Volume 1 Chapter 16 In the Forest
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Got a moment?”
During the temporary Elders’ Council¹, the large man Alberto-san, who had been silent until then, raised his hand slightly. “It is fine for Larry to go to magic school, but what happens to the Village Head of this village?”
A sudden chill settled over the room, as if everyone had collectively realized they had forgotten something vital. The excitement over my enrollment vanished instantly. Looking around, no one would meet my eyes. Only Nico was looking at me, appearing strangely pleased for some reason.
”Oh, right! I have a report to make,” Teressa replied, her voice bright as if trying to forcibly shift the heavy atmosphere, acting as though the discussion about the next Village Head hadn’t even happened.
She explained that Grete Briesemeister, a subordinate of Klaus, would be coming to assist during Tax Month². (Does that mean she is being evacuated to this village?) I wondered if Klaus’s wife, Camilla, was really that terrifying.
”Nico, have you ever met Camilla?” I whispered.
”Yes… well, once, before I came here,” Nico replied, averting her eyes. “I don’t know about the rumors, but she seemed like a perfectly nice person on the surface.”
(She dodged it. She definitely just dodged the question. What kind of rumors are we talking about?)
”Teressa, please make sure Klaus understands that this shouldn’t bring trouble to the village,” Bours said, his tone unusually cautious.
”Ho, ho, ho. She is notoriously jealous~noja,” Granny Ferris cackled. “She refuses to acknowledge the social standing of subordinates. But the real issue is her pedigree. She is the younger sister of the current Viscount’s primary wife and the daughter of a Count from somewhere or other. I’ve heard talk in the Blacksmith’s Guild – she is incredibly spoiled. The only reason Klaus spends his time flying all over the territory is to avoid her. Since her husband is never home, everyone in her orbit ends up catching hell.”
I recalled hearing that my uncle had two sons. The eldest had failed to get into the Royal Academy and was currently apprenticing with a Count in the North, while the other had graduated from the provincial military academy but hadn’t been commissioned as an officer. I really needed my uncle to pull it together. For the sake of this village’s future.
”Pho, pho. I thought Klaus would be too busy with the war to visit, but under these circumstances, he’ll likely show up for the Monthly Market or Tax Month,” Daniel said. “We can settle the matters of the Village Head and Larry then.”
The room seemed to brighten, as if they had all found a ray of hope. Personally, it felt like they were just kicking the can down the road.
(Well, whatever. Wasting time on meetings that don’t reach a conclusion is the mark of a fool.)
”Ho, ho. I have something else to report,” Daniel said, glancing at Nico and me. “It isn’t really a conversation for children, but since Larry is essentially at his coming-of-age, I suppose it’s fine.”
”Is it about the arrowheads?” Bours asked, leaning forward.
”Indeed. I had my son ask around at the guild in Besanburg.” Daniel placed a strange object on the table. It consisted of three long, rectangular iron plates with squared-off ends, joined together like the fletching of an arrow.
”So, they weren’t Turkic?”
”No. And they aren’t from the Rus Empire, either.”
”Could they be from the Holm-Shah Kingdom?”
I could vaguely place Turkic and Rus as neighboring powers, but once they started naming places like Holm-Shah, I was completely out of my depth.
”I’ve heard rumors of several nations collapsing,” Granny Ferris replied. “But in those lands, the rise and fall of kingdoms is a daily occurrence. A nation called Boltechino³ is said to be on the rise.”
”Boltechino? Never heard of it.”
”In the local tongue, it apparently means ‘Blue Wolf.’ That’s all I know. It’s simply too far away.”
The next morning, I arrived at the table to find Teressa and Nico already seated.
”Congratulations on your coming-of-age,” Teressa said warmly. Nico and the other maids followed suit.
”Thank you,” I replied. (Being told so formally was a bit embarrassing, but it made me genuinely happy.)
”Normally, we would throw a proper celebration, but given that you’re currently mustered for militia drilling, please forgive the modesty of it,” Teressa said with a smile.
* * *
On the sixth day of militia drilling, we moved on to logistics and supply-line training. Bours explained that army supply wagons were typically drawn by two or four horses. The beds were covered with tarps to hide the cargo. A standard unit consisted of ten men: four vanguards, a driver, four rearguards, and a captain.
”What do you think the vanguard’s job is?”
”Fighting off enemies from the front?” Martin-san guessed.
”Militia almost never see direct combat,” Bours corrected. “If the regulars start fighting, your job is to wait or flee. In the worst-case scenario, where escape is impossible, you set fire to the wagon and cut the horses loose. That’s the captain’s call to make.”
