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A Story from Long Ago

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On that day, Zalard Rita was in an exceptionally bad mood.

The poor quality of the inn was part of the reason. She had chosen it hastily upon arriving late at night, so it was her own fault. However, the room was mediocre, the food was subpar, and the alcohol wasn’t good either. During moments like this, memories of that fool of a noble would surface, further aggravating her irritation.

She took a deep breath, telling herself to calm down. As a Scout, a recon soldier, Rita believed it was essential to stay cool and make sound judgments. After changing her mindset, she headed toward the soldier outpost in this town. She had come to this town on her way back from a minor errand. Since she was away from the front lines, there was no rush, and she had stopped here for a bit of curiosity, under the guise of ‘searching for talent’. Having a soldier outpost in a town symbolized its importance. To the local lord, at least, this place warranted some attention.

Whenever Rita visited a town with an outpost, she made it a point to stop by and introduce herself as a courtesy, a custom known as ‘paying respects’. Although this was an old-fashioned notion, it was something she had naturally adopted since it was essential for young soldiers like her to be recognized by senior soldiers on the front lines. Whether it was at the front lines or an outpost, veteran soldiers held a strong sense of territory. Introducing herself properly helped prevent unnecessary trouble, so it was never a wasted effort.

On her way, she stopped at a suitable shop and bought a few bottles of wine as a gift for the outpost. Bringing alcohol to a workplace might seem inappropriate, but alcohol was the best choice as a gift. It was a tradition that had been passed down over the years. The outpost was located in a prime spot in the middle of the main street. Peering inside, she saw four or five soldiers lounging around.

“Excuse me.” (Rita)

When she entered and called out, the relaxed atmosphere in the room suddenly grew tense.

“Who are you?” (Soldier)

One of the soldiers, a small but rough-looking veteran, stared at her with suspicion.

“I’m Zalard Rita, from the Oran Knight Military School. I’ve come to this town to conduct a talent search, so I’m here to greet you.” (Rita)

As she spoke, she displayed her identification tag from her chest. The man examined it briefly before saying with a smirk.

“Well, I’m Rolan. I didn’t expect a youngster to come and pay their respects. Fine, I’ll inform the boss here. Just don’t stir up any trouble.” (Rolan)

“Understood. By the way, this is a little something for you.” (Rita)

Rita said, placing the bottles on the table, prompting delighted cheers from the surrounding soldiers.

“Much appreciated. In that case, let me give you a bit of advice in return. Don’t get involved if you see any trouble in this town. ‘That’s our job’.” (Rolan)

Handling conflicts within the town was indeed the job of the soldiers stationed here. Although Rita would summon soldiers when necessary, she refrained from intervening more than needed.

“Of course.” (Rita)

She replied, though she found Rolan’s specific warning strange as she left the outpost.

“Alright then.” (Rita)

With her greetings complete, Rita decided to leisurely stroll around the town. After walking for a bit, she noticed a surprisingly sparse crowd. There were people, but considering the size of the town, it felt noticeably empty.

Just as she thought about asking someone, two rough-looking men called out to her.

“Oi! Nee-chan! You’re new around here, huh? Tourist? There’s nothing worth seeing in this town.” (??)

He said, while laughing out loud as he came up to her.

When Rita stayed silent, they persisted.

“Hey, which inn are you staying at? Want to join us for a drink tonight? We’ll treat you.” (??)

“No, thank you.” (Rita)

She replied curtly and walked away.

The men looked momentarily dumbfounded by her quick dismissal before one of them shouted, “Oi! Wait!” and tried to grab her shoulder, but his hand only sliced through the air.

“What?” (??)

He muttered, trying again to grab her shoulder, but with the same result.

“Why, you—!” (??)

He growled, but just then, Roland appeared from afar.

“What’s going on here!?” (Rolan))

The men clicked their tongues and left.

Rolan approached Rita and, with a sigh.

“I told you not to cause any trouble.” (Rolan)

“They came to me on their own. I didn’t do anything.” (Rita)

She replied, shutting down his reproach.

“And who were they?” (Rita)

She asked in return, to which Rolan shrugged.

“Just some thugs, probably. Anyway, see you around.” (Rolan)

He walked off in the opposite direction.

 

—

 

Later that evening, when Rita was about to set off again after deciding to stay one more night to enjoy a decent meal, soldiers from the outpost came to her. The man leading them introduced himself as Delm, the overseer of the soldiers in this town. At the back of the group, Rolan stood, looking glum.

“Oh, so you are indeed the famous ‘Silent Rita-sama’!” (Delm)

Delm greeted her in a grand manner, bowing as if he were a noble.

“I heard you were harassed by some thugs earlier. My deepest apologies! This was all my failure! Are you hurt in any way?!” (Delm)

“Thank you for your concern.” (Rita)

Rita, who was slightly put off by his overly polite speech, merely replied.

