fake smiles. And I was not going to shy away from making myself clear. Besides, it was also better for Arthur’s sake.

After staring at him for a while, he had to admit defeat. “I just remembered something unpleasant. But I guess it’s not all bad if it helps Ash in the end. I didn’t mean to actively put on a fake smile.”

But you still did it. I wondered how one could have so much self-restraint. Some people might have called it a strength, but it was a scary one. It was prone to come apart in a matter of seconds. I also needed to pay attention to Arthur. After all, he was my closest ally in this plan to help Ash. I decided to ask Ash for advice regarding Arthur. I had a feeling that was going to be enough to solve the problem. But anyway, that was for a later date. For now, I had to focus on enlisting collaborators for our “Ash Alliance.” That name was pretty catchy, right?

“So, should we focus on the members of our study group?” I asked to confirm.

“Yeah, that’s one of the immediate possibilities. But there is one other person whom you could enlist.”

Who else was there? As I tilted my head to the side, Arthur strangely shuddered.

“My dear brother Itsuki loves you very much, doesn’t he?”

“My uncle!”

That was such a good idea that I reflexively clapped my hands. My uncle was the acting count and apparently a very important person. I didn’t know how important, but there was no doubt that it would be great to have him on our side.

“He is no longer as busy as before, and I’m sure he would love to see you. You should go and visit him.” Arthur went on to add something even more important. “Do you remember what you told Sir George when you barged in on Ash’s treatment? You said that you love Ash.”

Generally speaking, a confession of one’s love was an extremely serious matter for a person of noble heritage. It was commonly referred to as “the howling of the three gods.” There was the howling of support from the monkey god, the deity of harmony, which helped the confession go over smoothly. Next, there was the howling of good fortune from the wolf god, which bestowed a blessing upon the new household after a successful confession. Finally, there was the howling of caution from the dragon god, which prepared you to go to war if anyone was to interfere with the marriage. My mom had told me with a smile that among the upper class the question of who married whom often led to pools of blood.

“In his position, Sir George will probably feel obliged to report this to my dear brother Itsuki, so you will have to talk things out with him.”

“Really? Did I say that?”

I wondered if Ash had heard me. He was unconscious, so probably not, but who knows... No, he behaved normally after waking up, so it was probably fine. Not that there was anything wrong with him knowing. I wanted him to know! But I didn’t know what he was going to say in response. While I didn’t intend on letting him get away, I was a bit worried that he would somehow manage to run off.

“Maika, your face is bright red. Take a deep breath.”

“I’m fine! Really!”

“You don’t look fine. Do you think you’ll be able to tell my dear brother Itsuki how you feel about Ash?”

Of course! That was just a chat over tea compared to confessing to Ash. The real showdown was to confess my feelings directly to Ash himself. Telling my uncle “I like Ash” was like a mere training match with a wooden sword. Or rather like practicing my swings by myself.

As my thoughts shifted from Ash to my uncle, I calmed down. I realized that it was near impossible for Ash to have heard my confession in his state. My face no longer felt flushed. As always, Ash was very addictive.

After calming down, I was able to hear Arthur sigh. “I think I now understand why you acted that way back then. It seems like you’ll be fine talking to my dear brother Itsuki. I feel pity for him, but I get it.”

You get it too? I expected nothing less from a trusted member of the Ash Alliance.

Finally, I ended up in front of my uncle’s office. When I asked the servant if I could meet with my uncle Lord Itsuki, he came back in such a short amount of time that it must have taken my uncle less than five seconds to reply. His answer was “Let’s have some tea in my office!”.

“Sorry to bother you, dear uncle.”

“Haha, you could never bother me!”

“Don’t you have work?”

“Oh, I don’t think of you as interfering with my work—it’s rather the other way around.”

I didn’t mind his statement since it showed his affection, but the maid who was pouring the tea glared at my uncle. He must have felt her piercing death stare, since he felt the need to expand upon his words.

“Of course, talking about your position is also part of my job. You might not carry the name of Amanobe and Sacula at the moment, but it is unclear what the future holds. This is an important task as the next head of the Amanobe family.”

It dawned upon the maid that he was right, but her eyes still scolded him. This was a textbook example of hiding your true motives behind your stated reasons. Ash was great at that. My uncle not so much.

In any case, my name was related to my social standing. Currently, I was “Maika Noscula,” since I was the daughter of Noscula village’s chief, Klein. My mom used to be called “Yuika Amanobe Sacula.” Back then, she was part of the Amanobe family, and it was her birthright to become the next count of the Sacula region. However, now she was “Yuika Noscula,” and no longer held that right. Regardless, as long as the Count of Sacula agreed, as a blood relative it was still possible for me to retrieve the name of Sacula and become the next in line.

