Chapter 25 - 25 The Bandit Disturbance
The acceptance of the immigrants had concluded without incident, and the factory had begun operations. The lineup of educational toys included building blocks, puzzles where various colored animal shapes were made from wooden blocks, and toys where wooden balls rolled down slopes; these were being sold domestically through the Emmanuel Trading Company.
Word spread that the Royal Research Institute had purchased these educational toys for research purposes, and quick-eared nobles and merchants bought them for their own children, so sales were growing steadily.
So far, no defects had been reported in the major markets, and the brand was establishing itself as a specialty product of the Archibalt Territory.
And, just as Steve had intended, no other workshops had entered the toy business yet, leaving it as a monopoly.
However, Steve's workload increased, and the frequency of him going hunting with Bella decreased significantly. Despite this, Steve had managed to find some time today and was out hunting with Abel and Bella for the first time in a long while.
"Steve, your skills haven't gotten rusty, have they?"
"Of course not."
Steve answered Abel's spiteful question with composure. Bella listened to the exchange, feeling happy at the nostalgia of it.
Lately, Bella had been away from the Archibalt Territory escorting immigrants, so it had been a while since she had seen Steve's face. Even when she arrived at the Third Village, her timing was always bad and Steve would be absent, so she had no chance to meet him at all.
Now, just as they were finally about to aim for prey, the retainer Cody came to call for Steve.
"Wakasama, please return to the mansion immediately."
"Did something happen?"
"It seems a territory two doors down was hit by a bandit group. Brian-sama has summoned Wakasama to discuss the alert status."
"That sounds serious."
Given the gravity of the situation, Steve decided to cut the hunt short and return to the mansion immediately.
Bella was disappointed that her precious time with Steve ended due to an unexpected event, wondering when the next time would be, but she was delighted when Abel and Bella were told to come along as well. Though it was somewhat inappropriate given the circumstances.
With Steve's Teleportation, everyone returned to the mansion in an instant.
"The scenery in front of me changes in a flash, it feels like my head's going to go crazy."
"I'm still not used to it."
Abel and Bella staggered. If one isn't used to Teleportation, the brain can't keep up with the scenery changing in an instant.
They went straight to Brian. The members of House Archibalt were already gathered, and Steve, Cody, Abel, and Bella joined them.
Once everyone was present, Brian spoke.
"A village in the territory of Baron Curtis, two doors down, was attacked and wiped out by a bandit group. I had heard reports of bandits appearing near the western border, but it seems they have finally come this close."
"If it's along the border, then the Kingdom of Forest is likely behind the bandit group," Cody said, and everyone nodded. After all, skirmishes with the hypothetical enemy state occurred frequently, and there had been many full-scale wars. If a village on the border with the Kingdom of Forest was being attacked, it was only natural to think the Kingdom of Forest was behind it.
"But if that's the case, they might not come to our territory," Steve said.
This was due to the terrain; while Baron Curtis's territory was still relatively gentle, from the neighboring Baron Derby's territory onwards, mountains stood between them and the Kingdom of Forest, obstructing the passage of people.
Furthermore, in the Archibalt Territory, the mountains grew even higher, exceeding an altitude of 2,000 meters.
Attempting to cross here would be quite difficult, and if one wanted to transport supplies to a bandit group, they would need to move an army. As to whether the Archibalt Territory was worth that much effort, the answer was no.
"Steve, that's only if the bandit group is related to the Kingdom of Forest. If they are citizens of the Kingdom of Cascade, there's a possibility they are ravaging the borderlands because it's easy to flee across, so we shouldn't neglect our vigilance. There's even a chance they might flee toward us."
Even as Brian said this, he himself believed the possibility of a plot by the Kingdom of Forest was high.
And the Archibalt Territory lacked the personnel to deal with such a plot. To begin with, this was asymmetric warfare where the attacking side held an overwhelming advantage. On top of that, for a minor Knight's fief, there was no way to prevent it.
