Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Master, There’s Trouble

Translator: ShiroiKaze/Soyokaze Translations

Several days since then. I was in my room developing “The Second” weapon.

With my Master’s cooperation, the magic circle size problem was easily resolved.

What is this? Within the crevices of the magic circle, you can build in another interconnected magic circle and amplify it?!

Lately there have been a lot of times when I think that my Master is more of a cheat character than me!

That’s how Sentinel was completed, but I’m not handing it over yet.

I want to boil down this research subject a little bit more.

“Ugh, It looks like adding three [enchantments] really is the limit. I guess the problem really is because the material is just ordinary iron?”

After [enchanting] the three [weight reduction], [toughness], and [sharpness] (incomplete) in, the material doesn’t have enough strength left, and I can’t enhance its power any further.

Well, when it comes to Sentinel, its mass alone is already a weapon though…

“Anyway, I want to give him a sword that could hunt a dragon or something—, kinda dark swordsman-y? Maybe we could build a cannon into his left arm too.”

While memories of a dark fantasy masterpiece come to mind, I perform the “second” [enchantment].

Over here I have some room area-wise, but… when I tried to perform a fourth one, a crack appeared on the surface.

It looks like it really is impossible with iron.

“Though four would go just fine if it was silver. If I do that, then the strength of the material itself would be…”

Shall I design along the iron weapon route?

~*~

That night, together with the fierce neighing of a horse, Mr. Kime came to the cottage.

“Mr. Haster, are you here?!”

“Kime? You surprised me. What’s got you so panicked?”

“It looks like little Marle from Mr. Halt’s place hasn’t come home yet.”

“At this time?!”

It’s already quite late at night. By the way, I wonder who Mr. Halt and Marle are?

Mr. Kime, seeming to turn back in a hurry, is called to a stop.

“Mr. Kime, please calm down. Isn’t your horse worn out? Moreover, I can’t help out if I don’t understand the situation.”

“Urk, I guess you’re right…”

“I’ll put some tea on, so come on in.”

“Except I’ll be the one getting the tea ready…”

Shut up, Alec. That’s the underling’s job.

“So, what all happened?”

“In the afternoon, Marle said she was going to pick hawthorn berries, and left the village. With a child’s legs, we thought she couldn’t go far, so we weren’t particularly worried.”

“Then, she didn’t return, like you said.”

“The village’s surroundings are mapped out, and there aren’t many beasts. There shouldn’t have been any danger.”

“Who is this Marle you’re talking about?”

I’m not acquainted, so I have to ask in detail.

“The village representative, basically the head of the village, Mr. Halt’s only daughter. She’s a girl who just turned 8 this year… by the way, who are you?”

“… Now that you mention it, this is the first time I’ve shown you my face, isn’t it Mr. Kime? I am Yuuri.”

“… … No way. Yer a beauty?”

What kind of face did you think I would have?!

“Leaving that aside… certainly an 8 year old child would have a tough time getting far in a mountain or a forest.”

“Later, the whole village came out to search and got some results. Next to the hawthorn trees we found the footprints of a small child and two adults.”

“Adults? Was she being protected by someone?”

“Since those footprints looked like they headed to this mountain, I thought about that, and looked back in the village, but…”

I see, so he thought my Master was protecting her, and rushed over here to the cottage?

“It’s just, since only the two adult footprints were headed towards the mountain, I thought something was suspicious, and hurried over here to make sure of the circumstances.”

“Wait, if there were two adults there, then shouldn’t you have realized there’s no way it could be Master?!”

“Mr. Gusta also heads this way often, so…”

Except Mr. Gusta was probably at the village. He’s getting all mixed up.

“Carrying off a child like that… could they be after a ransom?”

“Mareba village is certainly prosperous, but it’s probably not the place to go looking for a ransom. Maybe they’re looking to sell her into slavery?… Even then, she might go for 30 gold coins at best?”

“Umm… I heard from my Dad that there’s talk of thieves that came this way.”

“What, no way!”

In response to Alec’s shocking revelation, Mr. Kime suddenly stands up.

My Master urged him to continue in a heavy voice.

“Tell us more.”

“… If I remember it right; to the north, in the country of Novelius, they were running wild, but they were beaten back by the knights, and he said the survivors crossed the border. Since this mountain is to the north, he warned me that it could be dangerous.”

“So they didn’t take them all out back in their home country…? They just left the job incomplete!”

“We also left Comb as soon as the snow stopped because he said we wanted to trade before the thieves come.”

“The merchant network is really helpful at times like this.”

Mr. Kime expresses his indignation, and in contrast my Master shows admiration.

“I see, so there were two people…?”

“Did you figure something out?”

“Yeah, what do you think the best way to make money in this area is?”

“Defeat you, Master.”

“Could you stop?”

I think that is, without a doubt, the best way to make money, but there’s an unusual amount of risk to it.

