H30.3.26 Typo Correction
① Elise asked me back with a more serious expression than usual. → … with a serious expression…
“Lord Hal, was there anything at the bottom of the vertical shaft?”
When I returned from inside the vertical shaft, carried by Swan Hilda, Elise, the副長 (sub-leader) of “Princess Harem,” asked a question on behalf of the party members.
“The bottom of the vertical shaft was… a world of the undead. It was a horrifying world of the dead, with zombies and skeletons wandering around. Moreover, it seemed that the undead were originally all young maidens in their prime. The zombies that retained some semblance of their former appearance seemed to have holes drilled all over their bodies while they were naked. They must have abandoned the bodies after terrible torture.”
“H-horrible… Lord Hal, please. Can you not grant them a release from their eternal wandering at the bottom of the dark vertical shaft, unable to even ascend to heaven? Can you please purify their defiled bodies and save their souls?”
Liliana, after hearing my story, made the request with a resolute face.
It seemed that Liliana, as the successor to the new Yangas Kingdom, desired peace for her subjects and salvation for the defiled dead.
The other party members also wore somber expressions. Indeed, it might be troublesome to leave this impure place unattended.
Already, the foul odor was mixed with condensed evil magic, generating miasma.
It was a place that benefited demons who had crossed over from the Demon Realm to the human world, and there was a possibility that the high-ranking demon Barberu was also operating in the shadows here.
“Elise, can you handle this? My ‘Holy Magic’ can only save a few people at best.”
“Even for us, it’s tough. I think it would be best to burn them all with forbidden-level fire attribute magic, or the inferno of Fire Spirit Magic.”
Christopher and Swan Hilda looked towards Elise and Shera, who had defeated the “Muscle Brothers” of the “Living Doll” with forbidden magic.
Then they looked at Dietlinde, who could use Fire Spirit Magic of the same caliber.
“Lord Hal, are you going to the bottom of the vertical shaft to dispose of the undead?”
Elise asked me back with a more serious expression than usual.
“Can’t you and the others use magic from the edge of the vertical shaft?”
“Even so… I think the distance is a bit too far.”
“Is that so… In that case, let’s confirm the situation with Inman first and then decide.”
“Yes, that would be best…”
In the end, we were unable to defeat the undead writhing at the bottom of the vertical shaft.
With a feeling of reluctance, we boarded the carriage and headed for Inman, the border town.
I recalled what I had heard about the city of Inman from Liliana and Ly previously.
Inman was a border town between the former Yangas Kingdom territory and the former Wahl Imperial Kingdom territory.
The border in this area lay within a forest where dangerous magical beasts roamed freely. Inman was a vital town established at a strategic point along the main road that crossed this forest.
A distinctive feature was a sturdy stone wall that divided the town along the border.
The inner side was the former Yangas Kingdom territory, and beyond the wall was the former Wahl Imperial Kingdom territory. Two one-way checkpoints were set up at the wall.
Specifically, there was a checkpoint leading to the Wahl Imperial Kingdom and another leading to the Yangas Kingdom.
The Count Elgerblard Family owned this unique town. The current head was Count Christopher Bartley Dela Elgerblard.
Although I had no acquaintance with him, even from my past life as Lester the Cleric, the Count Elgerblard Family had been granted Count titles by both the Wahl Imperial Kingdom and the Yangas Kingdom.
Even with the fall of both kingdoms, the fact that the current head was ennobled as a territorial Count by the Espana Imperial Kingdom suggested that he was quite a capable individual.
Indeed, the enormous profits gained from the customs duties collected from people passing through the former border were evident at a glance from the magnificent castle where Count Elgerblard resided.
Furthermore, the location where the castle was built seemed to straddle the border, with parts of its walls also serving as the border wall.
A characteristic of Elgerblard Castle was the presence of several spires.
Generally, this area had flat land extending into a forest.
It was likely that the tall spires also served as watchtowers against magical beasts.
