4-6 The Village of Treki
The carriage slowly traverses the mountain pass.
I rarely left the royal capital, so the scenery of majestic mountains and forests enveloping the countryside should be novel. However, I grew bored within an hour.
No matter how far the carriage traveled, the same scenery continued endlessly. After all, it’s just trees and mountains. Despite minor changes, the view remains largely unchanged.
It’s boring.
Isabel sits across from me, but being the serious type, she’s not one for small talk. It’s hard to strike up a conversation with her without a specific purpose.
If it were my attendants from my previous life, I could casually say,
“Tell me something fun to entertain me.”
But Isabel tends to read too deeply into my words.
When we went to defeat the serpent at Lake Elfen, I told Isabel in the carriage,
“Say something interesting.”
She responded with a straight face,
detailing “effective ways to inflict pain on people” and “how to exploit people’s weaknesses.” It wasn’t fun at all.
Apparently, she misunderstood that I wanted to hear such things. Well, it might be useful knowledge in the future, but I didn’t want to discuss such violent topics to pass the time.
So, it’s a bit difficult to talk to Isabel.
Alice sits next to Isabel, constantly reading a book.
Alice will talk about anything if asked, but it feels like conversing with a dictionary.
She continuously broadcasts knowledge one-sidedly, which isn’t very enjoyable. Although she knows many stories from books, she speaks in a monotone without expression, ruining even the most interesting tales. Her communication skills are extinct. However, it might be perfect when feeling sleepy.
Emma, who should be sitting next to me, isn’t here right now.
She’s running alongside the carriage outside.
When I glance at her, she waves her hands enthusiastically.
When we departed and she said,
“I want to compete with the horses!”
I thought she’d give up soon.
But four hours have passed, and there’s no sign of her slowing down.
A human who can run as fast as a horse…
The luxurious carriage I prepared has lost its significance.
Still, when I wave back, her joyful smile is somewhat cute.
Anyway, my female attendants can’t engage in pleasant conversation.
The male attendants are riding in the carriage behind us. They might be able to have slightly better conversations, but being surrounded by men in a confined space like a carriage for long periods would look bad to the public.
So, the carriage journey was utterly boring.
After several days of traveling by carriage, we arrived at the village of Treki.
Apparently, monsters that a saint had sealed about a hundred years ago have recently revived and are rampaging in the vicinity, causing damage.
It’s troublesome. Why seal them incompletely? If they had properly disposed of the monsters, this wouldn’t have happened.
Are they intentionally leaving work for the next saint?
However, the villagers are genuinely troubled.
Their appearance is worse than our attendants. Everyone wears tattered clothes. Their hands are dark and rough; it’s hard to believe we’re the same species.
The old man who introduced himself as the village chief looked slightly better, but still not someone I’d want to associate with closely.
“Please, Saint. We’ve heard you defeated the Serpent. That legendary great snake! Surely you can do something about the Lesser Demons tormenting us now!”
The village chief implored me. Lesser Demons are disgusting monsters that look like large bats with human limbs. They’re not particularly strong, but they tend to form groups, which can be troublesome in large numbers. If a saint had to seal them, there must be quite a few. Probably hundreds. It’s not impossible to defeat them, but it’s a bit of a hassle.
Moreover, the other villagers seem skeptical of me, staring curiously and shamelessly. They probably can’t readily believe that a beautiful noble girl can defeat monsters.
It’s not like I want to exterminate monsters either. I came here because the king ordered me to. So, I wish they’d be a bit more enthusiastic…
Well, it can’t be helped. I suppose I need to speak to these commoners at their level. After all, I have to substitute for Eleanor. I should act a bit more down-to-earth to portray an approachable young lady.
“Tea,”
I murmur, and all my attendants spring into action at once.
The male attendants bring out chairs and a table from the carriage, Isabel takes out tea leaves, Emma prepares the tea set. Alice instantly boils water with magic, quickly warming the teapot, and Isabel immediately puts in the perfect amount of tea leaves. Alice again magically boils water at the right temperature, pours it into the teapot, covers it, and lets it steep.
