How a Wizard Survives (25)
How a Wizard Survives (25)
The king's birthday banquet transformed in an instant into a victory celebration.
I had gone from guard to guest before I knew it, and I stood frozen stiff.
Contrary to my fear that the mood would sour because some nobody had stolen the glory, the crowd's reaction was surprisingly favorable.
First, the king was satisfied because neither the Wizardveins nor the Einholds had seized the credit.
Reinhardt was also satisfied, because the Inquisition had ended up claiming the credit regardless.
The Einholds did not seem particularly aggrieved either, and the other nobles could not openly defy the king.
My absent teacher would likely have been satisfied too.
The princess's choice had pleased everyone involved in the battle.
'Who knew that being an obscure commoner could ever work to my advantage...'
The king, who had promised me a considerable reward, wanted to appoint me a knight outright, but I barely declined by citing my position as Katrina's squire.
In the first place, I only engaged Chainfist in close combat for a few moments.
Even that would have gotten me smashed to pieces in seconds without the support.
My opinion did not matter.
Katrina and Angelica were already teasing me relentlessly.
The sight of Katrina offering me food with her characteristic expressionless face was genuinely terrifying.
"O hero who struck down the Binding Demon Chainfist. Please try this as well."
"L-Lady Katrina. Please..."
"What, now that you've risen in the world, you won't even give me the time of day?"
The princess who started this whole mess watched me with a giggle.
Meanwhile.
Seated beside the king, Reinhardt received treatment while remaining in his chair.
As a splint was set to his broken arm and bandages wrapped around it, he pressed the king relentlessly.
"Your Majesty. Now is precisely the moment to begin the war against the demons."
"W-War, you say..."
"If the bastards thought so little of us that they would pull a stunt like this in the middle of the royal palace, staying silent now might convince everyone to scorn Your Majesty and Reshutal alike!"
The king and even the Einhold family head beside him looked slightly appalled at such a hard-line stance, but...
The king infuriatingly evaded the issue with one excuse after another.
"Scorn, you say. Did you and your Heretic Inquisitors not drive them off soundly? Continue to do the same henceforth."
"The Inquisition's methods are mere stopgaps. So long as demons persist, mages will keep appearing."
"Yet I cannot sacrifice my people and knights on a whim."
After a lengthy war of words, they settled on a compromise: increased funding for the Front Lines.
The king was afraid that something like this might happen again.
If the demons began to move in earnest, humanity's leaders would become their primary targets.
The banquet, far more exhausting than any fight against demons, did not end until nightfall.
Unable to even leave work, I returned straight to the Inquisition branch and had to enter the conference room.
Reinhardt, who had obtained intelligence on Ulysses, the Wizard of Change, forced an emergency briefing despite his injuries.
With little confirmed information, only Katrina, Reinhardt's adjutant, a librarian, and I attended.
"As expected, Ulysses was in Reshutal! According to witness reports, the bastard was brazenly moving about in his true appearance, posing as a noble."
"I-Is that truly his real appearance?"
The consequences of revealing his identity were already closing in.
When I asked nervously, Reinhardt nodded with conviction.
"Even he could not afford to waste mana fighting demons. The fact that he was posing as a noble makes it nearly certain."
"He is much younger than I expected."
The librarian from the Inquisition Branch's archive spoke with a cautious expression.
But was a librarian really supposed to be in a meeting like this?
As our discomfort at his presence began to show...
Reinhardt stepped up to defend him.
"This fellow, Wikia, has been gathering intelligence on Ulysses under my orders. He will be of considerable help in tracking the bastard down. He analyzes the bastard's behavior patterns and psychological state to narrow the list of suspects."
"...Uncle. Isn't catching heretics a matter of Inquisitors taking to the streets themselves?"
Even Katrina, who trusted Reinhardt wholeheartedly, raised a careful question.
Honestly, to those of us who ran around suffering in the field, a librarian was difficult to trust.
But Reinhardt remained confident.
"Have I ever been so poor at catching heretics?"
"No, that is not what I meant..."
"Locating those Transformation Mages last time was also thanks to Wikia's efforts. No need to overthink it. It is the same work a hunter does when chasing prey, just a little more complicated. We call this profiling."
