The Story of a Middle-Aged Knight Who Tried to Live a Relaxed Slow Life in the Countryside, Only for a Duke's Daughter Whose Engagement Was Broken Off to Move in With Him

The Dwarf Village

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*****

「Still, what on earth was that back there? Is there some secret to that iron cylinder?」

I asked Wald, who was walking alongside me.

That said, for all his dignified presence, standing next to him he was only about as tall as my shoulders.

To make up for it, he had plenty of breadth and mass.

If Wald and I were to engage in a sumo match, I felt like I'd be sent flying the second we collided.

Wald patted his shoulder with the iron cylinder—or whatever it was—in his hand as he spoke.

「Oh, this? It's called a firearm—a 'teppou'. Well, it's basically a miniaturized cannon, though it doesn't pack quite the same punch.」

「No, that's more than enough.」

The goblins struck by the 'firearm' had nearly all been taken down in a single shot.

(It makes my skin crawl to think what would happen if that were pointed at humans.)

Perhaps that thought showed on my face, because Wald spoke up.

「Worry not. Dwarves are a peace-loving race. So long as you humans don't come invading us, we won't do a thing.」

「So you're saying dwarves developed firearms as a self-defense measure against humans?」

「Hmph, don't get full of yourself, Leonardo. Dwarves are a race that deeply loves blacksmithing. We're always tinkering and making all sorts of things for fun. This just happened to be the result of that—it's not as if we set out to make something like this from the start.」

Whether I should take Wald's words at face value was another matter.

Having knowledge of central politics, I felt a slight touch of doubt, but there didn't seem to be any lie in Wald's expression.

「It's certainly effective against monsters. After all, you don't need to get up close. With a bow, it's hard to drop a monster dead with a single arrow.」

「Spot on. Though even this thing has plenty of flaws. It can't fire continuously, you have to carry ammunition around, and manufacturing gunpowder is a real pain.」

「Hey, hey, don't give me all the fine details.」

I hurriedly cut Wald off.

「I merely saw the dwarves using a somewhat unusual weapon. But as you can see, I'm completely blind to these things. I've underestimated it, thinking it's not even worth reporting to my superiors.」

Wald blinked blankly for a second.

Then, he quickly caught on and burst into laughter.

「Ghahaha! You're an amusing fellow, Leonardo!」

「I'm already retired. I intend to spend the rest of my days living peacefully, comfortably, and quietly in that village. Make sure word of these firearms doesn't reach the ears of greedy nobles, alright?」

「Alright, alright. I'll be careful.」

「I really hope you get it...」

As I let out a sigh, a fair white hand suddenly reached out toward my cheek.

「Lord Leonardo, you have been injured on your face.」

The one speaking was Cistilia, who had approached from the side opposite Wald before I knew it.

I felt my cheek.

「Hmm, so I am. Well, it's just a scratch. Slap some spit on it and it'll heal.」

「Th-that's so reckless!」

「That's right, Leonardo. If you scratched it on a tree in the forest, that's one thing, but if you got scraped by a goblin or a boarfang, that's a different story. If you don't disinfect it properly, it could fester. —Hey, ~~~~~~~~?」

Watta answered Wald's call.

「~~~~~」

Watta said something and pulled out a medicinal herb from her pouch.

Holding the herb in her hand, Watta tried to touch my cheek, but she couldn't reach it.

With a wry smile at Watta's pouting face, I crouched down on the spot.

Watta put the medicinal herb in her mouth and chewed it up, then applied the soggy paste right onto my wound.

「Now, all good. Don't, take off, for a while.」

「Got it. Thanks, Watta.」

I gently patted Watta on the head.

Beside her, Cistilia was now the one pouting.

「Leonardo, is that young lady over there your wife?」

「Huh? No, she isn't.」

At my immediate denial, Cistilia puffed her cheeks out even more.

「Kuku, I get the picture now. You're a good guy, Leonardo—I bet you're real popular with human women.」

Wald said with a chuckle.

「That's the first time in my life I've ever heard someone say that.」

「What, you're not? Well then, how about taking Watta off my hands?」

「Hey, giving away your own daughter so easily... Come to think of it, why didn't you come pick Watta up right away? If you saw the letter, you could have at least sent word.」

That letter was something Watta and Cistilia—who understood Dwarven—had diligently put together.

「Ah, my bad. Part of it was that Watta wandering off all over the place is pretty standard for her, but more than anything, the village has been in a total festival uproar.」

「A festival uproar? At this time of year?」

I didn't know anything about dwarven calendars, but having a festival toward the end of spring like this didn't make much sense to me.

Wald looked up at my cheek, still covered in the pasted herb, and spoke.

「It's perfect timing. Word is that thing is good for injuries too. Why don't you and your group soak in it to your heart's content before you go?」

「This sure is an insanely huge bath.」

「Rock, bath. ~~~~!」

「It is what they call a hot spring, or perhaps a mineral spring.」

As I spoke, gazing at the rustic rock bath enveloped in steam, Watta and Cistilia replied.

Each of them was wearing a white bathing robe.

It was a thin, overlapping garment similar to a bathrobe; through it, Watta's sun-kissed, healthy-looking flat chest and Cistilia's magnificent proportions were clearly outlined.

I was dressed in nothing more than a cloth wrapped around my waist.

By the time we arrived at the dwarven village, dusk was already settling in.

It was the time of day when the sky visible from this 'open-air bath' showed far more indigo than madder red.

