Chapter 38: To the country of beastmen and surprise attack

The carriage shook and rattled on. Three wagon types of carriages with a considerably wide roofs connected together and pulled by two horses advanced on the highway.

The first one is belongs to Belfast, the third one belongs to the five Misumido guard escorts. And the one in the middle, carried it in are us and the Misumido ambassador Olga-san and her younger sister Alma.

On the coachman seat are the sisters Lindsey and Elsie, speaking of the rest of us, a dead heat fight begins to unfold.

「Ununu...With this de gozaru!」

Yae turns the face down card.

But the number of the card on the table was of a different one.

「Too bad. The correct one is this and this desu」

Yumina turns over two cards consecutively in order. A 2 of spades and a 2 of hearts. She obtains the cards that she got correct.

Me and Olga was playing shougi while I give a sideways glance at Yumina, Yae and Alma who are playing shinkei-suijaku(pairs) with playing cards.

We had too much free time in the shaking carriage so I made shougi and playing cards with paper printed with 「Drawing 」and combined it with a thin wooden board made with「Modelling」.

Because I can't remember the hands in games like poker I can't play it, so I tried teaching those three a simple pairs games. However, Yae was somehow weak when it came to memory games and lost consecutively.

「I lost again de gozaru...」

「Yae doesn't look like she's suited for shinkei-suijaku」

I moved a piece in front while smiling wryly.

「Yes, checkmate」

「Aah…!」

Olga-san stares intensely at the board. It's useless. It's checkmate.

「I also lost huh…. The difference in ability with Touya-dono is too much」

Olga-san pouts and expresses dissatisfaction. No, you also have a weak point though. Olga-san only just learned it so of course I would win. However. It's scary that she will be stronger than me after a few more times of playing.

「Yae, change places with me. Why don't you try facing Olga?」

「That's right de gozaru na. If it's shougi, Dolan-san trained me back in 「Silvermoon」 de gozaru shi」

It was more like being forced to be played against rather than being trained though.

「Then it's not shinkei-suijaku this time, shall we do a different one?」

I swap places with Yae, Then I give Yumina and Alma an explanation of a new game while cutting the cards. The difficult game 「Baba-nuki (old maid)」 where tactics and strategy hold the key to victory.

『fuga...』

Kohaku at the corner of the carriage sleeping peacefully.

The Two people who learned the rules were absorbed in Old Maid immediately, Yae and Olga appears to be evenly matched and glaring intensely at the board. With that feeling we go shaking straight to Misumido.

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「And so the puss in boots became a noble and lived happily ever after」

Everyone who surrounded the bonfire sent an applause when I finished the story. This is somewhat embarrassing. I only intended to tell a short story before sleeping but I intentionally overdid it.

「That was interesting! Touya-san!」

Alma's ears on top of her head goes pikopiko in excitement to express her thoughts. Her big tail also shakes in good spirits.

「That was a wonderful tale Touya-dono. However, where is this story from?」

「Ahh, A minstrel taught me at the place I lived in before」

Olga-san said suitably. It seems to be popular to the Misumido soldiers surrounding the bonfire. The puss in boots plays an outstanding performance in saving his master. A wise being that excels as a master swordsman.

In this world where demi-humans face discrimination, there probably isn't any story where a demi-human like this plays an active role.

「Touya-san also knows various stories besides this one」

「Really!? Please let us hear them, Touya-san!」

Alma leans forward with sparkling eyes from the words spoken by Yumina beside me. These two became really good friends huh. They seem to be the same age, is that why they can easily talk?

「It's already over for today. let's continue tomorrow」

I decline Alma's request gently while laughing. Then at that time, a single small sized Misumido soldier around the bonfire stood up, puts a finger in front of his mouth to silence everyone.

The ears on top of his head moves twitching. Are those...rabbit ears? Is he, a rabbit demi-human.

「Something in several numbers are approaching.....They're erasing their presence little by little…It's clear that they are aiming for us」

From those words, the surrounding soldiers draw their swords silently and start to move while being vigilant of the vicinity. The guards switch their formation with Olga-san and Alma in the center. The Belfast soldiers at the carriages draw their swords and strengthen their alertness.

「I wonder who it is?」

「They're probably a highway thief troupe. It'll be trouble if their numbers are many」

The captain of the Misumido escort soldiers answered my question. The captain is a dual sword user wolf demi-human.

"Master, it's certain that someone is coming towards us. It's very unlikely that this is someone friendly. Just like they said, they are probably 18-19 thieves."

Kohaku that was nearby spoke in a voice that only I could hear. Thieves huh. Shall I go check for a little.

I take out my smartphone and launch the map application. A map with me at the center is projected. Err…for now, when I search with thief, pins fall on the map one after another. Oooh, there's a lot.

「North 8 people, east 5 people, south 8 people, west 7 people. There's 28 in total」

「You know that!?」

The captain looks back toward me astonished. They are quite a few of them. We will probably win but, it is unlikely that we will come out unscathed.

「...Shall I give it a try」

I decided to test the magic method I came up with recently. I think it'll be alright but....

