Chapter 80

The meeting between Mr. Klaus and the teachers began in a warm atmosphere in the guild's reception room.

"Welcome to Volzard. I am Klaus Volzard, the lord of this land. I should have met you earlier, but I was busy dealing with the aftermath of the massive goblin outbreak, and I apologize for the delay."

"No, we are truly grateful for accommodating such a large group. I am Shuji Oda, a mathematics teacher."

"I am Ritsuko Sato, and I teach Japanese."

"Please, have a seat. Kent, you sit down too."

"Wh-What? Ah, yes..."

I was seated next to Mr. Klaus on a four-person sofa facing each other.

"Mr. Shuji, to be honest, accommodating all of you has been almost no burden for Volzard."

"Really? But there are about two hundred of us, and I heard that some students caused trouble."

"Indeed, some overly energetic ones did cause a commotion, but the compensation and your accommodation costs are all covered by this Kent, so there's virtually no expense from Volzard."

Mr. Klaus's hand, which he placed on my shoulder, gripped it tightly. Isn't that a bit too strong?

It's creaking... He's still holding a grudge over the Beatrice incident, isn't he?

He's subtly trying to harass me, isn't he?

"To be honest, we are also very grateful. If it weren't for Kuni, we would still be prisoners in Lastock."

"No, we are also grateful. With the rock ogre outbreak, the orc invasion, and this recent goblin outbreak, if it weren't for Kent, the town might have been destroyed."

Oh... I feel so flattered... Please, keep praising me.

I grow with praise, you know.

"Is it common for such large groups of monsters to attack?"

"No, an outbreak of that scale is something that happens once in a hundred years, if at all. Volzard, being in this location, has prioritized the construction of the city walls. I thought the current walls would be sufficient to withstand a large-scale monster outbreak, but it was a close call."

I heard at dinner the day before yesterday that if we had returned to Volzard any later, the goblins would have breached the walls at the first stage, and we would have been forced into a war of attrition. The walls are effective if they can be defended, but once the monsters get inside, they can't be driven out until they are eliminated. It was a significant help to Volzard that Reinhardt and the others cleared the goblin corpses from the base of the walls.

"If Kent stays in Volzard, you are welcome to stay for as long as you need, whether it's months or years."

"We want to return to our original world as soon as possible, and we can't keep relying on Kuni indefinitely, so we plan to find work and become self-sufficient."

"An increase in the workforce and an expansion of consumption are both beneficial to Volzard, so we will support you as much as possible."

"Yes, thank you very much."

Mr. Klaus and Mr. Oda shook hands firmly, but Mr. Oda looked a bit surprised. He was probably taken aback by Mr. Klaus's laborer-like hands, which were uncharacteristic of a lord. In any case, I was relieved that the meeting went smoothly.

"By the way, Kent, what about the people from Reisenburg?"

"Yes, I confirmed that they left this morning and have arranged for them to avoid dangerous monsters on their journey."

"Then they should arrive in Volzard today."

"Yes, unless something extraordinary happens, that's the plan."

"Hmm, they probably don't expect that the people they are looking for are being escorted by us."

"I never thought I would be giving orders to protect Reisenburg knights."

To be honest, it would be easy to steal Camilla's letter, but to make them believe that we are not in Volzard, we need to ensure they arrive safely and return safely. The content of the letter will certainly affect our negotiations, and the teachers are also interested.

"Can you tell us the contents of the letter?"

"Normally, I shouldn't, but it's easy for this guy to peek, so there's no point in hiding it. Right?"

After answering Mr. Sato's question, Mr. Klaus looked at me with a sly smile. I could have peeked when Camilla was writing the letter, but I couldn't read a letter from a princess to a lord, no matter how much I wanted to.

"Are they coming to demand our return?"

"Yes, that's the most likely scenario, but there are no slaves in my town, so I can only answer that there is nothing to return."

"But if they realize our existence, won't it cause trouble for you?"

"That's probably not a concern. However, please stay within the guard's compound until tomorrow."

We introduced Mr. Oda and Mr. Sato to Donovan, and it was decided that once the Reisenburg knights leave, we would register the classmates and teachers we rescued with the guild. After parting ways with the teachers, I hurried back to the Reisenburg knights, who were resting by a stream.

"Back now, Reinhardt, how's it going?"

"They just arrived and are resting here."

Rondal and the others dismounted and let their horses drink and rest. They also took out portable food and sat down to rest for a while.

"There weren't any large monsters, but didn't you notice an unusually high number of goblins?"

"It's my first time coming this deep into the forest, so I can't say for sure, but there were definitely more than usual."

