「 I told the Viscount’s servants to gather in the hall….. 」
Seeing Hifumi’s chagrined expression, Origa let slip a chuckle and turned to Sabnak.
「 Sabnak, could you go to the Viscount’s estate in place of Master? 」
「 Eh, me? 」
「 Indeed, because if master goes, everyone is likely to be scared shitless. 」
Kasha agreed with Origa’s proposal.
The annoyed Hifumi insisted that he had been gentle with the non-adversary maid, but no one believed him.
「 Got it, I will go. At any rate, putting the town in order is necessary. 」
「 Sorry about that.」
Hifumi smoothly inclined his head at Sabnak who had stood up.
「 N-No, this too is my job! 」
「 Then, while Sabnak is going to the estate, are there other soldiers that need to be dealt with? 」
In the end, we still came back to a topic that reeks of blood. (Sabnak)
Separating from Sabnak, Hifumi and the two returned to the town entrance. Five soldiers were cleaning up the corpses.
Coming to a halt a suitable distance away, Hifumi observed the working soldiers.
「 What do you think? 」
「 Kasha and I, just the two of us are enough to kill them with room to spare. 」(Origa)
……. I intended to ask them whether they wanted to kill or arrest, but… (Hifumi)
Was this girl always capable of such brutality? Hifumi was more concerned about her, conveniently blind to his own character.
「 Well then, I’ll leave it to you. 」
「 Leave it to us. 」(Origa)
「 Yoshi! 」(Kasha)
Seeing off the fired-up duo and watching them run towards the soldiers, Hifumi contemplated on how to deal with slaves.
「 Is this event beneficial as well, I wonder? 」
His calm eyes reflected the tragedy orchestrated by the two girls.
Several days after the event, Sabnak worked tirelessly; putting out an urgent request to the town guard to monitor the comings and goings of adventurers, and cleaning of the blood and bodies was begun under the command of the temporary acting lord of the area.
Moreover, time flew when Hifumi visited the Viscount’s estate everyday to ask Sabnak something or the other.
When Hifumi arrived, Kasha and Origa trained in the garden of the mansion, the employed servants were worried.
「 If I say not to come, would they refrain from training on the premises….? 」 (Sabnak)
「 Don’t twist your words. If you’re worried, say what you want to say directly.」 (Hifumi)
「 Twist my words…… They are your slaves,yes? 」
「 Even if that’s the case, without explicit instruction, they move yes? Telling them each and every move is tiresome. Anyway, because of the fights in town recently, I told them to let their hair down. 」
Fondness could be heard in Hifumi’s voice.
Seeing his tender expression that contrasted with his everyday behaviour, and remembering his cheerful slaughtering of people, instead of amusement, Sabnak felt fear. He had never seen such a warped and selfish individual like this before.
「 The slaves adore you. 」
「 I think I’d use a different word. Come now, continue your instruction. 」
Seeing Hifumi’s expression while opening the map, Sabnak was moved by his desire to learn and unintentionally smiled.
The kingdom of Orsongrande, as the name implied, was ruled by nobles in a model similar to the feudal system. It varied in different places depending on the nobles in charge. Apart from the amount that had to be paid to the kingdom, it could be freely set by the lord of the area.
Though each lord had their own territorial army in addition to the Imperial army, in terms of both financial power and military forces, the Imperial family had overwhelming influence. Civil war did not seem to be a concern presently.
Only the northern side of the country faced the sea, it touched borders with other countries on the eastern, western and southern sides.
To the east was the merchant country, Vichy. The country was run by a parliamentary system in which several city-states were represented by representatives in an assembly. Being called the merchant country, the country itself sold metal and manufactured goods in neighbouring countries, the profit formed a large part of the national budget. As a result, many city-states promoted commerce and industry. Incidentally, good quality metal could be excavated from it’s southern mountainous area. A lot of dwarves lived there, so as to exchange and trade commodities made by the dwarves, it was a definite plus point.
