Hell Mode: Volume 2, page 20
part #2 of Hell Mode Series
Thus began Allen’s campaign to exterminate all the orc villages at the foothills of the White Dragon Mountains.
Chapter 10: Cecil Leaves Home
October rolled around, and Allen turned eleven. After his first success clearing an orc village at the end of May, he had gone on to wipe out twenty more since. There were still plenty left, but he planned on getting to every last one of them eventually. Naturally, he was starting in the north and making his way south in line with the baron’s desire to resume mithril mining operations.
Thanks to his work, preparations for opening the northernmost mine had sped up significantly—the process that had been expected to take three years at least had now been shortened to two. Hiring laborers for the mine and its associated facilities was also going so smoothly that preparations for the village where the laborers would be living could begin as soon as the snow melted away in the coming spring.
Everything’s going great. I’ll keep wiping out the orc villages at this pace, then hopefully clear out the armored ant nests too before becoming an adventurer next year.
Back when he was eight, Allen had made up his mind that he would resign from service to House Granvelle once he turned twelve. Three very eventful years had passed since then.
“Allen, I leave Cecil in your hands. Protect her.”
As the days counted down to the day of Allen’s resignation, Mihai’s words began surfacing more and more often in his mind. Just what on earth did Mihai want Allen to protect Cecil from? If the intention behind those words had been for Allen to continue serving Cecil for the rest of his life, then he would have to refuse. He had mulled over the line many times, trying to figure out what else it could mean. Sadly, no answer came to mind.
“So! Royal envoy today!” Rickel commented, sliding into the seat across from Allen’s as the boy was eating breakfast.
“That’s what they said,” Allen replied, thinking about how these breakfast chats had gone on for more than three years now.
Just as Rickel had mentioned, a royal envoy was scheduled to arrive that day. All the servants had been informed the day before that he was to be expected slightly after noon. All personal attendants had been ordered to gather in the dining room on the second floor at the time.
Is it going to be talk about raising the head tax again?
No one had heard what the purpose of the visit was. The large majority of royal envoys were quite haughty, so nobody really looked forward to their visits.
Noon arrived, bringing with it the royal envoy. Sebas guided him from the entrance hall to the second floor dining room. Allen stood at attention right behind Cecil, who sat at the lowest seat among the members of the baron’s immediate family. The other personal servants had also taken up positions right behind the respective family member they served. There were no arrangements for food to be served—this would not be a lunch.
Soon, three people walked into the dining hall. The one at the head was noticeably better dressed, making it clear he was the envoy and the other two his aides. He took the distinguished seat at the head of the table as his aides stood at his sides. One of them was holding something.
After Sebas walked over to stand behind his master’s seat directly across from the envoy, the baron said, “Thank you for coming all this way. May I ask what the nature of your visit is today?”
“Mm, House Granvelle has always served the royal family well. His Majesty has called Baron Granvelle’s dedication an exemplar for the other nobles.”
“I-It is an incredible honor to receive such praise. As the servant entrusted with the management of the realm of Granvelle, I express my heartfelt thanks to His Royal Majesty.”
As someone invested with the exclusive authority to speak on behalf of the king, the royal envoy’s status was above that of the baron’s. The baron was quite shaken, as this was the first time a royal envoy had ever started a visit with such praise.
The room then fell silent for a while as the baron waited patiently for the envoy to continue speaking. Thomas squinted at the man as if asking, “What’s with him?”
Eventually, the envoy said, “It truly pains me to deliver this, but...”
Those words seemed to be a signal, as the aide holding something made his way to the middle of the long table. Sebas walked forward to meet him and accepted the proffered envelope before turning back and reverently laying it in front of the baron.
“A letter?”
“Indeed. From your son.”
This exchange between the envoy and her father prompted Cecil to turn and stare at the letter on the table.
The baron’s eyes widened. “F-From Mihai?”
This time, no reply came.
Seeing that the envoy had no intention of saying anything further, Baron Granvelle opened the unsealed envelope and took out a single piece of parchment. When he did so, however, several strands of what looked like lavender-colored thread also fell out. The blood drained from the baron’s face at the sight.
He immediately began reading the letter, but soon blurted out in distress, “What?! But! How can...?!”
“F-Father, what did Mihai write?!”
Normally whenever a guest visited, only the baron was supposed to speak. The others could only reply when addressed directly by the guest. Cecil had been so unsettled that she forgot this rule and called out to her father, but the man did not respond, his attention focused solely on the letter in his hand, his shoulders quaking.
“Wh-When was this written?”
“They are asked to write these regularly and this is the most recent one, which means it’s from around three months ago.”
“What?! But that’s... This is different from what I was promised! H-How could this happen in only six months?!”
The envoy’s unconcerned attitude seemed to have rubbed the baron the wrong way as he railed at the man, his emotions on full display in sharp contrast from his usual self.
“Your son fulfilled his duty, that is all.”
The baron leaped to his feet, glaring daggers. “I-I bet you purposely stationed him in a dangerous place j-just because I’m a lower noble! Mihai had only just graduated from the Academy!”