“I think that is the most profitable thing though. Second best would be… attack the village?”

“That’s right, Mareba is a small village with a population to the degree of 60 people, yet their economic scope far exceeds that.”

“Thanks to you, Mr. Haster.”

Mr. Kime expresses words of appreciation to my Master. Keep the compliments coming please?

“Removing women and the elderly from the equation, the young men number somewhere around 20 people. And furthermore, I think only around half of that number can actually fight?”

“And if there are only about 10 people, then the village’s assets are theirs for the taking, is what you’re saying?”

“We don’t know how many bandits there are, but… you think there are a sufficient number of them?”

“If that’s the case… then those two were scouts.”

So they were hiding in the bushes observing the village, and along came an attractive girl picking berries who ran into them, is what you’re saying?

If they killed her, it would leave traces behind, and they couldn’t just let her go, so they abducted her then.

“Even without a body or bloodstains, since a child went missing, security is going to get tighter. I’m afraid that a raid may happen soon.”

“But, it’s not like we have confirmed that the thieves came all the way out here, right?”

“We have confirmed that there are people who’ll abduct a child around. It’s best to be vigilant.”

“W-we have to get back to the village quick…!”

Mr. Kime pales and stands up. I know how you feel, but don’t you know your horse can’t go any further?

“We’ll have to give them the rundown. I’ll escort you. You should let your horse rest here.”

My Master also stands up and takes his mantle in hand.

“Yuuri, this cottage probably isn’t safe either. In times of emergency…”

“Yessir, I will blow them away!”

“Wrong. Hole yourself up in the basement for a while. If you seal the entrance with your [clay wall], they shouldn’t be able to get in.”

My Master tiredly corrects my overly energetic idea.

And like that, he lifts Mr. Kime under his arm, and runs off into the sky. I’m jealous of that arm strength…

~*~

Some time passed after my Master left.

Aside from Alec being strangely fidgety, it was peaceful inside the cottage.

“What’s wrong? You can’t seem to calm down.”

“What’s… that’s, there’s no way I can keep calm after hearing there are thieves around.”

“Well, they are dangerous people after all.”

Although, if I just have to buy time, then that’s no problem.

In the worst case, if I throw Alec in the basement, seal the entrance, and remove the Sealing Magic Mirror…1 I can make the thieves go mad and stop them here.

However, that is a method I would like to avoid…

“Now, don’t be so afraid, just leave everything to your big sis here!”

“That’s what I’m most worried about.”

“How rude… it seems you’ll need some punishment later.”

It’s not like I don’t understand his feelings making him so restless.

Alec took up the sword to “protect.” And something he should protect appeared right in front of him, so he probably wants to dash out of here right now.

But that’s to make up for the parents he couldn’t protect. With Alec as he is now, the hostages would just increase.

“Anyway, calm down, I’ll put some tea on for you.”

“Could you make sure it’s only tea? Don’t mix anything weird into it?”

“I’m not gonna do anything like that. Stop being rude.”

“You did when we first met though.”

“Master had wise words for this; “Don’t dig up the past” he said.”

Yup, those are good words.

“What does that have to do with being a magician?”

“He also said this; “That’s one thing, this is another”.”

As expected from my Master. To think he presented me with instructions back then that would become necessary in the future.

I get up from my seat to prepare the tea, take water from the water jug… huh?

“Alec, there’s no water left, so I’m gonna go draw some. Don’t let anyone suspicious in.”

“Then you won’t be able to come back in, Yuuri.”

“What the hell are you saying, you little brat!”

“You’re the littler one though!”

We throw some conventional insults at each other, and I go to draw some water. Well, hopefully that distracted him a bit?

—when I came back, Alec was stuck next to the window.

“What’s going on?”

“Yuuri, isn’t there something shining over there?”

At the end of Alec’s pointing finger is… there’s definitely something like a lamp light flickering in the middle of the mountain that I can see.

“Certainly… maybe the villagers started hunting on the mountain?”

“But it’s clearly higher up than this cottage. If they were hunting in the mountain, they should have come here first.”

“I guess you’re right. We should let Master know about this…”

Though I say that, if we take the horse to the village it’ll be two hours… I could probably make it in one by flying, but when considering that it’s night time, I guess it’ll actually end up being two hours?

It’s about 20 kilometers to the village. Due to the slope of the mountain and bad roads, it’ll absolutely end up taking time.

If I use [body strengthening], I’m not sure, but I might just barely make it within the effect time…

“… I’m gonna go take a look!”

“Ah, HEY?!”

While I was being indecisive, Alec took that chance and leaped out of the cottage.

Moreover, he’s gripping his sword in his hand. When did he grab that?!

“Aaah jeez, that arrogant twerp!”

I understood. At the very least, we didn’t have time to go and let my Master know.

And while we’re here, the girl named Marle is facing some horrible situation.

So I’m sure… I should have been able to stop him, but I guess I purposely let him go.