The western side did not exactly have a clearly defined border, the vast mountainous region was filled with wilderness over which were spread many beastmen villages. The custom of farming being nonexistent, it was said they lived off hunting, but no details were known. Humans weren’t interested, simply avoiding the race as a whole. While Hifumi had heard they were “hostile to humans” when princess Imeraria had summoned him to “Fight the demi-humans”, Sabnak had a different story to tell. Orsongrande one-sidedly invaded to get more land and were hit hard by the guerilla warfare used against them, became impoverished and withdrew.
「 What a nonsensical affair. 」
「 Beyond the beastmen land, there is a country known as the Knight country, they too want the land in question. After all, in the mountainous and wild areas, ores and crystals can potentially be mined. Currently we have no choice but to one-sidedly buy them from Vichy. To escape from this miserable state of affairs, the King seemed to have thought that that land was necessary.」
In a past story, the prince who succeeded did not have appropriate judgement either, instead, the princess ruling the country now did not seem to be interested in the conquest any more, thought the Knights.
「 The south? 」
「 The magic country, Horant. 」
A genius magician in Horant gathered apprentices to train and research for the country. Most of the magic tools produced by Vichy are designed by Horant. Also, making use of weapons like daggers as a magic wand is known to some magicians, but the production methods are not released by Vichy.
On the west of Horant, sharing only a little bit of border with Orsongrande, is the country of elves.
「 Elves! Elves exist! 」
「 …… Uh, yes. They exist, but meeting them is unlikely. 」
It is said that most of the elves’ country is heavily forested, and the elves live quietly in the depths of the forest, not interacting with other countries. Any stranger entering the forest is immediately attacked mercilessly; Orsongrande and Horant have tried several times to subjugate some of the forest, to no avail. Unfamiliar to forest warfare, with arrows unexpectedly flying in from the shadows among the trees, even the magicians could not fight properly, and had to retreat numerous times.
「 For the time being, these are the state of affairs of our country and it’s neighbours. 」(Sabnak)
「 You saved my time. Thanks. 」
「 Ah, apart from that, could you come here tomorrow? 」
Listening to the tired-out Sabnak’s reason, Hifumi smiled and stood up.
「 At last reinforcements have come from the capital. It seems that Pajou senpai will be here as well. Regarding the man called Strauss, I believe she will give you the information directly. 」
「 Is that so….. Very well. 」
* * *
「 Gothras escaped. 」
Pajou, who seemed to have ridden in considerable haste, found Hifumi in the Viscount’s mansion. Out of breath, she cut her greetings short and explained the situation.
According to Pajou’s explanation, Gothras, who was awaiting punishment in the Knight Corps’ prison, had killed a guard and disappeared.
「 The Knight who was guarding him, his neck was snapped. The prison bars were bent, a feat of strength impossible for a human. 」
However, Pajou’s place was broken into, and th
e report related to Hifumi was stolen. Gothras could not be working alone, he had to be receiving some guidance, was the conclusion the Knight Corps reached.
「 We believe that someone helped Gothras escape. 」
Regaining her breath, Pajou finished reporting and straightened her spine. She bowed deeply to Hifumi.
「 This incident was completely our blunder. You painstakingly gave us an opportunity to clear up our mismanagement, we not only wasted it, but as a result you are deprived of information. The responsibility is mine. 」
Seeing her apologising with her head bowed and not moving an inch, Hifumi laughed.
「 The apology is unnecessary. Even if the information is concealed, sometime, somewhere, it will be revealed. Besides, there might be a guy holding enough power to bend prison bars, yes? 」
Looking up, Pajou’s eyes met a cold smile, the same one she saw at the Marquis’ estate. A chill went up her spine.
「 Ah, joy. A fellow confident in their physical prowess, there’s this technique I really want to try out….」
Everyone froze seeing the expression of warped joy on Hifumi’s face.
