CH ss - 37

[Alfine: A New Request]

※Alfine’s POV

With well-maintained silver hair and striking ice-blue eyes, Noelia, the daughter of Frontier Count Lloyd, undoubtedly has a beautiful appearance, and as a noble, she has something ephemeral in her bearing. She is woman with an air that make me feel I have to protect her even as a woman myself.

According to the rumors I heard in the city, she seemed to be a magic researcher with few words originally, and had been living the life of an adventurer alone for a long time, but since she formed a pair with the Crimson Magic Swordsman – Frick, who came to Youg Hannotes just recently, that impression had changed suddenly.

It makes me feel like she is of a completely different race from me, who led an unrefined lived devoted to sword.

However, I’m sure she is also feeling pained thinking about the person she loves.

Surely, she is helplessly in love with that person called Frick.

It seems there are some problems, and because she couldn’t overcome them, she felt frustrated and anguished.

Seeing the tears she briefly showed, I feel that she has the same anguish as myself, so I decided to support her as much as I can.

I think that is a meager repayment I can do for her who offered to help in my search for Finn.

After I decided to support Noelia’s love, a beastman, who seems to be the representative of the village, rushes in while we are still grabbing each other’s hands.

“Eugene-dono, I should have informed you that we would have a confidential talk with these people. I have told you not to get close to the house because danger might also befall you if you know the contents, haven’t I?”

Noelia rebukes the beastman named Eugene who rushed in, with a slightly harsh tone.

“I-I am sorry. However, it is a state of emergency, and I could not make the decision, so I immediately decided to ask for Noelia-sama’s decision.”

“State of emergency…?”

“Y-yes! Marco-dono is back on Frick-dono’s horse, along with the villagers who went to the mine!”

“What about Frick-sama?”

Being asked by Noelia, Eugene shakes his head.

“Al-sama, a little problem has just occurred. So, please wait here for a bit. Suzana, please entertain everyone.”

“Understood.”

Noelia who suddenly has a change of complexion entrusts her personal maid, Suzana, to take care of us, and is about to leave the room.

“Father!?”

Maribel, whose face was hidden and we brought along into the house because we weren’t certain if there wasn’t any traitor in the village, suddenly gets out of her seat and leaves the room before Noelia.

“Maribel!”

“Maribel-chan!”

We chase after Maribel who had rushed out to the village square together with Noelia and Eugene.

“Father! Father! Wake up! Father!”

Maribel screams at a beastman tied to the saddle of a giant horse that has a red mane on his black body.

I tear off the screaming Maribel from the man.

“Maribel, calm down. Is this person your father?”

“U-un! He is Maribel’s father! He is covered all over with wounds, but he is definitely Maribel’s father, Al Onii-chan!”

“Marco’s daughter… wait, so you are Maribel! You sure have grown up!”

Seeing Maribel’s face, that had the cloth covering it came off, there is a visible look of nostalgia on Eugene’s face.

“Marco-dono said that her daughter was killed, but… come to think of it, he already rushed out of the village before I could ask the name of his daughter. Do you mean that Maribel-sama is his daughter?”

“That is right. It appears that there was a misunderstanding.”

Looking at Maribel and Marco’s faces alternately, Noelia and Suzana nodded as if they are convinced.

“But why is he tied up, I wonder? Wait, is this a letter?”

While untying the rope that tied up the body of Maribel’s father, Marco, Meila finds a letter affixed on his back and shows it to me.

Meila sure is deft with her hands.

But it’s infuriating when she touched me as she pleased though.

“Meila-sama, may I see the letter?”

“Ah, yes. Please.”

Having received the letter from Meila, Noelia reads its contents.

Then, she suddenly begins to chant a magic.

“Uh, uhh… Frick-dono, I have to avenge my daughter…”

Marco seems to have been put to sleep with magic; he begins to wake up, albeit in a daze.

Seeing him waking up, Maribel escapes from my hands and hug her father.

“Father, father!”

“Uhh, uhhh, Maribel… Maribel!? Ahh, so I have died… We finally met again… I am sorry, Maribel. I ended up got you involved…”

Marco-san, who is in a daze, seems to misunderstand that he has already died.

“Father, Maribel is not dead!”

Maribel slaps the cheeks of her father, who is in a daze, many times over.

“Uuuu… it hurts… Eh, Maribel, Maribel!!”

“Father, finally… you are awake! Maribel thought you were dead all these times… uuuu, uwaaaaaaah.”

Maribel hugs her father and cries while shedding tears in large drops, wetting her face.

