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Volume 5 Chapter 11

Two days have passed since the guards began their investigation.

No progress of note has been made as of yet. The perpetrators have been apprehended, but the Suane Merchant Guild and Viscount McGrath, the alleged masterminds, have not been caught.

Even if they were to storm into Viscount McGrath’s mansion, it would not be enough to implicate him.

As I was about to drift off into sleep while thinking about this, Ferris woke me up.

「Touya, there is a visitor. They seem to be in distress」

「U, uh…… I understand. I’ll see to them」

Still in my nightclothes, I went to open the door to find Lumina gasping for air.

「Touya! I’m sorry! They took the children and Saya…..!」

I felt dizzy, like I had been hit by a boulder.

「What! Lumina! What happened?」

Lumina between her breaths told me what had transpired.

As she was sleeping in the orphanage, after a long day on a request, she was awoken by a loud noise and went to check.

When she came out of her room, she found ten masked intruders.

Immediately sensing danger, she drew her sword and confronted the men, but they held Saya and the children as hostages, threatening them with knives to their necks. She was unable to do anything in that position.

They took Saya and five children.

I gently placed my hand on Lumina’s shoulder as she broke down.

「—– I think I know where they are going. Give me two minutes to change」

I hurried to change my clothes and got on Kokuyou with Lumina. Normally Kokuyou would have refused for anybody else but me to ride him. Perhaps he sensed the urgency of the matter and let Lumina ride with me.

We left the noble district and rode towards the common district.

Our destination was the Suane Merchant Guild.

We rode on Kokuyou, zipping through the empty dark streets.

After noticing a carriage parked at a loading dock at the back of the building, I let Kokuyou kick down the mansion door.

Without second thought as the door bursts open, Lumina and I enter the building.

I used Search to  probe the building. There were several people grouped together in one room, it was the kids.

However, our bold and noisy intrusion caused the security guards to show up.

「Intruders! Quick get them!」

Over ten men soon surrounded us.

「……. Touya, these guys look familiar, they look like the guys that attacked the orphanage」

「……. I see. I’ll take care of them. Lumina, stay on guard」

I slowly approach the men.

「You guys…… You have a lot to pay for. Return the children」

「Hmph, we don’t know what you’re on about. Besides, think about it, do you really think you can win against all of us like this?」

They each had a sword or a knife out and ready to attack, while I remained armless.

It was time to change that. I pulled out my Buster Sword from Dimensional Storage and held it at the ready.

The men braced themselves after seeing me arm myself with a sword out of nowhere, however they did not flee.

「Lumina, get the kids. They are in the back room…… in there」

「Okay, I’ll get them」

The men tensed up when I gave the precise location of the children.

「Not a problem for me with this number」

The men pounced on me at once. I swung my Buster Sword in one swift motion, cutting three men in half with ease.

I did not intend on holding back.

Lumina was shaken by the fact that three men were killed so easily, but took advantage of the gap that they left and ran through to the children’s whereabouts.

She dodged the attacks of the three men who were blocking her path.

Holding my Buster Sword in my right hand, I gather magic power in my left hand and blast the two men with Air Bullets.

…… Now only five men were left. In a few minutes it will all be over.

I bring down my sword on one of them and then up again in an upward motion slicing another.

Lumina peered from the room when three were left.

「Touya! All the children are here! But Saya’s missing!」

「I see. So where’s the girl……?」

One of them smirked a bit.

「Can’t say for sure. Maybe she’s lying in a ditch somewhere—」

I cut off his head before he could finish his sentence.

「You two…… Are you going to tell us or not……?」

The ten men squad had been reduced to two in a matter of minutes, the remaining two threw down their swords as they backed away, tripping and falling on their rears.

「Don’t kill me. The woman was taken…… to a noble by the chairman……」

So he is involved after all……

「All right…… I won’t kill you」

I placed the Buster Sword in Dimensional Storage before shooting Air Bullets into the thighs of the two men.

「Ahhhhhh」

「Guuhhh」

The two men cried out, holding their bleeding thighs desperately.

Once I had subdued all the men, Lumina came out of the room along with the children.

「「「Touya-niichan!」」」

The children hurried to hug me. I comforted them with a pat on the head.

「Sorry you guys had a scary time. I am here to save you, so you don’t have to worry anymore」

「But Saya-neesan was taken away. Touya-niichan, please save Saya-neesan」

「I understand guys. I will bring her back, okay? You go and wait for me at the orphanage」

As I was talking to the children, guards barged into the building.

The loud noise from when we burst through the gate must have alerted them.

「Are there intruders in the building…… Are you the ones that broke the gate!?」

「Ah, I was the one」

「What happened here……」

The guards turned blue from the sight of the dead bodies.

「The orphanage where these children stay was attacked by these guys. They kidnapped the kids We’re just here to get them back」

「…… That’s why there are so many kids here…… Are they all the kids that were taken here?」

「No, Saya, the girl who runs the orphanage was taken to a different place. I’m going to get her」

「…… Even if you say that you’re going to get them back, we cannot just let you leave in a state of things. Do you understand Touya-dono? Where is it that you are going?」

I understood what the guard was saying, but I could not sit idly by.

「I believe she was taken to…… Viscount MaGrath’s mansion」

The guard’s eyes widened in surprise at what I just revealed. Despite a kidnap being involved, it is hard to ignore that I’ll be attacking a noble’s residence.

