Chapter 10 - The Hero’s Statue Should Be Life-Sized At Most
[Eliana's POV]
"I'd like to erect a statue."
When the subject first came up that morning at the Seabreeze Inn, my master was picking fish bones off his plate and setting them aside.
"Of what?"
"Of the great hero Severan."
"No need."
His answer came without a moment's hesitation.
Mr. Bernard, the woodcarver sitting across from him, froze with his paper half-unfurled. He carved decorations for ships and signs for shops, and tiny scars lined the knuckles of his fingers.
"Well, you see, in the harbor square—"
"No need."
"We could make it nice and large, so that it would be clearly visible even from ships entering the harbor—"
"Even less reason to."
I stopped in my tracks, water pitcher still in hand.
Mr. Bernard's paper showed a man raising his sword aloft. Looking closely at the tiny dot at the man's feet, I realized it was a person.
"...Master, that's quite enormous."
"Don't you start admiring it too."
Ms. Hannah laughed from behind the counter.
"Come on, now. Everyone wants to show their gratitude."
"Then they can give me a fish. I'm not about to put up with having my own face staring back at me every time I return to town."
My master picked up a piece of bread and wiped up the remaining stew, as if to declare the discussion over.
Mr. Bernard looked at me.
Ms. Hannah looked at me, too.
I adjusted my grip on the pitcher and, for the time being, refilled both their cups.
◇◆◇
My master is the Count of Coenna.
I had known that ever since my days at the royal palace. Whenever I organized reports from various regions, I would sometimes come across the name Severan among the lists of lords. Seeing it always made me feel a little closer to that particular report.
But there had been one occasion when a set of figures caught my eye before the name did.
Taxes throughout his domain were to be reduced by half.
My master's name appeared on that report, too.
Thinking I might have misread the figures, I even pulled out the documents from the previous year to check. There was no mistake: the taxes had been halved. I remember laying the two documents side by side and thinking how typical of him it was.
What kind of lives lay beyond those figures?
Now, I was beginning to understand, little by little.
"If it weren't for that tax cut, the leak on the second floor would've gone unfixed for another year."
Ms. Hannah told me as we cleaned up after lunch.
"So you were able to get it repaired."
"That's right. We replaced the bedding, too. And when people have a little more money to spare, they're more inclined to eat out once in a while, aren't they?"
A cart rolled past outside the window.
Across the street, a shop had put up a new awning. Outside the neighboring store, a row of small stools had appeared where there had been none before.
Apparently, the light that made the town seem so bright didn't come from the sea alone.
"Of course we're grateful that he defeated monsters with his sword. But being able to live a little more comfortably? That's something we're grateful for every single day."
Ms. Hannah wiped a plate and returned it to the shelf.
"So, Eliana..."
"...Yes?"
"Could you ask him for us?"
I knew it would come to this.
That afternoon, Mr. Dan came by.
"Hey, wooden-sword girl, sweet-talk the count for us, will you?"
"Please don't put it that way."
"We'll chip in, too. Just imagine him standing at the harbor when the ships come home. Wouldn't that be something?"
Next, Mr. Bernard came to see me alone.
"I have some fine timber at my workshop. It's left over from making ship decorations, but it's thoroughly dried and just right for carving."
"Is it large?"
"Much larger than in my original design."
"I don't think you should tell my master that."
By evening, even Luca, who had just returned from the shoemaker's, had come to me with the same request.
"The master shoemaker said he'd help however he can."
"Even the shoemaker?"
"He says more people have been ordering new shoes thanks to the lower taxes."
I swept the bread crumbs into a dustpan.
How many times had I heard my master's name today?
No one talked about his grand title. They talked about repairing a roof, being able to buy shoes, and having more work from the ships.
Those were the things that mattered to them.
◇◆◇
I found my master at the pier that evening.
He was sitting facing the sea, his fishing line dangling in the water. When I sat down beside him, he glanced at me.
"What is it? You want to fish, too?"
"I came to talk to you today."
"If it's about the statue, I don't want it."
"I haven't said anything yet."
"It's written all over your face."
I touched my cheek.
My master chuckled. Realizing he'd been teasing me, I lowered my hand.
"Everyone wants to show their gratitude, Master."
"I heard."
"I've heard all sorts of things, too. Like how Ms. Hannah was able to repair the inn, and how the shoemaker has been getting more orders."
My master kept his eyes on the tip of his fishing rod.
"Everyone remembers how you cut their taxes in half."
