The Brave Territory bordered a massive mountain range that held a wealth of precious medicinal herbs and mines. The reason we remained so destitute despite such bountiful nature was simple: the place was crawling with monsters.
Between the staggering number of beasts and the periodic invasions from the neighboring country, development never stood a chance. Instead, the monster populations frequently exploded into full-blown natural disasters. It was a death trap of a forest, but the silver lining was the vast, untouched wilderness it preserved. There were plants and ores there that had never even been heard of in the Royal Capital.
I used to think I’d eventually wipe out the monsters and use some "modern knowledge cheat" to make a name for myself in this world. However, this wasn't exactly a high-tech civilization, and there was no way a third son like me, who knew nothing but how to fight, was ever going to win a war against nature.
"Humans just can't tame the Yudaina Mountain Range," I explained to Alicia as we made our way into the peaks. She looked utterly haggard.
We had been trekking along a game trail, so her exhaustion was only natural. Still, the fact that she had made it this far spoke to the grit of a Duke’s daughter who had undergone rigorous education. My original intent had been to tire her out so she wouldn't have the energy for intrusive thoughts, but I decided to reconsider my approach.
"Wh-why would you bring me to such a dangerous place? What are you planning?"
"Killing my fiancée would be a disgrace to House Brave, so you don't have to worry about that," I said.
Maybe if I were the type of man who let people escape just to hunt them down? But if I decided to kill someone, I wouldn't bother with tedious theatrics; I’d just get it over with. There are killings meant only to instill fear in others, but doing that one-on-one is a pointless waste of time.
"When you said we should go for a walk, I thought you meant in a town, not a mountain like this... I thought you'd introduce me to shops, or local specialties that utilized the land..."
"Hahaha, we don't have anything like that."
"What...?"
When I treated her to a Sebas Smile—the look I’d learned directly from the man himself—Alicia looked as though a wave of fatigue had crashed over her. So this was how it felt when he smiled at me? I had to admit, it was a little entertaining.
"You saw the place on the way here, didn't you? There's basically nothing but ruffians in the town."
There were plenty of Adventurers, but their purpose wasn't sightseeing; it was monsters. The services catering to them were less about glamour and more about utility. They just needed to eat, drink, and maintain their weapons. They needed to buy equipment and trade the spoils of their hunts.
They weren't exactly the most law-abiding bunch, so a tourism industry was never going to flourish. Wealthy nobles would be too terrified to visit, and even if they did, I could predict it would lead to nothing but trouble. Although, they were convenient enough since they’d take on military duties if you piled up enough gold.
"Even if we went out of our way to beautify the territory, those rough types wouldn't accept it. Besides, if the enemy finds the land attractive, the damage will only increase, right?"
If someone asked why the skirmishes continued, the answer was that we were the ones provoking them. The people at the top were orchestrating it so that military force wouldn't be directed elsewhere. That was why the Royal Capital stayed peaceful. I had no proof, but I suspected there was a secret agreement between nations. In exchange, we received food support—though it was low-grade stuff, like pig slop—access to armaments, and plenty of support for the Adventurers.
Ha, people were dying just to let off steam? It was a ridiculous story. It felt as though people were being sacrificed just to keep the gears of a stage play turning. I couldn't help but feel that way.
"Oh, but gambling on who lives and who dies is quite popular."
"I-I see..."
"I heard someone made a killing a month ago betting that my old man would die in battle."
"..."
She made a deeply disgusted face. It was the truth, but perhaps I had chosen the wrong topic.
"That wasn't an appropriate conversation for a lady. My apologies."
"N-no, it's fine. If that's what's normal for this land..."
She seemed to be forcing herself to fit in, so I decided to be blunt.
"It is normal, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to get too used to the 'normal' around here."
"What! And here I am, trying my best to accept this land!"
"It's not so soft that you can accept it just because you want to. Hahahaha!"
I laughed at the fuming Alicia.
"Wh-what is wrong with you...?"
During our journey, I hadn't been particularly talkative, but I had shared bits and pieces. I couldn't exactly ask what had happened at the Academy, so I had stuck to "safe" topics about the town—like how the whole place burned down a decade ago, or how the black stains on a certain stone wall were the remains of a drunkard who had been incinerated down to his shadow by a Dragon's Breath.
Alicia had listened in silence, occasionally looking out the carriage window. She didn't seem entirely uninterested. She looked quite bewildered, but for a first outing, I figured it was a job well done. Or maybe not?
"Sigh..."
Alicia leaned against a tree, wiping sweat from her forehead.
"I haven't accepted it yet either," I told her. "If I did, I'd die."
