My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields

Elric immediately left the mansion and headed for the village with Tyria.

However, the sight that greeted them upon arrival was a troubling one.

“Hmm… This looks serious.”

There were several houses that had collapsed into ruins.

The scattered debris and shattered fences in the distance indicated that something powerful had barged in and turned the village upside down.

It seemed like the work of a formidable monster.

“I will go talk to the chief for a moment.”

“Go ahead then, I’ll be waiting here.”

Although they could have gone together, Elric chose not to.

Instead, he decided it would be faster for him to just investigate the matter privately.

In his years as a mercenary, Elric had had numerous encounters with monsters. After all, the habits of such mindless killing machines were often used strategically in wars.

Now that he had reached the point of being able to identify the species of a monster based on its tracks alone, it seemed only right to use the most obvious method.

First, Elric headed to the outskirts of the village and examined the fragments of the wooden fence.

‘Did it bear the majority of the attack?.’

It looked like it.

If it had been a simple strike, it wouldn’t have been so cleanly broken in a straight line.

Since it was described as a wolf-like monster, Blade Wolves or Kalisso Wolves were the only species that he could think of.

They were both monsters who were characterized by long claws and horns.

Additionally, there was one more point that could be a clue…

‘The human casualties seem to be fewer than expected.’

Contrary to the fact that a monster had invaded the village, there were no visible signs of death or people being buried.

At most, there were only a few injured individuals which further clarified the identity of the monster.

‘It must be a Blade Wolf.’

Among monsters, it belonged in the upper ranks.

It used mana to coat its claws with sword energy, and hunted not only for survival, but also for pure entertainment.

The fact that it had instilled such fear and then retreated indicated that this was only a precursor to its next hunt.

If they had been any later, a major disaster would have befallen the village.

‘We’ve fallen into the clutches of a malicious creature.’

What could he do about this?

It was in this moment wherein Elric was pondering over this question that,

“Milord.”

Tyria had returned.

“I’ve heard enough of the story. Let’s go back to the mansion for now.”

“Ah, let’s do that.”

She had finished her investigation.

No, considering her straightforward personality, it was obvious that she would have just cut through the formalities and had gotten straight to the point.

Elric followed her into the carriage, and only afterward could he hear what she had discovered.

The more he listened, the more certain he became.

The perpetrator was indeed a Blade Wolf.

Now, the only question was whether she knew it or not.

“First, we must go hunting for personnel. Since we don’t know when the creature will come down to the village again, I plan to prepare as quickly as possible.”

“Have you identified the exact species of the monster?”

“The villagers say they haven’t been able to pinpoint its exact shape, but they do remember seeing something resembling a giant blade, so it’s suspected to be a Kalisso Wolf.”

Elric’s expression hardened.

‘This won’t do.’

There was an indescribable gap between the power of a Caliso Wolf and that of a Blade Wolf.

How could a mana-wielding creature and a brute relying solely on physical strength be considered the same?

If they proceeded whilst assuming the presence of a Kalisso Wolf, they would surely return from their hunt as mere corpses.

‘To hunt down a Blade Wolf, you need a knight.’

Moreover, It had to be a knight who could handle mana.

Unless you could coat your sword with mana to increase its cutting power and use it to slice through the wolf’s claws head-on, sacrifice would be inevitable in the hunt.

Frustrated by the lack of a proper explanation, Elric suddenly recalled one fact he had overlooked.

“…Ah, so we’ll need the knights!”

The knights at the mansion were essentially mana users.

If there was even one person who knew how to use mana, they could be deployed at the forefront.

Elric pondered this and asked,

“Hmm?”

The answer came in a form that Elric hadn’t anticipated.

“What do you mean? We don’t have any knights on the estate.”

Elric’s mouth dropped open.

He wanted to dismiss it as nonsense, but there was a reason why he couldn’t do so.

It was Tyria’s immediate explanation.

“The last knight of the estate was Ser Zig of House Wyvern, and he retired eight years ago due to old age.”

“And you have appointed no other knights since then?”

“Yes, it’s not only because there was a lack of suitable talent… but above all, knights are not cost-effective, don’t you think?”

It was a sign of the changing times.

Now, the name that dominated the battlefields of the continent was “gunpowder.”

“…I suppose.”

Knights were money-eating hippos that cost astronomical amounts of money to recruit, train, maintain, and manage.

By contrast, a firearm was a simple, vicious weapon that could turn a peasant into an armed force with just one gun. Moreover, guns were capable of harming even well trained knights.

