Report to the Villagers
By the evening of the day Peter came with his report, news of what had happened at the Kingdom Council had already spread throughout the village.
Apparently, Village Chief Ganun had been secretly listening in on the conversation at the station.
It seemed that while bringing over some vegetables from the harvest to share, he had accidentally overheard things at the door—and that became the source of the rumor. On top of that, it seemed he had left before hearing the part where I said I’d be staying in the village, so the story got embellished to say I was returning to the royal capital.
That said, most of the villagers hadn’t even known I’d been suspected of embezzlement in the first place.
Even if it’s been proven that I’m innocent, there are probably still some who would feel uneasy just knowing I’d been under suspicion. Some might even be feeling relieved, thinking “Good riddance to the troublemaker.”
With so many mixed feelings swirling around, people hungry for the truth had crowded in front of the station.
… Yeah, there’s no getting out of explaining this.
Amid the tense atmosphere, I stepped outside the outpost and stood before everyone.
“S-Sir J-Justin…”
As if speaking on behalf of the villagers, Village Chief Ganun stepped forward.
“My apologies, but I happened to overhear your conversation earlier… I understand you’ll be returning to the royal capital?”
“No, I’ll be staying here in the village.”
“Huh?”
Apparently, my reply was so far from what anyone expected that all the gathered villagers stared at me, mouths agape.
“Y-You’re not returning to the royal capital?”
“That’s right. I like life in this village, and there’s no pressing reason I have to go back.”
“B-But you’re a Holy Knight, among the most distinguished in the Knights Order… If you remain stationed in a remote province like this, won’t your career advancement be delayed?”
“There are things more important to me than promotions.”
As soon as I said that, cheers erupted from the villagers.
They’d all been worried, thinking Elina and I were going to leave.
“They’re really happy about it, huh?”
“Feels like a bit of an overreaction, honestly.”
“It just means they’re that glad.”
I see.
I hadn’t thought of it that way.
As I spent my days here, the reason I fought as a knight had become crystal clear.
Until now, I’d been focused only on status.
But a knight’s true purpose is to wield their sword for the people they want to protect.
Looking at the smiles of the villagers, I was reminded of that once more.
What do you think about this chapter?
