The Reason to Fight
Even after the giant dragon named Asletica settled in the lake, life in Curtis Village remained unchanged.
"Bulk, Leon, it's time for a wash~"
Elina had named the two horses she had received and cherished them dearly. Recently, she had also been given chickens and goats by the villagers, devoting herself to their care and tending the fields.
"—We really don't seem knightly at all, huh..."
Just when I thought I might finally get to swing my sword again during the dragon subjugation, Asletica turned out to be incredibly docile and intelligent. Now, the dragon had completely bonded with the villagers.
It was only natural that nothing happened.
… No, perhaps this was the most desirable outcome.
Back in the royal capital, there were always a few violent incidents each day. Before being promoted to Holy Knight, I barely had any days off, constantly being sent off to deal with trouble. On top of that, if a skirmish broke out with another country, I had to march to the battlefield with a load of weapons. I never imagined there would come a day when I would feel nostalgic for those times.
"... Senior?"
Elina, who had been pulling weeds from the field, looked at me worriedly, noticing that my hands had stopped moving.
"What's wrong?"
"Well... if anything, I should be asking you that, Senior."
"? What do you mean?"
"Senior... do you miss the battlefield?"
Her voice, usually so full of energy, was barely above a whisper.
"It's better if there’s no fighting. But since I've been to battle so many times before, the contrast with this peaceful village is a bit shocking."
"A contrast...?"
That was half true.
Both of my parents had died from illness, but neither had suffered from an incurable disease. Their conditions could have been treated with proper medical facilities, the right treatment, and nutritious food.
The biggest reason that wasn’t possible—was war.
At the time, the Landval Kingdom was under invasion from another country. Faced with the threat of annihilation, nearly all of the national budget was allocated to military expenses, just barely holding the country together. Eventually, we formed an alliance and counterattacked—but the price was steep.
More than ten years had passed since then, and the country was beginning to recover.
I am not well-versed in politics, but relations with our allied nations seemed stable, and the previous anxieties had likely been put to rest.
… Even so, there would always be nations that ignored the grim lessons of history and stirred up trouble.
"Master!"
A cheerful voice shattered the somber atmosphere, reaching both me and Elina. Lindel, who had been dozing nearby, woke up with a start.
"Oh, it's you guys."
It was Parker and the other village children visiting the station.
Each of them held a practice sword crafted by the village adults.
"Please train us again today!"
"Alright. Let’s keep going until evening."
[Yes!!]As I gazed into their pure, bright eyes, I realized that fighting to protect those smiles didn’t seem so bad after all.
Back when I worked in the royal capital, I never gave much thought to why I fought—but life in this village had taught me that reason.
What do you think about this chapter?
