Chapter 12: Assault

October arrived, and Allen finally turned twelve. This month marked his fourth anniversary here at the Granvelle mansion. During the past five months, the chivalric order had assumed supervision over the armored ant nest that he had cleared, and in September, the northernmost mithril mine finally began operations. Mine development for the vein Allen had discovered would begin next year. Specialist miners had taken a look at it and confirmed that this was indeed a brand new vein that no one else had happened upon before. It was expected to be a very rich vein, at that.

When the knight captain had saved him at the orc village, Allen had realized how much freedom he had been given to do what he wanted. The number of hours he spent hunting had shot up ever since he had obtained Sharing. And next year, the mining rights he held would enable him to live a comfortable life without even having to lift a finger.

Back when he lived in Krena Village, there was something that he had desperately lacked: status. In a desperate bid to raise his family’s social class, he had hunted albaherons en masse and spearheaded changes to the great boar hunting party. Despite being unable to leave the village as he pleased, it had still been a very fulfilling time.

Now, though, he felt like he was just hunting slimes around the starter castle. He had more than enough money to live off of, and the monsters he fought posed no threat to him; all he was doing was grinding to the level cap without any particular goal in mind.

My mining rights... Almost feels like excess flab.

What Allen sought was not a cushy life. He had come to this world in search of excitement, something that could clutch his attention and consume his every waking thought. What he now had was not what he wanted. Partly due to these thoughts, when he went on to clear two more armored ant nests and realized they were not mithril mines, he did not feel particularly disappointed.

When he arrived at the mansion at eight years old, he had planned on becoming an adventurer. Then Mihai had asked him to protect Cecil, and Allen had said, “Yes.” He still fully intended on keeping this promise, but now that he had turned twelve, he was also thinking it was about time for him to embark on the next phase of his life. This life of grinding “slimes” around the starter castle could not be the right answer for him.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Rickel asked.

Allen roused himself. “My apologies, sir.”

The two were currently sharing breakfast together, just as they had for the past four years. Next year, Rickel would be quitting as head manservant to become either a coachman or a cook. The position of head manservant was not one that could be held for several decades, and it was high time he passed it on to someone else.

He was currently musing with Allen about which would be the easier profession in his usual flippant tone. Allen thought this a very Rickel-like question to ask. When he looked at this superior of his, he wondered if maybe he was the one overthinking his life.

“I heard the royal envoy’s coming again,” Rickel said, changing the subject. “I’m starting to get tired of all this talk about mithril, honestly.”

“So I’ve been told,” Allen replied. “Even though he came just last month.”

Visits from a royal envoy were hardly unusual, but their frequency had jumped up significantly over the past year. Many of these had been to confirm the progress of preparations for the mithril mining operation, with there being a noticeably pressing tone in their questioning. Allen wondered if it was due to a shortage of mithril in the kingdom now that Carnel was no longer able to produce any.

The advance notice that came the other day included the date and time the envoy would be arriving, but not the nature of his business. Sebas had told Allen to stay in the dining hall after lunch, as part of the service staff that would be on hand during the audience.

The baron’s family had lunch, then two men arrived at the Granvelle mansion around 1 p.m. When Sebas escorted them into the dining hall, the baron gasped. Not because of the royal envoy; it was usually the same one who came every time, and even Allen had seen him multiple times by now. What caught the baron by surprise was the identity of the royal envoy’s companion. He knew this person, and he was much more than a mere passing acquaintance.

The royal envoy was visiting together with Viscount Carnel.

“Welcome,” the baron said, keeping a straight face. He had allowed his wife and children to sit in for today’s audience as he had expected it to be about the mithril mines again. If he had known the viscount was coming, he would have handled this visit on his own.

“I have heard that you apply yourself to your fiefdom’s development with such eagerness and vigor. You are a true model for the other nobles,” the envoy began, insolently leaning back into his seat and staring at the baron from across the table.

Ugh, this envoy’s as arrogant as always.

Instead of sitting, Viscount Carnel was standing behind the envoy, almost as if he were the man’s attendant. The positioning looked just like how Sebas stood behind the baron.

“May I ask what is the nature of your visit today, my lord?” the baron asked respectfully, a tinge of wariness in his tone.

The envoy grunted. After a pregnant pause, he answered, “I’ve come to bring you a proposal, Baron Granvelle.”

“A proposal, my lord?”

“That’s right. You are involved in a dispute that is well-known even among the nobles. So what I bring today is a proposal to resolve that dispute.”

“What dispute might that be, my lord?” The baron racked his brains, but nothing came to mind.

“The centuries-old dispute between House Granvelle and House Carnel. This is an issue that even the royal family cannot overlook. A reconciliation must be achieved.”

“That’s...”

When speaking of a dispute between these two families, only one thing came to mind: the mithril mines in the White Dragon Mountains. It was true that this was an issue that had hung like a shadow over both houses for generations. The two realms constantly cycled between prosperity and decline in turn, forever at the mercy of the white dragon.

