CH 43

Cheat Magician (Hazure Hantei) Chapter 43

Rich kid and his entourage

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I took a peek at the guild training ground, but it seemed that the training had already ended, and Yagi and the others weren't there.

I looked around in the guild, but it seems that they weren't at the bar either, so I think they've already returned.

Since it's like this, I have to decide whether to go out to the city or return to the boarding house, but I thought it woudl be better to visit the boarding house before dinner was over, so I decided to return to the boarding house first.

The setting sun dyed the sky red, and the main street is crowded with people shopping for dinner.

What's for dinner today ... Reinhardt gave me a warning as I was walking around thinking about it.

[ Kent-sama, you're surrounded. ]

[ Eh ... ]

I didn't notice it because I was absent-minded, three boys were blocking my path, and when I turned my head and looked back, two more boys were standing there as well.

Standing in the middle of the three in front is the well-dressed boy who was glaring at me this morning.

"You, lend me your face for a minute ..."

"Haa ... what the heck is going on?"

"Come on, come on!"

The two who were behind grabbed my arms so that I couldn't escape, following the boy's instructions.

Maybe he's the same age as Beatrice, one year younger than me, but the boys are taller than me.

[ Kent-sama, should we kick them around? ]

[ No, it's still okay, I know what he wants, it's a hassle but I'll follow along, I'll hear him out. ]

[ I see ... well, it's okay, but if something happens I'll do it. ]

[ At that time, take it easy on them ... ]

I was taken to a vacant lot at the end of a winding alley, which seems to be a hangout for boys.

The vacant lot is a tiny area surrounded on three sides by buildings, and the only entrance is the alley we came from.

I was pushed to the center of the vacant lot, and the five people lined up to block the alley.

Looking at the faces of the five people, indeed, as expected of a rich person, the feeling of having followers, one boy is shorter than me, one boy is about the same height, and the two who are holding my arms are taller than me.

The rich kid is about the same height as me, but he seems a bit jelly-like.

When I was in Japan, I wasn't confident that I would win even if I had to fight a boy smaller than myself, but since I came to Volzard, I've been doing a lot of special training, so maybe I won't lose to anyone.

However, that's if it's one-on-one, I'm not as confident against five people at once.

"So what do you want with me?"

"Don't get close to Beatrice-san!"

As expected, in this situation, he's probably in love with Beatrice.

But it's okay, it's a love that won't come to fruition unless you defeat that evil old man stupid parent.

"First of all, I'm not getting close to her."

"You ... Then you say you're the one being approached by Beatrice-san?"

"The reason I became familiar with her was due to a request I took at the mansion, but it was Beatrice who came up to me this morning ... Didn't you see it?"

"This guy ..."

Oh, I guess he remembered the kissing scene, his temple's blood vessels are about to burst.

I'm getting embarrased too ...

"Then you say you won't stop approaching Beatrice-san, right?"

"If I don't have any particular business, I won't get close to her, Klaus-san is scary."

When I said that, I wondered what the rich kid thought of the evil old man stupid parent.

He's the lord of Volzard, and he's a member of the physical sect who participates in the wall construction every week, so it seems to be a bad idea to make him into an enemy.

"Besides, approaching Beatrice or not, is up to my ability, and is in no way something you can command."

"This guy ..."

The rich kid clenches his fist in anger, but it doesn't seem like he is going to hit me himself.

Maybe the feelings of wanting to hit and the feelings of what to do if he hits are in conflict.

Somehow, it seems that he is not confident while looking at me.

If the two people around me were holding my arms, I wouldn't have been able to do much, but if they are all facing me about 3 meters away, it wouldn't be scary.

"You, do you not understand your current situation?"

The small one next to the rich kid looks like a typical henchman.

His body is also spindly, and if you hit him in earnest, it would be like bullying a weak person.

"Youu, this Nazario iis, assuredly the successoor, of the Orlando shoop."

Yeah, it's a very annoying way of speaking, so it makes me want to punch him.

"Sorry, I'm from another city, so I don't know the Orlando shop."

"Seriouslyy! You country bumpkiin."

"Katz, that's enough, oi, Nago, Rodos ... rough him up ..."

When Nazario the rich kid interrupted the words of the henchman, he gave instructions to the two with the big bodies.

Hmm ... It's a development that is too cliche, and it's not interesting.

In fact, violence is more troublesome later, so let's leave it here.

"Yeah, Chibi, be prepared."

