It was just before noon when returned the boat to Fluden’s mother .
Seeing the boat that had been docked, Fluden’s mother said,
“It doesn’t seem like it’s sunk . Is it still usable? If so, then maybe I’ll use it as a rental boat . ”
Heading to East End, we bought and ate from the food stalls, buying Velsa and Merumo’s lunch as well .
When we went to the guard station, there were people gathering .
“Did something happen?”
I asked the person at the very back .
“Ah? Aah, they apprehended an investigator from the capital, it seems . ”
“Apprehended him?”
Seth had a face like, ‘what are you saying?’
It happened in the single day we had been gone? No doubt this is Velsa and Merumo’s doing .
“Ooh-! Thank goodness! We were waiting for you to return!”
Fluden spotted us and came out of the guardstation .
“Open the way! Please make way!”
Fluden made a path and called for us .
“Sorry . Have our employees done something?”
I postured a bit .
“No, my bad . It seems like something has gone wrong from our end . Sorry, but can you stop them?”
“I understand . To the jail, then?”
“That’s right . ”
We entered directly from the entrance of the guardstation and continued down the stairs to the jail .
If I had to describe the changes to the basement in one word, it would be ‘jungle . ’ Thick vegetation covered the floor, ceilings, and walls . Although it shouldn’t have been like that yesterday . What should I do about this?
“Vels! What did you do-!”
I called into the jungle .
“Crap! What do we do!? Naoki and the others are back!”
“You’re wrong! There’s a reason for this!”
Velsa and Merumo’s voices sounded .
“Is it okay to cut up this plant?”
“Don’t . It’s a new type of monster . If you cut it you’ll be seized by the vines! The guys who ignored my warning are hanging from the ceiling, right?”
Certainly, I can here a number of people’s groaning voices from the ceiling, but I can’t see them because of the leaves and vines .
When I look with the Search Skill, there were 5 people at the ceiling, 3 people within the cell, 2 people in solitary, and two monsters in front of the cell . Those must be the main bodies . For now, let’s restrain them .
“It seems impossible to come from the front, so we’ll go to the back . ”
“Got it-!”
We went out a window to the cliff in the back . Ayl brought a rope, and Seth and I went down to the jail first, entering through the exit I had opened in the wall . Ayl kicked through the air and entered the cell . At this turn of circumstances, the guards merely watched in silence . It seems like they’ve given up on saying anything to us .
Along with Velsa and Merumo, there was a large man with chest and back hair in the cell .
“My bad . I’m intruding . ”
I understood who he was when I heard his voice . It’s the berserker that was in solitary yesterday . ”
“Huh? Where’s the Prince?”
Velsa asked me .
“The Prince ended up dead . ”
“I see . ”
“Don’t give me an ‘I see’! How did things turn out like this here?”
“Even if you say that, it can’t be helped can it? I made a mistake!”
“Don’t be proud of making a mistake!”
“Sorry!”
“For now, let’s whither this plant monster!”
“Okay!”
Each and every one of Velsa’s responses were excellent .
“Ayl, sorry, but can you draw some water from below?”
I used Cleanup on the pot that was supposed to be used for the toilet to clean it and handed it to Ayl .
First we’ll try withering it with sea water .
“Roger . ”
So saying, Ayl leapt outside .
“Things will work out now that the President’s come . ”
Merumo said to Velsa .
“How is it? It went well, didn’t it, ‘Operation: Courage’ . ”
“Yes!”
What’s with that operation?
“From now on, I will also have the courage to obediently apologize for the things I’ve done!”
Merumo clenched her fists and nodded .
“It’s good for you to graciously apologize for your mistakes, but don’t make mistakes in the first place!”
“My life has been overflowing with unexpected occurrences ever since I’ve met Naoki . ”
“Don’t make this my fault . ”
Ayl returned with the seawater .
I took salt out of my item bag and further increased the salt content of the sea water .
Stirring the water in the pot with a stick, I asked what kind of monster this plant monster was .
“It gets bigger when it sucks in water and magic power . You can think of it as a monster that’s a companion to the mandrain plant and the creeper plant . ”
“I see . ”
I opened the door of the cell and deployed my Search Skill . Throwing salt water on the plant monster’s main body, I poured magic power from my hand . The vines came attacking, but they just coiled around without doing anything in particular .
Along with a gulping sound, it sucked in the saltwater and magic power, and just when I thought its stem was swelling up like a balloon, it exploded . When both stalks exploded, the vegetation on the wall and ceiling lost its power and the people caught on the ceiling fell to the floor .
“Now then, give everyone a hand . ”
So saying I had them help everyone . We pulled the vines off the 5 people caught on the ceiling as well as the two people in solitary, splashing them with recovery potions .
After that, we pulled the vines still stuck to the ceiling and walls off . The green leaves are already yellow and withering . How frightening .
As I pulled down the vines,
“So? How did it become like this?”
“That’s, well, um, where should I start explaining?”
Velsa said . ”
“Lemme ‘splain . ”
The berserker in the cell with us began to explain .
“Previously, the guys I half killed were the mercenary culprits that kidnapped the Prince, an’ so they came into these Big Sis’ cell . ”
Seems like he’s already calling Velsa and Merumo ‘Big Sis’ .
