Chapter: 08
Count San Miguel’s face froze.
Antonio’s team erupted in excitement, hugging one another and cheering.
One of the members under the Vice Captain asked excitedly,
“What happened?”
“The Little Teacher was a decoy from the very beginning.”
Antonio grinned as he answered, leaving the Vice Captain’s subordinate speechless.
“Incredible… But how did she manage to stay on Miss Marina’s trail?”
“She didn’t follow her. She waited.”
The Vice Captain replied.
While everyone else had been watching Marina, the Vice Captain had been watching Yustea.
Her route had seemed suspicious.
She traveled by river.
She had found a small boat upstream and then sailed all the way downstream in one go.
The current was so fast that it was quicker than traveling on horseback.
But why would a search party looking for kidnapped girls take the river?
As he watched her strange movements, Marina departed toward Beech Mountain.
That was when he realized it.
Yustea’s destination had been the entrance to Beech Mountain at the lower reaches of the river.
She had climbed into a tree before Marina arrived and simply waited there.
Marina had concluded that something had gone wrong and that the Count had moved the girls elsewhere, so she hurried off in a panic.
After they disappeared…
Yustea climbed down from the tree and lightly jumped to the ground.
Members of Yustea’s squad, who had been hiding throughout the area, immediately ran over.
“So how did you know she’d come here?”
“Seriously. When you got into that little boat, I thought you’d given up on the test.”
Yustea answered calmly.
“If someone wanted to frame someone else for kidnapping, the slash-and-burn village would be the perfect scapegoat.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
She folded down one finger after another as she explained.
“They can’t involve outside forces. That could escalate into a territorial war. And San Miguel’s greatest asset is his mine, so he wouldn’t want to disturb the mining village. That only leaves the slash-and-burn settlement.”
“…!”
“…!!”
Antonio’s squad stood there with their mouths hanging open.
Even the Vice Captain’s subordinates were left speechless.
Hadn’t one of the retainers said earlier,
“Looking at it now, Lady Marina truly has remarkable insight into the situation.”
—or something like that?
But the person with the truly broad perspective had been someone else entirely.
Count San Miguel’s face had gone deathly pale.
His retainers quietly watched his reaction without saying a word.
As for the Vice Captain…
“Vice Captain?”
He couldn’t take his eyes off Yustea inside the scrying mirror.
Antonio snorted.
“So now you regret it a little?”
“Who said she wasn’t worth regretting?”
The one weighed against that child had been Antonio.
A comrade who had walked the thin line between life and death with him.
Compared to an outsider like Yustea, it was only natural that Antonio came first.
Even if time were turned back, he would still choose Antonio.
But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t regret losing her.
“Let’s go.”
“To the slash-and-burn village?”
“No. To the dry riverbed below it.”
“Why the dry riverbed?”
“If the villagers found a bunch of noble girls who obviously looked valuable, they’d kidnap them immediately and demand ransom. Since the girls have to remain unharmed until the test ends, the dry riverbed is the perfect hiding place.”
How could someone like that not be a loss?
The search party and I headed toward the dry riverbed of Beech Mountain.
We had to hurry.
If Marina’s search party comes back here, a battle might break out.
Of course, we’d win.
No matter how elite the soldiers Count San Miguel had assigned to Marina were, our side consisted of Irregular members.
And not just any members—the infamous Antonio Squad, known as the roughest in Irregular.
But that’s only if it’s seven against seven.
The original kidnappers should still be somewhere nearby.
They couldn’t openly join the fight, but they might secretly support Marina’s team.
That’s why we have to prevent the kidnappers from joining forces with Marina’s search party.
We climbed the mountain without stopping for even a moment.
When we finally reached the dry riverbed…
“Little Teacher! Over there!”
A large carriage sat all by itself.
Completely by itself.
There wasn’t a single guard around it.
They just left the carriage here?
It was away from the slash-and-burn village, but what if someone happened to stumble upon it?
Something feels off.
I hesitated for a moment, thinking it over.
Meanwhile, the search party began running toward the carriage.
At that instant, realization flashed through my mind.
No way.
“Wait, everyone!”
The moment I pulled the search party back—
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the area.
The members whom I’d grabbed looked at me in confusion before instinctively stumbling backward.
Fortunately, thanks to stopping them just in time, no one was caught in the blast.
Keeping everyone back, I picked up a nearby stone.
Then I threw it.
BOOM!
“…!”
The search party’s expressions hardened.
I glared unhappily at the floating broadcasting magic tool circling above us.
“That’s low…”
Count San Miguel must have figured I’d reach the girls before Marina.
So he’d interfered.
He had planted items around the carriage.
And since I’d played this game before, I knew exactly what those items were.
Algani Bird
A buried trap.
Explodes even from the slightest contact.
It was an early-game item, so its explosive power wasn’t particularly high.
But if someone made a mistake, several Algani Birds buried close together could detonate in succession.
The carriage itself might be blown apart.
“Damn it. What do we do?”
The search party looked at me nervously.