”He means the real soldiers protect us,” Celt-san explained. “We just follow orders. If it gets bad, we wait or drive the wagon away. If we’re trapped, we burn the supplies so the enemy can’t have them, let the horses go, and then every man for himself.”
Marching isn’t always done on paved roads. When the terrain turned rough, the vanguard had to scramble to lay down wooden planks so the wheels wouldn’t sink.
”Draw water from springs or rivers. Never use village wells,” Bours warned. “They’re often poisoned. If you have no choice, give the water to a prisoner first and wait to see if they survive.”
(Hearing that brought the reality crashing down. This wasn’t a game.)
”Alright! Double-time to the Seiren Village checkpoint! Move it!”
”One! One! One-two, ho!”
Bours’s cadence was getting faster. I had a bad feeling about this. I took over as driver so Bours could drop to the rear and start lighting fires under the laggards to keep them moving. Driving on the Rock Salt Road was easy, but the path to the abandoned village was a nightmare. Guiding the horse over narrow planks across muddy ditches without the wagon slipping was an absolute ordeal.
Actual marches, it turned out, weren’t usually this grueling for the militia. The regular infantry and combat engineers typically leveled the roads for the cavalry, sparing the conscripts the worst of the labor.
When we reached the abandoned village where we had stayed two nights ago, I led Carpaccio into the same shed we’d used before. In the theater of war, horses were a higher priority than men, which meant our own sleeping quarters were becoming increasingly cramped.
Tonight, we huddled around the campfire. We had managed to catch some snakes and frogs while hauling water to serve as snacks, and we washed them down with the ale we only had thanks to Carpaccio’s help. Two men stood guard, at least in theory, but they eventually slumped down to join us as the discipline grew lax.
”Tomorrow’s the last day of militia drilling, huh?”
”What are you guys-Mar and the rest-planning to do?”
”We’re heading back to Mauer Village tomorrow. It’ll be a while before I get to see Ferris-sama again.”
”Keep dreaming, pal. But hey, I guess the next time we all cross paths will be at Obernbach?”
”Sounds about right.”
It had only been a week, but a genuine sense of brotherhood had begun to take root between me and the people of Mauer Village.
”I spent fifty years fighting the Charlemagne Empire,” Bours-san began abruptly. “The mountain range kept the front lines short. By the time I headed back to the village, both sides were exhausted, and the whole thing had ground into a stalemate. Because it dragged on so long, we had sporadic ceasefires, but since the plague hit, that truce has just… held.”
”So, is that war over then?”
”No,” Bours-san replied. “This is a war of religion. It won’t end that easily.”
”Religion? War?”
Getz-san seemed to have a short memory. Two nights ago, right here, we’d discussed how the relationship between the Turkic Empire and the Kingdom of Kiridal meant the Amazonesses probably wouldn’t show up this time. He finally seemed to click.
”Oh, right. The one where people fight over differences in religion.”
”Religion,” Bours-san spat, “is a drug that makes you believe you’re right. And because they’re ‘right,’ they can never stop the fighting.”
”Is that really how it is?”
”Yeah. In this country, the Second Sage-the man who belonged to Grandmother-passed reforms that banned religious orders from owning manors. He even slapped a poll tax on the priests. Back then, the Universal Church owned a massive amount of land, and the Pope was absolutely livid.”
The Second Sage. The man who had been with Grandmother.
”The Pope-the big boss of the world’s Universal Church-declared our country a pack of godless villains for stealing the property of God’s apostles and taxing them. Apparently, that makes us all villains, too.”
”God’s apostles? You mean the churches and priests?” Getz-san turned to Celt-san. “I don’t know much about manors, but priests are just people, right? What’s the harm in taxing them?”
”The idea is that they’re messengers of God, so they deserve special treatment. Anyone who treats them like commoners is supposedly committing a sin,” Celt-san explained.
”But that’s just a religious matter. Taxes are for the state. The state does what it wants.”
”The Pope is supposedly the closest person to God on Earth. To a believer of the Universal Church, the Pope outranks any King or Emperor. And that man-god decided the Kingdom of Schuberitz was evil. He told the world to destroy us and rebuild this land as a country of the Universal Church.”
”What a nuisance.”
”Do you get it now? Why the war never ends?”
”I think so. They believe they’re right because the big boss said so. And the big boss can’t exactly admit he was wrong, so he can’t call off the war he once ordered.”
Getz-san was sharper than he looked. He’d managed to sum it up as well as Celt-san could.
”Getz, do you know what the state religion of the Kingdom of Kiridal is?” the instructor asked.
