Hakai no Miko

The Ethereal Horses, who drove the Sun Horse (Shimme), which had given way from Menahem, captured the appearance of Judah's caravan, who had left the city earlier.

But instead of making immediate contact, the Ethereal Horse allowed the horse to loosen his steps at a distance.

There is no definitive evidence that Judah's caravan is smuggling Merman's children. It is only a stage of suspicion. Only one of the ten commissioners whose opponents lead Jebor's Merchant Guild had to be cautious, as did the Ethereal Horse.

As the Ethereal Horse slowed down the horse, Shemr, who was walking from four legs to two legs, lined up beside him.

"What do we do, Soma? Do you want to go to them?

At that time, Judah's caravan stopped and was resting to form a circle on a flat a short distance from the street.

When stopping a caravan's legs, it's common sense to take them off the street so they don't get in the way of other caravans' traffic, but I still feel like they're too far from the street. And because of the size of the caravan, the number of soldiers in the escort seems to be very high. When the caravan was camping and so forth, it was normal for people to rest in a circle made with luggage and carriages instead of walls in preparation for raids from bandits and so forth, but now it seemed as if they were hiding the children of the snatched Marman in the eyes of the Ethereal Horse.

There's still something about that caravan. Yes, the pale horse made me think.

But the Ethereal Horse shakes his neck to the side.

"Let's not. Even now, that's all I'm on guard against. I feel better not to get too close."

Judah's caravan was also wary of this one, even though he said he was only looking from afar as he slowly proceeded down the street. The spears held by the soldiers of the escort are loosened with a rolling cloth to protect the tip of the ear, which is precisely a state of imminent war.

"It's Soma. Hold the load with strength?

To that word of Gallam, the other Zoan warriors silently attach their hands to the mountain sword.

At this time, Joash, who had accompanied him, stood still on the horse, exhausted of his roots by the forcible forces on horseback riding that had not been able to become him, but when he jumped in a hurry, he raised his voice of restraint.

"Please don't do that. There is an insanity that Jeboa merchants have the right to self-defence. It will be a battle."

It is a world where lawlessness still passes outside the city. Caravans with many hardware items are easily targeted as prey to bandit outfits. All that, or sometimes when it's bad, local lords even pretend to be bandits and attack caravans passing through the territory.

For this reason, there was an insanity in the caravan that it was okay to resist groups approaching inadvertently by force.

"What? With that level of escort, no problem"

Zoog lies that if he resists, he will only crush it, but Joash will crush it.

"If there was a Merman in the caravan, he could be killed by a mouth seal if he was bad."

If Marman's children are secured by the Ethereal Horse, they become important living witnesses to the smuggling. It's better to kill him than it will be. He has no mouth for the dead. Furthermore, there is a risk that the Ethereal Horses who suddenly attacked us will be forced to press Merman's body in order to make themselves guilty.

"Do we make such an inferior mistake!

Joash tells him to teach Shemr, who is just furious that it is a terrible insult

"Whatever the truth is, the question is how the world will judge it. To be clear, in Lord Judah, one of the ten members of the Committee of Soma and Jeboa, who is not known anywhere, the world takes a heavy look at what Lord Judah has to say."

It was Shemr who tried to eat at Joash to see if there was such an idiotic story, but when the Ethereal Horse herself said openly, "If you look at it from the public, I'm the leader of a rebel slave," he muttered in a mushy and grumpy manner.

"So what am I supposed to do?

Garam asks, frightened that the way humans do things is troublesome.

"Firstly, securing Merman's children should be a top priority. And there's nothing to say if we can save Merman's children where there are as many people as possible."

It would be more convenient to send accusations that Ethereal Horse and Marman are aligned behind their backs, and yet a third party who will be a witness in the unlikely event that Marman and the others are killed will be present on the spot. Yes, Joash said.

"That means in the city of Bornis."

To the interpretation of the Ethereal Horse, Joash agreed that "that would be the best".

In the city of Bornis, residents originally visit many pedestrians from other cities. Then the witness will be indispensable.

"Okay. Now, let's get back to Bornis as soon as possible!

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

Eladia welcomed the Ethereal Horse, who led the Elf ladies back to the Lordship's residence in Bornis by driving her horse.

"Dear Soma. We are delighted to have you back safely."

