Chapter 3: Descent
Chapter 3: Descent
Trycen Castle was positioned atop a small hill, slightly removed from the city that had sprung up around it and that now served as the nation’s capital. Most of the country’s land was desert, with the capital and its surroundings being one of the few regions of flat grassland.
The metropolis and castle were both enclosed by thick, towering walls. There was currently a line of several dozen wagons in front of the outer wall gate. The majority of those people were traveling merchants who had just returned from other settlements.
Everyone entering the city had to produce Trycenian identification—even merchants—and everything in their wagons was carefully inspected as a rule. This check was even stricter now that they were in a state of war, causing the line to be quite a bit longer than it would normally be.
“Next!”
After the inspection of the previous wagon was finished, the guards’ squad leader yelled for the next in line to move up. One look and he and his men could tell that this was a slave trader—there really wasn’t any other way to interpret a wagon with a cage that had multiple humanoid figures inside.
When the wagon drew abreast of the gate, the guards stepped over to surround it.
“Thank you for keeping the city safe as always, sir,” said the merchant, a young man with an honest face and a warm smile, as he turned towards the squad leader. Next to him was a girl who, judging from the fact that she shared his black hair, was likely his sister.
With a friendly smile, she echoed, “Thank you, sir!”
The guard thought this a rather unusual pair of slave merchants, but he kept the thought to himself. “We’ll be checking your goods and your papers. You’re a slave merchant, I assume?”
“Yes, sir. As you can see, we’re young and only just managed to get our own business off the ground. Our goods today are expected at Herelton Slave Trading Company in the merchant quarter. Uh...what do you think, sir? Every single one is top-tier. I’m sure they’ll fetch very good prices.”
“Hah, you sure know how to make a man jealous.”
“Our ID is, uh, where’d I put it again? I’m sorry, sir, would you mind checking our goods first?”
“No problem. You! Make sure to check every face properly! They’re apparently all top-tier!”
“Talk about a sight for sore eyes!”
The soldier who had been ordered to do so clambered up onto the loading platform and stared into the cage as if to appraise each slave himself. However, they were all wearing deep hoods that hid half of their faces.
“Hey, you! Take your hood off and show me your face!” he barked with a faint smile at the one who had hair the color of fire and assets that were prominent even underneath her robe. It wasn’t hard to see why he had chosen her first.
The woman slowly lifted her hood and drew it back.
“Damn, you really are top-ti...er...”
Noticing his subordinate’s pause, the squad leader asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Uh...nothing, sir. She’s just so beautiful that I zoned out for a second. I’ve never seen anyone like her before.”
“You have a nosebleed, soldier. I’m not going to ask what you were imagining. Just get your head back on the job!”
“Sorry, sir! Uh, she doesn’t match the description of anyone on the warrants. No problem. Now, you, show me your face.”
The guard wiped away the blood trickling from his nose and shifted his attention to the next slave. Eventually, he finished checking them all and confirmed to his superior that everything was in order.
“You seriously ha—”
“OH! It was in my jacket pocket! Sir, I found my ID!”
“You really have to pull it together, young man. It’s a very important document. Be more careful about where you keep it.”
“I’ll do that, sir. Here you go, sir.”
“Let’s take a look... Hm?”
The ID proffered by the young man did indeed bear the marks of a Trycen-issued ID—it had the national seal, the young man’s name, and all other details. There was just one strange thing about it.
What’s this? A stain?
There was a splotch of what looked like red ink on the surface. The closer the guard looked, the larger the stain grew until it finally rose from the card and—
“Looks like there’s no problem. Let this one through!” the man hollered after testing the ID with the specialized equipment that was supposed to pick up on its magical signature.
“Thank you very much, sir.”
“Thank you!”
The young man put away the ID that had been returned to him and prompted his horse to move forward. At the same time, the cheerful-looking girl next to him expressed her thanks, leaving the squad leader with a mysterious warm feeling in his chest.
“Pretty rare faces around here, those two,” one guard commented to his superior. “Being able to become independent as slave traders at that age is impressive. And the younger sister was also cute.”
“That young man looked so earnest, gallant, handsome, cool, and wonderful as well. I wish him luck in everything he does. He’s just how I like them,” replied the squad leader.
“Uh...yes...sir?”
The younger soldier delicately affirmed his superior’s words on the spot. When he returned to his post, however, he whispered to a colleague, “Hey, dude, does the commander swing...that way?”
“What’re you saying, man? He has a wife, you know.”
“Oh, okay. I must have been mistaken.”
The soldier shot one last glance at the wagon disappearing into the hustle and bustle of the city, then decided to forget the words he had just heard.
◇ ◇ ◇
The cold night wind blew through the cracks in the walls and stroked our skin. We were currently inside an abandoned building located within the slums of the capital of Trycen. Everything within was covered in a layer of dust, but all the necessary furniture was present, indicating that someone had likely been living there until a few years ago. Only after I had secured a degree of hygiene with the Clean spell did I finally settle down onto the sofa.
Hmm, this one isn’t all that bad, actually.
“Here we are inside the city, Master. Everything went well.”
“Mh-hm. And we got here pretty fast too, thanks to skipping all the checkpoints.”
We had flown in a straight line from the Grand Scarlet Canyon to Trycen’s capital while Melfina used White Magic to keep us invisible through what was effectively optical camouflage. While in the air, we’d noticed the many checkpoints that had been set up along the way. Normally, the skies would have been patrolled by the Dragon Knight Order as well, but they were all gone now. In short, we’d met with no resistance whatsoever. We’d landed just outside the city and snuck in.
There was a barrier deployed along the walls, which rose all the way up into the sky and surrounded the capital. I couldn’t determine how many mages were currently maintaining it, but it was clear that it was extremely tough and powerful. It functioned to completely cut off the effect of magic between the interior and exterior. Even Colette’s and my Summoning abilities were no exception—we could not Summon our Followers on the other side of the barrier.
That said, whatever security measures were in place would naturally be triggered if we attempted to force our way in. So, how did we get inside? Through the front gate, of course. I’d had Clotho take out a random wagon from Storage, then mounted the wagon with a cage created using Adamantite Rampart, and voilà! We had ourselves a slave merchant’s wagon.
We’d decided to take advantage of the fact that the slave trade was booming in Trycen. Gerard served as the coachman, I’d taken on the role of the merchant with the help of a costume tailored by Efil, which provided a buff to Drama, and Rion acted as...well, as my little sister.
In short, the plan was to bluff our way through. Sera and Mel had both refused to yield when it came to being the merchant’s wife, but because they seemed on the verge of actually battling each other, I got rid of the role altogether. Alex remained within Rion’s shadow, and the dragons who had yet to learn how to transform—Boga and Mdofarak—remained within my magic pool.
The remaining members had unfortunately had to enter the cage and act as slaves. The horse pulling our wagon was actually Colette’s pegasus, and boy did we have trouble hiding its wings. Not like we had any choice, though. Colette had given me her very best “Let me! Use me!” face, but naturally I had ignored her.
The key to our plan had been Sera’s Unique Skill, Blood Dominion. We knew that if the guards actually checked the faces of our “slaves”—well, a lot of them were pretty famous, being Gaunian royalty and the Oracle of Deramis. And Prettia was just distinctiveness personified. So we’d had Sera purposely wear a thinner robe to incite the guard’s lust and prompt him to check her first. When he did so, she used Bloodbending to surreptitiously get her blood onto him and gain control.
