Chapter 43: Bonbon and entourage
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I looked at the guild's training grounds, but it seemed that the training course was already over and Yagi and the others were not there.
I looked around the guild as well, but they didn't seem to be in the tavern either, so they must have left already.
When it comes to this, they either went out to the city or returned to the inn, but I decided to return to the inn for a while, thinking it would be more reliable to visit the inn when dinner was over.
The sunset was turning the sky red and the main street was crowded with people shopping for dinner.
As I was walking around, wondering what's for dinner today, Reinhardt warned me.
''Kent-sama, we're surrounded.
"Eh...
I didn't notice in my daze, but three boys are standing there, and when I turn around, there are two more standing there.
Standing in the middle of the three is the well-tailored boy who was staring at me this morning, dressed in well-tailored clothes.
''You, give me your face for a minute...''
Huhuh... what the hell do you want?
Come on, follow me. Hey!
The two men behind me followed the boy's instructions and grabbed both my arms to prevent me from escaping.
Probably the same age as Beatrice, one year younger than me, but the boys are just about taller than me in height alone.
''Kent-sama, would you like to kick them off?''
'No, it's still okay, I know what you want, but I don't want you to keep following me around, so I'll just listen to what you have to say.'
Well I'm sure you'll be fine, but I'll get in your way if you don't.
Be nice to me when you do.
I was taken to a vacant lot at the end of a winding alleyway, apparently a boys' hangout.
It's a vacant lot about the size of a cat's forehead, surrounded by buildings on three sides, and the only entrance or exit is the alley we walked through.
I was pushed into the center of the vacant lot and five people lined up to block the alleyway.
Looking at their faces, I saw a rich-looking bonbon and his cronies, one boy who was smaller than me and another boy of the same height, and the two who were holding my arm looked taller than me.
Bonbon is about the same height as me, but he looks pudgy.
When I was in Japan, I wasn't confident that I could win a fight with a boy smaller than me, but thanks to the absurd training I've been doing since I came to Volzard, I probably wouldn't lose a fight with anyone.
However, that's just one on one, and I'm not confident enough to take on all five of them together.
''So, what do you want from me?''
Don't approach Miss Beatrice like you're used to doing!
I knew it, it's that situation, this situation, you're probably in love with Beatrice.
But I don't know if you'll be able to handle it, it's a love that won't work until you defeat that little evil old fool of a parent.
First of all, it's not like I'm the one who approached you.
'You ... so you're saying that you were approached by Miss Beatrice?
The first time we got to know each other was with a request I did at the mansion, but it was Beatrice who approached me this morning.......did you not see that?
This guy....
Yeah, you must have remembered the kissing scene, the veins in your temples are about to break.
I mean, I'm starting to get embarrassed too...
'So you're telling me you won't stop approaching Miss Beatrice?
I wouldn't go near it unless I had something to do, and I know Klaus is scared.
When I said that, Bonbon frowned, as if he thought of the Choi Evil Parent Stupid Old Man.
He's the lord of Volzard, and he's a physical man who participates in the construction of the city walls every week, so he's going to be tough to deal with as an enemy.
''Besides, there's nothing I can do about Beatrice approaching me, and there's no way I'm being told to do that by you in the first place.
That's...
Bonbon clenches his fists and wannabes, but he doesn't seem to be able to hit me himself.
Probably, the feeling of wanting to hit him and the feeling of what to do if he hits me are in conflict.
It's like looking at me when I had no confidence.
If I'd been held by two of my cronies, I wouldn't have been able to stay this relaxed, but I wouldn't have been scared if I was facing them from about 3 meters away.
"Do you understand the situation you're in now, huh?
The little one next to the bonbon looks like a typical hipster.
His body is also very short, and if you hit him, he's going to be a bully.
"You, Nazario, are the heir to the Orlando store.
Yeah, it's a very annoying thing to say, and it makes me want to feed him goopan.
I'm sorry, I'm from another city and I don't know what an Orlando store is.
'Seriously! You're a redneck.
The bonbon Nazario interrupted the waistband's words and gave instructions to the two large bodies.
Or rather, the violent behavior is even more troublesome later on, so let's leave it here.
"Hey, kid, prepare yourself.
'I'll make a face that Miss Beatrice won't mind approaching.
Yeah, of course not.
Before the two of them could reach him, he put out the Darkness Shield behind himself and went straight inside.
And once the dark shield was gone, it would be impossible for them to come after him anymore,
'What! Where the f*ck did he go?
Hey, what the f*ck was that...
Nago and Rhodes are waving their hands around and stomping on the ground in my area, looking for me, but there's no way they're going to find me.
"It's an utter disaster, Master Kent.
''Yeah, I have to get my classmates to accept Volzard's acceptance of my classmates, so I don't want any unnecessary violent incidents or anything.''
"Yes, but, Master Kent, that Gillik was a hard fighter.
''Because Giliq is like a wall to be crossed... well, he destroyed himself on his own, but...''
"Yes, but are you sure that's the way to go?
''Well I'll think about it in the moment, I'll go home and have dinner for now.''
I left the bonbons still scurrying around in the vacant lot and quickly returned to the lodge.
'I'm back..............................What are you doing, Meisa?
Back at the boarding house, I called out to Amanda and the others, and Meisa, arms folded, glared at me with her mouth in a heap.
'Mother, is this Kent real?'
Hey, Maysa, there's no such thing as a fake for me. What's going on?
"Kent, is it true you kissed Miss Beatrice?
Yeah! Where did you get that from...
People were talking about it at school. They said she kissed a little black guy and called him Master Kent.
Ugh ... it wasn't me, it was Beatrice ...
Nuh uhm... not even close.
"Gaaaaaahhhh.......I know that too.......
I almost fell to my knees at Meisa's harsh words.
Beatrice is the senior-most student in Volzard's school, and she's also the daughter of the lord, so she's known to everyone in the entire school.
She excels in her studies, is kind to the lower class students, and is the admiration of not only the boys but also the girls.
That Beatrice had been making a tremendous splash in the middle of the main street all morning, and the students at the school were kissing a boy they didn't know.
Seriously, it was making my head hurt.
'Huh.......give me a break.......'
Kent, you're not threatening Miss Beatrice, are you?
