Chapter 5: Summer Had Entered, Then Left Its Peak

Summer had entered, then left its peak, and the signs of fall grew closer each day.

After slaying the icehund, Belgrieve patrolled the forest and mountain several more times, taking out a few grayhunds along the way. It was not long before there weren’t any more fiends drawn by the icehund’s mana, and the lumberjacks could get back to their usual schedule. They chopped down trees, brought them back to the village, and processed them to pretty up the church for the autumn festival. Construction of a school right next to the church had begun as well; Maurice, the priest, earnestly wanted to give the children an education.

Fall was when the greatest of harvests could be reaped from the mountain. Knowing the fiends were all gone, Belgrieve led the children once more to collect grapes, mushrooms, akebia, and cowberries, along with other edible plants.

“These two mushrooms might look similar, but you see the black spots that form when you cut it? This one is poisonous. Don’t eat it.”

“What about this one, Uncle Bell?”

“That one might look toxic, but it’s delicious. Everyone, chew on the poisonous mushrooms a bit to remember their taste. Don’t swallow. If your body remembers, you can avoid the danger. You must train your senses.”

“Okay!”

“It’s surprisingly tasty for a poisonous mushroom.”

“Yeah, not half bad.”

“Hey, no swallowing. You got that? Just remember the taste.”

“We know!”

They left the mountain in good spirits, their baskets piled high. This time the climb hadn’t gotten them nearly as sweaty as it had under the summer sun. They did still sweat, of course, and it was enough for their clothes to stick to their skin, but this only made the gentle, refreshing breeze feel perfectly pleasant.

Once back in the village, Belgrieve happily watched the children sprint off to their houses with their spoils. They would brag to their families with proud smiles and receive praise for their pickings.

“Off to the fields for me...” Once Belgrieve returned, however, he immediately changed into his work clothes, and left for the parcel of land out back. The sweet potato vines had grown with such fecundity that they would swallow the field whole. By contrast, the summer vegetables had lost some of their momentum, though they were still bearing fruit.

He plucked the weeds and pulled back some of the vines. Seeing that the turnip and cabbage seeds he planted had begun to sprout, he let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s become a fine plot of land now.”

Year after year, Belgrieve would expand his field ever so slightly. He had only claimed this corner three years prior. At first, the soil was hard, and all sprouts were immediately eaten up by bugs, but his patient and careful work eventually paid off. By now, it could easily bear fine produce.

The residents of Turnera were generally self-sufficient. The strain of wheat that served as their staple food took up quite a bit of land, so the villagers would work together on that field in particular. However, they would all have to grow any other staple crops for themselves.

Belgrieve had to sow seeds all year round to ensure his vegetable supply didn’t run out. He would remove the withered ones from each crop, and till the field once again; whatever he didn’t use would be preserved, and sold to peddlers who came through. In any case, everything started and ended with farm work. Whatever time wasn’t spent training, patrolling, or venturing into the mountains, Belgrieve would devote to his fields.

After he’d made his rounds of the entire field, weeding and tying supports, Belgrieve returned to the house. He savored a cowberry from the mountains and sighed—each time he ate one, he would be reminded of Angeline.

“She always did love them... You can’t get them fresh in the capital.”

Cowberries were pleasantly sweet and sour when fresh, but they didn’t last for long. It was impossible to pick cowberries around the capital, so they were either made into jam, pickled, or dried. This was done in Turnera as well, at least for the winter, but Angeline liked freshly picked cowberries the most. That delighted face she made whenever she ate them made Belgrieve happy too.

“When will she be back...?”

She had been gone for five years now, but hardly a day passed without that thought crossing his mind, though he would always clamp down on it. However, now that Angeline had recently shown a desire to return, Belgrieve couldn’t help but to be conscious of it. In short, he was lonely.

“Did I really turn out to be such a worrywart...?” he muttered with a wry smile, twisting the red hairs of his beard.

Suddenly, he heard a spirited voice cry out from up front. “Is anyone home?!” Belgrieve was startled to his feet. He didn’t recognize the voice, but it sounded feminine.

