Chapter 76

Yesterday’s chaos had been cleaned up, but the outpost was noisy in a different way.

The Raven agents who had been scattered everywhere had all returned, and the self-proclaimed mercenaries were walking around with tired faces to clean up the battlefield, so it would have been strange if it were quiet.

In just one place, the tent where Valheit and Regina were, a heavy silence hung in the air.

Regina was studying Valheit's face.

Unlike usual, Valheit had a blank expression and was standing with his arms crossed, as if he was mulling over what she had just said.

Early in the morning, Valheit had announced that he would interrogate the family traitor, Benjamin de Leitche.

Regina had just refused that request.

It wasn’t an obstinate refusal, like she had to be the one to deal with the family’s traitor, or an attempt to hinder the Count.

Simply, her brother was not in a state to talk.

“Hmm.”

Valheit, who had been silent for a long time, finally made a sound.

Regina was extremely tense and focused on what he would say next.

“May I ask you a question?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know why he mentioned me?”

That was what she wanted to ask him.

Why her brother was so horrified when he saw Valheit.

As far as Regina knew, there was no point of contact between them.

“I have no idea.”

“Hmm.”

Valheit made a troubled expression.

Did he really not know?

Or was this another cunning act?

“You may be suspicious of me, but I have no intention of harming Benjamin. So I ask that you allow me to meet and talk with him.”

I could feel a sense of sincerity in his tone.

Was that the reason why the Count was dragging his words, which was unlike him?

Since he was who he was, it might just be empty words.

Still, I could think that the Count was being considerate in his own way.

“Thank you for your consideration. But I’m refusing because he really isn’t in a state to talk. He was having seizures all night.”

Benjamin’s condition was awful, as he constantly mumbled that Valheit would kill him.

He tried to cut his own flesh, saying he had to make a meal, and he shouted strange languages that were not human until his throat was sore.

Honestly, it was difficult to be sure if there was even a possibility of him returning to his right mind.

“I gave him medicine and he’s sleeping now, but I think he’ll have another seizure when he wakes up. At this rate, I don’t even know if we can have a conversation…”

“If that’s the case, I won’t push the matter. But it’s an important issue for me, so I must get an answer.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Perhaps if necessary, but for now, I don’t want to use such a harsh method.”

A wry smile appeared on Valheit’s face as he mentioned the harsh method.

It was a sign that he understood her situation but would never back down.

When he acted like this, she couldn’t keep refusing.

Her mission was to maintain the relationship with the Eight Council, not to ruin it.

Besides, if it weren’t for Valheit yesterday, everyone at this shabby outpost would have died.

She didn't want to be in his debt.

“Alright. If you say so, I’ll find a way.”

“I’m curious as to what method you have in mind.”

“Waiting until he calms down is the best option, but we don’t know when that will be. So I’m thinking of using a truth serum.”

The Raven works quietly, but sometimes they have to extract information directly.

“A truth serum, huh. The side effects must be quite severe.”

“That’s the case with the low-quality goods on the market. The ones the Raven uses are different from those cheap ones.”

“How so?”

She briefly considered saying it was a secret, but it was obvious he would press her for information, so she just decided to tell him.

“Because it’s a medicine I made myself.”

It was embarrassing to talk about something that only a handful of people in the Raven knew about.

“Oh-ho You’re quite a versatile person.”

“It’s more like a hobby. I’ve studied herbalism before.”

“I see. When will it be ready?”

The Count changed the subject, as if he noticed she was flustered.

The Count wasn’t a person who was considerate of others, but it somehow felt that way.

“I can do it as soon as I get it, so it should take a day or two.”

“Alright. I can wait that long. But.”

Valheit, who had returned to his usual unpleasantly smiling face, added lightly.

“If you are trying to stall for time, the ending will not be good.”

I could feel his intention to kill her on my skin.

He was just releasing mana, but it was already this much.

The difference in power was desperately felt.

“Of course.”

“Then that’s fine. Oh, right! I almost forgot.”

Valheit, who was about to get up from his seat, suddenly snapped his fingers as if he had just remembered something.

“The ravens you called yesterday, did you use Servant Magic?”

“Yes, it’s the specialty magic of the Leitche family. Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“I was just curious.”

Regina tilted her head as she watched Valheit leave the tent.

Why did he ask?

***

“So that’s what happened, let’s just suffer for two more days.”

The gazes of the party, who were eating around the bonfire, were focused on me.

Some of them had expressions that said they knew this would happen, and others were blatantly scowling.

“If you have a complaint, say it, Mr. Yenoki.”

“I think we’ve already helped you more than the Tribe Head asked.”

Yenoki scraped a piece of meat from between his teeth and said in an annoyed voice.

He wasn’t wrong.

“Then you can go back alone.”

“And abandon a guest? What do you take me for?”

“I knew you would say that.”

Yenoki sighed deeply and turned his head away.

The others didn't have much of a reaction.

