Volume 22 Chapter 4 Knight Order Dormitory： Part I
"Well, there are a few ways. Like, I could use the 'Animal Transformation' spell to turn into a little bird and sneak inside. What do you think?"
Ruella thought it was impossible, but she looked surprised when Al suggested it.
Al explained that this spell could change him into animals, birds, and even humans.
He also said that he'd have to take off his clothes, and they might get caught by the 'Detect Magic' spell.
Actually, the first problem could be solved with the 'Transport' spell, but he didn't mention that.
"I see, there's a spell like that. But a little bird... Most places have cats to catch mice, right? Is that okay?"
"Yeah, that might be the biggest problem. But the knight's dorm should have a courtyard, so I can change into a cat there."
Ruella shook her head.
A lot of those 'Detect Magic' devices would be needed to cover the whole dorm.
Even at Eric's mansion, they only covered his bedroom and the warehouse where important things were kept.
The dorm would only have them at the entrances and important places.
Al thought it might work, but he still seemed worried.
He decided to explain another idea instead.
"How about we use the 'Telepathy' spell to call Guildmaster Levy from outside the dorm? It works up to a kilometer away, so we have to get close. But 'Detect Magic' doesn't react to 'Telepathy', so if he's in range, we can connect."
"We have to get close? The dorm is inside the city walls. Are you saying you go there as a little bird?"
"The 'Animal Transformation' spell includes humans. So, I can turn into someone else! But like before with the little bird, there are some issues."
"Let me show you." With that, Al transformed into Kane.
"Huh? Is that really Kane? You don't look much like him..."
"Really? But he said I looked just like him! Okay, let me try again."
Can I actually transform into a human?
Kane asked me to help him write a report about the magician from the Marquis Prentis family who transformed into the village chief.
He used Kane as a test subject and tried a lot of things.
While talking, he turned into a form that Kane claimed looked just like him, but Ruella thought it didn't look that similar.
To transform with the 'Animal Transformation' spell, you need a clear memory of a part of the target's physical body.
Based on what he checked at that time, when transforming into a human, hair and skin color are influenced by the physical part seen, while height and weight seem shaped by memory.
However, even if he saw it well, memories can be vague.
If a person claims they are taller or different, that affects the transformation outcome.
"How's this?"
"Wow, yes, yes! Just like that! You look really similar!"
Forgetting Kane's opinion for a moment, when he transformed just from his own memory, he ended up looking pretty much like Ruella remembered.
Of course, if there were moles or scars that he didn't know about, he wouldn't be able to recreate those.
"This form should be okay, right?"
"Yeah... but Kane might be under watch. It could be better to go with the less similar one first. But isn't there a 'Detect Magic' check at the city's main gate?"
"The main gate of the capital doesn't have any security Magic Tools. Can you imagine how many people pass through every day? It's not strange for an adventurer to have at least one Magic Tool. They can't check everyone one by one. Guildmaster Levy had several Magic Tools but no one said anything to him, right?"
"Oh, that makes sense."
Ruella seems a bit more reassured with this plan.
Al will ultimately decide the situation, but at least they shouldn't oppose him going to check things out now.
"So, Mr. Desmond, is anyone at the mansion in border city Parker?"
"Yes, I left some people there. But I brought the ones who can assess the situation with me. What's up?"
Can they really trust Viscount Parker in this situation?
"I would like Ms. Ruella and Mr. Desmond to discuss and decide. However, if you think you want to convey the current situation, you can send a letter using the Send Mailbox spell. I can't decide if it should go to Naresh or if it's okay to contact Viscount Parker, so please decide that."
Al has learned the Send Mailbox spell, but his skill level lets him send messages only about 50 kilometers away.
He could probably send to border city Parker, but not directly to Channing Village or Border City Lester.
Desmond looked at Ruella after Al spoke.
"Al, I'm going to write a letter. Can you deliver it to my merchant guild's mansion in Parker?"
"Got it. I'll hurry as much as I can."
The day settled into night while they talked, but it was still too early to sleep.
They couldn't afford to relax just yet.
Al took out a simple dinner of bread, dried meat, and dried fruits from his bag and started to eat.
"Okay, Ms. Ruella, please wait with Desmond and the others for a bit. I'm going to look for Mr. Eric and the others."
Al received a bundle of letters from Ruella, then left his large bag, filled with his clothes, in storage.
"Be careful. I want to come too, but if I'm there, I can only help with the luggage. Please give Mr. Eric my regards."
Leda, listening with a dark expression, nodded her head in agreement.
She seemed a bit regretful.
But, there was nothing she could do.
In these kinds of investigations, Al had more options when he went alone.
