Chapter 47 - Robinson
Beatrix was being looked after by Mabel-san in the forest.
"Looks like you won. How was it? Were you able to fire magic from your boobs safely?"
"That's not it! If I fired magic from a place like that, I'd be treated as a monster and have my priesthood stripped away! Mabel-san, please don't look at me with those strange eyes either. It's this! This!"
I hurriedly pulled out the two plates with magic circles drawn on them from inside my clothes. The side where the magic circles were drawn had turned pitch black. Fortunately, the Highway Cookie branding was unharmed.
By the way, one was mine, but the other was Marcelo-san's. Paul-san's had a Purification magic circle drawn on it, and he had planned to activate it while holding it in his hand.
"I see. So magic can be activated through clothes. And I thought magic circles had to be thrust toward the opponent, but I guess that's not necessarily the case."
"I think that's only for holy magic. With other magic, the target of activation would become the clothes. With fire magic, the clothes would catch fire and you'd become a human torch. Even with holy magic, I heard it might not activate properly if you're heavily dressed or have it tucked inside armor. You can't fix it if it slips down, so it might not be suitable for those who fight in the vanguard and move violently."
"Ah, so that's why you took off that combat uniform."
By 'that combat uniform,' she must mean the Green Marble. I nodded with a smile.
Thinking about it now, Paul-san's strategy was well-conceived. Because it was Holy, which limits its activation target to monsters or corpses, it showed its effect by passing through the clothes being worn. Since monsters cannot use holy magic, they couldn't use the same trick. In other words, it was hard for them to anticipate.
"Heh. That's amazing. Maybe I'll try using it if I'm attacked by a strong monster."
"By all means. I highly recommend it. It's a strike that can turn the tables."
"That might be difficult."
The one throwing cold water on the idea was the mage who always said unnecessary things.
"Why? If it's a magic circle or a scroll, it's not like it's limited to priests, right?"
Mabel-san was absolutely right.
"A magic circle must be flat. If you wrap a magic circle written on paper or cloth around your body, it won't activate properly."
"But a wooden plate is fine, right?"
"A wooden plate is fine, but it's impossible for Mabel-san or me."
That's strange. It doesn't make sense.
"A magic circle needs to be of a certain size. If we tucked it into our chests, it would stand out strangely and the opponent would find out, wouldn't they? Adjusting the angle is also difficult. On the other hand, we can't exactly wedge it into our cleavage. If we tucked it into our stomachs, our movements would be restricted. This method chooses the person who can use it."
Come to think of it, when choosing who would implement this method, Paul-san had consulted with Beatrix...
Mabel-san, who was standing with her mouth agape, compared my chest and Beatrix's, and then looked at her own.
"Ah, I see. Y-yes, that's right. B-but it's amazing. Jeanne, you can use all sorts of techniques."
She was laughing as if to cover it up.
I'm sure I'm supposed to be the hero who dealt fatal damage to the monster that had cornered even Mayor Adolf... What is this feeling of defeat...
"As expected of my partner. Boob magic isn't something just anyone can do. I can brag about it to Hans-san."
Beatrix, who smiled brightly, closed her eyes as if relieved.
Fine. Do whatever you want.
When we arrived back at the mountain hut that served as our base, we had a simple drinking party. The topic of conversation was, of course, the reward. In addition to the original reward for goblin extermination of two silver coins per day, the speculation about how much the reward for spider extermination and repelling the mysterious red-eyed man would be made for good snacks to go with the drinks.
The guard squad would also get a special reward. Apparently, it would also be a factor in their salary assessment. McBurn-san said they would probably be able to get a raise next year.
For us of the Marcelo Company, it's been three days including the journey here. The daily allowance alone comes to six silver coins per person. And we exterminated the spiders on our own. Since the spiders are D-rank, it should be ten silver coins. Even if we split this five ways, it's two silver coins per person. The Class of 175's savings, which would be Beowulf's share, will also be plentifully replenished. Maybe I should buy some healing potions too.
And the repelling of the red-eyed man was expected to be one gold coin per person, based on the Revenant incident. In total, it's one gold coin and eight silver coins. We earned an amount exceeding last month's reward in just three days. There were some quite dangerous moments, but the earnings from one time are different from rat extermination.
"With this, the name of the Marcelo Company will resound far and wide."
Paul-san was also in high spirits.
There's a possibility that Paul-san's name is resounding among the monsters, but he doesn't seem to care at all. Marcelo-san said he might be targeted by powerful monsters, but he was full of vigor, saying he would just strike them back. Of course, Marcelo-san himself was also smiling.
There is one problem. The figure in the corner of the hut. The man who was leading the goblins.
His hands and feet are tied, and he's been gagged. As a result of Paul-san's perfectly measured magic and Beowulf's brute-force charge, we were able to catch him after he fainted.
Since he led spiders and goblins to fight humans, he'll probably be sentenced to death if a trial is held. However, he didn't exactly attack humans. If anything, we were the ones who attacked. There's also a possibility he was being manipulated by the red-eyed man. Furthermore, Priest Williams is insisting that killing a prisoner is a crime. We cannot lay a hand on him.
When McBurn-san removed the man's gag, he started shouting, "Kill me! Kill me!" He kept shouting for so long that it was annoyingly loud. As if he had no choice, Priest Williams stood up with a sigh.
"If you want to be killed by us, first listen to my words."
