Chapter 74: Alibi Fabrication

“Prime Minister, this is an urgent dispatch from Rosinne.”

The expression on Prime Minister Brighton’s face gradually changed as he read the message handed to him by his chief aide, Marginas.

Even after reading it two or three times, he could not grasp its meaning. He handed the document to Marginas, who was watching him closely, and asked, “Do you understand this?”

The urgent report stated that the lord’s mansion in Berna had collapsed due to a tornado, and that the lord and many others beneath him were missing.

As an addendum, it said that the tornado had shown no sign of weakening and was roaring as it continued to spin over the ruins of the mansion. Because of this, it was impossible to approach the site to search for the missing persons, and they were requesting instructions.

While it was not unheard of for tornadoes to cause damage, a lord’s mansion would be stone-built. Even if struck by a tornado, it should not collapse.

Moreover, a tornado lingering indefinitely without dissipating was unheard of.

“I can’t make sense of it either.” 

Marginas replied.

“Any word from our agents?”

“It’s hard to say whether this qualifies as a disaster, but a tornado alone would normally warrant a routine report.”

“Even when the lord’s mansion is damaged and the lord and many others are missing?”

“Our agents are blended in among the populace and adventurers. Even if the lord’s mansion is damaged, they cannot enter to conduct searches or investigations. How about entrusting full authority to Count Samiyul, the lord of Meroden, and having him conduct the search?”

“That sounds reasonable. I’ll advise His Majesty and have a letter of authorization issued, granting temporary control.”

**************************

With a slight hangover, I finished breakfast, returned the hut to my magic bag, and began ascending in the hole-ridden balloon.

I headed toward the city of Berna. Even from afar, the tornado was clearly visible, but beneath it there were no buildings—only scattered rubble.

It was only the day after the incident, so cleanup hadn’t even begun. I could see a few people standing around who looked like former servants of the count’s household.

The fence surrounding the estate was still intact, so looters probably wouldn’t find anything worth stealing.

The tornado stood at about thirty meters high—slightly unnatural, but if you worry about that, you lose.

I had no more business in Berna, so I decided to move beyond the royal capital and work on my alibi.

Flying toward the capital along the Orvenne Highway, I passed straight through to the Blange Highway without stopping. Since the royal family’s directly governed territory would be risky, I landed deep in the forest just past Zandra.

Beyond Zandra lay Velent, and farther still the city of Kreis in the Territory of Berland. It was a large city, and the guild there would surely welcome me.

It would be impossible to reach Kreis from Berna in just three days under normal circumstances, which made it perfect for establishing an alibi. I decided to stay in Kreis for a while.

While heading toward Kreis, I hunted birds and beasts. Late at night, guided by moonlight, I used [Hover!] to travel along the highway and slept in the grasslands.

*****************************

“Is it really true?”

“Yeah. I sense people nearby—in the grass.”

It seemed I had overslept. From beyond the grass I had crawled into, I could sense people and hear voices.

“Wait a second. Someone sleeping in a place like this—”

“Isn’t that Leon? Try calling out to him.”

“I’m Leon, but who’s this?”

“I knew it. It’s me—Farana.”

“Ah—give me a moment, I’ll come out.”

Pushing aside the grass, I emerged to see familiar faces waiting.

“You’re still sleeping in the bushes, I see. You’ll get attacked if you’re not careful.”

“It’s convenient for quick naps. Besides, I can handle minor attacks.”

“You said you’d call on us when you came to Kreis.”

“I was just about to head to the guild. Are you going hunting?”

“Yes. Want to come with us?”

“I’ve got guild business today, so not today. How many days until you’re back?”

“We’ll be back in two or three days.”

“Then I’ll be in the dining hall every morning. Please come say hello.”

“Got it. I’m looking forward to it.”

After seeing Farana and the others off, I headed into the city to check in at the Kreis Guild.

After declining the herb buyer and being allowed into the dismantling yard, a bored dismantler came rushing over.

“What’ve you brought today?”

“Just the usual—some birds, a few wolves, and a horn boar. Nothing like last time.”

“Some idiot tipped off the rich folks that a Battle Hawk came in, and it caused a huge uproar. I’d appreciate it if every visit didn’t turn into chaos.”

I laid out the loot starting with the Chicky Birds—five or six birds, four wolves, and one medium horn boar.

“Hey, that’s not much at all.”

“I empty my magic pouch before going out to earn. After resting for a couple of days, I’ll head out for a serious hunt.”

“I see. Ever since large shipments of Chikki Birds and Runner Birds started coming in, we’ve been getting pressured constantly—so I’m counting on you.”

He quickly filled out the appraisal sheet and handed it to me. I checked it briefly.

The total came to about 1,283,000 Dara. More importantly, it served as proof that I had been at the Kreis Guild, so I was satisfied. I handed over my guild card and got his signature.

Unified Calendar Year 629, May 21st — Kreis Adventurers’ Guild, Dismantler Sebans.

Now, even if someone claimed I had been in Berna three days ago, I had documented proof to refute it.

