Chapter 29

"......I see. I had braced myself for this, given that contact had been lost, but to have been defeated by the devil..."

After finishing his account of the battle with the aforementioned devil and the knights, Christophe muttered these words.

Well, he must have been prepared. If the knights sent to investigate had lost contact, it was only natural to imagine their deaths.

"I had planned to search, but the devil blocked the road, leaving us in a situation where we couldn't act rashly. But I never imagined he would have been turned into an undead."

"Yes... However, he resisted the devil's control until the very end. He was truly a noble knight."

"...Ah, I'm proud of him too."

Christophe stared at Shreid's belongings and said this.

As a knight, he must have experienced the deaths of subordinates before.

However, the sense of guilt for those who died in places he couldn't reach never faded.

I had no intention of offering easy words of comfort.

After a moment of silence, Christophe smiled faintly and turned his gaze back to me.

"So, what were Shreid's last words?"

"...To you and his daughter. He said, 'I'm sorry.'"

"I see... What a fool."

Christophe muttered and sank deeper into his chair.

He then closed his eyes and remained silent for a while.

After about a minute of contemplation, he finally opened his eyes—his gaze was as strong as before.

"...I thank you, Quon. You've done well to bring my subordinates this far."

"No, it was my duty as the one who witnessed their final moments."

"Your consideration is worth more than gold. I hope you will accept my gratitude, and that of your companions."

He looked at all of us and said this.

The four girls, who seemed uncomfortable, were slightly flustered when his gaze fell on them.

I smiled wryly at their reaction and addressed Christophe again.

"I would like to speak to his daughter... Could you tell me where she is?"

"I intended to inform her through the knight order... Are you going to visit her?"

"Since I received his last words, it would be dishonorable to abandon the task."

Even if he had turned into an undead, I was the one who defeated him in the end.

Christophe was probably warning me that I might be blamed for it.

But that is the responsibility of the one who defeated him.

If I am to be blamed, I will accept the criticism. If she wishes to avenge him, I will face her head-on.

Though, I don't intend to kill her.

"Very well. I'll prepare a map for you. I'm sorry to burden you with this unpleasant task."

"It's my choice. There's no need to worry."

"I appreciate it. Shreid's daughter is currently facing some difficulties. I hope you can support her."

"Hmm? Well, if she wishes it, I have no objection."

"That's fine. Thank you."

Icymedusa nodded in agreement when I glanced at her.

This is likely a continuation of the ongoing events.

If so, it's only natural to participate. Icymedusa and the others are probably also curious about what happens next.

At that moment, a mechanical voice sounded in my ear.

"Starting special limited event: 'The Orphan and the Shadow of the Capital'"

It seems that meeting the daughter was the trigger.

The difference between the game-like voice and the human reaction of the knight order leader made me narrow my eyes.

However, the person in question continued speaking without noticing the voice.

"Then, as a reward, I have prepared 100,000 Z for each of you. It's not much, but I hope it helps with your expenses."

"Thank you."

"...I'm sorry, but the fairy's share was not approved. She helped us, so it's a bit unfair..."

"Ah, it's fine. I'll manage it."

I had just spent a lot on equipment, so this is genuinely helpful.

Selling the materials from the monsters around here should also bring in a decent amount of money.

It's unfortunate that Luminia doesn't have a share, but fairies don't really benefit from money.

As I was doing some rough calculations in my head, Christophe placed unfamiliar items on the table, one for each of us.

They were metal emblems on wooden stands, likely the emblem of this knight order, which I had seen at the entrance of the building.

"This is a document that proves your status as representatives of our kingdom's knight order. With this, you should be able to enter the noble district, and possibly even the castle, if the conditions are met."

"I see, that will be very helpful."

If the knight order vouches for us, it will certainly make our movements easier.

Of course, misusing it would cause significant trouble, but I have no intention of doing so.

Still, it might not be good to use it too often. Being seen as a member of the knight order could be troublesome.

"Also, a map of the capital... Ah, it seems to be ready."

As Christophe said this, a woman appeared at the door.

She was wearing what seemed to be indoor body armor, bowed to Christophe, and then spread a paper on the table.

It was a map of the capital, with a red ink circle marking a location in one corner of the three concentric circles.

"I apologize for the simplicity of the guide map, but this is the map of the capital. Shreid's house is marked here. His daughter, Lirina, should be living there with a servant."

"Just the two of them?"

"Yes, various circumstances... In any case, I hope you can support the girl, Lirina."

"Yes, I'll do my best to help her."

If she doesn't want it, I'll try to persuade her.

Considering this is a series of events, I want to participate in the continuation as much as possible.

In any case, I've conveyed what I needed to the leader. It's time to visit the girl.

Of course, I need to release the knights' bodies from my inventory first.

As I imagined the next event unfolding, I called out to return the bodies.

"Then, I would like to return the knights' bodies... Where should I take them?"

"What? Where did you—Oh, foreigners can use secret methods to store items, right?"

