Chapter 71: ‘Working on Holidays’ Needs a Good Compensation
From the top of Knot Hill, you can look down on the road that leads to Ilgafa.
It is a wide road made of earth that carries goods from Ilgafa inland.
On the east side of it, there is a small forest with a small space in the middle. According to Iris, that small space is a lake. I think that’s where Eterina Hasburg said she hid the Golem.
The regular soldiers and adventurers are gathered in an open area of the forest.
Everyone seems to be armed and ready to face something.
“Don’t attack! No!”
What appeared there was a giant several meters tall.
It was a Golem.
It was a humanoid Golem but in addition to its legs, it had a large number of tentacles. It was probably made out of metal since it kept making a jarring sound whenever it moved. It was expand and contracting its tentacles to intimidate the soldiers and adventurers.
It’s literally a “Deformed Golem”. Its head looks like a squashed frog, and its hands were covered with fins.
The person who made it was probably inspired by the “Legend Of The Sea Dragon”. In the legend the natural enemy of the Sea Dragon is a tentacled monster well known to the general public.
“Don’t attack! Don’t attack.”
The soldiers were shouting, “Don’t attack!”
Maybe that’s because - one human was trapped in the Golem’s hand.
Only the upper half of his body was sticking out while his torso was being lightly grabbed.
I can’t see his face from here but he’s wearing some expensive clothes…
“You know, Iris. Maybe that guy is …”
“I would like to disappear right now.”
The next thing I knew, Iris was on her knees at my feet.
Rafilia was also sticking her head to the ground next to her.
“So it’s the Lord of Ilgafa who’s being held?”
“Yes… I’m pretty sure that’s my father…”
I pulled Iris and Rafilia up. This is not Iris and Rafilia’s fault.
Iris has been informing the Lord of the situation. She said that Eterina Hasburg’s Golem is hidden near the town. It’s very dangerous and should be disposed of carefully.
“Rita. Is Eterina Hasburg- no, a woman with black hair and dark eyes around the regular soldiers or adventurers? Also, Cecile, check the Golem’s Mana. Iris, stay with me and assess the situation.”
“Yes… big brother?”
If I put her down on the ground, she will get down on her knees again so I put Iris on my shoulder. She was light. Or rather, thin.
Iris makes a “wow” sound, but I think she understands my intentions, so we start looking around together.
“There are no women among the regular soldiers, given their physique. There are no women with dark hair among the adventurers either. The color of their eyes is… impossible to determine at this distance.”
Rita shook her golden hair and stared at the forest.
“All right. Maybe she is not here. If they really brought her with them she should be in cuffs with soldiers looking at her. Cecile, what is the source?”
“There is a Mana Crystal embedded in the Golem.”
Cecile said, rubbing her red eyes.
“It’s a lot bigger than the one in the Ice Golem we fought against in the dungeon. But it must be very expensive. You’d have to be a Noble or a local Lord to buy something like that…”
So you’re saying that the Lord can buy it.
If Eterina Hasburg isn’t here, it’s very likely that she’s not the one who did it…
“My father was always afraid. He was always afraid that he would have to take Shrine Maiden’s place in the festivals.”
Sitting on my sholder, Iris said.
“If Iris doesn’t have any children, the Lord will be in charge of the Festival of the Sea Dragon. He said, “If that happens, I will be targeted by political enemies…” The day before yesterday, the room was surrounded by regular soldiers…”
“Is that why there were no regular soldiers around the dungeon?”
“… Yes.”
Iris and I both held our foreheads at the same time, saying “ouch”.
Did you do it Lord?
Did you think to research and study that Golem and convert it into your bodyguard…?
On the ground, the Golems was rampaging, using its metal tentacles.
A Mage tried to cast a spell, but the regular soldiers stop him.
“Stay out of this! If the Lord is killed, it’s our responsibility… no, no, we have to protect him.”
The incident was happening on the ground. It’s not going to spread to us.
In other words, we can enjoy our holiday as normal, no problem.
So, I’m going to make some more tea, and we’ll continue our picnic…
“There’s no way I could do ──.”
