Chapter 9

I parted from Conrat, and went back to my room, I was intensely embarra.s.sed.

I hate it, I got angry at the swordsman and hit him unconsciously and beat the muscled dude  against the ground with a back throw, the long blue haired handsome guy was put down with the sword, I am not particularly ashamed by it.

The problem is afterwards!

I screamed out loud in front of a crowd, until now in my whole life it can be said that here were no other time that I was so embarra.s.sed!

However, because I lost my cool,  now I recall to have said in a way a really preposterous  speech…

And the genuine lines that I said about Conrat!

What was that?

Was I trying to woo him?!

No, not at all! Simply I have merely said that I preferred the “I”  because I thought that it does not suit him as “I” does ! I was not wooing him! !

T-this is that!

It has been such a way of speaking carelessly so far because there were few opportunities to regard communication as a person!

While I’m excusing myself

———————–Knock Knock

I hear a knock on the door.

I who came back to sanity for the sound, go open the door.

Though I can hear the sounds from outside, who is outside can’t hear the inside.

In Earth the outside sounds are also blocked, this world is very convenient because the magic can be set in various ways.

Now, will I change the settings so that when someone knocks then can hear the sounds from inside?

Because only this is outside of my area of expertise.

Alice had gone fetch a map of the Empire of the reference library stood outside the door.

“I brought the map, Black Knight-sama”

Alice pa.s.ses me a paper rounded in the shape of a pipe which is about one meito.

“Thank you very much”

I say thank you and invite Alice inside.

I spread the map on the large work desk.

It isn’t a detailed map of the modern Earth as I thought.

It seems more like an appendix map of a game

“This is the newest map. Is it ok?”

“Oh, no problem”

I answered.

A little more detailed would be better, but this is surely enough.

“Then Alice, I also would like to hear what you known, before Conrat comes”

“I don’t mind, but don’t the military people know more?”

She asks while looking puzzled.

Certainly one might think so.

“No, a servant person possibly knows things that a military one doesn’t”

“What you say?”

I explain it to Alice.

“For things that you yourself know, you might a.s.sume the most well-informed people would surely also know. And maybe you don’t need to report what you know. But if you never think, “what if,” the real answer will not appear.”

What if that is the cause.

What if is that person.

What if this and that are purposes.

What if I know it.

This “what if” behavior is available, I thought of that as a prerequisite to the hypothesis.

When I got caught in Yusuke’s mess, I’ve done well.

That fellow got his head caught in all sorts of things…

Yusuke caught me without thinking of anything, then I ran, because I would be certainly dead if I acted the way that fellow wanted me too.

Yusuke’s safe return was always appreciated.

That guy simply defeats the enemy, I mostly guarantied the safety of the routes.

Ah~ I got angry…

“Black Knight-sama?”

“!?”

Oops, I seem to have fallen silent when I remembered an old thing carelessly.

Alice curiously looks at me.

It’s useless, it’s useless, the kidnapping is important now.

“Sorry. Ah~And because it’s fundamental to think as I said while ago.”

I quickly apologize and go back to the talk.

“Maa! When I think certainly there may be such a thing! As is expected of Black Knight-sama!!”

I have been praised again.

How many times has it been today?

I am just think normally.

“It is rumor degree that I know.”

Alice begins to speak about what she knows.

“As I spoke at Byron-san’s clothes shop a short while ago, the disappearance of young men and at each village and town has continued for these 3 years. From ages around the late twenties to children who has just become 10 years old.”

“Wait a moment! Are children younger than 10 years old and adults beyond 30 safe?”

I ask Alice.

“These are the rumors so I really don’t know exactly .”

Surely so.

“Thank you, continue it”

“Yes. The missing person often appears one after another near the border ahead of many villages headed east from the capital”

Alice points at the border with the neighboring kingdom where there are many villages of the point toward the east of the capital on the map.

“What are the characteristic of this neighborhood? For example what is the population number and is it prosperous?”

I request detailed information on a village.

“Let me see… The population is only a small village approximately 1,000 people, the cultivation is on the Poron fruit mainly.”

The Poron fruit  is a fresh sweet fruit with a red round shape.

It is generally eaten as a snack.

It is the fruit which is used for the materials of the cake.

“I see. Because the neighborhood of this border is surrounded by the forest. It is very likely to be the thieves of a darkness guild.”

“It is up here that I know”

So Alice’s explanation ends.

Admittedly, this not only does not have a hypothesis.

The only this is waiting for Conrat to come.

———————–Knock Knock

Oh!

Good timing!

Alice moved and opened the door.

I put in the barriers to “allow” they to enter.

“Everybody was waiting.”

