It’s only been about a week since I came to Helios Orb, and I’ve somehow gotten caught up in a huge predicament.
I never expected anyone to be grave-robbing in a place like this, and for them to turn out to be like knights from a neighboring country… that was completely unexpected.
After that, Prim and I succeeded in taking the lives of the individuals who seemed to be knights and warriors within the mine, while the ones who appeared to be civil officials and slaves were knocked unconscious.
The third tunnel is quite spacious, but it’s a single path, so it’s impossible to get lost. There were only about ten people, so it wasn’t that difficult.
This is just a side note, but “Order” is a term used to refer to knights of Amister. In other countries, they are simply called knights.
So, I have to go report this, but I can’t just leave things as they are. We decided that I would guard the entrance to the mine while Prim returned to Feel to report to the Provincial Governor and the Order’s Guild.
It was certainly boring waiting, but there would be people coming to collect the Magic Silver we dug up. More importantly, there’s no doubt there’s an informant in Feel, so I couldn’t let my guard down. That informant, I’m almost certain, would be one of the Hunters.
The knights I killed confirmed to be from Retisencia. When I checked the Library, I saw ones with the titles “Chief Intelligence Knight of the Fourth Intelligence Knights of Retisencia” and “Royal Guard Knight of Retisencia.”
The Library displays registered Guild ranks and affiliations with knight orders or military ranks. Titles can be hidden, but if someone loses consciousness or dies, their identity can no longer be concealed, so they are immediately identified. In this world, intelligence agents and spies can’t make any excuses once their Library is checked after they’ve been incapacitated. I feel a little sympathy for them.
For now, to prevent those I knocked unconscious from escaping or attacking me when they wake up, I’ve tied them up with the ropes I bought thinking they might be used in Mylight.
I waited for about three hours, looking at an e-book displayed on my Engraving Tool, when I saw Prim approaching with Count Sofia, Rex, and some Orders. The horse Count Sofia is riding doesn’t look like a regular horse… Ah, that must be Count Sofia’s pride and joy, the War Horse. I think I heard that the Order’s Guild horses are Battle Horses.
Apparently, when Count Sofia was appointed Provincial Governor two years ago, Viscount Archlight didn’t even own a Wyvern. Their emergency preparedness was limited to borrowing Wyverns from the Hunter’s Guild or using swift horses. Realizing this was problematic, Count Sofia, an expert in Battle Horse cultivation, spoke to the King. Gradually, they replaced most of the horses with Battle Horses, and now most of the Order’s Guild horses are Battle Horses. Since compatibility is crucial for mounted combat, they brought them from the ranch in Count Sofia’s territory to confirm their compatibility with the Orders, which is quite impressive.
Battle Horses eat meat, so their food expenses increased, but they are stronger and faster than regular horses. They are also C-rank monsters, capable of easily dispatching Goblins and Glass Wolves, which made the Order’s Guild very happy. If one desires, they can enter a familiar contract. Several Orders have purchased and contracted with Battle Horses. Rex, Rosemary, and Meena have also entered familiar contracts.
“Yamato, are you alright?”
“Of course. Prim should have told you, but the ones I captured are inside. As for the bodies of those who died, I put them in my storage because I thought they would rot in this heat.”
“I told you so. I knew you’d be fine, Yamato.”
Honestly, I wanted to burn them all to ash. But even from dead bodies, evidence can be obtained. And considering they were knights from Retisencia, not just any knights but intelligence chiefs and royal guards, it would be better to hand over the bodies.
“I’m grateful. Then, after we go inside and apprehend them, enforce the use of slave magic tools on all of them. Is that acceptable, Count Sofia?”
“Of course. Miss Primrose, would you guide us?”
“Understood. I’ll be right back.”
Count Sofia is also angry. It’s understandable, considering what happened right under her nose, but I think there was some fault in being too careless. The Order’s Guild was probably busy dealing with the Hunters who were disrupting public order, so they didn’t have the luxury to be vigilant. Ah, so that means this was also part of their plan.
“If that’s the case, the Hunter’s Master being from Retisencia makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
Oops, I spoke my thoughts out loud. It will become apparent soon enough, and it’s a problem Count Sofia can’t ignore, so I should convey my thoughts.
“No, it’s just that while I was waiting, I had some free time, so I looked at their Libraries. Then I found an intelligence knight chief and a royal guard knight from Retisencia. Not only that, but all the fighters were level 40 or higher, so I think they could have handled a bit of rough stuff.”
I don’t know what intelligence knights do, but judging by the name, they are spies. If their combat ability is low, they wouldn’t be able to handle trouble during infiltration, so they wouldn’t be weak. And that’s without mentioning the royal guards. While there might be fewer Retisencia knights over level 40 than in Amister, it’s not strange for royal guards to be that high. These royal guards hadn’t evolved, though. By the way, the minimum requirement for Order’s Guild royal guards to evolve into High Class is absolute.
“This is just my speculation, but I think the Hunter’s Master might be from Retisencia. If you consider that, the matter of Green Fang and the Wyvern incident can be somewhat understood.”
At the mere mention of Retisencia’s knights, Count Sofia and Rex’s eyes widened, but they also showed expressions of understanding.
