Chapter 127: Cuddle Bell 2
Mayor and the others were treating the injured soldiers at the city gate.
Sisters basically perform charitable activities, so no one finds fault with Mayor and the others’ actions.
Moreover, their trust as church-related people is thick; there is no suspicion.
From the mouths of the soldiers they heard words about skin festered like burns and "color-variant of slime."
Mayor and Atla moved as the relief team and casually gathered information.
Nitchi and Sera were handing food and drinks from Suzuya to the soldiers who had returned from outside the city gate and extracting information.
When they tried to evacuate Dil and the others, they were strongly opposed, so further behind they were comforting the soldiers.
A nearby soldier hurriedly approached a soldier Mayor was treating and spoke happily.
"I’m glad, you were safe."
"Yeah, I was saved by a man on a horse."
"On a horse?"
"That’s right. And he taught us how to find the cores of those slime-like things."
"The cores? Then, what about that man?"
"He headed to the front line. I hope he’s safe..."
Mayor, who had finished treatment, smiled at the soldier, stood up, and hid her figure in the shadow of a building.
Then she made an expression as if about to cry, covered her mouth with one hand, and made her body tremble.
From the feel of the soldiers’ talk until now, the one who headed to the front line alone on a horse was Raide.
With the hand not covering her mouth she took a letter from the magic bag attached to her waist.
The hand taking it also trembled and seemed about to drop it.
Atla, who had come behind at some point, gently grasped the trembling hand of Mayor holding the letter.
Mayor turned with only her face, looked at Atla’s face, and voiced in a trembling voice.
"Atla..."
"What kind of face is that."
"B-but... Raide is at the front line."
"Yes, I heard too. Probably Raide."
"A-ah, what should we do..."
Mayor is not used to battle.
Even during the war she was in the royal capital, so actually treating injured soldiers is the first time.
Every time a soldier who had lost his life was carried in, she was desperate to keep her heart.
The reason she can barely smile calmly is so as not to make Dil and the others following or the soldiers uneasy.
But every time she hears talk of a man resembling her lover Raide, she becomes scared and her hands tremble.
Atla grasped both shoulders of Mayor who seemed about to collapse and spoke with a serious expression.
"Pull yourself together. A person who does miracle-like things won’t simply disappear. Right?"
"Atla... Yes, that’s right."
"Shall we gather Nitchi and Sera once and convey the information?"
"Yes."
Mayor nodded upon seeing Nitchi and Sera walking and approaching from behind Atla.
Atla looked at Mayor’s steady expression, smiled, and nodded.
The four organized the information, and as the representative Mayor opened the seal of the letter and murmured.
Then she closed the seal, put it away into the magic bag, and the four scattered again separately and began looking after the soldiers.
Felica finally arrived in front of the city gate, rushing together with the knights.
She glared behind with an irritated look, thinking she should have arrived much earlier.
There the figure of Viscount Dobo, restrained by the knights, could be seen.
Without the report from Erika, she might not have been able to rush over.
Viscount Dobo glared at Felica and spoke as if shouting.
"What is wrong with me, this me! What is wrong with using women! Men have created everything!!"
"Hey, shut that idiot’s mouth! It affects morale."
"What!? Hey! Stop, don’t touch me! I am a viscount!?"
Viscount Dobo continued spitting words that Raide would seem about to kill if he heard them.
A man who threatened his wife’s younger sister, had her gather information, and aimed at overthrowing the nation.
As a result of Erika and the others’ negotiation, documents and letters were obtained from Viscount Dobo’s hidden room.
Among them traces of connections with the former Count Deus and of leaking kingdom information to other countries could apparently be confirmed.
Looking at such a man out of the corner of her eye she let out a big sigh and headed outside the city gate.
On the way the figures of Mayor and the others treating the soldiers could be seen.
When Felica looked at Mayor their eyes met; they nodded to each other and then averted their eyes.
Outside the city gate the soldiers, while battered, were guiding people and carriages so as not to injure them.
The captain of the gate soldiers ran up to Felica; Felica instructed the knights to form ranks and then called out.
"What’s the situation!?"
"Yes! Casualties are 11 dead or wounded; the rest are injured but can fight!"
