The Rescue Party Departs
Catherine had already had her meals and snack times interrupted not once but twice in the space of a few days, yet this time even she had no choice but to move in a hurry.
The contents of the parchment delivered by the dispatch rider—the command letter—were extremely concise. The situation was so urgent that it lacked even the usual flowery language. The content was simple.
Iona, who had been touring the territories belonging to the Felwinter family, had encountered a great army of monsters and was currently in retreat. Therefore a rescue party was to be formed urgently, and the order was to conscript some of the tower's mages along with Catherine herself. It also included the usual details—by when the rescue party was to be formed, who would serve as its commander, and so on. All of it was perfectly ordinary, yet it was a command letter from Catherine's lord, Alfred.
Iona touring the territories under Felwinter rule was nothing unusual. The footsteps of the head of the Felwinter family, the Duke of Iceland, were heavy by nature. It was only natural for Iona, as Alfred's vassal and the family's chief seneschal, to move as the duke's proxy. Moreover, this was a matter of periodically inspecting the condition of the territories—the Felwinter family's greatest asset. It was a ceremonial duty for the majority of nobles not just in Iceland but across all of Europa. This tour was no different. Of course Iceland was not so vast that they conducted a tour every single year. It simply happened that this summer was the appointed time for the circuit, the inspections, and the confirmations.
Having hastily cut short their snack time, Catherine and her two attendants rushed out of the room.
"Damn it. If it's something like this, I can't exactly refuse to move!"
"Lord Iona didn't take too few escorts, did he?"
"No way! He's the chief seneschal of a ducal house! And an elder of the Three Gods Sect to boot? How much do you think his ransom would be worth? The repercussions if someone like that just up and dies!"
Even setting aside his position as an elder of the Three Gods Sect, the status of chief seneschal of a ducal house was infinitely heavier than the lightness of the words attached to the title. The position of one who handled the duke's affairs, the family's household, the territory's administration and judiciary, and assisted the lord's work could never be low. With nothing more than a justification, he could even physically take the head of a count.
"Imagine one of the pillars supporting the ducal house suddenly snapping."
"Oh."
"What's with the 'oh'! The territory thrown into chaos by the sudden vacancy of the seneschal? All those duties Elder Iona handled?"
"Does that reverse-flow onto you too, Lady Atanitas, until a new seneschal is appointed?"
"Of course it will!"
Catherine declared, frowning deeply.
"I was planning to leisurely rummage through a few of your self-defense magic tools, but there's no choice. When we move this time, do not leave my side under any circumstances."
"Uh, Lady Atanitas? Am I coming along too?"
"Yes. You're coming too."
"Contractor. Won't Junior Karem be in danger?"
Mary objected without thinking. She never truly disagreed with Catherine's orders—and even when she did, she would only grumble a little while following—but this was different. A crisis of total annihilation meant a situation of considerable urgency, and she intended to take a civilian there? Mary could not understand what Catherine was thinking.
"Ha, safety? Who do you think I am?"
Catherine said proudly toward Mary. In truth she was feeling very guilty. After all, even her reason agreed that taking Karem was dangerous. But her body and tongue—her instincts—absolutely would not allow it. No. In fact, wherever a noble went, it was natural for people assisting them to follow. Even on the battlefield, cooks, attendants, designers, and the like trailed behind nobles. And she was merely bringing along one exclusive chef who also served as an attendant—how modest was that?
"Hmm, well, since you're the contractor, if it's just one civilian..."
And fortunately, whether Mary failed to notice Catherine's true feelings or simply trusted Catherine's skills, she understood it on her own.
Preparations proceeded at lightning speed. In an instant Mary packed the luggage for more than a dozen people of various stations including Catherine, plus Karem's belongings, and saw off those departing for the assembly point.
Karem, who had not seen the parchment, could not know where the assembly point was. But he could tell without seeing it. Soldiers who would normally be scattered across the various zones of Winterhome were gathering and heading outside the castle. Roughly estimating, the number of soldiers was greater than during last winter's Iceworm subjugation, and the number of laborers, carts, and carriages noisily joining after leaving the castle was even greater still. All those people moved in unison toward one direction.
"Lady Atanitas. Is the assembly point outside the castle?"
"Yes. The situation is urgent, and if we told them to gather in a plaza, people would inevitably crowd into the wrong plaza."
"There are this many soldiers?"
"How many adventurer guild offices do you think there are in Coldon?"
"Uh..."
Karem was at a loss for words. Simply because he truly did not know how many there were. He had not been interested until now, and had had no reason to be. But one thing he knew for certain.
"Combined, there must be at least a dozen or so, right?"
"I don't know exactly, but more than that. Rather than specifying which plaza to gather at, it's simpler to just meet lightly outside the outer castle main gate of Coldon."
As Catherine had said, with each wall they passed, people of every description, carts, and carriages joined the soldiers' procession, and this continued until they exited the outer castle. Countless soldiers, adventurers, and laborers shouted and were kicked about. A chaotic mess as the rescue party checked and organized its formation and personnel. Naturally, Catherine and the mages of Winterhome (plus Karem) did not participate in the middle of that grand chaos. Catherine stood blankly with the mages in a vacant lot by one of the outer castle gates where entry was controlled except for rescue party members.
