Chapter 48

The next day, one of the rooms in the Nelson residence was enveloped in a chaotic atmosphere.

The convoy of guards who had accompanied Valletta and the others to Gricia Village had returned, bringing with them the bandits who had attacked the village.

"Is Valletta and the others safe!?"

Upon hearing that Gricia Village had been attacked by a group of bandits, Ichiyo couldn't help but rise from his chair at the long table and ask the male guard.

"All the people in Gricia Village are unharmed. In fact, they not only repelled the 13 bandits who attacked but also killed 10 of them and captured the bandit leader and two others."

Upon hearing the guard's report, everyone in the room, except for the guards, showed expressions of surprise.

"…They were attacked by a group of 13 armed bandits, and they managed to wipe them out? And all the villagers are unharmed?"

"I saw it with my own eyes, so there's no mistake. Moreover, almost half of the bandits who were killed had been struck in vital points with a single blow, and some had their heads cut off or their torsos sliced open from the shoulder to the abdomen with a single strike."

As the male guard answered, Zirconia glanced at Ichiyo, who maintained a stern expression and silently stared at the guard.

"Was the village attacked during the day?"

"No, they targeted the village chief's residence late at night when the villagers were asleep. Lord Barin escaped from the attacking bandits, woke up the villagers, and led a group to counterattack and wipe them out."

"What's wrong?"

After saying this, the guard hesitated to continue, and Zirconia urged him to go on.

"I inspected the scene of the battle, but the accounts of Lord Barin and the villagers don't match the evidence. Some of the bandits had signs of combat on their weapons and armor, but the others showed no signs of combat."

"…No signs of combat?"

"Yes."

Combat marks are the injuries to weapons and armor, or the resistance marks on the body, that occur during a fight. The absence of these marks means that they were either killed with a single blow by exploiting a complete opening or were killed while in a defenseless state after surrendering.

"Killed while defenseless?"

"Yes. They were killed with a single blow to vital points or their heads cut off from behind, resulting in instant death. All of these were knife wounds, not arrow wounds. Lady Zirconia, if I may, I believe..."

"Lady Zirconia"

Just as the guard was about to say something, Ichiyo, who had been listening silently, spoke to Zirconia.

"Yes?"

"I will head to Gricia Village immediately, ahead of schedule. Isaac, Haber, prepare yourselves right away."

"Understood."

"I will prepare immediately."

"I will send the 2nd Legion's guards as escort. Isaac, go to the barracks and tell the guard commander to prepare 100 men in my name. Equip them for a 10-day round trip, and allow attendants to accompany. Delegate command to Isaac until I arrive. Hurry."

"Understood!"

Isaac received the instructions from Ichiyo and a hastily written note from Zirconia, then rushed out of the room with Haber. Ichiyo also stood up and headed for the door to go to the office.

"Lord Kazura, is it alright if the carriages and supplies are sent later?"

"That's fine. Thank you."

The guard answered Nelson's question without turning around, then watched Ichiyo leave before continuing.

"Lord Nelson, Lady Zirconia, I believe Lord Barin and the villagers are hiding something..."

"Otis, is it?"

"Yes."

Interrupted again, the guard—Otis—nodded in response to Zirconia's question.

"Otis, what you saw in Gricia Village must remain confidential. You must not tell anyone."

"…Understood."

"Bring the other guards who accompanied you. I will speak to them directly."

"Understood."

"Also, I will interrogate the captured bandits. Tell the nearby soldiers to take the bandits to the underground interrogation room, each in a separate room. Before handing them over, blindfold and gag the bandits."

"Understood."

Ordered by Zirconia in a tone that brooked no argument, Otis straightened his posture, bowed, and left the room.

"…Jill, is it possible to slice a person from the shoulder to the abdomen with a single blow of a longsword?"

"Maybe, but if I had the chance to make such a large swing, I would probably stab them in the abdomen. Especially in a melee, but anything can happen in combat depending on the situation, so I can't say for sure."

"Hmm…"

Zirconia, still looking at the door Ichiyo had left through, answered, and Nelson, still seated, pondered aloud.

"Since Lord Kazura came to us, have you noticed any changes in your condition, Jill?"

"Well… the morning after Lord Kazura arrived, I felt a bit less fatigued than usual, but nothing special has happened since then."

