CH 247

Cheat Magician (Hazure Hantei) Chapter 247

Messenger

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If information were transmitted at the same speed as in Japan, Breichberg might have been talking about the Salamander.

The Guild may have been invaded by people who were concerned about the safety of their relatives and friends in Bakkenheim, as well as those who wanted to subdue the Salamander.

However, the Breichberg Guild that I looked inside was very peaceful, and there wasn't even a shred of bloodlust in it.

"I guess the information hasn't been communicated yet."

[ Or maybe they're controlling information. ]

"Ehh, why is that? Wouldn't it be a problem if someone went to Bakkenheim without knowing the situation?"

[ Even if Bakkenheim suffers devastating damage, they will come back after encountering refugees in the villages along the way. ]

"I see, they'll know before they get there, so if they let them go there, there's no problem."

[ That's right. Besides, Breichberg is a commercial city. If inaccurate information spreads, there is a concern that it will adversely affect commercial activities. ]

"I see, so they're refraining from announcing information until they know the exact situation."

I didn't know the details, but if I were to compare it to Japan, it would be like stock prices going up and down depending on various information.

I thought it would take some times to find her whereabouts, but Master Reese was in the Guild Guest House.

She wore her usual skimpy dancer-like outfit, and she was lying on the sofa smoking her pipe as usual.

In the room was the escort, Lau-san, as well as the figure of Gunther, who looked restless and unable to calm down.

"Haa ... Is it okay if you're so relaxed?"

"Hou, Kent is it? Lau, there's no need to return."

"Ho!Ho!Ho!, that's helpful because traveling is difficult for the elderly."

Lau-san, who was sitting quietly on the sofa, seemed to be calm, and he didn't seem to be in a hurry either.

"It looks like there was a lot of damage done."

"Fuun, to be in such a situation with something like a Salamander, it seems like the garrison's level of proficiency is declining year by year. Besides, if Kent is here, the subjugation is over, isn't it?"

"Maa, I finished subjugating it, but fires broke out all over the city, and there were casualties."

"Really now, that's a poor response."

"Ho!Ho!Ho!, that Andel boy must have had a heavy load."

"Fuun, he's not even old enough to be called a boy ... He's still just a brat in my mind ..."

It seemed that the Andel boy that Lau-san mentioned was the current Lord of Bakkenheim.

"Is that Andel-san a no-good Lord?"

"Compared to the former King of Resenburg, he is far better, but should I say that his ideals are a little too high, or that he doesn't see the reality ..."

"It's not that it's bad to try it, but does it feel like it's not in line with reality?"

"Exactly. If only Andel was as flexible as Kent ..."

"Is he that straight-laced?"

"He's a completely straight-laced person, he goes so far as to preach at me to refrain from wearing slovenly clothes every time he sees me."

Reese-san shrugged her shoulders in exasperation.

"What a waste ... No, no, rather than that, aren't you both too calm?"

At my words, Gunther, who was waiting in the corner of the room, nodded with all his might.

"Even if we are in a rush, we can't move around like Kent. In that case, just wait for the follow-up report and if the damage is small, just return as it is. If the damage is large, we will have no choice but to get support from Breichberg and then return."

"That, that may be true, but ..."

It was true that it would take two days to travel from Bakkenheim to Breichberg by horse, or three days by carriage.

If Bran pulled the cabin, they may be back in two days, but it was more likely that the commotion would be over by the time they returned.

"Most likely Andel was stingy."

"Stingy ...?"

"Kent, do you know how to respond when a Salamander approaches the city?"

"Umm, gather water-attribute mages and threaten it from getting closer ...?"

"Do you think a Salamander will go to another place just because of that?"

"If it thinks the city is tough, shouldn't it aim for other places?"

"Maa, if it's not hungry, then just that alone might make it pull out."

"If it's not starving ... Maybe, you're fishing with bait?"

"Right, that's right, as I thought, Kent is smart."

