episode_0098

Since my life was saved yesterday thanks to Erica, my heart for her has grown even stronger.

I was interested in Erica’s every movement, and whenever I heard her voice, I listened.

My heart pounded hard when she called my name, and I couldn’t be happier when she did something for me.

Laura and Iris looked at me like that and were a little jealous, but they also giggled and teased me for not being seriously ill.

Erica was aware of my foolish attitude, but she never said it out loud.

It felt like he was just trying to treat me like he always did.

“I can finally see Zeldia. I can sleep in a nice bed today.”

I was relieved to see a fairly large city in the distance and the huge walls surrounding it.

In a world teeming with enemies of humanity, it was difficult to find a building as reliable as the city walls.

Zerdia, like other cities I had seen so far, was next to a river, and small ships carrying supplies appeared to be passing through the river.

It is said that taxes, goods, and people have been transported through waterways since ancient times because there are many rivers with abundant water in the territory of the United Empire of Humanity, and all of these rivers head to the capital.

However, the cities I traveled to did not have rivers or canals connecting them, so I had no choice but to use land routes in some way.

It is said that land routes between cities began to be properly built after the United Empire of Humanity unified the human sphere of influence 300 years ago.

It is said that until then, there was no unified nation and each local city-state was trying to survive on its own, so there was almost no trade between cities that were not connected by waterways.

Even now, traveling by land is dangerous, but back then there was even a saying that people would make their own graves before setting off, so I could roughly guess the level of risk.

It is said that magic armor existed before the United Empire of Humankind began its war of unification, so it was not that difficult to open land routes between cities after unification was completed.

Oh, I guess I should stop dwelling on the history I learned from Veronica and go into the city quickly.

Even though I was hungry, I was holding on to the thought of eating at a fancy restaurant.

“Rebecca, the people gathered over there are a bit suspicious.”

“Where?”

“The river at 10 o’clock.”

I held up the telescope and looked in the direction Laura was pointing.

A group of people jumped into a shallow river with a group of knights and were diligently fishing for something floating upstream.

I was curious about what it was, so I took a closer look and found that it was a human corpse.

The sight of dozens of drowned bodies floating in the river was truly horrifying.

“I don’t think it’s normal. I don’t know what happened upstream, but there are tons of corpses floating down and people are trying to save them from flowing into the city.”

When Laura, Iris, and Erica heard what I said, their expressions hardened at the same time.

He didn’t question what I was saying, but he seemed like he couldn’t easily accept the situation.

“Could it be because of the face language?”

“No way. Because the mermaid lives alone and hunts only for food, it does not kill that many people at once. I don’t have the physical ability to do that in the first place. It’s clear that someone committed a massacre and abandoned the bodies upstream.”

Because I know the characteristics of face language well, I was able to answer Erica’s question with confidence.

The mermaid fish is clearly a very dangerous fish that lures people or animals into the water, strangles them, and then eats their flesh.

However, they can only charm one prey at a time, and if the hunt is successful, they always drag it to the nest and eat it, so it is difficult to attribute a drowned body without any traces of bites to the human-faced fish.

Of course, if we assume that another ‘uninvited guest’ was involved, as in Maxian’s case, we cannot completely rule out the possibility that the human face language caused the tragedy.

“Would you like to check it?”

“Um… Okay, just in case, let’s go.”

I led my group to the chaotic scene of the incident.

If it’s something related to an uninvited guest, you can do something like Maxian, deal with him, get a special skill, and hold him responsible for causing such a situation.

However, when it comes to things related to maskers, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea to turn away.

If you go forward with only a sense of justice, you will not gain any benefit from the fight against them.

After riding for longer than expected, we arrived at the scene of the crime, where there was a terrible stench and the sounds of people crying could be heard.

And looking at the broken pieces of wood, pillars, and wide pieces of cloth lying around on the river’s edge, it seemed like a ship sinking accident had occurred.

I got off my horse and tried to approach the scene to investigate the situation in more detail, but a knight wearing heavy magic armor guarding the road blocked me.

