Upon arriving in Feel, we were greeted by Rex and the Order’s Guild in formation.
Well, it was mostly because Princess Yuriana was there.
Not only the provincial governor, but also Count Bismarck and the guild masters had come.
For the time being, we, who had safely returned to Feel, were to gather at Marquis Frederica’s mansion to report.
Ah, Saches and Barbatos were bound behind the beast carriage, so it was obvious they had been captured.
That’s why I had already handed them over to the Order’s Guild.
“Former Hunter’s Master Saches Trennel, and Patriot Pride leader Barbatos Jav, captured. The rest of the members were killed, huh? Since it happened at an intersection, I suppose it couldn’t be helped.”
“Yes. Depending on the circumstances, we might have had to kill both Saches and Barbatos, so I consider this incident fortunate.”
“Still, I can’t believe Patriot Pride would attack Princess Yuriana’s beast carriage of all things…”
“Yes. Depending on the timing, Princess Yuriana could have been captured and, at best, taken hostage against Amister, or worse, killed on the spot.”
“And that would have been after her dignity as a woman was utterly torn apart.”
“Regarding the Order guards, five have died. All of them were from the headquarters’ Order, one was S-rank, and the remaining four were B-rank.”
“There are six Order members who survived, with one G-rank, three S-rank, and two B-rank.”
To become an S-rank Order member, one must evolve into High Class, so nearly half of them, including those who died, were High Class.
It’s understandable for the protection of royalty, but Patriot Pride consisted of 14 Raiders, 5 of whom had evolved into High Class, so the number of High Class individuals was the same.
They probably took advantage of the surprise attack to gain the upper hand.
“That’s likely. Fortunately, Prim provided treatment, so the six survivors will be able to return to duty without any aftereffects. As for the five who passed away, I will report to His Majesty, and the Order’s Guild will provide condolence money to their bereaved families.”
“So that’s how it will be. It’s not a problem that money can solve, but there’s no magic to bring back the dead, after all. I suppose the only remaining matter is the handover of the bodies.”
“The handover of the bodies has been entrusted to the G-rank Order member guarding Princess Yuriana. She serves as the captain of the guard squad.”
“That’s also a tough duty. Conveying the news of death to the bereaved families must be difficult in any era or world.”
“Though the deceased Order members were unfortunate, they still fulfilled their ultimate goal of protecting Princess Yuriana, so they will be treated as having died in the line of duty, won’t they?”
“Certainly. It is likely that they will all be awarded knightly titles and promoted to G-rank Orders before their funerals are held.”
For Amister, the Orders are the sword and shield that protect the nation. However, before that, they are individuals, and in order to repay their earthly merits, they are sent to the afterlife.
The afterlife is what is commonly known as the world after death, and it is believed to be deep beneath the Helios Orb. The concept of the afterlife comes from the Priests’ Guild, or rather, the beliefs of the Bacion religion and several indigenous faiths, and for that reason, funerals also fall under the jurisdiction of the Priests’ Guild.
Bodies are essential for holding funerals. Without a body, one cannot go to the afterlife and their merits cannot be repaid, so it is said to be a painful but welcome task for the bereaved.
“I will leave the interrogation to the Order’s Guild, but that princess is still in our custody. So, I’m afraid I need to request additional guards?”
“Yes, I will arrange them immediately.”
“The princess of Retisencia, huh? Marquis Frederica’s true intention is to send her to the Royal Capital quickly, but since the Grand Hunter’s Master and Wyvern haven’t returned yet, she has to remain under house arrest. And yet, now that we’ve captured Saches and Barbatos as well, Marquis Frederica’s worries are only increasing.”
“Yamato, you will take responsibility, won’t you?”
“No, what responsibility!?”
“You bring too much work that I haven’t been able to sleep properly lately. Moreover, I have to govern Feel, and on top of that, I have my own territory, so I’m at my limit!”
“This is bad, Marquis Frederica’s eyes are vacant! And what’s more, they have a predatory glint, so she seems to have truly surpassed her limits!”
“Does that mean that Marquis Frederica also wants to marry Lord Yamato?”
“Here comes a bombshell from Princess Yuriana! All eyes are now on me!”
“N-no. Not to that extent. First of all, I have already inherited the Marquis family, so marrying me would mean he would have to join the Marquis family. If that were to happen, it would interfere with my engagement with His Highness…”
Marquis Frederica must not have expected Princess Yuriana to interrupt at this point.
“I see. Then Marquis Frederica will become a single mother, is that right?”
“Wait a minute! Why is the conversation heading in that direction!? ‘Single mother’ means the same thing as in my world! Even if it’s normal in Helios Orb, it’s the complete opposite in my world! I can accept more wives for now, but I absolutely don’t want to accept that!”
“N-no, that… well, if it’s permissible…”
“Marquis Frederica, please don’t stutter while blushing! It’s hard for me to respond!”
“So, Marquis Frederica, you will indeed become one, won’t you?”
“That’s right. Well, we knew that from the start.”
“Yes. That’s why, although I’m sorry, we couldn’t bring it up.”
“Prim, Meena, and Flam, aren’t you three talking about something unsettling!? I’m hearing this for the first time!”
“Marquis Frederica, Miss Primrose, Miss Meena, and Miss Flam, could we discuss this later, individually? Yamato is troubled, and above all, the conversation isn’t progressing.”
