Chapter 67: Rumors of Viscount Klaufeldt’s House

“Hime, that was amazing! And you protected us again. Thank you as always!”

Lifting Orihime, who was rubbing her head against his leg, Isamu expressed his gratitude while nuzzling her cheek.

Though Orihime had squinted her eyes for a while, whether satisfied with showing off her catch or not, she quickly fell asleep in Isamu arms.

While she often slept on his lap, it was rare for her to fall asleep while being carried.

“Splendid, Orihime-sensei, but what about the last part?? I’ve never heard of a story where a creature was cut so brilliantly.”

Felix, the vice-captain, picked up the remaining three Metal Leeches that were rolling on the ground and marveled at the severed surfaces.

“It was reversed from the beginning, but what kind of creature is this Metal Leech? We understand it’s exceptionally tough and swift, but…”

As Isamu stroked the sleeping Orihime’s forehead, he asked Felix.

“The detailed ecology is still mostly a mystery, but it’s said to be a mutated form of the Leech mutant. While there are Forest Leeches around here, I haven’t heard any eyewitness accounts from our territory or the neighboring ones.”

Felix answered, tilting his head.

There are many rumors about how they mutate due to dense magic energy in the air or by continuously consuming special minerals, but all of them are just rumors, and the conditions for their occurrence remain a mystery.

The Forest Leech, considered the origin of mutations, is a popular creature with various subspecies, such as the volleyball-sized large leeches and Rock Leeches that inhabit rocky areas.

It moves like bouncing on its almost spherical, elastic body and attaches to animals, absorbing their bodily fluids. Since attaching to moving objects is difficult, it often stuns its prey with a body blow using its elasticity before attaching.

The Metal Leech is about the same size, but as its name suggests, its entire body is made of a metallic substance. It is extremely hard, but during its lifetime, it also possesses elasticity. Its attack pattern is similar to that of the Forest Leech, but it comes from a considerable distance and is dangerous due to its hardness, making a direct hit to the head, etc., quite perilous.

Its most significant feature is its hardness. Stories of it being defeated with a regular sword are almost like fairy tales. Realizing its disadvantage, it often flees, making it challenging to defeat. However, if you are lucky enough to defeat it, getting rich quickly would no longer be a dream.

It is highly useful as a material and is traded at high prices.

“For now, Isamu-dono, you should keep that material. While processing it with flowing magic, its hardness and unique luster are beautiful, and it has various characteristics. It will surely be useful for future research.”

Lord Selfers, who had been listening to the conversation, slowly walked over and said so.

“Is it okay? It’s an expensive material, isn’t it?”

“I don’t mind. Besides, Orihime-dono was the one who defeated it. And, if you try to sell it after defeating it so spectacularly, it will attract attention, don’t you think?”

Selfers replied with a wry smile.

“Ah, I see. It’s a story about not being able to defeat it with a sword…”

“That’s right. But more importantly, why do you think she could cut it at the end? Isamu-dono seemed surprised.”

“Oh, that light I saw was indeed only visible to me.”

“Only Isamu-san, meaning only you could see the magic. Does that mean Orihime-chan used magic!?”

Annemarie, who was listening next to them, exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes. I think so. After Orihime murmured something, light-like magic gathered on her front paws… It was quite dense light. Stronger than the magic barrier of a Mage Ogre.”

“It’s only natural to see it as using some kind of strengthening magic. Truly befitting the incarnation of a goddess.” 

Nicolette said, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the sleeping Orihime.

“She fell asleep so quickly because she used a lot of magic, right?”

“Probably. I don’t know how much magic Orihime-chan has, but it was magic powerful enough to cut the Metal Leech.”

“I see… Thank you, Hime. You did well.”

Saying so, Isamu tightened his arms around Orihime a little more.

From there to the first town, Badalona, in the neighboring Viscount Jansen’s territory, the journey was smooth without encountering any monsters.

In Badalona, the Klaufeldt Knight Order, which had rushed to their aid in the nick of time, was popular, and they received generous hospitality.

The residents who had evacuated to other towns had returned, and it seemed like the town was in the midst of recovery, with construction underway on buildings ravaged by monsters.

Among the residents waving their hands by the roadside, Miseroi, a veteran knight, spotted a familiar face and walked towards him after dismounting his horse.

“Hey Noel, have you been well?”

Saying so, he ruffled the head of a young boy.

It was Noel, the boy they had encountered when evacuating from Badalona.

“Yeah! Thank you for saving my dad. Kishi-sama, you defeated the Ogre, right!?”

Noel excitedly spoke because his name was remembered.

“Yeah, that’s right. Not just me but everyone worked together to defeat it.”

“Amazing! I saw it a little when I was running away, but to defeat such a big Ogre!!”

“Your dad and the others did their best to protect the town. There was no way we’d lose. Oh, right. I have a souvenir for you.”

Saying so, he took out several white somethings with a jingle from the pouch hanging on his waist and handed them to Noel.

“What’s this? It’s white and pointy?”

“This, my boy, is a tooth of the Ogre we defeated. We brought it as proof of our victory.”

He said with a grin.

“Eh? Ogre’s tooth?! Amazing! Is it okay!?”

“Of course. It’s a reward for working hard during the evacuation. From now on, keep being a good boy and help your dad, okay?”

“Yeah, got it! Thank you!! When I grow up, I’ll definitely become a knight!”