“Am I to take those as words directed toward the royal family?”
“Wha—?!”
The royal envoy’s haughty attitude had remained the same ever since he walked into the dining hall. He used the same stiff and impassive tone as before to give a response that bordered on a warning. The baron started and swallowed his words back down.
“What is... Let me read it!”
Unable to sit still any longer, the baroness got up and snatched the letter from the baron’s hands. Halfway through scanning the page, she muttered, “This can’t be... M-Mihai...” and fainted from shock. Her personal attendant caught her in the nick of time and carried her off to her room.
“The gratuity payment will be delivered at a later date after your son’s register has been properly reviewed and recorded.”
The baron’s head had gone entirely blank. None of the envoy’s businesslike declarations were reaching his ears.
“Well then, the letter has been delivered, and so my business here is done. I have to head for the next fiefdom now, so I shall take my leave. Baron Granvelle?”
“Y-Yes, my lord?”
The envoy stood up and said, “Remember to continue fulfilling your duty to the royal family as baron of the realm of Granvelle.”
The three visitors exited the dining room, leaving the baron in a total daze. When Sebas made to follow along to escort them out, the envoy said curtly, “No need.”
Silence filled the dining hall until Cecil spoke up in a quivering voice, “Father, wh-what happened?”
Anyone could tell from the way the conversation went just now that Mihai had passed away, and Cecil was not stupid. What she was asking was why he had died and how things had ended up this way.
“That’s... Everyone, leave us. You too, Thomas.”
Apparently even Thomas, a member of the baron’s direct family, was not allowed to hear what he was going to say. Everyone obediently exited the dining hall, leaving only the baron, Sebas, and Cecil inside.
That afternoon, Allen was to clean the mansion together with the maidservants. While his hands moved, his mind mulled over Mihai’s parting words.
“Allen, I leave Cecil in your hands. Protect her.”
Just like the others, Allen had picked up on the fact that Mihai had passed away from the conversation between the baron and the envoy. That meant the letter was likely his last will. He had expected his own death.
Abruptly, a shrill scream filled with rage exploded from the second floor, filling the entire mansion. “THAT MEANS YOU LEFT HIM TO DIE! YOU SENT HIM OFF KNOWING HE WOULD DIE!”
“Wha—?! That’s not what I said! W-We nobles have a duty—”
“AND YOU’RE SAYING NOW I HAVE TO DIE FOR THIS STUPID DUTY TOO?! WAS I BORN JUST TO DIE AS WELL?!”
“No! That’s not— Cecil! Stop right there. Cecil!”
The dining hall door banged open so loudly that the sound reverberated throughout the mansion. Cecil had apparently rushed out in a rage. The nearby servants all exchanged looks, wondering what had happened.
That night, Cecil did not show up for dinner.
The next morning, Rickel once again slipped into the seat across from Allen’s during breakfast. “Hey, did you hear the shouting yesterday?”
“Well, it was pretty loud.” I think everyone in the mansion heard, to be honest.
“Looks like it’s true.”
“What is?”
Rickel leaned over, gesturing for Allen to bring his head near. Then, in a low tone, he said, “I heard a rumor long ago, back when I was still a houseboy, that the members of the Granvelle family all die early. Apparently it had happened to the baron’s parents and older brother.”
It was clear from Rickel’s attitude that this was not something meant to be spread around loudly. Allen continued chatting with him until it was time to head up and tend to Cecil. He joined up with a maidservant, and together they went up to the room of the young lady of the house, who had skipped dinner the night before.
As usual, the maidservant knocked on the door and entered first to help Cecil change. The moment she stepped in, however, her scream rang out, “LADY CECIIIIIL!”
Allen, who had been standing by right outside the door like normal, immediately rushed in. The first thing he saw was the maidservant, who had fallen on her behind and had both hands clapped over her mouth. The second thing he noticed was that Cecil was nowhere to be seen. The third thing...was that the window was open.
He rushed over to the window and peered outside. Did she escape from this window?! But this is the third floor! Shit, she’s nowhere in sight.
“What is all the commotion?!” Sebas roared, having rushed over in response to the maidservant’s scream.
After hearing her explanation, Sebas then promptly ordered all the staff to go and search for Cecil. Even the baron and baroness joined in, but no one found the slightest trace of her. Allen combed through every inch of the mansion, going even so far as the stables, but to no avail. He decided to return to her room to speak with Sebas, who was still at a complete loss.
“Sir, if milady is nowhere on the grounds, she just might have gone out into the city. May I have permission to go search outside?”
“Good idea. I’m counting on you!”
After having received his permission, Allen rushed out of the mansion.
Where is she?!
When Allen had looked out of the window earlier, he had already sent out eight Bird Es into the sky, making sure to do it in a surreptitious way, of course. Now, he was Sharing with all of them, Hawk Eye activated, and had them scouring the city.
Why does this city have to be so huge? Please don’t be inside a building.
Perhaps due to its previous status as a hub for mithril mining, Granvelle City was quite sizable. What’s more, since Hawk Eye could not see inside buildings, Allen could only hope that Cecil was somewhere outside where he could see her.
