Chapter 91 - The Town Guard's Escort
"Well, that's roughly how it went."
Since we were able to identify the opponent's position, we approached in the bowl after the sun went down. Robinson-san pretended to be a poacher attacked by monsters to make the opponents lower their guard, then we drew their attention with Fireflies and launched a surprise attack with wind magic.
The light from the Light spell I went to the trouble of making was blown away by Paul-san's magic. When I created a new light to illuminate the surroundings, Robinson-san was clinging to the bag and screaming loudly.
"Hey—! That's enough!"
When Paul-san called out, he sat up.
"Robinson-san. That was a great performance."
"Well, after being given that much acting direction. Paul-san, were you part of some theater troupe?"
"I wonder? Maybe it's natural talent."
While calling out, I opened the mouth of the bag, and the lady who had been gagged came out from inside.
"Priest Jeanne-san. Did you come to rescue me?"
"It's a request from Mayor Adolf. Please give your thanks to the Mayor. And to the madam of the brothel."
The madam put a bounty on the hostage rescue, and it was Adolf-san who advanced the money and turned it into an emergency report.
Mary came running up, crying.
"Onee-san! Were you okay? They didn't do anything horrible to you?"
"Mary! Did you come to rescue me? Thank you. But you shouldn't come to a place like this!"
"Even if you say that!"
The two of them were hugging and crying. With all sorts of things coming out of their eyes, noses, and mouths, and their faces all crumpled up, I couldn't tell if they were angry or crying.
Robinson-san raised his right hand. Three owls, brown with white bellies, descended soundlessly. He gave them pieces of Owen-brand dried meat and released them into the sky. They are the pursuers of the dark night. There's no way they can escape.
We stuffed the three scoundrels, who had been tied hand and foot and bagged, into the bowl Paul-san made, and then we all climbed in on top of them.
"Um, we're stepping right on them. Is this okay?"
Even if they are scoundrels, as a priest, having them underfoot gives me a bit of a pang of conscience. The others don't seem to mind much, though.
"It's fine for guys like this! Stepping on them isn't enough. We should just stomp their 〇〇〇〇 into mush!"
Mary raised one foot, so I hurriedly stopped her.
"Mary. We're, you know, in this kind of business, so we say things like that immediately. But you're a pharmacist, you shouldn't say such things."
Mary is completely snapped. As proof, her language has become incredibly foul. Well, it's always like that, though.
"Sertorian women are quite aggressive, aren't they?"
"The aggressive ones are only in Nakanohara. After all, fighting women are the most celebrated here."
Come to think of it, starting with the number one ranked Katherine-sensei, there's a whole lineup of combatants... Does that mean I'm treated that way too? Even though I do monster hunting, that's disappointing.
"Even looking like this, Jeanne is the eighth-ranked 'Fighting Woman of Nakanohara.' You have to be careful not to get careless and crushed by her."
"Eh?"
"Please don't look at me with those eyes. I mean, why are you averting your gaze? I specialize in containment and recovery, you know!"
"It's a joke, a joke. Robinson's acting has gotten better too."
"Well, it's thanks to Director Paul's acting guidance."
Pfft, even the lady burst out laughing.
I was teased again. Honestly, what is with everyone...
While the two men were laughing, an owl flew back. It was the first report from the reconnaissance.
"It seems they're heading north along the west bank of the lake as they are."
I gave it a piece of dried meat I got from Robinson-san and stroked its throat with my finger; it closed its round eyes and hooted as if it felt good. When I released it into the sky, it spread its wings and flew away.
"Director. What are we going to do now?"
"Let's move the hostage to a safe place first before pursuing. Jeanne. I'm counting on you for the signal."
"Yes."
Marcelo-san should have sent a boat out. When I turned on the Light and shone it toward the lake, a fire arrow went up. It was probably Bonnie. At the same time, torches were lit, and the silhouette of a boat floated on the water's surface.
