4. Rynella’s fate is decided by Rynella (39)
Arthur, the imperial magistrate, said in a weak voice as always.
“… … Impossible.”
“No, the Dark Priest was found, but the Central Army isn’t coming?”
The conference room of Percus Mansion was now Arthur’s office.
The place where I am now conversing with Arthur was also in the conference room.
One of the noticeable changes since Arthur stayed in the conference room was that a single sleeping bag was placed in one corner.
It was a luxury product made from the fur of the ‘silver duck’ that lived in the north. I’ve heard that only a few of the adventurers who eat homelessness have it.
A sleeping bag is the result of the extravagance of an administrator who is said to be the best brain in the empire.
As much as that, it seemed that they often settled on lodging and meals outside.
Hagiya Arthur was famous for confining himself to the conference room even at the Percus Mansion. First of all, it was a reason to keep the nominal secrecy.
Of course, there was no such thing as staying in a comfortable room.
He always fell asleep soundly in a sleeping bag placed in the corner of the conference room. Even that, his sleep time was shorter these days, and his eyes were getting darker every day.
It was true that Arthur was suffering in many ways.
Nevertheless, I had no choice but to ask Arthur for additional efforts. It was because I didn’t understand it at all.
“You mean you don’t trust my testimony? As you said before, there are few people on the continent who are as close to the Dark Church as I am… … .”
“Of course I don’t mean that.”
It was Arthur’s assertion.
It was clear from his firm tone that Arthur trusted me. At least that was the case when it came to things related to the Dark Church.
Then it was only said that there was another reason.
As my questioning gaze turned to Arthur, he sighed and rummaged through the pile of paperwork. And not long after, he handed me a piece of paper.
I accepted the document silently.
The first line of the document, which took the form of a report, had a title in large letters.
‘Dark Priest Sighting Report’
“I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but after Sir Ian left, news of the sighting of the dark priest named ‘Mitram’ has been coming from all over the place. Only dozens of cases have been collected so far.”
Normally, this was impossible.
The fact that the same person was sighted in dozens of distant places was not information that could be found in an official imperial report rather than a collection of ghost stories.
Unfortunately, however, the protagonist of the sighting was Mitram.
A person outside of common sense who could switch between modified bodies at will.
A low-pitched curse flowed out of my mouth.
“… … Damn it.”
Somehow, I wanted to reveal my identity too simply.
If the eyewitness testimony was so dispersed, naturally, the forces that could be dispatched were also dispersed. Confusion was inevitable even if the empire, the holy kingdom, or the ten kingdoms joined together.
He wouldn’t have known where and how much power to project right away.
It was difficult to ask for power support in a rural area like the Percus Territory. Even if the Central Army were to be dispatched just in case, it would be only a small number.
So it didn’t work.
The disaster in the letter seemed to be an opponent whose victory could not be guaranteed even if the response was fully prepared. It was better than nothing, but it required more power.
The problem was that I had no physical evidence.
It was necessary to prove that the conspiratorial ‘real’ Mitram was in the Percus Territory among the Mitram’s sightings at the same time in dozens of places.
But right away I didn’t have the means to do that.
A sigh escaped from Arthur’s mouth, who was counting on my circumstances.
“I will do my best, but requests for additional assistance will most likely be rejected.”
I was crazy about the ‘dragon blood text’ for a moment.
If he brought out the dragon blood text and asked Arthur for additional power support, the situation could have been reversed at once.
But I couldn’t bear to do that.
It was an issue that even the administrator was dispatched by the emperor’s special order. If I requested full power support under the pretext of a dragon blood message, the news would reach the ears of the emperor.
And my dragon blood text was not from the emperor of the time.
It was a message that I, from the future, received from the emperor of the future. The probability that the Emperor still trusted me completely was low.
If so, the probability of handing over the military authority to me was also extremely low. Rather, it might be a decisive mistake at the point of gaining trust.