I wouldn't do that, she's your daughter, your lord's daughter, and you won't be able to stay in Volzard.
'Ummm... then why? Why did Miss Beatrice kiss you?
I don't know. I'd like to hear about it myself.
For Meisa, she can't believe that the senior student she admires kissed a dull lodger.
Yeah, it's not balanced anyway.
'Meisa, if you're talking in there and not helping out in the shop, then go up there with Kent!
I'll help! Kent's out of the way, so go upstairs!
"Okay, okay, okay, okay....
I have to proceed with the rescue mission using the sleeping potion, but I'm afraid it's going to be very troublesome.
I have to clear up any misunderstandings about Manon, and I'm getting the chills that even a little evil old man might join the fight.
For now, I'm going to suspend Basten's reconnaissance in the capital to give top priority to the rescue mission.
I'm sorry, I had my own ideas about doing it that way and that way.
No, that's all right. We have to save your friend first.
I want to check with Reinhardt and the three of you first.
''Hey, can you guys throw pills directly into someone else's stomach like I did?''
"There's no question of that, for we are, as it were, Master Kent's own people, and we can enter any place where there is a shadow.
So that means the four of us can split up and put the knights to sleep, right?
Well, there aren't many knights in that garrison, so if we split up, we should be able to put them to sleep in a short amount of time.
According to Fred's research, the number of knights in Rastock's garrison is one hundred and seventeen, even if you add in those of the squad leader class below Camilla.
''Okay, then, what should we start with first?
Well, the first thing to do is to decide when to launch the attack. The placement of the knights is completely different between day and night. If you're thinking about putting him to sleep, it's best to use the nighttime, when it's easier to find a better position.
'Yeah, you move around during the day, training and all that. 'Fred, what's it like at night?'
"The gatekeepers ... the patrol ... the rest of the quarters, and a few more precautions for the quarters...
Perhaps because they are fitted with the arm bands of servitude, the vigilance of the garrison itself is not so strict, but rather, many people are assigned to guard against demons crossing the river and entering the city.
''It would be better if we had a diagram of the garrison or something, right?
Of course, it would be easier to draw a diagram of who's where, what's where, and where to attack.
"Fred, could you do me a favor?
"Because you asked me to do it before I've already done it...
I had asked Fred to draw up a floor plan of the garrison when Funayama died.
On the large sheet of paper we pasted together, there was a detailed description of all the buildings in the garrison, their purposes, and the types of items they were storing.
As expected of Fred, his work is fast and accurate.
'Can Basten explore the staffing and patrol routes for the drawbridge choke point?
'Okay, the operation of the drawbridge itself is probably a common one, but I'll check it out just in case.'
'The position of the enemy's guard, where the knight sleeps and the carriage.
I'll have to check the location of the stables as well.
'Well, we can't go on without horses, can we?
After all, when it comes to attacking, or rather, breaking in and rescuing them, we'll need to check a lot of things.
''If we rescue our classmates in the middle of the night and start moving in the carriage before dawn, will we be able to reach Volzard that evening?''
"As long as it's safe, I'll be fine.
So maybe we can get a couple of snacks for food?
'You'll have to think about giving your horse leaves and water, Master Kent.
"Well, horses are living things, aren't they? When they're hungry, they're thirsty.
As for the manger, shall I ask Kurtz-san to get some flexibility from the garrison?
As for the water, if we only prepare a tub, it would be possible to have Reinhardt and the others fetch it for us using the shadow movement.
It doesn't seem to be difficult to secure the necessary supplies, but what is likely to be a problem is the preparation of the carriage.
Yagi and the other five don't have any experience in moving a carriage.
We don't even know how to move the reins, and on the day of the event, we will probably have to start by tying the horses to the carriage.
I'm beginning to think it's going to be difficult to learn in a few days.
'I suppose it would be quicker to get around in a carriage, but I have a feeling it's going to take a while for us to get used to handling the carriage.
Well, it takes some time to get used to a horse when you're in a state where you have to get used to it.
'Wouldn't it be better to have everyone travel on foot as originally planned?
''If we were to travel on foot, it would be difficult to move through the Demon Forest in the middle of the night, and in the morning, the Riesenburg knights would surely come after us.''
If this one couldn't move in the middle of the night and waited for the dawn to break, it would be easy for the pursuers to catch up with us around the area where we entered the Demon Forest.
Even if we took off our servitude bracelets and all of us were ready to fight, in a fight, there could be injuries and, in the worst case, deaths.
When considering the negotiations to return to Japan after the rescue, we want to avoid armed conflict.
If you are in a carriage, you can leave lights on all sides of the carriage so that you can follow the carriage in front of you at night.
'I see, so the more distance you make up in the middle of the night, the more likely you are to be able to fend off your pursuers.
I still think it would be better to travel by carriage.
As soon as possible, I want to start practicing from tomorrow if possible so that I can get used to handling the horses.
However, if we don't borrow a carriage or horse, we can't practice, and for that, should we talk to Kurtz-san...or perhaps Marianne-san?
When I start planning the rescue in this way, I get impatient with all the things I can't do, all the things I'm missing.
''Kent-sama, what you can't do even if you're in a hurry won't suddenly become possible.''
'Yes, I know, I know, I think I know, but I still feel...'
As I was feeling jittery, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
'Kent, it's dinner.... and it's dark again...'
''Hahaha it's good to save the magic stones for the light magic tools.
''Just because you can use a bit of dark magic, you're cheeky, Kent! You don't match Miss Beatrice at all!
A group of nine people who ate a 30-hert lunch, they just paid the amount of money without the otsuri, but Amanda asked me to give them 3 herts each. Now, how much should I give them?
'What, what? That's why!
'Hahahaha!'
Yes, as expected of a signboard girl, Meisa runs down the stairs, leaving behind a stray answer.
''Mom, Kent is in the dark room again, plotting evil!
Hey, don't be silly, Meisa, I'm making up a bunch of math problems!
Oh no, I hate arithmetic...
At the dinner table, when I presented Maysa's stray answers to Amanda and Meline, they both laughed out loud.
Meisa-chan gave me an elbow strike to the side, but for my well-trained abdominal muscles.........................gufu, why do you gouge me out so precisely?
As the four of us happily sat around the dinner table, my impatience eased, but I can't be the only one feeling good about it.