"Secret methods? Ah, something like that."

To the locals, the inventory is treated as such.

It is a very convenient tool, so it's understandable that it's described in grand terms.

I smiled wryly as I stood up and waited for Christophe's response.

He also stood up, gestured to the door.

"There's a morgue. Please transport them there. A funeral can't be held immediately, of course."

"Of course, that's understandable. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Yes, I appreciate your efforts."

I smiled wryly at Christophe's bow and followed him out of the meeting room.

After the bodies are placed, the next step is to visit Lirina.

I wondered what kind of problems she was facing and smiled slightly as I imagined the possibilities.

* * * * *

"Everything happened so quickly, I didn't really understand what was going on..."

"You should at least understand the flow of events."

I told Icymedusa, who was walking through the capital with a dazed expression, with a half-closed eye.

She seems to freeze when faced with something beyond her knowledge, despite being brave in battle.

She is young, so it's understandable that she doesn't know what to do, but as a leader, I hope she can be more composed.

Now that we're in the capital, we'll have more opportunities to meet the ruling class.

"This map is a guide map. It has a lot of information, and I'd like to explore it later."

"Wow... It's really big."

"...Indeed."

Rino spread the map and was checking various locations besides our destination, Shreid's house.

This is a large city, so it's natural to have many facilities.

More players will join, and the situation will become even more chaotic.

It's inevitable, though it might be unfair to those who made the map.

"Here, we're almost at our destination. Tighten up."

"Okay."

"Hey? Did you lose your leadership?"

I ignored Icymedusa's complicated expression and continued forward.

We had already registered at the capital's stone monument, so there was no other place we needed to go.

I understand her curiosity about other facilities, but we can't afford to waste time.

Shreid's house is located in the center of the outermost district of the capital, known as the commoner's district.

The capital is divided into three concentric circles: the outermost is the commoner's district, the next inner circle is the noble district, and the center is the castle.

In other words, the closer to the center, the higher the status. Shreid is treated as a commoner but close to the nobility.

"Problems he had, huh..."

It feels like a troublesome situation. Especially when it involves nobles.

However, with the knight order's emblem, we can at least prove our status, so it shouldn't be impossible to handle.

In the worst case, things might get bloody—while considering the future developments, I frowned as I turned the last corner.

I saw multiple figures gathered in front of Shreid's house.

"That's... "

"...It doesn't seem like a good situation."

Icymedusa's gaze narrowed.

I was slightly surprised by her experienced reaction but continued walking, listening to their conversation.

The situation was concerning, and it wasn't something to be left alone.

As I approached, the voices of the people in front of the house became clearer.

"—Please leave."

"How dare a mere servant challenge the Fave noble family!"

"Are you challenging Sir Christophe, the leader of the knight order? You should know that we are under his protection."

I frowned at the content of the conversation.

My bad feeling was right. It seems the girl is facing problems with the nobles.

There are five armed men—too many for one maid to handle.

However, she is firmly rejecting their words, showing a commendable attitude in protecting her master.

Still, the situation is not good. We should intervene quickly.

"Excuse me. Is this the residence of Shreid Rambert?"

"Who are you!?"

"...Yes, that's correct. Who are you?"

I gave a slight nod to the man who shouted and turned my gaze to the maid.

She was naturally wary of us.

To reassure her, I took out the knight order's emblem from my inventory.

"I was dispatched here at the request of Knight Order Leader Christophe Stoner. The task is to resolve the problems faced by Lirina Rambert."

"...I see, thank you for your efforts. However, before I can offer hospitality, it seems I need to ask for your immediate assistance."

"Hmm, in other words—"

I narrowed my eyes and turned my gaze to the five men.

They flinched at the sight of the knight order's emblem and held their breath under my gaze.

If they are psychologically intimidated, it's a good opportunity to apply pressure.

"—They are the problem."

"Y-You... We are the messengers of the Fave noble family, what does it mean to oppose us—ah!"

I moved my foot slightly and raised my right hand slightly.

Just that was enough to make the men shrink back and take a step backward.

It's a technique called "ki-ate" or "kiai" in English, which effectively instills fear by making the opponent believe that any of your movements could be lethal.

It's not a special technique of the Kyuuzen Shintou style, but a useful skill for using feints with ki.

"Well, I understand that you are messengers of some noble family—claiming your status in this country to us foreigners is quite amusing."

"Foreigners...!?"

"We are not citizens of this country, and we don't have respect for the noble society here. If you try to punish us, we are immortal. All of us have combat skills, and we will become your enemies... What do you think you can do?"

"What... Ah! Stop!"

I continued to apply pressure with slight movements and calmly stated this.

Foreigners are not just a threat but a violent force.

No matter what you do, they will all resurrect. The more you fight, the stronger they become, and their numbers are vast.

If they unite, they could even take over the country.

Of course, that's unlikely to happen.

"Well, let me ask again—what will the noble, who sent us here at the request of the knight order leader, do to us foreigners?"

"R- Retreat