Authorâs Note:
The serious tone ended with last chapter. w
As I swung my arm back to take my anger out on the toad man, Eleanora-san appeared at the entrance.
ãYuna-chan, wait!ã
Just because she told me to wait didnât mean I was going to stop.
ãUgh!ã
I sunk a Bear Punch into the toad manâs stomach.
ãI was too late.ã
No, she made it in time. Because she had suddenly cried out to me, I only used half the usual strength.
As proof, the toad man didnât fly off after getting hit. His internal organs didnât burst out, either. Instead, he just passed out on the spot, foaming at the mouth.
ãEleanora-san? Why are you here?ã
ãI was on my way back from the Commerce Guild and saw you riding Swaying Bear with a crazed look on your face, so I decided to run after you. There was no way I could not follow you after seeing you in such a state.ã
A crazed look? Had I really been making such a scary face?
I thought about it for a second. Yup, I probably had been.
The girls had just gotten attacked, so it would have been more strange for me not to look mad.
ãPlease donât make the elderly run so much, okay?ã
She wasnât out of breath or anything, though.
Also, what did she mean by elderly? She looked like she was in her mid-twenties. At the very least, she didnât look like she was 33 years old.
How mysterious.
Just about then, three more people came up to the entrance, completely out of breath.
Oh, I remembered seeing one of them before. It was Ranzel-san, the man who had helped us get rid of the thieves at the capital.
I had never seen the other two before, though. Maybe they were knights like Ranzel-san?
Still, these three knights were completely out of breath while Eleanora-san was fine.
Really, just who was Eleanora-san?
ãOkay, Yuna-chan. Can you please explain the situation to me?ã
Eleanora-san asked me while looking around.
The door had been blown off, a part of the wall had crumbled, and there were two people with faces covered in blood lying on the ground. There was also a toad man, foaming at the mouth. Oh, and all of his servants were just standing there, shaking in fear. It was a terrible scene no matter how we looked at it.
If I had to describe it, it looked like a wild bear had gone on a rampage.
Still, I had no regrets. In fact, I probably hadnât rampaged enough.
I proceeded to explain to Eleanora-san that Misa had been kidnapped and that I had come here to get her back.
ãKidnapped?!ã
Eleanora-san was completely taken aback by what I said and turned to Misa.
ãThatâs right, that person over there kidnapped me, and Big Sis Yuna came here to my rescue.ã
Misa said and pointed at the black-clothed man who was collapsed on the ground.
I then began to explain the situation, starting from what had happened at Gran-sanâs mansion.
I included what had happened to Fina and Noa, of course.
ãAre the two of them okay?!ã
ãI think so. They both lost consciousness, but other than that, they were okay.ã
Eleanora-san glared at the toad man, who was also on the floor.
I couldnât blame her; any mother would have been mad to hear that their beloved daughter had been injured.
ãSo, Yuna-chan, you got mad and went on a rampage then.ã
I suppose that would be true.
Eleanora-san was lost in thought for a bit then turned to the guards and servants.
ãMy name is Eleanora Foschuroze. Under His Majestyâs orders, I am putting Gerardo Salbert under arrest. We will be questioning all of you concerning this event. If you speak the truth, I promise you that your punishments will be reduced.ã
The guards and servants looked at each other.
ãIs that possible?ã
ãAs long as none of you did any inhumane things, I will see to it.ã
When she said that, half of the guards looked down while the other half seemed relieved.
The servants appeared to be conflicted as well.
ãAlso, running away will just make your crime worse. If you intend to follow our orders, take out your guild and citizenship cards.ã
Eleanora-san ordered them to give her their identification cards.
Without their cards, they couldnât leave this town, so it was almost like they were stripped of their citizenships for the time being.
They could always get a new card reissued, of course, but not if they were marked as criminals.
The guards and servants all obediently handed over their identification cards to Ranzel-san.
Trying to resist Eleanora-san would be pointless now.
ãRanzel, Vorz, question every person in this residence, but do it gently. Also, even though I think itâs unlikely, make sure that these three on the floor donât try to escape.ã
ãUnderstood.ã
The two of them quickly ran up to the three unconscious people and tied them up.
ãMichel, go to the Faren Gramm family and request for Cliff and Gran-san to come here. Make sure they bring their guards with them as well, of course.ã
ãUnderstood.ã
The man named Michel quickly left the residence.
ãEleanora-san, is what I did considered a crime?ã
I asked her just in case.
I had attacked a noble family after all.
I honestly didnât know what happened to people who attacked noble families in this world.
ãYou donât have to worry about it, Yuna-chan. You saved a nobleâs daughter. I will explain what happened here to the king, and Iâm sure he will understand.ã
It seemed like I had nothing to worry about.
ãAlso, I should probably tell you that Misa wasnât the only one abducted. A merchant came to me and told the that their children also taken. It happened when I was at the Commerce Guild today. I actually spotted you just as I was in the middle of discussing the situation with them.ã
ãWhere are those children then?ã
ãItâs possible that they are being held at a different place.ã
Still, that was close.
If I had unleashed my wrath fully, I could have destroyed this place and buried the children with it.
Good thing Eleanora-san came here and stopped me from doing so.
I really wouldnât want to hear about dead bodies of abducted children being found afterwards.
