Chapter 67: The Lively Companions of Skutari
"Hey, wake up."
Suddenly, I was startled by the tense presence that appeared behind me.
"Huh... huh!"
Larouque stood by the bedside, looking down at me.
"Huh?... Is it night already!?"
Even Karen or Cecily would be surprised, but this is the last thing I expected.
"Are you an idiot!?"
I got smacked. Smacked really hard. My hungover head feels like it's about to split like a watermelon.
Yeah, I guess I thought the same, uh.
But then, what could it be?
"There's something I want to ask."
More than a cold stare, it's an unusual, troubled expression in her eyes, perhaps?
Still, for now, I've been given a room inside the mansion. Not a grand room for important guests, but a simple room for someone like an attendant. It's a room within the lord's mansion.
If it's this easy to sneak in, wouldn't assassins have a field day if they set their minds to it?
"Yesterday, you were with Greon, right? What happened in Doulas?"
Larouque's question was something I didn't expect.
Why would that be relevant to Larouque? Or could it be something serious?
I was about to ask that, but I was intimidated by Larouque's strange intensity. So, I ended up telling her what happened since we visited Doulas yesterday, step by step.
"Well, first... um, Igri said he's going to sell the magic stones..."
Already struggling with social skills, stumbling over explanations while being stared down by a woman at close range isn't easy.
Larouque has a stern face, but she's also beautiful. She wasn't hiding her irritation and was listening, urging me to continue my awkward explanation. When it got to the part about Greon's father's workshop, she leaned in closer.
She's... really close, Larouque.
Normally, this might be a slightly delightful situation, but that's not the atmosphere at all. In the end, I was made to explain unilaterally, without any of my questions being answered. It seemed like Larouque had finished what she wanted to say, and then she suddenly disappeared.
What was that about, seriously...
Having a late breakfast at the mess hall in the barracks, there's a commotion in the mansion. Right, they're preparing to go to the capital.
Yesterday, before I got drunk, I heard that Karena was going to the capital to receive a title by the time of the Millennium Festival. Today is the 8th day of the first quarter, which means there's only 7 days left until the Waxing Moon Day. There are already private events and procedures on the day before, and Greon mentioned that it would take 7 or 8 days to walk to the capital, right?
It's already too late.
In other words, they need to form a cavalry unit, or at most a procession of carriages, and travel lightly. Organizing escort soldiers, arranging necessary supplies – it seems like quite a hassle.
As I return to my room thinking about these things, to my surprise, Larouque is there again. And even Greon and Bes are with her for some reason.
Without fully grasping the situation, they pull me into the room. Larouque signals, and Bes immediately erects a barrier.
"Huh?"
"With this, there's no chance of eavesdropping. It's a good thing you got a private room, dummy."
"Sorry."
Greon suddenly bows his head.
What's going on? I can't keep up with the conversation...
"Seriously, it's because you brought in such a troublesome matter that everyone's busy just before the expedition..."
Larouque scolds him, and Greon seems to be shrinking even smaller. Could it be about rescuing Norté?
Beth looks at me with concern.
"I intend to help, but is it okay for you, Shiro-san?"
I figured as much.
"Well, you see, I've seen that girl being whipped and treated badly, and I do want to help. But how...?"
"That's the point."
Larouque sighed.
"Because this idiot rashly jumped in. If we cause a commotion in Doulas, the princess's position will be compromised. Especially now, it's a delicate situation."
"Well, I know that. I don't intend to cause trouble, but..."
"Just that you really want to help, but you're clueless about how, so you're asking someone to do something, right?"
"Ugh... it's embarrassing. I'm not good at thinking..."
Greon is being pushed around mercilessly by Larouque's probing.
"If somehow we can get that girl out of the workshop, then I could use 'Return' to take her back. With you there, Shiro-san, we can fly together as a party."
I see. So, kidnapping a girl with magic would be a perfect crime, huh? This world is beyond wild.
"...It won't work. If that girl is a slave, the owner would immediately be notified. Skutari and others would undoubtedly be contacted, and if an escaped slave is found, it's the gallows. Besides, if it's your Return spell, there's a high chance of being caught during gatekeeper checks."
Larouque, who was deep in thought, shook her head.