"Good work. It seems the hostage was rescued safely."
"Yeah, and we caught three of them while we were at it. Could you help us unload them?"
"Yes. That's fine."
Once we finished moving the three hemp sacks with Marcelo-san's help, I was told to get off.
"Eh, I don't have to go?"
"The remaining two are experts. Go home before you get hurt."
"If there's a risk of injury, then all the more reason..."
I started to say, but Marcelo-san stopped me.
"Jeanne. You go back. From here on, I'll go in your place, so it's fine."
In the end, I was dropped off. Paul-san, Marcelo-san, and Robinson-san rode in the bowl and flew toward the mountains.
"They left, didn't they?"
"It can't be helped. From here on, it's the world of those with war experience."
Beatrix looked bored.
"What do you mean?"
"We haven't faced humans yet, right? That's why."
"Ah!"
I see... if we fight humans and happen to defeat the opponent, it would be murder...
"It seems you understand. Those three have military experience, so there's no need to worry. It's still too early for you girls to be hunting criminals."
I was startled because a voice suddenly came from the darkness. It was Adolf-san.
"Adolf-san. Were you here?"
"You say such cold things again."
"Eh, the Mayor came for me? I'm sorry. For someone like me, to come all this way at this hour."
The lady was bowing deeply. It's probably rare for a mayor to personally come to the rescue.
"Onee-san. It's okay. Mayor Adolf is the kind of person who works without sleep for the sake of the people of Nakanohara."
"That's quite a heavy burden. Now then, Jeanne, could you illuminate the area for me? I've practiced, but I still haven't gotten the hang of it."
Apparently, he intends to use the Beak.
"Alright, we're heading back!"
With that shout, Jeanne's Beak No. 0 started running across the pitch-black lake.
The next day, as a result of interrogating the three scoundrels, it was revealed that the bandits planned to head west along the mountain stream north of the prohibited area. The three were deserters who had drifted from abroad, and the two who escaped were apparently former mercenaries. The two who fled knew the destination, and the others only knew that their comrades were in the mountains. And the lady was intended as a 'souvenir' for them to join the group.
What an outrageous story. I shouldn't have stopped Mary.
According to the information Marcelo-san and the others sent back via Teleport while pursuing, they are currently lurking in the mountains on the north bank. They are said to be moving west along the mountain stream.
Surprisingly, a request for mobilization came to us as well. As a result of Paul-san and the others' pursuit, it was discovered that the scoundrels' base was in Nakanohara. They were going to raid it, but since the opponents were criminals, the Town Guard would go instead of the Kingdom Army. Adolf-san asked us to provide rear support.
The participating forces were Marcelo-san, Paul-san, Robinson-san, Beatrix, Bonnie, and me. The operation period was a maximum of two weeks. The reward was two gold coins per person, expenses were covered, and it was regardless of the operation's success.
◆◆◆◆
The first day of the reconnaissance mission. The mission itself proceeded without difficulty because we used Robinson-san's aerial reconnaissance. The problem was the journey.
It couldn't be helped that the scoundrels' base was north of the mountain stream. However, it was expected that their lookouts would be watching the south side where there were no monsters. The Town Guard outwitted them. After leaving Nakanohara town and advancing just one station to the west, they immediately headed north, crossed the stream, and decided on a policy of heading straight west. We, the rear support, followed behind them.
There was no way we could walk properly through the forest. We were constantly being left behind by the Town Guard ahead. Having no choice, I proposed the improved Flight Magic that Lyudmila thought of to Paul-san, and he bit.
The conventional bowl was too large to fly through the forest. According to Lyudmila, if you fold a thick rectangular plate made of solidified air in the middle, it becomes like a chair. With that method, a width for one person is sufficient. Beatrix negotiated and proposed a three-person version, and Paul-san agreed, saying it was because she taught him a new idea.
Since the three of us were lined up horizontally, we didn't go through the forest but flew above the trees. We didn't go very fast, moving at a speed slightly faster than a person's walking pace, so the wind wasn't strong and it was comfortable.
