Chapter 349
Chapter 349
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 349
Chapter Title: Throne Determination War: Redburn Domain Explosion Arc - 1
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Innkeeper Perkins was an immigrant who had settled in Redburn Domain five years ago.
Duke Redburn had been remarkably lenient toward immigrants, accepting even slash-and-burn farmers and beggars into the domain after a simple inspection.
As a result, criminals wanted in other domains often slipped in disguised among them, but since most of the domain's residents had benefited from the duke's leniency, voicing opposition wasn't easy.
In the end, Redburn Domain was bustling and had an unusually high population density.
"Carriage coming through! Carriage!"
"Clear the stall! Can't get by!"
Around morning, when citizens hurried to their workplaces, the clamor was loud enough to drown out the crowing of roosters.
A sea of people. The phrase fit perfectly.
Perkins considered himself fortunate to be self-employed as he sipped low-alcohol beer at the first-floor counter, watching the bustle outside the window.
The passing workers all had faces worn by fatigue. If you picked one at random from the crowd, nine times out of ten they'd have dark circles under their eyes. Was it because winter was approaching?
Yeah, to survive the winter, you had to work hard. Chilly weather was good business for an innkeeper, but harsh for most laborers. Fail to stock up, and you'd go hungry and cold.
Ding-a-ling.
The bell above the door rang.
As he leisurely watched, the inn door burst open, and a boy in a baker's cap entered. It was Matthew, who handled all the odd jobs at the inn.
The boy was the head of a family of seven. His face was almost ashen, his dark circles so deep they made his cheeks look hollowed out.
"Hey, Matthew, night work ruins your health. Did you go labor at the forge again?"
"No, Uncle Perkins. I went to bed early yesterday... Yawn. I've just been weirdly tired lately. You don't look so great yourself."
"My eyelids are heavy too. That's why I was sipping this Potion of Courage to warm up. Want a sip?"
"Alcohol just makes me sleepy..."
Tired, huh.
Come to think of it, the guests staying at the inn had been complaining more lately. Waking up still tired—must be the bed quality, they'd say.
It stung for Perkins, who prided himself on better bedding than nearby inns. Stuffed full of goose feathers, no less.
He'd chalked it up to winter, but deep down, he felt uneasy. It hadn't been this bad last winter or the one before.
Sipping his beer and pondering, the only non-seasonal explanation that came to mind was ghost stories. An incubus prowling the domain? But season and incubus alike were far from the truth.
A man like Perkins, utterly ignorant of magic, had near-zero chance of uncovering the cause. Even if he did, he wouldn't know what to do.
But here.
Ding-a-ling.
"Welcome! Two of you? Plenty of rooms left. One best room, three decent ones, one stable. That's what's available."
"Just the best room, please. And a question... Are you feeling fatigued too, boss? If so, since when?"
"W-We, well, that is... We're an investigation team dispatched from the Holy City. Looking into the strange happenings in Redburn Domain."
"An investigation team?"
Two plainly featured women in priestly robes. Faces so ordinary, you'd forget their features after passing by.
In truth, Yuna and Selbia, their striking appearances hidden by illusion magic.
The elite force handpicked to unravel the mystery and purify the domain had finally arrived in Redburn.
Rewind time a bit into the past.
Entering Redburn Domain was simple. Unexpectedly, they didn't screen people at all. They took anyone who looked human—even those who screamed "danger" at first glance.
『Skin Change』
[Appearance alteration complete]
"...Such a modern incantation."
"Feels more natural now..."
Thus, simply altering their appearances mundanely got them through easily.
Instead, the inspection process was a hassle. Tedious and peculiar in two ways.
Q. When eating with a fork, how many pieces do you cut your potatoes into?
One was the questionnaire filled out on first visit, prying into ridiculously minute details.
"Extend your wrist. To enter Redburn Domain, you must receive this magic tattoo."
The other: everyone entering got a magical tattoo on their body, no exceptions.
The guard explained it served as ID, but given the duke's true nature, it reeked of sinister intent.
The ID check and tattooing happened in the open. Plenty of waiting soldiers nearby—refuse or cause a scene, and it'd erupt into full war.
But submitting meekly felt wrong.
Quick glances and hand signals flew between the heroines. Yuna, how long to mentally dominate the guard and make him believe we got the tattoo? 5 seconds moving, 3 stationary. I'll draw eyes.
"...『Mirage』."
⟨ Illusion Magic: Mirage ⟩
Selbia chanted covertly.
