Chapter 0192 Bags
-x-X-x-
The day Ryo and Abel arrived at the Crystal Palace in the Royal Capital.
Ryo went straight to the Royal Alchemy Workshop.
Abel, on the other hand, completed some jobs at the frontier Count Rune's mansion.
Even for an average adventurer, so long as you're an A-rank, you will be required to perform a variety of tasks.
The night after completing these tasks, Abel left the Count's mansion, walked for a while, and entered a certain building.
It was the 'Kingdom Magic Research Institute', also known as the 'Ilarion Residence'.
However, instead of going directly to Ilarion's office on the top floor, where he usually goes, he went to the basement.
It was an off-limits area lined with laboratories dedicated to Ilarion.
But Abel did not care about such things and entered the area, stood in front of a room, and held his right hand in front of the door.
A blue-white light appeared on the door, and after a moment, the door opened without a sound.
He did the same with the doors inside the room, and after passing through a total of three doors, Abel descended the stairs that appeared and walked down the long corridor.
After walking for what must have been twenty minutes, he came to a spiral staircase leading to the top.
Without hesitation, he went up the stairs and arrived in front of a stone door.
Abel placed his hand on the stone door and chanted something.
Then the stone door opened by itself.
Then, after walking about 50 meters, he arrived at yet another stone door.
Abel slid his sword halfway out of its sheath and struck the door three times with the hilt.
After a while, he heard three taps on the other side of the door.
Confirming this, Abel tapped seven times this time.
Finally, he heard the sound of something like a lock and bolt being removed from behind the door, and the door opened.
And then, the face that appeared was the crown prince.
"Come in, Albert."
"Big brother…"
Abel, who was called Albert, could not say anything back to the crown prince who greeted him with a smile.
He looked so much worse than the last time they had met.
"I look terrible, don't I?"
The Crown Prince said to Abel with a smile.
"No…"
As expected, even though he was his brother, he couldn't honestly tell him what he thought of him. But then again, Abel sucks when it comes to lying.
"It's my body after all. So I know it best. Quite frankly, I probably won't even last another year."
"Brother!"
"Oh don't make such a scary face. It can't be helped."
The crown prince laughed bitterly and soothed Abel, whose face was turning grim.
"When I die, Abel will be the first in line to the throne. I am not worried at all about your strength in terms of 'military prowess', Abel. As for your individual combat strength, you've even become an A-rank adventurer."
The crown prince looked really happy, despite his disheveled face.
"I'm just concerned that you don't have much experience in actual politics because you're busy working as an adventurer."
"Yes…"
Abel nodded his head in agreement with the crown prince's point.
Of course, until he left the royal castle at the age of eighteen, Abel had learned everything a royal family member should learn.
So, as far as basic knowledge is concerned, he's solid….
"So, for the next week, I would like to pass along all the problems and experiences I have had to tackle as crown prince to you, Abel."
"What…. B-But, that's, wait…"
Abel, as the second prince when he was in the royal castle, was trained in both literature and military arts.
However, he did not like both equally…needless to say, his tastes were so biased that he even wanted to devote everything to military arts, or rather the sword.
"Albert, you can't run away from this at this stage. This is my last request as your big brother."
The crown prince approached Abel with a smile on his face that was almost refreshing.
He knew from experience that if he said this, Abel wouldn't refuse.
"All right…I understand."
Without much resistance, Abel gave up.
"Good. I knew you would accept, so I've already prepared the materials. We'll get right on, starting tonight."
And so began Abel's week-long days of intensive study.
On the eve of the mission's departure, a dazed swordsman stood in front of the Royal Alchemy Workshop.
"Hello…"
His voice was so feeble that under normal circumstances, no one would have responded.
However, that night, a water-attribute magician was waiting near the entrance of the alchemy workshop, and he was able to pick up on the faint voice.
"Abel, you are late. I was contacted and although I was waiting for you…I was already thinking of going to the frontier count's mansion on my own."
"Uh…sorry. I lost track of time studying…"
The swordsman Abel was carrying a rather large bag.
The magician Ryo, was also carrying a large bag in addition to his usual bag.
"That's a rather bulky bag you got there, Abel."
"You seem to be carrying one yourself, Ryo."
They both looked at each other's bags and laughed.
Abel laughed dryly.
Ryo smiled happily.
The difference most likely had to do with the contents of the bags.
Abel went from the royal castle to the alchemy workshop after leaving the Kingdom Magic Research Institute.
There he met up with Ryo, and the two entered the frontier Count Rune's mansion.
Abel, feeling pretty spent, went straight to bed.
Ryo took a bath gracefully, looked at the materials in his bag for a bit, and then went to sleep.
They both eventually found themselves in dreamland.
The two enjoyed a peaceful world…
The next morning, Abel was released from a week of intensive lectures by the crown prince and had fully recovered after a night's sleep.
As might be expected of an A-rank adventurer perhaps.
His recovery power must be among the highest in the entire human race.
Ryo also woke up fine and had the breakfast prepared by the frontier count's mansion.
He had a long journey ahead of him. Moreover, to a foreign country.
Since anything could happen along the way, he filled his stomach given the opportunity.
Although he's one to hold back on a normal day, he does act like an adventurer when called for.
And since they were guests, a carriage had been prepared for them.
As they headed for the carriage, they saw a familiar face.
"Oh, if it isn't Zack and Scotty. Are you two in the delegation as well?"
They ran into Zack Cooler and Scotty Cobook, both members of the Royal Knight Order and members of the 'Second Son Union', a drinking club in the royal capital.
"Yeah, as platoon leaders."
"There were so many applicants, we had to go through quite a number of rounds of elimination."
Zack and Scotty replied, laughing.
But suddenly Zack's laughter froze.
"Wait, you, the magician from that time…"
Zack caught sight of Ryo.
By that time, of course, he was referring to the Elven Autonomous Region incident during the royal capital mayhem.
It was shortly after the elf, Sera defeated the Ark Devil, Ryo appeared there and claimed the heads of the other Devils with a water jet.
While holding Sera, who Zack had a thing for, in his arms.
Zack's eyes was filled with hostility, along with some fear.
Ryo also sensed this thorny atmosphere and asked Abel, who was standing next to him, in a whisper,
"What's his deal?"
Ryo had no recollection of meeting Zack.
But he did feel a hostile stare.
Of course, Abel knew the whole story, but…he couldn't be bothered to share the details at the moment.
"B-Beats me…I don't know what's going on, but don't worry about it."
With a cold sweat running down his back, Abel decided to play dumb.
Incidentally, Scotty, who was standing next to Zack, was shaking his head in a small gesture of resignation. From the very beginning, he had shown by his actions that he had no intention of doing anything.
In the end, Ryo got into the carriage without so much of a clue.
That day, a total of 82 people, including 20 civilian officials, two members of an A-rank party, 20 knights, 20 squires, and 20 C-rank escort adventurers, led by a negotiator from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, departed the royal capital.
-x-X-x-
Of the delegation, the civilian officials and the members of the A-rank party, Ryo and Abel were riding in carriages.
The knights on horseback, and the others on foot.
Therefore, the entire delegation was moving at a very slow pace.
It was estimated to be a month-long one way from the royal capital to Twilight Land, located in the southwest of the Kingdom by going through Acre, the largest city in the south.
Starting from Deopham, the city where they planned to stay the first night, they would rest in the cities along the 3rd highway during all their stops getting to Acre.
Besides that, they didn't plan to camp out until they get to the border.
That was because, aside from adventurers and knights, encampment would be difficult for civilian officials, including the negotiator.
In this respect, the itinerary was relatively easy.
"Abel, I heard that we'll be staying at Deopham on our first night. Do you remember? We also stopped at Deopham first on our trip to Rune city from the royal capital. It was that trip where my left arm was chopped off."
"How can you casually talk about your arm getting chopped off with such a smile?…Your mental capacity is quite something, Ryo."
Abel said despairingly.
The look of dismay on his face was not necessarily because of what Ryo was talking about.
"That's quite a lot of material you got there."
"Yeah, I guess. My brother gave me quite a lot of homework so…"
That's right, Abel had been released from the intensive lectures of his elder brother, the crown prince, but he had boarded the carriage with a mountain of homework that he had been assigned to solve during the trip.
Perhaps that would explain about ninety percent of his dispirited state.
