Chapter 44
Chapter 44
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Counterattack
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"I'm Inon. Who might you be?"
"Me? A knight of the Frontier."
"What brings a knight like you all the way out here? And why are you looking for me?"
"The Madam wishes to see you."
A knight of the Frontier calling someone "Madam"...
'Brilda?'
Brilda Frontier.
The lady of the Frontier house.
And the enemy of his lord.
"Why would the lady of the Frontier be looking for a mere mercenary like me?"
"As you say... we don't need some no-account mercenary. Just follow me."
As he listened to the knight, Inon kept thinking.
Should he follow?
Or refuse?
And if they kept pressing, should he fight?
Generally speaking, a knight was stronger than a mercenary.
'But in this situation...'
Mercenaries 20 vs. Knight 1.
And they weren't just any mercenaries.
All of them could wield mana.
'If we fought, we could win... but...'
He set aside the thought of combat.
The risks were too high.
It could make things far worse than simply going along.
As Inon pondered, his eyes fell on the towering stacks of barrels.
"Even if the lady herself is calling for me, I can't go."
"What did you say!? You dare defy the Madam's orders?!"
Inon sheathed his sword.
Then he raised both hands and shrugged his shoulders.
"Noble orders matter to knights, not scum like me. All I care about is selling off this mountain of troll blood quick as I can."
"You bastard..."
The knight lowered his stance, gripping his sword hilt.
At his skill level, he could close the distance and strike in an instant.
Inon lowered his own stance.
'He's awfully hot-blooded. What now...'
He'd tried talking it out, but it wasn't working.
'Guess I have no choice but to go along?'
Fighting was the worst option.
Even winning against the knight wouldn't solve anything.
The moment he made up his mind to speak,
"Enough."
A woman's voice came from the forest.
Goosebumps prickled across Inon's skin.
He hadn't heard a single sign of anyone else besides the knight.
'Someone else was there? How did she get so close?'
Even after hearing her voice, he couldn't pinpoint her exact location.
The silver lining was that the knight relaxed his attack stance at the sound of the woman's voice.
'A woman who can command a Frontier knight. Skilled enough to hide her presence from an Expert.'
He couldn't guess who she might be.
"Dispose of the byproducts and head straight to the Frontier manor. You mustn't keep the Madam waiting."
The knight turned away without waiting for a reply.
As if refusal was utterly out of the question.
Step. Step.
Step. Step.
Inon closed his eyes and focused.
The knight's footsteps rang clear.
The direction.
The distance.
He could sense it all.
'But where the hell is the woman? How is she making zero noise?'
"Captain, what do we do?"
"Everyone, rest up. We head back to the outpost at first light."
Alf Village.
Outer farmlands.
He knelt reverently, clasping his hands together.
'Demonic Energy Removal'
He felt the demonic energy in the surrounding earth fade away.
'Demonic Energy Removal'
'Demonic Energy Removal'
'...'
He cast the skill several times, moving to different spots.
Once his mana was spent, he stood.
'Definitely more efficient now.'
Since Earth Restoration evolved into Demonic Energy Removal, it had specialized against 'demonic energy.'
Even accounting for the level-up, the efficiency had improved.
"Take a short break, then over there..."
As he decided the next spot for demonic energy removal,
a group of mercenaries approached the village.
Inon was at their head.
I brushed the dirt from my knees and walked toward them.
"L-Lord... Elwin-nim, good day."
Inon started to say "lord" but glanced around and used my name instead.
"How was the hunt?"
"We took down a bunch of trolls. As you can see, we got a lot of troll blood too."
After some light chatter, Inon scanned the surroundings again.
Then he lowered his voice.
So quiet even I could barely hear, standing right in front of him.
"I have urgent matters to report."
"Come to the central temple in one hour."
"Understood."
Inon and the mercenaries entered the village,
and I tidied up the area.
Inon's demeanor hadn't been normal.
One hour later,
Alf Village central temple.
Inside the temple.
There, I met with Inon.
"So, a Frontier knight came looking for you? All the way to the troll zone?"
"Yes."
"Brilda wants to see you?"
"Yes."
Why would Brilda want Inon?
No, there was something to confirm first.
"What did the knight look like?"
"He was tall and burly. Fierce-looking, hot-tempered too."
I asked a few more questions and could guess who it was.
"Sounds like Pauron."
Pauron.
