Volume 8 Chapter 151, Steady Advance ~ 04
The city of Ares, which had been rainy for some time, had returned to clear autumn skies.
It was only yesterday that Sheryl accompanied Solor to the royal castle Strahltraun to threaten the king. After that, Sheryl went to the Academy of the Wise, where she took care of as much of the remaining work as possible with the task force, she left the matter in the hands of Chief Marquat, the highest-ranking of the remaining members, and met with Mentor Areus, the acting High Mentor, albeit during the night, Sheryl reported the situation, even though Mentor Areus was in a state of confusion after the destruction of the Chalk Tower. Sheryl informed Mentor Areus of the death of Graham Coogan, the fact that the head of the Holy Sword Clan had been defeated by the "Foreigner" Satoru, that she had surrendered to Satoru, and that she herself had also become a chaperone, and requested that they cease any further pursuit of Satoru and that she resign from the patrol.
Mentor Areus accepted the report of the situation and issued a written order to the task force to abandon the pursuit of Satoru, but was reluctant to discharge Sheryl from the patrol. Sheryl was persuaded that the academy needed to keep a woman who could be a window to another dimension being, Satoru, firmly within the academy, but Sheryl firmly refused.
Instead, she left Isolde's mask that neutralized the curse placed on her by the Ancient Demon King as a souvenir and asked Mentor Areus not to have any contact with Satoru.
It was late at night when Sheryl returned to Maylander's house, and early the next morning, after a moderate night's sleep, she met with Viscount Maylander, Sheryl's uncle who is the head of the family.
While apologizing for the trouble she has caused the Maylander, Sheryl tells her uncle that she has become a slave to Satoru and that it was Satoru who destroyed the Chalk Tower and the Strahltraun, and that she herself took it upon herself to stop him because he would have killed them all if they had stood up to him.
「Talk about unbelievable ......」
Siegurd Maylander, head of the Viscount Maylander family, glanced outside. Yesterday, the royal castle Strahltraun had shown its majesty from the window, but now there was a single huge rock. That was the best evidence of all, and it guaranteed Sheryl's words.
King Ares, who was literally chased out of the castle, is now using the residence of one of his side wives at the foot of the mountain as a temporary royal palace. Although it has not been properly confirmed, it is said that only a few people were killed despite the extraordinary fall of the huge rock. The reason why there were some fatalities was that the knights who did not believe Sheryl's threats and who declared that they would share the fate of the castle and the officers who were trying to persuade them were involved.
It is a tragic story, but it is a good thing that only a few were involved. The only reason for this was that Sheryl had persuaded the king.
Siegurd accepted Sheryl's request and agreed to treat her as before, but refused to receive any visits from the royal family or Senate nobles for the time being, and that she would attend the Senate meeting that was suddenly held in the midst of the unprecedented collapse of the royal castle, and explain the situation to the Senate nobles―After a full hour of discussion, they came to a conclusion.
Zekrudo, Sheryl's mother's younger brother, is a middle-aged man who, from Sheryl's point of view, has an ordinary, good-natured, and mild-mannered character. However, he has a high capacity for coordination, and his moderation is not seen as hostile by anyone.
「So, what will Sheryl do after this?」
「I will become Satoru-sama's magical slave, and since I was ordered to monitor the Ares, I will do so. For now, today, we have the dissolution of the Coogan family and a simple funeral for my grandfather, Graham.」
Her late father, Edward, also needs to be mourned, but Sheryl deliberately ignored that.
Normally, when a person becomes a High Mentor and belongs to the Ares Senate at the same time, he is only allowed to be a member for one generation. However, Graham was a High Mentor for an unusually long period of time, and his family became more powerful than a certain level, so Edward was separated from the family and made independent. However, Edward lost his fortune due to his own blunder, and his property was confiscated by the royal family. The treatment of the case is that a mere civilian died on a trip. Sheryl intends to file the papers and be done with them. Any love she had for her father has long since been exhausted.
Graham's personal family exists in a different country that has nothing to do with Ares, and Sheryl is the only person in Ares who is related to Graham's family. Although she would normally prefer not to be involved, it would be problematic to leave her grandfather's servants at a loss after the sudden loss of the head of the family.
Sheryl's grandfather Graham lived a simple life for his position, and although he had a reasonably large mansion in the city of Ares, there were probably only three servants: an old butler, a male servant, and a housemaid.
Siegurd suggested to Sheryl that she take the mansion and her grandfather's servants as they were. If she was to stay in Maylander's mansion for a long time, there might be problems in the future. If that was the case, it would be more convenient for Sheryl to take over the mansion left by her grandfather. Sheryl accepted her uncle's proposal, but she would have to tell the servants about it first.
As Sheryl was about to head for her late grandfather's mansion, she saw someone arguing with a guard at the gate of Maylander's mansion and turned her head in that direction with a wry smile. She knew who it was. The man, too, saw Sheryl, and a look of relief came over his face.
