Chapter 41 : I Knew It! That Man Was the Mastermind!
Where is the corpse?
Did it sink to the riverbed?
No,the Slane River isn’t that deep.
Even if it sank to the bottom, we should still be able to see a giant corpse like that.
「Ehh? Was it evaporated by your light attack just now?」
「I don’t think that’s the case. No matter how powerful my skill is, it’s not powerful enough to erase a giant monster like Hydra」
「So, what just happened, then?」
「I don’t know… Oiー! I think the trap you made is defective!」
「How rude! There’s no gap for it to escape through!」
「Really? There are gaps between each chain though?」
「Are you dumb!? Look closely! The gaps were too small even for one Hydra’s head to come out. If you really think that giant monster could slip out of those small gaps, you’re a real, 100%, genuine IDIOT!」
「Haahh!?」
「Haaaaahhh!?」
「「Haaaaaaaahhhh!!!??」」
Even though there was a river between us, as usual, we glared at each other after arguing.
Cecil was still standing on the iron pillar I made. If I feel like it, I could make the pillar submerge, and she would lose her foothold.
Khu, khu. She doesn’t know I can make her sink anytime.
Should I do it? Should I do it nowー!?
「Geezー! Why do you guys always fight even at a time like this? We better find out where the monster went.」
「Mumumu!」
「Gununu!…….. Yeah, you’re right, Roze.」
Uhh. You need to calm down!! Don’t be swayed by emotions!
It’s frustrating, but this time, Rozelia was right.
We don’t have time to act childishly like this.
「Alright, let’s go! That monster is wounded, it shouldn’t have gone far!」
Cecil jumped off the iron pillar and landed on the base of the bridge.
Rapier users acquire skills that increase their agility as their rapier level goes up.
That’s why she could jump so far.
As for me, the stats that would increase were mainly strength and endurance, so I couldn’t jump that far.
I-I’m not envious, okay!?
Rozelia also used magic to make her body float, and descended behind Cecil.
Without looking at me, they immediately ran along the riverside, heading upriver.
There were only two possible paths for the Hydra to escape to.
Upstream or downstream.
If the Hydra escaped downstream, it would have passed the drawbridge, so some of the carpenters should have noticed.
But, they didn’t say anything, so maybe that’s why Cecil chose upriver.
Well, it’s logical to think like that.
However, I didn’t feel like chasing after those two.
In the first place, it’s strange that such a big monster suddenly disappeared.
And I think using logic to solve an illogical situation like this will end with a poor result.
But… What should I do…? Hmm…
「Hanna senseiー!」
When I was thinking, a young carpenter ran toward me.
Ah, I just remember. I asked him to do ‘a task’ this afternoon.
「Something must have happened.」
For him to come to me with this timing… Maybe it’s a bingo?
They young carpenter reported to me while trying to control his breathing.
「Hahh, hahh… Sensei, you were right…」
「I knew it….. But, why is your face so pale?」
He played an important role in uncovering the truth of this case, but for some reason, he made a face as if he had lost someone important.
「Th, That’s….. Sensei, you better see it for yourself. Follow me!」
Apparently, what he saw was something he was hesitant to put into words.
I have to go see it with my own eyes then.
I followed him as we ran toward downriver, contrary to Cecil and Rozelia.
♦
After following the young carpenter for a while, we arrived at the entrance of a forest.
The young carpenter entered the forest, and I followed behind him.
「Did that person enter this forest?」
「Yes. There’s a small fountain in this forest, and it seems that it’s connected to the river underground. Ah, we are getting close let’s be quiet」
He slowed down and lowered his posture.
I followed what he did, and then we hid behind the trees in front of us.
Bingo.
That bald old man, Wize Alseria, was standing near the fountain.
A ‘task’ that I asked this young carpenter to do was to follow him.
No matter how you think about it, that bald old man was suspicious.
He always went somewhere else every time a monster appeared.
Plus, he said something as if he had seen the monster with his own eyes even though he wasn’t there.
「Sensei, your guess was right. It was that man who was manipulating the monsters.」
The young carpenter whispered to me in a soft voice.
Well, I’m not surprised at all.
Besides, I know that rotten people, like that baldy or the chairman, can do cruel things like this with a calm face.
「Perhaps, he received bribes from the neighboring country.」
「Yes, most likely.」
The Ludley Bridge was connecting Tiaret City and the royal capital.
Once it was broken, people in Tiaret didn’t have a choice but to import supplies from the neighboring country.
Naturally, the neighboring country would raise prices to make a lot of money.
And, what if some of that money was flowing to Wize Alseria, the supervisor in charge of the reconstruction of the bridge?
The answer is obvious.
That rotten man would naturally think that it would be more profitable if the bridge was never fixed.
However, if he just simply kept postponing the construction, he would be labeled as incompetent by the country.
Therefore, he came up with an idea to destroy the bridge, and build it, destroy, and build it, so that the bridge would never be fixed.
Moreover, he used monsters to destroy it. Very, very strong monsters.
So, people would think “it can’t be helped” and not blame him if the bridge was never fixed.
What a brilliant rotten idea by a rotten man.
「But… how can that baldy old man manipulate strong monsters? He didn’t look like someone who could use such advanced magic.」
Magic to manipulate monsters does exist in this world.
Like blunt instruments, that magic was also something that was considered ‘evil’.
But, to use it, I’ve heard that it requires a much higher intelligence than manipulating fire and wind.
And I don’t think that baldy old man was that intelligent.
Suddenly, the fountain was shaking.
「Sshh…… It’s back…」
Being warned by the young carpenter, I tried my best not to make any noise.
What came out of the fountain was… the Hydra’s head.
But, its size had shrunk a lot.
It looked very very small compared to its giant size earlier.
And, there was only one head, not eight.
「Hmph. You’re finally back. What took you so long?」
「I’m sorry… Dad…」
Huh…?
It said ‘Dad’…?
And… that voice…
While I was still shocked, the mini hydra changed shape and became a girl…
…..A girl that I know…
「”Dad” you said!?」
Wize hit the naked girl who tried to crawl out of the fountain.
「I’ve always told you! You can call me like that in public, but don’t you dare call me “Dad” when it’s just the two of us! Disgusting!」
KKHHHHHー!!!
I tried to go out but the young carpenter desperately held my body back.
「S.. Sen..sei… Calm… down… ukhh」
Why…….
Why doesthe true identity of the monsters that have destroyed the bridge so far have to be Galle-chan!?
Author :
The story of this arc will soon reach its climax.