"They got to keep more of their own money. Of course they'd remember that."
"But you're the one who made that decision, Master."
The waves lapped against the stone wall with a low rumble.
"They could put the money they'd spend carving my face to better use."
"They aren't going to collect the money for the statue through taxes. People will contribute if they want to. Mr. Bernard said he'd donate the wood and his own labor."
My master's fingers gave the fishing line a slight tug.
"...Is that fellow planning to work for free?"
"He said he wanted to carve it himself."
I turned my gaze toward the sea.
A ship with its sails furled was slowly making its way into the harbor. Someone waved from the shore, and a hand waved back from aboard the ship.
"Even while you're away traveling, Master, everyone else continues to live here."
"Of course they do."
"Mr. Dan said he'd be happy to see your statue when he returns by ship."
My master said nothing.
I hesitated for a moment, then looked at his profile.
"I'd like to see it, too."
"You see the real thing every day."
"Yes. But I'd like to see what kind of person everyone wants to carve you into."
The tip of the fishing rod trembled slightly.
My master jerked the rod to set the hook. But the hook was empty, and the bait was gone.
"...Got away."
"I'm sorry. It's because I distracted you."
"No."
My master reeled in the hook and stared at it for a while.
Then he let out a long sigh.
"No making it too big."
I looked up.
"Does that mean it's all right to make one?"
"Just don't make it bigger than me. Life-sized, no larger. If he carves it any bigger, I'll make him start by chopping off the head."
"Yes."
"And no raising the sword toward the sky, either. Standing around like that would make my shoulders ache."
"Understood."
I couldn't help laughing, and my master averted his eyes with an awkward look.
"...It's hard to say no when you ask me."
I tucked those words away in my heart for a moment before standing up.
"I'll go tell everyone!"
"Don't run. Those planks over there are wet."
I stopped, then carefully chose a dry spot and walked across.
I hoped the statue standing in the harbor would have this kind of face, too.
◇◆◇
That evening, when I relayed the conditions at the Seabreeze Inn, Mr. Bernard immediately jotted them down on paper.
"Life-sized at most. No raised sword. ...Understood."
He stood in front of my master, holding a thin length of rope.
"Then, let's measure your height."
"Why do I have to stand up?"
"So we can make the statue life-sized."
My master rose to his feet with a deeply reluctant expression.
Ms. Hannah stifled her laughter as she held one end of the rope. While I recorded the measurements, Luca cleared the table to make room for the next drawing.
"What about the height of his hair?"
"Don't add any extra height."
"Understood."
Toma and Mina, having caught wind of what was happening, were peeking in through the doorway.
"Will it be the same size as the hero?"
"Yep."
"Then there'll be two of him standing side by side!"
Toma exclaimed happily.
My master's expression grew even more displeased.
◇◆◇
For the next several days, the scent of wood filled Mr. Bernard's workshop.
I stopped by while running errands and watched as shoulders and then arms gradually emerged from the massive block of wood. Bernard's fellow carvers, who worked on ship decorations, lent a hand, and the pile of wood shavings at their feet grew larger by the day.
Eventually, a low pedestal was installed in the harbor square.
Standing atop it, my master was not raising a sword toward the sky.
He wore his traveling coat, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. His tied-back hair and unshaven stubble had been faithfully reproduced. He looked as though he might take another step at any moment, and passersby stopped to look.
Small letters had been carved into the base.
"Count Severan of Coenna. With gratitude to our hero."
My master studied the inscription for a while.
Neither Ms. Hannah nor Mr. Dan said anything that day.
"...Well, it's not too big."
At last, my master spoke, and Mr. Bernard nodded.
"I made sure to follow the measurements exactly."
My master stood beside the statue.
Sure enough, they were the same size.
But the wooden version of my master had a slightly gentler expression than the real one.
"Do I really look like that?"
"You do."
When I answered, my master looked at me.
"When you're watching the children train, or when you're showing someone the fish you've caught."
"...Is that so?"
My master scratched the back of his neck and looked away from the statue.
Seeing his expression, Mr. Bernard smiled with relief.
Mina looked up at the wooden statue, then at my real master. Toma was doing the same, looking back and forth between the two.
"Hey, Big Sis Eliana."
"What is it?"
"The statue doesn't get embarrassed."
My master cleared his throat.
Unable to hold back my laughter, I covered my mouth.
The sea breeze swept through the harbor.
As of that day, the town had one more hero.
Both were life-sized.
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