"…The scope of the punishment concerning a viscount who has transgressed the law…to what extent and under what punishment should the family members be subjected… In the royal castle, he drew his sword and slashed at the head of the ceremonial family, Count A… The events are kind of detailed for some reason. It's like a case study of an actual incident."
"Yeah, well. That's because it's an incident that actually happened."
"Did they stop him by screaming, unsheathing swords in the castle is punishable with death or something?" (TLN: Lit. Denchu de gozaru)
What came to Ryo's mind was the story of Asano Naganori and Kira Yoshinaka.
"No idea what you're talking about, but I'm pretty sure that the house of that viscount who carried out the assault was ruined. However, the circumstances leading up to it were also complicated…. Ughh…how am I supposed to wrap my head around this."
Abel said with a deep, really deep sigh.
"It's almost as if you're really being forced to study like a prince."
"What do you mean, as if…you too, Ryo, the fact that you still don't believe me…just shows how much of a blockhead you are."
"Of course. "Because if Abel were to accidentally become a king, then…"
"Then…?"
Abel urged Ryo, feeling a little anxious to hear what was coming after that.
"Then…I won't be able to casually ask you to treat me to meals anymore!"
"Oh, right, I thought as much."
Abel plopped down on the table in the carriage.
"Speaking of which…"
"What is it?"
Ryo suddenly remembered the question in his mind, and Abel asked without looking up.
"What is the name of your brother, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
"My brother is Caindish Besford Knightley."
"Cain…"
"Hmm? Yeah, I sometimes call him Cain when I was a kid, why?"
What came to Ryo's mind was 'Cain and Abel'.
Cain, the elder brother, was the perpetrator of the first murder on Earth in the history of the world, and Abel, the younger brother, was the victim.
It's a story from the Old Testament.
(Could Cain be planning to crush Abel with his studies…)
Yeah right.
Abel, with a difficult look on his face the entire time, was trying to solve the homework assigned by the crown prince.
In comparison, Ryo was almost always smiling as he read through materials or wrote something on a piece of paper beside him.
Although the two were grappling with documents, the atmosphere in the carriage was completely different.
That was the difference between homework to become a king and golem-related data and materials.
They were riding a two-person carriage with a table.
Compared to the others, which were four-people carriages with tables, it was a bit smaller, but they were able to spend time without worrying about anyone else, which helped them to make progress in their studies.
Just before 4:00 p.m., the delegation arrived at Deopham, their lodging for the first day.
"Abel, this is the inn we stayed at the other time."
Ryo looked up at the inn for the night, feeling good.
The reason was that he remembered.
Ryo remembered that this inn had a large bath.
"Well, it's a pretty high-class inn, even in Deopham. So, I can understand why the state chose it as the accommodation for the delegation. Moreover this time, they rented the entire inn."
Abel looked tired, perhaps from the fatigue of studying all day long.
Then Abel in such a state said to Ryo.
"Ryo, I'm sure you haven't forgotten, that we've been summoned to the negotiator's room for dinner tonight. So, I will see you in your room by six o'clock."
"Wha…"
Ryo literally froze.
His right foot stopped as he was about to step forward, his left hand also stopped as he was about to swing it forward, and everything about Ryo…including his expression, stopped.
Then he looked at Abel with a frozen expression on his face, as if he was going to crack in any minute.
"Actually, Abel, I'm not feeling too good, so I'm going to have to miss dinner…"
"That's not going to fly and you know it. This is also part of the obligation of this request."
Shrugging his shoulders and sighing, Abel opened his eyes to the harsh truth.
"Listen, I mean, Abel is an A-rank adventurer, and I'm just a mere C-rank…"
"Give it up, Ryo."
"But I'm sure the negotiator will be a high-class noble who looks at a commoner adventurer like a piece of trash…and be like, 'I can't sit at the same table with this guy! 'And then pour wine over my precious robe, are you fine with that?"
Ryo's expressionless face melted, and this time he appealed with teary eyes.
"…Wow, what terrible prejudice. But, indeed, there are nobles like that…. But, the negotiator is the second son of Marquis Hope, a great noble house in the western region. And I believe he hasn't even turned thirty yet…"
"A great noble house…"
Ryo had a hopeless look on his face with tears in his eyes.
"Anyway, just give it up. Also, he said we could come in our normal outfits. See you later."
Saying this, Abel quickly followed the delegation into the inn.
Ryo, who had been left behind, stumbled into the inn with such a tottering gait that there was not a shred of the excitement he had when they arrived at Deopham.
"Hey, hello, welcome. I am Ignis Haglitt, the negotiator for this mission. Pleased to meet you."
After saying this, Negotiator Ignis shook hands with both of them.
The negotiator of the mission who greeted Ryo and Abel was so unassuming that Ryo was taken aback.
"You must be Mr. Abel, the swordsman. I am very grateful to you for accepting our Ministry of Foreign Affairs' request on such short notice. And that must be Mr. Ryo, the magician. I know you were dragged into this mess Sir Ilarion caused… sorry about that."
Negotiator Ignis, smiling and shaking hands, instantly made them both feel that maybe he's 'not that bad of a person'.
He sure was a 'negotiator' for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
His face wasn't at all cool, nor, on the contrary, ugly.
It was tender and gentle, and the fact that he was always smiling reinforced the tenderness.
"Come on, please have a seat over there. They said that the food is already prepared, so it will be served soon. So, let's talk while eating. Eating hot food while it is still hot. It's a courtesy to the chef."
The first dinner with Ignis, the negotiator, which also served as a meeting, ended in a friendly atmosphere.
Ryo's image of the high-class noble that he had before entering the inn, was completely shattered, and he had a pleasant time.
Ryo was satisfied that the dinner was filled with good food, pleasant conversation…and the good points of the upper class.
"Mr. Ignis, is not at all bad."
"Yeah. His father, Marquis Hope, is a man who keeps his distance from the politics of the Kingdom, but he has a reputation for excellence in the management of his estates. Taxes are low, businesses are booming, and security is good. Originally, Marquis Hope's territory was a thriving agricultural community, but recently it has been doing very well commercially as well. I would like to visit there at least once."
Abel gave such a detailed rundown.
Actually, the subject had come up during his intensive lecture with the crown prince.
"Well, Sir Ignis must have been anxious as well. Seeing as how we set-off without him meeting us."
"That's the thing. How come we never got to attend the mission formation ceremony back in the royal capital?"
It seems that while Ryo was holed up in the alchemy workshop and Abel was taking intensive lectures, there was a formation ceremony and the announcement party.
Well, common sense would dictate such a thing…
"That was because, apparently, if I went there, there was a possibility that I would run into someone I knew back when I was in the royal castle. The Grand Master and my elder brother discussed it as well. So they decided that since we are adventurers, we would not be allowed in there."
"Ugh, another Prince Abel routine…. In a way, It's kinda admirable when you go that far."
Ryo shrugged his shoulders, let out a sigh, and looked like he was straight-up impressed.
"No, what's more admirable is that, you still don't believe me even after all this, Ryo…"
Abel sighed deeply, much more deeply than Ryo.
"Because if Abel were to accidentally become king, then…"
"I bet you would say something like, then you won't be able to munch off me anymore, right?"
"Abel will use the authority of a King to write off his debts to me."
"How much of a loser King do you think I would be! "
Abel shouted as usual.
But after a moment, he suddenly realized something.
"Wait a minute, do I owe you anything, Ryo…."
"Your very existence is all thanks to me, Abel."
"You're not making sense! "
"Your wits are rather dull today, Abel."
"…"
The next morning.
In the courtyard of the inn, there were knights and adventurers wielding swords.
Among the knights, the one who was taking the lead in swinging his sword was Zack Cooler, a member of the Royal Knight Order.
Even from Abel's point of view, who was wielding a sword beside him, his determination was completely different from before.
"You look different, Zack."
"I'm only doing what's necessary, to become a knight worthy of standing beside Miss Sera."
"I-I see…"
Abel looked away involuntarily as he recalled Zack's motive for starting to wield the sword so seriously.
Abel could not say anything to his drinking buddy, who was getting impatient over his unrequited love.
He felt that if he did…it would spark a duel between Zack and Ryo.
-x-X-x-
"Whew…"
In one of the carriages of the delegation.
A certain swordsman looked up from the documents in front of him and sighed.
"Oh, look at me giving it my all. So what, are you looking for a pat on the back, is that it? Cunning Abel!"
"Ugh, good lord! Now I can't even sigh in peace."
Today, too, the skit…conversation between the swordsman and the magician was in full swing.
