Chapter 397 - Episode Forty-Three - The Count (1)
When I returned to the ship after the battle with Melzef, all the sailors …… were asleep.
I had a strange feeling, because, from a distance, the ship looked like it was just drifting along the sea.
It seemed that they were put to sleep by magic.
It was a bizarre sight.
All the sailors and merchants were lying on the floor together.
I looked around, but I couldn’t see Mea …… or Shame.
I feel nauseous, I can’t get my thoughts together.
I felt uncomfortable, as if my stomach juices had been stirred up.
“It, can’t be ……”
I couldn’t keep standing, so I sat there and put my hand on my forehead.
I wanted to look more, but I was convinced that there was no point.
There was no doubt, given the circumstances, that ……
Shame is Count Julem’s companion.
It is possible to think that she was taken along with her, but that seems to be a very slim possibility at present.
“Why did you meet that girl? Was there anyone else who looked suspicious at the time? Did he/she ever take the time to check on you, as if to inquire about your condition?”
The words of Kudor come to my mind.
…… In the end, it ended just like his advice.
It’s no wonder he’s called the evil god who put an end to the mythical era.
Shame came to check on me and Mea every now and then.
I thought she was just being a meddlesome person, but now that I think about it, it was probably just to confirm.
I knew that Shame was more concerned about Mea than I was, but I had no idea that it had something to do with Count Julem.
If I didn’t go after her as soon as possible, I might not be able to get her back.
I don’t know what Count Julem is trying to use the Mea for.
Kudor also only guessed that it might be something related to Moebius, the founder of the Doom tribe.
But no matter what happens, the fact remains that Mea will be caught up in the struggle between Kudor and Count Julem.
It is not likely that Mea will be safe.
…… I just wanted to fade away quietly, but Count Julem kept chasing me all over the place.
I think Count Julem was aiming to make me run into Gizel and Melzef in succession, so that I would be upset.
I’m angry at myself for talking so much and ending up doing exactly what he wanted.
“…… Don’t think you’re going to get away with this for free, Julem, Shame …… I’m definitely going to make you regret this.”
I put the nails of my opposite hand on the back of my right hand to suppress my frustration.
It’s difficult for me to go along with the Dinrat Royalists now.
But even so, as the third force, I alone must get Mea back and plant a bomb on Count Julem.
Count Julem is a dangerous opponent that even Kudor is unsure of how to deal with.
I must be on my guard.
One of the reasons why I attempted to flee to the Galshard Kingdom was because I wanted to avoid directly confronting Count Julem if possible.
But now that Mea had been kidnapped, I had no choice but to hit him with everything I had.
If I can bring Mea back safely, I’ll back out, but if I’m going to be in his lap anyway, I’ll have to stab him in the leg while I’m at it.
Besides, if we run away and comes after us again, we might end up in the same situation again.
I’ll do my best to harass them and make them think it’s a bad idea to mess with me while rescuing Mea.
I shut my eyes and try to catch my breath.
I need to keep my cool.
The more time that passes, the harder it will be to track her down.
I should wake up the people around me and see if they have any information.
I walked over to one of the sailors who was sleeping nearby and was about to touch his shoulder when I felt a strange magic power behind me.
I turned and thrust my wand at him, and a magic circle unfolded. It’s complicated but …… it’s a teleportation magic circle.
It’s sent from quite far away.
From what I can read from the magic formula, it’s …… a distance where a normal person would run out of magic power.
No, even I wouldn’t do it unless I had a good reason, because it would consume too much of my magic power to teleport a single human being alive over this distance.
Should I remake the magic circle?
No, that should be avoided.
“Carry”
I conjured the magic circle on both sides.
I conjured up two Ortems on either side of me with my teleportation magic.
I don’t think he’s the kind of guy I would want to meet unarmed at close range.
At the same time that I summoned the Ortems, a large, well-built man appeared above the magic circle in front of me.
He looked to be about forty or fifty years old. He had greenish-white hair and beard.
He was dressed in black formal wear. He was slightly fat, and his clothes were slightly taut.
In his hand, he held a large, plain, unadorned staff.
“Oh …… How scary, at this rate, I can’t even use magic now carelessly.”
The man said aloofly when he saw me pointing my wand at him.
“I’m afraid you can’t afford to mess with the formula now, though.”
“Yes, I didn’t know all the details, and I was afraid that if I did, I might deactivate it or even kill you. I can’t let you die without spitting out information.”
The man wrinkled his brow.
“I can’t tell if you’re joking or serious, that’s what scares me about you.”
“I don’t think we’ve ever met.”
“That’s true. I’ve only seen and heard about you from others. I’ve heard that you’ve done a lot of things.”
I did not lower my wand.
I was searching in my mind for a magic trick that I could use immediately and still be effective.
“So …… is it alright for me to assume that you are Count Julem?”
“Indeed …… Although, I was only a Count of the Dinrat Kingdom for a short time, and you people seem to want to call me that.”
Count Julem clears his throat loudly.
It looked like an opening, but …… I decided to wait to attack for a while.
There is too little information. It seems as if he was deliberately showing an opening.
“Well then …… I’d like to talk to you, if you don’t mind. I don’t want to be stuck with you if I can help it. And it’s not like I intended to bring any bad news to you.”