The possibility of the guard preferring guys had crossed my mind, but I had faith in Sera’s intuition and had known that she would catch on and do what needed to be done without getting noticed even if the guard first turned towards Sabato or Prettia.
The other challenge that had awaited us was the checking of our ID. I’d had Melfina forge a card based on information provided by Colette. Its appearance was flawless, but unfortunately, the real ones all had a certain magical signature embedded within. We couldn’t replicate it perfectly, which meant the ID would be exposed as soon as it was checked. In the end, the issue was resolved by using Blood Dominion and Bloodbending again. Sera simply manipulated the bloodstain that she had smeared onto my ID in advance in order to control the guard who checked our documentation.
“Those guards will remain under my control for quite a while longer.”
Seriously, that skill of hers is way too OP.
After successfully infiltrating Trycen, our top priority was to gather information, but in order to do so, we needed to secure a base of operations. According to Azgrad, the barrier enclosing the city was something that was only ever activated under unusual circumstances. Its magical energy cost was as high as it was effective, and it was really more of a hindrance than anything else for the Dragon Knight Order.
We first took this as an indication of how backed into a corner Trycen felt but then learned that all the nobles had been gathered at the royal palace for a social event that had been going on for several days now. None of it made sense. A little more digging confirmed that the Magic Knight Order had returned to the palace but the Steel Knight Order was still on the road.
The first place we had considered for our base was actually the Adventurer’s Guild, but it quickly became apparent that Trycen was keeping a close eye on the place, which made it inappropriate for our purposes. It wasn’t as if we knew the guildmaster here, which meant we didn’t know if we could trust him or her. So that idea went right out the window. After bouncing around a few more times, we’d eventually settled on this abandoned house.
“According to Colette’s calculations, General Dan should be back tomorrow. That’s when everything will go down.”
“Just asking, but can’t we invade the palace before the Steel Knight Order gets home? Hold on, what’s that pitying look for?!”
Sabato, you poor child. Do you even have to ask?
◇ ◇ ◇
General Dan and the Steel Knight Order finally reached the capital the day after Kelvin and his party had infiltrated the city. Specifically, it was around the end of the day. Although they had stored the cumbersome siege engines in magic storage items and pushed their war horses as much as possible, they were still soldiers wearing full suits of platinum armor. There was a limit to how fast they could move under all that weight.
Damnation! We took far longer than I’d hoped. But still, what is this situation?
The moment Dan passed through the gate, he felt a sense of wrongness. It came from the reactions of the citizens who caught sight of him and his troop as they were pushing towards the royal palace.
“Oh heavens, it’s General Dan with the Steel Knight Order!”
“Omigod, Dan-sama! Jin-sama!”
“Trycen’s most powerful warrior has pulled through once again! Looks like our country’s future is secure!”
“Long live Trycen! Long live General Dan!”
The entire city was rocked by cheers and adulation from the soldiers’ passage. This completely unexpected and bizarre state of affairs caused even Dan’s well-trained knights to feel shaken. The reception would have been deserved if they had been parading back in triumph after a military victory, but the reality was that they had shamefully retreated from a battlefield of their own accord. Their reception was completely overboard.
“General, just what is...”
“Your guess is as good as mine. But stay calm no matter what happens. Let’s get to the palace quickly.”
Word spread and the crowd swelled exponentially. Every last citizen had words of praise and exaltation on their lips, painting the situation as the triumphant return of a champion. The more excited the people grew, the heavier it weighed on the knights. Even Dan, who had admonished the lieutenant general earlier on, felt the same.
“Hey, did you hear? Just like the Magic Knight Order did in Toraj, the Steel Knight Order completely overwhelmed Gaun!”
“I was there in person when King Zel announced the news! He said that Gaun surrendered before they even started fighting, right? Fearing the military might of our country is natural, but now I’m starting to doubt if vassalizing such wimps is even worth the trouble.”
“Aha ha ha, I guess this is the destiny of a country that can never lose!”
Dan frowned upon hearing a conversation between a couple on the side of the road, which he just happened to pick up as they passed.
His Majesty himself made a false announcement?
It wasn’t only the couple; the entire city seemed to believe the king’s words without a shred of doubt. Even though the claim sounded so ridiculous that anyone who gave it a second thought would have laughed it off as a joke, it was as if every last resident had completely abandoned their ability to think logically.
This is the same thing that happened to us. I sincerely hope that Leonhart’s suggestion that His Majesty is a Demon Lord is but a misunderstanding. However, it is true that the possibility never came to mind for any of us in the Steel Knight Order until it was pointed out. In light of His Majesty’s drastic change in behavior, his tacit consent of Tristan’s scheming, and the sharp rise in monster activity in every country aside from Trycen, perhaps...
Dan now had two aims: to speak with King Zel directly and confirm Shutola’s safety, and, depending on the circumstances, to rescue her as well. The first person in line for the throne, Crown Prince Azgrad, had been defeated during his clash with Parth, and his entire order had been obliterated without a single survivor having made it back.
Dan didn’t want to imagine his beloved disciple dead, but there was no time to entertain such baseless sentimentality. If the royal line died out completely, the country would crumble. That was true even if any of the other foolish princes were to ascend the throne. No matter what happened, the general absolutely needed to ensure that Shutola made it out alive and well.
“Jin, bring your men to the back entrance. I have no idea how things are going to play out. Princess Shutola’s life takes priority above all else—sacrifice whatever you have to in order to keep her safe!”
“Yes, sir! What will you be doing, General?”
“I will also be going to save Shutola-sama. But if possible, I’ll be attempting to gain an audience with His Majesty as well.”
“What are you saying?! Didn’t you just say that Shutola-sama takes top priority?! The only ones who can attack the Demon Lord are the Heroes! You’re strong, but—”
“I am well aware that I am contradicting myself. However, I am still His Majesty’s right hand. I must confirm the rumors for myself and do right by my king.”
“General...”
As Dan was riding in front, there was no way for Jin to see what sort of expression he wore. But his back seemed to be radiating sadness and grief. Jin couldn’t help but sympathize with his father. Then Dan turned around with a large smile plastered on his face.
“Well, this is me we’re talking about! I’ll rescue Shutola-sama in no time at all and talk His Majesty down, easy as pie!”
In contrast, Jin’s face quickly transformed into a steel mask. He was good at changing gears too. “Yes, sir. I’m off, then.”
“Mm. Off you go. Don’t expect to get the spotlight, though!”
By now, the order had ridden through the city proper and there were no more citizens around.
“Old man, don’t you dare die on me!” Jin shouted as he and his squad veered off the stone-paved path leading to the palace and disappeared from view.
“That rascal. Men, follow me!”
“YES, GENERAL!”
◇ ◇ ◇
Upon proceeding down the path connecting the city proper and the palace for a while, the inner walls protecting the royal abode finally came into view. There were only two ways in: through the main gate or through a secret entrance around back. Just like the outer wall, this one had a barrier deployed above that blocked overhead access.
“I am Dan D’Alba, general of the Steel Knight Order! Open the gates!”
The front gates were tightly closed, with the soldiers who would normally be standing on guard nowhere to be seen. Dan’s voice merely faded into the twilight sky with no reply. But soon, figures appeared on top of the wall.