Moreover, the outskirts of Inman were surrounded by tall ramparts, forming a castle town.
In other words, Inman was a town built at the intersection of the main road and the border, with Elgerblard Castle situated at the center of the intersection.
The city was formed in a donut shape around the castle, divided by the castle walls, the border wall, and the surrounding ramparts.
Further out, a sinister tower stood.
It was called the “Prison Tower,” where criminals were incarcerated.
Setting aside the outward appearance of Inman, I then recalled the Elgerblard Family, the rulers of this town.
The family structure of the Count Elgerblard Family consisted of the head, Count Christopher Bartley Dela Elgerblard, his lawful wife, the former Countess Alma Bartley Dela Elgerblard, and their two legitimate children, including the heir, Prince Hamilton Abra Dela Elgerblard.
However, Alma had been divorced due to her involvement in some wrongdoing and had her noble status revoked, reportedly being imprisoned in the “Prison Tower” outside the city.
Rumor had it that Alma’s birth family was a certain Marquisate that wielded considerable power in the Wahl Imperial Kingdom, and her long-standing misdeeds had been overlooked due to her lineage.
However, with the invasion of the Espana Imperial Kingdom, her family became extinct, and she lost her backing, leading to her condemnation.
Alma’s epithet was the ominous “Witch of Bloodshed.”
Normally, when a noble’s wife committed wrongdoing and was apprehended, she would either be imprisoned in a tower until death or secretly made to drink poisoned wine.
Alma’s case seemed to be the former.
Incidentally, her eldest son, Hamilton, maintained his position as the next Count, being regarded as a promising young noble.
Furthermore, there were also rumors circulating that the Count had a young mistress.
“Welcome to the city of Inman. Are you adventurers?”
“Yes, that’s correct. My name is Hal Harem Von Raymond. I am the party leader of the adventurer party ‘Princess Harem,’ and our party members are divided between two carriages. How much is the city entry tax?”
“Entering the city is free. However, we will collect a transit tax when you pass through the checkpoint at the old border.”
“Understood.”
“Then, please enjoy the city of Inman.”
We were welcomed by a friendly official in front of the large gate built into the ramparts of Inman, which was accessed from the main road.
Normally, customs duties or entry taxes are collected upon entering a city, but in Inman, taxes are not collected until passing through the checkpoint at the old border.
This might be a reasonable taxation system in a way.
Our two two-headed horse-drawn carriages passed through the large gate of the ramparts and arrived at a plaza with a fountain in the center.
The plaza was paved with beautiful decorative stones laid out in a geometric pattern. On the rows of stalls, townspeople and people who looked like adventurers were enjoying shopping while walking around in their respective attire.
Elise peeked her head out from the following carriage, her eyes fixated on the grilled meat skewers sold at the stalls, but I pretended not to notice.
“Now, we’ve safely arrived in Inman, but where should we stay tonight?”
I asked Kirika, who was sitting next to me.
“Hmm. That street over there seems to be the inn district, so let’s take a carriage around for a bit before deciding.”
“Understood, Kirika.”
“I don’t mind where we stay.”
As usual, Lili, the second daughter of the three vampire sisters, was sitting on my lap.
My lap had perfectly become their designated spot.
“Lord Hal, for tonight’s lodging, how about that one? The first floor is a tavern, so we can gather information.”
“‘The Traveler’s Respite’? Indeed, we are lacking in information. Then, let’s decide on that inn.”
The “Traveler’s Respite,” recommended by Kirika, was a three-story stone building with a dining hall and tavern on the first floor.
I agreed with Kirika’s opinion, quickly checked in, left the carriage, placed our luggage in the room, and headed to the dining hall on the first floor for dinner.
“It’s quite crowded…”
“Are you a large group, sir? Please tell me the number of people.”
“Yes, a total of… seventeen people.”
