Dream Life Vol 3 Chapter 6.1: “Rawcliffe’s Deputy”

　5:00 p.m., July 7, 317 of the Tria calendar.

 

 

　We are heading west along the Aurella Road toward Rawcliffe, the de facto border town of the Caelum Empire.

 

　We were attacked by bandits in the forest on the way and were more than an hour behind schedule, but no problems occurred after that.

 

 

　About two hours after starting again, I came into view of the huge bridge spanning the Farthus River, a large river that flows parallel to the Aurella Road, and the town adjacent to it, Rawcliffe. The town of Rawcliff, which can be seen from the gently descending slope, is a post town with a population of about 3,000 people, and like the Old City of Doctus, it is a standard fortified city of the Caelum Empire.

 

 

　Seen from the south of the city, that is, from the Caelum Empire side, Rawcliffe is a kind of bridgehead across the Farthus River.

 

 

　In fact, a two-kilometer-long stone bridge over the Farthus River connects directly to the southern gate of the city, and Rawcliffe itself serves as a castle guarding the bridge.

 

　The only places where the Farthus River can be crossed without boats are here at Rawcliffe and in the vicinity of the commercial city of Aurella to the west.

 

　This is the base for the empire’s invasion of the north.

 

 

　The huge bridge, like the walls of the fortress city of Caelum, was built with earth magic and took more than twenty years from the start of construction to its completion.

 

　The bridge is about twenty meters wide, with enough room for four wagons to stand side by side, and watchtowers ten meters high are set up at regular intervals.

 

 

　We walked slowly, looking out over the Farthus River. People who pass us look at us with curiosity. They were interested in the eighteen men walking behind the wagons.

 

 

　As expected, with eighteen men, we couldn’t let them get on the wagons, so we had to let them walk.

 

　Immediately after the attack, we thought that we might be able to recover the horses they were using, but all the horses had been taken by the survivors of the bandits, and in the end we were unable to recover any of them. Therefore, we had to keep up with the bandits’ trail, and after nearly two hours, we still had not reached the city.

 

 

　After about thirty minutes after the city began to come into view, we finally arrived at the eastern gate of the city of Rawcliffe. The guards at the gate were surprised to see a group of nobles leading a group of men tied with ropes, and they immediately flew in.

 

　My father quickly dismounted and approached a soldier in his forties who seemed to be in charge.

 

 

“I am Mathias Lockhart. These are the bandits who attacked us. I am sorry, but could you please call the man in charge of the garrison?” (Matt)

 

 

　When my father mentioned Lockhart’s name and briefly explained the situation, the soldier who seemed to be in charge said, “Sir Lockhart, is that you? I will go and call Sir Boyette immediately,” he said, straightening his back and saluting my father. He then ordered his subordinate standing by his side to contact him immediately.

 

 

　Putting aside the fact that Lockhart’s name is well-known, I felt strange that he was showing great respect to my father, a man with whom he was not very familiar.

 

 

　There was a guard nearby, so I asked him about it, and he told me that many people knew of my grandfather Govan’s activities, but that my brother Roderick was spreading the Lockhart name.

 

 

“Sir Lockhart, or Sir Rodrick, as he was known around here, is a knight who was said to be in the Northern Governor General’s army at a young age. There is no one who does not know the story of the ‘Giant Killer’… He is also getting married to the ‘Princess’…” (Soldier)

 

 

　My brother Rodrick defeated the One-Eyed Giant, Cyclops, about a year ago at the foot of the Porta Mountains in the eastern part of the Frontier Count Roswell Territory.

 

　Of course, it wasn’t just one person, but a platoon of fifteen knights and squires–a platoon usually consists of twenty people, including about five other military officers–but even so, it was gargantuan. It is not easy to defeat a Cyclops, which is over ten meters tall.

 

 

　It is said to be a first-rank monsters, on the same level as dragons, and requires at least one well-trained company (in the Caelum Empire, one company with five platoons is standard) and the support of about 10 court magician-level magicians. The Cyclops is not such a powerful magician, but it was such a powerful monster.

 

 

　My brother defeated the Cyclops without the support of magicians, and with only one platoon. For that reason, he was known to everyone in the Frontier Count Roswell Territory. Of course, I knew the story, but I never thought it reach this place.

