Published: August 10, 2026
"Thomas!!"
I shouted.
But no one even looked at me. As I ran at full speed, I shouted at the man who was still dangling Thomas.
"Who are you!? Why are you being rough with our gatekeeper? Let him go!"
My voice came out louder and harsher than I had expected, even to myself. At last, the man turned his face toward me.
As I drew closer, I could see the men more clearly. They were all burly, with a strangely flashy, multicolored appearance—this design... Oracle people!?
"Marie,-sama...!"
Thomas groaned while still hanging there.
"T-they just came out of nowhere—gh...!"
He twisted his whole body in resistance, but the man's arm didn't budge an inch. Thomas was not small or weak, and yet he was being held up as though he weighed nothing at all. The man only turned his face toward me.
"Are you the lord of the castle's wife? Unfortunately, this man you employed is under suspicion of theft. We have come to take him into custody."
"Th-theft? Thomas!? "
Startled, I looked up at Thomas, and he naturally shook his head vigorously.
"N-no way. I have no idea what they're talking about..."
"Denial is pointless. We have received a report from the victim himself. He says that when he visited this castle the other day, this man stole valuables from our luggage."
"—Huh!? "
This time, I let out the loudest shout yet.
Oracle people who visited the castle the other day...? There were only two people from the Hadwell Trading Company.
Thomas stole something from those two?
When did he do that, and how?
I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.
"Um... then, first please let me hear the details. Who are you, exactly? And what do you mean by valuables, specifically?"
I asked as calmly as I could, but the man did not answer my questions. He only said what he had prepared to say from the beginning.
"The one who took custody of the carriage that day was this man. Therefore, it must have been this man who rifled through the cargo."
"If necessary, we can search his private room. But first, tell us what was missing. Then let us verify whether Thomas could have stolen it at that time."
"We will take this man to my compatriots. After interrogation, if the suspicion is cleared, we will return him at once."
"That's not what I'm saying—wait, the victim you mean is Hadwell—or rather, first, let go of Thomas!"
My words reached them not at all. The man, still carrying Thomas by the arm, began lumbering toward the carriage.
No, they're really going to take him away!
"W-wait! The lord of the castle is away right now! At least wait until Lord Cyrus returns... please, wait!"
At last, I clung to the man's waist. I tried to hold him back even if it meant hanging from him, using my own weight as a shackle. But the man's pace did not slow in the slightest.
Besides, this man was like a rock. His torso was so thick and broad that my arms couldn't even make it around him...
What is this? This isn't a normal human body. It's like he spent all day swinging iron bars just to become stronger!
It wasn't just him; the others behind him were strange as well when I looked at them again. Their backs were unnaturally straight, standing rigidly upright. There wasn't a trace of emotion on any of their faces, as if they were made of cold iron.
Something was off. Even if the victim was Oracle people, if the incident happened here in Dilz, then the ones who should have come in response to a report would be Dilz police. And yet they were wearing Oracle clothing. For merchant bodyguards, they were far too well-disciplined. There were too many of them for catching a petty thief.
Something is wrong. Too many things are wrong. I couldn't understand the situation—I didn't know what to do next.
While I was panicking, Thomas was being dragged into the steel carriage.
"Dammit—let me go!"
Just before the carriage door was shut, Thomas kicked the man's arm. It seemed to hurt him somewhat. Breaking free from the man's grip, Thomas tried to run. But in an instant, someone grabbed the back of his collar. He was yanked back at once, and the man's hand—thick fingers—jabbed into Thomas's neck.