◇
"I'm going back to the mansion since some urgent business came up. Leriril, I'm sorry but please clean-up the workshop."
"Yes, I understand Satou-sama!"
Huh~? I wonder why, Leriril seems strange. Far away from calling me brat, she even uses "sama" instead. I waved my hands to Leriril who saw me off with sparkling eyes and returned with teleport. Come to think of it, I feel that she had become quiet after I completed making the artificial skin.
Now then, putting aside the trivial, I have to go for Lulu's emergency.
I'd like to go back immediately with teleport, but let's check the situation ahead.
First, let's confirm the mansion with the map. About 10 soldiers and two high level knights have come to the mansion. They're all the viceroy's subordinates.
This is puzzling. What do they want?
After checking the mansion basement with [Clairvoyant] I return there with Teleport.
I ignore the knocking on the basement door, take out a pen, an ink, and several paper sheets from the storage and put them on the work desk. In addition, I take out a candle and a candlestick, light it, and put it on the work desk. Lastly, I put the seal ring there and the preparation is complete.
Please let them be pointless if possible.
I unlock the bolt, open the door, and shout at the one who's knocking the door.
"You're noisy. I can't concentrate!"
"I, I'm sorry. Chevalier-sama is being suspected of using fiend drug. Please come to the viceroy office."
"Me using fiend drug?"
We come up above the ground while talking.
Apparently, they're doubting us for using the fiend drug since our levels are abnormally high for being so young.
Ludicrous. The risk is too great compared to the effect. If we only want to level up, I can make them level up to level 50 in just 10 days even without using such a drug.
"Master."
"It's fine, this is just right. I have some business with the Marchioness anyway, so let's think of this as the opportunity."
Still, who instigate this I wonder?
The Marquis should be thinking that I'm a source of revenue, while Baronet Dyukeli has a debt regarding the matter about his daughter. The possible pattern is from the Marquis' followers who don't want their position get taken.
When I was asking Ms. Miteruna to watch over the mansion, she gave me some advice.
"Master, I've heard some rumor about inquisitor Baron Vilas that he abuses his Fathom skill to get ahold of merchant's and servant's weakness. Please be careful."
I see, so he would change the subject once he starts asking things unrelated to fiend drug, I should object when that happens. I won't be caught off-guard if I just ready myself. Let's have the Negotiation and Tact skills work their magic.
While thanking Ms. Miteruna for her advice, I see the basement with Clairvoyant magic. Then by using [Magic Hand], I open the ink bottle on the work desk, and write a memo using the quill pen with instructions for Ms. Miteruna. I prepare another letter asking for rescue, and stamp the sealing wax with my seal. I collect the seal and the candle into the storage.
I didn't give it directly right now in order to prevent the mastermind from anticipating it. The handwritings are a bit messy, but it should be readable enough.
"Right, Miteruna. I forgot to close the ink bottle in the basement. Could you close it before the ink dried out?"
"Certainly master."
I head toward the carriage that has been prepared by the viceroy office, I explained the situation to Arisa and the others in the labyrinth, and ordered them to stay there for the time being.
◇
I bring Lulu along to the viceroy office, the three-story big building made of marbles that's right beside the eastern gate.
"Sir Pendragon, the inquisitor will be coming in a short while, please wait a bit in this room."
The high class-like bureaucrat young man has lead us to a bizarrely splendid room for state guests. I recorded various interiors like the furnitures with [Photo] magic since I rarely came to such a place.
"Lulu, relax your shoulders and sit down here. It's quite comfortable you know."
I let Lulu who was standing behind me come to sit on the sofa beside me I asked the maid who was standing by in the corner of the room for two sets of tea.
I whisper to Lulu gently that there's nothing to be worried about in low voice while embracing her head. The maid-san shouldn't suspect anything since Lulu's face has turned red. I think maid-san hadn't had enough training since she looked like she'd even vomit out sugar.
The inquisitor guy finally arrived when Lulu had settled down. Moreover, he's even brought six armed knights along, possibly to intimidate us. They're skilled people of level 20-30.
"Nice to meet you, Sir Pendragon. I am Baron Vilas the inquisitor. Ah, you can keep sitting like that. The inquiry will be over soon."
The inquisitor is a bald man with thin eyebrows who has a magic being like Raka with a [Fathom] skill. It should be a skill that can tell if someone is telling the truth or lying if I'm not mistaken. Come to think of it, this is the first time I've meet this baron. I would have meet all the peerage-holding nobles in the labyrinth city if I just met with the vice-viceroy next.
"Then answers my questions with 『Yes』 or 『No』. There is no need to add excessive explanations."
The inquisitor warned with a posed look on his face that would likely have a light sfx on if he wore glasses.
"Inquisitor Vilas asks. Have you used fiend drug yourself?"
"I have not."
"Inquisitor Vilas asks. Have you administered fiend drug to other people?"
"I have not."
"Inquisitor Vilas asks. Have you instructed other people to administer fiend drug?"
"I have not."
Long.
He's probably asking the question one by one to prevent deception.
