Chapter 15

“William, have I kept you waiting?”

Calling down to the extermination force she could see below from atop Kaō as he raced along the defensive wall, Princess Kana ordered him to descend beside William and the others.

She had seen them passing through the gate from a distance only moments earlier, so she knew she could not have kept them waiting long. She had merely asked to be safe, but the one who answered her was a richly dressed middle-aged man.

“Oh! Could you perhaps be the Saintess? What a beautiful sight! And that wonderfully exotic attire is simply magnificent!”

The man, whose thinning dark-brown hair had been slicked into place with something resembling oil, continued,

“I am Hylo, Count Dawkins, lord of this land! Being granted the privilege of meeting the Saintess in person brings me unparalleled joy. Surely this, too, is entirely thanks to the guidance of the goddess Drāra.”

As he spoke, he stepped forward before Kana after she landed beside William, placed his right hand before his chest and raised his left arm to the side, then drew his right foot slightly backward into a bow. Yet for some reason, his face remained raised toward Kana instead of lowering. Worse, he grinned continuously while repeatedly blinking one eye at her.

(This fellow seems to be twitching on only one side of his face. Has he perhaps contracted some illness?)

Kana found his behavior peculiar, but she recognized his name.

“Ah, so you are the contemptible fool who replaced Clutchfield’s request for reinforcements. You have considerable nerve, attempting to deceive both the extermination force and me. Now then, what shall I do with you?”

Faced with a Saintess whose attitude was completely unlike anything he had expected, and panicking when she mentioned the request for reinforcements, the man hurriedly began making excuses, but—

“Wha—! Deceive you? Never! Besides, Clutchfield was the one who first sent a false request for aid, so—”

“Oh? False, you say. I visited Clutchfield first, and that man was fighting desperately to protect his people from a mana pool and a vast horde of magical beasts. And you call that false?”

Behind Kana, who had dismounted from Kaō, the elite unit had likewise descended from Suō and now stood in a line, silently affirming her words with their presence.

“That can’t be. I was certain…”

Dawkins was visibly shaken by Kana’s account, but he still seemed unable to comprehend the position he was in. So Kana made it clear.

“William. Does this kingdom have any need for a man like this?”

At Kana’s question, the prince appeared to consider it for a moment before smiling faintly and slowly shaking his head.

“Eh…? Your Highness…”

“It seems not. Then I shall use him as live bait to lure magical beasts. Suō!”

“As you command!”

The white fox with flame markings twirled one forepaw. In an instant, so many cords wrapped around Dawkins and tightened that his elaborate clothing could barely be seen.

“What are you doing?! I am a count entrusted with this territory and its fortress! Even the Saintess cannot possibly be permitted such violence! Your Highness! Your Highness, please say something as well!”

“You know perfectly well that unauthorized disposal or falsification of another territory’s emergency request is a grave crime! And yet you have the shamelessness to beg His Highness for help?!”

Beaton flatly rejected Dawkins’s plea, while William merely continued smiling beside him and nodded. Only then did Dawkins seem to realize the magnitude of his blunder. His face rapidly turned deathly pale, but it was far too late.

“S-Saintess… You were joking about using me as live bait, weren’t you?”

Dawkins nervously asked Kana as she approached with a faint smile, but—

“I do not care for jokes of that sort.”

As she spoke, she reached toward his greasy head and, without the slightest hesitation, yanked out a small lock of hair. The ripping sound was accompanied by a shriek.

“Suō, there was a small grove a short distance beyond the gate. Take him there and hang him from one of the trees.”

“Gladly!”

Suō cheerfully bit down on the end of the cord and was about to take flight when—

“Ah, I nearly forgot. Here, a magical beast-luring talisman.”

Kana pulled a talisman from inside her robes and slapped it onto Dawkins’s back.

“Noooooooo…!”

Dawkins’s screams quickly faded away as Suō carried him dangling over the defensive wall.

“Now then, prepare a meal for us. Strangely enough, even when traveling atop Kaō, one’s stomach still grows hungry.”

Kana addressed Beaton, who had been staring in astonishment after Dawkins’s disappearing figure. At that, the soldiers of Dawkins, who until then had stood frozen with pale faces, hurriedly offered to guide them to the lord’s estate, but Burley refused.

“We only require a place to use. We would like the same open square we borrowed last time. There will be no problem with that, I assume?”

He began negotiating the location in a manner that allowed no possibility of refusal. Beside him, Kana quietly spoke to William, who was still staring blankly in the same direction as Beaton.

“Do not worry. Its range is narrow, but that is actually a magical beast-repelling talisman. Even by accident, he should not be eaten… I think.”

She told him this in a low voice.

The extermination force erected several tents in the square in no time, including a small one reserved exclusively for Princess Kana. Inside stood a simple cot and bedding, while several large cushions, apparently intended for the white foxes, had been arranged nearby. A folding screen stood at the rear, with a seated chamber-pot box placed behind it.