If the Lord dies now, it will complicate things.
The Lord, Iris’s father, approves of Iris and me at least to a point, but I don’t know if the next Lord will have the same attitude. In fact, there is even a possibility that the succession struggle will take a turn for the worse and Neuel Hoffimier will come back. If that happens, Eterina Hasburg will be treated differently. That would be a disaster and things have just started to calm down.
“… I can’t help it.”
But I’ve given everyone “Paid Leave” today.
“Sorry everyone, we’ve got some urgent work to do, so we are going to have to call it a day and do the work.” is the worst thing I can say. If I’m going to make them give up their day off, I have to promise them something in return. I don’t want to be a black employer.
What should I do? Should I give them another Paid Leave…?
Or should I organize a company trip… a vacation?
Well, I’ll think about that later.
“Listen, Iris. I want you to ask us to rescue the Lord.
I said, setting Iris down on the ground.
“It was the Lord who kept Iris in the Ilgafa Family, right? If so, then Iris is both my slave and a member of the Ilgafa Family. In this time of emergency, there should be no problem for Iris to hire adventurers to save the Lord.”
“… Yes, yes. That’s right, big brother!”
Iris opened her eyes wide for a moment, but then quickly nodded her head.
“The port city of Ilgafa’s Lord is in danger. Therefore, in the name of Iris Hoffimier, I request Master to rescue my father. So, what’s the reward?”
“As compensation for cutting today’s paid leave short, I’m thinking of taking a relaxing company trip. So, I want you to rent me a villa of the Lord’s Family, preferably in a tourist area by the sea. If possible, I’d like you to pay for the trip, but that’s negotiable. I won’t ask for anything unreasonable.”
“I accept those conditions. I will try to convince my father later. If not, I will pay you even if I have to sell off my personal belongings.”
“You don’t have to go that far. I’ll negotiate with the Lord about it.”
If that Golem is made by Eterina Hasburg, it is probably too much for the regular soldiers to handle. That’s just my guess, though.
But the Ice Golem in the dungeon had regenerative abilities and even used flying tools. And they’re even autonomous.
And on top of that, he now has a hostage. If we make a mistake, the Lord will be killed. I don’t care about the man himself - other than the fact that he’s Iris’s father - but I don’t want to get into trouble afterwards.
“So, I think we’re going to rescue the Lord.”
I turned to the others and said.
“The one rampaging in the forest is probably a cheat Golem created by a ‘Visitor’, so it would hard to defeat it without cheat skills. The Lord is one of Iris’s relatives, so we can’t just leave him alone.
… However, since I am making everyone work on their days off, I’ll make sure that you get a reasonable reward from the Lord if we succeed. I promise you that. Legally… and peacefully. Absolutely… by every means possible…”
“…That’s all well and good, but, uh, Nagi-sama, aren’t you angry about something?”
The next thing I knew, Cecile and the others were staring at me.
Angry? … I might be.
I’m allergic to the word “Holiday work”.
“But, but, that Nagi-sama is also…”
Cecile looked somewhat embarrassed. Everyone around her was nodding while saying “Yes, yes.”. I wonder why?
“‘That’s why I’ll make it up to you, I promise. For now, let’s go help that Lord.”
Regaining my composure, I declared to the five slave girls.
Without hesitation, they all raised their hands and said, “Yes,” which was a relief to me as the Master who made them work on their days off.
The regular soldiers and the adventurers were confused.
Everything was going well until the Golem was found hidden in the lake and the regular soldiers pulled it to the shore. When the Lord saw it, he asked one of the adventurers, “Can you control it?”
For some reason, the Lord had prepared a certain “Mana Crystal” as well.
Mana Crystals are as name suggests crystalline form of mana, and are so expensive that it is enough to feed a family of ten for a year on its own. The captain of the regular army tried to stop the Lord from putting it on the Golem.
However, the situation worsened when the Lord yelled at him, “Then can you continue to protect me forever?” The regular soldiers looked away, and were at the mercy of the curious adventurers. The adventurer who said he could control the Golem put the Mana Crystal in the Golem.
