Chapter 80: In the Fog

The dry autumn wind caressed my skin as I rode my horse forward.

I was heading for the outer gate of the city under the guise of searching for the footsteps of the churchwarden who had supposedly fled into the field.

I had come in response to the call of a commoner, Lupetta, because I would lose my dignity as a nobleman.

The outer city gate where Lupetta was captured refers to the gate located on the outer most wall of New Nellie City.

The outer wall, designed to look like a degraded copy of the Great Wall of China, is a wall that encloses the entire city of New Nellie. There are a total of five outer city gates, one in the east, west, north, south , and northwest directions, where there is heavy traffic.

Lupetta was told that she was at the southern gate.

Since the outer city gate is a reasonable distance from the military base, we had to ride a horse to get there.

Looking to the right, the setting sun was turning the plains a magnificent red. If we did not return early, the land would be painted in the night in no time.

When I arrived at the outer gate of the city, a few of the soldiers who had packed the city walls came to me.

I followed the lead of my horse and was led to the gatekeeper's station.

I was led to the gatekeeper's station. There is also the matter of Seiko Church. Please be careful. It is out of range of the city's wide-area detection.

Ah.

The guards were not keen on the idea of ​​my going to the outer gates of the city. It is not impossible that this is a trap set by an assassin who is impersonating the name Lupetta.

There is little danger in wandering around the castle town.

The auxiliary magic circle for wide-area detection has been in constant operation since this morning in preparation for the attack on the Holy High Church. Any suspicious activity is captured in real time and immediately arrested and detained.

However, the area where the wide-area detection is fully effective is the entire city, not the entire city of New Nellie.

The term “Entire city” Is mainly used to describe the area around New Nellie Castle and the castle town.

When the door to the guardhouse was opened by the soldiers, one of the guards was the first to enter.

Another escort is in front of my chest, arms outstretched like a bar at a train crossing, preventing me from walking. I guess they are thinking of the possibility of an enemy ambush and attack, but it is a hassle every step of the way.

Three guards walk in front of me, and I am further guarded behind and on both sides by several guards.

I proceeded down a corridor that smelled a little dusty, and entered a small room.

“Captain!

Seeing Lupetta approaching us with the force of a rush, the guard immediately put his hand on the sword at his waist.

Thinking it was a bad idea, I quickly turned my palm into the shape of a par and pointed it at Lupetta, silently instructing her to stand still.

Then Lupetta remembered what had just happened, stopped with a huff, stood up on her knees, and put her fingers on the floor.

Lupetta?

Yes.

She says it so that the guards can see that she is not a fake claiming to be Lupetta.The guards had seen Lupetta several times and would recognize her face, but they wanted to be sure.

Seeing her meekly continue to kneel, the guards put down their hands on their swords.

I hear you got caught again.

While I was still speaking, Lupetta changed her position from kneeling to a kneeling position.

A closer look at her revealed that she was generally dirty, probably because she had been in the field for a week or so.

“Captain! Please introduce me to a healer! Mergin is going to die! That's why ……!

Yes?”

I looked in the corner of the room and saw Mergin lying on the bed.

At a quick glance, I thought it was a dead body lying there, but he was probably alive because his body was moving slightly with his breathing.

The clothes were torn in places, and I could see dried reddish-black blood under them. The gouged and mangled arms, blackened and stained legs and shoulders were truly gruesome. It was so grotesque that just looking at it made my skin crawl.

It was so severely injured that it was no wonder that Lupetta asked for a healer.

If this had been an ordinary commoner, he would have died long ago. People with magical powers are much stronger than ordinary people, so they can survive even in this condition.

People who can use healing and restorative magic are also called healers, but there are not that many commoners with magical powers who can use healing magic.

And since most of the few healers are employed by the nobility, military, or wealthy commoners for a high salary and high treatment, there are very few freelance healers who can heal the commoners.

Healers who work exclusively for the military are busy during wartime, but not during peacetime. All of them charge a fee, though.

