Stelia was a fief located in the northern region of the kingdom, bordering the empire. Margrave Stelia and his household had attained a great deal of glory during the prior battle against the empire, and their long list of achievements allowed them to be in charge of this tumultuous land on the outskirts. Stelia was a cold region near snowy mountains, and the frosty temperature made it unfit for growing crops. Along with this setback, it was no secret that the fief was tirelessly plagued by constant skirmishes against the empire. But in the face of these hefty disadvantages, every soldier in Stelia was renowned for their high skill and excellence in combat.
As the light of the teleporting crystal faded away, Yusurika and I found ourselves standing in the middle of a dim room. When I shifted my gaze to the ground, a magic circle was engraved by our feet; no doubt this was used to mark where one would be teleported. Which means we made it to Stelia, I surmised. I’ve never traveled long distances with the crystal before, but this thing really did send me off in an instant.
“Y-Young Master...” Yusurika stammered as she sank to the ground.
It looked like her beautiful, dark hair was slightly disheveled as well.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Everything,” she muttered, shoulders slumped and head hung low. “How in the world could you be so reckless? I can’t even imagine what my boss will say to me. He’s been thorny enough as it is after the banquet...”
“Oh? Are you dissatisfied with the relationships in your workplace?”
She let out a loud sigh and stood up. “No, not at all, Young Master. I apologize for my miserable grumblings.”
Her tone had instantly regained its usual vigor, and she gave me an elegant bow. Looks like she’s quick to switch gears.
As I observed my surroundings, I heard rapid footsteps approach this room. Moments later, the door burst open with gusto, and an armed man entered the room.
“Huh? Who are you guys?” he asked with a frown full of suspicion. “We weren’t expecting any new shipments...”
Is he some kind of security hired by whoever bought the slaves? But judging from his words, it seems this place was used to transport slaves. The teleporting crystal was used for delivering their goods, while the merchant and buyer communicated over a telepathic network to cover their tracks. Teleporting crystals are small and easy to smuggle, after all, so getting just a few wouldn’t be too hard. Judging from the man’s tone, it was also crystal clear that the person here had been engaging in slave trading multiple times before.
“Young Master, how shall I deal with him?” Yusurika asked, her glare icy and biting.
“Don’t kill him,” I ordered.
“Your wish is my command.”
She approached the man with incredible speed and swung her wand. The man instinctively reached for the blade on his waist, but he was too slow; she whacked his head and smacked him against the wall. His body slumped lifelessly to the ground, blood spattering from his head. There was even some blood stuck on Yusurika’s wand.
Uh... Is he still alive?
“I-I haven’t killed him. Honest!” Yusurika stammered after she noticed my questioning gaze.
Are you sure? Well, it’s not like I care if a mere guard dies or anything. But you used that wand to treat me, so I assumed it was some sort of catalyst for your magic. I didn’t expect you to use it as a blunt weapon.
I wisely kept these thoughts to myself as I stepped out of the door. A hallway stretched in front of me, and I peered out the window to see a blizzard brewing outside. I had noticed a bit of a nip in the air, far colder than before I teleported, but this must’ve been the norm for a cold region like Stelia.
A soldier, dressed in the same armor and attire as the guard Yusurika had downed earlier, rushed at us, perhaps hearing the fuss from this room. He glared at us angrily. I could only commend these guards for working so hard at this late hour.
“Wh-Who are you guys?!” he barked.
There was no need for us to answer, and Yusurika made short work of him as well. We were by no means quiet, but it seemed there were no other guards after us. I checked my pocket watch. Three a.m. I suspected that a vast majority of people were asleep during this time, and there would only be a few night security guards patrolling the area.
“What a needlessly large manor,” I remarked. “It’d most certainly be a chore to check each and every room.”
I was standing in the corner of the hall, but its sheer length attested to the fact of the manor’s size. I emitted a wave of magic over this wide range and tried to pick up any mana signals. This technique allowed me to sense anyone with mana—including monsters, people, and even tools imbued with magic. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any response, meaning there likely wasn’t anyone who could use magic here. None of the buyers’ names in the slave-purchasing records rang a bell, but I guess this noble can’t use magic. Can the merchant?
“Allow me...” Yusurika said.
Intuiting that my mana wave couldn’t pick up any signals, she used a perception spell of her own. I haven’t seen that spell before... I gazed at the magic circle on the ground and tried to read the runes inscribed. A spell that senses sound, it seems.
“I found him,” she said. “The lord of the manor, I suspect.”
“Oh?” I asked.
She’d pinpointed our target in mere seconds, a fantastic feat in and of itself. She can use some of the best healing spells known to man and even cast a high-level perception spell...
“How are you not renowned?” I wondered aloud.
“Er... I’m not particularly adept at combat...” she admitted.
But you subdued two large men with just that wand. That seems plenty strong to me. But I suppose the Dark Knights who hone their combat abilities to perfection would have incredibly high standards. Those who can’t fight at that level may not be valued as much.
Yusurika took the lead, and we slammed open the door that presumably belonged to the one who had purchased the slaves.