Found her!
There was a young girl with lavender-colored hair crouched on the ground, hugging her knees in an alleyway several turns off of the main avenue in the business district. One look and it was clear that this area did not have good public order. As Allen hurriedly made his way over to her, he realized that the vicinity appeared to be a slum area. The air was damp and foul.
When Allen approached, Cecil’s shoulders jolted. She slowly lifted her head. “Allen...?”
“Yes, milady.”
After excusing himself, Allen sat on the ground next to Cecil. The two of them sat in silence for a while.
“Didn’t you come to bring me back?”
“No, I did not.”
“What? Then why...?”
“I am your personal manservant, Lady Cecil. When you go on an outing, it is my duty to accompany you.”
Over the past few years, Allen had visited a lot of different places throughout Granvelle City in his capacity as Cecil’s personal manservant. That included shopping trips, events that Cecil had to attend as the daughter of the feudal lord, and at times, simple walks that had no particular purpose. According to Allen, this situation was no different from all the other times before.
The answer was so unexpected that Cecil found herself at a loss for words.
“Lady Cecil, I see you have a wound on your leg. I have some herbs with me. Please excuse me as I apply it.”
Allen reached over with a Leaf of Life to heal the gash that Cecil had likely gotten while escaping from the mansion.
“Huh?”
Cecil exclaimed softly in surprise at seeing her cut disappear in a matter of seconds. Then the two returned to sitting in silence. After a while, however, Cecil’s stomach growled. She pressed her hands over her stomach, blushing slightly in embarrassment. She had not had anything to eat since yesterday.
“I’m afraid this is all I have on me, but would you like some, milady?” Allen held out some molmo, dried jerky, and dried potatoes that he had retrieved from Storage.
“Where were you keeping those?” Cecil asked, giving him a weird look. However, her empty stomach won over her curiosity, so she did not press the matter.
While Cecil was engrossed with wolfing down the food, Allen continued keeping an eye on the vicinity, using Hawk Eye to ensure there were no hoodlums approaching their location.
Hmm, it’d be a problem if someone picks a fight with us her— Hm?
Allen’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Cecil’s sobs. Now that her stomach was filled, what happened in the dining hall yesterday had probably come back to mind. She repeatedly mumbled, “I don’t want to die” in a small voice.
I’ve never tried consoling an eleven-year-old girl before, but looks like I don’t have a choice.
“Lady Cecil.”
“What?”
“What do you think about not returning home and running away from this city with me? If memory serves me right, the magic ship should be arriving tomorrow, but if you prefer, we can travel by land too. There are many other fiefdoms in this country, right?”
“What?!” Cecil lifted her head to look at Allen’s face in surprise. Not only did he not try to talk her out of running away from home, he was even pushing the idea himself.
“You can forget your family. We can travel through so many different countries and visit so many different places. Imagine how fun it’d be!”
Though we’d be seeing a lot more monsters than we do cities. I just happen to need someone who can deal ranged damage.
The word “monster” usually carried the connotation of death, so Allen glossed over it with the word “places.” As it so happened, his Summons could only fight in close quarters, so it would expand the breadth of the strategies he could take if someone like Cecil was to fight together with him.
“That’s impossible!”
“It’s entirely possible. If it’s money you’re worried about, I have plenty of it.” Allen started producing gold coins one after the other.
“That’s... Huh?!”
“Another option is to return to the mansion first and wait it out for one more year. Next year, we’ll both turn twelve and can register as adventurers. We could wait until then.”
“B-But the Academy...”
All this time, Cecil had grown up being told she would be going to Academy City when she turned twelve.
“I mean, you don’t have to go, right?”
“I don’t?”
“Even if someone tells you to go, if you don’t want to go, then you don’t have to go. What do you want to do, Lady Cecil? It’s your life. It’s your choice.”
“What I want to do...”
All Allen wanted to do was help Cecil see that she had a lot more options than she thought. The young girl fell silent as she mulled over what this meant, and Allen waited patiently for her. Perhaps it was the first time she had truly thought about what it was she wanted to do.
About an hour later, a commotion started approaching along the main avenue. Apparently, the search for Cecil was kicking up a notch. The sound of voices calling her name reached all the way down the alleyway to where she and Allen were.
“Allen.”
“Yes, milady?”
“I’m returning to the mansion.”
“Understood.”
“Give me a piggyback ride.”
“Of course.”
Allen turned around and knelt down, and Cecil clambered on. He then started walking out to the avenue.
“Allen.”
“Yes, milady?”
“Thank you.”
“Anything for you, milady.”
Cecil bashfully buried her face in Allen’s shoulder.
As soon as Allen emerged into the main avenue, his eyes met with a knight’s. He informed the man that he had found Cecil, then turned to head straight back to the mansion. Word seemed to have gotten around, as when they were about halfway home, they stopped seeing knights running about.
It took quite a while to walk all the way back, but the mansion finally appeared up ahead. The baron and his entire family were waiting outside. Slightly before reaching them, Cecil asked Allen to let her down.
