Chapter 38: Drunk Knights and Dragon Rides

Intoxicated Daughter

“Elena has been kidnapped? What do you mean by that?!”

The first to react was none other than Murfin.

His only remaining family, his little sister, being kidnapped—this was a grave matter to him.

“…It seems she was ambushed. I had entrusted her protection to people I believed reliable, but when I went after receiving your message, they were all dead.”

I spoke to Thrall.

“Sorry. It looks like we’ll have to eat later.”

“It’s alright, brother. This isn’t the time for that—let’s deal with this first.”

Thankfully, Thrall simply nodded, seemingly fine with the change.

Unlike other dragons, the kid’s a good soul—what a relief.

From above, Laila, who had been listening in, sent me a telepathic message.

[Who exactly has been kidnapped?]

Since I couldn’t use magic, I signaled Laila to come down.

A massive shadow fell over the entire slum, sending the people outside into panic. Some screamed, others hid inside buildings as if seeking shelter.

Fortunately, the center of the slum was spacious enough for a safe landing.

“Our subordinate’s been kidnapped.”

“Aha.”

Laila nodded, seeming to understand, but then tilted her head.

“Did the kidnapper have a death wish? Is this some sort of new suicide method, or what?”

“Well, it may not be such a simple story.”

“Huh?”

Leaving behind Laila’s puzzled expression, I turned to Toruman.

“Any traces?”

“We are currently tracking them with the help of the spirits.”

“You can handle spirits too?”

“To some extent.”

“…You haven’t pinpointed a location at all?”

Toruman swallowed hard, his face grave.

“Tracing the kidnappers’ path, it seems to lead to Marquis Houston’s domain. But beyond that, we lose the trail.”

“Wait, the trail goes to Marquis Houston’s territory? That doesn’t make sense.”

There was no direct route from the Capital to Marquis Houston’s domain.

You’d have to pass through several small villages along the way.

“It seems magic was used.”

“…A type of spatial magic, then.”

If that’s the case, it makes sense that the spirits would identify Marquis Houston’s domain as the destination.

Spirits convey what’s etched into the earth’s memory, after all.

Still…

“You know quite a lot about handling spirits, don’t you?”

Normally, spirits don’t care for human affairs—many of them can’t even understand place names we use.

Toruman gave a short laugh.

“They’ve been with me all my life. They know a lot.”

“Good, I suppose… though it’s also a bit too convenient.”

“…That’s true.”

Come to think of it, Elena had recently reported discovering a facility resembling a Chimera Research Facility near Marquis Houston’s territory.

And the kidnapping happened immediately after I received her report?

It would be strange not to be suspicious.

“Well, that makes it simple. We just go to the Marquisate, beat up the lord, and take our comrade back, right?” Laila interjected from the side.

I shook my head.

“That’s why I said it might not be so simple.”

“Huh?”

I looked at Toruman, Murfin, and Beatrice.

“What do you all think?”

Murfin answered first.

“I can’t shake the odd feeling about this.”

“It’s definitely strange, but I can’t put my finger on what’s off…”

“Hmm.”

Toruman let out a groan and voiced the closest thing to an answer.

“It feels very deliberate. Artificial, even.”

I nodded.

“My thoughts exactly.”

Jerni Houston is an honorary knight sworn to the King.

She’s one of the three strongest knights in the Kingdom of Lumin, not counting the King himself.

“Even if a Chimera Research Facility was built near her domain, that doesn’t automatically implicate Marquis Houston. Besides, Jerni Houston is known as an Honorary Knight, one of the strongest Three Knights. Rumors aside, she’s never once violated the knight’s code.”

If someone like her had been exposed, there would be nothing for her to gain by kidnapping Elena.

So, for now, I need to rule out Jerni Houston as a suspect.

That leaves only one likely reason for Elena’s abduction.

‘Me.’

A scheme by the Demon Army to draw me in by using my subordinate, Elena.

The chances of that are starting to look quite high.

Especially since no one in the Kingdom of Lumin has uncovered who is collaborating with the Demon Army yet.

If Elena’s kidnapping is also meant as a distraction…

“They’re buying time.”

“…Time?”

“For the full administrative authority of the Special Task Force to be enacted, all five members—including me, the captain—must be present.”

I’m talking about the basic administrative rights here.

And if those rights aren’t fully activated, the entire function of the Special Task Force is suspended.

To truly wield our authority, we need to have at least the minimum number of operatives present.

If these fundamental rules aren’t followed, it’s easy to become a target among the political aristocrats.

“Alright. Looks like we’ll need to infiltrate.”

“…Infiltrate?”

I nodded at Beatrice’s mutter.

“Yes. It’s something we’ll be facing often as the Special Task Force, so we may as well get used to it now.”

