Chapter 36

Ryda marveled at Al's use of magic, repeatedly asking how he did it, but even when she tried to do it the same way, she couldn't reproduce it. The two continued their patrol, and Al demonstrated multiple times how he dispatched goblins and lizardmen in the same manner. Al's ability to see through the darkness and fire magical arrows was so shocking that even the guards were amazed and couldn't hide their surprise.

When Al's shift ended and he came to report the change of guard, one of the guards spoke to him.

"Wow, you must be the mage who was with Barbara when she took down the Bloodied Thieves' Gang three months ago, right?"

"Huh? How do you know that?"

His name was Placida. Upon hearing more, it turned out that he was part of the guard team that came to take away the last of the captured thieves after Barbara and Al had cleared out the remaining thieves at the Bloodied Thieves' Gang's base and rescued Rass and the others.

"You might not remember, but back then, I was with Captain Ives. On the way to the abandoned village, Barbara was praising you highly. I thought it was a bit exaggerated at the time, but today I understand. You're really something."

Al scratched his head, embarrassed. He didn't think he had done anything special.

"It was just that Barbara was amazing back then, and today we were able to do well because our position was solid. We just attacked the barbarians who were off guard from the top of the hill, that's all."

"I don't think it's just that... After taking down the Bloodied Thieves' Gang, what did you do? You went to the same school as Lord Narech, right? I thought you'd get a recommendation from Lord Narech and serve the viscount, maybe even become our superior."

"No, no, I'm not that..."

Al responded, but then he realized something. The two men he had a vague memory of were very similar to the men who had been watching his wife, Laurein, when he and Rass arrived at the border city of Lester.

"Placida, um, what happened to the Bloodied Thieves' Gang members who weren't captured?"

Al asked hurriedly.

"The ones we took are being forced to work in chains at the barbarian processing facility, but the others who escaped were never found."

Al explained the events that happened right after they arrived in the border city of Lester. The Bloodied Thieves' Gang had kidnapped Rass and demanded a ransom from his family, and the men who were watching his family were tracked, but they ended up attacking instead. He also mentioned that the two men were very similar to two of the three men who had been following their caravan.

"Hmm, that's an interesting story. But do you have any solid evidence? If you were a noble, it might be different, but..."

Al shook his head. He had no concrete proof. The wooden box hidden by a concealment spell could be evidence, but Al didn't want to explain its existence. Hearing that there was no evidence, Placida pondered.

"Got it. I'll report to Captain Jonas that there are men suspected of being thieves. I trust you, Al, but it will be up to Captain Jonas to decide. Understand?"

Al nodded. He felt a bit relieved that he could finally report something he couldn't before. He had even considered sending an anonymous letter. But now the guards would be on alert, and even if he kept an eye on them, he wouldn't be suspected.

"Then, I'll go and change shifts."

"Sure, good night."

Al waved to Placida and headed towards Eric's carriage. Ryda had already returned to the carriage and was starting the handover with Fitz, who was on the next shift.

"Al, I need to talk to Lord Fitz a bit more, so please go to sleep. You can use the carriage seats."

Al nodded in agreement. She must be giving a detailed report in her own way. She probably judged that it was valuable to get some sleep during the camp, and he didn't need to stay up for it. He quickly found his seat in the carriage, took a blanket from his backpack, and curled up. The ground was wet from the rain, so it was a relief to have a dry spot.

"His magic is strange..."

He thought he heard Ryda say something like that to Fitz by the campfire outside, but Al was tired from his first guard duty and fell asleep without giving it much thought.

---

The next morning, as they were preparing to depart, Kane arrived with the guard Placida. Eric was bowing to Kane. Al thought about the power dynamics but didn't say anything.

"Good morning, Alfred... I mean, Al. It feels a bit strange."

"Good morning, Lord Kane."

When Al responded, Kane shook his head, looking very uncomfortable.

"Please don't call me Lord Kane. Lord Eric is very polite even to a low-ranking trainee like me. I've asked him not to be so formal. So..."

Kane changed the subject. He said that at the morning meeting, there were two reports: one about Al's performance and another about suspicious men among the caravan. He was told by Baron Hawthorne, the leader of the caravan, to come and hear Al's story.

"Baron Hawthorne is a bit arrogant, but he has a lot of influence in the internal affairs department. He's also close to Lord Narech. I'm trusted as a friend of Lord Narech."

"Uh-huh..."

Al nodded lightly. There might be factions within the viscount's family, like the Narech faction. Kane's tone made it sound that way. Narech was the second son of the viscount, not the heir. When they talked at the intermediate school, he said he would support his brother and work as a knight.

"When I explained that you were at the intermediate school with Lord Narech, he said that you and Lord Placida should cooperate to investigate the three men you mentioned."

It wasn't bad, but it felt a bit troublesome... Al felt this way, but he had already planned to investigate the three men himself. He nodded.

"Got it. And Lord Eric?"

"Yeah, I explained that you would be conducting the investigation. Lord Fitz looked a bit hesitant, but he wants you to discuss with Lord Placida what you want to do and then report back to me. I'll coordinate with Lord Eric and Captain Jonas. Is that okay?"

Al had no choice but to nod. He turned to Placida, who made a fist and gave a gesture that said, "Let's do our best." Maybe he saw this as a chance for advancement. The unexpected turn of events gave Al a bit of a headache.

Thank you for reading.

I plan to post twice a week, on Monday and Friday at 10 AM. Thank you for your support.

Thank you for correcting the typos. I always appreciate it.

I would be very happy to receive likes, ratings, and comments. Please feel free to leave them.

On July 7, 2023, I changed the reference to Knight Jonas to Lord Jonas and the reference to Baron Hawthorne to Lord Hawthorne.