“Your speculation probably isn’t far off.”
“I agree. However, I have one doubt.”
Rex’s doubt seemed to be shared by Count Sofia. What could it be?
“Assuming they are acting under Retisencia’s instructions, the ones Yamato captured this time are likely an advance party, considering their numbers. However, I don’t think they could have repelled the Wolf Species around Feel and arrived here with such a large group. Since the combatants were over level 40, they could probably handle Glass Wolves and Green Wolves, but they wouldn’t stand a chance against Wind Wolves, Green Fangs, or Black Fenrirs. Perhaps they have a base somewhere in Mylight?”
That’s something I’ve been wondering about too, and I agree with the opinion that they must have a base. After all, they didn’t have anything they needed for daily life. It would take about a week by Beast Carriage from the Retisencia border to Feel, so a base is absolutely necessary.
“It also depends on when the Green Fang and Black Fenrir were born. Retisencia has always had its sights on Feel, or rather Mylight, so they must have investigated the ecology of the monsters in this area and perhaps obtained something from it.”
Well, arguing here won’t lead to an answer. You can’t know when a Strange Species or Catastrophe Species is born unless you witness its birth.
“Order’s Master, the procedure is complete.”
“Understood. We will conduct interrogations after returning to Feel. You two, return to Feel first and inform the Sub-Order’s Master. They will be escorted to the Order’s Guild headquarters.”
“Understood.”
The female Order who reported to Rex saluted and, with her colleagues, rode their Battle Horses towards Feel.
“Then, Count Sofia, we will also return.”
“Understood. In any case, it’s good that we found out at the same time as regaining the mining site.”
Indeed. Once operations resume, mine workers and supervisors will visit the tunnels. Depending on the number of workers, and with the second tunnel sealed, it’s highly probable that people would go to the third tunnel as well. It would be easy to predict a sudden encounter within the tunnel. If that happened, the number of workers would decrease, and casualties among supervisors and guards would likely occur, leading to a high probability of another investigation and subsequent closure. Moreover, with the enemies being over level 40, even if they hadn’t evolved into High Class, only a few people in Feel could handle them. At worst, they might not have even discovered Retisencia’s involvement.
“We only extended our reach this far as a sort of detour.”
“So I hear. But it’s a great help to us. We have enough criminal slaves for mining thanks to the Hunters you captured. It seems Viscount Archlight isn’t taking this well.”
The Hunters we captured… that would be Snake Bite and Noble Deers. Indeed, with nearly thirty people combined, they are more than sufficient for labor. Especially since Snake Bite are all men, mining will almost certainly be their fate. And why is Viscount Archlight’s name being brought up here?
“It’s understandable. I heard the Wyvern that was killed was very fond of one of his wives.”
“Fond is an understatement, they had a familiar contract. I heard she doted on that Wyvern especially, as she had no children.”
So Viscount Archlight’s Wyvern was like his wife’s child? That must have been a huge shock.
“This matter won’t be resolved unless the Hunter’s Master is apprehended, but given what has been done, no matter how he tries to spin it, he will not escape punishment. After being handed over to Amister, he will be executed.”
In a way, it’s like they used Strange Species and Catastrophe Species. Strange Species and Catastrophe Species that can easily destroy villages and towns are, upon sighting, investigated in detail, regardless of profitability. If it’s just a rumor, so be it; otherwise, a subjugation party is organized to eliminate them. This is also a condition for the Hunter’s Guild to establish guilds in various countries. Of course, knights and soldiers from each country also participate in these subjugation parties, so it’s not entirely dependent on the Hunter’s Guild. However, countries often don’t have the leeway to investigate mere rumors. Furthermore, in some countries, it’s rare to see knights and townsfolk conversing casually with familiarity. Thus, countries often don’t hear about even rumored events.
However, Hunters, while including some from noble backgrounds, are generally closer to the townsfolk. They also have connections with Traders and Crafters, as they need to acquire weapons and tools. It’s not uncommon for them to hear rumors from these connections, and they often confirm things with their own eyes. Of course, there are also many Hunters who cause trouble, but in times of crisis, the difference in response capability and fighting strength with or without Hunters is significant. Therefore, each country supports the Hunter’s Guild, and the Guild pays a portion of the land and building usage fees, as well as twenty percent of the commission fees, to the country.
However, the actions taken by the Hunter’s Master completely disregard this premise. There is no escaping the matter, as Prim and I have defeated them and brought in the bodies. Moreover, with the birth of the Catastrophe Species Black Fenrir and Goblin Queen, the Hunter’s Guild’s reputation is completely ruined. Amister was also exposed to the brink of destruction, so the Hunter’s Master’s ultimate punishment is all but decided.
The Hunter’s Master, who headed to the Royal Capital a few days ago, is scheduled to stay there for about two weeks. So he won’t be returning to Feel for a while. Of course, plans can change, but since he’s going to complain to the Royal Family, he’s unlikely to return tomorrow or the day after. As I was thinking this, I spotted a Wyvern flying in the sky. It’s definitely heading towards Feel. Could it be that the Hunter’s Master has returned? I couldn’t help but exchange glances with Prim.
