SML Ch 53

Chapter 53

1. The Mundane and Tedious Scarecrow Imitation

   Fortunately, the journey back to the castle passed without incident. That being said, the youths and knights who had boarded the boat — as well as Serna — collapsed the moment they returned. 

The knights who had not been on the boat, along with Arun and Reynald, handled the aftermath. To be precise, Arun only took charge of Serna. Still, it was fortunate that someone was willing to deal with the finicky prince who, limp-limbed like an octopus, wailed about being unable to move and claimed his lungs were filled with brine.

“You may have swallowed some water on the boat, but it’s all fresh water — rainwater or lake water. If we flip you upside down and shake you until you vomit it all out, we can confirm it for sure.”

“But I really do taste salt… This is cruel, elder brother! Don’t flip me upside down! There are people watching, for heaven’s sake!”

The youngest prince, weak in body but sharp of tongue, was hoisted up like baggage and dragged to the bath by his brother. Reynald and the knights brought out potions to treat the injured, washed those who were on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, then cleaned themselves up and changed into fresh, dry clothes.

Once things had more or less settled down, Reynald explained the day’s events in brief to Heide, who had been curious about what had happened.

“A giant sea serpent lived at the bottom of the lake…? I’ve never heard such a thing. I visited the lake when I was young, but I never saw it.”

“As expected. Don’t worry too much. There was a misunderstanding, but it’s not fundamentally harmful.”

“But according to your words, Lord Reynald, that sea serpent will one day become a dragon, will it not?”

“Even so, not every dragon in the world is dangerous. It’s nothing to be anxious over. We won’t be banned from fishing at the lake, at the very least.”

Greedy, overly aggressive dragons like the red dragon of Luen Mountain were rare, and most dragons possessed intelligence, allowing for coexistence through conversation or negotiation. Of course, if a dragon disliked humans entering its nest, there would be little one could do. But even then, it could likely be resolved with an appropriate offering — much like how the youths had peacefully shared the lake with the Anura by giving them half their catch.

“Still, there is one thing I’d like to confirm, just in case.”

“What is it?”

“That boat on the lake — do you know when and by whom it was placed there?”

Heide blinked, surprised by the seemingly out-of-the-blue question, but to Reynald, this was the most pressing issue. Just before returning to the castle, he had inspected the boat on a hunch and found it astonishingly intact and sturdy, despite the torrential rain and the pounding it had endured from countless monsters. Any ordinary boat would have splintered or shattered somewhere.

‘It might have even withstood several full-force assaults from the serpent… Wait.’

Could it have been built for that very purpose? Reynald suddenly entertained that strange suspicion. It was far too well-made and durable to be used merely for catching devil squid; it wouldn’t be unrealistic to think it served some purpose unknown to the locals.

Granted, the boat was a bit small for reliably hunting a serpent of that size. But considering it might have been built decades ago — even a century or more in the past — that made sense. Back then, the serpent itself would have been much smaller, small enough to justify attempts to hunt it with a vessel of that scale.

“We don’t know who brought the boat there. I’ve heard it’s been around since my grandfather’s time.”

“The youths said something similar. Still… would you be able to find any records related to that boat? I’d like to know more precisely when it was made.”

“Records? Would anyone bother recording the construction date of a mere fishing boat…?”

“For something this well-crafted, it wouldn’t be strange if records existed.”

“I’ll try looking, then. Perhaps I’ll find something while going through the archives.”

Though puzzled, Heide nodded. For Reynald, this was mere curiosity — there was no real benefit in confirming the records — but still…

‘Curiosity’s enough. This domain was once meant to be developed for monster hunts long ago. There might be some intriguing backstory tied to it.’

With that thought, Reynald retired to his chambers. Perhaps from the exhaustion of the day’s endless chaos, he fell fast asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.

A few bats clung to the window of his room, but they soon lost interest and flew off into the distance.

The next morning.

As promised, wagons laden with supplies for the princes’ comfortable stay arrived at the domain. Most of the goods were food for the princes and their escorting knights, but there were also clothing and personal items, as well as protective gear.

Surprisingly, the person responsible for escorting the supplies here was none other than Bestroth, the new knight commander. For the royal knight commander to be dispatched for such a task suggested that the recent decrease in monster activity across the kingdom was indeed significant.

