140 Magic potion again
It's still nice weather. Grace's baked goods are also great and go well with tea.
"Hmm. Well, I admire beautiful hair like Ashley."
"Ah, Ashley-sama's hair color is lovely."
"I-Is that so? Now that you mention it, I think Ophelia-sama's hair is beautiful and soft, which is lovely."
"Ah, thank you. I guess it's worth the effort."
It seems that the female group is shifting to talking about hair. Ophelia's vertical rolls are very reminiscent of an aristocratic lady.
Eventually, we all started to get excited about combing and tying our own hair. I tried making Grace into a chignon, Ashley into twintails, Marlene into a ponytail... Yeah. It's a feast for the eyes.
Furthermore, Sheila and Irmhild are also involved. Everyone seemed curious, wondering if Sheila's cat ears were really unusual. When Marlene stroked it gently, it started to twitch.
Sheila's expression was the same as usual...but it seemed like she was enjoying the situation. While playing with her own hair, she was also changing Irmhild's hairstyle.
"nothing……"
After untying Cindy's braid, Talcott seemed to have lost his concentration and failed to avoid the aqua golem's attack. Talcott shakes his head and goes back to training to fight the golem.
Yeah……. I'll save the baked goods for Talcott and Chester.
"Ambassador. Are you here?"
While everyone was drinking tea like that, Mercedia appeared in the workshop.
"What's wrong?"
"that is……"
Mercedia glanced at her surroundings for a moment, then hesitated.
...I guess it's hard to say in this place. However, on the contrary, it can be inferred that the urgency is low.
“I’ll listen to you over there for a moment.”
I told everyone and listened to Mercedia's story from a little distance away.
“I apologize for the inconvenience.”
"No, did something happen?"
"This is a report about the members of the cult. Everyone seemed to be having fun, so I thought it would be okay to tell them there."
"Thank you for your consideration."
When I answered, Mercedia laughed a little, then turned into a serious expression.
Now. Let's change our feelings.
"The body of a person who appears to be a member of the cult was found in a slum in Nishi Ward."
That's it again. What on earth is going on?
"What was the cause of death?"
"It appears to have been a sacrificial ritual conducted by them themselves. Although it was simple, something like an altar was set up."
“So you were able to determine that he was a member of the cult?”
"I could see the tattoos, and I had already met the other believers who were captured. I knew some of them."
I see. Apparently there is no such thing as a mistake.
Then, the question is why.
“…The vigilance and patrols were stricter than expected, so I guess they offered their friends as offerings.”
“His Majesty did not even mention that possibility.”
Since the alarm went off at the orphanage and you easily annihilated the active force, did you decide that it was not a good idea to resort to heavy-handed measures, even if you had tattoos and could use devilish techniques?
Or because it was a time-limited ritual, it was difficult to procure offerings, so they had no choice but to sacrifice their own companions...?
I can also think of sanctions or separation from the group, but... I don't think we should view this with optimism. It's better to assume that there are people with the leadership to make them do that, and it's probably not a good idea to write them off as fanatics.
In that case... I need to take a closer look at what the believers I fought against said.
Offer a sacrifice, be recognized by the lord, and gain power. Did you say that?
However, there was a strong motivation to do so.
If you think of the ritual itself as an indispensable step to gaining power, rather than the lord giving power freely... this makes sense to a certain extent.
...He also said that he wanted to make the name of the cult known, but considering that he had done it within his own family, that reason was probably secondary.
"...Cannibalism? It's like poison."
"Kodoku?"
"No, this is what I'm talking about."
A battle ensued and I was repulsed, but... Even if they are performing rituals and gaining power, this means that the cult has not yet made any moves.
It sounds good to say that it's quiet, but it would be troublesome if it happened in time to coincide with the release of the sealed door.
I assumed that one possibility of the tattoo mechanism was that they borrowed power from a demon, but if you think about it the other way around, it means that there is a real demon behind them. come. Did the demons, who were working in an organized manner, approached the cult...or...?
I need to talk to the people who captured him alive.