"Since I often take up the role of gatekeeper, too. Probably in Doulas, they don't keep records of each person's entry and exit. They probably just check identity papers and let them through. But the gatekeepers remember when something unusual happens. Once a magician enters the city, it's not something they would easily forget, and there's a chance they'd keep a record of that. So if there's no record of Beth entering or leaving the city gate in Doulas, it would almost certainly raise suspicion of an escaped slave."
I see, unlike Noian's transference, Beth's return is one-way and can only be done once. To use it for rescue, we'll need to engrave the destination outside the Douras Castle, then enter the city through the gate normally and exit with magic from within the walls along with Nort. In other words, there won't be any record of Beth leaving Douras. Annoying.
Oh, but...
"Hey, about that initial issue, when I checked Nort's status yesterday, she's listed as a slave, but there's no owner indicated..."
I conveyed that I was marked as (Subjugated: -).
"When I was Cecily's slave, my status showed (Subjugated: Cecily), and other blacksmiths were listed as (Subjugated: Zdenko). What's going on?"
"That... Well done, Shiro!"
Greon exclaimed as if he'd figured something out. He got scolded by LaRouque for being loud, but he still looked pleased.
"If the owner isn't that man Zdenko, then we can't officially circulate the notice of transfer. If he escapes, while he'll remain a slave, he'll have the position to choose his master for the time being. But what's the situation here?"
LaRouque's reaction was a bit more optimistic as well. Greon pondered and began to speak.
"Probably, when Zdenko took over, Nort was still an infant, unable to make the slave contract himself. With Nort's father, who held the ownership, dead, maybe the subjugation remains unresolved."
"So, it depends on the means of escape, then..."
Beth furrowed her brows, lost in thought.
"Hmm... Shiro, do you have any good ideas?"
"Yeah, we're counting on your clever tricks."
Cut it out with the evil conspirator stuff, could you? Hm...
"LaRouque, during the guards' checks, do you verify names and ages?"
"Well, we don't strictly verify. Personal identification and guild cards have names and jobs, but can we determine if the cardholder is the actual person? Also, the guards don't usually reveal stats to the cardholders. With the Basic Discrimination skill, we can only see the job and level, and few have Intermediate skill, you see."
Why are you asking such things? LaRouque responded with a quizzical look.
Then, it might work.
I explained the idea I had to the three of them.
"Impressive, Shiro, you're really sharp."
After Greon and LaRouque got to work on preparations and left, Beth directed a look of respect toward me as she left. It's a good atmosphere.
"No, Beth, you're the one who's risking being treated as a criminal in a way, right? Still, you're helping Greon to that extent, and I think that's admirable."
"Well, I share a room with LaRouque, and seeing those two, I couldn't help but want to support them."
Huh? What do you mean?
Seeing my raised eyebrows, Beth seemed to mimic the same expression.
"Um, you haven't realized, have you?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
In an instant, the look of respect vanished from Beth's face.
"Shiro, you're really clueless..."
Wait, didn't that line just reverse from earlier? Is she getting frustrated?
"LaRouque and Greon have been together for a while, you know?"
I didn't ask for that information.
---
Evening came, and Lady Leda came for a home tutor session with her daughter.
Though I feel like I was harshly rejected that day, and in reality, I probably was, Leda is now a court lady and assistant to the chief of domestic affairs. She's in a position to receive a small salary, and she's been living in the annexed chamber for court ladies with her daughter since yesterday.
And while she's busy with planning concrete strategies for the recently initiated agricultural development policy, is this really okay?
"You promised, didn't you? Plus, it's for Deena's benefit as well."
Yeah, that's right. I'm teaching reading and writing to a three-year-old as I open a picture book... We're on the same level, you know, just big friends.
Lady Leda is a skilled teacher; maybe teaching toddlers isn't such a bad idea.
"Please concentrate, Shiro-san."
Getting scolded in that sweet tone isn't too bad either; I wonder how she'd look with intellectual glasses.
"Really now, Shiro-san... Did you tell Manjani-sama about me?"
Her tone shifted.
"The fact that you cared about me after I said such awful things, I'm truly grateful. And I'm sorry. When treated kindly, I tend to get suspicious."
Lady Leda came behind me, literally holding my hand to guide me in writing, and whispered in my ear.
Without Deena, I wouldn't know what I'd do. But maybe it's precisely because of this situation.
"Big brother, your writing is bad."
Deena, sitting next to me, commented as she looked at my crumpled writing. Ah, that's right, I'll remember this time forever.
When Deena got tired, the lesson ended for the day.