Chapter 13: To Oz
The two bandits who had attacked first were already lifeless.
After firmly binding the coachman and Mazero, we decided to place them on the cart we had arrived in.
“Lord Soushi, there’s someone lying on the cart. It appears to be a girl… a young girl,” Freinir, who had gone ahead to inspect the cart, reported.
Peering into the cart, I indeed saw a girl wrapped in black cloth, lying on her side. She looked younger than Freinir, probably around 11 or 12 years old. A single horn protruded from her forehead, indicating she was from the cursed nation of Oz. Moreover, her adorable profile struck me with a strong sense of déjà vu.
“Shizuna, take a look at this girl.”
“What in the world… isn’t that Seina!?”
Shizuna exclaimed loudly as she leaned over the girl’s face, shaking her sister Seina’s body gently.
“Seina, Seina, wake up!”
“It seems she has been put to sleep with some kind of drug. At this rate, she won’t wake up for a while,” Sfenia said.
As Sfenia mentioned, Seina showed no signs of waking. While it might be fine to let her sleep until the effects wore off, it would be better to gather information as soon as possible.
“Freinir, can you perform detoxification?”
“I’ll give it a try. ‘Detoxification!’”
Freinir activated one of her Life Attribute Magic spells, Detoxification. I wondered if it would work on a sleeping drug, and just then, Seina murmured, “Mmm…”
“Seina, wake up. Seina!”
“Hmm… yes… Sister? Shizuna… why are you here?”
Seina rubbed her eyes and sat up, still looking drowsy as she surveyed her surroundings. Then, as if realizing something, she turned to Shizuna with wide eyes.
“Where is this place? I was supposed to be sleeping in my bed…”
“Don’t you remember? Seina, you were likely kidnapped by bandits. We are near the eastern border,” Shizuna explained.
“Whaaat!? No way… What about Mother?”
“If you don’t know, then we don’t either. We came here to hunt monsters. We were planning to return to the capital after spending the night, but we never expected to find you here, kidnapped.”
“Such a thing… If it weren’t for you, Sister, it would have been a terrible situation.”
“The one who rescued you is Lord Soushi over there. He defeated the bandits and saved you.”
As Shizuna pointed towards me, Seina turned her whole body around and bowed deeply.
“Thank you very much for saving me. I am Seina, the priestess of Oz, and I sincerely appreciate your help.”
Wow, what remarkable manners for such a young girl. Moreover, her ability to grasp the situation so quickly was impressive. Shizuna had mentioned that she was destined to become a High Priestess, and now I understood why.
“I’m just glad you’re safe. My companions found suspicious bandits and captured them, but I never imagined a priestess would be among them.”
“Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that you saved me. By the way, Lord Soushi, you are the one who appeared riding on a Sacred Spirit Beast, correct?”
“That’s right. I’m the great benefactor of Oz who rescued the Sacred Spirit Beast.”
For some reason, Shizuna puffed out her chest with pride, but I wished she wouldn’t call me a “great benefactor,” as it felt a bit embarrassing.
I sensed Seina’s eyes sparkling as she looked at me, so I decided to leave the conversation to Shizuna and Freinir and turned my attention to the bound Mazero.
Upon capturing him, I realized that Mazero was a gaunt middle-aged man. As an adventurer, he should have a stronger physique than an average person, but he looked anything but. If it weren’t for the harsh aura surrounding his face, one might mistake him for a sickly person.
Mariane and Karma had taken the lead in interrogating Mazero.
However, it was clear that Mazero had no intention of speaking. Under the moonlight, his expression was devoid of emotion, and his thin lips had barely moved.
As I approached, Mariane glanced at me and shook her head.
“This man doesn’t seem willing to talk at all. He won’t even utter his name.”
“Doesn’t he have an Adventurer Card?”
“It seems he isn’t wearing one. He might have it in an Item Box.”
“I see… But if we take him to the capital like this, he’ll be charged with the serious crime of kidnapping a priestess, right? Isn’t that enough?”
“Before that, we want to gather information as a guild.”
“Right… huh?”
Come to think of it, I had acquired a rather ominous Skill called Plunder. I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone because it felt too unsettling. The timing of obtaining it seemed a bit too convenient…
“If this man has an Item Box, we might be able to work something out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just watch me for a moment.”
I activated my Item Box as usual, creating a black hole in front of the seated man’s face. As I tried to reach in, I felt a slight resistance, but I pushed my hand in forcefully. It was clear that the contents were different from my Item Box. Imagining an Adventurer Card, I felt a thin plate in my hand. Pulling it out, I found a card engraved with the name “Mazero.”
When I showed Mazero’s Adventurer Card to Mariane, her eyes widened in surprise.
“What is this…!? Lord Soushi, what was that Skill just now?”
“Oh, it’s a Skill I acquired not long ago. It’s called Plunder, and it allows me to interfere with someone else’s Item Box. I didn’t mention it because the name felt rather unpleasant.”
“Plunder… I’ve certainly heard of it. But they say you need a significant power difference to interfere… Ah, but for you, Lord Soushi, it must be easy.”
Mariane accepted the card with a look of understanding.
Meanwhile, Mazero, who had been completely still until now, suddenly began to panic.
“Hey, you… don’t mess around… Do you think it’s permissible to steal from someone else’s Item Box…?”
His voice was as raspy as his appearance suggested. There was no inflection, but hints of anxiety slipped through his words.
“Permissible or not, you’ve tried to take my life twice. I think I’m entitled to this much.”
“Twice…? So you were the one from the Elf Village…”
“Indeed, so it was you who caused the commotion at the Elf Village.”
Upon hearing my words, Mazero’s expression shifted to one of realization, and he fell silent once more.
“Your misdeeds are recorded on your card, so it’s pointless to remain silent now. More importantly, was the abduction of the priestess your only objective in this incident?”
“…”
“Hmmm…”
If he chose to remain silent, I had my own plans. I activated my Item Box in front of Mazero’s face once more.
“What are you planning to do…!?”
“I’m going to do this.”
Using my Plunder Skill, I began extracting items from Mazero’s Item Box and laying them out on the ground. Compared to my Item Box, the number of items was significantly fewer. After pulling out about twenty items, I was left with just one last item.
“What is this?”
In my hand was a slender rod wrapped in what appeared to be luxurious fabric. It looked like a transverse flute…
“Hmm!? Lord Soushi, that’s something significant!”
It was Shizuna who reacted. Seina, who had come down from the cart with her, also wore a surprised expression.
“Is it something important?”
“That is the national treasure of Oz, the Spirit Summoning Flute. It is the only tool that can summon the Sacred Spirit Beasts.”