Chapter 387 – In the Twilight of Melunpios

Before the night banquet, Mernpios was designated as another transfer-possible base as usual. However, since Mernpios is ultimately another country, it needed to be incorporated into the Contract Magic so that transfers couldn’t be made without King Farid’s permission. It’s the same as Marquis Zilbolt’s territory. Since King Farid is the master of the palace, we’re making use of that.

“This temple enshrines the Water Spirit King as well,” Claudia murmured as she looked at the temple. The location wasn’t in the city center. A magnificent temple had been established on the outer edge of the palace.

The architectural style was indeed different from the northern regions. The blue-tiled walls—the temple with decorations extending even to the underside of the dome-shaped roof was splendid.

“Baharzard has strong faith in the Water Spirit King in addition to the Moon Temple,” Princess Elham said.

The reason was self-evident, given that it’s an arid region. Since flowing rivers are lifelines, faith in the Water Spirit King naturally gathered here.

“Is the scale acceptable?”

“It seems there are no problems.”

“That’s good. I once offered admonishment to the royal family regarding the temple. There was a period when it fell into disarray because of that, so I was concerned.”

Apparently, after King Farid inherited the throne, he restored it to its previous state.

Well… perhaps it was precisely because the head priest and Head Shrine Maiden didn’t cater to the tyrant that they earned people’s respect and the faith wasn’t lost.

“Then, shall we begin? Since this is also Contract Magic, if you feel there are problems with the presented conditions, clearly express your refusal.”

Saying this, a Magic Circle spread from Claudia’s feet.

The Contract Magic and Transfer Gate installation were completed. Then night fell, and as scheduled, the night banquet was held… but the way it was lively was, in a sense, somewhat different in quality from the dinners in Verdgar and Silvatoria.

Dishes and drinks were brought out one after another. Dancers in fluttering costumes with decorations danced to the music being played.

Somehow it reminds me of Rosemary’s attire when she was active as a fortune teller. Well, Rosemary probably referenced this culture for her own performances too.

The dancers’ skill and training were remarkable as they flashed shawl-like cloths, swung their arms, and twisted their bodies… but consideration seemed to have been made to keep the exposure modest and avoid overly sensual content. So it felt like something exuding a mysterious exotic atmosphere.

Hmm. As someone being entertained along with my fiancées, this is helpful. Sheila was moving her head slightly to the rhythm, and Seraphina perched on Irmhild’s shoulder was clapping her hands softly—everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. There might be parts that could serve as reference for theater performances too.

“We must make that scoundrel Kahar eat his words.”

“Absolutely. That fellow has been nothing but underhanded ever since he infested the palace. This time… we must settle this once and for all.”

“But all of this is thanks to our guests from Verdgar and Silvatoria.”

“Indeed. Let us celebrate tonight’s occasion grandly!”

Saying this, the close aides raised their wine cups, raising their spirits as if to show unity.

Yes. The reason the night banquet’s atmosphere feels different from ordinary entertainment isn’t just because of the exotic feel.

While it is indeed for our entertainment too, it also carries the character of a morale boost before deployment. The fact that attendees are cheerfully making merry while keeping their alcohol consumption moderate suggests they’re already in a state of combat readiness.

“…It’s good we stopped Roy before he could do something foolish,” Rosemary murmured while watching them, closing her eyes.

“Indeed, in many ways,” I agreed.

King Farid seems to have been through quite some hardships too.

Above all, even though they’re about to clash with Kahar and vampires, not only King Farid but even his close aides show no signs of being overly tense. He seems blessed with capable people around him too.

What would have happened if Roy had meddled with Baharzard? He seems like a principled person, and leaving grievances with such a person would surely have repercussions later on.

Then—there seemed to be movement from that maid who had been under mental control. The maid had taken time off from her palace duties and returned to her family home in Mernpios city.

We had Caduceus assigned as her bodyguard… and preparations were made so that if there was movement from the other side, we could begin tracking whoever made contact… when there came a sound like small stones tapping against her room’s window.

