"Well, let's speak back at the castle. I can't promise anything, though. Come with me."
Deliberately keeping up one last line of defense, I invited Lynphia to join me in the carriage, then sighed at my misfortune.
Sheesh. It was just one problem after another.
8
After returning to the castle, I invited Lynphia back to my room where I took a seat on the sofa facing her.
"First, let me thank you again, Lynphia. I would have died if you hadn't been there."
"Oh, I wouldn't go that far. That assassin wasn't planning on killing you. If he had been, I'm sure your steward would've made it in time to save you."
"Still, I escaped unharmed. Thank you."
"I did it for myself. And I'd prefer compensation over words of thanks."
Lynphia replied with no change to her expression. She was very calm and collected, spoke matter-of-factly, and didn't show her emotions. I wondered if she wasn't slightly lacking in charm for a solo adventurer, but the fact that she managed anyway meant she probably made up for it in skill.
"All right, then. What's this request of yours?"
"Thank you. I was born in a village near the southern border of Adrasia. I imagine you'll know what I mean if I call it a refugee village?'"
A refugee village. The phrase made me furrow my brow. I'd known her request would be trouble, but this was turning out even more complicated than I'd imagined.
The "refugees" referred to were exactly that—people originally not citizens of the empire who'd wandered across the border, after being forced to flee their hometowns due to war or monsters.
"Yes, of course. I can tell this is going to be a difficult problem for me to be involved in, but go on."
"As you know, there are refugee villages around the empire, but most of them aren't officially recognized. That's understandable. The refugees come in and create villages without permission. I don't mean to complain about that, even though my village is one such example. But...right now, we're in need of the empire's assistance."
"Is there some sort of problem?"
"Yes. Our village has become the target of a series of kidnappings. Young women and children are being abducted. The reason is that our village is made up of several different groups of refugees. Most villagers, myself included, are of mixed blood."
Being of mixed blood wasn't particularly unusual. In fact, I myself was the same. My black hair wasn't uncommon within the empire, but having black eyes as well was slightly rare to see, at least to the point some might casually wonder if I was from the East.
In other words, the mixed blood issue couldn't have been the sole reason for the abductions.
"What happened in your village because of the mixing of races?"
"...Heterochromia of the eye."
The instant I heard that phrase, it all made perfect sense. Demi-humans and people with heterochromia were the only people of mixed blood typically targeted for abduction. I clicked my tongue and folded my arms.
It was a disturbing issue. Heterochromia of the eye was a unique phenomenon whereby one's left and right eyes were two different colors. The problem was that these odd-eyed children could be traded at high prices, for their uniqueness as well as the fact that most of them had magical ability.
"If you're saying there's human trafficking going on, then something has to be done. But the southern border is very remote. Wouldn't it have been easier to find a territorial lord or military officer in a nearby large city to tell, rather than come all the way to the capital?"
"I tried that, but no one will do anything. They all say that there's no proof, or even worse, that our village doesn't even exist. That's why I left the village to come get someone with power from the capital to help us, since luckily, I wasn't born odd-eyed myself. Then while on a quest in the western region, I made contact with Silver. I'd heard rumors that Silver had connections to the imperial family, so I came to the capital to see him. I just happened to run into you first."
"What a coincidence. So no one will do anything about it, huh."
The worst-case scenario popped into my head. The most difficult and dangerous possible scenario for this issue. Those local lords and military leaders were in league with the group doing the abductions. If that were so, then it wasn't merely an issue within the refugee village, but a much bigger issue of corruption within the nobility and military.
In which case, I didn't have the time to resolve it.
"Master Arnold. I know you're indebted to her for saving your life. But an impossible request is an impossible request."
"Sebas..."
"Why is it impossible?"
"Master Arnold and his brother, Prince Leonard, are to be sent as ambassador extraordinary and aide to another empire. They will not return for at least a few weeks, and possibly not for several months. He simply does not have the time to help, regardless of how much he might wish to."
"O-oh... Then could you at least help financially? I've gathered the most trustworthy adventurers I could find during my quests and paid them to guard our village, so it is safe for the time being. But our village doesn't have the money to continue employing them forever. I've even given my own earnings as an advance, but it's not enough to keep them in our village for very long."
Ah, so that was why she'd gone out and become an adventurer. She was able to earn some money while at the same time scoping out other dependable adventurers, which was easiest done by going on quests together with them.
She'd obviously thought this all through very well. Now, what was I going to do?
It would be easy enough to turn her down and forget all about it. There was no need for me to take on another burdensome issue when I was already so busy.
We talked about her saving my life, but that was only for show. My life had never truly been in danger. Also, there were favors you can do for people, and favors you can't. This request fell into the latter category.
However, if I turned her away now, there were plenty of people I could imagine bad-mouthing me for it later, or even worse, going out and trying to do something about the problem themselves. I was left with no choice.
"Okay, Lynphia. I understand the issue and what you're asking. Can I suggest a compromise?"
"A compromise?"
"Yes. Leo and I will be leaving the empire. That's unavoidable. But once we're back, I'll help you out to the best of my ability. I'd like to ask you to wait until then. Of course, we'll put out a new request for adventurers to keep your village safe in the meantime, which I will fund. What do you say?"
"Really? You'd do that?"
"Master Arnold, this is a most dangerous proposal. You're right in the middle of the battle for the throne. Taking on another issue will leave you exposed. What happened today could happen again."
"If it does, I'll do whatever I can to help you, too, in return. How about that?"
Lynphia then placed her sword on the table. It looked like a normal, thin sword, but as I'd seen earlier, it was magic. It could change form into a spear or shield. And from what I'd witnessed of the spear's special ability, I assumed that the other forms had their own particular abilities as well.
Lynphia continued speaking with that same controlled expression of hers.
"If you protect my village, I will protect you. I will protect everyone and everything that's dear to you. So, do we have a deal? Not to brag, but I make a very good bodyguard."
"I appreciate the offer, but will your village be okay without you?"
"Everything should be fine if you employ adventurers for us. The kidnappers don't have any great fighters in their group. When I was back home, I was able to protect the village single-handedly. Having an A-class adventurer around will assure their safety."