ãWell, I was planning on asking Gerardo where he kept the children, but...ã
The toad man was currently passed out on the floor and still foaming at his mouth. Yep, she couldnât really interrogate him with the way he was.
Wait, wouldnât toads wake up after getting splashed by water?
Well, we didnât really need to wake him up though. I could just use detection magic or have my Bears sniff the children out. We could find them as long as they were in this building.
As I was about to decide on how to go about it, Ranzel-san came back after putting the three unconscious people in a nice pile and also making sure the servants were gathered far enough away from them.
ãYuna-san, itâs been a while!ã
ãYes, Ranzel-san, it has. Iâm surprised to see youâve accompanied Eleanora-san.ã
ãI was slightly rattled by it as well. As I was practicing at the castleâs training grounds, Eleanora-sama suddenly approached me and said we were leaving so I had to pack up my things. Before I knew it, we were on our way to Sheelin.ã
He answered with a smile.
I could totally see that happening with Eleanora-san involved...
ãRanzel, does Gerardo look like he will wake up anytime soon?ã
ãNo, he doesnât. He is completely out cold while I could say that the other two are quite close to a critical condition.ã
ãIt will be a problem if we let them die, so please give them some first aid treatment. We do need to talk to Gerardo, however, so we should wake him up.ã
Water sprayed out from Eleanora-sanâs hand and hit the toad manâs face. So, Eleanora-san could use magic, huh. Well, since her daughter Shia could use it, I had figured Eleanora-san would be able to use it as well.
ãW-what?ã
The toad man burst to consciousness.
Yup, using water against toads worked best.
ãWhy am I tied up?!ã
He yelled when he noticed his predicament and started to struggle.
ãGerardo, itâs been a while.ã
ãYou... Youâre Eleanora. Why are you here?ã
ãI came to do an inspection of Sheelin on His Majestyâs orders. Weâve heard some dark rumors about this town recently. We had no idea they would lead to the lordâs granddaughter being kidnapped, however.ã
ãWell, I know nothing about that. My son kidnapped her on his own. So, I didnât do anything.ã
The toad man glanced at his son next to him while still claiming innocence.
ãIf youâre going to arrest someone, take him. Also, Iâm cutting off all ties with him. He is my son no longer; he is just a stranger now!ã
ãA parent is responsible for the actions of their children. He kidnapped a nobleâs daughter and even injured my own daughter in the process. Do you seriously think that youâre going to get away with that excuse?!ã
Eleanora-sanâs words were heavy with rage.
ãYou can say what you want, but I had nothing to do with this, so hurry up and untie me! You canât treat a noble like this!ã
How noisy. Maybe I should hit him again to silence him.
Still, Eleanora-san was holding back even though she must want to hit him as well, so I had to hold back, too.
ãItâs embarrassing to see someone like you call himself a noble, so can you please stop it. If Yuna-chan thinks Iâm just like you since we are both nobles, I would be so embarrassed that I wouldnât be able to live anymore. Besides, even if your son was the one who kidnapped Misa, didnât you kidnap a lot of merchantsâ children as well?ã
ãWhat? I donât know what youâre talking about.ã
ãIf youâre going to play dumb, thatâs fine. I honestly donât care if you end up like the two next to you.ã
Did that mean I could hit him now?
Or, was she saying she would hit him?
ãWell, even if they are here, that means Iâm just taking care of them. Iâve got their parents to sign a contract as well, so it isnât like I kidnapped them.ã
That was a crazy excuse.
ãDidnât you threaten the merchants to sign the contract after you kidnapped their children?ã
ãYouâve got no evidence to back that up. Iâm taking care of the children with the proper approval of their parents. As proof, those children are not injured in any way.ã
The tied up toad man responded with a smile.
I didnât know what kind of contracts had been signed, but it looked like it had worked because Eleanora-san seemed to be troubled.
In my former world, I had heard of people who signed shady contracts and ended up being extorted into giving money to the other party.
ãYouâre right... However, the kidnapping of Misana Faren Gramm is still a big issue, and I will have to investigate this residence. Of course, that means I will have to go through your room as well. I canât wait to see what I will find there.ã
Eleanora-san said with an evil look on her face.
ãDonât mess with me! I wonât permit that!ã
ãOh, but I have permission from His Majesty.ã
ãHis Majesty...ã
Eleanora-san took out a piece of parchment from her item bag and showed it to the toad man.
ãAs you can see, I have permission to come here and investigate your belongings in the case youâve committed a crime, which you have.ã
The toad manâs expression changed once he saw what the parchment said.
ãBut, itâs my son who...ã
ãItâs the same thing. Your son kidnapped Misana Faren Gramm. Even you yourself admitted that. Therefore, we have all the reason to search through every corner of this residence.ã
ãStop messing with me!ã
ãIf you havenât done anything His Majesty wouldnât approve of then you have no reason to worry, right?ã
Yep, Eleanora-san was completely pissed off.
ãNo way in hell is this fair! Somebody help me! I will pay you!ã
All the servants ignored the toad man and completely avoided making eye contact with him.
Yeah, in this sort of situation, nobody in their right mind would even consider helping out the toad man.
Authorâs Note:
I think we should be able to finish this kidnapping incident in the next chapter.