Chapter 531: Meeting with the General

Once their identities were confirmed by a senior appraiser, Tauro and his companions were promptly released.

Afterward, they were moved from the interrogation rooms to a VIP lounge.

“I sincerely apologize for the discourtesy caused by my subordinates’ unilateral decision!”

The general in charge of managing the military facility had come in person to offer his apology—proof of how serious the situation was.

Incidentally, the general held the rank of honorary count, placing him above Tauro in status. However, because Tauro possessed a royal permit, the general chose to treat him with the utmost respect.

“General, it goes without saying that we need to prevent a recurrence. But more importantly, the fact that my impostor was allowed to tour this facility is a far more serious problem, isn’t it?”

“…Of course. We’ll identify those responsible, and I swear we’ll do everything possible to prevent this from happening again. I only just received the report myself. As soon as I realized how serious the situation was, I sent messengers to the other military facilities…”

The general acknowledged the military’s failure and replied with a sigh.

“Do you think this is connected to the Empire?”

Tauro gently posed the question to the apologetic general.

“…At this point, I can’t say for certain. However, according to my subordinates, Lord Tauro and his party—my apologies, the impostor group—boasted that during the year you were missing, they had infiltrated the Empire and traveled there. We’ve only just begun investigating, so most of what I know is secondhand, but there’s a strong possibility they’re Imperial agents…”

The general had left the task of dealing with the group of impostors to his subordinates, so this was a complete surprise to him. Still, his response was swift, and he had already begun gathering information.

“We plan to pursue the impostors ourselves after this. If possible, I’d appreciate it if you could prevent them from crossing the border.”

“Of course. I’ve already dispatched messengers along the borders of the royal demesne. But noble territories depend on how quickly each lord responds, so there will inevitably be delays. Ideally, I’d like you to keep watch along the border of neighboring Swen County. The Count of Swen and I are like cats and dogs; even if I made a request, he probably wouldn’t listen. If the impostors try to cross the border, Swen County is the most likely route.”

Even if they were both counts, there was a difference between those who governed land and those who held only honorary titles.

The general explained those circumstances to Tauro.

“…I see. Understood. We were planning to go to the city of Swen anyway, so we’ll look for the impostors there.”

“That would be a great help. Once again, Lord Tauro, I apologize that my subordinates acted rashly and detained and interrogated you.”

The general bowed deeply once more.

The subordinates standing behind him bowed as well.

“It’s really fine. In fact, thanks to the senior appraiser, we were able to prove that we’re the real ones, which was a great relief. I can’t say I approve of the torture during the interrogations, but… I’ll leave that judgment to you, General. Fortunately, all of our members are used to that sort of thing, so none of them felt any real pain… right?”

Tauro turned to Aeris and the others, who had been listening quietly until then.

“Considering it was a mistaken judgment caused by [Charm], I’d say their response was fairly understandable for people who genuinely believed we were impostors, don’t you think?”

Aeris answered without showing the slightest concern about the interrogation.

“That’s true. Under the circumstances, it was understandable that they concluded we were impostors.”

Ankh replied, equally unconcerned.

“If you’d managed to make me say my usual line, that would have been something—but this interrogation was pretty mild! Hahaha!”

For Ragune, the benchmark apparently was whether she had been driven to cry, “Damn it… Just kill me…!”

“I was never hit even once, so I’m totally fine.”

Zion, who like Tauro had only been questioned due to being a child, answered with a smile.

“I… I see…”

The general could only stare in disbelief. Based on his subordinates’ reports, he had been told they had gone too far—these reactions were completely unexpected.

“…In that case, I’ll leave the matter to your judgment, General. Oh, and may we borrow your lodging facilities? It’s already late, so we’d like to stay the night here.”

Tauro asked after glancing outside through the window.

“O-of course. —You there! Escort Lord Tauro and his party to the lodgings!”

Tauro and the others left the VIP lounge under the soldiers’ escort.

“…You guys. Didn’t you say that you had subjected them to some pretty severe torture?”

The general asked his subordinates to confirm their earlier report.

“…That’s what we believed, sir. But the reports also said that all of them looked completely unfazed…”

“I’m curious about their disappearance over the past year, but more than that—what exactly are they? Some of them should be nobles, yet their senses are far beyond those of ordinary people. Are all the so-called top-class adventurers like that these days?”

The general could only stand there, dumbfounded by Tauro and the others’ reaction, which was completely unexpected.

After renting out a large shared room in the military lodging facility, Tauro spread a map on the floor, and everyone gathered around it to discuss their next move.

“Depending on where the impostors are now, following the general’s suggestion and heading to Swen—our original destination—seems like the best option, right?”

Tauro traced a line from their current location to Swen on the map as he checked with the others.

“I agree. The general doesn’t have detailed information yet, and heading to the largest city in the area seems safest.”

Aeris nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. Still, who would even come up with the idea of a fake Tauro in the first place?”

Ragune voiced her doubts about the impostor.

“True. But I can understand why. Black-Gold Wings has repeatedly interfered with and thwarted the Empire’s operations. It wouldn’t be strange for them to have marked us. And with us missing for a whole year, they may have assumed we were dead and decided to create impostors. We have more than enough titles to make such a deception useful.”

Ankh offered a plausible theory.

“That makes sense! And hardly anyone in the northern region knows what we or Lord Tauro look like, so it must have been convenient for them.”

“Probably. Still, the technical ability to create tags, insignia, and other items capable of deceiving appraisers is impressive. There are many mysteries surrounding the Empire, and we also have to keep their special forces and the northern dragonfolk in mind. We should stay on maximum alert. As for [Charm], it seems to wear off naturally over time if left alone, so we can leave that for now.”

After cautioning everyone, Tauro decided that they would turn in for the night.