Reincarnation into the Barrier Master

Dear ....... ......Ta-sama. ......Master Okan-sama.

Baron Bon Isao woke up with a twisted face. The room was dark. It seems that dawn has not yet broken.

He rouses himself, wondering what is happening at this hour. Suddenly, he notices a small sound coming from the bedroom door. It is probably the butler, Llewen, knocking with some discretion.

He tries to get out of bed. Just then, he hears a grinding sound. He clucks his tongue at her, as usual, and turns his attention back to the bed. In the dim light, he sees a woman lying on her back. It was the woman whom he had invited to the house the night before as a joke.

In the past, he could have had a younger woman at his side. A single command would have sent him the best of the best of the girls from all over the land. Now we are allowed to call only such businesswomen. All because of that slave-born king.

Bon Isao clicks his tongue in disgust and opens the door. There stands Llewen with a troubled look on her face.

"What, so late at night?"

"I have received an urgent message from ...... Freeman, head of Crimiana's branch."

"Chief Freeman?

Surprised at his own outburst, the baron quickly leaves his bedroom and heads for the dining room. The house is spacious, but there are no servants in sight. In the days of the Kingdom of Juka, beautiful daughters were hired as maids from the territory under the guise of apprentices, but since the fall of Juka, they have been destitute. So now there are only two old maids who have been serving the kingdom for a long time, and a steward, Llewen.

The baron's pride prevented him from bowing to the newly crowned king, Rinos, who was a slave, and with no support from the state, the Barony of Bonisao was rapidly falling. When they were trapped to the point where they lacked even daily sustenance, the Church of Crimiana came to their rescue.

It was a few years ago that a man dressed as a traveler appeared. The man told the Baron that he did not ask for much and offered to provide him with a minimum amount of money as long as he responded to the request from the Church. The baron believed him and promised to cooperate.

True to the man's word, the Church of Crimiana did not impose any unreasonable demands on him at all. The only questions they would ask were about the state of the crops in Agartha, or about the prevalence of diseases that were spreading in the world, matters that would not be a problem to divulge to the outside world.

Nevertheless, I often broke out in a cold sweat when I received occasional letters from the head of a branch of the Church, who called himself Freeman. The letter contained a detailed investigation of the Baron's behavior, with indirect warnings and a mild threat to terminate his support and report to King Linos if he did not improve his situation.

The Baron, astonished by the intelligence-gathering capabilities of the Church, reluctantly changed his behavior. If the support from the Church was cut off, he would be ruined. He had no choice but to comply.

He received an urgent call from the Church. He had heard that such a thing existed, but he had never expected it to be sent to him. The Baron, suppressing the anxiety that welled up in his heart, accepted the paper that Llewyn had presented to him.

It told him to give the letter to Edebo, a woodcutter about ten minutes away from the baron's house. After that, he was to follow Edebo's instructions.

"Edebo ......?　That eccentric Edebo?"

No wonder the baron was surprised. Edebo was an eccentric man, well known throughout the territory. Despite his slender frame, he dragged a hewn tree to the hut all by himself. When spoken to, he gave only the bare minimum of responses and rarely interacted with the people around him. He did not change his attitude toward his lord, the baron, and even ignored his repeated orders to raise taxes.

Indeed, this was a man who had settled in the area shortly after the fall of Juca. I had assumed that he had escaped from some other land, but from this text, it seemed certain that he had connections with the Church of Crimiana. The baron turned his attention to Llewyn, who was waiting in front of him.

"This is an urgent message, sir. I suggest that you go to Edebo's immediately, Sir.

The baron looked alternately at the letter in his hand and at Llewyn, and then, with an expression of annoyance on his face, he ordered Llewyn to change his clothes.

He then sped off on his horse and headed for Edebo's place. It is still dark outside. As I was riding my horse, wondering if the man was awake at this hour, I saw a light in the distance. I didn't think it was possible, but it was indeed Edebo's hut.

It was Bon Isao, the lord. Let's go in!

The baron said so and opened the door roughly. Inside, Edebo was lying on the bed. The baron holds out a letter from Crimiana right under Edebo's nose. The man takes it without changing his expression and begins to examine it.

What the hell is this? You are one of Crimiana's?　d*mn ...... how they all mock me. ......"

"Shut up."

His voice was low and droning. When he looked at Edebo in surprise, he slowly got off the bed and moved the letter closer to the lamp hanging from the ceiling.

The Baron could not understand his behavior at all. On the other hand, his unusual mood made the baron hesitate to call out to him.

"Well done, my friend. I commend you."

Suddenly Edebo opened his mouth. Only his eyes were glaring at the baron. The eeriness made the baron's body tremble.

"You've come in response to an urgent call from Mr. Freeman, haven't you?　But why? Why not just send it to me directly? ...... I see. That's why they sent you. That's why you sent me you.

Edebo lets out a grin as he says this.

"Welcome. You saved my life. If you had come five minutes later, you would not be alive.

"Eww ...... edebo ......"

"In front of you now is Gigolo Gillette, second-in-command of the SS under His Holiness Pope Vieille of the New Crimiana Order. You are now under my command. My orders are the orders of His Holiness the Pope. Disobey my orders and I will kill you.

The murderous energy emanating from the man's entire body was unusual. The baron nodded involuntarily at the power of the man's voice.

"Stay here until I get back. Don't worry. I'll be back by dawn. If I come back and I don't see you, I'll kill you. It's that simple, understood?"

At Gillette's words, the baron nodded his head. Gillette inserted the letter in his hand into the lamp. Immediately it caught fire and the letter began to burn. He tossed the burning paper carelessly on the floor. Then, as if sitting down on one knee, he peeled off the floorboards and took out a thin sword from inside. It had a gold-worked scabbard, as if it were a ceremonial sword. Placing it on his waist, he left the hut silently.

Suddenly, I heard the neighing of horses outside. And then the sound of hoofbeats. It seems that Gillette had mounted the horse that the baron had ridden, and was going somewhere.

The Baron stands there in a daze, as if he were possessed by a fox. The room is deserted and equipped with only the bare necessities: ....... In such a shabby hut, the man has been living here for several years. He was here to investigate everything that was going on in the territory and to report back to Klimiana. His mentality is extraordinary.

The baron's face is gradually turning pale. He could do nothing but stand there, helpless. .......