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Chapter 217 – The Vampire and Elf Cleanup Part 3
The next morning, I put on a dress from my closet and headed to the castle.
Although I hadn’t been told to bring anything specific, I decided to take some healing and sleeping potions. I borrowed a small bag from the maid, but Marchia stopped me before I could walk there.
“We’ll have a carriage ready immediately. Please wait.”
“Isn’t it within walking distance?”
“It would interfere with the common folk’s morning work.”
Indeed, just outside the merchant guild, a fruit vendor saw me and knocked over a crate of apples. A coachman also stopped his carriage and looked my way.
“But everyone saw me every day just half a year ago.”
“East Kenya has changed, you see.”
I boarded the carriage and headed for the castle visible ahead. Fewer people were heading toward the castle than when I had been there before. Perhaps there were too many people to employ at the castle.
The government office next to the castle was also empty.
Had the vitality simply faded away?
Last night, when I went out to buy dinner, it seemed like thieves or monsters had invaded the town. Maybe security has worsened, making life difficult for people.
I tied up both the night thief and the monster with cargo ropes and left them in front of the Adventurers’ Guild. Maybe I should have left them in front of the guards’ quarters instead.
No, I should stop worrying about such things. After all, right now, I am the special envoy from the demonic land.
“Good morning. The lord is currently dining, so please wait a moment.”
After entering the castle, I was made to wait in a reception room overlooking the courtyard.
The furnishings felt suffocating, so I stepped out onto the walkway facing the courtyard and waited on a bench. More flowers had been added to the courtyard: rows of vividly colored blooms brought from the south. The season felt lost.
Had the newly appointed noble bought them from other nobles, or were they searching for a place to belong out of misplaced pride?
Birds chirped, and a black cat—someone’s familiar—watched me from the rooftops. I could tell it was a familiar because it was only looking at me. I called out to the cat and caught it.
“If you want to investigate the demonic land, go directly. I’m not stopping you. It’s just that you won’t survive.”
I let go, and the cat ran off.
Immediately after the cat left, I was summoned to the office. The lady of the house was also present.
“Sylvia-sama!”
Even though he is the lord, he apparently uses honorifics with me.
After I entered the room, the couple stood rigidly, not moving an inch and staring at me.
“Make yourselves comfortable. As I mentioned when I visited, I was exiled from East Kenya. I have no intention of returning. Let’s sit and talk.”
“Yes…”
They both sat down, so I sat down too. A maid came immediately and prepared tea.
“It looks like you called for Makyo, but he won’t be coming. I came instead. Is something wrong?”
“Well, when I met Makyo-san before, he arrived and left quickly, so I doubted if it was really him. I ended up being terribly rude. I’m so sorry.”
“No, he said he came to greet you. Oh, I see. He doesn’t mind, so don’t worry about it.”
“But he didn’t come to dinner that night either…”
“That man isn’t even of noble birth to begin with. He truly doesn’t care. In fact, I think he’s probably forgotten your name.”
“Ah! My name is Fazal! I believe I met Sylvia-sama once when she was a baby.”
“Is that so? Apparently, the royal family traced some distant relatives. I’m the one who should apologize for putting you through such trouble. Have the other nobles been bullying you?”
“Nothing like that…”
“I saw the courtyard. The seasonal flowers have dwindled. Instead, southern blooms were brought in. Is that the lady of the house’s hobby?”
“Well, no… it’s just…”
The lady seemed at a loss for words.
“If it’s a hobby, I hope you’ll continue it. But if not, you should stop immediately. You don’t need to buy things just because they’re recommended or because it’s a tradition. You might receive invitations to parties, but you don’t have to go or dance. If you genuinely believe it benefits the East Kenya family, then go.”
“Yes, I try to do that as much as possible. But sometimes invitations arrive without explanation, and before you know it, problems arise and responses are neglected.”
Looking back, Mother had struggled too.
“We’re a clan of vampires, you see. That alone can make us seem intimidating to common folk. So, when we try to be kind, we end up getting pressured into buying things or meeting their demands. It’s better to set clear boundaries and listen carefully.”
“Understood. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“So, the issues on the desk are the problems that have come up in the last six months?”
“That’s correct.”
The problems were piled high.
Since they seemed organized, I decided to quickly glance through them.
“Disasters, bridge damage—as tax collectors, this is your basic duty. Implement all of it. Select contractors by lottery. If any bribery is found, condemn it immediately. Since new projects are declining, announce support for new entrepreneurs.”
They all said “Yes” as Fazal began signing, including the lady of the house.
“It looks like the crops will be bountiful this year. Prices are falling, and fertilizer is expensive. If you have anything in storage that can be made into jam or pickles, the demonic land will buy it. Now that the trading village has been established, just send it there.”
“Understood.”
“We’re receiving many inquiries from the Elven Kingdom. Mostly about dragons, I suppose. The dragons have awakened, and we’re investigating the effects of the Dragonbone. As for the elves, things might get too chaotic for them to care about that, so keep a close watch. They could be sowing the seeds of rebellion.”
“We’ll handle it immediately.”
“Then there’s the illegal arms trade. Do we know who’s making these?”
“According to reports, it’s likely homemade.”
“Then it’s a major issue. Are the victims beekeepers? That points to the mountains. Because they’re near the demonic land, the earth’s veins might have shifted, causing the hornets to appear. I’ll go eliminate them.”
“If Sylvia-sama goes…”
“Credit it to the guards. Is there anything else?”