Let's get the chairman and everyone else out of there as soon as possible.
After dinner, I refused to go out to Amanda-san and visited the five of us in the guard's temporary quarters in the shadow movement.
The five were gathered in the living room of the temporary quarters, so I went straight out of the shadows to the front.
''Good evening,''
Kyah!
Hey, Kokubun, stop coming out of the blue! You scared me!
He suddenly showed up, causing Sakurai-san to scream and get angry at Kobayashi-san.
'Sorry, sorry, I just had something I needed everyone to help me with.
Helping out on a rescue mission?
You mean a combatant?
Maybe it's because they moved their bodies during the daytime combat course, but the old and new duo is feeling itchy.
Oh, not to mention Gase Megane is languishing.
'Yeah, I need you to help me with the rescue mission, but I don't want you to be a combatant, I want you to be a carriage operator.
During the day, I told Paul about the time I gave him sleeping pills and told the five of them about the rescue mission using sleeping pills.
'That's why I think we'd better take a carriage to shake off Riesenburg's pursuers.
Oh, I see. You want to get the carriage all the way back to here at once?
You're the one who drives that carriage, aren't you?
'Oh, you should have taken the carriage away from us when we were there.
But this is going to free us all, right?
The new and old duo and the Uneven Sisters are eager to go on a rescue mission, but Gase Megane, who is languishing by herself, has a dissatisfied expression on her face.
'Kokubun you're really an a**h*le, aren't you?
Hey, what do you mean by stupid, stupid...
'I say stupid because he's an idiot. If you can put all the knights to sleep, just tie them all up and tell them they're all going to die if they don't get us back to Japan, and that's it, there's no need to come running back here, is there?
'Oh... well...'
The five of us other than Yagi, including me, looked at each other and involuntarily fell silent.
Indeed, if all the knights were taken hostage, and I myself became a hostage as well, no matter how much of a s*x offender Camilla is, I wouldn't be able to resist.
If that's the case, there's no need to come all the way through the Demon Forest to Volzard.
Gnnnnn....
It's true that Yagi has a point, and it's a story worth considering, but.......Yagi's picky tone of voice is annoying.
When I was wondering what to think, Reinhardt waited for me.
''Kent-sama, I don't really recommend that plan,''
'What? Why? We're not going to kill anyone, we're just going to take them hostage.'
The only way to do that is to make demands that can be easily prepared, such as treasures and food, but if the negotiations are protracted or the preparations take a long time, you'll need to remain holed up until you have an agreement. The magic formula that summoned Kent-sama and the others must have been quite large-scale, so the magic circle for the return should be large-scale as well.''
What Reinhardt seems to be concerned about is the time it takes for our request to be granted.
''Does it still take a long time to prepare to activate a large scale magic formula after all?
"We were knights, so we don't know much about it, but there are some techniques that can take months to perform. It would be difficult to stay indoors for that long...
''I see........Even if we can bring in food and other things through shadow migration, it's difficult to relieve the stress of being cooped up......''
That's what I'm saying.
When I told the five people about Reinhardt's story, everyone except Yagi had an expression of agreement.
''There's no way we're going to stay in those quarters for a few months...''
It's hard to share your quarters when you're stuck in here, isn't it?
Hey, you can't have a guy holed up in that dormitory with you.
It's going to be disastrous for the bathrooms and the toilets and...
No, no, no, no, no. Why don't you just get them to set you up with a place to stay?
At Yagi's words, everyone's eyes are turned to me.
''Well ... what do you think? Reinhardt.
In this case, if one of your forces is captured by the other side and taken hostage, you're right back to square one.
I know...
As I deliver Reinhardt's words, my gaze is now focused on Yagi.
''No, no........even if we were to take the princess hostage over here, even they can't do anything poorly, right?''
Oh well it seems like the first and second princes are fighting over the succession, and Camilla is a first prince.
'What's that, so the first prince is trying to help but the second prince would rather kill him...?'
I don't know that much, but it could happen, couldn't it?
As expected, Yagi became reluctant as well.
''What do you think?''
You'd better get him over here.
Hey, how about a party of just the summoners and a dungeon?
Oh, that's a great idea. Maybe I should join you.
I'm going to have a bit of fun with the carriage...
Oh, well let's just play it safe...
He seems reluctant to do so, but it seems that Yagi has agreed.
Now we should talk to Kurtz or Marianne tomorrow and ask them to let us borrow a carriage, a horse, and someone to guide us.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
I looked at the guild's training grounds, but it seemed that the training course was already over and Yagi and the others were not there.
I looked around the guild as well, but they didn't seem to be in the tavern either, so they must have left already.
When it comes to this, they either went out to the city or returned to the inn, but I decided to return to the inn for a while, thinking it would be more reliable to visit the inn when dinner was over.
The sunset was turning the sky red and the main street was crowded with people shopping for dinner.
As I was walking around, wondering what's for dinner today, Reinhardt warned me.
''Kent-sama, we're surrounded.
"Eh...
I didn't notice in my daze, but three boys are standing there, and when I turn around, there are two more standing there.
Standing in the middle of the three is the well-tailored boy who was staring at me this morning, dressed in well-tailored clothes.
''You, give me your face for a minute...''
Huhuh... what the hell do you want?
Come on, follow me. Hey!
The two men behind me followed the boy's instructions and grabbed both my arms to prevent me from escaping.
Probably the same age as Beatrice, one year younger than me, but the boys are just about taller than me in height alone.
''Kent-sama, would you like to kick them off?''
'No, it's still okay, I know what you want, but I don't want you to keep following me around, so I'll just listen to what you have to say.'
Well I'm sure you'll be fine, but I'll get in your way if you don't.
Be nice to me when you do.
I was taken to a vacant lot at the end of a winding alleyway, apparently a boys' hangout.
It's a vacant lot about the size of a cat's forehead, surrounded by buildings on three sides, and the only entrance or exit is the alley we walked through.
I was pushed into the center of the vacant lot and five people lined up to block the alleyway.
Looking at their faces, I saw a rich-looking bonbon and his cronies, one boy who was smaller than me and another boy of the same height, and the two who were holding my arm looked taller than me.
Bonbon is about the same height as me, but he looks pudgy.
