My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields

PR: Ford 53 & Alive Sight & npc

Quality labor that was also cheap.

That’s what the Moonlings meant to Elric.

They probably wouldn’t be able to stand on their own two feet, and their pasts might not be squeaky clean, but when did that ever matter?

Elric was frankly of the opinion that it was better for one’s character and one’s mind to utilize all the tools at one’s disposal.

The fact that they were assassins with a sordid past made them all the more appealing to him.

‘They would be very reliable in defending against assassination threats towards my wife.’

If, only if.

If someone wanted to assassinate Tyria, and he wasn’t confident in saving her from wherever he was, who better was there to protect her than these men?

Today’s meeting was made for that purpose.

“Milady, these are the knights that I will be bringing into the manor.”

Elric returned to the Portman residence and introduced Tyria to the Moonlings.

They were all dressed roughly in leather armor.

“Milady.”

Danal bowed, and Tyria asked in surprise.

“I can’t believe you’ve already bought them, and five of them at that…”

He wondered if she was overwhelmed.

There was a small bit of hesitation in her demeanor after all.

It was understandable though.

‘She would have expected only one or two.’

She was quite careful about budgeting, and any extravagance would have been a burden.

In response, Elric said.

“They say it’s okay to receive less money. All of them are freelance knights, and they just needed a place to settle down.”

“…Is that so?”

Doubt crept into her eyes.

Elric shot a jolt of mana at Danal’s waist.

It was a sign to do something, and Danal obliged.

“Greetings, I’m Danal, a free knight from the west. I have traveled all the way here to serve my lord and lady!”

Thump!

The knight knelt down to his knees and shouted out.

He sure was skinny, but they were only paying them a small price so…

No, it was good.

If they had been in better shape, Tyria’s suspicions would have been heightened.

“…I’m the Portman’s Lady.”

Tyria’s eyes narrowed as she examined Danal.

Her eyes continued to narrow, and she began to mutter.

With a jolt, Elric’s body shook.

“Haha, is something wrong…?”

The assassins’ feet twitched.

With Elric’s heart pounding out of his chest, Tyria answered.

“No, I just thought he looked familiar.”

“Hmm, huh?”

With an audible sound of swishing air, Elric’s head snapped toward Danal.

Danal’s eyes flicked from side to side and he shook his head.

His act of it being the first time that they had met sure seemed convincing.

He wondered if something was wrong.

He thought for a moment.

“Ah.”

Tyria’s eyes widened.

“I thought I recognized you from somewhere, but you look just like that girl who helped me do my makeup in the capital.”

“Ah!!!”

Danal exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement.

He slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand and drew a long, wide smile.

“You actually caught on!”

“Hmm, huh?”

“That child, Darcy, is my sister, and it was actually through her that I met you. Wasn’t it like that, Milord?!!!”

At the sound of his exaggerated voice, Elric involuntarily nodded his head.

“Milady, that’s right…!”

“I can’t tell you how fortunate I am to have such a benefactor as my sister! By the way, do I look much like her?”

“Well, you’re taller and a little bit…”

“Hahahaha, yes. Ever since she was a child, Darcy has been frustrated by her height, and that’s why she started learning the art of makeup! I can’t tell you how proud I am to see her succeeding to the point where she’s even been assigned to do the makeup of noble ladies!”

Elric was overwhelmed with admiration at that moment.

‘An expert sure is different after all!’

An expert in lying, an expert in disguise, and an expert in excuses!

He would have such a man as an underpaid assassin!

Elric’s trust in Danal grew a little more.

“Anyway, I’ll take care of it!”

Thud!

Danal fell to his knees,

“I’ll take care of you!!!”

Thump– thump– thump– thump–!

The subordinates standing behind him also dropped to their knees with so much force that it seemed to have shattered their knee joints.

Elric and Tyria’s gazes met.

Elric smirked.

“Aren’t they incredible?”

“…Yes, they are indeed.”

She subtly shuddered

Tyria didn’t find them very trustworthy.

Whatever the case, in the end, the recruitment was successful.

The Moonling’s contract was written, and all that remained was for the knights to be sworn in, but some preparations needed to be made for it.

“You did a good job. You were quick on your feet.”

Elric praised the Moonlings happily.

Danal bowed deeply in response.

“It’s all thanks to your grace.”

“Haha, though I did nothing to deserve it.”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm?”

“…Nothing.”

He must have misheard.

Elric rubbed his earlobe.

“First, I’ll need to get some full plate armor before the swearing-in ceremony. I can’t be going that far… Yes, there’s a skilled craftsman in Wiven who knows how to make armor, so I’ll just go see that person.”

