After defeating the Hippogriff, the monsters lurking in the forest had gone quiet.
Lying at Luka's house, I pulled a blanket over myself and woke several times during the night to use my skills.
Every few hours, I got up to observe the monsters' movements.
"About thirty have been eliminated. But nearly two hundred remain... their numbers are actually increasing."
The growing monster count was alarming, but the reinforcement work continued around the clock.
I stationed Novem in the center of the village to focus on healing, and told Aria and Miranda to rest at night.
The only ones still awake were probably Clara and Monica.
Having paid nearly forty gold coins upfront and pledged to deliver rewards, their commitment was solid.
Just as I was considering going back to sleep, the Sixth Generation spoke up.
*"What's wrong, can't sleep? You get used to this kind of thing. Rest when you can! When the time comes, you'll be in trouble if your body won't move."*
Luka and his family were asleep nearby, and Shannon was lying down too.
Miranda and Aria were also asleep.
Confirming that no one was awake, I replied to the Sixth Generation.
"I can manage without much sleep. But knowing something could happen, I keep waking up."
The Sixth Generation said:
*"Trust the people around you a bit more. You saw what Aria can do. Leave what should be left to others, and do what you need to do yourself."*
The Griffon—this operation's main target.
I would be the one facing it.
Tactically, I'd like to surround it with the party and take it down, but that would leave the village's defenses too thin.
Sensing movement, I closed my mouth and eyes.
*(Was that Luka?)*
"...Dad..."
He was talking in his sleep.
*(His father was attacked by the Hippogriff. In that case...)*
Luka had been upset because I'd forced the evacuation during the monster extermination.
He probably wanted to avenge his father.
Since he resembled the Second Generation's eldest son, I'd promised to look after him during my spare time.
Noticing dawn approaching, I sat up. I stood, stretched, and shook Luka awake.
I nudged his small body, and Luka opened his eyes.
"Huh? Lord Lyle?"
"Can you get up?"
Hearing this, Luka sleepily rubbed his eyes and got up.
"What is it? C-could it be—"
Thinking the enemy had arrived, Luka panicked. I pressed a finger to my lips and shushed him.
With both hands clamped over his mouth, I said:
"Come outside. I'll teach you something."
And so I led Luka out of the house.
The spot in the village where I'd set up a target was prepared for crossbow practice.
Around the perimeter, we could hear men working on reinforcements.
"At this rate, we'll finish before noon."
Whether the Griffon would arrive by then was uncertain, but preparations for victory were still moving forward.
I watched Luka shoot arrows at the target.
The arrow missed and flew off in a different direction.
"Huh? That's weird..."
I'd lent Luka a small bow I owned.
I'd bought it for dungeon use, so it was built compact.
But it was probably still too large for Luka.
"Come on, aim carefully. Keep your eyes on the target all the way through."
He was straining and turning his face away, which threw off his aim.
"Don't pull past the back of your ear. Right, like that."
The next arrow missed too.
"Is this thing broken?"
I gave a wry smile, took the bow from Luka, and nocked an arrow. Drawing and releasing, it struck dead center in the target.
"That's amazing!"
"Learn the basics properly. I'm not a professional, so there's only so much I can teach you."
Then Luka looked at the saber hanging at my waist.
"Lord Lyle, I want one of those! Or a spear, like that red-haired girl!"
I ruffled Luka's hair.
"Today it's the bow. When I have free time, I'll teach you. But more importantly, can you read and write?"
Luka looked away.
"...The village chief and the important people can do it, so it's fine. Besides, it's hard."
I said:
"There's no harm in knowing. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important."
Luka pouted and raised the bow again, nocking another arrow.
"I'm gonna get stronger and avenge Dad!"
The arrow he loosed with those words missed the target entirely.
Watching this, the Second Generation made a sound that could have been joy or sorrow.
*"What a caring kid."*
The Third Generation seemed worried.
*"It's a good thing, but at this age... Lyle, keep an eye on him from time to time, will you?"*
And so I continued teaching Luka archery until it was time.
The reason I taught him was... just a gut feeling, really.
After finishing Luka's archery lesson and eating breakfast, I got to work.
I stood ready to head to the scene and give instructions if anything came up.
The planned reinforcements and trap installations were completed before noon.
As expected, the promise of payment made a difference—the villagers worked quickly.
I borrowed a horse, surveyed the village, identified spots that needed more work, paid extra, and assigned the jobs.
The budget had been generous to begin with, but things still didn't go exactly as planned.