"To begin with, studying is fun. It's not something to sigh over."
Ryo was certainly smiling when he said that.
Naturally, it was because it was his favorite field of study.
"Even you, Ryo…for example, if what you're studying is about politics, I bet you'd let out a sigh or two."
"Hehehe, that's simply your ignorance talking, Abel. Now, let this political researcher Ryo clear away the fog that's clouding your mind! "
"Political researcher…"
Abel sighed more deeply than before and shook his head a few times.
"Nothing is clouding my mind in particular…I'm just wondering why something like the royal family exists…."
"How philosophical…a prince questioning the raison d'etre of the royal family…"
"Why not, I don't see anything philosophical about it."
When Abel said this, he suddenly looked at Ryo's hand.
He was holding the handle of something with his right hand, and turning it round and round. It appeared to be made of glass…but, he understood that it was probably something made of ice with water-attribute magic.
After turning it for a while, he opened what looked like a lid and transferred a powdery substance into a newly-made ice cylinder.
"Hey, Ryo, what are you up to…"
"I thought I'd have a cup of coffee. Back at home, I grind my coffee beans with a mill I got from Gecko trading company, but I can't bring it with me on a trip like this, as it'll only add to my load needlessly. And since the mill itself is fairly simple in structure, I thought I'd try making it with water-attribute magic."
Ryo handed Abel the coffee mill after he had finished transferring the powdered coffee beans, while he went ahead and poured hot water into a coffee press made of ice…of course, also with water attribute magic.
What incredible versatility of water-attribute magic!
"So now, I can have freshly brewed coffee on the road, as long as I have roasted beans! "
"Wow…"
Abel is usually taken aback by Ryo's behavior, but this time he was genuinely impressed.
The rich aroma of Kona coffee wafted from the coffee press.
On the desk were a coffee press and an hourglass, both made of ice…perhaps even the 'sand' were tiny particles of ice.
"The founding family is the flag."
"What?"
Ryo muttered softly, to which Abel reacted involuntarily.
"Oh, nothing, nothing, I was just talking to myself. That, a royal family is the flag."
"A royal family is the flag…"
Ryo nodded once and began to explain.
"Apparently, people have a hard time feeling loyalty to something as vague and intangible as an 'organization' or a 'country'. But, it is possible to bring people together by making them feel loyalty to a 'person' who embodies or symbolizes that organization."
Abel listened to Ryo's explanation without uttering a word.
"A nation gathers the allegiance of its people by establishing a national flag and anthem, and by displaying 'things that symbolizes the nation' rather than ambiguous notions. But still, that is far from being enough. The most important factor is the 'figure'."
The United States of America, the father of democracy in the modern world, is perhaps the best example of this.
The 'President of the United States' is the symbol and embodiment of the nation itself.
Therefore, no matter what happened, the safety of the president, the symbol of the nation, would remain the top priority.
No matter how many dozens or thousands die, everything in the country would move to ensure the safety of the president first.
That's how the system works.
Those who created the system in America must have realized. That the most effective way to unite the people was to install a 'figure' who would represent the nation itself.
That's why such a cultural mosaic nation, with its mixture of races, religions, and various ways of thinking, had been able to remain a superpower at the very top of the world after only one major civil war.
There have been many charismatic leaders throughout the world and history.
Under them, racial and religious conflicts did not become major problems, and the country was stable.
But when they died, those conflicts came to the surface, shaking the country and, above all, making the people suffer.
That's why it's a problem if it only lasted a single generation.
For the people to stay united, the symbol must….
"In other words, a king, or the royal family, is a necessary symbol for uniting the people together as a nation. Or, to put it more bluntly, that it is the most effective mechanism, correct?"
"There you have it. I do think it's pretty inhumane though. Because it means that the king will be robbed of the pleasures of living a mundane life."
It was Ryo's father who referred to the founding family as a flag.
According to him, it's possible to use the founding family as a symbol to unite employees and as one of the most effective mechanisms to run a company.
As a matter of fact, stories of what became of companies that grew large and eliminated their founding families decades later are often heard here and there, aren't they?
There are thousands of companies in Japan that have existed for centuries, and almost all of them had founding families.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have lasted that long.
History does not lie.
History proves it.
History is…sometimes cruel.
There is of course the possibility that the founding family members…will remain trapped in the 'family'.
So 'denying the freedom to choose a profession' can hardly be seen as humane.
But history does not take such things into account
"The flag itself may not necessarily be outstanding. That is fine, it is a flag after all, so as long as it has outstanding people around performing their duties properly, everything will be all right…and that's one aspect. In fact, there are quite a number of foolish kings known throughout history. I mean, it'd be great if the flag itself is outstanding, but if it isn't, there's no need to feel too down about it."
"Somehow I feel like…you're indirectly telling me that I'm not outstanding…"
Abel looked Ryo straight in the eye.
"Oops, the hourglass has run out. Let's have coffee while we take a break, shall we."
With that, Ryo lowered the press, poured the freshly brewed coffee into an ice coffee cup with no trace of cold, and handed it to Abel.
"Oh, okay, thank you."
Abel took it and smiled after taking in the aroma.
"To think I'd get to drink freshly brewed coffee in a traveling carriage."
"Hehehe. Experience the greatness of water-attribute magic, to the fullest! "
Ryo smiled at the aroma of the coffee as he made a grand gesture.
At the same time. Somewhere in the kingdom.
"Master 'Black', everything is set."
In front of the man called 'Black', more than ten men and women were down on one knee, bowing their heads, awaiting his instructions.
They were the executives of the new 'Order of Assassins'.
"I authorize the raid on the delegation in accordance with the new contract. Natalia, you take command."
"Yes sir."
After giving the order, 'Black' disappeared.
But the executives did not move for a while.
After more than two minutes, Natalia stood up.
The other executives also stood up in response.
"He's even more intimidating than the previous chief."
The most senior of the executives muttered to himself.
Natalia glared at him.
But she didn't say anything.
The executives are in the same pecking order.
But because of this, the position of the man who had been a member of the Order for a long time is stronger in its own way.
Even though Natalia is favored by 'Black' and entrusted with the command of major operations like this one, she is still only one of the executives.
(Soon…)
With such strong feelings, Natalia left the room with the determination to one day rise above these men.
She was headed for Acre, the largest city in the southern part of the Kingdom.
-x-X-x-
It was the tenth day since the diplomatic mission left the royal capital.
Traveling south along the Kingdom's Third Highway, they entered Acre, the largest city in the south.
Acre is the capital city of Marquis Heinlein's domain and, along with the Rune city, is the largest city in the Kingdom.
The lord, Marquis Heinlein, was the former Knight-Captain of the Kingdom and Phelps', a B-rank adventurer from Rune city, father.
There, in Acre city, civil servants, knights, and squires were to stay at the lord's mansion, while adventurers were to stay at a luxury inn adjacent to the mansion.
Ostensibly, a welcoming ceremony was being held for the civil servants and knights, and since adventurers wouldn't feel comfortable participating in such a ceremony, they were to stay outside the mansion so that they could freely go wild and have a good time as well.
In reality, this was for the benefit of Abel, who was the second prince and at the same time an A-rank adventurer.
It was a common understanding among those privy to the situation that Abel would not be drawn into ceremonial relations within the Kingdom as much as possible.
Marquis Alexis Heinlein, who is also Phelps's father, naturally knew Abel's status and therefore one of those 'privy to the situation'.
The inn where the 22 adventurers, including Abel and Ryo, were staying was deluxe, as it was adjacent to the lord's mansion.
Normally, the inn would be reserved for a wealthy merchant working with Marquis Heinlein's family or the attendants of a noble visiting the Marquis family.
To begin with, the lobby is a cut above.
The vast marble-floored lobby…wasn't only spacious, but vast, with a perfect balance of opulence and sophistication, creating a vast yet very comfortable space.
"Abel…this inn is awesome…"
"Yeah… It is, of course, the best inn in the south, but it is also one of the most exclusive inns in the entire Kingdom."
The attitude of the staff was professional, and even though they were dealing with adventurers, many of whom were rather gruff, they always served their guests with smiles on their faces, and even the tough-looking adventurers were blushing like flowers in full bloom.
Two employees came to Ryo and Abel, who were watching them.
"Master Abel and Master Ryo, I presume. The formalities have been taken care of, so I will show you to your rooms."
"Let me take your luggages."
The two employees led them to the rooms at the far end of the second floor both facing each other.
