CH 407

“I made quite a lot of money today, so I picked fish, but was that alright?”

When Ryuuze said this as he sat down in front of the grilled fish on the table, his dad, Brao, lowered the newspaper a little, peeked his eyes through the gap, and opened his mouth.

“……. A sea fish, indeed, It’s a very expensive fish. I’ll gratefully eat it.”

“Oh! So, how is it? It’s been a year since you finished your sentence, how is his work going?”

“Well, I can handle the guild’s herbal assessments and preparations. Gibson is appraising it one by one so it’s a hassle, though!”

“Well, Dad’s the one who caused the incident, so it can’t be helped. You have to work hard to clear your name. But I’m glad to hear it’s going well.”

As Ryuuze chuckled as he poured a cup of tea, his mother came in from the kitchen with salads and soups and muttered with a sigh.

“It’s true. It’s a good thing you didn’t get the maximum sentence, and you came back in only five years? The townspeople didn’t even look at me strangely, thanks to the king and Roen-sama. It’s also a good thing you lost weight while you’re in prison.”

“Gunu ……”

Brao folds up the newspaper and makes a bitter face as he takes the fish on the skewer and brings it to his mouth.

After completing his sentence, Brao sometimes works for the guild as a watchdog. The skill [Knowledge of Medicinal Herbs] is useful for making medicines for adventurers, and unlike Marianne’s medicines, it is inexpensive and popular.

“But how could you decide to live in this town?”

“It was my fault, you know. I’m not happy about it, but if I’m going to make amends to Roen and the others, I can only do it in this town. You were all there, after all.”

“I’m glad you woke up in jail, though …… And just a reminder, the guy who instigated Dad, Retzel, was a member of an organization called Gospel’s Descent.”

“Yeah, Roen told me about it the other day. I think I met him when Ryuuze was born ……? I was spoken to at the hospital ……Hm? How did it go again ……”

Brao tilted his head and sipped eats rice with a vague memory of when they met. Ryuuze was concerned about this, but continued to say that what was important was what was to come.

“Dad, let me know if you remember. I heard from Tigre-sensei today that there have been some robed people active in the square lately, and Mom should be careful with them.”

“What, they didn’t come to get rid of Brao or something?”

“No, I don’t think that’s the case …… In that case, Mom has to be even more careful.”

When he was astonished by his mother for saying such a disturbing thing, Brao replied to Ryuuze.

“Well, I’m working for the guild, and even if they were to do something, it would be hard to touch me. Nerine, don’t go out too much, okay?”

“Oh, you’re worried about me, huh? I’m fine, I’ve been living on my own for a while, after all.”

“…… Mu.”

I’ve been left alone for a while, she said, laughing, giggling, and staring at him, Brao looked away and sipped his soup. So, to change the subject, he coughed and spoke to Ryuuze.

“Ahem …… By the way Ryuuze, are you having fun now?”

“What’s this all of a sudden? Yeah, I’m having fun! [Magic Swordsman] is also growing steadily and I have a lot of friends here. I’m sorry, Dad, but I’m glad I didn’t just listen to you and become a lord. I know that when you despise someone, there’s a painful repercussion.”

“…… I see.”

Brao chuckled to himself, muttered a few words, drank his tea in one gulp, and turned his attention to the newspaper again. And then his mother, Nerine, giggled and poking Ryuuze on the cheek.

“Our son has grown up nicely, didn’t he? The rest is just to get married and having children. Ahhhh, I can’t wait to see my grandchildren. At Roen-sama’s place, they already gave birth to their third, so I can expect for a grandchild, right?”

“Bufu!? …… Gehogeho …… I’m only sixteen, marrying Naru or anything like that is–.”

“Oh, I didn’t say anything about Naru-chan, though?”

“Damn it ……”

Ryuuze swears and grumbled that he had said something that was unnecessary, and eats his dinner.

His mother was right. It was also in the back of his mind that Brao would be targeted, so he muttered to himself that at least he knew about the Gospel’s Descent and would be okay if he used the guild as a shield.

And the next day–

“I’m off duty today, so I’ll go with you.”

“Sorry, Jack. Naru will join us after she finishes her chores at home, I’ll buy you lunch.”

“Alright, It’s nice to have a friend who’s an adventurer in the guild.”

“Don’t make fun of me. I’m not quite there yet …… Well then–“

Ryuuze and Jack are hiding in a building near the square. Of course, this is to confirm the movement of the Gospel’s Descent. They see a man wearing a white robe volunteering to collect leaves with a broom.

“They …… also come to the shopping district, but they don’t look too bad, helping the elderly with their bags, you know?”

“Well, I guess they have a pattern of having a master criminal like Retzel. Do you have a weapon?”

“Of course. Sarge’s dagger.”

“Okay. I wanted to talk to Urka about it, but he was in another town on a request.”

“Haha, he’s expected to do something else, so it’s okay. I wonder if Yogus is fine …… Oh, he’s on the move, let’s go after him.”

“Yeah.”

With a smile that reminded him of his days at the academy, they both followed the Gospel’s Descent.

◆ 　 ◇ 　 ◆

At the same time that Ryuuze and Jack began their pursuit, Erekhim, the leader of this project, was gathering the execution team at the inn he was using as a hideout to talk.

“So you’re saying that as soon as we take the lord’s daughter, we’ll execute it?”

“Yes. It’s a fool’s errand to take as much time as Retzel and his friends did. It would be pointless unless we do it quickly.”

“What does the girl look like?”

“This is it. It is easy to understand because I draw her down with my skill [Pictorial Mind].”

When he handed the paper to everyone, Tilia’s face was drawn on it in color.

When Nora’s father went to the lord’s mansion, he mistook Tilia who hugged Marianne, and Erekhim still thought that Tilia was her daughter.

“Go and take this girl. If you succeed, signal me by setting off fireworks. At that moment, it’s arranged that the monsters will come to you.”

“Yes, sir. I promise I will live up to your expectations!”

The members of the Gospel’s Descent left the inn in droves and headed into town. Erekhim muttered, glancing at Nora’s father. 

“…… What should we do with this guy. I took him with me so we’ve been able to avoid suspicion, but now he’s useless …… No, let me give you one last role.”

Now, is it time for everyone to start moving?

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“Now, I wonder who’s going to cry ……?”

Well, it’s a definite thing, but ……