Chapter 252 - Chapter 251: Ozendorwa's Request
The second day of the second week of the Month of Fire.
In the dilapidated house of District 3.
Mika was talking with Yaroibarov, Ozendorwa, and the exclusive concierge Lebrantes.
It was because Ozendorwa had requested a place for discussion.
"...Hibujiza has appeared?"
Mika muttered softly, and Ozendorwa nodded.
"It seems he showed up at the checkpoint on the border of the Viscountcy of Sodelpira."
"The Viscountcy of Sodelpira?"
Where is that?
Yaroibarov crossed his arms firmly and raised one eyebrow.
"Sodelpira, huh? That's a pretty remote place again."
So, where is it then?
Seeing Mika's expression, the only one who didn't know the location, Lebrantes explained.
"The Viscountcy of Sodelpira is the land at the very northeast edge of the Kingdom. East of Sodelpira is the Seven Duchies Federation."
"Oh..."
That might indeed be remote.
Like Baron Limpēre's domain, it is one of the frontiers of the Kingdom.
But unlike the dead-end Baron Limpēre's domain, the Viscountcy of Sodelpira might be better off since there is a country you can pass through.
(Hmm...? The land at the very northeast edge?)
There is something vaguely sticking in my memory.
What was it?
"...Ah!?"
Mika suddenly raised his voice, drawing everyone's attention.
"What's wrong, Mika-kun?"
"Did something happen?"
"No, nothing at all!"
Ozendorwa and Yaroibarov asked Mika, who had suddenly raised his voice, but Mika hurriedly made an excuse.
(The land at the very northeast edge... I bought forged documents there.)
It was the domain where I was helped when the Scobata family moved.
I had only heard it was a border domain, but so that's what Sodelpira is called.
I ended up knowing the name of the domain in an unexpected place.
Mika cleared his throat lightly.
"Hmm... so? What happened after he appeared?"
When Mika asked that, Ozendorwa's expression turned severe.
You don't even need to ask for the result just by seeing that.
"Three knights conducting the checkpoint were killed. Two people who just happened to be nearby and seemed unrelated also died as collateral damage."
Hearing Ozendorwa's story, everyone let out a large sigh.
Mika also leaned back against the chair and covered his face with both hands.
The Tranquilizer, the mental stability magic tool, calmed the momentary turmoil in his heart.
(...I expected it.)
As a result, it was close to the worst.
Well, whether it's the worst or not is just a matter of numbers.
Should I think five people became victims?
Or should I think it was only five people?
Mika grew tired of his own thoughts and rubbed his face vigorously.
Then, he exhaled deeply once more and looked at Ozendorwa.
"What about Hibujiza after that?"
"He fled by turning back. ...But he probably crossed the border from somewhere other than the checkpoint."
Of course, border checkpoints are conducted on the main roads.
It seems they choose locations where movement is difficult outside the main roads, such as deep forests or rocky areas.
But while it is difficult, it is not impossible to move around.
Ozendorwa tapped the table with his fingertips.
"When we distributed Hibujiza's portrait, reports of 'seeing someone similar' came in quite a bit. The red-brown haired youth, Ecrease, was, no offense, a look that could be found anywhere, so the portrait wasn't very useful. But fortunately, Hibujiza is easy to recognize. Thanks to that, many witness reports came in."
That sickly face would certainly leave a strong impression.
There are few people with such a disgusting face.
"Where are the witness testimonies?"
When Mika asked that, Ozendorwa grimaced slightly.
"Unfortunately, throughout the Kingdom. There are relatively many in the Royal Capital, Sarbengeal, and there are some reports in other large towns. And then the borders."
"The borders? Not just the border with the Seven Duchies Federation? The Am-Tast Trade Alliance too?"
When Yaroibarov asked, Ozendorwa nodded.
"Rather, there are many witness testimonies at the border of the Viscountcy of Orcosa with the Am-Tast Trade Alliance."
Hearing that, Mika clicked his tongue.
(The border with the Trade Alliance in the Orcosa domain... isn't that where Zureept used to go back and forth freely?)
I understand there's no way to stop it, but it's frustrating that there's nothing I can do.
Lebrantes frowned and asked Ozendorwa.
"So, what will you do from now on? Even if you find him, you can't catch him. You'll just increase the casualties for no reason."
Ozendorwa closed his eyes and sighed.
"............We can't just stop the checkpoints because we dislike casualties, can we?"
"That's true, but..."
Hearing Ozendorwa's reply, Yaroibarov muttered with a pained expression.
