Level Eater

Tatsuro and Ai mounted on Cardina's back and caught up with Yorn, As Yorn continued to leisurely soar through the sky,

"Hey! Who is that child anyway!?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Marikka, my dear. But before that, wouldn't it be better to ask what happened first?" (Reginald Mac Dermott)

"──Huh? Oh, right, but…" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

Marikka, who circled around, staring at Cardina as if to shoot her with her eyes, was curious about creatures she had neither seen nor heard of due to her Tamer class. Despite her own interest, Reginald, the head of the major merchant family, restrained her.

Marikka, being a Tamer, was eager to ask about creatures she had never seen or heard of but reluctantly adopted a posture to listen quietly.

"The beast folk below are called Ennio." (Tatsuro)

"That's okay, Tatsuro. I heard about it from Salman and our Gillian, so you can skip that part." (Reginald Mac Dermott)

Since the details about Ennio seemed to have already been explained, Tatsuro gratefully focused only on the main topic.

"Well, contracting with someone who's an ancestor reincarnated. That's the worst, that Gregory person." (Reginald Mac Dermott)

(TL.NOTES: People with Ennio's conditions are called ‘ancestors reincarnated' it occurs mostly in beast men or beast folk)

"However, isn't it dangerous for a Tamer's contract to be so heavily influenced by ancestor reincarnation, even if it's incomplete? We're heading to the place where the lord resides, after all." (Neville)

"I'll make sure to keep Ennio in check, and the child's goal is not the lord but Gregory, the mastermind, so he won't harm the lord… probably." (Tatsuro)

"Probably won't? That's not reassuring!" (Neville)

While being persistently warned about safety by Neville and reluctantly acknowledging Salman's words, who had actually been almost killed several times, they finally got approval.

With that obtained approval, Cardina, whose dragon power was running low, appealed to Tatsuro with her eyes.

I have enough magical power myself, but [Dragon Flight] is a skill dependent on dragon power. At Level 1, my dragon power is still insufficient for long flights with two passengers.

"Marikka, can we switch to Yorn? And also, Ennio too. This child seems tired." (Tatsuro)

"Eh, really? She looks low on stamina for her appearance." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"My child is going to grow from now on. Right, Cardina?" (Tatsuro)

"Pew!" (Cardina)

As if saying, "That's right!" Cardina nodded vigorously. Impressed by the clear understanding of words, Marikka placed the two on Yorn and tied the wire connected to Ennio to Yorn.

Then, Cardina transformed into a chick using [Child Form], attempting to perch on Tatsuro's head, but Ai lifted her onto her own head.

"What's with this child? She can become so small. Oh, she was hiding like that!" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Well, something like that." (Tatsuro)

"So, what kind of creature is she? I told you about Yorn, so you should tell me about her, right?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

Since she had been interrogated extensively about Yorn earlier, it would be awkward not to share this information. Tatsuro struggled with his thoughts, but a good answer didn't come to him immediately.

"Huh? Oh, right. But I'm not very knowledgeable about magical creatures, so I'm not sure about the species…" (Tatsuro)

"Huh? Since she's so fond of you, it's pitiful not to tell her properly. Oh, but even though I'm quite knowledgeable about living beings and magical creatures, I feel like I've never seen a creature like her in a book. Where on earth did you meet her?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Um, in the Amneri Great Forest?" (Tatsuro)

"Why the questioning tone?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

After answering numerous questions vaguely and casually, it seemed that Marikka picked up on the fact that Tatsuro didn't really understand well, prompting her to sigh.

"Okay, fine. I'll look into it myself next time. But seriously, why did you go to such a dangerous place like the Amneri Great Forest?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Well, it's more like we ended up going there unintentionally." (Tatsuro)

"That's still vague. It's really dangerous there, so you mustn't go near it." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Yes" (Tatsuro)

"Understood." (Ai)

"Peep" (Cardina)

Both of them were well aware of the potential dangers in that area, so they gave clear responses. By the way, Cardina just chirped in response.

As they continued chatting and moving, suddenly, the lord's mansion—or rather, a Western-style colossal castle—appeared as if springing up out of nowhere.

"A castle… I couldn't see something like that until now…" (Tatsuro)

"Oh, it seems to be made of some special material. You can't see it unless you get close. I was surprised the first time I saw it too." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"There's such material, huh… And it's bigger than a certain mouse's castle." (Ai)

Surprised by the unexpectedly huge castle and the numerous towers within its grounds, the two were taken aback. Yorn, on the other hand, confidently entered beyond the castle walls.

Worried about airspace violation, Tatsuro wondered if Reginald behind him was concerned too, but he reassured them it was fine.

"I've already informed them of how we'll be arriving. All that's left is to land at the designated point." (Reginald Mac Dermott)

"That's reassuring then." (Tatsuro)

Below Tatsuro, the guards or soldiers on the ground, seemingly used to such sights, glanced briefly and returned to their duties without any signs of alertness.

"As for the designated point, is it the usual place?" (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Yeah, that's fine." (Reginald Mac Dermott)

Responding to Marikka's question, Reginald confirmed, and Yorn turned the helm to the left, heading slowly towards the destination.

Descending slowly, Yorn approached one of the towers within the castle, with a flat top resembling a rooftop. After a complete landing, there stood a reasonably attractive woman, not exactly breathtaking, but with a well-maintained face. She was accompanied by three knights standing behind her.