When I was in Japan, I wasn't confident that I could win a fight with a boy smaller than me, but thanks to the absurd training I've been doing since I came to Volzard, I probably wouldn't lose a fight with anyone.
However, that's just one on one, and I'm not confident enough to take on all five of them together.
''So, what do you want from me?''
Don't approach Miss Beatrice like you're used to doing!
I knew it, it's that situation, this situation, you're probably in love with Beatrice.
But I don't know if you'll be able to handle it, it's a love that won't work until you defeat that little evil old fool of a parent.
First of all, it's not like I'm the one who approached you.
'You ... so you're saying that you were approached by Miss Beatrice?
The first time we got to know each other was with a request I did at the mansion, but it was Beatrice who approached me this morning.......did you not see that?
This guy....
Yeah, you must have remembered the kissing scene, the veins in your temples are about to break.
I mean, I'm starting to get embarrassed too...
'So you're telling me you won't stop approaching Miss Beatrice?
I wouldn't go near it unless I had something to do, and I know Klaus is scared.
When I said that, Bonbon frowned, as if he thought of the Choi Evil Parent Stupid Old Man.
He's the lord of Volzard, and he's a physical man who participates in the construction of the city walls every week, so he's going to be tough to deal with as an enemy.
''Besides, there's nothing I can do about Beatrice approaching me, and there's no way I'm being told to do that by you in the first place.
That's...
Bonbon clenches his fists and wannabes, but he doesn't seem to be able to hit me himself.
Probably, the feeling of wanting to hit him and the feeling of what to do if he hits me are in conflict.
It's like looking at me when I had no confidence.
If I'd been held by two of my cronies, I wouldn't have been able to stay this relaxed, but I wouldn't have been scared if I was facing them from about 3 meters away.
"Do you understand the situation you're in now, huh?
The little one next to the bonbon looks like a typical hipster.
His body is also very short, and if you hit him, he's going to be a bully.
"You, Nazario, are the heir to the Orlando store.
Yeah, it's a very annoying thing to say, and it makes me want to feed him goopan.
I'm sorry, I'm from another city and I don't know what an Orlando store is.
'Seriously! You're a redneck.
The bonbon Nazario interrupted the waistband's words and gave instructions to the two large bodies.
Or rather, the violent behavior is even more troublesome later on, so let's leave it here.
"Hey, kid, prepare yourself.
'I'll make a face that Miss Beatrice won't mind approaching.
Yeah, of course not.
Before the two of them could reach him, he put out the Darkness Shield behind himself and went straight inside.
And once the dark shield was gone, it would be impossible for them to come after him anymore,
'What! Where the f*ck did he go?
Hey, what the f*ck was that...
Nago and Rhodes are waving their hands around and stomping on the ground in my area, looking for me, but there's no way they're going to find me.
"It's an utter disaster, Master Kent.
''Yeah, I have to get my classmates to accept Volzard's acceptance of my classmates, so I don't want any unnecessary violent incidents or anything.''
"Yes, but, Master Kent, that Gillik was a hard fighter.
''Because Giliq is like a wall to be crossed... well, he destroyed himself on his own, but...''
"Yes, but are you sure that's the way to go?
''Well I'll think about it in the moment, I'll go home and have dinner for now.''
I left the bonbons still scurrying around in the vacant lot and quickly returned to the lodge.
'I'm back..............................What are you doing, Meisa?
Back at the boarding house, I called out to Amanda and the others, and Meisa, arms folded, glared at me with her mouth in a heap.
'Mother, is this Kent real?'
Hey, Maysa, there's no such thing as a fake for me. What's going on?
"Kent, is it true you kissed Miss Beatrice?
Yeah! Where did you get that from...
People were talking about it at school. They said she kissed a little black guy and called him Master Kent.
Ugh ... it wasn't me, it was Beatrice ...
Nuh uhm... not even close.
"Gaaaaaahhhh.......I know that too.......
I almost fell to my knees at Meisa's harsh words.
Beatrice is the senior-most student in Volzard's school, and she's also the daughter of the lord, so she's known to everyone in the entire school.
She excels in her studies, is kind to the lower class students, and is the admiration of not only the boys but also the girls.
That Beatrice had been making a tremendous splash in the middle of the main street all morning, and the students at the school were kissing a boy they didn't know.
Seriously, it was making my head hurt.
'Huh.......give me a break.......'
Kent, you're not threatening Miss Beatrice, are you?
I wouldn't do that, she's your daughter, your lord's daughter, and you won't be able to stay in Volzard.
'Ummm... then why? Why did Miss Beatrice kiss you?
I don't know. I'd like to hear about it myself.
For Meisa, she can't believe that the senior student she admires kissed a dull lodger.
Yeah, it's not balanced anyway.
'Meisa, if you're talking in there and not helping out in the shop, then go up there with Kent!
I'll help! Kent's out of the way, so go upstairs!
"Okay, okay, okay, okay....
I have to proceed with the rescue mission using the sleeping potion, but I'm afraid it's going to be very troublesome.
I have to clear up any misunderstandings about Manon, and I'm getting the chills that even a little evil old man might join the fight.
For now, I'm going to suspend Basten's reconnaissance in the capital to give top priority to the rescue mission.
I'm sorry, I had my own ideas about doing it that way and that way.
No, that's all right. We have to save your friend first.
I want to check with Reinhardt and the three of you first.
''Hey, can you guys throw pills directly into someone else's stomach like I did?''
"There's no question of that, for we are, as it were, Master Kent's own people, and we can enter any place where there is a shadow.
So that means the four of us can split up and put the knights to sleep, right?
Well, there aren't many knights in that garrison, so if we split up, we should be able to put them to sleep in a short amount of time.
According to Fred's research, the number of knights in Rastock's garrison is one hundred and seventeen, even if you add in those of the squad leader class below Camilla.
''Okay, then, what should we start with first?
Well, the first thing to do is to decide when to launch the attack. The placement of the knights is completely different between day and night. If you're thinking about putting him to sleep, it's best to use the nighttime, when it's easier to find a better position.
'Yeah, you move around during the day, training and all that. 'Fred, what's it like at night?'
"The gatekeepers ... the patrol ... the rest of the quarters, and a few more precautions for the quarters...
Perhaps because they are fitted with the arm bands of servitude, the vigilance of the garrison itself is not so strict, but rather, many people are assigned to guard against demons crossing the river and entering the city.