Ozendorwa looked at Mika, then at Yaroibarov.
"As you can tell from the story Mika-kun told me, Hibujiza possesses strength far beyond human limits. There aren't many people in the Kingdom who have the possibility of countering him."
Mika and Yaroibarov nodded seriously at the same time.
"Among the Knight Commanders in the Kingdom, I can only think of a handful."
With that phrasing, does that mean there are two or three more monsters beyond human limits in the Kingdom Army besides Ozendorwa?
Rather, that is the surprising part.
Ozendorwa twisted his expression with pain, but soon looked at Mika with a strong gaze.
"...I know this is the wrong way to do it."
After making that preamble, Ozendorwa bowed his head.
"If Hibujiza appears in the Royal Capital, I want you, Mika-kun, and Yaroibarov, to lend me your strength."
"Hey, hey, stop it."
"Yes, Ozendorwa-san."
Yaroibarov and Mika told Ozendorwa, who was bowing his head, to raise his face.
But even so, Ozendorwa continued to bow his head.
"Asking two people from the Royal Capital for this is unqualified as a knight and as a Knight Commander. I know that. But, probably only we have the power to counter him properly. ............To reduce the damage even a little... to reduce the number of victims by even one... the Fifth Knights Order is not enough..."
"Alright, alright, so raise your face."
When Yaroibarov said that, Ozendorwa finally raised his face.
Mika looked straight at Ozendorwa and conveyed it clearly.
"I have a grudge against Hibujiza too. It goes without saying."
"If that guy is lurking around, my food will taste bad."
At Yaroibarov's words, Mika found it a bit funny and laughed.
"...I'm sorry to both of you. Thank you."
Saying that, Ozendorwa bowed his head once more.
"Using the Information Broker Guild's net, have them contact us three as soon as they discover Hibujiza."
"Yeah, if it's okay for the 'Dispeller' to do that, the Information Broker Guild 'this side' is fine with that..."
Lebrantes turned his gaze, so Mika nodded.
"If any damage is done to the town or people during the battle with Hibujiza, I will bear all responsibility. Don't worry about that. The two of you are only cooperating at my request as a Knight Commander."
"Hey, hey, don't take on everything like that."
"Yes. If we use the Church and the Information Broker Guild, public opinion manipulation will be perfect. If we say we protected the Royal Capital, even the Crown Prince will reluctantly cooperate."
Seeing Mika's intention to use all his connections fully, Yaroibarov grimaced.
He lowered his shoulders and twisted his mouth awkwardly.
"............Let's just not make the monk our enemy..."
Watching Yaroibarov like that, Mika and the others laughed together.
■■■■■■
【Warterelam's Perspective】
Warterelam took a bundle of papers randomly from the stacked boxes.
"............The six kings of the prehistoric civilization and their bloodlines...?"
He flipped through the papers and glanced over them.
The prehistoric civilization lasted several hundred years and is said to have had about twenty kings, but the notable ones are the six kings among them.
It is said that civilization advanced dramatically during the reign of these kings, who were skilled in alchemy.
It can only be inferred from oral traditions and things left in ruins, but it is fairly well known that there were indeed kings with excellent power.
There are theories that there were six kings, five kings, or even eight kings.
The Sun King, the first king who built the foundation of civilization.
The Dark King, the last king who possessed great power but is said to have destroyed civilization.
It is also said there were kings called the King of Fire, the King of Earth, and others.
This bundle of papers seems to be an examination regarding the bloodlines of such kings.
It seems the royal family was replaced several times due to rebellions.
It becomes clear that not all six kings were of the same bloodline.
There are gaps here and there, but I am impressed that they managed to research such a family tree.
"Master... if possible, please help me after reading this..."
While Warterelam held the bundle of papers and pondered, Sestendof, who was carrying a box, spoke with a slightly exasperated tone.
"Hm? Ah, yes... sorry. I just..."
Warterelam quickly put the bundle of papers back into the box and closed the lid.
Then, he sat down a little distance away and looked at Lambaluel, who was sitting there muttering while holding a bundle of papers.
"............The Great Secret Book of the Saint...? Did he even research something like this...?"
"Hey, Lambaluel."
Warterelam called out, but it seemed Lambaluel couldn't hear him.
You could see him flipping the papers and his eyes following the text.
Once his interest is drawn, he becomes unable to see or hear what's around him; it's a troublesome nature.
Although Warterelam himself cannot really talk about others in that regard.
"............What, what... There are several books that seem to be candidates, but the original is presumed to be in the 'Book of Hildinlander'... The evidence is first..."
