Sophia and Maria came back with Barack-san around 20 minutes later.
「「We have returned.」」
「Is it those?」
「Yes, they look like assassins or something, right?」
Barack-san checked the men dressed in black.
Those black clothed people were all human men.
「Takumi, this is turning out to be a bit troubling issue. We’ll contact the feudal lord immediately, is it alright to leave these guys for a bit?」
「It is fine by me, but a troubling issue?」
「Yeah, extraordinarily so.」
Barack-san went to Margrave Volton. We stood watch over the black clothed men and waited.
「Hey Kaede, can the temporary death on these guys be undone by themselves?」
「Hmmmm, maybe impossible. It’s gonna be okay if using Master’s detoxification magic.」
「I see, thank you.」
If that’s the case then constant surveillance on them is unnecessary.
After around 2 hours passed, a carriage with the crest of the Margrave Volton house etched into it with a carriage of knights guarding it, and an escort carriage with infantry guarding it arrived in front of our house.
The person who came out of the carriage with the crest of Margrave Volton, was Margrave Volton himself.
「Iruma-dono, it has been a while.」
「Thank you very much for coming personally, Feudal Lord-sama. Dorn-sama as well, it has been a long time.」
「Umu, it has been quite active, hasn’t it, Iruma-dono?」
There are 4 knights to protect Margrave Volton, and commanding them is the Knight Leader Dorn-san. The remaining knights are gathered at the gate of the mansion and are on guard duty.
「Fumu, isn’t that right, Barack-dono?」
「Yes, that was faster than I expected.」
It seems Margrave Volton and Barack-san had some idea as to who these men could be.
At this point, another carriage arrived, and Moulin-san and the Dark magic user who performed contract magic on the girls had stepped out of it.
「My apologies for our tardiness, Feudal Lord-sama and Barack-dono.」
「None of that, I have just arrived myself. Miss Moulin, can you do it immediately?」
「Yes, certainly. Iruma-sama, may I ask you to detoxify the paralyzing toxin on them?」
「…… Understood.」
I casted 『Cure』 to detoxify the black clothed men and, with Moulin-san instructing the dark mage, the men were bound by a slave contract.
「Iruma-dono, these men shall henceforth be interrogated by us, but may I have your time on another day?」
「Yes, given that they were aiming for us, I am anxious to know who these men are so I will visit.」
The soldiers that Margrave Volton had brought along had torn apart the silk cocoons and took the assailants out. The intruders had been detoxified and slave-bound, but they were still in dead sleep.
The soldiers carried the 12 intruders into the escort carriage and brought them to Margrave Volton’s castle.
The next day, a messenger from Margrave Volton arrived and we went to the Feudal Lord’s estate.
We were shown to a conference room-like place in that estate.
Once I sat with Margrave Volton, Knight Leader Dorn-san, Chamberlain Xervus-san, and Guild Master Barack-san, Dorn-san began talking.
「We have learned that the enemies who invaded Takumi-dono’s mansion yesterdayー no, the evening the day before last is a unit of zealots of the Divine Empire of Sydnia.」
「A zealot unit?」
It was such a dangerous sounding name that I unintentionally asked again.
「Their official name is the Kamui unit. They are a unit that works by eliminating those that do not obey the teachings of the Light God Church. Since we completed the slavery contracts promptly owing to Iruma’s assistance, the interrogation went smoothly.」
The result of the investigation was that the aim of the intruders was, as expected, related to the Purifier DMs. I hear that Purifier DM has reached not just the entirety of Valkyra Kingdom but even Lomaria Kingdom, Samandour Kingdom, and Gnomstoll Kingdom. By using Light attribute magic to clean filth, as the god unfearing enemy and developer of such a device, I am right at the top of their list.
「In the olden days, the septic tanks of sewers were cleaned by requesting Priests to use Light magic, but owing to Iruma-dono’s magic device, the filth is now cleaned before it accumulates. Previously, the priests of the Genesis Faith and Light God Faith would take turns using purifying magic. It is likely that the loss of a source of income is one of the reasons for the violence done this time.」
Margrave Volton stated that he pays a considerable amount of money to have the filth that has accumulated in the sewers cleaned. The Genesis Faith operates on the widely gathered donations, so they do not charge a fee, but for the Light God Faith, despite not having a church in Volton, they expressly dispatch priests from the Royal Capital, and those expenses are included in the fee they charge.
「I could not say that the priests of the Light God Church are not needed here, and it inevitably continued, however, because of Iruma-dono, we no longer need to spend taxes on unnecessary things. It’s just that, well, I do not like the Light God Church.」
These course of events aren’t happening only in Volton, but continues in the whole of Valkyra Kingdom, as well as Lomaria Kingdom and Samandour Kingdom. That loss of income has enraged the Light God Church.
「For the time being, would it be better to go into hiding?」
I want to escape to a place that doesn’t reach the eyes of the Light God Church.
「No, Valkyra Kingdom is a country with many believers of the Genesis Faith. The Light God Church is only in the Royal Capital and in the towns of grimy nobles. Lomaria and Samandour are the same, but I can not recommend Triaria Kingdom because the Light God Faith is widespread there. With that in mind, I believe it is safest to stay in this country where the Genesis Faith flourishes in and is proactively supporting Iruma-dono.」
「The Knight Order and Town Garrison will increase patrol, as well as strictly monitor the town’s entries and departures.」
What Margrave Volton said was reasonable. Knight Leader Dorn said they will be more vigilant.
「All that’s left is your personal safety while working as an adventurer.」
「No, Barack-san, in a situation like this, wouldn’t it be better to stop our activities?」
「What are you blabbing? Your party is in the top 5 in Volton. The Adventurers Guild will be troubled.」
「No, we are being targeted, you know.」
「Ain’t that why I’m training you? It’s to build up your strength so you can repel the zealots no matter how many times they attack.」
「Ooh, if that’s the case, then the Knight Order should be of help as well. We shall assist in training with the sword and spear. Our Knight Order must express our gratitude as well, after all.」
「No, wait, that isー」
Before I knew it, Barack-san and Knight Leader Dorn were already setting up a training schedule.
According to Knight Leader Dorn, Doganbo-san forges mithril and adamantite equipment cheaply because of me, and that the captain class within the Knight Order could now obtain mithril alloy equipment. Thanks to that, the number of knights injured during the periodic thinning in the monster nests in the vicinity have decreased.
「Also, if your party has an attacker or tank, I’d say you can’t lose to the zealot units.」
「Haa.」
I’ll consult Sophia and the girls about this when I get back.
Sydnia really haunts me.
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
Name: Tsubaki (Takumi Iruma’s Familiar)
Race: Drake Horse
Age: 3
Level: 72
Condition: Healthy
Vitality: 420
Magic Power: 190
Strength: 370
Agility: 390
Stamina: 450
Dexterity: 100
Intelligence: 120
Unique Skills
Dragon Scales Lv4 ( UP )
Passive Skills
High Speed Travel Lv6 ( UP )
Long Distance Travel Lv4 ( UP )
Active Skills
Charge Lv5 ( UP )
Presence Detection Lv5 ( UP )
Magic Perception Lv4 ( UP )
***
Footnotes:
Sphy’s Note:
Sorry for the inconvenience caused by the site downtime. Thank you to the readers who notified me of it! The site should be completely fixed now.