Volume 18 Chapter 11 Lord Duran
"Hello."
The next morning, Al and Ozbert visited the 4th squad of the Margrave Rain Knights. When they mentioned Gustave's name at the reception, they were smoothly led into a room.
They had arrived in the capital city yesterday, but Lord Duran the Margrave's Knight was not there at that time, so they couldn't meet him. But it seemed their visit was already known.
"I heard you came yesterday, but I'm sorry I missed you. It's a rare pair you two make, but I see, the second squad's Gustave is your brother."
The two were shown into a room that looked like a reception area and were invited to sit side by side on a long bench in front of Lord Duran. His attendant, Heath, prepared tea for them, and Al and Ozbert accepted it with a bit of embarrassment.
"Yes. Actually, we have something to discuss. Lord Duran, do you know about the iron mine found in the Sipree Mountains by the Barbarians?"
At Ozbert's question, Lord Duran nodded, of course.
"It seems His Excellency Baron Marlow is quite interested. Well, if you think of it as a chance to reduce the Barbarians in the Sipree Mountains, it's a good story, but the timing is a bit off right now. I already told Al about this."
Lord Duran said this with a wry smile. It might have been a small mistake for him to let that slip to Al.
"About that, I have something I want you to see."
"Something you want me to see?"
"Yes. Is it okay to use magic here?"
"Wait a moment... Heath."
Lord Duran gestured to his attendant, Heath, who was standing nearby. He nodded and left the room, returning after a short while.
"It's fine."
Waiting for Heath's words, Al began to cast a spell.
'Record & Play──Regeneration: 50-centimeter (20-inch) window.'
Al adjusted the window's position so the other 3 could see it well. Then, he displayed images from above what looked like an iron mine, showing the figures of Goblins and Barbarians that seemed to be Lamia.
"Well, I've seen something similar with a magic tool. It's a spell, isn't it? You really seem to have learned a lot of spells. Even though you're the grandson of that magician, to be able to use this at such a young age..."
From the way he spoke, it seemed that the magician in the knight order didn't know many types of magic. This made him worry that they wouldn't be able to compete with Lord Veil or the other Tempest magicians.
But for now, he couldn't say such things.
"The problem is what happens next. These Barbarians, they're probably Lamia, right?"
At Al's question, Lord Duran and Heath tilted their heads. It seemed they didn't know either.
"I think they're probably Lamia, but they're talking with a human man."
As Al explained, Lord Duran and Heath leaned forward, staring intently at the window showing the scene.
"They're acting like they don't know. Since he came flying, is he a magician? This magician seems to be getting along with the Barbarians... no, he defeated the goblins. And, hmm? Did he pull a barrel from somewhere? Could it be that legendary magic bag? What came out is a grain barrel? He's giving food to the Barbarians..."
The scene switched to a street in Marlow, where the man was riding in a carriage.
"I can only record for a total of one hour, so please forgive the choppy footage. This scene is tracked by the 'Floating Eye.'"
Al paused to adjust the window.
"That carriage is exactly the same model used by the magician from the Tempest Kingdom Marquis Prentis family at the border city Parker. So, the man giving food... um, supplies to the Barbarians is a magician from the Tempest Kingdom Marquis Prentis family," he continued. "I think he's trying to increase their numbers and cause chaos here in Margrave Rain."
"I see."
Lord Duran leaned back on the long bench and let out a big sigh.
"Can I use the magic tool that the knight group has to capture this scene for now?"
So, they would record exactly what was shown. If they could do that, Al wouldn't have to show it every time, which would be helpful. Al nodded, of course.
By the way, jr should mention that there were similar barrels in the Barbarian village north of Milton city where the orcs appeared.
"You really are active in many places. And that 'Fly' spell, 'Floating Eye' spell, and this scene being shown on the window... was it the 'Record & Play' spell? You also used that 'Carrier' spell for deer dissection before, right? I'm sure you've learned many other spells too."
Al nodded lightly. He probably learned all the spells that a regular magician could use.
"Normally, if an adventurer had this much evidence, they would try to catch someone, but you didn't go after this man yourself. However, from the story of fighting the orcs, it seems you're not weak at all. Is this mage quite strong?"
Al nodded repeatedly.
"The Tempest Kingdom is a place where magic is strong, and mages hold a position similar to knights. I think being a mage is a title that regular magicians earn after a lot of training. They must be quite skilled, and I can't even guess what spells they might have."
After Al's explanation, Lord Duran let out another big sigh. He crossed his arms and thought for a moment.
"Let me handle this matter. For now, I will arrange things regarding this man, investigate his destination, and make sure he can't buy a lot of grain. After that, it will depend on the situation. Also, I will inform His Excellency Baron Marlow that there is a risk of more Barbarians appearing, so please stay alert and continue monitoring the Barbarian settlements together."
Al and the others nodded. They understood that, given the current situation, this was about all they could do. They probably wouldn't be able to take any real action until the knights returned from the Marquis Tagard family.
"But this is tough. Is the Tempest Kingdom really that full of magic?"
Saying this, Lord Duran let out a big sigh and fell deep in thought. Then, he stared at Al's face.
