"Have a safe trip, Rest..."
"Lord Rest... please be careful..."
A few days after the war council.
Rest immediately set out on an expedition to the north.
The preparation period for war was too short, but Rest was merely the advance force. He was a hasty reinforcement until the main force arriving later was ready.
Seen off by Viola and Primula, Rest departed from House Clover.
"Honestly, we want to go with you too, but..."
"It's no good, is it?"
"Yeah... you two stay here and protect the domain. I'm counting on you."
Rest smiled at the two, who wore apologetic expressions.
For this expedition, only Rest and a few guards were going from House Clover.
As a newly risen noble, Rest had almost no military strength. The few soldiers he had were engaged in guarding the domain and subjugating monsters, so there was no margin to deploy them for battles outside the territory.
He also needed Viola and Primula to protect the domain. He couldn't take them to the battlefield.
(If they were in a dangerous place, I wouldn't be able to fight calmly. Rather, it helps if they stay in a safe place.)
"Don't worry... there's no way the foreign tribes are stronger than Sabnock, right? I'll come back without a scratch, so take care of the mansion."
"...Yes, I understand."
"Lord Rest... please take this."
"What is this?"
Primula held something out to him.
It was a stone small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. Strange characters had been carved into the white stone, as if by a knife.
"I made this charm stone together with my sister. We carved prayers into it together."
"It isn't enchanted with any special magic... but I poured all my feelings into carving it. Please take it."
It seemed to be some kind of protective charm.
During wartime in Japan, soldiers heading off to battle were given charms called 'Thousand Stitch Belts'. I'd heard that the ornaments warlords wore on their helmets during the Warring States period also carried meaning as protective talismans against evil.
In the same way, a stone carved with prayers was probably this country's version of a charm for lasting fortune in war.
"Thank you. I'll treasure it."
Rest carefully placed the stone into the pouch that had come with it and tucked it into his breast pocket.
"Take care..."
"Please be careful..."
"Yeah, I'm off."
Leaving a smile behind so the two of them wouldn't worry, Rest set off for the battlefield.
He left the mansion and joined the guards who had been waiting for him outside.
"Are you ready, Lord Rest?"
"Yes. Sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Diebl."
Rest's escort. A mere five men.
Leading them was Diebl, the butler of House Rosemary.
Instead of his usual butler's attire, he was clad in black garments.
"Still... are you sure this is alright? You coming with me, Mr. Diebl? What about the affairs of House Rosemary?"
"It is by the Master's order, so please do not worry."
Diebl answered with a cheerful smile.
Having Diebl accompany him as his guard was an arrangement made by his father-in-law, the Marquis of House Rosemary.
It was likely also intended to put his worried daughters at ease… He had sent his most reliable combat strength to accompany him as an escort.
From here, they were to join the other advance party members before heading to the fortress at the northern border.
"So Father-in-law is coming later, right?"
"Yes. He plans to come to the battlefield as soon as the main force is ready."
"That's reassuring… This is my second war, but I still get nervous. Even though we're still far from the battlefield, my heart is already pounding."
He had experienced many life-or-death battles against monsters, but… when the enemy was human, even if they were from foreign tribes, he felt a strange tension.
He would be killing people on the battlefield… Just thinking about it made his chest tighten.
"Rest assured. I feel the same way as well."
"Mr. Diebl, you too? You must be joking."
Diebl was a highly skilled magician.
He was the master who had taught Rest how to fight humans; he should have been well-accustomed to fighting human opponents.
"If you get used to killing people and feel nothing at all, you're finished as a human. We are magicians. For the sake of those we must protect, we must become beasts or even demons, but we must not kill people and feel nothing. You must carry the weight of the lives you are meant to protect and the lives you are meant to take, and move forward."
"...That's harsh."
It would be easier if he could just forget the weight of a human life.
But since he wasn't allowed such an easy path, Diebl was truly a strict master.
"However, that does not mean you should waver and hold back on the battlefield. Do not..."
"...hes-"
"...-itate. Kill your enemies ruthlessly."
"He's really harsh..."
He tells me to kill the enemy without hesitation, not to get used to killing, and to properly feel the weight of life… he's telling me to do something completely contradictory. What an utterly unreasonable master.
Rest let out a heavy sigh, boarded the carriage, and headed for the battlefield.