Chapter 142

Chapter 142

-A New Beginning

Messatria. Just hearing that simple word sent a shiver of foreboding down my spine. And that feeling soon turned into certainty. “You’ve been through a lot. It must have been a difficult journey from the West to the East, and now you’re caught up in this ridiculous mess…” The knight’s words confirmed my suspicions. And that wasn’t the only thing I realized. “Sir Darzhen, let’s talk about this later.” “Haha, let’s do that. We have to eat, no matter what.” Glancing back, I noticed a man sitting at a table looking flustered. Our eyes met for a moment, but he quickly looked away. That man seemed to know something. Whether it was about Messatria or El. I turned back to look at El and Emily. “…So, we’re caught?” El wore a calm expression, but she whispered the question to me. I had to nod in response. “Yeah, looks like the worst-case scenario is unfolding.” Not only Messatria, but the word “West” came up too. How many people travel from the West to the East of the Kilkard Kingdom? And what are the odds that someone from Messatria would get caught up in something strange? Anyone who dismissed it as a coincidence must be an optimist. “W-What should we do?” Emily fidgeted with the hilt of her magic sword, looking anxious. It reminded me that she hadn’t killed anyone before. She could fight well enough without the magic sword’s power, but I wanted to avoid putting her in a situation where she had to fight people if possible. “Calm down, Emily. And let’s finish what we were eating.” I calmly reassured her and stuffed the last piece of baguette into my mouth. “They probably won’t try to arrest us right away. This is a town under the control of the Lord of Karaldin, and knights from other territories can’t just arrest us.” “They often do. In cases like this, they might act first and then negotiate with the lord later. We’re both in the East, right? They might think such a minor incident isn’t a big deal and just let it slide…” El accurately pointed out the flaw in my reasoning. But what I really believed in wasn’t the power struggles between lords or the flimsy kingdom laws. It was the magic core and the body adapted to its mana. With those two things, I could take down knights and soldiers easily. I smirked and replied to El, “Then, we’ll have to use force.” No matter how strong I was, I couldn’t take on an army alone. But they weren’t an army. So there was no reason to be afraid. // “…Haa.” Kastuf sighed, rubbing his throbbing forehead. Darzhen, the knight from Messatria, tilted his head at the sight. “Is something troubling you?” Yes, there was. He had intended to take his time and think things through, but thanks to one stupid knight, he had to make a decision right away. He cursed Darzhen inwardly, but no amount of cursing could turn back time. He had to make a decision now, no matter what. ‘Should I request reinforcements from Karaldin? No, the chances of them agreeing aren’t high. Maybe I can threaten them with the soldiers I brought…’ Kastuf turned to look at Natalia’s seat. And then, their eyes met. “…” Natalia wore a sullen expression, but she didn’t avoid Kastuf’s gaze. The two exchanged glances for a while.

-Smirk.

Suddenly, Natalia smiled. Her confident smile made Kastuf make up his mind. “Sir Darzhen.” “Yes, Sir Kastuf.” “Could you tell the soldiers to surround this inn?” “What are you…” Darzhen looked dumbfounded at his sudden words. But only for a moment, as he seemed to realize something and widened his eyes, turning to look at the table behind him. “…” Natalia and the other two women were now looking down at the table, eating their meals with calm expressions. There wasn’t even a hint of suspicion in their natural demeanor. “Could it be, those women…?” “It’s too early to say for sure, but it seems likely.” “Come to think of it, the woman in the middle resembles the portrait you had. How did I not notice sooner…” Kastuf nodded, and Darzhen frowned. He seemed to be thinking for a moment, then shook his head. “Unfortunately, I cannot carry out that order.” “…Excuse me?” Kastuf was speechless at the unexpected answer, but Darzhen sighed and instead asked him, “Sir Kastuf, do you truly believe that those three women killed the griffon rider?” “…Natalia is capable of it. She evaded our pursuit from the West and even killed one of our knights who was chasing her. Besides-” “-That’s not what I mean. I phrased my question poorly. Let’s rephrase it a bit, then.” Darzhen smiled wryly, interrupting Kastuf, and continued. “Let’s say you believe that. And let’s say your employer, Count Gardisha, believes it too. But do you think our master, Marquis Halphaide, would believe it? That those three women killed a griffon and caused a ruckus in Messatria?” “…” The moment he heard that question, Kastuf understood Darzhen’s intentions. He realized the whole situation. “The griffon rider incident was an accident. Those arrogant fools broke the rules on their own, flying drunk in the night sky, and ended up causing an accident. Doesn’t that sound more plausible than saying a nameless blonde girl killed a griffon and its rider with a sword?” Lord Noitrem didn’t say that when they first met. That was probably because he hadn’t negotiated with the city’s griffon riders yet. Those dragoons nominally belonged to the city’s lord, but in reality, they were knights of the marquis. “Of course, the lord will not be able to avoid being held accountable for negligence and will be investigated by the inspection team for the time being, but it would be much cleaner than saying that the griffon rider was killed. And disturbances in the underworld are always happening, so all we have to do is punish the instigator of the disturbance. Just like always.” Kastuf felt despondent after hearing Darzhen’s words. When he spoke with Lord Noitrem, the most important thing he considered was persuading him that this method was the worst option. And Kastuf himself knew best that it was the least damaging thing for the lord. And now, Darzhen seemed to know that too, smiling strangely as he continued. “It seems the lord was a little flustered at the time, and his judgment was a little clouded. Really, how could those frail women kill a griffon rider with just a sword? Is that even possible?” Although the words came from his mouth, Kastuf could easily imagine the same words coming from the lord’s mouth. Having regained his judgment, the lord would have reached some kind of compromise with the dragoons through this opportunity, and in the process, his proposal became unnecessary. If Darzhen was saying that, it must have been quite some time ago. Kastuf stared blankly at Darzhen and asked, “Then, why…?” Why did you provide support to capture the culprit? And the answer to that question, ironically, was best known to Kastuf himself. “Didn’t you give a good opinion to avoid the marquis’s censure? The opinion that sometimes you can cover up a mistake publicly. This is a simple reward for that. As a bonus, we don’t have to worry about your prying eyes, so we can lighten our burden a little more.” So, it wasn’t support, but essentially a dismissal. These were soldiers who wouldn’t move. Darzhen finished speaking and glanced back. “…I never thought you’d find your ‘dream woman’ so easily.” In the end, the troops provided were just for show. The damn monthly report would probably say something like this: Griffon rider died in an accident. The Gardisha County of the West requested support for the arrest of a heinous criminal, and three knights and twenty soldiers were dispatched. Received 5,000 Lard as compensation. That sly lord would probably pocket the remaining 3,000 Lard. “Ah, excuse me for a moment.”