“Alice is tough”

And Conrat enters the room.

“Captain, 4 subordinates and each of the 5 captains”

“Thank you, Con-… Five Captains?”

It means 5 people…

I have a bad feeling.

When Conrat enters the room the other five enter in sucession.

“….”

I watch three people whom were there between those who entered and look unpleasant.

The faces are hidden with a helmet.

“Haa…”

“Neh, What you!? We enter and you sigh!”

The blond fool swordsman that I knocked face off its feet , said so already.

It is set up a compress on a nose, and it seems to become a stupid character coming out to comics.

“I want to sigh at it too. I don’t want to come across so often of the disagreeable and impolite stupid swordsman, of the muscled onii-san that can’t take a calm action when the blood goes to his head and I was made to make unpleasant thought the blue long hair good-looking man who went berserk in a slight thing already.I don’t want to see your faces for a while…Aah”

I say so and throw a sigh up again.

When they hear it the 3 people frown.

I won’t apologize for my words.

“I am sorry, Captain. This three troublesome people at any cost wanted to make sure of the Captain”

Conrat said with a fed-up face.

They seem to have come by force somehow or other.

Then there is no help for it.

“Understood.  Ahn, If you are Captains too, should you understand what oneself should do? I will introduce myself first of all. I am Black Knight. I was appointed on yesterday as a royalty exclusive belonging knight and the Knight Captain. It is such a strange appearance, but I am not an enemy of the country. I can’t reveal my real ident.i.ty, but also please take care from now on.”

I ordinarily introduced myself.

“””””…”””””

Except for Conrat and Alice, all of them have dumbfounded looks.

“…What?”

I asked them.

That was just was self-introduction, what is that face ?

The people in this country is too surprised.

“No…A duke like you, I didn’t think you would introduce yourself like that.”

The blue haired good looking man said.

To believe that what I said caused those faces.

“Normally, when one introduces oneself, will it be a thing to grind with respect to a partner? I’ll differ in social standing, but that’s unrelated. Be the common sense as the person, it’s clear that the foolish swordsman did already. I have thought it was funny as a person”

“Guh…”

After saying so with great sarcasm, the stupid swordsman grimaced.

The good-looking face becomes ugly.

“Hey, I did it. You guys do also.”

Please make it fast, because I want to go to the main subject.

My language worsens probably because I am in a bad mood.

I must be careful.

And I must be conscious of the male tone.

There is still some discomfort.

“Understood. I am Adolf Addinsell. I am the Archers Corps Captain.”

The blue haired handsome guy says.

The speech can’t be helped, I say nothing.

Rather it is a natural manner for a newbie.

“I am Brandon Adams. Fighter Corps Captain.”

The muscled onii-san says.

Though I didn’t mind it in particular already, this person is big.

I could do a back throw with this person…

This body contributed to it, too.

“I am Adelbert Abercrombie. A Upper Cla.s.s n.o.ble… Abercrombie house’s heir and the Swordsman Corps Captain.”

The foolish swordsman emphasized the “Upper Cla.s.s n.o.ble” awfully.

I thought it was foolish as expected.

“I am Celestia Avery! I am the Spearman Corps Captain! Please, refer to me as Celes, Black Knight-sama!! ”

Said so powerfully, the beautiful woman with wavy short blond hair.

Why do you talk to this person, me with an honorific?

So forceful.

“I admire the way you defeated 3 Captains in the blink of an eye”

“Ha,ha…”

I don’t know how to reply that.

I remembered and modeled after a battle of an animation and a game, and just moved as it.

“When I saw that movement, I receive a shock, I wasn’t able to move from the place! I am ashamed that I doubted you now till then!”

She is talking pa.s.sionately.

“And I was impressed by the words roared at Adel! If surprisingly, I thought you were a person of high caliber when knowing that you got angry about the insult to Conrat, not yourself!!”

“Ahn, Celes-sa…”

“Celes! No honorifics are necessary”

“…Celes… but the story some other time … Because time is precious”

Stop saying that.

“Haa! Mou, I am so sorry… ”

Ceres’s face was red-hot and said bashfully.

When a beautiful woman does it, don’t be attractive.

Even if I do it, that isn’t cutely at all…

Somehow, I become sad.

“Let’s talk slowly some other time … … ”

“Yeah!”

The friendly person intended to take good care and said, why are you so happy and dyed red cheeks Ceres?

Is it the voice?

The voice delusion is that the contents of the helmet is a handsome man?

Or have the pure feeling of respect for my combat capability.

I pray for the latter.

“I…I…am….A…Am…Amy…Ar…Nold…Magic….Corps…Captain…”

The person who wore circle gla.s.ses and had the red long hair said intermittently.