"Inquisitor Vilas asks. Do you know the recipe for making fiend drug?"
A dangerous question finally came up, but I didn't need to answer that.
◇
"Sir Vilas! What do you think you're doing? Sir Pendragon has rescued my son and the state guest princess from the lost thieves. So to speak, he's the benefactor of Selbira city. He wouldn't take those lost thieves who should be his underlings to the surface alive if he had anything to do with fiend drug!"
The one who entered the room with a long protest is the Marchioness. Even the Marquis himself is behind her. A fox in tiger's clothing, version 2*. This time the connection, or rather the bribe power from the prior investment has bear its fruit.
<*TLN: Japanese idiom that means a person in weaker position who hides behind the one with authority.>
"My wife is right. Who instructed you to haul Sir Pendragon away?"
So the one who ordered him to capture me really wasn't the viceroy.
"I-it's because the story about the disparity between the strength of Sir Pendragon and his retainers and their ages was the talk of the salon..."
"In other words, you had bought into the baseless baloney in the salon, and made him, who is one of your fellow noble, underwent the humiliating inquisition?"
"Viceroy-sama, i-it's a misunderstanding--"
Apparently, I have been regarded as an eyesore for participating in the Marchioness' tea party. There really are some narrow-minded people who get upset just from a newcomer participating in the tea party once.
I took advantage of when the Marquis was reproaching Baron Vilas, and inquired him, he confessed while sweating waterfall that his goal was to seize my weakness by first inquiring about the fiend drug. Looks like it's the vice-viceroy who has instigated him.
The reason why he confessed this unnaturally far might be because of Interrogation and Coercion skills. Maybe I had better normally turn both skills OFF.
The Marquis will be discharging both the Baron and the Vice-viceroy the instigator. Since the Marchioness looks satisfied behind, leaving it to him should be fine. I thought that they would only be given some stern warnings, but since this means that they won't freely interfere with us again from now on, this is good enough.
I report to Arisa that the problem has been solved and they don't need to worry anymore.
The reason why the Marchioness conveniently intruded this time was thanks to Ms. Miteruna who properly acted upon the memo that I had left in the basement.
After I was taken by the carriage, she went to the Marquis' mansion to deliver the letter with my seal as instructed. Normally, a letter from some lower noble would have been postponed, and finished just like that, but it seems that as the result of the pastry that I had given back then, the maid gave the letter to the lady attendant, and the attendant gave it to the Marchioness, so she could quickly read the letter. I'll present them with various confections later.
Since Ms. Miteruna had come with a carriage, I lifted Lulu in and let them went home ahead. I was going to go back with them, but I couldn't reject the Marchioness' invitation to a dinner. It had become a dinner where we said our thank and apology to each side.
The princess profusely pestered me to tell stories about the labyrinth during the dinner, I answered her while taking care not to disturb other attendants. It would be bad if I carelessly told her some exaggerated stories and made her and plump-kun go to the labyrinth again.
None of the the dinner menu, the so-called full course meal, use ingredients made of monsters at all, it's probably the Marquis' house chefs' fixation. If I have to say, there are not enough vegetables. Every dish was delicious, but the beef stew was superb. I'll recreate this taste for everyone later.
◇
I thank the coachman of the Marquis' house carriage for sending me to the mansion, and enter the mansion. Ms. Miteruna who had come to meet me gave some kind of basket to the coachman. Since I smelled something sweet, it was probably confections that Lulu had made.
I search the map while relaxing on the sofa. Looks like Sir Sokel has been arrested, he's currently being confined in one of the viceroy office's room. Shockingly enough, Besso is still running away. One of Besso's male friend has been apprehended by the explorer guild, he's in the dungeon of the west guild.
I have been surrounded by everyone when I finished the check and closed the map.
"Looks like it was terrible."
"Yeah, it's going to be uglier tonight though."
"Hoe? 'I won't let you sleep tonight', that kind?"
"Yes, yes, you're cute Arisa."
I off-handedly sweep off Arisa who's playing around.
"Since the lost thieves are more trouble than I thought, I'm thinking of seriously eliminating them. And also, it seems that there are carriers and slaves whom the lost thieves have captured and made to work, so I'd also like to rescue and shelter them."
"I'll help~?"
"I'll work hard nodesu!"
"Nn."
I pat the head of Tama who looks up from where she sits on my lap. Pochi and Tama peek from both sides, but I can't let them help me this time.
However, I feel slightly lonely that Arisa didn't retort back even though I said something quite absurd.
"I'm sorry but please stay at home this time. Mia, can you create Artificial Being like Aialiaze-san does?"
"Nn."
"Is there any that's suitable for surveillance?"
"...■■ Wing Ball"
No wait, I didn't say that you have to use it now.
Mia has called something that looks like a ball with wings. Can it do surveillance even without eyes? Mia said that it's alright while beating her flat chest.
"Then, please watch the viceroy's mansion and the west guild with Mia's Wing Balls. Get in contact with me if a disturbance happens."
"Nn."
"Okke."
Now then, let's get some work done for the sake of safe labyrinth life.