197-191 Rumors and beliefs

It had been a little over a year since we met in Yenis.

Only that much time had passed, yet the atmosphere he wore was like a different person.

In the image, he had the pride and pride of being an aristocrat, and although there was a hint of pallor, he should have been full of a sense of justice.

Although he had become a slave after losing the war and seemed to be trapped in revenge against the empire, I remember feeling that his thinking was still coarse and sweet.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the world.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to go for a new one.

I'm not sure if the sweetness was wiped out after experiencing hell once or... well, either way, since I don't have a hobby of gazing at a man's face forever, I decided to scrutinize the information he has and think about his future moves.

''First of all, where did you hear the rumor that I was no longer a healer and divine punishment was meted out?''

''It was only in the last half month that this information began to circulate. I first heard about it at a gathering of nobles, and at this time most of them seemed to already know about it. For the record, the source of this information has not been identified.

Half a month ... that seems short and very long.

But this information is just a rumor.

It must be nothing more than a rumor unless someone else affirms it.

''Well I'm not saying don't believe the rumors, but Lord Wisdom believed them too, didn't he?

''Yes. As a matter of fact, right after the rumor broke, our Lubruk Kingdom sent a letter to the St. Surreal Cooperative Kingdom and the Healer's Guild to see if the information was true or not, but there was no response at all.

You think that's funny?

Sir Wisdom nodded and explained in turn why he believed the rumors.

'As you know, due to the prolonged war between our Rubruk Kingdom and the Empire, we have requested Lady Luciel's dispatch on several occasions.

I haven't heard of it before.

The first certified S-class healer in decades wouldn't want to be sent to a war zone, right? 　That's what people started whispering about.

''....I see. It's true that where there's no fire, there's no smoke, right? But still.........

Yes, sir. I didn't believe it, because I knew you. But for some reason, the Church has begun to rush to put these rumors to rest.

What have I done?　If you do that........could it be a conspiracy?　Someone may have induced ... or instigated it.　

You think that cover-up makes the rumor true?

'Yes. I found it to be very credible.

There is no contradiction in his story so far.

If that's the case, then Master and Lionel are in danger.

I took a deep breath once, then changed my mind and decided to change the subject as well.

''In that case, we have to get back to the ground as soon as possible, but before that, I'd like to ask you about the Empire's next. It seems that you experimented on the human body, do you know what the magic stone was implanted in your body for?

In my case, it was an experiment to increase the amount of magical energy by implanting a magic stone inside my body. The miasma was supposed to be a purified magic stone, but I think someone told me it was a failure because it didn't match up with the magic stone, or maybe because the miasma was just coming out of my body.

So, wasn't it an experiment to create a demon race?　Or has the experiment changed?

'Have you ever heard of experiments to try to capture the power of the demon race while in captivity in the Empire, or the development of magical tools that can turn people into demons?'

''There isn't. There was definitely talk about the demon race, but the goal was to eradicate the demon race. I think it was something like that. Of course, I've never seen the demon race either.

Annihilation?　Aren't you in collusion with the demon race?

''That's unlikely. Because if the demon race had come out, it would be difficult to maintain balance in our country, and it wouldn't be surprising if they had already been destroyed.

He laughed and told me so, self-deprecatingly, but his words were enough to confuse me.

What do you mean?　I know he's not lying because he just took a pledge, but is the information he has really correct?　

It certainly doesn't give the Empire a good image.

As for Lionel and the others, they don't have a good image, whether it's trying to crush Yenis in secret, starting wars, or making them supply slaves by taking advantage of their weakness.

But if you think about it, Lionel and the others are also people of the Empire.

When you think about it, an empire without an ostensible general is actually.......fragile?

That's when I suddenly felt something connected.

Then I remembered that there had been some talk before about Lionel still being in the Empire.

'Um, have you ever met the Warlord?'

''.......There is. I'm the one who embedded the magic stone in my body.

Apparently the impostor was still around, but it was going to make Lionel's notoriety terrible.

''By the way, do you remember the slave in Yenis who was crippled?''

He pretended to think for a moment, but nodded immediately.

'I remember that old man. He was the one who approached me in a friendly way.

Old man I'm sure Lionel was an old man when I met him.

