The Mandrake Again

Kent and the others arrived at the guard station.

The inside of the station seemed to be in considerable chaos, with the injured being treated and so on.

“Acting Lord. We are currently in the middle of dealing with this, so I apologize that we could not welcome you properly.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Please do not mind us and continue carrying out your respective duties.”

“““Yes, sir!”””

The guards who noticed Kent and the others tried to gather, but Kent stopped them and told them to return to their respective work.

“It seems to be quite chaotic.”

“It does seem that way.”

Caro also looked around the station and was surprised by the atmosphere, which was different from usual.

“Kent-san, Caro-san, it seems you just missed the messenger. I am sorry.”

“It is an emergency, so it cannot be helped. However, in the future, it would not be good for things to remain like this during a crisis, so we need to properly establish a communication system.”

“You are absolutely right. I am deeply ashamed.”

“We will handle the rest, so it is fine for you to return home.”

“Understood. Then I leave the rest to you.”

Verna’s older brother, who had ended up missing them, remained at the station. Kent reconfirmed the issues that needed to be addressed in the future, received the handover from Verna’s older brother, and searched for Chuck, the Head Guard.

“Is the Head Guard here?”

“Thank you for waiting. Acting Lord, Lady Caroline.”

Unlike usual, Chuck limited himself to a simple greeting and explained the situation.

“I believe you have probably heard from the messenger, but the unpleasant scream came from the training grounds at this facility. As for the damage, one guard is unconscious and in critical condition, while five other guards lost consciousness but recovered, and are now resting in beds.”

“Understood. And what happened to the plant that caused it?”

“Yes, we determined that it was dangerous, and instructions have been given for the guards not to approach it.”

Kent received the explanation from Chuck.

“So, Al. Is it something we can safely approach?”

“Yes, it only lets out a scream when it is pulled out, so it is safe.”

“Was that how it worked? I feel like someone used to make eerie voices saying it was cold, cold, night after night.”

“I have forgotten such things.”

Al conveniently became forgetful.

“Then please guide us to the scene.”

“However, I cannot allow all of you to be exposed to danger…”

When Kent asked him to guide them, Chuck seemed reluctant out of concern for safety.

“I will take full responsibility, so please guide us.”

“Understood… This way, please.”

When Kent said that, Chuck reluctantly decided to guide them. The training grounds had been left with the weeding work half-finished, and the weeds that had been carelessly pulled out were scattered all over the place.

“Eek, it’s cute.”

Caro found the thing that had been thrown away in one corner of the training grounds and picked it up.

“Auh… auh… auh…”

The eerie brown carrot-like object was nestled in Caro’s hand while groaning.

“This child is saying auh-auh. It is so cute.”

It was an action that made one doubt Caro’s sense of beauty, but after seeing the object, Kent was certain.

“As expected, it’s a mandrake.”

“I believe Catherine-chan bought one at the market before, didn’t she?”

“I have heard rumors about it… But to think this was what it was.”

After hearing Kent’s words, Caro and Chuck observed the mandrake. A plant called a mandrake had existed in the world Kent originally came from, but this mandrake differed from that and had a form closer to the one that appeared in fantasy. In fantasy, mandrakes were said to scream when pulled from the ground, and those who heard the scream were said to die. However, according to Al, the mandrakes of this world did not have that much power.

“Master, it seems the seeds I threw here before for attacks ended up sprouting… tee-hee.”

Al said that quietly to Kent. It seemed to be something Al had released when she fought Chuck here before.

“Hey, does that mean this is Al’s child?”

“Hmm, a child… I feel like it would not exactly be wrong to say that… But rather than that, I think it would be closer to one of my dependents if it grew. But please rest assured, it does not grow unless something very unusual happens. In this state, it has no use except as an ingredient for suspicious medicine, though. Hehehe.”

“Hey, I heard that Al was normally sold at the market as a food ingredient.”

“Eh? What Could You Possibly Be Talking About?”

When Al was still in her pre-growth mandrake state, according to Catherine, who had bought her, she had apparently been sold normally at the market as a rare food ingredient. When Kent pointed that out, Al said that while sweat appeared on her forehead.

“You are hiding something, aren’t you?”

“Ugh, if it is normally ground up and mixed in as a food ingredient, it becomes a stamina tonic and makes you excited until morning, but such a thing would never come from my mouth… Even so, it seems to be highly valued among nobles.”

“Could Catherine have bought it knowing that?”

If Catherine had bought it with that purpose in mind, she might have been quite the schemer. As a result, it was good that Al was now by his side like this, but Kent wondered what would have happened if she had been used for the purpose Al mentioned.

“So, the same as always…”

“Master gets excited with someone every night, after all.”

“Do not say unnecessary things.”

“Ow!”

Kent retorted to Al.

“So, Kent-san, what should we do with this mandrake?”

“According to Al, it apparently becomes a stamina tonic. Do you want to take it home?”

“Oh, Kent-san.”

Caro said that with her face bright red from embarrassment.

“Head Guard, how do you intend to dispose of this mandrake?”

“From our perspective, it is treated the same as the pulled weeds, so if the Acting Lord will take it home, we have nothing in particular to say. Well, if I had to say something, I did think I would like to enjoy it together with my wife as well. Hah hah hah.”

Chuck, the Head Guard, said that with a bit of joking mixed in.

“Then I will take custody of this mandrake. Next, I would like to ask about the condition of the guards who were harmed.”

“Yes, this way, please.”

Kent and the others were guided by a guard to the infirmary and checked the condition of the injured soldiers. According to Al, their lives were not in danger and they would probably wake up in a few days, so they left the rest to the guards and decided to return to the Town Head’s office for the time being.

“Then it seems safe to say that although there was some confusion, there was no damage outside the guard station.”

“Yes, that appears to be the case from the various reports.”

Kent and the others returned to the Town Head’s office, made the final confirmation, and brought the matter to a resolution. In the end, because the handling of the incident took time, the farm work scheduled for today was canceled, and after this, they were able to spend some relaxed time for the first time in a while.