"I'll make your face into one that Beatrice-san won't bother approaching."

"Yeah, of course I refuse."

Before they could reach me, I put out a shield of darkness behind me and went inside it as it was.

And once I erase the shield of darkness, it's impossible to follow me anymore.

"What! Where did he go?"

"Hey, what just happened ... he disappeared."

Nago and Rodos are looking for my whereabouts by waving their hands around where I was and trampling on the ground, but they can't find me.

[ Seriously, what misfortune, Kent-sama. ]

[ Yeah, I have to get my classmates accepted by Volzard, so I don't want to use unneccessary violence. ]

[ That's right, but Kent-sama, you were warlike to that Gilik. ]

[ Because Gilik is like a wall to overcome ... well, he self-destructed ... ]

[ That's right, but is it fine like this? They will get involved with you again. ]

[ That's right ... well, at that time, I'll think about it at that time, for now I'll go home for dinner. ]

I left the rich kid and his minions who were still wandering around in the vacant lot and returned to the boarding house immediately.

"I'm back now ... what are you doing, Meisa-chan?"

When I returned to the boarding house and called out to Amanda-san and the others, Meisa-chan with her arms folded glared at me with her mouth pursed.

"Mom, is this the real Kent?"

"Hey, Meisa-chan, there's no fake of me, what's wrong?"

"Kent, is it true that you kissed Beatrice-san?"

"Eeeh! Where did you hear about that ..."

"At school, everyone was talking. A small person with black hair kissed her, Kent-sama they called him."

"Uuh ... that thing, I'm not the one did it, Beatrice was ..."

"Nuuu ... it's not a good match at all."

"Guaaa ... I understand that much ..."

Meisa-chan's harsh words made me almost fall to my knees.

Beatrice is the number one student in Volzard's school and is the daughter of the lord, so every studen in the school knows it.

She is excellent at studying, kind to juniors, and is longed for by not only boys but also girls.

It was a terrible topic that Beatrice was kissing an unknown boy in the middle of the main street in the morning.

My head really hurts.

"Haa ... give me a break will you ..."

"Kent, you're threatening Beatrice-san, right?"

"I can't do that, she's the lord's daughter, I won't be able to stay in Volzard."

"Hmm ... then why? Why did Beatrice-san kiss you?"

"I don't know, I want you to tell me."

For Meisa-chan, it's hard to believe that the senior student she admired kissed a dull boarder.

Yeah, I don't suit her anyway.

"Meisa, if you're going to talk there and aren't going to help with the store, go upstairs with Kent!"

"I'll help! Kent is in the way so go upstairs!"

"Yes, I understand ..."

I have to proceed with the rescue operation using sleeping pills, but I feel depressed because it seems to be very troublesome.

Even though Manon's misunderstanding must be resolved, I'm getting a chill thinking about that evil old man stupid parent who is likely to have a hand in it.

For the time being, in order to prioritize the rescue operation, I will ask Basten's reconnaissance in the royal capital to be interrupted.

[ I'm sorry, go this way, go that way it's selfish. ]

[ No, it doesn't matter, because the rescue of your classmates comes first. ]

I have something to check first with Reinhardt and the others.

[ Hey, can you throw the pills directly into someone else's stomach like I can? ]

[ No problem, we are Kent-sama's genus, so we can enter anywhere in the shadows. ]

[ That means that we can split up with the four of us and put the knights to sleep, right? ]

[ Well, there aren't many knights in that garrison, so if we divide them, they'll all be asleep in less time. ]

According to Fred's investigation, there are 117 knights in Lastock's garrison, including those in the group leader class below Camilla.

[ Okay, so what should we do first? ]

[ That's right, first of all, what time is the operation? The placement of the knights is completely different between daytime and nighttime. If you think about putting them to sleep, it's best to have it nighttime with an easy-to-understand arrangement. ]

[ That's right, they move around during the day with training. Fred what is the night like? ]

[ Gatekeeper ... Patrolling ... A little more vigilance in the dormitory ... ]

It seems that the garrison itself is not so strict because they are wearing the slave bracelets, and it seems more people are assigned to the guard in case monsters cross the river and enter the city.

[ It's better to have a sketch of the garrison, right? ]

[ Of course, it's easier to understand who is where, what is where, and where to attack, etc. ]

[ Fred, can you please? ]

[ Because I was asked before ... it's already done ... ]

Fred was asked to make a sketch when Funayama died.