“And so I’ve brought this today.”

The viscount walked forward with a rolled-up parchment in hand. Sebas met him in the middle and accepted it with both hands, then brought it back and placed it before the baron.

“Wh-What is this?”

“Read it.”

The baron undid the string and spread the scroll open. As his eyes flowed across the page, however, shock filled his face.

“This is simply...”

“Mm? Do you take issue with this solution that I have gone to the trouble of arranging?”

“But, my lord, shared management of the White Dragon Mountains is just...”

“Just what? The two realms being divided by the mountain range is the cause of their dispute. As such, both can share management over the whole mountain. Naturally, profits will also be split equally.”

“Shared management”? As in, both the baron and viscount will have equal claim to the entire mountain range? Damn. So that’s why the viscount’s smirking so much.

What the royal envoy had brought was a contract for House Granvelle and House Carnel to share ownership over the White Dragon Mountain Range. The man proceeded to describe how the two families would share both the burden of maintenance and the profits obtained. From his position behind the envoy, Viscount Carnel was clearly having trouble hiding the smile on his face. Even his shoulders were shaking, indicating just how badly he was holding in his laughter.

“However—”

“What displeases you about this? I even asked the judicial vice-minister himself to write up this contract for you.”

“But—”

“Enough. Viscount Carnel’s signature is already on the document.” The royal envoy stared down the very confused and flabbergasted baron, almost as if wordlessly ordering him to stop complaining and sign the blasted document already.

After a long, pained silence, the baron said, “I...am truly sorry. This is all very sudden. May I respond after having an audience with His Majesty?”

“What? You are refusing to sign the contract that I asked the judicial vice-minister to draft? So, you’re a big shot now, are you, baron?”

“O-Of course not, my lord. Just a brief audience would do. All I wish is for a quick confirmation with His Majesty in person.”

“So you doubt me! Being able to mine mithril has made you brazen and impudent. Enough!”

The envoy shot to his feet and headed for the door in a hurry. Seeing Viscount Carnel hurry after him as an attendant would, Sebas also rushed forward to escort them out, but the envoy shouted loudly, “No need!” and furiously slammed the door.

After the dramatic exit, Baron Granvelle cast the parchment onto the grand table. “I refuse to believe in the validity of such a ridiculous contract. Sebas, I must pay the royal palace a visit with haste. Zenof is returning two days from now, yes?”

“Yes, Master. He has gone out on an expedition to the White Dragon Mountains, so he should be returning to town in two days.”

It was as if the clock was now leaping forward after being frozen. The baron barked out questions, taking stock of the situation. As soon as the knight captain returned to Granvelle City, the baron would be taking him along when he headed to the royal capital via magic ship. With this, all the members of the baron’s family and servants were dismissed.

＊ ＊ ＊

Several hours later, Allen was busy polishing silverware. During this time in the day, he did not have any particular duties to fulfill, so he normally went around lending a hand to other servants who needed help. At times, he would help cook, tend the garden, do the laundry, and so on and so forth. He was, in short, a jack-of-all-trades. And today, he just happened to be taking a cloth to the silverware used by the baron’s immediate family.

But still, “shared management”? That’s a nice name to put on what’s definitely going to be trouble.

The contract from earlier was still on his mind. “Shared management.” “Peaceful resolution.” “Equal distribution.” With so many empty platitudes that sounded so morally upright, Allen worried how the baron would be able to turn down this “proposal.” If he did so, he could end up being accused of trying to monopolize the mithril market. Allen did not have the faintest idea what the baron could do even if he went to the capital.

Suddenly, a scream rang out from the floor above, jolting Allen from his thoughts.

CRAAAAASH!

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

The sound of glass smashing was immediately followed by the sounds of struggle coming from the third floor. Allen hurriedly placed the silverware down and dashed up the stairs from the first floor. Everything was so sudden that he had no clue what was going on. It was not Cecil who had screamed, meaning it was likely one of the maidservants. Soon, Sebas and other servants came into view. Allen rushed past, taking care not to bump into anyone.

When he came out the other side of the crowd, the first thing that he saw was a quivering maidservant standing frozen in the hallway and a gentleman-in-waiting crumpled on the floor, the angle of his body indicating that he had been sent flying out of Cecil’s room. There was a crater in the wall where he had presumably crashed against it. He was on the verge of death, bleeding profusely from his stomach.

Seriously?! The assailants came in through the window!

Allen stepped past the frozen maidservant and rushed into Cecil’s room, finding her window gone along with a large portion of the wall. Clearly, the assailants had forcibly blasted their way in. There were three of them, all wearing leather armor for ease of movement. At first, Allen thought they were adventurers, but then gathered from their vibe that they were more likely hoodlums or robbers. Whatever they were, they sure weren’t knights.

