Chapter 112 - 112 Those Left Behind in This Samsara
Bishop Bahlke was anxious. There was an order from the Pope in the home country, telling him to deal with Steve's family too. So, to be thorough, he sent the top three from the church's Dark Division belonging to the Kingdom of Cascade to the House Archibalt, but not a single one returned.
When he sent church people to check the situation, the townhouse was already under investigation by the Kingdom of Cascade's guards, so they couldn't enter. However, through the words of onlookers, they got information that the House Archibalt members had moved to the Marquess Mackintosh house.
So, the bishop verified it, and realized this was true information. Since he couldn't fail this time, he decided to send all the church's Dark Division to the Marquess Mackintosh house.
However, since attacking in broad daylight would have a low probability of success, he ordered a night raid.
And late at night. Under the moonlight, a total of 16 assassins wrapped in black clothes headed towards the Marquess Mackintosh house.
Splitting into four groups of four, they acted separately, crossing the wall into the garden, aiming for the building.
The assassin leading the group that invaded from the north...
"Guu"
...made a sound and fell right there. The other three were surprised and looked at the one who was in front, and saw a spear-like thing stuck in his throat lying on his back.
Suddenly, in the quiet garden, a metallic sound went Gachan.
In the next instant, another person's neck was pierced by an arrow.
"Ugh"
...pronounced briefly, and fell to the ground.
Gachan again, a sound was heard, and the remaining two instantly flew to the side. However, the assassin who flew to the right now had an arrow stuck in his eye and fell.
The remaining one identified where the arrow came from. It came from a first-floor window about 20 meters away, and Gachan was the sound of loading an arrow into something like a crossbow, so he decided to attack there before the next arrow was loaded and started running.
The assassin who reached the window before the sound rolled into the room, and there he saw the shooter. It was a young woman. She was no longer holding a bow and arrow, but was holding a knife.
However, what was strange was the way she held the knife was different from normal. Not holding it strongly with five fingers, but the thumb was standing up.
A trivial matter, the assassin thought, but his thought stopped there. The blade part of the knife flew over, and stabbed deeply into his throat.
Bella had buried the assassin.
Bella glared at the fallen assassin, pulled out the blade stuck in his throat, and set it back on the handle part once more. What she held in her hand was a knife Steve made where the blade flies using a spring.
"Is there no one else here?" Bella muttered looking out the window. Her eyes could survey the surroundings well enough even with just moonlight. That was why it was sniping. The first three were killed with a gun always used for hunting. Carrying it on her back, she ran down the manor corridor for defense in the east direction.
On the other hand, Nancy protecting the south, broke the window and instantly killed the four who invaded. Then she ran west.
Assassins had already invaded the west side, fighting with the Marquess Mackintosh house's soldiers. Enemy and friend could be distinguished by whether they wore all-black clothes.
Nancy cut down all the all-black assassins.
Then, she called out to Bella loudly.
"Bella, leave one alive!"
Leaving one alive was to make the human who gave the raid order confess. This time too, she intended to use Charm Magic. However, that was something like "if possible". The highest priority was family safety. That's why she killed the enemies on the south and west sides. The thought was just fine if one could be captured on the remaining east side.
Bella heard Nancy's order, but the east side was also mixed with assassins and soldiers fighting, and Bella who used thrown weapons was watching without being able to intervene.
Bella's swordsmanship was also quite skilled, but compared to Nancy and Daphne, her body was small, and she was told by Steve to avoid facing adult men head-on. She faithfully followed that teaching and did not engage in close combat.
While watching, Nancy rushed over and finished off the remaining assassins. Again, only one person, cut off the arm holding the weapon, applied Charm Magic, and made the one who gave the order confess.
Naturally, she mentioned Bishop Bahlke's name.
Once safety was secured, Christina and Theodore came.
Nancy announced that the one who gave the order was Bishop Bahlke.
"As expected, this time too it seems to be the church's order. It seems to be Bishop Bahlke."
"Not giving up on the daytime raid, sending assassins at night too, they really don't seem to want to keep us alive."
"In that case, it's probably about the drugs."
When Nancy said drugs, Theodore looked at his sister's face in surprise.
"Drugs?"
"Yes, Big Brother. Lord Steve was told by the Saintess that the church is secretly manufacturing and selling drugs. And our family also heard that from Lord Steve. As for the sect, they wouldn't want it known, and they would be troubled if it were spread around. Wouldn't it be that they have to kill everyone who knows?"
Christina said it casually. Even though her own life was targeted, she was somewhat objective. Her appearance seemed like Aurora, and Theodore looked at his sister's face twice.
"Is there something on my face?"
"No, I thought you were starting to look like Lord Sowell."
"I am very honored."