"Everyone, thank you for your efforts. Marikka, Yorn, well done." (Laurence)

"Don't worry about it, Laurence -chan! … I mean, don't worry about it, Lady Laurence." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

"Hehe, that's right. I have to separate public and private life. Now, everyone, my father is waiting. Please come to the reception room." (Laurence)

"Understood. Lady Laurence." (Marikka Shurjaniemi)

Reginald, in contrast to his casual tone, bowed politely to Lady Laurence, the third daughter of the lord. Laurence nodded once, glanced briefly at Tatsuro's group with a light smile, and then led the way into the castle.

"Wow, she feels like a princess." (Ai)

"Her demeanor is refined, and she seems accustomed to it. Impressive." (Tatsuro)

"What? Did you fall for her?" (Ai)

"Well, I find those noble types a bit… I prefer lively, cute, and ordinary girls with smiles." (Tatsuro)

Saying that Tatsuro held Ai's hand and smiled. In response, Ai, who intended to tease him, ended up blushing and getting flustered.

"Hehe, is there such a girl?" (Ai)

"Yeah, the one I'm holding hands with right now." (Tatsuro)

"Whoa? Was it me? Oh, I'm in trouble." (Ai)

"What are you doing? You guys look ridiculous." (Ennio)

"Did Ennio say that!?" (Ai)

"What do you mean?" (Tatsuro)

While there was a commotion behind them, Laurence's guards furrowed their brows. Laurence, however, far away at the forefront, chuckled amusingly.

Following the guide, they reached the reception room. Laurence knocked, received an immediate response, and entered with a large group of people.

The reception room, fitting for a lord with vast land, was spacious enough that even with over ten people entering in a line, there was still plenty of room.

"This time, it seems I caused you various troubles, Reginald." (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

"No, not at all." (Reginald Mac Dermott)

Seated on luxurious chairs, the man who addressed them appeared to be in his fifties, slightly tired with noticeable white hair.

"Now, may I have a detailed explanation?" (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

"Yes. However, I believe it might be quicker to hear it from those who were directly involved" (Reginald Mac Dermott)

"That's true. And who might that be?" (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

"These individuals here, Father." (Laurence)

Laurence gestured towards Tatsuro's group, and the two of them stepped forward.

At that moment, the lord stared at their faces and mumbled, "Still quite young." The two then straightened their backs, preparing to explain.

"Well then, I'm not sure how many times I've heard this, but please explain what you told Reginald." (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

"Yes. First──" (Tatsuro)

Thus, Tatsuro went on to narrate everything that had happened so far. Meanwhile, the lord attentively listened, cross-referencing the information with the documents at his disposal.

"Now, finally, show me our family's heirloom." (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

"…Even if it includes a corpse, is that alright?" (Tatsuro)

"It's fine. It's evidence, including that." (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

Nodding at the lord's words, Tatsuro presented Iyaruki's corpse. At the back, Ennio twitched but showed no further signs of movement.

"Even for Reginald, is this the real deal?" (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

"Yes, without a doubt. And we have also investigated the identity of the corpse." (Reginald Mac Dermott)

"You work fast indeed. Let me see." (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

Taking the documents from Reginald, the lord read through them, closed his eyes as if giving up on something, and then exhaled slowly.

"It's confirmed now. Laurence, what you've been investigating on your end and the information I gathered from these boys seem to align. Did you notice anything strange?" (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

"No, not at all. Rather, they've filled in the gaps that were present before." (Laurence)

"I see. Understood. Joaquin. You can be rough if necessary, but capture both Bertram and Gregory according to plan." (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

"Yes!"

Joaquin, one of the two who stood behind Lord Brendan like shadows, a beast man with distinctive slanted eyes swiftly left the room.

"Will they surrender peacefully?" (Tatsuro)

"I've told Joaquin that it's fine to use force if necessary. We're constantly monitoring their whereabouts. There shouldn't be a problem. And you adventurers, I must express my gratitude. Considering your profession, it would have been faster to turn a blind eye and leave." (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

"Huh? Oh, no. Some acquaintances of ours are here in this territory, so we wanted to do what we could." (Tatsuro)

"I see… You're still young but quite responsible. Later, as a reward, wait a bit. You might be curious about the details of the situation as well." (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

"Very well, we'll wait" (Tatsuro)

While the idea of a reward intrigued them, their primary concern was witnessing the moment when this matter would be properly resolved. Therefore, without objections, they decided to wait here.

{I feel like Laurence-san was secretly investigating a lot even without us doing anything.} (Ai)

{Yeah, it's way too prompt. Maybe passing through Lyadas without doing anything wouldn't have been a problem.} (Tatsuro)

{But it probably served as the final push. It may have reduced the number of people suffering from the damage a bit, so it's not entirely pointless.} (Ai)

{True.} (Tatsuro)

Having such telepathic conversations, they returned to Ennio's side and waited. About ten minutes later, something unexpected happened.

A loud, thunderous sound echoed through the castle, making the room tremble slightly.

Tatsuro immediately touched Ennio, keeping his heightened emotions in check.

"What's happening!? What's going on!?" (Brendan Lyadas Bruitt)

"It seems like this isn't over yet." (Tatsuro)

"Sigh… Despite being so confident earlier, what's the lord doing now?" (Ai)

Amidst the shouts of Lord Brendan and others, Tatsuro and Ai realized that they would be involved a little more in this matter. They exchanged glances and sighed.

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