Who could it be? he wondered as he answered the door. There, he found a lone girl standing boldly with her hands on her hips, wearing mostly orange clothes of the finest material.

She was around seventeen or eighteen and her platinum-blonde hair had been done up in a chignon behind her head. Her features were refined, while her eyes reflected a firm sense of nobility. Yet, even so, she had a sword at her waist. She was a head shorter than Belgrieve, which meant she was on the taller side for a woman.

Belgrieve was surprised to be visited by someone he had no recollection of but kept his composure as he greeted her. “Good day. Who might you be?”

The girl’s perfectly straight posture bent into a courteous bow. There was a hint of elegance in her gestures. “Please forgive me for my sudden unannounced visit. Am I correct in assuming that this is the residence of Belgrieve the Red Ogre?”

“R-Red Ogre...? I’m definitely Belgrieve, but...” That moniker took him by surprise, but it did seem she had business with him.

“Oh my.” The girl sounded impressed. “I can definitely see why they call you the Red Ogre, what with that splendid red hair of yours...”

Belgrieve paused for a moment. “Are you under some kind of misunderstanding?” he asked.

“Hmm? You mean to tell me there are several Belgrieves in this village?”

“No, as far as I know, I should be the only Belgrieve here, but... Red Ogre?”

He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Who had ever called him that, and when? Belgrieve tilted his head, and the girl seemed rather perplexed as well.

“Um... I heard you were the father of the S-Rank adventurer Angeline, the Black-Haired Valkyrie...”

Belgrieve opened his mouth blankly. “Yes, well, Angeline is definitely...my...daughter,” he said, though he was starting to lose confidence. His own daughter was an S-Rank adventurer. He was certainly proud of her, but it all sounded like some tall tale, some barefaced lie. It just felt unreal when he said it aloud.

However, the girl seemed satisfied with his answer. “I knew it!” She nodded, having evidently reached her own conclusions. Belgrieve got the feeling they weren’t quite seeing eye to eye, and come to think of it, he still didn’t even know who she was.

“Let’s back up a bit... Who are you?”

The girl placed a hand to her mouth, taken aback. “H-How could I have been so rude as to neglect to introduce myself?! I didn’t mean to keep you waiting. I am Sasha Bordeaux, second daughter of Count Bordeaux.”

Amazed, Belgrieve hurriedly bowed his head. “You were the lord’s daughter... I didn’t know, but I’ve treated you rather rudely...”

“Oh no, no, no, not at all! Raise your head! House Bordeaux is greatly indebted to Miss Angeline, and the same goes for you, her father!”

“I see... Well, there’s no use standing around here...”

Still confused, Belgrieve invited Sasha into the house. He brewed fragrant herbal tea and arranged a plate of cowberries, grapes, and akebia.

“I’m sorry this is all I can offer.”

“No, don’t mind me at all!”

Sasha politely lowered her head. In fact, she genuflected so deeply, Belgrieve had to wonder if she really did hail from such a prestigious house. Furthermore, he did not know anything about Angeline being the benefactor of House Bordeaux. What had she done now?

After watching Sasha gleefully snack on the cowberries, Belgrieve hesitantly spoke up. “So, Sasha, what business do you have with me...?”

She snapped to, having been completely entranced in the berries. Her cheeks reddened a bit as she cleared her throat and attempted to regain her dignity. Once again, she inclined her head.

“Sir Belgrieve, not only did your daughter save my little sister Seren Bordeaux from bandits, but she also delivered her to our sick and bedridden father Count Bordeaux. No amount of gratitude is enough.”

“A sickness... Is Count Bordeaux all right?”

Sasha offered a sad smile. “After seeing Seren for one last time, he embarked on his journey to Almighty Vienna without any regrets.”

“I see... May he go forth with Vienna’s guidance.”

“Thank you.” They both drew small crosses in the air before Sasha went on. “I had been out dealing with fiends at the time, so I was unable to meet Miss Angeline. However, I was told she adamantly declined any reward and said that if we really had to give something, it should go to her father Belgrieve.”

