Chapter 20: Emrich David’s Activity Report
Volu 1 — The Temporary Snow Country Life of the Northern Nobleman and the Raptor Wife
It started on the first day when I was assigned to the elite contingent.
There was one person that had a slender figure in the unit full of burly n, so I felt curiosity at this disharmony. When I heard the story, it seed that that person was from a powerful noble family. That mont, my question disappeared.
The army is rit-based, but it is also easy to advance in position from one’s family’s influence.
When I talked to that fair-faced noble, I found out that the boy also was assigned to the unit on the sa day. Though it was a little, we started chatting in between our drills.
That was the eting with Sieglinde von Wattin.
I want to go back in ti and hit myself back then who thought of her as a noble boy.
She, Sieglinde, is an honourable and clever noblewoman.
Through so sort of fate, Sieglinde and I spent along ti together in the sa unit.
There were also many tis when she saved my life…… though there were so vexing occasions.
The most embarrassing ti was when we were stranded in the snowy mountains. When I went with Sieglinde to hunt for food, I was ramd by a deer and fell unconscious.
She killed the deer on the spot, but after weighing the values, she decided to save my life.
Well, since there were many dying soldiers even if she went back, it was a wrong choice she made to have abandoned the food and take a fallen man back. However, her decision to haul back and treat my wounds saved my life.
I realised that I had feelings for her when I heard rumours that she was looking for a marriage partner.
From my overflowing newfound feelings, I was in confusion.
Sieglinde is older than . She also is from a good family.
Though she refused promotion and stayed in the sa rank as myself, but she had more decorations than .
I had been giving up the idea of proposing to such a woman.
But even for a man like , an opportunity ca. I heard from her uncle and superior that Sieglinde is participating in a ball to find a marriage partner.
“No one is going propose to anyway,” she had been saying, so I was betting my chances on that.
Also, it might have been hard to propose to her in her military uniform, but if I saw her in a dress, I was confident that I could find the courage to propose to her.
The ball ca. I t with the worst possible situation.
Sieglinde appeared in her military uniform, and even wore her decorations that she did not usually wear.
—— She was shining brilliantly. Really, she felt like soone that soone like should approach.
I don’t know if it was the glint from her dals or her brilliance that blinded then.
Being surrounded by won, Sieg was quickly separated from others.
When I went outside to take a breather and ca back in, she was nowhere to be seen.
I then heard that Sieglinde was proposed to by ‘the Yeti of the Borderlands (Lappland)’ and that her marriage was concluded.
{Note: Sorry, 雪人(Yukibito) ant yeti rather than snowman in Japanese. Or should I keep snowman as in ‘abominable snowman’?}
I demanded to know what kind of man he was, and he turned out to a count from another country. He is from an old house, and his status was fitting for her.
I felt at a big loss. She did not even look at and was taken away, or so I was assaulted by this arbitrary anxiety.
However, it was too late. I don’t know much about this Yeti who sounded like a bear, but I got the impression that Sieglinde will be spending a barbaric life in the borderlands.
However, I was surprisingly persistent.
Thinking of the land she will be going, I thought of it as the worst possible choice.
I felt worried for her.
Also, there was the fact that I wouldn’t be able to see her soon. Finally, I went to her house and proposed to her.
As expected, her answer started with “I’m happy that you see that way,” but ended tragically with “but I have a fiancé.”
That was how I parted with her.
So months after that shock, I disembarked on that foreign land.
This was the country Sieg married away to.
I ca here to see if she was living happily here.
I already did expect it to so degree when I ca out of the ship cabin, but it wass quite cold. Rather, it was biting.
I wonder if this what it ans to feel pain from gales? ……No, this doesn’t seem to be it. I thought I as I disembarked.
On Sieglinde’s letter, she told to look for a white bear. Her husband and her servant will co and get .
However, I was mistaken about the thod of transport. Who could have imagined that reindeer sleighs were still important in an age in which steam cars were being invented.
