131 – You fell into a trap
The rumor spread surprisingly quickly.
In the first place, the relationship between the Duke of Ignis and the duchy it rules is so old that it can be said to have a history.
Public opinion about Duke Ignis is good in the duchy.
At one time, the dukedom suffered damage and suffered a crisis, but Prince Andrew, the current duke’s representative, did a good job of cleaning things up and made up for it.
In addition, as young and talented people gathered in the duchy, the popularity of the duchy increased significantly along with the great development of the duchy.
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Under that situation, the news of the marriage of the duke’s youngest daughter, Rielle Ignis, was one of the perfect topics to talk about among the duchy’s citizens.
There are also windbreakers brought in by the duke family, so rumors cannot help but spread.
“So, who is the opponent?”
“I thought they said he was the count’s eldest son…I couldn’t hear exactly where.”
“Hmm, then you will become a countess…”
“I also heard that the other person is currently staying at the Duke’s house.”
Well, starting with simple rumors like this.
“I heard it was Count Wentos…”
“If so, exchanges between the County of Wentos and the Dukedom of Ignis will become more active.”
“It can be said to be the greatest opportunity for us.”
“I also heard that the person responsible is sneaking around the duchy. There’s no harm in seeing him.”
Even rumors among merchants within the duchy, weighing pros and cons.
“I heard that she saved the princess when she was attacked by a villain.”
“Awesome! It’s a fateful meeting!”
…Well, the rumors were exaggerated and stories were created that never existed.
No matter what happened, it is no exaggeration to say that the rumor itself spread quickly and widely throughout the Dukedom.
And, what am I doing under that situation?
“Please give me one of these.”
“Yes! Here it is! The price is…”
I was wandering around the duchy.
Because the rumor had spread this far, it must have reached the ears of Alan, who was probably hiding somewhere.
As a bonus, rumors are spreading that I am active within the duchy, so he will be looking for me with his eyes lit.
So, I went sightseeing here and there as much as possible.
And behind me, there was a person wearing a maid uniform and training.
…She wasn’t Phyllis, who followed me like always.
“Would you like some?”
“…Yes.”
In the background, another person who was in charge of escorting was Rosa Mylan.
Mr. Rosa, a member of the Marcos Empire and Princess Lefia’s bodyguard, was accompanying him.
As Princess Lefia settled in the County of Wentos, Rosa, who quickly returned to the scene thanks to quick treatment and her own healing power, also stayed in the County.
Originally, Rosa would have continued her role as Princess Lefia’s escort.
The problem occurred when I was staying at the count’s mansion.
“…W…Are there only monsters here…?”
The number of servants working in our mansion is about dozens.
Half of them are just soldiers raised and operated by their mothers who do their daily work.
The problem was that those private soldiers were an inch or two stronger than Rosa, who had received rigorous training in the empire and was even in charge of guarding the princess.
Rosa Mylan’s pride and confidence… They weren’t that high to begin with… But they were completely shattered.
“…Princess, can you give me a little vacation?”
“Huh? Rosa has never taken a vacation so far, so he could give a lot if given, but…”
“Princess, I have painfully realized that Rosa is a frog in the well! As the princess’s escort, I will return by helping him stretch out his chest!!”
…Well, as long as Princess Lefia doesn’t go out of Arianrod Fortress, there won’t be any problems with her safety.
After being separated from Princess Lefia for a while, Rosa asked a favor to Phyllis, with whom she was somewhat acquainted.
Contacting her mother, she asked him to train her.
The mother must have liked Rosa, and she readily accepted the request…
“Ah…Hello…Kkeuuu…”
Over the next few days, she saw her sad face a few times.
And when I left for the Duchy of Ignis after receiving the letter reporting Alan Ludwig, my mother told me to take Rosa with me.
Since you have been training hard, I would like to help you gain practical experience.
So this time, it was not Phyllis, but Rosa who was following behind under the pretext of accompanying me.
“There are no suspicious people around yet.”
“…Well, it won’t show up anytime soon.”
And now that I think about it, it was actually a good situation that Rosa, rather than Phyllis, accompanied us this time.
That guy, Alan, was treated harshly by Phyllis right before he was expelled from the kingdom.
If Phyllis was accompanying him, there was a possibility that he might be wary of Phyllis and not show up.
“Shall we try to stand out a little?”
“Uh…What are you going to do?”
“…The biggest merchant in this city…Over there.”
Shortly, rumors began to circulate that the eldest son of Count Wentos was meeting with merchants in each city.
As I said before, rumors about me were spreading even among merchants.
Actually, there were some items that had not yet been opened for trade with our county, so I went around meeting with merchants to find them.
“Then, I’ll meet you formally next time.”
“Yes…Yes!! I’ll be waiting!!”
I actually had my eye on a few good merchants, and since I’m always looking for large-scale merchants… I think I stood out in a way.
And, it definitely came to me as a result.
“…Kyou-sama.”
“Huh?”
“We found it. Now it’s secretly watching us.”
… Sure, I couldn’t see it very well, but I felt a presence.
An eerie figure is secretly following us.
I don’t know if it was Alan or someone else, but it was clear that someone had been caught.
“…Stay away from me naturally, let the duchy’s private soldiers know your location and follow me secretly. And as for my location…”
“…I understand.”
Roza nodded slightly at my words and spoke loudly.
“Oh! I left my wallet! Master, please go first!!”