The Reisenburg knights were discussing the journey. According to Reinhardt, they had one encounter with kobolds and three with goblins on their way here. Despite the encounters, the knights, being selected from Reisenburg, charged through with their lances, seemingly without much difficulty. However, repeated encounters with monsters must have been mentally exhausting, and the knights were now resting with a sense of relief. Gert, however, was walking along the road, deep in thought. Lebich noticed and called out to him.

"What's wrong, Gert? Is something the matter?"

"Yeah... Isn't the road a bit too clean?"

"What...?"

Hearing Gert's words, the other five exchanged glances and stood up to check the road.

"I've been wondering about this. Since leaving Lastock, the road has been unusually clean. How can a road that only sees the occasional caravan be so well-maintained?"

The knights' faces, which had relaxed during their rest, tightened. They examined the road they had traveled, the road ahead, and their own feet.

"This isn't something solidified by earth magic..."

"But who could have...?"

"Could they have prepared it for their escape?"

"No, maintaining a road this long would require a significant workforce."

All eyes turned to Rondal, who was leading the group.

"Hmm, yes... It seems a large organization has maintained the road... There's no doubt about it..."

Rondal was twisting his neck as he spoke, but his thoughts were still unformed.

"Reinhardt, this might be a bit clumsy, huh?"

"That man is the knight who noticed the anomaly, so he's quite sharp."

"Will they realize we prepared the road for the rescue?"

"There's a possibility, but there's nothing we can do about it now. Let's just keep an eye on them."

Gert, who had been examining the road, spoke up.

"Rondal, it's dangerous to jump to conclusions about the purpose of the road maintenance at this point."

"Y-Yes, I was considering various possibilities and couldn't decide."

"If it was prepared for their escape, it would mean a significant organization is backing them, but if it was simply for trade and maintained by Volzard, it would be a waste of time to speculate."

"Yes, it's possible that Volzard maintained it and they are just using it."

Paul interjected in the conversation between Gert and Rondal.

"If it's Volzard's work, there's no problem, but if it's the work of the organization behind them, we need to be more cautious."

"Y-Yes, let's prepare to depart..."

Rondal was about to give the order to depart when Lebich stopped him.

"Wait, Rondal, it's better to let the horses rest properly."

"Y-Yes, that's right. Everyone, check your equipment during this time."

After giving the order, Rondal drew his sword to check the blade, then sheathed it and began checking the fastenings on his armor. The other knights exchanged amused glances.

"Mr. Kent, it seems this Rondal is not used to leading a unit."

"Yes, he seems quite flustered to me."

In the end, Rondal, persuaded by Lebich, sat down again on the grass by the side of the road. Yes, he'll probably be exhausted by the time we reach Volzard.

The Reisenburg knights set off after a sufficient rest, but by the time they arrived in Volzard, Rondal and the other five were quite fatigued. The reason was the high density of goblins in the area around Volzard, a lingering effect of the massive outbreak.

"There are some on the left front, about six of them!"

"The group on the right is moving away, no, they're hiding by the side of the road ahead!"

"H-Hold them off! Lebich!"

"Mana, oh Mana, the one who governs the world, gather, gather in my hand, become wind, dance, dance, wind, dance and become a wind bullet! Taah!"

The wind bullet, a condensed air projectile, blew away the goblins hiding ahead.

"Rondal, a group of kobolds is coming from the left rear!"

"What? What's going on, there are too many..."

"Try to draw them out as long as possible, I'll take care of it!"

Paul broke away from the formation and fell back to the rear, slowing down to draw the kobolds. The other knights adjusted their speed to stay close to Paul.

"Mana, oh Mana, the one who governs the world, gather, gather in my body, run through me, run through me, run through me, Mana, run through me and become strength! Here I go!"

After completing the incantation for body reinforcement, Paul turned his horse and charged into the group of kobolds. His lance moved with the speed of lightning, cutting down the kobolds one by one.

"He seemed like just a nasty guy, but he's well-trained to be a knight."

"Against ordinary kobolds, if you can fully use body reinforcement, there's nothing to fear."

"What about our kobolds?"

"He would dance on the lance, I bet."

"Hahaha, if he really did, Paul would faint. But, isn't there a bit too many goblins?"

"No, no, Mr. Kent, we need to do this much. After all, it's right after a massive outbreak."

"I see, that's true."

When we passed through, it was like a deep green tsunami. This level is almost lukewarm, isn't it?

"I can see it! The walls of Volzard!"

"Y-Yes, everyone, increase your speed! We can let the horses collapse once we reach Volzard!"

The Reisenburg knights increased their speed to shake off the goblins and kobolds. As they emerged from the forest, Reinhardt and Zae released their presence, and the goblins that had been chasing them turned around and fled.

"Open the gate! Open the gate! We are messengers from the third princess of the Reisenburg Kingdom, Camilla Reisenburg, delivering a letter! Open the gate quickly!"

Rondal's voice cracked as he desperately shouted at the gate. Paul's horse, overworked, collapsed and fell to the side.