“Well, I’ll be! Is that General Dan I’m seeing? You’re back early. I heard about how you seized victory without even fighting! I guess that’s to be expected of our country’s true champion. This humble Tristan is awestruck by your capableness, General!”
“Tristan!” Dan growled through gritted teeth. Of all people, this was the most annoying one who could possibly have shown up. “I’m ‘early’? How can I not return immediately after hearing how you retreated before the Torajian host without even crossing swords?!”
“Whatever could you be talking about? The Magic Knight Order and I absolutely wiped the floor with Toraj. It’s the talk of the town right now.”
“You clown! Enough! Open the gates. I must speak with His Majesty and Princess Shutola.”
“Oh dear, that’s troubling,” Tristan replied in his characteristically dramatic tone, shaking his head and bringing his hands to his chin. “They’re both...unavailable right now.”
“Come again?”
“His Majesty is currently in the middle of ‘educating’ Her Highness. He’s announced that no one is to be allowed into the room. That includes you, General.”
Dan growled in frustration. Clearly, things had taken a turn for the worse. If Tristan was speaking the truth, it meant that Zel and Shutola were currently together. Determining the veracity of the rumors about the former and saving the latter had just become much more complicated.
“What’s more, everybody who matters in this country is gathered inside at the moment and having an absolutely wonderful time. I’m afraid I can’t let you and your men inside; all the weapons and armor you have on would give them such a fright. Would you be so kind as to take your leave for the day?”
“Looks like my first order of business is to break through here.”
Tristan had brought a hand to his chest in a show of shallow modesty, but Dan had already closed his ears to the other’s words. With a deliberate motion, he slowly reached for the handle of the greatsword on his back—
“Oh dear, General Dan. Looks like you’re going to have trouble taking your leave too.”
“What—”
CRASH!
The sound of something incredibly heavy hitting the ground rang out from behind the Steel Knight Order. The soldiers turned around to see what had caused the commotion.
“That’s... It’s one of the ancient dragons from the Dragon Knight Order!”
“So there was a survivor!”
It was one of the Dragon Knight Order’s prized ancient dragons, Boga, standing tall and proud. Dan’s subordinates cheered at what they thought to be the return of an ally.
The dragon was not bearing any noticeable wounds. Rather, it seemed even more full of life than it had been when it had first set out for Parth. So much so that it even had the energy to unleash a thunderous roar.
“Is there anyone riding him?”
“I can’t see that high. He’d have to get clo—”
“All men, battle-ready formation! And get out every last siege engine!”
“What? The siege engines, sir?”
The command that Dan had issued was not to welcome Boga but to attack him.
“How exactly do you think that huge bulk of his got through with the barrier deployed at the outer wall? I feel a power coming from him that’s different from that of the Dragon Knight Order. And it looks like Boga himself is raring to go.”
The dragon crouched low, adopting a pose that made it seem like he would be charging forward at any moment. His head was aimed directly at the front gate of the inner walls.
Yet it seems like the true threat is the one on Boga’s back...
“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, General Dan, but I’m not opening these gates. Defending the palace takes priority above all else.”
“Let me guess, this is also part of your scheme!”
“Oh, no, no, this is an unexpected twist even for me. Hm, looks like there’s an urgent matter to attend to. General Dan, I’m afraid I must take my leave now. Please excuse me.”
“I’ll make you pay for this, Tristan. Mark my words!”
“I’ll look forward to it. Farewell!”
At the same moment Tristan turned his back, Boga began thundering towards them.
◇ ◇ ◇
Tristan returned to the banquet hall where all of Trycen’s most important nobles had gathered. The decor was so extravagant and gaudy that even the general thought he would get a headache if he stared too long. Regardless, every last one of the guests was a VIP commanding incredible influence, so he couldn’t afford to waste attention on the view.
Although Zel was the indisputable leader of Trycen, the power of the major slave merchants hailing from various parts of the country—each surrounded by their own mercenary bands—could hardly be underestimated. These were, in effect, local warlords who collectively held the reins to Trycen’s underground society.
Tristan’s plan had been to instigate and manipulate them, getting them to work together to resist the alliance of the other three nations. It was for this that he had arranged the banquet and endured their obsequious attention so far. What he wanted, in short, was a pawn to replace the Dragon Knight Order.
“There you are, General Tristan. Where did you disappear to?”
“We were so surprised when you left the hall in such a hurry, oho ho ho!”
“General Tristan, have you reconsidered the marriage proposal we mentioned earlier?”
The moment Tristan stepped into the banquet hall, he was accosted by a portly tycoon and his wife. Hot on their heels, a wave of the most unseemly humans he’d ever seen pushed their way towards him. All of them had fake smiles on their faces, but every last one of them was crowding around in hopes of lapping up whatever benefit they could from the raging war. In fact, Tristan no longer even saw these people as humans; in his eyes, they were no more than parasites.
“Esteemed guests, I sincerely apologize for the worry I caused. General Dan of the Steel Knight Order has just returned, and I was out greeting him. He confirmed that he has successfully defeated Gaun and annihilated our enemies.”
The venue burst with excitement at the news.
“General Dan is here?!”
“How wonderful! Our country really is invincible!”
“Darling, doesn’t that mean Lieutenant General Jin should be back as well? Let’s get our daughter to—”
“Say no more! Where is she now?!”
Just like the other citizens, no one here doubted Tristan’s words in the slightest. This was in spite of the fact that if the Steel Knight Order really had won, there was no way that Dan, as the individual with the greatest on-scene authority, would abandon the now vassal state of Gaun and simply ride back to Trycen without a care in the world.
In place of any sign of intelligence, these men and women put their greed on full display, with some even attempting to get a jump on the others by slipping out of the hall to find Dan straight away.
“Please calm down, everyone. General Dan is currently on his way to meet with His Majesty. He does have to deliver his report, after all.”
“Oh my, with His Majesty? Then I suppose we have no choice but to wait.”
“Indeed, prioritizing his official duties makes sense. I knew that, oho ho ho.”
The moment Tristan brought up their monarch, the VIPs calmed down as abruptly as if a switch had been flipped. Disrespect towards the king meant death. Whether this was something that had been branded onto their hearts through education or some other means was unclear.
“Could this be the reason we haven’t seen His Majesty these past few days?”
“That is exactly the case. He had every faith in General Dan’s victory and was waiting patiently so as to be the first to welcome him home and commend him for his accomplishments. The same is true of Princess Shutola.”
“We are so blessed to have rulers who care so much for their subordinates, ha ha ha.”
“On that note, I have good news and bad news for all of you.”
“News, you say? Other than that of General Dan’s return?”
“Madam, which would you prefer I share first?”
“Oho ho ho, you’re allowing me to choose? Then please start with the good!”
“As you wish,” Tristan replied with a bow before climbing the stage that was set up within the hall. Once he confirmed that he had everyone’s attention, he continued. “Dear guests, I have truly incredible news to share with you all. The martyr of unparalleled beauty who was struck down so cruelly during his last expedition, General Clive, did in fact survive. After undergoing a long period of recuperation, he is now well enough to return to the front lines!”
Commotion filled the air as the visitors whispered furiously among themselves and exchanged looks. The majority of them seemed doubtful, with exclamations along the lines of, “Is that true?!” “It’s a miracle!” and “There’s no way...” popping up around the room.
