I was wrapping things up.
A couple from the human race, who had received our help, approached us to express their gratitude.
“Lord Reiker...! Thank you so much...! We never imagined you would co in person to assist us...”
They were part of the Humans that had settled in our territory after I beca a noble.
Shaking my head, I responded to them.
“No need to thank . If any problems arise in the future, just let know. Take care.”
Their gratitude made sowhat uncomfortable.
We were rely lucky this ti, and there was no guarantee we could help next ti.
As the lord, the task of continually ensuring the lives under my care was a heavy burden.
Taking a deep breath, I turned to look at the captured bandits.
We had killed five and captured fourteen.
It was a rather large group of bandits.
I approached Burns, patting him on the shoulder for his hard work, and said,
“Burns, are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. Not a scratch on .”
Nodding at his response, I then walked over to the man who seed to be the leader of the bandits.
As soon as he saw my face, he bowed his head to the ground and pleaded.
“Lord... Lord Berg Reiker... Please, spare .”
“....”
“I... I made a mistake. We had no way to survive, so we did this. I promise it won’t happen again.”
It was the sa story I heard every ti we caught bandits.
Clicking my tongue, I asked him,
“Where are you from?”
“Wh... what?”
Terrified, he belatedly answered my question.
“Ah... Th- the Torian region.”
“Why did a rcenary from the Torian region co all the way here?”
“I... I didn’t know this was Lord Reiker’s territory... We were just trying to find a way to survive...”
“....”
The Torian region was quite a distance to the northwest from here.
The fact that they had traveled all the way here was not good news.
If rcenaries from Torian could appear here, who else might show up?
I sighed and said to him,
“Do you know what happens if you’re caught banditry in Stockpin?”
“…Lord Reiker... please... please...”
“At least you didn’t commit murder or rape. If you had, you’d already be dead.”
I stood up and looked at Baran, then nodded.
The mbers of the Red Flas began moving in unison.
“Ah…! No!!”
The bandits started screaming.
There’s one thing I’ve learned while managing the territory.
In the past, I showed a lot of rcy and sotis even allowed bandits into the territory.
But that always led to unforeseen problems.
They’d return to banditry… commit assaults… or even murders… or rapes.
rcenary-turned-bandits were particularly notorious for this.
Since then, we have adhered strictly to the rules.
Bandits had their thumbs and index fingers cut off.
To ensure they could never wield a sword properly again.
If they truly reford, they could still handle basic tools.
It was a principle we adopted to find a balance between not being too lenient and not being overly cruel.
“Lord… Lord Reiker!! Just this once!!”
I looked steadily at the bandit leader and said,
“There are no exceptions.”
****
We released the rcenaries with their fingers cut off and returned to the territory.
Applause erupted for us as we finished our task.
“Well done!”
“Baran! Are you okay?!”
I smiled as I saw Sien watching , surrounded by several won.
When I dismounted and looked at her, Sien ran up and hugged .
“I was worried, Bell.”
I chuckled at her words.
“What’s there to worry about?”
“…Catching bandits isn’t exactly a safe job.”
With that, Sien gave a light kiss.
Even after the kiss, she kept smiling, making it clear she was in a particularly good mood today.
“Did sothing happen?”
I asked, noticing her expression, but Sien playfully shook her head.
“No~?”
I looked at Sien and then at the won smiling proudly in the distance.
Their faces were full of happiness.
The atmosphere felt oddly peculiar.
“…What’s going on?”
From a long ti ago, I could always tell if Sien was lying.
She was hiding sothing right now.
But despite my questioning, Sien continued to deny it.
“Nothing happened. Just…”
“…Just?”
“I’m planning to cook sothing delicious today. Let’s play, Berg.”
Even as an adult, Sien often used the phrase “Let’s play.”
It seed to be a habit she had from childhood.
That phrase felt like an affectionate term, almost like a nickna, which I also liked.
“…”
I was about to agree to “playing” together when I suddenly rembered there was still work to do.
I had to discuss the recent bandit incidents with Gale.
There was also so paperwork left to be done.
“…Bell?”
“…Well, Sien…”
“…Can’t you?”
“…”
But my resolve gradually crumbled under Sien’s pleading eyes.
There were two choices before .
I could continue bearing the burdens and duties of nobility that didn’t suit , or...
I could spend the rest of this beautiful day peacefully with Sien, who looked so happy.
I had to choose one.
“…”
As I continued to ponder, I finally shook my head.
Making decisions like this always troubled .
But for the sake of our people, I had to do what was necessary.
“…Sorry, Sien. Today, I can’t-”
“-Captain.”
At that mont, Baran placed a hand on my shoulder from behind.
With a gentle smile, he spoke.
“…I will explain today’s events to Gale.”
“…”
“I’ll also prepare our response and summarize the remaining docunts so you can continue tomorrow without any hassle.”
“You can’t read.”
“I’ll have Desmond read them to .”
“…”
“Spend ti with Madam.”
Baran’s insistence swayed my resolve.
Unable to even utter a polite refusal, I accepted his offer.
“Thank you, Baran.”
He just smiled in response.
“Then please make sure to attend my upcoming wedding.”
I laughed and replied to his comnt.
“Confess first, then talk about weddings.”
After a brief exchange with Baran, I turned back to Sien.
Her face was filled with unmistakable joy.
“…So, we’re playing together today?”
I nodded and answered her.
“Yes, let’s do that.”
****
Sien put a lot of effort into preparing today’s al.
It might seem odd for nobles like us to cook our own als, but it felt more natural to .
Besides, Sien always wanted to make the food herself.