Elric felt a strange sense of relief as he spoke.

Herman Inspiration, the man behind the forge, used to be in charge of maintaining the weapons and armor of Wiven’s last knight, Zig.

As a child, Elric had spent his days stopping by the forge to admire the armor he made whenever he had time, and those days suddenly came back to him.

-“The armor’s wearing out, you scoundrel.”

-“What’s the big deal? I’m just looking at the armor I’ll be wearing later.”

-“Why are you even talking about armor? Do you think becoming a knight is easy?” [1]

-“I can do it. I’m overflowing with talent!”

-“And who told you that?”

-“My master!”

-“What does that bandit know?”

He was a grumbling old man, but then again, few people had ever pampered him as much as Herman had.

-“Eat this. Mern the baker baked it for you.”

-“Is it salt bread? I’m sick of it.”

-“If you don’t want to eat it, then I will. There’s no point in arguing with you!”

Elric felt a chuckle escape him at the memories.

From what he had heard, the man was still smithing in the same spot.

“Let’s go, then.”

Elric grabbed his cane and set off.

The carriage ride took about twenty minutes.

After passing through the wheat fields and entering the village, they came to the outskirts of town and saw a ramshackle blacksmith shop.

Clang!

CLANG!

The sound of metal being hammered was familiar.

“Is this it?”

Danal asked skeptically, and Elric gave him a quick answer.

“He’s got skill, that’s for sure. I don’t know anyone else around here who has made more armor than Inspiration.”

With that, Elric stepped into the forge.

“Herman Inspiration!”

The hammering stopped.

“Huh?”

An old voice rang out.

A gaunt old man emerged from the forge.

He was a copper-colored man with a scruffy beard and black charcoal scars all over his body.

Herman Inspiration’s eyes widened.

“Kid?”

“Long time no see. I’m afraid I’ve come too late.”

“No, are you really the kid? Come here!”

Herman Inspiration walked over and touched every inch of Elric’s body.

Elric chuckled.

Herman was still taller than him.

He was well over two meters tall.

“Even with all my height, I’m still shorter than you.”

“Haa…!”

A sigh escaped Herman’s lips.

“This ugly bastard came back here alive and well…!”

He spoke as if he wished that Elric were dead, but his eyes were filled with warmth.

He hugged Elric.

“Welcome back. Welcome back!”

Elric felt the tip of his nose tingle.

“I’m glad to see you’ve straightened up.”

“Yeah, this sounds more like the old man I know.”

“It’s just that I have a lot on my mind.”

“It’s been a damn good year after all.”

It was a pleasant reunion.

Herman’s forge was just as Elric remembered it.

An anvil and a brazier in one room, with a workroom and a table a short distance away.

Elric sat down at the table and said to Herman.

“I am lord of this place now.”

“So after all that fuss about becoming a knight, you’re now a lord.”

Herman sounded a little disappointed.

Elric smiled wryly.

“I can’t blame you for the way things turned out. Instead, I should say that I’ve recruited these guys as my knights. So, I need someone to make armor, and that’s why I sought you out.”

Herman’s gaze flicked to the Moonlings.

Narrowing his eyes, he studied their physiques and spoke in a slightly dissatisfied voice.

“What’s wrong with your physiques? Are you sure you picked the right ones?”

“…Even if you look at me like that, do you really think my skills are lacking?”

Danal asked in disbelief.

Herman snorted.

“A knight should have a healthy body first. Aren’t you relying on your mana too much? You bastard, are you sure you picked them well?”

“Yes, they’re of good quality, so don’t worry about it. Even though I’ve been travelling for a while, I can still use mana a little.”

“Then, if you say so, I won’t stop you…”

Herman said, and then looked at the Moonlings again with a sour taste in his mouth.

It was in that moment.

“Grandpa, I’m home….”

A voice echoed through the forge.

Elric turned his head to see who it belonged to.

He froze in place.

“Oh yea, Elric!”

“That’s my grandson. Boy, do you remember him? Elric, he was four when you left, and now he’s grown big.”

He was Herman’s grandson, Veron.

He had only been four years old when Elric left.

He was now 15.

This information was entered into Elric’s head.

But that was it.

He couldn’t bring himself to smile, even though he recognized the face.

He greeted him, of course.

And all this wasn’t Veron’s fault.

-Kasha!!!

The face of the boy soldier hovered over Veron’s.

“…Hey, you. What’s wrong?”

Elric’s breathing became a bit labored.

[1. There were two different translations for this scene. The first one is as you can see above, and the second translation is as follows:

“So what? I’m going to make armor for myself later.”

“What do you know about making armor? It’s not as easy as it looks for a knight.”]

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