Chapter 19: Know Your Enemy
Hifumi had previously bought some magical tools that functioned like lamps. Separating from Pajou and heading back to the hotel, Hifumi continued learning his letters from Origa after dinner. Since he had made this a habit after coming to the town, he had a general grasp of the basic letters and their readings.
Incidentally, the magical illumination tool was at a great buy, being better than a candle. He bought a total of five pieces; one each was given to Origa and Kasha at the hotel.
The tutoring went somewhat like this: the letters were read aloud so so as to grasp their pronunciation. They were written in a horizontal fashion and repeated them aloud while writing helped memorising them.
Since constant repetition was a shortcut, though this method used up a lot of expensive parchment, Hifumi bought it regardless.
「 Master, is upto here sufficient today? 」
「 Hm, I understand the general characters and pronunciations from this. No words or grammar right now. If necessary, I will ask later. 」
「 Please leave it to me. Seeing master’s speed, it won’t take too much time. 」
Kasha was carrying out her weapon maintenance during her free time. She watched the two get along quickly and felt a little lonely.
Should I mingle more with Hifumi? thought Kasha, but she didn’t want to disturb Origa.
While Kasha was pondering these deep thoughts, all the while cleaning nonexistent marks on her sword, Hifumi had cleared up his study material and stood up.
「 Because of Pajou’s troublesome state of affairs, we have to enter Vichy tomorrow. Since we’re taking the carriage, I’ll have to ask you two to be the coachmen again. 」
「 Understood. 」 (Kasha)
「 Of course. 」 (Origa)
Hifumi nodded at their responses and retired to his room after breakfast.
Origa waited until the door to their room was completely closed and undressed facing her bed. A flimsy dress of rather thin material covered her slim body. Though it was usual for Origa to sleep like this, Kasha vaguely noticed her figure.
Slender arms and legs. She really does give off a “womanly” impression. (Kasha)
Understanding her master’s kind treatment, Kasha sighed and tensed, gazing at her own arms and legs.
She sighed again.
「 What’s wrong? 」
「 It’s nothing. We have to leave early tomorrow, go to sleep. We’re travelling with master, so it’s definitely going to be a turbulent day. 」
Origa laughed gently in agreement and turned off the illumination tool.
The next morning, Sabnak was at the gate that faced Vichy to see off the trio.
A thin fog had come out, softening the morning light.
Though Sabnak was pleased at the arrival of the reinforcements, since all the Knights that came along were senior to him, the paperwork had not decreased even though he had an attendant helping him. The dark circles under his eyes kept thickening.
A man riding a horse and a carriage came from the direction of the hotel.
「 Good morning. Something wrong?」
「 Just seeing you off. From here, continue along the highway for two hours till you reach the stronghold at the border. Since there are troops on both the Orsongrande and the Vichy side, please show the permit to both. 」
「 Got it. Well then, see you. 」
Hifumi continued on, the horse-drawn carriage followed slowly in his wake, both slowly vanished into the mist covering the highway.
Sabnak continued staring for a while at the spot where they disappeared. Pajou’s voice rang out from behind him.
「 Hifumi-san? 」
「 Now it’s possible to leave this place…. Something wrong? 」 (Sabnak)
「 It’s the incident of the magician from Horant, the one called Strauss. The analysis of his body, except for the dagger, there was no indication of high social standing. However… 」
Visibly penetrating Strauss’ chest was a magic tool, possibly of an evil goal.
Based on the build of the body, it seemed more than 50 years old and considerably thin. The movements displayed in the Marquis’ mansion, as heard from Hifumi were hard to believe. Though not completely clear, it may have been a body strengthening type evil magic, surmised Pajou.
「 The corpse can be sent to the capital today for further investigation. 」
「 Body strengthening magic….. Could it be, the one that set Gothras free was Strauss? 」
「 No, the timings are wrong. 」
「 Then how… 」
「 Gothras might have used a similar magic tool, but he was frisked before being put into prison. Did someone pass it to him for him to escape? ….. In any case, it is necessary to search within the royal capital for this possible accomplice. 」
Even as she said this, Pajou was at her wit’s end to even start looking for clues.