“So, you’re here for a talent search… And, um, how long do you plan to stay?” (Delm)

“I stopped by only as a detour. I intend to leave tomorrow morning.” (Rita)

Hearing this, Delm grinned.

“Ah, I see! My apologies for not showing proper hospitality. I won’t take up more of your time. Have a pleasant night!” (Delm)

He said hurriedly before departing. At the very back of the group, Rolan paused, seeming to want to say something to her before disappearing into the night. Watching them leave, Rita placed a hand to her lips, pondering briefly before she, too, faded into the darkness.

 

—

 

“Really?! You’re just adding unnecessary trouble at this final stage!” (Delm)

In a dimly lit room, Delm was raging. Opposite him sat a man with a distinctly shady demeanor, while the thugs who had harassed Rita earlier stood meekly in a corner, sporting fresh bruises.

“Come on, Delm-san, don’t get so worked up. That woman called Rita is leaving tomorrow, right?” (??)

“Yes. I checked earlier. She’ll be gone by morning.” (Delm)

“I mean, she’s just one soldier. Even if she’s famous, she won’t affect our plans… As long as she’s out of town, there’s no problem.” (??)

Reluctantly, Delm calmed down, nodding as they raised their wine glasses to toast to tomorrow’s success. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes watched from outside.

 

—

 

Rolan sat on the edge of his cheap apartment bed, taking a swig from the bottle of wine Rita had given him. He had swiped one bottle for himself.

He let out a loud burp, followed by a long sigh.

That Rita, the famous “Silent Rita”… Was it really okay to just let her leave like that?

He’d been turning the thought over all day, yet couldn’t reach a conclusion.

Delm was in league with the town’s gangs. That much was obvious to everyone. Despite being a soldier, he allowed the gangs free rein and released them with flimsy excuses whenever they were caught. It was because Delm was related to the local lord, no one dared speak up, not even himself. He despised himself for it.

But no matter how famous she is, what could Rita do alone…?

Even if he reported the situation to her, she’d have to return to assess the situation, and by then, all evidence would be erased.

He sighed heavily again, tilting the wine bottle back as he caught sight of the window. It was open. He hadn’t opened it since he got back.

Did I forget to close it when I left?

Just then, a figure silently descended through the window.

“Good evening, Rolan,” Rita said. (Rita)

Rolan spat out his wine in shock.

 

—

 

“Hey! Get out of here!!” (??)

“Kyaa!” (??)

A roar of anger and a scream, followed by the sound of a bottle being thrown, shattering against the wall, echoes around. No one came out to see what was happening. The residents nearby held their breath and remain silent. A group of 20 thugs were causing a commotion, kicking doors, throwing stones at windows, and doing whatever they please in a frenzy.

“I said get out of here!!” (??)

One day, the thugs suddenly started appearing in what had once been a peaceful apartment building. No one knew why they targeted this place, but it seemed like they wanted to drive the residents out to tear down the building and build something else.

A few residents, unable to bear it, had already left, leaving only those willing to resist the unreasonable harassment. In one family’s room, a rock smashed through the window with a loud noise.

“Kya!” (??)

The daughter of the family let out a scream, and her mother held her protectively. The landlord, sensing it might be the end, bit his lip in frustration.

Suddenly, the outside fell silent. Not one of the 20 thugs noticed Rita approaching from behind. Rita placed her hand on the thug at the very back, twisting his neck with a loud cracking sound. The thug ended his life without a sound. One by one, Rita took down the thugs in her path. Only when their numbers had halved did the thugs notice something was wrong.

“You—” (??)

Before he could finish, the man was silenced as the broken glass bottle he held was plunged into him.

“Ahh!” (??)

Another man, attempting to flee in fear, was slammed face-first into the ground, convulsing as he lay there. It took only 20 minutes to subdue all 20 of them. From the broken window of the apartment, a young girl who had been watching Rita stand alone among the defeated gang members whispered with shining eyes.

“So cool….” (??)

“Rita!” (Rolan)

Rolan rushed over, but it was some time after Rita had already subdued the thugs. Both Rolan and the soldiers he brought with him stopped in astonishment at the scene before them.

“She did all this alone….” (Rolan)

“Rolan-san, how did it go?” (Rita)

“Oh, ah. Delm has been restrained. I’ve also sent people to capture the gang boss, and just as you asked, I sent a message to Sarel for reinforcements.” (Rolan)

“Impressive. Then, I’ll leave the rest to you.” (Rita)

“Leave it to us…? In this situation?” (Rolan)

“Yes, right now, it’s not ideal for me to stand out too much. So, I’ll let you handle it from here. The captain of Sarel’s forces is someone who has connections with the neighboring lords and can be trusted. If you work with him, you should be able to eradicate the gang completely.” (Rita)

“I-I see… Well, thank you… truly, I’m grateful…” (Rolan)

“Not at all. Well then, I’ll be on my way.” (Rita)

With Roland bowing deeply behind her, Rita left the town as if nothing had happened. And in doing so, she left a powerful impression on a young girl who had been watching.

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