“Unless you are involved, you cannot enter.”

“Can you tell me what the situation is?”

“Still investigating. Wait, the mark on that neck…”

The driver responded with a tired voice through his helmet, but changed his attitude when he saw the unpleasant traces of the human face still remaining on my neck.

I stroked his neck and briefly told him about the scary thing that happened yesterday.

“Yesterday, while I was washing my face in the valley, I was attacked by a wolffish. I almost drowned because I was strangled, but my life was saved thanks to my group.”

“I’m so glad that. Those who die here were not as lucky as you.”

“Are you saying that all these people died because of the human face fish?”

“That’s right. According to the testimony of survivors and eyewitnesses, a huge mermaid capsized a boat, and a group of merfolk led by it strangled the drowning people and abandoned them.”

“Does that make sense? Aside from the fact that there was a mermaid fish big enough to capsize a boat, you didn’t even eat it after killing it?”

“We dismissed it as nonsense at first, but we had no choice but to believe it because the fin marks of the face fish, like yours, were clearly left on the victims’ necks.”

The driver explained to me, who was excited, the situation he had witnessed in a calm voice.

I couldn’t believe it at first, but I tried to control my excitement by thinking over and over again that the setting I knew might have changed.

“Can you show me the body too?”

“As I said before, unless you are a person involved…”

“I am Rebecca, a former honorary knight of Rizerka. Please cooperate.”

I showed my new ID to the driver.

The driver looked at my ID card and my face in turn, then seemed to realize something and spoke in a friendlier manner.

I was happier than I imagined and held the hand of the driver who offered to shake my hand.

“I never thought the hero of Rizerca would visit our city! It is truly an honor.”

“The rumor spread much faster than I thought.”

“The communication network among the knights is always active, so you can quickly find out news from neighboring territories. Follow me, I will guide you straight to the acting leader.”

I followed the article, and as time passed, the number of drowned bodies I could see increased.

It was my first time seeing a drowned body, so I barely held back the urge to vomit.

The number of bodies I counted as I passed by amounted to almost 20, and the recovered bodies were lying in a row in front of them.

Considering the number of people who died, it seems like a fairly large cruise ship sank.

The driver took me into a tent, where a young brown bear man wearing heavy magic armor with a more ornate design was holding a document and struggling with it.

When I used my analysis skills, I found that I was at a similar level to Veronica, but I was a year older than I am now.

The figure was pretty good, but it looked a bit scary, and the eyes could be described as intense.

“Acting Leader, Sir Rebecca, the hero of Rizerka, wants to check the crime scene. Would you give permission?”

“It seems that the Creator God is trying to help us as a symbol of hope visits us in the midst of tragedy. I will personally guide you, so you can return to your original position.”

Aren’t these people giving me too much credit? It’s very unfamiliar.

Anyway, the acting leader sent back the driver who had guided me and came closer to me.

Perhaps because the brown bear was naturally large and tall, the magic armor he wore seemed to be slightly larger than that worn by other knights.

When he stood in front of me, I felt shadowed and intimidated.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Norman Lotrabon, and I am the acting leader of the Xerdia Knights. I’ve heard a lot about your achievements in Rizerca.”

The acting manager, who introduced himself as Norman, offered to shake my hand as did the driver who guided me, and this time I gladly extended my hand and took his hand.

“I couldn’t have achieved it without my group and my comrades who fought alongside us.”

“As the letter from Veronica, vice-captain of the Knights of Franca, states, he is quite a humble person. But, why are you interested in our case?”

Veronica, was this the reason you specifically asked me about my travel itinerary?

I really appreciate your concern, but this feels like overprotection.

“As you can see, my life was threatened by a human-faced fish yesterday, and the circumstances of the incident are different from the characteristics of the human-faced fish I know.”

I said, showing Norman the fin marks on my neck.

This mark didn’t go away as quickly as I expected, which made me feel really bad, but now it was providing me with material that could help me gain cooperation.