"We can't open the gate now. Dismount and enter through the side gate."

Rondal's face turned red with anger at the response from Volzard's guard.

"What? We are messengers from the Reisenburg Kingdom, and you dare to treat us like this by not opening the gate and making us enter through the side gate!"

"If you don't like it, you can stay there as long as you want. This is a measure for the safety of the residents. We don't care about your face."

"Damn..."

Rondal glared up at the guards on the gate, but they seemed unfazed. Given the recent massive outbreak, it's likely that this was on Mr. Klaus's orders. We had Zae and the others keep watch to ensure no monsters approached during the gate opening.

"Rondal, this is a bad situation. We should go in first."

"But Lebich, to be treated like this..."

"Our mission is to deliver Camilla's letter. We should be willing to drink muddy water for that."

"Damn, I understand. Everyone, dismount! We'll enter the town through the side gate."

The side gate was too low for them to ride through, so they led their horses into Volzard. With their weapons taken away and their horses confiscated, they were packed into a cart prepared by the guards, making it impossible for them to conduct any inquiries.

The Reisenburg knights were led to Mr. Klaus's mansion. The carriage was allowed to drive all the way to the mansion's entrance, so there was no chance of them interacting with the general public. The Reisenburg delegation was led to a separate building for their stay.

"Please, feel free to use this building. Once you have rested and refreshed, let us know, and the lord will meet with you."

After the butler who guided them left, Rondal and the others began discussing their next move.

"Rondal, what do we do?"

"W-What can I do? Let's at least wash off the sweat first. It will help to clear our heads."

The separate building had a large bath, but the Reisenburg delegation decided to take turns in groups of three in case of an emergency. Rondal and two knights went in first, while Lebich, Gert, and Paul stayed in the reception room. Perhaps Rondal found these three annoying. After confirming that Rondal and the others had gone to the bath, Lebich lowered his voice and began to speak.

"What do we do? Rondal is unreliable."

"But we can't replace the chief envoy now."

"Gert is right. Lebich, you should attend as a deputy, or we should insist that everyone be present."

"Yes, that's the only option... But a massive outbreak..."

"Lebich, that was impossible to predict. We should focus on the best course of action now."

"Right, we need information. We should try to extract as much information as possible from the people of Volzard."

"The problem is..."

Their gazes turned to the corridor where Rondal had disappeared. Rondal, who had been questioned about his performance, returned from the bath, excused himself to the other knights, and lay down on the sofa, snoring loudly almost immediately. The tension of being a messenger and the repeated attacks by monsters on the journey had naturally exhausted him. The other knights, though still awake, looked quite sleepy. The three who had just returned from the bath came back.

"You guys..."

"Wait, Paul, let them rest a bit. Otherwise, they won't be able to think clearly when they meet the lord of Volzard."

Paul, who was about to shout, seemed to agree with Gert's words.

"Yes, let them sleep a bit more, then we'll give them some tea before the meeting."

Lebich's suggestion was agreed upon by the other four, and they all decided to rest in comfortable positions.

"Is Mr. Klaus already back at the mansion?"

"The lord has already returned, Master."

I was led to Mr. Klaus's study by Alto.

"Mr. Klaus, it's Kent. Is it alright to come in?"

"Hey, how are they doing?"

Mr. Klaus, who had been reviewing documents at his desk, looked up with a playful smile. He was dressed in a more noble manner, likely preparing for the audience. I stepped out of the shadows and reported on the situation.

"They were repeatedly attacked by goblins and kobolds on the way, so they seem quite tired."

"Hmm, weren't your familiars guarding them?"

"Yes, we kept large monsters away, but Reinhardt adjusted the attacks to make it seem natural after a massive outbreak."

"Hehehe, good, that's good. I'll finish them off. If Volzard is attacked by the goblins from the massive outbreak and the seasonal winds change direction soon..."

Mr. Klaus had a very playful and mischievous smile.

"I see, in that situation, they can't just relax and return to Lastock, right?"

"Exactly. Plus, it's the dry season now. Lastock, which is separated from the monster forest by a river, would be overwhelmed if the same number of goblins as before the massive outbreak crossed the river with the reduced water level."

"I see..."

Lastock is a town with no connection to me, but I've seen ordinary people living there when I spread the rumor about Camilla's bedwetting. If those people were eaten by goblins... Having been eaten once, I know the fear, pain, and despair all too well.

"Kent, are you thinking of protecting a country that put you in such a terrible situation?"

"Ugh... But the people in the town are just ordinary people..."

"Haha, you really are a good guy. If that's your way, do as you please. But if Volzard is attacked, prioritize this place, son-in-law."

Mr. Klaus smiled slyly again.

"Eh... Son-in-law..."

"What, you're staying in Volzard, right?