Thrall gently tugged at my sleeve.

“Does that mean… I’m coming too?”

“Yes, Thrall. You’re coming with us.”

“Hmm, I don’t really get it, but I’ll do my best.”

“Don’t worry too much. For now, just do as I say.”

Toruman let out a low groan.

“Do you need any help?”

“I do.”

“What do you need?”

“All members of the Special Task Force will be leaving the Capital. If anything goes wrong, let me know as quickly as possible.”

“How?”

“You can handle spirits, can’t you? Assign one to me or something.”

“I’ll do that.”

With those words, Toruman muttered something into the air. A faint light appeared and seeped onto my shoulder.

“I’ve linked you to the Spirit of the Earth. If I need to send a direct message, it’ll pop up from the ground, so be prepared.”

“I’ll remember that.”

As we were about to leave, Murfin asked,

“Should I arrange for a carriage right away?”

I shook my head.

“No, not necessary. Time is of the essence if we’re to rescue Elena. We can’t waste it traveling by carriage.”

Murfin nodded in agreement, though his face still looked puzzled.

“Then how do you intend for us to travel?”

Smiling like a teacher receiving a good question, I turned my gaze to the hulking lizard by my side.

“Laila. Do you know the coordinates for Marquis Houston’s domain?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then it can’t be helped. I’ll need to borrow your back.”

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

“What choice do we have? We’re in a hurry, and since you don’t know the coordinates, you can’t use spatial magic. So it’s much faster for you to just fly us there than for us to take a carriage.”

“…I mean, that’s… not wrong.”

Laila’s pupils trembled.

She looked unsure if this was really okay.

“Um, what about my diplomatic duties? Is it alright for me to leave right now?”

“The King called for you tomorrow anyway, didn’t he? Besides, you’ve already memorized the coordinates for here, so you can just bring us over and return right away.”

“…That’s true.”

Laila seemed out of excuses and finally let out a sigh, lowering her body.

“Hurry up and get on. Didn’t you say time was short?”

“Thank you.”

I got on first, then Thrall in front, Beatrice and Murfin climbed up behind.

No matter how young she is, a dragon’s sheer size means she can carry up to eight adults like us with ease.

“Be careful.”

“We will.”

With Toruman seeing us off, I quickly left the Capital behind.

Marquis Houston’s domain is rather lacking in grain fields compared to other territories.

Most of their food is brought in from outside, and more than half the domain is used as a training ground for soldiers, with a focus on raising the quality of their troops.

It’s known as a territory where knights come for training.

As such, most of those stationed here are either aspiring to join the Order of the Royal Knights or are knights retired from the Order.

That means this place is packed with people who take pride and honor in their loyalty to the royal family.

Clang!

“Ah, again today?”

“Yeah, again.”

But the knights, who should have been serving with pride, exchanged looks of irritation as they passed duties, glancing toward the direction of a breaking dish.

“What’s with her lately?”

“How would I know? The atmosphere’s been tense lately, more than ever. You know, right? No one’s seen Lady Jerni these past months. She used to patrol the territory now and then, but that hasn’t happened in ages.”

“…Wait. So the rumors are true? Something really happened to the Marquis?”

“I’d like to believe it’s just a conspiracy theory, but you never know. Why do you think Lady Theresa has ended up like this? So just stay out of trouble for now. One knight tried to lecture Lady Theresa recently and ended up seriously injured.”

“Damn it. What the hell’s going on?”

Crash!

Suddenly, the door of the inn was blasted open.

The knights in the middle of their shift handover froze at the deafening noise.

“Hic. What’re you going to do if you break all the furniture~ urp.”

The stench of alcohol filled the air as a woman, drunk out of her mind in broad daylight, staggered about.

Blue hair, completely lost to intoxication.

Yet, even in that state, the sword hanging from her waist gleamed with a constant shine.

Though it wasn’t even sheathed, the weapon looked as if it was always well cared for—almost like it was under some spell.

The knights and others who knew her true identity were careful to avoid the gaze of the drunken woman.

A single mistake and you might find yourself cut down by that sword.

“Damn. What a mess. What a damn mess. Is there nothing easy in life? Hah. To hell with it!”

She emptied her bottle in one breath and flung it at the ground, shattering it into glass dust that scattered across the floor.

What absurd strength.

The blue-haired woman, Theresa, ignored the tension around her and walked at her own pace.

Though she was unsteady on her feet, no one dared step in her path or speak to her.

Only when she disappeared from sight did the knights exhale, having held their breath the whole time.

“Whew, she’s even worse today.”

The knights wore relieved expressions—thankful to have survived another day.

Watching the utterly drunken state of Theresa Houston, I muttered quietly.

“What’s up with her this time?”