"Lambaluel."
Warterelam crumpled a piece of unnecessary paper on the desk and threw it at Lambaluel.
The paper hit Lambaluel's forehead perfectly.
"What is it? Throwing something like that."
Lambaluel picked up the crumpled paper that fell on the bundle of papers he was reading and threw it back.
"Read it later. We are helping you out, you know?"
"Huh? Oh, oh, sorry, sorry."
Lambaluel put the bundle of papers away in the box, made a "heave-ho" sound, and stood up.
Lambaluel's old friend had passed away.
As expected, the eccentric friend was also eccentric.
Rather, one could say he was the cause that dragged Lambaluel into that path of eccentricity.
This friend was a collector, meaning he was of the same type as Warterelam.
It was this friend who taught Lambaluel the dark side of the Church of Light.
If this friend hadn't existed, Lambaluel wouldn't have fallen into such bad taste, and Warterelam wouldn't have had to know about this game.
In short, the conclusion is that all causes started by this friend.
That aside, as expected of Lambaluel's senior, he was old enough that it wouldn't be strange if he passed away at any time.
However, even if the inheritance was distributed to the family, the handling of the dangerous items he had collected due to his hobby was troublesome.
Dangerous items.
Items that would be punished as heretics if found by the Church, and various other items that would cause trouble.
It would be pitiful to force the family to dispose of such things.
Thinking so, this friend decided to transfer those dangerous items to someone who would willingly accept them.
That someone was Lambaluel.
It seems Lambaluel and this friend had asked each other to dispose of dangerous items when they died.
Only Lambaluel would happily accept such troublesome items that normal people would frown at.
This friend's scope of defense covered not only the dark side of the Church of Light but also various other fields, so these dangerous items were temporarily taken to Warterelam's house.
This is because Lambaluel had already left his home and moved into Warterelam's house for research.
In other words, currently at Warterelam's house, Warterelam, Lambaluel, and the friend of Lambaluel, three collectors who gathered various dangerous items from various places... valuable materials have been collected.
After finishing moving the luggage, they eat lunch together with Warterelam's household members.
"For now, we can't do anything unless we sort it out roughly. There are too many unrelated items."
Lambaluel shrugged with a corf in hand.
Corf is a food made by wrapping meat and vegetables in a round, flat bread.
It was easy to eat with bare hands, and making it was simple, just wrapping meat and such in bread.
"That's right. Let's check it roughly and shove the seemingly unrelated items into the back room."
"Back room? Is there still a room there?"
Lambaluel made a suspicious face at Warterelam's proposal.
That's natural.
The back room is where Lambaluel uses as his bed.
"Do you think there is? It's definitely your room."
"Then where should I sleep!?"
Lambaluel raised a voice of protest at Warterelam's ruthless proposal.
"You're just going to sleep, right? Stuffing luggage won't fill the room. I'll make a gap to sleep in."
At Warterelam's opinion, Sestendof shook his shoulders, trying to hold back a laugh.
Seeing that, Lambaluel grimaced.
"Maybe rent a house nearby and throw them there. I can't keep rolling around here forever anyway."
Rent it as a warehouse for now, and live there once the research is over.
Well, if the living conditions are bad, we can look for a new place to settle down then.
For now, it's good enough if we can shove the troublesome things away.
And so, they began the classification work of the taken items.
Naturally, since they are classifying, they must check the contents.
Even after a few days, the classification work of the two proceeded slowly as expected.
Warterelam sat by the box and looked through the bundle of papers, while Lambaluel rummaged through the box and took out something.
"......Venuum... poison... Adictus is poisoning... Ho ho... This is..."
"What is this monkey figurine? Hmm... 'Holy Being'? Wahahaha... Where is the holy being in such a monkey!"
"Um... Masters? At this rate, it might not be finished even by next year?"
Sestendof couldn't help but speak to the two who didn't seem to have the intention to proceed with the work.
The classification work is to be done only by Warterelam and Lambaluel.
Others cannot distinguish what is necessary.
Maybe barely Sestendof is possible.
But even Sestendof's knowledge is suspicious, so it was decided that these two would do it.
However, as expected, the work would not progress if left to these two.
Sestendof let out a large sigh.
"It's already a difficult era, but if you keep bringing these in forever, it will become more troublesome? Just select the necessary things quickly and burn the rest or something..."
"Burn it!? Burn these valuable materials!? Don't talk nonsense!"
Sestendof's very common sense opinion was unfortunately classified as a "foolish opinion" here.
This is because the owner also agrees with Lambaluel's opinion.
