Chapter 94

Walking through the usually quiet daytime streets of the Bartrein, I found myself in an unexpected situation. The city was already bustling due to the ongoing festival, but the aftermath of the attempted assassination of the royal family earlier had caused even more commotion. Just by walking and listening a bit, I could see multiple people spreading rumors, true or not.

Well, people are gossipy everywhere. Once sensational topics come up, they can’t help but become the subject of conversation. Even if a gag order had been imposed, it wouldn’t have made much difference, given the large number of witnesses.

However, among the snippets of conversation I overheard, there were also positive comments about the Reberio Knights, praising them and acknowledging our role as guards. Hmm, this must be the result of our usual activities and grassroots efforts. If the Knights were criticized in such a situation, who knows what might happen.

Moreover, many of the topics mentioned the Reberio Knights' leader, Alyssia. It’s only natural, as she is quite popular. If someone like me had been the center of attention, it would have been a disaster.

“...Should I buy something to bring back... No, it’s not like there’s an atmosphere of bringing souvenirs or anything...”

With more time on my hands than expected, I considered stopping by a store, but the topic I had to discuss with Mui was quite heavy. It wasn’t the kind of situation where bringing a small gift would be appropriate, so I decided to head home honestly.

“I’m back.”

As I was thinking about how to start the conversation, I found myself already at home. What should I do? My thoughts were still a mess.

“Hey, welcome back.”

“Hey, I’m back.”

“...Huh?”

When I opened the door, I heard a familiar voice and an unfamiliar one. Something was off. The tone and pitch of the unfamiliar voice didn’t give me a good feeling. As I hurriedly entered the living room, I saw a smaller silhouette sitting on a chair, resting their cheek on their hand.

“It’s Lucy.”

“Yeah.”

The silhouette turned out to be Lucy Diamond, the head of the mage corps of the Reberis Kingdom. Upon confirming my presence, she raised her hand from her cheek and waved at me.

“What brings you here in the middle of the day?”

“Well, you’ve probably heard about the recent events. It’s about that.”

“You sure have your ears to the ground.”

It seemed there was some news related to the assault incident earlier. It wasn’t a topic I was particularly excited about, but I couldn’t ignore it. Sighing inwardly, I sat down in the chair opposite Lucy. I was glad there were enough chairs, as Mui and I were usually the only ones at home, and we weren’t prepared for guests.

“By the way...”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Thinking about the incident, it made sense that the head of the mage corps would have heard about it, but a fundamental question came to mind, and it slipped out.

“Lucy, the mage corps didn’t provide security, right?”

That’s right. The mage corps is one of the main forces of the Reberis Kingdom, on par with the Reberio Knights. During the state visit of the Sphendyardvania delegation, it would have been unusual for the mage corps not to be involved. Moreover, it would have been even more unusual for Lucy, the head of the corps, to be here instead of being on duty.

“Mages aren’t suited for guard duty. We’re better at annihilation.”

“Ah... That’s true, I guess.”

Lucy scratched her head as she answered my question. I almost pointed out that her personal specialty was annihilation, but I held back.

I’ve only fought against mages with Lucy, but it’s true that, given the nature of magic, it’s not well-suited for protecting a specific individual while fighting. Even during our spars, she seemed to avoid casting wide-area spells to avoid harming bystanders or buildings.

If a mage tried to protect their charge while fighting, they might end up burning the charge in the process. They are indeed powerful, but their use can be tricky. That’s what I thought as I listened to her answer.

“Besides, the mage corps can’t be too visible this time.”

“Really? Why not?”

Lucy is clearly a pure mage, so I thought it would be fine to send someone like Fissel, who can use sword magic and has experience in close combat, but it seems the situation is more complicated.

“Why... Have you forgotten what religion that country follows?”

“...Oh...”

Lucy sounded exasperated as she answered my question.

The Sphendyardvania state religion, the Sphen religion, holds that the miracles performed by the Sphen god—another term for healing and restorative magic—are the highest form of magic, as I learned from the Sphen follower, Ibroi.

Given this, the mage corps, which refers to all forms of magic, and the Sphen religion, which clearly distinguishes between magic and miracles, don’t quite see eye to eye. It’s a tricky situation. As an outsider, I can only watch from the sidelines.

“Quite a predicament, huh.”

“Well, you get used to it. There are ways to deal with it.”

“I see...”

“That’s how it is.”

I don’t fully understand how things got to this point, but if Lucy says so, it must be true. It’s best not to worry too much, as it doesn’t concern me directly.

“Sorry to interrupt, but did you have something to discuss?”

“Oh, right.”

I had diverted the conversation, so I tried to steer it back on track. Lucy clapped her hands as if remembering something and then began to speak with a serious expression.

“There was an incident today, right?”

“Yeah, there was.”

Chronologically, it had just happened, but the fact that Lucy had already heard about it showed how quickly news spreads. I even wondered if she had been sightseeing instead of working, but I doubted she was that idle.

“Incident?”

“Yeah, Mui, you didn’t know?”

Mui, who had been listening, voiced her confusion. Indeed, the city was already noisy due to the festival, and it would have been hard to notice the commotion from inside the house.

“No, I was with the princess as a guard, and... an assault happened.”

“...What, are they okay?”

“Yeah, the prince and princess are fine.”

When I explained the day’s events, Mui’s already wide eyes became even rounder. I can see why she was surprised; I was too.

“Well, you’re pretty strong, huh?”

“Haha, I’m honored by your praise.”

I wonder how strong I rank in Mui’s mind. I’ve only shown her my sword skills when I punished some thieves at dusk.

“I wanted to share some information with you about the incident.”

“Hmm...”

As the person involved, I should have the most information about the incident. If she had additional information, it was probably about the background of the assault rather than the incident itself.

Honestly, I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to be dragged into the country’s problems. But given how involved I already am, it’s probably inevitable.

“The person who carried out the assault... is likely from Sphendyardvania.”

“...Really?”

“I said ‘likely.’ But it’s a reliable piece of information.”

Hmm. If Lucy says so, it’s probably not off the mark, but I’m curious about the source of this information.

“By the way, where did you get this information?”

“Ibroi.”

“Ah...”

So that guy is involved. This is going to be a hassle. Lucy really shows up everywhere.

The third volume of the book series is on sale tomorrow. It seems to be available in some places already, so please look forward to it.