「Vice Leader ― or should I say, Derek-dono?」
「Oh, thank goodness, Team Leader ......., wait, please don't do that, it's embarrassing」
After calling out to the servant to keep him away, Sheryl casually called out to the man who used to be her subordinate. He was Derek, the vice leader of the task force and a strong old man. Since Sheryl had already left the patrol, it would be strange to call him by his title, since he was older than her.
But Derek laughed and denied that he was now being treated as older. He straightens up his posture and scratches the back of his head.
「I heard you quit the patrol.」
「Oh, yeah. That's right. I took care of the rest of my duties as best I could and left it to Chief Marquat.」
At that point, Satoru was the only target of the watch list task force. Since there was no longer any need to go after him, there would be no problem leaving it to Chief Marquat, who is not good at rough work. Besides, Derek is there too.
「I am now a slave to Satoru-sama. I don't have time to follow anyone else. I have also spoken to Mentor Areus. Even though I don't know who the next High Mentor will be, I also told him not to touch Satoru-sama in any way.」
Derek laughed at this apparent lack of care. Sheryl has the talent and vision to quickly take care of all of this before she returns to the town.
「So, what's going on? Derek was persuaded by Isolde-sama, wasn't he? Still going after Satoru-sama?」
「Give me a break. I don't want to deal with that monster again」
Derek returned in a frightened manner, then strengthened his gaze and straightened his posture with a snap.
「Actually, you see. I've been asked to do three things by that head of the clan.」
「Hmm?」
「I've quit the patrol, too. Team Leader, no, Maylander-sama. Please hire me.」
Sheryl was surprised at the offer from the old and powerful former vice leader of the task force, who bowed down to her. Sheryl is aware of Derek's ability to understand the subtleties of the world and his wealth of experience. However, Sheryl is not so sure.
「No, I appreciate the offer, but I have no income. I can't afford to hire Derek. ......」
Sheryl has no income because she quit the patrol. That is another point that Mentor Areus was concerned about when she was told she was leaving the patrol.
Sheryl has savings, the Maylanders are supporting her, and she has her grandfather Graham's inheritance, so she can get by on her own, but hiring Derek, a skilled old strongman is a different story.
But Derek gave her a mischievous look. He looked up as if Sheryl had predicted that, and his posture fell into its usual slump.
「That's the thing, though. The head of the clan ...... No, it's Isolde-sama now? Two of the things that she asked me to do. First of all, can you follow me outside for a moment?」
With some doubt, Sheryl followed Derek out of the gate and was surprised. She was surprised to see a familiar, proud beastman sitting quietly, apart from the horse that Derek seemed to have ridden.
「This is Isolde-sama's Gryphon」
Sheryl remembered that Isolde did not seem to didn't seem to care about this mounted animal as she set out on her journey. At that time, Sheryl was too busy doing what she had to do to pay that much attention to it, but at that point, Isolde must have already intended to leave it with Sheryl.
「She said she is going to leave it with you. Here, is a letter.」
Sheryl takes the folded parchment from her pocket and checks the inside.
『Dear Sheryl-dono.
I can't fully explain it because of the circumstances, but I'm entrusting Javi the Gryphon with Sheryl-dono. There should be a ring in it with the words 【Subordination】 and 【Shrinking】. Since it is under 【Subordination】, it will not rebel, but be warned that it may be a little rough around the edges due to its young age. The Gryphon is carnivorous, and is fed twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.
On the other sheet, I have written down the 【Designated Transfer】 chant from my clan's tradition. I have designated the sword Ragulf, which was entrusted to me by Sheryl-dono, as a marker in the art of sending parchments.
I look forward to seeing you again at the end of Milord's journey.
Isolde』
「Isolde-sama ......」
A deep emotion washed over Sheryl. I really can't get over that pure swordsman. I am so sorry that she has accepted me as a friend.
The Academy of the Wise is the headquarters of all the Sorcery Guilds in the world, and its important source of income is the delivery of letters through the art of 【Transfer】 from one location to another. It has its own communication network on a global level, and thus naturally has a reputation even at the national level. The 【Designated Transfer】 of goods and persons to be moved has been studied for many years at the Academy of the Wise, but it has not yet been perfected. If this art were to be perfected, it is said that an information revolution would take place. The Holy Sword Clan had perfected it and made it their clan's secret, and Isolde even taught it to her in the form of chanting. (TLN: Sorry change from Magic Guild to Sorcery Guild)
It is also because of trust.
Derek had gone through a lot of trouble just to bring this Gryphon to this place, but seeing Sheryl's expression of deep emotion made him wonder if it was worth it.
「And one more thing. Could you please check the saddle?」
Sheryl picked up one of the wooden boxes she saw strapped to Gryphon's saddle, which was not small at all. It was heavier than it looked, and she failed to hold it and dropped it to the ground. The lid snapped open, and Sheryl was truly astonished to see what was inside.
