A Failed Knight Who Went to the Academy To Get Married

035 A Village for Concealment

“We’re almost at Paulo Village!”

Maria, who had been driving the pterosaur in the early morning, shouted,

Cat peered ahead through the telescope and muttered,

“I don’t see any of the Yumano Church folks.”

“It’s one of the few ‘villages without a church’ after all.”

As soon as the pterosaur landed at the village entrance, Maria jumped off,

and the others followed, laying Prince Shiran on the back of the pterosaur, one by one.

Princess Shia looked around and said,

“It seems Lord Train has not arrived yet.”

“Let’s send a message to the master first.”

After Cat sent the bird, they all went into the village.

“How odd? The village is too quiet.”

Venturing further in,

For some reason, bodies were strewn about in every secluded alley.

Maria looked at the scene and said calmly,

“It seems the other inquisitors have already made their rounds.”

At that, Princess Shia asked calmly,

“Weren’t we told it was safe?”

“It’s relatively safe since there’s no church.”

Maria lifted one of the bodies to show its pointed ears.

“However, occasionally, they purge the mixed races like this.”

The ‘churchless village’ deliberately neglected by the Yumano Holy Kingdom.

Thanks to that, various races naturally flocked together,

But that was precisely the stratagem of the Yumano Holy Kingdom.

To secretly gather the different races and annihilate them.

Maria looked at Cat and Seiment and said,

“From here on, if you don’t cover your ears, it might be dangerous, you know?”

Seiment chanted a spell and suddenly transformed into a squirrel.

Then Cat pulled out an ordinary scarf from his pocket and wrapped it around his head, asking,

“If you’re going to use magic, wouldn’t a perception-distorting spell be enough?”

To which Seiment, climbing onto Yuril’s shoulder, replied,

“In the Yumano Holy Kingdom, there exists magic that can see through such perception distortion.”

At that moment.

Suddenly, from somewhere, numerous people with golden masks appeared and surrounded them.

Cat staggered and exclaimed,

“I knew something like this would happen!”

Maria frowned and drew her mace.

“Just so you know, I didn’t call for this.”

One of the inquisitors stepped forward and said,

“Even if Maria didn’t call, you should come running. You are our esteemed chief inquisitor, after all.”

Seiment whispered to Yuril,

“I’ll go check out the situation for a bit.”

Then he leaped off Yuril’s shoulder and disappeared somewhere,

In that moment, the inquisitor said to Maria,

“You’ve been taken hostage by those people, right? We will save you.”

Maria scratched her head and replied,

“I never gave such an order. Who the hell meddled in my affairs?”

An indiscernible aura of menace emanated from her.

The opposing inquisitor was momentarily flustered but soon forced a smile and said,

“The Pope himself has spoken.”

“…Really? Well, then, there’s nothing I can do.”

Maria sheathed her weapon and approached the other.

Then, with a swift turn, she pointed her mace at Cat.

“I’m sorry. I truly had no intention of betraying you.”

Cat sneered, drawing a dagger.

“How amusing.”

“I’d advise you to surrender quietly. Then everyone but Cat, the beastkin, can go home safely.”

At those words, Princess Shia stepped forward in front of Cat, drawing her gun.

“Regrettably, no one taught me how to run away.”

Yuril also murmured, drawing a shortsword from within his cloak.

“I didn’t want to spill blood in another’s country.”

Then the inquisitor swaggered forward, spreading his arms wide.

“Ha! You wish to fight? Just the three of you against over twenty of our elite inquisitor sisters?”

“No, it’s four.”

From somewhere, a hoarse male voice was heard.

“…Or is it? Four and two beasts? Five and one beast?”

Everyone lifted their heads to look up, and there was something on the roof of the house.

A monster resembling a wolf, covered in black mud.

An aberrant being atop it, looking like a corpse.

Some of the inquisitors began to panic.

“It’s, it’s a mutant monster!”

“And there’s the Swamp of Death nearby!”

“Calm down! Don’t be scared of just a monster!”

Then, the monster suddenly let out a rooster’s crow.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

As the monster leaped from the rooftop, chaos ensued.

Most fell to their knees or fled with all their might,

Yet amidst the turmoil, a few brave inquisitors stood ready to confront the beast.

But with a swift charge, the monster knocked them away in an instant.

Consequently, everyone lost their courage and began to scatter in terror.

…Only Maria quietly smiled, realizing the true nature of the creature.

“The name ‘Hero of Altoria’ was not mere bravado.”

That abnormal movement was undoubtedly Train’s high-speed maneuver.

And that unnecessarily spirited tail movement belonged to Pochi.

Upon closer inspection, a squirrel (Seiment) was also on Train’s head.

However, Cat, Shia, and Yuril seemed not to notice, as they all drew their weapons, standing guard.

“What kind of monster is that!”

“Everyone, be careful!”

“I can feel a dreadful poison emanating from that mud!”

They couldn’t be blamed.

A blindfold that impairs perception, mud imbued with magic, and even a spell of fear.

If they recognized him, it would have been nothing short of a divine revelation.

In the end, one of the inquisitors, flustered, attempted to pull something out.

“Damn it! At this point, we need the miracle of purification!”

At that moment, Maria grabbed the inquisitor by the scruff.

“You, you’re lying about having the Pope’s orders, aren’t you?”

“Yes, ah, no!”

“Then show me the evidence.”

“I, I left it somewhere else for a moment—”

Maria glared at the interrogator for a moment, then, as if resigning herself, she let go of his collar.

And then she struck his head with a mace, killing him instantly.