So this was the secret behind Reinhardt's superior intelligence network.
I was inwardly lamenting what a formidable opponent Reinhardt was when Wikia stepped forward.
"We have learned a great deal thanks to this incident. Ah, for reference, the one who was the ringleader, Duke Duermin's disciple, was in fact..."
"The very man Jaeger and I captured in the Noble Quarter."
So my suspicion had been right.
The librarian with the unusual name, Wikia, nodded slightly and laid out his deductions.
Unfortunately, his deductions were disturbingly accurate.
"Ulysses, the Wizard of Change, is a far more powerful mage than the Inquisition previously knew. At first glance, he might seem to possess a desire to show off, but in truth, it is certain that unavoidable circumstances forced him to intervene in the battle."
"Well, if he had any desire to show off, he would have been caught long ago."
"Exactly. Compared to the power Ulysses possesses, witness reports are extremely scarce. The bastard is very cautious and will employ any means necessary. Once he sets his mind to something, he shows no hesitation, but he also possesses the patience to wait when needed."
The librarian even roughly deduced Ash's existence.
"Ever since Your Excellency took up this post, the Reshutal Inquisition Branch has always proceeded with its investigations presuming the use of Transformation Magic. Yet before Ulysses showed himself directly, we could not find even the smallest clue. He must have an exceptionally capable fellow mage. For reference, it is highly likely that their specialty is non-combat oriented."
"Hmm..."
Though I was worried at first, each of his deductions carried its own reasoning.
My mouth went dry as I asked a question.
Asking too few questions here would also look suspicious.
"Ulysses posed as a noble in his true appearance, correct? Exactly what sort of act did he put on?"
"Under his assumed identity, the bastard committed no particular misdeeds. He attended every social gathering without fail, but... it was probably a simple reconnaissance identity."
Accurate.
Ulysses had not put much effort into his noble identity.
Ash was deeply involved in his plans.
'He probably observed the nobles and made puppets out of them or something.'
Just as I listened anxiously to the briefing, he finally began to miss the mark.
Ulysses was far too careful for this line of inquiry to lead directly to him.
"First, I will proceed with the investigation focusing on his fellow mage. Mages powerful enough to associate with him are hardly common."
"Yes. It should go without saying at this point, but if any of you obtain even the smallest clue, report to me immediately. Nngh..."
Reinhardt, who had been speaking while habitually clenching his fist, grimaced at the pain.
His adjutant and squire, Marcus, chuckled softly as he spoke.
"Your Excellency should rest now. A broken arm will not mend itself through fighting spirit."
"Nngh, I will not be able to go into the field for a while. Dismissed, then! You have all worked hard, so you may rest tomorrow."
I was covered in full-body bruises, and the leave was only a single day.
Even so, with demons having appeared in the capital, there was no taking it easy.
Reinhardt himself was far more seriously injured than I was, yet he would probably still come to work.
Suppressing the urge to immediately rush off to the smithy, I slowly rose from my seat.
The sun had long since set.
First, I escorted Katrina to her quarters, where she hesitated oddly before saying goodbye.
When I spoke first, she blurted out something unexpected.
"Lady Katrina. Then I shall see you the day after tomor..."
"Ah... what a pity. If it were not for me, you might well have received a knighthood."
Was she still nursing a grudge about that?
I chuckled at her adorable sulking and replied sincerely.
"At this point, remaining as your squire, Lady Katrina, is far better than becoming some mere knight."
"D-Do not say things you do not mean... What is so good about getting caught up in battles like this every time!"
"Don't knights fight too?"
"Well, that is true, but..."
After I finally calmed the strangely agitated Katrina, she swallowed dryly and made an awkward suggestion.
"The sun has already set today, so how about you sleep here before you go? On your way home, you could be attacked by heretics."
"Pardon? But..."
It was certainly true that the Reshutal Inquisition Branch was spacious.
They could probably lend me a room.
If it really came down to it, I could use the infirmary under the pretext of full-body bruising.
But I wanted to return to the smithy even a little sooner.
"If a heretic appears, I will cut them down and go."
