Black Iron Magician

「Hmm… So, you are saying that you are the real escorts that Joseph-dono sent?」

「Yes, we haven’t heard that there will be any other support besides us.」

Fuchi was explaining the situation to Ortho. After confirming it by himself, he found that the wax seal on the letter given by Joseph was genuine, and he held this meeting to confirm the truth of the matter. An official letter from Mage Prime Minister Joseph and three black-haired people. With this, it’s confirmed that Fuchi and his friends are supposed to be the escorts of Therese. In addition to the disappearance of the passage, both of these issues bothered Ortho greatly.

「But, that adventurer didn’t seem to lie either… They are also benefactors who saved the life of my wife. Was I too careless?」

「It’s somehow getting more suspicious. In short, we just need to catch those fake guys and save Ojou-sama, right? After I saved her gallantly, she will fall in love with me―― Alright, an event like that finally came!」

Oda suddenly became in high spirits. However, Ortho completely heard his words.

「Hm? What did you say about my daughter?」

「Ah, no… It’s nothing…」

Oda was intimated when being glared at seriously. Oda, who had incurred the anger of the Lord, could only wither. Perhaps thinking it was funny, Touko endured laughing while shaking her shoulders.

「So, what kind of person was the one who came before us? You said that he saved your wife, right?」

「He was an adventurer with black hair like you. Black hair is unusual around here, so it makes you stand out. As for his age, right, maybe around his early thirties. I heard that my wife was attacked by a large griffon while moving from Diana to Genius. Then, she was saved by a party of adventurers who happened to be passing by. My daughter seemed to like them a lot when she heard that story. Also, he said that they came from the Royal Castle, so I completely believed them.」

「A black-haired man, huh? It might be strange coming from me, but it’s certainly unusual.」

Since moved to this world, Fuchi has only seen one person with black hair other than his classmates. The only person that comes to his mind is the man that Touko said has a relationship with Rokusai Chinatsu and Katsuragi Haruna, who was expelled from the castle on the first day. It wasn’t that long since Fuchi was surprised by that man’s bottomless power. His name is――

「If I’m not wrong, he called himself Deris. I also remember two girls with the same black hair as you guys walking into the passage with him. Also, he brought a maid and a goblin for some reason. I doubted my eyes back there.」

――Yes, Deris. Fuchi came up with his name in his mind.

「W-Wait! That’s, don’t tell me…」

「F-Fuchi-kun. I also concerned about it…」

「What, Fuchi and Mani noticed it too, huh? This time, even I noticed it.」

Following Fuchi and Mani, it seems that Oda also understood this time. They look at each other and nod.

「To think that the day where I can see an armed maid coming to the dungeon has come in real…!」

「O-Oda-kun…」

「Oda, I think you should reincarnate once. Mainly from the mental side.」

In short, born as a baby without memories of the previous life.

「D-Deris-danna!? Then, there are Haruna and Chinatsu too, right!?」

「Hm? Do you know them?」

When the others were listening to Oda’s pointless talk, Touko continued the talk with Ortho.

「Ahh, how should I put it… Well, he’s not a bad guy! I think your daughter’s eyes were right, you know? You don’t have to worry about the ability! Even more so if Haruna and Chinatsu are together!」

「I-Is that so? That’s a relief…」

Ortho, who was worried, strokes his chest. In this situation where his daughter may have been caught in a dungeon trap, he couldn’t bear it if the escorts were suspicious. The worst case scenario that Ortho thought didn’t happen. However, the situation hasn’t changed for Touko and the others.

「But, what should we do? Setting aside Katsuragi-san and the others who went with the daughter, we have our mission. If we don’t bring back the proof that we defeated the new kind of golem that has appeared in the dungeon, we can’t accomplish our mission. We have to negotiate with that Deris-san and somehow bring back the golem material.」

「No, you are wrong, Fuchi.」

「Eh?」

Touko shakes her head and says this powerfully.

「Our purpose is not to bring back such a thing, you know? It is to defeat extraordinary enemies and grow up! If Yuna has the prey, then we have to defeat her and take it!」

「No, that’s just you wanting to fight Katsuragi-san, right? Also, that’s something akin to robbery, you know?」

「It’s okay if it’s by mutual agreement! She loves to fight after all!」

It seems that Touko’s head is full of Haruna. It was impossible to persuade her, so Fuchi, who understands the personality of his classmates, gave up quickly.

「I won’t stop you if you want to talk about your friends, but I want you to give priority to rescuing my daughter first. As you may have heard, a passage suddenly appeared in the Gibeon Ruins. My daughter passed through that passage with the escorts to subjugate the golem. However, after a while, the path was blocked. We couldn’t find anything when we tried to find a hidden door or something of the sort on this side. To be honest, I’m at a loss at this point…」

「Hidden door, hidden switch, huh? I guess we need to investigate the actual place for a while.」

「… Fuchi, are you enjoying this?」

「That’s just your imagination.」

Fuchi begins to investigate the area near the wall where the passage was said to have been. He denies it, but he seems to be enjoying it. To him, a steady investigation is like being a detective. Touko also follows Fuchi and looks at the wall.

「Did you try to break this wall? If there was a passage, wouldn’t it be possible to open it by destroying the wall that covers it?」

「We tried it, of course. But, it didn’t even budge when my subordinates, who have confidence in their strength, tried to destroy it with a steel hammer. It looks just like any other stone, but the wall is extraordinarily sturdy. That’s why I’m looking for other possibilities.」

「Hmm…」

After confirming the feel of the wall, Touko suddenly dropped her hips in front of the wall, crossed her arms in front of her body, and swung down her crossed arms. It’s as if she was doing a karate greeting to the wall, and Fuchi, who was investigating next to her, opened his eyes wide at her actions.

「T-Touko-sa――」

「Sei!」

An unstoppable straight punch hit the wall. Then, a tremendous impact and rumbling sound rang all over the floor. Not only Fuchi, who was next to her, but also Oda, Mani, Ortho, and his private soldiers who were around were staring at her dumbfoundedly.

「――Ossu. Alright, I’m in great shape today. It’s the best day to revenge on Haruna!」

「「「「………」」」」

Anyway, the wall was shattered and the hidden passage was exposed. Unaffected by her surroundings, Touko turned around with a smile while making a guts pose.