Meanwhile, Oscar places a chair in the perfect position for me to sit, and I take a seat. Richard places a table within easy reach, and Louis holds a large parasol to shield me from the sunlight.
The teapot and some sweets are placed on the table, and when the tea leaves have steeped sufficiently, Isabel gracefully pours the tea into a cup.
There’s no wasted motion at all. I’m satisfied with my attendants’ smooth work.
The tea is also delicious. I can finally catch my breath.
Seeing me relaxing elegantly like a painting, the villagers must have felt a sense of familiarity. …Huh? Why does everyone look dumbfounded?
“So,”
I decide to address the village chief myself, thinking they might be hesitating to speak to me due to my overwhelming beauty.
“Where are these monsters?”
“Huh?”
The village chief responds blankly. Immediately glared at by my attendants, he hurriedly continues.
“Y-yes. The cave where the previous saint sealed the monsters is visible from here, around the middle of that mountain.”
Looking in the direction the chief pointed, I see a rocky mountain. It stands out among the other mountains, which are green with trees. Indeed, there’s a hole gaping in the middle of that mountain.
“That’s our sacred mountain that we’ve worshipped for generations. We’ve always lived under its watch. Thanks to the saint’s protection, the Lesser Demons that once ravaged this area were sealed in that mountain, but…”
Honestly, I didn’t want to move anymore. Having tea had completely settled both my body and mind. It seems troublesome to go to that mountain now and defeat the Lesser Demons one by one.
The saint’s protection? Isn’t it because of their half-measures that we’re facing trouble later?
“So, if you could seal the Lesser Demons again…”
The village chief is saying something, but I’m not a saint, so I can’t possibly seal them.
The point is to annihilate all the Lesser Demons.
I slowly stand up from my chair.
“Alice. Magical backup.”
The petite red-haired girl nodded and placed her hand near my waist, beginning to supply magical power. I could feel Alice’s magic flowing into me, making my body feel hot.
Since there’s quite a distance from here to that mountain, I need to use a somewhat elaborate spell. My own magical power alone isn’t quite enough, so I had Alice provide magical support.
I raised both hands towards the so-called sacred mountain.
[My magic is a flame that envelops all creation, a glittering storm of destruction, a merciless force. I become the harbinger of doom, my will is immortal, my magic eternal. Ceaselessly, ceaselessly, I shall bring forth flames……]
“Um… what exactly are you… mmph…”
It seems the village chief, overcome with anxiety, tried to approach me but was stopped by Richard, who roughly covered his mouth. This is why country folk are troublesome. It’s common sense to stay quiet during a magic incantation to avoid breaking concentration.
[Great fire dwelling in my hands, now be unleashed. Explode!]
As the spell was completed, a massive fireball materialized from my outstretched hands and was released towards the rocky mountain in a flash of light.
The magic detonated at the cave’s location on the mountainside, obliterating the cave with a thunderous explosion.
The mountain crumbled as well.
“Lady Selina”
Oscar, who had been efficiently observing the cave’s condition with binoculars, called out.
“It seems about twenty have survived. They’re flying this way, perhaps intending to seek revenge.”
Indeed, I could see something black flying towards us.
I’m tired from the recent spell. I’ll leave the rest to my servants.
“Emma and Richard on offense, Isabel and Oscar on defense, Alice and Louis on backup. Destroy all the monsters.”
“Sir, yes sir!”
Emma and Richard began running towards the Lesser Demons. Isabel and Oscar readied their weapons to defend the village. Isabel with a sword, Oscar with a bow.
Alice, having expended magic like myself, is on standby. Louis is on recovery duty and my parasol bearer.
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As I repositioned myself in my chair and looked out, Emma had already engaged the Lesser Demons.
The winged Lesser Demons were naturally flying through the air, but Emma was leaping even higher to strike them down. Was she a bird in her past life? Emma jumped off a Lesser Demon’s corpse and leapt towards the next one.
