Master and Slaves

"...Understood. I’ll leave the arrangements to you."

Saying that I sat in a chair that was there.

"Ah, leave it to us."

Baldo said reliable words to me and began talking with Helene.

...

We left the soldiers and the town to Julius and Bastian and ran our horses to the royal capital Torrestia.

That said, I myself cannot ride a horse, so I was riding behind Muriel.

A few minutes after Baldo and Helene began talking the arrangements were decided and each person’s work was assigned.

Then Helene and Baldo finished preparing immediately and came this far together with us.

From learning that Cathy and Rina were gone, it had probably taken ten minutes or not even that.

No, they say time feels like it passes quickly at times like this, so it might have been even faster.

Anyway we were able to move to action faster than I expected.

However even so we did not catch up to Rina and the others and ended up coming as far as Torrestia.

That Rina and the others had entered Torrestia quite a while ago I knew because I had "seen" it.

We arrived at Torrestia at night.

The single moon that was out was a new moon.

"Now then... what shall we do from here?"

Without lighting any lights we lay on the ground and looked at Torrestia’s gate.

On the gate and the wall lights were burning brightly and several watchmen were standing.

Fortunately there was almost no moonlight, so I thought it was a situation where we were hard to find, but...

"Carelessness is forbidden. Among demonic beasts there are some with night vision."

"Dark elves also have night eyes."

I was admonished by Helene and Sophia.

However when the two looked at each other’s faces they turned away with a fun.

Same as ever.

When I met Baldo’s eyes we both gave bitter smiles.

"...I will be the decoy. Sophia, you can use flight magic, right. With that everyone..."

"No. Muriel alone is too dangerous. I will also..."

Muriel and Helene volunteered to be decoys.

However I had thought of a better method than that.

"No, I’ll go. I’ll go to a place with fewer watchmen and jump over the wall. Then I should be able to open the gate."

"Master..."

Muriel looked at me worriedly.

"It’s fine. I’ll make sure I’m not found."

I stroked her head to remove Muriel’s anxiety.

Lately it’s been nothing but this.

After I save Cathy and Rina, if I have time I have to pay more attention to them.

And there was one more Dule I had to pay attention to.

"I’m going too."

"No, Yuki. Wait here."

"I want to... be together..."

"Yuki, being selfish is no good."

Muriel gently admonished her.

If this were Ilma or Helma she would probably have gotten angry with considerable intensity.

After all a Te-Dule was being selfish.

However Muriel also seemed likely to treat Yuki kindly.

Though only at first.

"Helene, Baldo, we’ll go with that."

After looking at Yuki, who nodded reluctantly at Muriel’s words, I took my leave of Helene and Baldo, who said nothing.

Baldo looked at me as if fed up, and Helene had a hand to her forehead.

"...Can you really jump over that wall?"

She asked me in a tone that said she could not believe it.

This side had doubts in a different direction from Muriel and the others.

I looked at the wall Helene pointed at.

It might be better to call it a castle wall rather than a wall.

The height was roughly about ten meters.

When I jumped a wall before it was about four meters.

This time it was more than twice that.

But I jumped quite a bit then.

Well, I should just barely make it.

"Understood. Sophia, put flight magic on Hiroyuki-sama."

"No. You can’t chant magic unless you stand, and first you have to make a voice, so the watchmen will find us."

While I was thinking Helene and Sophia whispered.

"No, it’s fine. I can jump it."

""...""

Helene and Sophia looked at me with fed-up expressions.

"...Haa. Understood. Please try it once. However, make absolutely sure the watchmen do not find you."

"Ah, understood. When the gate opens, move immediately."

I answered Helene, who did not believe me, and impressed on everyone what to do after that.

"Understood." ""Understood.""

Baldo and Helene and Muriel answered at the same time.

The others silently nodded.

Confirming that I began to move while keeping my back low so the watchmen would not find me.

...

After running a while and coming to a place where the gate could no longer be seen, the torch flames going back and forth on top of the castle wall suddenly became few.

When I watched two torches cross I looked around, confirmed no one was there, and jumped between the crossed torches.

I jumped with all my strength but a ten-meter castle wall was high after all, and I was barely able to grab the top of the castle wall with my stretched left hand.

Then I put force into that left hand and jumped, and taking care not to make a sound I landed on the passage on top of the castle wall.

To my left and right I could see soldiers walking away to the opposite side from me.

Confirming I had not been noticed I descended to the inside of the castle wall.

Naturally the inside also had a height of ten meters the same as the outside.

I landed on both feet, but as expected my feet rang with a jiin.

However if I spent time here the danger to Muriel and the others and Helene and Baldo would grow larger.

I whipped my aching feet and ran in the direction I had come from.

When you run along the castle wall, naturally houses stand in rows on the inside.

The windows of those houses had wooden shutters firmly closed.

Someone might be there, but even if a light were lit inside a house you probably wouldn’t know.