A knight of the Frontier.
But unlike the regular Frontier knights, he was the one Brilda had brought with her upon marriage.
If Pauron was moving, it was definitely on Brilda's orders.
But...
"You heard a woman's voice? And Pauron obeyed her?"
"Yes. Their hierarchy was clear. And I couldn't sense the woman's presence at all. She's either incredibly skilled or..."
"Or?"
"Or she's specialized in stealth."
Even from Inon's description, no one came to mind.
The only woman in the Frontier who could order Pauron around was Brilda.
No point dwelling on her identity here.
I moved to the next topic.
"I don't know who the woman is either. She didn't say why she wanted you?"
"No."
If Brilda was after Inon, it had to be because of me.
To interfere with what I'm doing,
or maybe even plan an assassination.
Or perhaps to build rapport now for later use.
The Innocents were the largest mercenary group on the island, after all.
"Sell the monster byproducts, then go straight to Brilda."
"Pardon?"
This was an opportunity.
Until now, I'd only caught on to Brilda's schemes after they'd already played out, reacting after the fact.
But this time, I knew in advance.
And she'd approached my subordinate, Inon.
"Meet Brilda and find out what she's planning. Also, investigate who's backing her."
Brilda had seized control of the Frontier retainers.
Overwhelmingly so.
How?
Just her own skills?
Maybe she had backing.
'Not her birth family, Paonia. There has to be something else.'
Paonia's ancestors were fallen nobles who flowed into the island.
As far as I knew, they still hadn't recovered their fortunes.
"Understood, my lord."
Inon dropped to one knee in a knight's salute.
Watching him, a thought occurred to me.
What was most important for a spy?
Skill.
And loyalty.
I couldn't boost his skills right now.
All I could do was tell him to be careful.
"Watch out for the maid Anna at the manor."
"The maid?"
"Don't underestimate her just because she's a maid. She's sharp."
I recalled the banquet hall incident.
Anna openly contradicting me.
'She was pretty sharp.'
"And be wary of that mystery woman too. If things go south, skip investigating Brilda's background."
"Understood."
What about loyalty, then?
As a spy, he'd meet Brilda.
She could offer good rewards.
Relationships would form there too.
Would he still follow me?
Even when closer to Brilda than to me?
'He will.'
Inon and I were bound through the Goddess.
"Inon, what do you think of this temple? Like it?"
Inon rose from his kneel.
He looked around.
"It has a different grandeur from Terra's. The Goddess will be pleased."
"Good. I'll build villages at the other two outposts too. And a grand central temple in the middle."
"Every time I see you, my lord, I feel my own shortcomings."
"Shortcomings?"
Inon's gaze turned to the Goddess statue.
"I hear you kneel and pray every day. And you build temples this grand. Your faith is like the sea."
"Uh... yeah... thanks. Join in on the third temple build. Let's make another magnificent one."
"Yes, my lord! I'll complete this mission no matter what!!"
Inon gave a retainer’s salute and left the temple.
'This time will be different, Stepmother.'
Once Inon was far enough away,
I left the temple too.
Plenty of preparations to make.
Inon selected a few trusted mercenaries and headed for the Frontier's heartland.
On the way, he thought.
About how to perfectly carry out his lord's orders.
'He told me not to push too hard, but I'll succeed for sure. Then I'll pray at the temple with him.'
Inon pondered more intensely than ever before in his life.
His conclusion:
'A bit rough around the edges. Make it so others don't want to approach. Keep an eye on that maid Anna too...'
"Captain, we've arrived at the lord's manor."
He looked up at his subordinate's voice.
The manor stood before him.
'I'm the mercenary Inon. I'm the mercenary Inon.'
He repeated it to himself several times.
Then spat on the ground.
"Ptooey!"
"C-Captain?"
"You lot act a bit rowdy too. Like rough mercenaries. Nothing too extreme."
"A-Alright."
Inon approached the manor.
Along the way, he mussed up his neatly combed hair.
"Hey! I hear the lady's looking for me! Open the damn gate!"
The guards escorted him to the reception room inside the manor.
As he waited there,
a maid entered.
"I'll take you to the Madam."
"Ptooey! Called me all the way here just to make me wait, huh."
Inon grumbled irritably.
He stood and approached the maid.
"So, what's your name, girlie?"
The maid didn't avoid his gaze.
"I'm Anna, the Madam's personal maid."