Upon reconfirming the number of people, it was seventeen: myself, Alicia, Elise, Mai, Swan Hilda, Freya, Dietlinde, Kirika, Ly, Liliana, Tirna, Shera, Edelea, Eria, and Astarotte, plus two quasi-party members, Sharon and Miralca.
It had become quite a large group.
Even so, in such situations, the three vampire sisters acted separately, and the Holy Spirit Serena did the same.
“Understood. Seventeen people. Please wait a moment until seats are available.”
We waited for a while until seats became available and were shown to them. It seemed to be doing quite a prosperous business.
I’m sure we’ll be able to eat delicious food.
Elise, who was always thinking about food, was excitedly shaking her large breasts with anticipation as usual, and Freya was teasing her.
Then, a waitress showed us to our seats.
“I’d like to order dinner for everyone, do you have any recommendations?”
“Well… for something safe, how about today’s special set meal? It’s delicious for the price, and it can be prepared quickly.”
“What’s in today’s special set meal?”
“Today’s special set meal is roasted wild boar stuffed with herbs and mushroom cream stew, served with mead and salad. The bread is all-you-can-eat, so please take as much as you like from that table.”
“Then, we’ll have that.”
“Understood, sir. I’ll bring the food right away.”
As expected, since it was the daily special set meal, it was served quickly even for this large group.
“Great Gods who reside in heaven, thank you for providing us with the sustenance to live today. I will begin.”
““““““““““““““We will begin.””””””””””””””
And so, a delightful dinner began.
There were no private rooms in this dining hall and tavern, so they wore adventurer-like attire, with rapiers or the like at their waists. They wore masks, similar to those used at masquerade balls, covering only their eyes.
The only ones revealing their true faces were me and Shera, who had transformed into Shera-nee-san. Dietlinde, on the other hand, concealed her distinctive hair and ears by wearing a silver wig.
“Oh, this grilled meat is well-seasoned with herbs, effectively masking the gamey smell of the wild boar.”
Elise was heartily taking bites of the grilled meat, but I questioned her table manners. But, since this was a commoner’s inn, it wasn’t a problem.
“Some disgraced princess is quite uncouth.”
However, Freya made a sarcastic remark.
“W-what did you say! C-cough. M-my apologies, hohoho.”
Elise, who was about to stand up in anger, seemed to notice the cold stares from her surroundings and, with a deliberate cough, sat back down. Even Elise couldn’t go against the consensus of the party members.
Still, conversations began here and there, livening up the dinner table.
“Hey, kid. You’ve got quite a few pretty ladies around you. Hook me up with one.”
A rough-looking male adventurer came to pick a fight with me. However, the man had a flushed face and was staggering, appearing to be quite drunk. It was what you’d call a drunken quarrel.
“We are not interested in you. Get lost!”
“W-what did you say, you brat! …I-I guess I have no choice, I’ll come back another time…”
The one who confronted the rude man was Ly. Even through her mask, her cold gaze, imbued with the dignity of a former princess towards the man’s rudeness, pierced him sharply, and he began to sweat profusely and fled with his tail between his legs. Ly’s courage in driving away a drunken brute with just her gaze was amazing.
Immediately after, loud cheers erupted from the surrounding onlookers.
“Recently, the disappearances of young girls have been increasing again.”
“The previous culprit was Countess Alma… but who is the culprit this time?”
“If we knew that, we wouldn’t be having this conversation!”
“That’s true… Could it be that ‘Witch of Bloodshed’ (Alma), who is said to be imprisoned, has escaped?!”
“There’s no such announcement! Besides, they say the door to Countess Alma’s prison cell is plastered over with plaster.”
“That’s true too…”
At the next table, two men were discussing the serial disappearances of girls with grave expressions. I assumed they were the remnants of the undead we found at the bottom of the vertical shaft, but ordinary people wouldn’t even be able to confirm that.
Thank you for reading.
Episode 41-10, “The Truth Behind the Bloody Rumors!?” is scheduled for pre-release on March 28th at 0:00.