“Of course I understand your incredulity. After all, we’ve been arranging this behind the scenes with the utmost secrecy until now. However, that is coming to an end today. And I wanted to let all of you—you ladies and gentlemen who have done so much to support Trycen—know first. In other words, this is a surprise present from yours truly! I have made preparations for a banquet with General Clive later today. He very strongly wishes for your participation!”
“That General Clive desires my presence?!”
“That’s right, madam. That General Clive absolutely can’t wait to see you.”
The woman was so touched that she tottered backwards a step. Her husband caught her in the nick of time. Rather than offer him any words of thanks, however, she remained preoccupied by the news.
“Oh, heavens. Clive-sama is alive?! What’s more, he wishes to eat with me?!”
Her husband suggested, “Let’s get our daughter to meet him! This is a perfect oppor—”
“What nonsense are you saying?! He’s too good for her!”
“Wh-What are you saying?!”
The argument between the married couple grew increasingly heated. Similarly, the other women in attendance were in the throes of anticipation and arguing in increasingly loud voices with their own partners. The artificial smile that Tristan had forced onto his face twisted into one of genuine delight as he gazed at the sight.
“Next is the bad news,” he said, continuing in spite of the chaotic response. “Unfortunately, there isn’t enough food for the dinner with General Clive. To that end, I’m afraid that everyone present will have to serve as his main course instead.”
The guests froze and the hubbub abruptly died down. No, these people were no longer guests in Tristan’s eyes. The moment forces that might prove a threat to Zel and, quite possibly, to Tristan himself had infiltrated the castle, these crimelords who held no strength of their own had been reduced to mere piles of flesh, pride, and greed. The way that Tristan intended to use them had taken a drastic turn.
“What kind of a joke is that, General Tristan?”
“You may be a general, but that was out of line!”
“Ha ha ha, I do love a good joke too,” Tristan replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “However, I’m not joking this time. Pigs fattened for no reason and filled with malice really do make the best food. For him, that is...”
The doors to the hall slowly creaked open.
◇ ◇ ◇
A boom as loud as the one that had rung out upon Boga’s appearance went off again before the front gate of the inner wall.
“Hnnnggg!”
“Rooooaaarrrr!”
What caused the crash was Dan’s platinum greatsword colliding with the full weight of Boga’s body. The momentum pushed the knight back several meters, his feet creating deep grooves in the ground as he slid backwards. The two of them were now locked in a contest of strength, with neither seeming to have the upper hand.
“Fuck! The siege engines aren’t hurting him at all!”
“Keep at it! All we need to do is make him flinch!”
The other members of the Steel Knight Order were shooting all their ballistae, trebuchets, and whatever siege weapons they had without rest, but the projectiles showed no signs of even coming close to penetrating the dragon’s armored skin. He merely glared back at them in annoyance.
“Don’t you underestimate me!” roared Dan as he took advantage of the opening to slam an upwards strike into his opponent’s chin, causing the beast to stumble back two steps. “Heavens, I sure have gotten old,” he muttered as he clambered up onto Boga’s head, aiming to stab the dragon’s unprotected right eye.
“RROOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRRRR!”
Just before his sword landed, a blast of sound exploded outwards from the beast. The shockwave was so great that it shook the ground and left cracks in the wall and siege engines, almost as if it was meant to kill.
Naturally, Dan was subject to the attack—in fact, he felt it the most keenly, being the closest to the source. Yet he was not fazed in the slightest.
“Boga, stand down,” said a voice from the dragon’s back. An instant later, a pitch-black greatsword clashed against the general’s dazzling white one in midair. “From now on, I’ll take you on!”
“You’re from the promotion ceremony in Parth!”
Dan’s new opponent was Gerard, who now appeared in all his glory with armor the color of his sword and a blood-red mantle whipping in the wind. Obediently, Boga flapped his wings and withdrew.
“How can you be here?!”
“I have no obligation to tell you that!”
The two knights exchanged blows faster than the eye could see. Unlike Boga, Gerard was human-sized—albeit larger than most—and was therefore impossible to accurately shoot with the siege engines as he fought. That said, the rest of the Steel Knight Order could not personally participate in a battle on that level, so they had no choice but to simply stand back and keep watch.
Every time my sword makes contact with his, it sucks away a whole chunk of my MP! To make matters worse, he’s very strong! Dammit, I don’t have time for this! Even now, Shutola-sama is...
Dan was still holding on thanks to the HP and MP recovery provided by his beloved sword, Great Holy Sword Chalice, but he was distracted by frustration and Gerard’s demon sword was steadily chipping away at his magic supply. The longer they fought, the more MP Gerard’s sword stole, and the faster and more powerful it became. Eventually, Chalice was sent flying out of Dan’s hands, and Gerard raised his greatsword for a final blow.
“Stop.”
A man’s voice suddenly rang out from above. And for some reason, it sounded extremely displeased.
“General, are you even trying? Mel, please dispel the False Fog over here.”
“Oh, you’ve had enough? Sure thing.”
After a brief exchange with a female voice, the air rippled and, like a fog being dispersed, a pitch-black dragon was revealed to be looming above. All the members of the Steel Knight Order were familiar with this black dragon. Naturally, so was Dan.
“Isn’t that one of the ancient dragons from the Dragon Knight Order? I seem to remember General Azgrad riding him when they were setting out.”
“Could he be here to save General Dan?”
“Are you an idiot?! The rock dragon’s turned against us—it’s obvious this one’s become our enemy too!”
“But then that means the crown prince is...”
It was true that the dragons were now their enemies, but never in a million years could the members of the Steel Knight Order have guessed that both General Azgrad and Lieutenant General Huba had revolted against Trycen of their own free will. It made sense for the soldiers to leap to easier assumptions.
Dan was shocked as well, but for a different reason than that of his men. He watched with wide eyes and cold sweat running down his back as the black dragon landed on the ground, revealing several figures on his back.
The man in a black robe was Kelvin, the continent’s newest Rank S adventurer, and of the three girls surrounding him, Dan recognized Sera and Efil as Kelvin’s party members. Unlike at the ceremony, his companions were now wearing battle gear instead of dresses.
What an overwhelming sight they are to behold. Every single one of them possesses strength equal to or above that of the black knight I was just fighting. The design of their equipment is strange, but every piece is, if not Rank S, Rank A at the very least.
Dan grew even more wary, having determined that it wasn’t the dragon he should be most concerned about.
“You’re General Dan of the Steel Knight Order, right?” Kelvin asked. “What was with that fight just now? You weren’t concentrating at all! What, do you have somewhere else to be? Do you even want to fight?”
“I know, right? He was acting like Gerard does when Ruka’s home late and he’s worried out of his mind!” added Sera.
Gerard started and pointed to himself. “Wait, me?”
“Brother, you can’t just say that when we’re the ones doing the attacking,” the black dragon remarked. “And big sister Sera, he’s not going to get a reference like that!”
The black dragon, who had always seemed surly and refused to associate with anyone else before being deployed to Parth, was now clearly acting subservient to this new party of his and playing the straight man to their banter. In a way, Dan was even more confused by that than by Sera’s comment.
He’s probably thinking “What is with these people?!” right now. I understand that emotion so well!
On top of everything else, Dan was even being pitied by the black dragon.
◇ ◇ ◇
“So, you woke up from the brainwashing thanks to the words of the Beast King and rushed back to the palace to save the princess of Trycen?” I asked.
Dan nodded. “To put it succinctly, yes. Although before I had a chance to attempt to break through the gate, I lost to Gerard-dono here.”