Getz-san looked over at Celt-san, clearly out of his depth.
”They converted to the Universal Church after the plague, didn’t they?” Celt-san answered. The instructor nodded grimly.
”Does that mean… this war is going to be a long one, too?”
At Getz-san’s words, the mood around the fire darkened. A prolonged conflict was something no one had prepared for. Everyone had heard stories of past skirmishes with Kiridal; they were usually short affairs, lasting a week or maybe a few days at most.
Everyone sitting there had likely assumed they’d be home within a week. I certainly had. The thought of it turning into a multi-year slog like the Western Front made my blood run cold.
”Is there… is there a chance the Charlemagne Empire will attack from the west again?” Clemens-san asked quietly. He rarely spoke.
”The Fourth Martyr Army Expedition has begun, so we’re safe from them for a while,” Bours-san replied.
”The what? What kind of expedition?” Edmond-san asked.
”The Martyr Army. Their goal is to reclaim the Holy Land from the pagan Turkic Empire. It’s a massive crusade of tens of thousands of soldiers, funded by every country that calls the Universal Church its state religion.”
”And since the Charlemagne Empire is the heart of that Martyr Army, they don’t have the resources to waste on the Western Front,” Celt-san added.
”You’re well-informed, Celt. Whenever the Martyr Army is on the move, there’s been a standing truce. We aren’t fighting this war by choice, so we’re more than happy to sit it out.”
”But if Kiridal also converted to the Universal Church, why aren’t they part of the Martyr Army?” Celt-san asked.
”Who knows. I haven’t heard anything about that.”
”But hey,” Martin-san cut in, steering the conversation toward his favorite topic. “A Martyr Army doesn’t do the whole looting and raping thing, right? I always figured the Universal Church was pretty uptight about s*x.”
However.
”The Universal Church teaches that pagans aren’t human. They destroy villages and towns, and theyr**apethe women.”
”What a load of crap. What kind of God allows that?”
”The Martyr Army is a motley crew. There’s no discipline. When they’re fighting other Church followers, they show some restraint, but against pagans, the brakes come off. They call themselves martyrs, but I’ve heard nothing but horror stories. I’ve even heard they’ll raid Universal Church villages if they get hungry enough,” Bours-san spat into the fire.
”Those guys are mostly starving wretches with no money, so they loot thoroughly. When they hit a town and hear a rumor that merchants have swallowed gold coins to hide them, they’ll slaughter every living soul and rip their bellies open to find the gold.”
The conversation didn’t turn to eroticism. The thought of someone’s stomach being carved open… the sheer depravity of it made my head spin.
”But… our Kingdom Army forbids looting and rape, doesn’t it?”
”In theory,” Bours-san said.
”What do you mean, ‘in theory’?”
”The army loots as a collective unit. As for the women, it’s not a free-for-all, but if a high-ranking captive is destined for slavery, you can do it. There’s usually a waiting list for the noble beauties, but even a militiaman can get his turn.”
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
”Seriously? No way.”
”But,” Bours-san warned, “if you loot on your own, or if you lay a hand on a commoner or a woman who isn’t designated for slavery, your head is on the chopping block right then and there.” He made a sharp cutting motion across his throat.
”That… that goes for the militia too, right?” Martin-san asked, shrinking back under Bours-san’s cold stare.
”So, Bours-san… have you ever actually done it?”
”Yeah. I had a young noble’s wife once. Can’t say it was much fun, though.”
””You have!””
”Whenever she started bleeding down there, the mages would just heal her up so the next guy could go. It took forever for my turn, and by the time I got in there, she was just a statue. No reaction at all. Not much fun, even if she was a gorgeous little thing.”
I was stunned. Bours-san looked like a hardened, no-nonsense soldier; I hadn’t imagined him doing something like that. The group immediately dogpiled him with questions: How long did you have to wait? Can a woman really stay wet for that many guys? Did her n**ples get hard? Did you use your tongue without getting bitten?
How did it come to this? It wasn’t just Martin-san’s fault. The weight of Bours-san’s warning-that the war could drag on-was pressing down on everyone. There was a raw, primal fear of the unknown battlefield. If they didn’t talk about women, they felt like they’d be crushed by the tension.
”I want to get laid!” Martin-san suddenly screamed at the black sky.
”I want to do it too!” others joined in.
”Tomorrow, I’m going to do it with my wife!” Celt-san bellowed.
”When I get back from the war, it’s my Rite of Passage!” I shouted.
The campfire went dead silent.
”Wait… are you seriously a virgin?” Martin-san asked, his face totally deadpan. Roberto-san, who was close to my age, just smirked at me.