(To think they can manage such accommodations while camping. This truly is an extraordinarily convenient world.)

Kana was stroking the backs of the foxes as they rested half-buried in the cushions when someone informed her that the meal was ready. Following the soldier who came to guide her, she entered a slightly larger tent.

Inside stood a rectangular table with benches arranged along both sides. Kana was offered the seat at one of the short ends and silently sat down.

Only William and Beaton were inside at first, but Burley and the rest of the elite unit soon entered as well. Apparently, everyone else would eat in another tent.

As Kana watched Bart, the magician who had been traveling with the separate detachment, remove one dish after another from his Magic Box, she placed a single Shiki onto the white cloth covering the table. It was a human-shaped Shiki bearing the character “Substitute,” with Dawkins’s hair affixed to it using wax.

Perhaps because faint muttering noises occasionally came from it, William, sitting directly opposite her, kept glancing toward it.

“This is a Shiki that allows me to monitor Dawkins’s condition. Those noises merely mean he is saying something, so pay them no mind.”

Kana calmly explained that she would immediately know if anything happened, leaving William with little choice but to nod.

The meal began with William saying, “Let us give thanks that we have safely reunited with the Saintess and her party,” but most of the conversation centered on Burley and the extermination force’s report regarding the current situation in Clutchfield.

Kana, who had quietly recited a mantra before beginning to eat, naturally became the one to explain once the conversation turned to the mysterious jar. At present, however, all she knew for certain was that it involved a curse, so she could explain little beyond its appearance and effects. Even so, what she told them greatly shocked William and the others, while the atmosphere around the table suddenly grew heavy.

“Aaaaaagh! D-Don’t come any closer! Nooooo! Stop! Please stop!”

A sudden scream erupted from the Shiki, tearing through the oppressive silence.

“Oh? It seems they have appeared. Then let us be off.”

Burley watched Kana rise from her seat with a broad grin and once again felt a small amount of sympathy for Dawkins.

This time, only Prince William, Burley, and Beaton rode on Suō’s back. Unlike Burley, who had already grown accustomed to it, William clung on nervously, while Beaton wore a desperate expression and gripped William’s arm for dear life.

“You need not grip him so tightly. Suō is quite capable and will not let you fall.”

Kana spoke with exasperation, adding that holding him that tightly would leave bruises. Beaton finally loosened his grip in response, although by then they had already reached their destination.

Even from the air, they could see more than a dozen magical beasts gathered beneath the tree.

Among them, a bear-like magical beast occasionally stood on its hind legs and tried to swat down the man hanging from the tree. Each time, however, it was repelled by some invisible force. Dawkins failed to notice this and kept jerking his legs upward in frantic little kicks as he desperately tried to evade its paws. Watching him, Kana said,

“Good grief. I thought perhaps the talisman had failed and he had been gnawed on, but he looks perfectly lively.”

Deciding this was probably enough, she took out several talismans bearing the words “Expel Evil,” fanned them rapidly like a folding fan, breathed onto them all at once, and released them!

““Kyūkyū Nyoritsurei, Talisman Exorcism!””

Pop-pop-pop! Pop-pop-pop-pop!

The magical beasts struck by the talismans burst apart one after another. Those that narrowly escaped the talismans panicked and fled, and the area fell silent almost immediately.

Dawkins remained hanging from the tree like a bagworm, covered from head to toe in magical beast blood and bits of flesh, his eyes rolled back and his body completely motionless.

“Hmph. That should have taught him something. Still, he smells somewhat unpleasant. Kaō, throw some water over him.”

“As you command, Princess!”

Splash!

“Aaaaaaah!”

Dawkins, suddenly drenched from head to toe with ice-cold water full of chunks of ice, regained consciousness. He was then seized once again by Suō and this time dumped into the dungeon of his own estate.

“I shall leave that fool’s punishment to you. I do not understand the laws of this land.”

With that, Kana returned atop Kaō to the tent assigned to her, leaving only William and the others to head to the lord’s estate. Moreover, once Suō had deposited the three men and Dawkins at the estate, he simply announced that he would be taking his leave and returned to Kana’s tent.

“So we are expected to walk back…”

William muttered quietly.

“I’ll have a carriage prepared tomorrow morning, so please don’t worry.”

Beaton replied with a sour expression, causing Burley to burst out laughing.

The lord’s estate was suddenly thrown into an uproar when its master returned as a criminal, but everything proceeded under Prince William’s direct orders.

After throwing Dawkins into the dungeon with a change of clothes, Burley gathered the servants and questioned them one by one to learn whether anyone knew anything about the incident.

Meanwhile, William and Beaton summoned Dawkins’s nephew, Bryne, who lived nearby, to serve as acting lord and discuss what would happen next.

According to the Dawkins family’s steward, Hylo had never married, and Bryne had long been considered the most likely person to succeed him. There would therefore be no issue with the young man formally becoming lord in the future.

Still, Beaton felt somewhat sorry for him, since the moment he inherited the title, he would also have to atone for the crimes committed by the previous lord.

