While Xenon was away replenishing supplies, Samuel had also been exchanging communications with the Temple.
It seemed he had likely heard about the monster hunters during that process. Samuel frowned and continued.
“If they had attempted to treat monster hunting as a chance to strike it rich, the Temple would have had grounds to step in and stop them.”
Monopolizing monster hunting was also a form of authority. Monsters were commonly regarded as vile creatures, and exterminating them was a sacred duty.
The Imperial Army had the justification of protecting its citizens, so there was nothing to be done about them, but if such a role were shared even with ordinary mercenaries, the symbolic power held by the Temple would inevitably diminish.
And judging by Samuel's reaction now, it indeed seemed the Temple viewed these monster hunters with considerable distaste.
“They're mimicking charity work to avoid being stopped.”
I murmured flatly and looked out the window.
Lilia was using the Yusgel Merchant Group to train monster hunters, surely to assist Maxel's subjugation efforts, right?
Once these so-called monster hunters were somewhat established, wouldn't they claim the Crown Prince was the one who supported this and attribute all the credit to Maxel?
'Even so, major subjugations would still require Maxel to take the field personally.'
A worthy target to be called a major subjugation was the Lizardman habitat.
However, if Maxel was targeting the Lizardman habitat, I thought rumors might spread, but listening to Xenon, no such news seemed to have reached him.
Since the subjugations so far hadn't caused much of a stir, he must be planning a large-scale operation.
I shifted my gaze to the sky. I saw Soana soaring high with her wings spread. When I gestured lightly, she drew a large circle, looped once, and flew away.
“Regarding the habitat, it would be best to wait until Soana returns from her reconnaissance.”
Among the Dullahans I commanded, Soana was the one who could scout the Lizardman habitat and return the fastest.
Moreover, she would be looking down from high in the sky, so if Maxel were to appear with his troops near the Lizardman habitat, she would undoubtedly spot him.
Xenon, who had been following my gaze out the window to look up at the sky, asked me a question just as Soana disappeared into a black dot.
“How long does she say it will take to return?”
“She said a day should be enough.”
“Then shall we look for a place to stay in the village today?”
Having camped for several days, it would be good to find an inn and rest for a day.
As I nodded, Xenon immediately opened the window toward the driver's seat and told Pallides the location. He must have looked around the shops and also checked out an inn separately.
The carriage, which had been parked near the village entrance, began to move slowly. Leaning my chin on my hand, I gazed blankly out the window when Samuel spoke quietly.
“And this is news I heard while contacting the Temple earlier...”
Glancing back, I saw Samuel's face, slightly frowning. He paused for a moment, then spoke in a blunt voice.
“Reports of Dullahan sightings have increased.”
“Dullahans?”
Just as I was about to question why he was only mentioning this now, Samuel quickly continued.
“However, the reports are sporadic and indiscriminate, so they lack credibility, I'm told. The holy knights who received the reports went to the scenes but encountered no Dullahans.”
“Aren't they just people who heard the Temple's announcement that Dullahans are cursed creatures, got scared, and are reporting recklessly?”
Xenon subtly offered his own speculation. It was a fairly persuasive guess.
“Of course, that could be the case.”
Samuel's voice as he answered somehow seemed unconvinced.
“Is there something bothering you?”
When I asked, Samuel briefly lowered his gaze.
“Among the villages where reports came from, this place is also included.”
“……This place?”
“Yes. I heard holy knights came by yesterday.”
At that perfectly awkward timing, the carriage stopped in front of the inn. However, neither I nor Xenon got out; instead, we stared blankly at Samuel.
“Similarly, there were no particular traces.”
“……Did you check who reported it?”
“The record left at the Temple says it was a traveler passing through this village.”
A traveler passing through this village suddenly spotted a Dullahan and reported it?
Naturally, it was an incredibly suspicious story.
“If it was a traveler, they likely used an inn.”
Xenon, who had been quietly silent, suddenly spoke up. He seemed to sink into thought for a moment, then turned his gaze to the inn visible outside the window.
“We can check.”
* * *
There was no particular information about the traveler. According to the innkeeper's description, they were an ordinary traveler, the kind you could see anywhere, with nothing particularly distinctive.
The Dullahan they claimed to have seen was also said to be more like a phantom glimpsed briefly in passing on a dark night. The innkeeper concluded dismissively, saying it was nothing more than a simple village incident.
If, as he said, this was merely something to laugh off, that would be fortunate.
'Dasha said if she woke up, she wouldn't stay quiet...'
Perhaps the sighting in this village really is nothing.
'But it's strange for false reports to occur simultaneously in multiple places.'
It feels like someone is scattering bait—or is that just my overactive imagination?