“But we can’t just sit here for two days, can we?”

“We went through so much yesterday, can’t we take a break?”

“I went through the most trouble yesterday, didn’t I? I’m still full of energy, so you all should be, too.”

I had the right to say this since I had dealt with most of the river trolls that attacked yesterday.

“It's not that I want to give you useless chores because I hate seeing you do nothing. It’s a pretty important matter.”

“We’ve secured the target and done business with the surrounding Demons. What else is there?”

Ede tilted his head.

Until yesterday, I also thought I was done with everything I had to do here.

But when I thought about it this morning, there was something that bothered me.

“Does anyone know why those river trolls were called the witches of the swamp?”

Of course, no one answered.

“Does anyone know when the swamp witches appeared?”

“The Goral kids said it was about four years ago. Weren’t you there when they said that?”

“Correct, Ms. Hillia. Next question. Do you know when our target arrived here?”

“Uh I don’t know. Did you tell us?”

“Four years ago.”

Up to this point, it could be a coincidence, and it wouldn't be a problem.

I had thought so, too, until yesterday.

“No, I mean, did you ever tell us that?”

“Does anyone know what magic the river trolls used yesterday?”

I pointed to Ede, who had his hand raised, and he answered confidently.

“Servant Magic that controls bugs!”

“Correct. Isn’t that strange?”

“…Huh?”

I left Ede, who had a clueless expression on his face, and turned my head to the Demon King’s strategist.

Karl was frowning as if he had noticed something.

“Now that I think about it, it is strange.”

“What is?”

“Trolls mainly use Enhancement Magic, not complicated things like Servant Magic.”

The trolls in The Path of the Demon King were a little smarter than the typical stupid trolls you see in fantasy, but they were still the same.

Imbuing their clubs with mana to swing them or putting mana into their stomach acid to spit it out further was all the magic a troll used.

I barely remembered this detail because the author had emphasized it several times through Karl's mouth when Noah first met a troll.

In comparison, even the most basic level of Servant Magic, controlling a single mouse, easily exceeded the 6th tier.

The tier of magic itself could change depending on how finely it was controlled.

“Is it that strange?”

“Of course, a troll could use it if it learned, but how it learned is the question.”

“It’s more logical to think that someone taught them rather than they learned it naturally, isn’t it?”

There were two possibilities for who taught them.

Either the captured Benjamin taught them, or they learned it from an outsider.

“You saw Ms. Regina use it yesterday, but Servant Magic is the Leitche family’s specialty. It is said that even the Imperial mages take a step back when it comes to Servant Magic.”

“Then did Mr. Benjamin teach them?”

“No, the timing is strange for that. It would be one thing if they were the original river trolls that lived here, but they appeared four years ago.”

Karl refuted Ede’s words.

Then, only one possibility remained.

“It means that someone else taught them but who would try to teach magic to a troll?”

“It wouldn’t make sense unless they had a purpose.”

Noah, who was poking the bonfire with a poker, added a word.

“That’s why I’m saying we should investigate. There’s a chance that this outsider is related to Leitche.”

“That’s right. I got interested after yesterday.”

There was a possibility that it was just an unrelated coincidence, but I couldn’t just let it go.

“It would be fine to attack their base again right away, but for now, let’s gather information from the surrounding area.”

The moment I was about to divide the teams, I felt a presence.

Everyone I brought was here, so it meant it was someone from the Raven side, so I kept my mouth shut.

“Count, I have some news to deliver.”

“Is it the kind of news I should hear alone?”

“No. It doesn’t matter if your companions hear it as well.”

The Raven agent took a letter from his pocket and unfolded it.

The length of it suggested it wasn’t a simple letter for delivering information.

“This is a letter sent by the Grand Duke of Leitche to Lady Regina. Lady Regina said to share the contents, so I will.”

Regina probably reported that she had captured her eldest son, so this was his response.

It was long because the agent read the greetings at the beginning meticulously, but the core was in the last part.

“Although he is a son who has betrayed the nation and me, I am still very worried about him. I plan to come and see for myself. I should arrive in two days, so please take measures to make your brother come to his senses by then.”

“I’m so grateful that the Grand Duke is coming to this humble place in person.”

“It is because it is a matter important enough for the Grand Duke to come.”

The agent offered an excuse, as if he noticed my sarcasm.

Of course, it was just an excuse.

If the Grand Duke of Leitche had cherished his eldest son, he wouldn't have neglected him until now.

The timing was also strange.

To say he would come as soon as he heard that his eldest son had been rescued.

I immediately became suspicious that there might be something he was hiding.

When I waved my hand, the agent quickly walked away.

“That’s a very suspicious visit.”

Noah stretched and got up from his seat.

A smile appeared on his lips as if he found it amusing.

“We don’t have time to wait around. We’ll finish the investigation as fast as possible by tomorrow.”

After all, a man who was a Grand Duke wouldn’t come just to see his son.

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