”Oh, that’s right,” Edmond-san said with a grin. “I got word that on the night after tomorrow, we’re having a party for my sister’s wedding, a send-off party for us, and a celebration for your coming-of-age ceremony.”
”When is Larry’s coming-of-age ceremony?”
When I answered “Today,” there was a moment of silence, followed by a burst of laughter.
”That’s just pitiful,” Martin-san wheezed, wiping tears from his eyes. He definitely didn’t mean it.
”Alright, so the night after tomorrow is at Granny Ferris’s place. So, come on-is it gonna be Emma-chan?” Edmond-san nudged me in the ribs.
”Ed, what did you just call her?”
”Did I say something?”
”Didn’t you say ‘Granny Ferris’ just now?”
”Hey now, there’s no way I’d say that. Not in front of the guy who gave her that legendary proposal!”
”Wait, was it really that legendary?”
”Oh yeah. Even Ferris-neesan didn’t exactly hate it. Right, guys?”
I couldn’t believe how smoothly Edmond-san lied. He was completely playing Martin-san.
”Heh, is that so?”
He was such a pushover. Edmond-san hadn’t just smoothed things over; he’d managed to get Martin-san completely on our side.
”Larry, listen to me. If there’s a girl you like, just man up and confess like I did. It works out, I’m telling you!”
I’m the youngest guy here and the only virgin, but I really didn’t need to hear that from him.
Hmm?
”It works out”? Did it actually work out for him?
”Martin-san… are you actually getting married?”
”Hehe. I talked to my parents and if I get their blessing, she’ll… think about it.”
Behind him, Getz-san was slowly shaking his head. I decided it was best not to ask any more questions.
From there, the conversation exploded into stories of everyone’s Rite of Passage-which is to say, some very graphic, very lewd talk.
As the night deepened and the ale ran out, I started boiling water for herb tea. The woods grew quiet, and through the crackle of the fire, someone finally asked the question: How exactly did Iffens-niisan and Denis Getys-san die?
—
Summary:
The village council discusses the administrative vacuum left by Larry’s departure and the arrival of Klaus’s pregnant mistress, Grete. Meanwhile, blacksmith Daniel reveals mysterious arrowheads from the rising Eastern power, Boltechino. Larry continues his grueling militia training, focusing on supply line logistics and the grim realities of war.
The militia units settle into a temporary camp, sharing ale and snacks while discussing the grim realities of the upcoming war. Bours-san explains the religious motivations behind the conflict and the brutal nature of the Martyr Army. The chapter ends with crude humor about Larry’s virginity and a heavy question about fallen comrades.
—
Trivia:
- Aunt Camilla is high-born (daughter of a Count) and the sister of the Viscount’s wife, giving her immense political leverage.
- Uncle Klaus intentionally avoids his home to stay away from his wife.
- The ‘Blue Wolf’ (Boltechino) is a new geopolitical threat from the far East.
- Militia logistics training includes using prisoners as ‘poison testers’ for water sources.
- Larry has a family horse named Carpaccio.
- The Second Sage had a personal relationship with Larry’s grandmother.
- The current conflict is fueled by the Pope’s decree against Schuberitz for taxing priests.
- The Martyr Army is currently occupied with the Turkic Empire, preventing a two-front war for the Kingdom.
- Military law allows for ‘collective looting’ and the sexual abuse of slaves, but punishes individual crimes with death
—
Character Insight:
Larry shows a flash of ‘parasite’ mentality—a cynical, detached view of adult procrastination. Despite his internal snark, he finds genuine happiness in the simple recognition of his coming-of-age by the village women.
Larry is realizing the vast gap in experience between himself and the older men, both in terms of combat history and sexual maturity. Bours-san reveals a darker, more pragmatic side of his past as a soldier.
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The introduction of the ‘Blue Wolf’ suggests the story is shifting from local village life to larger continental conflict.
The author notes that the Universal Church and the Martyr Army are directly inspired by the historical Roman Catholic Church and the Crusades.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Alberto – Eldest Kessler son, over 210 cm tall, massive red‑haired former delinquent now elder on the temporary Elders’ Council. He questions Larry’s future as Village Head and is engaged to Mary.
• Larry – Fourteen‑year‑old third son of the Strock headman, with reddish‑white skin, bronze eyes and curly bronze hair, houses a 40‑year‑old salaryman’s consciousness—an obsessive fan granting faint Showa memories and minor fire magic. As pragmatic backup heir, he hides his growing magical talent, performs chores, feels existential dread, silently admires his sister‑in‑law, and navigates conscription, family duty, militia training and a path toward magic school while preparing to become Village Head.