“To think those who vowed to dedicate themselves to Lord Yumano are so tainted by personal greed, only caring about their achievements.”

After taking a deep breath and looking back at Train, it was utter chaos.

“This guy, he’s too strong!”

“The magic doesn’t work because of the mud!”

“Don’t touch the mud at all! You’ll get a terrible poison!”

Even though all the interrogators had been dealt with, the reason for the continued commotion became clear…

Train lay unconscious on the porch.

Seiment seemed to have been flung somewhere far away.

So, in the end, it meant that Porch was the only one still frantically bouncing around.

“Oh dear, it’s my fault for not taking you out for a walk long enough.”

Maria retracted her mace and spread her arms wide as she exclaimed,

“Our adorable little Pochi! Come here!”

“Woof!”

Pochi, overjoyed, charged at Maria, covered in mud.

***

Traine gazed around vacantly and muttered,

“Is this that dream again?”

A stark white space with no ceiling, no floor.

A few stained glass windows floating in the sky.

“Five pieces… seems like there’s one more than before?”

Traine, staring intently at the colorful images, belatedly realized what they were.

“These are the magic books I’ve read, aren’t they?”

‘The Frog Prince.’

‘The Bremen Town Musicians.’

‘The Pied Piper.’

‘The Tortoise and the Hare’.

And, the only one alone, a dark windowpane.

“Is that a painting?”

Approaching closer, it reflected Train’s figure like a mirror.

No… It was slightly different.

The Train in the mirror was freely sporting an evil smile.

Train cautiously asked it.

“Who are you?”

“I am your despair.”

The Train in the mirror thrust a dagger into his own throat.

***

“aaah!”

Screaming, he opened his eyes to familiar faces.

Yuril, Shia, Cement.

For some reason, they all had their hands on Train’s bare skin.

“What, what’s going on, everyone…?”

Traein immediately noticed his body was only clad in underwear and jolted upright, letting out another scream.

“aaah!”

Then, three people pressed him down forcibly back onto the bed.

“Be quiet.”

“Shh!”

“Stay still.”

“What! What is this! Why are you doing this!”

That’s when Yuril shot Traein a look and asked,

“We’re treating you.”

“Treating?”

“You practically swam through a swamp of poison, didn’t you?”

“Ah…”

And then he noticed, all three hands were glowing with a faint green light.

“Thanks to that, your body is now harboring five different types of poison.”

It was only then that Train realized his predicament.

On the brink of being devoured by monsters, trapped in a swamp of poison.

He barely managed to master high-speed movement while riding on Pochi.

Afterwards, half out of his mind, he recklessly cast the high-speed movement spell to flee,

And when Seiment asked for help, he caused a ruckus with the inquisitors.

And then, he passed out just like that.

Yuril glared at Train and said,

“We can only give emergency treatment here, so be careful until we get back.”

“What kind of poison was it?”

“The original poison, plus hot poison. Cold poison. Exciting poison. Sedating poison.”

“What, what is that?”

“You’re really the first I’ve seen to barely survive by counteracting poisons against each other.”

Train frowned at the words, uncertain if they were a joke or serious, and Yuril spoke sternly,

“Anyway, don’t use any magic for a while.”

“Got it.”

“If you ever write that, I swear I’ll never look at your face again.”

“…Okay.”

Traine closed his eyes again, then suddenly snapped them open and bolted upright.

“Siran?!”

From noble mtl dot come

From a corner of the room, Siran lazily waved his hand.

“I’m alive.”

At that, Traine let out a huge sigh and flashed a playful smile.

“You really have a tough life, don’t you?”

“Honestly, I’m more surprised that you’re still alive.”

“What, you think I’d go through all this trouble just for you?”

“I’ll return the favor, you nosy punk.”

Yuril pressed down on Traine’s shoulder again, forcing him back down.

“I told you to lie down quietly.”

“Ow, ow, ow!”

Just then, Cat entered the room with Maria.

“The atmosphere is strange. The soldiers of the Holy Kingdom are marching towards Altoria.”

At those words, Prince Sirian frowned and asked,

“They’re not coming to capture us?”

“Seems like they plan to just ignore us instead?”

“Could it be that those guys…”

***

At that moment, in the Altoria Royal Palace.

Colonel Tanzet was in audience with the king, accompanied by his nephew.

King Siandar asked Colonel Tanzet,

“Why do you think the rendezvous location with the elves was discovered by the Yumano Holy Kingdom?”

Without hesitation, Colonel Tanzet replied,

“I informed them.”

“Why would you commit such an act?”

“The power of the Yumano Holy Kingdom is growing more formidable by the day.”

“And so?”

“If we continue to defend the elves like this, it may lead to war.”

King Siandar asked the woman, the niece of Colonel Tanjet, who stood beside him.

“Do you think so too?”

The woman answered without hesitation.

“Yes.”

“Even though your friend, Sir Train, took the side of the elves?”

At those words, the woman’s face momentarily showed pain, but she soon replied with a cold expression.

“One cannot abandon the greater cause for personal feelings.”

“I see.”

King Siandar rose from his throne and declared.

“Sir Tanjet, Lady Lizbeth. As of today, I strip you both of your noble status.”

“I refuse.”

At Sir Tanjet’s gesture, suddenly, several soldiers drew their swords.

King Siandar also promptly drew his own sword and asked calmly.

“What do you intend to do?”

Upon hearing those words, Sir Tanjet swiftly rushed forward, pressing his sword against the king’s throat.

In the blink of an eye, before anyone could react,

Sir Tanjet said in a cold voice,

“Your Majesty, for the sake of this nation, I shall dethrone you.”