CH 211

“It’s a party, a party! Drinks and snacks are at my hands again ……!”

“Don’t drink too much, okay? I’m going with Lars, so I won’t accompany you.”

“Don’t worry♪ I’ll have a nice adult drink with Conrad-san, after all! Nfufu ……”

“Right. To be honest, I was hoping to catch Kelbrem and take him back safely, but I guess it can’t be helped. Let’s talk with Makina for the first time in a long time today.”

–The night we defeated the Treant, we decided to have a party at Hugel-san’s mansion, and everyone who went to that battle will be coming over later.

Since then, Conrad and the others have gone to hand over the bandits to the guards, and Hugel-san has brought all the servants back to the mansion via a certain person.

Although I advised him that it was still dangerous, I first posted the fact that the ringleader, Kelbrem, had not shown up, and the threat letter to the guild, and arranged for them to let us know if they found Kelbrem, and then Basleigh-sensei wrote a letter to the castle.

So I asked Hugel-san if it was okay not to be alarmed.　

“Doing as I’m told for my own protection is not what a Lord should do. Even though it’s dangerous, I have to do what I have to do as a lord. Lars-kun, the son of the lord, is working hard enough to go to battle, and I, the current lord, am trying to avoid trouble, right?”

And Hugel-san said that with a troubled face. I think it’s great that you’re motivated. Of course, they are going to increase their personal security for a while, just in case something happens. It seems they plan to recruit Conrad and the other from the surviving adventurers …… There’s no guarantee that these adventurers aren’t connected to Kelbrem, though.

And well, I was reasonably busy during the afternoon and evening.

Now that the sun has set, Makina and I, Sarge and Henrietta are resting in one of the rooms of the house.

I mutter to myself as I look out the window.

“There’s nothing to see at night, huh?”

“I wonder if he really ran away …… He even tried to hit Lars, so I don’t think he’ll run away quietly.”

“Sarge, you can say some pretty difficult thing ……”

Henrietta, who’s taken a liking to Sarge, says this while holding him in her arms. It helps me because he has auto protection.

“Are we going to be okay ……? I wish Lars-san and Makina-oneesama will stay here in town.”

“I’m sorry but we can’t do that because we have our own things to do. But if you are worried about your parents, Henrietta, you should try to be cautious. Like me, Henrietta is the daughter of a lord. She can be kidnapped, held hostage, or used in any number of ways. You can go with your butler or maid for a while.”

“Okay, thank you, Lars-san …… But I still want to be strong too. Just a little bit, and I swear I won’t do anything rash!”

I was a little surprised that she hadn’t given up yet. But I shook my head and say no.

“It’s impossible to teach you the magic and techniques I have because they are not something you can copy. I’m sure it’s even difficult to teach Makina because her skills are like that.”

“Ugh ……”

“But, let’s see …… If you want to use it for your parents, I can give Henrietta some advice. Asking you what you’re good at and what you’re not, and giving you advice.”

When I said that, Henrietta looked up and pouted, and Makina laughed.

“In the end, you can’t say no to a serious request, right Lars? Well, that’s what’s great about you, though.”

“…… Let’s just go over the schedule with Basleigh-sensei tomorrow and see what we can do.”

“…… Yeah! Oh, everyone should be here by now, let’s go to the hall.”

“The maids are back and it became more lively, good for you.”

Henrietta holds hands with Makina while carrying Sarge in her arms and leaves the room. I followed behind her. Not long after, everyone gathers at the mansion and a party is held.

“…… I wonder why there are thieving cats here ……!”

“I’ve been invited by Conrad-san, you know? Hm-hm, I’ve known him longer than you know yourself! Right, Conrad-san? …… Huh, he’s not here!?”

“He’s right over there!”

“They found me ……!? Borzov, please be my shield.”

“Come on, choose one of them.”

I tipped my glass as I watched Basleigh-sensei tangle with Conrad with Leisha-san on the side. Oh, cherry liquor, Makina would like that.

“This is cherry liquor, would you like to try some?”

“Oh, really? It smells good …… Then, try this orange liquor, too.”

“You’re so crafty, as always.”

While the three of us were chatting over a drink, Cave came over to us with a mug in his hand, laughing.

“Lars-san, are you drinking?”

“You too, Makina-chan!”

“Oh, thanks for the hard work, Cave and Sifol-san.”

“Did your tiredness disappear?”

“Yeah, I’ve recovered all my magic. There will be more and more requests to take down Treants in each area, so we will be busy.”

“What are Lars-sama and the others planning to do after this?”

Sifol-san was smiling as she made a humping motion to earn money from the request. Cave asked me about my future plans, so I answered.

“We’re going to the Royal capital. I said I’d go to greet the king after I graduate from the academy, after all.”

“W-What ……? W-Well, if you’re that strong, such a thing can happen …… can it?”

“Let’s not even think about it ……”

“Lars has been awesome since he was a kid!”

“S-Stop it, you two ……”

Perhaps because of the alcohol in their system, Makina and Sarge’s words slipped out. I was embarrassed to hear them talk so highly of me.

In the middle of such a fun time, the gatekeeper comes into the party room as if rolling in.

“M-My Lord, please run! He’s in the mansion ……!”

His face was filled with fear and he was screaming, blood pouring from his shoulder. Hugel-san raised his voice in panic and asked about the situation.

“What’s wrong, Gouto, what’s with your injury!? Who is he? …… Don’t tell me!?”

“That’s right! Kel …… gwaaaaah!?”

The moment I hear the dull sound of flesh being cut, the gatekeeper known as the Gouto blows up and rolls to the middle of the room. When I looked at him, I saw that his back had been slashed, and he was twitching and spewing blood.

“Oh no ……! !”

I use my magic, and immediately afterwards the people who cut him comes in. Conrad, seeing this, leaped forward with his hand on his sword at his hip.

“Kelbrem ……! And the bandits that were supposed to be in jail ……!”

“Yes, it’s me, Conrad.”

“…… I thought you escaped from?”

“That’s what I was going to do at first. But I couldn’t stop thinking about all of you who ruined my plans, and I couldn’t stop being annoyed. So I thought, I’ll just kill you all here. You guys didn’t seem to notice, but I heard about the party, you know? I’ve been waiting to take care of you guys when you get here.”

Kelbrem muttered in an indifferent, emotionless voice. I think he was a little more emotional when he was talking to me ……?

“You’re rotten ……. It’s funny that they’re even here! What happened to the guards!”

“Wouldn’t they be in the afterlife by now? I didn’t check to see if they’re dead or not, after all.”

“……!?”

When Cave shouted, Kelbrem said in a voice that was still inarticulate, and Conrad drew his sword and thrust the point at him. 

“Do you think you can win against this many people with only six?”

“Huh! I’ll ask you this, do you really think you can beat me when you’re tired and drinking! Besides, I’ve got this too!”

The corner of his mouth twisted as he shouted, and what Kelbrem pulled out of his pocket was a small bottle. The moment I saw it, a cold sweat broke out on my back.

“Lars, that ……!?”

Makina and Sarge seemed to think the same thing as I did, and sweat poured down their foreheads.

There’s no doubt about it–

“That’s the drug that turned the kidnapper into an ogre ……!”

While I was muttering this, my body was already running towards Kelbrem!

Climax!

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“My stomach hurts ……”

That’s because you eat a lot of fried food that’s been fried in rice oil because it contains less calories ……

“If there is Karaage in front of me, I have no choice but to eat ……!”

Even if you give such a strong argument ……