Upon arriving in the Razgrim domain, the first thing that caught the eye was neither a magnificent castle wall nor a luxurious mansion.
—It was the carts.
Dozens of carts were moving in and out of the gates, laden with timber, grain, and iron tools. At the edge of the road, soldiers were directing the flow of people, and women who appeared to be servants walked past them with purposeful strides. The atmosphere was a far cry from the stifling silence of the noble estates in the royal capital.
Lydia surveyed her surroundings from atop her horse, her brow furrowing slightly.
Despite reports that the territory was in ruins, the people here were anything but stagnant.
However, she had no intention of acknowledging the lord based on that alone.
"Are you certain there are exactly one hundred soldiers? Fifty-two horses. Six carts, and three days' worth of food... I will bill House Eldran's share of the expenses later in a lump sum."
Having passed through the gate, Vain began counting the men and cargo before he even offered a word of appreciation to the soldiers who had finished the long journey.
"Is that truly the first thing you check upon returning to your domain?" Lydia asked.
"I have to prepare beds and meals for a hundred people. Where is the lord who would accept them without verifying the numbers?"
"...You could at least say a word to the soldiers who have come such a long way, could you not?"
Vain looked around at the soldiers of House Eldran.
"Good work getting here. Eat and sleep today. Satisfied?"
"What meaning is there in words spoken only because you were prompted!"
"You’re a handful, woman..."
Lydia’s evaluation of Vain had not improved one bit since they left the royal capital.
He spoke rudely to her father without a second thought and cared only for talk of money. Along the way, every time they took a break, he checked if there was surplus fodder for the horses or if the soldiers were using the village wells without permission. He claimed it was to avoid inconveniencing the domain's residents, but to Lydia, it looked like nothing more than him obsessing over petty calculations.
"Lydia, use the guest room. The soldiers will be placed in the vacant barracks. If there isn't enough space, clear out the west warehouse and lay down some straw."
"Please do not address Lady Eldran so familiarly."
"Am I supposed to call you 'the Lady of House Eldran' every single time in my own domain? The sun will set before I finish the sentence."
"If you simply address me with proper decorum, it would not take much time at all."
"Fine then, tiresome Lydia. Get your soldiers to rest quickly."
"...I truly do loathe you."
At that moment, a woman’s voice called out from the direction of the barracks.
"Boss, if you're going to suddenly increase our numbers by a hundred, you could’ve given us some warning! We can manage the beds, but I'll have to overhaul the entire sentry rotation."
A woman wearing light leather armor walked toward them, accompanied by several mercenaries. She had a sun-tanned face and a sword hanging from her hip. There was no wasted energy in her stride, yet she left no openings for those around her.
Lydia’s breath hitched the moment she saw her.
Back when she was a candidate, that was the back she had followed countless times from the edge of the training grounds.
A knight who taught the sword with equal strictness to both her, a noble's daughter, and candidates from commoner backgrounds. The woman who had been the first to leap onto a warhorse that had gone wild during training, regaining control of the reins while shielding a fallen candidate.
—Raisa.
After Raisa had become an official knight, Lydia heard she had suddenly left the order and had even tried to search for her... however, her father had stopped her from using the name of House Eldran to pursue the matter, and she had never seen her again.
The woman also turned her gaze toward Lydia and tilted her head slightly.
"...Oh? Could you be the little lady of House Eldran?"
"Lady... Raisa?"
Lydia's voice came out higher than she expected.
Vain looked at her with an expression as if he were seeing something incredibly rare.
"You could actually make a sound like that?"
"Do not speak to me right now!"
"...The difference in your attitude toward me is a bit much, don't you think?"
"It is an insult to even place you in the same category as Lady Raisa!"
Raisa looked between the two of them and let out a hearty laugh.
"Haha! You're as serious as ever, aren't you? You were a bit smaller back when you were a candidate... You've grown into quite the fine woman!"
"I have been searching for you... After you left the Kingdom Knights, I couldn't find out where you had gone, no matter who I asked..."
"Well, I'm sorry about that... After I quit being a knight, I drifted around for a while. Now I'm in charge of the Black Claw, and I'm under contract with the Boss."
While still smiling, Lydia slowly turned her gaze toward Vain.
—Why is she in this man's domain...?
"...Lady Raisa, is he holding some sort of weakness over you?"
"Hey... Is that something you ask in front of the person themselves?" Vain cut in.
"With you, it is entirely plausible."
"He's not holding anything over me! If I get sick of it, I can end the contract and leave, and the Boss won't stop me by force. He pays well, provides gear if we need it, and I can complain if the job is unreasonable. For a mercenary, he’s not a bad boss."
"Did you hear that? Apparently, I’m 'not a bad boss.'"
"That is only because Lady Raisa is kind! My evaluation of you remains unchanged."
"Like father, like daughter. Both stubborn."
"Do not speak ill of my father!"
Raisa laughed again as she surveyed the hundred soldiers.
"For now, I'll take charge of positioning these people. If we keep only Eldran's soldiers together, it'll be hard to manage the watches and meals. I'll pair them up with our soldiers and put half on the gates and half on the perimeter."
