A week later, Iris and I are called to the mansion of the Minefort family.
When we get to the front gate, a butler that’s probably in his fifties and has an impressive handlebar mustache appears. He’s wearing a nice black tailored suit.
“Miss Iris, Mister Loyd, thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to come here. I am Sebastian, and I will be your guide.”
We greet Sebastian, and he takes us inside.
The Minerfort mansion has a magnificent French style garden, with fountains and flowerbeds here and there, and verdant grass in between. The outside of the mansion has a symmetry that’s both beautiful and well-ordered.
The interior is also impressive, adorned with paintings and vases of different styles and countries, and a beautiful laid out red carpet. There isn’t a spot of dust to be found, and the shining glass windows show the face that has been with me through thick and thin for nineteen years.
The mild features I got from my mother don’t do bad with the ladies, but they do tend to lead me to be underestimated as a mage.
Isolte is in the visitor’s room. She’s wearing regular clothes, but instead of the tight corset that’s currently popular in the capital, she’s wearing a white dress that’s loose around the waist.
When she sees us, she prompts us to sit on the sofa, with a gentle smile on her face.
Iris and I sit next to each other, facing Isolte. And after speaking for ten minutes, we get to the main subject.
“Thanks to investigations by the intelligence department of the capital, we have determined that the assassin Miss Iris handed to us before is a professional killer called Black Raven.”
““Black Raven?””
Iris and I react in unison.
“He is a dangerous assassin that worked in the eastern continent under the code-name Black Raven, as a member of Catastrophe.
He was identified immediately after we wrote about his characteristics through ‘gardo’.”
This gardo that Isolte casually mentioned is a small bird used for communications. They are native to the Mistol region, and all long-range communications are done by gardo.
They’re really fast at delivering letters, so a regular gardo would take a couple of days, and a fast gardo just half a day to deliver a letter to the capital.
Some people also keep them as pets because they’re cute. I used to have one too, but it flew away after I left the window open one time. So sad…
“It sounds like it was easy to get information on him, despite being an assassin.”
“His peculiar way of speaking made it very easy to tell he had to be Black Raven.”
So that stupid exaggerated way of speaking was actually super important foreshadowing that led to him being identified…
I thought it was just a gag.
“Is it really all right for a professional assassin to have a clearly identifiable way of speaking?”
Iris asks a very reasonable question.
“Assassins are humans too. Some of them really like to show off their strength.
I guess it gave him a pleasant feeling to be seen as a scary person throughout the world. Like he was great, powerful, and terrifying.”
“That assassin did seem to like talking. He could have just attacked without saying anything, but instead went out of his way to introduce himself, and in the end, even went as far as to explain his school of swordsmanship.
I guess you could say he really does like to show off his power, and likes the limelight. Even that laugh in the beginning was unnecessary.”
Iris looks at me like she’s waiting for me to agree. I think we should do him a favor and stop.
That assassin is just too much of an unfortunate individual. But his skill with the sword was very real, so… (Why am I defending him)
It feels like an embarrassing chunni light novel he wrote in his notebook is being exposed to the world.
“I was not aware of this, but it seems he is wanted in various countries.
It was decided that if he were to be captured in the western continent, he would be handed over to the Brilliant Crimson Empire in the eastern continent.
That means our country… The Kingdom of Merzelia, has to go through the formalities.”
“So basically, the Black Raven is getting handed over to the Brilliant Crimson Empire?”
I ask just to check.
“Exactly. Incidentally, this is good news to you.”
Says Isolte while looking directly at me.
“What do you mean?”
“Black Raven seems to have lost interest in Miss Iris, and is very worked up over killing you.”
Wai, why did he change targets to me!?
“I guess he feels frustrated over having lost to you.
His speech changes only when he speaks of you. He keeps saying ‘I’m gonna kill that mage, I’m not gonna forgive him, absolutely not’. That’s how he talks about you.”
So he’s pissed. I really feel the hatred in the way he flipped his speech.
Well, it will all be over when he gets shipped to the Brilliant Crimson Empire.
“Understood. So what should we do, guildmaster?”
“That is why I called you here.
I want you two to accompany me to the capital. Her majesty also seems deeply concerned over Miss Iris being made to step down as a saintess.
Her letter included the phrase ‘I would like to meet with Miss Iris’.
“If Queen Merzelia says so, I have to go.
Will you accompany me, Mister Loyd? I would feel a lot safer if you did.”
“Can I take that as a roundabout confession?”
“I don’t really understand what you mean, but it would help a lot if a vicious monster attacked and you were present.”
Iris completely glosses over what I said. I feel like she’s slowly getting better at dealing with me.
Isolte then looks at both of us in turn.
“Then we will leave tomorrow. It won’t be good to keep her majesty waiting.
I will arrange for wagons to leave from this mansion to the capital tomorrow, so cancel all your plans, Loyd.”
And so, it’s decided that we’ll be going to the capital.
I don’t mind that at all, but I have one issue. Tomorrow is a problem for me personally.
“Can’t it be the day after tomorrow? I’m supposed to meet up with two friends for a barbecue tomorrow.”
I’ve become more of a cheery person ever since I got to Minerva.
I’m acting like a stable adult while showing her my plans for my day off.
It’s just a day, it wouldn’t hurt to postpone it, right? Is what my calm expression says.
According to the calendar of the Kingdom of Merzelia, tomorrow is a holiday.
I’m supposed to go to the Kaleid coast for a barbecue with Mars and Lela, so it’d hurt me if that plan was crushed.
Please let me go have a good time!
“Ah, I see, I canceled that for you, Loyd. Don’t worry about Mars and Lela, I already spoke to them.”
“Ah?”
“Thank you for coming along.”
This person’s scary, meddling in my private affairs like it’s no big deal.
She has the makings of a yandere.
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