Chapter 4

Episode 4 “Ready . ”

A large inn in the Commercial District that is used by the guests of the Order .

The children from Lily and George’s orphanage were to be accommodated there until they could find a place to go .

At the moment, the children are playing sports in the training square at the inn .
“…”
Sitting in a corner of the square, Leo watched the frolicking children with a gloomy expression on his face .

The look on Kyrie’s face when he left is etched in Leo’s mind and he can’t shake it off .

The look on her face, as she called him out, was pained, as if she was suppressing something .
What Kyrie and Marx do is a political marriage .

It’s purpose is to consolidate each other’s position .

We knew from the beginning that Kyrie did not want this marriage .
“For me…”
That’s not what I want .
“…Then, what can I do?”
What can I do to make Kyrie happy?

What should I do?

Leo gritted his teeth at his inability to take any decision .
“Brother Knight, what’s wrong?”

“You’re not feeling well today?”
Before I knew it, a few kids were peering at me with worried expressions .

Leo frequents this inn because he is concerned about the children who suddenly had to leave the orphanage .

Leo smiled bitterly to not worry the children .
“…it’s okay . It’s nothing . ”
Leo replied to the child with a smile on his face .

Shaking his head lightly, he switches his thoughts .

Even though I’m not at work right now, I can’t help but be appalled .
Marx arrived at a dead end, but quitting halfway is not an option .

As long as he is a sacred knight, he had to protect the people .

Of course, that includes children .

We have to take care of them at least until they can find a place to live .




“…… . . hmm?”
“At that moment, he felt a weak magical wave nearby, and Leo turned his gaze in it’s direction . ”

A single girl let out a small flame from the palm of her hand .
“Flame Bullet?”
Leo stood up and spoke to the girl who had wielded the magic .

The girl nodded her head and chanted again, releasing a flame bullet into the wall .
“That’s great, Michelle . When I was your age, I couldn’t use any magic decently . ”
Her name is Michelle .

The girl who ran away from that orphanage and told the Sacred knight about Lily and the others’ misdeeds .

I had seen her a few times when I was investigating the orphanage on the orders of the previous captain, but now Michelle was much more calm and collected than she was back then .
“You’ve been training in magic ever since you came to this inn?”

“Yes . I’ve got to be strong . ”
Wile expressing her strong resolution, Michelle clenched her small fist .
“…I don’t want to be protected anymore . ”

“Okay . ”
When he nodded, Leo fired a flaming shot at the wall .

Looking at that large mass of fire, Michelle gasped .
“Your flame bullet is still not strong enough . It’s partly because, even though you are able to adjust the magic power, you still only have a vague image of magic . ”

“The image of magic…?”

“Yes . You must have a clear picture of what kind of magic you’re going to use . It’s going to be less effective otherwise . ”

“…okay . ”
Michelle closes her eyes and exhales a small breath .

She then slowly chanted and let out a “flame bullet” .

The flames that were released were incomparably larger than the ones that had been released before .
“You did it . ”

“ . . Yeah . . ”
There aren’t many people who are told to image it and can do it right away .

To be able to put to use an advice this fast, I’m sure Michelle has a talent for magic .

It’s going to help her, as Leo thought that, his cheeks naturaly loosened up .




“…”
And that grin quickly turned to self-mockery .
(Clear image, huh?)
I have no right to counsel anyone right now .

I came here today is because I wanted to flee .
(I’m a pathetic man . )
Then Leo checked on the child for a while, and left the inn .
◆
The sun was setting and the children walked out of the training ground and went into the inn .

They then had dinner, took a bath, and went back to their own room .

Making sure the kids were fully asleep, Michelle returned to her own room .
“They all look tired and asleep . ”

“Yes, sir . Thank you so much, Michelle . ”

“Hmm . ”

Sitting back in her chair, Michelle looked over her book .

It’s a book about magic that was kept at the inn .

It’s a book for intermediate readers, but Michelle chews it up in her own way, writing down the gist of what she understand on an piece of paper .

