How a Wizard Survives (29)
How a Wizard Survives (29)
A bright and lively morning, starting with inspections!
Reshutal's Heretic Inquisitors spared no effort to find heretics hiding in the city.
Turning houses and shops upside down without warning would normally provoke anger.
Luckily, the good citizens cooperated with us willingly.
Well, nobody wants to be burned at the stake for sitting next to a mage.
"Oh my, Inquisitors! If you take that, how am I supposed to do business..."
"Shut your mouth! Are you a heretic?"
The heartwarming sight of smashing up the furniture in a shop everyone disliked and gifting the owner a Heretic's Emblem.
The people from Einhold who had to accompany the inspection looked bewildered, as if they hadn't yet adapted to the atmosphere.
As I diligently carried out the inspection, I soon faced a familiar building.
'Hm, what to do here?'
Today's inspection zone was the commercial district of Reshutal.
And in one corner of the commercial district was my teacher's forge.
And since today's inspection had been decided the moment we arrived for work this morning, I hadn't had a chance to tip them off.
"Open up, quickly! Squire Jaeger, what's wrong?"
"Hold on. This place is..."
"Ah, we've got plenty to do. Let's just skip this place, eh?"
Once the Inquisitors recognized the forge, they openly tried to pass it by.
But I urged them on.
"What are you doing? Keep going."
"Is that alright?"
"It's fine. Nothing to hide."
"As expected of our Squire!"
I was a little worried about Ash and my teacher inside...
But as Ash herself said, it's a mage's own fault if they get caught.
Besides, those two aren't the kind of mages who get caught easily!
Trusting them, I stepped back from the smithy's entrance. Katrina, who had been quiet until now, took the lead and entered.
Angelica followed us with a slightly expectant look.
"Welcome. Jaeger, is the work going well?"
"Of course."
I briefly exchanged greetings with my teacher disguised as Mr. Smith.
Katrina began to search the forge thoroughly.
She didn't hesitate to barge into the workshop, my bedroom, and even the basement.
She was so unhesitating that the other Inquisitors were slightly taken aback.
"L-Lady Katrina..."
"Move all these boxes outside, open them up, and check the basement too, thoroughly."
After directing the Inquisitors, Katrina eventually started using Rejection Magic freely.
Luckily, my teacher seemed to have dispelled his magic early on, so nothing was caught.
Ash and her puppets were also hidden somewhere.
Since the puppets could move on their own, relocating would have been a trivial task for them.
Meanwhile, Angelica realized this was my home and stared in shock.
"You really live in a place like this? Jaeger, would you like to just come to my house?"
"Stop talking nonsense and lend a hand."
Katrina replied coldly to Angelica's remark.
The extraordinarily thorough inspection took five times longer than usual to complete.
Even then, Katrina seemed unsatisfied, confirming it with the other Inquisitors several times.
"I trust everyone checked properly?"
"Yes, Captain. Squire Jaeger is clear."
"Mana Trace Examination complete! No anomalies!"
The Inquisitors, having caught on to Katrina's intent, played along.
I finally grasped her true meaning.
'Since Lady Katrina knows I'm a mage... she did it thoroughly so I wouldn't be suspected.'
It was her way of looking out for me, but it still made my heart sink.
We returned to the Inquisition Branch after finishing the inspection of the commercial district.
"What, Jaeger's smithy was clean? A bit disappointing."
"Y-Your Excellency!"
Reinhardt, who had received the field report while seated, teased us.
His splint still hadn't been removed, and moving around the city in that state would lower the Inquisition Branch's standing, so he wasn't handling fieldwork...
And I was grateful for it.
If Reinhardt had come to the forge, he might have caught something.
After leaving the commandant's office, we had a simple lunch followed by tea time.
The lunch portions were a little meager, but in return, the atmosphere allowed a short tea break afterward.
Heretic Inquisitors are always busy, so they're allowed at least this small reprieve.
Even Reinhardt, known for his strictness, was no exception.
With Angelica joining us, my tea time with Katrina became much more enjoyable.
I welcomed her company, but I could not help worrying.
"I'm grateful for the Einhold support, but... is it really necessary for you to go into the field as well, Lady Angelica?"
Originally, Katrina should have been the one to object, but since she stayed quiet, I carefully raised the topic.
