Chapter 44

The bed in the royal castle was the most comfortable I had ever slept in. My own bed at home is pretty good too, but when compared to this, it just doesn’t measure up. I’ve received a lot of money, so maybe I should buy a higher-quality bedding set...

Luxury is a kind of poison. Once you get used to it, you can't live without it. This seems to be true in any era and any world.

Breakfast was also incredibly lavish. I don’t even know the names of the dishes, as I’ve never seen them before.

After that, I took a bath, refreshed myself, and waited in the room. A few maids came and took Luna and Yomi away. It seems they were going to get them dressed up for the party.

...Huh? Me too? Why do the maids look so predatory?

Whoa! Hey, where are you touching?! Noooooo!!!

...

Sniff... I can’t go to a wedding like this... Ah, I’m the groom.

For about two hours, I was played with like a doll. ...Still, Luna and Yomi are taking a long time? When will they come back?

While I was thinking this, Luna and Yomi came in.

"Um, Master, h-how do I look? Do you think it suits me?"

"Hehe, you can fall in love with me if you want?"

The two people in front of me looked like angels. Their beautiful silver hair was braided, and the dark gray dresses suited their silver hair well. Luna’s serious qualities were preserved and well-presented.

On the other hand, Yomi. Thanks to the light waves in her light brown hair, she looked even more mature. The deep red dress further accentuated Yomi’s charm. Just looking at her made me want to swallow my saliva.

I was so captivated by the two of them that my response was delayed.

"You both look very beautiful... You really suit them."

I truly thought so. They were already beautiful, but they never wore makeup. Now, with proper makeup, they looked like noble young ladies.

"Hehe..."

"Everyone, please move to the venue now."

...I had forgotten the maids were there. I guess this is what it means to lose oneself.

The room I was led to had a few people in it, all dressed in expensive-looking clothes. I couldn’t see the Margrave, so these might be lower nobles.

Looking closely, there were also many adventurers. They couldn’t wait and were already eating the food. I guess it’s hard to resist when you see such high-class dishes you’ve never seen before. It’s all-you-can-eat, after all.

I sat in a chair by the wall, drinking juice, when I heard the voice of what seemed to be the host.

Is this some kind of magic or magical tool that makes it so clear?

"Let’s start the party to celebrate the repulsion of the stampede and the extermination of the monsters in the capital! First, let’s welcome His Majesty the King!"

The king appeared to loud applause, but as soon as he reached the throne, the room fell silent.

"Thank you all for gathering despite your busy schedules. Despite the sudden stampede, the damage was minimized thanks to everyone’s efforts. I also swear to continue developing the Kingdom of Rayard for the sake of those who lost their lives in this stampede. Additionally, I am deeply grateful to those who defeated the Horn Chimera brought into the capital by the former Count Filir. Today, we have prepared a modest feast. Please drink and eat to your heart’s content! Cheers!"

The party began with the king’s toast. According to the host, the first part was for mingling.

I saw families gathered together, talking, and some were even talking to adventurers and enjoying the food.

Speaking of which, the Duke of Adams and the Margrave of Randalph came to me. This caused a sudden surge of attention from the nobles and adventurers in the room...

Well, I was already drawing attention because of Luna and Yomi.

"Hey, Owl. It’s been a while. Alice always pesters me to see you."

"It’s been a while, Owl. Myle says she wants to talk to you about various things. Though, she’s currently caught by the ladies over there."

"It’s been a while, Duke of Adams, Margrave of Randalph. I’ll visit Lady Alice when this situation calms down. As for Lady Myle, I’ll visit her later."

As I greeted them, they were clearly looking at Luna and Yomi. I hadn’t introduced them yet.

"Sorry, I should have introduced them earlier. This is Luna and Yomi."

"Hmm, these two were the ones who showed great courage during the stampede... You’re still young, but that’s impressive. Moreover, if I didn’t know better, I’d think they were noble young ladies. Bringing such beauties with you, Owl, you’re not to be underestimated, are you? What do you think, Lord Randalph?"

"Indeed. But this Owl is also remarkable. I hear he defeated the Horn Chimera! I’m proud to have him as a citizen of my territory!"

As we chatted, I could see that some nobles wanted to talk to Luna and Yomi but didn’t approach because of the Duke and Margrave.

So, I decided to send them to gather information. This might be a good time to collect information that’s hard to get otherwise.

"Luna, Yomi, go get some food and talk to the nobles. Gather information while you’re at it. If anything happens, come back quickly."

