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Chapter 326 – Raid
“Actually, what do you think? Do you think they would publicly assassinate me at a time when they are about to make peace with us?”
I asked Isla and Iphrita in the carriage on the way to the adventurers’ guild.
From my point of view, it would be a bad idea to try to assassinate me, who has a close relationship with the higher-ups in the Merinard Kingdom, at a time when diplomatic negotiations were in progress, even though they had temporarily broken down.
“That’s a bit naive, isn’t it? Even the Holy Kingdom is not monolithic, so we should be vigilant.”
“Hmm. If there are forces that want to make peace, there must also be forces that are absolutely unwilling to make peace and want to fight to the bitter end. For those forces, Kosuke is a target they want to get rid of at all costs.”
“I see.”
The hawks, which could be called belligerents, are losing power now that we have beaten them to a pulp, so the doves, who are peacemakers, are in control, but the hawks may move to assassinate me, thinking they can pull off a reversal.
“You’re missing the point, aren’t you? You’re really a peace-lover.”
“To me, assassination and plotting are basically a story in a game or a tale. Especially when it comes to being targeted myself.”
People who are on the lookout for assassinations on a daily basis are just plain weird. It can’t be helped.
As I was thinking this, the carriage came to a sudden stop, and the outside suddenly became noisy.
“Eh? Don’t tell me it’s because of the rumors?”
“I don’t know. I’ll go outside and see what’s happening. Kosuke and the princess will stay here.”
Saying that, Isla jumped out of the carriage―something flew at high speed and pierced Isla.
“I can see through it.”
With a clank, something hard falls to the cobblestones and rolls away. The one that looked as if it had pierced Isla was actually caught without being pierced.
“Kosuke must not come out.”
Saying that, Isla tightened the door of the box-shaped carriage behind her. At that moment, I saw something that had fallen on the cobblestones. It was a short, thick arrow used for a crossbow.
“Damn it!”
“You can’t. You might end up dragging her down, so the escort target should stay quiet.”
Iphrita stopped me by pulling the hem of my dress as I was about to take out my handgun from the shortcut and jump out of the carriage.
“Kuh… but that doesn’t mean I should put Isla in danger――”
Just as I was about to argue with her, I heard a series of violent rumbling noises coming from outside the carriage. It was probably the sound of thunderbolt magic fired by Isla.
“It’s over.”
With a thud, Isla opened the door and returned to the carriage. Eh, that was quick, wasn’t it? Isn’t it too easy?
“The assassins fell all over the place. I think some of them are still alive, so I’ll leave the rest to the people on the outside.”
“What do you mean by the people outside…?”
When I opened the window of the box-shaped carriage and looked out, I saw Shumel and the others tying up the assassins, who still had a thin white smoke coming out of their bodies, and I also saw some of the harpies. I could also see some guards.
“Those guys might commit suicide, so make sure you put stuffing in their mouths, too. You contact the castle and tell them to prepare a cure and antidote, too.”
“I-I understand. I will contact them immediately.”
A brown-feathered harpy named Flamme flies away after hearing Shumel’s instructions. Maybe she noticed my gaze, but after seeing it off, Shumel waved her hand in the air as if to say don’t worry about it. It seemed she was escorting me from the shadows, after all.
“We headed for the adventurers’ guild as planned. There are a lot of subhumans there now, so human strangers will stand out, and if anything goes wrong, the bloodthirsty adventurers will intervene. Not a good place for an assassination.”
“Y-yes!”
I don’t know if it was a mouse, a squirrel, or a hamster, but the beastman of that type, who was acting as the coachman, replied to Isla in a frightened voice and began to move the carriage forward.
“Isla, are you hurt? Is everything alright?”
“I’m fine. Nothing has reached me. I’ve prevented it with my new barrier magic.”
Saying that, Isla took out an arrow from under her robe―a short arrow for a crossbow.
“I don’t know what it is, but there’s something coated on the arrow’s tip. Probably poison. I want Kosuke to keep it in your inventory.”
“Okay.”
I received the crossbow’s short arrow from Isla and put it in my inventory. When I looked at the data displayed in the inventory, it showed “Crossbow arrow (Basilisk poison applied).”
“It seems to be coated with basilisk poison.”
“I see. That saved us the trouble.”
“But a crossbow, huh…? I never thought a Holy Kingdom assassin would be using a crossbow.”
“Hmm. But some adventurers are already using them. It is not surprising.”
The crossbow itself is the official equipment of the Merinard Royal Army, so a good number of them have already been deployed.
The Royal Army’s units also engage in monster cleanups in various parts of the country, so there is a good chance that crossbows will be seen by the general public. It has already been confirmed that copies of crossbows are being sold to adventurers, so it is not surprising that assassins have obtained crossbows.
“Well, that too.”
“From the way it felt when I received it, it wasn’t as powerful as the ones supplied to the military. Probably not made by Kosuke or used by the military. It was made by a craftsman in some town who was just imitating what they saw.”
“I see. I’d like to examine it in detail later… but I never thought I’d really be attacked by an assassin.”
“It was a wonder that it had never happened before. We should be more careful from now on.”
“I agree. Especially since your life is not yours alone anymore.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. No one else was hurt, right?”
“They had to stop the wagon by breaking up the luggage and lumber. A few people were hurt, but the guards gave them first aid right away, and Shumel arranged for them to be treated. There were no fatalities other than the assassins.”
“I see…”
At any rate, it’s fortunate that there were no deaths other than the assassins, but I suppose we should give generous support to those who were injured as collateral damage. I will personally make arrangements to remember that when I get back to the castle.
“I should probably refrain from going out into the city.”
“If you’re worried about that, you won’t be able to do anything.”
“Hmm, you worry too much.”
Iphrita and Isla both deny my words. It’s true that it’s annoying to be cooped up in fear of the assassin’s shadow because it makes you feel like you’re losing, but if it involves the general public, it’s not a good idea. No, wait?
“If assassin attacks are a problem, then why don’t we just create a route that will never be attacked by assassins?”
“Huh?”
“I see.”
Iphrita tilted her head, but Isla nodded her head in understanding. This is a reaction to the difference in experience between the two of them.
“What about transportation? Do you walk?”
“We could lay down some rails and build a special vehicle. We could use the golem as a power source.”
“What about a magic source?”
“You’ve got that, right?”
“That’s dangerous. We shouldn’t do that. As the chief mage, I can’t allow such a dangerous thing in the underground of Merinesburg.”
We can use magic crystals, but since we have dream power that produces almost unlimited magic power, why not use it? But surely it’s not safe if there’s an accident. It would be too bad if Merinesburg were to disappear from the map.
“???”
Iphrita is listening to the conversation between Isla and me while tilting her head. Alright, I’ll explain the plan to you before we get to the adventurers’ guild. This is a revolutionary plan. In some cases, we might even be able to expand the range of activities for Lime and the others.