But it wasn't just Angelica; even Katrina gently shook her head.
"Despite how I look, I am an Einhold..."
"Is the Einhold family born warriors?"
"Jaeger, not everyone of Einhold lineage can use the name of Einhold."
"Huh? What does that..."
Katrina unexpectedly stepping in to explain told me this was common knowledge too.
Angelica, noticing my reaction, unhesitatingly took over the explanation.
It would hardly be appropriate for a Wizardvein to explain the Einhold family.
"There's a kind of training center at the Einhold Ducal Castle. You only get to use the Einhold surname after graduating from there. If you can't, even a direct descendant of the Family Head won't be recognized as an Einhold."
"Oh, that's..."
Seeing that the family runs such a facility...
They really must have an incredible number of children.
Hector Einhold alone, one of the Eight Swords of Einhold, had six children.
If the other Eight Swords also had as many, that's nearly fifty.
"Then did you graduate from there, Lady Angelica?"
"Of course! The only person who graduated faster than me is the current Family Head."
Sensing my expression that said, 'So it's just something anyone can pass?' Angelica hurried to add.
I finally saw her in a new light.
At least by Einhold standards, she was a mage you could proudly present anywhere.
"Anyway, so even the Family Head's direct line has to pass the training center... What if they don't pass? How does the next head get decided?"
"It doesn't matter. The position isn't inherited by direct lineage in the first place."
"Huh?"
True to a mage family with a long tradition, Einhold's method was highly unusual.
Angelica spoke with a proud expression, as if boasting.
"Bloodline is a secondary matter. As long as you can be recognized as of Einhold blood, that's enough. What matters is ability."
"Hoo..."
"The Family Head of Einhold is decided through the Family Head Tournament. It's commonly called the 'Family Head Tournament,' and it's held every twenty years, exactly."
Warming to the topic, Angelica chattered cheerfully.
When the other Einhold relatives subtly glared at her, her voice became a little quieter.
"A Family Head Tournament... sounds interesting."
Earlier, when Angelica said she would 'pretend to go along with it and then try her best to do something on her own,' she must have been referring to the Family Head Tournament.
Even if you aren't the Family Head's direct descendant, winning the tournament would skyrocket your rank within the family!
She would then be able to choose her own marriage partner.
At minimum, far better options would present themselves.
After we spent some time chatting over tea, a summons came from Reinhardt.
We headed to his office, half expecting something, half worried.
Angelica and the Einhold people tried to quietly bow out, but since no separate order was given, they ended up coming in with us.
"Your Excellency, Holy Knight Captain Katrina reporting."
"Enter."
Once we'd entered and closed the door, Reinhardt got straight to the point.
Whenever he summoned us separately like this, the task was never easy.
"As a result of my strong petition to the Family Head, the operation of Holy Relics by the Reshutal Inquisition Branch has been approved. This is the first time approval has been granted anywhere other than the Front Lines."
"Holy Relics?"
The term alone gave the feeling of something special.
So the Heretic Inquisitors did have a trump card.
No matter how much money and power you have behind you, a human body has limits in fighting demons.
My guess must have been right, as Katrina's face immediately brightened.
"Excellent news! If we can use Holy Relics, we can surely win."
"That is the intention."
"By the way, did the Reshutal Inquisition Branch already hold any Holy Relics?"
"Would we?"
Reinhardt, unusually, replied to Katrina's question as if joking.
Smirking in front of his desk, he finally announced our mission.
"The Holy Relics will be sent from Winter Fortress. Heretics are expected to attempt to seize them, so form a small, elite escort to go and receive them directly. Depart at dawn tomorrow."
"A Holy Relic escort... We will see it completed without error."
Katrina, entrusted with a grave mission, nodded with a firm expression.
Reinhardt even handed over a list of the scheduled Holy Relics.
It was unlikely, but he seemed concerned we might receive something strange by mistake.
Because we were still in his office, I had refrained from asking questions, so I parted my lips as soon as we left the building...
Katrina's slender index finger went straight up, as if she had already anticipated this.
She moved to the library and called for a librarian.
"Wikia. Please show Jaeger the Holy Relic encyclopedia. Jaeger, I'll go assemble a team, so study."
"Yes, Lady Katrina."
The book Wikia brought out was sealed with thick iron chains and a padlock.
