“Well then, I’m off.”
“Yes, please be careful on your journey.”
“Yes, then.”
It’s early morning in the Royal Capital, and I’m leaving the mansion after being seen off by Lady Martha.
My duties in the north are over, and I’ve had plenty of rest. We hired adventurers were quickly dismissed, but the active knights, soldiers, and those involved with the academy are still working in the north.
Because of that, the academy will go straight into summer vacation, the so-called social season. Though it seems the social scene is in a self-imposed lockdown.
Anyway, I, whose job is to guard the Young Lady at the academy, am temporarily relieved of my duties.
Moreover, the Young Lady I was guarding has already returned to her domain. I really have nothing to do.
So, when I told Lady Martha I was going back to the domain, she said she had received travel expenses and a pass for entering and exiting the domain from the Young Lady and handed them over to me. That’s a big help.
“Well, I need to show my face at the Adventurer’s Guild, too…”
Yesterday, when I introduced Tonkakke, Brenda told me that if I was going to be away from the main base for a long time, I should let the Guild know. Apparently, if you don’t show your face for too long, they might think you’re dead and start a search request.
As told, I head to the Adventurer’s Guild early in the morning, and there’s a crowd of people who seem to be heading to the Adventurer’s Guild as well.
A crowd… that’s a lot.
“There are a lot of people…”
Listening in, it seems other people are also slightly exasperated.
“Well, everyone wants to make a living.”
I arrive at the Adventurer’s Guild. I ask Iserina-san while I’m there to let her know, and she tells me with a grumpy look.
Requests related to the Black Ant are concentrated, and many people are gathered for that.
As a result, the number of adventurers in the Royal Capital has decreased, and the amount of each request tends to increase accordingly.
And if the amount increases, people either try to manage on their own or wait until it gets cheaper, so the number of requests itself is decreasing.
And because of the competition for the reduced number of requests, the Adventurer’s Guild is thriving from the morning.
“Materials are also not good for a while. The Guild is living frugally.”
“Is that so?”
“The Magic Stone purchase price has dropped considerably.”
Standing Requests are also unpopular right now.
A large number of Black Ant were defeated in the north, so there is an oversupply of lower and intermediate Magic Stones. Well, we defeated a lot of C and B rank ants.
Soldier-class ants are C rank, so you can get so-called lower-grade Magic Stones, and warrior-class ants are B rank. That’s an intermediate Magic Stone.
Especially B rank or higher Monsters are usually expensive because you have to go deeper than the middle layer of the Dungeon or go to places quite far from human habitation to get them.
That is becoming oversupplied and the price is falling. I didn’t notice because the purchase price at the site was the same.
Of course, the prices of other materials remain unchanged. However, good quality Magic Stones are originally more valuable than poor materials. If that becomes cheaper, the value of defeating Monsters at the risk of danger is drastically reduced.
Because of such things, people don’t take Standing Requests and gather at the Adventurer’s Guild from the morning, hoping to get a slightly better request.
The mornings were already crowded, but recently the congestion has become even more severe, and Iserina-san and other Guild staff are honestly feeling like they can’t take it anymore.
“Well, that’s why we probably won’t be able to buy anything for a while, so it’s okay if Claffy-kun goes out. Be careful and have a good trip.”
“Yes.”
“You’re going back to your Village, right? Say hello to the two of them for me.”
“Ahaha, I understand.”
I convey what I need to convey and leave the Adventurer’s Guild. I exit the Royal Capital, pass through the main street, and gradually deviate from it, entering a Forest where there are no people around, and then I use Space Transfer. I couldn’t think of any other place, so I moved near a certain lakeside in the Black Forest.
While being cautious of the surroundings, I surround the area with a Monster Ward Barrier. It’s a more powerful type than a stink bag.
“Now, how is it?”
I show my face at the treatment facility prepared near the entrance. I receive cleaning at the entrance and enter, confirming the condition of the two. The two in the Medical Capsules were already completely healed. They are waiting for instructions from me to awaken.
“…Alright, let’s wake them up.”
However, both of them are naked. It’s okay for the old man Knight, but it’s not right to wake up the female Knight naked, so I prepare a screen so they can’t see each other.
“Have both of them awakened.”
I give instructions to the Drone and awaken the two.
“Ugh…”
“Where is this…”
“Good morning, you two. There are towels and clothes over there. Just so you know, you’re both naked, okay?”