I didn't think one should just accept that there were tons of monsters and it couldn't be helped, or that it was natural for everyone to be slaughtered when the neighboring country invaded. If anything, I was resisting it. For the sake of living.
"However, knowing it deeply is important."
"Knowing it deeply...?"
This was the House Brave way of seeing the world.
"Since allies and enemies alike are all living on the same earth, do not underestimate or overtrust. Know both deeply and be prepared—if you want to survive."
It was the same as the saying: 'Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.'
"Alicia, this is a fundamentally unacceptable land, but knowing it deeply makes it slightly more bearable."
What were we fighting for? Who were we fighting for? Why did we win? Why did we lose? Knowing was vital. The reason I didn't feel an overwhelming sense of grief despite my family dying in battle was because of that knowledge. Everyone carried pride in their hearts, and they fought and fell to uphold it.
"Everyone fights here with that knowledge. They all decide for themselves."
"I see... I watched the residents as we passed, and it wasn't the kind of place I had heard stories about..."
"The people of the Brave Territory won't laugh at a decision made after much agonizing."
Strangely enough, even the rougher sorts valued that kind of thing.
"Well, things turned gloomy again, didn't they? You can just laugh it off. This is the kind of place where we turn life and death into a joke."
"You tell me to laugh, then tell me they won't laugh... you're making no sense..."
Alicia grumbled, but her expression had softened slightly.
"I suppose it just means we're living for the moment."
Personally, I wished the people of the territory would save money or prepare for retirement, but since it was a place where you never knew when you might die, people spent their money recklessly. They were crude, but I didn't hate this land where neighbors helped each other survive.
"Oh, we're almost there, Alicia."
I continued talking as we climbed, taking her hand to pull her along. Her hand was white, soft, and light. By House Brave standards, she was a bit too frail. I’d have to make sure she ate properly and put on some weight.
"Huff... huff... You've been saying 'almost there' ever since we entered the mountains. I can't trust you anymore... huff."
"We really are almost there. I don't imagine they do much cliff climbing in a Ducal House, so you're just not used to it."
"...I have no desire to get used to it."
"But getting used to things is what makes us human..."
I had been so excited about an "other-world fantasy," but the reality was a blood-soaked world where human life was incredibly cheap. Even though I was supposed to be a modern-day city boy, I had grown accustomed to it before I even realized it. Sadly enough.
"I hate to interrupt your vacant expression, but could you pull me up already?"
"Oops, sorry."
In the middle of the climb, I had forgotten about Alicia, who was currently dangling in mid-air while I held only her hand. It was just another absurd moment in my reincarnation story. I remember being just as pale as she is now.
"Wow..."
When I pulled her up onto the ledge, Alicia let out a soft breath. In front of us, the mountain range still towered high, but behind us, we could look out over the forest we had traversed and the Brave Territory stretching out beyond it.
"This is my favorite spot. It's a view you could find anywhere, and it might pale in comparison to the Royal Capital, but I like it."
It was a view from halfway up the mountain, but since the elevation was decent, the buildings and rivers looked small, giving it the feel of a miniature garden. On the flip side, the fact that there was nothing out here was what made it good. Perhaps because I lived in a high-stress society in my previous life, a landscape like this felt like it was washing my soul clean.
Someday, I wanted to build a paraglider and jump off from here. Now that I’d become the Lord, maybe it would be fun to try making one.
"Alicia. You must be hungry, so shall we have a light snack here?"
She was clutching her hands to her chest, staring silently at the view. When I prompted her to eat, she murmured.
"So small..."
"Right? The buildings look so tiny from here that it feels like you could knock them over with a flick of your finger. Oh, by the way, that collapsed house over there was actually destroyed by a monster called a Giganotos flicking it with its finger."
"...That's not what I meant."
So I was wrong. It was a House Brave-style monster joke, but I guess I didn't understand the heart of a young maiden.
"Ragna-sama, there is one thing I want to ask you."
"You can drop the '-sama.' No one calls me that, so I'm not used to it."
Thanks to Sebas, "Young Master" had become my common title. Even though I had inherited the headship, no one used honorifics. My family, who had called me by my name, were all gone.
"Then you can call me by my name as well. No polite speech either."
"No, that's a bit much..."
"Isn't that an insignificant matter in a place like this?"
As she said that, Alicia gave a small smile. The Magic Insects that had been desperately clinging to her were falling off one by one; it was a good sign.
"I guess so."
I decided to simply call her Alicia. I’d make it a point not to use polite speech anywhere except in public.
"Tell me, Ragna. If you made a decision after agonizing over it, and you resolved to accept the results, but you still ended up regretting it beyond help... what would you do?"
Her smile vanished, and the Magic Insects began to crawl again as if they had regained their breath.