One of the men was carrying Cecil tucked under his armpit. As soon as he saw this, Allen knew what he needed to do. He grabbed his mithril sword from Storage and rushed at the man. But one of the other intruders, this one big and muscular, blocked the thrust with his greatsword.

“What the hell’s with this damn brat?!”

Allen continued unleashing a barrage of attacks, but the man managed to parry them all, swearing at him the entire time.

Shit! What’s with this guy?! He’s really strong! I need to change out my cards! Oh, and...

After the first two clashes, Allen could already tell that his opponent was no pushover. He carefully observed the other two as well, worried that they were equally as skilled.

Currently, thirty of Allen’s fifty holders were occupied with Fish D cards. While continuing the sword fight, he fetched a Crop of Magic from Storage and used it to restore his MP, as he had converted everything he had into Skill XP earlier on. After this, he sent away his grimoire and briefly turned around to call it back out directly over the gentleman-in-waiting, page down. A Leaf of Life fell out, fluttering until it landed on the man’s body.

Once he had confirmed with his eyes that the servant was fully healed, Allen whirled around once more. This opponent was far too powerful for Allen to keep his back turned for too long. While he maintained his onslaught, the grimoire floating in midair flipped its pages furiously as cards were Deleted and Created at a blistering rate. Allen felt power welling up inside as his stats climbed higher and higher.

“Hurry up and kill the brat already, Helgei!”

“I know, I know. Die already!” The man apparently did not expect to struggle so much against a child who appeared to be about ten years old. He grew increasingly frustrated as time dragged on.

Upon understanding the situation, Sebas had started shouting down the hallway, “Intruders! Intruder alert! All gentlemen, take up weapons! Someone, call the knights!” At the same time, the baron was also barking out orders, and all the gentleman-in-waiting who had not already rushed for their weapons after the maidservant’s scream did so now. All of them pounded down the hallway, fast approaching Cecil’s room.

“There are knights gathering in the garden! Helgei, that’s enough. We got the target. Time to clear out.”

“You’re not getting away!”

The assailants seemed to have given up on defeating Allen, but Allen kept attacking in a furious bid to save Cecil from their clutches. That moment, however, the assailant armed with a short sword took something out from a pouch on his waist and threw it hard against the ground. Smoke exploded throughout the destroyed room.

Poison?!

Allen tried to hold his breath, but his reaction had been a beat too late, and he managed to get a small whiff. His consciousness faded to black, and he collapsed in place.

＊ ＊ ＊

Where...am I? I...fainted? How long was I out?

When Allen woke up, he first tried to remember what had happened.

Did the assailants kidnap me together with Cecil? Shit, that smoke probably paralyzed me or put me to sleep. I didn’t have any precautions in place against status debuffs. Hm? I’m tied up?

Upon regaining full control of his faculties, Allen gleaned that he had been abducted. Just in case his kidnappers were watching him, he kept his eyes closed and pretended that he was still unconscious as he checked his body. Thankfully, he had no injuries or broken bones, but he did realize he could not move his arms and legs. Ropes dug into his skin, and his mouth was biting down on a gag. He had been thoroughly trussed up, much like a caterpillar.

Is there anyone nearby?

Allen concentrated his senses and picked up on several presences. Perhaps the kidnappers were still close by.

I need to confirm Cecil’s condition. Let’s see what we can do.

It was still a mystery whether Cecil was unharmed or not. However, if these men had planned on killing her, then they would have done so back at the mansion. Allen himself being kidnapped meant chances were that she had been as well. Checking up on her took priority.

Robbers, you done fucked up. No, I should really call this a stroke of luck instead. I would’ve been powerless if they had blindfolded me too.

Although Allen could neither move his limbs nor speak, there was no pressure around his eyes, meaning that he could open his eyes to examine his surroundings.

Summoners had one huge weakness: their eyes. They had to visually specify the spawn location whenever calling out Summons. This was why it was impossible to Summon on the other side of obstacles. Naturally, it was also impossible to do so with their eyes closed. So Allen cracked his eyes just the slightest, barely enough that they still appeared closed.

What is this place? A storage room?

Several large wooden crates first came into sight. This appeared to be a rather sizable storeroom. Allen promptly Summoned out a Bird G on top of some boxes and Shared with it. The first order he gave the parrot was to not flap its wings.

So far so good. It might raise suspicions if I get too many out, so just one more for a second perspective.

The eyes of the two Bird Gs transmitted a group of men lounging around in seats. These were indeed the same three who had assaulted the mansion. Cecil quietly lay on the ground a slight distance behind Allen.

Found her. Looks like she’s okay.

Through Bird G, Allen confirmed that Cecil was also bound and gagged. Her restraints proved that she should still be alive.

“What the hell?!”

Shit, they spotted me!

