How a Wizard Survives (42)
How a Wizard Survives (42)
After morning training, while I was resting briefly, a large cart rolled in.
It was the same design as a heretic transport wagon, fully enclosed up to the ceiling.
But the cargo was nothing like a heretic.
The moment I spotted the small blue orbs, I knew exactly what they were.
"This is..."
"It seems time to replenish the Holy Relics."
Wikia, who happened to be passing by, acknowledged the shipment.
The mana stored in the Holy Relics we had been issued wasn't inexhaustible.
Because they ran on stored mana or the wielder's own mana, they weakened over time, and those orbs served as fuel to replenish their reserves.
Where all that mana came from wasn't hard to guess.
They must have extracted it from the prisoners kept at Winter Fortress. Keeping a colossal facility like that running must demand an absurd amount of mana...
It seemed they had enough prisoners to have a surplus of mana leftover even after powering that.
I briskly handed over the Spider Boots for recharging.
My feet had already grown used to them, so putting them back on after their return felt strange.
"Is there anything scheduled for this afternoon?"
"Not particularly. We're conducting a blanket investigation of the Reshutal nobles. At the very least, all nobles who enter the Royal Palace are to be tested, or so I was told."
"Tested?"
The investigations Wikia referred to included both the Mana Detection Test and the Contractor Test.
The exact same ones I had undergone right after joining the Inquisition Branch.
When Katrina, Angelica, and I all looked at him with obvious surprise, Wikia smiled bitterly and explained.
"His Majesty the King appears to have been deeply shaken by the last incident."
"Ah... I can only imagine."
A Contractor Test plate isn't exactly common equipment.
If you think about it, it's also a type of Holy Relic, so it has to be handled with strict care.
Which meant you couldn't take it outside the Inquisition Branch.
If it weren't for a direct royal command like this, a blanket investigation of the nobility would have been unthinkable.
Katrina nodded, her face alight with her usual sense of duty.
"We should take this opportunity to be thorough."
"Yes, Lady Katrina, please help us keep the nobles in line. I doubt they'll listen to me very well."
"Understood. I'll mobilize the Holy Knights and the unit members."
Katrina, who was fairly motivated, decided to inspect the test plate before the investigation began.
First, she sent me up onto the plate so the scribe could confirm the result.
"Contractor Test complete. No abnormalities."
"Good. Next, Lady Angelica..."
"Wha—me?"
"We do need to verify that it's working properly."
Given where we were, Angelica flinched for a second...
But she trusted Katrina and carefully stepped onto the test plate.
Soon after, the moment the scribe activated the plate, a raucous alarm echoed loudly.
Bleep! Bleeeeep!
"Good, it's functioning correctly."
"Jaeger. What's the working principle of this thing?"
"I don't know the specifics, but they say that when a mage forms a contract, a link is established with their demon. Like a rope used to collect the soul after the contractor dies. This test plate supposedly detects that link."
"Hmm. So that's it."
In other words, in theory, no contractor can ever escape detection.
For the record, Demon Thralls get caught, too.
That's because they're connected to their demon far more strongly than a contractor is.
Contrary to Wikia's concerns, I wasn't particularly worried about the afternoon's event.
He looked frozen stiff with anxiety and asked me why.
"Wikia, don't be so nervous."
"Ah, my apologies, Squire Jaeger. I have almost no field experience, you see."
"It's fine. We're not running the test outside. It's in the middle of the Inquisition building—what could possibly go wrong?"
"Do you think so?"
Any heretic vulnerable to the test would have fled during the night rather than appear here.
Once Wikia heard my explanation, he finally seemed to accept it.
Besides, controlling the nobles wasn't going to be difficult at all.
Eventually, after lunchtime passed, nobles began trickling into the Inquisition Branch...
They had thrown away their usual haughty attitudes and followed the Holy Knights' directions like docile lambs.
Wikia looked astonished at the unexpected sight.
"N-Nobles being this cooperative..."
"Well, if they act up here like they usually do, they could genuinely end up dead."
"You really are a bookworm, Wikia."
At Angelica's teasing, Wikia gave a wry smile.
On top of that, the Holy Knights of the Inquisition Branch were official nobles themselves; compared to that day's guests, they were at the very least equals, if not superior in standing.
