4. Soy Sauce Walls
by Foreigner Β· 2026-08-21
Seton Castle was a bit small to be called a castle.
The castle walls were eight meters high. It took thirty minutes to walk around the entire perimeter. There was only one gate, and that gate had been built thirty years ago.
The garrison numbered two hundred.
To be precise, it was two hundred and seven, but six of them were over sixty, and one limped.
Karin: If you exclude the six, it's two hundred and one.
Karin reported that.
Bedrun: Why exclude them?
Bedrun said.
Karin: They're over sixty.
Bedrun: Who will count the inventory in the warehouse if they're not there?
Karin: ......
Bedrun: Don't exclude them.
Karin was the deputy garrison captain of Seton.
She was twenty-eight and born in this castle.
Her father was a garrison soldier, and her brother was also a garrison soldier. Her brother died six years ago at the hands of orcs, and Karin volunteered the following year.
Bedrun asked her then.
"Why did you come?"
"The position was open, wasn't it?"
"......"
"I know that position well."
Bedrun was the garrison captain of Seton.
He was a commoner.
He was the first commoner to rise to garrison captain in this castle, not because he was exceptional, but because no knights wanted to come to this castle.
It was the easternmost edge.
Seventeen days from the royal capital. Behind it was Mount Dedun. In front, nothing.
Being assigned here was a demotion.
Bedrun thought that wasn't so bad.
Soldier: Captain.
A soldier ran over.
Soldier: my lord is calling for you.
Bedrun: What did he say?
Soldier: He says there are mice in the warehouse.
Bedrun: ......
Soldier: He wants you to buy a cat.
Bedrun looked at the sky for a moment.
Bedrun: A cat.
Soldier: Yes.
Bedrun: How many?
Soldier: Two.
Bedrun nodded.
Bedrun: Buy them.
my lord Seton was sixty-eight.
His name was Greyson, but hardly anyone called him that. Everyone called him my lord, and he seemed comfortable with it.
He did nothing.
To be precise, he tried hard to do nothing.
When he was young, he reportedly did various things. He tried to dig waterways and expand the market. But each time, he lacked money and had to raise taxes, and when taxes were raised, people left.
So, at some point, he stopped.
my lord: Bedrun.
Bedrun: Yes, my lord.
my lord: Did you buy the cats?
Bedrun: I told them to buy them.
my lord: Two of them.
Bedrun: Yes.
my lord: Not three. Three would mean kittens.
Bedrun: ...I told them to buy two males.
my lord nodded with satisfaction.
There was a wizard in the castle.
His name was Beliston.
He was nearly sixty, his back was hunched, and he always wore the same robe. The robe was originally indigo, but now its color was indistinguishable.
Beliston: Captain.
Beliston called him.
Bedrun: Yes, sir.
Beliston: Take a look at this.
Beliston opened the wooden box.
Inside were six paper scrolls.
Beliston: They're scrolls.
Bedrun: I know that.
Beliston: I've collected them my whole life.
Bedrun: I know.
Beliston: There are six of them.
Bedrun: I know.
Bedrun said that.
He looked at this box once a month.
Beliston was originally in the capital.
He failed the court wizard exam twice and passed on the third try, but after passing, he didn't go.
No one knew why.
Bedrun had asked him once.
Bedrun: Why didn't you go?
Beliston: Huh?
Bedrun: The court position.
Beliston: Ah.
Beliston thought for a moment.
Beliston: If I go there, I can't make scrolls.
Bedrun: ...Yes?
Beliston: A court mage does court work. You can't make scrolls, as they're personal property.
Bedrun: Is that why you didn't go?
Beliston: Yes.
Bedrun: You've only made six in your whole life.
Beliston: ...This is a very difficult task.
Beliston closed the box.
Beliston: You certainly speak harshly.
Beliston had one disciple.
His name was Erarion.
He was seventeen and talked a lot. More precisely, "talked a lot" wasn't enough to describe him.
Erarion: Captain! Captain! Do you know what I did today? My master made me practice mana sensitivity, and today I really felt something! What it was, was a tingling sensation in my fingertips, but my master said it was just my arm tingling, but I don't think so, because the tingling was...
Bedrun: Erarion.
Erarion: Yes!
Bedrun: Breathe.
Erarion: Oh, yes.
Erarion took a breath.
And started again.
Erarion: So, that tingling...
Bedrun liked Erarion.
He just didn't admit it.
There was an infirmary in the castle.
Eda was in charge of it.
She was sixty-two and had been compounding medicines in this castle for forty years. She hadn't been formally trained. The position opened up when the previous person died, and Eda was twenty-two at the time.
Erarion: Teacher.
Erarion often came to the infirmary.
Erarion: Teacher, what is this plant?
Eda: Valerian.
Erarion: And this one?
Eda: Valerian.
Erarion: What about this one?
Eda: ...That's also valerian.
Erarion: They all look different.
Eda: They are.
Eda said,
Eda: It's the root, the leaf, and the flower.
Whenever Beliston came to the infirmary, the two would always argue.
Beliston: That fever-reducing medicine of yours.
Eda: Yes.
Beliston: If you use magic, it takes three seconds.
Eda: Then do it.
Beliston: ...
Eda: Are you going to do it?
Beliston cleared his throat.
Beliston: I have to use a scroll.
Eda: You have six, don't you?
Beliston: ...
Eda: Save them.
Bedrun had seen that scene for about ten years.
