Chapter 60: Suspicion
Three individuals on horseback were guided by the six of us who had conquered the labyrinth.
Initially, it was suggested that Sebastian and Zagu accompany us as guides, rather than those like me and Greon who were not from noble backgrounds. However, Maegar insisted, "If you truly completed the labyrinth conquest in your noble party, I would like the capable members themselves to guide us."
In essence, they seemed to doubt if a small noble's militia like ours could really accomplish it.
To make matters worse, when it was mentioned that we would be guided by a Trimma,
"There's no mage who can freely teleport," they sarcastically remarked from the start. They should be able to tell by our levels.
The journey to the labyrinth took about an hour on horseback, as usual. But this time, it felt longer than ever.
Beside Maegar, Carrena stood at the front, fielding various questions along the way. While her tone was ostensibly polite, the content was plainly more like, "You don't know this either?" It was clear that Cecily behind her was getting irritated.
Delacius, an adventurer, deftly took notes on parchment while on horseback. It seemed he was conducting some sort of investigation using skills like cartography.
Meanwhile, Beth seemed to be trying to lighten the mood by bombarding Noyan, a mage, with various questions about magic.
I think if I were in Beth's place, I wouldn't be able to ask so directly after being mocked like that. But maybe Beth's curiosity was piqued because she had never had anyone to discuss magic with before.
"So, you were all teleported from the capital to Doulas in one go! That's incredible..."
"Yes, even a mage doesn't learn teleportation until around level 15, and the distance depends on their MP. You can only teleport to places you've been before, so we couldn't go directly to Scutari. But after this experience, we can freely travel back and forth."
The older mage seemed pleased to be praised by a girl almost as young as his daughter.
Piecing together snippets of conversation I overheard, it went something like this:
The express horse Carrena dispatched three days ago arrived in the capital on the morning of the day before yesterday.
Fortunately, the information quickly reached the ears of the Minister of the Interior. As a result, Maegar and others were dispatched yesterday afternoon for confirmation. They used the "teleport" spell to get to Doulas, borrowed horses from the current lord, a viscount, and arrived in Scutari by dusk.
It seems that the envoy's attitude was somewhat aloof, perhaps due to being influenced by the viscount.
(Current Lord Brell, the viscount of Doulas, originally held a subordinate position under Count Orbania. He acquired Doulas through power when the count's family declined. It wouldn't be surprising if he hoped for the count's downfall and aimed to take control of this entire region in both name and reality.)
Rina-sensei's mind communication also seems dubious.
Larouque trailed behind alone, adopting an indifferent expression, yet it was clear she had been attentive to her surroundings since before leaving the mansion.
Upon reaching the guard post and inquiring about any unusual occurrences with the sentries (today, Spino, a fellow former slave, was on duty), suddenly, the mage and the adventurer vanished?
Since they were a bit farther away, Carrena and the others didn't notice.
And then, just a few seconds later, the two reappeared slightly farther away. Had they simply lost sight of them due to some trees?
Suddenly, I noticed Larouque was intently staring at them. When our eyes met, he tilted his head with a serious expression.
It wasn't a figment of my imagination, but I didn't understand what was happening. It was like a vital piece of a jigsaw puzzle was missing, and we hadn't even gone to the bathroom in those few seconds.
We advanced on horseback deeper into the first level, then proceeded on foot from there, descending to the lower level using ladders the guards had installed.
The inspection officials carefully examined the interior of the labyrinth, recording details on a diagram, and gathered information on encountered monsters. Their progress was slow due to these tasks.
"The monsters on the second level? Mostly orcs, and yes, that seems consistent..."
However, the tone of skepticism in his explanation, which questions every detail, is unpleasant even for me, who is just walking behind him.
During the story of battling a horde of undead, there were even remarks like "Isn't the number exaggerated?"
On that third floor, I sensed the presence of monsters. It seems that a few zombies are emerging.
"Just in time, let's have you watch our battle!"
It must have been pent-up frustration. Cecily happily says so and checks with me, right?
Yeah, yeah, they're silver weapons, right?
I take out silver weapons from my item box, just in case. Three swords and two quivers of arrows. Cecily and Greon take the swords, and Carenna and Larouk receive the arrows.
However, Beth's magic takes the lead. A fire spell is cast, but... it misses.
Beth looks utterly discouraged.
Oh no. Today, Beth was supposed to greet the envoys from the capital in a proper attire, so she probably thought about it and didn't wear her glasses! She's back to being a clumsy person with low accuracy.
Perhaps thrown off by that, Cecily and Greon also couldn't finish off the monsters in one strike. One of them was in a precarious situation, and Carenna had to purify and take care of it.
The inspectors nod at each other in silence.
Afterward, they continue to quietly record things like checking the empty husks of worms in the barrier of the floor's master. They no longer even ask us for explanations.
Whether fortunate or not, we reach the fifth underground floor without encountering any monsters.
Maeger mutters.
"Did you really make it to the fifth floor? If that's the case, the monster levels should be around 15 to 20, right?"
"Yes, we encountered a Level 16 Medusa on the fourth floor and a Level 17 Naga on the fifth floor..."
Phew, Maeger sighs.
"Well, isn't that enough?"
"What do you mean?"
Carenna tilts her head in confusion.
"Even though you may want to protect your rights, isn't it disgraceful for nobles to claim credit for conquering a labyrinth they haven't actually conquered themselves? It's likely that you relied on powerful adventurers or a mercenary group and secretly had them conquer it."
"Ridiculous! What basis do you have for such an accusation?"
Cecily becomes furious and draws her sword. I understand her feelings.
Ignoring anything other than noble words, Maeger looks down coolly at Carenna, who takes a deep breath and speaks with a slightly trembling voice.
"Cecily is right. Even though you're inspectors, isn't this behavior impolite? If you doubt our conquest of the labyrinth worm without any grounds, then please provide appropriate evidence for your slander."
"First and foremost, let me make it clear that my respectful speech is merely a ceremonial gesture towards the late Count's daughter. At this point, you are neither a Countess nor recognized as the heir to the Count's family. Officially, you're not even of noble status. Please do not forget that."
Looking down on Carenna as she stammers, Maeger continues.
"Based on my years of experience as an inspector, a party with an average level of at least 15 is required to conquer the labyrinth on the fifth floor. It's highly unlikely for you to be able to do that. If you struggle against undead of that level on the third floor..."
"That's..."
Carenna stops the teary-eyed Beth from speaking with a gesture.
Finally, they think that we're fabricating the fact that we conquered it. If that's the case, we have no choice but to demonstrate that it's possible.
"Come on, you old guys, follow me."