A幻術 application of flame magic taught by the mad mage. Thanks to control honed in the great labyrinth's custom stage, she could handle such delicate spells.
Shimmer.
Space rippled, scattering gazes. Yuri Lancaster moved instantly, coiling like a snake to throttle the guard's voice.
Simultaneously, Yuna whispered violet waves from her fingertips.
"You received the tattoos. You received the tattoos."
"Y-You... received... the tattoos..."
Three seconds. Selbia released the mirage, leaving a dazed guard. He cleared the way for the three women.
"Cleared..."
"Thanks."
Thus, the heroines infiltrated Redburn Domain.
Their first impression: facilities as prosperous as the capital. Followed by gloom.
Clean buildings, well-paved roads, little street filth. Yet everyone's faces were off. All of them.
Yuna tilted her head.
"Stressed from Redburn's tyranny?"
"More like their expressions are bright? Laughter now and then."
"Yes. Closer to fatigue. Intermittent muscle tremors observed."
Something's up.
And what it meant was easy to guess: mass sacrifice.
The heroines were deployed here out of fear Duke Redburn would slaughter residents en masse for black magic. And it seemed spot on.
"...Magic circle over the whole domain. Need detailed analysis. Takes a day."
"Symptoms suggest life force drain. Like after an incubus drains essence."
"What do we do?"
Yuri Lancaster brought a hand to her mouth, pondered, licked her lower lip, and said,
"Let's split. I'll scout key figures inside. You mages analyze this 'life force drain circle.' Seems best."
"Yuri, you okay alone...?"
"No overdoing. I'll signal if danger."
"Um, Yuri sis. Why split up...?"
To Selbia's question, Yuri replied bluntly.
"Milady, it's shameful we couldn't book lodgings befitting your grace. Forgive this rudeness of a dingy inn for commoners."
"Y-Yes?! Suddenly...?"
"Selbia sis doesn't take to this well. Tower Master too. Better separate."
"...Fair point."
Yuri had the mad mage's improv for roleplay drifts and shameless poise.
One slip in her infiltration act could blow it.
Selbia nodded. Yuna tiptoed to fix Yuri's necktie, whispering,
"D-Don't get hurt. I'll be furious."
"Thanks. You and Selbia get along. Meet tomorrow."
"Mhm."
Yuri patted Yuna's head and melted into the crowd. Blink—and she was gone.
Extermination squad, ex-Defense Bureau agent—skills don't rust.
Alright. Investigate the domain's magic circle. Yuna clenched her fist, cheering herself. You got this, Yuna.
"...So, shall we... book a room? Can't camp."
"Ah, y-yeah!"
"Any inn you prefer, Tower Master...?"
"N-No. I sleep fine in stables or cells..."
Selbia and Yuna awkwardly headed to find lodgings.
Back to the present.
Selbia leaned her packed bag against a room corner, muttering in a tone between conversation and soliloquy—to soften potential mental damage if ignored.
"Room... not bad."
"Yeah, not bad. Bed big enough for Yuri too."
"Hope the food's good..."
"Yeah... me too."
It hit them anew: so awkward.
Truth was, Yuna and Selbia weren't that close. Never really talked deep.
With Yuri, she bridged naturally. Now? Like alone with a friend's friend.
And rivals, technically.
Yuna fretted over icebreakers. Selbia pondered too. Awkwardness flowed like dark undercurrents...
What to talk about? Magic? Different schools. Status, position—all differ. Can't say "nice weather" awkwardly.
As they dried up like jerky from discomfort, Yuna had an idea.
"...Hey, what should we dress him in?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean him. Always in Violet Tower robes... Try something else?"
"True. Like him, all black. Bright stuff okay. Knit? Winter and—"
Right. Common ground: fans of the mad mage.
Chatting idly about him, they reworked the room. Preparing base setup to observe and analyze the area's magic circle.
"...Triangle here?"
"No, square better."
Rare teamwork. Mad mage usually whipped it up. Small joy. Dopamine from simple tasks.
Half-day later, setup complete. Room walls, floor, ceiling crammed with circles.
"Done. Test it...?"
"Yes. I'll power the auxiliary. Y-Yuna."
"Y-Yeah. Selbia."
Vrrr—.
Mana flowed lines, glowing. Red and violet overlapped, probing local flows.
"What do we do...?"
A colossal, ironclad harbinger of mass human sacrifice—too vast to know where to strike first.