Since healing magic is very popular, there are long lines of people waiting in line on the days when healing centers are open. The line.

If you are in the upper echelons of the military, you may be allowed to request a healer to heal you on days when the healing center is not open.

Lupetta believed on me, probably because she thinks I'm a military bigwig.

She is disrespectful! You think you're someone I can talk to with impunity! Refrain!”

The soldiers at the gate complain about the way Lupetta speaks.

Lupetta's shoulders her trembled, and she dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face, and apologized for her remarks her.

This is not the bedroom of the villa.

With Lupetta's current attitude, I cannot listen to what she has to say.This is because of his position as a nobleman.

If I am seen to be comfortable talking to a commoner on an official occasion, my career as the next head of the family may be damaged.

I definitely want to inherit the position of patriarch from my father for the sake of a stable and comfortable life in the future.

“…… Forgive me. But not next time.”

It was good that Lupetta immediately changed her attitude and apologized.Thanks to that, I can now pose as if to say, “I forgive you for your rudeness with a generous heart.

If Lupetta had rebelled against the soldiers and made a fuss, she might have died before Mergin.That is how important attitude is when she deals with lords and nobles.

I like Lupetta and I don't want her to die over such a trivial matter.

I could see that Lupetta was unsure of what to say so as not to be disrespectful.

In New Nellie City, there are not only military healers but also healers who do business by casting healing magic on commoners, so I could introduce her to them.

However, even though he had apologized, he was afraid to respond unconditionally to the wishes of someone who had been disrespectful to him.In the first place, Lupetta is now a suspected rock salt thief, so it could be said that this is a problem before healing.

I decided to find a clue through conversation.

The man has magical powers, doesn't he? Was he attacked by a magical beast?

No…….Not.

Then what attacked him?

The only existence that can hurt a person with magic power so much, other than a magical beast, is a person with the same magic power.

But Lupetta gave an answer that exceeded my imagination.

'In the field, I was attacked by a nobleman of the Holy High Society……'

I thought I heard a gasp echo through the room. It was only natural, since I had spent the morning today looking for terrorists of the Holy High Church.

When I looked over to my escort, he seemed to get what I wanted to say, and he removed the soldiers at the castle gate from the room.

Important information about the terror plot at St. High Church might come out, and I couldn't let a mere civilian soldier hear it.

The room, which was now just me, Lupetta, and the guards, was filled with tension.

“Lupetta,” He said, “Tell me the details. Tell me the details. When was the last time you were attacked by a member of the Holy High Society? Who are the nobles of the Holy High Society? You mean the high priests of St. Navempos?”

I will tell you. So, Mister Captain, please. Please, please, ……! I will do anything. So Melgin, Melgin, please help me …… Help me …… Melgin was so injured fighting against the nobles of the Holy High Society……! I have only one person I can rely on in New Nellie, the Captain's Lord……. I don't want . ….. Mergin to die. Please ……! Please,……!”

She screamed like a desperate child, and like a small child, Lupetta dropped several large tears on the floor.

It would be quicker to talk about it if I healed Melgin first, rather than forcing her to listen to me like this. I think of an excuse for the healing.

I heard that the man had crossed swords with a nobleman from the High Society of the Holy Cross. We need to hear from the man who fought him. He's going to die if I don't do something, so heal him lightly.”

“Ha!

It may be a bit aggressive, but I decided to treat Melugin as a person of interest and give him life-saving measures.

I ordered one of my guards to cast a light healing spell on Mergin. Healing magic consumes a certain amount of magical power, so I cannot order my guards to perform a complete healing.

In addition, I called the soldiers at the gate who were outside the room and ordered them to transport Mergin to the military base. .

'Ahhhhh …… Melgin, Melgin ……! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Captain Sir …….”

Lupetta thanked me, the guards who had invoked the healing magic, and all the soldiers who had carried Melgin on the stretcher, with her hands on the floor.

The most important thing to remember is that you can't just take a chance on a new person and expect them to be happy. I wanted to enjoy a pleasant sex life with Lupetta.