And the room Ryo entered…
The spacious living room had a luxurious-looking sofa and stylish rocking chairs.
There was a bedroom separate from the living room, with a soft king-size bed.
What's more, it even had an adjacent room open-air bath!
"Wow…"
The employee who showed him around smiled at the words of admiration that unintentionally escaped Ryo's mouth, and bowed in response.
It was the first time Ryo recognized the awesomeness of an inn…that's seriously operated by a great noble house.
After taking a leisurely bath in the open-air bath, Ryo put on the loungewear provided and went down to the dining room on the first floor.
There, he found a group of adventurers who were about wasted.
Among them, Ryo spotted a fiendish A-rank swordsman, so he moved to the corner to avoid detection…well, he tried to….
"Hey, Ryo, don't you run away by yourself! "
"You've got the wrong person, buddy."
"Like hell I do."
Ryo was caught by a drunken Abel and put into a group of drunken adventurers.
A forced spiral of drinking and eating ensued.
And, for some reason, he was flanked on both sides by female adventurers who were chorusing "so cute~" all around.
Ryo seemed to be adored by female adventurers….
He wondered if most Easterners, regardless of the world, appeared baby-faced.
Basically, since he only tangled with certain adventurers back in Rune, he had never experienced such a situation before….
As Ryo was beginning to feel pretty drunk, eating his meat dish almost unconsciously while his surroundings were drowning in a sea of alcohol.
Outside the window, he spotted a person who should not have been there.
Moreover, that person was looking at Ryo and beckoning him over.
Ryo looked around, and after confirming that everyone was asleep except himself, he went out of the inn.
"Mr. Phelps?"
"Hey, Ryo."
It was Phelps, the leader of 'White Brigade', a B-rank party in Rune city.
"Why are you here…?"
"Hmm? It's my parents' house…"
"Oh, right…"
Phelps A. Heinlein was the heir to the Marquis Heinlein house.
And this is Acre, the capital of Marquis Heinlein's domain.
"By the way, Abel is inside, if you're wondering?"
"Nah, I just thought to inform you this time, Ryo."
Phelps sat in a chair on the open terrace, and Ryo sat across from him.
"Let me get straight to the point, you know about the 'Order of Assassins' don't you?"
"What…"
Of course he knew about them, just…he wasn't sure if he should answer honestly or not.
In the end.
"W-What are you talking about…"
"Yep, you really should work on your lying skill."
Phelps pointed out with a chuckle.
"I know you destroyed the village of the Order of Assassins."
"T-That was just a coincidence…"
Ryo, who had not expected that the information was so widely known, was flustered as he tried to explain.
"Listen, I'm not accusing you of anything."
"Oh, is that so?"
Ryo was overtly relieved.
"Just that, the Order of Assassins is on the move again."
"What…. But the chief is already…"
Exactly, the chief 'Hassan', died in front of Ryo.
And Ryo took over his alchemy materials.
"Yes, apparently someone else has become the new chief. And there is a very strong possibility that this mission is among their targets."
"What… why the diplomatic mission?"
"I am not sure. But for some time now, some people in this city have been gathering information about the mission. I caught them and asked them about it, and that's what they told me."
Phelps' expression did not change.
Ryo thought that the method employed when he 'caught them and asked them' must have been horrifying.
Phelps is the heir to a great noble house and takes great pride in being a 'knight', but may also be good at this kind of stuff~, Ryo thought.
He also thought that Abel might have mentioned it at some point?
"Maybe Abel is the target?"
Hearing those words, Phelps stared into Ryo's eyes.
"From the way you sound, you're asking about Abel's status, aren't you, Ryo?"
Phelps asked, smiling slightly. It's in the form of a question, but he already got his answer.
"He calls himself the second prince."
"Calls himself?"
Sure enough, Phelps laughed out loud at this.
"Yes, well, he is, as a matter of fact."
"Oh…well, I've suspected as much for some time now."
Yes, he had thought so.
No jokes, okay? For real.
"I am not sure if Abel is the target this time… I mean if they wanted to go after Abel, why bother risking it at this time and raising the bar unnecessarily, when there were plenty of chances where he was isolated and with no one around? That said, we can't write it off completely though…"
"Okay, I'll keep an eye out."
Ryo nodded emphatically.
Ryo interpreted that Phelps had come all the way to see him to ask for Abel's protection, along with the matter of the Order of Assassins being on the move.
"If you can keep an eye out, that would be very reassuring, Ryo."
Phelps smiled after saying that, and then stood up.
"Oh, and Twilight Land itself is getting a little seedy. Just keep that in mind."
With that, Phelps walked toward the adjacent pavilion.
Ryo watched as he walked away.
"Hmmm, I guess that's the kind of person they call a young lord, huh~. Not that Abel is…lacking class, but just not quite."
"You knew I was here, that's why you're saying that on purpose, aren't you."
The swordsman in question, Abel, came out of the shadows.
Ryo knew he was there with his
However, he was not there from the beginning, but came just before the end of the conversation.
"No way, of course not~"
"You really suck at lying! "
Ryo sighed and said to Abel.
"It looks like I misunderstood you, Abel."
"Whoa, what's up with you all of a sudden?"
Abel asked, tilting his head.
"I admit that you're the second prince, Abel."
"So Ryo…doesn't believe what I say, but you believe without a second thought when it comes from Phelps uh?"
"Hey, you can't blame me. I'm sure you also won't believe it if an impostor says to you, "I'm a prince~", would you? But if the heir to the Marquis house says, "He is a prince", then you would believe him, wouldn't you?"
"…Can you…even apply that analogy in this instance?"
Abel did not seem at all convinced, but he had no choice but to accept it.
"Fine, okay. What's Phelps doing here anyway?"
"Remember the Order of Assassins right, apparently they're on the move again and are targeting the diplomatic mission."
"How can you say something that serious so lightly…"
Abel sighed at Ryo's lightly-spoken explanation, which was in the same sense as nonchalantly saying, hey if there is no curry soup, why not just have hamburger steak.
It certainly was a serious subject, but….
"Well, I mean, there are knights, and other adventurers other than us around this time. So, we can just totally sit back and leave it to them to…I mean, to have our backs all the way! "
"Oh okay, wait, I thought I heard you say we should sit back or something."
"You heard wrong."
-x-X-x-
"From Acre onward, we'll be seeing more of forests."
Abel said, after they left Acre.
"In other words, from here on out, our real journey begins."
Ryo nodded seriously with a face that looked like he had made a tragic decision.
"Well, you don't have to be that serious …. After Acre, we'll still have to go through Birdon Braine, where we'll be staying tonight."
"Oh really…. Then you can keep the speech till tomorrow."
"What're you talking about, even now, the journey is already as 'real' as it gets…"
Ryo sighed and shook his head slightly, as if to say, oh dear. Abel saw this and chided him.
It was the usual spectacle.
That said, things were a little different in the carriage than they had been up until yesterday.
Until yesterday, the inside of the carriage was truly a scene that could be described as a mobile study room, but today, the number of documents out on the desk had reduced to less than half.
As expected, this was the result of taking into consideration the warning from Phelps, along with the fact that they were no longer on the third highway which only stretches up to Acre, where complete safety was ensured.
"Speaking of which, Phelps told me yesterday that he caught some guys from the Order of Assassins who were sniffing around in Acre and questioned them…"
"Oh…yeah, he's good at that kind of stuff."
Abel nodded his head and replied.
"The assassins of the Order are probably not that big of a deal if they can be caught so easily."
"Nah…I don't think that's necessarily the case."
"What do you mean?"
Abel refuted it, and Ryo tilted his head and asked in response.
"It's because Acre, or rather Marquis Heinlein's territory to be exact, has one of the best counter-intelligence capabilities in the Kingdom."
"Because Phelps is proficient in that field?"
"You could say that, but his father is even stronger in that field than Phelps himself. After all, he is Phelps' mentor."
Abel replied, thinking of the face of Phelps' father, the current Marquis Heinlein.
"The former Knight-Commander of the Kingdom, right?"
"The former former Knight-Commander of the Kingdom, yes."
Because the former Knight-Commander of the Kingdom, Baccara, died in the royal capital chaos.
"His father, Marquis Alexis Heinlein, was an exceptional Knight-Commander who was called the 'Demon', but he was also a man who understood the importance of intelligence and counter-intelligence."
