Tilea's Worries

I looked around, but there was no sign of Gil-san. He must be somewhere, but if I go searching for him, I might lose track of Ortissio and the others.

There’s nothing I can do. I’ll ask Gil-san for an explanation once we meet up.

Some time had passed since Ortissio and his group entered the Elizabeth family’s treasure vault. I wonder if they’re okay. The place must be filled with traps. I sensed a magic circle activating, and I’ve heard the sound of arrows firing multiple times. Any ordinary person would be turned into a pincushion the moment they set foot inside.

Ortissio-san… He has top-notch combat skills, but I worry about his brains. I hope he’s not letting his guard down.

Feeling anxious, I decided to get a little closer to the treasure vault. Of course, I didn’t go inside. If I entered, I’d just fall into a trap and become a burden on Ortissio.

I approached up to three meters from the vault entrance.

Hmm?

I heard Ortissio’s triumphant laughter.

“Hahaha! Quite the haul, isn’t it? This should cover our quota for the next two or three months!”

“Captain, look over there! There’s a huge pile of gold coins in the back, too!”

“Oh, really? Excellent, excellent! Load it all up. Don’t leave a single coin behind.”

“Yes, sir!”

They didn’t seem bothered by the traps at all. Ortissio and his team were completely at ease, even as arrows and automatic magic bullets flew through the air around them. They just kept piling up the treasure on a large cart. If a trap got in the way, they destroyed it with magic bullets, creating loud explosions.

Well, if they’re handling it that well, I suppose there’s nothing to worry about.

After a while, Ortissio and his team returned.

“Doll, we’ve accomplished our mission. Time to head back.”

“Great job, everyone. That’s an impressive amount of treasure.”

The large cart was heaped with valuables… just the jewels and gold artifacts alone were worth billions of gold. When you added in the gold ingots and art pieces, the historical value was incalculable. Just how much did they exploit from the people to accumulate this much?

The ruthlessness of the Elizabeth family was evident here as well.

“Collecting all the capital’s wealth, these little worms! How dare they seize what belongs to Lady Tilea! Truly disgraceful!”

“Uh-huh…”

Not exactly what someone engaged in a bit of thievery themselves should be saying.

Well, it’s true that Elizabeth unjustly amassed all that wealth. I agree with that. But still… this feels more like a forced burglary.

I was prepared for the idea of sneaking in to steal, but I didn’t expect things to escalate to this extent. Fights broke out everywhere, buildings were ablaze, and even though it was limited to the Elizabeth family’s servants, there were casualties. It’s practically a war.

Fortunately, none of our people were harmed. But would Tilea-san really have given such an order? Knowing her usual personality, this just doesn’t feel like her at all.

I want to understand what happened. I need accurate information, not Ortissio’s subjective take on it.

I need Gil-san. Only he can give me an answer based on objective facts.

Where could Gil-san be? Should I ask Ortissio? I approached Ortissio, who looked pleased with himself, carting the treasures back with his men.

“Um, Ortissio-san?”

“What is it?”

“I can’t seem to find Gil-san. Do you know where he is?”

“Gil is leading a separate unit.”

Ah, so they split the troops into two groups. In that case, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to meet up with Gil-san. Depending on the situation, he might withdraw through a different route.

… There’s nothing I can do.

I’m pretty uneasy, but I’ll have to ask Ortissio about what’s going on.

“Ortissio-san, I have some questions.”

“What is it?”

“Did Lady Tilea really give the order for this operation?”

“That’s right.”

“Are you sure? Last time we spoke, Lady Tilea instructed us to keep things calm and low-profile, right? Did she change her mind?”

“Yes, she did. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

He answered confidently. Ortissio seemed absolutely certain.

Something doesn’t feel right. Tilea was so invested in a cooking contest with the chef here. So why did she suddenly leave?

“Um, was there something that happened with Lady Tilea while I was away?”

“I don’t know the details. I only heard it secondhand.”

“What? You didn’t get the order directly from Lady Tilea?”

“That’s right. Is there a problem with that?”

Ortissio looked at me, puzzled.

Yes, there’s a huge problem! How can you be sure the order is genuine?

It looks like my bad feeling was right. Something about this just doesn’t feel like Tilea. This must be Ortissio running wild. He must have misinterpreted the orders somewhere.

“Ortissio-san, who did you hear this from?”

“Hmm, if I recall, it was from one of Edim’s subordinates… someone named Dar… something or other.”

Dar… huh!?

“Could it have been Darf Gaderio?”

“Yes, that sounds right.”

I remembered seeing Edim talking to someone who looked like Darf the last time Tilea stopped by. But there shouldn’t have been any connection between Darf and Edim, so I thought it was just someone who looked like him.

But from Ortissio’s tone, it seems to be real. No way! The legendary Gaderio switched sides to the Eastern Kingdom?

Darf Gaderio… the decorated hero, renowned for his achievements in quelling bandits and wars with neighboring nations. With his leadership skills, if not for Lady Remilia, he would have been in line for the position of commander of the security forces. This highly trusted, wise, and courageous general has betrayed the royal family. It’s a scandal that could shake the foundation of the military.

Darf Gaderio’s betrayal… As a magic student, I have a duty to report this to the royal family. However, the Vincent family has been treated poorly by the royal family. They haven’t done us any favors, and our barony elevation is thanks to little Timu-chan. More than that, Tilea and Timu-chan mean more to me than family ties or social rank.