About the same age as me, or one year younger.

“Nice to meet you, Arnold-san”

I take off the Gauntlet of my right hand and hold it out.

Well a little while ago the stupid swordsman pointed out that my hand is rustled and rough and I lost my confidence as a woman.

Possibly I thought whether it was hated, but.

“Y..Yes!Name…is…A…Amy…Please…Talk….Co…mmon…lly…”

Seeming happy she grasps my hand with both of her hands tightly.

And allowed me to call her by name.

What a cute person.

“Understood, Amy”

When I said so, she turned the smile like a flower blossom.

This person is absolutely a healing character.

But I am worried about this person dyed cheeks too.

Here also, I pray that it is in the respected sense.

I don’t have that kind of hobby.

I prefer handsome boys, too.

“So, Captain, we will report on the recent missing people incident.”

Conrat said so.

Apparently the self-introduction seems to be only to the Captain team.

I put the gauntlet back.

“Understood. I will hear it at once”

When I said so a man in a brown robe and with brown short hair in his late twenties steps forward.

“I’ll report it first on my own. The age of the missing men and women are between 10 years old and late twenties. From the late teens in their late 20s are human beings. It is to say that they don’t come back after having left to the outside of a town or a village. Because children in their teens doesn’t leave the town or village, it is thought that they are kidnapped on the inside instead of the outside.”

“Are the children below 10 years old and adults beyond 30 years old safe?”

I make the same question I made to Alice.

“Yes. The missing people are between 10 and late twenties.”

Un~. Is there any mean in the ages?

Next, this time is man in dark green gambeson with the hair to the nape and age in the late teens.

“We have stepped up the security in the towns and villages, a strong magician is employed, because the tracking resulted in nothing.”

After that the man in the Archer Corps said in vexation, a lady in the early twenties with light blue hair and in armor said.

“The soldier who has been tracking it before, was found with his neck torned, I think that there was an a.s.sa.s.sin.”

“Any other injuries?”

“No, there wasn’t even one trace of a resistence besides the torn neck.

Indeed, a professional a.s.sa.s.sin is comprehensible.

Perhaps when noticed, it would be torn.

“Although people are missing in the whole empire frequently, most  are in the towns where commerce is prosperous next to the capital called an as re-town in the south direction from the capital.”

“EH?”

I have raised a strange cry unconsciously to the words of the male which is about the thirties on armor with brown short hair.

Alice has a startled face, too.

The expressions of ‘I don’t know’ from the other people.

“Is something wrong, Captain?”

Conrat asks it.

“No, is that Alice told me that a great number of the missing people has reappeared in the small villages at east”

“What?”

Surprisingly, Conrat raises a loud voice.

“Is it true Alice?!”

The handsome blue haired guy presses Alice.

“Y-Yes. Is the story that I heard from the other servants before by a rumor. The people of the army know, too, because it’s rumor certainly in the employees”

Alice said to the blue haired ikemen pressing her.

“Somehow I was convinced”

“Yes, it was just as Black Knight-sama said”

“Captain, what can we do?”

While Conrat looks puzzled I hear it.

“Before Conrat arrived I heard what Alice knew as reference”

“Fuu, what is the reason to call ‘stupid swordsman’ when you re the stupid one?”

The story is interrupted by the stupid swordsman who laughs with his nose.

Hear what a person has to say to the end!

“I thought ‘what if’ and asked Alice. What if ‘a servant knows something than the military knows too’ I thought, but you do not know if it has been reported

I have look that all the members were startled.

I continued explaining it.

“In short it is a.s.sumption. It is slight carelessly. What is on the side of the Azuri town? ”

I ask around where on a map it is.

“It is this part”

Conrat points Azuri town in the map with a finger.

Please, look at the place of Azuri town.

“Ahn?”

And the voice leaks.

That is because it is in vicinity with the border of the Saint country.

“This is also near the border?”

“Yes, the villages around the national border are victims of this damage. The information that the army has is that there is where the most damage is.”

Conrat answered so.

“…”

“Captain?”

I had a feeling that Conrat was talking to me, who had fallen in silence. I was lost in thoughts and didn’t answer.

What is it?

I grasped something.

But this something isn’t enough…

“Fumu, It is certain that an auction is being held in the Capital, I searched the Capital, but I didn’t find anything”

“It is so. Moreover the Capital only has one entrance and one exit. How would they avoid the guards?”

I hear the voice of the muscled onii-san talking to Celes, I became concerned.

I cross my arms and use my fully and think.

Kidnapping since 3 years ago.

Young men and women.

Incidents near the border.

The entrance of the Capital.