“…Okay, follow me slowly.”
After saying that, Rosa ran quickly and got away from me.
After that, I felt her hiding her presence from some distance away.
… Perhaps thanks to the training she received from her mother, she was hiding her presence better than when she first met him.
I stayed for a while at the place where I parted ways with Rosa, and then moved out of the village.
It felt like I was tired of waiting and wanted to go for a walk.
…Actually, it may be a ridiculous action, but I thought that Alan would get caught.
And it actually happened.
An unpleasant figure quietly following behind me.
After checking that, I walked into the forest outside the village.
In the forest, we reach the river flowing into the village.
“There is a river in this place.”
…Well, I originally knew there was a river, but I said that on purpose, as if I came this way without thinking.
As I looked around the river, I looked for signs of people secretly watching me.
…It seems they are more cautious than I thought and have no intention of attacking them right away.
“…Should I at least dip my feet in it? Hmm…”
Not yet?
I suppressed my feelings of feeling a little frustrated and raised the tension.
I thought he was a simple and stupid guy, but he is surprisingly cautious.
Then…
“Would it be a good idea to prepare a gift for Sir…?”
It would be good to make it so that it cannot be cut without attacking.
“I still won’t leave Riel, saying ‘Mommy~ Mom’… Please take care of my father at least a little bit…”
Swish!!
Hey.
This is definitely a provocation.
At the sudden sight of a sharp presence, I threw myself to the side.
“What are you? Are you a thief?”
A one-armed man without a left arm, wearing dirty rags like a hood.
Hmm, the sighting information is exactly as written in the report.
“…Kyou Wentos!!”
“What is it, Alan Ludwig? Was it you? I didn’t recognize you because your tail was so ugly.”
“Die!!”
Alan attacks, swinging the sword held in his right arm.
However, its speed and power are significantly weaker than before.
I easily dodged the sword he swung and grabbed his right hand by the neck.
“Why are you like this? You have no strength like this.”
“You bastard…!! You bastard!!”
“I always show that I can’t learn and can’t do well.”
When he broke the guy’s wrist, Alan dropped his knife as if he couldn’t hold on any longer.
After kicking the guy and sending him flying far away, he stepped on the dropped sword with his foot.
“Hey. You still don’t understand?”
“……What?”
“You fell into a trap.”
“Kung!!”
As soon as I finished speaking, there was a loud crying sound.
The summoned baduki was running towards me.
And Rosa runs this way, guided by Baduki.
Many of the duchy’s soldiers were following behind her.
“……!!”
Allan gritted his teeth as he saw the operative soldiers coming out and forming an encirclement in an instant.
“You can’t run away now. Surrender quietly.”
“You coward…!!”
“What’s the point of cowardice in a criminal bastard?”
Alan’s expression crumpled after hearing what I said.
However, I noticed that the corner of that guy’s mouth was twisted.
And the guy stretches his hands up…
“Get ready for the big flash!! He’s there again…!!”
“It’s already too late! Fairy! To the light…!!”
A flash of light emitted by a light fairy previously used in the royal capital.
Everyone covered their eyes and thickened the siege when they saw that they were trying to use it again.
“……”
“……Huh?”
However, nothing happened.
…Alan’s summoned animal, the Fairy of Light, did not appear.
“What…What…Why doesn’t it come out…”
“…Redeploy the siege network. Please be careful though.”
“Come out!! Come out, Mina!! Why aren’t you coming out!!”
Mina, probably the name of the fairy of light.
But no matter how much I call, the fairy of light does not come out.
I don’t know what’s going on, but I can still feel a lot of magical energy in his body, so it’s not like he lacks magical energy.
And something like refusing a summons cannot happen once the contract has already been signed.
Then there is only one possibility left.
“…Is the contract broken?”
“Is it… Cut off?”
“I don’t know what happened, but it looks like he was abandoned by his summons.”
Instead of answering, Alan glared at me sharply.
In the meantime, Rosa approached me and held out her sword.
“Kyo-san, here is the sword.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I took my sword and pulled it out, and Alan’s sword was at my feet.
I kicked it and returned it to Alan.
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Allen, who had picked up the sword, turned his gaze to me as if he did not understand the situation.
“Pull it out.”
“…What?”
“He’s already weak and unarmed, so I’m reluctant to fight him.”
At those words, Alan’s expression became grim.
“Don’t worry, the soldiers won’t do anything and will just surround you.”
“…You…”
“I’m the only one dealing with you. Hurry up and attack me.”
“I mean, be careful when you look down on me!!”
Alan runs screaming.
…But, what should I say?
It was really weak.
Alan Ludwig was horribly weakened.
He is better than when he was at the academy, but he has become weaker than when we met him in the royal capital not long ago.
Because my left arm is gone? No, even if the left arm is gone, this decline in combat power is strange.
…As if the power I had was gone.
Alan was weakened.
In the forest, after being defeated by Kyouwentos, Alan begins to be restrained by soldiers.
Even though he was restrained, he resisted by screaming and shaking his hands and feet.
Because his resistance was so strong, he was eventually beaten unconscious by the soldiers and taken into custody.
Alan, dressed in rags and looking shabby, was dragged away by the soldiers.
“……”
And far away from that place, a small fairy was quietly watching the scene.
Soon, as Alan was dragged out of the forest, the fairy also disappeared from the spot.