SML Ch 40

Chapter 40

After walking for a while across the barren wilderness, Reynald’s group finally came upon Volant and the young men who had been waiting for them. Fortunately, it seemed they had successfully shaken off the Ratmen and escaped unscathed.

“Milord, you’re safe! I was really worried that something terrible might’ve happened…!”

“I’m glad to see none of you are hurt. In any case, we’ve safely rescued our guests.”

“Ah, these people here.”

Volant didn’t finish the sentence and simply nodded, but not only Reynald—everyone else there grasped the unspoken implication.

Everyone was now looking at the kingdom’s elite knights and princes as if they were troublesome children. They had ignored the warnings of the local village guards and rushed headlong into a dangerous forest, putting the young men of the domain through unnecessary trouble—no wonder they were being looked at like that.

However, rather than joining in the mood and scolding the princes, Reynald simply let out a long sigh and asked,

“Surely Their Highnesses had reasons of their own.”

“……”

“If you could explain the specific thought process and intentions behind entering the forest and engaging in multiple confrontations with the Swines, it would help not only me but also these young men to better understand. These youths gave up working in the fields during a critical time in the farming season and rushed out barefoot to rescue you. I believe that makes them entitled to at least hear your reasoning.”

Though Reynald genuinely had no intention of getting angry, Arun and Serna drooped their heads, completely crestfallen. And the young men behind him were murmuring things like, “The lord’s angry,” and “It’s the first time I’ve seen him this mad.”

He had no idea why even these guys were misunderstanding the situation. When Reynald slightly furrowed his brow, Arun, who had been quietly keeping his head down, quickly opened his mouth.

“We sincerely apologize for troubling your domain’s people and putting them in unnecessary danger due to our misjudgment.”

“An apology is not what I’m asking for. I requested a direct explanation of your intent. While I may have stepped down as captain of the knight order, I have not entirely relinquished my role as your teacher. You both need to review your mistakes and assess them properly so as not to repeat them in the future.”

This time, it was thanks to Volant and the other young men’s quick thinking, combined with a fair amount of luck, that they were able to escape unharmed. But what if something similar happened again? Reynald was retired now—this might be his last chance to advise or scold the princes, so he had no choice but to be strict.

Thankfully, Serna seemed to understand Reynald’s intent and promptly raised his head to speak.

“Ah, allow me to explain from the beginning. The root cause of this incident was our underestimation of the local village guards’ information. Up to now, the Swine settlements we’ve visited usually had around a hundred individuals on average. We believed the guards’ claims of a population ten times that number were likely exaggerated…”

“A good start. From my perspective, your judgment was understandable, so we’ll move past that for now. Then, when exactly did you realize your assessment was mistaken? Was there an unavoidable reason for repeatedly engaging the Swines? Given their nature, I suspect that had you retreated immediately, you would not have been captured.”

“That part was entirely due to our overconfidence. In truth, we were driven by a desire to improve your domain, Sir Reynald. We moved with the intention of completely subjugating the Swines…”

Indeed, Serna was quicker than Arun at reviewing his actions and grasping the key points. He wore an expression like someone bracing for a beating, but at least Reynald now had a general understanding of the situation thanks to the younger prince.

Serna, who explained everything from start to finish without even pausing for breath, eventually bowed his head with an exhausted look. Reynald nodded in satisfaction.

“…Thank you for the explanation. So after being captured by the Swines, you feared they would use you as bait to endanger us, and thus attempted a preemptive strike. Is that correct?”

That was definitely an idea that would’ve come from Arun. When Reynald glanced at him, Arun seemed to realize he could no longer hide behind his brother and stepped forward to speak.

“Yes. The strategy was my idea. We assumed that there had been an internal conflict among the monsters, so we aimed to use that moment to eliminate as many of their non-combatants as possible. Since such infighting would inevitably lead to casualties, we figured that attacking them once they were weakened would increase our odds of victory. I’ve seen many cases where, once monsters lose their fear of humans, they become a massive threat to nearby villages…”

“…Well, to begin with, that wasn’t a monster war—it was a minor distraction orchestrated by these young men to divert attention. There were no casualties, not even injuries. Your Highness gravely misjudged the situation. Also, the monsters here were never particularly afraid of humans to begin with. They seem to regard us more like harmful pests.”