The problem was, even after a year, her cooking skills were still lacking.
Sotis, the bizarre dishes she made were a struggle to eat, but in hindsight, they all beca endearing mories.
“What’s the occasion, Sien?”
I could tell she had worked especially hard today.
There were no musty or sour-slling dishes. Everything looked fragrant and appetizing.
There were so many dishes, too.
More than enough for just the two of us.
“…Is sothing really going on today?”
Sien bead and shook her head.
“It’s nothing.”
I gave her a skeptical look, but she just laughed and insisted.
“I just wanted to make sothing special for you.”
Her eyes sparkled with excitent.
I smiled, feeling warmth spread through .
“Well, it all looks amazing.”
Sien blushed slightly, clearly pleased with my praise.
“Let’s eat then!”
We sat down together, the table laden with delicious food.
As we began to eat, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for this mont of peace and happiness.
For a while, the burdens of my responsibilities faded away, replaced by the simple joy of being with Sien.
Seeing Sien put so much effort into preparing, I asked her again, and this ti, instead of denying it, she just gave a shy smile.
She changed the subject and said,
“Just try it, Bell. I’m confident today.”
“Alright, sit down. Let’s eat together.”
“Okay. Just a mont?”
Sien brought out a bottle of Bardi liquor.
It was a drink we had started to avoid recently due to being so busy with work.
She silently filled my glass and hers.
“Let’s eat.”
“…”
I had no idea why she was doing this.
It wasn’t a special occasion.
I looked at Sien intently.
Was she preparing a special gift?
Maybe she arranged this because she knew I was having a hard ti.
There were tis when Sien would create such days for us to share more intimate monts.
“…Cheers.”
Sien raised her glass towards .
I looked deeply into her eyes, trying to figure out her intentions.
“…Pfft!”
She giggled and smiled at my gaze.
Then she whispered to ,
“Drink, Bell.”
“…”
I took a sip of the Bardi liquor for the first ti in a while.
Sien only wetted her lips before putting her glass down.
“You’re not drinking?”
“…Just wanted to enjoy the mood today.”
She naturally served so food onto my plate.
I picked up my spoon and took a bite of the food.
“How is it?”
Tasting her food, I nodded and replied,
“It’s delicious. What’s gotten into you?”
“…Bell!”
Seeing Sien’s indignant reaction, I laughed.
I was hungry, so I started eating in big bites and said,
“…This is great, but it’s a bit much for just two people.”
Sien replied,
“That’s because it’s not just for two people.”
“…”
I pondered her words and asked,
“Did you invite Gale?”
“No, I didn’t invite anyone.”
“Then what do you an it’s not just for two people…”
A possibility dawned on , and I froze.
I stopped chewing, and my hand stilled.
“…”
I stared at Sien without blinking.
Realizing that I had caught on, Sien whispered,
“You’re so slow to realize, Bell.”
“…”
Over the past year and a half, there had been many monts like this.
Whenever her period was late, whenever she had sudden bouts of nausea, we always wondered if she might be pregnant.
But our hopes were dashed every ti, and we had gradually pushed the thought of a child to the back of our minds.
-Screech!
I stood up and approached her.
Kneeling before her, I held her shoulders.
“…Is it true?”
Sien nodded.
“…Yes.”
“You’re not joking, right?”
“Why would I joke about sothing like this…”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at her.
“…We’re having a baby?”
Sien smiled softly, her eyes also filled with tears.
“Yes, Bell. We’re having a baby.”
I pulled her into a tight embrace, feeling a mix of overwhelming joy and relief.
This mont, more than anything else, filled with a happiness I had never known.
“Thank you, Sien. Thank you so much. Thank You…”
We stayed like that for a long ti, savoring the joy of our shared news and the promise of a new life together.
Sien smiled more brightly than ever, her eyes beginning to well up with tears.
“What should we na the baby?”
“..............”
I couldn’t find any words to say.
-Thump!
All I could do was hold her tightly in my arms.
Sien, feeling my joy, burst into laughter.
“Are you happy, Bell?”
I could barely speak, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over at the news of our new family mber.
“…Is that even a question?”
****
“…Cough! Cough…!”
Burns felt heat rising to his head.
Was it because of the intense battle?
After capturing the bandits, he had felt an overwhelming fatigue and had taken a short nap.
But despite the rest, his condition only worsened.
“Burns, you need to eat and rest.”
His comrades approached him, concerned about his feverish state.
Burns, who hadn’t started a family yet, shared a room with other mbers of the Red Flas gruop.
He shook his head and pulled the blanket over his head.
“…I have no appetite right now. I’ll just rest a bit longer.”
“You’re not going to get better without eating. Co on, get up.”
The youngest in the squad, Burns shook his head at his seniors’ words.
His condition was truly terrible.
“…I’m sorry. Just… Cough! Cough! I’ll rest just for today.”
-Bang!
Soone entered the room.
Despite the heavy footsteps approaching, Burns couldn’t muster any reaction.
Soon, a strong hand shook him.
“…Burns.”
Slowly, Burns moved his increasingly heavy body.
He realized it was Baran.
Burns pulled the blanket down and looked up at Baran standing over him.
“…I’m sorry, Vice-Captain. I should get up to greet you…”
“…”
Baran said nothing about Burns’ condition.
He didn’t tell him to eat or rest.
“…Vice-Captain?”
The unusual silence prompted Burns to call out to him.
Finally, Baran, a bit late and with a hint of fear in his voice, asked,
“…Since when have you been like this?”
– – – The End of The Chapter – – –
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