''It would be better if we had a diagram of the garrison or something, right?
Of course, it would be easier to draw a diagram of who's where, what's where, and where to attack.
"Fred, could you do me a favor?
"Because you asked me to do it before I've already done it...
I had asked Fred to draw up a floor plan of the garrison when Funayama died.
On the large sheet of paper we pasted together, there was a detailed description of all the buildings in the garrison, their purposes, and the types of items they were storing.
As expected of Fred, his work is fast and accurate.
'Can Basten explore the staffing and patrol routes for the drawbridge choke point?
'Okay, the operation of the drawbridge itself is probably a common one, but I'll check it out just in case.'
'The position of the enemy's guard, where the knight sleeps and the carriage.
I'll have to check the location of the stables as well.
'Well, we can't go on without horses, can we?
After all, when it comes to attacking, or rather, breaking in and rescuing them, we'll need to check a lot of things.
''If we rescue our classmates in the middle of the night and start moving in the carriage before dawn, will we be able to reach Volzard that evening?''
"As long as it's safe, I'll be fine.
So maybe we can get a couple of snacks for food?
'You'll have to think about giving your horse leaves and water, Master Kent.
"Well, horses are living things, aren't they? When they're hungry, they're thirsty.
As for the manger, shall I ask Kurtz-san to get some flexibility from the garrison?
As for the water, if we only prepare a tub, it would be possible to have Reinhardt and the others fetch it for us using the shadow movement.
It doesn't seem to be difficult to secure the necessary supplies, but what is likely to be a problem is the preparation of the carriage.
Yagi and the other five don't have any experience in moving a carriage.
We don't even know how to move the reins, and on the day of the event, we will probably have to start by tying the horses to the carriage.
I'm beginning to think it's going to be difficult to learn in a few days.
'I suppose it would be quicker to get around in a carriage, but I have a feeling it's going to take a while for us to get used to handling the carriage.
Well, it takes some time to get used to a horse when you're in a state where you have to get used to it.
'Wouldn't it be better to have everyone travel on foot as originally planned?
''If we were to travel on foot, it would be difficult to move through the Demon Forest in the middle of the night, and in the morning, the Riesenburg knights would surely come after us.''
If this one couldn't move in the middle of the night and waited for the dawn to break, it would be easy for the pursuers to catch up with us around the area where we entered the Demon Forest.
Even if we took off our servitude bracelets and all of us were ready to fight, in a fight, there could be injuries and, in the worst case, deaths.
When considering the negotiations to return to Japan after the rescue, we want to avoid armed conflict.
If you are in a carriage, you can leave lights on all sides of the carriage so that you can follow the carriage in front of you at night.
'I see, so the more distance you make up in the middle of the night, the more likely you are to be able to fend off your pursuers.
I still think it would be better to travel by carriage.
As soon as possible, I want to start practicing from tomorrow if possible so that I can get used to handling the horses.
However, if we don't borrow a carriage or horse, we can't practice, and for that, should we talk to Kurtz-san...or perhaps Marianne-san?
When I start planning the rescue in this way, I get impatient with all the things I can't do, all the things I'm missing.
''Kent-sama, what you can't do even if you're in a hurry won't suddenly become possible.''
'Yes, I know, I know, I think I know, but I still feel...'
As I was feeling jittery, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
'Kent, it's dinner.... and it's dark again...'
''Hahaha it's good to save the magic stones for the light magic tools.
''Just because you can use a bit of dark magic, you're cheeky, Kent! You don't match Miss Beatrice at all!
A group of nine people who ate a 30-hert lunch, they just paid the amount of money without the otsuri, but Amanda asked me to give them 3 herts each. Now, how much should I give them?
'What, what? That's why!
'Hahahaha!'
Yes, as expected of a signboard girl, Meisa runs down the stairs, leaving behind a stray answer.
''Mom, Kent is in the dark room again, plotting evil!
Hey, don't be silly, Meisa, I'm making up a bunch of math problems!
Oh no, I hate arithmetic...
At the dinner table, when I presented Maysa's stray answers to Amanda and Meline, they both laughed out loud.
Meisa-chan gave me an elbow strike to the side, but for my well-trained abdominal muscles.........................gufu, why do you gouge me out so precisely?
As the four of us happily sat around the dinner table, my impatience eased, but I can't be the only one feeling good about it.
Let's get the chairman and everyone else out of there as soon as possible.
After dinner, I refused to go out to Amanda-san and visited the five of us in the guard's temporary quarters in the shadow movement.
The five were gathered in the living room of the temporary quarters, so I went straight out of the shadows to the front.
''Good evening,''
Kyah!
Hey, Kokubun, stop coming out of the blue! You scared me!
He suddenly showed up, causing Sakurai-san to scream and get angry at Kobayashi-san.
'Sorry, sorry, I just had something I needed everyone to help me with.
Helping out on a rescue mission?
You mean a combatant?
Maybe it's because they moved their bodies during the daytime combat course, but the old and new duo is feeling itchy.
Oh, not to mention Gase Megane is languishing.
'Yeah, I need you to help me with the rescue mission, but I don't want you to be a combatant, I want you to be a carriage operator.
During the day, I told Paul about the time I gave him sleeping pills and told the five of them about the rescue mission using sleeping pills.
'That's why I think we'd better take a carriage to shake off Riesenburg's pursuers.
Oh, I see. You want to get the carriage all the way back to here at once?
You're the one who drives that carriage, aren't you?
'Oh, you should have taken the carriage away from us when we were there.
But this is going to free us all, right?
The new and old duo and the Uneven Sisters are eager to go on a rescue mission, but Gase Megane, who is languishing by herself, has a dissatisfied expression on her face.
'Kokubun you're really an a**h*le, aren't you?
Hey, what do you mean by stupid, stupid...
'I say stupid because he's an idiot. If you can put all the knights to sleep, just tie them all up and tell them they're all going to die if they don't get us back to Japan, and that's it, there's no need to come running back here, is there?
'Oh... well...'
The five of us other than Yagi, including me, looked at each other and involuntarily fell silent.
Indeed, if all the knights were taken hostage, and I myself became a hostage as well, no matter how much of a s*x offender Camilla is, I wouldn't be able to resist.
