After the meal, a fragrant herbal tea-like drink was served.

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"Did it suit your taste, Mr. Jin?"

According to Erza, table manners in the Kingdom of Franz basically forbid conversation during the meal, and it is only during the tea time after the meal that conversation takes place.

She was right.

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"Yes, everything was very delicious.

"Yes, I'm glad."

That was the beginning of the chat.

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"You are from the Shoro Kingdom, aren't you, Jin-dono? I've never been there, what kind of place is it?

"I heard that it is ruled by a female emperor, but I wonder if she has any complaints?

I've never been there before,

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I heard that Lake Tosmo is a big lake. Our Kingdom of Franz also has a large lake called Lake Asur. It borders the Kingdom of Cerroa.

He was talking about sightseeing.

"Are you bringing Reiko and Edgar with you, they look wonderful.

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The conversation was exactly what one would expect from a chat.

In the midst of this conversation, Elsa casually turned the topic to the information that Jin wanted.

"......There is a rumor in town that a demon tribe has been captured. Is it true?

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"Oh my, it's spreading after all."

Catherine, the former duchess, smiled a little annoyed and began to speak.

"There's no point in hiding it now, is there? Yes, it's true... two or three days ago, a representative of Enak told me that he had captured a demon tribe.

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* * * *

They came from the northern mountains.

The northern part of the Kingdom of Franz is bordered by a series of 2,000-meter-high mountains. Some of them came from the other side.

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"We are the race you call the demons.

Enak was a town close to the fortress that held the Klein Kingdom in its sights, and was ruled by a representative of the Dukes of Lafayette, whose lands were in the northern part of the Franz Kingdom.

It would be difficult to be believed out of the blue if you came to a town surrounded by a tense atmosphere because of its proximity to the border and said that you had no intention of fighting.

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Kutaga Akhter, the deputy who also serves as the mayor, is a thoughtful man at best and a cunning one at worst. He is at best a thoughtful man and at worst a cunning one.

Kutaga greeted them with an outwardly friendly demeanor.

"They say you have no will to fight. That's a big deal.

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Then one of them said,

"Fighting brings hatred on both sides. The land is desolate and the people's hearts are desolate. The power of the nation will fall and the people will suffer.

These words are said to have been uttered.

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Without heeding these words, Kutaga made it seem as if he was welcoming the two men, but instead poisoned them.

The poison was not very strong, only enough to paralyze their limbs, but at the same time it was effective against mages because it made them lose their sense of speech.

* * * * * * * * * * *

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"It's probably being sent to San Gelton right now. The deputy was escorting them along the way, showing off his work, so I'm sure a lot of the people know about it."

That was the end of Catherine's story.

Jin looked next to her and saw that Zion's body was shaking slightly.

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（He whispered in a whisper, "Calm down.)

She whispered in a whisper and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. Sion came back to himself and raised his face.

"Lucas, it's all right."

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No one would know what he was talking about with those short words. But only Lucas, who had known Zion for a long time, understood the meaning of those words.

Lucas was to be commended for his short temper, for he had obeyed his master's orders and had not spoken to him, even after all this time.

"Um, the Dukes of Lafayette, ......?"

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"Yes, my son. My husband is dead and I'm retired. So please don't be shy."

Elsa changed the subject again. Although she is not a talkative person, she has more experience in this kind of situation than Jin, so she is dependable.

"Oh, I heard that there are two duchesses in the Kingdom of Franz.

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Yes, that's right. Roughly speaking, the eastern part of the country is divided into north and south, with the Lafayette family in the north and the Oranje family in the south. The roads belong to the state."

You never know where this information will come in handy. Jin, Elsa, Zion, and Lucas ...... were not sure, but they decided to keep it in mind.

"I hope you are feeling better now..."

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Elsa asked when the conversation was over.

"Oh, thank you. My injuries are all better now. My knee has been hurting a little for a while now.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to see you."

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The former duchess gratefully accepted Elsa's kind offer.

Elsa pulls out a chair, turns around, and kneels down in front of Catherine to examine her.

"<>"

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Elsa's palm emitted a pale light, which was absorbed into Catherine's knee.

"Oh, I feel better!　Thank you, Elsa."

"No."

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That was a Shoro imperial chant, wasn't it?　It works wonderfully."

Healers in this world use medical healing magic such as <> and <> for knee pain.

In reality, most of the pains are caused by worn-out cartilage in the knee, so surgical healing magic is necessary.

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However, since Erza used the most appropriate healing magic based on the knowledge of the modern earth, the effect was very effective.

The former duchess, who was further impressed by this, insisted that they stay the night, and Jin and his friends agreed to accept her request.

"Thank you, Elsa. You're a real piece of work, aren't you?

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Jin thanked Elsa as he was shown into a luxurious guest room with two adjoining rooms.

Reiko and Edgar made sure that there was no wiretap, and then they decided to discuss their thoughts.

"I wouldn't have been able to get as much information out of you as I did," she said.

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"Yes, I'm glad I could be of help.

"The former duchess seems like a nice person. ...... Well, I don't know how much she cares about the common people.

The criticism was directed at the lavish meals, even for the benefit of the guests.

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"Well, it's not my place to say anything about it, but I ate it without saying a word.

"Well, it's none of my business. It doesn't help to say that in that situation.

"Well, you know. ...... the politics of this country, but right now it's about Zion and the others."

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Zion responded to Jin's line.

"......Erza, I appreciate that. But that bastard Kutaga is despicable!"

Jin quieted Zion's indignation.

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"I understand your anger. But please understand that even the human side has decided that we don't know how much we can trust him.

"......Uh, I know, I know. I heard that Marcosius was doing a lot of things with the humans too, so I guess the feeling is mutual."

"Yeah, that's all you need to know. I don't mean to take your personal anger out on you. But Elsa's father here was also a victim of Marcosias.

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"What?"

"......"

Well, technically he was tricked, not poisoned, but he is still a victim.

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"......Yes, that's what happened. I can't ...... say I forgive you, but I'm, ...... something, I'm sorry."

Theon bowed his head toward Erza. Erza shakes her head lightly and says to Zion.

"It's okay. It's not your fault.

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"Still, I didn't want things to be unsettled. Besides, thanks to you I know a lot more now."

"A numbing agent, if you will. If you can't move your body, you can't escape, even if you're a demon.

Jin's muttering caught Zion's attention.

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Jin, what are you going to do now?

"Ah, tomorrow I'm going to buy some information from that Fernand. Depending on that, we'll probably go to the capital, San Gelton. Then we can start planning our rescue.

Without knowing where and how they were being held, there was no way to make a plan. Theon understood that.

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"If they captured him and didn't kill him, it's probably because they want information. At least I think he is alive.

Jin said to cheer up Zion, whose face was clouded with worry.

"Yes, I see. What kind of poison is it?　Erza, can you cure the poison?

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"Yes. A little.

It would be better if I knew what kind of poison it is.

From the symptoms, I could imagine that it was some kind of nerve-paralyzing poison.

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That's as far as Jin goes. We won't know the rest until we act.

"Since we're here, let's take our time.

Jin said in as cheerful a voice as possible to the worried-looking Zion.

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* * * *

>

On the island of Horai, the old man let out a sigh-like grumble. The old man was lamenting the fact that he had eaten the food served to him without questioning it.

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That is one of the good things about you, Goshujin-sama. Because you trust others, they trust you, or they like you.


"We are here to assist such a gentleman, aren't we?"

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<<
Jin is lucky to have such a good group of people.