As always, it doesn’t seem humanly possible. I wonder if she’s not afraid of dying if she falls?
As for Richard, unable to jump high like that, he was throwing stones.
Projectiles. Though it seemed like a childish method of attack, the hurled stones whistled through the air and struck the Lesser Demons’ heads directly. That must hurt. The Lesser Demons were falling one after another, their heads shattered by stones.
Hmm, not bad at all. The results of leaving them in the forest and mountains for about ten days, constantly fighting monsters, are showing.
However, they still failed to take down a few, which were now approaching us.
Oscar targeted those with his bow and arrow. He’s skilled with various weapons, but he’s especially good with the bow. Attacking the enemy from a distance in an underhanded manner seems to suit his disposition.
Three Lesser Demons managed to evade even his arrows and reached close to me.
It’s almost admirable how they endured my servants’ fierce attacks to come this far.
But Isabel swiftly cut down these pitiful monsters. When it comes to swordsmanship alone, Isabel is unparalleled among the servants. No ordinary knight could match her.
However, since Richard and Emma have abnormal physical abilities, I mainly leave the attacks to those two, while Isabel usually serves as my bodyguard. She’s good-looking too.
All the Lesser Demons were annihilated. A complete victory.
And yet, for some reason, the village chief was on his knees with his hands on the ground.
“The sacred mountain… our holy site…”
The mountain? That rock-covered mountain is now half-destroyed, becoming a massive grave for what must have been hundreds of Lesser Demons.
I would think it’s a small price to pay for the village’s peace,
but the villagers’ atmosphere was rather ambiguous. Their dissatisfaction of “What have you done!” was clearly conveyed.
Especially the older villagers were openly angry. Seeing this, my servants, mainly Isabel and Oscar, began intimidating the villagers, making the atmosphere tense.
It’s not very pleasant, considering we just defeated the Lesser Demons for them. Should I blow up this village on our way out?
As I was thinking such thoughts, a young man from the village extended his hand to the chief.
“Father, who cares about that mountain!”
Apparently, he’s the village chief’s son.
“What are you saying! The sacred mountain was our holy site!”
Wasn’t it just a Lesser Demon dwelling?
“We shouldn’t have been bound by that mountain forever! What has that mountain ever done for us? Nothing, right? We shouldn’t have been bound by old customs forever! The Holy Maiden’s magic has shattered our common sense too! It’s telling us to move forward into the future!”
Well, that wasn’t really my intention, but…
“Is that… so?”
The village chief turned towards me. What should I do? Should I tell the truth?
“Of course it is, Chief.”
Oscar began speaking in my place.
“The mountain you revered as sacred was, in essence, nothing more than a nest of Lesser Demons. The previous Holy Maiden, out of consideration for your faith, merely sealed away the monsters, but that solved nothing. In fact, after the seal broke, you suffered casualties again, didn’t you? Lady Selina has solved this problem fundamentally. Moreover, by deliberately destroying the mountain before your eyes, she has freed your hearts from the bonds of faith! If this isn’t an achievement surpassing that of a Holy Maiden, then what is!”
I only blew up the mountain because I couldn’t seal it, but Oscar said some nice things. Thanks to him, the villagers’ eyes on me are changing.
“Thank you, Lady Selina!”
The village chief’s son expressed his gratitude. Other villagers followed suit, one after another voicing their thanks.
…Not bad. Come to think of it, have I ever been thanked like this for something I’ve done before?
I’ve received formal thanks in my previous life. Things like, “Thank you for being considerate to someone of my low status.”
But now, everyone is genuinely happy. They must be sincerely glad to be free from the threat of Lesser Demons.
Yeah, not bad at all. As I watched the villagers’ smiling faces, that’s what I found myself thinking.
TLNOTE : While waiting, I implore you dear readers to read other masterpiece novels that also written by the same author :
- When the Monster Meat I Ate Led Me to the Throne
- Who killed the Hero?
- The Suspects of Necromancy
- The Exiled Merchant Saves the World with the Power of Gold (translated by my friend meerkat)
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