“I don’t know what to say...”

So this was what Angeline meant when she wrote about saving a girl and delivering her to her father. Belgrieve wished she wouldn’t leave out the important parts, but still, he felt proud of his daughter’s achievements and how she had grown to be a responsible girl. A smile began to crack his stern facade.

Sasha produced a small sack from her breast pocket and placed it on the table with the distinctive jingle of metal coins.

“One hundred gold coins.”

“One—?!”

“It pains my heart that this is all we can give you. Our house is going through some tough times...” Sasha said, eyes downcast in shame.

One gold coin was enough for a Turnera villager to live comfortably for a whole year. Belgrieve frantically pushed the sack away.

“I-I couldn’t possibly. I’d incur Heaven’s wrath if I accepted this much!”

“What are you saying?! Even a thousand gold coins would not be enough to exchange for Seren’s life! If you don’t accept it, you’ll tarnish the name of Bordeaux!”

For a while, they argued back and forth, but eventually, Belgrieve gave in to her pressure and accepted it. He could not even imagine what he would use one hundred gold coins for. Sure, there were plenty of avenues in the capital, but Turnera was so far out in the sticks that apart from the occasional peddler, almost everything was acquired through farming and bartering. Plenty of the villagers had never even seen a gold coin before.

Belgrieve had lost the argument, but this was a reward for Angeline, so he decided he would save it and hand it to her once she returned. He did not intend to touch it until then—nor would he have the need.

Now that the reward had been delivered, he thought Sasha would leave; on the contrary, she leaned in as if she was just getting to the main topic.

“Sir Belgrieve! I heard you instructed Angeline on the fundamentals of being an adventurer!”

“Yes, well... That was when she was small.”

“I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’m something of an adventurer myself. Though I’m ashamed to say I’m only AA-Rank...”

Belgrieve couldn’t understand what was so embarrassing about that. She was quite the ambitious lady—most adventurers would only reach C-Rank or B-Rank in their lifetimes. He played it off with a chuckle.

Sasha fidgeted until she finally gathered her nerve and looked Belgrieve in the eye. Her sharp, piercing gaze caused him to straighten his back.

“Sir Belgrieve!”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“I am well aware of how brazen this request may be...but please, I would like to receive the Red Ogre’s instruction in the way of the sword!” Sasha bowed her head even lower than before.

Belgrieve hesitated for a moment; in short, she wanted to spar with him, and he didn’t mind that. It would be a bit of good exercise. He didn’t know about that Red Ogre business, but so be it.

He gave a wry smile. “I don’t think I’m good enough to instruct you, but...if that’s all you want from me, then sure.”

Her face lit up, simply radiating joy.

“Many thanks!”

“Let’s take this outside.” He urged her out the door. The weather was nice, with the sun tipping to the west and the shadows growing longer.

Sasha removed her sword from her belt, scabbard and all. Belgrieve could not help but let slip a sigh of admiration at her stance—a beautiful form that wasted nothing. She was surely a woman of considerable strength.

Interesting. Belgrieve similarly took a stance with his sheathed sword. He stood square to her, his weight leaning slightly onto his artificial leg. The sword in his hand swished ever so slightly this way and that, as he carefully watched how Sasha reacted to each movement.

For a while, they glared at one another, measuring the distance between them. Sasha was slowly inching towards him, but Belgrieve remained motionless; at most, his body swayed a smidge.

Whether from the sun or nervousness, he could feel his sweat building up. Eventually, the sweat on his brow beaded into a droplet which trailed down his cheek to the tip of his jaw where it fell. That was when Sasha made her move.

“Hnng!”

With wonderful footwork, she had closed the distance in the blink of an eye. However, Belgrieve had been watching her every action and immediately swung his sword in response. The two blades met. They were still in their scabbards, so there was no grating of metal—they instead let off a violent and sharp smacking noise.