“Ga ha ha...ha...” Gerard’s laughter petered out before he lowered his head. “My apologies! Truly.”
Once Dan had finished giving his account, the Dark Knight had practically deflated as if he were a balloon. He had launched himself into battle thinking the other man was his main enemy. But upon defeating him, he’d discovered that he was actually an ally! It was an absolute blunder.
Of course, I’m the one who gave Gerard the order. Sorry!
“No, us having been brainwashed doesn’t change the fact that we did attack Gaun and contribute to the war. I am the one who should apologize,” Dan returned, similarly lowering his head.
I waved my hands in a fluster. “No, no. I also said some pretty self-important things in a condescending manner, which was uncalled for. I’m very sorry.”
Sera added, “And I also called you something rude, so, sorry!”
“Uh, Sera, are you indirectly calling me rude?” Gerard asked quizzically.
“Umm...” Efil raised her hand, interrupting our seemingly never-ending exchange of apologies. “We are still in front of the enemy’s gates. Should we really be standing here?”
Awkward silence filled the air.
I mean, she’s not wr— Okay, she’s right. Even though we know we’re safe because Sera hasn’t sensed anything, it’s still not the time to be having an apology round-robin. Worryingly, there’s no movement from the other side of the wall, even though I’m sure Tristan already knows we’re here. Wasting time flapping our mouths isn’t helping anyone. To that end, before we proceed...
“General Dan, this is a suggestion, but how do you feel about hiring us?”
“What do you mean by ‘hiring’?”
“As you know, we’re adventurers. And you want to save your princess. If the reward is appropriate, we would be willing to help you. What do you think?”
“It is true that you would make a reassuring ally, Kelvin-dono. However, a reward appropriate for hiring a Rank S adventurer... I’m afraid I do not have nearly enough money on me. But back at my residence—”
“Oh, we don’t want money.” There are things that can’t be bought with money, right?
“Mm? Then what do you wish for?”
“Well, if we manage to successfully carry out this mission, please fight us at full strength. Within the setting of a practice match, of course.”
“Is that honestly all you want?”
“That’s it.”
Dan and I exchanged a firm handshake to seal the deal. And with that, we were now the Demon Lord Subjugation Alliance + 1.
::Honey, am I understanding correctly? What we’ll be doing is exactly the same with or without this deal, right?::
Shush. It’ll serve as my motivation.
After having stumbled right off the bat, I needed something to get me back on my feet. What’s more, now that we had taken the job as an official request, we could go all out.
There’s nothing better than a win-win relationship. The others are still up in the sky, riding on Mdofarak’s back and hidden behind False Fog, but there’s no need to introduce them, right? It’d just unnecessarily complicate things, what with there being the Oracle of Deramis and royalty of Gaun and a muscle machine up there.
::Kelvin, it’s just as you guessed. I found more nearby.::
Sera, who had been keeping a wary eye on our surroundings, suddenly shot me a telepathic message. She was holding stakes that bore what looked like runes from an ancient language. I had previously asked her to look for a certain something for me as a countermeasure against Tristan. My suspicions had been proven correct.
As planned, please gather them all so that he can’t use them anymore.
::Sure thing. I’ll put them into Clotho’s Storage.::
Yep, that works. Then we won’t have to be on guard against surprise attacks from him.
“Kelvin-dono, our first order of business is to get through these gates,” Dan said before looking up at Boga. “I’m afraid it would take quite a long time using our siege engines, so would you be able to help out with the dragons under your command?”
Oh, is he asking that because of Boga’s size? Even though it’s actually Sera and Mel who have the highest Strength stat in our party... I suppose Dan wouldn’t be able to guess that, though.
“There’s no need. I’ll do it myself.”
“You, Kelvin-dono?”
I took out Black Staff of Disaster and cast Boreas Death Scythe on it. When he saw the scythe-like blade, Dan nodded in understanding.
“I see, the scythe from your fight with Lu—ahem, Sylvia. It did manage to easily penetrate the barrier set up by the Oracle of Deramis, after all.”
Oh? He knows about the exhibition match? Was he watching?
I swung my staff in the direction of the castle wall. Even though it was just a simple swing with no windup whatsoever, the stones parted like butter, and cracks expanded in the blink of an eye. Within ten seconds, the cracks reached even the barrier that extended above the wall, causing it to crumble with a high-pitched shriek.
A surprised “Wow!” went up from the other knights as Dan murmured, “What a powerful attack indeed.”
Looks like he’s the only one who’s seen my weapon in action before. “The soldiers on the other side of this wall used to be your allies, right? You sure you can handle fighting them?”
“My subordinates and I have shored up our resolve. The only thing that matters is Shutola-sama’s safety.”
“Gotcha. Clotho.”
My slime buddy poked out from inside my sleeve.
“Take out all the golems you’ve got in Storage.”
Clotho immediately expanded to around my height, and golems with the appearance of knights started marching out one by one in quick succession. This was all one hundred of the golems who had previously been used to man Obsidian Fortress. I had wanted to bring along the ones possessed by souls too, but it turned out they could no longer enter Storage.
What a pity.
In addition to the golems, Clotho gave us back all the equipment we had taken off so as not to catch undue attention while walking about inside the city proper. Sabato had been conflicted at the time but had still handed everything over in the end, albeit reluctantly. He strongly disliked the sensation of Clotho Storing the equipment straight off his back. In contrast, Goma and Colette loved the bouncy texture of the slime’s body.
Guess it really varies from person to person.
“I’m honestly at a loss as to what I should comment on first.”
“We’ve got no time for comments. So, General Dan, can I entrust you to lead the assault from the front?”
“If I’m handling the front, what will you be doing?”
“Ah. Well...”
◇ ◇ ◇
Trycen Castle was composed of the main palace and four surrounding strongholds that served as the headquarters for each knight order. The Steel Knight Order, which was most suitable for defense, was at the front, then there was the Dragon Knight Order to the right, the Mixed Monster Order to the left, and the Magic Knight Order in the back. As the existence of the Black Ops was not public, it did not have a fortress of its own.
When Trycen was at full strength, attacking the palace would have required breaking through the defenses mounted by the Steel Knight Order. This meant facing the most well-coordinated troops the country had to offer, armed in platinum armor to the last man and led by the most powerful warrior in the kingdom: Dan D’Alba.
Needless to say, it was no easy feat. And if the fight dragged on, the Dragon Knight Order would inevitably arrive in short order, with monsters trained by Tamers from the Mixed Monster Order providing reinforcements, and the sky would soon be filled with an endless rain of destructive spells cast by the Magic Knight Order. In essence, it was nigh impossible.
Now, however, the Steel Knight Order had defected to Kelvin’s side, and the Mixed Monster Order and the Dragon Knight Order had been reduced to the bare minimum of troops to keep their own headquarters running. The Magic Knight Order was technically still present and under Tristan’s control, but it had just lost its previous general, Clive, who had been declared KIA.
This left only the Black Ops which, although largely intact, was a force specialized for intelligence operations and not direct combat. There was a separate force that protected the palace itself, but they had limited battle experience. Essentially, the gulf between the lies that the citizens had been fed and the truth of the situation was enormous. Then again, it wasn’t only the citizens who were living within a fleeting dream.
