LP 2.13 Mages of the Neutral Zone

With his hand still pinned to the floor and his other hand bound behind his back, Eydrick drew a dagger from inside his clothing and pressed it against Beorn’s nape.

“Huh, huk….”

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Beorn, who hadn’t even grasped the situation, gasped in shock, while Eydrick’s expression remained as serene as ever, having subdued a man in an instant.

“W-what are you doing, you bastards…! No, but are you really a gooseherd?”

Beorn stammered. He was one of those who ran with a gang and wielded considerable force in this village. He had likely never been subdued so pitifully like this. Then, footsteps were heard from outside.

“What’s going on?”

“We’ve apprehended a suspicious individual.”

“Suspicious, my ass…!”

Beorn’s words, as he struggled and resisted, cut off. Lucian and Gosrick entered the warehouse.

Beorn wasn’t the type to enthusiastically chase after knights, so he didn’t precisely recognize Lucian. However, it was clear at a glance that the atmosphere was anything but ordinary. Especially the blond man who stood out even dressed like a wandering knight.

“…W-what? Who are you people?”

“Do you know him?”

Lucian asked Kosha after glancing at Beorn. Kosha nodded blankly.

“Yes, he’s, um, the eldest son of the blacksmith here, his name is—”

“No, I’m asking what your relationship is.”

Lucian cut him off with a frown. With me? Kosha rolled his eyes wide.

“We have no relationship…”

“What? Hey! Gooseherd, you— Ack!”

As Eydrick applied pressure, Beorn’s body lurched and was pressed down further. Lucian gestured to Eydrick with an annoyed look. Eydrick, sheathing his dagger, tried to fully bind Beorn’s arms, but Beorn struggled desperately.

“Hey, you! Where’s my brother?!”

“How should I know? I, I came to find my geese. Where are my geese?”

Finding a foothold, Kosha mustered his courage and confronted him.

“The geese, damn it, I heard all over the village that you ran off with him, damn it, and on top of that, because he was chasing you around so much back then….”

Beorn rambled incoherently, and Lucian made another irritated gesture. Eydrick pulled metal shackles from his waist and bound Beorn’s arms behind his back. Grabbing him by the nape, he yanked Beorn up and dragged him out of the warehouse.

During this, Lucian remained silent, and just as Kosha was about to search the empty warehouse for traces of the geese, a very faint, cautious voice came from the doorway.

“What’s all this commotion…. Could it be the gooseherd?”

Kosha whipped his head around. His eyes widened at the familiar face.

“Pig-herder uncle!”

Kosha shouted. The clear intimacy in his voice made Lucian lightly furrow his brow. A short, slight middle-aged man stood hesitantly in the doorway.

“Oh my… what’s going on? R-really, the gooseherd? Is that you?”

Kosha ran toward him. My, how you’ve grown up! I almost didn’t recognize you. They seemed quite familiar, clinging to each other and exchanging greetings for a while. Just as Lucian, watching this, crossed his arms with a sidelong glance,

“Right, that’s it. I’ve been taking good care of your geese too.”

Pig-herder said, glancing furtively at the two large men standing firmly behind Kosha. Kosha’s eyes widened.

“Really? Thank you. I was very worried.”

“Oh, we’re practically family, what….”

Of course, they were complete strangers, but Pig-herder laughed awkwardly and patted Kosha’s shoulder. His gaze returned to the two men.

“Um, but these gentlemen….”

“Let’s go get the geese first.”

Gosrick, who had been observing the situation, stepped in appropriately. Oh, yes, of course. Pig-herder, without even being asked, bowed his waist perceptively.

Pig-herder’s house was right next door. As is often the case with livestock care, it didn’t look particularly clean from the outside.

From the gate, something resembling goose sounds could be heard. Just as the three upper-class men, who had roamed all sorts of harsh battlefields but had little reason to set foot in a ‘poor peasant’s house,’ felt somewhat awkward, Kosha ran into the enclosure without a second thought.

“Kids!”

Then, as if understanding his words, a flock of geese appeared from around the corner. The geese were larger than expected. One even spread its wings wide like a person with arms outstretched and came waddling rapidly toward Kosha.

Kosha didn’t avoid them either; he spread his arms and crouched. Nine geese honked loudly and surrounded Kosha in an instant.

“Oh, there there. It’s okay. Yeah, sorry. Hey, how did you get so fat?”

It looked like a reunion with long-lost family. Finally, Lucian impatiently intervened.

“Talk later. Let’s load them onto the carriage first.”

Just then, a goose that had been wrapping its neck around Kosha’s shoulder turned its head toward Lucian. It glared at him with gleaming eyes, then suddenly stretched its neck forward long and made a threatening Hiiisssssss sound.

“Oh, oh, why are you acting like this?”

While Kosha frantically tried to calm the suddenly angry goose, and just as the experienced coachman who handled animals ran over to herd the geese away, Pig-herder stepped forward with an awkward laugh.