* * *
As the carriage rolled on in a leisurely manner, the fog gradually cleared up. The stronghold on the edge of the road came into view.
Seeing that the so-called demon seemed to have left already, Hifumi felt let down.
「 That’s the border? 」
There were no walls or fences or such, the highway just ended at a 2-storey stronghold. Both sides had just one large building each, nothing else.
According to Kasha’s explanation, if one left the highway, they are immediately attacked by monsters. As a result, it was unnecessary to build walls.
The central building functioned as a checkpoint for both countries. The large buildings on each side housed their respective border security soldiers. According to a treaty, 10 soldiers from each country could be assigned there.
Seeing the stronghold come into view, Hifumi had an uneasy feeling.
「 …… It’s too quiet. I can’t feel any indications of a single person inside, much less 20. 」
「 Eh? 」
「 Arm yourselves immediately. I smell blood. 」
Kasha and Origa did not understand, but believing in Hifumi, did so instantly. Their reactions were a result of constant training.
The carriage was stored, horses were dismounted.
Drawing nearer cautiously, several soldiers were visible on the ground in front of the stronghold.
The trio did not rush forward, carefully approaching the bodies.
「 This…. 」
Seeing the state of affairs, Kasha gnashed her teeth.
An inspection of the path leading to the stronghold showed soldiers lying dead everywhere on the stone pavement. At first glance, it was obvious that their limbs were pointing in strange directions, completely motionless.
Amongst the bodies, some limbs were cruelly ripped off, exposing a gruesome sight.
「 Everyone…. Dead? 」
「 No, one person is alive. 」
> Smoothly moving among the corpses, Hifumi crossed the border and crouched down near a fallen soldier.
「 Oy, get up. 」
A young woman, a soldier from Vichy, judging from the armour, lay facedown on the ground completely unresponsive. She had disheveled red hair in a berry cut.
「 As expected, she’s dead. Master? 」
「 No, this fellow is uninjured. 」
While saying that, Hifumi took the woman’s wrist and jabbed his finger at a vital point located on the thumb side of the wrist.
「 Adadadadada!? 」
The female soldier jumped up because of the sudden acute pain, with teary eyes put some distance between her and Hifumi.
That agile movement was similar to a cat, but the teary-eyed wrist-rubbing didn’t improve the impression.
「 Why did it fail?? 」
「 I know if you’re dead or not even if I can’t see you. 」
「 That doesn’t explain anything! 」
「 I wasn’t explaining. 」
To Hifumi’s cold response, the female soldier clenched her teeth and placed her hand over a sword at her hip.
She made to draw her sword, but Hifumi was much faster. Instantly, Hifumi’s katana was pointed at her grey left eye.
「 I have questions. Explain this situation. You die if not. 」
「 …… Understood. 」
The girl, Alyssa, was an inspection official of Vichy. There seemed to be a constant number of women soldiers on the border.
「 This happened a little while ago. A powerful man suddenly started acting violently. The soldiers here and Orsongrande’s too were instantly killed. I managed to survive because I played dead when a colleague was thrown against me and I fell. 」
Noticing that Alyssa spoke with a strangely lovely voice for a soldier, Hifumi assessed Alyssa with an expressionless gaze. Seeing he did not so much as raise an eyebrow at the mention of the Orsongrande soldiers being killed, Alyssa pouted.
「 Though your colleagues have died, you don’t seem to be affected. 」 (Alyssa)
「 Doesn’t matter. Leave that, what about the violent and powerful man? 」
「 That one. 」
Hifumi turned his gaze to a tall man grasping a thick bludgeon, collapsed on the ground.
「 Who killed him? 」
Summoned Slaughterer - Book 1 Page 15