But... perhaps Wikia was not entirely off the mark?
In the midst of an otherwise smooth investigation, a few nobles broke away from the line.
Curious, I cautiously approached, and a woman in splendid noble attire greeted me.
"Good afternoon, Sir Jaeger. I saw you at the royal banquet the other day; do you remember?"
"Me, ma'am? My apologies. I was so preoccupied because of those heretics at the time..."
"Oh, my apologies! Thanks to your heroic efforts that day, Sir Jaeger, we are all standing here right now, aren't we?"
The woman smiled with a familiarity that was almost burdensome and talked to me without pause.
Under normal circumstances, I would've told her to cut the nonsense and get back in line, but today, her social rank was a bit high.
As I responded awkwardly, another noble could no longer hold back and approached.
This time it was a somewhat older man.
"Sir Jaeger, if you are amenable, I would like to introduce you to my daughter..."
"Y-Your daughter?"
"I apologize, but the inspection is still in progress, so please return to the line."
Could all these people actually be heretics?
Just as I was starting to entertain such thoughts, Katrina, who couldn't stand watching any longer, stepped in for me.
Once she started directing traffic, the nobles returned to the line without a word of complaint.
Fortunately, no heretical verdicts had been issued so far.
While everyone was feeling relieved about that fact, an unexpected guest suddenly showed up at the Inquisition Branch.
The person who stepped out of the carriage emblazoned with the royal crest was none other than the Princess.
"Her Highness Princess Alina?"
"What brings Her Highness here..."
The King had ordered a blanket investigation, but the royal family was exempt.
The Inquisition Branch, which operated with the royal family's support, couldn't compel them to be tested in the first place... and there was no way the King, who doted on his daughter terribly, would have deliberately sent her to a place like this.
Only one conclusion was possible.
'So the Princess came here on purpose... And her name is Alina, I see.'
"Your Highness. It is an honor that you have come to us, but there is absolutely no need for you to submit to the test..."
"No. All the nobles of Reshutal are cooperating, so as a member of the royal family, I should set an example."
When a reluctant Katrina tried to politely dissuade her, the Princess smiled softly and replied.
She was quickly given the next spot and stepped up onto the test plate.
I clenched my teeth, but... the test result was a pass.
"Contractor Test complete. No findings."
"Thank you, Scribe."
After giving a modest bow, she walked toward me, offered a brief greeting, and then returned to the Royal Palace.
Having been suspicious of her identity, this was an unexpected piece of information.
'Princess Alina... So she's not a mage or a Demon Thrall, at least.'
Witnessing the Princess's example, the other nobles submitted to the test without so much as a peep.
Still, the number of nobles wasn't very large, and since inspections were also scheduled for the day after tomorrow, I thought it would end quickly...
But right as the nobles' turns were finishing, a crowd of royal palace employees swarmed in.
It included not just the royal family's attendants, but also the maids, the cooks, and even the artisans who supplied goods to the palace.
"So they want us to test every single person who enters the Royal Palace..."
"Well, on the bright side, we don't have to go out on patrol."
"Even so, this is a complete waste of—"
Bleep! Bleeeeep!
No sooner had one of the Holy Knights started complaining than today's test produced its first positive hit.
As soon as the alarm sounded, the man resisted violently, but the nearby Holy Knights subdued him right away.
"He's a mage!"
"Drag him to the cells! We need to interrogate him!"
"I-I can't believe someone actually got caught..."
Even though we called it an interrogation, I did not have high expectations.
The guy seemed like a rookie who didn't even properly understand what the Contractor Test was about.
While casually watching people pass, I spotted a distinctive woman in the middle of the line.
Her attire was far more refined than the other palace employees', and her beauty stood out.
It was definitely the first time I'd seen her, but I felt an odd sense of déjà vu.
When I first saw her, I almost thought some noble had arrived late.
The other Inquisitors also seemed distracted by her voluptuous figure and showed interest.
"Scribe. Who is that woman? We're verifying identities before the test, aren't we?"
"That lady? Ah, she is the young lady of a former noble family. A count's family from a foreign kingdom, at that."
"What? Why would a young lady from a comital family come all the way here..."
Quite a few nobles had shown up today, but... the highest-ranking among them were viscounts at most.