"That's the last thing you would imagine being the responsibilities of someone bearing the title of 'Knight-Commander'…"
"Exactly. But it was precisely because Alexis was the Knight-Commander of the Kingdom that the Kingdom won a great victory in the 'Great War' ten years ago. Even Alexis said it himself. That it was thanks to the 'power of information'."
"Know your enemy, know thyself, and you shall not fear a hundred battles."
"Huh?"
Ryo muttered a line from Sun Tzu, and Abel asked in confusion.
"Nothing, it's just a composition from my hometown that describes the importance of information in war."
"Wow. Looks like you get it too, Ryo."
Ryo had been a fan of strategy simulation games since he was a child.
"It's common knowledge in my hometown."
"R-Right, I see…"
Marquis Heinlein's office.
Alexis, the current Marquis Heinlein, was doing his daily paperwork.
Although he would turn 50 this year, he still had a youthful appearance and a toned body without a trace of flab.
A man walked into his office.
"Father, the diplomatic mission has left the city."
It was Alexis' eldest son, Phelps, a B-rank adventurer, who made the report.
"Okay, good work. Still, it's a little surprising. That Dontan is the one leading the knights. Apparently he's now a company commander. Back then he was just a kid…it just goes to show you how much time flies. Which reminds me, you were at the inn at the other side yesterday…"
"Oh, you noticed? Yes, I've informed them about the matter. Abel was half drunk, so I told Ryo."
"The Water-Attribute Magician?"
Alexis sighed a little as he said this.
"You still don't trust Ryo, do you, father?"
It was not an inquiry, nor an accusation, but a question from a son to a worrier father.
"No, I do trust him. Not only Abel, but you too, seem to trust him, and considerably at that. That's not what I'm worried about, it's the fact the power he possesses is too powerful…"
"Oh, you're talking about that village incident."
By that village, they were referring to the village of the Order of Assassins that Ryo froze with
Of course, this information was not made known to the general public, and even the nobles of the Kingdom knew little about it, that was the work of the Heinlein family.
But the Heinlein family, with their extensive information-gathering capabilities, knew with a high degree of certainty what had happened and who had been involved.
"It's amazing that he knew the location of that village before we did, but it's even more amazing that he destroyed it single-handedly. Hopefully, he won't use that power against the Kingdom someday."
Alexis said with a painstakingly timid expression that was hard to believe for someone who had been called a 'demon' in the past.
But his son, Phelps, was aware.
That was Alexis Heinlein's real character.
No doubt, he's a demon…a man aggressive in his attacks and used every and any means to destroy his enemies.
Yet at heart, he was a very sensitive and careful character.
Which was why he excelled in espionage.
"Speaking of which, that dubious intel on Twilight Land turned out to be true. Here, I received this just now."
Alexis handed a piece of paper to Phelps.
Phelps read it over and muttered with a slight frown.
"Possible civil unrest…"
"That's right. Whether it be the situation with the Inbury Duchy, or the turmoil in the eastern part of our kingdom, the central nations are certainly restless."
In the eastern part of the Kingdom, various turmoil had occurred since the collapse of the Rho Great Bridge, and refugees from the Inbury Duchy had also entered the region, causing a serious deterioration in public safety.
Local lords, who were supposed to control the chaos, lost their lives in rebellions, were attacked by monster waves out of nowhere, or were somehow caught in a house fire that broke out, and the chaos continued to grow.
"The one behind this is…"
"It can't be Lord Aubrey."
"My thoughts exactly. What's more Lord Aubrey himself told Master McGrath the same thing…. Putting aside whether or not to believe him, now that they've got the Inbury Duchy, the chaos brewing in the neighboring eastern part of the kingdom is the last thing they will want. Assuming they haven't acquired the Duchy, it would have been the perfect sabotage to prevent the Kingdom from intervening. But now, they would only be shooting themselves in the foot. Which means, it's another great power pulling the strings…"
"The Empire?"
Alexis and Phelps both frowned.
Even if it's the Empire pulling the strings, they hadn't a clue why.
The eastern part of the Kingdom did not border the Empire in the first place. The northern part of the Kingdom, which boast a considerable territory area, lies directly next to the Empire.
Still, it would be difficult to obtain the eastern part of the Kingdom just because it's weakened and in mayhem.
Why there, specifically…?
They were brainstorming for answers.
"Let's leave the Eastern situation aside, for now. And focus on gathering as much information as we can. So that we'll be ready to move if anything happens. You plan to stick around a while, right, Phelps?"
"Yes. I have a lot of information I need to go through thoroughly."
"Hahaha. It is good to be cautious. You'll learn a lot while you're here."
Thus, the world would continue to revolve even in places that the average person wouldn't dare imagine.
At the same time, Ryo and Abel were enjoying an after-dinner coffee break…in the carriage.
In Acre city, there were roasted Kona coffee beans among the things that Phelps had given to them.
Of course, Ryo still had more than enough coffee beans that he prepared beforehand, but one can never have too many. As long as they're traveling in a carriage!
Ryo's appreciation of Phelps, who had anticipated this and offered it to him, was rising rapidly as he nodded in approval.
As they were enjoying their coffee, they heard a voice from outside.
"Monsters!"
When the voice reached the mission, the carriages were gathered and some of the knights with their shields formed a perimeter around it.
Having done that, the adventurers and the rest of the knights left to defeat the monsters.
(Finally, the monster encounter event! Up until now, since I moved to Rune city, I have never had such an experience, come to think of it. And I'd like to think that I've passed through these roads more than enough times…. Still! But here it is, at last!)
That's what was going through Ryo's mind.
By the way, Ryo and Abel were still sitting in the carriage, watching from the window.
"I was going to suggest maybe we should go help out, but Abel…"
"Who are you making such lame excuses to! Were you not the one that said, it'd be uncouth if we interfered, Ryo."
Yes, they had not received any instructions from anyone beforehand on how to act.
However, since the other civil servants riding in the carriage remained quiet in their carriages, they decided that they should also remain quiet.
If something unexpected happened and the knights and adventurers got in trouble, they would go to their aid.
That was the agreement they came to.
Incidentally, the squires who accompanied the knights were waiting inside the shield perimeter around the carriages with their bows at the ready.
Since a knight cannot wear his armor alone, he is always accompanied by a squire on the battlefield. The squires basically do not participate in battles.
However, on 'Phi', it would appear that they are put in charge of long-range attacks as bowmen….
"Here they come!"
The monsters were approaching from the right.
"Wolves!"
"A pack of warwolves!"
They looked like a larger version of wolves.
Although each one was fast, adventurers and knights of this rank would not lag behind, but since they almost always act in packs, they are not easy to deal with.
Both Abel and Ryo thought so….
Magician adventurers unleashed ranged attacks. At the same time, the squires also released their bows.
Although bows could hardly kill them, they could still wound them.
The C-rank adventurers' offensive magic would almost certainly hit them.
And if they do, they can be defeated.
After the ranged attacks had reduced their numbers to a certain extent, it was the knights' turn to charge at the monsters.
They either caught the warwolves coming at them with their shields. Or, strike them from below.
Then, the adventurers thrust their spears into the monsters that were stopped in their tracks.
The adventurers and knights worked in perfect coordination.
(I was looking forward to the classic development…like in otherworldly stories, where adventurers and knights bicker and argue with each other, but…that wasn't the case at all. Indeed, every book is overly exaggerated! )
They're all novels after all. Nothing but fiction.
They're not documentaries.
The knights and adventurers defeated all the warwolf monsters without a single casualty.
Finally, the wind-attribute magician probed the surroundings with
The knights shook hands with each of the adventurers' party leaders.
Showken, the leader of the group of adventurers, and Dontan, the company commander leading the knights, shook hands quite firmly.
The two men must have felt a sense of satisfaction, since their meticulous discussions had led to this complete victory.
"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?"
Ryo nodded repeatedly as he watched the scene filled with such camaraderie.
"Wow, I did not see that coming, Ryo, I was expecting you to be like, 'And here I was hoping to see some big mess and awful coordination between the knights and the adventurers', or something like that…"
"Whoa, what exactly do you take me for, Abel…?"
Ryo plopped down on the carriage desk, feigning heartbreak.
The handshake between the adventurers and the knights.
That wonderful scene was repeated after that.
Every day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
That's right, meaning, monster attacks began to occur regularly.
-x-X-x-
Showken, C-rank adventurer, was troubled.
He was the leader of the group of adventurers escorting the diplomatic mission.
