Volume 23 Chapter 15 Aftermath
In the square in front of the villa, surrendered mercenaries and servants—likely from the manor—were gathered and tied up by the Levy Merchant Guild's mercenaries.
Some lay on the ground, probably too injured to stand. They might have received basic first aid, but the red blood seeping through the bandages looked painful.
Nearby, Guildmaster Levy and a young man talked seriously, discussing something important.
"Sorry. I was just talking with Mr. Eric's disciples."
As Al approached, Guildmaster Levy and the young man looked up. Their hair and overall appearance resembled Ruella's, but they were quite tall—around 185 centimeters.
This must be Edmund, Guildmaster Levy's eldest son.
Al remembers Ruella mentioning him as her friend and the eldest of her siblings when she visited his middle school classroom—six years older. He also talked about his older brother Gustave, who was six years older, but this guy seems completely different.
From what he recall, he used to look lanky, but now he's gained muscle and has a solid build.
"No, it's perfectly fine. We have a lot to discuss. This is Edmund. He's an adventurer named Al. You know him, right?"
Guildmaster Levy introduced them. Al nodded, and Edmund nodded back. How does he know about him?
"I've heard a lot about you from Ruella. I listen to Al's stories more than Sir Naresh's."
Edmund chuckled softly. He's curious about what they're talking about. Could it be related to Patricia? But he quickly turned serious again.
"There's a lot to discuss, but let's put that aside for now. I was about to share what I heard from my father, Brook, and the other surrendered people. It's not entirely certain, so keep that in mind."
Uncertain, huh? Can't be helped. It's only been an hour since they captured Brook and freed Guildmaster Levy.
"First, they detained us to frame the Levy Merchant Guild for working with the former Count Senet's faction and betraying the Kingdom of Sylvester. Eventually, Baron Scully was supposed to arrest us as criminals."
Who's Baron Scully? He feel like he has heard that name before, but he can't remember. Al tilted his head in confusion, and Guildmaster Levy nodded lightly.
"He's the elder brother of Lady Agnes, Viscount Lester's second wife. He handled internal affairs in Border City Lester since Viscount Lester was ill and in the capital. He's probably at our headquarters now, fabricating evidence of rebellion. After we were handed over, he likely planned to transfer our assets and customers to the merchant guild he favors."
He finally remembered, thanks to Guildmaster Levy's explanation, mixed with a bitter smile. He's Naresh's half-brother, Sanjay's real uncle. So, he's one of the masterminds behind this, I guess.
Or maybe he's just one of the collaborators.
"Next, about Al—Just what exactly did you do? It seems Brook was deemed such a nuisance that they were ordered to be killed outright, no matter the cost because of you. They probably couldn't give such an order to Margrave Rain's guard or knight battalion, but they were told to capture him alive or dead for treason."
Edmund shook his head, as if the story was unbelievable. That's why they gathered archers for a concentrated attack.
The fact that they deliberately made a mechanism to break the wall might mean they expected Al to sneak in for a rescue. If they anticipated such actions, he'll need to be cautious in the future.
But they didn't need to treat him as such an enemy...
What was the story about his treason against the country? Surely, they didn't claim to be the Marquis Prentis family, right?
Al sighed heavily, feeling it was a bothersome story, and asked.
"Ah, it seems he was punished for losing the fight against the Marquis Prentis family's knight order and for attempting to assassinate Margrave Rain on the orders of Viscount Powell, who had come to Border City Parker. By the way, Grand Mage Whitton, whom you defeated, and his subordinates, researcher Cole and others, were mercenaries from the Tempest Kingdom called 'Gray Sage.' It seems the Shining Shield and Black Knife Gang completely believed it. A subordinate of the Marquis Prentis family confessed to being involved in front of them, and they were stunned after hearing it. Seventhsnake might have known about it too."
He has never met Viscount Powell. He's the commander of the First Knight Order of the Tempest Kingdom, who united those opposed to the Marquis Prentis family's usurpation of the royal throne.
He should have been living wild on land rented near the border, along with Joanna's father, Baron Quenner. I wonder what they're doing now. Perhaps they're participating in the expeditionary force with Prince Sennett.
"What about Mr. Eric and the others?"
"Officially, it's said they suspected you of cooperating... That's what I hear. But the actual situation is uncertain. Many seemed puzzled because Cole, the researcher, joyfully kept barging into rooms."
The Marquis Prentis family probably wanted to investigate options and various things. It's also certain that the family didn't have the technology regarding this option.
"I took the materials Cole was making and glanced at them. It seems the Marquis Prentis family was trying to research spell options. Also, while Cole himself might be a pure researcher, his escort, Rachel, a female magician, might be a spy."
Al then shared what he'd just heard from Fitz with Guildmaster Levy and Edmund. They nodded in understanding.
"Understood. Moving forward, let's rest here until midday and leave in the evening."
"Is that okay?"
Al looked surprised and asked. Didn't two mounted men head toward the capital?
"Whitton seemed confident and sent word to the capital that our mercenary group had appeared here. He thought Al might be with us and believed they could easily repel us. In fact, Brook, who was in charge here, still believed Whitton would return even after being captured. When we showed him Whitton's body, he was shocked. Thanks to that, we got a lot of information."
I see. The button-shaped Magic Bag with the body is still with Reginald. Good to know it was useful.
"I see. So, until evening should be fine?"
"Yes. The mercenaries whom we rescued haven't slept properly in days, and neither have you, right? Ideally, we'd stay overnight, but we can't afford to relax that much. We'll leave in the evening while it's still light, move through the forest, and head to Border City Parker while avoiding attention."
Makes sense. The Levy Merchant Guild, with their trade connections, likely knows the back routes. Any rest is appreciated. Three hours of sleep should restore some of my spellcasting ability.
"What about the prisoners?"
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