We had to rescue the girls, but as long as those traps remained, we couldn’t get close.
At this rate, we’d spend all our time disabling them until Marina’s team arrived.
I let out a long sigh.
“Can’t be helped.”
“Yeah… It’ll take forever, but we’ll just have to disarm them one by one—”
“No.”
“What?”
“We’ll blow them all up.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
The search party stared at me with expressions that clearly said, Did we hear that right?
I casually crouched down and gathered up an armful of stones.
“…?”
“…??”
They only watched me with bewildered expressions.
But I really did stand up carrying a pile of rocks.
Then I aimed at the carriage.
Or rather…
I was about to.
…If a group of masked men hadn’t suddenly leaped up from the dry riverbed in utter panic.
“W-Wait!”
“Hold on!”
The kidnappers appeared, their faces pale with terror.
They thought I was about to trigger every Algani Bird and kill the girls.
They know I can’t actually do that.
Count San Miguel had surely ordered that the girls must never die.
What would happen if every one of those noble daughters died?
The central government would intervene and investigate.
The Count would never be able to contain the fallout.
Just as I’d expected, the kidnappers came rushing over, shouting,
“Are you trying to kill the women?!”
“You heartless bastards!”
The masked men actually had the nerve to scold us.
The search party looked utterly dumbfounded.
Inside the scrying mirror, Yustea’s search party couldn’t help laughing in disbelief.
Those watching the broadcast felt exactly the same way.
One of the Vice Captain’s subordinates muttered,
“The kidnappers are lecturing someone else…”
Just then—
Yustea shouted,
“If you don’t come down, I’ll blow everything up!”
The kidnappers immediately panicked.
“C-Calm down!”
“…”
“…”
The Vice Captain’s men looked at each other.
So…
The masked men really were the kidnappers, right?
The kidnappers were in complete disarray.
Should they actually come down?
Those who looked like subordinates turned toward their leader, waiting for instructions.
But before he could answer, Yustea acted first.
Boom!
She threw another stone and deliberately detonated one of the Algani Birds.
“We’re coming down!”
Boom!
“I said we’re coming down!”
The Vice Captain’s subordinates continued watching in silence.
The truly terrifying side no longer looked like the kidnappers.
It was the people who had supposedly come to rescue the kidnapped girls.
Somehow, everyone’s roles had completely reversed.
The masked men jumped down from the cliff.
Landing in the dry riverbed with heavy thuds, each of them drew a weapon.
Massive twin blades.
War hammers.
Heavy crossbows loaded with iron bolts that resembled giant metal spears more than arrows.
One of the Vice Captain’s men stiffened.
“Aren’t those the Fangs of Clouded Mist?”
Antonio answered,
“You should’ve recognized them the moment they jumped. Guess your old eyes still work.”
The man’s expression became rigid.
The Fangs of Clouded Mist.
A mercenary band that had once been infamous.
They consisted of dangerous criminals who had escaped from the Great Northern Prison.
There were well over thirty of them at a glance.
Could only seven members possibly defeat them?
One of the Vice Captain’s subordinates said,
“Even if the girls survive, Lady Yustea is in danger. She’s not a noble, so the central government won’t intervene on her behalf. More importantly…”
He glanced toward Count San Miguel.
The Count wore a satisfied expression as he watched the scrying mirror.
If she dies during the test, Marina wins naturally.
Antonio stood up.
A sword was already in his hand.
The Vice Captain asked,
“You’re thinking of going to Beech Mountain?”
“The Little Teacher entered this test for Charlie and me.”
“So?”
“If she’s still alive when I arrive, I’ll bring her back alive.”
“And if she’s dead…”
“I’ll slaughter those bastards and Count San Miguel alike to repay my debt.”
Antonio looked at the Vice Captain coldly.
Then he spat out the words.
“Unlike someone who only knows how to calculate profits and losses… I know how to repay kindness.”
“Fool.”
“That’s enough.”
Killing intent filled Antonio’s eyes.
The Vice Captain’s subordinates immediately reached for the weapons at their waists.
In response, Antonio’s entire squad sprang to their feet.
Everyone else watching the scrying mirror froze.
“What…”
“What’s happening?”
As the atmosphere between the two squads grew increasingly hostile, Count San Miguel chuckled.
If the two squads turned against each other, he was the one who benefited.
And if the Fangs of Clouded Mist eliminated that troublesome girl…
Everything he wanted would finally be his.
Then the Vice Captain spoke again.
“There’s no need to go. Sit down.”
“…What?”
Antonio frowned.
The Vice Captain gestured toward the scrying mirror.
Everyone looked back.
Inside the mirror—
“W-What?!”
BOOOOM!
“Aaagh!”
Members of the Fangs of Clouded Mist were collapsing helplessly.
“That way. Push them.”
The moment Yustea gave the order, one of the larger search party members shoved three or four enemies at once.
“Two meters northwest. Throw it.”
Another member hurled a rock exactly where Yustea pointed.
BOOM!
“W-What is this?!”
“How is this possible?!”