“Hmm? Nani!? My arm!”
“My leg, I can walk with my own legs?”
“Please do that kind of confirmation while you change…”
I want them to change quickly.
“…Did you treat us?”
“We are grateful.”
“Yeah. Well, I can’t just let people die in front of me when I can save them.”
The two of them wiped their bodies and finished changing. As for the clothes, I had them wear the Unified Space Force uniform because that’s what I had in stock. It’s a navy blue Military Uniform.
The size of the clothes? I took body data during the treatment, so I matched it with that.
“But to regenerate limbs, and even my eyes… how many years has it been since I saw things with both eyes?”
Ah, that was also included in the treatment range. I didn’t give detailed instructions, so it healed all the bad parts.
“I’ve heard that the only way to obtain recovery medicine that is effective for missing body parts is to find it rarely in the depths of the Dungeon. How much value should I pay…”
“No, that’s fine, but. First, I need to explain the situation, okay?”
“”Yes.””
Quite some time has passed, and I need to tell them that they are currently considered dead.
“First of all, about two weeks have passed since I rescued you two. The Queen has already been exterminated, so the Black Ant case is heading towards resolution. I also spoke with your captain, Brian-sama. You two were already considered dead.”
“Two weeks, you say?”
“So much time has passed.”
“Even if I can heal you, limb loss is regenerative treatment. It takes time, unlike simply healing a wound. It was also a treatment method that I didn’t want people to know about, so the only people who know that you two are still alive are the comrades who were with us at that time.”
They also know that I hid the two of them, but they don’t know that their arms and legs have been regenerated and they are completely healed.
“That is, we have caused you trouble.”
“No, I did it on my own. I intend to have you two return appropriately, but before that, I want you to accept a certain magic. If you cannot accept it, I am sorry, but I cannot release you.”
I can’t leak my secrets, so I’m sorry, but I’m going to have you put on the Unified Space Force era’s criminal restraint magic.
“…May I ask what kind of magic it is?”
“It’s called Oath Magic. You make a declaration and swear an oath to your soul. This binds your words and actions. This time, it will be that you must not tell anyone about the treatment you received from me, the circumstances of the treatment, the facility, or what you have seen and heard, including the conversations so far, without my permission.”
Criminals had to be restrained, but it was difficult to restrain those with strong Magical Power. There were also beings who had cyberneticized parts of their bodies, hiding weapons inside their bodies or whose bodies themselves were weapons. In any case, there were a certain number of criminals who could not be easily restrained.
This Oath Magic was created to restrain such opponents.
Its main role was to be used on criminals, but in star systems with old-fashioned customs, it was also used to clarify the relationship between master and servant.
By the way, this Oath Magic can be解除. It is necessary to解除 it when a criminal has served their sentence.
Courts also have memory alteration magic, but I don’t have that. I haven’t checked, but it probably isn’t in the books, materials, or data I have. That’s the kind of magic you can’t use without qualifications. Well, I probably can’t use it with my talent, so even if I were to use it, I would need to make it into a Magic Item.
“If you accept that, I will release you in an appropriate place in the north after you rehabilitate.”
“Hmm, I don’t mind that… but two weeks, you say?”
“We are already considered dead, I don’t think we can return so easily.”
“Please struggle with that on your own.”
It may be said that I am irresponsible, but I cannot take care of them to that extent. I want them to deceive others well.
“That, rehabilitation? What is that?”
“…Even if the treatment is over, your body may not be in perfect condition. Do you feel heavy now?”
“Now that you mention it.”
“Indeed. I had forgotten about my eyes, but I am not in top condition.”
Actually, I’m still limiting my physical abilities. It’s not just the regenerative treatment; if the other effect kicks in, I could be in danger, so I’m suppressing it with medication.
“You don’t really have a choice, but please rest your body today. I’ll prepare a meal for you later.”
And I need to add another container house; there’s no place for two people to stay.
“I am Barbatos. This one is Beatrice. May I ask your name?”
“I am Beatrice. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Cladfield.”
After that, I got bombarded with questions about clothes, facilities, and all sorts of things. Too much trouble, so I’m shutting it all down.
“Therefore, I cannot answer!”
Ah, I already feel like giving up.
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I am applying for Kakuyomu Con 10.
I’ve heard rumors that following the work and ☆ reviews are related to the ranking, so I would like those. Please do.