All the court mages of Trycen were currently gathered in an area deep within the heart of the palace where the barrier above both the wall surrounding the city and that surrounding the castle was managed from. This was one of the most well-protected areas in the compound, far away from the front-line action. Normally, the environment would have been somber and silent, but this was not an ordinary day.
Crack...
“What was that sound? Wait, what’s happening to the barrier?!”
“What? Oh no! Reporting! The barrier is under attack and has been damaged!”
“How can that be?! Give it more MP immediately!”
The court mages held their prayer-like poses, feeding MP into the gigantic magic circle they were kneeling on and trying their best to concentrate in spite of the shouts flying back and forth over their heads. Something was happening to the barrier that was meant to be their last defensive resort. The chief manager had picked up on the irregularity almost immediately and ordered the mages to increase their output to repair and bolster the magical blockade. But it was already too late.
CRACK!
“Correction! The barrier has just collapsed!”
“Th-That’s impossible! It’s supposed to be strong enough to withstand even attacks from dragons! Shit! All right, then. Prepare for redeployment. And send word to all the orders! And to His Majesty too!”
“B-But His Majesty is currently refusing to meet anyo—”
“Are you listening to yourself?! The royal palace is under attack! It’s a foregone conclusion that someone’s head is going to fly! I’ll come with you!”
The chief turned towards the door to head to where the king was but suddenly heard a female voice behind him.
“Is the barrier actually that big of a deal?”
“Of course it is! The technology itself is the crystallization of Trycen’s cutting-edge research and development, and the energy powering it is supplied by the most elite court mages in the country! It is maintained twenty-four seven and is strong enough—”
“Mh-hm, and then?”
“Strong en— Wait, who are you?!”
In the middle of his long-winded speech, the chief noticed the red-haired woman—Sera, of course—who had suddenly appeared. At her feet were the fading vestiges of a summoning circle and the figures of the collapsed court mages. The subordinate the chief had been talking to was among the victims.
“Took you long enough to catch on. I had so much time I went and knocked out all your people already.”
“O-Our elite court mages...all in a split second...no, no, more importantly, who are you?!”
“All right, that’s enough of that.”
Sera poked the man’s forehead with a blood-stained finger so fast that his eyes couldn’t even register what had happened. “So, tell me about this crisis of yours again.”
“No, ma’am! Everything is working normally, ma’am!” he replied with a sharp salute.
“Glad to hear it. What a peaceful day it is today,” Sera agreed smilingly. “Well, then, that’s it for taking over this place. I did a great job, if I do say so myself! And it looks like this is pretty deep inside the palace, so...”
The demon concentrated all her senses next to the man who remained frozen in a salute. She took everything that she was picking up through all the detection skills she possessed—Presence Sensing, Danger Detection, Magic Detection, and Concealment Detection—and added them to the map of the castle that Kelvin had uploaded to the Network beforehand. Now it showed the positions of enemy troops, including the ones Kelvin might be personally interested in, and even the locations of hidden doors and traps. After meditating for about thirty seconds, she slowly opened her eyes.
“There’s just one area at the top of the palace that I can’t read. Oh well! By process of elimination, that’s probably the place Kelvin wants to find!”
As Sera nodded to herself in satisfaction, her hands on her hips, Kelvin reached out to her telepathically.
::That should be enough for the map. Good work. How’s the situation on your end?::
::All cleaned up. Plus I found something good!::
::Like what?::
::That other thing you asked me for!:: Sera was currently looking straight at what seemed to be a mechanical archway. It was the Trycenian teleportation gate. ::I really am lucky! I appeared right in front of it when I was Summoned!::
::Whoa, well done indeed! I knew you’d gotten pretty deep into the castle, but to find the jackpot on the first try! You never cease to amaze me.::
::I’m going to claim my reward from you after this!::
::P-Please go easy on me. So, do you think you can start it up?::
From the look of it, the teleportation gate was turned off.
“I order you to activate this gate,” Sera instructed the last man standing.
“Ma’am! The teleportation gate is currently disabled! Authentication from someone with sufficient authority is required in order to start it up again! Unfortunately, I do not have that authority!”
“Aww, come on...”
Not being able to use the gate would render its discovery meaningless. Sera reported back to Kelvin in low spirits.
::I see... Wait, really?:: Kelvin seemed to be speaking with someone else on his side at the same time. ::Sera, Rion is going to bring Colette to your location. She said she knows how to activate it on some level.::
::Wow, she can do that? But I’m in the heart of enemy territory. How will they get through all of Trycen’s forces?::
::Since you did such a great job, we have a good idea of what route to take.::
◇ ◇ ◇
I was currently looking down at Trycen Castle from way up in the sky. Gerard, Boga, and Sabato’s party were on the ground, launching an attack from the front. The rest of my party members, plus Colette and Prettia, were riding on Dahak and Mdofarak’s backs with me.
Sera’s Summoning had been successful, and now we knew everything about the enemy fortress. What’s more, we even knew the location of the teleportation gate and another special place we had wanted to find.
Sera’s luck really is terrifying.
“Efil, aim right there. Oh, and shoot at a few other locations with no signs of life, just as decoy.”
“Yes, Master.”
A searing fire arrow left Penumbra, the bow in Efil’s hands, and landed exactly where I had directed. Upon making contact, it promptly exploded, creating a giant hole in the wall. At the same time, several more arrows tore additional holes into the compound.
“Perfect. All right, let’s get down there like we planned. Rion will be carrying Colette in a Concealment Cloth, and...uh, does anyone need me to fly them down?”
“Thank you for asking, dearie, but my muscles are enough. I can just jump from here.”
“My Acrobatics skill should do the job, even with Colette in my arms. If needed, Alex will catch us.”
“So close to Rion-sama, so close to Rion-sama, so close t—”
“Colette, can you at least keep it inside your head? Ahem, so it seems like everyone’s fine. Efil, Dahak, and Mdofarak, please cover us from the sky. I’ll be using the map to give out instructions as occasion calls, so keep an eye on that.”
“Of course, Master.”
“You got it, brother!”
“Rooaaar!”
In light of who our opponent was this time, Melfina was staying behind in my magic pool.
“All right, here we go.”
“Godspeed, Master.”
Without hesitation, we leaped down behind enemy lines.
◇ ◇ ◇
Immediately after jumping off Mdofarak’s back, Rion activated Concealment, which caused both her own figure and Colette’s to fade into their surroundings. Even Efil, who was watching from up in the sky, could no longer see them with her incredible eyesight.
::I’m off to Sera-nee’s location, then.::
::Yes, please. Once the teleportation gate is activated, you and Alex do whatever you can to disrupt the enemy.::
::Got it!::
Shortly before landing, Rion shifted to carrying Colette under her left arm and began to gather magic around her right.
“Magnetic Whip!”
A small current of electricity shot out from her outstretched hand, pulling her towards where it had made contact with the ground within the gaping hole in the wall. At the same time, the magnetic attraction also served to offset the force of gravity acting on her so that, with a few superhumanly masterful maneuvers, she managed to land safely and without issue.
“And that’s our boots on the ground. You okay, Colette?”
The Oracle had clapped her hands over her mouth, but she wordlessly nodded to indicate that she was all right. Rion had tried to refrain from moving too acrobatically out of consideration for her, but apparently even the little tricks she’d had to resort to had been a bit too much for the other girl.
“Sorry, please bear with it just a while longer. I’ll bring you to where Sera-nee is—”
KA-BOOM!