At 33 years old, he was the oldest of the group, and because of his long and extensive experience as an adventurer, he had been appointed by the Grand Master to lead the group.
The four parties of twenty adventurer escorts had no issues to speak of.
No discord or uncooperative behavior between the parties.
On the contrary, they were able to work well together with the members of the Kingdom's Knight Order, with whom they were usually at odds, to carry out their duties as escorts.
So why's Showken troubled?
It had to do with the adventurers in the carriage.
One of them was Abel, an A-rank adventurer.
Of course, there was no problem with his character as an individual, nor was he lacking in ability, or have difficulties with communication.
As one would expect from an A-rank adventurer, he has deep insight, charisma that attracts all kinds of people, and unrivaled skill with a sword.
When he saw him swinging his sword in the courtyard of the inn in the morning, or the time he engaged in a light spar with a knight he seemed to be acquainted with, he was overwhelmed by his skill with the sword.
And the other was a magician named Ryo, a C-rank adventurer.
Although he is a C-rank adventurer, he was chosen as Abel's partner and didn't seem like a bad person either. He looked somewhere between 16 and 17 years old, but that seemed to be due to his Oriental features.
However, at the banquet back at the inn in Acre, he was pampered by female adventurers who kept calling him "cutie".
He was a little envious of him.
Neither Abel nor Ryo had any lacking aspect with regards to their skills as adventurers or their personalities.
So what was bothering him was their position.
Of course, he was aware of the fact that they would not be involved in the escort mission.
He also knew that they were going to Twilight Land as guests.
That's why they were provided a carriage.
But, should a situation arise where he would like to hear their, especially Abel, the A-rank adventurer's, opinion regarding their escort duty, should he go and ask them or not?
That's what he's been struggling with.
The monsters had been attacking them every day since they passed Birdon Braine, the city after Acre.
He would like to hear their thoughts on this.
Although, Showken already had his own idea.
But it may not necessarily be the only answer.
There may be some things that he and his companions weren't aware of, or hadn't thought of.
Assuming there was no one else to ask, he wouldn't mind, but there were, right there in the carriage.
They drank together at the inn back in Acre and were no longer strangers.
It was killing him….
It was noon on the sixth day after leaving Birdon Braine.
On this day, the diplomatic mission was taking a lunch break after fighting off the usual morning monster raid.
Since passing Birdon Braine, they stayed the night in villages or town, albeit small ones.
There was, of course, no inn that could accommodate the entire mission, so some were forced to camp out.
But at least food procurement wasn't a problem, and cooking was done by the squires, some civil servants, and adventurers, providing meals both day and night with no complaints.
After lunch was over.
"Excuse me, Abel, may I have a moment of your time?"
Abel and Ryo had just finished eating their lunch outside the carriage, enjoying the scenery, when Showken, the leader of the adventurers, called out.
"Showken. Sure, we just finished eating, so what's up."
Abel said patting the ground next to him gesturing he should come over.
On the other side, Ryo was beginning to grind the beans in the ice coffee mill for their after-meal coffee.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the daily monster raids."
"Oh, if I can be of any help, please by all means."
Showken was older than Abel, but Abel was an A-rank adventurer. It's only natural that he addressed him politely.
Showken summarized what the adventurers had discussed.
Since they attack so regularly, they suspected that someone was manipulating the monsters artificially.
It was certain that they were after the mission, but they were not quite sure who or what they were after.
"Yeah, it's definitely artificial, that's for sure. Although I've never heard of a tool or something that can control monsters…could be an alchemy tool? What do you think, Ryo?"
Abel turned to Ryo, who was sitting next to him and asked.
Ryo had made a small desk out of ice, on which he placed coffee powder, the coffee press containing hot water, and the ice hourglass, and was waiting for the time to pass.
"I've asked Kenneth a similar question before. Kenneth told me that it cannot be made with the alchemy of the Kingdom. The reason, according to him, is that the magic to control monsters is way too special."
"Magic to control monsters…to think that, such a thing actually exists."
Showken reacted involuntarily to Ryo's answer.
"It's a kind of dark-attribute magic."
Abel replied and continued.
"Some dark-attribute magic interferes with the mind. Ordinarily, it is assumed to only interfere with the human psyche, but it seems that some dark-attribute magicians were able to affect the psyche of monsters and manipulate them. I read about this in a book a long time ago. I think that's probably what Kenneth was referring to."
"I see…"
"Currently, there are no magicians who can conjure dark-attribute magic…to my knowledge. To be able to operate it with alchemy tools, someone with in-depth knowledge of the magic to be activated would have to cooperate in its production. So, in other words, it's impossible."
Abel said.
But in his mind, he thought of the dark-attribute priest he once met in the 'Hidden Temple' that was eventually taken away by Akuma Leonor.
(Yeah, they say they don't exist, but they in fact do.)
"But perhaps that very magician may be among the attackers this time. Because then, they would be able to instigate the monsters however they like."
"Good point…"
Showken nodded broadly at Abel's words.
And just in time, Ryo called out.
"The coffee is ready. Showken too, you can have some."
With that, he brewed coffee in an ice cup that had no hint of coldness and handed it to Showken.
"Oh, thank you. This is a beautiful cup. And it smells so good…never would I have expected to chance upon this kind of coffee in the middle of an escort request."
He said, taking a little sip, and his eyes widened.
"Wow, this is too good! This has to be top-quality coffee, right?"
"We received it from the lord's manor in Acre. It's good, isn't it?"
Ryo replied to Showken's words of praise as he continued to empty his cup as well.
Sitting in between the two of them, Abel nodded his head and continued to sip his coffee in silence.
Good coffee makes people smile.
"Wow. That was very pleasing to the mouth. Thanks for the coffee."
Showken said and returned the cup to Ryo.
"Now then, going forward…"
"Right. What do you think, Abel? The others believe that eventually, when we've become totally worn out with fatigue, the real attack will come."
"Yup, that's what they're aiming for no doubt about it. They're coming at us now in a steady rhythm, but when we get used to it…the next one, we'll be like "Oh no, not again", and that's when they will strike with their full might while catching us off guard. It's pretty standard, but…the fact that we stress ourselves out by keeping it in mind and getting nervous because we don't know when it will happen also accelerates the accumulation of fatigue. Honestly, it's utterly troubling."
"I know, right. It's troubling…"
With that, both Abel and Showken fell silent and became lost in thought.
Ryo, on the side, was trying not to interject because it was not his jurisdiction, but he took pity on the two of them watching them so distressed and decided to speak up.
"Um…I know a water-attribute magic that's just right for the situation."
"What?"
"Seriously?"
Both Showken and Abel snapped their heads up as they looked at Ryo.
"Since
"Whoa! That'd be perfect! So if we don't hear from Ryo, that means it's the usual monster attack. And if you detect something different from the usual, you'll alert us to it. By all means, please!"
The principle was no different from the usual
He was just trying to make the name sound a bit cooler.
If it had been the Dynamic Steam Mine, it would have been something completely different…seeing as he dropped it halfway into it, he felt it was indeed overkill.
Abel asked Ryo after Showken had returned to his party.
"Hey, what kind of magic is that Dynamic Steam Mine you mentioned then?"
Abel seemed to sense something disturbing in the magic Ryo mentioned halfway.
"Oh… It is magic that automatically freezes any unusual group of monsters or people that enter within a radius of 400 meters. Since it would be unfortunate if it were an ally, so I tried modifying it following the usual Passive Sonar."
"Whoa, all right, that's dangerous, so definitely don't do it."
"Don't do it? Definitely don't do it? That means I should do the opposite and do it! That's how it goes."
"Hell no!"
Ryo's lighthearted words always made Abel feel uneasy.
-x-X-x-
In the morning, eight days after leaving Acre.
The diplomatic mission finally reached the border.
After having only their documents checked, they exited the border office on the Kingdom of Knightley side.
Then, a hundred meters away, they went through the procedures at the border office on the Twilight Land side.
It seemed that the Land side was also informed of the arrival of the diplomatic mission today, and they were allowed to pass through with only a simple check of their documents.
Thus, eighteen days after leaving the royal capital, the diplomatic mission finally entered Twilight Land.
"Finally, we're now in Twilight Land! But the sun is still up as usual."
Ryo had an image from the name that it must be a place where it was always dusk.
However, on 『Phi』, twilight does not mean dusk.
Once again, Ryo began to wonder about the person who named the place 'Twilight Land'.
