Justin Returns
After a long journey, I finally made it back to Curtis Village.
Rather than stopping by the outpost first, I headed straight to report to Lord Doyle.
"Well done, Justin. You’ve done an excellent job again."
When I explained everything that had happened, Lord Doyle greeted me with a smile and those words.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel he was giving me too much credit.
"I wouldn’t say it was anything that extraordinary..."
"Not at all. Thanks to your presence, we prevented chaos from breaking out in the Glaberson family, and that in turn protected the McCreed ducal house from harm. That’s a remarkable accomplishment."
"Th-thank you."
Of course I was happy to hear his praise, but it also made me feel a little awkward.
Normally, knights are evaluated based on how much they contribute to victories on the battlefield.
I earned the title of Holy Knight by racking up significant achievements in battle.
But here in Abbott, that kind of work isn’t expected.
I knew full well that my responsibilities would change once I was reassigned from the Royal Capital to a local outpost—but deep down, I still felt like I should be fighting.
That said, I think this incident helped me move past that.
From now on, I’ll wield my sword for the growth of this region.
It’s a simpler purpose, and the work feels more straightforward.
After leaving the Tryon estate, I headed back to Curtis Village.
Since I still had luggage with me, I planned to stop by the outpost first before announcing my return to the villagers—but I was quickly spotted and surrounded before I could even get that far.
"We heard all about it, Mr. Justin!"
"They said you saved the day again!"
"Uh... who exactly told you that?"
"""Lord Doyle!"""
I figured.
Well, news of the incident had already reached the capital anyway, so it wasn’t like it had to be kept secret... Still, I wasn’t used to this kind of attention.
"Alright! The star of the show is back—time for a feast!"
"Damn right!"
"Let’s drink like there’s no tomorrow!"
The villagers were already fired up.
Then, Mayor Ganun showed up.
"Let me thank you properly once again… This village was kept safe because of you. You have our deepest gratitude."
"No, I—"
"You must’ve endured a fierce battle far beyond what we can imagine…"
"Chief Ganun... No, I should be the one thanking you."
"Hohoho, I’m not sure I’ve done anything worth such thanks."
"Even so, I wanted to say it."
As I looked around at all the smiling villagers, the words came naturally.
—Alright, I’d better head back before Elina gets mad.
I should at least get my things sorted before the feast starts.
What do you think about this chapter?
