Poor Noble Nord’s Adventure

56. The Decision

“Come on, get in quickly!”

“There’s a limited number of carriages. Women and children first!”

“Men, you’re walking, got it?”

“Only bring the bare essentials you can carry by hand. Leave the rest behind!”

Johan’s declaration—“Follow the evacuation orders, and next year’s taxes will be waived”—spread through the village like wildfire.

A new fervor ignited among the villagers, distinct from the earlier panic, and they rushed to the carriages prepared at the village center for evacuation.

Once again, disputes began over what items could be brought, but that issue was quickly resolved.

“Anyone who disobeys the evacuation leaders’ instructions will be deemed obstructive and disqualified from the tax exemption. Further penalties will be applied.”

This formal decree from Johan, as the lord, spread rapidly through the village as well, and the people began to comply.

It was a classic use of the carrot and stick, but its effectiveness was undeniable.

Traveling merchants visiting the village willingly offered their carriages, receiving compensation for their goods and their trouble.

The evacuation, which had been chaotic moments earlier, was proceeding smoothly.

However—

“What? One of the relay horses broke down?”

“Yes, it seems it panicked during the commotion, got overly excited, and slammed into the stable wall…”

It broke its leg. The stable hand delivered the grim news to Johan with a sorrowful expression.

Horses are delicate creatures. The midnight uproar among the villagers likely unsettled them, causing the horse to act out.

“It’s unfortunate, but what’s done is done. What about the other horses?”

“Some have minor injuries, but their legs are fine. They should still be usable for carriages and relays.”

“I see… A small mercy. Still, that leaves one letter undeliverable.”

As he managed the evacuation, Johan muttered to himself.

The shortage of relay horses forced him to reconsider which destinations to prioritize for the letters. Time was running out.

“We have no choice. The letter for Ovun Village will have to go on foot—”

Just as he began giving instructions,

“Kwee! Kwee kwee!”

An unfamiliar cry echoed through the village.

“What the—what is that!?”

“Is it a monster!?”

Drawn by the sound, villagers looked up to see an unfamiliar creature: a wyvern hatchling.

“That’s a young wyvern!”

“I thought only spiders were coming!”

“Calm down, it’s not an enemy!”

“Brrrr!”

“Whoa, easy! Easy, calm down!”

The wyvern descended toward Johan, its wings flapping.

Though still young, its body was already the size of an adult man, covered in the sleek scales characteristic of wyverns.

To villagers who rarely encountered more than deer, boars, or the occasional goblin, it was a terrifying sight.

The murmurs spread, heightening the tension. The horses tethered to carriages grew restless, sensing the wyvern’s presence.

“Hey, don’t get out!”

“Newt, come back!”

“Emilia, Katia! Quickly, get in the carriage!”

As Johan calmed the villagers, trying desperately to quell the commotion, voices of children rang out from the mansion.

Turning around, Johan saw two of his young stepsisters, still in their nightgowns, running toward him.

Behind them came the other sisters and his wife, Katia.

“Apologies, Brother Johan… I looked away for just a moment, and these two—”

“No, the fault is mine for not assisting. Are you ready to evacuate?”

“Yes, all that’s left is to board the carriage.”

“Stay close, I told you!” said Franca, the second youngest sister, as she firmly held onto Emilia and Katia’s hands.

“Because Newt—”

Apparently, the younger sisters had chased after the wyvern.

And as for Newt—

“Kwee! Kwee kwee!”

It cried out again, bobbing its head up and down as if trying to communicate.

But Johan couldn’t decipher the meaning.

“What’s going on?”

“I get it!”

It was Emilia who once again provided the answer.

“What do you mean?”

“Newt wants that letter!”

“The letter…? I see, that’s it!”

Emilia’s observation helped Johan understand the young wyvern’s intention.

The head-bobbing gesture was a signal for him to hand over the letter.

Even as a hatchling, a wyvern’s flying speed far exceeded that of a galloping horse.

Entrusting the letter to Newt could bring reinforcements sooner than expected.

(But if so…)

The question became: which letter should Newt deliver?

While Newt had successfully delivered a letter to Johan earlier, the new letters were addressed to places it had never been.

Without a rider to guide it, a wyvern alone could not deliver a letter to an unknown location.

Thus, the choice was effectively narrowed to two options:

One, send the letter to the nearby town.

The nearest town to Alba Village had an Adventurers’ Guild.

Delivering the urgent message there could prompt the guild to mobilize adventurers.

Two, send the letter directly to the royal capital.

The capital was much farther, but once the situation was known, the royal knights would be dispatched immediately.

(Which is it… What’s the right choice?)

The decision was agonizing. Both options had risks and merits.

For the first option, the concern was whether Newt could find the nearby town.

Johan recalled that Nord had once taken Newt to the Adventurers’ Guild in the town, so the wyvern likely remembered the location.

However, Johan lacked the training of a dragon knight and couldn’t provide precise instructions to Newt.

The risk was that the letter might end up in the wrong place.

But the merit was clear: the sooner the guild was notified, the faster reinforcements could be dispatched.

Adventurers had the experience needed to combat monsters like the spider knights.

Additionally, notifying the guild would enable rapid communication with nearby villages, towns, and even the Eastern Knights.

The second option’s concern was the distance.

Although wyverns were renowned for their speed, Johan doubted a hatchling like Newt could match an adult dragon knight’s mount.

Yet, the reason to choose this option was Newt’s familiarity with the capital.

Newt, having spent most of its life there, would instinctively return to the Ferris estate or the Iron Wyvern Knight Corps.

When comparing the two options, the benefits seemed greater for the first.

However, Johan’s decision increasingly leaned toward the royal capital. The reason was simple:

(What if the Eastern Knights can’t act in time…?)

The possibility of their absence weighed heavily on his mind.