The pit of Allen’s stomach plummeted as he thought the robbers had figured out he had regained consciousness and was surveilling them. Through Bird G, he watched as a fourth man whom he did not recognize walked in. He had not been with the group that attacked the mansion. Appearing to be slightly over forty, with gaunt cheeks and belligerent eyes, the newcomer wore a similar outfit to the others but was surrounded by a markedly different air. He seemed like someone deeply involved with the criminal underworld.

One of the men in chairs sat up and said, “Dagrah, sir!”

“The hell’s the meaning of this? We were supposed to nab one brat, so why’re there two? This one looks like a servant or something.”

Oh, they didn’t see my Summons.

“Y-Yessir. He seemed to be really good with the sword despite being a kid, so I thought we could sell him as a slave for some pocket ch—OOF!”

Before the man could finish speaking, the fourth man had driven a fist into his side. The speaker was wearing leather armor, but it did nothing to soften the force of the blow.

“Listen closely, you pieces of shit. Don’t do anything unnecessary. You heard it, right? I’m the leader for this mission, which means you do what I say. The next time you decide to get ‘creative,’ I will fucking end your pathetic lives. Capisce?!”

“Y-Yessir. Sorry, sir...” the man said through gritted teeth, clutching his side and propping himself up on the ground with both elbows.

After casting a glance over at the other two men who were acting as if nothing had happened, the gaunt man left the room. Apparently he had dropped by to confirm how the kidnapping had gone.

“You okay there, Marcus?”

Once Dagrah was gone, the two others approached the man who had gotten punched.

“Ugh, yeah, I’m fine. Why the boss hired a hit man like that is beyond me. He’s such a massive asshole,” Marcus spat angrily.

“I was told he’s insurance in case Zenof shows up.”

“You serious?”

Okay, I need to figure out where we are.

Allen attempted to glean what information he could from the kidnappers through his Shared Bird Gs. It seemed like this was a storeroom in town, but there was no way to see outside as there were no windows. Allen wanted to know where they were so he could figure out how he would escape with Cecil after getting away from their captors.

“You sure you okay, man?” Helgei asked. “You look like you’re in pain.”

“I’m good,” Marcus replied, despite still holding his side and wincing. “Shit, that bastard seriously pisses me off. He didn’t break a rib, did he? Seriously, why the hell is he the leader?”

Allen continued eavesdropping on the men’s conversation while pretending he was still asleep.

“Not much we can do about it. Direct orders from the boss.”

“He’s all full of himself just cuz he survived a battlefield or two, Zenof countermeasure or not. Did you know? I heard he ran with his tail between his legs after just one year on the front lines. So why’s he strutting about like he owns the goddamn place?”

“D-Dude, leave it at that. Someone told me Umbra said that to his face and got his head chopped off right then and there.”

“For real?! No wonder I haven’t seen Umbra around lately.”

“Dead serious. Still, Zenof was supposed to have protected some fortress for a decade, right? Can Dagrah really beat him in a fight?”

“Probably? I mean, he may have protected the place for a decade, but did you hear what happened to it afterward?”

“Why do you know so much about that battle? All right, I’ll bite. What happened to it?”

“After ten years, the place got attacked and fell—” Helgei snapped his fingers, “—just like that. Everyone inside got massacred. Those bastards aren’t human. No idea how Zenof got away, but he sure is shameless being a high-and-mighty knight captain after all that.”

“Damn, man. Having a sword-using Talent is good and all, but it sure ain’t worth dying for.”

“That’s why a year, ten years, it makes no difference. Only idiots go to the battlefield.”

Battlefield? But Mr. Rickel was insistent the kingdom isn’t at war. So there really is a war going on.

The discrepancy between what Rickel had said and what these abductors were saying did pique Allen’s interest, but his highest priority at the moment was getting out of his current situation. He continued eavesdropping, hoping to gather more information.

An hour passed. Unfortunately, the men did not talk about anything particularly useful. Even now, they were having a blast discussing how they would use the money from selling Allen to go gambling.

Mm, doesn’t look like I’ll get much more info. I still have no idea where we are. Let’s move on to taking stock of what I’ve got at my disposal and figure out how to secure an escape route.

Allen’s mithril sword was probably still back in the mansion where he had dropped it when he lost consciousness in the middle of fighting the kidnappers. All he had with him currently was the short sword that Dogora had given him and the iron balls. Even if he were to start fighting, getting away with Cecil would still be top priority.

One of the men said he had business to take care of and stood up.

Oh? Is he leaving? Let’s go with him.

Under Allen’s instruction, one of the Bird Gs that had been hiding behind a wooden box flew out. The two men remaining in their seats immediately noticed the bird flapping its wings, but it ignored their stares and darted straight through the open door.

Did that seem suspicious? Oh well, doesn’t matter. It’s a fair price for figuring out where we are.

“Huh? What’s a bird doing in a place like this?”

“Some rich asshole probably brought their pet bird onboard or something. Must be nice to be them.”

“You mean, sucks to be them! Their damn bird just got away. Hah!”

Wait, “onboard”? We’re on a ship?

