Chapter 30: Rescue
As I nodded at Fiene, I focused my nerves on the rubble and closed my eyes.
Kaito’s figure vanished from before Fiene.
“That’s a lie.”
“Could it be… he can really do it?”
Soft whispers, almost like sighs, escaped from the two of them, but my body remained still, captivated by the sight of Transfer Magic for the first time.
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“Whoa!”
“What’s going on?!”
“Is something wrong?!”
“Could it be…?”
Welcomed by a chorus of voices, I glanced around and, seeing the faces illuminated by the light of Life Magic, I felt relieved to confirm it was the knights of the Marquis’ household.
It seemed I had succeeded, and a sigh of relief escaped my lips.
“There’s no doubt, it’s Lady Hyalda and the people she was training with.”
“That’s right. Lady Hyalda is injured, but where did the exit… come from?”
“I’ll explain later, but the voices from outside were responding to us here, right?”
“Yes, I heard someone speaking, but I couldn’t catch what they were saying.”
I silenced everyone and drew my longsword, striking the back of the blade with my knife. I struck three times, paused, and then struck three more times.
As I listened intently, I could faintly hear the sound of metal being struck. The rhythm of three strikes followed by a pause seemed to reach Fiene outside.
“Is Hyalda there?”
“Yes, but she’s injured. This way!”
I squeezed through a narrow gap illuminated by the light, and upon closer inspection, I realized it was a makeshift resting area that Hyaru had stored in her Magic Pouch.
I crawled through the barely wide enough space for a person and emerged into a slightly larger area, where a thick beam was slanted down from above.
In one corner, Hyaru lay with several knights beside her. Her legs were crushed, her clothes stained with blood and dirt, resembling a corpse.
When I placed my hand on her neck, I felt a weak pulse, but it wouldn’t last long.
“How many seriously injured are there?”
“Only the six here. The rest have minor injuries like broken bones or cuts. As for the others… they’re probably beyond saving.”
After examining the six, I found that two of them had already passed away. I decided to carry out the ones who were still breathing, hoping I could manage it.
I instructed everyone to step back and not to move no matter what happened. Gripping one person’s wrist, I searched for Fiene’s presence to determine the direction, channeling my mana toward her.
“Kaito!”
“I’ll explain later. Please take care of him. Don’t strain yourself; just let the mana flow gently.”
With that brief message, I jumped toward Hyalda.
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As Kaito suddenly vanished with one of the severely injured, those left behind were left in shock until Kaito reappeared again.
Each time Kaito appeared and disappeared, one by one, the severely injured vanished, and soon Hyalda was gone as well. When he appeared next, he instructed everyone to gather in one place while gripping one person’s arm before disappearing again.
“I’ve never seen someone who can use Transfer Magic before!”
Everyone was excited. Just when they were about to give up, they were unexpectedly rescued by Transfer Magic, and one after another, the injured disappeared.
After carrying out the last two who had died, Kaito jumped back to the scene.
He drew his longsword and struck it with his knife, repeatedly listening intently for any signs.
After pinpointing the location of a response, he managed to rescue two more, but after that, all presence vanished.
To investigate the source of the discomfort I felt when rescuing Hyalda and the other two, I returned to the scene and pondered.
The source of the discomfort was the collapsed rubble.
There were few broken pillars or beams; instead, they were cracked diagonally or horizontally, feeling as if their connections had been neutralized.
Rather than being cut cleanly at an angle, it felt more like the stones had been magically transformed into sand particles at an angle.
I speculated that the beams had also been partially turned to sand, making them more prone to collapse.
Returning to Marquis Hamawar, I informed him that I had something to discuss.
“I’ve instructed everyone to keep quiet about the Transfer Magic.”
“That’s appreciated, but there’s a serious issue at hand. This appears to be a man-made incident disguised as an accident. I can’t say for certain if it was an assassination, but it’s clear it was intentionally set up.”
The Marquis stared at me intently, but he didn’t seem to doubt my words.
“Why do you think that?”
As I explained the condition of the pillars and beams, he fell deep into thought.
“If we can identify those who can use Earth Magic and have been coming and going from this area recently, or those who approached suspiciously, we might find something. Or perhaps someone who has gone missing.”
“I’ll have them investigate.”
He said this while summoning the person in charge of the training grounds and the commander of the Earth Magic users to discuss the matter.
Worried about Hyalda, I went to Fiene, where I found a pale Hyalda being supported by her.