「G-Gold coins!? And this many ......」
The area is lined with noble residences, so there aren't many pedestrians around. And there were no people approaching, perhaps fearing the Gryphon standing by the side of the road. Fortunately, no one passing by saw the contents of the crate she dropped, but even at a cursory glance, there must have been several thousand pieces. That's two.
Smiling mischievously at Sheryl's upset face, Derek revealed the secret to her.
「I heard that Count Kraut, the head of the Guard of Honor, was in contact with Satoru-dono.」
「Ah, yes.」
Except for Satoru and his slaves who were there, the only people who knew about it were the king who dispatched him, the chamberlains who were near the king yesterday, the Kingsguard knights, and Count Kraut's direct subordinates.
「I heard that His Majesty the King wanted to marry Minerva, the daughter of a Flying Dragon, without knowing that she was the daughter of a flying dragon?」
「That's right.」
It is a funny story now. When Graham Coogan made his disclosure to Satoru in the Senate, he did not disclose that Minerva was the daughter of a Flying Dragon. It was simply the fact that the king was so taken by her appearance that he sent his own right-hand, Count Edel Kraut, to take her in.
For the king, he might not have minded even if Minerva was a Flying dragon in a 【Mimicry】 form, but his arrogance led to the death of Count Kraut, who was an excellent bureaucrat regardless of his character, and the destruction of the royal castle Strahltraun, which was both a comedy and a tragedy and she must say that it cost them a lot of money.
「It seems that Leia Löwenstadt-sama had used sorcery to find out where the Count was hiding out. This is the money that was prepared at his hiding place. She asked me via Isolde-sama to collect it and give it to Maylander-sama as a reward for her journey.」
Sheryl was horrified by Leia's lack of care. Well, Count Kraut was nothing more than a speck of dust before Satoru, Leia, and Solor.
「But wasn't it embezzlement?」
This money that Count Kraut had prepared was supposed to have been used to pay for Minerva's contract, in other words, it was public money, even if only for a moment. Derek laughed at Sheryl's earnest attempt at common sense.
「Not many people would complain about the dead Count Kraut after all this time. Besides, this is supposed to be a secret fund, an operating fund. It's not embezzlement. It's more of a loot.」
「...... Good grief. I've also become an accomplice, isn't it?」
Sheryl laughed bitterly and accepted Derek's opinion that Leia and Isolde, who ordered this in the first place, and Derek's opinion that she should accept it. Not only does Sheryl have a stubborn common sense attitude, but she also has this kind of flexibility.
「With this money, Maylander-sama can hire me.」
"I see," Sheryl thought.
When Sheryl gave Mentor Areus the mask worn by the head of the Holy Sword Clan, she did not ask for money. She thought it was in exchange for accepting a condition that he and the patrol team would not touch Satoru in any way. The mask would probably have a research value of no less than 10,000 gold coins if she could get it out to the right people. After all, it was a mask that had conditionally sealed the curse of an Ancient Demon King. Sheryl knew this and did not ask for money.
In exchange, Mentor Areus and the patrol team would not have to touch Satoru. He was given a magical tool that could be worth tens of thousands of gold coins. Mentor Areus knew that the imbalance was a secret threat to make it difficult for him to make a move on Satoru.
It would be a small price to pay for not asking for money if it would stop the Academy of the Wise movement. However, as a condition for this, Sheryl lost the opportunity to obtain the funds for her activities, and she was surprised to hear that the funds were given to her by a completely different source.
「Did Isolde-sama ask you to take care of the recovery(ねっかえり?)?」
「Indeed she did.」
Sheryl's sarcastic question was answered in the affirmative, making her laugh even harder.
「Oh, dear. Nothing is going my way.」
「What are you talking about?」
「Nothing. Well, if that's the case, Derek. Can I hire you?」
「By all means.」
「Good. I'll be counting on you from now on then.」
Sheryl smiled with satisfaction at Derek, who strongly shook her right hand, and then added one more thing as if she had just remembered.
「...... I'll tell you one thing.」
「What is it?」
「If Derek sees me as a woman. I am now Satoru-sama's magical slave and Satoru-sama's property. I'll tell you ahead of time that this is unacceptable.」
Derek looked at Sheryl for a moment as if he had been hit in the face and then laughed softly. Derek is certainly single, and the talented young woman in front of him is beautiful and stylish. She felt sexier than before, but Derek didn't intend it that way.
「Sure, the team leader is a nice lady, but ...... I would never want to make an enemy of that monster.」
If you want to win Sheryl, you have to make an enemy of Satoru. Derek is not horrified to make an enemy of Satoru, who even treated the head of the Holy Sword Clan with disdain.
「I will not forgive you to call my Lord a monster, got it?」
「Hey, hey」
Sheryl jokingly cuts him off, and Derek jokingly cries his shoulders off.
Sheryl now has something to work with. She now has the funds for her activities. The next step is to find a base of operations and start a battle for the next few months.
Sheryl sighed heavily, realizing that it was going to be a longer battle than she had expected.
TLN: Sorry if this chapter bit hard to read, this chapter is not long but, man, each line is very long so it's a bit hard to translate.
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