82 - Chapter 8: If There Are Tomatoes There
In a room of a checkpoint hastily established on the main highway, there was a man gazing listlessly at a report.
(The preparations are going well. That said, I can't let my guard down... Sigh, to think that even something as tedious as this is still better... )
The man with a scarred face and black hair slicked back, Richter Centaur, let out a sigh with an exasperated expression.
By nature, he was not the type of person who excelled at such schemes. As could be seen from his height, which approached two meters, and the musculature that matched it, he was better suited to running wild on the front lines with a spear in hand than engaging in petty exchanges.
Though he came from a military lineage, having been born as the third son of a noble, he had, of course, received the minimum amount of education in such matters. It was a fact that this education had been greatly useful when he had stepped down into the countryside.
However, he had never dreamed that he would be called back to inherit the family headship. Nor that he would subsequently lend a hand to such a farce.
Yes, a farce.
The script was already complete. Richter was, naturally, nothing more than a pawn, as was the mastermind, Gardel Vertex. All that was permitted for them was to fulfill their roles on the given stage.
He had no objection to that, but as Richter was lamenting that he wished someone else would take over this cumbersome work, there was a knock on the room's door. When he prompted them to enter, a familiar face entered with a bow. He was a young beastman youth with a sharp, spirited look.
The Vice Captain of the First Knight Order, Mule Grey. He was Richter's right hand. There was a history that he had been selected not so much for his skill as a knight, but because he noticed various small details.
Being a wolf beastman, he possessed the rare trait of having a Magic Eye, and his physical abilities were outstanding even within the Knight Order.
"A message has arrived from Lord Vertex in the royal capital."
"Old man Gardel, huh."
When he shifted his gaze to the letter handed to him, the sealing wax bearing the Vertex family crest entered his vision. He opened it and examined the contents.
"...What did the Chancellor say?"
Likely thinking it was some sort of order, Mule asked about the contents, and Richter shrugged his shoulders.
"He says to keep searching for the princess. For now, set up checkpoints on the road leading to the Radock territory as planned. Then, notify the nobles of each territory and block the main highways in sequence. Those who refuse can be ignored. That way, the path the princess takes will be easier to read. Also, I'll be watching Idra Valley, so pick a few people and have them stand by."
"Yes, sir!"
"Also, where is the person who brought this message? The Chancellor mentioned that I should send the reply with them."
"I will bring them now."
Watching Mule leave after a bow, Richter let out a sigh. The contents of the letter were not an order. It was simply a seasonal greeting... disguised as a code. Even so, it was not a complicated matter. Just a progress report. It seemed things were proceeding as planned on that end as well.
Around the time he finished writing a letter stating that things were also on schedule here, there was another knock on the room's door.
"Hmph. Have you called for me, Lord Centaur?"
The person who entered was a pretty man with strangely pale skin. Ash-blonde hair and purple eyes. Clad in a black cloak with gold thread, the man could not shake a suspicious aura.
"Ah, I should give the reply to the Chancellor to you, right? What is your name?"
"Beosteral Gehardt. A True Ancestor vampire."
It was Beosteral. In front of this idiot who introduced himself with a smug hmph, there was no such thing as a difference in social status.
"A vampire... The Chancellor even dragged someone like that into this..."
"Dragged into it is a bit different. Gardel is my ally. I am merely lending a hand because I owe him a debt. As for myself, I couldn't care less what happens to this country."
"Ho... As a True Ancestor of vampires, your pride is indeed high. But that old man, just what on earth did he do to put you in his debt?"
Richter knew of the existence of vampires, and had encountered them when he was living in the countryside. However, he had thought that True Ancestors were legendary beings. Curious as to why such a being would lend a hand to the Chancellor of a nation, he asked, and Beosteral let out a chuckle from his throat.
"It is a simple thing. Gardel... bestowed tomatoes upon me."
He declared it proudly, chest puffed out.
"..................................................Huh?"
Richter found himself spending a great deal of time digesting the meaning of the words even though he understood the words themselves, but even after digesting them, he still struggled to understand and tilted his head. When he cast a suspicious gaze, Beosteral joyfully recounted their meeting.
"When I drifted into this country, I was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. At that time, my ally appeared and bestowed upon me the tomatoes he had grown in his own estate. To bestow tomatoes, which must have been grown with utmost care among the meager harvest of a home garden, upon a wandering stranger of unknown origin... Is there any vampire whose heart would not be shaken by this!? No!!"
As the vampire emphatically argued with a raised voice and a clenched fist, Richter remembered the time he had visited the Chancellor's estate.
"Ah... come to think of it, the old man was doing home gardening at his place after being taught by the locals..."
"And so I learned. Of the crisis facing this country, and what my ally intends to do. Honestly, I do not care about this country, but I felt I wanted to respect my ally's feelings. Therefore, I suggested that he use me for matters that would be difficult to reach."
"I see? Then, you know the Chancellor's... the old man's goal, right? And you are cooperating with that in mind."
"Of course. Honestly, I can neither understand nor agree with it, but still, a single man is staking his short remaining life on it. Since he is my benefactor, I have no hesitation in lending a hand."
"Is that so..."
Regardless of the reason, Richter honestly thought it was a good thing that the number of supporters had increased. After all, this was a serious matter. If it weren't for the initiator, Gardel Vertex, and Richter, who was half like a hermit, no one would likely join such a plan.
"Then tell the old man. That everything is going smoothly."
With a wry smile, Richter handed the letter to Beosteral, who tucked it carefully into his breast pocket.