An earth-shattering crash rang out a short distance away. Kelvin could land soundlessly with the Fly spell, which meant it had probably been caused by Goldiana. His role this time was to be a decoy, as his extremely conspicuous presence made him unsuitable for moving covertly the way Rion was doing. Goldiana himself had been the one to say, “I’ll gather everyone’s attention with my irresistible charm, so Kelvin-chan and Rion-chan, you two go do what you need to!” and Kelvin had decided to take him up on the offer.
“Let’s hurry. Prettia-chan is doing her best,” Rion murmured as she dashed off, relying on the map inside her head to show her the way.
◇ ◇ ◇
When Rion opened the door, she found Sera sitting on a chair and relaxing exactly as she did in their living room back home. Next to her was a man standing stiffly at attention. He gave Rion a sharp salute.
“There you are, Rion! That was fast. And Colette...are you okay?”
“She got even sicker from how fast I was going. I did try to be careful, but...”
Colette, who Rion had lowered to the ground, was quite green in the face. She was insistently gesturing that she was fine, but Sera and Rion, who had witnessed the tragedy at Kelvin’s promotion match, knew better.
“If only Kelvin or Mel were here. They could have used White Magic to help her.”
“H-How about I try rubbing her back?”
Colette seemed to swallow something down. “No, no, I’m absolutely fine. Rather, I had the time of my life.”
“You sure? I don’t really get it, but if you’re okay, that’s good, I guess.”
Despite looking quite sick, Colette had the biggest smile ever on her face. Within her, the unpleasantness of feeling ill paled in comparison to the bliss of having been in direct contact with Rion from start to finish. It was perhaps for the best that Rion hadn’t been able to see the Oracle’s face on their way over, hidden behind the cloth as it was.
“Sorry to ask this of you when you aren’t feeling the best, but can you get the teleportation gate up and running?” Sera asked.
“Leave it to me! I swear to carry out this holy mission bestowed upon me by Mel-sama and Kelvin-sama—”
Seeing Colette clap a hand over her mouth again, Sera offered, “Here, grab my shoulder.”
In this way, Colette wobbled over to the controls of the teleportation gate, leaning on the demon for support. Behind them, Rion took out a paper bag from Clotho’s Storage. Just in case.
“So, how’re you going to work this?”
“It is said from one generation of the Oracles of Deramis to another that these gates were the method of travel for the gods eons ago. After an unknown amount of time, the Goddess bestowed us with knowledge of the gates in case we needed to use them in an emergency. It is quite limited knowledge, but enough that I can at least get any of them to function.”
After explaining, she placed a hand on the panel and chanted, “In the name of Colette Deramilius, Oracle of Deramis, I command you to activate.”
A mechanical beep sounded, not dissimilar to the sound of a computer starting up. Blue lines ran along the contour of the gate, glowing faintly. It had indeed been powered on.
Panting heavily, the Oracle reported, “Th-This is all I can do. I’m afraid anyone who wants to use the gate would still need to have the appropriate authorization. I haven’t been granted permission from Trycen—blergh!”
Rion managed to get the paper bag over Colette’s mouth just in time. The sudden strain of losing the large amount of MP needed to activate the gate had apparently been the final straw. Sera gently rubbed her back with upward strokes.
“You did well. We don’t mind; just get it all out and feel better.”
“But Sera-nee, we don’t have the gatekeeper’s authority either! Activating it is good and all, but what’ll we do now?”
“I...guess we’ll ask Kelvin.”
Sera’s face was slightly flushed with embarrassment as she had no idea how to resolve this quandary either. But just as she was about to send out a telepathic message, the teleportation gate opened and three figures slowly came into view.
“Wait, someone opened the gate, Sera-nee!”
“What?! Hold on, now’s not—”
Even Sera and Rion couldn’t help but be flustered. After all...
“Goddammit, that freaking old raccoon dog. To hell with his ‘I now appoint you commander of the guards in Parth.’ He just gave me that fancy title to run me ragged!”
“It’s not actually that bad, though, is it? In any case, at least now we know why Master left us in Parth, General.”
“Can you stop calling him ‘Master’? It gives me goosebumps.”
“You know I can’t, General. This maid uniform makes it so that I have to obey all orders— Hm?”
The voices suddenly cut off upon seeing Colette, standing right in front of them, very much in the middle of something.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Couldn’t you have knocked before coming in?” Sera said somewhat accusingly.
Azgrad retorted, “Don’t ask for the impossible! And people barf all the time anyway. Do you know how many times Huba did it during train—”
“AHHHHHHH!” Huba screamed, waving her arms in a fluster. “Please don’t tell them, General!”
Rosalia gave Azgrad a pointed look. “General, you really need a lesson in tact.”
At the moment, Colette was facing the wall in a corner of the room, sitting with her knees tucked to her chest and radiating dejection. Rion was standing behind her, desperately trying to cheer her up.
“Heh heh heh... Now my most shameful state has been seen by strangers twice...”
“I-It’s fine, Colette! You are still very attractive!”
“Am I really?”
“Of course you are! At the very least, I know that Kel-nii and I love you! I’m sure Mel-nee does too!”
The following silence indicated that the process would still take quite a while longer. Sera watched the two worriedly while updating the rest of the party through the Network.
Gerard responded, reporting that he and his team had broken through the front gate of the castle and almost finished securing the Steel Knight Order’s headquarters.
Sera sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll go ahead by myself first. There’s not much left for me to help with here anyway. What’s everyone else going to do?”
“My men and the troops from Deramis should be coming through the gate any time now,” Azgrad replied. “Until then, we’ll protect this place with our lives.”
Rosalia spoke up. “Um, this is kind of hard to ask since we’re the ones who caused it in the first place, but should we bring the Oracle back to Parth?”
It was a reasonable offer, as there was no need to purposely keep Colette on the front line when she was clearly mentally unstable. However, someone spoke up to reject that idea.
“My apologies for causing undue worry, everyone. I am back in fighting form!”
“Um...she kind of got over it on her own.”
Rion’s wry voice prompted everyone to turn and stare at the Oracle.
◇ ◇ ◇
The inside of the castle had morphed into a battlefield. The Steel Knight Order, with Gerard and Dan leading the charge, had nearly reclaimed its headquarters. The defenders were bombarded with not only breath attacks from the two ancient dragons hovering overhead but also Efil’s explosive arrows. To make matters worse, Goldiana was going on a complete rampage through the grounds. Despite having volunteered to be a decoy, he was repeatedly ripping and tearing soldiers apart, sowing fear into the hearts of those standing before him.
“What are the gate guards doing?! They didn’t realize we were under attack until the inner wall was destroyed?!”
“Leave the blame for later—it’s more important that we stop that monster first! We’re showering him with arrows and magic, but nothing’s working! He’s a terror!”
“The Steel Knight Order is closing in on the palace! Please send reinforcements!”
“Curse these godforsaken beastkin!”
Most of the soldiers were in a similar state. From their point of view, their own flagship force had turned on them, they were being overwhelmed by attacks from forces far higher than their bows could reach, and a Rank S adventurer was simply shredding his way through their troops. The soldiers had every right to want to cry. They needed all the thoughts and prayers they could get.
There was, however, someone within the Mixed Monster Order Headquarters who was watching these soldiers with a glass of wine in one hand: Tristan.