「Enchant: Multiple

Consecutive chant abbreviation, I bestow the non-attribute magic 「multiple」 that allows simultaneous invocation to the map application. I use my finger on the touch screen to lock onto the thieves one by one. Locking onto all them is troublesome! Okay, finished!

「Paralyze!」

I release the last magic onto the targets on the map. In the next moment, I hear groans one over the other from the surrounding forest.

「Uguu!」

「Nuaa!」

「Gyaa!」

「Hau!」

「Aan!」 (note: cough)

I hear various voices, followed by clattering and sounds of falling were heard. I seem to have succeeded somehow.

「W, what did you do?」

「I used paralysis magic. I think they probably fell and can't move」

「Is it all of them!?」

「If there are only 28 of them」

The targets this time are the ones that I have judged to be a 「Thief」 only in this situation. Conversely speaking, if there was a thief-like common person then there's a possibility that they may get involved as well. Though I think there won't be anything like that in this situation as expected. Therefore I used 「Paralyze」 just in case.

The escort soldiers enter the forest and came dragging those guys. 28 people in total. All the members have a lizard tattoo on the back of their hands which is probably a mark of being in the thief troupe. There's no doubt that they're all accomplices.

「That was amazing…! All these numbers in an instant...」

「No one had something like magic protection talismans so that saved me the trouble. Even a small magic protection can repel 「Paralyze」」

Olga-san murmurs and grumbles with a dumbfounded expression. It was good that the thieves didn't have talismans. But this method also has various problems. It was good that the opponents didn't move intensely, because if their movement was too fast there's a possibility that they may slip past the target lock. And it's troublesome to lock onto them one by one.

「No, you've saved us. Good grief, you really surprised me」

「No, it was because that person noticed them from the beginning. You understand right?」

「Aah, Rain is it. That's because he's a rabbit demi-human. They have sharp ears」

The rabbit eared boy laughed while the captain was dragging the thieves. He has a small build with red hair and is about the same age as me. He's called Rain is it. By the way, it seems the wolf captain is called Garun-san.

「If it's human I think the paralysis will continue for half a day, what shall we do with these guys?」

「That's right, if this was Misumido it would be best to just kill them so that it doesn't become troublesome, is something like that not do」

Garun-san calls the Belfast guard captain. A blonde young man with clattering full body armor turned up. A considerably handsome man.

Lyon Britts. Belonging to kingdom's first knight order. 21. The father's name is Leon Britts...even now it's unbelievable that this person is the son of that General Leon. He seems to be the second son, with that general that looks heroic in his uniform, for this Lyon-san with this feeling of serious straightforwardness to be father and son.

Lyon-san who heard the circumstances from Garun-san thinks for a little while, before finally opening his mouth.

「Let's tie them up for now and send them to the guards in charge using the horses in the town ahead. We may come back with the guards in the morning, let's depart after we hand over the thieves?」

Garun-san didn't seem to have any objection so we decided in that direction. We gag and tie them behind their backs. I dug a hole with magic and buried them in the ground with their heads sticking out just to be safe. The paralysis still seem to be working, the result looks like a line of freshly severed heads.

「As for watching these fellows, we Misumodo will take care of guarding them as foreign invaders. Touya-dono I would like to leave the princess to you」

Lyon-san tells me in a low whisper secretly.

Just in case, the only ones that know that Yumina is the princess of Belfast, apart from us is just Olga-san and this Lyon-san. Since the other members doesn't seem to have met the princess, we're not worried of it leaking. Furthermore, only Lyon-san know my position as Yumina's fiance(provisional). Although I haven't been told, perhaps Yumina's guard have probably received them.

「Lyon-dono, I'll take on that trouble」

Olga-san comes near and says thanks with a smile. Then, Lyon-san suddenly begun to get hurriedly impatient.

「Ah, no, this, this is my duty so therefore! Please, don't bother yourself with this!」

Just where has that calmness a while ago gone to, the blonde young man has his face becoming bright red, it enumerates with Olga-san's words. That beautiful fox giggles strangely while looking at his squirming.

Hahaan. So it was like that?

I left the place slowly so that it wasn't noticed by two those people. I observe them two talking while laughing before an open-air fire from the shadow of the carriage in secret.

「It's Youth huhー」

「It is youth de gozaru naー」

「…It's youth, desu」

「It's youth indeed」

You lot since when have you been here....The twin sisters, the samurai girl, and Kohaku who was being held by yumina were similarly watching the two.

「I wonder if Olga-san notices Lyon-dono's feeling de gozaru kana?」

「I think she notices themー. She doesn't seem like someone thickheaded from somewhere」

Eh, why is everyone looking over here? I don't even know what you mean.

「...Though he is thickheaded however, Touya-san is far too kind to everyone regardless of the situation」

「Ah, that's what I thought as well」

「I thought he also had this suggestive attitude de gozaru yo」

「Why don't you try to understand a little!? Sit here and listen!」 (note: seiza, sitting with knee on floor)

「Why!?」

I can't comprehend. Why is this happening?

However I can't go against these girls without reason with the current situation, I was made to sit. I was subjected to a super lecture time. why?

I don't even understand what half of these girl's lecture are, it continued until near late at night.