The advice from Leo is also written on it .

(TN: can’t make much sense of part below sorry)
“You’re enthusiastic, Michelle . I thought you wanted to be able to use Nantoka magic?”

“…psychic magic . ”

“Yes, yes, that’s it . ”

“It’s because the person I admire used to use magic . ”

“Heh…”
“You have to have enough images to be able to form them in order to be able to do psychic magic . ”

“I have an image . ”

“However, Michelle still lacked the skill to put it into a clear form . ”
“One day I’ll show you how much I’m like you . ”
Immediately after mumbling so small in his mouth .




“…?”
At the edge of his vision, outside the window, he felt something light up .

I checked, but all I could find outside was darkness .
“What’s wrong?”

“…nothing . ”
With a renewed sense of urgency, Michelle continues to study magic .
◆
At my feet, three men are lying unconscious .

They are suspicious people carrying hidden swords, and wearing black clothes from head to toe so they could hide in the darkness .

These guys were trying to sneak into the orphanage under the cover of night .

Elfi and me hit them and brought them to an empty back alley .
“Mmm…… . ugh . ”

“…”
The men, hands and feet bound,  are sprawled on the ground with groggy expressions on their faces .

Their physical strength and magical power exhausted .
After what happened at the orphanage, I’ve warned Michelle and Sheena not to leave the inn .

This is the home of the Order of the Sacred Knights . There was a high chance of being taken away by Marx’s hands if they walked out of the inn carelessly .
I guess Michelle and the other kids being careful of not going out of the inn made them run out of patience, resulting in them trying to take them from the inn .

“You guys tried to attack Michelle and the others at Marx’s order . Are you sure about that?”

“Yes! Yes we are!”
At first, the men were tight-lipped, but now they answered honestly .

They’re very talkative .

I just listened as I folded the bones of their fingers, one by one .
These men had apparently received orders from Marx to kidnap Michelle and Sheena .

They were told to do as they like with the kids after successfully kidnapping them .

It seems that these guys are also responsible for the kidnappings that have been happening in the city .

Apparently the target of the kidnappings are either humans standing in Marx’s way, or  subhumans in the Holy City .

After taking them, they apparently took them to an orphanage or to Marx, and did what they wanted with them .
“You were right to keep an eye on him . ”
I knew they were coming to take care of Michelle and the others .

Because there’s no way Marx would let his own witnesses go free .
“Well…”
I forced one of the fallen ones up and put my hand on its head .

The man’s face became pale, as he wondered what would be done to him .
“What are you going to do with them?”

“Oh . I have a reason I went out of my way to exhaust my physical and magical power . ”
As I look into the man’s eyes, I have a clear image of what I’m going to carve into this guy’s head and send it to his brain as magic .

The man is so drained of magic that he can’t resist the magic flowing into his head .
“This magic is bit difficult to use as it need it’s target to be empty of magic”
It’s a brainwashing spell that’s being used to imitate Olivia, but the conditions are quite troublesome .

In order for brainwashing to be successful, it is necessary to weaken the other person to the point that he or she cannot resist .

Because if they resist even a little, the brainwashing will fail .

And it takes time to tamper the contents of the person’s brain .

I’m sure it can be shortened by using some kind of magic items, but as Elfie says, it’s a very difficult magic .
Eventually, enough magic was channeled into it .
“The Magician’s Hand . ”
With the chant performed, the brainwashing magic was complete .

Repeat this procedure for the other two .

The three of them were in a state of brainwashing, staring into the void with dazed expressions .
The preparation has been completed .

This will keep Michelle and the others from being attacked for at least a few hours .
“We’re going to use these guys . Let’s settle it tonight . ”

“Alright . But, Iori, before we go, can we make a little detour?”

“A detour?”
That’s unusual .

I can’t believe Elfi would say such a thing .
“I’ve been getting a little frustrated lately and I can’t stand it anymore, so I want you to come with me for a bit . ”

“…?　All right . ”
We then made a ‘detour’ with Elfie, and went to Markus’ house .