"If it is Lady Raisa who decides, I have no objections," Lydia replied.
"If I had said it, you would have opposed it," Vain muttered.
"Naturally! The level of trust is different between someone who knows how to handle soldiers and someone who does nothing but count money."
"This is my domain, though..."
By the time the barracks assignments were finished, the sun had dipped low in the sky.
In order to feed the soldiers, Lydia had them open the carts they had brought. They were loaded with black bread, salted meat, dried beans, and thin ale. They were perfectly adequate supplies for an expedition—chosen because they were resistant to spoilage and could be carried for a long time.
However, the eyes of the soldiers all turned toward the food being carried into the courtyard of the mansion.
Large cuts of meat were being roasted with herbs, and chicken and vegetables were simmering in a pot. Baskets were piled high with white bread, and the ale being poured from the barrels was not diluted with water.
Lydia involuntarily looked back at their own carts.
The expedition rations she was used to seeing looked strangely meager today.
"Is that food for the road?"
Raisa, who had come up beside her, picked up a piece of black bread and checked its hardness with her fingers.
"As something to give to soldiers, this is sufficient. If you let them grow accustomed to unnecessary luxury, the baggage will only increase."
"If you're in the middle of a journey, sure. But we've already arrived today. After a long trip, wouldn't it be fine to let them eat their fill?"
"Soldiers are not those who seek gourmet food. They need only eat the necessary amount and prepare for tomorrow's duties."
Just then, Vain walked over.
The moment he saw the black bread and salted meat loaded in the carts, he made an explicit grimace.
"Hey... Surely you don't intend to feed them that tonight as well?"
"Is there a problem? These are provisions selected to endure a long march. My father's soldiers have never complained about this."
"Not complaining and being satisfied are two different things... Do you really think morale will rise if you make them settle for hard bread and salty meat even after walking such a long distance?"
"If you coddle soldiers with food, they will become unable to endure during difficult times."
"What part of letting them eat their fill of meat is coddling? If you're going to make them move again tomorrow, let them rest properly tonight."
Vain called out to Mylene, who was nearby.
"Serve Eldran's soldiers the same thing as our lot. Don't skimp on the meat or the ale, you hear? If it's not enough, buy more."
"Understood. Shall I record the costs separately for House Eldran?" Mylene asked.
"Don't worry about it tonight... I've already handed over three gold coins. That should cover it."
"Even adding a hundred more people, there will be plenty left over. I can also prepare tomorrow's breakfast and some preserved meat."
Lydia looked back and forth between Vain and Mylene.
This wasn't a meal prepared only after he knew they were coming. Vain had provided three gold coins in advance to feed the soldiers and servants working in the domain. And now, he was trying to include the hundred people who had arrived suddenly.
"...We came here to monitor you, you know?"
"I know... What of it?"
"Are you trying to make us indebted to you?"
"What profit is there for me in having you like me? If the soldiers in my domain were gnawing on hard bread while watching the people next to them eat meat, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth. That's all."
It was a reply without any hesitation.
It was infuriating... she didn't like his tone...
However, she understood that he had no intention of treating the soldiers of House Eldran poorly. This wasn't a meal just for show, either.
Raisa's lips curled into a smile.
"The Boss has a foul mouth, but he's not stupid enough to make hungry soldiers work. Though he does say, 'Work as much as you've eaten.'"
"The last part was unnecessary," Vain grumbled.
"It's the truth, isn't it?"
"If I intend to put them to work, then naturally."
Lydia watched the two of them exchange words pleasantly. Back when she was a candidate, no matter how much she had pleaded, Raisa never changed her attitude based on a person's status. She hated lies and deception and would never force a smile for someone she didn't like.
That same Raisa was staying here of her own will.
Before long, when the food was distributed, the soldiers of House Eldran also accepted the roasted meat and white bread, though they were hesitant at first. A young soldier who was poured some ale looked at the person next to him and laughed. The tension from the long journey gradually dissipated, and voices louder than usual spread in front of the barracks.
Lydia brought the same stew to her mouth and, frustratingly, found it delicious.
"...I have no intention of changing my report to my father just because you made the meal grand for once."
Vain, who was eating meat across from her, shrugged indifferently.
"Do as you like. I didn't spend gold coins just to be praised by you in the first place."
"That is the only thing I can believe. You are certainly not one to try and make people like you."
"That wasn't a compliment, was it?"
"Of course not."
Vain drank his ale with an annoyed look, while Raisa laughed beside him.
Lydia still hated this man.
He lacked etiquette, had a foul mouth, and cared only about money. She could not forgive the attitude he had shown toward her father...
—Even so, why did the knight she admired remain here? She had become unable to dismiss that reason as a mistake from the very beginning.
In tonight's report, she would write that he had provided the hundred soldiers with the same meal as his own people.
It wasn't out of goodwill... she was simply telling her father the facts exactly as she had seen them.
While telling herself that, Lydia took just one more piece of meat onto her plate.