It was almost as if Yustea knew the exact locations of every buried explosive.
The search party forced the enemies into position.
Yustea detonated the traps.
Groups of the Fangs of Clouded Mist fell one after another.
Even more impressively, every explosion occurred at just the right distance so the carriage remained completely unharmed.
Antonio looked stunned.
“What happened?”
“Those explosive items are probably Algani Birds.”
“Land mines, basically. They were buried and covered with dirt. How could she know where they were?”
“She must know the detection method.”
“The detection method?”
The basic way to locate Algani Birds was by using the magnetism inside them.
The sand in a dry riverbed contained a large amount of iron filings.
When a magnet met sand containing iron particles…
The iron filings shifted slightly, causing the sand above the trap to sink ever so slightly.
“But the difference is incredibly subtle.”
The remarkable part was having eyes sharp enough to notice it.
And on top of that, possessing knowledge of items like the Algani Bird.
After hearing the explanation, Antonio and the others could only laugh in disbelief.
“What exactly is the Little Teacher?”
The Vice Captain crossed his legs with a faint smile.
“Who knows? Let’s ask her after she comes back.”
Having that child participate in this test had been an unexpected stroke of fortune.
Count San Miguel’s face continued turning paler by the second.
I dusted off my hands while looking at the members of the Fangs of Clouded Mist sprawled across the ground.
Good. They’re all out of the fight.
Now then…
I walked over to the one-eyed man who appeared to be the leader.
Then I began searching through his clothes.
“W-What are you doing?!”
Even after being beaten, he still had enough strength to shout.
Ignoring him, I checked his inner pocket.
“Found it.”
The Algani Bird deactivation key.
Since they’d buried so many of these traps, I figured they’d naturally carry a key for removing them later.
I pressed the key.
Then I threw another stone toward one of the slightly sunken patches of earth.
Good. Nothing happened.
All the Algani Birds had been disabled.
One of the search party members, busy tying up the Fangs of Clouded Mist with ropes, asked,
“Is it over?”
“Yes. Let’s head to the carriage.”
After securing every member of the mercenary band, we approached the carriage.
I nodded.
One of the search party members opened the door.
Inside…
“Mmph…”
“Mmph… mmph…”
The kidnapped girls sat there with gags in their mouths.
Their tearful eyes looked toward us.
These were the noble daughters who had been scheduled to participate in the test.
I quickly removed one of the gags.
“Are you all right?”
The girls glanced nervously at one another.
One of the search party members smiled sympathetically.
“They’re still suspicious of us. That’s understandable after being kidnapped.”
“Don’t worry. We’re from the castle. See this? The crest of San Miguel.”
But the girls only stiffened further, not knowing what to do.
After removing everyone’s gags, I crouched down.
“Hello, Miss Nicola.”
The red-haired girl flinched.
I smiled warmly.
“You don’t know me.”
“But I know you.”
Very well, in fact.
In the original game story, she would pass the test and eventually become the Vice Captain’s adopted daughter.
I looked at Nicola’s tightly clenched hands.
They were trembling from how hard she was gripping them.
“Someone like you… why…”
I murmured.
Nicola suddenly turned her head away.
“Getting caught up in crime is like suffering a natural disaster. Blaming the victim for not being careful is just stupid.”
“That’s true.”
“If you’re really victims.”
The search party looked at me in confusion.
“What?”
“What are you talking about, Little Teacher?”
Unlike the bewildered search party, the girls’ faces turned completely rigid.
I quietly spoke.
“You weren’t kidnapped.”
“You followed the kidnappers here of your own free will.”
Then I looked directly at the floating broadcasting magic tool.
No.
At Count San Miguel beyond it.
“Isn’t that right…”
“Count?”
At San Miguel’s broadcasting hall—
“What does this mean? My Lord… are you somehow involved in all this?”
The retainers stared at the Count with hardened expressions.
The Count paled and hurriedly drove them away.
“Please leave us for a moment.”
“This isn’t something we can simply leave! You need to explain what’s happening!”
“I will! Later! I’ll explain everything later!”
“My Lord!”
He even used the private soldiers hidden among the guards to force the retainers out.
His face completely pale, the Count turned toward the Vice Captain.
“That insolent girl dares slander a lord. She’ll pay dearly for it.”
“You’d be better off thinking about how you’ll explain yourself to those retainers.”
The Vice Captain smiled lazily.
Antonio grinned as well.
“If they’ll even believe your excuse.”
Count San Miguel clenched his teeth.
At that same moment…
Inside a dark room where heavy curtains blocked out all light…
A lone man sat watching the scrying mirror.
He lifted a glass.
Inside, a dark crimson liquid slowly swirled beneath his long, elegant fingers.
“Isn’t that right… Count?”
His gaze rested briefly on Yustea’s face within the scrying mirror.
Then he quietly murmured,
“Impressive.”
Words of genuine praise slipped unexpectedly from between his well-shaped lips.
It truly was unlike him.
For that man…
Aslan, the Captain of the Irregular.
