Black Iron Magician

Chapter 123 Warning

「W-what did you just say…?」

「I’ve told you many times, didn’t I!?」

On the same day that Deris and Haruna returned to Diana, Touko, who had left the town of Genius a little earlier and was heading for the royal castle, also arrived on this day. And then, she told Joseph that Fuchi and the others are leaving the castle and won’t return. Touko’s shout drew the attention of her classmates on the same floor.

「Fuchi, Mani, and Oda are going their separate ways. They are going to look for a way to return to our previous world on their own. Well, they simply don’t trust you. Just give up on them.」

「………」

Joseph is greatly perplexed and lost in thought. Fuchi trio are all level 4 and are powerful among the transferred boys and girls. Some of them even have unique skills. They are too good to be let go of as is. Joseph quickly tries to make a plan in his head on how to bring them back.

「Ah, that’s right. Deris-danna asked me to deliver this. Here.」

「Wha… a-a letter from Deris…!?」

「To be precise, it’s a joint signature with Knight Leader Nell. ……What? Did Deris-danna do something?」

「N-No, I’ll see it.」

Joseph shifts his gaze from Touko and opens the essential letter. The sender of the letter is, as Touko says, a joint signature of Deris and Nell. To summarize what was written,

『Fuchi, Oda, and Mani wish to investigate in other countries, and we will cooperate with them as we believe they have the ability to do so. They are guests invited by Mage Prime Minister Joseph and are not his property. Therefore, this act will not violate the law. Rather, we have a suspicion that Mage Prime Minister Joseph is unjustly detaining them. But, you have been contributed to Adelheit for many years, so we are sure it’s just an unnecessary concern.』

It was written like that. It’s as if he’s told something like, ‘we are going to turn a blind eye to the unjust detention of Touko and the others, so stay out of the way of the three who are gone.’ For Joseph, who stands at the top of the agency that governs the legal affairs of the country, it’s nothing but an insult. However, the content of the letter is reasonable enough even if he wants to take out his anger. If he wants to set up a battle against Deris, making some arrangements is necessary.

(Hm? There’s another letter…?)

Joseph spreads the second letter that overlapped. Then, he opened his eyes wide.

(This is… a list of the corruptions of the officials in our country, and it has been summarized…!? Moreover, it’s all civil officials…!)

The other sheet of paper that Deris sent is a list of the names of the subordinates under Joseph who are guilty of bribery, embezzlement, and other wrongdoings, and a detailed report of the investigation. The charges are varied, some with serious crimes, and some only minor problems. There aren’t that many, but it doesn’t mean that they can be overlooked. In addition, there is a message from Deris at the end of the sentence.

『I happened to have a chance to get to know those who were overlooked, so I warn you as an acquaintance. Don’t you think it’s better to deal with these guys as soon as possible? There’s a saying that if there’s one cockroach, there must be a hundred of them. Doing bad things is unforgivable. Don’t you think so too, old geezer?』

He strengthens the grip of the hand holding the letter. As the text says, it’s a warning from Deris. It’s a debt and a warning. ‘If you don’t interfere with the three of them, I will give you some of the corruption information as an acquaintance. But if you disappoint me, I’m not responsible for the other information that I know,’ Deris is saying so.

(If I believe in Deris’s words, there are a hundredfold of this, big or small. We are talking about him here, I’m sure he knows more than that! Inflation of budget, illegal channels of goods―― it takes a lot of time with just checking the case involving money, huh. Damn, it’s troublesome!)

It’s not about the size of the crime or the number of violators. The problem is that an outsider, Deris, is well-informed about the internal conditions of the country more than the leaders. Joseph knows that Deris will play those cards against his opponent at the worst timing possible. The same goes for the nuclear warhead called Nell. Currently, there is no way to stop her if she were to start a rebellion in this country. The country will be completely trampled down and only burnt fields will remain. That’s why the king can’t force Nell and he does what she asks whenever possible. This is a truly unhealthy way for a country to be, and one that should be rejected outright.

(The reason for summoning these people, defeating the Demon King is just a convenient excuse. In fact, the reason is to prepare the means to fight against Nell and Deris, which are more troublesome than that. This is why I gave them preferential treatment, allowed them to develop on their own, and paid attention so that they are not displeased…!)

While Joseph has an expression of distress, Touko scratches her head and opens her mouth.

「Also, I’ll be leaving the castle soon and I probably won’t return.」

「……Ha?」

「「「「Ehh!?」」」」

To her unexpected words, Joseph wasn’t the only one who was surprised, but also the classmate girls who were hiding and watching the situation. They rush immediately toward Touko and ask her questions.

「H-Hey, Touko! What do you mean by leaving the castle!?」

「Hmm. Well, it’s just that this time I went out and found out that I’m ignorant of the world. Honestly speaking, I lost many times, so I want to go to a place where I can train myself more.」

「Y-You lost? Moreover, many times…!?」

「No, you must be kidding! We also went out on this expedition, you know? And the dungeon was at a level where we could clear it without any problems…」

「No, we’ve cleared the dungeon. I brought the proof, didn’t I? I was lost to Deris――」

The girls didn’t stop talking. Meanwhile, Joseph was organizing the situation while listening to the conversation. The name of Deris has been mentioned since the letter was given, so he can guess that Touko probably met Deris. Then, she fought with Deris for some reason and was defeated. If that’s the case, then it makes sense that Touko, the strongest among the classmates, lost. Either way, Joseph is greatly perplexed that Deris is involved again.

「――danna’s disciple, Haruna. She has gotten really strong, you know? I was so happy that I laughed without thinking, haha!」

「「「「……!?」」」」

Joseph and the girls couldn’t believe their ears. They are at a loss for words. ‘Whose name did Touko say just now?’ Their minds went blank for a moment, and even if they began to understand, they tried to deny it. After all, that’s the name of a girl that everyone criticized immediately after the transfer, and even Joseph himself judged her to be powerless and sent her to Deris.

「T-Touko-kun, is that true? Is that really that Haruna-kun…!?」

「Yeah, it’s the truth. I understand why you guys are dumbfounded, but everyone knows that Haruna is a hard worker, right? At this point, Haruna is stronger than any of us. That’s the reality, and I was reminded of it this time. You guys should be careful too, okay? She loves someone stronger than herself, and she has a nature that she can’t help but want to challenge them. Everyone in the class, who was stronger than her even though temporary, is probably become her target. I got both my hands and legs broken by her, so you should be prepared at least that much.」

「「「「………」」」」

They are dumbfounded again. Not to mention those who were involved in athletic club activities, all of those who were in the same class have heard Haruna’s countless heroic stories. They were not something that Haruna herself spoke, but something that were told by the students who attended the competitions or went to cheer. If it was just one or two, they could accept it as a half joke. However, the credibility was raised when they heard it from everywhere. Also, the fact that Touko is not the kind of person who would tell a lie also played a role in making the girls dumbfounded.

「Isn’t that just because you were useless, Touko?」

「Hm? …… Tch, Akira, huh?」

A voice suddenly called out to Touko and she returned it by clicking her tongue.

Haha, prepare for a beating