While Zenon went to resupply, Samuel maintained communication with the Temple.
It seemed he had heard something about the monster hunters during that process. Samuel continued speaking with a furrowed brow.
"If they tried to make monster hunting an opportunity for quick riches, the Temple would have had grounds to intervene."
Specializing in monster hunting was a form of power in itself. Monsters were considered vile creatures, and exterminating them was sacred work.
The Imperial Army had the justification of protecting their own citizens, so that couldn't be helped. But if such a role were extended to ordinary mercenaries, the symbolic authority held by the Temple would inevitably fade.
And judging by Samuel's reaction now, the Temple indeed seemed to view these monster hunters quite unfavorably.
"They're pretending to do charity work because they're afraid of being stopped."
I muttered indifferently as I gazed out the window.
Lilia was using the Yusgel Trading Company to cultivate monster hunters in order to help Maxel's subjugation efforts, wasn't she?
Once the monster hunters established themselves to a reasonable degree, they would claim that the Crown Prince had actually supported them and direct all the credit to Maxel.
'Even so, the major subjugation still requires Maxel to personally take the lead.'
The notable target worthy of being called a major subjugation was the Lizardman habitat.
However, if Maxel were targeting the Lizardman habitat, rumors would likely spread, but according to Zenon, no such news had been heard.
Since the subjugations so far hadn't caused much of an impact, they were surely aiming for a large-scale operation.
I shifted my gaze to the sky. I could see Soana flying high with wings spread. When I made a light gesture, Soana drew a large circle once and then flew away.
"We should wait for Soana to finish scouting the habitat area."
Among the Dullahans under my command, Soana was the one who could scout the Lizardman habitat most quickly.
Moreover, she would be looking down from high in the sky, so if Maxel were to lead soldiers and appear near the Lizardman habitat, it would surely catch Soana's eye.
Zenon, who had been looking up at the sky through the window following my gaze, asked me just as Soana became a black dot and disappeared.
"How long will it take her to return?"
"She said one day would be sufficient."
"Then shall we look for a place to stay in the village today?"
Having camped for several days, it would be good to rest at an inn for at least one day.
When I nodded, Zenon immediately opened the window toward the driver's seat and told Palides the location. It seemed he had looked for an inn while shopping around.
The carriage, which had been standing near the village entrance, slowly began to move. I propped my chin on my hand and stared blankly out the window when Samuel quietly spoke up.
"And this is news I heard while contacting the Temple earlier..."
When I glanced back, I saw Samuel's face slightly furrowed. After pausing for a moment, he spoke in a gruff voice.
"Dullahan sightings have increased."
"Dullahans?"
Just as I was about to demand why he was only mentioning this now, Samuel quickly continued.
"But the reports are sporadic and indiscriminate, so they lack credibility. The Paladins who responded to the reports and went to the scenes didn't encounter any Dullahans."
"Isn't it just people who heard the Temple's announcement that Dullahans are cursed creations and got scared, so they're making reckless reports?"
Zenon casually offered his conjecture. It was a quite persuasive guess.
"Of course, that could be the case."
Samuel's voice as he answered somehow sounded unresolved.
"Is there something that bothers you?"
When I asked, Samuel slightly lowered his gaze.
"This village is among those where reports came in."
"...This place?"
"Yes. They say Paladins came by yesterday."
At the exasperating timing, the carriage stopped in front of the inn. However, neither I nor Zenon got off the carriage; instead, we stared blankly at Samuel.
"Likewise, there were no particular traces."
"...Did you confirm who made the report?"
"The records left at the Temple identify them as a traveler passing through this village."
A traveler passing through this village suddenly discovered a Dullahan and reported it?
That was naturally a highly suspicious claim.
"If they were a traveler, they would have used an inn."
Zenon, who had been quietly silent, suddenly spoke up. He seemed to be lost in thought, then turned his gaze toward the inn visible outside the window.
"We should check."
* * *
There was no particular information about the traveler. According to the innkeeper's explanation, there was nothing particularly characteristic about them—just a traveler you could see anywhere.
The Dullahan he claimed to have seen was also said to be nothing more than something glimpsed by chance in the middle of the night, close to a hallucination. The innkeeper concluded dismissively, saying it was nothing more than a simple farce.
If it really was something to just laugh off as he said, that would be fortunate.
'Dasha said if she woke up, she wouldn't stay quiet...'
The sighting in this village might truly be nothing.
'But for false reports to come in simultaneously from multiple places is strange.'
It feels like someone is scattering bait, but is that my oversensitivity?