When the Salamander approaches the city, they threaten it with water-attribute magic and then lure it away from the city by running decoy livestock.

"At this time of year, the direction of the wind is from the west, so the herd of livestock should run from a place west of the town towards the forest to the south. It's also important to make sure they're scattered."

"I see, so the Salamander is attracted to the smell of blood and returns to the forest?"

"First, keep it away from the city so that it doesn't cause damage to the city. The decoy livestock may be eaten by monsters other than the Salamander, but if that happens, that monster will become the decoy instead."

"But, will the Salamander ever appear again?"

"That will happen, but if you can buy time, it is possible to make a request for Kent. Other than Kent, adventurers who want to make a name for themselves when they hear Salamander will start subjugating it. They could have prevented a situation that would cause damage to the city."

Certainly, I didn't see the Salamander chasing a decoy.

"Are they stingy with using that decoy?"

"Because Bakkenheim is an academic city, they don't raise livestock such as cows and pigs in the city. Horses are the only decoy they can use, and horses are expensive."

"Does it feel like the city was burned down because they were stingy with horses?"

"Kent, how many places were set on fire?"

"Umm ... Please wait a moment."

[ Kent-sama, we just confirmed that there were fires in 14 places, and about a third of them resulted in casualties. ]

[ Thank you, Basten. ]

Far from being responsive, the ability of my genus is such that they respond before I even ask.(TN:It says something about rather than them making a sound after being struck, they make a sound before being struck.)

When I told her about the fires, Reese-san frowned.

"If it's just that much, it's not enough to make the city of Bakkenheim stop functioning, but it's not a small amount of damage. I have to chastise that Andel when I return."

"Ho!Ho!Ho!, he's a troublesome brat, isn't he."

Uwaa, I wondered if Lau-san would do the chastising ... I might feel a little sympathetic.

Afterwards, when I talked about the defensive battle, Reese-san let out a sigh of exasperation, and it seemed that more and more people would receive a scolding.

After that, Reese-san invited me to have lunch together at the cafeteria attached to the guild.

Gunther went to secure seats ahead of us, so it wouldn't be surprising if this person showed up.

"Wait, why are you here!"

Bran's owner, Ruija, the self-proclaimed Monster User of Bakkenheim, was looking at me with dissatisfied eyes.

"Me, is it, I'm a messenger from Bakkenheim."

"Messenger? Master, when are we leaving for Bakkenheim?"

"When are we leaving? That's right, the morning of the day after tomorrow ..."

"Such a thing! A Salamander is attacking, and at this rate Bakkenheim will ..."

"If it's the Salamander, Kent over there has already taken care of it."

"Haaahh? This guy, there's no way ..."

At Reese-san's words said with a grin, Ruija didn't seem to believe them at all.

"Speaking of which, Kent, how did you defeat it?"

"Umm ... I used the repatriation technique to move it high in the sky, and while it was fallen and couldn't move, I finished it off by cutting its brain with a knife through space."

"Ho!Ho!Ho!, it seems like it's a lie that the two of you were struggling to defeat one Goblin."

"That, that's because Lau-san said to only use physical strengthening magic. If I apply the repatriation technique, I could also cut the Salamander in two on the spot. Maa, it would be a problem if the value of the material dropped, so I won't do that."

"Ho!Ho!Ho!, it's like a Salamander is being treated as a Goblin. As expected of an S-rank."

Perhaps they heard Lau-san's words, and a commotion spread out in the dining room.

"I, I won't admit it. Unless I see it with my own eyes, I won't recognize you as an S-rank!"

"Didn't you see me destroy the bandits at Rivarre Pass?"

"Th, that's because of the monsters you're using, isn't it? It's not your own strength."

"Yes, yes, please think as you wish. As long as I'm certified by the Guild, that's fine, besides, I don't care about my rank."

"Kuu, cheeky, so cheeky!"

After that, Ruija tried to lash out, but when Reese-san said it was noisy, she had no choice but to keep her mouth shut.

