Night deepened.
Fern and Sein entered the house one after the other.
The two of them had been tending to the wounded elsewhere the entire ti. After a full day of work, both looked exhausted. Sein, in particular, looked as if he had been wrung dry.
Seeing their condition, Shane and Frieren praised them almost at the sa ti.
"You two worked hard. Good job."
A smile appeared on Fern's face. The young girl blushed slightly, then went to help Frieren tidy up the books scattered across the study floor, placing each one back where it belonged.
Sein, however, collapsed straight onto the sofa and let out a long sigh. "Why do I feel like you're treating us like children? I'm not at the age where a couple of complints will restore my strength."
Frieren closed the book in her hands. "Then I'll praise you again in an adult way."
As she spoke, she walked over to Sein's side, reached out, and patted him on the head.
Like petting a puppy. She even rubbed his hair a little.
Sein froze.
"What are you doing?"
"Heiter taught this. He said it's a way of praising soone that even adults find comforting."
Sein was speechless.
Shane smiled and explained, "Children aren't the only ones who need praise. Everyone needs it. Heiter once said that people who work hard should always be encouraged."
"That's sothing Frieren has always been good at."
Sein thought back to that dependable bishop. Every ti they t, the man made others feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze. He really had been a gentle, considerate person.
It was just...
"If only a sexy older woman were doing this instead."
After making that complaint, Sein's expression suddenly changed. He sat up straight, losing all of his earlier laziness.
"I forgot to tell you. I feel like sothing is wrong with Wirt."
Hearing this, Shane and Frieren exchanged a glance, then rose and sat down across from Sein.
Sein lowered his head and thought for a mont before explaining.
"Normally, when limb damage causes blood loss, the condition should ease after several days of treatnt. At the very least, the person should wake up. But that boy still hasn't."
"During treatnt, all the healing magic I poured into him was absorbed. The magic took effect completely, but there was no result at all. Don't you find that strange? It's as if all that magic leaked out through so hole."
"I suspect..."
Creak.
Just then, the door to the room was pushed open.
Lord Orden walked in.
Seeing that Shane and Frieren were both there, he skipped the formalities and went straight to the point. "The influential figures of this region have heard of Mr. Shane's arrival. They have decided to hold a social banquet half a month from now as a gesture of goodwill."
As he spoke, he looked toward Shane. "I believe this will be a good opportunity to show our trust to all sides."
A social banquet?
Shane thought it over. It was indeed a decent chance to show his face.
A collective public appearance like this would save him the trouble of visiting the city defense every day.
"That works."
"Then I will arrange for the butler, Gabel, to teach everyone so social etiquette."
Speak of the devil.
The old butler, Gabel, imdiately appeared at the doorway.
However, he had not co to teach etiquette. Instead, he brought shocking news.
"My lord, a demon spy has been captured inside the manor. The spy disguised himself as an attendant and attempted to break into Young Master Wirt's room."
The mont those words were spoken, Lord Orden imdiately turned around and strode toward his son's room.
Shane and the others did not dare delay either and quickly followed.
Bang!
As they walked, several of them heard an explosion at the sa ti.
Shane's heart sank.
After turning the corner, the miserable state of the corridor entered their eyes.
Two soldiers were leaning against the wall, covered in blood. The floor, the surrounding walls, and even the ceiling were stained with blood. The door to Wirt's room had already been blown apart.
Inside the room, two maids had also been knocked to the floor and were only just waking up.
"My lord... the demon spy self-destructed..."
"We originally wanted to capture him alive and interrogate him, but after Mr. Gabel left, the other party chose to self-destruct without hesitation."
"Fortunately, the explosion happened outside the door. Young Master Wirt was not caught in it."
After hearing the maid's account, Shane felt puzzled.
He looked back once more at the blood-covered entrance to the room, and a very strange feeling rose in his heart.
"Frieren, do demons usually self-destruct after being caught?"
Frieren touched her chin and shook her head. "Demons have always been cunning. I've never heard of any demon possessing the conviction of a suicide soldier."
Looking at his unconscious son on the bed, Lord Orden remained silent for a long while.
He also felt that sothing was wrong.
"Ever since Wirt was rescued, he has never woken up, so I have never sent word to the outside world that he survived. How did the demons know Wirt wasn't dead? And why do they want to assassinate him?"
Shane frowned as he looked at Wirt.
The sleeping young man's face was pale, and the shirt sleeve over his left arm hung empty.
All of a sudden, the image of that short figure wreathed in black mist surfaced in his mind. That smug plague mage... He was a very "honest" demon. When facing Shane and Frieren, once he felt victory was assured, there was nothing he did not dare say.
Then when he faced Wirt, could he have also...
With that thought, Shane looked at Sein. "Sein, you said just now that you felt sothing was wrong with Wirt. What exactly do you suspect?"
Sein looked at Shane, then at Lord Orden.
"I suspect Wirt still hasn't woken up because sothing was done to his body."
Shane touched his chin and pondered for a mont.
Then he voiced his guess.
"Wirt may have learned so important information about the demons."
"And that demon who specialized in Plague Mist magic... his magic may have left sothing on Wirt that allows demons to sense him. The reason he still hasn't woken up is probably related to that lingering effect as well."
After Shane finished speaking, everyone in the room grew solemn.
"You an the demons will continue trying to assassinate him?"
"Very likely."
Lord Orden fell silent for a mont.
"In that case, Wirt will also attend the social ball half a month from now. I'd like to see just how many rats have slipped into Vorig."
"Luring the snake out of its hole? That's quite a bold idea," Sein remarked. "But Wirt is still unconscious. How is he supposed to attend the banquet?"
Lord Orden glanced behind Shane.
Shane imdiately understood what he ant and also looked around behind him. "Huh? Where's Stark?"
In the kitchen.
Stark was eating hamburger steak with the lord's second son, Mut.
After training for an entire day, Mut had a huge appetite.
Stark smiled as he listened to Mut chatter away, eating his at patty while talking about amusing stories between him and his older brother, Wirt.
A faint glimr passed through the young man's eyes.
It was as if, through Mut's stories, he had seen so distant mory.
Achoo!
A sudden sneeze interrupted the warm scene.
"What's wrong?" Mut asked.
Stark rubbed his nose. "Nothing. I just suddenly got the feeling that soone's got their eye on ..."
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