Black Iron Magician

Chapter 404 Bad Luck

「Still, it has become a big problem, huh. It’s the first time in history that the border of Crocus is covered by a wall, isn’t it? Today, when I was patrolling in the city, I was asked many times by merchants about the situation. All I could say was that it was under investigation. It’s really troubling….」

The one who suddenly said so was Canon. The fact that Maria has occupied Crocus is only known by a limited number of people for now. However, many people have already seen the barriers along the borders, especially merchants who travel between countries, and it seems that they have suffered real harm. Of course, those who have family members or acquaintances in Crocus are really worried. The situation was like this, even though it hasn’t been that long since it happened. It’s easy to imagine that the more time passed, the greater the commotion would be and the more people’s anxiety would spread.

Haruna and the others are exchanging looks, signaling each other not to tell Canon that the cause of this happening was that the Great Eight Demons Maria had her eye on them. Even if they say it, it would only have a negative effect on Canon’s mentality, and they judged that it was not a good idea to carelessly spread this information.

「You have it hard, huh. But Canon-san, if we lose our composure, the people will get anxious desuwa. As a knight, you have to stand firm here! Let’s do our best!」

「T-That’s right. Yes, I thought so too.」

「Therese is more like a senior knight than Canon, isn’t she?」

「Touko-chan, you mustn’t say it even if you think so!」

「Haruna, that’s the same as agreeing with it…. Well, you’re right about her reputation as a knight, though.」

「Ugh, this is too much….」

Although it was outside work time, Canon requested a consultation to Chinatsu. Thus, he somehow managed to recover his mental condition.

「――I guess this is about right. How do you feel, Canon-san?」

「Thank you very much, Vice Leader! Now I have hope for tomorrow!」

「Yes, let’s do our best without giving up hope.」

「…… It’s super effective, huh. No wonder it became a hot topic in the town.」

「By the way, Canon-san. Now that the border of Crocus is closed, is the price of the market going up? For example, meat, fish, and vegetables!」

「Fufu, they are all foodstuffs after all.」

Chinatsu giggled when she heard the Haruna-like question.

「Ehehe, after all, it’s the most important information for someone who helps with the housework.」

「You can’t fool me, Haruna. Just like me, you love to eat, right?」

「 T-That’s not all! I’ve acquired the 『Medicinal Herb Knowledge』 skill, so I’m trying to apply it to cooking recently!」

「After all, it’s all about food….」

「Haruna-san was accepted as Deris-san’s disciple because she was good at housework after all. Well, I don’t know the prices of all the markets, but as Haruna-san says, some foodstuffs are starting to get affected by it. Crocus was the second largest importer after Tazarnia, and medicinal herbs, in particular, have been affected.」

「When it comes to herbs, the ones Haruna-san worried about would be spices and tea leaves, right? They are all specialties of Crocus.」

「I see~. Not only cooking ingredients, but the prices of tea and herbs have skyrocketed, huh. In other words, it’s a big deal for me. …… Wait, the situation is really serious, isn’t it!?」

Haruna was seriously feeling shaken. It was a very unusual figure.

「Y-You don’t have to worry that much. No, it’s actually a serious matter, though…. Probably, we would make up for the shortage from Tazarnia until the problem is solved. Also, I’m sure that the Quitet Trading Company will take action in this emergency situation, so it’s going to be okay! After all, they have airships!」

「R-Really…?」

Canon is trying to encourage Haruna. The content itself may seem like a farce, but the two are quite serious about it.

「That’s right! Ah, but, when I was passing by, I felt like I heard someone from the magic item store said something about one of their airships being trapped in Crocus…. I-It’s okay! Probably! No, it’s definitely going to be okay! It’s only one airship after all!」

「「「「………」」」」

However, in the end, his behavior was unreliable. After all, Canon was still Canon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

「――That was what I heard from Canon-san. I’m worried about future food expenses….」

「………」

I met up with the girls after the discussion with the king and the others was over. We came back to Nell’s mansion right away, but just before I went to bed, Haru told me such a story. I guess Haru was just making small talk with me. There was no malice at all, and she had no intention to bother me. I know that. However, immediately after hearing it, I was greatly troubled.

「C-Could it be that Shishō also thinks that I’m only thinking about food!?」

「Ha? …… Ah, no, it’s not about that. I’ve gotten used to it. Rather, I’m grateful for your cooking. It’s another thing that’s bothering me.」

「Another thing? Hmm?」

Haru doesn’t seem to know what’s bothering me, and she tilts her head.

「It’s about Quitet’s airship. Even Dias hasn’t heard about it yet, but Canon seems to have some weird luck.」

「???」

I was actually going to explain everything tomorrow, but since Haru didn’t seem to understand, I told her that I was planning to ask Alezel and Zeta for their help. Damn, my drowsiness has gone completely.

「――Well, that’s why I was planning to involve them to take back Crocus. However, it seems that Alezel and Zeta were already involved. The airship that Canon mentioned was the one that we saw off in Al Nova, the one that Alezel and Zeta were on board.」

「Eh!? Zeta-san and Alezel-san are trapped in Crocus!?」

「Quitet Trading Company owns several airships, so there’s a possibility that it’s another ship. However, Alezel is someone who won’t compromise when it comes to business. The airships are valuable and there are not many of them, so it’s unlikely for her to do something inefficient such as having two or more airships stay on the same continent.」

「Then, the two are….」

「It’s not confirmed yet, of course. Just in case, I will go to the magic item store and ask Owner tomorrow morning.」

However, in all probability, I’m sure that it was their ship. By any chance, is Alezel on Maria’s side…? Nope. Alezel, who only thinks about business, would never do something stupid like this with Maria that wouldn’t benefit her at all. Rather, it would only hinder her business. I guess it was unintentional, huh. I feel sorry for them that they got caught up in Maria’s whims.

「…… If we were to think it positively, it can be said that we have a talented spy in the enemy’s territory.」

「Shishō, I think that’s a good approach! But, we can’t communicate with the ones inside Crocus, right?」

「Well, that’s something we can work out with effort and ingenuity.

Still, there’s a point that I can’t understand. We’re talking about Alezel here. I don’t think she’s going to stay quiet even if the opponent is Maria….

――――The 67th day of training is over.