The guards swiftly drew their swords at me.

「As I guessed, you can’t just let me attack a noble’s mansion, can’t you……?」

I pulled out my noble’s certificate from Dimensional Storage and held it up towards the guards.

「—I am Marquis Touya von Kisaragi. Does this help set your heart at ease?」

「!!」

「Really!?」

The guards are obviously stunned at the revelation, as well as a couple of left men still alive.

「……. You mean….. We picked a fight with the Hero of our nation」

「Yes, that is right」

I turned around and gave a simple answer to the two remaining men.

「My apologies, sir. We did not know you were Marquis Kisaragi. Please let us handle this situation. We will contact the guards of the noble district immediately. Hey, one of you go right now!」

「Yes, sir!!」

One young guard ran on command.

「Lumina, I’ll take care of the rest. I’ll go get Saya」

「Oh, I’ll be waiting for you at the orphanage with the kids」

Lumina held out her fist and I bumped it with mine.

「Be assured that we will take care of transporting the children」

「Much obliged」

I bowed a little and jumped on Kokuyou’s back, who was waiting for me at the gate.

「Let’s go, Kokuyou! To McGrath’s mansion」

「Hee-hee!」

Kokyou shot off in the direction we came in, jumping over the guards standing by the noble district gates and headed straight for Viscount McGrath’s residence.

Within a few minutes, we had arrived at Viscount McGrath’s mansion, but we were immediately greeted by two guards at the gate.

「Go ahead and break it down」

Knowing what I meant, Kokyou without hesitation kicked the gate wide open.

「Gyaaaa」

I did not have time to think about the well-being of the guards that were blown away along with the gate.

I jumped off Kokuyou at the mansion’s front door, and broke the door down with some magic.

As I made my way inside, private guards one after another came to welcome me.

I wasted little time and used Search to detect the occupants of the mansion.

Confirming that there are four people in the large at the end of the second floor, I continued my way there.

「Intruder! Stop!」

I hit the oncoming private guards, using magic to this, here and there. Perhaps I applied too much force, because the private guards would smash right through the walls of the mansion.

I went up the stairs and hit the private soldiers who showed up there, going through them like they were not even there.

「I can’t bring myself to forgive you now! I can’t guarantee your lives」

After giving them a warning, I pulled out my Buster Sword from Dimensional Storage.

Seeing the private soldiers hesitate and take a step back, I applied Body Reinforcement magic on myself, and ran through them and kicked the door of the desired room.

Inside I found Viscount McGrath in his aristocratic attire, the Superintendent who audited the orphanage, and the Suane Merchant Guild head. I also found Saya, who was tied up.

「Touya-san!」

「What!?」

I entered the room and walked towards Saya who was near the door.

「You guys……. Know what you have done?」

I let out my murderous intent through my words. Viscount McGrath collapsed from the sofa and on his behind as he cowardly came back.

「You! I hope you know what you’re doing by storming a noble’s mansion! You’ll be sentenced to death for this level of disrespect!」

「That’s right. This is Viscount McGrath’s home. Not a place for adventurers」

I cut Saya’s rope, paying no heed to the babble of the three men.

「Saya, thanks for waiting」

「Touya-san……. Thank you for coming to…… my rescue, thank you……」

She hugged me tightly with teary eyes.

「Are you hurt? You’re safe now」

「…… Yes, I am not hurt……」

I patted Saya’s head lightly and told her to stay behind me, then I turned my attention to the three men.

「You have no way out of this. The guard already have Merchant Guild under wraps, it’s only a matter of time before they get here」

Viscount McGrath with his nose in the air, stood up.

「Do you really think that the guards will take the word of an adventurer? This is the noble district. My word is law around here」

As he spoke, voices could be heard from the floor below, and the bustling sound grew louder by the second.

「Here they are!」

Several guards barged in with swords at the ready.

Viscount McGrath, with a grin on his face, opened his arms wide.

「Guards, you have come at the right time. This man here is the intruder! I will personally reward you」

The swords were still pointing at the three of them despite what Viscount McGrath was uttering.

This kind of reaction enraged Viscount McGrath, his face turned beet red, and he resorted to yelling.

「Did you not hear what I said!? I am Viscount McGrath!」

It was at this moment that one of the guards, stepped forwards with his sword pointed right at him.

「…… We know who you are, Viscount McGrath. However, you are the main suspect in the kidnapping, and we can’t be swayed from capturing you, no matter who you are」

「What absurdity is this!? You are choosing to listen to him over me?」

「That’s because……」

The guard gave me a look as a signal for me to step forward. I did so, holding out my noble’s certificate, more grand than Viscount McGrath’s.

「I am Marquis Touya von Kisaragi. You attacked the orphanage I am helping. Do you have anything else to say?」

「Wha, what…… The…… hero of our nation……?」

「It can’t be…….」

「No way……」

Viscount McGrath, the Superintendent, the chairman of Suane Merchant Guild looked at me with great astonishment written on their faces. Then they collapsed on the spot.

「Marquis Kisaragi has confirmed it. You are hereby not nobles at this point, but criminals. Take them away」

At the guard’s command, the rest of the guards tied up the three men. They were tied lying on the floor, with their faces down, with no will to rebel.