"Understood, Master."

As soon as they left to get food, nobles, mostly men, but surprisingly many ladies too, started approaching.

Why is that? I guess I’ll find out later.

"Owl, are you really 10 years old...? Separating your companions to gather information like a noble... How about joining the House of Adams? You can bring your family, and we’ll treat you well."

"Ah, Duke, that’s not acceptable? Owl is a citizen of my territory. It would be more appropriate for him to serve me."

They seemed friendly just a moment ago, but they are nobles after all. If I’m not careful, I might end up serving one of them.

Well, if that happens, I won’t go down without a fight. I plan to make a big fuss and stand my ground.

"Ahahaha, thank you for the offer, but I’m only 10 years old. I’m planning to attend the Luina Magic Academy next year, so I can’t accept the offer to serve."

They’ve been good to me, and they could probably force me to serve them if they wanted to. But they didn’t, which shows they are capable nobles.

"Um, I see. If anything happens, please come to the House of Adams. Both Alice and I owe you a lot."

"That’s right. You might not know, but thanks to you, my territory is starting to flourish. I’m truly grateful. Please come to the House of Randalph if you need anything."

I’m really lucky to have such kind nobles as friends. If anything happens, I’ll rely on them without hesitation. There are limits to what a commoner can do, after all.

After that, the Duke and Margrave said they had to greet the king and left, but I was able to talk to various nobles.

I wonder why the Marquis of Listenia didn’t come. Did something happen?

The nobles seemed to misunderstand that I had a deep relationship with the Duke and Margrave, so they only chatted and didn’t try to recruit me.

Maybe the Duke and Margrave came first to clear the way for me.

"Luna, Yomi, should we go greet the king now?"

"Ah, okay. I don’t really want to, but let’s go."

I went to greet the king with Luna and Yomi, who had returned.

We lined up to greet the king, and when it was our turn, the king was on the throne with the prime minister standing beside him.

"It’s an honor to be invited to such an event."

"Good, good, you’re the stars of today. Relax more. And you’re a commoner, so you don’t need to be so formal."

"I appreciate that. Then, I’ll take your advice."

"Hmm, you’re Owl, right? I’m grateful for your efforts this time. Many people have been falling ill recently, and the knights weren’t at full strength. I’m not in the best shape either, but it’s probably just a sign of aging."

"Then, you should rest more. Or maybe try a potion?"

Potions can’t cure diseases in this world, but they can help restore some energy, which can boost the immune system.

To cure a disease, you’d need a high-level healing spell or a secret medicine like an elixir.

"I’m already drinking a potion every day, but the effect is not great."

There are few healers because the religious nation of Weissel has been poaching them. Even though I was given a healing spell, it only worked temporarily, and my condition worsened the next day.

"Then, if you don’t mind, I can try a healing spell. I can keep it confidential."

"Hmm, you can use a healing spell! ...It’s a waste to keep you as a commoner. Well, go ahead. I’ll try anything at this point."

"Then, I’ll cast 'Heal'."

Just in case, I said "Heal" but actually used "Perfect Heal."

The prime minister is a good person, but I don’t need to show all my cards.

I cast it with the intention of healing internal ailments and bad spots, so it should have some effect.

"Oh, oh! I feel better. I’m still a bit tired, but it’s lighter. Thank you."

"No, it’s the least I can do. I’ll take my leave now."

...

Even with Perfect Heal, the condition won’t improve immediately. I thought it was working well before, but maybe the effect varies from person to person.

"By the way, did you hear anything interesting from the nobles?"

"Well... We talked about various things, but there’s one thing that caught my attention."

"I might be thinking the same thing as Luna."

"What is it?"

"Luna, you go first. Actually, it’s about..."

"Oh, I see. I thought the same thing. The story I heard is..."

The content I heard from Luna and Yomi made sense.

Wait a minute...

If this hypothesis is correct, there might be another culprit besides the former Count Filir!

I need to confirm something with the former Count Filir.

This is just a hypothesis, but I need to tell the king quickly! The prime minister was there too!

After the greetings, I rushed to the king, who was talking to the prime minister.

"Your Majesty, I have something to ask!"

"What is it?"

"The stampede and the monster incident in the capital might have been caused by someone other than the former Count Filir!"

"What?!"

"Owl, is that true?!"

"To confirm, I need to talk to the former Count Filir. Where is he now?"