“What do you think, Maika? Have you considered it?”

His expression had become as serious as the first time we had met. The atmosphere felt tense, like when my dad drew his real sword in front of me.

“I want you to seriously think about it,” he added.

In other words, he offered me to become the successor to the title of Count of the Sacula region. Of course, this also implied that I probably would have to study even harder in the future.

“It’s not like I haven’t considered it at all.”

My mom had talked to me about it before leaving the village. She said, “Be prepared for them to ask you if you want to inherit the Sacula name.” According to her, “Itsuki is desperate to find a successor, since he doesn’t have any children. And you hold a promising future after your training with Ash.” Hehe, I’m Ash’s first disciple. She then had continued, saying, “If you decide to inherit the title of count, you will become very powerful. However, you can’t do everything with that power. I used to be the next in line, but I decided to renounce the name of ‘Sacula’ so I could pursue what I really wanted.” She concluded by saying that I should carefully consider my options and do what I want for myself. She had promised that she was going to support me no matter what. And in that case, I already knew what my answer was. My mom had probably known too, that was why she had told me to do what I wanted.

“The most important thing for me is to become Ash’s wife. So ultimately, whether I will become ‘Maika Amanobe Sacula’ or not will depend on Ash.”

If it made Ash happy, I wouldn’t have minded becoming a count. That was all the title meant to me. I realized that social standing and honor were considered to be important, but as long as I could support and help Ash, I would have been satisfied. I had felt that way ever since I had seen his sun-like smile on that fateful day. Happiness and fulfillment all lay within his gaze. That was why I loved Ash.

“Hm... Ash...”

My uncle looked sullen, as if he stood in front of a dark way without any lights.

“I have not interacted with him enough to truly judge his character... But looking at his academy reports, the exemplary agricultural improvement plan, and his fight against the werewolf the other day, I must admit that he is an impressive young man. He seems to have a good reputation too.”

Right, right! It felt great to hear him praise the person I loved. I couldn’t stop grinning.

“Nevertheless, it is too early to say whether Ash would be a suitable candidate to stand by your side if you became count.”

What?

“Personally, I don’t mind that he was born a farmer, but surely there will be criticism from others. In that regard, he will have to build an outstanding track record to prove himself. I will have to observe him from now on.”

I didn’t understand what he was going on about. I think we were talking past each other.

“Uhm... My dear uncle, we should probably talk again after you get to know Ash better.”

He looked puzzled upon hearing my statement. Arthur and Reina would have agreed with me if they had been here.

“The problem is not whether Ash will be a good match for me.”

My mom was also in agreement about this.

“It’s whether I will be a good match for him.”

Even if I turned from “Maika Noscula” into “Maika Amanobe Sacula.” If that were all it took for Ash to notice me, I wouldn’t have been this hard at work.

“Ash isn’t going to stand by my side! I will be standing by Ash’s side! Don’t get it wrong! It’s great that you approved our agricultural improvement plan straight away, but if you’re going to hesitate in regard to all the future projects that Ash will submit, I have no idea what he’s going to do! He might end up leaving Sacula or maybe even destroying it!”

“...Destroying it?”

It was vexing to hear my uncle murmur these words with such a puzzled look and such a wrong intonation.

Yes, Ash might indeed have been capable of destroying a city. Just think about Noscula village. Before Ash got going, there was not a single child studying at the church, there was no honey and no medicine. He had even introduced a new method for fieldwork. He had turned the village upside down (albeit in a good way)! Having observed Ash diligently moving around, I had realized that he wanted to reproduce that on a larger scale. Together with his signature smile! How wonderful! And of course, I was going to support him with all my might!

“Wait. If Ash wants to reproduce what he did in Noscula village on a larger scale, wouldn’t it be more beneficial for him if I became count?” I thought out loud.

As a count, I would hold more power than a village chief. At the very least I would be able to approve of his projects right away. Before making the fertilizer, Ash had mentioned himself that laying the groundwork was a lot more troublesome than it had been at the village. I wondered what Ash would say if I told him he could do whatever he wanted once I became count. I could already see him rejoicing.

Contemplating my possible future, I looked at my uncle, the next in line and current acting count. “Maybe I will become count after all.”

“Oh? I’m happy to hear that as a member of the Amanobe family! But at the same time, it’s also giving me the shivers for some reason...”

Don’t worry, Uncle. I’m not going to swing my sword. You’re not in Ash’s way after all, so you’re safe. At least for now.

Out of the blue, I remembered what my mom once told me: “You have to make sure that Ash can run towards his goals.” Her words were shining at the back of my mind, showing me the way. I was going to protect Ash’s back while pushing him along. At that moment, I finally felt like I could truly become that person.