When the maid opened the second-floor window with a candlestick in hand and peered at the back street… there stood a man with his hood pulled deep over his eyes.

He flashed his Lantern light two, three times as a signal. The maid dropped the cloth-wrapped secret letter from the window as the vampire had commanded. The man caught the cloth as it fluttered gently to the street, took out the secret letter from inside, then flashed his Lantern again, returned a signal confirming receipt, and turned away.

The maid, pretending the emotionless demeanor of someone under mental control, quietly closed the window, went to the corner of the room, then sighed with relief, patting her chest.

Now then. Caduceus would leave the maid and begin tracking the man.

There are limits to the distance over which the Five Senses Link can function, but since he has a compass and Communication Device, we can communicate without problems.

Well, being able to control him directly would be more reassuring in various ways, so we plan to conduct tracking with the Sirius from the maximum possible distance too.

From shadow to shadow. The man’s movements were light. I get the feeling he’s personnel who has received some special training. Probably one of Kahar’s spies, I suppose?

Caduceus, who had been generously supplied with Magical Power during the day, also moved from shadow to shadow while maintaining a certain distance. Detecting Caduceus’s tailing as he moved without making a sound in the night darkness would be extremely difficult, I imagine.

I wanted to see how he planned to leave the city… and the spy headed for the docks.

I wondered if he had business with the Sirius, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

After briefly directing his gaze toward the Sirius, he soon averted his eyes and settled down in the shadow of a warehouse away from the docks. He placed the secret letter received from the maid into what seemed to be a wooden cylinder with an embedded Magic Stone and attached cord, hung it around his neck and tucked it into his clothes, then stopped moving there.

…Is he waiting for something? Staying at the docks instead of heading for the outer walls, waiting without boarding a ship…

“I’ve discovered Kahar’s spy. We have him under surveillance here, but it seems he’s waiting for something at the docks. At present, he doesn’t appear to intend to board any specific ship,” I informed King Farid as well.

“That might be… he could be waiting for the water gate to open.”

“I see. For example, clinging to the bottom of a ship entering or leaving to get out of the city.”

This is just my speculation, but that wooden cylinder might be waterproof, designed to be worn around the neck so he can swim. Or—there’s also the possibility it’s rigged so he can burn the secret letter if he’s about to be caught.

“…The ship’s bottom, huh. We sometimes inspect ship cargo during entry and exit… We’ll let this one pass, but we’ll use this as reference for future security measures.”

“Understood. I’ll also inform everyone on the ship that we’re letting the suspicious person at the docks proceed as planned.”

It would be somewhat problematic if the Demon-Slaying Knight Order members found and captured the suspicious person. I’ll make sure to communicate properly and coordinate so the overall operation proceeds smoothly.

I’ll leave the spy’s surveillance to Caduceus. If there’s movement, he’ll notify us.

—The spy made his move in the early morning.

The water gate opened in accordance with the movements of merchants loading cargo to travel downriver. Simultaneously, the spy moved. He slipped into the water from the edge of the docks as if avoiding notice. Seeing bubbles covering his face… it seems he’s prepared some kind of Magic Tool after all.

He moved along the river bottom and seemed to attach himself to a merchant ship’s hull. Eventually, the merchant arrived and rowed the ship toward the water gate.

After a simple cargo inspection, the ship left the city. After traveling a short way downriver to where they wouldn’t be seen, the spy left the ship’s bottom, waited for the ship to pass, then emerged from the water.

After walking a short distance, he met up with other men who had been waiting along the road. They mounted camels… and seemed to be moving away from the road.

The direction was indeed southwest.

Hmm… Travel by camel, huh. Caduceus was monitoring them from above in bird form, but from here on, I’ll have him follow from the ground while maintaining some distance.

I’ll have him move by spinning while taking a form like continuous tracks.

By counting the rotations while checking the compass, we can calculate the precise distance traveled and direction. From the direction they’re heading, we might be able to identify the enemy base early.

Once they’ve put enough distance between them, we’ll begin our pursuit too. King Farid and his elite troops are apparently ready to deploy at any time.