Chapter 469 - Seventh Tale: Gnome's Cave (6)
“Then, the selection for our side has been decided among the three of us. Who will be representing your side?”
Eleanor-sama is asking the beastmen.
The 'three of us' likely refers to me, Henry-sama, and Eleanor-sama. It seems to have been decided without me noticing.
“W-Wait a moment.”
It's Prince Sawelyn. Clinging to Godwynn-sama's shoulder, he finally managed to stand up. I had forgotten about him since he was knocked unconscious by a single blow to the stomach from the Bear.
“Regnentes is the one ruling this land. And I have been entrusted by the King with the management of this territory. As such, we will decide who goes. You two, please step back.”
Don't say unnecessary things again. That's practically a declaration of war against the beastmen. As expected, the Bear and the Boar, who were facing off in wrestling, stopped moving and glared at him in unison.
“Ah! Sawelyn-dono! What on earth is that over there?!”
Suddenly, Eleanor-sama pointed toward the distant sky.
“Eh?”
Just as he turned around, a dull thud was heard from Sawelyn-sama.
“Oh, are you alright? Sawelyn-dono.”
Henry-sama, who had moved before anyone noticed, was supporting him so he wouldn't fall to the ground, but his left fist was buried in the prince's stomach.
“I thought I saw something, but it must have been my imagination. Oh, did something happen?”
Don't 'Oh' me.
“He must be tired.”
“Then, let's have him take a nice, long rest.”
They're finishing him off with a double-handed [Sleep] spell.
Leaving Sawelyn-sama, who had fallen into a deep slumber, to Godwynn-sama—who was still staring in the direction Eleanor-sama had mistakenly pointed—we proceeded with the discussion.
“Now then, please select five members from your side.”
As Eleanor-sama said this, the Boar and the Bear prepared for a rematch.
“Wait a moment. Even if powerful individuals like you two fight, a result won't come easily. Besides, if you get injured, it will only decrease our combat power regardless of who wins. Why not decide by luck instead of strength?”
I took a die out of my pocket.
“Oh, I like that. Whether you can participate in the second round or the third round depends on luck. That's interesting.”
It's the Fox Man. He's quite sharp in these situations.
“Third round? Is there a third round?”
The two who were about to grapple turned around.
“Probably. The opponent is that Gnome. Do you think something that can be cleared in one or two tries would be called a trial? In fact, for the first round, although you saw through the magic that turned them into magical beasts, it seems things went nowhere from there.”
It wasn't 'nowhere.' We just got the direction a bit wrong; the actions themselves weren't bad. Well, we might have died if Gnome hadn't helped us, though.
“It sounds like it'll be challenging. On the human side, we have substitutes, including the one resting over there. Also, a secret weapon.”
While Godwynn-sama and the other Regnentes people were busy carrying the prince to the shade of a tree to tend to him, Eleanor-sama brought this up.
“S-Secret weapon?”
“Yes. Here, let me whisper it to you.”
She gathered the beastmen and formed a huddle.
“S-Such a person exists?”
“Yes, and that's not all. Do not underestimate the breadth of Jeanne's connections. After all, we still have three and a half days left.”
Seeing her smirking, she's definitely plotting something again.
By the way, what are we going to do about Sawelyn-sama?
Leaving the old couple who were continuing their whispered conversation in the huddle with the beastmen alone, I went to check on him; he had been carried into a small hut in the beastman village and was sleeping.
“Is he alright?”
“As you can see. He is currently sleeping peacefully.”
He was sleeping so comfortably on the spread-out bear fur that it was hard to believe he had been knocked unconscious. As expected of what's called the 'sleep-debt-clearing magic.' If they were going to do it, they might as well have used holy magic.
“It'll be trouble when he wakes up.”
“We'll just have to have Henry-sama and the others pretend to have departed before then and hide somewhere. We'll say the beastmen caught us off guard or something.”
“Was that the plan from the beginning?”
“You'll have to ask Eleanor-sama about that. I wouldn't know.”
Seeing him chuckling lightly, he might have at least caught on halfway through.
Since it would be troublesome if Prince Sawelyn came along, it was decided that we would stay at the house of some herbivorous beastmen near the center of the settlement. In that district where Horses and Deer lived, behind a row of about ten log cabins, a landscape resembling a pasture for humans spread out.
“It's just a field now since it's still March, but as it gets warmer, pasture grass will grow. Until then, we store harvested hay and oats in the sheds and mainly eat those.”