After all, the young man, only twenty-one years old, had been summoned late at night and was listening earnestly to the prince and Beaton despite his deathly pale face.

Although the formal judgment would be handed down later, the broad terms of the punishment were decided one after another.

First, for replacing another territory’s request for aid, the Dawkins title would be reduced to viscount, while Hylo, the current head of the family, would be confined to his residence. Naturally, compensation to Clutchfield would have to be discussed later with Count Clutchfield, but they decided to prepare an approximate figure in advance. Should Clutchfield demand Hylo’s death, that death itself could also be included as part of the restitution.

Once various matters had been settled and Bryne excused himself, Burley entered and reported the results of his investigation.

“After questioning the servants, I found that several attendants knew what had happened. Apparently, this whole matter began because someone planted an unnecessary idea in his head.”

As he spoke, he glanced toward William and continued.

“Your Highness, were you aware that Clutchfield’s elder sister, the Duchess Dowager Bamford, was staying at his estate?”

“No, I didn’t know she was staying there. But I have met the Duchess Dowager Bamford several times. Her daughter, Lady Chantel, was mentioned as a potential fiancée for me. If I remember correctly, the duchess dowager was a voluptuous beauty with many admirers.”

“Indeed. She is also famous for her obsession with possessing only the very finest things.”

“What do you mean?”

“The finest jewels, dresses at the cutting edge of fashion—and the highest possible social rank. Apparently, having been proud of her beauty since childhood, she believes only the very best is worthy of her. Unfortunately for her, even she was unable to obtain the last of those.”

“Are you saying she was aiming for the position of queen?”

“Yes. At the time, she routinely spread malicious rumors intended to demean Lady Shaila, who was still merely His Majesty’s fiancée. We could never prove she was responsible, but I also recall plans for an attempted attack.”

“She went that far…? Then was this incident also her doing?”

“No. The Duchess Dowager Bamford herself apparently did nothing in this particular case. However, a merchant who frequently visited Count Dawkins reportedly told him, ‘The duchess dowager will probably want to be the very first to meet the newly summoned Saintess. And considering how the lord has never been able to stand up to his elder sister since childhood, perhaps he will send a false request for reinforcements to lure the Saintess to Clutchfield.’”

“And he took that seriously enough to suppress Clutchfield’s request and send a false one of his own? There are limits to stupidity. There must also have been an accomplice among the messengers who helped replace the communications, so we need to investigate that immediately. Still, who was this merchant who put such an unnecessary idea into his head?”

“It appears to have been the chairman of the Babbage Trading Company…”

The following day, Princess Kana and the others stood before a relatively small mana pool. The magical beasts that had been prowling around it had already been eliminated by the extermination force under Beaton’s command, leaving only Kana’s purification to be performed.

Kana decided to purify it using Mahāvairocana’s Mantra of Light, reasoning that it would be better to show everyone the jar while it was still buried in the ground. In fact, the previous day she had purified the remaining two mana pools with Suō’s assistance using Acala’s mantra, but the tremendous flames had burned everything away so thoroughly that both the jars and the severed heads inside crumbled at the slightest touch.

(That method certainly is quick and convenient in its own way…)

After the purification ended and the water drained away, William, Beaton, and the others stared grimly at the jar that emerged. They had heard about it the previous night, but seeing the real thing made its sinister nature far more disturbing than they had imagined. The severed head of a Black Rock hung its tongue limply between its fangs. Although it had already dried out, its size suggested that it had belonged to an exceptionally large specimen.

“To think someone could force a magical beast of this size into cannibalism for use in a ritual and then cut off its head… Merely knowing that an enemy capable of such things exists fills me with dread. Even so, I am glad we have at least discovered the cause. Everyone, remember this well. This is unquestionably part of a plan to invade our kingdom. But we will never submit to those who employ such despicable arts!”

““Yes, sir!””

Everyone responded to William’s words with renewed determination.

Kana asked whether they wanted to take this one back as well, since she already had one stored in her Mysterious Storage Box. When they replied that they would if possible, she sealed it with Bishamonten’s mantra just as she had the previous one and stored it inside the Mysterious Storage Box.

Afterward, they began their return journey toward the royal capital. Whenever they reached one of the mana pools they had noticed along the way, members of the extermination force took turns riding ahead on Suō to eliminate the magical beasts. Kana then arrived later with the mounted force and purified the pool using Acala’s mantra.

After purifying several mana pools, while traveling toward the next one, Kana noticed a child crouching beside some bushes off the highway.

(About six years old, perhaps?)

Wondering how anyone could leave a child alone in such a place, she looked more closely and saw what appeared to be a large dog lying beside the child. However, she sensed nothing sinister from it, and the child did not look frightened, so she concluded that it was either not a magical beast or, even if it was, it was already dead.

(Could the child be hungry and planning to eat it?)

“Hey, child. Even if you eat a mutt like that, it will not taste very good.”

“…Huh…?”