• Nico – A young woman living with Larry’s family, childhood acquaintance with high social skills, once met Camilla, and helps clean gear to avoid home chores—formerly head servant, now a diligent, rule-bound lady’s maid to Teressa, stern yet protective of Teressa and Yutia, scolding Larry with blunt authority; her silver-haired elderly manservant mentor, in faded livery, commands respect from staff and the headman, while she, though cold toward Larry, embodies the sister-in-law figure who supports neighbors with quiet diligence.
• Teressa – Larry’s eldest sister‑in‑law, widow of Iffens, serves as deputy village head and now Village Head. Mother of infant Lyrica, she has blonde short hair, a big‑chested, motherly aura, and wears a wool jacket over her blouse with a button almost split. Sharp, mischievous, big‑sisterly, she manages the household and village reporting, and as the narrator’s sister‑in‑law she reacts with physical shock to Lyrica’s revelations.
• Grete – Uncle Klaus’s mistress. She is a small woman with high administrative abilities.
• Klaus – Larry’s maternal uncle, head of the Thalbach family and a vassal to Viscount Bizan. He dislikes Larry and Hans. He is described as a thin, grumpy-looking man, wears a light grey cloak and a black hat with gold ornaments signifying his rank in a Viscount’s house.
• Bours – Tall, scarred, in a faded uniform, he is a former Royal Army captain turned militia instructor. Stern, he trains village youth with veteran archer precision, blending tactical Heal magic, orc‑hunting skill, and wilderness survival. Father of a son serving in the Imperial border division.
• Ferris – Granny, an ageless elf who looks like a 30‑year‑old but is over 200 years old, runs a village pharmacy with deep magic and elf‑style healing. She claims to have known Larry’s grandfather, is blunt and unfiltered, and is the elderly woman Martin hopes to marry.
• Daniel – White‑haired dwarf blacksmith with a thick mane, living opposite Granny Ferris; serves as the village blacksmith, council member, and promotes physical grip in mana flow.
• Martin – Mar, a young recruit from a neighboring village, dons Shinto‑inspired armor and fights in a Shinto‑linked style. Loud and boisterous, he’s a Mauer militia member obsessed with erotic themes, flirts with Ferris‑san, proposes to Felice, pursues the elf Granny Ferris, and trains with Larry.
• Celt – A modestly dressed tenant farmer in simple work clothes, level‑headed and cautious, avoids conflict and notes Bours’s overwhelming strength; skilled sandal‑maker, observant and knowledgeable, often discussing military and historical matters. As a militia member he questions war’s civilian impact, seeks tax exemptions to buy land and become a farmer, and translates Bours’s jargon for others.
• Mauer – A stout man from the Rosen family with thin, downy white hair. He wears a beige dalmatica.
• Getz – Rugged Mauer Village militiaman with short, unkempt hair and a scar across his left cheek, clad in a worn leather jacket over a faded uniform. He keeps distance from peers, respects Bours’ authority, and embodies a tense blend of defiance and reluctant loyalty. A frustrated spearman who forgets details and relies on others to untangle politics and religion, he scouts the village and spreads gossip—his confusion masking a quiet, stubborn integrity.
• Clemens – Recruit from Mauer Village, he looks nervous and trembles before authority figures such as Bours. Quiet and taciturn, he seldom speaks but often shows worry about the Charlemagne Empire.
• Edmond – Second son of a farm, tall and lanky, wiry and restless, he arrives late to the academy, lacking discipline until Bours‑san’s harsh lesson on punctuality. Militiaman from Mauer Village, Mary’s brother, teases Martin and Larry, and mocks manual labor while plotting the village celebrations.
• Ed – A local village youth and acquaintance of Larry’s.
• Roberto – A weary recruit, his face still marked by last night’s turmoil, sits beside Larry, a fellow trainee and spearman. Nervous and trembling, he is a village youth dreading war, his posture and shaking hands betray his fear, while as a militia member he voices dread of the enemy’s snipers.
• Emma – A slave girl with large black eyes, a cold, sorrowful expression, black hair tied in a bun, and a three‑colored crest on her forehead. She works at the village inn, serves Ferris‑san, stays with her, and witnessed a healing session, positioning her as a candidate for Larry’s rite of passage.
• Denis – A yeoman farmer who was killed alongside Iffens.
• Iffens – Eldest son of the Fee family, village head of Strock Village and older brother to Larry, he fell in battle. Remembered as a solemn, battle‑scarred figure, his death casts a heavy emotional shadow over the household and fuels Yutia’s fear.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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