Chapter 57 – Alfred and Talcott

Using Water Glide, I sprint through the Dusk Forest as if weaving through it.

Approaching with a deafening buzz are swarms of bee monsters each about the size of a puppy.

Giga Hornets. Highly territorial and aggressive bee monsters. They attack immediately when someone enters their territory. Their poison is strong, making them quite dangerous.

I channel Magical Power into Ouroboros, knocking down the approaching bees as we pass each other. My destination is their nest. Unless I destroy it at the source, this will never end.

The closer I get to the nest, the denser the bee swarms become.

“Aqua Wall!”

Ashley’s magical support flies in from behind me.

Water walls materialize on my left and right, restricting the directions from which the bees can approach. Either from the front or the back. I swing the Dragon Staff like a windmill, smashing the approaching bees to splinters as I advance.

I make use of the water walls Ashley created. Using water flow manipulation magic, I pull them to my advantage, creating a path in the air.

Riding the water rails, I glide along a rollercoaster-like trajectory toward the bee nest in the trees without a moment’s pause.

“Freeze Jail!”

The bees were still trying to crawl out, but… I trapped both them and their nest entirely in an icy prison. Since honey and larvae fetch a good price, I wanted to collect them while preserving their form as much as possible.

I use Ouroboros to perform a Sweeping Strike against the tree supporting the nest, knocking it down toward the ground. Then I draw a large arc and descend toward the ground myself. Some bees that had already sortied from the nest remain, but that’s not a problem.

“Lightning Cloud!”

I unleash a thundercloud toward the remnants of furious bees charging at us, wiping them out in one fell swoop.

“Ashley, perfect timing.”

“Thank you!”

Ashley smiles back, then cleanly returns a swing against an approaching Whisper Mushroom as if playing golf… She’s becoming quite composed. A good trend.

“Now!”

“Got it!”

Sheila and Irmhild—understanding each other’s movements—are fighting as a pair. Sheila delivers a blow with her Dagger and retreats, then in that instant Irmhild’s arrow flies in to hinder the enemy’s movement. Or sometimes Irmhild fires an arrow first, and Sheila launches an Ambush from the direction the enemy moves to avoid it.

Grace is facing a new monster.

Her opponent is an Angry Mush. A giant mushroom monster with a stout build about my height.

Unlike Whisper Mushrooms, Angry Mushs serve as Vanguards. They rely on their physique and strength for attacks like punches and crushing attacks using their body weight. Their physical strength is considerable, so caution is needed. By the way… they taste similar to maitake mushrooms. While not numerous, they have a satisfying texture when eaten.

The Angry Mush’s upward swinging punch is powerful enough to snap a tree in half, but Grace dodges it with ease.

“Too slow.”

Even for a Vanguard role with superior physical strength… it’s no match for Grace, who can single-handedly restrain a Guardian. The chain connected to the axe she threw in an arc first wraps around its feet, robbing it of freedom, then the main axe is slammed down from a High Stance.

“…Um. Mushrooms that split vertically are edible…?”

“No, that’s a superstition. It doesn’t really have much to do with whether they’re edible or not.”

Sheila denies Irmhild’s words as she watches the Angry Mush’s fate. I’m impressed they have that same superstition here too, but I continue from Sheila’s words.

“That was an Angry Mush… well, it’s edible. I think Scarlet Mushs also split vertically, but those are Deadly Poison, so be careful.”

The easily identifiable ones are fine. But with mushroom-type monsters, some are difficult to distinguish by type, so we’ll need to be careful when we reach those floors.

Both the bee nest and the Angry Mush are quite bulky, so while I’m considering which ones to transport and moving on to gathering from the surroundings, I find a stone tablet and return to the Temple.

“Any injuries?”

“I’m fine.”

“Same here.”

After checking just to be sure, while I’m examining today’s spoils, an armed group descends from the Temple’s upper floor to the stone tablet plaza. A group of about 30 people, all wearing matching Equipment.

They seem to plan to enter the Labyrinth in groups of six as per theory, lining up and taking roll call.

“That is—the Knights, I suppose.”

The Leader for each squad appears to be a Knight, with a composition of one Knight accompanied by four soldiers and one healing Technique user.

The squads that finish preparations form ranks and advance deeper from the Labyrinth entrance.

Among them—was Chester. He briefly glances in our direction but says nothing, his expression unchanged as he leads his soldiers into the Labyrinth.

“The Knight Order is raiding the Labyrinth…?”

Ashley tilts her head.

Perhaps some investigation at the Royal Castle has yielded results. It seems they’ve established both the justification and appearance for mobilizing the Knight Order.

I wonder what brought Chester here. I didn’t think the Wyvern Knight unit would have any business with the Labyrinth.

When I head to sell the spoils, Heather also seems to have only heard that the Knight Order would be entering the Labyrinth. While the Guild upper management has been informed, it appears a gag order has been issued.

Well… if something comes my way, King Melvin will probably sound me out about it.

“Hey, long time no see, Theo-kun.”

“Huh?”

When I return home, there’s a carriage parked outside, and Prince Albert—or rather, Alfred disguised as the prince—gets out of the carriage.

“Didn’t you hear from His Highness Albert? That I aspire to be a Magic Engineer and would like your cooperation if possible.”

“Ah. I did hear about that.”

“Yeah. That’s how it is, so please take care of me.”

He smiles and offers a handshake, so I respond.

“And also… today I’ve brought someone who absolutely wants to talk with you.”

“Who might that be?”

When Alfred lightly knocks on the carriage door, a familiar face appears from inside.

“Long time no see.”

The one who spoke with a wry smile was Talcott. He seems… slightly different in atmosphere than before.

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

“I caused you trouble before. Along with what my father did, I wanted to apologize properly.”

Talcott closes his eyes and bows his head toward me.

“…I understand.”

But being thanked or apologized to by Talcott like this… makes me somewhat uncomfortable.

“…You don’t need to worry about me. What happened to my father is his own doing.”

I must have shown it on my face, since Talcott said that to me. His tone suggests—he knows to some extent that I was involved in the discovery of the kidnapping incident.

I had shown my face when coordinating with the authorities. That information must have reached the Royal Castle side as well.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. After losing to you, and being admonished by a certain person. From now on, I’ve decided to think about things for myself. In my own way, though.”

Squinting his eyes, Talcott smiled somewhat sadly.

“At the very least, if not for what happened with you, neither my mother nor I would likely be here now.”

“I never thought about that. I act for my own sake. You really don’t need to thank me.”

That’s why being thanked feels even more misplaced.

I thought things would be fine since the prince was involved. That’s precisely why such gratitude should be directed toward Prince Albert.

“If you put it that way… I’m acting for my own sake too. If it had been discovered through other channels, we might have all been punished together.”

Or perhaps—even if it hadn’t been discovered, I would have been used up for the sake of the eldest son. Considering that Maurice punished Talcott, there might have been conflict with his father from the beginning.

Talcott says “Well, that’s how it is,” scratches his head lightly, then tells Alfred.

“…I’m finished with what I wanted to say.”

“Are you sure?”

“Hah. As for my Escort duties, I’ll wait in the carriage until Alfred-sama finishes his business so as not to be a bother.”

He places his hand on his chest and salutes. …His attitude toward Alfred is that toward nobility. He’s learned the manners, but it seems he’s still not good at deception.

Or rather, his words and actions remain honest to his thoughts. At least I can tell he respects Prince Albert. I guess it changes depending on who you serve…

Alfred looked somewhat troubled, but seems to understand the situation, smiling wryly before nodding.

“Understood. Well, my business isn’t that complicated or important anyway. Please wait there for a bit.”