What do you an by white bear, I want more details Sieglinde! I thought as I wandered about.
Then I realised it. That her husband’s nickna is definitely ‘the Bear of the Borderlands’.
Sieglinde’s husband must have been as big as a bear and must have been bulging with muscles. I imagined that she must have fallen for a man that was stronger than her.
I was adequately tall, but I was thin for a man of the military. When I heard from my grandfather that our genes made it hard to gain muscles, I felt despair.
I was not fit to her taste so I was rejected, or so I consoled myself as I walked on foreign lands.
As I waded through the crowd, I noticed sothing.
—— It was a white bear.
For a mont, I really thought it was bear and dropped my luggage. But on a closer look, it was a giant wearing bear fur.
Th-that’s Sieglinde’s husband!?
Thick arms, great chest muscles, and a ripped belly that was almost disgusting to look at. That appearance had a wildness that my instinct appealed to not approach hi.
He wasn’t wearing anything other than the bear fur (though he did have trousers on). Was that force a proof of his life in this arctic land.
——S-scary.
Pathetically, such emotions ford.
When I looked to the side of Sieglinde’s bearish husband, there was a man that looked like a servant so I looked to him for help.
Unlike the man-bear that had brown skin, that man, as though he lacked pignts, had white skin, white hair and blue eyes that had a beautiful shade like a gem. I felt sure that this was the servant that Sieg ntioned in her letter.
Unable to face the lionesque man-bear, I talked while looking at the servant.
Might you be Count Levantret I asked.
I then presented myself as Emrich David in the language spoken here that I learned before I ca.
“Ah, it’s alright. I can speak David-san’s country’s language!”
Oo, thank goodness. The servant can translate. He also kindly took my bags. I relaxed at seeing this friendly servant.
As we talked, I felt that the man was good, so I told him that he didn’t have to speak politely.
“He’s Teoporon. We can’t communicate well with him, but he’s a good man.”
“——Pardon?”
Because I was wearing the earmuffs the servant gave , I didn’t hear him well, but strode on regardless.
I followed him, taking care to not look at the bearish husband.
Thankfully, unlike my fears, the sleigh was wider than I thought.
Of course, there was no roof, and the reindeer was too big. Moreover——.
“Then, sit in between Teoporon’s legs.”
“……”
This ‘Teoporon’ he’s been speaking of, is this a word in his language? I wanted to know the aning, but I wasn’t able to speak because of the cold.
The servant smiled nicely and asked to sit in between Sieglinde’s bear-like husband’s legs.
“The sleigh is quite fast.”
“……”
The servant explained that he’ll be controlling the reins, and that I’ll sitting with the bear, on top of that in between his legs, on a linked sleigh.
Thus, as I entrusted myself to this middle-aged man, the sleigh started moving.
The long trip was miserable.
First, the sleigh was scary. It was fast, and I was scared that I might get thrown off any mont. If I didn’t have my body secured by the bear, I imagined that I would have had myself hurled onto the snow already.
We proceeded while resting on the way, but the food did not fit my taste. The deer at was sinewy and hard, and the herbs that probably were used to get rid of the sll were also exotic. The bread was black, made from barley, and was as hard as rocks. Even in their drinks, the wine was spiced. I wondered why they would do such a thing, but feeling my body warm up soon I sowhat understood.
Sieglinde’s husband never said a word. The only comfort was the young man who consoled on this hard trip.
He had a thin line that suggested that facial hair might not even grow on him, and for a man there was an epheral mood to him.
While I was thinking that, the sleigh suddenly stopped. The servant suddenly took out his gun and shot sothing, then squinted. He got off the sleigh, apologising, and brought sothing back.
In the servant’s hand was a white rabbit. Apparently, it was a rare species, so he was happy to be able to gift this.
The rabbit carcass was placed by my feet. I could feel its legs go hard from rigor mortis. I murmured, “sorry, sorry” for so reason.
The man did not look very dependable, but he was still a proper hunter.