I'm sure he won't die,” She said. Let's go back to our seats and continue our conversation. What the hell happened inside the field?

I regained my composure and faced Lupetta, who sat back down at her desk her.

Lupetta insisted that she had been attacked by a nobleman of the Holy High Society, but I had no idea what was going on.

I don't know what happened.

Yes.

Lupetta spun the words in a faltering attempt to be polite.

The six adventurers who entered the field were Lupetta, Melugin, and the four newcomers. They were the same members who had been captured the other day in New Nellie City.

Lupetta and her team's policy she was to wander around the fields at their leisure and beat up any magical beasts they found.

The fields in the royal capital were apparently filled with no-growth demonic beasts as a result of the adventurer fever, but the fields in New Nelly were filled with demonic beasts that had grown to a level of strength that a commoner without magical powers might have a hard time with. The Quardenze Army conducts field expeditions several times a year to hunt demonic beasts, but not as thoroughly as in the royal capital.

They were hunting demonic beasts in moderation, exploring the interior of the field, and apparently continuing their adventures smoothly without much trouble.

The incident occurred when they arrived at an area where rock salt could be collected and proceeded further into the interior.

Among the group of six was a woman named Deanna. She was the source of Lupetta's stress, “That woman” Who often complained on the bed in the villa.

After passing the salt flats, Rupetta sensed that Deanna was skillfully guiding the group in the direction they were going.

Somehow concerned about this, she sneaked out of the camp where Deanna had camped that night. The night watchmen were assigned in shifts, and Deanna snuck out just as Lupetta and Melugin were going to bed.

Her companions her, who were in charge of the watch, sent Deanna off as if to show her the way her.Lupetta, who had been somewhat suspicious of the behavior of Deanna and the other four after they entered the field, decided to secretly follow her.

The encampment was in an area where huge rocks were strewn about, and Deanna followed a trackless path while keeping a wary eye on her surroundings and checking a note-like object in her hand.

After walking for a while, she found a small hut hidden between the rocks.

Lupetta was surprised to find a man-made structure so deep in the field.

In contrast to Lupetta, however, Deanna entered the hut without hesitation.

Lupetta crept up to the hut fearfully and used her magic to eavesdrop on the sounds inside. Then, from inside the hut, she heard voices having a conversation. Besides Deanna, there seemed to be two men present.

There, Deanna said that they uttered a series of disturbing words.

The conversation between Deanna and the men in the hut was cryptic because so many names of spirits were used, and the details were not clear.

The four men, including Deanna, had taken Melugin and Lupetta by surprise, bound them, and then killed them.Lupetta's heart beat faster at the thought of being ambushed by these four adventurers, who she had once recognized as her friends.

Just as she was about to ask for more details, she suddenly heard a baby crying from inside the hut.

Rupetta felt something terrible and eerie about the presence of the baby, which was disproportionate to the dangerous space of the field.

She was completely gripped by fear when she heard the baby's cries and fled the scene, thinking she would talk to Melugin anyway.

Sneaking back to the encampment, Lupetta woke the sleeping Melgin and explained the situation.

At first, Melugin did not believe what Lupetta said, but he soon noticed Lupetta's unusual appearance and listened to her seriously.

After discussion, it was decided that, as might be expected, the odds were against them four to two, so they decided to casually steer the conversation in the direction of returning from the field so as not to leave any openings.

The next day, Melugin suggested to Deanna and the others that they return to New Nellie City.

Then, without hesitation, Deanna drew her sword and attacked Melgin. When Lupetta tried to protect him, the three remaining adventurers turned their blades on Lupetta.

But Melugin, who was in an alert position, repelled Deanna's sword. He then joined the struggling Lupetta in a three-on-one battle, bringing the score to three against two.

Diana, who had picked up the sword that she had been sent flying, soon rejoined the fray, and eventually the battle began in earnest in the form of the feared four-on-two.

Comparing the strength of the six, Mergin was the strongest, followed by Deanna and Lupetta, and the remaining three were a step down in strength.

