I've Inherited the Summoning Skill, So I'm Going to Try to Master It! - Episode 82: In Other Words, The Knights Have It Rough

Episode 82: In Other Words, The Knights Have It Rough 

Brother Leonard’s eyes were still sharp. But the corners of his mouth were curled up in excitement. He’s not seriously thinking, “Hah, an interesting monster,” is he? A bear with cubs sounds like the worst possible situation. If something like that were near the highway, people wouldn’t be able to travel safely. 

“Brother, isn’t there anyone guarding the highway?” 

“Of course there is. I imagine they’ve been informed to investigate. But most of the time, they’re slow to act.” 

I see. It takes money to mobilize people. They can’t just go, “Oops, false alarm, my bad,” if the information turns out to be fake. Since the opinions are divided, the person in charge of this post town is likely being extra cautious. 

In other words, they’ll inevitably be slow to respond. 

“That means things will probably stay like this for a while. I just hope there aren’t any more victims.” 

“I see… As expected of you, Rufus. Maybe that’s exactly what the culprit is aiming for.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

What does he mean, “As expected of me”? Did I say something that impressive? I tilted my head in confusion. But Brother Leonard just kept smiling. 

It was like he was saying, “Oh, so that’s the approach you’re taking, huh?” 

“In other words, bandits targeting this area might be spreading false information to make it easier for them to operate. Or maybe it’s to cover their escape.” 

“Indeed, if rumors of a giant monster that shouldn’t exist are spreading, the people in charge might not take it seriously. Especially those who, like you, know that only small monsters live around here.” 

Brother Leonard nodded as if to say, “Exactly.” I see. But even so… 

“You’d think they could tell whether it was a monster attack or a bandit attack, though.” 

“They’re probably disguising it pretty well. After all, they say it looks like a bear.” 

“Makes sense.” 

It seems the bandits lurking along this highway are quite cunning. They’re not just a bunch of thugs. Why would such clever bandits be here? It’s likely to disrupt the connection between the royal capital and the Flute Duke’s territory. Or maybe it’s harassment from another country. Either way, it’s troublesome. 

“Brother, do you have any leads?” 

“Well, the only thing that comes to mind is that an unfamiliar caravan recently crossed the border of the Kingdom of Eladoria.” 

“Why didn’t you arrest them on the spot?” 

Brother Leonard gave a wry smile at my immediate question. If it were that simple, there wouldn’t be any trouble. I see… That makes sense. 

“If we arrested every suspicious merchant, it would damage the nation’s credibility. If we did that, no one would want to sell goods to the Kingdom of Eladoria. You’re right, Rufus, but it’s a delicate issue.” 

Brother Leonard’s wry smile deepened. It seems that working in the knight order isn’t easy. They must be managing things skillfully. I should bring them some sweets as a treat next time. 

After gathering this interesting information, we returned to the inn. It was only to be immediately caught by the waiting knights. We were made to write lines nonstop until dinner. 

We had to repeatedly write, “I will never leave without permission again.” 

Brother Leonard wrote diligently with a serene expression. It was as if he had attained enlightenment. As for me, this level of line-writing was nothing. It was thanks to all the practice I got at school in my previous life—writing kanji, memorizing English words, and all that. Not that I remember any of it now. 

Even while writing, something kept bothering me. 

When the knights caught us, Brother Leonard didn’t mention anything about the bandits likely hiding around this post town. 

He gave me a meaningful glance for just a moment, so I kept quiet. But shouldn’t he have told them? It would make the journey safer. 

I ate dinner still not understanding his intentions. Was it to avoid delaying the schedule? Or was there some deeper reason? 

In the end, I never figured it out. And the next day arrived. I considered asking Brother Leonard about it during the night, but the knights were keeping a close watch on us. They were wary of another escape attempt. So I didn’t get a chance. 

If I had asked him then, the knights would’ve found out. That would’ve made all our silent line-writing meaningless. 

Without Brother Leonard revealing anything, we left the post town as scheduled. 

Whoa, whoa, is this really okay? Feeling uneasy, I decided to send only Lagios out of the carriage. Everyone else was on standby. I didn’t feel confident about giving the right instructions if something happened. 

If I were to say something like “Sweep them all away,” the whole forest might get wiped out. That would be a problem. 

The Summoning Skill is the most powerful of all skills. It’s best to remember that well. Of course, it depends on the user, though. 

“Will it be okay?” 

“Are you worried about the monsters? If that’s the case, leave it to me. One breath, and they’ll be utterly defeated.” 

“That sounds like it would cause nothing but problems. Lagios, follow my instructions. Absolutely no acting on your own, okay? Unless our lives are in serious danger.” 

I’m still worried. Please, let’s not get attacked by bandits along the way. Although the carriage stands out, it’s heavily guarded by knights. So I don’t think that’ll happen. 

Original Author’s Comment:

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Thank you so much for reading this far!

If you found this story enjoyable, please consider following this series and leaving a rating. Your support would mean the world and serve as motivation for future creations. 

Thank you in advance! 

(Here’s the link to the Original Author: https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330653906747006.)

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