Allen kept an eye on the field of vision from the Bird G that flew out while continuing to eavesdrop on the kidnappers. He had thought this was a storeroom somewhere in town and had expected the door to lead outside. Instead, it turned out to be a long hallway with a ceiling about two meters high.

The bird shot past the occupied kidnapper and found a staircase at the end of the hallway. The Summon immediately flew up it.

Does this lead to a higher floor? The storeroom itself was rather spacious. If this really is a ship, it must be huge.

The staircase opened up to another long passageway. Bird G proceeded down its length and quickly found a door on its right. It had a round glass window that could be peered out of.

Oh? Does this door lead outside?

It was all dark on the other side of the window. Allen tried to look through it from various angles, but he still could not see anything.

Why’s it all black? Wait, those are stars...and that’s the night sky! Which means I am looking outside, it’s just nighttime now. But that’s strange: where’s the ocean?

When Allen squinted, he realized he was looking at a starry sky. The kidnappers had attacked before twilight, which meant several hours had passed by now. However, if this was a ship, then the light from the stars should be reflecting off the surface of the water they were sailing over. Yet, there were no such reflections.

What?! The room’s shaking!

As Allen was occupied with analyzing what he was seeing through Bird G’s eyes, the room he was in jerked violently all of a sudden.

“C’mon, least they can do is fly this piece of junk properly.”

“I second that. Screw this turbulence shit or whatever it’s called.”

Just as the men were complaining among themselves, an announcement similar to what Allen had heard in his previous life rang out.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the turbulence our magic ship, the Bahona, is currently experiencing. This won’t affect our steering ability, but be aware that the sudden jerking might cause you to lose your footing and fall over. We recommend that you remain seated.”

What?! So we’re on a magic ship right now?!

As it turned out, Allen and Cecil had already left Granvelle City and had been brought on board a magic ship that was currently making its way through the night sky.

What should I do? There’s no place to run if we’re up in the air on a magic ship. I guess I really do have to take out our captors. Actually, no, let’s look around the ship a bit more first. Intel first, then fight.

The Bird G turned away from the window to explore the interior of the ship. Allen realized that he and Cecil were located in the belly of the vessel where the passengers’ luggage was stored.

Interesting how they have a door for going outside that’s accessible even when the magic ship is flying. I mean, it is true that this thing is flying a lot slower than airplanes.

The fact that he could see the night sky through the door from earlier meant it led outside. Perhaps it was a maintenance door for checking on the outer wall of the vessel. Either way, unlike planes in his previous life, the door was operable even during flight. Opening it and jumping outside was still suicide, though.

At the other end of the corridor with the door was another flight of stairs that headed up. It led to a floor lined with doors at regular intervals in a design similar to a business hotel. As Bird G continued down the corridor, it picked up lively sounds up ahead. It eventually burst into what looked like an onboard restaurant.

Damn, there’re so many people! So food is served on magic ships. Pretty funny how this is how I get to experience my first time riding one.

Multiple passengers noticed the bird and pointed, but Allen ignored them and continued surveying the place. As Bird G continued deeper in, there was a marked shift in the clientele. Judging by the formal outfits of the passengers here, this was a separate area for the rich. Elegant noblewomen lounged on comfortable-looking sofas, chatting with each other over glasses of wine.

Just as Allen was about to conclude that there was no further information to glean, he spotted two men seated at the far end through Bird G’s eyes.

That’s Viscount Carnel and the royal envoy!

The two men were also lounging on comfortable sofas and enjoying an expensive vintage. They appeared to be tipsy, so Allen had Bird G surreptitiously approach and duck behind the shade of a nearby lamp to eavesdrop on their conversation. The viscount seemed to have caught sight of the parrot for a split second, making Allen’s heart skip a beat, but the man looked away almost immediately, apparently thinking nothing more of it. Thanks to this, Allen could now hear everything the two men were saying.

“Seriously, how can His Majesty support someone from the Academy Faction for judicial minister?” the royal envoy complained, clearly already quite drunk.

“It’s a travesty, that’s what it is,” Viscount Carnel agreed.

Huh? What’s the “Academy Faction”?

“That seat is supposed to be ours. We must help the vice-minister gain the position no matter what it takes.”

Because Allen had dropped in halfway through the conversation, he had no idea what the two men were talking about. According to what he gathered by listening carefully, the position of judicial minister in the government would become vacant this year. The next person who would fill the seat was a noble belonging to a party named the Academy Faction, but these two men wished to change that arrangement as a political maneuver.

The viscount took a swig of wine and sighed with satisfaction. “The look on Lord Granvelle’s face makes any wine taste better.”

“He was getting full of himself after his mines started back up, wasn’t he? Let’s just say that keeping the lesser nobles in line is also part of my duties as a royal envoy.”

“Thank you very much for pulling strings and getting the vice-minister to help with the contract.”

