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 End of the Beginning

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Having safely delivered Watta back to the dwarven settlement, Cistilia and I decided to depart the following morning.

「Thank you for all your help this time, Leonardo. Allow me to offer my gratitude once more.」

「Don't worry about it. You've given us more than enough hospitality in return.」

The point Cistilia had raised yesterday was also successfully put into writing in both the human language and the dwarven tongue, formatted as a 'Memorandum on Patrol Coordination Between Ascot Village and Waldo's Settlement for the Purpose of Preventing Monster Outbreaks'.

While shelving the issue of territorial borders, the document stipulated that both sides would confer to coordinate patrol plans and exchange information toward their shared objective.

It might sound roundabout, but it was certainly a step forward—and a fairly significant one at that.

(This might actually be Cistilia's credit.)

If it had been up to me alone, I probably would have settled for a verbal promise without bothering to get it in writing.

Not that Waldo would have broken his word, but having a tangible document makes a world of difference when it comes to peace of mind.

Above all, putting it on paper made it much easier to feel like real progress had been made.

「Leonardo, thank you... for helping.」

Watta gave me a polite little bow as she spoke.

「Sure thing. Take care of yourself, Watta. You're welcome to come visit again if Waldo gives you permission.」

「Yeah, I'll definitely... go.」

Watta smiled.

I turned to Cistilia.

「Alright, shall we get going?」

「Yes.」

「Visit anytime, Leonardo. I'll make sure my people pass word directly to me whenever your name is mentioned.」

「Same here. If a messenger arrives using Waldo's name, I'll ensure they're brought straight to me. Though it's a small village, so everyone would know right away regardless.」

Waldo and I exchanged one final handshake.

Waldo's hand was rugged and thick-skinned. His grip strength was immense, so much so that just shaking his hand bordered on painful.

「Human hands are so soft. You've got hands like a child's.」

「Yours are just way too tough. I'm a former knight, you know, so my calluses are usually on the thicker side.」

「Is that so? Dwarves engage in smithing, so our hands might just naturally grow tough.」

Cistilia and I said our goodbyes to Waldo and Watta, leaving the dwarven settlement behind.

「Phew... We're finally back.」

「That was exhausting, wasn't it?」

After trekking through the mountains for hours, Cistilia and I finally reached a point where Ascot Village came into view late in the afternoon.

We had eaten the boxed lunches prepared for us by the dwarves for noon.

The bamboo shoot rice, shiitake mushrooms, and a soybean dish called 'tofu' had been delicious.

「The dwarven settlement was a lovely place, but seeing our village really brings a sense of relief, doesn't it?」

「Yeah. Though you haven't even been here that long yourself, Cistilia.」

「That may be true, but I can't help feeling that way!」

「I just want to kick back and relax at home.」

「I want to take a bath and wash off.」

As Cistilia and I approached the village gate, a voice called down from atop the watchtower.

「Yo, Magistrate! You're back late!」

The hunter—a former mercenary—waved down at us with a face flushed red from alcohol.

「Sorry for stepping away so suddenly. Has everything been quiet in the village?」

When I asked him that,

「Hmm. To be frank with you, I'd say your timing was a bit unfortunate.」

I received an unexpected reply.

「Did something happen?」

「You've got a visitor, Magistrate. He's been going around asking the villagers about the young lady.」

Cistilia and I exchanged looks.

「What? Don't tell me... someone from House Eldryuse?」

「Nah, not quite, though it might as well be. The villagers tried to say they couldn't speak without your permission, but given who the person was, they couldn't exactly refuse. So the young lady's presence here has already been exposed.」

Cistilia and I gasped.

「Someone they couldn't refuse? What do you mean?」

「The one who came was the feudal lord himself.」

「Wait, the Battalion Commander?」

I was merely the magistrate of Ascot Village—a proxy for the actual feudal lord.

The true lord of this village was the Battalion Commander, who used to be my superior back during my days in the knights order.

An elite nobleman about ten years younger than me, he was spoken of as a future candidate for Commander of the Knights Order.

His name was Patrick fin Lorrington.

He was the second son of the prestigious knightly house, Earl Lorrington.

「Well, I suppose hiding anything from the lord of the domain would be tough.」

As I scratched my cheek in dismay, a thud echoed beside me.

It was Cistilia.

Cistilia was leaning heavily against the wooden fence.

Having stumbled and collapsed against it, her hands rested on the fence for support.

Her face was deathly pale.

「W-Why is he here...?」

「I don't know, but that boss of mine is known for inspecting his own domain. Maybe he came to check on how his newly appointed magistrate is handling things?」

Still, the fact that he was asking around the village about Cistilia bothered me.

Even if he were searching for a missing noble lady on the side, surely he would have questioned me first.

(It's almost as if he suspected Cistilia was in this village right from the start...)

I turned and asked Cistilia.

「Hey. Do you know Battalion Commander Patrick?」

At my question, Cistilia bit her lip in hesitation.

「Look, even if I'm going to cover for you, I can't do anything unless I hear the truth, right?」

If it came to it, turning back right now and having Waldo take Cistilia in wasn't entirely out of the question.

Of course, that would mean owing a favor to the dwarves...

Because I was lost in those thoughts, I missed Cistilia's quiet murmur.

Or perhaps my brain simply refused to process what she said.

「Huh? What did you say?」

「I said, um... Patrick is my fiancé. Former fiancé, that is.」

At Cistilia's words, my mind went completely blank.

*****

Someone's being named~~~!!!!

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