Thanks to this, they were surprisingly able to cross the line more than adequately in a four-to-two fight.

It was at this point that I was convinced that I could push through.

A man came walking through the dangerous field, moving slowly, as if he were taking a stroll.

He was unarmed, empty-handed, and dressed in the religious uniform of the Holy High Priesthood. Seeing the man, Lupetta says she felt an inexpressible fear.

When the mysterious man, the Mystery Man, saw that Diana and her team were outnumbered, he launched his magic from a distance so far away that it was obscured by fog.

Countless spears of ice suddenly appeared in the air and were released with blinding acceleration.

Melugin, who had immediately defended Lupetta, was pierced through the legs and shoulders.Skewered by the ice spear and stopped from moving, Melugin was unable to avoid the slash by the four adventurers and received the blade in his body.

Lupetta shuddered. The slight leakage of magical power when the magic was activated revealed a glimpse of the overwhelming amount of magical power.

If a being with aristocratic-class magic power turned against them, it meant that their fate was already sealed.

And as if to answer the question, the mystery man made a threat by releasing his magical powers.

Faced with the unusual amount of magic power and the killing intent carried by it, Lupetta dropped the sword and spear she was holding to the ground and stood still on the spot.

Lupetta suppressed her trembling body and asked Diana, “Why did you attack me?

Why did you attack us, what was the hut last night, who is that man with the huge magical power, what on earth is he up to…… And Lupetta shouted loudly to shake off her fear in order to keep her Consciousness falls into the depths of darkness.

Deanna was a little surprised to see that he was not at all aware that he was being followed. Then she immediately smiled a disastrous smile and opened her mouth. Then, as if singing, she slowly said, “With those babies, you will be All to put an end to the tyranny of those foolish nobles who do not listen to the voice of the saints.

Lupetta's shoulders his slumped in disappointment.Then, unconsciously reaching into his pocket for something to do, he noticed it.

There it was, the parting gift I had given her on the day she left for the field. Lupetta clutched the amulet in her hand as if grasping at straws.

Did you use it?”

'Yes……. Oh, I used it.

I had made an amulet like the ones you can buy at Japanese shrines in my previous life and gave it to Lupetta. Inside the amulet was a single manaral crystal. Of the three manaral crystals I had obtained at the Nambonan market, I had shaved the first into an arrowhead and placed the second in Lupetta's amulet.

The manaral crystal I gave to Lupetta contained enough magic power for one shot of my super noble class magic.

Even if Lupetta had run away with it, I would have been willing to forgive her if I thought of it as payment for the sex I had had so far.

In order to get out of this situation alive, Lupetta took out the manaral crystal from the amulet, released the stored magic power, and invoked magic against the mystery man.

The magic she invoked was water magic. It seems that Lupetta is usually good at magic that creates water out of nothing and strikes it. Lupetta, who was under extreme tension, unintentionally unleashed the magic she was familiar with.

The amount of magic stored in the manaral crystal was enormous, so the power of the magic became more intense than she Lupetta had imagined in proportion to it.

When she let her guard down completely and hit the mystery man, who had come very close to her, with the water created by the magic, the force was so strong that the lower half of her body was blown off.

Deanna and the others were stunned by the situation, probably not expecting the mystery man to lose. Seeing this as an opportunity to win, Rupetta instantly changed her mind and slayed Deanna and the others.

Having neutralized the enemy for the time being, Lupetta decided to patch up Melugin.

As she was pulling the ice spear out of Melgin, another man appeared.

Seeing the man's back as he ran away, Lupetta, convinced of victory, dashed up to him and slashed at him from behind.

Relieved this time, Lupetta tried to treat Melugin with the simple healing tools she had brought with her, but she was out of them.

Thinking of where else she could use the tools, she decided to take Mergin with her to the hut that Deanna had visited last night.

Lupetta thought that the hut would be empty by now.