Or rather, the customers around us are strangely paying attention to me, and I can't relax even when I'm eating.

Maa, even if I didn't like it, I would be exposed to the public's gaze because of Reese-san's presence.

While drinking tea after the meal, we returned to the topic of Bakkenheim.

"Kent, have you finished extinguishing all the fires in Bakkenheim?"

"Yes, there should be no more burning places."

Perhaps, her motive is to attract attention and spread information about Bakkenheim.

"Were there about a dozen victims?"

"I don't know the exact numbers, but I think it's about the same in the city ..."

"What's that, did the defensive line for threatening the Salamander take damage?"

"About seven adventurers who carelessly acted fell prey."

"Kent, why don't you add the Salamander to your genus?"

"To my genus ... I didn't think about doing that."

Honestly, until Reese-san told me, I never imagined the Salamander becoming my genus.

It could also be given the fire attribute, so if I made it a genus, the attack power and appearance would be unquestionable.

"Hmm ... I'll think about it."

"Ku!Ku!Ku!, Kent is going to become more and more vicious."

"That's not true at all. All my genus are gentle."

No, no, why is Lau-san shrugging his shoulders.

That, well, I exterminated the bandits at Rivarre Pass, but that was because they were bandits.

"Maa, it's fine Kent, go back and report to Rita. If a shop that has suffered damage asks for a loan, pay a lump sum even before the damage is confirmed. Also, don't give rewards to the adventurers who left their post."

"Understood, I'll let her know. So, Reese-san will return after finishing the meeting as planned?"

"That's right, we should be back in about five days."

"Then, I'll go tell Rita-san the message."

When I returned to the Bakkenheim Guild, the commotion was still going on there.

Some asked where the Salamander had disappeared to, some asked for daily wages for subjugation, and some asked for compensation for the goods destroyed by the water used to extinguish the fire.

Yup, that fire extinguishing work was done by Zae and the others.

It would be intolerable if I was asked to compensate even though I was doing it with good intentions.

When I was about to report and go home, Rita-san was caught by Graciela-san.

"Well then, you're saying Kent stole the Salamander, right?"

"You say he stole it, but Ciela, wasn't it too much for you guys to handle?"

"E, even if that's the case, if an adventurer from another city steals it without asking, Bakkenheim would lose face."

"Even if that's the case, I heard that many of the adventurers who participated in the defense left their post and fled. If the Salamander had stepped into the city, how much damage would it have caused."

"That's true, but it didn't actually step inside, and if we still cooperated with the strength of the garrison ..."

"Did you really want to fight the Salamander that much? Aahh, Rita-san, I informed Reese-san. For those who have suffered damage and applied for a loan, you should give a lump sum payment even before the damage is confirmed ... Also, it seems that the adventurers who ran away won't receive any reward."

"Kent, you ..."

Graciela-san glared at me when I put out a shield of darkness behind Rita-san and stepped out to speak to her.

She's a woman, but she's nearly 180 centimeters tall and has a macho figure.

"Regardless of whether I want to fight or not, that's Bakkenheim's prey."

"Prey, is it ... Bakkenheim seemed to be the prey ... Or should I say, adventurers were actually killed."

"That's because they attacked carelessly."

"Rita-san said it too, but quite a few adventurers ran away, didn't they?"

"Even so, that's Bakkenheim's ..."

"Rather, how did you plan to defeat it? Could you manage to defeat it?"

"That is, in cooperation with the garrison ..."

"Is that so, then, shall I go to the southern continent, find a lively Salamander, and deliver it?"

"Please stop. I know it's a joke, but it would be troublesome while Master is away."

"I, I'm sorry. Of course I'm joking."

I was more scared of Rita-san, who changed her expression and narrowed her eyes, than Graciela-san, who seemed to be grinding her teeth, so I apologized without thinking.

"Ciela, I understand how you feel about the adventurers of Bakkenheim. However, it's true that we couldn't handle it, no matter how much you try to bring up the theory of principle that adventurers should not interfere with the prey of others. If you can't accept that, you don't have the right to call yourself an A-rank adventurer."

