The Strongest Wizard Becomes a Countryside Guardsman After Taking an Arrow to the Knee

Translator: Ranzan

Vi-Vi insisted upon it.

She wanted to make Moofy’s bones into a skeleton soldier that would patrol the storehouse.

「I wonder…if that’s a good idea.」

Even though they were both undead, skeletons were different from zombies.

Zombies still had consciousness, but their movements were completely controlled. That’s why they were feared and avoided.

Skeletons had will, just as they did before they died, but they were able to act on it.

I’m never going to let myself become a zombie.

However, a skeleton wouldn’t be too bad, I guess…considering.

『The problem is where the soul is.』

「Huh?」

Femm said suddenly in spirit speech…it surprised me.

However, it was just as Femm said.

After death, what happens to the soul? Even with all the magic developed in this world, no one knows.

There are religions that believe the soul reincarnates, and there are some that say it simply disappears.

Most say that it changes without reincarnation, and some say that they all unify together.

「It takes a soul hundreds of years to disintegrate and disappear. A skeleton is just there while the process happens.」

「What religion is that, Vi-Vi?」

Vi-Vi seemed sure of herself.

「It’s not a religion. It’s what the devils believe.」

…um, that’s a religion.

Anyway, I had no idea what the devils believed, so I had no response.

「What do you think, Al?」

「Well, I AM a wizard. I just think I don’t understand what I don’t understand.」

I had no idea what became of a soul.

Every young wizard thinks about what a soul is. I did when I was younger.

And because of that, I came to the conclusion that I had no idea.

Though I knew that I had no idea, Vi-Vi strongly believed in her own theory, so there was no reason for me to openly reject what she was saying.

『So you’re agnostic?』

「What does that mean?」

『…think about it on your own.』

「Sorry if I don’t know. Tell me your belief, then, Femm.」

『…honestly, I have no idea either.』

「…I see.」

Since Femm didn’t want to have any lack of thought pointed out, Femm agreed so it would seem smart.

The whole argument fell apart.

「Vi-Vi, if that’s what you want, then you can do it. Just get permission from the chief.」

「You got it!」 fr𝚎e𝙬𝚎𝚋𝚗૦ν𝚎𝒍.c૦m

Vi-Vi ran off happily into the village.

***

The next day. I went like usual to my guardpost.

The new storage shack was right outside of town, near to the gate.

I could see the magic wolves playing around outside of it.

It seems that Femm took a liking to the crawlway under the storage floor as well. I bet it’s cool there in the shadows.

「With Femm small…it looks like the smallest of all the magic wolves.」

I whispered to myself.

Of course, Femm just used magic to make itself smaller.

The wolf children were playing around with Femm as well.

Seeing Femm play so gleefully makes it look cute.

「Al, look at this.」

「What?」

Vi-Vi had drawn a magic circle out like usual.

This was a large circle. It seemed to be the one to turn Moofy into a skeleton.

「I think it’s well made, but don’t you think that this part makes the circle less safe?」

「You’re right.」

With that, Vi-Vi fixed the magic circle.

She went over it again and again, and by evening, finally stood up, satisfied.

「There! Done!」

「Congrats.」

「Heh, heh. Now Moofy will moo once more.」

『There’s no need for it, if my wolves are guarding.』

Femm ran over. It looked quite hungry.

A group of baby wolves came over, following Femm.

「Kyuu kyuuu」

They whined cutely, and surrounded Vi-Vi.

「S…stop that!」

Vi-Vi got behind me as I sat and grabbed me.

「Don’t cling to me like that, Vi-Vi!」

「No, they’re going to EAT ME!」

「They’re not going to do that, right Femm?」

「Rawf」

Femm barked once, and the parents of the babies ran up.

Then they barked at the baby wolves and they all went away.

「Those things are like…demon dogs!」

Vi-Vi was still scared of dogs, it seems.

――――――――――――――――――

The next day at morning, Millet said,

「Mr. Al…I want you to help me collect herbs.」

「Sounds easy.」

With summer quickly ending, now was the best time to pick the herbs.

The place was a little far from the village.

「Femm, let me ride.」

「Rawf」

Femm let us on.

「Do you want to come too, Vi-Vi?」

「I…I have to get Moofy’s magic circle ready!」

Vi-Vi said as she looked at Femm.

While we were fighting the dragons, Vi-Vi had ridden on Femm’s back. I thought something like that was impossible.

She wanted to help Femm, so she made herself ride Femm’s back.

「Okay, thanks.」

I rubbed Vi-Vi’s hair for a second.

It was because Vi-Vi had worked so hard to help Femm, who was in quite a predicament with those dragons.

「W…what was that for?!」

Vi-Vi said, blushing.

It took us half an hour to ride to the place where the magical herbs were growing.

「Mr. Al, these herbs we have to pick smell really bad. Cover your nose with this cloth.」

「Sure.」

They did stink. After I jumped off of Femm, Millet’s face was already half covered with cloth.

「Femm, are you okay?」

『It does have a strong smell. But it doesn’t stink. It smells pleasant.』

「Whaat?」

It seems that Femm had its own sensation of smell.

Canines do like to smell their own asses, after all.

「I see…so that’s why.」

「Wauf」

Femm stuck its snout between my legs.

「Stop that!」

「Rowlf?」

While Femm and I were playing around, Millet was finishing up with picking the herb.

「That was fast!」

「Yes. I only need a little of this.」

「Well, let’s go back then.」

And as we got ready to return,

「Um, hello there?」

I heard a voice behind me, closer than I expected.

I didn’t sense the person’s approach. It wasn’t normal for someone to get that close without me sensing it.

Femm also nervously had its tail straight up.

We felt the sensation of whomever it was near us, and frightened, we stood without turning around.

「Yes, what is it?」

Perhaps because she had no ability to fight, or that she wasn’t cautious, Millet smiled and answered.

「I got lost on the road. Do you know where Mulg Village is?」

It seemed to be a traveler from the city…not from around here.

I quickly turned around to face whomever it was.