“Um…. If you’re taking them, there’s the feed cost and the care cost, and such….”

Though his words seemed directed at Kosha, his gaze was subtly aimed toward the knights. Lucian gave a slight nod to Gosrick.

“Pay him and come.”

“Ah! Oh my, thank you.”

Pig-herder kept bowing repeatedly. Then he cautiously continued.

“Um, but when the geese barged into our house, they broke the fence, so perhaps that cost too….”

“Understood. So, how much is it?”

Gosrick asked, but Pig-herder bowed again.

“Well, then, um, the geese also ate a bit of the household goods, so that cost as well….”

“One thing after another.”

Gosrick clicked his tongue. This seemed like it would have no end. He took a quill from his pocket and scribbled on a piece of paper.

“Settle it all at once and submit the bill here.”

“Oh my….”

Pig-herder’s mouth almost reached his ears. He sidled up to Kosha and patted his shoulder.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but things seem to have worked out well, gooseherd. Or, I guess I shouldn’t call you gooseherd anymore….”

“Thank you, uncle.”

“I knew it. Ever since that lady raised you calling you ‘young master, young master’…. Ack.”

Cough, hack, wheeze. Pig-herder broke into a loud coughing fit mid-sentence. His face turned bright red.

Instantly, Lucian’s gaze turned to Kosha. The face that had been smiling meekly with a bowed head stiffened subtly. And the trace of a strange light that filled and then vanished from those eyes….

“Hack, cough, something went down the wrong way. Cough. Suddenly.”

“Ah, uncle. You should go inside and drink some water quickly. I think I need to go now too.”

Kosha hurriedly pushed Pig-herder, who was coughing so hard he was drooling, inside. Oh, okay. Take care. Hack, cough. Even if things go well, don’t forget what this uncle has done for you. Cough, hack.

“Done for you, my foot.”

Lucian clicked his tongue.

It was a village he disliked in many ways. He grabbed the Mage by the arm. He probably wouldn’t be coming back here. Neither he nor the Mage. He wanted to leave this dirty place quickly.

Another hitch occurred in front of the baggage wagon. As when they came, when Kosha naturally tried to climb into the cargo compartment, Lucian unconsciously stopped him. Kosha looked back at him curiously.

“I was going to ride there?”

The wagon was already full of nine geese. Kosha nodded.

“Yes, I think there’s room for one more like me.”

The geese, who had been honking among themselves, saw Lucian and again stretched their necks long, letting out Hiiisssssss sounds. Lucian was disgusted.

“How do you expect to ride in there? Rather….”

He looked around. Four people, three horses. There was the seat next to the coachman driving the baggage wagon, but that was a bit…

Just then, Eydrick, who had been adjusting the saddles, stepped forward. Gosrick tried to stop him, but it was too late.

“Shall I take him?”

“Why you?”

The retort came without hesitation. If anything, it seemed to spur him on. Lucian grabbed Kosha.

“Do you know how to ride a horse?”

“…A, a little?”

“You either can or you can’t. What’s ‘a little’?”

And a large hand wrapped around his waist. Though slender, it was still a man’s frame. But the two gloved hands lifted Kosha up effortlessly. Even as the startled body squirmed, he didn’t bat an eye.

If anything, he thought it was excessively light. Do Mages have different bones than humans? His waist was practically a handful.

After placing the Mage on the horse, he swung himself up onto the horse in one motion. Supporting the squirming body with one arm, Kosha managed to settle himself on the horse. Hmm, that was rather unexpected.

“Once we go, we won’t be back for a while, so if you have anything to take, say it now.”

Lucian lowered his head and whispered into Kosha’s ear. Things to take…? Just as Kosha opened his mouth, he added as if to preempt nonsense.

“Not useless things, important ones. Like keepsakes from your parents.”

“…….”

Kosha, who was about to mention his own tattered clothes, closed his mouth. The Mage blinked as if thinking for a moment, then shook his head side to side.

“There aren’t any.”

“Not even one?”

“…Not even one.”

It was a firm answer for a usually hesitant Mage. A gauging gaze swept over Kosha’s shoulders, nape, ear, and the top of his head. The gray-blue gaze soon turned back to Gosrick.

“Stay behind with Eydrick and finish up, then follow with the baggage wagon.”

“…And Your Highness?”

“Do I need to stay too?”

The answer was brazen. No, that’s not what I meant. Gosrick was flustered. And he’s taking the Mage again? Where are the two of them sneaking off to alone?

Even their posture was somewhat suspicious, making it more dubious. As if he was deliberately holding him from behind…. It was an unavoidable occurrence when two people rode a horse together, but having the physically smaller Mage ride in front….

Meanwhile, the Mage just looked dazed and thoughtless. While Gosrick was at a loss, Lucian tugged the reins.

The horse leaped forward. Startled, Kosha grabbed Lucian’s arm, and Lucian’s solid arm wrapped securely around Kosha’s waist, supporting him steadily.

And Gosrick could only watch helplessly as their figures grew distant.