Inn Overlord: Reincarnated with Enhancement Magic, Now Worshipped as a Divine Messenger! - Chapter 35

(Albert’s point of view – west of Noonan Village)

“Is that… a monster…?”

I’m now witnessing something I can’t believe. Just as I felt a small gust of wind, the heads of 15 out of the 30 men following me were cut off all at once.

I don’t even know what kind of magic was used. I can sort of guess it’s wind magic, but analyzing it is meaningless now. Setsuna, who’s in the same party as me, has already dropped to her knees and lost the will to fight.

The woman from the inn—the one who hides one of her eyes—speaks again.

“Anyone with information, speak.”

Everyone is shaking in fear. Fear spreads like it’s contagious. I am right in the middle of it.

The waitress looks annoyed and speaks again.

“Looks like I still need to thin you out some more…”

Her words make one of the men behind me speak up.

“I-I don’t know anything! He—Albert—he’s the one who gave the job!!”

I turn and glare at the man who tried to blame me.

Then the woman speaks.

“Say what the job was.”

“We—we’re assassins by trade! Albert came to us with a job to destroy this village!”

“Why destroy this village?”

“I-I don’t know that! We try not to ask too many questions! Knowing too much might get us killed! And the clients don’t want us to know the reasons either!”

“How much were you paid?”

“Uh… 10 Imperial gold coins.”

He keeps talking. Once this interrogation ends, it’ll be either me or Setsuna next. What happens to this guy will probably decide our fate too.

“…Fine. I’ll spare your life.”

“Th-thank y—”

The woman cuts him off and adds:

“But only if…”

“I place a mark on your heart. If you talk to anyone about this village or us, the mark will activate and you will die.”

She shows her palm and reaches forward. I hear a dull sound, and the man who confessed falls to the ground—then gets up like nothing happened.

“Now go.”

He runs away, leaving us behind.

“Alright. Anyone else have information?”

The people I brought with me—just temporary allies—begin spilling what they know. Some shout, some cry as they speak, and some raise their hands to stand out. Just like fear, surrender spreads quickly.

“I was following Albert’s orders too!”
“I don’t know anything!”
“I don’t even know who the client is!”
“Albert knows everything!”

But then, the heads of all those who just spoke are cut off at once.

Their headless bodies fall with a sound, bl00d gushing out.

“I already heard that info. If you want to live, say something more useful.”

Everyone goes silent. That’s because they don’t know anything more than the first man. I think to myself:

—Good… stay quiet, all of you. It’s our turn next, either me or Setsuna. But soon, someone from the northern group will notice something’s wrong here. They’ll either come to check or attack the village early. If that happens, I’ll have a chance to escape…

In the middle of this tense silence, I hear footsteps in the grass.

—Alright… is someone coming!?

“Oh? Jeanne, you’re still not done yet?”

It’s the other waitress from the inn.

—Perfect! I can take her hostage…

That’s what I thought—but I noticed something strange about the new waitress. So I didn’t go through with it.

But one of the guys I brought with me does.

He runs at her, trying to grab her. But then, suddenly, his arm is gone.

“GYAAAAHHHH!!!”

The new waitress calmly rests a giant halberd—bigger than her body—on her shoulder and speaks.

“Hm? Am I allowed to kill this one?”

The woman called Jeanne replies:

“Yes. He tried to take Luka hostage.”

“Oh, okay~♪”

Luka—the new waitress—swings her halberd sideways. Because it’s dark, I can’t even follow the movement with my eyes.

—That strength… then the northern group is probably…

Everyone is silent now. And finally, it’s time for Setsuna and me to be questioned.

—Wh-what should I do? Should I tell the truth? Or lie…?

The woman called Jeanne asks Setsuna:

“Who hired you?”

Setsuna tries to speak, but her mouth just moves—no sound comes out.

—She’s too scared to talk!? She’ll get killed!!

I look at Jeanne. But her face doesn’t change. She just stands there, silently.

—Say something! Lie if you have to, just say something!!

Then, I notice something. All the sounds I should be hearing—like the wind, rustling grass, insects—are gone. I can’t hear anything.

—Is this her magic too!?

Then the woman looks at me and speaks.

“Who hired you?”

I hear her voice clearly.

—Did Setsuna lie? Or tell the truth? I don’t know…

I give up and tell the truth.

“I-it was a job from the Empire’s Chancellor…”

She stays silent, waiting for me to say more.

“And also, someone from the Kingdom of Schmar is involved…”

“Who?”

I answer.

“…The Margrave of Burlington. He’s an enemy of the current king of Schmar, Ingobell. That’s why he teamed up with the Empire and started this operation…”

“I see. So he’s doing the same thing as the village chief here?”

“Y-yes…”

“Why is that noble unhappy with the kingdom?”

“I-I don’t know…”

“Your guess is fine. Say it.”

I remember what I thought when I got the job and speak.

“Maybe… it’s because they took away the self-rule of the small city of Barmuller…”

“That’s a stupid reason… Just because his pride was hurt, he helps the enemy invade? Humans really are foolish.”

She talks like she’s not even human. Then she mutters to herself:

“…But now I understand why almost 400 Empire soldiers crossed the border so easily.”

She even knows about the 400 Empire soldiers. I’m not surprised anymore. I’m more afraid that I’ll be killed for hiding that info.

“Alright,” she says and stretches her hands forward to cast a spell.

—We’re dead…

That’s what I thought. But we—and those behind us—are still alive.

“It’s a promise. But remember—if you try to go against us, the mark on your chest will activate and you will die.”

Then the two waitresses begin to leave. But I speak up. I don’t even know why. Maybe it was because I felt some kindness from her.

“W-wait! There’s an assassin hiding among the inn guests who’s also part of this plan! You should stop him quickly!!”