"Captain, you don't need to worry. I'll protect you without a single gap!"
Lost in thought, I snapped to attention at Palides's spirited words.
"Okay, I'll count on you."
Originally, I didn't assign Dullahans to guard me while I slept. But just for today, I decided to keep Palides by my side.
I felt a bit sorry to assign night duty to Palides, who had worked hard driving the carriage all day, but she was the only Dullahan who could stay by my side in human form, so it couldn't be helped.
"Nothing will happen, Captain."
Palides said in a reliable voice. I smiled at her and lay down on the bed.
Though some indescribable premonition was making me feel uneasy...
I hoped nothing would really happen.
Bang!
And regrettably, my wish was not granted.
* * *
Samuel could not fall asleep even late into the night.
The insomnia had started on some day. No... saying 'on some day' was a somewhat evasive expression.
He had lost sound sleep ever since partially recovering memories of his past life. Because the traces of the distant past, always so achingly far, were replayed in his dreams every night.
When he told Mori he wanted to ask about the past, he was sincere. Samuel was curious. About the emotions the betrayer of the past must have felt.
About what emotions and impulses his actions were based on.
And so, he was spending the night with open eyes as usual.
That was why he was able to respond quickly to the commotion arising from Anelli's room.
Bang!
The walls of the inn were not thick enough to block noise. Moreover, Anelli's room was sandwiched between Zenon's and Samuel's rooms, so in reality, there was only a single wall between them.
At the dull noise from Anelli's room, Samuel immediately rose.
When he threw the door open and went out, he saw the door on Zenon's side opening. Samuel didn't wait for him and grabbed the doorknob of Anelli's room.
"What is happening?"
Before forcing the door open, he asked loudly. Instead of an answer, the sound of something breaking—crash—came from inside.
Without needing to hesitate further, Samuel turned the locked handle.
The old inn room doorknob twisted with a metallic sound under his strong grip. Whether the twisted screws dug into the wood grain, a cracking sound rang out along with some cracks.
"Lord Anelli!"
Beyond the forcibly opened door, a room with the same structure as Samuel's room was revealed.
The first thing visible was the wide-open window. Because of this, the cold night wind was dropping the room's temperature sharply.
"Are you al—...!"
Zenon, who had been shouting urgently from behind Samuel, faltered. Samuel and Zenon stood rooted at the entrance, staring blankly at the scene before their eyes.
Anelli, meeting their gazes, furrowed her brows and clicked her tongue briefly.
"You woke me when I was trying to handle this quietly."
"I'm sorry, Captain. I should have used less force..."
"No, if I had used less force, these ones would have thrashed about even more. Resolving it in one blow is cleaner."
Saying that, Anelli slightly leaned her body forward and shifted her center of gravity.
Then, a low groan leaked from the unidentified person pinned beneath her feet.
"What in the world... who are these people?"
Samuel tried to assess the situation as calmly as possible. However, he couldn't stop his voice from trembling.
Carefully entering the room, Samuel looked around. Beyond the one Anelli was stepping on, there were several more figures lying unconscious.
"What is this, did these ones crawl into Lord Anelli's room at dawn?"
Zenon, who had been standing with a dazed expression, also belatedly grasped the situation and wore an incredulous look.
Approaching the fallen ones with long strides, Zenon ripped off the masks they were wearing. Naturally, looking at their faces, there was no way to recognize who they were.
Zenon crouched before them and began stripping not just the masks but their clothes entirely. He was probably trying to search their belongings.
"Are you injured anywhere?"
"Ah, yes. I woke you and Samuel unnecessarily by making noise while beating them to death."
"I wasn't sleeping anyway. And it seems that mage wasn't either."
Samuel answered indifferently and cast a glance at Zenon.
"Strip them moderately, it's unsightly, mage."
"Don't you know you have to strip these kinds of guys from the clothes first?"
"You seem to have overheard something clumsily, but it looks like you picked up only the nonsense."
Ignoring Zenon, who was about to retort with an indignant face, Samuel bent one knee.
The person pinned beneath Anelli's feet looked nearly unconscious. Seeing a little blood on the back of his head, he must have been struck hard.
"To call them thieves..."
"They're not thieves."
Before Samuel's words could finish, Anelli crossed her arms and spoke coldly.
"These ones were clearly targeting me."
The word 'target' was somehow chilling. Samuel raised his head to look up at Anelli.
Her eyes, looking down at her own feet, were cold and settled. A composed voice flowed from between her lightly drawn lips.
"It seems assassins attached themselves after I shook off the tracking party."
...Sadly, it wasn't exactly something to laugh about.