On the large paper that is pasted together, details such as all the buildings of the garrison, their purpose, and the type of goods stored are written in detail.

As expected, Fred, he works fast and accurately.

[ Can Basten find out the staffing and patrol routes at the drawbridge station? ]

[ Okay, the operation of the drawbridge itself is common, but I'll check it for the time being. ]

[ The position of the enemy's guard, the place where the knights sleep, and ... the carriage? ]

[ We have to find out the location of the stables. ]

[ That's right, the carriage can't move without a horse. ]

After all, when it comes to attacking, or invading and rescuing, it is necessary to check various things.

[ If I rescue my classmates in the middle of the night and start traveling by carriage before dawn, can I get to Volzard that evening? ]

[ If nothing happens, it will be okay. ]

[ If so, is it okay to eat light meals twice? ]

[ Kent-sama, you have to think about giving the horses fodder and water. ]

[ Well, horses are living things, aren't they? They can get hungry, and they'll be thirsty. ]

Shall I ask Kartz-san to accommodate the fodder from the garrison? 

If I prepare only a tub, it will be possible to have Reinhardt and the others draw water using shadow movement.

It doesn't seem difficult to secure the necessary supplies, but the problem is the preparation of the carriage.

Neither I nor the other five including Yagi have ever driven a carriage.

I don't even know how to move the reins, and probably on the day I'll have to start by connecting the horse to the carriage.

I found it difficult to prepare in a few days.

[ It would be faster to move by carriage, but I think it will take some time for us to get used to handling the carriage. ]

[ That's right, if you start by getting used to the horse, it will take some time. ]

[ Well, isn't it okay for everyone to move on foot as originally planned? ]

[ When it comes to walking, it's difficult to move through the Devil's Forest in the middle of the night, and in the morning the knights of Resenburg will surely follow you. ]

If we couldn't move in the middle of the night and waited for dawn, they could easily catch up by chasing us when we entered the Devil's Forest.

Even if everyone can fight with the slave bracelet removed, there is a possibility of injury or death in the worst case.

Considering the negotiations to return to Japan after the rescue, I would like to avoid armed conflict.

[ If it's a carriage, if you turn down the lights on all sides of the carriage, you can move even at night using the carriage in front as a landmark. ]

[ Well, if you earn some distance in the middle of the night, you're more likely to shake off your pursuit. ]

After all, I feel that it is better to move by carriage.

I would like to start practicing starting tomorrow so that I can get used to handling horses as soon as possible.

However, I can't practice without renting a carriage or horse, and for that I should talk to Kartz-san ... no, Marianne-san.

When you start to make a rescue plan in this way, you will be impatient with what you cannot do and what you lack.

[ Kent-sama, you won't suddenly be able to do things that you can't do even if you're impatient. ]

[ Yeah, that's right, I know, I think I know, but I still feel ... ]

When I was feeling downhearted, I heard footsteps running up the stairs.

"Kent, it's dinner ... it's pitch black again ..."

"Ahaha ... It's okay to save the magic stones of the light magic tool."

"Just because you can use a little darkness magic, you're so cheeky even though you're just Kent! Even though you aren't a match with Beatrice-san at all!"

"Gufu ... You're saying that again ... I have a problem for Meisa-chan. A group of 9 people who ate a 30-Helt lunch each, just paid the amount with no extra, but Amanda-san said to give a discount of 3 helts per person. How much change do you have to give back?"

"Eh, eh? 30 Helts for 9 people ... discount is 3 Helts, 30 Helts minus 3 Helts, 9 people ... uh ... ch, change is my tip!"

Ahahahaha!"

Yeah, Meisa-chan runs down the stairs, leaving behind the mysterious answer that shows that she is a poster girl.

"Mom, Kent is plotting in a pitch-black room again!"

"Hey, what are you talking about, Meisa-chan, I'll make a lot of arithmetic problems!"

"No, I hate arithmetic ..."

At the dinner table, when Meisa-chan's uncertain answer was told to Amanda-san and Meline-san, they both laughed a lot.

From Meisa-chan, I ate several elbows to my side, but my abdominal muscles that I trained ... Gufu, how are you hitting them so accurately?

Having fun with the four of us around the dinner table alleviated my impatience, but I just can't feel good about it.

Let's rescue the chairman and everyone else as soon as possible.

After dinner, I told Amanda-san I was going out and visited the five people in the temporary dormitory of the garrison by shadow movement.