After biting my lips a few times, I eventually had to return to the original answer.
“… … We must gather evidence.”
“Yes, that’s for the best. Fortunately, there are talented people gathered here, including Rainella’s Magic Corps.”
It would have been easier to talk if the privates of the Yurdina family were mobilized, but it was impossible.
It was not an ordinary incident for someone else’s army to cross the border of the territory. Like the Rainella family, it was only possible through a separate official request and permission.
Still, the only consolation was the ability to mobilize an army of up to a thousand in case of emergency.
In addition, it had the effect of preventing Mitram from escaping in advance just by guarding the boundary of the territory.
It never occurred to me that Mitram would run away.
“I must meet Mr. Reynolds and my friends. If you investigate the forest where Mitram was seen, something will come out.”
“You have to be careful, Sir Ian.”
Arthur advised me in a worried tone.
“As Sir Ian said, if the main body of the Dark Priest is there, there must be a reason for its appearance.”
“… … We have to do our best.”
With that said, I left the conference room.
It was natural to be as careful as possible, but it was impossible to intentionally avoid the adventure in the yard where the crisis came to the territory.
The best I could do was just bring the best power.
I thought I should meet Mr. Reynolds at least once.
It seemed like it would be a good idea to discuss it with Leto. He’s so smart that he’ll give you lots of advice.
Especially about the ‘secret of the Percus family’ that bothered me.
As I thought about this and that, before I knew it, my body had arrived in the drawing room.
Because there were so many guests, the rooms in Percus Mansion were often occupied by someone. The only exception was the reception room.
It’s wide, so it’s not noticeable to one or two people.
I sat in the drawing room and quietly looked over the papers.
There are many points marked on the map. Some of them were located near large cities, and until Mitram was captured, it seemed that the empire would go into chaos for a while.
The scale of the match was too large for at least one Dark Priest.
How many dark priests like Mitram were there in the Dark Church, and among them, there must be those who enjoyed a particularly high position.
According to records from the time of the Shinma War, there were bishops and saints in the Dark Church.
It was an enemy whose strength was still unfathomable. I was as tired as a hunter facing a beast in the dark.
It was then that I felt an out of nowhere stare.
Through the gap in the door of the drawing room that was slightly open, long hair fell like a shadow.
There were many, many people with black hair in the Percus Mansion.
However, it was rare to see hair that boasted a length that went well beyond the hips.
The owner of such hair is the only one in the mansion.
Leah Percus, was my sister.
She was watching me with her eyes wide open.
“what’s the matter?”
“… … I wondered if he was the brother I knew.”
It was absurd.
I shook my head and said.
“If not the brother you know, who am I?”
“A swindler wearing an older brother’s mask!”
Then Leah started whining at me, as always.
“Ooh, my brother is not that strong! Without even looking at the papers with serious eyes! They don’t come with a string of women with outstanding social status and good looks!”
I had no choice but to click my tongue at Lia’s complaint and recite the truth of life.
“… … Lia, originally all humans grow up.”
“The growing season has passed a long time ago!”
Lia, who came into the drawing room with a sigh, looked very angry.
Since I love my older brother so much, it seemed that it was difficult for me to accept myself as an independent adult, leaving the arms of my family.
It might have been more so since I hadn’t had a chance to be alone with Lia for a while.
I said to Leah with a wry smile.
“So you seem to have grown a lot compared to before?”
“… … Heh, of course not.”
At the same time, Lia covered her mouth and smiled enchantingly, as if she had suddenly remembered.
Leah sneaked up next to me and sat down on the armrest of the chair I was sitting on.
Then, with a wormwood, he stuck out his butt and touched my arm.
I could feel the elastic woman’s body pressing against my arm.
“At least enough to bewitch your brother?”
Hearing that gentle voice, I let out a deep sigh.
“… … Get rid of the chunks of meat.”
“Go, chunks of meat?!”
It was a moment that stimulated Lia’s nerves again.