Immediately realizing her first blow had been parried, Sasha shifted into the second. That one too, Belgrieve averted with the least movement necessary. Then the third, then the fourth.

How many times did those scabbards meet? The clash of these two skilled warriors was something like a dance. As if hailing each other’s movements, they raced, leaped, and hopped, moving in near-perfect unison as they swung their swords from every angle, trying to draw all they could from their foe.

Sasha’s blade was fast, but so was Belgrieve’s, and his blows were heavier too. Each time she parried a slash from him, Sasha would grimace from the force. To add to this, Belgrieve’s footwork would at times depart from all standard practice—made possible only thanks to his artificial leg. This only served to tire her mind.

It was only over once she had fallen to one knee out of exhaustion, and Belgrieve placed the tip of his sheath to her throat. Struggling to breathe, she lifted a hand to signal her defeat.

“Th-This is my loss...”

Belgrieve took a moment to catch his own breath. “Phew... I’m sorry my technique’s a bit crude.” He pulled his blade back with a smile. While he was winded, he was not nearly as worn out as Sasha. Still, Sasha’s strength had been such that he would have lost had he dropped his guard for a split second. Belgrieve had the stubbornness that came with age, so he acted like he had stamina to spare, but his heart was racing, and in his head, he was congratulating himself over a hard-fought victory.

He retreated to the house and returned with a pitcher of water. He poured a cup for Sasha first, who was still on her knees catching her breath.

After downing her glass, Sasha took a deep breath and looked up at Belgrieve. “Thank you... That was splendid...as expected of Angeline’s father and mentor...”

“You weren’t half bad yourself, Lady Sasha. I am astounded by your skills. You would have had me if I made a single mistake.”

“Heh heh, you are too humble. I thought, with some luck, I could get a single strike in. I’m ashamed of my own naivete... I must admit, I’d never heard of you before, but surely, I have neglected my studies. You were undoubtedly a famed adventurer in your heyday.”

Sasha looked up at him, expectations brimming in her eyes. You were an S-Rank, weren’t you? her gaze pleaded.

With a troubled, bitter smile, Belgrieve scratched his head. “I...was E-Rank. As you can see, I lost a leg just when I was starting out. Had to retire from the adventurer business. I’ve been in Turnera ever since.” He held out his right prosthetic.

Sasha blinked, then swallowed her breath.

I let her down, didn’t I, thought Belgrieve. But that was far better than having her overvalue him for no reason. Perhaps she would be ashamed by the fact that she lost to a mere former E-Rank, but she would probably be stronger than him if she trained just one more year. Rather, she could use this as an opportunity to strive for more. She still had much room to grow.

Contrary to Belgrieve’s expectations, Sasha’s eyes were sparkling again as she took Belgrieve by the hand. Her cheeks were flushed.

“I’m touched!”

“Pardon?” he said, taken aback.

“To be so strong despite your handicap... Just how much training have you done?! Not to mention, instead of going out into the world, you’ve devoted your entire life to protecting the village of Turnera!”

“S-Sasha...?”

“And finally, you personally raised an S-Rank adventurer! Never seeking fame and fortune of your own, you single-mindedly strove to raise a successor and develop this small village... I, Sasha Bordeaux, have seen the light!”

“Can you listen to me?”

“I shall return with quite a story to tell... I have to broaden my field of view—I can’t just keep chasing fame. Sir Belgrieve, I know it is presumptuous of me, but I shall look up to you as my master!”

“W-Wait... Sasha? Please, just...”

“I’m sorry for taking your time with my inexperience, Master! I’ll polish my skills until the day we meet again!” Still firmly grasping Belgrieve’s hand, she roughly shook it up and down. “And now, I must take my leave,” she said, and raced off like the wind.

For a while, Belgrieve was left there, staring blankly, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

The evening sun colored the sky; his shadow grew longer still.

Finally, Barnes came to him and said, “Mr. Bell, my old man wanted to ask if you’d like to eat with... What’s wrong?”

“Have I been daydreaming this whole time?”

Barnes tilted his head bemusedly.