"Lady Atanitas."
Karem opened his mouth while silently greeting Narke, who was among the mages, with a hand wave.
"Is it all right for us to just stand here blankly like this?"
"Hmmmm."
"Honestly, the stares are burdensome."
Karem looked at those who were gradually forming ranks even in the midst of that grand chaos. If there were people standing still while the majority moved busily—and if it was a cluster of more than ten people, not just one or two—it was impossible for gazes not to gather.
"Ah, here he comes."
"Yes?"
"Over there. That way."
Karem turned his head following Catherine's finger. At the end of it, a boy who looked a few years older than Karem, heavily armed, came running.
"Huff! Huff! Excuse me! With the brilliant amber staff and long hair like silk woven with gold thread—might I be permitted to inquire whether you are the Supreme Magic Advisor, Lady Atanitas!"
"I've been waiting. Behind me are the mages under my command who will participate in the rescue party. This is my exclusive chef."
"Yes! I am Remus, squire of Sir Churchill who is the commander of this rescue party, ordered by him to guide the Advisor and her party to their carriages! I shall guide you this way!"
The guide closed his mouth tightly after that. Because the first meeting had been so intense, one might have thought him a chatterbox, but Remus thereafter kept his mouth shut and guided the party to the carriages that stood slightly removed from one side of the chaotic space.
"These carriages over here are the ones for the Advisor and her party!"
"Hmm, all five of them?"
"The relatively small leading carriage is the one Lady Atanitas will board! I have also received orders to convey that since the situation is urgent, you will depart as soon as the gathering of adventurers and soldiers is complete!"
Or perhaps he was the type who only said what needed to be said but said those things at great length—that thought suddenly occurred. After sending the guide away and distributing the carriages according to the number of people, Karem immediately boarded the carriage following Catherine.
"Oh? Narke?"
And Narke followed right after him.
"Ugh. Ah, we greeted earlier. Long time no see?"
"No, we're in the same space, so why is it so hard to see your face?"
"W-well, research topics came up, and I can't just hold back, can I?"
"At this rate you'll grow mold. Go outside and get some sunlight. Breathe some air. Get some exercise—"
"A-are you my mommm!?"
Narke threw a fit and covered his drooping ears with his hands. Words that had come out unconsciously. But Karem's sincerity contained not a single speck of falsehood. The mages Karem had seen so far were mostly the type who shut themselves in their dens and stuck to their desks until dust piled up on their heads. At least Catherine was the type who could not sit still in one place for long, so he often saw her wandering about, but the other mages, by Karem's standards, were all hopeless. No—even in his previous life he had gone outside the house once every two or three days. These sorcerers would clearly stay cooped up in the tower for a month or a year if Mary did not periodically kick them out under the pretext of major cleaning, unless there were special circumstances.
"Y-you little brat who hasn't even undergone the coming-of-age ceremony!"
"Is that something for someone who moves less than a kid who hasn't undergone the coming-of-age ceremony to say?"
"I-I am an adult elf who can act as I please!"
Narke pouted and grumbled. Then he sharply turned his head and fixed his gaze outside the carriage. Catherine looked back and forth between Karem and Narke with a gaze full of saltiness before letting out a sigh.
"An argument between an eleven-year-old brat and a full-grown elf..."
"But that side is still acting age-appropriate for me, isn't it?"
"And you're saying that with your own mouth?"
"Um, honestly it's embarrassing."
And Karem felt his face flush hot. Even if his current life was eleven years old, by his memories he was clearly a middle-aged man who had long since passed thirty, so feeling embarrassed was natural.
"But!"
Originally, in such fights, one had to be shameless. Whether his face turned red or not, Karem puffed out his chest with a demeanor that was utterly confident except for a single speck of embarrassment in his heart.
"I am eleven years old, you know."
"This guy—the way he talks sometimes makes him seem not eleven."
"Thank you for the compliment that I'm mature."
"It's not a compliment, it's sarcasm. You cheeky thing."
"If the listener takes it as a compliment, then isn't it a compliment?"
"Before that, examining the context of the words should come first!"
"Hmm. That's too difficult for an eleven-year-old."
While master and servant were deepening their friendship, the formation of the rescue party was complete before they knew it, and Karem felt the carriage begin to move.
"Oh, are we departing now?"
No sooner had he said that than the carriage suddenly stopped.
"Huh? Or not?"
"Hmm, they probably intend to give a speech before setting out."
"A speech."
A thunderous voice like a lion's roar. The deep and resonant sound that pierced the mind came through the walls of the carriage along with the noise of the cheering crowd. The content was nothing special. Things like there being no time to collect spoils, that unauthorized deserters would be beheaded immediately, that those who excelled in battle would be rewarded, and so on.
"But Lady Atanitas. Where are we going?"
"Well. I don't know either."
"Excuse me?"
Karem looked at Catherine with a look of utter disbelief. Even Narke, who had been sulking alone, was so flabbergasted this time that he turned to Catherine with a dazed expression.
"No, really. The location wasn't written on the command letter."
See. And Catherine showed the command letter she had received from the dispatch. She had suspected as much, but it was true. There was not a single piece of information about the location on the parchment. Meanwhile, the speech ended. The rescue party began to move swiftly.