Yes, I’ll keep this to myself. This is a matter that could determine the fate of an entire nation, yet Ortissio’s team is talking about it so casually. It really makes me realize what an extraordinary group Timu-chan and the others are.

It’s mind-boggling… I’m amazed that Edim has this legendary hero under her command. But can Edim actually lead a squad? If it’s Gaderio taking command, it makes sense, but Edim’s position in the Eastern Kingdom is still unclear. Another mystery to ponder.

“Could it be that Edim holds a pretty high position?”

“Yes, a fairly high one. But her skills don’t match her status at all. I’ve had to clean up her messes more times than I can count.”

It sounds dubious coming from Ortissio.

Well, I’m inclined to believe Ortissio this time. Edim being inexperienced in her work makes sense. She’s still a student, so she’s likely struggling with the difference between theory and practice. Leading a unit isn’t usually a beginner’s job.

Mistakes are to be expected. Normally, even if you graduate from the magic academy, you don’t just jump straight into a high position. It’s the same with working at the royal palace or a guild. Even cadets marked for leadership go through the ranks step-by-step.

“I don’t quite understand, but can a newcomer really take on such a high position?”

“Edim is favored by Lady Tilea and Lady Camilla. That’s the only reason. It’s definitely not because of her skills.”

I see. This sounds like pure nepotism.

Well, Tilea and her group came from the Eastern Kingdom as refugees, so they might not have built a law-abiding nation yet. The influence of the royal family here might be stronger than in other kingdoms.

If Timu-chan decided to exercise authority, no one would be able to oppose her. Even if Edim was appointed to a high position, discontent among the others would probably be suppressed.

Tilea probably recommended her for a high position without thinking much about it. Edim is lucky to have their affection. It makes me a bit jealous.

But, for Edim, this is not necessarily a good thing. Being in a position beyond her capability would only be a burden. The right path is to grow step-by-step.

“I understand. This might not be my place to say, but it would be better to avoid such appointments.”

“Hmm, doll, you think so too? Absolutely correct. Edim’s only half as competent but has a sharp tongue. All she does is hold me back.”

“Well, compared to someone of your caliber, Ortissio-san, Edim might be lacking. But she was a promising talent at the magic academy. Please be patient with her.”

“Doll, you understand. Yes, I am exceptional. That’s why I find you endearing; you get the bigger picture. But Edim? Her impudence is intolerable. How can I be expected to overlook that?”

Ah, there it is—Edim’s biggest

 flaw. She can be quite mouthy. Ortissio may be capable, but with a personality like that, conflict is inevitable.

“Well, despite what he says, I’m sure Edim respects you, Ortissio-san.”

“Is that so? The other day, we went to deal with a minor pest, but Edim’s incompetence caused us to fail. And then she had the audacity to blame it on me, when it was her weakness at fault. Unbelievable, right?”

A minor pest? Is he talking about the Elizabeth assassins?

It seems that Ortissio and Edim attacked a corrupt noble’s estate.

The head of the household, apparently, had set their sights on Tilea-san. It seems that Edim botched the mission there, with her initial charge going horribly wrong. This was all according to Ortissio’s account, though, so I had to take it with a grain of salt.

As we moved on, with Ortissio grumbling along the way, we eventually met up with the unit led by Gil-san near the exit.

Finally! Now I could get to the bottom of this.

Leaving Ortissio’s side, I made my way over to Gil-san to get a proper explanation of what had happened.

First, it seemed that Tilea-san had initiated the cooking contest. She had asked her subordinates to bring ingredients one after another, and this order brought Edim’s unit, along with Darf and his men, together in one place. At this point, Elizabeth appeared and threatened Tilea-san, saying she would torture her and even sent assassins after Timu-chan, who was at the shop.

“Oh, I see. Tilea-sama must have been absolutely furious.”

“Yes, according to Darf, it nearly escalated into an all-out clash right then and there.”

“And that’s what led to this warlike situation?”

“Yes. Elizabeth, in her arrogance, even attempted to capture Tilea-sama. Tilea-sama then ordered Darf and the others to repel them, and she herself took Edim and headed to Camilla-sama.”

“I see. I was worried, but I’m relieved Tilea-sama was able to get away safely.”

“Doll, don’t say such foolish things! Tilea-sama would never simply ‘escape.’ She went to witness Camilla-sama magnificently obliterate her foes!”

Ortissio couldn’t help but interject into my conversation with Gil-san.

No, Ortissio, Tilea-san was just genuinely worried about Timu-chan. Why does he always interpret things so wildly?

And Elizabeth… she really has no limits to her underhanded tactics. Just how many assassins does she need to send before she’s satisfied?

I wonder if Timu-chan is all right. She always handles her enemies so gracefully. I’m sure she’ll be fine this time too, but…

“Camilla-sama must be concerned.”

“Doll, enough with your misguided remarks! Camilla-sama wouldn’t lose to mere assassins!”

“That’s true, but… well, there’s also Nielsen-san at the shop. We should be fine, right?”

“Absolutely. With Captain Nielsen there as well, those assassins likely didn’t even leave a speck of dust behind.”

Ortissio is exaggerating… but he’s not wrong. With Nielsen-san, the perfect butler, around, Timu-chan should be more than safe.