Why else would the Swines set human traps to try to drive them away? Reynald could understand what kind of misunderstanding Arun had fallen into, so he gave a long sigh and gently patted the prince’s shoulder.

“Now, allow me to offer some advice, Prince Arun. Your strategy isn’t entirely unreasonable—but it only works under the assumption that the monsters were hostile toward humans from the start.”

“Aren’t monsters always hostile to humans? At least, that’s been the case in every region I’ve fought in…”

“…I understand how you came to that conclusion, but let’s clarify something first: settlements that don’t report monster hostility never file for subjugation in the first place. I don’t mean to dismiss Your Highnesses’ experience in combat, but please recognize that those experiences come with a certain degree of bias.”

In truth, Reynald himself had to be cautious about this. Most of the monsters he had encountered in the past had been focused solely on harming humans. He wasn’t familiar with regions like this one—where monsters lived in self-contained ecosystems and had little interest in humans.

He reminded himself that he too must remain vigilant and continue learning. Reynald resolved this silently in his heart.

“Now that you say that… you’re right. My perspective was narrow. I realize now that I almost endangered an entire village by provoking monsters that had no initial hostility.”

Arun admitted his mistake frankly and bowed his head to the young men as well. The royal guards were visibly flustered and didn’t know what to do, and the young men, waving their hands as if to say it wasn’t necessary, also looked thoroughly overwhelmed.

They hadn’t even been scolded, yet somehow all wore exhausted expressions.

In any case, with this much said, the young men were unlikely to harbor strong resentment toward the princes anymore. Having them explain everything themselves—from beginning to end—was crucial. Regardless of whether people believed them, their effort to deliver a consistent explanation revealed much about their character.

In rural villages like this, abstract concepts like status and power don’t carry much weight. What truly moves people is sincerity and effort.

“Um, Milord. We’re really fine, so…”

“That’s good to hear. Now, if all that’s settled, shall we head back? It’s getting late—we should return to the castle and rest.”

At Reynald’s words, the two princes let out sighs, their postures drooping like wilted vegetables. It was probably the aftermath of their constant struggle with the Swines.

Now that I think about it, we’ve got a bit of a problem. I used up all the honey and fruit we had set aside to treat the princes as bait for the Ratmen.

Neither Arun nor Serna were the type to complain about such things, but it was still a shame, Reynald thought. It would probably be best to avoid the Swine forest for a while. If they lingered near it again, the enraged Swines would likely come swarming out in droves.

They’d have to be soothed with some wyvern meat or something and then sent on their way. As Reynald was pondering that—

“…Excuse me, Milord.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t think we’re quite done talking yet.”

Alex and Volant approached him with peculiar expressions as they spoke. Not done talking? Reynald, confused for a moment, soon realized something important.

He’d forgotten to properly explain something to the young men—the true identity of their guests.

“So, what you’re saying is… these people are actually princes? The kind who live in that big ol’ castle way over there?”

“Ah, Volant. I apologize for not explaining it earlier. You all were already overwhelmed, and I didn’t want to shock you or make you feel pressured.”

“From our perspective, it would’ve been better if you had explained in advance… And there’s one more thing I’d like to confirm. You said you were their teacher, Milord? From the looks of it, it’s not just you thinking that way—the princes seem to agree too.”

 

As Alex said that, he subtly glanced at the princes. Arun looked puzzled, but Serna wore an intrigued expression as if he’d caught onto something amusing. Reynald, however, was far too tired to scold that mischievous attitude.

“I’ve been curious about this for a while… Milord, what exactly did you do before you came here?”

With that question from Alex, all of the young men turned their curious gazes on Reynald. He had been expecting this, but the intensity of their stares was still deeply uncomfortable.

Footnotes:

• “유해 조수” or “해충”: These terms refer to “nuisance wildlife” and “pests,” which are legal or bureaucratic terms for animals targeted for removal or extermination. Comparing the Swines’ view of humans to these terms highlights their perception of humans as invasive rather than dangerous.