Chapter 343 Preparatory Meeting (1/2)

Going back in time a little–Jin, on the other hand.

“….Alright then, let’s proceed with that. I can leave the preparations to you, right?”

[Yes, my lord. Please, leave it to me.]

After consulting with Laojun and then giving him several instructions to prepare for the coping method, although he felt painfully reluctant, he headed towards Kaina village without seeing Reiko off.

First, he went to the office of Nidou castle and ordered Butler B to bring Lishia and Pascaud who were around the workshop over.

“Belle, prepare tea. Barou, bring two more chairs.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

The office was a western-style room, not a Japanese one. It had wooden flooring and a big table and chair.

Thinking that the talk might be long, Jin made Belle prepare some tea.

While Jin was going through the sequence in his head once more, Butler B came back with Lishia and Pascaud.

“Sorry for calling you out here. But it’s an emergency situation.”

As Jin came saying that as soon as they entered, Pascaud, who looked like he was about to say something, also held his tongue.

First, he offered them to seat and then to have the tea Belle poured. After drinking a sip and regaining their composure, Jin let dropped the bomb.

“It seems like Earl Walter has passed away.”

“Ehhh?!”

He was careful to say that after confirming they finished drinking so that they didn’t spit it out.

“…..I just got the message a while ago.”

Jin put the message he made Laojun make on top of the table.

“The time of death was this noon. The symptoms started with lethargy and lead to a fever and pain all over the body. And at the end…”

Lishia’s face turned pale. She didn’t feel the pain but she remembers having felt the lethargy and her temperature rising.

“And to add more to this unfortunate event, this seems to be a contagious disease and birds are the source of contagion.”

“…..I, I… the birds I, brought… were… they, pigeons?!”

Lishia barely finished the sentence, looking as white as a sheet. She probably thought that she was the reason behind Earl Walter’s death. She looked like she would faint any moment now. Realizing that, Jin followed up.

“Ms. Lishia, the one who infected your pigeon was the Earl Walter.”

“Eh?!”

“It was done under his instructions by his underlings, to be precise.”

“….wh-what do you mean?!”

And there, Jin explained how the Earl wasn’t satisfied with Jin receiving this land as leasehold land and how he harassed them by buying all the salt and what not.

He also simply explained how Earl Walter also tried to use her to spread the disease to the Kaina village this time.

“I-Impossible! You would say the Earl did this even for an instant?! Oi, you bastard! Do you have any proof? This can be taken as defamation if you don’t, you know?!”

In contrast to Lishia, who had gotten into thinking, Pascaud snapped and pressed on Jin.

Of course, he predicted such a situation.

“Evidence, eh? First of all, the main source of the disease, Earl Walter, passed away this noon. And, after a little examination, the butler and attendants working at the mansion also started feeling lethargic. Among them, there were also some who were down with a fever.”

As Jin kept speaking plainly like that, Pascaud was at a loss for words.

“B…… but, you can’t just say he’s the culprit with just that!”

But then he came objecting. And as he said that, he realized something.

“…..Oi, don’t go saying nonsense! What time do you think it is?! No matter how fast the carrier pigeons are, there’s no way they can come here that fast! In the first place, who came relaying such a big incident at the Earl’s mansion?!”

However, Jin and Laojun also predicted that.

“Please read the letter.”

Saying that, he handed over the letter on top of the table to Pascaud. Pascaud snatched it from Jin’s hand and skimmed his eyes through it.

“…..It seems to say what you’re saying…… and the sender is…… Deus Ex Machina? ………where have I heard it before………”

But Lishia immediately recalled.

“Mr. Jin! Do you know this person, Deus Ex Machina?!”

She asked Jin, sounding impatient and flustered.

This was also within expectations. After all, when returning Lishia’s sword, he had said ‘I got it from Machina’.”

“I wouldn’t go as far to say I know him. But we have met a few times……Ah, I can’t talk about him since I promised him.”

He made it so that he’s an acquaintance of Machina, but a very complicated kind. Although, when this gets known to the Kurain Kingdom’s heads later on, it would it harder for them to deal with Jin.

“I see……”

Kurain kingdom, Francis kingdom, Serroa kingdom and Egelia kingdom. The war controlled by the Unifiers was forcibly ended by a mysterious man who called himself Deus Ex Machina–everyone who participated in the war knew that. Although the man had called himself that at the capital city of Egelia kingdom, Asunto, it was soon conveyed to Kurain kingdom with the Mana Phone.

“….I see, so it’s information from that man, eh?…… Then it has some credibility.”

Pascaud also reluctantly buried the hatchet. And that was when Jin went on to persuade them.

“….And thereupon, the important thing right now isn’t finding out who the culprit is.”