“I see. As you said, the word that caused this incident is beyond common sense. So the investigation is having difficulties. In such a situation, I think it is a good sign that you, who have a reputation, came to me on your own.”

“Hahaha, that’s too much praise. But is it okay for an outsider like me to be deeply involved in the Knights’ investigation?”

“On the contrary, as an outsider with a reputation, you are more trustworthy than anyone else. It’s a shameless request for this first meeting, but please help me.”

Norman bowed his head to me, who was meeting me for the first time, and asked for help.

A person of the rank of acting leader would probably belong to a noble family with a higher status, but he must be so desperate that he would risk losing face and asking me for a favor.

“The threat to my life may be related to this incident, so I will actively assist in the investigation at least until my doubts are resolved.”

“Thank you. I will not forget this favor. You must be tired from the long journey, so call it a day, get some rest, and come to my office at the Knights’ headquarters tomorrow morning. Ah, that’s right. Have you found accommodation?”

“I was planning to get it when I entered the city.”

“Then, how about staying at my mansion while you stay in Zerdia? I’d be happy to give you my room.”

Do people who belong to the Knights Templar like to invite others to their homes?

Veronica also took me to the mansion for protection.

Hmm… what should I do with this?

Living in a nobleman’s mansion has many conveniences, but it feels like your freedom is subtly restricted.

Still, let’s accept it as if it were giving Erica a chance to experience the life of an aristocrat.

“I will gladly accept Norman’s favor.”

“Thank you, please wait a moment.”

Norman looked very satisfied and quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper and stamped it.

I have bad handwriting, but Norman’s handwriting is so bad that it’s almost unrecognizable.

“If you take this to my mansion, they will take care of preparing everything for you. I also wrote down the address.”

“Thank you.”

“And if you want to investigate the crime scene, come back here anytime.”

“Yes, Norman. See you later then.”

After saying hello to Norman, I came out of the tent and returned with my companions to the horses that were parked outside.

I unexpectedly found a good place to stay, but it was very burdensome because Norman was blatantly asking for my help.

Of course, I did my best in Rizerca, but how much help can I give in the current situation?

It would be fortunate if we could get at least one clue while observing the bodies of people who were victims of the human-faced fish.

And given that outsiders are more trustworthy, the situation of the Zeldia Knights does not seem to be very good.

I shouldn’t stay in Zeldia for too long because I might get caught up in a political incident for no reason.

“Rebecca, is this again the work of someone like Maxian?”

“Well. Just because you’re from the same neighborhood as me doesn’t guarantee that you’ll do something bad, so I can’t be quick to judge.”

I couldn’t give a definite answer to Laura’s question.

This could simply be an incident that occurred for magical reasons.

“They could be maskers.”

“That possibility is always open. But other than that, it doesn’t seem like they are doing anything with a giant face fish.”

Iris gave an example that could be applied to any strange situation.

If it is a pseudo group that still does not know the exact name of the group or what its purpose is, it could easily take the lead in killing people.

Of course, as I said, it is funny to try to make a big deal out of mere words.

Even if it’s a monster-like fish that uses deception magic, that ability can be easily neutralized just by wearing sunglasses.

“Please investigate and what will you do if none of the two cases apply?”

“At that time, I will leave Zeldia quickly. It seems like Norman is trying to use me for other things too.”

“Famousness is not always a good thing.”

“Sure.”

I stroked Erica’s head and cleared my complicated mind.

But when I tried to take my hand away, Erica suddenly grabbed my hand tightly and placed it on her head again, as if asking for more caressing.

what? Why is it so cute? It’s really cute that he expresses through his own actions what can be done by just asking for more petting.

“It looks like our Erica really likes Rebecca? Isn’t that right, Iris?”

“That’s right. If we continue like this, we will lose Rebecca. Huhuhu.”

Laura and Iris whispered among themselves and looked at Erica with playful smiles.

Then Erica got very embarrassed and this time she fell into my arms.

I thought my heart would stop at Erica’s sudden cuteness.