“Some mercenaries want to establish a guild, but…”
The lady timidly showed the paper and asked.
“There were night raiders yesterday, too. Are there a lot of disputes between people?”
“Well… It seems that the remnants who escaped the demonic land are still hiding in the mountains.”
“What are the guards doing about it?”
“These bandits are apparently hardened fighters trying to reenter the demonic land. They say the magical firepower is different and that the current guards can’t handle it. However, some who were outraged by this are trying to form a mercenary guild. It feels like there’s something behind it…”
“If they want to come to the demonic land, let them come. It could be a setup. All right, then. Let’s go see this magical firepower. I agree to the formation of the mercenary guild, but on the condition that they train at the military’s border facilities. That should reveal if there’s an ulterior motive.”
“Understood.”
“That’s about it, I suppose.”
“”Yes.””
“Thank you.”
The documents on the desk were gone.
“Well, then. I’m off to check on the bandits and monsters.”
“…Ha.”
Fazal was still bewildered.
“Could you tell the guards to come later on horseback?”
“Understood.”
The lady of the house was still of sound mind.
“Stay married, you two.”
With that, I handed over the healing and sleeping potions, then exited through the window.
With that, the dress had served its purpose.
I went to the town tailor, traded in the dress, and changed into clothes that were easier to move in.
With the leftover money, I bought a knife and a leather breastplate. Then, I ran toward the mountain where a beekeeper had reportedly been attacked by a monster.
I emerged from the back alleys, though I was seen. No one pursued me, though.
I reached the orchard shortly after starting to run and headed toward the eastern mountains. I knew the way well and wouldn’t get lost.
I asked the orchard owner for the exact location of the damage.
“You look like Sylvia-san, the daughter of the previous lord.”
“Is that so? Actually, it’s me.”
“Huh!?”
“I live in the demonic land now. Did you come to slay monsters? Is the monster a Vespa Hornet?”
“Vespa?”
“A giant bee monster?”
“That’s right!”
The old man suddenly became serious and buttoned his shirt. He looked uncomfortable.
“Then a knife won’t do. I can’t cut monsters with magic yet. Could you lend me an axe or a hatchet? I’ll sharpen it and return it.”
“Please. Take it.”
“Thank you.”
I took the axe and hatchet and climbed the mountain. The beekeeper’s house that the orchard man had pointed out was already half collapsed and burned to the ground.
Buzz…
Straining my ears, I heard the distant buzz of insect wings.
I channeled magic into my legs and started running. Once I spotted the Vespa Hornet, I accelerated.
I split their heads open with the axe and severed their wings with the machete. Transfer onto the flying Vespa hornets and repeat. Since the tools were borrowed, I finished them off with the minimum necessary attacks.
Unlike in the demonic land, these predators moved sluggishly. They were unaware that they were about to die and had let their guard down.
What remained were flesh-ball-like monsters. Fenrir’s child was left behind in the shade of the trees.
The flesh balls were Fenrir’s parents, who had apparently hidden their child from the Vespa Hornets.
I searched the area but found no other Vespa hornets. Only purple, magic-imbued potatoes were growing. Deformed flowers bloomed around them.
“Is it because of the changed flow of the Earth’s veins?”
I burned the potatoes and flowers, then buried them in the soil.
Kuun.
“You survived, huh?”
I was soothed for a moment by the white, fluffy creature. Its fur wasn’t sharp like a sword, and its fangs were underdeveloped. Even when it scratched me with its claws, it didn’t leave any marks.
I returned to the orchard and handed back the sharpened axe and hatchet.
“I don’t think they’ll appear again for a while. But if they do, be sure to properly request help from the Adventurers’ Guild. Also, one of Fenrir’s cubs survived. How about raising it? If you start raising it while it’s young, it should make a good monster deterrent.”
“Yes, understood. Um, would you like to eat with us? If I don’t do anything for Sylvia-san when she arrives, the old hag will kill me.”
Looking up at the sky, I saw that it was just noon. Maybe I’ll meet the bandits after my nap.
“I’ll take you up on that. Also, it’d be helpful if you could prepare a blanket for napping.”
“We have one freshly laundered, so please!”
Outside the main house, tables were set with large platters of food. A sun-weathered, stout couple approached. Their gnarled fingers were bent and would never straighten again.
“Hardworking hands.”
They said their knees were bad, too, so I gave them some recovery cream.
Then the neighbors started gathering. They said their daughter and her husband would come by in the evening.
“What is Sylvia-sama doing now?”
“I run an armory in the demonic land. Right now, I’m just here in East Kenya in the lord’s stead. I’m having trouble finding weapons and armor suitable for the demonic land’s lord.”
“Weapons?”
“More than weapons, what kind of weapon do you think suits a man with such high physical prowess?”
I was at a loss, too, so I asked the people in the orchard.
“What kind of physical abilities?”
“First, he doesn’t use an axe to cut trees. He uses his fingers. To dig holes, he holds his hand out and scoops the soil out with it. Plus, he punches monsters made of iron to defeat them, and attacks just bounce off him.”
“What is he? That person?”
“He’s eccentric.”
Talking about Makyo is so bizarre that it makes you laugh. The orchard folks are laughing, too. That man really is strange.
The Fenrir child, who seemed lonely after its parents died, is now sitting on the orchard lady’s lap. I hope it stays close to her.
I stole some fruit wine in broad daylight, took a sip, and fell asleep.
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