In the first place, there are hardly any nobles of comital rank or higher in the capital.
The King could grant a title if he wanted to, but a capital noble without a territory calling themselves a count or something usually just invites ridicule.
From count on up, you're considered a high-ranking noble; to be treated at the level of a count in the capital, you'd have to be something like the royal treasurer or the law enforcement officer.
But if she was from a comital family, even a fallen one, it was bound to draw attention.
The scribe, now the focus of everyone's curiosity, was about to look up the records.
Wikia, the Human Library, stepped forward instead.
"Are you speaking of Lady Diana Walter? House Walter was quite prominent in the past."
"Then why did it fall?"
"...When you think about it, this is also our doing. The second daughter of House Walter fled while under suspicion of heresy. Her name was Ash, was it?"
What?
I forcibly pressed down my tongue as it nearly jumped out of my mouth, concealing my agitation.
It could be a coincidence, but... hadn't Ash recently said she was from a foreign comital family as well?
Looking closely, their faces did resemble each other. Their figures were even more alike!
Unaware of my internal reaction, Wikia continued calmly.
"So all their lands and titles were confiscated by the Inquisition and the royal family... They narrowly avoided exile abroad, but having already been branded as heretics, there was no way they could continue living there. In the end, the whole family relocated to Reshutal."
Even so, the eldest daughter, Diana, seemed to possess both dexterity and an aesthetic sense, and now she supplies garments to the royal family.
The dress Princess Alina wore last time was also apparently her work.
Well... if her skill hadn't been at that level, there's no way a person of her status could enter the Royal Palace.
As I was inwardly breathing a sigh of relief, my fellow Inquisitors started making lewd comments.
"A young lady from a comital family, huh... Men must be swarming around her like crazy."
"Hey, hey, saying things like that where Lady Katrina can hear will get you scolded, you know?"
"Scribes! Don't get timid just because one heretic showed up—let's move this along quickly. We're here, aren't we?"
"Ha ha... We're in your hands."
The thoroughly intimidated scribes hid behind the Inquisitors' backs and continued the test.
Thankfully, no more heretics were detected.
"But I can't believe even one got caught. No matter how many we catch, they just keep coming..."
"Investigation complete. Good work, everyone. You're free to leave for the day."
"To think we have to do this for two more days."
I left for the day together with the Inquisitors who were grousing for no real reason, and as soon as I was out of the temple grounds, I slipped a hand inside my clothes.
If I had been subjected to the Mana Detection Test as well, I had planned to dispose of it... Fortunately, nothing so unfortunate occurred.
When I tapped my mask, the voice from the other side came back right away.
[Jaeger. Did something happen?]
"Lady Ash. Did you know your older sister was in Reshutal?"
[...What?]
Ash jumped in surprise, as if she'd never expected it at all.
I explained the general situation while tailing Diana Walter as she headed back to her workshop.
[Making clothes for the royal family... When I made a puppet for her before, it was a different person, though...]
"Then I'll go say hello for a moment."
[What? No. That's too dangerous—]
"Oh, come on, Lady Ash. Aren't you curious about how your sister's been doing too?"
[...]
Ash couldn't say another word.
By then, Diana had reached her workshop, and some men had appeared in front of her.
I clicked my tongue at the sight I had more or less expected.
'Yeah, there's no way men would leave a woman like that alone.'
She was a bit past the ideal marriageable age, but still a young and beautiful woman.
And when a woman from a fallen comital family exists, men can't help wanting to hit on her.
Even the Inquisitors, who were relatively elite personnel, had acted that way, so what could you expect from others?
The men, who looked to be lower-ranking nobles, were outright blocking the door of her workshop and pestering Diana.
I leaped off the roof into the alley and approached them.
"Lady Diana. Even we have our innocent feelings—"
"Oh my, gentlemen. What are you all doing here? Surely, nobles of the capital wouldn't be associating with a heretic family, would they?"
"S-Sir Jaeger? N-no, that's not—"
"We'll be on our way now! Keep up the good work, Sir Jaeger!"
The moment they realized who I was, the nobles scattered in a flash.
I ushered Diana, who was equally frozen, inside the workshop.
A thought crossed my mind that strange rumors might start spreading soon.