Apparently, they eat the oats as they are without threshing. Since their hands aren't hooves, they might be able to bake bread if they could grow wheat, but there's also the issue of the amount of arable land. This area is Lyudmila and Flora's domain. If there were Alraunes around, they might be able to manage a bit better.
“Our home is as you see it, so I'm afraid we may cause you some inconvenience regarding sleeping quarters and meals...”
As for the room layout, there was a kitchen-cum-living room, two bedrooms, and a tool room; for a family of four, it wasn't too bad. Seeing two chestnut foals carrying various things out of the tool room with their mother horse, it seemed they intended to secure one room for us.
“We have some business to attend to, so we must return to Sertoria once.”
“We have brought some things as souvenirs. We will leave them here, so please use them as lodging fees for this person. Her name is Wilhelmina.”
As he said that, Wilson-san, from wherever he had been hiding them, floated some bowls and brought over several barrels. The contents of the barrels included alcohol, turnips, hay, and dried meat. Dried meat aside, the turnips and hay would be good for the children.
“Eh? But...”
“It is fine. We must leave this place to assist Jeanne.”
Before the mother could stop them, they flew away.
“Bishop Jeanne. What should we do?”
The mother, who was at a loss, asked me...
“Well, they are former heroes. They must have something in mind.”
“Excuse me, could I have a moment?”
The Horse and Deer who had been participating in Eleanor-sama's wicked plot were calling.
Just like that, Will and I were led into the woods.
“The person who was using that flight magic... I heard he is an undead called a Revenant.”
Ah, they talked.
“It's a strict secret.”
“We understand. You also mentioned there were other allies...”
I looked at Will.
“She plans to bring reinforcements. She should be back by tomorrow morning.”
She said it without even changing her expression.
When she returned the next morning, as expected, reinforcements were on board.
“Yo, Jeanne. I heard the opponent is Gnome. I got a handsome reward, so let's do this.”
“Jeanne, I heard there are beastmen who will cooperate in the regeneration of the Northeastern Forest.”
“Are we planting turnips in this land?”
It's Alex and the Elf Prince. On top of that, Lyudmila is here too. One side apparently accepted on the condition of ten barrels of Finis's finest liquor, and the other on the condition of arranging winter labor.
“A Dwarf and an Elf. Bishop Jeanne and those two are really amazing.”
“Well, of course. Those two are the former King and Queen of Sertoria. Their level of commitment is different.”
“Hahaha. I see. This is revenge for the first King who couldn't do anything.”
Eh? What did he just say...
“Um, it sounded like you were talking about the first King...”
When I asked Eleanor-sama, both she and Henry-sama had serious faces.
“Yes. It seems the first King only escaped using a [Teleportation Circle].”
Did Eleanor-sama know about Gnome's trial?
“It's not that I knew. It's just that the story of him retreating without establishing friendly relations with the beastmen was passed down.”
The Wolf Elder told me how the first King had behaved in the beastman settlement.
The first King had indeed reached the beastman settlement. Unfortunately, he couldn't break through Gnome's trial. He vowed to try again and apparently never returned.
“However, he explored the ruins of the Silver Mine and taught us that silver could still be mined. As a result, we were able to negotiate with the humans to allow mining in exchange for winter food.”
In other words, that negotiation partner was the King's younger brother?
“Originally, he should have been just a local lord. However, it seems a daughter of that house married into the royal family. That marriage destination was the King's younger brother. Most likely, the hidden silver mine was used as payment. It was after the son born to them became an adult that people from other countries began entering and leaving that mine.”
This apparently happened after the previous war ended. In other words, after the previous war, Engrio has been trying to create collaborators in the northern part of the basin they failed to conquer. According to Eleanor-sama, Engrio's goal is to conquer the entire island. Since their northward advance has been repeatedly blocked, they are trying to break the cooperation of the East Coast nations through diplomacy rather than military force.
“Were there any people from other countries wearing black robes?”
“Black robes? No, I haven't seen any. We monitor the mine ruins ourselves, so it wouldn't be easy to hide.”
When Eleanor-sama asked, the Elder replied. If the former Ruined Town is not involved, it might be King Seldic's personal judgment.
“I see. Then the matter is simple. When Jeanne goes there, please inform them in advance that the exploration involves King Seldic of Engrio, and that if the target object is found, King Seldic will also review it through the Engrio Royal Capital Great Church.”