The Golem began to run out of control the moment the Mana Crystal was implanted, and caught the Lord.
In the forest, regular soldiers cannot show their full strength.
So, they all left the forest at once and took up positions to intercept the Golem. The soldiers lined up on the road with their spears at the ready, and the adventurers in the rear.
“… This is why you can’t trust adventurers… No…”
The regular captain recalled the adventurers that the Shrine Maiden Iris had with her.
They were cornered by the “Order of Divine,” but they protected Iris until the end. They even told him that they were blessed by the “Sea Dragon Mask” during the festival. To be honest, he can’t openly praise them, because if he does, they’ll think that he cut corners, but he’s grateful for their work.
“If only they could have been here…”
“To the regular soldiers of Ilgafa. And to all adventurers present!”
Suddenly, a clear voice echoed through the road.
When the regular soldiers and adventurers all turned around at once, there was an elf with cherry-red hair and a small girl riding on her back - Iris Hoffimier, the Shrine Maiden of the Sea Dragon.
Where did she come from? The elven girl was red-faced and out of breath. The girl on her back, Iris Hoffimier, was also drenched in sweat. As she wobbled, Iris Hoffimier stood on the ground and stretched her small body to its fullest.
“All of you, retreat temporarily! Those who are blessed by the Sea Dragon will now rescue Father!”
The regular soldiers buzzed at the sound of Iris’ voice. The adventurers nodded their head and began to follow her instructions. They slowly backed away and distanced themselves from the forest.
Iris gave them the best excuse to run, after all.
No one wants to get involved and cause the death of their Lord. They don’t want to be responsible for that. And there is no good way to resolve the situation at the moment.
“Everyone!!, Follow the Shrine Maiden’s instructions…! Retreat!”
The regular captain raised his voice.
He probably had a vague idea of who “those who have received the blessing of the Sea Dragon” are. But he didn’t talk about it. He has been serving the Lord of Ilgafa for decades, and his faith in the Sea Dragon is heavy. That’s why he didn’t talk about it.
But he does trust them.
“Describe the situation, Captain Dalus, and be precise and short with your information. You know the Ilgafa proverb: ‘Keep your words short and to the point before an unexpected storm breaks them up’.”
“Yes, yes.”
The regular captain kneeled down in front of the girl with the green hair.
“How did this happen? Tell me everything you know about the enemy’s capabilities. Tell me everything you know!”
The regular captain spoke quickly as he was shot down by the small girl’s authority.
How did the Golem get activated?
His tentacles’ attack range, movement speed, regenerative ability, etc.
Iris listened to the words of the regular captain in silence.
One by one, I repeat them in my mind.
And when the captain of the regular army finished speaking…
“That’s all the information we have. It seems that the Golem is too much for the regular soldiers and the adventurers here. So… please. Big brother.”
I sent a message to big brother, who through the [Mind Linkage LV1].
“Thank you for the information. Please follow my instructions.”
‘Thank you’ said big brother and the link was broken.
After the link was broken, I pressed my lips together.
This is the second time I’ve had [Mind Linkage LV1] used on me, the first time I was half in a panic, but this time I remember it clearly. I remember the feeling of Nagi-sama’s lips on mine. The warmth. The first time I was half in a panic, but this time I remember it clearly.
Be careful, big brother. Cecile, Rita, and Aine, too.
Because if I lose the warmth that I have finally found, I would surely be broken.
“… Master will be all right. Iris.”
“…”
As if to reassure me, Rafilia held my hand.
Before I realized it, my vision was blurred with tears.
The two of them stand at the front of the group, blocking the view of the soldiers and adventurers.
“If you can have long distance attacks, please use them. We will now attack the Golem. This is to protect the safety of the road. So, make it fall back to the forest. Let him think it’s dangerous outside the forest.”
Rafilia recited my words, and then the regular captain told the others.
The soldiers and adventurers took up their bows, and the Mages began to chant.
Now, let’s get to work.
Iris and perhaps Rafilia, too - repeated Nagi’s words in their minds.
“I hope that at least the outcome of this battle will be worth the sacrifice of a paid leave.”
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