I cashed out at the payment counter and carefully stored the signed appraisal sheet in my magic pouch.

After having an ale, I decided to take it easy while gathering supplies until I reunited with Farana and the others.

The more witnesses who could testify that I was in Kreis, the better—so acting together with Farana’s group worked perfectly.

********************

On the morning of the fourth day, I spotted Farana and her party eating breakfast in the guild dining hall and joined them.

“You’re Leon, right? I’m Dale, leader of Flames and Shield of Kreis. I’m also Farana’s father—nice to meet you.”

“I’m Dale’s wife, Brenda. Farana is our daughter.”

So they really were mother and daughter—and dad was here too. A well-protected, chaperoned girl, huh.

“From the left, that’s Lloyd, our scout. Next to him are Wagel and Wagru—call them Gel and Gru.”

“I’m Franz.”

“I’m Luke. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Leon.”

“Gel and Gru…?”

“They don’t look alike, but they’re twins. Do you have anywhere you want to go, Leon?”

“I’ve only worked with a few parties and don’t know the area well, so I’ll tag along with your hunt.”

“So, it seems you make quite a bit of money hunting birds. Are you sure you’re fine with splitting the earnings evenly?”

“I’m fine with that.”

*****************************

“Prime Minister, this is the first report from Count Samiyul of Meroden.”

“Read it.”

Marginas hurriedly broke the seal and scanned the letter.

“The tornado at Count Fleming’s estate in Berna has not dissipated and is still confined within the grounds, making it too dangerous to approach. The count’s estate has been completely destroyed, and everything except the surrounding iron fence has been reduced to rubble. The whereabouts of Count Fleming and his family are unknown, as are those of his close aides and the knights guarding them. The city itself remains calm, and the letter states that the garrison troops have been organized to maintain public order.”

“What do you make of it?”

“The destruction of the count’s estate, and the fact that the tornado remains in the same place for days, is unnatural. I’ll consult the commander of the mage corps.”

“If it were magic… among the magic you know—wind magic, for example…”

“As far as I know, wind magic is limited to things like small whirlwinds.”

“Is there a wind mage in the mage corps? Or has there been one?”

“I don’t know.”

“Show that letter to the commander, stress confidentiality, and have him confirm whether there’s any risk of a magical attack.”

Acting on Prime Minister Brighton’s orders, Marginas went to the mage corps headquarters and, after emphasizing secrecy, showed the letter.

The commander read it once and immediately declared that such a phenomenon was impossible as wind magic.

As far as he knew, wind magic amounted to nothing more than gentle breezes or small whirlwinds. He added, with a dismissive snort, that even the greatest mage he had ever heard of supposedly blew the straw roof off a farmhouse with a whirlwind—and that story itself sounded dubious.

On top of that, he said, a tornado remaining in one place for several days was utterly impossible. Whoever had sent this letter must be out of their mind, and he shoved the document back.

Marginas did not take offense at the commander’s rude attitude. He thought that if the letter had not come from Count Samiyul, he himself might have reacted the same way, and returned to report to Prime Minister Brighton.

Lloyd, the scout leading the way, ignored small prey entirely and headed straight for the forest, suggesting the party’s policy was not to interfere with the game targeted by low-rank adventurers.

I had known since our first meeting that my detection range was wider than Lloyd’s.

Even today, when my detection picked up small game, he made no attempt to inform Dale.

He hadn’t shown any hostility back then either. All in all, they were a very likable party.

“Wait a moment.”

“Hm? What is it?”

I pressed my index finger to my lips to signal for silence, then took out my sling, loaded it with a small stone, and began swinging it.

I never thought the staff sling I used back home to scare off stray dogs while stream fishing would come in handy in this world too.

They watched my actions with curiosity. When a runner bird burst out of the bushes where I’d thrown the stone, spun around in a [Whirlwind!], and dropped neatly into my hands, they cried out in surprise.

I twisted its neck and handed it to Dale. He stared at it and asked.

“I’d heard you were good at catching birds, but what was that just now?”

“Just a simple whirlwind.”

“You call that ‘just’ a whirlwind? Toss a stone, spin it around, and that’s it?”

“A runner bird goes for thirty or forty thousand dara a piece, doesn’t it?”

“That’s the first time I’ve seen wind magic, but that’s not a useless spell at all—it’s a money-maker.”

“If you’re working solo, Leon, does that mean you’ve been granted defensive magic besides wind magic?”

“I only have wind magic. If you master it, it’s surprisingly useful, and it’s more than enough to protect yourself. There’s no way a spell granted by Lady Felicienne would be useless.”

“But there aren’t any famous wind or water mages.”

“I’ve never heard of any either, but magic depends on how you use it. Water magic would be incredibly convenient for city life, so maybe it just doesn’t stand out.”

“If that’s the case, wind magic stands out even less, and no one knows how to use it.”

That was probably true—but I had no intention of going into further detail. Since Farana didn’t press the issue either, I kept quiet.