Chapter 76

Chris's crow familiar, Dorothee, apparently saw the arsonist.

"Did you really see them?"

"I don't lie."

"If you saw them, you should have stopped them."

What were you doing?

"Don't expect such things from a crow. I would have ended up as grilled chicken, you know."

Well, this bird isn't a combat familiar anyway.

"Who was it?"

"I don't know. I don't know the people in this town."

"I'll make you into grilled chicken..."

This incompetent bird...

"Scary! I don't know who they are, but I know where they are!"

"What do you mean?"

"There was someone setting a fire, and they got into a car and fled. Of course, I followed them, so I know where they are."

That's what you mean.

"Can you guide us?"

"Of course."

Alright.

"Colonel, this crow is the familiar of Christoph, a third-class state alchemist and my fellow disciple. He apparently saw the arsonist, so let's go."

"Understood. Get in the car."

Dorothee flew up, so we got into the car and followed her with the military personnel.

"Where are we going?"

"This direction is towards the port."

The colonel informed us.

"The port..."

I recalled the scene when I went fishing with Leonora.

It was when Adolph was lowering the extraction machine.

"What do you think?"

Leonora, who was sitting in the back seat, seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Same as you."

"Right?"

We continued to follow Dorothee, and we arrived at the port.

The surroundings were already bright, and here and there, fishermen were unloading wooden boxes from fishing boats.

As we drove through the port, Dorothee landed on a street lamp, so we stopped the car.

"Figures..."

Saying that, we got out of the car, and there was a merchant ship, not a fishing boat, preparing to set sail.

"Trying to run away?"

The colonel muttered and immediately approached the merchant ship.

"Dispel"

When he cast a spell at the merchant ship, the magical power emanating from it disappeared.

"Wow! As expected of Sieg! Your personality is the worst, but your magic skills are top-notch!"

Dorothee, perched on the street lamp, praised him with an unnecessary comment.

"Sieg is a wonderful person!"

"Hey, hey. Your master is a social misfit!"

"Come down! I'll eat you alive!"

The familiars started fighting...

"Helen, don't bother with a bird-brain. Dorothee, is that the right ship?"

"Yes, they were packing in front of that ship, so it's definitely the right one."

Such a morning.

No, it was still dark when they were packing.

"Colonel, I've stopped the ship."

That ship is called a magic-powered ship, which runs on magical power.

Since the magical power was dispelled, it can't move anymore.

"Hey!"

"““Yes, sir!””"

The soldiers ran towards the ship.

"Stop that ship!"

When the soldiers approached the ship, Adolph appeared from inside.

"Did you break my ship? We were about to set sail for trade! No matter how much you are the military, there are things you can and cannot do! Such tyranny is unacceptable!"

Adolph shouted loudly.

"You're so predictable. You can only act angry in a performance."

"Hmm... I have no choice... I'll go."

The colonel sighed and stepped forward, so I followed.

"We are the military investigation team. You are an important witness in the arson case. We need to hear your story, so please disembark."

"Arson? What are you talking about? I'm busy, and I don't know anything about it. It's probably your incompetence."

The fool pointed at me and laughed through his nose.

"Colonel, this person seems to know about the branch burning down."

The colonel mentioned the arson case.

If it was arson, there were other incidents, and his warehouse was also on fire, so normally he would be concerned about that.

However, he said it was our incompetence.

That means he knows about the branch burning down.

Why would someone trying to set sail know about the branch burning down?

"That's right."

"I, I only heard it from someone else!"

Sure, sure.

"Anyway, disembark! We can't give you permission to sail until we hear your story!"

Well, the ship can't move anyway because the power is completely dead.

"I, I'll get off right away!"

Adolph backed off, sensing the change in the soldiers' atmosphere.

Immediately, a ladder was lowered from the ship, and Adolph descended with two burly men.

"Are you Adolph? I am Karlheinz Wieder."

"Y, Colonel!? What do you want, Colonel?"

He seemed to know the name.

"As I said, you are an important witness in the arson case. We need to hear your story."

"Even if you say that, I don't know anything. I am the victim here."

"Hmm... You are the arsonist in this series of fires, aren't you?"

The colonel took a breath and declared Adolph the culprit.

"What are you saying!? Impossible! That's too much tyranny! Do you have any evidence!?"

"There is an eyewitness."

"Huh? Who is it? Could it be them?"

Adolph looked at us.

"No, they were apparently sleeping."

"Then who is it?"

"It's him."

The colonel pointed to the crow perched on the street lamp.

"What? A crow? I don't have time for silly jokes."

Adolph laughed through his nose.

"Dorothee, is it him?"

I asked Dorothee.

Dorothee flapped her wings and landed on Leonora's shoulder.

"The one who set the fire at the branch is the man on the right. After that, he got into the car driven by the man on the left and fled. By the way, the one in the middle was grinning in the back seat."

That's easy to imagine.

"What!? What is that thing!?"

"It's a familiar. It was apparently on the roof of the building in front of the branch the whole time."

"Ha, ha, ha, what are you saying! A bird can't be a witness! I can't trust it!"

It doesn't matter if you can't trust it.

"Sieg, what is this fool? Is he insulting this noble Dorothee?"

"Seems like it."

It just looks like a crow.

"Oh... This noble Dorothee being insulted by a worthless piece of trash with no magical power... Should I gouge out his eyes?"

Dorothee got angry and released magical power.

Honestly, it was a weak magical power, but it seemed to affect Adolph, who took a step back.

"Colonel, this is the familiar of Christoph von Precht, a third-class state alchemist. Familiars don't lie and can be trusted as a witness."

"I agree. Also, since they moved by car, there should be tire marks. If we ask Dorothee for details, we can identify the car."

"Haha, what are you saying—!"

Adolph was laughing, but suddenly turned and ran towards the ship.

The two men on either side of him also started running.

"Capture them!"

The colonel gave the order, and the soldiers surrounded the three and quickly pinned them to the ground.

"It's not me! They did it! I don't know anything!"

"I was just driving!"

"He ordered me to do it, so I had no choice! I'm not to blame!"

The three started making ugly excuses.

"Take them to the station! Also, investigate this ship and his merchant guild!"

"““Yes, sir!””"

The colonel gave the order, and the soldiers quickly moved, putting the three in a car and taking them away.

"It would be good if we find a connection to the politician."

"There definitely is one. Merchants keep such evidence for self-protection. They must have hidden it somewhere, but we will find it."

When the military says they will do it, they will.

In the worst case, we can get it from Adolph.

No matter what...

"Will it be the death penalty?"

"Three arson cases and one attempted arson. If this isn't a death penalty, what is?"

Usually, even one arson case would result in the death penalty.

Arson is that serious a crime.

"Dorothee, you stay a bit longer."

"What? Why?"

"Because you're a witness. Just eat some worms around here for a while."

"I'm a gourmet, you know?"

Familiars are all gourmets.

"I'll get you some fried chicken."

"That's cannibalism. A social misfit and a psychopath, huh?"

It's a joke, obviously.

"You're insulting Sieg again, you corpse scavenger bird!"

"Hey, crybaby! What are you saying!"

Helen and Dorothee started fighting.

"Shall we go back?"

"Right."

"Where to, but let's go back for now."

"What should we do next?"

You're right.

"Colonel, we'll take our leave."

"Yes... We'll have to talk again."

"Right. I think someone from headquarters will come."

We also need to discuss the rebuilding of the branch and where the funds will come from.

"Understood. Yuriana, take them back."

"Yes, sir! Please get in the car."

We decided to return to the branch with Yuriana driving.

Thank you for reading.

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