"Sorry. Wait for good news. Not just Mr. Eric, but I'll find out about Guildmaster Levy's whereabouts too..."
With that, Al also bowed his head.
* * *
Al, dressed as the unrecognizable Kane, made his way right next to the Margrave Knight Order's dormitory.
There were men frequently scanning the surroundings.
They might have had a reaction from a Magic Tool.
It could be a Magic Tool for alerting.
It wasn't a common method in the capital before.
Al kept a distance of about 100 meters from their patrol route and sneaked into an alley with no sign of people or magic reactions.
From there, he tried contacting Eric with 'Telepathy'.
But, there was no response.
He tried again with Fitz, Marcus, Lucas, and even Guildmaster Levy, just in case.
After several attempts, there was no response from anyone.
Could it be that there's no one here?
'Is there anyone else I can talk to?'
He wonders if someone is at the knight's lodge?
"I see," he thought, and decided to try reaching out to Ozbert and Orville, who should be with Big Brother Gustave.
No response.
He had only spoken to Prince Theodore a few times, so that was a no-go.
The same went for Gustave's colleagues.
Duran didn't respond either.
And neither did his squire, Heath.
'Who is it?'
Connected!
'Good evening. It's Al. Gustave's brother, Alfred.'
'I don't know you. I won't be fooled.'
He could feel his doubt about 'Telepathy.' Was there something he could say to prove he was really him?
'I'm the Al who treated you to venison at the hot spring in Clarence village.'
'......'
There was a long pause before he replied.
'Is it really you, Al?'
'Yes, it is.'
'What?! You need to run away quickly. You're on the wanted list!'
'I know. I'm in a safe place, so don't worry. I'm trying to find out why this happened.'
There was a slight pause.
He wondered what was going on.
'I see. Then I'll share what I know. But if things get dangerous, you must run away immediately.'
'Okay.'
With that warning, Heath began to tell him what he knew.
According to him, Margrave, his heir, and Serena all collapsed about 2 weeks ago, around 3 in the afternoon.
The next morning, the nobles and knights were told that Margrave and the others had suddenly fallen ill, and that Sir Stroud would act as Margrave's proxy.
'All 3 of them at once? That's strange.'
'Yes. They announced it was a contagious illness, but it's clearly odd for them to all fall ill together. Plus, for Sir Stroud to step in so quickly during a war is too hasty.'
When he asked the knights, they said there was a tea party at the Margrave's estate, and all 3 suddenly got a fever and collapsed there.
But no one knew the details of that tea party.
Only a handful of people knew about it──Stroud, who hosted the tea party, Viscount Eugene, who attended, and a few others.
By the way, rumor has it Lady Serena didn't attend the tea party.
All 3 of them collapsing with fevers...?
Food poisoning might've been believable, but this... was it deliberate?
'Of course, many found it suspicious, but no one dared say it aloud. The ones with the spine to question it──like Durand──were all away at war.'
Most left in the capital were under Viscount Eugene's thumb.
'But what about Viscount Olaf and the other nobles?'
Viscount Olaf, the financial bureaucrat, seemed trustworthy──even Serena relied on him.
Weren't there others around the Margrave's family?
'His Excellency Viscount Olaf didn't act. Truth is, most viscounts and barons in the capital are 'robe nobles'──landless titles. No land or people to protect means no real military power. Just a handful of guards at best. They had no way to resist.'
'So... this was Sir Stroud and Viscount Eugene's doing? With Marquis Prentis pulling strings?'
That idiot Viscount... Wasn't that Viscount Eugene?
Al remembered──back when he was a bird, eavesdropping on Veil's lackeys.
The Prentis family had a history of schemes.
Maybe it was bias, but Al couldn't shake the feeling this was another one.
'Huh?!'
Heath froze, caught off guard by Al's question.
But after a pause, he spoke again, voice low with dawning realization.
'Ah, the Marquis Prentis family. If that's true, everything makes sense now. If Prince Theodore's Tempest expedition army is defeated, the Margrave family plans to switch sides to the Marquis Prentis family.'
He was talking with Sir Duran about why Viscount Eugene didn't join this expedition and instead decided to protect the capital by leaving it to the Vice Knight Commander.
He always wants to be in the spotlight, doesn't he?
While wondering if he just doesn't get along with Prince Theodore, he decided to stay back just in case.
Then this whole mess happened, and right after that, Sir Stroud ordered the guard to close the Levy merchant guild and told Alfred to put you on the wanted list.
He had no idea why.
If that's the case, the shut down of the Levy merchant guild must be to draw the Viscount Lester family into rebellion, and he has probably become a target of the mages from the Marquis Prentis family.
Meanwhile, Viscount Eugene's followers are likely plotting to ensure the expedition army's defeat.
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