"Of course the sun is out…. it's not the 'Land of Eternal Night' in the legends …"
"Land of Eternal Night… there is a place like that for real?!"
What a fantasy!
There were still so much that Ryo didn't know.
Pressured by Ryo's menacing look, Abel answered.
"Uh, yeah…it is a legend from the western countries. Arthur Verasis, who used to be an adventurer over there, once told me about it."
Arthur Verasis was the advisor to the Court Magician Order who had once fought alongside Abel against a horde of devils in a dungeon in Rune city.
Ryo was no stranger to him, having asked him for some personal favors.
"Arthur huh… I'll have to ask him next time I see him."
Ryo nodded repeatedly and made a mental note.
The unusual event occurred that afternoon.
Ryo's
"Abel, a big one is coming, different from the monsters we have seen so far."
"I knew it! I was thinking it should be about time. All right, I'm going to inform Showken and the others."
"No, hold on."
Abel was about to inform Showken and the others of the anomaly, but Ryo for some reason stopped him.
"What is it?"
"This reaction I'm sensing seems familiar. If I'm right, then it's a wyvern…"
"Wha…"
Ryo's words left Abel speechless.
Wyverns are such difficult monsters that it takes more than 20 C-rank adventurers to hunt one.
And even at that, they end up usually suffering a few casualties.
Such a monster was now approaching the diplomatic mission, it stands to reason that the casualties would be considerable….
"For now, I'll ground it, so get ready to hunt it."
"Eh…oh, yes, got it…"
That's right, wyverns are usually difficult to hunt, but Ryo and Abel had the experience of overhunting dozens of them on their way back from Rondo forest.
For some reason, Ryo can penetrate the 'wind protection membrane', which is said to be impervious to magic, that covers the body of the wyverns and shoot them down.
"Showken! A wyvern is coming from the left!"
Abel shouted loudly to Showken outside the carriage.
"Say what? A wyvern?"
Showken looked toward the left, having obviously heard the word 'wyvern', it just hadn't sunk in yet.
Eventually, it sunk in and that's when he realized it was the 'difficult wyvern monster'.
"Wh, W-Why is this monster here…?"
Of course, as with the previous monsters, it was manipulated.
From inside the carriage, Ryo also saw the approaching wyvern.
"Let me!
At that moment, two transparent and extremely thick ice lances were generated above the wyvern, piercing through the wyvern's wings and sewing the wyvern's body to the ground.
"Showken, command the spear team to pierce the grounded wyvern! "
"O-Okay. Men, move in!"
At Abel's command, Showken and the adventurers with spears approached the wyvern and stabbed it in the head.
However, they were unable to pierce through.
The adventurers struggled for a while, and…finally one of them succeeded in inflicting a fatal wound that pierced through the eye and reached the brain, and the wyvern stopped moving.
Although it was a bit tricky, compared to past wyvern subjugations, it was a great success, as no casualties were incurred.
Meanwhile, the knights protecting the carriage…remained stunned.
"The reaction has disappeared…no way, they defeated it…"
"The diplomatic mission seems to be more capable than I thought. But they won't go unscathed fighting a wyvern. We will use this opportunity to attack them."
The order from a woman resonated among the black-robed group.
It was Natalia, a senior member of the 'Order of Assassins'.
She was commanding thirty skilled assassins.
On a good day with the right conditions, they could win a complete victory against a hundred knights.
As such, it was a mission they couldn't afford to fail, and Natalia, of course, had no intention of failing.
"I will dedicate this victory to Master 'Black'."
Natalia muttered quietly.
For 'Black', whom she adored so much.
The diplomatic mission had halted their advance.
The adventurers were extracting the magic stone from the wyvern they had defeated, and the civil servants were resting at the same time.
The knights and negotiator Ignis were watching the wyvern from a distance.
"I have never seen a wyvern before, can't believe it's this huge. It is amazing that something this big can fly in the sky."
"You said it."
Next to Ignis, the water-attribute magician Ryo, was nodding his head with a triumphant look on his face for some reason.
A little further away was Abel, who was being questioned by knights Zack and Scotty.
"Abel, what the hell happened? We saw the wyvern approaching but then it suddenly crashed. Well, it's a good thing the adventurers were able to take it down quickly, but all the knights are confused. Please explain it so that they may understand as well."
"Even if you ask me to explain, how am I supposed to…"
Abel was slurring from Zack's pursuit, as he was desperately trying to swindle his way out.
His gaze occasionally fell on Ryo, who had quickly escaped and fled to a safe place next to Ignis, the negotiator who holds the highest authority in the entire group.
Of course, it was a resentful gaze.
He felt bitter toward Ryo for escaping to safety on his own, but he didn't go running his mouth saying 'Ryo did it'.
If he did, all hell would break loose, and it would be impossible to conceal such information.
It was obvious that the information would eventually reach the nobles in the royal capital and cause problems that would involve the nobles as well.
He could imagine what would happen as a consequence.
He couldn't imagine Ryo going along with the selfishness of the nobles…though he seemed kind, Abel knew best how scary he could be when someone pisses him off.
Yeah, the incident at Whitnash was clearly burned into his brain, whether he liked it or not.
That being the case, he had no choice but to act as a bulwark to protect him.
That is what Abel thought.
Abel is such a nice guy.
As Abel was coming up with excuses…the situation escalated.
Ryo, who was standing next to Ignis, suddenly shouted.
"Incoming, thirty people approaching from the north! Five hundred meters away!"
The adventurers and knights responded immediately.
"Hurry up and get into the carriages!"
The civilian officials, who were slow to react, were led to the carriages.
At the same time, knights with shields formed a wall on the north side of the carriage, and the squires positioned themselves with bows inside the wall.
The adventurers too followed, magicians and priests prepared themselves to attack from inside the wall, while the swordsmen, lancers, and others in close quarters took up positions at either end of the shield wall.
The knights and adventurers had devised this formation for intercepting anti-personnel raids.
The fact that the formation was devised so smoothly despite little training was a testament to the high level of skill of both the knights and adventurers, as well as the efforts of the captains and leaders, who emphasized regular communication.
Abel ran up to Ryo, while watching from the side.
"A human attack?"
"Yeah, it's not monsters. I can't say for sure it's an attack, but the timing is meticulous. And from the way they're moving, I have a feeling they are assassins from the 'Order'."
"You can even tell that much…"
"Now you know I'm improving everyday too?"
Before, he couldn't tell much with
After all, hard work really does pay off!
Then Ryo entered the carriage, sticking only his face out of the window.
"Ryo…why are you inside the carriage?"
"Huh? Because we are guests…"
Ryo shouted only because he promised Showken that he would inform him if something other than the usual monsters intruded, and he never intended to invade their authority.
Besides, if Ryo and Abel, who were not apprised of the plan, clumsily intrude upon such brilliant coordination, they were likely to become a liability with their incoherent actions.
"At any rate, I can provide support from inside the carriage. You, on the other hand, are better off staying outside, Abel!"
"This is not fair at all, not one bit…"
Despite complaining, Abel decided to watch from outside the carriage.
In fact, in an emergency, it would certainly be easier for Abel, a swordsman, to move if he were outside.
It is completely different from a magician who can activate magic even from inside a carriage.
It's the so-called difference in job characteristics.
The world is an unfair place….
-x-X-x-
At a distance of about 200 meters, the assailants fired their arrows all at once.
Some of them penetrated the carriages, but there was no human casualty.
Others were perfectly obstructed by the knights' shields without doing any damage.
However, the aim was not the damage inflicted by the arrows.
Several clouds of white smoke billowed out from lumps attached to the tip of the arrows, half the size of a clenched fist.
The white smoke was the signature tactic of the Order of Assassins, they would approach their target and take them down in the confusion of the white smoke.
However…
"This again?"
Ryo muttered quietly and chanted in his mind.
(
At the moment he chanted, rainfall so dense that one could not even see the road ahead hit the entire area, washing away the white smoke that had been drifting in the air.
The tips of the arrows that had been spewing white smoke were all frozen, and the white smoke stopped gushing out.
It was a tactic that Ryo had encountered on several occasions, whether it be the time with Sharfi, or when he barged into the village of the Order of Assassins.
Enough for him to think if 'It's the only tactic they know!' even….
But in fact, it's a very effective tactic considering the nature of assassins.
To begin with, it's rare to find magicians who are beyond first-rate like Ryo, who could wash it away with rain, or Rin, who could blow it away with wind.
