Chapter 27: Has It Been Revealed?
Morning arrived, yet the residences of Marquis Harriet Kirik, Count Noel Alden, and Viscount Yarl Hansel lay in eerie silence. The household members were confined to a single room, with only a few servants permitted to move about for the maintenance of the estate and daily necessities. Even the free-moving servants were barred from leaving the mansion, strictly forbidden from any contact with the outside world.
Marquis Kirik, Count Alden, and Viscount Hansel found themselves stripped of all but their undergarments, trembling in the damp confines of a dungeon. The hard bread and thin, murky soup served for breakfast were hardly appetizing, and they had not touched their meager meal. The sunlight filtering through a small window illuminated their haggard faces, revealing the toll of the night.
“Harriet Kirik, step forward.”
Called out by the jailer, Harriet was dragged from her cell and taken to a room furnished only with a sturdy, albeit shabby, table and chair. Forced onto the hard chair, she was bound tightly with ropes, rendering her immobile. The jailer’s voice echoed, announcing that the preparations were complete and she was to be summoned.
Footsteps approached from a distance, and the figures that emerged were not the interrogators or torturers, but His Majesty the King, the Chancellor, and a group of knightly guards.
“Your Majesty, why…?”
“Hmm, why indeed? Last year, a man named Hoen was captured in the Hamawar territory, and we searched the Waal Trading Company in connection with that. You understand what I mean now, don’t you? Well, Jacksen Nagyar also had quite a bit to say. You, who have acted so freely, will now serve as a criminal slave in the Royal Castle, tending to the needs of the nobles.”
“Your Majesty, I will tell you everything. There are others…”
“I already know everything. Remain silent and watch as I tidy this up. The last supper was delicious, wasn’t it? After all, you were served the meat of an Armored Buffalo.”
At the Chancellor’s signal, two men stood behind Harriet Kirik and began to mutter incantations. “Your Majesty, please forgive me! Stop it! I beg you!” Harriet Kirik pleaded as a mana-infused collar was fastened around her neck, and the incantation continued. A dull red light glowed from the stone attached to the collar.
“It suits you well, Kirik. Now, get to work.”
Dressed in the garb of a lowly slave, she was taken away for training as a servant to the nobles. The same fate befell Count Noel Alden and Viscount Yarl Hansel. The three met in the slave training area, but conversation was forbidden among slaves, leaving them unable to speak.
Though it was thought that the disposal of the nobles was complete, the unit dispatched to seize Count Alden’s territory suffered a painful counterattack due to the rebellion of his legitimate son, failing to suppress the resistance.
Currently, Ebert Alden, along with over 300 of his relatives and territorial soldiers, was barricaded in the Alden estate, resisting fiercely. Ebert Alden was renowned for his mana grade of 110 and his adept use of magic, proving too formidable for the seizing forces.
The kingdom could not afford for this resistance to drag on. Not only would it set a poor example for other nobles, but it would also invite contempt towards the royal family. Sending magical troops and numerous soldiers would only announce the rebellion to the world. Just as they were pondering their next move, the Chancellor brought forth a piece of promising news.
Rumors suggested that the adventurers who had slain the Armored Buffalo were currently in the Royal Capital. Immediately, this was linked to the meat of the Armored Buffalo presented by Marquis Hamawar. Upon learning this, the Marquis was astonished, thinking he had obtained the meat himself.
“Your Majesty, according to whispers from the Adventurers’ Guild, three Armored Buffalo were slain. One was shot through the belly, another had a front leg blown off, and the third was riddled with what appeared to be numerous Stone Bullets, leaving its insides in tatters. Moreover, the one shot through the belly had a festering wound.”
“Are there truly such formidable adventurers among them?”
“Your Majesty, that is not all. I managed to speak with one of those who brought the Armored Buffalo to the Adventurers’ Guild. However, the tale is hard to believe. The Buffalo was defeated by three individuals, one named Hyalda and another named Fiene.”
“What? Hyalda and Fiene…? Could it be…?”
“There is no mistake. The adventurer is one of those who escorted Marquis Sharda Hamawal’s party from the capital city of Egdra in the Hiyaru region. I got him to drink generously and handed him some gold to extract the information. The other who defeated the Armored Buffalo is a 16-year-old boy who just registered as an adventurer this year, named Kaito. It seems he is quite close to the Marquis’s party, even riding in the same carriage.”