Christina smiled at her brother.
"If it were a real lord, how would you get through this situation?"
Christina turned towards the west direction, asking Aurora who was not here.
Bishop Bahlke realized the assassination failed as none of the sent assassins returned. And he had no more moves.
Aurora, who was asked by Christina, was in her territory in the western region, so information acquisition was delayed by a few days. It was a battle between Steve and his family and the Fries Holy Church, but there was a possibility this would develop into a battle between the Kingdom of Cascade and the Fries Holy Church, so Aurora herself wanted to rush to the Royal Capital, but chose to stay in the territory. Instead, she decided to send people and search for the culprit who framed Steve.
However, it wasn't something where the culprit could be identified immediately, and Aurora was irritated.
Harry spoke to worried Aurora.
"Young Lady, you seem quite anxious, but if you are that worried, why not follow Lord Archibalt and go to the Holy Nation?"
"Even if I go to the Holy Nation, the situation won't change at all. I have to search for the culprit who framed the boy with false charges."
"It's about a religious trial, is that okay?"
"Do you think that boy will die with something like that?"
Saying that, it was Aurora's wish. Naturally, Aurora also knew about the religious trial, and knew that not a single person survived innocent.
Even Steve who won against the Empire alone, he was worried he might not make it this time. The power of the Fries Holy Church was that strong, and the organization was spread across the continent.
Aurora threw herself into work as if forgetting that worry.
It was a cleanup of humans absorbed by the church side in the western region. Nobles were needless to say, merchants and commoners were carefully investigated. Then, traces of drug handling were found in several trading companies.
Information came to Aurora that the Fries Holy Church was secretly manufacturing and selling drugs, and if arrested simply for drug handling, there was a possibility it would develop into a war with the church, so they crushed them by arresting them for other charges and imposing penalties.
During this time, Aurora did not meet Steve. While working, from the feeling that Steve might suddenly visit as usual, every time someone came to report, she expected it, and repeated being disappointed.
During a break in work, Aurora had a conversation with Harry.
"Thinking back, I've been with the boy for a long time. At first I called him to confirm the rumor that he beat the then Royal Guard Knights Order commander."
"Yes. When he was teleported right in front of me and put his index finger on the flank of the guard, I was surprised. Most of all, after that, I was just surprised all the time."
"I was monitoring the movement of the Archibalt Territory before meeting him, but just hearing that information made my heart leap. Reversi, refrigerator, Soba, he thought of various things. He's a mage but doesn't use magic at all. So when I met him, he proposed commodity futures trading. When I heard that, I thought it was a meeting of destiny."
Aurora drank tea and remembered meeting Steve. Even the fact that a 10-year-old boy beat the Royal Guard Knights Order commander was surprising, but if there was magic, it could be understood. However, regarding the business ideas that came one after another, he wasn't using magic.
Talk about refrigerators and bath heat exchange, even the greatest mages of the past had never realized them.
After that, from Steve's proposal, not only futures trading, but also bank, securities, and insurance financial business started, and now it had grown to become a pillar of the Sowell family's income.
And as for the territory, they repelled the Kingdom of Forest, expanded the territory, built a friendly relationship with the Kingdom of Pinebay, and the Yellow Empire concluded a peace treaty by helping the emperor's accession.
Furthermore, they even got the railway rights in the Kingdom of Merda.
The current prosperity of the Sowell family is impossible without Steve.
And the time to think about the influence caused by Steve's movements and how to take their own profit, for Aurora, was a wonderful time.
Remembering the past, the rest time also came to an end.
Harry instructed the maid to clear the tea set, and when Aurora was about to read the investigation report from the Royal Capital, a person suddenly appeared in the room.
It was Steve.
"Should I have knocked?"
Seeing that figure, Aurora's mouth corners rose. Swallowing the feeling of wanting to rush over right now, she showed her usual fake smile.
"It's fine, the relationship between you and me."
"Since there's no time, I'll say it briefly, please take care of my parents. With just the manpower in the territory, we can't fight the church."
"Just my parents is okay?"
"I have taken measures for the others. Regarding the reward for cooperation, later."
Saying that, Steve disappeared with teleportation magic.
Harry had seen a rope tied around Steve's wrist.
"Young Lady, it seems Lord's wrist rope was still being treated as a criminal."
"Yes. If he came in that state and disappeared immediately, the situation seems not good yet."
"So, how about Lord's request?"
"No need to ask. Give orders to Leo to send two companies of a hundred men to the Archibalt Territory. Station them until it's resolved."
"Understood."
When Harry quickly left the room, Aurora, who was left alone, looked at the place where Steve was just now and muttered to herself.
"I don't need any reward. It's not the relationship between you and me."
Thank you always for typo reports.