“Maribel, Maribeeel! I thought that everyone in that facility were killed… I never thought, that you would be still alive.”

“Al Onii-chan and Meila Onee-chan came to save Maribel, you know! If they did not help Maribel, Maribel thinks she would have died there.”

“I-is that so… you faithfully obeyed my instruction after I told you hide, huh…”

Marco, who has gotten off the horse, looks at us and bows deeply.

When the giant horse neigh as if it feels joy at the reunion of the father and daughter, a man from the group of beastmen behind them steps forward and speak to us.

“I’m sorry for interrupting, but the situation in the mine is urgent… Frick-dono who came to save Marco-dono, together with Cinzia-sama, have started an all-out battle, and they are in the middle of fighting against the Abyss Walkers.”

“T-they are in the middle of fighting against Abyss Walkers!? I-is that true!?”

“Y-yes. At first, we were hostile to Frick-dono, but then he healed us who were injured; afterward, Cinzia-sama told us there would be someone who would help us if we return to Devon Village and we escaped from the mine. That is why, I beg you to save us. We just wanted money for our livelihood.”

The man kneels in front of Noelia, rubs his head against the ground and apologizes, begging to be saved.

Are these beastmen the people Noelia said were hired by the foreigners and worked for them?

They must only work for the money without being informed of the details.

Noelia, who was begged by her man, showed a little pondering gesture, but in my eyes, she seems to be worried about the person she loves fighting against mighty enemies rather than them.

“I-I understand. However, I do not think that the Radcliffe family will overlook you all who worked in the mine. So, it would be impossible for you all to return to your original lives here in this village. Therefore, I will write a letter for my father, asking him to let you to move and live in the suburbs of Youg Hannotes. In that case, you will be under the protection of my family, and the Radcliffe family will not be able to easily touch you. Fortunately, the territory of Frontier Count is uselessly large, so we have a lot of land left over.”

“You mean we have no choice but to move to Youg Hannotes…?”

“Yes, given the current circumstances, if you live in this village, you will just be silenced.”

Noelia’s reply makes the people who came from the mine let out resigned sighs.

Then Marco, who is hugging Maribel, lowers her daughter to the ground, and stands in front of the people from the mine.

“Because we have been dragged into the grave situation of the kingdom, I think the only way we can survive is to be under the protection of Frontier Count’s family and help them thwart the Radcliffe family’s ambitions. That should be the only way for us to offer tribute to our brethren who was killed by those people.”

After Marco said so, those who came from the mine agrees one after another.

“It seems to be settled. Then, I will write the letter in haste. As a matter of fact, I have something to ask of you, Al-sama.”

Noelia talks to me, who could only watch on the situation, with a trusting gaze.

“You have something to ask of me? If there is anything I can do, I will gladly help you.”

“Ahh, thank goodness. I am sorry but, could you lead these beastmen and escort them to my father?”

“Does it mean to protect them from the pursuers of the Radcliffe family?”

“Yes, there is no guarantee that they will not be pursued after all, and they are also important witnesses, so if possible, I would like a skilled person to be their escort and escort them to Youg Hannotes. As for the reward, my father will definitely give it to you.”

Certainly, they are a group of important witnesses that can testify the fact that the Radcliffe family is plotting to revolt.

There is a possibility it will be cast aside if there is only one person, but if a large number of witnesses gather, will Frontier Count’s claim become more credible, I wonder?

I was thinking of returning to Youg Hannotes as soon as I completed the request for information exchange, so there is no reason to decline Noelia’s request.

“I understand. I will accept Noelia’s request. As soon as I receive the letter, I will leave for Youg Hannotes.”

“It pains me to make such a request without letting you take a rest, but… please let me depend on Al-sama this time.”

Having said that, Noelia immediately returned to the house and wrote a letter to Frontier Count, and after handing the letter to us, she rode the black giant that brought Marco-san and galloped to the mine, just like that.

“Is it okay to let Noelia-sama go alone?”

“Yes, since she went with Diedur, Noelia-sama should have no problem. Rather than that, we are counting on you for the escort. It is not much, but this is an advance payment.”

After I am done preparing for the journey, Suzana-san hands me a leather bag filled with gold coins as a form of advance payment.

When it comes to traveling with this many people, it will take a lot of money after all, so I appreciate it.

“Thank you for your consideration. Well then, we will leave before night falls.”

After I thanked Suzana-san and the people of Devon Village, I decided to take along the beastmen, who decided to move to Youg Hannotes, and depart from the village.

And their meeting gets delayed again…