Volume 16 Chapter 5 Nora Village
The next morning, Al took Kane and his subordinates, Tor and Teresa, on the 'Carrier' spell disk towards one of the refugee villages, Nora Village.
At first, Tor and Teresa were tense about flying in the air, but they quickly got used to it and their eyes sparkled as they actively discussed the position of the river and the elevation of the land with Kane.
From above, Nora Village looked much larger than when they had visited before, and it seemed quite lively.
In the square on the north side of the village, there were piles of building materials like stones and logs, and carts were still coming and going.
"Nora Village is currently building the lord's mansion for the Baron Sennett family. It's not just Sir Naresh's residence; it will also serve as the administrative hall, so it's a pretty big building and it's taking quite a while."
Kane paused, reflecting on the effort and dedication he had witnessed.
"However, in the last six months, Sir Naresh has worked hard to establish the newly formed Baron Sennett territories, and he's quite popular as 'Brother Naresh.'"
A smile formed on Kane's lips as he continued. "The people of Nora Village, as well as those from other villages, are helping a lot, so I think it will progress quickly from here. It's really appreciated,"
Kane added thoughtfully, admiration evident in his eyes.
"Will there be a branch of the Levy merchant guild near the lord's mansion?"
"Yeah, I've asked the head to make it happen, so it should probably open in the spring. Once we have an inn or 2, we might be able to call it a town. Of course, we need that much development to be viable."
As Al descended along the road near the village, heading towards Nora Village with Kane, they spotted 2 figures at the entrance. One of them looked familiar.
It was Joanna, who had been guarding Patricia.
"Ms. Joanna! What are you doing here..."
Al said as he approached. But suddenly, Kane clung to Al's waist.
"Al! Calm down!"
"Kane? What's wrong?"
Al was extremely calm. It was Kane who was not calm.
"Don't blame Lady Joanna for Princess Patricia!"
I see, Kane was worried that Al might blame Joanna, so he was trying to stop him.
Previously, they had discussed how Naresh, Patricia, and Joanna had escaped from the Viscount's mansion in the border city of Lester, and only Joanna had returned.
Kane must have been informed by Naresh about that.
"It's okay, Kane. I already understand that..."
"Really? Are you sure? You're not forcing yourself, are you?"
Kane looked at Al's face with concern. Seeing that expression filled Al with guilt.
"I'm fine."
"That's good to hear, but... Al? Isn't that reaction a bit cold? No matter how beautiful Baroness Tabasa is..."
Kane suddenly got angry. He probably wanted to blame Joanna for completely forgetting about Patricia and switching to Baroness Tabasa. But that was just Kane's misunderstanding.
Al looked troubled and tried to calm Kane down.
"Come on, come on, Kane, just relax a bit. Ms. Joanna, are you okay? How have you been?"
Joanna, looking confused by their exchange, nodded while wearing a puzzled expression.
"Right now, I'm staying temporarily in this village as Sir Naresh's attendant. I'm patrolling the villages under our territory like a guard team, while training the apprentices that Guildmaster Levy brought."
She took a breath before continuing, her voice steady but curious.
"I received a report from the village's self-defense team that someone unknown was flying in the sky. So, I rushed over. But now that I know it's Mr. Kane and Lord Al, I feel relieved."
As Al nodded, Kane lightly bowed his head to Joanna.
"Lady Joanna, I apologize for causing a commotion. Al finally arrived at Parker's Levy merchant guild mansion yesterday evening, so I thought I should check from the sky right away. I should have contacted you beforehand..."
"It's fine. The person on watch just happened to notice, and it hasn't caused any special trouble. Besides, you didn't fly all the way into the village; you landed before the village and walked here, so there's really no need to worry."
Naresh was currently in the capital of Margrave Rain, preparing to be newly appointed as a Baron, along with Lord Radyard, his son Lord Sigmund, the head attendant Craig, and other important vassals like Lord Sanford and Lord Zora, who were originally from the Count Senet family of the Tempest Kingdom.
This meant that while they were away, Kane and Joanna were likely the only ones left to manage the new Baron Sennett territory.
On one hand, Al thought it was great that Kane, who was in the same class as him in middle school, was doing his best. But on the other hand, he felt worried if the two of them would be okay alone.
However, each village had a village head, and there was also a self-defense team.
First of all, Joanna could use the 'Physical Boost' spell and was a knight trusted to protect Princess Patricia, the younger sister of the king of the Tempest Kingdom, so he thought there shouldn't be any problems.