“You can stand now, but it looks like you’ve lost quite a bit of blood. You should lie down.”
“Kaito, thank you. You saved me.”
“You managed to get out of that resting area, huh?”
“I had it set up as a training command post. When it started to collapse, everyone was outside, but I was close by, so I was saved. The other teams probably didn’t make it.”
“Probably. I could only find two others besides you and your group.”
“But to think you mastered Transfer Magic…”
“I had been practicing, but I never thought I’d have to use it in such a dangerous situation. I had considered various ways to use it, but I had no idea what awaited me on the other side, and jumping into rubble would mean instant death.”
“Following Fiene, I was saved by you too, Kaito.”
“I’m glad I made it in time. I also learned that Fiene’s Healing Magic can save even those on the brink of death.”
“When I saw my brother, I was trembling, but I’m grateful to Elmart for granting me Healing Magic and to you for teaching me magic, Kaito. Thank you.”
“Kaito, it seems one of the people who was in the dormitory when the training began has vanished. We’re looking for him now.”
“Father, what are you talking about?”
“Kaito mentioned that the collapse of the training ground might have been orchestrated. While investigating suspicious individuals, it seems one person has gone missing.”
“An Earth Magic user, perhaps?”
“Yes. He should have been in the dormitory before the accident, but his whereabouts are unknown.”
“Now that you mention it, there was someone who was inspecting the facility before the training, but he left before it started.”
“We issued alerts to all roads, towns, and villages, but if it was planned, capturing him will be difficult.”
“He probably checked the building’s collapse before fleeing. It would take time for rescue, so he likely doesn’t think he’ll be suspected right away. Even if he left the city, he probably hasn’t gone far. If he rushes, he’ll draw suspicion.”
As expected, three days later, I received a report that the problematic man had been captured in a town just before the border of our territory.
The captured Earth Magic user, named Naval, was brought back to the City of Egdra by ten knights.
After undergoing harsh interrogation in the security team’s prison, Naval quickly confessed. He had been serving Count Dalasl of the neighboring territory, but his daughter had suddenly fallen ill with a strange disease, and he struggled with the high cost of medicine. The Count had helped him with the medical expenses.
Seven years ago, he had been asked by Count Dalasl to infiltrate the Hamawar household, and since then, he had been working diligently as instructed.
He admitted that he should have regularly reported what he learned while working for the Hamawar household, but this time he had received detailed instructions from a liaison.
He confessed that he couldn’t refuse when told that if he did, the assistance for his daughter’s medical expenses would be cut off, and he couldn’t bear to let his daughter suffer.
The liaison was a couple who ran an eatery near the market in Egdra and a male worker. On his days off, he would go there to eat and answer various questions about what he had learned.
“Everyone probes for information, but when it comes to assassination, we can’t overlook it.”
“Father, Naval’s confession alone isn’t enough to go on.”
“Perhaps we should try a little intimidation.”
“Intimidation?”
“If Kaito agrees to help, we can intimidate him. Invite Kaito to dinner tomorrow.”
When Fiene went to the hotel to convey Marquis Hamawar’s invitation, she was surprised when Kaito accepted it without hesitation.
“Aren’t you going to ask anything?”
“Now that I know who the other party is, they’re inviting me. It depends on the content of the conversation.”
After a delightful dinner at the Marquis’ residence, while chatting in the salon, I was asked to deliver a letter.
The destination was the desk in the office of Count Dalasl in the town of Herman, in the Shihaya region.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
The letter read, “My son’s life has been saved. The price for your meddling will be your life and that of your family.” Nobles can be terrifying, can’t they?
Of course, I accepted. They said they would make the arrangements.
To be honest, I’m just as furious—not only about the fact that they’re targeting Hyalda but also about their indiscriminate killings. What angers me the most, though, is the way they’re treating Nabal’s family. They’ve set everything up so perfectly that there’s no escape, using them as mere pawns.
With the three Adventurers that the Marquis arranged for us, we traveled by carriage to the Town of Fol, just one stop before reaching Count Dalasl’s territory, the city of Herman. From Fol, we made our way to Herman on foot and finally entered the city.
Disguised as wandering Adventurers, we checked into a hotel, but I opted for a separate room from the others. As the sun set and darkness enveloped the surroundings, I ventured out into the night with the Adventurers. They headed off to drink, while I took a leisurely stroll toward the Count Dalasl’s estate.