 

 

(A Giant Slayer hero marries the daughter of the Count. Stories like this spread quickly… It’s nice to see a relative praised… However, that “princess’s” hopefully is not the same… I guess he’s referring to the “wild horse”…) (Zack)

 

 

　My brother’s fiancée, Rosalind Roswell, was a well-known lady. Of course, everyone knew her as the daughter of the ruling Governor of the North, but she was also very famous in another sense.

 

 

　Since her early teens, she was a beautiful girl whose beauty was said to be unparalleled in northern Caelum, but she was even more famous for being a “wild horse”.

 

　Rumor has it that she began to learn swordsmanship and horseback riding around the age of ten, and that she would accompany the knights on their outdoor training exercises, sometimes even participating in the subjugation of monsters and bandits.

 

 

　As a result, she often exchanges words with the commoners, and her unpretentious personality and beautiful appearance make her even more popular than the Frontier Count. The commoners even call Rosalind, who is not royalty, “Princess” in a friendly manner.

 

 

　She is also famous for declaring that she will choose her own marriage partner and challenging the noblemen who come to her for marriage to a match of swordsmanship.

 

　Rosalind, who is now 16 years old, is said to have already reached level 18 as a swordsman, and the sergeant of a noble family of the same generation, who usually has only about level 10 in sword Arts, even if he is not from a martial family, he is no match against her at all. Even a young apprentice knight with around level 15 could not compete at all.

 

 

　Of course, a regular knight would have been able to handle her well enough, but since she was the daughter of the lord, they usually grant her the victory.

 

 

　At that time, Rosalind challenged my brother Rodrick, who was making a name for himself in the Northern Governor’s Army, to a match. Although my brother is confused, he does his best to fight her as per her request, and of course he wins easily. Rosalind challenged my brother several times, but my serious brother treated her like a swordsman and won overwhelmingly each time.

 

 

　As they crossed swords several times, she gradually became attracted to my brother, who in turn became equally attracted to her. After the successful subjugation of the Cyclops, my older brother asked Rosalind to marry him, and not only Rosalind herself but also the Frontier Count approved of their marriage.

 

 

　This is the story that is circulating around the country.

 

　Since I have not heard this story directly from the man himself, I do not know how reliable it is, but the truth seems to have been close to this.

 

　There was also a rumor that the Frontier Count decided to leave his beloved daughter in the care of my brother, who was a serious and honorable man so that his daughter would not be involved in the succession struggle.

 

 

　It is said that the count held his brother Roderick in such high esteem that he offered him the title of baronet and an estate to match as a reward for his success in subjugating Cyclops. My elder brother declined, saying that he was not yet gifted and had yet to accomplish anything.

 

 

(I feel like it’s too humbling for my brother to say he’s not a genius. Well, I guess he’s saying this from the bottom of his heart, but he’s already over level 50 before he was 20 years old, so he’s quite a genius. But…) (Zack)

 

 

　While I was waiting at the castle gate, a knight who seemed to be the commander of the garrison approached me at a short run with several squires. Although he was not wearing armor, he was a man in his mid-thirties, with a physique of over 190 centimeters and a magnificent beard, and he looked as dignified as my father and Byron, and he seemed to be a warrior of many battles.

 

 

“I have never met you before. My name is Armand Boyette, and I am in charge of the town of Rawcliffe.” (Boyette)

 

 

　After saying that, he offered a handshake to my father.

 

　My father returned the handshake, saying his name, and then he went right to the point.

 

 

“We were attacked by these men on the way here, and they are saying strange things…” (Matt)

 

 

　Father informed them of the possibility that Maddock had been hired by someone else and insisted that for our own safety, we would take the main culprit, Maddock, into custody. Boyette, on the other hand, refused to do so, in a slightly superior tone.

 

 

“Punishing bandits is the responsibility of a minor official. No matter how right you are, Lord Lockhart, please refrain from infringing on the authority of the minor official entrusted to us by His Excellency the Governor.” (Boyette)

 

 

　My father bowed his head once and said, “I am sorry, but this is non-negotiable.”

 

 

“This is the culprit who attacked our Lockhart family. I know from further questioning that there is a mastermind behind this. We must report this to His Excellency the Governor in Welburn. As witnesses, we… I’m going to take him with us.” (Matt)

 

 

　His eyes narrowed slightly.

 

　I had discussed this with my father beforehand and asked him to be a little more forceful. My father is not normally fond of such tactics, but this time he says that his family was targeted, so he reluctantly goes along with my idea.