“Oh, don’t mention it. I only did what was natural, considering our relationship. But still, that white dragon couldn’t have picked a more inconvenient time to move. We’re already spending enough as is, trying to change the appointment for judicial minister.”

The viscount bowed obsequiously. “I’m truly sorry for burdening you with this matter at such a time.”

I see, so it was Viscount Carnel who had planned the whole scheme with the contract suggesting joint management over the White Dragon Mountains. And this is probably how his family’s been using their mithril money for the past hundred years or so—throwing it around “forging relationships” with other nobles and government officials to do whatever they please.

“You are sure that you have things under control, yes?” the envoy asked. “The palace is far from being entirely on our side. Without the contract, the baron is able to make as much of a fuss he wants and His Majesty would be unable to intervene. Things could get very messy. Make sure you get the baron to sign that contract, no matter what.”

“Of course, my lord. That’s why I kidnapped his precious daughter. Oh, how he dotes on her. So, I made sure to leave him a letter to ensure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

So this is why the envoy’s attitude suddenly turned sour when the baron said he would be visiting the palace.

“As long as you get him to sign, nothing else matters.”

“If he doesn’t, we can simply send him one of his daughter’s arms!”

“And when Zenof comes attacking, your hit man will kill him?”

“That is the plan, yes. Though I do hope Zenof doesn’t end up winning and going on a rampage in my realm.”

“You could spin that to your advantage too, couldn’t you? If a knight captain makes a scene in another realm, then his lord can be convicted and forced to take responsibility. After all, rioting is a serious crime. If Zenof does end up going off the handle, perhaps you should thank him instead!”

“Brilliant idea, my lord!”

“Of course, you know why I’ve gone to all this trouble for you, right?”

“Absolutely, my lord. As promised, a portion of the mining rights is yours.”

Hmm, so Viscount Carnel’s got the upper hand with his political influence, and the law’s on his side since there’s no way to prove he’s behind Cecil’s kidnapping. The baron’s hands are tied as long as she’s held hostage. And the reason for this attack and kidnapping is mithril mining rights. I guess that just goes to show how much money there is in mithril.

The conversation he had just overheard shed significant light on a lot of things. Allen was about to slowly consider what action to take next when his thoughts were interrupted.

“Mmmph!”

Oh shit, Cecil’s come to.

“Did you just wake up? Shut it, girlie!”

“MMMMMPH!”

Upon realizing that she was tied up, Cecil protested furiously, her face colored with anger. However, she could not move nor speak due to being bound and gagged. She then noticed Allen close by.

“MMPH! MMNNGH!”

Cut it out! Stop kicking me! How’re you even doing that when you’re tied up?!

Cecil was clearly under the impression that Allen was still unconscious. She pulled her legs in and extended them sharply multiple times in an effort to wake him up. However, he was determined to show no reaction, as he was pretending to be asleep.

“Shut up already! Your attendant’s knocked out cuz we drugged ’im. We’ll be arriving in Carnel City soon, so be quiet.”

So this magic ship is heading for Carnel City. Makes sense, with Viscount Carnel being onboard. He’ll be able to do whatever he wants as soon as we land. I’ve really gotta do something. ...Okay, seriously, stop it! It hurts! Ow!

Naturally, Carnel City would be filled with Viscount Carnel’s men. Escape would be much more difficult once the ship arrived. While Allen was thinking furiously, Cecil continued kicking his rear by flexing like a shrimp.

Marcus grimaced. “Helgei, go shut her up.”

“Oh, all right. Hey, stupid brat! Shut the hell up if you don’t want me to knock the living daylights out of you!”

“MMMNNNGH!” Cecil continued kicking Allen in desperation. She probably thought he would be able to take care of the situation somehow as soon as he woke up.

Seriously, I need to do something. My card distribution is fine, so...let’s do this.

Just in case, Allen checked his Status one final time.

---

Name: Allen
Age: 12
Class: Summoner
Level: 41
HP: 1,040 + 240
MP: 1,620 + 20
Attack: 570 + 200
Endurance: 570 + 635
Agility: 1,065 + 679
Intelligence: 1,630 + 104
Luck: 1,065

Skills: Summoning {5}, Creation {5}, Synthesis {5}, Strengthening {5}, Expansion {4}, Storage, Sharing, Deletion, Sword Mastery {3}, Throwing {3}

XP: 37,839,560/50,000,000

Skill Levels
Summoning: 5
Creation: 5
Synthesis: 5
Strengthening: 5

Skill Experience
Creation: 12,482/10,000,000
Synthesis: 10,265/10,000,000
Strengthening: 8,269,330/10,000,000

Creatable Summons
Insect: D, E, F, G, H
Beast: D, E, F, G, H
Bird: D, E, F, G
Grass: D, E, F
Stone: D, E
Fish: D

Holder
Insect: F x 1, E x 1, D x 29
Beast: D x 10
Bird: G x 2, D x 4
Grass:
Stone: D x 2
Fish: D x 1

---

“Looks like you really need a beating.”