"He’s been interrogated, but he claims he knows nothing. He’s currently in the dungeon..."

"Then, I’ll go to the dungeon."

"Owl, I’ll lead the way. This way! Your Majesty, please wait here!"

"Luna and Yomi, gather more information here."

"However!!"

"I’ll be fine. I’m counting on you."

"Understood."

I rushed to the dungeon with the prime minister. On the way, I heard an interesting story from him.

"This is what I heard from a guard. The Marquis of Listenia has been visiting the former Count Filir several times recently. The reason is unknown..."

The Marquis of Listenia again. I don’t know why he approached me, but he definitely had a reason.

"By the way, I didn’t see the Marquis of Listenia at the party."

"Now that you mention it, he didn’t come to greet the king. Where is he? I heard he was supposed to attend the party..."

I have a bad feeling. It’s like bugs are crawling on my back.

"Prime Minister, let’s hurry. I have a bad feeling."

"I agree."

We ran to the dungeon, but the guards were nowhere to be seen.

"Weren’t there supposed to be guards in the dungeon...?!"

Before I could finish, I found the answer.

Two guards were lying on the ground, bleeding from their mouths. Neither of them was moving.

"What?! The guards are dead?! What happened...?"

I quickly approached the guards and cast Heal, but it had no effect. There were no visible wounds, but their pulses had stopped completely.

"Prime Minister! Let’s go to the former Count Filir’s cell!"

I borrowed the key hanging on the wall to open the cell.

"The former Count Filir is at the back!"

As we ran, I noticed that everyone in the dungeon seemed to be dead. They were all lying on the ground, bleeding from their mouths, with no visible wounds.

We continued running and found the former Count Filir, who was no longer breathing.

"But, who could have done this..."

The culprit is unknown, but the Marquis of Listenia, who visited here recently, might know something.

By the way, the prime minister mentioned that the Marquis of Listenia was planning a coup.

"Prime Minister, can I ask more about the Marquis of Listenia you mentioned yesterday?"

"Ah, yes. The Marquis of Listenia and a part of the 2nd Knight Regiment are plotting a coup. The 2nd Knight Regiment is known for its eccentric members and the many incompetent children of nobles. There were suspicions that the Filir family had been sending monsters to the regions for years. You might know this, but the stampede in Oren Village was also believed to be caused by the Filir family. We obtained information that the Marquis of Listenia has been in contact with some members of the 2nd Knight Regiment recently. After investigating independently, we found that the Marquis of Listenia has been using his subordinates to conduct various investigations in different regions for years. From this, we suspect that the Marquis of Listenia and the Filir family have been connected for a long time through the 2nd Knight Regiment."

...If what you just said is true, the absence of the Marquis of Listenia must have some meaning.

"I remember the stampede from when I was young. The absence of the Marquis of Listenia must have a reason. I’ll go look for him!"

"I’m hesitant to ask a child like you, but I’ll rely on you. However, I don’t know what the Marquis of Listenia is planning. You should be careful! I’ll report this to the king."

After parting ways with the prime minister, I spread my spatial awareness and aura detection throughout the capital.

I found the presence I felt when I encountered the Marquis of Listenia and the Horn Chimera at the edge of the capital.

This might be a hit.

With full body enhancement, I rushed to the scene and found the Marquis of Listenia and several knights surrounding someone.

The person they were surrounding was the butler from the Filir family I met in Oren Village.

"You’re the butler who attacked me in Oren Village! You’re alive!"

"You’re Owl? Why are you here?!"

The Marquis of Listenia reacted before the butler.

"Marquis of Listenia, you’ve been visiting the former Count Filir recently. Can you tell me why?"

"Now is not the time for that! I need to capture that man!"

I was wondering why the Marquis of Listenia was surrounding the butler.

Are they not allies...? Could it be a falling out and an attempt to silence him?

Either way, we can’t resolve this without settling the situation.

"I don’t understand the situation, but I’ll listen to the story after you capture him."

"I don’t expect you to handle this so easily."

The butler took a small bottle from his pocket and drank something, causing an unbelievable increase in magic power.

"What did you drink?!"

The Marquis of Listenia unexpectedly answered.

"Mad God’s Water...?"

Mad God’s Water. I’ve heard of it. It’s said to drop extremely rarely in dungeons and grants superhuman power temporarily, but the user will die 30 minutes after drinking it.

"Owl, meeting you here is fortunate. I’ll settle the score from last time here!"

The battle with the butler began.

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