And that owner hasn't even listened to Sestendof's opinion in the first place.
He was still looking through the bundle of papers and muttering to himself.
"Something terrible is happening outside right now? They are attacking Ektrem, and even though they came back defeated, they still intend to stop. What will happen to the Empire from now on...?"
"Just let the blood-thirsty fools do as they please. A war with a neighboring country won't destroy such a huge empire."
Lambaluel, still holding the monkey figurine, ranted passionately.
"The collapse of the Empire will start from within first. Division by civil war. Other than that, there is no way such a huge empire will disappear."
Unless there is a rebellion or revolution, it can be said to be safe.
Unless the Kingdom of Ektrem is a huge nation far surpassing the Gronoir Empire, it won't be defeated by external attacks.
If the territory is gradually chipped away, the story will change, but at least there are no signs of it being resolved in a year or two.
"Haa... Is that so...?"
"Of course. The Kingdom isn't stupid either. They know they can't maintain the entire territory of the Empire if they suddenly get it. So they won't waste soldiers. At best, cutting out the Daburandoru Plains and its surroundings is the limit."
However, even hearing Lambaluel's story, Sestendof remained with a subtle expression.
"Well... Lambaluel's words have some merit."
Warterelam, who had been looking through the bundle of papers until then, raised his face and looked at Lambaluel.
"If you think logically, this war itself makes no sense. Putting aside rule and such, the purpose is to conquer and destroy. The Empire is doing it. It wouldn't be strange if the Kingdom thought the same, would it?"
At Warterelam's opinion, Sestendof's expression darkened.
What kind of feelings do the people of the Kingdom of Ektrem, who were told to perish unilaterally with an oracle, have?
If the Empire intends to do so, it is not strange to think that the Kingdom would too.
Above all, this time the Empire clearly went on the offensive to invade.
There is no objection to thinking that the Empire should be destroyed to protect ourselves.
Warterelam put the bundle of papers into the "keep" box and picked up another document.
"......Sestendof."
Holding the document, Warterelam stood up and moved to the next room with Sestendof.
"How does it look from your perspective? Does this war seem like it will drag on?"
Warterelam lowered his voice and asked Sestendof.
Sestendof made a difficult face at Warterelam's question.
If it was just a guess, he could answer however he wanted.
But the answer Warterelam is seeking is not that.
"I think it will drag on. ...What can I say, the populace is out of control, and hatred is directed at the Emperor who is not sending soldiers."
Even just walking through the Royal Capital, one can feel the killing intent-like atmosphere enveloping the capital.
Why do they want war so much? Sestendof could not understand.
Hearing Sestendof's opinion, Warterelam crossed his arms and pondered.
Then, he looked straight at Sestendof and gave an order.
Hearing that order, Sestendof widened his eyes in surprise.
"......!? Master!? That is...!?"
Warterelam put his index finger to his mouth, gesturing to lower his voice.
"I'm just going to buy a villa. I was thinking of using that as funds."
"B-but... is that alright?"
At Sestendof's confirmation, Warterelam nodded firmly.
His face was not joking.
"Don't make it public. First, under the water."
"Y-yes, I understand."
"Just say you are still considering it and make some inquiries."
"Yes."
Sestendof's expression became serious.
"If you ask the steward, you should be able to find out where inquiries were made before."
Sestendof nodded and left the room with a calm appearance, hiding his inner anxiety.
Watching his back, Warterelam let out a quiet sigh.
The man named Sestendof does more than expected.
At first, I just hired him to entrust the excavation survey.
No, at the very beginning, I just had him help with the excavation survey.
It was more than ten years ago, but the man happened to live in a nearby town where he went for the survey.
I hired a few people as usual and had them help with the excavation survey.
While others worked reluctantly for money, only Sestendof was extremely interested in what Warterelam was doing.
If you approach with interest, you learn the work faster.
He was entrusted with things like being the leader of the people hired on site, and eventually, he was asked to help manage the materials brought back even when he didn't go on excavations.
Warterelam entrusted him with considerable discretion, such as sending him to the site first to prepare before going to the survey site himself.
And now, he is almost like a secretary.
House matters to the steward.
Outside matters to Sestendof.
For the past two years or so, Warterelam has been staying at home, so Sestendof gives instructions to the servants, but that is also done by gauging Warterelam's situation.
Since he lives a life unrelated to day or night, he gives instructions to the steward and servants considering the timing of preparing meals.
Warterelam turned his gaze to the bundle of papers he was still holding.
"......I might need to hurry a little."
He muttered to himself like that.