“Viscount Archlight is glowing with a halo! I can tell he’s tremendously exasperated, but I’m so grateful I could almost cry!”
“Let’s do that. So, you’ll be interrogating Saches and Barbatos later, right?”
“Of course. Along with that princess, we will get them to talk properly. However, with that princess involved, the involvement of the Imperial King of Retisencia is certain.”
“The conversation has returned to the main topic. The ‘later’ part is scary, but let’s proceed with this for now.”
“Yes. Originally, I wanted Princess Yuriana to meet the princess… but…”
“It would be best to avoid that. I asked Bishop Maria to use her Temple Magic, High Constrating, but even though it’s a slave magic for High Class, its coercive force isn’t that strong. Especially since she’s a princess of a kingdom, it would be easy to exploit loopholes in its coercive force.”
Temple Magic includes slave magic for restraining criminals. Constrating and High Constrating fall under this category, but even though they enforce submission, their coercive force only goes as far as prohibiting combat, use of weapons, magic, false testimony, escape, and concealment. Although using magic prohibits augmentation magic as well, their coercive force is not that strong and wears off within a few days. That’s why criminal slaves are supervised by overseers who gather them all every day and repeat the same commands to maintain the coercive force. Constrating, in particular, is less effective on High Class individuals and dissolves within a few days, which is troublesome. Therefore, High Constrating is used for High Class individuals, but although its effects last permanently, its coercive force is even weaker, lasting only a day or two. As a result, High Class criminals do not become criminal slaves and are executed immediately after interrogation. In fact, we have already executed several High Hunters among those we captured. Although there have been no escapes, if something were to happen with such a flawed magic, it seems like it could lead to a very serious situation. On the other hand, in the case of purchased slaves, a contract is signed, and a magic tool called a slave bracelet is worn on their arm. The slave bracelet duplicates the contents of the contract, and it is removed when the conditions are met, so there is no abuse of power by the master while wearing the bracelet. When the bracelet is removed, the contract ends, and they are released. Conversely, if they are restrained, they apparently become criminal slaves. Therefore, for Princess Yuriana to meet with a High Human princess poses a significant risk. If I or Prim were to escort her, there would still be gaps. Therefore, I would prefer it if it were avoided. After all, Princess Yuriana is an S-rank healer, but her level is only 15.
“If Mana or Brother Rai were to come to Feel, that would solve the problem.”
“That is true, but His Highness Reinhardt is also the Crown Prince. It’s unlikely he could come to Feel, though he might be able to in the Royal Capital.”
“In Princess Manalease’s case, it’s even more serious. According to Princess Yuriana, she went to Valentia, but the Beast King himself presented evidence that you were a rebel and even claimed you died during your escape. Returning to the Royal Capital in despair, she is now dejected and likely confined to her room.”
Upon hearing this, His Highness Reinhardt Ray Amister, the first prince and Crown Prince, is a level 47 High Elf and an S-rank Hunter. Her Highness Princess Manalease Rayna Amister is a level 41 S-rank Hunter. Princess Manalease has not yet evolved, but she is famous in the Royal Capital as the ‘Huntress Princess,’ and is said to evolve soon, enjoying immense popularity among the hunters in the Royal Capital. I have no idea why two members of royalty, holding the first and second positions in succession rights, have become hunters. I think being an Order member would be fine.
“As a last resort, we will likely have to ask them to provide escort. If it becomes known that the royal family of Amister came to Feel but did not meet with the captured princess of an enemy nation, we cannot help but be seen as weak.”
“What Linus-ossan says is also true. In the first place, Retisencia is in the wrong, and Amister is the one who suffered damage, so there is nothing to be ashamed of. However, if the royal family of that nation did not meet with a royal family that caused harm, it would not be strange to be judged not just as weak, but as spineless.”
“If Lord Yamato and Prim-onee-sama escort me, I don’t mind.”
“Even if you say so, Your Highness was just attacked by someone from Retisencia. Even if we were to meet, it wouldn’t be from today onwards.”
“That’s right. Also, the Grand Hunter’s Master hasn’t returned yet, so I think we can wait and see for a while.”
Unfortunately, the Grand Hunter’s Master and Count Sofia have not yet returned to Feel. However, even with Long-distance Teleportation Magic called Traveling, there are many things to do in the Royal Capital, so it’s not something that can be done in a day or two.
“Then, let’s call it a day and continue tomorrow.”
“Let’s do that. The hunters and Orders who were sent to Prada Village must be tired. Also, Viscount Archlight, I apologize, but could I entrust Princess Yuriana to you?”
“That’s fine… Ah, indeed, it’s not possible for her to stay at the Marquis Amatista family’s residence right now.”
I wondered why, but it’s true that if she’s being confined as the princess of Retisencia, it’s impossible for her to stay at another residence. The Count Bismarck’s mansion might be an option, but Count Bismarck’s visit to Feel was a coincidence, and more importantly, he’s a guest like Princess Yuriana, so it’s only natural that she should stay at the provincial governor’s residence.
“I understand the circumstances, and I have no problem with it. Thank you very much, Viscount Archlight.”
“I believe our humble abode may not be sufficient, but we will do our utmost to entertain you.”
Princess Yuriana readily agreed, so her accommodation is now decided. All that’s left is my problem.
I don’t know what will happen, and my head hurts. I understand that it’s important, but I personally want to go buy a replacement weapon sooner rather than later.
