“I believe! In our current predicament! Even one more soldier could make a difference!”
“Why are you so intense?”
“The general taught me to read! And allowed me to peruse some of her textbooks and war records! I would conjecture that it is due to their influence, ma’am!”
“You’re a real studious one, huh?”
“I have also been diligent in my training! I am confident I would not hold you back, so please, ma’am! I beg of youuu!”
True, she also remembered seeing this boy participating earnestly in Gaius’s martial arts classes. She was sure he would be more skilled than the average kobold fighter...but he was young. “There are plenty of things you can do without having to join my unit, are there not? You could help the ladies in the command center like Pinecone Fur, or the spirit-speak scouts—”
“I do not possess the skills of a shaman!” The boy clenched his teeth in frustration. “This is the only way! That I may be of use to His Majesty King Gaius! And Her Excellency General Sashalia, who put her life on the line to become our shield!”
“Was the policy not to put children on the front lines not in those textbooks you read?”
“It was! However, Sir Emon has yet to come of age and he is counted among the combatants!”
“Sure, but he’s lived about fifteen times as long as you have. He’s like an elder to you guys.”
“However, if his life span is taken into account, his relative age is about the same as mine!”
He had that retort ready... Darke clucked her tongue in annoyance. “Emon’s fighting to protect you guys...”
“Just as Sir Emon desires to protect us! I wish to be of use to His Majesty, Her Excellency, and you, Captain Darke!” Shouting in a voice now half-plea and half-howl, the blue-furred boy put a fist to his chest. He was likely mimicking an Igris-style salute that he’d seen Sashalia or someone else performing at some point.
“Terrible. You’re not supposed to put your hand on your heart, you’re supposed to be raising your sword up in front of your eyes.” But it was almost like Darke was seeing a certain black-haired girl in front of her. The things they bore were completely different, but the path they were on was similar. It made her feel rather nostalgic. “There are idiots who lie about their age all over the place, huh... Of course, it was the opposite way for me...”
Darke scratched the back of her head, a wry smile on her face. But she quickly stopped, a serious expression replacing the smile. “Your king is fighting to protect you! Knowing that, understanding that, do you still wish to fight, even if ignoring the king’s intentions could incur his displeasure?!”
“That’s correct, ma’am!”
“Very well! You may join my unit!”
“Thank you ma’am! I swear you won’t regret this!”
Darke reached inside her cape and pulled a dagger out of its sheath, throwing it suddenly at the blue kobold, who caught it without so much as a hint of surprise. “What’s your name, recruit?!”
“Blue Gale, ma’am!”
“All right, Blue Gale, come with me!” Darke spun around and resumed walking. Blue Gale hopped after her. “We’ll both accept our scolding from Sir Gaius later! So until then, you are not permitted to die, soldier!”
“Understood, ma’am!”
As Darke continued on, that voice at her back, there was a warm smile on her face unlike any expression she usually made.
＊
“You want me to wear this?” Gaius asked when one of the housewives in the command center handed him a rucksack made of bugbear skin.
All the wives gave a firm nod at his question. They seemed quite confident in their craftsmanship.
“Yes. It’s lined with armor that we seized from the adventurers in the last battle. That and the natural toughness of the bugbear skin should provide a decent amount of protection.”
Gaius peered into the rucksack and found breastplates sewn into it as per Sashalia’s explanation. To make it lighter, there was no armor on the side that would be against his back, and it had been made to be fairly spacious inside. “I get it. My spirit messenger will ride in here.” There were handholds inside for a kobold to hold himself up with, and cushioning in case of impacts to the bag; anything to increase its occupant’s chances of survival.
“Our strategy necessitates synchronization using spirit-speak. But no messenger could keep up with you in a melée, Sir Gaius. This will allow your spirit messenger to accompany you. Please...tolerate the extra weight.”
“It’s perfectly all right. I think this is a great idea. And hey, it’s great work.” Gaius laughed heartily and the housewives all puffed their chests out proudly. “So, who’s coming with me?”
“Th-Th-That would be m-m-me!” A young kobold emerged, raising a trembling hand.
“Ah, Brown Turtle. I’ll be counting on you.”
“Y-Y-Yes! H-H-Happy to help, G-G-Gai—I mean, Your Majefty!” On top of barely getting the words out, he slipped on the king’s title as well. It was clear to everyone there that he was out of his mind with nervousness.
“Hahaha. No need to be so stiff.”
“I-I-I’m quite a-a-all right!” He said, clearly not all right at all. Sashalia nibbled on the knuckle of her index finger, unsure of how to proceed, when...
“You are not all right,” came a hoarse voice, which everyone turned toward. An old kobold with drooping ears and fur that had lost its luster walked toward them, supported by a cane and tapping a fist against his stooped back. “Switch with me, Brown Turtle. I’ll ride with him.”
“E-Elder?!”
“Old man!”
“Hey, old-timer.”
“Grandpa?!”
Various shouts of surprise came from the crowd, the final one a shocked cry from his granddaughter, Hopping Rabbit.
“I-I-It’s not a problem. D-D-Don’t worry about m-m-me.”
“He’s right, Grandpa! You know you’re too old to do something like this!”
“Can it! Criminy... Listen here, Brown Turtle. Your job is not to get in that bag and let this big lug haul you around. It’s to keep your cool while you’re being tossed around on his back and concentrate enough to send and receive spirit-speak messages and convey them to him. The way you are now, can you do that?” His cloudy eyes glared at Brown Turtle from behind drooping fur.
“Uh, ugh, I... probably...”
“It’s too soon for you. But I can do it. After all, there’s no one in the village... no, in the kingdom, who excels at spirit magic more than me. I am naturally the most accustomed to spirit-speak. Isn’t that right?”
No one could dispute the elder’s words. Brown Turtle was surely feeling anxious about his assignment as well. With nothing more than a small whine, he went silent, flattening his ears.