CH 78

[Puzzling Meeting First Part]

After capturing the lot of people hunter and returning the rescued villagers to their respective villages, we returned to Devon Village.

And now, at the village chief’s house, everyone is gathering and discussing what to do going forward based on the information extracted from the people hunters.

“It seems that the Royal Guard Knight Order are involved in this matter in various ways. I’ve confirmed this with the lot of people hunter, so I think it’s credible to some extent.”

Regarding the information leaked by the people hunters in the middle of drinking; with the help of Dimol, Diedur, and Dayle, I politely got the information out of them while bringing them in, confirming the authenticity to some degree.

The captured people hunters were very supportive and easily opened their mouths to the questions I asked.

As expected, when a huge wyvern, a giant horse, and a magic sword that spouts flames intimidate them, ordinary people would be scared.

They are cute if you can communicate with them properly though.

I have to tell everyone of how wonderful they are sooner or later, but now is not the time for it.

Noelia, who was also present when I was asking for information from the captured people hunters, opens her mouth with a half-disbelieving face.

“I cannot believe that the people in the mine are connected to the Royal Guard Knight Order, but… the captured people did not seem to be lying either.”

The people hunters said that they had received a request from the people of the mine, and confessed that the Royal Guard Knight Order were involved as a supporter behind them.

It was not credible if it was only from one person, but since the same information came out from several people other than the leader, I concluded that the information is reliable to some extent.

Having listened to our report with her eyes closed, Suzana opens her eyes and says,

“But the Radcliffe family, the family of the current commander of the Royal Guard Knight, is a noble family with a lot of wicked rumors. I think it’s not strange even if they’re doing some shady things behind the scenes.”

Because I was primarily the one in charge of cross-examining the people hunters, it is the first time that Suzana come into contact with this information, but it is Suzana herself who suggests the possibility of Radcliffe’s family involvement.

After all, there is even a line that leads to there.

However, the land in the area of Inbahanes is the territory of Gile, it can be said that no matter how he uses the population of the territory, it’s all up to him, the lord of the territory.

Even for a noble family, if they caused a very horrible affair, the kingdom will give them an appropriate punishment, but… If the opponent is the Radcliffe family who served as the Prime Minister, it’s likely the matter will be left unsettled, unless you have a lot of evidence.

I had watched the severely tyrannical acts of the nobles in the Royal Capital, and I also felt that this affair was orchestrated by the nobles affiliated with Gile and the Royal Guard Knight Order.

“Well, I think so too… Even so, although Suzana is Noelia’s exclusive maid, she’s surprisingly familiar with the ways of the world.”

Although I heard that she’s a maid whose existence is like an older sister who grew up together with Noelia since they were children.

No matter how you look at it, she’s not just a normal maid; she could even use that strange weapon brilliantly, and she knows a lot of information.

Who in the world is she?

“Eh? Ah, yes. Even like this, I am a maid of the Frontier Count family, so I can get a hold of various information.”

I’m interested in Suzana’s identity, but her eyes are asking me not to dig further; if I were to dig into deeply, most likely, I would receive an unexpected counterattack, so I decide not to ask any more than that.

Her participation in this journey is probably not only due to the case of Noelia.

I also hold a secret myself, so we are of equal status in this regard.

With my eyes, I tell Suzana, “I will not pursue it further.”

Without caring about me and Suzana, Noelia who have been pondering for a while asks a question that seems to have come to her mind.

“Is this matter related to Abyss Walker I wonder? Rahaman Mine is close to the sighting point of Abyss Walkers, and the information was not disclosed due to the pressure from the Royal Guard Knight Order or the lord, Gile.”

When we came to check the sighting information of Abyss Walker, I didn’t think that it would come to the present situation, I thought it was irrelevant.

In the first place, the investigation of the information obtained by the Guild Master of Inbahanes was stopped due to the pressure from the lord.

If the people of the mine and Abyss Walker are connected… this matter might be more serious than we thought.

“I’m also curious about that. I wonder if there is any connection between the sighting of Abyss Walker and the people of the mine.”

“For argument’s sake, if the Abyss Walker and the people of the mine are related… it would be a big affair that would shake the country…”

Having voiced out her own thought, Noelia’s face turns pale.

If the Abyss Walker sighted in the vicinity of the mine was a new type like the ones we fought in the Demon Forest, and was related to the people of the mines…

The worst-case scenario that comes to my mind is that Abyss Walkers are acting with systematic support.

“We should look into that connection, but we probably should also look into whether the Royal Guard Knight Order or whether the Royal Guard Knight Commander and the lord of the territory, Gile-dono, is involved with the people of the mine.”

At Suzana’s word, I end up thinking that the worst-case is happening.

If the Royal Guard Knight’s leader, the guardian of the king, and the heir of the Radcliffe family that was said the be the king’s close aide, Gile, is connected to those Abyss Walkers, I think it would be an unprecedented act of betrayal.

If a second Great Invasion occur in such a situation…

I tremble just thinking about it.

However, there is no definite proof yet.

Just because it overlapped with the sighting information of the Abyss Walker, it doesn’t mean that the two are related.

No matter how much of a spoiled noble kid Gile is, as a person of this kingdom, I don’t want to think that he is involved with Abyss Walkers that had caused so much damage to the kingdom.

“We have to search for our original objective, the Abyss Walker. But before that, it might be better to determine which one of them is connected to the people of the mine.”

I suddenly feel my stomach hurts because of the thought that matters that I originally thought aren’t connected might be connected.

“It is exactly as Frick-sama said. Before the matter of the Abyss Walker, it might be better to first check the identity of the people of mine. The people of the mines have been there since about a dozen years ago. If Gile-dono is involved with them, that means he has been involved since he is a kid, but…”

“If that’s the case, does that mean that the Royal Guard Knight Order is involved in the first place, and Gile-dono doesn’t know about it?”

As Suzana said, if the Royal Guard Knight Order have been involved for about than a dozen years, that means that the group of nobles who should be protecting the king and the country have been betraying for that long.

However, I just couldn’t think that the weak and cowardly Royal Guard Knight Order is the one who have done such a huge matter.