Trouble Comes Suddenly
After the situation at the Goethel Mines settled down, we returned to our peaceful life at the outpost.
By the way, since Amira was going to be living with us for a while, I made sure to introduce her to Asletica, the dragon who lives in the lake near the village.
At first, Amira was surprised, but thanks to her naturally friendly personality, she quickly got along with Asletica. The dragon also seemed quite fascinated by the little magician and welcomed her warmly whenever she visited the lake in her free time.
As for me, after the Goethel Mines affair, there were no major incidents. I spent my days tending to the farm, looking after the chickens, and occasionally patrolling the nearby forest with Elina to check for any lurking monsters. It was a calm, yet busy enough routine.
Then one day—a man arrived in the village.
It’s not that rare for someone to come to the village, but it’s unusual enough to be worth noting. Still, it wasn’t anything that required special caution. It wasn’t like the guy was radiating the kind of aura that screams “villain.”
The man turned out to be a traveling merchant.
He seemed to be well received by the villagers, so I didn’t feel the need to be particularly wary. However, it seemed he had business with me specifically, and he was brought to the station by Chief Ganun.
“You’re the Holy Knight stationed here in the countryside, right?”
“Y-Yes, that’s me.”
Looks like that odd title has stuck.
Anyway, the man who had come to speak with me was a young merchant, probably in his early twenties. His name was apparently Alex.
He said he was from the commercial city of Gracela.
“Gracela, huh…”
That place brought back a few memories.
Not that I had any lingering resentment—it had all been resolved long ago.
But there was a time when the situation got pretty bad, thanks to the Eigenberg Company, which pushed out the Dresslaw Company that the village had been doing business with for years.
Eigenberg even resorted to illegal activities, and things nearly went to hell.
In the end, the Knights Order stepped in and arrested them, and I lent a small hand in that affair.
Since then, I’d visited Gracela a few times for shopping…
But what kind of business would a traveling merchant from Gracela have with me?
“The truth is… Gracela is in a bit of turmoil right now.”
“Turmoil?”
“I fully understand that it’s inappropriate to ask something like this of someone stationed at the Curtis Village, but… we have no one else to turn to but you!”
Before he could even finish speaking, Alex dropped to his knees.
He was so lacking in explanation that I had no idea what was going on…
But at the very least, it was clear that something serious was happening in Gracela.
What do you think about this chapter?