When the white smoke was washed away by the squall, the attackers were already less than a hundred meters away.
Suddenly, the white smoke was gone. It was only natural for them to be confused.
But these were trained assassins.
They hesitated for only a moment, but then they charged forward.
They were no longer at a distance where they could turn back.
There was nothing else to do but to defeat the enemy in front of them and make a triumphant return!
Almost everyone made that decision, even Natalia.
Only one person, a female assassin following behind Natalia, was clearly slowing down.
Natalia immediately sensed this weakening of her will and immediately called out to her.
"Rosalia, it's too late to turn back now. We're going in."
"Yes, Lady Natalia."
Rosalia was filled with anxiety as she replied.
Rosalia was a well-trained first-class assassin.
Even if she were to take on two knights at the same time unarmed, she would defeat them.
However, Rosalia's greatest strength was not in melee combat as an assassin.
She's the only one in the Order of Assassins who could manipulate dark-attribute magic.
On 『Phi』, there are certain magic attributes that one is born with.
It's difficult to find people with the ability to handle dark-attribute magic, and moreover, there are no known 'chants' to manipulate dark-attribute magic.
As such, there are almost no one recognized as dark-attribute magicians in the central nations….
With no chants and no one around to call a mentor, the only way to use the attribute is through repeated trial and error to figure it out …
In that sense, it's no exaggeration to say that Rosalia, who was able to manipulate a wyvern of all things, was a genius in dark-attribute magic.
However, she was terrified.
Even the wyvern that she had enslaved was defeated without the slightest resistance.
She didn't know why, how, or by whom it was defeated.
Although wyvern subjugations are carried out several times a year, there was still no established method for defeating them.
Each time, the wyverns were defeated at great cost. And naturally, it took a lot of time.
This time, however, it was defeated too quickly.
That is what frightened Rosalia.
Along with the conviction that 'There's something horrible out there'….
Going in under the cover of white smoke was one thing, but now suddenly it became a head-on confrontation, it was no wonder her leg froze.
But there was no turning back now.
They had no choice but to defeat them!
Abel, the A-rank adventurer, is likely a tough one to crack, but the others are all C-rank.
In addition, the twenty knights hail from the Kingdom's Knight Order, which was reputed to have become lax in recent years.
Thirty assassins should be enough to defeat them.
Rosalia convinced herself not to think about the wyvern.
Since there was no other way to go about it but to go in head-on and defeat them.
As soon as the white smoke that covered the area dissipated and the attackers were in full view, the long-range attacks from the mission began.
The squires used their bows, and the adventurer magicians their offensive magic.
The squires' arrows were all cut down by the assassins.
If it came from skilled 『Archers』 or 'Elves', they might have been able to wound, if not kill, the assassins.
But that was impossible to achieve with the bows of the squires, who were not professional archers.
It was the offensive magic of the magicians that inflicted any damage.
The speed of the offensive magic was much faster than that of the squires' arrows.
Many of the assailants were unable to avoid the high-speed magic attacks because they came after the 'sloppy' arrow attacks.
Of the thirty attackers, none were killed instantly, but five were wounded to the point where they were put out of the fight, and another five were so deeply wounded in the legs that they could not proceed any further.
The diplomatic mission had succeeded in reducing one-third of their forces using long-range attacks.
It was a more successful strike than had been anticipated.
"This is amazing…"
Abel, who was in a perfect position to observe the battle, was able to observe the results of the battle in detail.
The effective use of bows and magic on the battlefield…were part of the things Abel was lacking in experience, and Abel himself was aware of it.
In fact, in large-scale battles, they do not pose much of a threat as there are well-established methods of dealing with bows and arrows.
Except, however, concerning their use in chaotic situations.
"Wow, the smoke dispersed all at once…come to think of it, I remember Rin did the same thing at that inn. First Rin, and now Ryo, what clever bunch these magicians."
Abel was honestly impressed by the deftness with which the smoke was dispelled.
Although Abel was saying such carefree remarks, the battle immediately in front of him had shifted to close combat.
The assassins had lost one-third of their strength just by getting closer, but they were still top-notch assassins.
Some were trying to flank around the perimeter of the shield wall to take their rear.
Some were avoiding the knight shields to aim at the magicians and priests at the back.
Some even jumped over the vanguard altogether and aimed directly for the carriages.
Although there were all kinds of tactics in play…
"I call on wind, gush forth
A wind attribute magic
The effect would have simply been a gust of wind.
However, if it is a C-rank magician's
Moreover, all four wind-attribute magicians unleashed the magic forward at the same time.
For the assassins, they were suddenly facing strong wind out of nowhere.
Just as it is impossible to walk properly amid a typhoon, all the assassins could do was keep themselves from being swept along.
Then the spear-wielding adventurers and knights joined in. Their joint attacks were frighteningly effective.
Within the storm of the
After a minute or so of the storm caused by the wind pressure, the battle finally shifted to full melee.
The adventurer swordsmen led by Showken and the knights excelling with their swords led by Captain Dontan attacked the assassins.
As was expected, the diplomatic mission couldn't remain unscathed having progressed to this stage.
Their adversaries were all skilled assassins.
However, the wounded knights and swordsmen were healed by the priests as they retreated, and they were back at the front line.
On the other hand, the assassins had to rely on potions to recover.
It seemed only a matter of time before all the assassins were killed.
However, one person stayed back and did not take part in the attack, but instead observed the diplomatic mission with a keen eye.
It was Natalia.
(We only need to strike a blow to the target. The target is a magician…woman…with brunette hair…small in stature…gotcha! )
At that moment, Natalia's expression twisted with delight.
Then she produced in her hand an extremely thin, stone spear so slender that if hurled at high speed, it would be impossible to trace with the naked eye.
Natalia then released the stone spear, confident of success.
Just as she had once done to their 'Chief'.
Just as it was about to reach the heart of the target magician.
Clang.
As if it had hit an invisible wall, the stone spear was repelled.
"Impossible!"
"Whoa, that was close."
Natalia heard a man's voice right next to her ear.
She tried to turn around, but she could not.
Natalia's entire body was already covered in ice.
"That thin stone spear looks familiar. You are the one who killed 'Hassan' aren't you…if I remember correctly, I believe your name is, Natalia."
The voice said and moved right in front of Natalia.
"It's you…why are you here…?"
Natalia recognized the owner of that voice.
He was the water-attribute magician who once stood beside the merchant Gecko and even attacked their village all by himself.
The man who witnessed the last moments of their 'Chief'.
How could he possibly be here….
She memorized the entire list of personnel in the mission.
Even the names of the adventurers, the magicians' attributes, and the characteristics of each of the knights.
She also knew that there were two adventurers besides the escorts, one of whom is an A-rank swordsman with extremely high combat ability.
The other is only a C-rank adventurer. And that he goes by the name Ryo.
Oh no, no…
"It's you…Ryo."
But Natalia's words were unspoken.
She had completely frozen over.
"You ought to learn to match a name with the face, or you end up like this?"
Ryo lightly patted the ice that was just formed with his hand as he strutted on.
"Anyway, I guess I've finally avenged 'Hassan'."
"So they failed after all?"
"That only goes to tell you that even the Order of Assassins are only human. That's all there is to it."
"At any rate, we've established the fact that the Kingdom's diplomatic mission was attacked in the Twilight Land, so that's good."
"Now then, what do we do about the diplomatic mission that has now arrived in the country?"
"Well, whatever you do, just keep in mind, they've got one hell of a nasty water-attribute magician with them."
The last voice was female, but the remaining four were male.
The five were on a hilltop more than a kilometer away from the diplomatic mission.
The five of them seemed to have been watching what was going on from that distance.
As might be expected at a distance of over a kilometer, Ryo's sonar did not pick them up.
"For the 'Duchess' to consider him nasty…is that water-attribute magician that much of a threat?"
"Yeah. If I were to fight him one-on-one…the odds of winning would be less than fifty percent. For a water-attribute magician, he's certainly not ordinary."
The woman called 'Duchess' replied with a slight shake of her head.
The other four were surprised to hear this.
They had never seen the 'Duchess' this on edge about anything before.
"I can't believe it…. This coming from a fellow water-attribute magician…to think that we would commit such a blunder in our preparations. This means we'll have to take care of that magician before we can do anything. Since that's the case, how about we go with 'that'."
The other four, including the 'Duchess', nodded in agreement.
Since he's a nuisance, then they only need to take him out of the picture….