「Why are you two in here like it's the most natural thing in the world?」

「Well, they said it was reserved for us. And they told us that if we're husband and wife, entering together is only natural.」

「I keep telling you, we're not married! Even if I concede and give you a pass, Cistilia, why is Watta in here with us too?」

「Together, go in, fun!」

「I... I see...」

It's hard for humans to tell the age of a dwarf.

I hadn't asked how old Watta was exactly, but she ought to be at an age where modesty starts to matter.

She was an energetic girl easily mistaken for a boy, but wrapped in a bathing robe, there was no mistaking her gender.

I twitched my nose at the peculiar odor hanging over the bathing area.

「It has a kind of strange smell... Is this really safe?」

「The source of that smell is said to be good for the body. Though I hear if it's too intense, it can be dangerous...」

「Heal, injuries, good!」

「There are stories that the founding king of the Noziek Kingdom healed his sword wounds in a hot spring as well.」

「Is that so...」

I washed my body a good distance away from the two of them and promptly got into the bathtub.

Otherwise, they might end up seeing something they shouldn't.

Upon soaking in the water—

「Fhuuuuuuuh!」

A deep sigh slipped out before I could stop myself.

「Just like, father!」

Watta giggled as she got in right to my left.

「Ah, Watta! Lord Leonardo's side is my spot!」

Raising her voice from the washing area, Cistilia came running across the bath area.

「Hey, watch out—」

「Kyaaaah!」

Slipping on the wet floor, Cistilia plunged headfirst into the tub.

「Ubuuh!」

「Hyah!」

Watta and I both yelled in shock.

Plunging headfirst into the hot water sent Cistilia into a panic, and she began thrashing wildly inside the bath.

「Calm down!」

I hurriedly stood up and caught Cistilia, who was flailing like she was drowning.

「Efh, cough... Th-thank you very much, Lord Leonardo.」

Cistilia spoke with wet strands of hair plastered across her face.

Beyond her face, floating inside the bath water, was the robe Cistilia had been wearing.

Without thinking, I looked down at Cistilia in my arms.

From her neckline down to her deep, voluptuous cleavage, everything was in full view.

Because we were pressed against each other, her large breasts were crushed right against my bare chest...

(..........)

「...? Is something wrong—Kyaaaaaah!」

「Dowaah!」

Shoved away by Cistilia, this time I was the one sent plunging into the hot water.

「Cough, cough...」

I somehow managed to surface from the water.

「I-I am so sorry!」

Cistilia's voice came from behind me.

「No, my bad... More importantly, hurry up and put your robe back on.」

「Yes... It is alright now.」

When I turned around at those words, Cistilia had wrapped the front of her robe tightly closed, her face flushed crimson.

「Well, anyway, let's just take it easy and soak for a bit.」

「R-Right...」

We sat down side-by-side along the edge of the tub.

Me in the middle, Watta to my left, and Cistilia to my right.

「Why are we sitting in this order?」

「~~~~~~!」

「She says it is because it is more fun this way.」

「What's so fun about it...」

Every time Watta leaned in close to me, her robe—soaked and see-through from the water—was bad for my eyes.

「Still, this feels wonderful, doesn't it? Look, you can see the mountains beyond that fence.」

「You're right. I was surprised when I heard the bath was outdoors, but I see now—this really is refreshing.」

The cool outside air soothed our flushed bodies.

At this rate, it felt like we could stay soaked in here for a long time.

Soaking in the milky-white water, we leisurely took in the darkening sky and the distant mountain ranges.

「...Come to think of it, Cistilia.」

「What is it?」

Cistilia asked in a calm tone.

Looking at her directly risked putting sights in my view that were bad for my heart, so I spoke while averting my eyes slightly.

「What you used during the battle with those monsters earlier... that was secret magic, wasn't it?」

Cistilia had generated fire and blasted the Boarfang that was pinned on top of me.

「Yes... Supposedly, elven blood was mixed into the Ducal House of Eldryuse a very long time ago. Because of that, someone capable of using secret magic is occasionally born into our family.」

Secret magic.

An ability said to be usable only by elves, allowing them to freely manipulate earth, water, fire, and wind.

It was something as close to fairytale magic as could possibly be.

「Is it really alright for you to reveal something like that?」

Elves were persecuted by humans who feared their secret magic.

Nowadays, they are said to live hidden away in places far removed from human settlements.

「No, it is not alright. It is our family's top secret of secrets.」

「...You used it to save me?」

「Saving my husband takes priority.」

「No, like I said, I'm not your husband.」

「I would never choose a man who blabs other people's secrets for fun as my husband. You intend to keep quiet about the dwarves' firearms too, don't you?」

「Well, yeah. If greedy nobles caught wind of something like that, it'd turn into a total disaster. It could easily spiral into sending armies to seize them by force.」

Though, whether those folks who place so much value on swords, spears, and chivalry would even pay much attention to firearms is hard to say.

Still, there's always the danger they'd decide to wipe them out simply because they're an eyesore.

「I'll be damned if I let Ascot Village get dragged into a war.」

I have no desire to see those good-natured villagers get kicked around by arrogant knights, or watch the crops they worked so hard to harvest get seized under the pretext of military supplies.

「Fortunately, pretending I didn't see a thing happens to be my specialty.」

When I said that,

「Fufu.」

Cistilia giggled.

「What is it?」

「Lord Leonardo, the more good you are doing, the more restless you get, and the more strangely villainous you try to sound.」

「...I really don't consider myself a good person, you know.」

「Let's go with that, then. It's gotten dark out, so shall we get out soon?」

Faced with Cistilia's composed smile, I nodded with a sour expression.

*****

Is Watta actually older than she look?

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