Despite her fear, Cecil gave Helgei a death glare as he approached. The man pulled his fist back.

Ugh, you guys are really forcing my hand here. Ageha, use Scale Powder!

“What?!” the kidnappers exclaimed in astonishment as a massive, meter-tall swallowtail butterfly appeared out of thin air. It flapped its wings furiously, filling the entire room with yellow powder.

Nice, one of them fell asleep.

The dagger-user collapsed like a toy that had its batteries taken out. Helgei quickly reduced the Summon to light bubbles with a swing of his weapon.

Snap! Snaaap!

In that time, Allen ripped apart his restraints with his brute strength. The ropes that he had been tied up with meant nothing to him given his current Attack stat. Helgei whirled around, his eyes wide with surprise. Before the man could gather himself, a giant bear appeared in front of him.

“Wh-What the fuck is going on?!”

“RROOAARRRR!”

Teddy charged forward and used Crush, but Helgei calmed down just in the nick of time and stepped aside, even slashing the beast as it pounded past. Although that was not enough to finish the bear off, Helgei had proved that he was much faster. None of Beast D’s following attacks landed either. Conversely, the bear disappeared into light bubbles after taking three slashes.

“Die, you monster!”

While everyone present was transfixed by the battle, Allen sneaked around to Marcus’s side. Beast D had been a diversion; this had been his true aim. He unleashed a blow with all the strength he could muster precisely where the man had just been wounded by Dagrah.

“Augh...you fucking...brat...” Marcus groaned before crashing to the floor headfirst, knocked unconscious by the pain. He lay twitching like a dead frog.

Taking out the weakened one first is just common sense. Now there’s only one left.

The sole remaining kidnapper, Helgei, calmly brought his sword up to a middle stance, asking loudly, “Marcus, you okay?”

While taking out his short sword from Dogora, Allen threw an iron ball at Helgei. However, because he had come from the front, the swordsman had no trouble knocking it down.

“You puny little shit!”

Hmm, this is my first time pointing a real sword at a human, but surprisingly, I don’t feel any hesitation at all. Oh wait, no, I’d done the same when these guys attacked the mansion. A bit late to be having such thoughts, I guess.

“Does this puny little shit scare you?” Allen asked, provoking the man.

“That’s it. You’re dead!” Helgei roared, unleashing a swing.

Brons, now! Hold him down!

Two Stone Ds materialized abruptly before and behind Helgei, sandwiching him before promptly activating Defend.

“What the hell is this?!”

So far, so good. He needed to attack Teddy three times to kill it, so this should be enough to make him skip a few turns, so to speak.

Even while finishing Marcus off, Allen had been monitoring the fight between Helgei and Beast D through the eyes of the Bird G that he was still Shared with. He determined that it would take Helgei a while to take care of Stone Ds with their Ability activated.

Now that he had some breathing room, Allen Summoned a Fish D and had it use Splash.

Next, Suckers, sap his strength! Spidey, use Spider Silk!

Two Insect Gs attached themselves to the trapped man as an Insect D started spewing him with sticky threads, further restraining his movements.

Nice, Insect G’s Ability is affecting him. So the debuffs from Insect Summons do affect humans too. And just now, Cecil didn’t glow when Fish D cast its buff. Is she not recognized as my ally because she’s not actually fighting?

Allen found a lot to analyze about his first-ever battle with a human enemy.

The hit man’s around too, so I should quickly finish this person off.

Neither Fish D’s buff nor Insect E’s debuff had affected Cecil. Further testing was needed to figure out the exact conditions for determining allies or enemies, but this was hardly the time for it. Including the currently absent Dagrah, there were a total of four people who meant Cecil and Allen harm. As such, finishing off the third enemy, Helgei, was of the utmost urgency.

Allen brought his sword down as hard as he could on the shoulder of the man pressed between the two Stone Ds.

“RAH! This goddamn brat!”

He’s so tough—or maybe I’m just too weak. And this sword isn’t good enough for fights of this level. Should I raise my Attack and try to push through? On second thought, it probably suits me better to use Agility to whittle him down with the number of attacks.

Helgei’s class was likely Swordsman or some other related variation. Due to this, his Endurance was so high that Allen could not deal any significant damage to him even with 750 Attack. Even if he managed to stab the man with his sword, it would not be lethal. In this world, a person’s physical parameters were quantified, so when someone with high Endurance was stabbed, a mysterious force prevented them from dying. It was Allen’s first time experiencing this strange phenomenon.

Even so, Allen was absolutely overwhelming Helgei. With his Agility-based build, he was raining attacks on the man who was not only held in place by the Stone Ds, but was also too tall to properly strike down where Allen was. Consequently, Allen was now basically hacking away at the man one-sidedly.

“Guh!”