If that's the case, there's no need to come all the way through the Demon Forest to Volzard.
Gnnnnn....
It's true that Yagi has a point, and it's a story worth considering, but.......Yagi's picky tone of voice is annoying.
When I was wondering what to think, Reinhardt waited for me.
''Kent-sama, I don't really recommend that plan,''
'What? Why? We're not going to kill anyone, we're just going to take them hostage.'
The only way to do that is to make demands that can be easily prepared, such as treasures and food, but if the negotiations are protracted or the preparations take a long time, you'll need to remain holed up until you have an agreement. The magic formula that summoned Kent-sama and the others must have been quite large-scale, so the magic circle for the return should be large-scale as well.''
What Reinhardt seems to be concerned about is the time it takes for our request to be granted.
''Does it still take a long time to prepare to activate a large scale magic formula after all?
"We were knights, so we don't know much about it, but there are some techniques that can take months to perform. It would be difficult to stay indoors for that long...
''I see........Even if we can bring in food and other things through shadow migration, it's difficult to relieve the stress of being cooped up......''
That's what I'm saying.
When I told the five people about Reinhardt's story, everyone except Yagi had an expression of agreement.
''There's no way we're going to stay in those quarters for a few months...''
It's hard to share your quarters when you're stuck in here, isn't it?
Hey, you can't have a guy holed up in that dormitory with you.
It's going to be disastrous for the bathrooms and the toilets and...
No, no, no, no, no. Why don't you just get them to set you up with a place to stay?
At Yagi's words, everyone's eyes are turned to me.
''Well ... what do you think? Reinhardt.
In this case, if one of your forces is captured by the other side and taken hostage, you're right back to square one.
I know...
As I deliver Reinhardt's words, my gaze is now focused on Yagi.
''No, no........even if we were to take the princess hostage over here, even they can't do anything poorly, right?''
Oh well it seems like the first and second princes are fighting over the succession, and Camilla is a first prince.
'What's that, so the first prince is trying to help but the second prince would rather kill him...?'
I don't know that much, but it could happen, couldn't it?
As expected, Yagi became reluctant as well.
''What do you think?''
You'd better get him over here.
Hey, how about a party of just the summoners and a dungeon?
Oh, that's a great idea. Maybe I should join you.
I'm going to have a bit of fun with the carriage...
Oh, well let's just play it safe...
He seems reluctant to do so, but it seems that Yagi has agreed.
Now we should talk to Kurtz or Marianne tomorrow and ask them to let us borrow a carriage, a horse, and someone to guide us.
I looked at the guild's training grounds, but it seemed that the training course was already over and Yagi and the others were not there.I looked around the guild as well, but they didn't seem to be in the tavern either, so they must have left already.When it comes to this, they either went out to the city or returned to the inn, but I decided to return to the inn for a while, thinking it would be more reliable to visit the inn when dinner was over.The sunset was turning the sky red and the main street was crowded with people shopping for dinner.As I was walking around, wondering what's for dinner today, Reinhardt warned me.''Kent-sama, we're surrounded."Eh...I didn't notice in my daze, but three boys are standing there, and when I turn around, there are two more standing there.Standing in the middle of the three is the well-tailored boy who was staring at me this morning, dressed in well-tailored clothes.''You, give me your face for a minute...''Huhuh... what the hell do you want?Come on, follow me. Hey!The two men behind me followed the boy's instructions and grabbed both my arms to prevent me from escaping.Probably the same age as Beatrice, one year younger than me, but the boys are just about taller than me in height alone.''Kent-sama, would you like to kick them off?'''No, it's still okay, I know what you want, but I don't want you to keep following me around, so I'll just listen to what you have to say.'Well I'm sure you'll be fine, but I'll get in your way if you don't.Be nice to me when you do.I was taken to a vacant lot at the end of a winding alleyway, apparently a boys' hangout.It's a vacant lot about the size of a cat's forehead, surrounded by buildings on three sides, and the only entrance or exit is the alley we walked through.I was pushed into the center of the vacant lot and five people lined up to block the alleyway.Looking at their faces, I saw a rich-looking bonbon and his cronies, one boy who was smaller than me and another boy of the same height, and the two who were holding my arm looked taller than me.Bonbon is about the same height as me, but he looks pudgy.When I was in Japan, I wasn't confident that I could win a fight with a boy smaller than me, but thanks to the absurd training I've been doing since I came to Volzard, I probably wouldn't lose a fight with anyone.However, that's just one on one, and I'm not confident enough to take on all five of them together.''So, what do you want from me?''Don't approach Miss Beatrice like you're used to doing!I knew it, it's that situation, this situation, you're probably in love with Beatrice.But I don't know if you'll be able to handle it, it's a love that won't work until you defeat that little evil old fool of a parent.First of all, it's not like I'm the one who approached you.'You ... so you're saying that you were approached by Miss Beatrice?The first time we got to know each other was with a request I did at the mansion, but it was Beatrice who approached me this morning.......did you not see that?This guy....Yeah, you must have remembered the kissing scene, the veins in your temples are about to break.I mean, I'm starting to get embarrassed too...'So you're telling me you won't stop approaching Miss Beatrice?I wouldn't go near it unless I had something to do, and I know Klaus is scared.When I said that, Bonbon frowned, as if he thought of the Choi Evil Parent Stupid Old Man.He's the lord of Volzard, and he's a physical man who participates in the construction of the city walls every week, so he's going to be tough to deal with as an enemy.''Besides, there's nothing I can do about Beatrice approaching me, and there's no way I'm being told to do that by you in the first place.That's...Bonbon clenches his fists and wannabes, but he doesn't seem to be able to hit me himself.Probably, the feeling of wanting to hit him and the feeling of what to do if he hits me are in conflict.It's like looking at me when I had no confidence.If I'd been held by two of my cronies, I wouldn't have been able to stay this relaxed, but I wouldn't have been scared if I was facing them from about 3 meters away."Do you understand the situation you're in now, huh?The little one next to the bonbon looks like a typical hipster.His body is also very short, and if you hit him, he's going to be a bully."You, Nazario, are the heir to the Orlando store.Yeah, it's a very annoying thing to say, and it makes me want to feed him goopan.I'm sorry, I'm from another city and I don't know what an Orlando