"...Fine. Do as you please, Demon Slayer."
"Aagh, you are doing it again! Then I shall see you the day after tomorrow. Please rest well tomorrow as well, Lady Katrina."
Parting ways with Katrina to leave work was always a difficult and sorrowful affair.
Today was no exception.
Leaving her standing there and watching me go, I slipped out of the Inquisition branch into the darkened streets.
The Reshutal of night was so gloomy and eerie that it was easy to understand why Katrina had worried about me.
The city's characteristic vitality had vanished entirely, leaving only cold stillness.
Not long after I left the Inquisition branch, however, I encountered another obstacle.
An unfamiliar carriage rolled up in front of me.
It stopped squarely in my path.
Wondering if it really was a heretic, I tensed up, but then I saw a familiar crest on the carriage's side.
'Why is the road home always so long and harsh... Wait? Is that not the crest of the Einhold Family?'
Just as I relaxed my guard, the carriage door opened, and the Einhold family head appeared.
He invited me in without a moment's hesitation.
The carriage looked incredibly spacious and cozy.
"Sir Jaeger. Might I have a moment?"
"S-Sir, you say! I am hardly some kind of noble..."
"No one will treat you as a commoner anymore. You appear to be on your way home, so I shall give you a ride."
The Einhold Family's goodwill made me uneasy, but...
Unfortunately, he was not someone I could defy without a good excuse.
Come to think of it, how did he even know where my house was?
As I boarded the carriage with an uneasy heart, I saw Hector and Angelica riding together inside.
Both looked uncomfortable for reasons I could not guess.
Once I sat beside Angelica, the Einhold family head closed the door himself and came straight to the point.
"By the way, Sir Jaeger. Would you perhaps like a surname?"
"When you say surname..."
"I mean the name Einhold. From what I see, you possess ample qualities to become one of the King's Mages."
Here came another unexpected recruitment offer!
Like when he had deliberately placed Angelica beside me last time.
The Einhold family head held me in surprisingly high regard.
That was probably why he had not raised much objection during the distribution of honors.
'Is it because of this damned sword again?'
I was a talent Reinhardt had his eye on from early on.
His calculation must have been that bringing someone like me into Einhold could only benefit the family.
My impression seemed to have risen even further because I happened to play a minor role in the battle against Chainfist.
Seeing me glance at the sword, the family head explained more directly.
"I am not saying become a knight of Einhold. I would like to match you with a woman of the family."
"P-Pardon?"
"Well, how about Angelica? I hear the two of you already know one another... and this child does not particularly dislike you either."
Perhaps because it was the word of the lofty family head, Angelica could not utter a single syllable.
Now I understood why Hector had been staring holes through me for a while.
As I stared in horror, the family head continued with an outrageous proposal.
"Einhold needs a talent like you. Chasing after the Wizardveins' coattails will only put your life at risk... Come to Einhold, and I will give you Angelica."
At the family head's statement, any thought of a polite refusal vanished and my heart went cold.
Beside me, Angelica hung her head as if mortified.
The next moment, I forgot even his status and sneered.
"Since when did Einhold deal in slaves?"
"Hmm?"
"Hey, Jaeger!"
Hector, and even Angelica herself, looked appalled, but my tongue, once it started rolling, did not stop.
"How could I trust a place that sells off its precious family so cheaply to a wretch like me? Do you not care at all about Lady Angelica's wishes?"
"No, there seems to be a misunderstanding. This child also agreed—"
"How could she possibly refuse when the family head himself sits her down in a place like this and asks? I did not expect you to lack even that much consideration."
The carriage came to a halt just then.
I did not wait any longer and leapt out of the carriage as if fleeing.
Actually, fleeing was exactly right.
I had shot my mouth off far too recklessly, and if I stayed here, who knew what might happen to me.
The family head touched his lips with a deeply troubled expression, while Hector had an oddly refreshed look on his face.
Angelica still could not lift her head.
Making things harder for her any further would be unforgivable.
"Thank you for the ride. Safe travels."
"Right... It has been a long day. Go on inside now."
The family head bid me farewell with a strained smile.
I scurried into the smithy and came face to face with the teacher I had missed so much.