"My ally also told me to lend a hand if Lord Centaur needs it, but is it unnecessary?"
"I'm fine. More than that, I'm concerned about the people in the royal capital."
"Indeed, dealing with those philistines must be exhausting."
"Exactly. I took the mission of capturing the princess precisely because I hate being their babysitter."
"Then I shall return to the royal capital and soothe my ally's heart."
Saying so, the True Ancestor vampire departed. His back still maintained the dignity of a vampire.
●
The land in the southwestern part of Alberstein, including the Radock frontier territory, is a region with relatively many plains, which is rare in this country where mountainous areas are common.
Inevitably, it developed as a granary, making it easy for large farmlands to form, and from the perspective of distribution, the highways were also easily maintained. It was a very grateful section for traveling merchants and travelers, but conversely, it was a section that those hiding in the shadows should be wary of.
"Hmm... this is a bit bad."
The one frowning while observing such a highway from the adjacent forest using spirit arts was Latia. With the help of light spirits, she projected a telescopic view into her right eye, and groaned upon discovering the checkpoints set up along the highway.
Five days since joining hands with Lumilia. The three girls, now four, had already come to a point where the destination, the Radock frontier territory, was less than a day's walk away in a straight line. They were just one breath away, but at this point, checkpoints of the Kingdom Knight Order had come to be established on the major highways.
"What should we do? Shall we detour again?"
Based on that information, Kazuha said, but Lilitia shook her head in exasperation.
"I feel like it would be faster to just charge through already."
"Now, now, Lilitia. They say haste makes waste, right? The Saint of the Refill Church is already in this country without notice, so don't do anything to stand out."
"Yes, yes. But what do we do? It's been like this for the past few days. Besides, the paths to get through... how many are there?"
Admonished by Latia, but reflecting on the current situation, everyone groaned.
Yes. As they headed toward the Radock frontier territory, these checkpoints increased. Each time, they detoured or slipped through checkpoints via different routes, but they were starting to run out of options. And there was one more element that was troublesome, or rather, unsuitable for the situation.
Lilitia.
The religion known as the Refill Church is treated as the state religion in most countries on this continent, and its Saint, while they change over generations, is said to be only one per era.
In other words, this runaway Saint is a super celebrity, whether one looks or not. Even commoners who know the name of their own king but not the names of other countries' kings know the name of the current Saint.
Therefore, if she walked through a town openly, there was a high possibility she would be noticed, which would put Lumilia, who was blending into the luggage through fairyfication, in danger. For those reasons, they had traveled using secluded paths with few people for the past few days, but now the routes were finally narrowing.
"Fortunately, the next is Viscount Hall's territory. He supports the royal family, so if we can escape there, we should be able to shake off the pursuers."
"In that case... we have no choice but to get through here."
When Lumilia, who was being held in Kazuha's arms, announced this, Latia peered into the map spread on the ground. On the simple map they had purchased on the way, there was one small path that cut through the mountains. Seeing that, Lumilia made a troubled face.
"Idra Pass, is it..."
"Is it a steep place?"
"No, it was an old main highway, and I hear few travelers use it now, but I've heard that local volunteers maintain it and use it as a shortcut for the neighborhood. It's possible to pass through, but..."
"Since it's an old main highway, the visibility should be reasonably open."
Lumilia explained in response to Kazuha's question, and Lilitia noticed the problem.
"That's true. Besides, it might be a bit unnatural for three women to go out of their way to pass through such a deserted place."
"Even so... with checkpoints that strict, they're probably checking luggage..."
Female adventurers were not that rare. In this world where the mysterious substance called magic power exists, it is not that difficult to overturn basic combat power, which is simple muscular strength.
However, sexual differences existed starkly. Therefore, mixed-gender parties that complemented each other's strengths and weaknesses were not uncommon, but adventurer parties limited to women were very rare.
Consequently, combined with the fact that all of them were beautiful, they stood out quite a bit. If a low-ranking sentry at a checkpoint saw them, they would think about flirting a bit without even hiding their ulterior motives.
And if they weren't ignored, the danger of reaching Lumilia during a luggage check would naturally skyrocket. For this reason, they had taken routes to avoid checkpoints until now, but that was also becoming difficult.
Amidst this, Kazuha spoke up. In times like this, her role as the calm one was to act as the strategist, but...
"It is also a fact that there are no other options we can take. We have no choice but to prepare ourselves."
"And if we're found?"
"Of course... we force our way through."
...Lately, she's been a bit bloodthirsty.
"Hey, Latia. This one is quite the militant type too, isn't she?"
"She's definitely being influenced by Later..."
"Something?"
'No, nothing.'
Perhaps because she was influenced by the foolish, or rather, crude, or rather, bold personality of her beloved Later, she had come to make decisive decisions.
Originally, she was a girl who was shy, or rather reserved, and while she was thoughtful, she lacked proactivity, so if her foster mother Kureha saw her like this, she would have been happy, seeing it as growth.
"To be honest, as long as Lady Lumilia has not been caught up to this point, and since the destinations are limited, the encirclement will narrow over time. Even if we keep running away like this, we will eventually get caught in the net, and it will be unavoidable that things turn violent."
"Then, is this the shortest route to keep that violence to a minimum?"
"Yes. If we do it now, the number of opponents will be small. Considering that the number of people will increase as the encirclement narrows, I think this is the compromise point. Of course, let's prepare various plans assuming the worst..."
Kazuha nodded at Lumilia's words, and after the four girls had a few discussions, they headed toward Idra Pass.
To be continued next week.