His voice was quite deep and intimidating. He didn't sound like a priest at all. He pointed at McBurn-san.
"If this man kills you now while you are restrained here, he will be punished according to the laws of the Kingdom of Sertoria for the crime of murder. However, if he releases your restraints and subdues an resisting enemy, he can legally kill you."
Legally kill...
"Hey, hey, is that person really a priest?"
Beatrix pulled on my sleeve. There are indeed priests who say terrifying things. The hunters are all watching with bated breath. They've been completely drained of their hostility.
"Is this Sertoria?"
The man reacted.
"Where did you think it was? This is within the territory of the Kingdom of Sertoria."
Priest Williams, whose tone had become gentle, showed his ring. The ring is engraved with the crest of the Nakanohara Church, indicating his affiliation. By the way, as a stray, I don't have one.
"I'm sorry. I don't recognize the crest."
In that case, McBurn-san showed his ring. The guard squad belongs to the First Legion of the Kingdom's Army. All soldiers wear rings engraved with the crest of the Kingdom of Sertoria's Army.
He probably has experience in military service. The man's expression changed.
"This is the northern mountains of the Nakanohara District, Kingdom of Sertoria. Where did you think you were?"
"I thought it was Engrio."
And then, he said he came from Regnentes.
The Kingdom of Regnentes is Sertoria's western neighbor. It is one of Sertoria's friendly nations, in an alliance that could be called an encirclement of Engrio. I've heard that quite gruesome battles occurred against Engrio in the last great war.
"I see. So this is Sertoria..."
The man suddenly started laughing. Why was it so funny to him that he was in Sertoria? There seems to be some kind of circumstance. Everyone exchanged glances and waited for the man to calm down.
When the man finished laughing, Priest Williams brought a cup of mead to his mouth and let him drink. After taking a sip or two, the man had a strangely refreshed expression.
"I would like you to tell us about yourself. Will you let us hear it?"
When the man nodded, he signaled to McBurn-san to release the restraints on his hands and feet. The man, who drank the mead himself, began to speak in a quiet tone, quite different from before. And the content was hard to believe at first.
The man's name is Robinson. He was born in a small farming village in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Regnentes. He has been able to communicate with animals since he was old enough to understand things. Now, he can control monsters and animals with Subordination magic.
I had never heard of the magic called Subordination. According to Marcelo-san, it's one of the particularly rare magics called ancient magic, and it was thought to have been lost by now.
The man himself didn't know about such things, let alone that the war had ended. Furthermore, he thought the place he was in was in the mountains of Engrio, and he thought we were an Engrio unit.
The reason he laughed when he found out this was Sertoria was because, until he was abducted by the red-eyed man, he had dreamed of living secretly with animals in Sertoria. Even though he lived with monsters, his dream had unknowingly been coming true for the past few years. When the man finished telling his story, he said in a quiet tone, "Kill me."
"Robinson-san. Why are you so eager to die? Sertoria is in a friendly relationship with your country. Since it's clear you were being deceived by people with bad character, I don't think things will turn out badly for you."
"I must not live. If my home country finds out, my family will be killed. I've heard that in Sertoria there is no status difference and they listen even to the words of farmers. I want you to kill me here to protect my family."
What does that mean? Since he's alive, he doesn't have to die. To say 'kill me to protect my family' is a story that's hard to understand.
While Beatrix and I were tilting our heads, Paul-san explained it to us. Apparently, in other countries, desertion during military service is a capital offense. Furthermore, in some cases, the consequences extend to the family as well.
That's an outrageous story. In Sertoria, as long as they don't go against the country's policies, those who don't want to fight don't have to. Even the town guards are all volunteers. Moreover, the Kingdom's Army and the guard squad are composed of people who wanted to become soldiers. They are also free to resign. If people were to be forcibly conscripted, a civil war would surely break out.
However, he says other countries are different. Apparently, Sertoria is a quite unusual country.
"Robinson-san. It is a fact that you led monsters and fought us. However, you did not attack our village. It's just that, unfortunately, our positions were different. Now the battle is over. We are no longer enemies. Our country is generous to prisoners. You should just start a new life in Sertoria from now on."
The man was stunned.
"C-can such a thing be done? Won't those who entered the country illegally be deported..."
"Robinson-san. Officially, you have died once. Of course, as someone who is dead, you cannot return to your home village, and you probably won't even be able to contact your family. However, that doesn't mean you need to face a second death here. I will negotiate with the Mayor of Nakanohara. You might be punished, but isn't it the same since you're going to die anyway? It might be better to think about the future after the results are known."
Robinson-san seemed taken aback for a moment, but then he started wailing.
Something must have welled up inside him. What did his days as a deserter, and living with monsters, bring him? There must have been no small amount of hardship. After shedding tears for a while as Priest Williams patted his shoulder, he hung his head and said, "I'll leave it to you, Priest-sama."
As expected of a Priest-sama. That was a masterful way of persuading him. I'll use it as a reference when talking to Beatrix.
Robinson-san was to be taken to Nakanohara. He must not be found by the red-eyed man on the way. We dyed his hair bright red with Beatrix's magic and put him in Beowulf's civilian clothes. Because he has a slender build and originally had long hair, he looks like a woman from a distance. When Mabel-san and Lowry-san applied makeup for fun, I was surprised that he looked somewhat decent since he was originally a handsome man.
"If he went into that line of work, he might be able to earn quite a bit of money."
I decided not to hear Paul-san's words.