It must be knowledge that most librarians, not to mention ordinary Inquisitors, couldn't access.
I opened it, brimming with excitement.
Just what is this secret weapon of the Inquisition Branch?
First, let's look up the Holy Relics related to our mission; one came up immediately.
"Let's see, Sun Shield?"
"That's five pages ahead."
"Thanks, Wikia. Actually, aren't things like this pretty useless?"
Amazed by the librarians' almost encyclopedic memory, I read the description of the Holy Relic.
Angelica hadn't yet received her security clearance, so she couldn't even set foot in the library.
"Sun Shield. An A-rank Holy Relic that can absorb heat above a certain level and emit it as a beam of light... Holy Relics are far more practical than I expected?"
Wikia only smiled brightly without giving a specific answer.
While checking the information on the Holy Relics recorded in the list, I gradually began to feel a sense of dissonance.
"Spider Boots. An A-rank Holy Relic that uses gravity to assist the wearer's movement. Features include the ability to cling to walls or ceilings, allowing for free positioning... Hm?"
"Please continue reading."
"Spear of Mortality. An S-rank Holy Relic that inflicts wounds which endlessly worsen. Particularly effective against living creatures... Wha? Th-This is..."
I had expected something like a cousin of Adamantite swords or armor.
But what was recorded in the encyclopedia was something else entirely.
Frankly speaking, the Sun Shield was enchanted gear that a Fire Mage could create...
The Spider Boots contained Gravity Magic.
The Spear of Mortality's effect was unmistakably Death Magic.
"This isn't a Holy Relic, it's m—mmph!"
"Squire Jaeger! Shh."
Wikia hurriedly covered my mouth as I finally realized the truth.
So Holy Relics were similar in some respects to the Wizardvein family's 'miracles.'
There was a reason they had been used only on the Front Lines until now!
'Well, there's no need to blindly seal away equipment made by mages, so...'
At this point, it was becoming frightening.
Just what kind of place is the Front Lines that they openly use such magical equipment?
Only when Wikia saw I had calmed down did he remove his hand.
I could have removed it anytime I wanted, but I deliberately didn't.
"Jaeger, since you serve the Wizardvein family... you know, right?"
"Yes."
I nodded and promised silence before getting up from my seat.
"Do you perhaps know how long it takes to get to Winter Fortress?"
"It's not very close. If you ride a horse at a gallop, roughly five days..."
"Understood. I should prepare for camping."
I headed to the stables to check the condition of the horses.
Angelica, who had been waiting for me at the library entrance, seemed to have roughly figured out the situation.
She was a member of a mage family.
"Jaeger, how does it feel to have learned the true nature of Holy Relics?"
"Shocking. Does the Einhold Family have something similar, by chance?"
"Now, now, leading questions aren't allowed. Einhold has Holy Relics, sure, but they also create artificial gemstones."
"A-Artificial gemstones..."
Can you do that sort of thing with Gravity Magic?
With this, the Einholds couldn't possibly be poor.
Angelica pressed close to me and asked.
"Can I accompany you on this escort mission? There are barely any members who properly understand Holy Relics as it is..."
"Pardon? Ah, Lady Angelica. It's a five-day ride to Winter Fortress by horseback. That's a minimum of ten days round trip. Plus, an attack by heretics is almost certain."
The mission looked grueling from the outset...
Angelica didn't care.
On the contrary, she seemed inwardly pleased, as if a good opportunity had come.
I looked at her a bit differently.
'Well, her skills will definitely improve if she goes on this mission...'
If she wants to build her strength to win the Family Head Tournament, I shouldn't get in her way.
Katrina, who had been going around with a prudent expression, also recommended Angelica participate, though she didn't look too keen on it.
As Angelica had said, very few members truly knew about Holy Relics.
"... The Einhold people should come along as well."
"Yes, Captain!"
"Jaeger. Hurry up and go to the market. If the food is bad while camping, I will complain."
"Ohh. That's an enticing... Ah, no, ma'am."
Huh? Wait, then I might get to hear Katrina's voice even more?
And come to think of it, I'd love to hear Katrina complain about food at least once!
I barely managed to suppress those thoughts and hurriedly ran to the market.
Since we'd hanged a few people this morning, the merchants would all cooperate gladly.