store is.'Seriously! You're a redneck.The bonbon Nazario interrupted the waistband's words and gave instructions to the two large bodies.Or rather, the violent behavior is even more troublesome later on, so let's leave it here."Hey, kid, prepare yourself.'I'll make a face that Miss Beatrice won't mind approaching.Yeah, of course not.Before the two of them could reach him, he put out the Darkness Shield behind himself and went straight inside.And once the dark shield was gone, it would be impossible for them to come after him anymore,'What! Where the f*ck did he go?Hey, what the f*ck was that...Nago and Rhodes are waving their hands around and stomping on the ground in my area, looking for me, but there's no way they're going to find me."It's an utter disaster, Master Kent.''Yeah, I have to get my classmates to accept Volzard's acceptance of my classmates, so I don't want any unnecessary violent incidents or anything.''"Yes, but, Master Kent, that Gillik was a hard fighter.''Because Giliq is like a wall to be crossed... well, he destroyed himself on his own, but...''"Yes, but are you sure that's the way to go?''Well I'll think about it in the moment, I'll go home and have dinner for now.''I left the bonbons still scurrying around in the vacant lot and quickly returned to the lodge.'I'm back..............................What are you doing, Meisa?Back at the boarding house, I called out to Amanda and the others, and Meisa, arms folded, glared at me with her mouth in a heap.'Mother, is this Kent real?'Hey, Maysa, there's no such thing as a fake for me. What's going on?"Kent, is it true you kissed Miss Beatrice?Yeah! Where did you get that from...People were talking about it at school. They said she kissed a little black guy and called him Master Kent.Ugh ... it wasn't me, it was Beatrice ...Nuh uhm... not even close."Gaaaaaahhhh.......I know that too.......I almost fell to my knees at Meisa's harsh words.Beatrice is the senior-most student in Volzard's school, and she's also the daughter of the lord, so she's known to everyone in the entire school.She excels in her studies, is kind to the lower class students, and is the admiration of not only the boys but also the girls.That Beatrice had been making a tremendous splash in the middle of the main street all morning, and the students at the school were kissing a boy they didn't know.Seriously, it was making my head hurt.'Huh.......give me a break.......'Kent, you're not threatening Miss Beatrice, are you?I wouldn't do that, she's your daughter, your lord's daughter, and you won't be able to stay in Volzard.'Ummm... then why? Why did Miss Beatrice kiss you?I don't know. I'd like to hear about it myself.For Meisa, she can't believe that the senior student she admires kissed a dull lodger.Yeah, it's not balanced anyway.'Meisa, if you're talking in there and not helping out in the shop, then go up there with Kent!I'll help! Kent's out of the way, so go upstairs!"Okay, okay, okay, okay....I have to proceed with the rescue mission using the sleeping potion, but I'm afraid it's going to be very troublesome.I have to clear up any misunderstandings about Manon, and I'm getting the chills that even a little evil old man might join the fight.For now, I'm going to suspend Basten's reconnaissance in the capital to give top priority to the rescue mission.I'm sorry, I had my own ideas about doing it that way and that way.No, that's all right. We have to save your friend first.I want to check with Reinhardt and the three of you first.''Hey, can you guys throw pills directly into someone else's stomach like I did?''"There's no question of that, for we are, as it were, Master Kent's own people, and we can enter any place where there is a shadow.So that means the four of us can split up and put the knights to sleep, right?Well, there aren't many knights in that garrison, so if we split up, we should be able to put them to sleep in a short amount of time.According to Fred's research, the number of knights in Rastock's garrison is one hundred and seventeen, even if you add in those of the squad leader class below Camilla.''Okay, then, what should we start with first?Well, the first thing to do is to decide when to launch the attack. The placement of the knights is completely different between day and night. If you're thinking about putting him to sleep, it's best to use the nighttime, when it's easier to find a better position.'Yeah, you move around during the day, training and all that. 'Fred, what's it like at night?'"The gatekeepers ... the patrol ... the rest of the quarters, and a few more precautions for the quarters...Perhaps because they are fitted with the arm bands of servitude, the vigilance of the garrison itself is not so strict, but rather, many people are assigned to guard against demons crossing the river and entering the city.''It would be better if we had a diagram of the garrison or something, right?Of course, it would be easier to draw a diagram of who's where, what's where, and where to attack."Fred, could you do me a favor?"Because you asked me to do it before I've already done it...I had asked Fred to draw up a floor plan of the garrison when Funayama died.On the large sheet of paper we pasted together, there was a detailed description of all the buildings in the garrison, their purposes, and the types of items they were storing.As expected of Fred, his work is fast and accurate.'Can Basten explore the staffing and patrol routes for the drawbridge choke point?'Okay, the operation of the drawbridge itself is probably a common one, but I'll check it out just in case.''The position of the enemy's guard, where the knight sleeps and the carriage.I'll have to check the location of the stables as well.'Well, we can't go on without horses, can we?After all, when it comes to attacking, or rather, breaking in and rescuing them, we'll need to check a lot of things.''If we rescue our classmates in the middle of the night and start moving in the carriage before dawn, will we be able to reach Volzard that evening?''"As long as it's safe, I'll be fine.So maybe we can get a couple of snacks for food?'You'll have to think about giving your horse leaves and water, Master Kent."Well, horses are living things, aren't they? When they're hungry, they're thirsty.As for the manger, shall I ask Kurtz-san to get some flexibility from the garrison?As for the water, if we only prepare a tub, it would be possible to have Reinhardt and the others fetch it for us using the shadow movement.It doesn't seem to be difficult to secure the necessary supplies, but what is likely to be a problem is the preparation of the carriage.Yagi and the other five don't have any experience in moving a carriage.We don't even know how to move the reins, and on the day of the event, we will probably have to start by tying the horses to the carriage.I'm beginning to think it's going to be difficult to learn in a few days.'I suppose it would be quicker to get around in a carriage, but I have a feeling it's going to take a while for us to get used to handling the carriage.Well, it takes some time to get used to a horse when you're in a state where you have to get used to it.'Wouldn't it be better to have everyone travel on foot as originally planned?''If we were to travel on foot, it would be difficult to move through the Demon Forest in the middle of the night, and in the morning, the Riesenburg knights would surely come after us.''If this one couldn't move in the