The hut was furnished in a space where people could live, and there was enough food on the floor. Fortunately, there were also some medical supplies, which Lupetta gratefully accepted.

Lupetta gave Mergin a simple treatment, but even though such amateur first aid could prolong his life a little, it was expected that he would eventually die.

She had one concern, however: the baby in the hut.

That was the baby that was in the hut.

According to Deanna's story, there was a strong possibility that these babies would be killed as well. Perhaps Deanna and the others had other friends who might come to the hut later.

Even if the others did not come, it was obvious what would happen if they left the baby alone in the field. Lupetta could not overlook that.

Lupetta stuffed all eight babies in a large backpack and held it to her chest.Then, carrying Melugin on her back, she wobbled and started walking toward the city of Newnery.

As they approached the salt flats, they saw that there was a cart for loading salt. She saw several empty carts lined up in a row, which she assumed were being used by a rock salt vendor as a loading dock.

She decided to borrow one of the carts without permission because the baby in the backpack was weak and she was afraid that she would not be able to cope with a surprise attack by a magical beast with a human being on her back and chest.

Lupetta lined up Melgin and the baby in the back of the truck and just kept on running.

Just when she thought she was about to be saved, she was caught by the soldiers at the city gate.

The soldiers, who were used to seeing the faces of salt pickers, were disbelieving that an unfamiliar woman was pulling a salt cart.

Thus, Lupetta was treated as a rock salt thief and detained.

I see. I get the general gist of it.

I see what's going on.

The man was a salt thief and was being held in custody.

Young master, may I have a word?

Yes.

The guard interrupted from the side, probably wanting to confirm what Lupetta had just said.

When I gave my permission, one of the guards looked at Lupetta.

The adventurer who attacked you, Deanna?

I did not.

According to Lupetta, she had cut the tendons in Deanna and the others' legs with her sword so they could no longer move.He said they should be dead by now, having had their blood sucked by the leeches in the field.

The reason you judged the man in the monk's uniform to be a nobleman was because he had the same amount of magical power as a nobleman?

Yes.

The man's lower half was blown off Did you cut off his head?

No.

The mysterious man who received a blow filled with my magical power literally had the lower half of his body his blown off.He was literally blown off from the waist down and was screaming his last with only the upper half of his body. It was quite a gruesome scene.

So I think he's already dead.

Lupetta said so, but if the man really has aristocratic magical powers, that prediction will not come true.

I looked at the guards, and one of them opened his mouth.

If the man is as powerful as my daughter says he is, there is a good chance he is still alive, young lady. It would be better to send an army to secure him.”

I agree.”

'Eh ……? But with his stomach gone from the bottom …….”

Lupetta is confused, but that is the way it is.

The most important thing to remember is that the best way to get the most out of your money is to be prepared to pay for it. The upper half of the body, or even the lower half of the body, is blown off, but they will continue to live until they die of starvation.

Mergin, who had been shaken in the back of a truck for more than a day with injuries that would have killed a commoner, was still alive. If he were a nobleman, he would be even more so.

Without his legs he would have been unable to move, and he would still be moaning in the same place.

I would like Lupetta to accompany the army and guide them to that place.”

According to Cynthia's testimony, Deanna is definitely connected to the head of the church.

The targeted Melugin and Lupetta, the habitable hut that existed in the field, the mysterious man with aristocratic magic power, the eight babies, the church leader's terror plan, and what the church leader and Deanna were aiming for. Single line?

Perhaps sensing that I was trying to gather my thoughts, both Lupetta and her escort shut their mouths, and the room fell silent.

Muh?”

'…… Young sir.'

From far away, I heard the sound of bells ringing, “Gong, gong, gong. The bell that rings to tell the time in the castle town has a high pitched tolling sound.

The faint sound of the bells I hear now is a low, echoing sound, like the bells used to ring the New Year's Eve bells in prehistoric Japan.

There is only one thing that this sound of the bell means.

“Young master, it is the sound of the alarm bell.

Yes, I hear it.

It is an alarm that warns of the appearance of a magical beast.