It seemed that Kane and the others had visited this village many times before, as they guided Al to the construction site of the lord's mansion with ease. Joanna was with them too.
Next to a pile of building materials that would probably become a courtyard, there was a large table under a tent, and 6 tents lined up, likely for sleeping.
It seemed that Al and the others would be staying in one of those tents tonight. Tomorrow was New Year's Day, but it looked like there would be no break.
On New Year's Day, high-ranking nobles held ceremonies, but commoners only aged a year and celebrated lightly at home with family. It wasn't something to feel too disappointed about.
"Are you still in a tent over there?"
Al asked, a bit surprised. It was winter now. Wasn't it cold?
"Well, in Nora Village, we barely managed to secure homes for the residents," Kane explained, the weariness clear in his voice. "There are no empty houses."
He sighed, continuing with a hint of frustration. "Right now, we're prioritizing building materials for the lord's mansion, and those who recently escaped here are trying to adjust to build their homes."
"That sounds tough. Can I at least keep it warm while I'm here?"
Al had recently improved his skill with the 'Thermos' spell, allowing him to adjust the options and limit the temperature range even in places without proper walls like tents or canopies.
"If you can do that, please do, Al."
"We would appreciate it too, Sir Al. Honestly, it gets a bit chilly at night."
Joanna added. She had 5 apprentices, and it seemed they were living spread out among the 6 tents, with 2 people in each tent.
One of the apprentices took the large load that Toru was carrying. It seemed that in about 2 months, some of them would be able to move in, so they just had to endure until then.
'It looks like you've managed to fit in well with Naresh's people.'
Al used the 'Telepathy' spell to secretly talk to Joanna while avoiding Kane and the others' gaze.
Joanna looked a bit surprised but quickly glanced at Al and then returned her gaze, nodding lightly.
'Yes, I met my father. At first, he thought Lady Patricia had died, which was tough, but when he learned she was alive, he was very grateful and even said he was proud.'
She gave Al a warm smile. 'Thank you. It's all thanks to Lord Al.'
'Crossing the Nash Mountains safely was truly a miracle. It was Ms. Joanna's achievement. As for the knights, did you follow the plan discussed with Sir Naresh?'
They probably agreed that they didn't want to publicly announce Patricia's survival for her safety.
'For now, it seems best to keep it that way. Both His Excellency Viscount Powell and my father seem to agree. However, it's hard to say when that judgment might change, depending on the situation.'
She took a breath, then added, 'Also, as a condition for that, Sir Naresh has offered to continue working with the Sylvester Kingdom to support the knights who have escaped here.'
Viscount Powell was the former captain leading the surviving members of the Tempest Kingdom's First Knight Order.
Joanna's father, Baron Quenner, was also involved, and the surviving knights were likely still camping near the border fortress.
'Is Lady Patricia doing well?'
Joanna asked with concern.
'Yeah, she's studying a lot with Tabasa at the research tower. It looks like I might stay overnight today, so you should talk to me directly later when I lend you the Ring of Pact. Patricia was worried too.'
'Thank you. That makes me happy.'
That's good. Everything is going mostly as planned. However, it's hard to predict when the knights will decide to make Patricia their leader.
Still, Patricia should be safe at the research tower for now.
Al felt a bit relieved and cut off the 'Telepathy.'
"Kane, is today's investigation going to last until evening?"
Kane had arrived and quickly spread out parchment on the large table under the tent for a meeting. Al approached and asked.
"Hmm, yeah. First, I want to check the area from the sky. But after that, we need to organize the information, so I think your part will be done by early afternoon. You'll have to work hard starting tomorrow."
"Then, can I go look around a bit to see if there are any Barbarians or magic beasts nearby? And if I find anything, can I hunt it?"
The lord of this area should be Naresh. They might not have sorted out the hunting rights yet, but as long as Kane, the Internal Affairs Minister, gives permission, it should be fine. Kane thought for a moment and smiled.
"I see, today is New Year's Eve. If possible, could you share the catch with the villagers?"
Previously, when the Tempest Magician Corps had set up their base, they had flown around the area, which was mostly just wasteland with a few acacia-like trees scattered about.
Al thought they might find a rabbit or 2 and mentioned it, but for Kane and the others, it probably felt wrong to just cook something for themselves.
If they were going to share with the villagers, they would need a bigger catch. However, since the area northwest of this village should still be their territory, they could probably manage if they went as far as the mountains.
"Got it. I'll go look for something. Then, let's celebrate New Year's Eve in the evening."
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