Stranger's Handbook

Chapter 29: The Adventurers’ Excuse

“How insolent! How dare you stop the carriage of the Frontier Count’s Household!”

Albert’s angry voice echoed and master rested his head in his palms at this scene.

“So, they’re on the move too now…….Really now, if you obediently go spend a night or two in jail, you’ll be able to leave after that. With this, by stopping the Frontier Count’s Household’s carriage, you’ve just added to your crimes, you know?”

The carriage has already stopped.

We’ll cancel our trip, right?…….In my dreams.

“They’re relying on the Frontier Count’s Household to ask for help, you know, it’s not decent to simply ignore them. It’s not good to only listen to the soldiers’ story, but if we wouldn’t have trusted them, the imperial capital’s army would’ve complained….Ah! It’s so troublesome.”

Don’t look at me so intently, master. Are you trying to say ‘Do something’?

“……..So, we must judge both parties?”

“Well, it really helps that your understanding is quick. Such an excellent son-in-law-dono.”

Smiling, he passed the whole task onto me.

Master, you’ve shown no restraint recently.

But he specifically said ‘son-in-law-dono’, that in itself is full of meaning.

Ah, Albert’s got ahold of the woman……I left the carriage and called out.

“Albert, it’s all right, let her go. I’m Zest of the Varnam Frontier Count’s Household, tell me what you have to say.”

Albert bowed and released the woman, after which he positioned himself to my side.

The patrol soldiers can’t intervene…….They can’t oppose the Frontier Count’s Household if we say we want to listen to them.

“T…then, I won’t refrain myself to tell you our story.”

The woman with both her hands tied up, was trembling, and her voice did sound very young.

Is she in her teens or 20s, I wonder? Her hair is red and put into a ponytail.

Her face is hidden and I can’t see it, but I could figure that her stature is very slender through the leather armor that she was wearing.

“We are adventurers, but if nothing is done now, we will become slaves! Please save us!”

……..What? You’ll be turned into slaves?

I glanced at the soldiers only to find that they were hiding their faces.

Wait a minute! Can it really be…

“Now that you’ve mentioned slavery, I can’t overlook this. Albert, bring that Kenes squad leader from earlier to me.”

“Yes sir! At once.”

One way or another, he caught him in the blink on an eye.

The other soldiers were surrounded by the black nights.

Kenes was dragged along to stay in front of me, his complexion was really bad.

“Good, now everyone’s gathered. So, what did you mean with being turned into slaves? Continue explaining.”

“Yes sir, we were harvesting inside the forest when the soldiers called us to halt and ordered that me and the other girl go with them…….”

She sent a fleeting glance at her companions.

It was true that among the other 4 members of her group, there was one who had long hair and looked like a girl.

I was shocked…….It was the first time I got so angry that I couldn’t feel anything but shock.

“Oi, Kenes. I don’t want to believe it, but I got to ask it. Did you want to take away these women forcibly? If that’s the case, then was the story with the thieves a lie?”

Squad leader Kenes was looking downward, his face ghastly pale, and didn’t answer, moment in which Albert silently hit him with his spear.

“Lord Zest is asking you a question, how dare you ignore him? If it happens again, you’ll lose one leg.”

Don’t draw your sword yet, Albert.

Ah! Even the black knights drew their swords already…….Why is the Frontier Count’s army so fast in acting!?

“Hii! W…we can’t oppose them!” “The squad leader will speak!” “We can’t go against the black knights! We surrender!”

……..Yes, that’s the right choice.

They would’ve killed you in the blink of an eye.

I started talking louder, in order for no one to realize that I was in fact pretty scared inside.

“Kenes, I am asking you whether you’ve lied to the Frontier Count’s Household or not.”

“Yes. P…please, my life……spare my…….”

I decapitated him before he could even finish.

Since my master was watching from behind, if I were to be too soft in handling this situation, I would end up being unwanted sooner or later.

“You’ve also heard it, right? This guy wanted to deceive the Varnam Frontier Count’s Household, therefore he died for his crime. You lot will come to the imperial capital to receive your judgment. If you have any objections, I’ll listen. Step forward.”

The soldiers were collectively staring at the severed head that was rolling on the ground.

These idiots……They’ve made more unnecessary work for me.

The ten or so soldiers were tied and the black knights were pulling them by a rope.

Oh well, it’d be impossible for them to run away, the difference in ability between ordinary soldiers and the black knights it’s too big to even be mentioned.

On the other hand, the already released adventurers were prostrating themselves before me.

“Thank you so very much, Zest-sama, you have sa…ved….. us.”

Pipe down that friendly tone a bit…..Albert, don’t stare at him like that.

“Don’t be so tense, you were the victims in this case. For now, we’ll be traveling together to the imperial capital. I have to report the circumstances after all.”

When they heard that, the two young women moved their bodies a little in an attempt to slightly intoxicate me.

“Don’t worry, I won’t order you to entertain us. There are no scums in the Varnam Frontier Count’s army.”

We won’t ask for your bodies as a means for thanking us for saving you, you know? We are gentlemen after all.

To be honest, the black soldiers are the most popular of all elites, so they don’t really lack the attention of women. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.

There’s no need to even remind my soldiers of this.

As a matter of fact, the Knights Commander is very strict of this matter, so they’re actually too afraid to act improperly to the women.

There were no adventurers who couldn’t ride on a horse.

That’s to be expected of another world, the horse is the main transportation means, so it was only natural.

While the captured soldiers were dragged along by the horses, we were moving towards the next village.

We’ll stay there for the night and we’ll get to the imperial capital early tomorrow.

We’re finally arriving……The last part of our journey was a disaster. Really now, I ended up with more unnecessary work than I was actually disposed to do……

“He he he, dear knights. They look really expensive, those armors of yours. Leave them behind obediently!”

A bandit group showed up.

…….Oi, patrol corps, you’re not doing your job properly.

Ah! We’ve seized them so they can’t actually work, ha ha…..

I quietly looked up at the beautifully sparkling sky and I really wanted to think that it wasn’t so because of my tears.