Volume 1 - CH 12.2

I looked for Natalia but could not find her, so I decided to go back to the mansion first. As I came to the front of the house, I saw a familiar face at the gate. It was Fairis. There was a hint of anxiety in her expression as she looked at me.

「Fairis-dono, what can I do for you?」

「Yes, I was looking for you. Yard-sama, are the rumors that have been circulating lately true?」

「Rumors?」

「Yes, it is said that Yard-sama has a number of elves around him and is playing around with them. ......」

「That is a total misunderstanding. Don't be fooled by such unreliable rumors.」

「However, ...... there was a story that the church was going to judge Yard-sama for heresy. ......」

I'm getting a headache from all this talk of no way. It's true that I know a lot of elves, but it's not that I like elves. If I had to pick a favorite, I would have to say Tia over Natalia.

When I asked her for more details, she told me that someone in the church had recently heard the rumor and started calling me a heretic. I don't remember joining the church in the first place, but in this world, it's believed that the better magicians are devout followers of God, so from the church's point of view, I'm a very devout follower.

I wondered why the rumors were spreading so fast, even though it had only been a short time since I brought Natalia back. I don't think it's just because the people at the mansion are leaking information.

「I'm sorry. I also protested that Yard-sama is not such an unprincipled person, since you didn't touch me even though I was with Elmaire-san all the time. ......」

「No, the rumors had already begun to circulate when I returned from Leshiana. Maybe someone was trying to frame me. Is there any way I can talk to someone from the church?」

「I don't think you can meet them today or tomorrow. Everyone seems to be so busy.」

「Oh well, I'll just hide somewhere until then. ......」

I'd better look into this matter as soon as possible. I parted ways with Fairis and asked Tia to gather some information on this matter. It's not impossible that they're seriously treating me like a heretic, but considering how fast the rumors are spreading, it's probably reasonable to assume that the church had a hand in this.

Suddenly, I was curious about Natalia. Perhaps the church was reaching out to her as well. With that thought in mind, I turned back the way I had come.

※

There was no one on the street who had seen her, so I looked for her in the back alleys, but even though it was daytime, there were many people who looked suspicious, and the atmosphere was not very good. I think it's a problem that such an unsafe place exists in the royal capital.

I heard a familiar voice shouting in the distance. I hurried towards it and saw Natalia and a group of men fighting. She could fight better than most adventurers, but being attacked by several men in a not-so-wide alley was apparently no match for her. She was pinned down on the ground, her face already covered with scars as if she had been beaten.

When I approached under her, I made the men fall into a coma with <Fear>, and when she realized that I had come, she stood up even though her whole body was torn apart. She seemed to have been assaulted all over, not just her face.

I hurriedly applied an <Major Heal> to her. Gradually, her blood color improved and the scars all over her body disappeared, except for her clothes, which were not restored. I put on the robe I was wearing and she happily hugged me and kissed my cheek.

「Yard, I knew you would come for me.」

「I'm sorry, I should have come looking for you sooner. Anyway, do you have any idea who these people are?」

「Not that I know of. I was just walking along and all of a sudden they attacked me.」

When they were attacking her, they were looking around carefully, as if they were on the lookout for assassins. I was sure they weren't just a bunch of thugs, so I used the <Memory Extraction> to extract their memories.

As a result, I found out that these guys are from the church, and that the man who gave the order is the bishop, Philpot. I didn't know why they were targeting her.

「So they don't like the idea of me and the Yard getting married?」

「Oi, wait a minute. I haven't said anything about getting married yet.」

「You said you'd take responsibility.」

「In the first place, Levin's response was worse than I expected. I didn't expect him to break up with you so easily. ......」

「It's outrageous to compare Yard to someone like that. You're always dashing in to save me when I'm being attacked.」

She's going to marry me, but if I'm going to marry her, I want to marry Tia. But since I've said something like that to Sophie, if I were to marry them, I'd have to choose Sophie as my legal wife first. There was no way that a maid or an elf could be the first wife without royalty.

Even if I was to take Natalia as my wife, she would have to be the third wife. The second wife would naturally be Tia.

I returned to the mansion with Natalia, who had entered a world of her own imagination, as if the fact that she had been attacked no longer mattered.