Thanks to my ancestors' foresight in keeping a surplus, the minimum preparations were in place.
After lunch, I gathered Porter and reviewed the current situation.
Clark, who had been training the troops, explained the status.
"The crossbow bolts are being produced, but we burned through quite a few during training and need more. Even so, splitting into pairs—one to shoot, one to load—should work at close range, but hitting flying targets will be tough."
I nodded and listened to the village chief's report.
"The village reinforcement is complete. Right now, the workers who rested earlier are taking over. Those who worked through the night are resting now."
I marked the map with ongoing work areas and received Monica's report.
"Food consumption is rapid. Honestly, at this rate, we can't hold out for more than two weeks. Beyond that, even if we beat the monsters, the village won't have enough food."
Even though the harvest had just ended, the increased population meant greater consumption. There was nothing to be done about that.
Novem reported:
"Treatment of the wounded is complete. The soldiers with serious injuries won't be able to participate, but their lives are safe. They should be mobile again by the time we return to the Royal Capital."
Work-related injuries aside, there were also the soldiers who insisted they'd defeated the monsters themselves and started fights over it.
There were a surprising number of people causing unnecessary trouble.
In the current situation, all we could do was wait.
Overworking the laborers wasn't ideal either, so I set up lookouts and had people rotate through rest breaks.
Then the village chief spoke up.
"Um, sir... there are people whose homes and fields were destroyed. Once the work is done, would it be all right to send manpower their way?"
Hearing this, Norma shot it down.
"Are you an idiot? We want to rest both soldiers and civilians, and you want to pile on more work—"
Watching Norma speak reason, Clark held his head in his hands.
The Second Generation quickly told me:
*"Take them up on it. And send some of our people too. Let's see... Send Clara to help with the village repairs. Marcus and the others as well."*
I wanted to let them rest, but following the Second Generation's advice, I accepted the village chief's proposal.
"I'll send people from our side. If you need help, just ask. But don't push them too hard."
"Y-yessir!"
Seeing the village chief's relief, I noticed Norma glaring at me.
She probably had something to say, but since I was the commander, she held her tongue.
There were surprisingly sensible aspects to her.
The Third Generation said:
*"...This girl might have made an excellent knight if she'd studied properly under someone."*
She might be excellent in a different sense.
I continued my discussion with the village chief, asking where manpower was needed and deciding whom to send.
Clark watched this with an expression of relief.
On the third day with no monster attack, Clara came to report to me in the evening.
Clara, who had slept from morning to afternoon, had been woken and immediately asked to use magic for village repairs.
She'd helped with the work using magic and had apparently been met with tremendous gratitude.
"...Are you all right? You seem a bit unsteady."
When I expressed concern, Clara was sitting in a chair drinking something.
Steam rose from the wooden cup.
"No, it's just... being asked by people and receiving that much gratitude..."
She'd helped with simple magic, and the gratitude she received left Clara with an indescribable feeling.
In truth, she could have done far greater things, but mana restrictions meant she could only chip in with small tasks—and still be thanked for it.
She must have had her own feelings about that.
"That's a good thing, isn't it? You'll be helping out again tomorrow. Besides, if it comes down to it, I'll have you operate Porter."
Looking at Porter, I judged that even just ramming it into monsters would pack a punch.
*(...If I attached arms, it could wield weapons too.)*
A future modification plan came to mind, so I looked at Clara.
"In Aramsass, I was never thanked like this. Mages of my level were a dime a dozen there."
Clara looked down slightly.
"...You were happy to be useful, so isn't that enough? I mean, I've been working hard just to be recognized, and in the end, even that was beyond me."
When I said that, Clara looked surprised.
"You, Lyle? Lyle, to put it mildly, is at the level of an adventurer who could aim for the top. I'd even say there's a real chance his name could go down in history."
"Me?"
I laughed it off, but Clara seemed entirely serious.
"Within a year of becoming an adventurer, you broke through to the 40th floor of the Aramsass dungeon. That's remarkable."
I remembered breaking through the 40th floor on Damian's commission.
"I don't know about that. Damien was there at the time. And besides, I was kicked out of my family."
Clara looked puzzled.
"They expelled you? From what I can see, you don't seem to have that many shortcomings."
"...I wouldn't say there are none."
When I said that, Clara nodded expressionlessly. She looked at me and pointed out my faults.
"I imagine there are several. In fact, even in Aramsass, people consulted me about you. I'll say it now, but I was surprised back then. A newcomer of a few months agonizing over the same things that people who've broken through the 40th floor struggle with..."
