CH 18

Chapter 18 – At that time, on the frontier (Mob POV)

Henry Birkett, an official of the frontier Sutrena territory, listened to his men with a frown. He brushes back his bluish-black hair, pushes up his glasses, and looks over the report.

Three years have passed since he was dispatched by the royal capital, and still, the number of magical beasts has not decreased.

Henry, with his pale skin, is often told by those around him that he is unhealthy or that he works too much, but his appearance is a natural part of himself. He is in his thirties, in perfect health, and he has no trouble living in the middle of nowhere. In fact, he feels that it suits him better than in the royal capital where he used to live.

However, his work here is so busy that he has no time to sleep. This is because no one can take his place.

However, the situation was beginning to show signs of improvement.

The request for additional personnel with the same level of responsibility as himself, which he had been requesting for some time, had been approved.

... Or so he thought, but hopes were dashed when he heard the report of his subordinate.

"As I said, Sir Henry. When I approached the royal capital side to do something about the manpower shortage, they sent me a couple of criminals, a duke's son, and a potato lady. The people in the royal capital are terrible. What kind of harassment is this?"

It is his subordinate Tony Fawn who reports to me while complaining.

He is a healthy seventeen-year-old with wheat-colored skin streaked with freckles, whose parents used to work in the former lord's mansion.

Incidentally, the former lord's family was wiped out by a magical beast.

"Tony, just tell me what you want to report."

"Eh... I mean... Isn't that too much?　This is not a dumping ground for criminals!"

"We have no choice about what comes. We have no authority to send them back."

The frontier received news of the events in the royal capital a little later than expected.

It seems that the duke's son has had his engagement broken off after his past misdeeds were exposed at the princess's engagement party.

And as punishment, he was forced to marry an ugly, reputedly nasty young lady who is regarded as a freak in social circles.

"Aww, if they were going to come anyway, I would have preferred a beautiful woman. I heard that the potato lady is hideous."

"Hey, Tony. That's not the kind of thing you say to a woman your age."

"It is rumored that the Potato Lady has a pure white face, blue eyelids, and bright red cheeks and lips, right? Isn't she too scary, not just as a young lady, but as a human being? In a land full of magical beasts, we'll get a brand new magical beast in the form of a "Potato Lady"...... Even though the percentage of girls is low, I can only despair!"

"The Pot...... I mean, Agnes Evantail, the former Marquise's daughter is a married woman. Don't look at her that way."

"Sir Henry is too uptight~"

Tony may be irrepressible in some ways, but he is skilled at killing magical beasts alone, so Henry found him very useful. He was a dependable presence in this Sutrena territory, partly because his magic was suited for combat.

"Anyway, I have to be ready to welcome them from the royal capital."

"The Potato Daughter won't be of any use, and they're basically the only ones we've got. What are we going to do?　What if the duke's son is an unruly villain like that ...... guy?"

"We'll see then. For now, we have to pick them up in the town of Roca. They can't travel by coachman from there."

"Hmm."

"Why are you replying to me like I'm talking about someone else? You're the one picking them up, Tony."

"......? Me?"

"Yes, you. You'll be the first one to go. They will arrive in Roca in ten days. Be ready and waiting for them."

Tony looked blatantly uncomfortable, but instead of disobeying Henry's instructions, he maturely left the room.

"Ha, I wonder what's going to happen now."

Henry let out a heavy sigh, finished checking the report, and left the office.

Some of his men passing by saw him and said, "Master Henry is looking ill again!", ""Someone force Master Henry to rest!" and so on.

"Nazelbert, second son of the Duke of Florescence...... I hope he's harmless."

The subordinates watched on in suspense as their boss, clutching his forehead, mumbled something to himself.

※

After talking with Henry, Tony went to the magical beast breeding grounds in Sutrena territory.

Tony's magic is "Speed Runner" which means that he can move faster than an ordinary human.

However, the magic only applies to him, and he cannot make other people's legs faster.

In addition, Tony does not have a large amount of magical power, so the time he can move fast is limited. Although this magic has many restrictions, it is suitable for serving as a messenger and for exterminating magical beasts.

Several rideable magical beasts do not harm humans being kept in a magical beast breeding ground.

Although the law does not permit the use of such beasts in the vicinity of the royal capital, they are indispensable means of travel in remote areas where there are many unpaved roads.

Just as there are beasts that are friendly to people and beasts that attack people, the nature of each individual demonic beast differs greatly.

However, the people in the royal capital are afraid of all the monsters and beasts together. ...... Tony thinks it's stupid. Anyone can see that a rabbit and a bear are totally different.

Anyway, Tony did not like the people from the royal capital. He was even wary of Henry at first.

So he didn't think well of the criminals who were sent this time.

"It's a total pain in the ass. At the very least, I hope it's someone who doesn't do anything. It would be a shame if someone with a strange sense of mission comes in and starts doing whatever he wants, without regard to our situation. Who do you think is going to clean up the mess?"

Before Henry came, there were nobles sent from the royal capital, but they were all terrible.

Those who, for their own self-aggrandizement, enacted policies that were not necessary, pushed Tony and the other frontiersmen around, and finally returned to the royal capital when they said they were tired of living in the frontier.

Those who tried to collect money from the not-so-rich frontiersmen by taxing everything like a fool to line their own pockets.

Those who, when they realized that the Sutrena fiefdom could not afford the taxes, began to engage in robbery and other misdeeds.

Any one of them would be the worst of the worst.

"Seriously, give me a break."

Nevertheless, if Tony does anything selfish, it will cause trouble for Henry. The best thing to do here is to shut up and follow his lead. But he couldn't help but feel irritated......

As he was about to choose a gentle-tempered magical beast to take out of the sturdy wooden stable... suddenly, a nasty idea surfaced in Tony's mind.

"If they're a nobleman, surely they will be able to ride it. Okay, let's change that."

Tony prepared a wyvern, a magical beast that is said to be the most difficult of all magical beasts to ride.