The sunlight slowly went away. When I checked the clock, it was still the afternoon.
Anyway, travelling in the dark was frightening. There was only a small lantern to light the way.
Even as I felt nerve-wracked, we sohow arrived at the village.
At the end, I couldn’t even walk properly, that Sieglinde’s husband carried on his back.
White bear hair, it’s warm.
Like so, while I was entrusting my legs to soone else’s waist, we arrive.
“I’m back! Sieg, Sieglinde!”
“……?”
For so reason the servant called Sieglinde. And he even skipped the honorifics.
The husband took away the reindeers and the sleighs, and there was only the servant, myself and Sieglinde who just ca out.
“Welco.”
From eting each other after a long ti, Sieglinde greetly with a smile. I wondered if I should dare sharing a hug while her husband was away, but the next word was completely unexpected.
“——Did you really think I would say that?!”
“H-hii~~!!”
From the sudden loud noise, I flinched.
“——?”
Narrowing her eyes and staring at with scary eyes, my old colleague did sothing unexpectedly.
She hopped lightly on the spot, and then raised her knees, running over here. Without dropping her speed, she spun and kicked .
“Gueffu!!”
Of course I didn’t expect an attack, so I ended up collapsing on the spot.
Even here, the kind-hearted servant ran up to and lent a hand.
“……Wattin, why”
“Wattin is my old surna. Call Countess Levantret now.”
“……H-how harsh.”
“You’re the one that’s being harsh on us. Coming at this season!”
“……”
I was definitely not welco. I felt a little sad.
“Let’s go inside.”
“……”
Still supporting up, the servant brought inside.
I glared at Sieglinde, because I could not accept how soone I t today was being kinder to than soone I knew from many years ago.
“Ritz, you don’t need to feel sympathy for this man.”
So this man’s na was Ritz.
Ritz, you really are a good person.
But then I found out sothing absurd inside.
This kind Ritz-kun was Sieglinde’s husband.
“Why did you have such a misunderstanding?”
“No, the Count was nicknad as ‘the Man-bear of the Borderlands’!”
“It’s not man-bear, but yeti.”
“Ah, well, really??”
When I said that, Sieglinde scowled at .
I said that I could make a mistake in an attempt to calm her down, but she would not listen.
“Well, since he ca a long way, it would be nice if he has good ti here.”
“Th-thank”
“……Indeed. We’ll have him enjoy life here!”
“!?”
I was happy that Ritz-kun welcod , but I only got bad vibes from what Sieglinde said.
The next day, I was sentenced to harsh work by Sieglinde.
Ritz-kun tried to not make work stating that I am a guest, but because Sieglinde strongly argued that people here need to work, he just left the words, “……Sorry,” and disappeared.
I did not even have the ti to think that she was in the dominant position in their relationship before I was given a new task.
Walking dogs, digging, drawing water.
The worst was butchering animals. Even here, I ended up saying “Sorry, sorry” as I cut them.
Still, als after working tasted better. The cook in this house was great, all the food was really tasty.
Even the deer at that my body rejected on the way here was tasty in this house. Food just kept going down my neck.
Also, Sieglinde looked happy.
The colour of her face looked better than when she was in the army. Her expressions seed to be brighter as well.
Ritz-kun was treating her well too. As if she were the world’s sole treasure.
There were no cracks in between the two of them. Anyone could see that they were a great couple.
Like so, my stay at this faraway village ended.
As for my return trip, there coincidentally was a rchant going to the port so I paid him to take there.
“Thanks for your kindness.”
“Yeah.”
“Co and visit us again!”
When she heard Ritz-kun’s request, Sieglinde made him shut his mouth. I laughed at how harsh she was.
I did not have any more business in this village. Or so I thought, but there was an unexpected eting.
I fell in love at first sight with a woman I t on my way back. I decided to visit the village again after it thawed.
While traveling from country to country close to her, I eventually retired from the military and settled at the village, but that is a story for another ti.
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