Volume 20 Chapter 5 After The Diagnosis
Gustave, Neville, and Orville are about to leave to see the man they have locked up.
Al, having heard the story from Mary, who came to see the sleeping face, jumped up in a hurry from his bed.
"Wait, wait, I want to go too!"
"No, Al. Sister said to stay quietly in bed. Besides, it's just one man, right? Leave it to brother and Neville; they'll be fine. We can't neglect the magician's corpse either."
"Ahh!"
Al involuntarily raised his voice and shook his head.
I see.
He might hasn't missed several details in his explanation.
With the pain and fatigue, Al slightly regretted not explaining everything.
The corpse... he also kept quiet about the magic bag.
It seems better to discuss that too.
"Sorry, the exit is sealed with my magic tool, so it probably can't be opened with human strength. I've already brought back the magician's corpse. I want to explain a lot, so could you call brother and the others? The garden might be good. If you have time, maybe Dad too..."
Al told Mary this, asking for her help, and began to rearrange the contents of the magic bag and reattach the buttons to make it easier to explain.
Lately, he had often acted alone, and some things were left in his room after using the 'Transport' spell.
Then, when he went out to the garden of the mansion, he started speaking to the family, Myron, Neville, and Orville, who had already gathered.
"Well, first, I'll bring out the corpse. Don't be surprised."
Worried that it might be too much stimulation for his sister and mother, Al touched the button-shaped magic bag on the back of his collar and brought out the magician's corpse into the garden.
Everyone was shocked and looked at each other.
"What is this? And was that magic just now?"
"Um, this is the corpse of the mage we defeated this morning. I took it out from a magic tool called the magic bag."
Feeling a bit flustered by everyone's reactions, he answered Neville's question, his father.
"Magic bag? For the envoy... I see, you actually had the same thing already?"
"Um, it seems the magic bag held by the Prentis family's mage is specially processed. It doesn't respond to 'Magic Sense' spell or 'Detect Magic' spell. So, it was likely unnoticed even by the kingdom's knight magician. Knowing that, I actually said it on purpose. I thought if I got it, I could use it openly."
Gustave shook his head multiple times, showing he didn't quite understand Al's explanation.
"Thanks to that, we could carry the envoy's luggage, and it certainly made diplomacy successful..."
"I'm sure the rewards also increased. See, since I originally had one, I didn't think much of it. Also, there's this."
Continuing, Al took out the staff he had previously stored in the magic bag.
"This magic tool can use 'Soften Stone' spell and 'Soften Metal' spell. I used it to shape the rocks at the entrance of the cave where the man was held, sealing them. The spell's side effect has made the rock a little brittle, but it still won't be easy to enter or exit. I didn't show this before, so I was wondering what situation the trapped man is in."
"Whoa, Alfred, you have so many magic tools... Last time, you gave me various magic tools, and I thought that was impressive..."
Neville cheered loudly, nodding repeatedly with excitement.
Jasper also nodded along, chiming in.
"The magic bag seems really useful for hunting. Can I borrow it?"
"Sorry, but that's not possible."
Al shook his head apologetically at Mary's simple question.
The magic bag is too precious, and if it's discovered he possesses one, high-ranking nobles might demand it, and there's always the risk of being targeted by thieves.
It's dangerous to use that without fully understanding it.
Even though not many travelers come here, he can't just pull out prey in the village square where anyone could be watching.
After explaining this to Mary, he added that he doesn't want anyone besides those here to talk about the magic bag.
"So, can you move people and horses with this?"
"Hmm..."
Everyone seems really interested in the magic bag.
Al hesitated a bit in response to Gustave's question.
Unlike what Prince Theodore has, Al's version has a ventilation hole so it can carry things.
However, how much should he explain?
To properly talk about why it's safe, I would need to explain the northern ruins and the 'Transport' spell.
Moreover, this spell is classified as a level 4 spell, and if there's any doubt about mastery, he could get dragged into complicated noble discussions.
He should avoid such trouble.
He doesn't want to get involved, and he thinks it's not good to drag everyone into it either.
"I've used this to transport animals before, and it was fine. But from what I've researched, some living things can't be transported with it. Since I don't understand how it works very well, I think it's best to avoid putting humans in it."
"I see..."
He's sorry for the vague answer, but this should be a safe amount of explanation.
Also, if it can carry people, it might be used too conveniently.
"If it can carry horses, that would be helpful in the Lamia battle."
Neville nodded at Gustave's mutter.
Heard that knights excel in battles on horseback, but do the two plan to take part in the Lamia fight?
"What, so I'm not going to shoot magic from the sky?"