-Swish.

While Kastuf stared at Darzhen with a bewildered expression, he took out a pen and paper from his pocket. And then, he began to write on the paper in front of Kastuf.

-To my dear Natalia.

Just by reading the first paragraph, Kastuf could guess what he was trying to say. He was going to let her go, but tell her not to mention the griffon rider incident. Or perhaps a kind explanation of why the incident was an accident. Either way, it was the worst news for Kastuf. Natalia wouldn’t be crazy enough to blurt out that she killed the griffon rider, and if she didn’t, everything would be quiet. “If I were to inform Marquis Halphaide of the truth about this incident…” “Well, I hope you don’t. That would make things difficult for all of us. And I don’t think the marquis wants his soldiers to have their discipline straightened out, but rather to have their prestige diminished.” Darzhen finished scribbling and put on a light smile. “I’m curious how she killed the griffon, but it’s not like there’s no way. Besides… as you know, the truth isn’t that important.” “…So, are you going to kill me too?” Kastuf asked Darzhen with a despondent heart. He didn’t think they would kill him, but there was a possibility that they would take him to this remote village and secretly dispose of him. At his words, Darzhen shook his head as if it were absurd. “Haha, of course not. We don’t kill people indiscriminately.” Kastuf didn’t believe those words at face value. Considering the history of the Western nobles who had grown their power through the war with the Nekar Union, it was a rather meaningful statement. In a way, it was a blatant insult to him, but Kastuf wasn’t a noble, so he didn’t feel particularly angry at the words. But just because they weren’t going to kill him didn’t mean Kastuf’s mood improved. If the proud Count Gardisha found out that he had lost 8,000 Lard and failed to complete his mission, he would definitely not leave him alone. ‘Damn it, I knew I shouldn’t have come…’ Kastuf let out a hollow laugh and looked at the paper on the table. He never thought that not writing his resignation letter half a year ago would come back to haunt him like this. If he went back like this, he doubted whether he could survive the Count’s wrath. After thinking for a while, Kastuf spoke again in a hoarse voice. “…Could you ask the lord to kill me instead?” “Unfortunately, I don’t have that much loyalty to you. I’m a knight, after all. How can I fail to protect you?” Whether it was actually killing him or pretending to be dead, he didn’t want to do it. Kastuf momentarily thought about threatening to commit suicide if they didn’t pretend to kill him, but he gave up because it didn’t seem like it would work.

Darzen folded the letter in half, leaving Kastuf sitting there blankly. Then, he gestured to a soldier sitting at a table a short distance away. “Soldier, would you deliver this note to the lady over there?” The soldier couldn’t read. Though even if he could, it wouldn’t have made much difference. “Yes, sir.” The soldier bowed his head in a light salute and walked towards the women sitting at the opposite table. Darzen watched the soldier’s back for a moment, then turned his gaze back to Kastuf. “Then, shall we have our meal now?” ———= Author’s Note ———= Thank you for your feedback on the changed personality of the protagonist. I will refer to your opinions when writing Part 2.