middle of the night and waited for the dawn to break, it would be easy for the pursuers to catch up with us around the area where we entered the Demon Forest.Even if we took off our servitude bracelets and all of us were ready to fight, in a fight, there could be injuries and, in the worst case, deaths.When considering the negotiations to return to Japan after the rescue, we want to avoid armed conflict.If you are in a carriage, you can leave lights on all sides of the carriage so that you can follow the carriage in front of you at night.'I see, so the more distance you make up in the middle of the night, the more likely you are to be able to fend off your pursuers.I still think it would be better to travel by carriage.As soon as possible, I want to start practicing from tomorrow if possible so that I can get used to handling the horses.However, if we don't borrow a carriage or horse, we can't practice, and for that, should we talk to Kurtz-san...or perhaps Marianne-san?When I start planning the rescue in this way, I get impatient with all the things I can't do, all the things I'm missing.''Kent-sama, what you can't do even if you're in a hurry won't suddenly become possible.'''Yes, I know, I know, I think I know, but I still feel...'As I was feeling jittery, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.'Kent, it's dinner.... and it's dark again...'''Hahaha it's good to save the magic stones for the light magic tools.''Just because you can use a bit of dark magic, you're cheeky, Kent! You don't match Miss Beatrice at all!A group of nine people who ate a 30-hert lunch, they just paid the amount of money without the otsuri, but Amanda asked me to give them 3 herts each. Now, how much should I give them?'What, what? That's why!'Hahahaha!'Yes, as expected of a signboard girl, Meisa runs down the stairs, leaving behind a stray answer.''Mom, Kent is in the dark room again, plotting evil!Hey, don't be silly, Meisa, I'm making up a bunch of math problems!Oh no, I hate arithmetic...At the dinner table, when I presented Maysa's stray answers to Amanda and Meline, they both laughed out loud.Meisa-chan gave me an elbow strike to the side, but for my well-trained abdominal muscles.........................gufu, why do you gouge me out so precisely?As the four of us happily sat around the dinner table, my impatience eased, but I can't be the only one feeling good about it.Let's get the chairman and everyone else out of there as soon as possible.After dinner, I refused to go out to Amanda-san and visited the five of us in the guard's temporary quarters in the shadow movement.The five were gathered in the living room of the temporary quarters, so I went straight out of the shadows to the front.''Good evening,''Kyah!Hey, Kokubun, stop coming out of the blue! You scared me!He suddenly showed up, causing Sakurai-san to scream and get angry at Kobayashi-san.'Sorry, sorry, I just had something I needed everyone to help me with.Helping out on a rescue mission?You mean a combatant?Maybe it's because they moved their bodies during the daytime combat course, but the old and new duo is feeling itchy.Oh, not to mention Gase Megane is languishing.'Yeah, I need you to help me with the rescue mission, but I don't want you to be a combatant, I want you to be a carriage operator.During the day, I told Paul about the time I gave him sleeping pills and told the five of them about the rescue mission using sleeping pills.'That's why I think we'd better take a carriage to shake off Riesenburg's pursuers.Oh, I see. You want to get the carriage all the way back to here at once?You're the one who drives that carriage, aren't you?'Oh, you should have taken the carriage away from us when we were there.But this is going to free us all, right?The new and old duo and the Uneven Sisters are eager to go on a rescue mission, but Gase Megane, who is languishing by herself, has a dissatisfied expression on her face.'Kokubun you're really an a**h*le, aren't you?Hey, what do you mean by stupid, stupid...'I say stupid because he's an idiot.If you can put all the knights to sleep, just tie them all up and tell them they're all going to die if they don't get us back to Japan, and that's it, there's no need to come running back here, is there?'Oh... well...'The five of us other than Yagi, including me, looked at each other and involuntarily fell silent.Indeed, if all the knights were taken hostage, and I myself became a hostage as well, no matter how much of a s*x offender Camilla is, I wouldn't be able to resist.If that's the case, there's no need to come all the way through the Demon Forest to Volzard.Gnnnnn....It's true that Yagi has a point, and it's a story worth considering, but.......Yagi's picky tone of voice is annoying.When I was wondering what to think, Reinhardt waited for me.''Kent-sama, I don't really recommend that plan,'''What? Why? We're not going to kill anyone, we're just going to take them hostage.'The only way to do that is to make demands that can be easily prepared, such as treasures and food, but if the negotiations are protracted or the preparations take a long time, you'll need to remain holed up until you have an agreement. The magic formula that summoned Kent-sama and the others must have been quite large-scale, so the magic circle for the return should be large-scale as well.''What Reinhardt seems to be concerned about is the time it takes for our request to be granted.''Does it still take a long time to prepare to activate a large scale magic formula after all?"We were knights, so we don't know much about it, but there are some techniques that can take months to perform. It would be difficult to stay indoors for that long...''I see........Even if we can bring in food and other things through shadow migration, it's difficult to relieve the stress of being cooped up......''That's what I'm saying.When I told the five people about Reinhardt's story, everyone except Yagi had an expression of agreement.''There's no way we're going to stay in those quarters for a few months...''It's hard to share your quarters when you're stuck in here, isn't it?Hey, you can't have a guy holed up in that dormitory with you.It's going to be disastrous for the bathrooms and the toilets and...No, no, no, no, no. Why don't you just get them to set you up with a place to stay?At Yagi's words, everyone's eyes are turned to me.''Well ... what do you think? Reinhardt.In this case, if one of your forces is captured by the other side and taken hostage, you're right back to square one.I know...As I deliver Reinhardt's words, my gaze is now focused on Yagi.''No, no........even if we were to take the princess hostage over here, even they can't do anything poorly, right?''Oh well it seems like the first and second princes are fighting over the succession, and Camilla is a first prince.'What's that, so the first prince is trying to help but the second prince would rather kill him...?'I don't know that much, but it could happen, couldn't it?As expected, Yagi became reluctant as well.''What do you think?''You'd better get him over here.Hey, how about a party of just the summoners and a dungeon?Oh, that's a great idea. Maybe I should join you.I'm going to have a bit of fun with the carriage...Oh, well let's just play it safe...He seems reluctant to do so, but it seems that Yagi has agreed.Now we should talk to Kurtz or Marianne tomorrow and ask them to let us borrow a carriage, a horse, and someone to guide us.
