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Volume 11 Chapter 5 Part 12

Because he is supposed to approach from the front, he will move to the
lobby.

It is his duty to cause a commotion that would distract the guards.

「Lord Michio, I will be heading out next, please.」

As soon as the Adventurer disbands the Party, the Duke calls out to me. Five people, including the Duke, line up in front of me.

「Alright.」

I chant 「Party Formation」 incantation and invite the people in front of me one by one. It really takes quite some time to add five people and make a full Party.

Meanwhile, several other Parties had moved on ahead already. Those were the parties with Explorers in them.

Did the Explorer create a party beforehand and invite the Adventurer whom I took with me, once they came back in order to be able to transfer immediately?

Like this, the time needed for preparation can be reduced.

The tactics for the operation seem to be precise.

「Disband the Party once we are there. I want you to stand by. Or, you can come back here with your Party Members. They should stay in this room.」

The Duke gives me the next instructions. By Party Members, he probably means Roxanne and the girls. There is no reason for them to stay at the other side. It would get dangerous there if the Earl of Selmar launched the counterattack, after all.

After assembling the Party, I move back again to the Earl of Selmar’s castle.

The room is bright and a little noisy. The pitch dark and quiet room, which I was in before, seems like a lie now.

After I disband the Party, the Duke vigorously storms out of the room with his people. The other Parties seem to be deploying sequentially, too.

I have no idea as to what is going on outside the room though. I don’t even know if there is a battle taking place or not.

Nevertheless, since he has deployed considerable number of soldiers, they should have the advantage.

Their mobility is overwhelming. The Adventurers are a great power indeed.
With this many Adventurers, the might of the Knight Order of Hartz Duchy is absolute in this world.

Now that the Duke has left, I create a Party with Roxanne and the girls. The Duke’s army has already left the audience room, and we are merely tagging along for the ride. As such, there is no one paying any attention to us.

Availing this lucky chance, I quickly create the Party. It gets done immediately for there was no need to chant the Skill’s incantation.

「I still have some work to do. Roxanne, everyone, you will head back and wait there. I will take you back right now.」

If I gave them a choice, Roxanne would insist to remain here with me. So that is why I force them to evacuate. It will be safer for them there than here.

When I return to the Bode castle, Cassia was inside the room. She seems to want to go there as well. Instead of a dress, she has attired herself in the battle gear.

Unfortunately, another Adventurer seems to have been assigned to her instead of me.

Cassia and her party moves quickly. I, too, move back to the Earl of Selmar’s castle immediately after. I wonder as to how many times I have moved there now? Around four?

Cassia’s party was about to leave the audience room. As they were about to leave the room, they suddenly stop. The Duke enters from outside.

「Cassia, it is alright. The operation is progressing smoothly. Oh, you have made it back, Lord Michio? Thanks to you, there have been no major losses to our side as well as the Earl of Selmar’s.」

The operation seems to be progressing smoothly. This can be said to be the most crucial stage. However, it looks like everything is going fine.

The Duke has a young woman following behind him. Her overwhelming beauty is engendering an elegant air.

Is she one of the women working at the Earl of Selmar’s castle?

She is a beauty that resembles Cassia. Like Cassia, she is extremely beautiful even amongst the other Elves. Somehow, she looks slightly younger than Cassia.

「Rutina!」

Cassia raises her voice after seeing her. So apparently her name is Rutina.

「Big Sister… Cassia…」

Rutina spoke only a few words, and then cut off her words in frustration.

「I am glad to see that you are safe.」

「…. No, I am not.」

She is unharmed, but if you are asking if she is safe then I doubt she is. Cassia hugs Rutina tightly nonetheless.

It’s fascinating how the two beauties resemble each and stand out above everyone else in the crowd.

It is definitely a beautiful scene, but it is not the right time to be thinking such things, right?

「When father inherited the title he tried his best. But, he didn’t manage to get any results and changing the leadership of the Knights became a common thing to do. Then, that big group of Thieves ran wildly and we lost some capable subordinates. At that time he even drank alcohol in order to run away from his problems… 」

It seems that the Earl had reasons for the slow subjugation of the Labyrinths, but even if she says that now, this is likely not going to change anything, and Rutina herself must have known that this would eventually happen.
「Your Excellency.」

Gozer then came over to us.