I'd restricted my Skill use and challenged the dungeon with raw ability alone. That was why I'd asked Clara about what I needed to do.
When I smiled wryly, Clara smiled a little.
"But I'm grateful too. Being in Aramsass was fine, but getting to go outside and experience all these different things..."
With that, Clara drained her cup, her face flushing slightly, and climbed into Porter.
The Fourth Generation chided me:
*"Come on, at least say something like 'I'm happy I get to travel with you too!'?"*
What was this guy on about?
While I was thinking that, Clark approached me.
"Oh, all alone?"
He had a crossbow slung over his back, looking exhausted.
He'd been training in case the monsters attacked.
"You look like you've had it rough too."
Clark smiled.
"In real combat, it's all about how much of your training you can bring out. For an ordinary person to unleash great power at the critical moment like a hero... that's not something most of us can manage."
With that, Clark sat down.
There was a fire nearby, so I ladled soup from the pot hanging over it into a cup and handed it to him.
"Thank you."
The unassuming Clark looked at me as if he wanted to say something.
"What is it?"
"...Lyle, were you originally nobility? Not royal court nobility—I'd say Landed Nobility... but, well, you don't have to answer if you'd rather not."
I was slightly taken aback, but decided not to go into detail and simply nodded.
"I was cast out."
"I see. Then it's best I don't ask the details. But honestly, your help was a real lifesaver. With your field experience giving directions, I'm not sure I could have managed as well... Besides, Captain Norma wouldn't have given up command so easily."
I said:
"She actually gave it up pretty readily."
"Her doing that was unexpected. That magic display and all those gold coins probably did the trick."
Clark smiled, having figured from my bearing that I was originally nobility.
Not because of magic, but from my mannerisms.
"I've been doing this a long time. I've seen all kinds of people. I figured you were Landed Nobility because of how you considered the villagers' feelings."
He was referring to when I'd honored the village chief's request at noon and sent workers.
"Is that unusual?"
"...Royal knights, you see, they tend to be tone-deaf about things like that. If they're not careful, they can't secure cooperation and friction develops. Then work stalls. The ones who understand that are really the Landed Nobility."
He'd clearly been through his share of hardships.
The Fifth Generation said:
*"This guy's got it figured. He probably thinks of Lyle as the heir to a small fief or something."*
The Seventh Generation agreed:
*"Most likely. Even I can't match the Second Generation's insight."*
Both of them were praising the Second Generation.
But the Second Generation said:
*"Don't compare me to you, who are actual nobles. I thought long and hard about how to grow a small territory, what would have been the right way to do it. Well, this was the only approach I knew."*
The Third Generation said:
*"Thanks to that, I had it easy. Really—easy. The Second Generation had everything prepared, so all I had to do was follow the plan."*
Listening to the Third Generation's bright voice, I continued chatting with Clark.
Three days passed, then the fourth, and on the morning of the fifth day.
Having woken early to teach Luka archery, I watched as the village—now fully prepared to face the enemy—gradually brightened with dawn.
Then I heard the sound of an arrow hitting the target.
"I did it! I hit it!"
Seeing Luka's delight, I praised him.
"Nice work. Hitting the target on just the third day—that's impressive."
The distance was short, and it only clipped the edge.
But compared to where he'd started, his progress was remarkably fast.
Watching this, the Second Generation said:
*"This might be thanks to Lyle's skill too. Next, teach him how to draw and hold more deliberately."*
The Second Generation had started contributing to Luka's archery instruction as well.
He seemed pleased about it.
*(My Experience skill's power, huh... Well, I can't really judge the extent of it.)*
It was a passively active skill that granted more experience points, but I still didn't know how significant its effect was.
Since it constantly consumed mana, it was something of a shackle on me.
"Hey, teach me swords next!"
"No. Besides, even if you learned the sword, you wouldn't be able to use it."
"Don't say that, come on, pleeease!"
As Luka whined, I smiled and had him raise the bow. But I quickly turned toward the forest.
"Lord Lyle?"
Luka looked anxious.
I smiled, took the bow and arrows from him, and said:
"Wake everyone up, Luka. ...Today's going to be busy."
The monsters in the forest had begun moving—not in small groups like before, but all at once. Every monster that could be mobilized had stirred.
Through my skill, I could see them swarming in the direction of the forest.
"I—I'll fight too!"
"No."
I warned him.
"Listen. Protect your mother. The monsters will be handled by the adults."
