A New Justification! (3)
“Whew, it might take a while, but I'll explain from the beginning. A saint election is coming up soon in the Royal Capital. You've heard about it, right?”
“Ah, the one where Klea is a candidate...”
Baul nodded, adjusted his glasses, and continued.
“There were a lot of things to worry about with Klea becoming a saint candidate... but lately, the biggest concern has been that Viper's Fang guild you two encountered.”
According to Baul, they'd grown suspicious of the group targeting Klea and had investigated through the church's intelligence network while also requesting the lord of Radia to look into it.
Not only the guild management office we'd inquired at, but even Radia's lord and the church had dug into Viper's Fang. In the end, the kingdom had compiled and sent solid information on them.
Viper's Fang was a guild registered in the Royal Capital—not one with super powerful high-level adventurers, but a wealthy near-large-scale guild that ran several companies.
And the response that had just arrived at the lord's place yesterday...
'No deaths in Viper's Fang guild recently.'
“...That's...”
“Yes. It's a headache.”
“Huh? Why? Couldn't they just be imposters posing as the guild?”
I asked Lizbet and Baul, who were frowning, and Baul gave a wry smile as he answered.
“As you said, impersonation is the most likely... but that opens up other possibilities. Like forged guild members...”
Forged guild members were people who hadn't registered through the management office but had illegally obtained a guild emblem issuer from somewhere.
The technology for guild emblem issuers was strictly controlled by the royals. If one leaked, those involved faced life imprisonment at minimum—or even execution dragging in family and relatives. A major crime.
Huh, noble society sure doesn't mess around.
Issuers were distributed only to guild management offices in each region, protected by thorough security magic... but the problem was the old leaked ones.
Dozens of years ago, some issuers had leaked, causing a huge fuss. The kingdom's knight orders had recovered or destroyed most, but 2 or 3 were still missing.
The knights were still hunting for traces.
“...But... is that a big deal? They just made guild members not registered with the kingdom, right...?”
“It's because of the guild emblem's effects—like experience sharing and other perks—that it enables so many things... This'll take some explaining. It's tied to kingdom history involving royals and nobles...”
Baul paused, then said he'd recommend a book; reading it at the library later would make it clear.
“Anyway, back to the point... In the absolute worst case, if Viper's Fang got their hands on guild emblem tech or an issuer and is using it for something shady, it'd be a real mess. Especially since they're active in the Royal Capital—Klea heading there for the election would be pretty dangerous.”
“Then...?”
Baul sipped his tea, thought for a moment, then looked at me with a serious expression, like he'd made up his mind.
“I'm planning to head to the Royal Capital tomorrow to verify their info and secure Klea's safety. Going in blindly now... in the worst case, it could blow up into a scandal rocking even the church.”
Baul stood, pulled a map from a bookshelf, spread it on the table, and said,
“The fastest carriage from Radia takes about a week to the Royal Capital... but if Sema here could carry us, how long would it take?”
“Uh, let's see... Liz, how far is it...”
I asked Lizbet while gauging the distance against places I'd traveled, doing some rough math.
In horse form, I never tired and was way faster than normal horses—literally horse-level speed. Plus, my skills let riders stay comfy no matter how fast I went, so factoring that in...
“Generously, a day? Full speed from morning to night should do it.”
“...I've heard the stories, but you're really fast. In that case, I'd like to request your help—especially yours, Sema.”
Baul asked me to take him first; he'd gather info and secure Klea in the Royal Capital, then have me bring her a few days later.
“We'll pack minimal luggage and entrust the rest to a Royal Capital-bound merchant caravan. We were set to go with the luggage in about a week... but with you here, I'd like to prioritize Klea's safety like this.”
“Just the transport?”
“If you're okay with it, I'd also like to ask you to guard Klea in the Royal Capital. Knights will escort her once we arrive... but trusting strangers blindly is tough. You two have been close to her lately—I can trust you with it. What do you say?”
He offered lodging and meals at a nice place in the Royal Capital, plus 20 gold coins—a hefty sum even for two.
But over a month there? That felt long.
As I pondered the duration, Lizbet poked my side and nodded eagerly.
She was grinning brightly, clearly excited about the Royal Capital.
Well... sure. If Lizbet's on board, it's fine.
I nodded in agreement, and Baul smiled in relief, folding the map.
“Thank you. Then, about the details of how we'll move...”
After hashing it out with Baul, we settled: Take him to the Royal Capital tomorrow, then pick up Klea in five days.
We'd arrive earlier than planned, but Baul figured the crowded Royal Capital would be safer if he didn't spot anything suspicious first. We went with that.
Anyway, if anything happened, I'd just stick to Klea and protect her.
Absolutely no ulterior motives.
“Then... Klea. Is that okay?”
“...Sigh. Yeah. Do as Baul says.”
Huh... Klea, who'd been quiet, was awfully cold to Baul. Not just her words—her face looked drained.
Was this because of comparing him to me?
Was the effect too good?
Unlike my thoughts, Baul nodded contentedly and told me the departure time tomorrow.
“See you then. It's a tight schedule, but I appreciate it.”
As we left the building and walked across the church lawn, Lizbet poked my side.
“Klea was kinda weird with Baul, right?”
“Yeah, she was. Your suggestion really worked.”
I stroked Lizbet's hair as I said it, and she tilted her head, looking puzzled.
“Hmm... Faster than I expected... This is...”
Beyond even Lizbet's—the one who'd suggested it—expectations?
Meaning...
“Klea becoming mine is just around the corner, huh?”
“...Yeah...”
What? The mastermind reacting all ambiguous like this was kinda awkward.
Right then, Klea came running toward us, calling Lizbet.
“L-Lizbet! Wait!”
She arrived breathless, panting in front of us as she called Lizbet again.
“Hah, hah... L-Lizbet... About what you mentioned earlier...”
“...Heh... Where's Baul? Your fiancé you promised marriage to?”
“...Well, he's...”
“...Pfft. Master, give us a sec. I'll talk to Klea.”
Lizbet took the hesitating Klea aside, glancing at me.
Watching them talk, I saw Lizbet nod with an aha~ expression.
What were they saying?
Lizbet suddenly burst out laughing—must be good news.
They came back, stood before me, and nodded to each other.
“Alright, Klea. Just like we talked...♡ Get ready♡”
“O-Okay. Lizbet... See you later, Sema.”
As Klea headed to the nuns' dorm with her greeting, I looked at Lizbet.
“What'd you two talk about?”
“Something that'll satisfy you, Master♡ Puhuhu... Ahaha♡”
Lizbet giggled for a bit, wiped tears of laughter, and grinned refreshingly.
“Ah~. While you and I were making love, Baul did something right for once. Yeah, beyond my expectations.”
“Huh? What'd Baul do?”
“Hehe... Something that explains Klea's reaction.”
Hmm... Baul. What'd you do?
To make Klea's attitude today seem meaningless.
“What exactly?”
“Hehe... Details are a secret♡ If Master really wants to know, I'll tell, but it's more fun not knowing yet♡”
“Oh? Now I'm curious. Guess... I'll trust Liz this time?”
“Hehe... One thing I can promise... By the time we're in the Royal Capital, Klea will be reborn as Master's bitch♡”
Is that so... My junior was already stirring at Lizbet's words.
I groped her ass now and then as we hurried back to the inn.