Chapter 6 Part 1

Chapter 6: Return to Homeland

The journey through the buffer zone was quite challenging.

Mainly because there were many opportunities to confront bandits.

I used wooden birds for reconnaissance and tried to avoid them, but there were places where I couldn't avoid them depending on the condition of the road.

Thanks to repelling attacks every time, I had become someone who didn't feel anything even after killing people.

"Familiarity is scary, isn't it?"

As I murmured while dropping a corpse into the hole I made with magic, Alektemu gave a wry smile.

"While it would be happier for someone to remain unaccustomed as a human being, Milimos-sama is a marshal. Therefore, he must get used to the harsh reality of having to tell his subordinates to die. He must get used to killing villains as well."

"Hmm. I wonder if accepting the position of marshal was too hasty..."

Most of the soldiers were familiar faces.

Would I be able to order them to die?

As I had such doubts, Alektemu stroked my head.

"That's precisely why our king thought of making Milimos-sama a marshal because you care for your soldiers. Be at ease and grow as you please."

"Hmph. Treating me like a child... but well, I'll try reading books on military tactics when I return to my country. If I can fight well, soldiers won't have to die unnecessarily."

"That's the spirit. Now, we can enter the Nonette Kingdom in just a bit more. Let's push ourselves a bit further."

Following Alektemu's lead, we continued to travel on the mountain road for half a day.

After climbing the mountain path and crossing the ridge, we arrived at a place where I could see a familiar view.

"Ah... I'm finally back."

I inadvertently murmured, and Alektemu gave me a smile.

"Even Milimos-sama misses his hometown, I see?"

"Well, it's the place where I was born and raised. Though I'm a bit unhappy that they only serve bean dishes."

"Hahaha. That's right. I remember Milimos-sama doesn't like bean dishes."

"It's a mountainous country, so I know only beans and potatoes grow well."

In the land of Nonette, where only mountains and valleys exist, beans are treated as the main staple and a variety of them are grown. From the red beans and soybeans from my previous life, to lentils and green beans, peanuts and chickpeas, there are also unique beans in this world, such as the lizard beans with scales that look like patterns on their surface.

The traditional cuisine of Nonette is to put these various types of beans together in a pot and cook them with mountain vegetables, seasonings, and meat from wild animals.

It's an easy-to-make and nutritious dish that is beloved by the citizens of Nonette. However, during the winter when the country is closed off by snow, many people find it monotonous and get tired of it, although it's still much better than starving.

But my reason for not liking this dish is not because of boredom. The lack of consistency in texture and taste, with some beans being overcooked while others still have tough skins, and the fact that the sweetness of the beans varies, make it unappetizing to me. Furthermore, the taste of the stew changes depending on the type of bean used, which makes it difficult to predict the flavor.

In contrast to me, many Nonette people consider the differences in texture and taste of the beans to be an advantage of the dish.

By the way, potatoes can be eaten boiled or steamed, but they can also be ground into flour and made into thin pancakes.

Although there are dishes that I'm not fond of, after living in this country for twelve years, I cannot help but feel sentimental about it when I return.

"But we can't just keep watching the country from the mountain forever. Shall we head to the royal castle then?"

"Even if we've entered the country, it's still a few days' journey to the castle."

"I know, Aleum Grandpa."

"If you know, then that's enough, Mimo."

We put our backpacks back on and started descending the mountain. Although there is a path that people travel within Nonette, the mountain forests are also home to wild animals and monsters, so we must remain alert and complete the rest of our journey safely.

We stayed at an inn and were welcomed with a dish of beans, which I am not fond of, and finally arrived at the town where the royal castle was located.

The village where we stayed before was much livelier, but compared to the town we stayed in within the empire, it felt a bit lonely.

It's not fair to compare a town of one of the world's greatest nations to a small country town.

I led Alektem towards the back door of the royal castle.

The gatekeeper looked at us suspiciously and pointed his bronze spear at us as we approached. The reason why bronze is used for the gatekeeper's weapon instead of iron is that bronze can be obtained from the mountains and requires less advanced technology to produce, and it is easier to maintain than iron.

"Who are you and what business do you have at the royal castle?" asked the gatekeeper, challenging us.

It was understandable that the gatekeeper would react this way if someone with suspicious items in their backpack showed up at the back door of the royal castle.

I evaluated the gatekeeper as serious and dutiful.

However, Alektem retorted with a vein popping on his forehead.

"You there! Do you understand who you're pointing your spear at?"

The gatekeeper immediately froze in a reflexive upright position from the loud voice that reverberated through the air.

Then, from the tone of Alektem's angry voice, the gatekeeper seemed to realize who was in front of him.

"With such a loud voice... Could it be Lord Alektem?"

"Don't ask such a stupid question! Who else do I look like besides myself?"

Once again yelled at, the gatekeeper was already teary-eyed.

Feeling sorry for him, I patted Artem's shoulder and decided to stop him from yelling.

"Even if we're dirty from the journey, it's not a big deal if they don't know who we are."

"Milimos-sama, that's a naive thought. If we were secret ambassadors from a friendly country, even one wrong move from the gatekeeper could ruin diplomatic relations."

"Even if we're traveling incognito, if an ambassador is coming from another country, the gatekeeper should have received information about it. If not, it can be the fault of the other country."

"Mmm, that's true, but..."

Despite my intervention, Artem continued to glare at the gatekeeper, unsatisfied with his anger.

"For Milimos-sama's sake, let's stop here. However, remember that you won't be useful as a gatekeeper if you don't even recognize the faces of your superiors and the royal family!"

"Yes! I'm sorry! I'll work harder!"

As if his limbs were stuck with iron bars, the gatekeeper stood at attention while Alektem walked past him confidently.

I followed behind him and made a secret gesture of apology to the gatekeeper.

However, Alektem caught me making the gesture.

"Milimos-sama, let's move forward without unnecessary actions!"

"I'll go in a moment, so don't raise your voice so much."

I chuckled and followed behind Alektem.

When we returned to the castle, it would be appropriate to first meet with King Cholex, who was the ruler.

However, since an audience could take a long time, I thought of bringing the empire's equipment to the research department, washing away the dirt from the journey, and changing my clothes.

Also, I should undo the disguise I had applied to the dagger that Princess Parubella had given me, so that it wouldn't stand out during the journey.

It seemed like a good item, so I decided to keep it on my waist at all times.

While making plans like that, we walked around the familiar premises.