"Is the interrogation progressing?"
"He's been silent. You said you'd think of a way to get him to speak as soon as possible, but..."
Silence? Because they are members of a religious organization. He seems to be quite tight-lipped, though. He doesn't have much time to spare. The sooner you take measures, the better.
Speaking of a quick method, if you use Rosemary's Alraune's Kiss, there would literally be no questions asked. That would take too much time to make, and it would be extremely dangerous. The inventory has been disposed of and there should be no more available at the moment.
According to King Melvin, the key to success as king is to be inconvenient to some extent.
He also said that having too much power won't lead to good results, but I guess that's just King Melvin's political philosophy. Perhaps because the rulers of the Termwills take an oath to rule in a ceremony, there are many things to be careful about and it seems to be difficult.
In that sense, I guess it's a bad idea to keep something like Alraune's Kiss close at hand, as it might cause you to lose control of yourself. It is certainly a powerful drug for those who use it. Rosemary also seems to have taken a wrong turn.
"That's right. I myself have a few questions I'd like to ask them, so I'll head to the royal castle later. I think it would be a good idea to tell the Inquisitor the details of my questions."
"Understood"
“By the way, Sir Mercedia, do you have time right now?”
When asked, Mercedia tilts her head.
"Yes. I have reported to the ambassador, so I have completed my mission."
"In that case, wouldn't it be okay if we took a break for a while? The sweets have just finished baking."
Mercedia blinked as if she had been told something unexpected.
“Aren’t I and others a nuisance?”
"Don't get in the way. I think everyone will be happy."
I think it will be difficult for Mercedia to act as a liaison with me.
It would probably be a good idea to prepare a magic communication device for her. The situation is different from King Melvin, who can't use the communication device because his vassals are keeping an eye on him.
"...Thank you. Well then, I would like to take your word for it."
Because she's serious. If she was on a mission, she might have been a nuisance. She is also grateful for the attention she received earlier. Mercedia gives her a small smile and bows before she heads towards the table.
And after enjoying Grace's baked goods, she too had her hairstyle played with by the women.
"Not really. Even if it's not Alraune's kiss, it's not difficult to make a silent person talk."
When I showed up at the royal castle, Rosemary told me that she had something to do with me.
When she appeared at the north tower, she laughed while covering her mouth with a fan.
In order to cooperate with me, King Melvin has given Rosemary a certain amount of information, but the important thing is that Rosemary doesn't want to talk unless it's with me.
"There's a magic potion called the chirping of the nightingale. Do you know that?"
"I'm not very familiar with that type of medicine."
"Yes, this one can be made without much effort. I don't want to tell anyone about the recipe too much...I'll show you how to make it, so you should prepare it."
Rosemary said as she wrote down the recipe on paper.
“How effective is it?”
"You can tell anything, even lies, but you won't be able to remain silent. In other words, it's an interesting drug that makes you talkative. Don't you think you're suitable for being a companion to the Magical Inquisition?"
"I see……"
If you combine it with the Magic Inquisition... you can infer anything by asking various questions and narrowing it down based on the other person's lies. There would be no need for torture, and the interrogation would proceed quickly. Although he has a bad nature, is he smart?
"...What are you using that kind of medicine for?"
I suddenly wondered and asked.
Unlike Alraune's kiss, the other person can see the abnormal status, so from Rosemary's point of view, it is lower than the lower compatibility of the elixir. I feel like it's not really worth using if you can tell lies.
"Originally, the story goes that a timid and slow-talking man begged a witch to create one for him in order to woo the woman he was interested in."
Sigh. That's why the songbirds sing.
"Anyway... you seem to be very cooperative."
"Oh. This is my country, isn't it? I'm sure I don't like it when filthy people who stick their necks in from elsewhere do whatever they want."
Rosemary laughs as if it's natural.
Does that mean it's a country that I...rule? Or does it just mean it's the country you were born and raised in? It's troubling that many of Rosemary's words are indistinguishable.
But well... now I have a clue to extracting information from them.
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