※

When I returned to the mansion, I found that Fairis was still there. I heard that Elle had invited her in, but I wanted to tell her not to be so selfish in someone's house. Well, I had something I wanted to ask her, so I'll tolerate her this time.

「Oh, Yard-sama, I'm sorry to disturb you. And that's Natalia, isn't it? It's nice to meet you. I'm Fairis, and I've been helping out at the church.」

「Natalia, she's one of the heroes.」

「...... Oh, so you're a hero, too. I'm Natalia, nice to meet you.」

Natalia seemed to be wary of Fairis, who suddenly spoke to her, but when she realized that I knew her, she let her guard down.

I asked Elle and the others to leave so that I could talk to Fairis. After watching Elle leave while talking with Natalia, I took a seat facing Fairis.

「I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, Fairis-dono, but do you know a man named Philpot?」

「Uh, you mean Bishop Philpot? I believe he denied the rumors that Yard-sama was a heretic. What's wrong with him?」

「I just heard his name mentioned recently, so I thought I'd ask you.」

「Is that so? That person might be able to help us prove Yard-sama's innocence. Why don't you pay him a visit?」

I think Fairis's suggestion is a rather good one. It's probably not what she had in mind, but it would be faster to directly investigate the purpose of this time. The fact that they are taking a negative stance on the rumor after attacking people, no matter how you look at it, there's something behind it.

「Well, why don't I ask Fairis-dono to do the same? I don't even know if I can get into the church if I'm the party of rumors.」

「That's fine. I'll let him know from my side, and I'll let you know when the date for the meeting is set.」

「I'm sorry.」

「No problem. I've stayed too long, so I'll leave you here.」

Fairis rose from her seat and was led out of the room by maid. After confirming this, I called out for Tia.

「What can I do for you, sir?」

「Do you have any information about Bishop Philpot?」

「Bishop Philpott, huh? He's a man who is the bishop of the church where Fairis-sama is the coadjutor bishop. He used to be a member of the Inquisition, and people around him regard him as a man of integrity.」

「Has he made any mistakes before, or have there been any incidents in the area he is in charge of?」

「There are no bad rumors about the bishop himself or the church or diocese he serves. The people in town say that the area is relatively safer than other areas, and that there are many devout followers.」

He was a more serious person than I had expected. So why was he attacking us? It's possible that the attackers mistook my employer for Philpot, but then I wouldn't know who the ringleader was.

If this is the case, I should have brought one of the attackers with me. I was caught off guard by the ease with which their employer's name was given.

ｐIs there anyone suspicious approaching around Bishop Philpot?」

「I don't know that much. I'll go and investigate right away.」

「Investigation, I don't think it's necessary. ...... No, go ahead and do it.」

「I understand. Then I'll look into it by tomorrow.」

As I watched Tia leave the room, I thought about my future plans. For the time being, I think I'll build a secret basement in the garden until things cool down. It doesn't look very comfortable, but it can't be helped.

I immediately went out to the garden and chose a place of appropriate size to build a basement. The strength of the basement has been forcibly increased with magic tools, so there is no need to worry about it collapsing in the event of an earthquake. When I brought in the furniture, it was like a secret base, and I got excited as if I were a child again.

As I was doing such childish things, I received news that made things worse again.

It seems that Fairis has been imprisoned for the crime of providing favors to heretics. This was turning out to be another troublesome situation.

First time reader, nice to meet you. My name is Mochi, and I'm the author of this book.

If you've been reading this book since the web version, thank you.

Whether you are a new reader or not, thank you very much for taking the time to read this book.

I started writing this novel when I was still a beginner at Nocturne, and I never dreamed that I would be able to publish it in book form. No, I did dream about it for a while. I'm sorry.

In addition to the additions and corrections, there is a new sex scene between Lucia and Elaine for those who have already read the web version to enjoy. As a bonus, I've also added a list of magic that appeared in the main story. Please enjoy it along with the main story.

I would like to thank the person in charge for inviting me to work on the book, and for giving me the opportunity to work on this work.

I'd like to thank Ms. 218 for the wonderfully cute illustrations that gave color and shape to this story. As an author who secretly loves elves, I was very moved when I saw Elaine's design. I can't thank you enough.

And to everyone who has supported me since the web version. It's no exaggeration to say that it's thanks to all of you that this work was able to be published. I just want to thank you. And if you don't mind, I'd appreciate your continued support.

Thank you very much for reading this far.