Siegfried Fors
After the discussion with Lord Borg concluded, Granny, James, and I made our way to the eastern side of the manor, where the corpses of the slain salamanders had been gathered. Personally, I was more worried about Granny than the monsters. Even with her injuries, she walked with stiff determination, brushing off any suggestion to rest. I knew better than to argue. She wouldn't listen.
But what truly caught me off guard… was the sight waiting for us.
Captain Tavian was kneeling on one knee, head bowed low, one hand curled into a fist over his chest. Behind him, the six knights mirrored his stance in perfect silence. Even Ashar.
"Young Lord. Lady Fors." Tavian's voice was solemn, almost choked with guilt. "We know we are not worthy, but… please forgive us for our failure. We will accept whatever punishment you deem fit."
Huh? Did something go wrong while transporting the corpses?
My gaze shifted from the stoic knights to the massive salamander carcass lying cold and lifeless behind them… then back again. Nothing seemed out of place.
Granny stepped forward, wearing the same confused look I had.
"What 'mistake' are we talking about here?" she asked, brow raised.
Tavian finally looked up, his expression pained. "We failed in the duty entrusted to us. We allowed you to be injured, and… we let the Young Lord face danger."
"Oh. That," Granny muttered, shrugging her good shoulder. "I chose to go out there on my own. These wounds are the result of my own arrogance, not yours. Don't take blame that doesn't belong to you."
"But the Young Lord…" Tavian's jaw tightened. "He shouldn't have been exposed to danger. I accept full responsibility. The one tasked with his protection failed..." His eyes turned back to Ashar.
Ah. So this was about that.
I felt a sigh bubbling up in my chest. This was getting ridiculous.
"Seriously?" I muttered under my breath.
They keep acting like I'm just a kid. But… I made my choice.
"Like Granny, I also chose to go. No one forced me."
"But his duty was to protect yo—"
"And he did," I snapped, cutting Tavian off. "But let's be honest, even you couldn't have stopped me. Nothing in this world could have kept me from saving Granny. Nothing. Understand?"
Tavian looked startled, caught between protest and silence.
"That's not what I meant"
"Forget it. Let it go already. I don't want anyone punished. I'm standing here, aren't I? Granny too. That's all that matters."
He hesitated for a long moment, then slowly bowed again, head nearly touching the dirt.
"…As you wish, Young Lord."
With that, the knights bowed once more and dispersed quietly, their armor clinking faintly as they hurried away, like shame-laden shadows retreating from light.
My eyes briefly met Ashar's as he lingered a moment longer. He offered a small bow and a faint smile.
I nodded in return, smiling. He's definitely the most good-looking knight here.
With that silent thought, I turned and followed after Granny.
We stopped before the towering corpse of the giant salamander, its scaled hide now dulled with death, and beside it lay the smaller ones, stacked like firewood, smaller.
"Wow… did you fight that big one?" James asked, his voice full of awe.
I shook my head. "Nope. I fought the smaller ones. Grandpa's the one who took it down."
James' eyes sparkled, a rare glimmer of admiration lighting his boyish face. "Lord Siegfried, you're so strong!"
A small flutter warmed my chest. It's rare hearing that without some backhanded note.
"He's right," Granny added softly, standing beside me.
I turned to look at her, caught off guard.
She met my eyes, and then gently rested her hand atop my head.
"I know I didn't say it before," she murmured, "but… thank you for coming for me, Sieg."
Her voice was so quiet I almost thought I imagined it.
"…That's…"
The words caught in my throat.
Back in my previous life… my grandmother passed away while I was studying overseas. I missed the funeral, chose exams over farewells. That regret stayed with me, festering in a corner of my heart I never dared touch. Maybe that's why this time, I moved without thinking. I just… couldn't let it happen again.
"By the way, Sieg," Granny suddenly asked, her tone casually shifting, "how did you dodge those invisible Salamanders? Were you able to sense them?"
"How do I put it… I guess it's thanks to Mother and Zayn's training."
"Oh?" She raised a brow, curious. "What exactly did they teach you?"
"How not to get killed."
"What?" Question marks seemed to dangle visibly above Granny's head.
Truthfully, I can't sense Mother and Zayn's movements. They're so fast. I've had to learn to rely on every tiny cue, footsteps, breathing shifts, the slightest muscle tension, just to avoid getting tossed like a sack of flour. Both of them love sending me flying.
"I mean… they taught me how to dodge unexpected attacks."
As much as I wanted her to give Zayn and Mother an earful for treating a kid like a training dummy, I figured it would only make her worry. And truthfully… the training had saved my life.
Granny let out a long, exasperated sigh. "I never thought I'd be grateful for Valka's inhuman methods."
A laugh bubbled up from my chest.
"Me too."
Granny and I began examining the salamanders, James trailing a few steps behind, watching with wide, quiet eyes. Other than the giant one, there were twenty-eight smaller corpses stacked neatly on the side. Twenty-eight. Just thinking about how many could have made it into the village, the potential damage and death… I didn't even want to think about it.
From the bunch, Granny and I decided to set aside four of the smaller ones for closer study.
"I don't think this big one is a mutant," Granny said, crouching beside the gaping maw of the giant salamander.
I stepped closer and peered into its mouth. "Why do you say that?"
"Look at its tongue." She pointed without touching. "It's completely different from the small ones. Doesn't look like it extends. And its tail, see how it's straight? Not curled like the others."
