Chapter 529: A Shortcut

To prove that Tauro was the real one, Tauro and his party decided to head for Swen, the largest city near the northern border.

“According to Branch Chief Kai, it looks like we can’t simply head straight west,” Tauro said, spreading a map inside a hired carriage traveling in the direction of Swen and pointing out the route to Aeris and the others.

“There’s a restricted zone in between because of the kingdom’s military facilities, right?” Aeris said, pointing at the map.

“In that case, Leader is an honorary viscount, and he has permission to enter and leave facilities throughout the royal demesne. Couldn’t we just cut straight through?” Ankh suggested as he peered at the map from behind Tauro.

“Oh, right! I’d forgotten—they told me that a year ago. But does that permission really extend to military facilities?” Tauro wondered.

Military facilities were bound to be full of classified information.

Even with a royal permit granting broad access, it seemed unlikely that things would work out quite that conveniently—

“…We got through…”

They couldn’t pass together with the carriage, but when Tauro showed his permit at the checkpoint, they were allowed to pass through.

“That was surprisingly easy…” Aeris said, slightly surprised at how smoothly the soldiers had waved them through.

“Still, that soldier said, ‘We’ve already been informed—please go ahead,’ didn’t he? What exactly was he talking about?” Ragune voiced her doubts about the checkpoint soldier’s response.

“That bothered me too. It sounded like this wasn’t the first time,” Ankh added.

“Right? I felt the same way. Their attitude made it seem like the notice from a year ago had just come in yesterday or today,” Tauro agreed, sharing their sense of unease.

“But this way we can take a shortcut straight to Swen, so isn’t that good? The detour takes a week, but going straight through only takes four days!” Zion said optimistically.

“That’s true. Since I need to prove I’m the real one as soon as possible, I guess I should be glad we found a shortcut,” Tauro replied.

“—Yeah. Right now, this isn’t the time for you to worry about small details,” Ankh said.

With a Tauro impostor on the loose, reaching Swen was the group’s top priority.

The rest of the group nodded in agreement, and they pressed on, crossing the region that housed the military facilities.

The military zone was dotted with checkpoints everywhere.

At the third checkpoint, Tauro and the others once again showed the soldiers the metal plate that served as Tauro’s royal permit.

“Y-yes, this appears to be in order… Strange. You’re the adventurer team Black-Gold Wings led by an honorary viscount, correct?”

“Yes. Is something wrong?”

“Ah, no… It’s just that you feel quite different from the last time you passed through. I only saw you from a distance then, but you were all wearing your hoods low, so I couldn’t clearly see your faces. This time, your atmosphere feels lighter—more relaxed, you could say…”

“““““Last time?”””””

Tauro and the others froze on the soldier’s words.

Their reaction was natural; this was their first time here.

There was no way anyone could have seen them before.

“Yes. A few days ago, I believe. You toured the military facilities throughout this area. There were six of you then, but… hm? This time there are five…? Lord Tauro, could I ask for a little of your time? If you don’t mind, I’d like you to come with us to the guardhouse.”

Catching on to the discrepancy in their numbers, the soldier clearly grew suspicious, blocked their path, and requested their cooperation.

It was obvious where this was going: they were about to be detained at the guardhouse.

But resisting here would only lead to misunderstandings.

This probably meant the fake Tauro and his companions had already passed through the area ahead of them.

If so, the response at the first checkpoint finally made sense.

“…Everyone, let’s comply peacefully,” Tauro told the others, asking them not to resist.

They went to the guard post and were quietly detained.

“That’s an impressively made royal permit. Even my appraisal ability identifies it as genuine,” said the soldier interrogating Tauro, feigning admiration as he examined the permit.

“It’s genuine, so of course it would,” Tauro replied.

Several hours had passed since they were detained.

Tauro had been subjected to the same questions over and over.

“As if! The honorary-viscount-led adventurer team Black-Gold Wings visited us a few days ago. We confirmed then that both their tags and insignia were genuine. Your tag was hastily issued by some backwater branch, wasn’t it? If I had to say which one looks suspicious, it’s obviously yours. And you expect me to believe someone like you possesses a genuine royal permit? Don’t be ridiculous!”

The soldier slammed his fist on the desk, seething.

Then he continued:

“Tch. I held back because you’re a kid, but I guess it can’t be helped. —Hey, we’re going to torture him. We’ll make him spill the truth. Anyone capable of preparing forgeries this refined might be connected to the Empire. Let’s get him to talk quickly.”

With a sigh, the soldier ordered his subordinate, clearly signaling how unpleasant he found the task.

“Why do you assume the people who came first were the real ones? Couldn’t they’ve been the impostors, and that be why they never showed a royal permit? Besides, the fact that they toured a military facility full of classified information should make them more suspicious. We were only trying to pass through the territory. Our objectives are completely different.”

Tauro’s argument was perfectly reasonable.

“…My appraisal can’t tell me much about either this royal permit or the kid himself. Hey! Someone go fetch a senior appraiser from the research institute!”

Perhaps realizing Tauro had a point, the soldier ordered a higher-level appraisal.

“…Wait here. If that appraisal reveals you to be a fake, then we’ll make you talk properly.”

With a harsh expression, making it clear he wouldn’t go easy on Tauro, the soldier left the sterile room that contained nothing but a desk and chair bolted to the floor.

“So much for a shortcut. Looks like it’s turning into a detour instead… I wonder if everyone else is okay,” Tauro muttered with a sigh, worried about his companions.