Volume 3 Chapter 27 Invaders Arrive Without Warning
As expected, when I told my sisters I'd met "Teacher," they scolded me for not bringing her along. "Why didn't you bring her?" They were mad at me for that. But she vanished before I could even try to stop her.
I'm innocent, you know.
After that, I never saw "Teacher" anywhere in town.
I wonder what reason she had for not staying longer.
It's a mystery.
"If I at least knew where she was now, I could take my sisters to her."
"Did you say something?"
Belle, with her cat ears twitching, had caught my muttered words.
She tilted her head and asked.
Come to think of it, I never told her about "Teacher."
"Nah, it was nothing. Is this all the shopping we need?"
"Yes! Thanks, Master!"
My first disciple beams happily.
Today, I'm accompanying Belle on her shopping trip to the market.
Even with her big magic bag, it's more efficient to do some shopping ourselves.
Usually, Lene joins us on these trips, but she's been feeling under the weather lately, so I let her rest today.
Elves are supposed to be strong against illness, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Maybe she should see a doctor.
"Hey, let's go see Doc."
"Doc?"
"Yeah, remember that facility they're building in the harbor? They're going to build a shipyard there."
I explained to Belle, who didn't understand, and we headed towards the harbor.
Once the dock was completed, shipbuilding would begin, and then I would need to prepare the Magic Stone of Featherweight.
At the construction site, there was a large artificial cove filled with no water, and it seemed like the plan was to assemble ships there before launching them into the open sea.
For such a grand setup, it was surprisingly advanced for a project that had only recently started.
I couldn't help but wonder if they were using some kind of construction magic.
That definitely piqued my curiosity.
While I was explaining all sorts of things about the dock system to Belle, who was bursting with interest, something caught my attention.
"Huh? What's that over there?"
"Hmm?"
Following Belle's puzzled words, I shifted my gaze behind me and saw that a commotion was erupting at the port.
At the entrance of a dock where a large ship was anchored, a crew member was blocking the way, and their opponent was... a soldier?
"That big ship is from Goldmont, right? So, that means those guys are Goldmont's people!"
"...Yeah, you're right."
Belle's deduction was spot on.
From what I could see, it looked like they were arguing about the arrival of Goldmont's military personnel.
...But why were soldiers here in the first place?
It seemed like an ordinary cargo ship, so what was their intention in bringing soldiers along?
"──Seizure──"
"──You've got to be kidding──"
I could hear fragmented bits of their conversation... Did they just say "seizure"?
"...Hey, what's this 'seizure' thing? It's starting to sound like... war──"
Just as I began piecing together the situation from the snippets of conversation, the soldier drew a sword from their waist and, in the blink of an eye, sliced through the crew member with a powerful swing.
The crew member staggered and lost their footing, plunging off the dock and into the sea.
The sound of a violent splash echoed, and the crowd, finally grasping the situation, fell into a panic, scattering like startled spiders.
The soldier, on the other hand, seemed to be directing the ship and calling for more military personnel.
"M-Master, look at that..."
Belle grabbed my sleeve, her teeth chattering like a pair of castanets as she let out a silent scream.
Considering she just witnessed someone bite the dust right in front of her, I could hardly blame her.
"...It's a Goldmont invasion."
I cut straight to the chase, answering the question I knew was burning in Belle's mind.
So, they snuck in soldiers aboard a cargo ship, huh?
Pretty underhanded, if you ask me.
But I didn't have time to get worked up about it.
"Belle, you remember where Lord Reichner's mansion is, right? Go tell them what's happening!"
I told Belle, then channeled Magic Power into the 〈Magic Stone of Great Absolute〉, one of the magic stones hanging from my belt.
That should be enough to shrug off a few attacks.
I rummaged through my magic bag, pulling out a few more useful magic stones.
──Ooh, with this, I can sink that ship... or rather, capsize it.
"Huh? What are you gonna do, Master?"
I, on the other hand, could handle the soldiers with the help of my magic stones.
Besides, if I didn't hold my ground here, my family would be in danger.
So, there was only one thing to do, right?
"I'm gonna hold them off at the pier and stop them from landing."
"Haaah!?"
I waved my hand dismissively at my disciple, who'd let out a dumbfounded yell.
She was someone I needed to protect, too.
She'd just get in the way if she stayed here.
"Go on, scram! You're just a nuisance."
With that said, I took off running towards the pier.
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