There were two low-ranking members in the garrison. They were Greon and Hereid.
The two always went together. The reason they went together was because Hereid had brought Greon.
Greon was originally a mercenary. He was a wanderer and had no affiliation. Such people were not often allowed inside the city gates. Hereid vouched for him. He even found him a house.
Bedrun: Why did he vouch for him?
Bedrun had asked once.
Hereid: He bought me food.
Bedrun: ...
Hereid: A mercenary buying food?
Greon used a halberd. He was the only one in the Seton garrison who used a halberd. The reason was simple. It was the only thing left in the warehouse.
And Greon often disappeared.
Bedrun: Where did Greon go?
Hereid: I don't know.
Bedrun: He was just there a moment ago.
Hereid: ...
He would reappear about thirty minutes later. If asked where he had been, he wouldn't answer.
Bedrun had seen this for about ten years.
He thought he would catch him someday.
He never did.
The scouts returned the next day. Three had gone out, but two returned.
Gatekeeper: Commander.
The gatekeeper ran over.
Gatekeeper: Raon and Pet have arrived.
Bedrun: Weren't there three?
Gatekeeper: There are two.
Bedrun ran.
Raon couldn't get off his horse.
He collapsed as soon as he dismounted. Pet supported him, but Pet wasn't in good condition either.
Bedrun: Water.
Bedrun said.
Bedrun: Bring water.
Raon drank the water, spilling half of it.
Raon: Commander.
Bedrun: Take your time.
Raon: There's no time to take it slow.
Raon said that.
His voice was hoarse.
Raon: It's orcs.
Bedrun: How many?
Raon: ......
Bedrun: Raon. How many?
Raon didn't answer.
Bedrun looked at Pet.
Pet shook his head.
Pet: I stopped counting.
Bedrun: You stopped counting?
Pet: ......Because there was no point in counting.
Bedrun sat the two of them down and gave them more water.
Then he asked again.
Bedrun: Roughly.
Raon: Roughly.
Raon wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Raon: The band was about twenty meters wide.
Bedrun: Band?
Raon: The path they took. The grass was flattened and trees were broken, forming a road.
Bedrun: That's twenty meters.
Raon: Yes.
Bedrun: And the length?
Raon: I couldn't see it.
Bedrun: ......You couldn't see it?
Raon: I couldn't see the end.
Bedrun stood there for a long time.
Bedrun: Raon.
Raon: Yes.
Bedrun: Tell me a number.
Raon: ......
Bedrun: It's okay if it's wrong, just tell me.
Raon opened his mouth.
Raon: It's over 300.
Bedrun: ......
Raon: I don't know beyond that.
my lord was in his office.
Two cats were on the floor.
Bedrun: my lord.
my lord: Oh, Bedrun. The cats are here.
Bedrun: my lord.
my lord: This fellow has already caught a rat.
Bedrun: my lord.
Bedrun's voice had changed.
The lord looked at him.
Bedrun reported.
It took him two minutes to finish speaking.
The lord said nothing while he listened.
After hearing everything, he asked,
my lord: Did you say three hundred?
Bedrun: Yes.
my lord: Orcs?
Bedrun: Yes.
my lord: ......
The lord grabbed a chair.
And sat down.
He didn't sit so much as collapse into it.
my lord: Bedrun.
Bedrun: Yes.
my lord: I've been here for forty years.
Bedrun: I know.
my lord: The most orcs we ever saw was twenty. Even then, thirty of us died.
Bedrun: ......
my lord: If it's three hundred...
The lord started to calculate, then stopped.
Bedrun: I will send a carrier pigeon.
Bedrun said.
my lord: How many days to the capital?
Bedrun: Four days by pigeon.
my lord: And for the army to arrive?
Bedrun: ......Seventeen days.
my lord: If only cavalry come?
Bedrun: Nine days.
The lord nodded.
my lord: Nine days.
Bedrun: Yes.
my lord: Can we hold out for nine days?
Bedrun did not answer.
The carrier pigeons were sent that evening.
Two were sent, in case one fell.
Bedrun wrote the message himself.
The letters were large. He had learned to write late and still wasn't very good at it.
'Seton. Orcs. 300+ Requesting aid.'
He looked at it for a moment after writing.
Then he added another line.
'Quickly.'
That night, Bedrun went up to the castle wall.
He looked east.
There was a mountain.
At night, the mountain was just a black mass. It was a little darker than the sky, and the stars were cut off above it.
Karin: Commander.
Karin came up.
Karin: Aren't you sleeping?
Bedrun: No.
Karin: What are you looking at?
Bedrun: The mountain.
Karin: ......What about the mountain?
Bedrun did not answer.
Bedrun: Karin.
Karin: Yes.
Bedrun: Has anything ever come out of that mountain?
Karin: What do you mean?
Bedrun: Anything.
Karin thought for a moment.
Karin: Don't orcs come out?
Bedrun: Not that.
Karin: ......There's nothing else.
Karin smiled.
Bedrun: ......That's right.
Bedrun nodded.
After Karin left, Bedrun was alone on the castle wall.
The wind came from the east.
He tried to smell if there was anything in the wind.
There was no smell.
'.......'
Bedrun placed his hand on the castle wall stone.
It was an eight-meter-high wall. There was one thirty-year-old castle gate. There were two hundred and seven soldiers, six of whom were over sixty.
There was one wizard and six scrolls.
'.......'
Bedrun did not finish that calculation.
It was because he felt that if he finished it, he would get an answer.