"Right, since you are Gustave's brother, you must have been in middle school... Ah, you mentioned you were with His Excellency Baron Naresh in middle school. So, you must know Lady Serena as well?"
Lady Serena? Oh, the third daughter of Margrave Rain, known as 'the Princess.'
"I know her a bit... but we haven't really talked much."
"Hmm, if you're Gustave's brother, I can trust you. From what I've just heard, it seems you can use quite a few spells. Do you think you could fight and win against the mage from the Marquis Prentis family?"
"Uh? No way, that's impossible!"
Al quickly shook his head.
"But no. It can't be completely impossible."
When he fought Lord Veil in the borderlands, he did manage to drive him back once. But that was clearly because the opponent was caught off guard. Still, Al had learned quite a few spells since then.
It wasn't that he couldn't stand a chance at all... maybe. However, he didn't want to end up in a situation where he had to fight like that.
As Al remained silent, Lord Duran continued to look at Al's face and spoke again.
"Since you already know a lot, I can share this too. Right now, your brother, Gustave, is protecting His Highness Prince Theodore of the Sylvester Kingdom and Lady Serena, as you know. Along with them are His Highness Theodore's aides and your friend, Baron Naresh. They are heading to the capital of Marquis Tagard."
Lord Duran continued.
"The goal is, of course, to form an alliance between the Sylvester Kingdom and the Tagard family. Together, they plan to take down the Marquis Prentis family, who took over the Tempest Kingdom."
So it was true. He had a good idea about that part.
"But listening to you, I'm getting worried about just having a magician to guard the diplomatic envoy."
Lord Duran continued.
"The trip there is fine since they're with the Tagard family, but on the way back, it will just be our knights. I've assigned some elite magic troops from my Margrave Rain family, but they're proud and have only just learned the 'Fly' spell. They think they're the strongest just because of that."
"Really?"
When Al looked shocked, Lord Duran let out a big sigh 3 times.
"Besides that, they can use the 'Magic Missile' and 'Magic Tornado' spells, and maybe the Magic Shockwave spell. But it seems they only know 2 or 3 other spells at most. Some can't even use the 'Light' spell. And yet, they call themselves the elite magic troops."
The last part sounded almost like complaining. Al couldn't help but hold his head in disbelief. There was no way they could handle a magician like Lord Veil with that level of skill.
But if the Margrave family's magician is at that level... he heard something similar from Ozbert yesterday, and it seems to be true.
"Brother Gustave is going too, right? I want to go, but if I go as a magician, the magic team might not accept me."
"That's true. I'm sorry to say, but going as a magician could be a bit tricky. But how about joining as Gustave's attendant?"
He asked.
"I can talk to the second team and arrange for Gustave to be the bodyguard for Lady Serena. This should be a good opportunity for Gustave too. Of course, you'll be well compensated."
I see, that sounds like it could work. Al doesn't want to face off against the Marquis Prentis family's magicians, but he can't just leave his brother to go into danger alone.
But why are the Margrave family's magicians in this situation? When he asked, Lord Duran frowned.
"I can't really say much about that. It's complicated..."
"This is just this time, right? And I can tell my brother about this, right?"
When Al asked a bit insistently, Lord Duran nodded.
"I understand. If this kind of thing happens too often, I won't be able to handle it. Your talk has made me aware of the power differences among the magicians. I will strongly advise His Excellency the Margrave and take some measures to strengthen our position."
Now the only issue is Orson's healing ritual. It should be scheduled for the day after tomorrow.
"When do we leave?"
"Well, I'd like you to go as soon as possible. But it will take a few days to coordinate with the second team's vice captain and Lady Serena's aide."
Lord Duran said.
"This time, the diplomatic mission will not go through the border city Parker, but will take a route from the capital, going north through the Kingdom of Messina to enter Marquis Tagard's territory."
He continued.
"Have you ever been to the town of Orion, which is on the border with the Kingdom of Messina?"
Al shook his head. He had never even left the territory of Margrave Rain.
"The envoy is expected to arrive at Orion in about 3 days. From there, they should go through the entry procedures for the Kingdom of Messina, but that process will likely take more than a day."
He paused, glancing up at the room.
"If you know the 'Fly' spell, you might be able to catch up there, right? Just in case you can't join us, I'll prepare an ID as Gustave's attendant and some extra paperwork as a diplomatic envoy."
Even if he says that, it's a place he has never been to. Will he really be able to get there? But it seems like there's a reward involved, so if the schedule works out, he guess he has to go.
"Got it. Please take care of the Sipree Mountains too."
At Al's insistence, Lord Duran nodded firmly.
'I'm sure the coordinates for the city in Marquis Tagard's territory can be found by asking Riana. Worst case, if we go ahead, we should be fine.'
Glee made a rough suggestion. Well, if he can find Naresh's sword or use the 'Locate Object' spell on the assistant device Tess, maybe it will work out.
In 3 days, the ceremony should be over, so there shouldn't be any problems.
"Understood. For now, I'm a bit worried about my brother, so I'll go. Can you tell me about the town of Orion at the border?"
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