An elegant tribute, Eladia leaned closer to the Ethereal Horse who had descended from the horse, taking off his coat full of Ethereal Horse journey dust in a flowing act and handing it over to the woman who was holding it back next door.

And the pale horse laughs bitterly.

It seems like an exaggerated Ethereal Horse to strangle someone else's hand to remove the coat, but they always take the coat away before it stops. This competent female chief thinks foolishly that if she changes to stripping (hey calf), she will become a big bandit who will be named for future generations.

"We understand the approximate history of Soma's letter. Will you be able to do this now?

When I left Jeboa, I had asked Harpuran to send out a letter with a brief history so far, but it seemed to arrive safely.

"The caravan will be here tomorrow or the day after, so I want to work out measures in the meantime. I'd like to hear about Judah's caravan so far when he went through the city, so can you find someone from the gatekeeper at that time to call him in?

"I understand. - I've already called the captain of the gatekeeper, when it's convenient for Master Soma."

He had already handed it over. A small amount of time would be appreciated by the Ethereal Horse.

"Okay, now. I want everyone to show their wisdom, so get them together in the hall."

The Ethereal Horse takes its feet to the hall. I get brief reports from Michena and Solon that I was already there when I wasn't there, etc. While doing so came a man named Captain of the Gate Guard whom Eladia had been calling.

The captain of the called gatekeeper is a middle-aged man who grew a barren beard on a strong side (frightening) like a bandit. But it was with the Son of Destruction and his proximity, who in the alley was said to wield the power of a terrible demon, who had turned his strong side blue and reduced his large body small.

To that appearance, the Ethereal Horse called out, "Make yourself at home," but instead makes me nervous. The Ethereal Horse, who gave up early that this was the only way, asked about the previous time Judah's caravan had visited the city on a stand-alone basis.

"Oh, that caravan, I - I always thought it was suspicious too - was there."

captain of the gatekeeper explained as he caught the word too many times of tension.

According to that, Judah's caravan doesn't always stay in the city, he does it barely.

That's a suspicious enough story. In any case, the city of Bornis is the city where the caravan arrived over the course of days. The merchants will also want to rest in places with walls and roofs for the first time in a long time. You should also want warm meals and booze that aren't portable food.

Yet Judah's caravan passes through the city without a scratch. To that end, it seemed like a handful of deliberately coming in front of the city, pausing for a little while, feeding the dragons even bait and water, and then knocking around the city gates. It's just an act of not wanting to stay in the city at all.

Naturally, the captain of the gatekeeper was also suspicious of such Judah's caravan.

So, every time I checked my luggage in my mind, I said I hadn't found anything suspicious for once. Not to mention the figure of Marman, who affirmed that there was no shadow or form.

"We also beat the pots and barrels on the luggage truck to confirm the sound, but it definitely looked filled with alcohol inside"

The captain of the finished gatekeeper looked upwards at the pale horse wondering if something was wrong. The Ethereal Horse returned with a small gratuity when he uttered a nagging word to dispel the anxiety.

When the captain of the gatekeeper, who bows his head again and again like a cometsukibata, leaves the room, the pale horse looks around everyone's face and then asks.

"Guys, what do you think?

It was Zug who first returned the answer to it.

"Kina smells like smoke, but it's suspicious enough to tell me there's no fire."

Gallum also nodded his doubts to Zug's opinion.

"I agree. - But I'm curious that the guy at the gatekeeper who thought so looked into it and still couldn't find it."

That also bothered the Ethereal Horse. The gatekeepers weren't the only ones who doubted Judah's caravan. The same Jebor merchant said he thoroughly checked out the caravan, but similarly he couldn't find Marman. That caught me on a pale horse.

"For example, in a luggage truck or in a luggage you put on, there's a craftsman hiding Marman's child?

When it comes to craftsmanship, Dwarf's Dvarin seems to be the most familiar on this occasion. When the Ethereal Horse asks, Dvarin makes a musty surface.

"I can think of any amount of craftsmanship, but I don't know if that's possible if you actually see something nearby."

Even craftsmen with exceptional skills can't possibly see through the finesse of what they don't even see. Dvarin was so stupid, but there Jaharngil snorts and mouths.

"I'll take care of it. If you take it all apart, I'm sure Marman will come out too!

I breathed such a powerful suggestion all the time with a name proposal. Sure, Jahangil is right, and if you crush all the luggage and all the loads on there, you'll find Marman, too. However, it is always based on the premise that Marman is hidden.