As a finishing move, Allen kicked the man in the stomach, sending him slamming against the wall of the storeroom. Helgei’s head drooped as he finally lost consciousness. At that exact moment, an announcement came over the speakers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for riding with us. Our magic ship, the Bahona, will be arriving in Carnel City shortly. We have begun our descent, so kindly please remain in your seats.”

I finally managed to take him out, but I’m running out of time. Gotta free Cecil right now.

Allen could physically feel the magic ship’s descent as it shook even harder than before. Once it docked, the two children would have nowhere left to run. He hurried over to Cecil.

“Lady Cecil, I will untie you now.”

“Mmmh...” Cecil, who had seen the fight from start to finish, was in a stunned daze. Allen pretended not to notice as he proceeded to tear her bindings apart.

“Come on now, what the fuck happened here? How’d a single brat get the jump on all of them? These babysitters the client hired sure are weak!”

Suddenly, Dagrah, the hit man hired by Viscount Carnel, walked in. He was startled at the large beasts all around, then eyed them warily. Without missing a beat, Allen immediately let go of Cecil’s ropes and turned around while calling out a new Stone D.

“OOF!”

“MMMMPH!”

Before Allen had managed to do his Summoning, however, he already found himself slammed against the wall. He had been kicked in his side so hard that several of his ribs broke.

Shit! This guy’s so fast! Does he have a scouting build? It looked like he straight-up disappeared for a split second.

Thanks to the vision provided by the Bird G remaining in the storeroom, Allen had known exactly where Dagrah had been even while he was facing Cecil. However, he could not perform Summoning through the eyes of a Shared Summon, so he still needed to turn around to look in person. It turned out that tiny window of time was more than enough for the hit man to close the distance. Within that split second, Allen had been kicked against the wall so fast even he himself had disappeared from Bird G’s vision for a moment.

“What’s with that look? Never got hit with a skill before? Those guys were seriously trash, getting taken out by a brat like this.”

Continuing to maintain a wary distance from the Summons, Dagrah drew the rapier from his waist and slowly approached Allen.

So that was a skill just now? No, no, I don’t have time to analyze it right now. Fighting here is not an option. That leaves me only one choice.

Allen understood from that one blow that this opponent was far too strong for him to fight. He used a Leaf of Life to heal himself, then...

“Dagrah, what’s taking you so damn long?!”

“Wha—?! Your Lordship, why are you here?!”

Dagrah whirled toward the corner of the storeroom where Viscount Carnel’s voice had just sounded from. Of course, this was due to Bird G using its Ability, Voice Mimic, to speak using the viscount’s voice. The instant Dagrah was caught off guard, Insect D wrapped him up with Spider Silk. Allen threw his short sword into Storage, dashed over to grab Cecil, then darted past Dagrah and through the open door.

“ARGH!” the man groaned in annoyance. “What the fuck is this?!”

Looks like Spider Silk isn’t slowing him all that much. Brons, seal the passage behind us.

Allen dashed down the corridor outside, but it took almost no time for Dagrah to break through the silky threads and give chase. While running, Allen turned around for a split second to Summon two Stone Ds. As this corridor was only about two meters high and less than three meters across, the bronze statues made for very effective obstacles. From the other side, the Insect Gs and other Rank D Summons that had remained out all this time surged toward the man as one unit, doing their best to slow him down.

During that time, Allen tore up the stairs at his top speed.

One Bron just got done in. I’m running out of time. Should I make my way to where the other passengers are? No, we’d still get caught eventually. That leaves...

Currently, Allen and Cecil were in the passage with the door that led outside that Allen had found while scouting earlier. He could see the ground gradually drawing near through the glass window. Magic tools similar to searchlights illuminated the landing pad so that the vessel would not crash; this made it easy for Allen to accurately gauge exactly how high up they still were.

He gently set Cecil down, then wrestled the door open. A gale roared up, but he ignored it and stuck his head through the doorframe to look down—there were still more than a hundred meters to the ground.

“Lady Cecil, I’m sorry. We’ll be jumping down, but please don’t worry.”

“MMMGH?!”

Cecil seemed to be saying something, but it only came out as meaningless grunts.

Gotta change up my cards to raise my Endurance. Bron would be able to raise my HP too, but I don’t have enough time.

The Beast D cards in the card holders were quickly replaced with Insect Ds for their Endurance buff. Stone cards required multiple steps of Synthesizing, so Allen had to settle for Insect for now.

“It’s fine, milady. I should have enough Endurance. Stat points don’t lie!” Honestly, at this point, even Allen was not sure what he was saying.

“MMMMMMNNPH!”

Cecil used every single part of her body to express her resistance. However, even though she was moving even more violently than she had in the storeroom, Allen paid her no mind. He fetched his mantle from Storage and wrapped it around her just in case, then hugged her close so as to not drop her.

“So then, here goes! Allen, taking off!”

As Cecil desperately pleaded with him not to, tears spilling from her eyes, Allen stepped out from the magic ship into the beautiful starry night sky.