Normally.
Yes, Steve, the outlier, was here. Taking that into account, Brian devised a plan.
"For the time being, Cody and I will handle the patrols of the Main Village. I'll leave the New Village to Abel, and the Third Village to Bella. If you discover the bandit group, raise a signal fire immediately. If you do, we can rush there and handle it at once with Steve's magic. Steve, give the Telescopes to those two."
"Yes. You two, what I'm about to give you is a military secret, so obviously losing it is absolutely forbidden, and in the unlikely event it's about to be captured by the enemy, please destroy it."
What Brian called a Telescope was a refracting telescope. It was a top-tier secret; one had been presented to the King through Cyril, and about twenty had been delivered at the request of the National Army. All of them had serial numbers engraved on them, so that if one were lost or stolen, it would be possible to identify which unit it was.
In House Archibalt, Brian managed them, but for this situation, he decided to lend them to Abel and Bella.
Being told this by Steve with an unusually serious face, Abel and Bella nodded with solemn expressions.
Brian took two cylinders out of a locked box.
"Put your eye here and try looking at something far away through the window."
After Brian demonstrated how to use it, he handed the Telescopes to the two of them.
The two of them looked out the window just as Brian had done.
"Whoa, things far away look close!"
"It's true!"
Abel and Bella were so surprised they frolicked, almost forgetting they had been told it was a military secret.
"Use this to identify any figures you see in the distance. Distance will grant you time."
"Yes!"
Abel and Bella replied loudly to Brian's instructions.
Abel and Bella were already treated as retainers and received a decent salary. They were scheduled to be formally employed as retainers upon reaching adulthood. Well, Brian thought they would need some etiquette training at that time.
Once the explanation of the placements was finished, Steve moved to Aurora's place to gather information.
He had no appointment, but as soon as the gatekeepers saw Steve's figure, they ran to report to Harry. In the Margrave Sowell Territory, instructions had been issued to treat Steve as equivalent to a noble of Count rank. Such treatment for a child who was not the father and had not inherited a title was unprecedented, but given his achievements, once Aurora gave the order, the soldiers had no choice but to obey.
After being guided to the reception room and waiting, Harry soon arrived to confirm his business.
"Welcome. What business brings you here today?"
"I'd like information on the bandit group ravaging the border. I thought perhaps Her Excellency might have some information or might have already taken countermeasures."
"I see. I shall report to my master at once. Please wait a little longer."
Once Harry confirmed the business, he left the room to report to Aurora. Then, having received Aurora's permission, he guided Steve to the office.
Upon entering the office, he found Aurora processing documents one after another.
"I hope you are feeling well, Your Excellency."
"Do I look well? If so, then your eyes, though you're called a child prodigy, aren't much to look at."
"You overestimate me. I'm just a child you can find anywhere."
"If children like you were everywhere, the scenery of the world would have changed completely. Now, shall we get to the main point?"
"Yes. Actually, the territory of our neighbor, Baron Curtis, suffered bandit damage, and I heard that quite a bit of bandit damage is occurring along the western border. There's a possibility the bandits might come to our territory as well, so I was hoping to receive whatever information Your Excellency might have."
"That depends on the conditions. We've spent money on the investigation as well, so I can't just say 'here you go.' For example, if you were to give us one of those Telescopes you sold to the National Army, I might consider it."
Steve was impressed by how well-informed Aurora was. The existence of the Telescope, a top military secret, was supposed to be known only to the King and a portion of the National Army, yet Aurora had grasped its existence.
"Oh, is it strange that I know about the Telescopes? Since they've been deployed to the National Army and actual units exist in the West, there's no way it wouldn't reach my ears. I'll be careful with the handling, so please. I'll clear it with His Majesty myself."
Aurora, who had been grumpy from being buried in work until a moment ago, brightened up because she got to see Steve's surprised face. Surpassing Steve was a goal for her, and she realized she was achieving it.