Eladia complains immediately.

"Dear Soma. Doubt is only suspicion. There is also a metaphor for" trying to take the lights and burning your fingertips. "Think about it."

What Eladia calls "trying not to take lights and burning fingertips" is an adage passed down to the continent of Cerdeas. I reached out to take the lights that illuminate the dark night, and from the story that I accidentally burned my fingertips with that light fire, I relied on something to try to live up to hope, which means instead looking at my painful eyes.

Jahangil slammed his tail on the floor in a grumpy manner, as if he had been obsessed with his own proposal because of it.

But even in the outrage (hummus) of this Dinosaurian madman everyone fears, the beauty of an elf with a liver resting on her back is silenced with a soft-face.

"I agree with this elf girl."

Solon says as he strokes his white jaw.

"In the light of the circumstances, there's no doubt about keeping Marman's child. but if you're blind enough to think it's going through this city, you're going to lose your foothold."

Solon's pointing it out, too.

To the south of Bornis is the path cut open by Jeboa and the merchants of Holmea investing in each other to bypass the city due to the control of Bornis by the Ethereal Horse. If we go through there, we don't have to go through Bornis.

But from what I hear, it's a narrow road to the extent that hairs have grown on the beast path, and very large carriages and luggage cars are not enough to pass through. Also, the streets paved with Roman concrete - "Soma's Road" hasn't been expanded since it was laid, and they're rough enough for people to walk.

On such a road, there would be no big luggage, luggage cars, etc. that could hide Marman. However, there is no denying the possibility of sending only the luggage truck to Bornis to keep people's attention and carry only the Merman child at heart from there to Holmea without passing through Bornis.

The Ethereal Horse instructed several Harpuans to turn for surveillance of the southern road. Also at the same time patrol the Zoan warriors upstream and downstream of the river that flows through the centre of the city of Bornis.

That's how he struck his hand at preventing him from trying to cross into Holmea without passing through the city, and Aoima waited for Judah's caravan in a full position.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

Two days later than the Ethereal Horse, Judah's caravan arrived in the city of Bornis. But as the captain of the gatekeeper says, Judah's caravan won't be in the city any time soon. He went out of his way to stay one night away from the city gate, and came to the gates of Bornis the next day.

There was also an opinion that he should try to assault where he was camped outside the gate, but the Ethereal Horse rejected it. Perhaps Judah's caravan is also on strong alert. Success cannot be overwhelmed by an assault on a place like that. Again, as planned, because I thought it would be better to find Merman's child at the city gate where a large number of witnesses would get them.

At this time, it was a nerve-looking skinny man named Groce who was leading the caravan of Judas the Gate of Bornis.

"What the hell is this all about?

It is not impossible for Gross to ask in a risky tone. At the gates of the city of Bornis, rigorous loading tests were carried out only today. Naturally, it's aimed at Judah's caravan, but I'm not going to be stupid and honest about it.

"I'm hunting undercover. Please help us."

That's what the Ethereal Horse explained, thinking about the possibility that the Gate Guard alone would be pushed away by the power of Jeboa's Merchant Guild, who was on the spot himself.

What the Ethereal Horse brought up as a reason for the rigorous loading inspection was the story of a Holmea spy infiltrating the city in an attempt to disrupt the city's interior. Naturally, Gross realized that was a fabrication story and that the purpose of the loading inspection was on them. But I can't argue strongly enough that it's just an undeniable story in the current situation of growing tensions with Holmea.

Still, Gross said, like a loser.

"We are merchants of the Jebor merchant guild merchants. Besides, one of the ten commissioners is a caravan belonging to Judah's Chamber of Commerce."

Point to the merchant guild and Judah's chamber of commerce flag erected on the caravan. If you imitate badly, you will turn all of Jevoah's Merchant Alliances against your enemies.

"And the liquor here is delivered to the royal palace and the people of Holmea. Understand that well."

Among the barrels of wine packed in the trunk is also a gift to King Walius. King Walius, with his eclampsia, could be pushed back to see if he could drink wine touched by the head of a rebel slave and the hands of a disgusting Ethereal Horse. It is an unspeakable pressure to understand such things and carry out loading checks.

And while the Ethereal Horse replied, "I know," the loading inspection was made thorough.