"11 dead or wounded... What are those slimes you’re holding?"
"These... were given by a certain man, saying to smear them on and attack if the slime-like things approach!"
"Do you know that man’s name?"
"Lord Raide!"
As expected, Felica frowned while looking at the swarm of blue slimes.
She had received a report from Mayor and the others that a man resembling Raide had headed to the front line alone on horseback.
She had not wanted to think it was true.
Looking at a knight running from the direction of the highway, Felica made her face even sterner.
The family crest on the chest of the running knight — that is of the royal family’s royal guards.
A gate soldier approached the royal guard, and the gate soldier who had probably heard the talk ran over with a changed complexion.
To the gate soldier trying to speak to the captain, Felica raised her voice and spoke.
"Time is precious; report as is!"
"Yes! The rearmost carriage is said to be Princess Arelia’s carriage!"
"Immediately head to reinforce! Prepare horses!"
"Please wait!!"
The royal guard, supported by the gate soldier, approached Felica while breathing roughly.
While slightly distorting his face with a frustrated look, he informed her that the blue slimes are called Blue Slimes.
He explained to Felica that they absorb magic power and proliferate, and how to determine the cores.
Further he spoke painfully that the rear guard was being handled by Raide, the adventurers, and the gate soldiers.
"That man said to get ready and crush them all at once."
"Thank you for reporting; after that rest."
"...This is personal, but please help the ones handling the rear guard!"
"I understand... I understand."
The royal guard who saw Felica’s serious expression lowered his face and was carried into the grounds.
That man... if he is safely rescued it will be beyond a lecture.
She instructed the knights to hurry, and while formulating a plan in her head a childlike voice called to her back.
"Hey, can you give me those slimes?"
When she turned with only her face, there was Lea with an enjoyable smile.
Fluttering the skirt part of her black dress, she was laughing enjoyably but a slightly angry atmosphere could be felt.
Felica looked at Lea’s manner that would not take no for an answer, nodded, received the slime from the captain, and handed it to Lea.
"Raide is troublesome, isn’t he?"
"Haa... truly. How much must he make his lovers worry."
"But since we’ve fallen for him, it can’t be helped."
"If you say that, Lea is the same, right?"
"Kufufufu, contact Croana? She said she’ll go all out."
When Felica spoke with an exasperated wry smile, Lea laughed enjoyably and replied.
Immediately Felica took a letter from her magic bag, brought it near her mouth, murmured, and nodded to Lea.
Seeing that, Lea changed from an enjoyable smile to a warlike smile raising the corner of her mouth and spoke.
"Ahahahaha! It’s the first full power in a long time! When Raide returns, punishment!!"
A torrent of magic power that Felica had never felt before from Lea’s body was applied.
At Lea’s words that were surprisingly quite angry, Felica ended up laughing.
...I should also think of a punishment.
The magic power was packed into the slime Lea held with both hands and exploded like mist.
Lea moved her hands as if controlling that mist and released it at the swarm of Blue Slimes.
Croana was looking toward the city gate from the roof of the academy and laughing troubledly.
She laughs that Lea-nee is troublesome, but because she understands the feelings she does not stop her.
Around Croana documents were floating, and characters were being written of their own accord as if each sheet had will.
As long as she is entrusted with the role of protecting the royal castle visible behind, Croana cannot leave the academy.
For a few hours it would be no problem, but in this emergency one never knows what may happen so it is impossible.
There, together with the creation of [Cuddle Bell], what she thought of was a communication method by letter.
Voice cannot be conveyed, but characters can be conveyed.
Each piece of information gathers at Croana, and Croana conveys it to each.
By Croana managing it the speed of transmission rises, and above all abnormalities can be responded to immediately.
"It is the first time the sisters cooperated to develop it. There is no way there would be failure."
At the words that came out as if murmuring, Croana noticed that she herself was smiling.
Being able to research magic tools with the sisters was so happy she could not help it.
Originally the older sisters should have continued traveling to somehow deal with their lifespans.
That was saved by Raide.
He created time for the sisters.
Croana smiled enjoyably, looked up at the sky, and murmured toward the Lea who was not here.
"Yes, please do it, Lea-nee."