The reduction in aggression following the red dragon’s death was proof enough — fortunate, certainly — but Reynald couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a waste of manpower. Bestroth himself, however, seemed entirely unbothered by being assigned such menial duties.

“To be frank, Commander, what we need most urgently in the current situation is additional guards for the princes. I hadn’t realized this domain was so harsh and dangerous; I must admit, we were lax in security.”

“Why do you keep calling me ‘Commander’? The royal knights’ commander is you now, not me. Anyway, is there a reason no additional guards have been assigned?”

“By order of His Majesty. He claims the royal knights are already overextended with monster subjugations across the land, so additional guards would be wasteful. He does not wish to burden a remote frontier domain already struggling with food shortages. His Majesty’s message to the princes is to finish their business swiftly and return.”

That petty man. Reynald scowled at the blatantly manipulative pressure from the king.

If reinforcements were truly lacking, someone of Bestroth’s caliber wouldn’t have been sent here in the first place. Half of what the king said was nonsense — though, truthfully, half of what he said was always nonsense.

Summarized, the king’s intention was clear: If you don’t want the princes in danger, hurry back and reclaim your position as knight commander. It was an irritatingly accurate read of Reynald’s inner thoughts. After all, the recent chain of incidents had left him uneasy.

The princes had been imprisoned by forest swine and nearly devoured by the Orthos Serpent in the lake. Granted, such incidents weren’t daily occurrences in this domain — the princes had simply been unusually unlucky — yet Reynald couldn’t help but worry it might be best to send them back sooner rather than later.

But then, a cool, composed voice swept away his concerns.

“Worry not, Sir Bestroth. Even without reinforcements, we shall adapt here by our own strength.”

It was Arun. Technically, Serna was there too, but he was draped limply against his brother’s shoulder, still suffering from the aftereffects of the previous day’s boat ride. Apparently, his seasickness hadn’t been a joke.

“Are you truly certain, Prince Arun?”

“I understand your concern, but we are gaining experiences and lessons here unlike anything we’ve known in previous subjugations. With Sir Reynald at our side, we can overcome any hardship.”

“Well… if the former commander himself is here, I suppose it might indeed work out. Though His Majesty might be shocked to hear such things. The princes weren’t sent here to broaden their horizons, after all.”

“There is an order to all things. Sir Reynald must finish what he intends to do here before he can think of returning.”

Not that Reynald had any particular obligations tying him to the domain, but he let it pass. Arun seemed to harbor a hope that Reynald would return to the capital once he’d done everything he wanted during this “period of rest.”

Thinking about it, it wasn’t entirely unrealistic. Sleeping early without endless paperwork, rising when he pleased, and spending his days chatting with villagers instead of arguing with nobles over subjugation schedules or budgets… Perhaps after soaking in that tranquil life for a while, Reynald might reclaim his sense of duty and return to the royal city. It was a rather endearing hope, all things considered.

‘Let’s leave it for now. There’s no harm in persuading the princes slowly.’

There was no way Arun would readily return even if Reynald argued now; after all, Serna must have worked tirelessly to nudge his brother toward this outlook. If they were to reach an understanding, it would be better to exchange views gradually.

“We have little choice, then. We’ll place our trust in you, Your Highness.”

Bestroth, looking faintly enlightened, accepted and departed. Once everyone left, only the supplies unloaded from the wagons remained in the castle courtyard.

“Now, we should get this sorted. At least we don’t have to worry about provisions for the guests anymore.”

Heide summoned idle villagers to help carry the supplies into storage. The knights, perhaps feeling it improper to just sit around, joined in moving the goods. They had once strutted arrogantly back in the capital, but after their time in the domain — surviving various ordeals — they seemed to have learned humility. Reynald watched them with quiet satisfaction.

At that moment, Arun, who had been lost in thought beside him, spoke up.

“By the way, Sir Reynald.”

“Yes?”

“What do you intend to do from here on?”

The solemn weight of the question nearly made Reynald laugh. Clearly, this prince imagined he had some grand list of tasks he was diligently checking off, when in truth Reynald was merely improvising day by day.

“Well… tasks, you say…”

Not wanting to disappoint the prince, Reynald decided to mention the first thing that came to mind. He was mulling over how to phrase it when—

“Ah, my lord! If you’ve got nothing else to do, would you mind acting as a scarecrow to ward off monsters in the fields?”

One of the village youths, busily hauling supplies, suddenly called out to Reynald with an idea that was equal parts peaceful and absurd.