Everyone on board is unloaded from the carriage to carry food and take a nap during the journey that will be the leader of the caravan, and every bag on it opens its mouth to check its contents. The five large dragon towing luggage cars that followed behind were all removed from the rain-sheltered cloth, and soldiers slapped each large barrel of liquor on it to find out if there was any noise. It even seems to be peeked under the carriage or luggage, and the plate pokes with the stone bump of the spear to check for cavities.

Groce watched as he chewed his thumbnails firmly to represent the inner frustration, staring at them with his blood-running eyes.

But when the loading inspection lasted four and a half minutes (roughly thirty minutes), the limit of Gross's patience finally came.

"You've done enough research! Isn't that enough!

Though a large caravan that also used five dragons, there are only a few places where Marman can hide them. Where it seemed suspicious, it had been investigated. No longer, in a state of repeated scrutiny of the same place, Gross's protest is also natural.

If this is just a merchant, he can be silenced by the authority of the lord. But this is Judah's caravan, who is also one of the ten commissioners. If you wield power against your opponent poorly, you may end up painting mud on the face of Jeboa's Merchant Guild, and the Ethereal Horse hesitates.

In addition, the situation was worse when strict loading inspections were carried out. Since before the building, when Judah's caravan was not targeted, other pedestrians and caravans were allowed to carry out similar cargo inspections, but because of this, heavy traffic had occurred waiting for cargo inspections.

In the meantime, when it's almost over, when you scoop the gloss, you desperately twist your head when you're off the spot with the sleaze in order to engage in further pursuit.

After all, are there no Merman children in this caravan?

Or isn't this caravan itself?

Actually, isn't it true that fate is heading from another route to the Holmeer country?

A number of hypotheses come to mind, but none of them provide a clear answer. The thought of the Ethereal Horse kept empty.

"Hey, Soma. Isn't it about time?

Exactly. I can tell that Shemr is getting worse.

"Yeah. I know that. - Mr. Eladia. Have you heard from Mr. Pipi?

If we could find a suspicious group trying to avoid Bornis and go to Holmea, we were supposed to be contacted by Pipi, who leads the Harpuan patrolling the sky.

But to the question of the Ethereal Horse, Eladia shakes her neck to the side.

Then, it still only seemed like a pale horse that there was a Merman child somewhere in this caravan. But I can't find that pivotal Merman child. Where the hell is it hidden?

The Ethereal Horse turned his gaze toward the load of the dragon's towing luggage.

"Is it a barrel of alcohol after all...?

The barrel on it is big enough for even adults to put it in. Merman's kid would be able to afford to come in.

But I couldn't open the seal and confirm it to the contents, but as far as I could beat it from the outside and hear the noise, the liquor barrel was full of alcohol. There is nothing unusual about changing the place to beat it and comparing it to hearing the sound, and it doesn't seem like there is a double bottom kind of trick.

If we were to look into this any further, we would have to drain the liquor inside and scatter the barrels.

With a pulled laugh, the Ethereal Horse asks Shemr to agree.

"Now, it's impossible to scatter all those barrels, isn't it?

There's time and effort, but I don't think Gross will allow it any more than that. And Shemr sighed one more time, putting his hand on his hips and saying, "It would be impossible," he said.

But slightly earlier than that, someone answers.

"It's easy for me."

It is Jaharngil.

Though this casual Dinosaurian warrior came to the caravan's loading inspection site, he had nothing to do, and until then he seemed free to follow the Ethereal Horse around.

But the Ethereal Horse, who had been accustomed to Jaharngil going around about something behind him from time to time, was completely oblivious to its existence, distracted by all the problems in front of him. The same is true of those around them.

That's why Jahangil started wielding chained iron balls, but he couldn't stop them.

"Hey, wait a minute! No, no, no, no!"

The Ethereal Horse who finally returned to me raises his voice of restraint, but it was too late.

It is thrown as the iron sphere rips through the atmosphere at the same time as the snakes and lizards often sound like intimidation from Jaharngil's mouth. The iron ball thrown made a noise like exploding the flanks of two large liquor barrels that had been placed in one luggage car.

As Jahangil approached the barrel in a relaxed foothold as screams and fury flew over the sudden event, he spread it at his leisure, sticking his hands in the crushing mouth where the bloody red wine was pouring out like a flood.

"Hmm? Aren't you there?"

But there was no sign of Marman there.