Chapter 178 – Old Woman Mihaela

“Everyone, are you injured?”

First, confirming the situation.

“I’m fine.”

“Likewise. Lavigne isn’t injured either.”

Grace and Ashley reported they were okay. When my eyes met Marlene’s, she smiled at me. She seemed fine.

“We’re fine over here too.”

“We’re not injured either.”

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

Sheila, Irmhild, and Seraphina. None of them were injured.

As for Claudia, we had her descend to the town first in the Dragon Palanquin with a plan to use Teleportation Magic to evacuate the residents if the gate was breached.

“Ah, thank you. You saved us.”

The town’s guard bowed his head. He seemed somewhat intimidated, but I decided not to mind it.

“Are there enemies inside the town?”

“We, we managed to hold them off, so it’s fine.”

“Just to be sure, I’ll confirm.”

“Understood.”

Following the guard who ran into the town, I stepped inside and spotted a familiar face beyond the log barricade.

“Young Master Theodore…? Grace too…?”

It was a tall, slender woman. Her silver hair was magnificent, and her straight posture made her look like a painting. Standing imposingly with both hands resting on the pommel of her rapier, she carried an air that felt more like a soldier than a former maid.

It was none other than Madam Mihaela.

“It’s been a long time.”

“Mihaela-sama, it’s been too long.”

Grace pinched the hem of her skirt and gave a greeting. Mihaela seemed slightly bewildered, but she gracefully returned the courtesy.

“It has been a long time. I’m glad to see you both looking well. This is Lord Thomas, the magistrate of this town. And that is my adopted daughter, Cecilia. Cecilia, greet these two.”

When called, the woman who had been bandaging the injured in the square stood up and bowed toward us.

“Pleased to meet you. My name is Cecilia.”

She was said to be her adopted daughter… but she was a young Dark Elf girl.

“Did you two repel the enemies outside?”

“That would be correct.”

“Are, are you acquainted?”

The man next to Mihaela… Thomas asked. He was slightly plump but seemed like a good-natured man. He was armed, but he didn’t look very skilled with a sword.

“They are people connected to the Gartner household, whom I served in the past.”

“I, I see! I am Thomas, appointed as the magistrate of this town!”

Upon learning we were Mihaela’s acquaintances, Thomas seemed to relax, his expression softening as he bowed deeply, nearly bending over, to express his gratitude.

“What happened here?”

“W-well, you see— Since yesterday, we’ve been surrounded by Living Dead and Golems around the town. While our regular soldiers were fighting them off, the thieves attacked…”

I see. With Living Dead, Skeletons, and even simple Golems or those given shoddy Equipment, it seemed there was quite a bit of padding to their numbers.

Perhaps the estimated actual number or scale of the thief group should be revised downward a bit more.

“Mihaela-san and Cecilia-san, why are you here?”

“Because we have some training in the martial arts. As for Cecilia— I told her to refrain from fighting thieves since she’s still young.”

“If Mihaela-sama is going to the front, I will too. Treating the injured— having more hands is always better.”

According to Mihaela, if a servant couldn’t protect their master in a crisis, they were unfit for service, so learning at least one martial art was only natural.

She said that if the gate was broken, she intended to fight back, believing that if the enemies thought women, children, and the elderly were insignificant, they had their pride.

Again… quite the brave stance. If she could stand imposingly like that at the rear of the front lines, the guards’ morale must have risen considerably, and they likely fought valiantly. The magistrate Thomas seemed somewhat unreliable in an emergency.

Anyway, I found the person whose safety I needed to confirm. Now, I had to deal with the aftermath of the battle.

Cooperating with the town’s residents, we systematically tied up the incapacitated individuals and brought them into the town.

Occasionally, some tried to hide in the bushes to wait it out, but Sheila and Irmhild thoroughly flushed them out.

I glanced at the bound and lying figures. Their Equipment was mismatched. It was unclear whether they had learned any formal martial arts, but their Techniques varied, and they didn’t give the impression of regular soldiers.

However, dismissing them as having no backing was premature, given how meticulously prepared and large-scale their operations were, including ballistae.

