Chapter 103. Three Eyes (2)
"Ugh... who are you? How dare you lay hands on me."
As expected, the dark elf woman who had awakened carried herself like a noble.
I placed my sword against her neck and used [Convenient Lesser Appraisal].
[Adidije Chiamaka, 23 years old]
[Daughter of Chief Chiamaka. Member of the organization "Three Eyes." Serves Hela.]
"Director Manuel, their organization is called Three Eyes."
Both Manuel and the shaman looked startled.
"I was told about your ability beforehand, Count, but it truly is remarkable."
"You... are you a fortune-teller?!"
It had been a while since someone called me that.
I told Martin to bind and gag the other shamans.
Then I continued the interrogation.
"Adidije Chiamaka. Where is the man named Fabio? The one who was in Veneto."
The shaman stared at me like she was about to have a heart attack.
"How do you know even that? What the hell are you?!"
"Answer my question. Before I throw you to the orcs."
"Urgh... kill me!"
I wasn't incapable of doing that.
If I killed her and turned her into a ghoul, I could interrogate her afterward.
It wasn't a method I wanted to use unless absolutely necessary, but this matter was serious enough to justify taking her life.
Still, Manuel was watching.
Better to take her aboard Benedikta first.
"I'll take this woman. Director Manuel, you take the other two."
"What are you planning to do with her? Surely..."
What's with this perverted old man?
"I'll interrogate her personally. I'll share the information afterward, so don't worry."
"Hmm. Very well. Then I will take those two..."
BOOM!
An explosion struck without warning.
I protected my body with mana and rolled across the floor.
My ears went numb.
For a moment, I lost my sense of balance.
Creeeeak, crack crack.
The entire building was tilting.
At this rate, it would collapse any second.
"Lorian! Emma! Take Manuel and run to the ship!"
I had to keep mana wrapped around my body, so I couldn't spread my senses properly.
I couldn't even tell whether everyone was still alive.
Dust blocked my sight.
I had no idea whether both ghouls still had all their limbs.
But Manuel was a priest, so getting him out came first.
"Martin! This way!"
Martin suddenly burst through the dust.
I grabbed his arm and placed my other hand against the floor.
"Golem Creation!"
Rumble!
A Wood Golem rose almost explosively.
At the same time, the entire building tilted and collapsed.
CRASH!
Debris battered me from every direction, but it didn't cause any real damage.
The Wood Golem also acted like a support pillar, keeping the wreckage from crushing us.
Martin staggered upright on top of the rubble.
"Urgh. My lord, are you all right?"
"The enemy is coming! Draw your sword! Golem, protect us!"
Rumble.
My sense of balance still hadn't fully recovered.
I placed my hand against what I hoped was the ground.
"Golem Creation!"
The earth was gouged open as Stone Golems and Earth Golems formed one after another.
Then I sensed someone approaching at high speed.
"Shield."
I activated [Flare Shield], concentrated mana into it, and thrust it toward the incoming enemy.
Clang!
Urgh, I'm getting pushed back!
This bastard's a Sword Master!
I blocked the attack, but the difference in level forced me sliding backward.
At that moment, Martin and the golems swarmed the enemy.
That brief opening let me spread my senses.
One Sword Master.
One high-level mage.
The shamans... are they dead?
Apparently, their allies had considered them an inconvenience.
They had killed their own shamans.
Then I sensed mana compressing violently.
From the mage.
"Martin! Magic! Run!"
The two of us sprinted away like lunatics.
Less than two seconds later...
BOOOOM!
The shockwave sent us rolling across the ground again.
Martin pushed himself up with one hand and spat dirt from his mouth.
"Ptooey. Is today supposed to be the anniversary of our deaths?"
"No. It's over."
"What?"
"The mage fired one spell and ran. Look over there."
I pointed.
Dozens of knights were charging toward us.
This area was the gathering point for the Liguria recapture force.
There were knights everywhere.
A massive explosion like that was bound to bring them running.
"Did you identify the enemy?"
"No. I didn't have time to use my ability. Did you see anything? All I saw was the mage's robe."
"The knight was a dark elf with a huge scar across his face."
"Later I'll get you an artist. Describe him properly."
All the golems had been destroyed.
A Sword Master's attacks combined with an explosive spell from a high-level mage had been too much for them.
Then I searched for the shamans' bodies.
Damn. They completely pulped them.
The three corpses had been caught in the explosion.
None of them even looked human anymore.
Of all the damn things...
I couldn't turn a badly destroyed corpse into a ghoul.
That meant my interrogation method was gone too.
One of the knights who had rushed over called out to me.
"Count Marcel? What happened? Were you fighting a mage this time?"
Who are you to talk like you know me?
I turned.
Holy Knight Gottfried was approaching with a broad smile.
He had fought Cain during the Westfalen incident.
"We were ambushed by suspicious people."
"Did you see their faces?"
"The mage kept her face hidden, but the knight was a dark elf with a large scar."
Gottfried looked over the ruins.
"Quite the greeting."
Later, at the full commanders' meeting, we had an artist produce a sketch based on Martin's description.
The portrait was passed among the assembled nobles.
"He has a large scar across his face."
"Looks like a sword wound. Ugly fellow."
Then, luckily, one of the Germanian nobles recognized him.
"Hm? I know this man. He was a warrior of the Enugu Tribe, which was incorporated into our Saxony colony."
"Can you find him?"
"He escaped his tribe with a group around two years ago. We haven't heard from him since."
The noble looked at me.
"But if I remember correctly, this man is a Sword Master. I'm impressed you survived."
"Several knights helped me."
I pointed at Gottfried.
Despite being suddenly put on the spot, he smiled brightly.
"Ha ha! The dark elf fled the moment he saw me. It was an honor to save Count Marcel."
That was a slight exaggeration.
But it was true that the enemy had fled after seeing the approaching knights.
Commander-in-Chief Andrea drew everyone's attention.
"Hostile infiltrators have reached even this gathering point. Perhaps they intend to strike the Sun God Church itself. Each national and territorial force must take every precaution in guarding its camp."
It was standard advice.
Even without this incident, protecting one's camp was basic procedure during wartime.
I raised a hand.
"Commander, I'd like permission to operate a scouting party to prevent the infiltrators from escaping La Spezia."
"Granted, of course. I pray you capture them so they can be burned."
Does the Sun God Church have some kind of fetish for burning people?
Whatever.
The commanders' meeting ended.
While returning to the Franche camp, a Saxon knight approached me.
"Count Marcel, did you happen to see a female mage during the attack?"
"There was a mage using explosive magic."
"Oh! So she really was there."
His expression turned serious.
"That woman is a vicious criminal wanted throughout our Empire. She should not have escaped La Spezia yet, so we will join the search."
That made things easier.
The Saxon knight order was among the strongest in Germania.
They had many experienced, high-ranking knights.
If they joined the hunt, those two dark elves were practically dead.
"What crime is she wanted for?"
"She used a massive magic circle to blow up an entire village. More than two hundred subjects in one of our colonies died at once."
What?
I suddenly felt uneasy.
That terrorist isn't planning to interfere in Marcel too, is she?
