For the next few days, the cleanup of the Demon Defeat was underway in the Royal City, but on the surface it seemed as if everyday life had returned.
Nevertheless, those in official positions were busy in their own ways, and there were several developments within the royal court, such as the temporary return of the new Marquis of Knarp, who had remained in his domain for some time, and the Zehrfeldt family, with Ingo, the head of the family, and his son Werner both serving at the royal court on a daily basis.
On such an ordinary afternoon, there was a visitor at the Zierfeldt residence.
“My name is Rafhed, and I am an ore merchant. I have been doing business with the Counts of Bachem for some time now, and I look forward to doing business with the Counts of Zehrfeldt in the future.”
“Thank you for coming, Master Rafed.”
Lily is the maid of the drawing room and the parlor maid. It is a common practice for aristocrats to change the first person to attend to their guests according to their needs, with the maid for first-time guests and the butler for important ones. The Count’s butler, Norbert, is behind her as Lily’s scorer.
The man who introduced himself as Rafed is rather slender in appearance, but he has a light in his eyes that shows he is listening to his surroundings.
This is for the Count and this is for your son as a sign of our proximity.
“Thank you for your kind attention. I’ll make sure you get it.”
They’re both catalogues and the actual items my men brought in are in the corner of the hall. The rule is not to bring them into the back of the room until you’ve checked the contents, just in case. Lily takes the inventory and hands it to Norbert, who leaves to examine the letter and its contents. Rafed sees this and takes a step closer to Lily and speaks to her in a whisper.
And this is for Miss Lily. It’s about your brother.
My brother?
Lily looks up in surprise. Rafed’s cheeks sagged and a serious look appeared on his face.
“I see. I heard that the hero Mazel-sama was also active in the neighboring country of Reslatoga where he killed a demon tribe that was disguised as a lord… but after that he went to the ruins deep in the Poida Desert and has since disappeared…”
Ruins, huh?
“Yes. I have some connections with the country of Reslatga through my trade with Count Bachem. I had a chance to speak with him there.
I see…
“I understand your concern. If you’d like, I can tell you more about what’s going on.”
Rafedo spoke again and Lily nodded with a nervous expression on her face.
Um, would it be okay if my parents came with me?
Of course, sir.
“But I’m out of town today… I mean, it’ll probably be around this evening at the earliest.”
Rafed nodded.
“In that case, I’d like you and your family to come outside the villa to the marketplace at the stroke of the evening bell. We’ll talk in a different room.”
Okay, okay. Okay, let’s go out the back.
Yes, that would be better. I know you’re worried, but since it’s about a missing hero… don’t tell anyone.
Yes, yes.
I’ll see you later.
Lily and Norberto saw Rafed off with a friendly look on his face as he left again and returned to the pavilion. Norbert nodded.
Okay, okay. Take care of yourself.
Yes, please call me back.
Lily got permission from Norbert to go up to the third floor with her magic lamp and mirror and went into her room at the back of the building and took out a note from a drawer and began to make preparations.
The evening darkness was beginning to cover the sky over the royal city. Rafed stopped his carriage and waited with his ministers at a short distance from the Zehrfeldt mansion and smiled inwardly when he saw the three men, including Lily, coming out of the mansion. He is wearing the kind of clothes that the city’s inhabitants wear so he doesn’t stand out in the approaching dusk.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
No, no, no, no. Have you told the Count and the others?
I asked you to leave a message.
“I see. Let’s change places. Please, get in.
Lily looks hesitant for a moment as she opens the door to the carriage and sees a stout man riding inside. Rafed smiles.
“Oh, don’t worry. They’re your family. We’re here to protect you.
I see.
What do you have there, by the way?
“Oh, this is…”
I’ll show you what Lily was holding. It’s a crystal perfume bottle. Glass is expensive, so the perfume bottles used by the nobility are sometimes made of carved crystal. It’s a luxury item, of course.
“It was given to me by Mr. Werner.”
“I see. It must be very important. Be careful not to drop it.
“Yes.”
After this exchange, the three of them quietly entered the carriage and Rafhed bolted the sturdy door from the outside. There were no windows so that they could not see out from the inside, nor could they see who might be inside from the outside. When he was sure of that Rafed sat down next to him and motioned to him.
The carriage starts to drive slowly.
But a little further on a man stumbles out from the side road in front of the wagon. We almost run him over and the coachman yells at us.
What the hell are you doing?
What? What are you drinking?
The Gosha shouted more when he saw the man sitting in front of the carriage with a wobbly, drunken gait.
You know that this carriage belongs to Count Bathem?
“What?”
The man looked as if he had not heard him yet, but some other men rushed up to him and carried the drunken man up.
I’m sorry. I think he’s had a little too much to drink.
I’m sorry.
Get the fuck out of the way!
At the words of the governor men stepped aside with a man who seemed to be drunk. A carriage passes by them at a hurried pace. One of the men holding the man laughs sarcastically in a whisper so the coachman can’t hear him.
“Hmm. The Count’s carriage.
We have a deal. Let’s go.
“Copy that.”
After a small conversation, both the man who sat in front of the carriage and the man who carried it away disappeared towards the palace with a gait that did not seem drunk.
Rafhed and his men, on the other hand, see no need to change their plans, despite the minor problems along the way, so they slow down and move slowly on. They slow down and move slowly, taking a short detour until darkness falls and the carriage reaches a warehouse district where there is no longer a soul to be seen.
Rafed only prepares to turn on the magic lamps and the Master takes out his flying boots.
The whole party disappeared from the capital.
Rafed and the Goth laughed at each other as they checked their surroundings. Rafhed and the priest laugh at each other.
“The problem is that the gates are closed at night.”
“Yes, I knew something like this would happen. The wagons won’t get through, but we’ve made arrangements to let ourselves in through the service entrance. We can spare the wagons.
But we’re outside the city walls. We never know when the demons will attack. I wave the light of my lamp and more than a dozen figures in hooded cloaks appear from the surrounding woods. They deploy their weapons and surround the wagon.
Rafhed laughed at the crowd around him as he dismounted with his guards.
It worked. Now if you and your brave family will just come out quietly we won’t hurt you.
The carriage shook as if in response to his voice. Rafed hears a thud and smiles as he approaches the carriage to unbolt it, and suddenly several people around him throw something at the carriage. The china bottle breaks with a crack and Rafhed turns around uncomfortably.
“What are you doing?”
Well, just in case.
Who are you?
I’d say, “If you’re gonna ask someone’s name, you might as well say it yourself.”
His tone was easy-going, but without a moment’s pause the man held up his spear and laughed a small, gruff laugh. The sovereign gasped when he saw his face.
My name is Werner van Zierfeldt. You will return the Lily to me as planned.”