The auction.

“!”

Possibly.

I built a certain hypothesis.

“Captain?”

“Conrat, I have one hypothesis.”

When I said that all members looked puzzled.

There are still some missing pieces, but.

“Why are they targeting the borders? Because it is at the border, there is a meaning.”

“Meaning?”

The muscled onii-san asked.

“Before I explain that, let’s talk about my hypothesis. Perhaps they are being used to be sold to other countries as slaves. They are going to do business with people who are looking for a profit, it would be a person belonging to the congress and with a influential voice in this country.”

“I understand that they are selling the people to other country as slaves, but why is influential someone belonging to the congress part of it?”

Celes asked.

“Think carefully. Why even though kidnappings were frequent during three years the people of the army forces can’t find a trace at all? The answer is that someone is giving them information. ”

To be honest, slave merchants couldn’t do such a thing.

“Perhaps the darkness guild was hired by a mastermind that disposes of all evidence and hide the information of the army forces, a mastermind would easily be able to manipulate information . This guild would be the responsible for the a.s.sa.s.sination and others criminal acts that this person has concealed.”

It is these guys who killed the tracking soldier.

“The mastermind offers a fund to the slave trader, making it easier to the thieves and the darkness guild to move and I think he has been receiving the most of the profit.”

A slave trader can’t afford hiring someone to do it.

The person who can control the information is the congress big shot.

“Next auction will be at the Capital’s entrance. The security in the Empire is high, even though the auction is held at the Capital you can’t catch a trace. Of course, it is because the kidnapped people don’t set a foot in the Capital at all.”

“Don’t set a foot?”

While the handsome blue haired guy looks confused, I answer it.

“Han! What stupid things are you saying? For that reason …”

“Pup…pet”

“What do you mean?”

Amy interrupted the words of the stupid swordsman, who started to say it as if I was a fool.

Amy you did very well.

“What is the puppet?”

Ceres asks Amy, but I answer instead of Amy who can’t falter and speak easily.

“Puppet as in the puppet theater. I brief it is a marionette, the method to make it is to take human type of doll bind a hair and a nail of the person who is the model and by letting magic flow in it and the doll which resembled the person who became a model is done. It is usually a thing used in a rite, by no means it is supposed to be used it such a way.”

Going in and out of the capital with this is not a problem.

“””””R-Rite…”””””

To the world “Rite” everyone, except me and Amy, a empty expression is on their faces.

I understand the feeling.

“If you use this guy, even if there isn’t the person himself, it is possible that you choose”

“T-then, where are the kidnapped people?”

The stupid swordsman asked a descent question.

I can answer a normal question.

“Meaning that it was as I said a while ago. The kidnapped people are already imprisoned near the border.”

Conrat put a surprised look hearing this.

“The explanation sticks completely then. Perhaps, because the kidnapping occurs other than near the border to divert the attention from there. The auction at the capital is so, too. The confinement place was hidden in such a way. Maa~ Though I don’t want to imagine it very much why would young man and woman be kidnapped, it is clear not to be a good thing when a slave trader is concerned.”

Hearing it there all members look down and look bitter.

If sold people are considered, it would be so, wouldn’t it?

I would have wanted to help more quickly .

Still.

“These fellows are thinking that the people of the army are fools.”

All the members look up in my word.

“But it is so, right? Even if they don’t let the person whom they kidnapped step in the capital, they expose that they will hold auction magnificently. Besides, if I concentrate on it a little and think. Please get me the behavior which knows the confinement place right now. That is enough to make fun of us!”

“…I am sorry”

Conrat apologized suddenly.

I say to Conrat for some reason because I understand it.

“Conrat, it isn’t necessary to apologize particularly. As for not being aware, didn’t the mastermind manipulated it so made it difficult to an investigation to be done?  For example, by reducing the number of people on the research group extremely.”

“””””!?”””””

The Captains and Alice looked at Conrat with astonished faces.

The four subordinates had bitter expressions.

“You can easily see it, I thought with me ended up so far.  That’s right, the investigation group is me and Kyle, and only 4 people who are here.”

Conrat said so quietly.

“After all… I thought that it was strange, the information on a place with a lot of people who went missing is known in the army and the servants, the event differed. When investigating, this information is the most important place. If there are many numbers of people on the investigating group, there wouldn’t be such a mistake. But in small numbers… If that’s only 6 people, it’s also consent that you won’t get the information. No, you should say that you were gathered rather well until now.”

“Yes, I didn’t think of the puppet and that the missing people have been imprisoned in the vicinity of the border.”

“I guess”

Other people had a quizzical face besides Conrat and the fact of “puppet” and “around the border”, but only one did an earnest face and asked it.