I felt something odd about the shutters being closed even though there was no storm, but it might simply be a natural thing in this world.

Anyway I ran at full speed aiming at the destination.

After running a while I arrived at the castle gate, but as expected there were many soldiers here.

I advanced my steps carefully so the watch soldiers would not notice me, but...

"Who’s there!"

...I had been found.

I’m not used to this kind of thing.

I raised both hands to show I was not hostile.

Watching is of course done in pairs of two, so if one finds you... huh?

There was only one.

"D-don’t move!"

The watchman drew his sword and pointed the tip at me threateningly.

However that hand was trembling.

Could it be... an amateur?

"What’s wrong?!" "What happened?!"

The surrounding soldiers who heard the voice of the watchman in front of me tried to come look this way, but because they were a little distant it seemed it would take time.

I immediately put the hilt of my sword against the solar plexus of the watch soldier in front of me and knocked him out, then slung that watch soldier over my shoulder.

Then I looked around. There was a door that seemed to continue inside the castle wall, so I opened it and went in.

How improvisational...

While amazed at my own actions I thought about what to do from here.

Because there had been a suspicious person, the watch would probably increase.

Haa.

I really did it...

"Was he that way?!"

"No, he’s not."

"This way not yet."

"All right, let’s go!"

There were voices that seemed to be watch soldiers.

Footsteps resounded dota dota and then receded.

I bound the unconscious watch soldier with rope that was in this room, then opened the door a little and checked outside.

No one... was there.

Slowly I opened it further and put my face out.

Even looking around there was no one.

"He’s there!"

"That way!"

I ducked my head at the sudden voices, but the voices receded even further.

Apparently it was not me.

Then... who?

An unpleasant thought crossed my mind.

I immediately opened the door continuing outside the castle wall.

I had not opened the gate, of course because it would stand out.

I put my face out from the door and tried to send a signal to the place where Muriel and the others and Helene and the others would be hiding.

...It’s dark so they can’t see?

I went back a little, brought a torch hanging on the wall, and drew a circle with it outside the door.

They seemed to have noticed this. First sensing Helene’s presence, then the Dules, last Baldo paying attention behind, they ran this way.

While confirming I let everyone inside the castle wall.

...Fumu, everyone is here.

Then who was the suspicious person the watch soldiers chased after?

"What’s wrong?"

Wondering at me being lost in thought, Baldo spoke to me.

"Ah, no... nothing. Then shall we go."

I drove it to the edge of my head that it was not something to think about, and spoke to everyone in a reserved voice.

"I will guide you. Please follow."

Helene said that.

Which means she would go at the front.

"Then I’ll take the rear."

Baldo said that while folding his arms.

And so I and the Dules would follow Helene, and Baldo would guard the rear.

I looked around at the Dules.

Muriel, Sara, and Sophia were of course there.

Ilma and Helma were being protected by Tiria.

"...Yuki, are you all right?"

"Yes, I’m fine."

Yuki answered in honorifics.

The sense of oddness was overflowing.

However this was the current relationship between me and Yuki.

"If it’s hard, say so."

"Yes, thank you, Master."

Yuki put her knees to the ground and kissed my foot.

I felt something miserable, but... now was not the time to soak in sentiment.

"Tiria, Yuki too, I’m counting on you."

"Understood, Master."

I entrusted Yuki to Tiria.

And one more...

Rine had cried herself out and was now sleeping on Sara’s back.

"Sara, how is it?"

"Yes, she is sleeping well."

Even sleeping breaths of suu, suu could be heard.

...Then Sara is also out of the fighting force.

"I see. ...Tiria, Sara too, I’m counting on you."

"Eh? Ah, yes. Please leave it to me."

Tiria puffed out her chest, making her ample breasts tremble.

Protecting this many people would be hard.

However Tiria is good at protecting people.

If it comes to it there is also the barrier spell.

"I’m counting on you."

"Yes!"

Tiria answered looking happy but putting spirit into it.

"Then let’s go."

Helene confirmed our exchange had ended and spoke.

"Ah, let’s go."

I answered.

Then with Helene at the front we started running through the royal capital at night.

...

A group of ten ran through the royal capital Torrestia.

We were running through a town where houses stood in rows, but somehow it did not feel like that.

"Hey, Helene. Isn’t something odd?"

"Does Hiroyuki-sama think so as well?"

"Ah. How do I put it, there’s no presence of people?"

"Yes. It being night is part of it, but even so having no presence to this extent..."

Apparently Helene also felt it was odd.

It felt like there were no people even inside the houses.

While running I concentrated my consciousness.

I tried to "see" inside the houses, but... huh? I can’t "see."

Not only inside the houses, I can’t even look at the surroundings.

Hmm, why.

"Did you find something out?"

Did she think there had been some progress because I became silent?

Helene asked me.

"No... well, that’s right. Are we about to arrive at the castle?"

Because we had been running a while we had come to right near the castle.

"No, it will take a little more. I intend to enter from the back entrance."