"It's the same for me. I thought it was just the excitement of Lord Graciel's appearance, but perhaps Lord Kazura has given us some kind of blessing, or…"

"…Or?"

"Maybe it was the canned food we ate."

Hearing Nelson's words, Zirconia gave him a puzzled look.

"Jill, you know the legend of Lord Graciel, right? Try to recall a particular line."

"I know the legend, but I haven't memorized every word…"

Surprised by her answer, Nelson showed a slightly puzzled expression. He had thought Zirconia, who had been the most excited about Lord Graciel's appearance, would have memorized the entire legend.

"The legend mentions, 'Strangely, the food brought by the man gave strength to the body even in small amounts, and it saved many starving people.' I used to think it was just a fairy tale, but perhaps the legend is true."

"…Wait a minute. Are you saying the reason the bandits were repelled is that the people of Gricia Village ate the food brought by Lord Graciel?"

"It's just a theory. It might not be that. Perhaps Lord Graciel is truly protecting the villagers, or someone else fought the bandits, not the villagers."

Hearing Nelson's reasoning, Zirconia pressed her forehead with one hand, looking troubled. All the theories sounded plausible, and she couldn't tell which was correct.

"…My head is starting to hurt. In any case, we need to ask Lord Kazura directly to know the truth, but…"

"…It's hard to ask."

Recalling Ichiyo's stern expression as he left, Nelson and Zirconia sighed. If their subordinates hadn't brought Ichiyo to Isthria, Gricia Village wouldn't have been attacked while he was away. Ichiyo's attitude earlier and his departure showed that he cared deeply for the villagers, especially a girl named Valletta, and he seemed quite displeased.

In reality, Ichiyo wasn't actually upset, but that's another story.

Suddenly, Zirconia, who had been pressing her forehead, lifted her face and grabbed the ends of the long table, trying to lift it.

"Ugh! …It's no good. It won't budge."

"What are you doing…?"

"I was wondering if I could lift it if the food gave me strength."

The heavy table, made of thick wood, was far too heavy for a single woman to lift. Even if she tried to lift one side, Zirconia was attempting to lift the entire table with both hands, which would be impossible for anyone without extraordinary strength.

"Well, let's put the food theory on hold. It would be awkward to ask Lord Kazura directly in this situation. We can't afford to upset him further."

"That's true… Besides, interrogating the captured bandits should reveal what happened."

As Zirconia, who had been leaning on the table, stood up, there was a knock on the door. The guard had returned with his comrades.

One hour later, Zirconia was heading to the interrogation room in the basement of the Nelson residence. She was carrying a wooden box, about 40 centimeters square, covered with a cloth.

When she reached the interrogation room where the bandits were being held, she had the guard open the door and entered. Inside, a bald, menacing-looking man was seated in a chair with his wrists bound behind his back, flanked by two heavily armed soldiers in red mantles—Zirconia's personal guards from the 2nd Legion.

Zirconia placed the wooden box on the table and sat in the chair opposite the man.

"Hello. I'm Zirconia, your interrogator. Nice to meet you."

The man, upon seeing Zirconia sit down, stared at her in surprise.

"Zirconia, the 'Invincible General' Zirconia?"

"Oh, you know me. But I don't like that nickname. Please don't call me that."

'Invincible General' was a nickname given to Zirconia during the latter half of the war that ended four years ago. It was based on the rumor that her unit had never lost a battle, but for some reason, she disliked the nickname.

Zirconia smiled and removed the cloth from the box, revealing a small wooden stand with a rectangular bronze blade attached. One side of the blade was semi-fixed, and the other side had a wooden handle. When the handle was lifted, the blade would rise, and when it was lowered, the blade would touch the stand—a simple mechanism.

"What's that? Your unit's arrival on the battlefield… Hey, what is that?"

Seeing the ominous stand, the man's face changed. The wooden parts of the stand were covered with what looked like dried blood.

"I'm sorry, but I'm quite busy and don't have much time. If you answer my questions, that's all I need. If your answers differ from the other two in the other rooms, we'll cut off one finger from each of you. So, be prepared. Now, my first question is…"

Zirconia's casual and terrifying statement made the man shudder. Her natural smile and the way she spoke made it seem as if cutting off fingers was a trivial matter, which was hard to believe.

"How many members were in your bandit group?"

Ignoring the man's reaction, Zirconia began her questioning. For the full text of the legend of Graciel, refer to the latter part of Chapter 23.