Since the fate of his own territory was at stake, Steve used Teleportation magic to go fetch a spare Telescope he had made and brought the actual item before Aurora's eyes.
Receiving the Telescope from Steve, Aurora immediately used it to look out the window. She even knew how to use it.
"It makes far away things look quite large. Could you tell me the mechanism?"
"I'm afraid I can't go that far. The Royal Research Institute is to manage the manufacturing process for this, so I cannot present it."
"It can't be helped, then. I wouldn't want to be glared at by His Majesty, so I'll consider obtaining the actual item enough for this time. Do you have a few more?"
"I brought our family's spare, so that's all I have for now."
"I suppose so. It doesn't look like something that can be made easily, so I'll consider the deal closed with this."
Aurora said that, but in reality, Steve could make Telescopes as long as his magical power held out. And Aurora had a faint inkling of that, but she dared not pursue it.
With the deal established, Steve received information about the bandit group from Aurora.
"According to information obtained from survivors of the attacked village, the bandit group headed back toward the Kingdom of Forest. We conducted a search to verify this, and found they were taking breaks at about twice the usual travel distance. Even if they were making a forced march back to their country after attacking a village, going without rest is unusual. Therefore, we and the National Army suspect the presence of a mage."
"A mage?"
"Yes. If there's magic that can shorten travel time, such a thing would be possible. The possibilities are Teleportation or Physical Enhancement. Judging from the footprints, the opponents are about twenty to thirty people. Therefore, the view is that the mage lacks enough magical power to teleport everyone back to their home country all at once, or that the Physical Enhancement is only moderate."
The magical power used for Teleportation magic is proportional to distance and mass. If an ordinary mage tried to teleport thirty people over a long distance, they wouldn't know where they'd end up due to running out of magic. Because of that danger, there was a possibility they were combining magic with normal travel.
The same applied to Physical Enhancement; there was a limit to the number of people enhancement magic could be cast on at once. If the degree of enhancement was increased, it could only be cast on one person, and if it was a low-level enhancement, it could be cast on a large number of people.
These things were known from the experiences of the mages of the Kingdom of Cascade. However, if there were unknown magic or methods of movement, then the speculation would be off the mark.
"Assuming it's a plot by the Kingdom of Forest, what is their goal?"
"To wear us down, I expect. Grasping the damage situation and investigating the culprits. Furthermore, if the army has to be on alert to prepare for the next attack, the cost becomes quite significant. Even if we try to go to war using this as a reason, if the other side claims they have no relation to the bandit group, we lose our justification. In a situation where surrounding countries are also eyeing us, it's quite possible they've teamed up with the Kingdom of Forest. It would make it seem like justice is on their side."
"Even if you say 'alert,' how do you guard such a long border?"
"I'll just tell you that there are mages who specialize in such things. The details are outside this contract."
The Margrave Sowell family and the National Army had mages whose primary duty was reconnaissance. They monitored the long border using magic to share senses with animals, magic for flight, and magic to see far away. However, this was also a top military secret, so it was not something to be told to Steve.
"Then, if I capture a bandit alive, would you tell me about that?"
"Do you have some plan for capturing them alive?"
"No, it's impossible unless they come to us. In that case, the possibility is low for our territory where the mountains serve as a natural border. But if they do come, I'll show you I can capture them alive."
"Well, if you not only capture them alive but that bandit also admits to a relationship with the Kingdom of Forest, then I'll introduce you to the mages doing the reconnaissance."
With this promise, Steve suddenly felt motivated. If he captured a bandit alive, he might be able to learn new magic. The value of that was immeasurable.
Now then, just as he was about to stand up from the sofa to go catch them immediately, he was stopped by Aurora.
"Say, I'm thinking of ordering some Telescopes; when would the delivery date be?"
Steve was forced to promise to deliver additional Telescopes.