“Do they possess such power? The one shot through the belly and left to rot must have been due to Fiene’s fire magic.”
“The adventurer boasted about the slaying of the Armored Buffalo, and I could hardly believe my ears. The Marquis’s carriage encountered the Armored Buffalo, and one of them charged at the carriage. The boy used Earth Magic to set up stakes beside the carriage to absorb the impact, and the Armored Buffalo charged twice but could not break through. Before the third charge, the Buffalo let out a terrifying roar. The boy shot a Stone Bullet into its roaring mouth, bringing it down, or so he bragged. According to the one who heard the tale, the boy collapsed from mana exhaustion after that. When the remaining two Buffalo charged at him, they were taken down by fire and ice magic from both sides.”
“What an incredible story.”
“Word has it that when an Armored Buffalo charges, it can send both warhorses and cargo carts flying. Even large packs of Rush Wolves, known as the rulers of the plains, avoid approaching an Armored Buffalo.”
“To be drained of mana by a few stakes and Stone Bullets? Their mana grade seems low. Yet, they risked their lives to protect the Marquis’s carriage.”
“Perhaps we should have them handle the suppression of Ebert Alden.”
“Understood. Summon the Marquis and those three.”
A summons arrived at the Hamawar estate from His Majesty the King. The letter instructed Marquis Hamawar to bring along Viscount Hyalda Hamawar, Lady Fiene Hamawar, and the boy named Kaito to the Royal Castle.
“The fact that His Majesty is aware of Kaito’s existence means the matter of the Armored Buffalo has leaked.”
“What shall we do, Father?”
“He is an adventurer and not a subject of His Majesty, so we will leave him behind. It is not a request, and whether he accepts is up to Kaito. If asked about his relationship with us, you can explain how you were attacked by the Black Wolf. Just be sure to subtly emphasize his defensive capabilities and mana exhaustion. When the Armored Buffalo attacked, he only defended himself and exhausted his mana with a single attack, so that should suffice. We can say we keep Kaito close because of his few instances of protection and because he saved our daughter’s life.”
“Kaito is staying at an inn, so it would be impossible for him to accompany us. Both Kaito and you, Father, are quite shrewd in utilizing your positions as adventurers, showing foresight.”
“That is merely a precaution to avoid involving others should something arise. His Majesty likely intends to have us, or rather you and Kaito, do something. The summons came too suddenly.”
After informing Kaito of the details in writing, Marquis Hamawar and the others set out for the Royal Castle the following day.
“Marquis Hamawar, where is the boy named Kaito?”
“Your Majesty, that boy is an adventurer. Once his assigned task is complete, I cannot command him. If you have business with him, please issue a formal request through the Adventurers’ Guild. If he accepts the request, he will surely come to you.”
“I understand. Hyalda Hamawar, Fiene Hamawar, you both seem to be quite skilled in magic, is that correct?”
“Your Majesty, I cannot answer such vague questions. However, it is true that we recently managed to slay an Armored Buffalo. We can use magic to that extent, but as I mentioned before, my mana grade is only 70, so I cannot push myself too hard.”
“Hmm… So, it is only to that extent?”
“Even if it is Your Majesty, I have no intention of revealing all my abilities. I cannot expose my hand for the sake of caution in case of an emergency. There is no guarantee that something like the previous incident will not happen again, so I ask for your understanding.”
“I understand; I won’t inquire about magic.”
“Fiene Hamawar, your fire magic seems quite formidable, but I have one question. When I was attacked, you did not take down the assailant.”
“Your Majesty, my brother Hyalda acted as your shield, and I judged that the danger had passed. I thought that if I deflected the assailant’s attack, the guards would be able to apprehend the culprit. If I had attacked in earnest, it would have been difficult to control, and there was a risk of collateral damage.”
“I see, I will not press further on that matter. However, I have a request for you. The noble heir we captured recently has rebelled against the forces sent to seize his territory and has barricaded himself in his mansion along with his relatives and guards. Though it is a mansion, it is built like a fortress, and we are having difficulty subduing it, so I would like to ask for your assistance.”
I could not refuse the request from His Majesty, but I was granted the freedom to operate without being under the command of the local forces, allowing me to utilize them as needed. After all, the heir of the Marquis was involved, and there was no local commander who could easily command the current Viscount.