"Isn't it dangerous to attack an opponent with magic from the sky? You told the magic unit of the Margrave knights that yourself. Plus, depending on the number of enemies, the strategy may change, but at least let me take some credit too."
Gustave said this while showing a wry smile.
Right, he has been feeling like he has to do everything by himself.
We just need to work together.
"This morning, I was surprised to hear from Mother that you went alone. I knew you weren't interested in the topic of land governance, so I thought you just wanted to do something else and left early. Even if you're a scout in the knight order, it's common sense to have backup. Besides, I heard you were attacked by a magician without anyone to protect your back. You should really avoid acting alone after this."
"Hmm..."
There are spells that are hard to use alone, but with knights and vassals together, there are strategies we can employ.
This time, that might be okay.
"Yeah, I understand. That said, I think it's dangerous to let our guard down around that young man, so I want to go too. What do you think? It won't be without pain, but I can at least keep an eye on things, and I'm still in the middle of checking the iron mine. I can't judge if we can take down the Lamia or goblins as things stand."
Regarding Al's injury, according to sister Lucy, most of it is bruising, and while there might be cracks in the bones, they probably aren't broken.
If that's the case, the pain peaks around a week and then gradually subsides.
For now, he isn't completely unable to move.
"Hmm, are you really okay? What does Lucy think?"
"Well, I can understand why Alfred is worried, but fighting is absolutely out of the question. If you promise to stay behind everyone properly..."
"What about Dad?"
"Yeah. I agree with Lucy. We'll only deal with the man we've captured and scout from a distance, and go with Gustave, Neville, and Orville. That should be fine, right?"
Gustave nodded reluctantly, showing a worried expression at Lucy and Nelson's answers.
"Got it. If I'm with Alfred, I can fly back and forth. Honestly, I thought that was convenient. But please be careful. Alright, let's go together."
Thus, Al headed towards the mountaintop where he fought the sorcerer, along with Gustave and vassals Neville and Orville.
* * *
After arriving, they decided to first check on the young man's condition.
Al sent the 'Floating Eye' into the underground cave.
Then, the man was still asleep, unaware that he was sealed off.
Even though only about 3 hours had passed since then, wasn't he being a bit too relaxed?
They communicated this situation to Gustave and the others and discussed what to do, but it was decided that it would be better to check the iron mine first in this state.
Al sent the 'Floating Eye' above the iron mine again.
But this time, he felt safe because Gustave and the others were protecting his back.
There were obstacles like stone walls, but the number of Barbarians was probably around 60.
There were no Goblin Mages, and he found 2 Hobgoblins.
Lamia was indeed present, but there was only one and it hadn't increased in number.
When Al first discovered the Barbarians and used the 'Magic Tornado' spell to attack, there were about a hundred Goblins and higher species Hobgoblins in the iron mine.
Compared to that, it seemed like a significantly smaller number.
Even with the Goblins' breeding power, it would take time for them to increase.
Of course, compared to when he saw the sorcerers of the Marquis Prentis family discussing with Lamia, the number had increased quite a bit.
It was probably due to the grain provided by the Marquis Prentis family.
And he also learned something this time.
That is, Lamia has spells that can attack from over 60 meters away, and the 'Floating Eye' can only be noticed when it comes into view.
At first, Al was unaware of this and floated the 'Floating Eye' about 60 meters above the iron mine to observe the situation.
It was a distance where a human magician using detection spells would normally not be found.
However, Lamia seemed to notice the 'Floating Eye' and looked up at it from below, shooting it with a spell similar to 'Magic Missile.'
Thinking it was impossible, Al then tried to bring the 'Floating Eye' closer, about 20 meters away, using the stone wall for cover, but Lamia did not react to the 'Floating Eye.'
From this, it seems there is a possibility to approach the Lamia by effectively using the stone wall.
"Two Hobgoblins, 60 Goblins, and one Lamia. The Lamia can attack with magic from a longer distance than usual, so be careful, but I've heard it's about the same level of threat as an Orc or an Ogres. What should we do?"
While handing over a rough map drawn on parchment, Al asked Gustave again.
"I don't think it's an unbeatable opponent. If there were no stone wall and the Lamia was in a lookout tower, it might have been more troublesome. How about we return to the capital and propose to Lady Serena to attempt a subjugation? Also, we should report on the magician from the Marquis Prentis family. I would like to hear more from the man if possible..."
Al nodded at that judgment.
It seems they already have enough information about the iron mine.
To check on the man's condition, Al decided to bring back the 'Floating Eye' from the iron mine.
It feels like the subordinate of the magician is sleeping too leisurely.
What kind of position does that man hold?
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