Watching Fernan walk away, Jin turned to the group.
“All right, let’s see what we can find out on our own. Based on what he said, it sounds like there’s quite a bit of talk going around.”
“I agree,” Sion said with a firm nod, her mind clearly working fast. “That way, we’ll know immediately if that man tries to feed us false information.”
(Reiko, just to be safe, have two of the Secret Mobile Unit members assigned to me tail Fernan. Make sure he doesn’t do anything suspicious.)
(Understood, Father. I shall leave it to Pensee and Viola.)
Reiko selected the two smallest units and issued her orders. This would mitigate any concerns about being betrayed or drawing the attention of unsavory organizations for the time being.
The group decided to walk through the town, posing as tourists.
“...” “...” “...How filthy.”
A single step into an alleyway revealed mountains of trash. It wasn’t just food scraps; the path was obstructed by piles of unidentifiable, repulsive refuse that left nowhere to step.
The group performed a prompt about-face and returned to the path they came from. They decided it was best to stick to the main streets.
The grocery stores had almost no ingredients on display, and the magic tool shops could hardly be said to have a rich selection. As for the jewelry stores, they carried only two or three high-end items.
“Is the economy really this broken?” Jin asked.
“Yeah. I... think so,” Elsa replied.
“Honestly, it’s disgusting,” Sion muttered. “Humans can be so slovenly.”
“...Just as there are many different tribes among the demon race, there are many different types of humans. That is all,” Lucas remarked.
As they continued their conversation, they emerged back onto the Central Thoroughfare.
“All right, let’s try heading straight from here.”
Just as Jin started walking, the atmosphere around them suddenly grew chaotic. Screams rang out.
“What is it?”
“Father!”
Reiko stepped in front of Jin to shield him. Edgar moved to protect Elsa.
“Waaaaah!” “I-It’s a runaway carriage!”
A small carriage was barreling toward them at a terrifying speed. There was no driver in sight. The single horse pulling it was foaming at the mouth as it galloped wildly down the Central Thoroughfare.
People scrambled to get out of its path, but the horse was zigzagging. It would often veer directly toward the very spots where people had fled, making the situation extremely dangerous.
“Kyaaaaa!”
A bystander was knocked aside. The carriage continued its mad dash toward Jin’s group.
Reiko started to leap forward to stop the horse, but she checked herself, deciding it was more important to stay by Jin’s side to protect him. Instead, she silently cast a spell.
(“Paralyze.”)
Since the target was a horse, she released the magic at maximum output. The animal lost consciousness instantly.
“Waaaaah!”
Someone shrieked. The unconscious horse collapsed, its momentum causing the carriage to overturn and slam into the pavement.
Then, silence fell.
The horse and carriage had come to a dead stop barely two meters in front of Jin.
Reiko was the first to snap back to her senses. “Father, are you injured?”
“Ah, yeah. I’m fine with this much distance.”
“There is someone... injured,” Elsa said.
A middle-aged woman was lying on the ground; she had been the one screaming a moment ago.
“...Are you all right?” Elsa asked, kneeling beside her.
“A-A-Ah, my leg...”
The woman’s right leg below the shin was bent at an unnatural angle. It appeared to have been crushed by a wheel.
“...Please bear with it for a moment. ‘Diagnose’... This should be fine. ‘Schmerzmittel.’”
“Eh? Ah...”
“This might... hurt a little.”
Having applied the pain relief magic, Elsa gave the woman’s leg a sharp twist. It was a manual bone reduction; performing this first significantly improved the effectiveness of healing magic.
“Ah, ugh!”
“‘Heilung.’”
Immediately after the reduction, Elsa cast her healing spell. A faint light emanated from her palms and was absorbed into the woman’s leg.
“...It’s healed... Thank you so much!”
The fracture had been repaired literally in the blink of an eye. The woman bowed so low her head nearly touched the ground.
“Thank you! B-But... I... I don't have any money...”
“It’s fine. I didn't heal you because I wanted payment. Please... be careful.”
“A-Ah... Thank you! Thank you so much!”
The woman bowed repeatedly as she hurried away.
A stir rose from the surrounding crowd at Elsa’s words.
“Hey... she did it for free...!” “Unbelievable... Ah, no, look at those clothes... They’re foreigners... That explains it.” “Foreigners sure are generous, aren't they?”
Judging by the murmurs, providing such treatment without charge was an extremely rare occurrence in this town.
Meanwhile, Jin was inspecting the overturned carriage. The bystanders were all merely onlookers; not a single soul had stepped forward to move the carriage or check on the passengers.
“Ah...!”
Inside was an elderly lady. Judging by her refined appearance, there was no doubt she was a noblewoman.
Jin carried the woman out of the carriage. Since she was small, even Jin, with his modest physical strength, managed to move her. Reiko looked like she wanted to help, but Jin had insisted on doing it himself.
He was hesitant to lay her directly on the stone pavement and was about to take off his coat to use as a mat when Reiko intervened.
“Father, use this.”
She had found a blanket inside the carriage and spread it on the ground. They laid the elderly lady down on it.
“Reiko, Edgar, get the carriage upright and move it to the side of the road.”
“Yes, Father.” “Yes, Jin-sama.”
Jin gave the order because he judged it wasn't necessary to show off Reiko’s full capabilities in this situation.
Even so, Edgar was a boy-type golem, and Reiko was an even smaller girl-type. The onlookers’ eyes nearly popped out of their heads when they saw the two of them easily lift and move the heavy carriage.
Elsa returned just then, and Jin asked her to examine the noblewoman.
“‘Diagnose’... She is fine. Only some minor bruising and scrapes. I think she will wake up... soon. ‘Behandeln.’”
Elsa treated the minor injuries.
“There, she will be fine now.”
“Good work, Elsa.”
Sion and Lucas approached the pair.
“Heh, not bad. I suppose that’s what I should expect from a Magi Craft Meister and his sister,” Sion said, sounding impressed. She kept her voice low, showing a modicum of discretion.
“Clear out! Out of the way!” “You’re in the way! Scatter!”
With the clatter of metal, six soldiers in light armor arrived on the scene.
“Th-This is...!”
Noticing the crest on the carriage, they seemed to realize which noble house it belonged to.
“Hey, you! What exactly happened here? Explain yourself!”
The man who appeared to be the captain barked overbearingly at Jin.
“Eh?...This carriage came charging through, the horse collapsed, and the carriage overturned. We simply rescued the passenger who was inside. That’s all there is to it.”
“Is that so? I won't tolerate any lies!”
The soldier glared at Jin. But at that moment, a voice cut through the tension.
“You lot, do not be so insolent. What this man says is the truth.”
The elderly lady had regained consciousness, and she spoke with a voice full of dignity.