“And then, well, they were coming to do inappropriate deeds, but Big Sis Merumo beat ‘em all up . And she called the guards and they were going throw the mercenaries in solitary, but they couldn’t open the door no matter what . ”
Oh yeah, didn’t I seal up the door with a magic circle?
“I opened up a hole in the wall and they entered solitary, but three people in solitary was really tight . I moved to this cell over here . I’ve been watching these Big Sis’, so I haven’t laid a finger on them . I’ll swear by anything!”
The berserker appealed to me with frightened eyes .
“I get it, I get it . Aside from that, did the guards say anything about you busting a hole in the wall?”
“I don’t really get it, but a few just clutched their heads; they didn’t say anything either and it became something like, ‘do as you wish . ’”
They’d probably given up on all sorts of things at this point .
“I see . And then?”
“And then, Bis Sis Velsa set up plant traps since she said it would be troublesome if they were assaulted while sleeping . And then, this morning a guy that said he was an investigator from the capital appeared, and he got successfully captured in the trap . ”
“And I successfully, but unexpectedly, created a new type of monster through artificial means . ”
Velsa told me as she had an armful of vines .
“I see, I’ll give you my congratulations . Don’t do it again in a place like this . The cleanup is a pain afterwards . ”
“I’m sorry . But thank you very much . ”
Putting all the vines in the item bag, I used Clean Up . I might be able to use the vines later for something; I took that kind of poor person’s mentality .
“Excuse me-! We’ve finished-!”
I called out to the guards upstairs .
“Ah, yes!”
While Fluden was coming down, we laid the 5 investigators and 2 mercenaries on the ground in the corridor . They don’t have any physical injuries . Their pulses and breathing are also stable . If there’s anything wrong with them, it would be mental trauma .
Fluden came down bringing a man dressed in blue noble-like clothes .
“Sorry, sorry, we were troubled over how to deal with the situation . ”
Fluden said .
“I’m sorry for our employees . ”
“No, it’s fine . ”
“But the investigators have been…”
“They’re alive, right? Then it’s fine . Those people are imposters . ”
“Imposters?”
“Yeah, it really makes things complicated . ”
“My apologies . I am the investigator from the capital, Branton . ”
The investigator called Branton held his hand out for a handshake, so I took his hand .
“The imposters lying over there are merely the Prince’s fans, so don’t pay them any mind . We will take them into custody . ”
The Prince had fans?
“And so, did you find the Prince?”
“Yes, we found him . However, by the time we found him he was already…”
Naked – is what I didn’t say . I didn’t lie .
“This is his will and hair . ”
So saying, I hand Branton the will .
Branton unsealed the will and laughed while reading it .
“How like the Prince . This is the Prince’s handwriting without a doubt . I will take charge of this will . And all of you have been cleared of Ribley Arnest’s murder . The Prince confessed . This is the fee for the investigation, take it . ”
Branton handed me a bag with gold coins in it . Within seems to be about 20 coins .
“Thank you very much . ”
I obediently accepted it .
“No no, we apologize for involving you in this trouble . And so, where is Farucion’s grave?”
“Eh?”
Farucion is the Prince’s name, if I remember correctly .
“Farucion and I are childhood friends . I’d like to at least visit his grave . ”
What the heck . Is he feeling it out?
“There is no grave . His body is on the bottom of the sea . ”
“Don’t worry . I’ll spin a reasonable tale to the Royal Family . It’s too strange for him to have written a will, even though he had drifted off without having anything . ”
Was it found out that the Prince is still alive?
“It can’t be helped . I thought it would turn out like this one day . ”
“Hm~ is that so?”
It would probably be fine if I told him, but if he went and brought beasels along in the ship, it would be a mess . I can’t bother Shiose-san any more than this .
“You’re quite difficult to get to talk . It really is fine . Then I’ll change my question . Did you see anyone that resembled the Prince on your way back?”
“I can’t say . ”
“You won’t say, huh? I understand, thanks . I will investigate it myself . ”
“Please do so . ”
Taking the will and the lock of hair, he ascended the stairs .
If it’s him, he might have noticed that the will was sealed with gagapo dung .
“Oh yeah, you said the investigator would be late due to a rockslide, but wasn’t he fast?”
I asked Fluden .
“Eh? Aah, that gentleman is this country’s only Dragon Knight after all . ”
“A Dragon Knight?”
“An honorable knight that tames wyverns . He was quick because he flew here . ”
“Then he wouldn’t be affected by the rockslide, right?”
“He wouldn’t . Although there will be an official investigation team who will come in the future . ”
“Hm? These people lying over there, aren’t they a little too early if they’re trying to be imposters? They would have gotten here from the capital at the same speed as a Dragon Knight . ”
“Aah, we will have the investigation team thoroughly investigate that . ”
Seems like there’s a lot of trouble to clean up this situation .
“Is it alright if we leave now?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind . But please fix the things you’ve broken and seal up the hole . ”
The wall has an entrance cut into it . We had also broken the lock on the door, and there was also holes in the ground from the plant monsters .
We also have a lot to clean up .