"Kuu ... Alright, I'll hand over the Salamander. However, please properly pay the reward for those who participated in the subjugation."

"Of course, I will pay them. However, I will not pay those who abandoned their post. Tell me exactly who stayed and who abandoned their post."

"Alright, I'll look into it and report it here."

After finishing negotiations with Rita with a deep furrow between her eyebrows, Graciela-san glared at me again.

"Kent, I will treat this matter as a loan. But, if you repeat the same thing, we will take that into consideration as well. Remember that ..."

After saying what she wanted to say, Graciela-san turned her back and walked away.

She was probably not a bad person at heart, but she was a troublesome person.

"Kent-san, I'm truly sorry. Ciela seems to have too strong of feelings for Bakkenheim ..."

"I don't mind. If she says it's stealing, it's stealing. From now on, I will do it after receiving a request."

"Alright, but the damage will increase ..."

"But, that's up to the adventurers of Bakkenheim, isn't it? This time, I just happened to visit to see how it was for the convenience of dropping off a member of the Volzard Family, it's not like I'm permanently stationed in Bakkenheim."

"That's right. Kent-san is an adventurer based in Volzard, so it's absurd to ask so much. I'm sorry."

After that, when I told her about Reese-san and Lau-san in Breichberg, Rita-san placed her hand on her forehead and sighed deeply.

Aahh, she worked with those two on a daily basis and must have been having a lot of trouble.

"Thank you very much. I will transfer the reward for this message as well."

"No, no, for me, if it's just that much, I don't mind doing it."

"That's not going to work. I'm asking an S-rank adventurer to run an errand, so I'll pay you."

"I don't mind if you don't mind, then please transfer it appropriately. Aahh, also ... Could you turn your back for a moment? Yes, just don't move ..."

"Kent-san, what ... This is!"

She must have been busy with Salamander countermeasures, and Rita-san's expression was deeply tired.

Therefore, I put my hand on her back and cast healing magic to heal her.

"This is a service. If Rita-san collapses, Bakkenheim will be in trouble."(TN:He actually calls it 'jinchuu', which is a way of providing comfort for someone hard at work as a sign of support, but I'm not sure what exactly to call it, 'courtesy call' doesn't exactly sound right.)

"Thank you very much. But, it would have been easier if I just collapsed ..."

"That's ... I can only tell you to do your best."

"I see, Kent-san, would you accept me as your wife?"

"Haaahh? Wh, what's with this all of a sudden ..."

"As you can see, I will do the work of managing the Bakkenheim Guild."

"No, no, even if you say that ..."

"Fufufu ... I'm joking. But, when Master returns, shall I say that ... along with a letter of resignation."

"No, no, no, that's no joke."

"Fufufu ... I'm just kidding."

Of course, it must be a joke, and even if I knew that I was being teased as a means of relief, Rita-san normally looked so serious, so I was shocked.

Or rather, if I was wandering around, I was afraid I would be asked to do something unnecessary again, so I decided to leave.

Before returning to Volzard, I went to check on the state of the town of Bakkenheim.

Fortunately, the academy's dormitory, where the summoning was originally scheduled, escaped damage.

Even so, a fire seemed to have broken out less than 50 meters away, and several houses had burned to the ground.

"As expected, a Salamander's attack seems to have tremendous power."

[ Since Salamander flame bullets are synthesized with magical power, they are said to burn more easily than normal flames. ]

"Could it be, is it hard to erase with normal water?"

[ That's correct. It was the correct answer to instruct Zae-tachi to use water magic to extinguish the fires. ]

At the scene of the fire, there were people who were starting to clean up, and there were also people who were standing dumbfounded.

Seeing such a scene reminded me of when Takayama set Marcel-san's shoe store on fire.

Speaking of which, I haven't seen Takayama lately.

When I return to Volzard, I should give him some troublesome work.