It was possible there was simply a highly skilled Magician among them, but I should keep various possibilities in mind. After all, they had Equipment sufficient to handle not just Dragon Palanquins but even Wyverns.

“I didn’t really want to show you this kind of thing or involve you in it.”

I said this to Claudia, who was standing in the town square. She gave a wry smile and shook her head slightly.

“That’s true. But if it’s just about me, you don’t need to worry so much. Things like this happen anytime, anywhere. If you were to ask whether the Moon Folk were pure and upright, that wouldn’t be true either.”

“Still, it’s your first trip out in a long time.”

“…Yes, that’s right. Thank you.”

Claudia closed her eyes, smiled, then tilted her head slightly.

“Now then. Is there anything I can do? You seem concerned about my Magical Power consumption, but with my Circulating Ki, I have some leeway to move around a bit.”

Hearing that, I thought for a moment.

“Can you teleport just these guys?”

“It’s possible.”

Hmm. In that case… I contacted Mercedes using the Communication Device.

『A problem has occurred. Upon arriving at the target town, we discovered a thief group and repelled them. Our side suffered minimal damage. Many injuries among the town’s regular soldiers and militia. We’ve captured the defeated thieves, but it’s uncertain if the town has the capacity to monitor them, so I’d like to teleport them to around the first basement level of the Labyrinth. Can you prepare to receive them?』

The first basement level of the Labyrinth doesn’t change its structure. It should suffice to bind them and teleport them into a larger room.

After a short while, a reply came.

『Understood. Please tell me the number of captured thieves.』

I conveyed the approximate headcount and the destination for teleportation. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting for their preparations to be complete before shipping them off. They might dispatch the Wyvern Corps, but they’d likely arrive too late.

“You look well and safe. It seems you are serving your master admirably.”

“It is thanks to Mihaela-sama’s guidance.”

The situation had settled down. It was a long-awaited reunion between the maid mentor and disciple, so to speak. As Grace returned a gentle smile, Mihaela nodded quietly.

…Somehow, there’s an atmosphere only the two of them understand.

“Why did you two come to this town?”

Perhaps the treatment of the injured had somewhat stabilized. Cecilia asked a question.

As for the ones who escaped— They’ve been detouring and heading into the mountains midway. They must have another base somewhere.

First, I should address the original purpose of coming here—the inquiry to Mihaela.

“No. Actually, I was wondering if we could ask Mihaela-san to train and instruct some servants.”

“To Mihaela-sama?”

“We’ve decided to hire friendly Monsters as servants. Due to various circumstances, we thought of someone trustworthy with a proven track record.”

“And so you thought of me…”

After explaining the situation, Mihaela nodded. She seemed to ponder for a while but eventually spoke.

“I am deeply honored that you would consider me, but as you can see, I am already quite aged. When I went to instruct Grace, I resolved in my heart that this would be my final service.”

Moreover, Mihaela said that training and instructing a large number of people would inevitably become a long-term commitment, and she couldn’t take responsibility for that.

…I see. That’s disappointing—but there’s nothing to be done about that.

“However—well then. I would like to recommend Cecilia for that role.”

“M, me?”

Cecilia widened her eyes in surprise.

“My remaining years are few. I intended to impart everything I could teach to this girl so she wouldn’t face difficulties due to her origins. Though it may be favoritism since she’s my adopted daughter… I believe she will surely meet your expectations.”

Mihaela, who unhesitatingly declared martial arts as a servant’s accomplishment, gave her full endorsement. From what I’ve heard about Grace, she isn’t the type to let personal feelings interfere with her work… Entrusting this to Cecilia might be a good choice.

“If you are concerned, I could also accompany you to Termwills and supervise Cecilia’s work for a short while…”

“If that’s the case. But I need to confirm her own will.”

When I said that, Cecilia straightened her posture and looked directly at me.

“…If Mihaela-sama trusts me that much, then I cannot refuse. Please, I ask for your guidance.”

“Understood. Likewise, I look forward to working with you.”

The matter was settled. The Communication Device also notified that they were in the process of preparing to receive the captives. I heard the Wyvern Corps would also be coming to the town.

…Well then. That leaves the problem of the ones who escaped.

I need to clean up what needs to be cleaned up and ensure there are no lingering issues.