“I-I understand. But, not only are you with us, you also bring ghosts, and have influence with spirits and the royal families of this island... Bishop, just what kind of person are you?”
Even if you ask me that, I only intend to be a regular bishop. Please don't stare at me so intently.
“As expected of Gnome. Just looking at this, I can't tell where it jumps to.”
“Is it no good even for Alex?”
Since Prince Sawelyn apparently went home in a huff, we headed straight for the Priestess's grave without hiding. Since the support group is basically only for observation, the composition for going to the Cave of Trials remains three humans, one ghost, one Revenant, and five beastmen. I thought about having Alex, who is good at [Teleport], analyze the destination, but it seems impossible even for him against one of the Four Great Spirits. Incidentally, the Elf is working on selecting the seasonal labor force, and Lyudmila is working on improving the farmland.
“The fundamentals are different. My magic is, in short, a magic circle. Basically the same as humans. But this is different. It doesn't need a magic circle. It moves this entire location. In other words, when and where it jumps isn't decided. It's at the whim of the caster.”
Come to think of it, the Earth Dragon's room also connected to various places. Alex and the Demon Race we fought in the Western Plains would chant something and a magic circle would appear at the same time. Then they would jump. I don't understand the principle.
“Should we have the Earth Dragon come?”
“No, that's not possible. We need him to melt the perennial snow of the Central Mountain Range. Besides, persuading the Earth Dragon would take time.”
I guess we have no choice but to jump...
No, wait. There's one more person. Someone who can move through the ground.
“Um, excuse me, could I have a moment?”
I called out to Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, Wilson-san, and Alex, and stepped away from the spot.
When I told them what I had thought of, they agreed.
“However, a payment will be necessary. Is there time to go back and get it?”
“Let's have the beastmen help.”
And so, I summoned Salamander.
“What's this, what's this place? It feels different from usual. Well, as long as I can drink good alcohol, I'm fine.”
He's sitting on my shoulder, looking around. It's impressive how he seems to be in no way on guard, speaking in a relaxed tone.
“Oh, there are beastmen here. Is there a banquet with beastmen today?”
The beastmen who were watching me summon him were watching from a distance with bated breath. After all, he's a fire spirit. You could say he's the spirit beastmen are most uncomfortable with.
“Would you like a drink first?”
“Oh, Finis's finest. You're quite thoughtful.”
The alcohol Eleanor-sama was offering was actually Alex's portion, which he was watching longingly. Out of the five barrels given as advance payment, I had him give me one he brought to drink himself. Replacement alcohol should be paid for later.
“T-T-This is alcohol made in our village. I-I don't know if it will suit your palate, but please, have a taste.”
The Elder, who was completely cowering, offered a bowl of alcohol poured from another barrel with both hands.
“Oh, is this okay?”
“Yes, please, please.”
While still on my shoulder, he reached out his hand to receive it and gulped it down.
“Oh! It's fruit wine. Let's see, mmm! This is good, this gentle mouthfeel. It's not inferior to Jeanne's mead.”
“Haha, thank you. If you need more, I will present that barrel to you.”
“Is that okay? Thanks.”
“N-No, no, don't mention it.”
Perhaps because he was nervous, he was sweating profusely.
When Salamander drank the alcohol he received, his flames rose slightly and his body grew larger. Not as much as when he drank the Finis alcohol. About as much as wine. The beastmen were startled and went down on all fours. They might have thought he was angry.
“Phew, it's good to have this once in a while. So, Jeanne, what's the business? It's not just a banquet today, is it?”
Oh dear, he saw right through me.
When I explained the situation to Salamander, he told me to show him the grave. I believe Fire and Earth are fine even if they are combined. He stayed on my back as we headed to the grave.
“Hmm, so when Jeanne touches this stone, she gets jumped to Gnome's domain.”
“That's right. It seems to be near here, though.”
“It's not near. It's quite far.”
“Eh? Is that so?”
Gnome had said that if we dug a hole as if extending the cave we were jumped to, we could return to the original spot.
“He must be connecting it to near here midway. Unlike me, he's good at long-distance teleportation. He uses that specialty to connect multiple spaces simultaneously.”
Eh? Wait a minute. That means...
“That's right. In my opinion, the cave Jeanne was jumped to was made by connecting various spaces.”
Then there's absolutely no way to know where it is.