I almost blew it when I remembered and decided to let go of the truth, imagining what Lord Wisdom would think if he saw him now, a younger man.

'He's the Lionel who made a name for himself as that warlord, sir.　Now that he's in Yenis as my squire, he's an impostor in the Empire.

'No way!　Surely the man was called General Lionel, and I'm sure he was a face I saw on the battlefield once long ago...

Sir Wisdom is distraught, but I make a request to Mr. Orford, who has been listening to me.

'Mr. Orford, I'm sorry to barge in on you, but would you mind transforming yourself into me?'

Well. Very well.

Mr. Orford transformed into me with his mixed magic, Transformation Magic.

''Is that good?''

The resemblance, or rather, the look, was completely me now.

'Thank you it's a strange feeling to think that I'm the other one. Can anyone use that magic?

It's possible for a mage high enough to mix the opposite attributes of water and fire. But mixed magic always consumes magic power while in use, so it won't last long.

By the way, can you multiply that by someone else?

I can do it... but you'd need a great deal of imagination and skill to do it.

'I see. So, Sir Wisdom, what do you think?

"I don't believe it. But if that's the case then it was only a matter of time before he put on the iron mask.

Apparently, he had an idea in mind.

But still, if it was that well-prepared, could Lionel be under surveillance?　For that matter, it was unnatural that neither Master nor Lionel had noticed.

Is the person who spread the holy attribute magic no longer available also one of the imposters?　

I decided to explain to Lord Wisdom, who had his head in his hands, what the real Lionel was like, from my perspective.

'Lionel fights to protect his friends when it comes to battle. That's why he always takes the lead in battle, but I believe he's a true warrior who doesn't like deception or trickery.

...Is he the real one?　If that's the case, what the hell is that man?

It's going to be an imposter.

Even though I know it in my head, I've actually experienced it, so I'm sure that if I met Lionel, I'd probably take my hatred out on him.

While thinking about him in such a confused state, I, who had acted on the assumption that the Empire was involved with the demon race, also decided to find out more about the Empire once.

Since I was able to hear what I wanted to hear, I decided to make a cooperative agreement about the future.

''So Lord Wisdom will be staying in Nerdal?''

'Yes. That was the plan, but the reason I'm here is because I've been looking for clues to help me heal myself...

What then?

'Yes. Now that we've served our purpose, we have no reason to stay here.

It's a good thing you're healed, right?

'Of course. I have nothing but gratitude for Luciel-sama. If there's anything else I can do in the future, I'll do my best to help you, to the best of my ability.

The pretense of distress he had suffered a moment ago was gone, and the smile was back on his face.

''Thank you. If you can, please let me know that I have become a wise man in the Kingdom of Rubruk.

Yes. I'll tell them that the rumors were a plot to trick Master Luciel, and I'm sure he'll understand soon enough when he sees my body.

He said this and smiled again.

After this, I told Mr. Orford again that I would return to the church immediately, and he drove me back to the room where the magicians who came to Nerdal were located.

I'm going to be able to say that I'm going to be the first to go.

Thank you for your time.

Mm. I'm on it. And now, may I have a piece of that?

Yeah.

I took out a jar of honey, but I also took out another jar.

'You're giving me two bottles?'

'One bottle has object X in it. If a demon tries to come close to you, give it a drink. As long as it's drunk, it can even defeat the red dragon.

I'm going to keep it.

After this, Mr. Orford and I exchanged the magic power of the magic ball with Mr. Orford, and I promised to meet Lord Wisdom again eventually.

Then I'll send you home, Luciel. The next time you come, let's have a little honey wine with me.

Yes. Thanks for your help.

"To you, Nadia, Lydia. If you're willing to explore your magic as well, I suggest you visit these lands again.

'Yes, sir. Next time you have a chance to come, please show me around Nerdahl.

'I'll do my best to make ordinary magic as useful as spirit magic.

At their words, the old man was there, with the same smile that he had shown when he had come to Nerdal, the word good-natured old man.

'Then, Lord Wisdom,'

"I will tell you that you have been made wise.

As Mr. Orford poured his magic power into the magic circle, the magic circle began to shine, and the next moment the light engulfed us.

This is how the three months in Nerdal, which seemed so long but was so short, came to an end.