I leaned in, inspecting both details. She was right. The tongue of the large one narrowed sharply at the end, almost spear-like, unlike the smaller ones whose tongues were thick and bulbed, chameleon-like. And the tail lacked the natural curve I had seen in the others. It looked rigid, as if meant for bludgeoning rather than balance.
"So… they were the first generation of mutation?" I asked, standing straight again.
Granny nodded. "Seems that way. Lucky for us, your grandpa ended this one before it could demonstrate what it was fully capable of."
A chill crawled down my spine. Then it's a good thing we killed them when we did. If they had matured… I didn't even think of finishing that sentence.
"Let's hope..." she said slowly, her gaze lingering on the beast's lifeless form. "...We killed them all."
Her voice trailed off into silence. I knew what she was thinking. If even one had escaped… then somewhere out there, a new species of salamander might be taking root, stronger, smarter, and entirely unnatural.
We kept working, inspecting, checking claws, teeth, eyes. We continued examining the bodies in silence until a group of mages arrived, chanting preservation spells over the corpses to prevent decay. Green-white light glimmered and danced over their scaled skins as the spells locked them in a stasis-like state, followed by the workers who came to transport the bodies into the storage chambers beneath the manor.
Once the corpses were secured, Granny, James, and I returned to meet Lord and Lady Borg. Lord Borg was seated, letters already written in his hands.
"Let me see the letter," Granny said, holding out her hand.
Lord Borg passed it to her. From her pouch, Granny retrieved a small golden medallion etched with an intricate symbol, a circle enclosing a triangle, inside that a square, and within the square, another circle.
She pressed the medallion to the letter. A soft pulse of light shimmered, and the symbol burned itself into the parchment without any ink at all.
My eyes widened. "Wait… no ink?"
Granny caught my expression and chuckled lightly. "It's enchanted. Given to all who hold the title of Master Alchemist. The mark it creates is recognized across the world."
Oh. That was… incredibly cool. I hadn't even known something like that existed. A part of me wondered quietly, would I ever get one of my own someday?
Granny stamped the remaining letters and handed them back to Lord Borg.
"Someone will be here within a day or two," she said calmly, tucking the medallion away.
"We are truly grateful, Lady Fors," Lord Borg said, bowing his head respectfully.
"Thank you so much, Auntie," Lady Borg added.
"No need to mention it," Granny replied with a dismissive wave, though a faint smile played at her lips.
The letters were sent using a messenger bird, and with Granny still injured, nowhere near ready for a bumpy carriage ride, we decided to remain in Borg Barony until the replies arrived.
Two days later, they did.
But they didn't come alone.
Accompanying the replies were representatives from: The Royal Alchemic Institute, The Ministry of Magic, and The Magic Association. All three. At the same time.
What followed could only be described as chaos.
The moment they arrived, an argument erupted, each faction trying to stake their claim. The Ministry representative was the loudest, trying to strong-arm Lord Borg.
"As a noble under the empire, it is your duty to prioritize the government," he said smugly. "You should sell the corpses to the state."
Then Granny stepped in.
He tried to stay haughty at first, even ignoring her, until she uttered two simple words: "Valka Fors."
The change in him was immediate. The blood drained from his face like someone had flipped a switch. He went pale and silent.
Granny, ever the composed storm, told them plainly: "An auction will be held tomorrow. All three of you can bid for what you want."
Surprisingly, no one argued after that. They quietly agreed and made arrangements to stay at the inn.
The next day, the auction began.
The results? Far beyond what I imagined.
The Royal Alchemic Institute bought twenty-four small salamander corpses, one hundred gold coins each.
Two thousand four hundred gold coins.
When I first heard that number, my jaw nearly hit the ground. Back in Fors Barony, Silas, the head knight, earns eight gold coins a month. He once told me he doesn't even spend half of it. And here was a sum that could fund a small army.
The Magic Association secured the giant salamander, offering six hundred gold coins for it. That one sold fast.
Just when everyone thought the auction was over, Granny pulled out her final surprise: two live salamanders, bound and contained by magic restraints.
Gasps echoed through the room.
The Ministry of Magic bought them both for five hundred gold coins.
Although all three parties walked away with something, it was clear who was the happiest. The Ministry official looked like he had swallowed a sour lemon, lips tight, words restrained. He didn't protest this time, just bit his tongue and paid. Meanwhile, the representative from the Royal Alchemic Institute was practically skipping with joy. She even took Granny's hand in hers and grinned ear to ear. Judging by Granny's reaction, the two already knew each other.
As for the Magic Association's agent, he showed no emotion at all, but for some reason I found him staring at me from time to time. I thought I was going to be kidnapped again. But he just took the giant corpse, handed over the gold, and left without a word.
In the end, Borg Barony earned three thousand five hundred gold coins. That might not seem much when compared to the powerhouses of the empire, but for a small barony, it was a fortune. Some people won't earn that much in their entire lives.
Now it all came down to how Lord Borg chose to use it.
And just like that… the case was closed.
We came to investigate mysterious fires. We identified the cause. We ensured it wouldn't happen again. It hadn't been a tamer or a rogue mage like we feared, just a monster.
Winter would be easier now for Borg Barony. They might even afford to hire a skilled flower mage to restore the fields faster.
We did our part.
Now, at long last… it was time to go home.