「How is it going?」

「We have almost taken control of the whole castle, there was no resistance. However, we still can’t find the Earl of Selmar.」

「You can’t find him? No one knows where he is?」

「That’s right. I am sorry.」

The Duke and Gozer had a small talk about the current situation. It looks like they can’t find the Earl of Selmar. Maybe he happened to be out of town on trip today by pure chance or something?

They have decided on today’s operation on a whim, so it is possible.

「It is not like I can’t do anything if he disappears, but it’s still troublesome. It is also a disgrace for a noble to run away from his castle, and he will lose face before the other nobles if he’s allowed to go through with it. Use everything we have to search for him and find him.」

「Understood.」

It would be easy for Adventurers to get away in this world, and they could go anywhere they wanted. I would have definitely chosen to run away instead of hiding, but it looks like he can’t do that in the current situation?

And just how dishonorable is it for a noble to escape anyway? But since he already neglected his Labyrinth suppression duty as a noble, I don’t think he cares about his honor as a noble at this point. Or is it not related to this?

「I am sorry, but we can’t find the Earl. Do you have any idea where he is?」

The Duke asks Rutina. Maybe he’s hiding with the firewood given the situation?

I want to strike a war drum while the Duke gives commands.

While doing one, two, three hits….

「I am sorry, but I don’t know. I know that my father is to blame for this situation, and that it was his actions that brought this upon us, but still… even if I knew where he was, I would not tell you that.」

Rutina responds firmly. Even if the name of her family became tarnished because of her father’s actions, she still refused to give him away.

Even in this hopeless situation, she remained a heavenly beauty.

「…Cassia, do you know of any places where he could be hiding?」

「Let me see. There is a room where the firewood is stored in the winter season, and his bedroom should be connected to it.」

So there really is a firewood shed somewhere in this castle?

「Gozer!」

「On it!」

The Duke sends Gozer to check the firewood shed out and look for the Earl of Selmar there.

「Looks like you really were cornered that much up until this point.」

Rutina is glaring at Cassia with her beautiful deep blue eyes.

「Your father wasn’t suitable to become Earl in the first place, because he is a a gentle soul who avoided fighting scenes and didn’t want to enter the Labyrinths at all. Because he was the youngest brother, he wouldn’t normally become the Earl, and he might have lived freely without inheriting the title. But because my father and the next youngest brother fought each other, this is how things turned out. Because of the conflicts of my father I want to apologize to you for everything that happened now.」

It looks like Cassia’s father and Rutina’s father are brothers. In other words, Cassia and Rutina are cousins.

「No, it is my father’s fault for ignoring his duties as a noble in the first place. I knew that, and still I allowed myself to be spoiled by him, which makes ma just as guilty!」

「Rutina…」

「If only I had more power!」

「It’s alright.」

Cassia comforted Rutina by hugging her head.

「Enough already. I am prepared now, so go ahead and kill me.」

Rutina swung her golden hair and faced the Duke.

It is one of the top five words that I don’t want the beautiful elf to receive.

「There is no need to go that far, if possible I would like resolve this peacefully by having you become a slave.」

「A slave?」

「Yes, to Lord Michio.」

「Yes?」

「If it is alright with you, then can you accept her as your slave?」

When I thought the matter was finally settled, the Duke suggest something outrageous while disregarding Cassia’s question.

「Beg your pardon?」

「Lord Michio, you’ve done us a great favor this time, so I believe she will make a sufficient prize for what you managed to accomplish tonight.」

「W… what absurd thing are you talking about?」

What is this Duke even saying?!

「I see.」

「Michio seems to have abilities that me and others cannot even begin to comprehend. It is very probable that in the near future he is going to subjugate his very first Labyrinth and join the ranks of the nobility as a result. When that happens, you will be able to make a lot of achievements, even as a former noble.」

The Duke tells Rutina.

「A Labyrinth?」

Rutina looks at me suspiciously. It looks like her eyes are evaluating every last inch of my body.

Well, we did manage to reach the 44th floor of Quratar’s Labyrinth already, so if we continue at the pace we are currently going, then we should be able to clear it eventually.

「Rutina, I think this is the best possible thing to do as well.」

「…. I understand. Do whatever you want.」

With her words, Cassia managed to persuade Rutina to finally give up.

It looks like she is going to be mine from now on.

〈To be continued in『A Harem in the Fantasy World Dungeon Volume 12』.〉