“Captain, you needn't worry. I'll guard you flawlessly!”
Lost in thought, I snapped back to attention at Pallides's vigorous words.
“Yes, I'll rely on you.”
I normally didn't have Dullahans guard me while I slept. But for today, I decided to keep Pallides by my side.
I felt a bit sorry asking Pallides, who had worked hard driving the carriage all day, to pull an all-nighter, but she was the only Dullahan who could stay by my side in human form, so there was no choice.
“Nothing will happen, Captain.”
Pallides said in a dependable voice. I smiled at her and lay down on the bed.
A vague premonition was making me uneasy, but...
I truly hoped nothing would happen.
*Thud!*
And unfortunately, my wish was not granted.
* * *
Samuel was having trouble falling asleep late into the night.
It was an insomnia that had started some time ago. No... saying 'some time ago' was a somewhat evasive expression.
He had lost the ability to sleep soundly after partially regaining memories of his past life. Because every night, in his dreams, the always hazy traces of the past were reenacted.
His words about wanting to ask Mori about the past were sincere. Samuel was curious. About the emotions the betrayer of the past must have felt.
About what feelings and impulses his actions were based on.
And so, as usual, he was spending the night awake with open eyes.
That was why he could react quickly to the commotion coming from Anelli's room.
*Thud!*
The inn's walls were not thick enough to block noise. Moreover, Anelli's room was flanked by Xenon's and Samuel's rooms, so in reality, they were separated by just a single wall.
At the dull noise from Anelli's room, Samuel immediately rose.
He flung the door open and stepped out, just as he saw the door to Xenon's room opening. Without waiting for him, Samuel grabbed the handle of Anelli's door.
“What is the matter?”
Before forcing the door open, he called out loudly. From inside, instead of an answer, came a crash, the sound of something breaking.
Without further hesitation, Samuel turned the locked handle.
The old inn room doorknob twisted with a metallic screech under his strong grip. Perhaps the warped screw dug into the wood grain, as a cracking sound accompanied a slight fissure.
“Lady Anelli!”
Beyond the forcibly opened door, a room of identical layout to Samuel's was revealed.
The first thing visible was the wide-open window. Because of it, the cold night wind had sharply dropped the room's temperature.
“Are you all ri...!”
Xenon, who had been urgently shouting behind Samuel, halted. Samuel and Xenon stood dumbfounded in the doorway, staring fixedly at the scene before them.
Meeting their gazes, Anelli furrowed her brow and clicked her tongue briefly.
“You woke up the ones I was trying to handle quietly.”
“I'm sorry, Captain. I should have used less force...”
“No, if you'd used less force, these brutes would have thrashed about more. It's cleaner to finish them in one go.”
Saying so, Anelli subtly leaned her body forward, shifting her weight.
A low groan then escaped from the unidentified person pinned beneath her foot.
“What are these... these people?”
Samuel tried his utmost to assess the situation calmly. But he couldn't stop his voice from trembling.
Carefully stepping into the room, Samuel looked around. Besides the one under Anelli's foot, there were several more individuals lying unconscious.
“What in the... did these people crawl into Lady Anelli's room in the dead of night?”
Xenon, who had been standing there looking stunned, also belatedly grasped the situation and made an incredulous face.
Xenon strode over to the fallen figures and roughly pulled off the masks they were wearing. Of course, seeing their faces didn't help identify them.
Xenon crouched before them and began not only removing their masks but also stripping off their clothes. He seemed to be searching their belongings.
“Are you injured anywhere?”
“Ah, no. I've caused a commotion by noisily beating them up and woke you and Xenon.”
“I wasn't sleeping anyway. And it seems the same goes for that mage.”
Samuel answered flatly and gave Xenon a look.
“Strip them appropriately, mage. It's unsightly.”
“Don't you know you're supposed to strip guys like this from their clothes first?”
“It seems you've picked up some eavesdropping, but it appears you've only gathered useless tricks.”
Ignoring Xenon, whose face flushed as he tried to retort, Samuel bent one knee.
The person pinned under Anelli's foot seemed nearly unconscious. Seeing a slight trickle of blood on the back of their head, they had undoubtedly been struck hard.
“For robbers...”
“They're not robbers.”
Before Samuel could finish, Anelli crossed her arms and spoke coldly.
“These people clearly had me as their target.”
The word 'target' felt somehow chilling. Samuel looked up at Anelli.
Anelli's eyes, looking down at her own feet, were coldly sunken. A composed voice flowed from between her lightly curved lips.
“I shook off the pursuit party, so it seems assassins have been attached.”
……Sadly, it wasn't exactly something to say with a smile.