CH 53

We were called out from behind, and when I looked back with Paul-san, there were three military policemen standing there.

“Excuse me, ma’am, but are you from around here?”

One of the military policemen asks. Paul-san replies in a woman’s voice using [vocal cord copy].

“No, I came from the northeast port town on the border with the Kingdom of Diana for sightseeing. What is it?”

Oh, I know this voice!! Paul-san, you’re reproducing Marie-chan’s voice. That’s amazing!! I want this skill!! While I am moved by his skill, the conversation between Paul-san and the military police progresses.

“Ah, I see. That’s why. Actually, there are a lot of kidnappings aimed at people with rare hair colors in the Royal Capital, so we are keeping a look out. You and your daughter have a particularly unusual hair color, so I want you to be careful. The sun is already going down, so it’s better to go back to the inn where you are staying right away.”

Oh. Oh. We seem to have worried the hard working military police. I can’t say that the purpose is to be kidnapped, so I wonder if today’s decoy investigation will end here.

“Oh my, such a scary thing was happening in the Royal Capital. I didn’t know. I’m worried because my daughter is young. Thank you very much for your kindness.”

When Paul-san thanked the military police and tried to leave, he was stopped.

“Oh, ma’am. Your child is quite young, and it’s already getting dark, so we’ll take you to the inn in our carriage. It’s parked right over here, so go ahead.”

Yes. Suspicious.

What do you mean your carriage? Sense when do military police look around the royal capital in a horse drawn carriage? You can only look around the main street. It’s different from patrols by Japanese police cars.

I squeeze Paul-san’s hand that I was holding three times to signal him. He also squeezes my hand back twice in reply.

“Oh, what should I do? I wanted to look around a little more. . . ”

While Paul-san is extending the conversation, I appraise the three people who look like military police. The three of them don’t have magic skills. They don’t seem to be able to cast any spells. . . . But they don’t have any skills that are necessary for the military police. It’s suspicious to say the least, but I can’t decide if they are involved with the magicians or the viscount.

When I look up at Paul-san with a troubled face, he shakes his hand lightly and gives a signal. Perhaps the meaning of the signal is, ‘If you can’t make a decision, I can deal with it until you decide.’ I guess it’s like that. Apparently, he will follow my lead. Certainly, I haven’t grasped any clues so far, so if there is suspicious bait, I have no choice but to bite.

“Mom, my leg hurts now, so let’s go home. I’ll have the military police give me a ride in the carriage.”

Mama Paul-san smiles back at my words.

“Is that so? Does your leg hurt? Then, can you give us a ride?”

And Mama Paul turned to the people who looked like military police and bowed her head to ask them to take advantage of their words. As I was walking hand in hand while being guided to the carriage, the military police casually surrounded us. When I was checking the their movement from the corner of my eye, I met the eye of one of them, so I tried smiling and observed the reaction, but he ignored me with no expression.

Whether you’re a military policeman or a kidnapper, you’re unfriendly. In particular, I think amiability is important for kidnappers.

As I followed the guide silently for about 5 minutes, there was a horse-drawn carriage parked in a place that was hard to see. I check the inside of the carriage with [Lust].

Bingo.

I slap Paul-san’s hand three times with the index and middle fingers of the hand connected with his and send a signal.

(Two people in the carriage. Hit.)

Two men are lurking in the carriage with a blue cloth and a purple cloth. Is that the cloth they’re wrapping the victims in when they kidnap them? I activate [The Eyes of the Greed King] against the cloth held by the men in the carriage.

{‘The Curse of Sleep’

A fabric woven with the curse of losing consciousness.

A person who has the same color as the dyed color loses consciousness when he is wrapped in this cloth.

Because it is not effective for others, it is advantageous to lurk it, such as letting it blend in with other cloths.}

Aah. This cloth doesn’t work for me and Paul-san. I’m dying my hair now, so it’s purple, but actually my hair and eyes are not purple, and Paul-san’s hair and eyes are brown, so there’s no blue part. It’s a good idea to pretend to faint when we’re wrapped in the cloth, but what should I do to tell Paul-san, who doesn’t know that, to pretend to have fainted when wrapped in cloth? Before I get into the carriage, I have to somehow tell Paul-san about the plan.

When I was thinking about that, the door of the carriage suddenly opened, and the men with cloth started running. The military police (fake) block the back so that Paul-san and I don’t run away.

. . . No, wait a minute, you guys. Why did you come out of the carriage? It’s when we get into the carriage that you should capture us with the cloth, not outside where someone might see!! Well, you guys are the amateurs of the amateurs, aren’t you?!

While I was stunned by the sloppiness of the kidnappers, one of the men put a blue cloth on Paul-san during that time. Of course, it has no effect, so Paul-san, who was covered with cloth, is still just standing there.

Oh my god!! I haven’t been able to explain the effect of this cloth to Paul-san yet!! You kidnappers are trying to kidnap us early, so I didn’t have time to explain!! If I had time to explain it, we would have been able to be kidnapped well by pretending to faint!! Even though the kidnapping would have been successful!!

While the kidnappers are upset that the curse didn’t work, Paul-san takes off the cloth that got caught halfway on his head while keeping a blank face. At that time, the blue-haired wig that Paul-san was wearing came off together with the cloth.

Me, Paul-san, the military police (fake), and the kidnappers who came out of the carriage all freeze.

“Ah. . . It came off.”

With a stiff expression, Paul-san murmurs in a loud voice. With that voice, the kidnappers came back to themselves.

“It’s a decoy investigation!!”

At that moment, the two men who came out of the carriage spit blood out of their mouths and collapsed. Oh no!! The military police didn’t have a curse to seal their mouths, but there was a curse on the two people who had the cloth!! The military police (fake) pushed Paul-san, then jumped into the carriage and immediately drove away. This is bad, if they escape like this, I’ll lose my clue!!

“Paul-san!! Please take care of those people!! I’ll go after them!!”

I left the kidnappers who were spitting blood behind with Paul-san and chase the escaping carriage.

“Wait!! Ojousama!!! Please wait!!”

I can hear Paul-san’s call behind me, but I run without worrying about it. By trying to kidnap us, I realized that even though the Knights found the place of confinement, the kidnappers don’t intend to be quiet. Then, there may be other people who they are planning to kidnap, or that have been kidnapped recently. And considering that they started to move so quickly to replenish their stock, there is a possibility that they need materials immediately, so if there are people that have been kidnapped, those people are in danger.

If that’s the case, I can’t let the clue escape here!!

I ran with all my strength and caught up with the carriage. I clung to the back, climbed up quietly, then lay down and stuck to the roof of the speeding carriage.

I’ll have you give me a ride to the hideout like this.

Those kidnappers must be the ones that the magician organization was okay with getting caught. They really don’t know how to kidnap people.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for reading!