I took Luka back to the house, woke Shannon, and had her sound the alarm.
—Bread was jolted awake by the repeated tolling of the bell. He grabbed his equipment and sprang to his feet.
Everyone around him was startled, scrambling for their own gear.
Then a hand reached from the side, and Bread glared at it.
"That's my equipment!"
The knight next to him clicked his tongue and turned his gaze toward someone else's gear, ready to snatch it.
Bread quickly suited up, grabbed his weapon, and headed outside. Marcus called out to him as he passed, already in full gear.
"Hey, move to the center now!"
"I don't need to be told!"
For the past few days, he'd been nothing more than a laborer on village repairs.
*(No pay because of the debt. I need to make a big contribution here.)*
Bread was anxious.
Advancement.
His father wasn't a hereditary knight—he was a knight for one generation only.
His brothers had given up on becoming knights, finding jobs and leaving home.
In a family with almost no one to inherit the title, only Bread had sworn to become a knight. He'd learned to read, write, and do arithmetic.
He'd learned the sword from his father and swung it nearly every day.
It frustrated him that while he worked so hard, there were knights who did nothing and couldn't even read or write.
But what he found most unforgivable was Lyle, who had fallen to the rank of adventurer.
He'd lost his position, yet had thrived as an adventurer—enough to throw around gold coins.
Lyle was unquestionably the biggest contributor to this Griffon subjugation.
*(And yet...)*
And yet, Lyle said he didn't want any credit.
It felt like being told that the achievement Bread sought was worthless.
He couldn't accept it.
Running forward, a group of three he'd befriended during the march caught up to him.
The young man who appeared to be their leader spoke:
"Hey, is this what I think it is?!"
Marcus answered:
"Like you need to ask! Look at the sky!"
The alarm bell was ringing and smoke signals were rising.
It was the signal that monsters were on the move.
"If I can distinguish myself here—"
Because he'd been on Lyle's side during the first assault, there'd been no opportunity for him to shine.
In Bread's view, this was a colossal miscalculation.
When Marcus reached Porter's position, a decent crowd had already gathered.
Lyle stood ready, preparations complete, issuing orders.
*(This time. This time, I'll earn enough glory to become a knight for sure!)*
Eager, Bread arrived at Lyle's position—
From the squads assembled near Porter, Lyle issued instructions in turn.
"The Griffon and Hippogriffs will be handled by us. Be careful not to get injured. We'll also use the traps while the monsters still have momentum. Knights, prepare to cut down any that break through!"
The Second Generation gave his own guidance:
*"There's still time. Feed them before sending them out. No one fights well on an empty stomach."*
"Eat something before you head out, even if it's just a little! Monica!"
I looked toward Monica, and she'd already prepared everything—sandwiches with fillings and cups of hot soup, laid out in quantity.
"This Monica doesn't miss a thing. You'll thank me in tears later."
"If you keep it up, I'll rename you Poyopoyo! Finish your meals and move to your positions! And, messengers—"
As I was issuing orders, Marcus and his group rushed over.
"Lyle, what should we do?!"
I looked at Marcus and his group and gave them their orders.
"Finish eating, then stand by near Porter. You'll serve as the strike team."
Honestly, just participating in this battle would count as a credit.
Later, I could add the monsters I personally defeated to their tally.
They were also under my protection, so I didn't want to push them too hard.
But Bread shouted:
"That's not—we came here to fight too! Put us on the front lines and we can earn—"
I didn't want to deploy them in the most dangerous position, so I said:
"I'm keeping you here precisely so you don't get thrown into danger! Aria!"
Aria, who had been biting into a sandwich, looked my way.
"What iz it?"
"The front lines are brutal. If it's the Griffon, you're free to run."
Aria washed down the sandwich with soup and wiped her mouth.
A manly gesture.
"I understand. I'll leave it to you, Lyle. Make sure you take it down."
Continuing to issue orders, I watched everyone move to their assigned positions, then looked to the sky.
"—Here it comes."
Timing-wise, we'd made it.
Three monsters soared into the sky—
One was larger than the other two, and from far away, it released a cry that could be heard all the way here.
Goblins and orcs were pouring out of the forest.
The count from my skill showed over two hundred.
An eagle's head with wings.
Below the neck, a lion's body.
Sharp claws, and a majestic figure soaring through the air.
Someone there said:
"—It's a real Griffon."
The boss of the monsters that had hidden themselves until now spread its wings and bore down on us.
The battle with the Griffon was about to begin.