Of course, the price of firearms was also astronomical, but it wasn’t much more than the money needed to train knights.

Unless it was a place where large-scale forces were deployed like the western battlefields, there was no need to raise knights in such a small and peaceful rural territory like Wiven.

All you had to do was put a gun in the hands of a properly trained soldier and then you were good to go.

Suddenly, bitterness and regret filled Elric’s heart.

He was one of the few who still admired knights and respected their strength.

After all, he himself had risen to the top as a war mercenary with a sword, so he could only be in favor of the knightly way of life.

‘It’s the fall of knighthood….’

The words he once heard on the battlefield resonated with him.

“…Or, perhaps I have offended you?”

Tyria asked cautiously.

Elric quickly composed himself and shook his head.

“No, it’s not that. Um, I’m just saddened by it. You may not know, but my childhood dream was to become a knight. So, it’s especially bitter for me to see knights disappearing.”

With a faint smile, Elric added another piece of advice.

“…Nevertheless, there is a power that knights possess, which cannot be replaced by guns. I hope you will reconsider the idea of recruiting knights.”

After all, how could a lead bullet completely break a knight’s sword?

Guns and swords were different from the start.

Elric himself could, and had done so many times before, single-handedly wiped out an entire army of gun users with a single sword.

For the sake of the estate’s future, it would be wise to keep a knight around.

He had just spoken his conviction.

“I’ll have to think about that. …No, if that’s what you think, Milord, then it’s only right that I do, for this is your estate, after all.”

Elric was taken aback.

Something he’d been trying to ignore had been stated once again.

“Milord?”

“…Nothing. It’s just because the wind is cold.”

The last thing he needed right now was more complicated thoughts.

Elric replied as if making an excuse before turning his attention back to the passing landscape.

It was in this moment.

Swoosh–

Her fur cloak unfurled and enveloped Elric’s shoulders.

Elric’s body stiffened.

His sunken eyes turned to her.

“This is…”

“You said that you were cold, and my cloak is large enough to cover two people.”

Her gaze was fixed straight ahead.

Her body leaned in a little closer.

Their arms touched, and a chill passed through their fingertips.

The bridge of her nose was slightly flushed.

Elric cleared his throat softly.

“…You seem cold, so it’s okay if you don’t do this.”

“It’s not to the point where I can’t endure, and Milord’s body is heavier than mine, after all.”

“That’s because….”

“I’m fine.”

For some reason, she sounded firm in her conviction.

Elric couldn’t argue any further.

And so his gaze went straight ahead.

Clack, clack.

The carriage rocked and their fingertips kept bumping against each other. And then, at some point, their hands, specifically their pinky fingers, intertwined.

Neither of then knew who had done it first.

It was the next morning.

After several discussions, Tyria, who had ultimately decided to deploy knights for this hunt, requested knights from the neighboring territory of Gideon.

Elric had expected the process to be quite arduous, but Gideon was more than willing to oblige.

The two now stood at the manor’s front door to greet the knight that Gideon had sent.

“The Wyvern and Gideon families have been interacting for more than five generations, so it wasn’t difficult. Besides….”

“Besides?”

“…Nevermind. You’ll understand once you see him for yourself.”

Tyria shook her head.

Elric looked at her with suspicion, but she seemed to have no intention of saying anything more.

He would have to see for himself then, realizing this after a while.

“There he is.”

Elric’s head snapped up and he looked ahead.

There he was, someone riding a sturdy brown horse, approaching the mansion.

Only the man’s silhouette was visible, as his fully plated armor was reflecting the dazzling winter sunlight.

He had a large build, and his horse’s gait was lively.

‘He seems quite skilled.’

He also looked like he was a newly advanced mana user.

As Elric carefully observed him, assessing his abilities, he finally managed to see the knight’s face.

It was in this moment.

“…!”

Elric’s eyes widened.

“Whoa~.”

An exaggerated voice rang out.

As the distance between them closed, the horse slowed down its pace.

The face of the man on the horse also grew closer.

However, somewhere in there, a mischievous, familiar expression could be seen.

Elric recognized him.

He hadn’t seen the man in ten years, but could still recognize the familiar person before him.

Elric’s complexion brightened.

“Luton!”

It was Luton, the butcher’s first son, and a close childhood friend of his whom he had gotten into a lot of trouble with, together.

Luton grinned and shouted.

“Boss, it’s been a while!”

It was truly an unexpected reunion.