“To say so, do you know who is the mastermind?”

“Yes, Congressman Blattoli* Ackroyd. The current head of the upper cla.s.s n.o.ble house Ackroyd. ”

(TLN: Do you have a better name? ブラットリー・アクロイド)

“Congressman Ackroyd?!”

The blue haired handsome guy raised his voice in surprise.

The other Captains, the 4 subordinates and Alice were astonished too.

From the reaction, there is considerable political power.

“By his instructions, the number of the survey team has been limited. I who thought of the thing in doubt, I investigated him originally. It came out easily, the evidence of his illegal conduct.”

He gave an empty laugh and said so.

“I appealed to the a.s.sembly to investigate him formally. Of course I took the evidence of the injustice. However…”

“You couldn’t make then listen to you…?”

Conrat nodded silently.

He clenches both hands and continues it while having the face that seems regrettable.

“’This amount of evidence is not enough’ they said.  At this time, I thought the currents congressmen are corrupt! The only salvation was His Majesty. Only he told me to uncover the truth. It’s after that, that a killer who aims at royalty has begun to appear.”

——————–!?

The faces of everyone, except Conrat and me, where surprised by those words.

There seems to have been a point to think of.

“Because I protect His Majesty, I wasn’t able to act greatly. Therefore this thing was made a top secret only of me and His Majesty, and I was investigating by myself a little”

“That is right. Conrat is a clear headed man, they’re the reason which you had a hard time.”

When Conrat a.n.a.lyses calmly, I think he is a person who can easily arrive at the truth.

After the ogre attack, I inferred it in various ways he’d infer the same thing as me.

At that time after what happened, I wasn’t able to afford to think.

“N-no, I’m definitely”

Conrat said while being modest.

I said to you from the truth, though I think that it isn’t necessary to become modest now.

“No, Conrat is amazing. Much more than me.”

“…(This person lack self-counciousness)…”

Then Conrat covers his whole face with his right palm?

I wonder why was that?

“Hey, what’s up?”

“….Haa~…”

The sigh was tiring!

“What is it, seriously? Did I do something?”

“Fufufufufu. Black Knight-sama is dense*.”

(TLN: I have no idea what she actually says, please enlighten me: タラシ)

Alice said, smiling for some reason.

What dense me! ?

I am different from stupid Yuusuke, I don’t have such a thing!?

Conrat is super good-looking, besides that gratefulness is too good for me!!

“No! Alice, of what the reason I don’t understand it …”

“Wait a minute!”

The foolish swordsman who has forced himself into the explanation to which I’m objecting.

It’s something annoying to be interrupted by this guy.

“…What?”

I said displeased, It issued a such evident in my voice.

“tsu…Black Knight is a man! What is this talk about being dense?! ”

“””””Ah!?”””””

“(Swallow)”

For my words that I said while being scared sullenly, 4 leaders and subordinates have the face to which they say “When you say so.”

Conrat and Alice had the face to which I say “Oh no!”

Meanwhile, I grin under the helmet.

“Oh! I do not remember saying that I am a man.”

——————Eh!?

I status at my original voice, I said with the high female voice  that all the members were surprised at.

Conrat and Alice were surprised in the sense “What is this person doing?!”.

Thank you for expected reaction!

“W-woman!?”

Blue haired handsome guy said while pointing his right index finger to me.

“I didn’t say woman either!”

I said with the low male voice.

“Which one?”

The muscled onii-san  is left helpless, and cries.

What is it?

There was no experience in teasing a people so far, but it’s fun!

“Think that means I little while ago Alice was saying, praise is good at. Then I think I was just shy?”

“…(I don’t know)”

I set up a hypothesis and explained as there was no unnaturalness about the word Alice said.

What?

And to Conrat and Alice’s face looks normal, I feel something from those two!

Those two people are fierce!

“Which is it after all?!”

Other ones don’t seem to notice a change Conrat at all.

The stupid swordsman asks persistently.

The other ones also seem interested in it, but I don’t have the will to tell.

It is fun~!

“Saah… Which one would it be?”

I was joking around the atmosphere that is in full throttle.

“Aah~! After all this fellow is disgusting!!”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!”

I seemed to be satisfied with the voice that the blue long hair good-looking man was irritated at and laughed loudly.

I made fun of three fools to some extent mainly and talked about play, the future and was dissolved afterwards.

When everyone but Alice and I leave the room, Celes and Amy said.

“As for me, this feeling of respect to you doesn’t change even if real nature is unclear!”

“Me…too…”

And went out the room with shining eyes.

I was relieved at that their feeling was the feeling of respect for now.

TO BE CONTINUED