The five were gathered in the living room of the temporary dormitory, so I just went out of the shadows.

"Good evening."

"Kyaaaa!"

"Kokubu, don't just suddenly come out, we'll be surprised!"

As I suddenly appeared, Sakurai-san screamed and Kobayashi-san got angry.

"I'm sorry, I have something I want everyone to help me with."

"Help you ... Is it the rescue operation?"

"Do you need combat personnel?"

It seems that the old and new duo are exhausted, probably because they moved their bodies during the daytime combat training.

Oh, not to mention fake glasses, he's terrified.

"Yeah, I want you to help me with the rescue operation, but I want you to be coachmen, not combat personnel."

I talked about the situation in the daytime when I gave Paul sleeping pills, and told the five people about the rescue operation using sleeping pills.

"That's why I think it's better to move in a carriage to shake off the pursuit of Resenburg."

"I see, you mean, you're going to take everyone home at once by carriage."

"Is our role that of driving the carriages?"

"Oh, I wish we had stolen the carriage at our time as well."

"But this will rescue everyone, right?"

The old and new duo and the dekoboko sisters are enthusiastic about the rescue operation, but the lonely fake glasses looks dissatisfied.

"Kokubu ... you're really stupid."

"Hey, who are you calling stupid, stupid ..."

"Because you're stupid, I'm saying stupid. If you can put all the knights to sleep, just tie them up and say that they won't live unless we return to Japan, and that's it, we don't have to run away to here, right?"

"Ah ... that's right ..."

Five people other than Yagi, including myself, looked at each other and silently shut up.

Certainly, if all the knights were taken hostage and they themself were taken hostage, no matter how good Camilla was, she wouldn't be able to resist.

In that case, we don't have to go through the Devil's Forest to reach Volzard.

"I can't think of anything like this at all ... I think I've been training too much since I came here and my brain has become muscle."

"Gunuuu ..."

It's true that Yagi has a point, and it's a story that deserves consideration, but ... Yagi's nagging tone is annoying.

While thinking about it, the dependable Reinhardt told me to wait.

[ Kent-sama, I can't really recommend that plan. ]

[ Why? It doesn't kill people, it just takes them hostage. ]

[ If it's an easy-to-prepare request like treasure or food, that's fine, but if the negotiations are protracted or take a long time to prepare, you'll need to keep guarding them until the issue is settled. The technique of summoning Kent-sama was quite large, so the magic circle for returning should also be large. ]

Reinhardt seems to care about the time it takes for the request to be completed.

[ After all, does it take much time to prepare to activate a large-scale technique? ]

[ I don't know the details because we were knights, but it seems that some techniquest may take several months. Isn't it difficult to keep them hostage for such a long time? ]

[ I see ... Even if you can bring in food by moving through the shadows, it is difficult to relieve the stress of being trapped? ]

[ That's it. ]

When I told Reinhardt's story to the five people, everyone except Yagi seemed to be convinced.

"It's unlikely that we can stay a few months in that dormitory ..."

"Isn't it difficult to separate the dormitories when it comes to a barricade?"

"Hey, it's impossible for a man and woman to stay in that dormitory together."

"Baths and toilets are going to be disastrous ..."

"No, that's right, we should prepare a place for them to stay."

With a word from Yagi, everyone's eyes are directed at me.

[ Umm ... how about it? Reinhardt. ]

[ In this case, when someone in power is captured by the other side and becomes a hostage, the situation will return to the beginning. ]

[ Hey ... ]

When I convey Reinhardt's words, everyone's eyes are focused on Yagi this time.

"N, no ... even as a joke, taking the princess hostage, won't that put us in an awkward situation with the other side?"

"Ah ... it seems that the First and Second Princes are fighting for succession, and Camilla is in the First Prince camp."

"What's that, then if the First Prince tries to help her, but the Second Prince would rather kill ...?"

"I don't know that much, but isn't that possible?"

As expected, Yagi also had a bitter look.

"What should we do?"

"It would be better to bring them over here."

"Well, how about forming a party with only the summoned group and capturing the dungeon?"

"Ah, that's good, maybe I will participate too."

"I'm looking forward to driving the carriage ..."

"Hey ... do you want to take safety measures ..."

He seems to be reluctant, but it seems that Yagi is also convinced.

Then I'll talk to Kartz-san or Marianne-san tomorrow and ask them about renting a carriage, a horse, and someone to guide us.