When we passed Bonnie, who was ahead, I put my hands together and said "Sorry," and she told me to treat her to something later.
"Shall we try a little mischief?"
Paul-san started smirking.
"Mischief?"
We rose slightly. Paul-san was adjusting the position of the chair while looking back over his right shoulder.
"Look at Bonnie."
Looking at the ground, Bonnie was inside our shadow. When I waved, she was looking at us. Then, the chair moved suddenly. She must have come out of the shadow and the sun hit her eyes; she looked away with a grimace.
"How's that? It's the 'Sure-Kill Solar Ray Attack.' I'll get yelled at if I do it too many times, though."
He was laughing, "Ka-ka-ka."
"That's... subtly nasty, isn't it?"
When I said that while looking at Paul-san sideways, Beatrix turned it all back on me, saying "It's Jeanne's special move, right?"
Since we flew west over the trees, the setting sun was blinding in the evening.
"As expected of Jeanne's ray attack. It's effective for stopping them in their tracks."
"It's subtly nasty, isn't it?"
"It's not all my fault!"
"No, we must correct who started it first. Since it's not in any records, the correct name for the ray attack is the 'Jeanne Attack.'"
"That's right. If you say it's not the 'Jeanne Attack,' we'll have to scour history books to find the record."
"Don't say such unreasonable things!"
Later, Adolf-san told me that a great person in the distant past on the continent had used a mirror to reflect sunlight and blind enemies. Paul-san's ambition to officially apply for the name 'Jeanne Attack' was crushed, and I no longer had to worry about leaving a bad name in national history.
The next day, we tried the 'inverted chair' that Beatrix thought of. We rounded the corner of the part folded in half and straddled it. If we make it vertical, even three people can move through the forest. It's commonly called a 'Saddle.'
"Hey, hey! How's it going, lady? Want a ride on the back?"
Paul-san, who was riding alone, was hitting on a female soldier from the Town Guard. He made it visible using smoke and politely put two cloths on it to appeal that two people could ride behind.
"What on earth are you doing?"
Hans-san was exasperated.
"No—there are no magic beasts around for now. I'm just at a loose end."
"I don't care, but don't mess with my people."
"Sorry, sorry. Then it can't be helped."
Paul-san, having failed at flirting, lay face down over the saddle and clung to it with both hands and feet. I wondered what he was going to do, and then he went flying at high speed between the trees. After making a large turn and returning, he cut through the wind with a shoon sound. He raised his right fist and, with a war cry, went flying past the Town Guard from front to back.
Cheers went up. As expected of Paul-san. When he turned back again and returned, he was brave enough to strike a pose with both hands off, and just as he was about to overtake them in an instant amidst the cheers... he must have made a mistake in operation, because he crashed into a thicket.
"Isn't that bad?"
"I wonder if Master is hurt..."
Seeing the rustling sounds, it seemed he wasn't dead. When we approached fearfully, he came out while parting the bushes, saying "I failed." His face was covered in blood.
"Kyaa!"
I hurriedly ran over and healed him with Heal, Beatrix washed away the blood with Water, and Bonnie wiped his face with a towel.
"No—sorry. I'll do it better next time."
He's not reflecting at all!
"You girls have it tough with a delinquent middle-aged man."
"We're both delinquent middle-aged men, aren't we?"
When Paul-san said that with a laugh, Hans-san spread both hands and gave a grand shrug.
Since this time, Paul-san has been called by the nickname 'Bloody Paul' by the Town Guard. He likes it himself.
"I'm the crazy mage living in Nakanohara, Sertoria. Bloody Paul—that's me!"
He says that while striking a grand pose. It's a roar of applause.
"When you say 'Bloody something,' usually you're covered in the opponent's blood, right? It's all your own blood, is that okay?"
I decided to pretend I didn't hear what Beatrix asked.