With sparkling eyes, Noel declared.

“I see. Becoming a knight, huh? That’s great. Well then, until you become a knight, I’ll keep pushing myself a little longer.”

“Promise, okay!?”

“Yeah, it’s a promise between men.”

With a pleased expression, Miseroi ruffled Noel’s head again.

“See you. Do your best!”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best!!”

After a final handshake, Miseroi mounted his horse again and returned to the formation.

“Hehe, looks like retirement is no longer an option.”

Liddell, who had returned to the line, teased Miseroi as he approached on his horse.

“Yeah, gotta work hard for at least another ten years.”

Despite his wry smile, Miseroi’s expression was truly joyful.

The next day, they left the town of Badalona early in the morning.

Today’s destination was the capital of Viscount Jansen’s territory, Yanseil.

The journey was going smoothly, but since the battle with the Metal Leech yesterday, Orihime had been sleeping almost constantly, except during meal times.

Cats, in general, are known to be creatures that sleep a lot, with more than half of their day spent asleep.

However, this time, she seemed to be sleeping more than 90%. Even now, she curled up on Isamu’s lap, breathing softly in her sleep.

“Orihime-chan, you’ve been sleeping since yesterday…”

Annemarie, sitting next to Isamu, murmured while looking at Orihime’s sleeping face.

“Yes, she doesn’t seem to be in poor health, and her sleeping face is calm, so I think she’s fine.”

While gently stroking Orihime, Isamu replied.

“Hehe, she does look so happy while sleeping.”

“Yes, she’s probably sleeping to recover her magica power. She’s eating, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Previously, when Isamu collapsed due to magic exhaustion, he lost consciousness immediately but woke up after about three hours. In Orihime’s case, she didn’t lose consciousness, but the sleeping time was longer.

Whether it was different for humans and cat deities or not, Isamu, thinking it was okay, decided to let her sleep until she was satisfied.

During the journey to Yanseil, there were two more battles with monsters. One was a group of about 20 Forest Wolves, and the other was a group of seven Orcs. Due to the large number of knights, both battles were resolved within 30 minutes.

The morale of the knights who knew Orihime was sleeping was unusually high, and Vice Captain Felix could only smile wryly.

During this time, Orihime, with her ears moving slightly, continued to sleep contentedly.

When the group arrived in Yanseil, they were welcomed with a festive atmosphere, though not as much as in Badalona.

Although they didn’t directly save this town, the story of rushing to the crisis in Badalona had spread, and everyone thanked them one by one.

Afterward, including Isamu, the members of the research workshop were invited to a dinner at the residence of Viscount Jansen as members of the Klaufeldt family.

“By the way, Sel, it seems that rumors about your knights and soldiers are circulating.”

Dafyd, the head of the family, spoke to Selfers during a break in the meal.

“Rumors? What do you mean?”

“It’s a set with the story that Baron Baradalle’s family under the Kalenberg family messed up, and your side rebounded. It’s spreading as a rumor among the nobles. There were various things, right? Defeating more than twice the number of monsters, fighting throughout the night with a force of about a hundred and slaughtering a thousand monsters. Moreover, there’s a fierce familiar that beheaded a Mage Ogre with a single spell…”

“Cough cough cough!!”

Hearing the second half of the rumor, Isamu choked on the wine he was drinking.

“Hey hey, are you okay, Isamu-dono?”

With a wry smile, but with concern, Dafyd asked.

“I-I’m fine! I just got a little surprised by the extravagant part of the rumor…”

While slowly drinking the water offered by Annemarie, Isamu replied.

“One can’t deny the extravagance. You fought three times in two days, and it’s true that you defeated a Mage Ogre. The Klaufeldt Knight Order is an elite group, after all. I only found out when Bruno came to apologize the other day.”

“I see. They’re really fond of rumors. So, what did Lord Bruno Kalenberg say?”

“He said it was grateful that your side’s actions were overshadowing the rumors of their mishap under the Kalenberg family. He’s not an easy man to deal with, really… Unexpectedly, the one who added the tail to the rumor might be that man. High-ranking nobles are scary. They won’t easily stay down even if they fall.”

With a shrug, Dafyd shook his head.

“There’s also the matter of the magic circle, and there are people who are suspicious of the wanderer you’re dealing with. Bring that over, and the rumors about your side will attract more attention soon. If you’re going to take any measures, do it early. Well, considering it’s you, I think you already know.”

Straightening up a bit, Dafyd spoke seriously to Selfers while pouring him a drink.

“Yeah, you’re right… When I return from the Count’s territory, I’ll stop by again. Probably, at that time, we can talk about various things. Can you wait a little longer until then?”

“Ah, sure. Just be careful not to overdo it. And if you’re going to do something fun, include me in it.”

With a cheerful laugh, Dafyd’s parting words marked the end of the dinner.

On this night, since they were staying at the Viscount’s residence and the residents were no longer around, they could finally use the carriage-bath they had brought.

After a long time without a bath, Nicolette and Annemarie were in good spirits.

Also, as a thank-you for letting them stay, the Viscount’s wife also took a bath, and she liked it so much that she insisted on buying it until the last minute.

And so, two days after leaving Yanseil, on the evening of the 24th of the 8th month, the group finally arrived at the capital of the Kalenberg territory, Belcoure.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter