Episode 68: Interlude (Leon Degraaf 1)
“Then Leon, I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, I’ll be on my way.”
The location is on the shore of the Five-Lake, along the highway. Flattala City lies about half a day’s walk ahead.
The delegation decided to send out a scout to determine if Flattala City could provide supplies and rest.
The scout is the head of the guard, Leon Degraaf, riding a horse. Seeing him off is the delegation’s representative, Agritend Ruvannia.
And then.
“Zwanzig-san, I’m counting on you as well.”
“Understood.”
Zwanzig is an attendant from ＜Paraiso＞, a guard. When the idea of sending a scout to Flattala City came up, she volunteered, saying that if she went, she could also bring a guard Magitech Machine (Golem).
They wanted her to refrain due to the danger, but frankly, their strength, or rather, combat ability, as members of ＜Paraiso＞, is extremely high. In the first place, they were accompanying the delegation as a guard force, so they decided to accept her offer.
“We don’t intend to stay long, and we’ll return as soon as we can confirm the situation. If there don’t seem to be any problems, we’ll send a message ahead, but if we don’t return by nightfall, please don’t approach Flattala City.”
“Understood. I’ll wait until noon tomorrow, just in case. Don’t die.”
“Yes. I have no intention of dying. Especially with her here.”
Nodding, Leon mounted his beloved horse. Zwanzig also climbed into the Magitech Machine (Golem) she controls. This Golem is a smaller one stored inside the giant Golem that accompanies them (which they call Boki). It’s about the same length as Leon’s horse, but more than twice as wide.
It has four sturdy Legs and looks like a spider with fewer Legs. As a result, its height isn’t that great, and her seating position is even lower than Leon’s.
“Then.”
“I’ll be off.”
As the horse galloped away, the Golem she rode also began to run. The speed is the same as the horse. It makes almost no noise, so it must be a very high-performance Golem.
However, Leon has only heard about Golems in tavern rumors.
It would take half a day to walk to Flattala City, but at a horse’s gallop, it won’t take long to arrive. Small Monsters may appear around the city, but they usually don’t attack horses, so they can be ignored.
The bandits are the ones to watch out for, but they often set up bases along the highways between cities, so there’s no need to worry about them either. After all, trade with Iron Town and its surrounding territories has been cut off for over a year.
There’s no reason for bandits to be lying in wait on this side.
As he was thinking about this while urging his horse on, he soon began to see the outer walls of Flattala City in the distance. Leon sent a signal to Zwanzig, who was riding behind him.
“I can see it, Zwanzig-san. Please proceed as we discussed from here.”
“Understood. If anything happens, give me instructions.”
Confirming that Leon nodded, Zwanzig pulled the hood of her cloak down over her eyes. Her appearance is very conspicuous, so the aim is to at least avoid exposing her to the public eye. She is also wearing a Magic Tool called goggles, covering both eyes.
Frankly, it looks quite bizarre, but the hood and goggles create an atmosphere that makes it difficult to approach her, making her the center of attention in a bad way. However, that’s much better than spreading the reputation of a beautiful fox-eared girl.
No one in the delegation trusted the security situation at all.
Everyone shared the common understanding that the moment the members of ＜Paraiso＞ appeared in public, kidnappers would flock to them en masse.
The purpose of this reconnaissance is to confirm whether Flattala City has been destroyed while information has been cut off, or whether it has been occupied by a Bandit Gang, or whether such a worst-case scenario has occurred.
“It doesn’t look like it’s in ruins, does it?”
“…That’s right. It certainly doesn’t look like it’s in ruins. There’s smoke rising, so there’s no doubt that people are living there.”
Indeed, several streams of what appear to be cooking smoke can be seen. However, as far as Leon remembers, Flattala City was supposed to have Stoves that used Magic Stones as fuel. The fact that they’re using firewood for cooking means that the supply of Magic Stones has decreased, or they can no longer repair the Magic Tools.
Either way, it’s not a good sign.
“…I hope civilization remains.”
Leon muttered involuntarily. Zwanzig, who seemed to have heard him, turned her face slightly towards Leon, but returned her gaze forward without saying anything in particular. He didn’t particularly want a reply, so that’s fine.
However, he was surprised that she could hear him even when he muttered under his breath. So those fox ears aren’t just for show.
(Does this mean we can’t have secret talks in front of them…?)
Leon thought of it to that extent, but it’s actually a much bigger problem. If Kullavia Telek heard this information, she would flip out and faint.
However, since almost all conversations are already being leaked to the ＜Paraiso＞ side, their response wouldn’t change regardless of what happens.
Leon and Zwanzig continued to advance their horses (and Golem) and approached Flattala City.
The outer wall is a simple one, made of piled-up earth with wooden fences on top.
It’s about 3 meters high, which should be enough to prevent the intrusion of bandits and small Monsters.
“There’s a gate on the right. Let’s head there.”
“Understood.”
On the right, a closed gate can be seen. There are no guards in sight, but there probably aren’t many people coming and going from this side, so it can’t be helped. The problem is that if this gate is closed, they’ll have to look for an open gate.
“…For now, let’s ask.”
Leon decided to let Zwanzig stay mounted and dismounted from his horse. When he turned around because he heard the sound of metal scraping, Zwanzig was manipulating something on the metal weapon (which she called a Rifle) in her hand.
“This? Caution. Don’t mind.”
“…Understood.”
Well, indeed. There’s a possibility of being attacked suddenly, so there’s no harm in being cautious outside the gate. However, he should stop her from taking obvious actions after entering the city.
“Hey, is anyone there!”
He struck the knocker attached to the gate and raised his voice. After repeating it twice, he heard the sound of metal being struck from inside.
“I hear you! I’ll open it now, so wait a moment!”
After a while, a peephole opened inward with a creaking sound.
“What, did you bother to come to this gate…? There’s no prey here.”
The man who showed his face was wearing a bandana with a distinctive dye pattern. Leon remembered this. It’s like an identification card that the Flattala City guards all wear.
Leon was relieved. At least, it looks like the Flattala City security organization is still in place. The internal situation is still unknown, though.
“No. I’m not from here. Do you know Telek Port City?”
“…? No, I don’t recall hearing that name… …! Could it be that you came from another city!?”
“Yes. It’s the only city with a port in our kingdom, but you don’t know it?”
The gatekeeper’s eyes widened at Leon’s words.
“A port! I’ve heard of that! …Wait a minute, I’ll go tell someone right away… no, let’s have you come in! How many people are there!?”
“I’m a messenger. There’s one more person with me, there’s a horse and a Golem, but is it okay for them to come in with me?”
“A horse and… a Golem? Ah, no, there’s no problem. I’ll have you go directly to the Mansion. Wait a moment, I’ll open the gate.”
After a flurry of activity, one side of the gate began to open outward. It seems that there’s only one gatekeeper, so Leon also helps to open it.
“Ah, sorry. Thanks for the help. We don’t usually use this gate, so there’s only one person stationed here.”
“I figured. Don’t worry, I’m just a handyman.”
The gate is too heavy to open completely. They decided to enter after it was opened about halfway.
“Alright, let’s go. Zwanzig-san, please follow me.”
Leon started walking, leading his beloved horse. Zwanzig also nodded and advanced the Golem. It was impressive to see the gatekeeper’s man looking at her and the Golem with an amazing expression.