“They’re faring much worse than expected. Then again, our side doesn’t have nearly enough strength to stand up to all the powerhouses coming at us. My surprise present is ready, but even I can’t predict what’ll happen.”
“Then how about you go out there yourself, Tristan?”
A dwarf wearing high-quality clothing appeared from the darkness of the dimly lit room. In this country, demihumans such as beastkin and dwarves were not acknowledged as actual people, with almost all of them being enslaved or forced to live in the slums. Consequently, a dwarf commanding such an imposing air was extremely rare. Indeed, he had no business being there at all.
“Is that Jildora-san I see? You’ve come at the perfect time! Would you like to share a glass of wine with me? I just opened the best one I have—I’ve been storing it in my house forever!”
Tristan, however, a leader within the Trycenian army, was inexplicably treating this dwarf that he called Jildora as an equal. All this time, the general’s behavior had been entirely in line with the doctrine of human supremacy that the country he served touted. If a citizen or soldier had been present, they might have vomited blood and fainted with indignation. That was just how shocking the scene was.
“I don’t like alcohol.”
“Ha ha ha, that’s not a line I’d ever expected to hear coming from the mouth of a dwarf! Don’t your people love alcohol more than water?” Tristan slowly swirled the glass in his hand and breathed in its full-bodied fragrance.
“Don’t change the subject. Isn’t this country your home? Your countrymen are fighting with everything they have and dying like flies. Go on, off with you already.”
“To think I would be chastised by one who’s already as far gone as you are! Ha ha, what does that say about me, I wonder. It’s not that I don’t feel anything about this—it’s just that she has already made me a whole new person.”
“Hmph. Well, it’s no skin off my back. I came to tell you that I’m done with this matter. It’s about time, don’t you think?”
“My oh my, this country is being abandoned even by its best weapons dealer? Guess things really are coming to an end. By the way, how do you plan on leaving? General Dan is at the front, and I believe there are forces closing in from the back. Either way, you’re going to be spotted.”
“I’ll just destroy the castle wall where no one’s looking.”
“There are eyes up in the sky as well. To that end, I have a proposal: I would have no trouble getting you out by way of Summoning. There is no better time to become a Follower—”
“Tristan.”
It was almost like Tristan was making a sales pitch, given how energetically he was gesturing and speaking. However, that single word uttered by Jildora, along with the pressure that he was emanating, caused the general to stop short.
Tristan shrugged and smiled wryly. “You really don’t know how to take a joke, do you? All right, all right. I’ll handle the lizards up in the air. You make your escape in the meantime.”
“Where’s this one-eighty coming from?”
“Uh, rude. I do care about my allies. My real ones, that is.”
“Hmph.”
Two fearless grins flashed within the darkness of the room.
◇ ◇ ◇
After leaving the room where the teleportation gate was, I made my way to the strongest presence that I had sensed while first scanning the castle.
“This is it.”
It was behind an extremely extravagant door with every square inch either painted with gold or embedded with jewels. I couldn’t be bothered, so I just kicked it open.
Whoops, it flew pretty far. But oh well. It was really tasteless anyway.
The inside of the room was very spacious. There were numerous round tables covered with tablecloths and laden with what looked like high-class cuisine. The ceiling was high and decorated with chandeliers not unlike the ones we had back home. Then again, everything here was so gaudy that it couldn’t be further from Kelvin’s and my tastes. In all likelihood, this place used to be a banquet hall.
“Whoa...”
Why did I say “used to”? Because the whole venue was now flooded with blood. The tablecloths that had probably been pure white were stained dark red, and there were countless lumps of unidentifiable flesh scattered across the marble floor. The shredded pieces of clothing floating around indicated that they had probably once been people.
It’s a good thing I’m the one finding this and not Rion or Efil. Even I think this is pretty gory, but there are demons who eat humans too, so it’s not like I’m all that shocked. I mean, Viktor literally put everything into his mouth. I guess this is what it means to really not be picky about your food. When I was small, I put in so much effort to make myself overcome my aversion to bell peppers— Oops, I went a bit off-track there.
“So, you’re the one who did all this, right?”
On top of the waist-high stage was a somewhat humanoid figure with charred-looking skin and bizarrely large arms. The swords, spears, and other weapons protruding here and there from his grotesque figure made it obvious that this was no ordinary creature. The sole human-like characteristic of this monster—and even that was a stretch—was its incredibly beautiful face. To be honest, though, I thought it so perfect that it seemed artificial. The contrast between the face and the body below it was so drastic that it only contributed to the revulsion I felt from my overall impression.
“■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■...”
The monster’s voice seemed laden with curses and had a thick and clingy texture as if it wanted to stay inside my ears. As if it were so marred with noise that I couldn’t make out the exact words being spoken.
Just in case, I checked myself and confirmed that I was all right. The voice seemed so grating that I felt like I probably would have taken a few debuffs if not for the ring that Melfina had made.
The grotesque figure was holding a woman upside down by one of her legs. Its jaw was unhinged so that its mouth gaped wide enough to swallow her whole. The woman’s face was so petrified with fear that it was impossible to even tell her age. She was the last person remaining in the room who still looked like a human. For some reason, she was naked and several holes had been torn through her body.
“■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■!”
When the monster noticed me, it abruptly started shouting in its horrid and utterly unintelligible voice. The way its facial expression seemed completely frozen only added to its ghastliness. The woman was unceremoniously flung against the far wall, causing a disgusting “squish” upon impact.
“■ ■ ■, ■ ■ —■ ■ ■!”
“Ugh, will you shut up already! Your voice is rattling around inside my head!”
As I smashed my gauntlets together several times to fire myself up, the monster grabbed a greatsword sticking out of its body. It looked fairly similar to Gerard’s sword, Dainsleif, back when it had still been cursed. In other words, the weapon this monster was holding was likely also cursed. In fact, the same probably went for every other weapon that I could see protruding from its body.
“■ ■ ■ ■ ■...”
“All right, that’s enough. Now I am personally sick of you. I’m going to use my full strength to kill you!” I shouted as I surrounded my fists with Black Magic.
“■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■!”
The monster’s oversized arm swelled up, then it started brandishing its greatsword in a blind frenzy. Tables and pillars were smashed and destroyed, sending fragments whizzing about everywhere. Each time it screamed, a slight headache assaulted me, but I didn’t have time to worry about that. Judging from the way the creature was flailing about, it did not possess the Sword Mastery skill. What it did have, however, was brute strength—in fact, its Strength stat just might have been around the same as Gerard’s. What’s more, I couldn’t quite determine the reach of its arms.
It’s been a while since I’ve faced an opponent I can’t let my guard down around.
“Rah!”
I rushed straight at the monster, dodging the incoming blade and various projectiles. It was true that it had power, but its speed was nothing impressive. The obvious thing to do, then, was to first strip it of its mobility. I double-cast Quagmire Boots on my fists and planted a punch deep into its abdomen.
“■ ■ ■!”
“Hup!”
A small trickle of blood flowed down my cheek as I quickly retreated. The instant I’d landed my punch, an incredible number of weapons—every last one emanating an incredible amount of miasma—had shot out from the monster’s body as if it were a hedgehog.
I took the fact that my wound wasn’t closing up from Auto Healing to mean that I had probably been hit with some sort of curse. What’s more, the fact that I had even gotten hurt at all meant that the monster’s weapons were Rank B or higher.
Where did it pick up so many cursed weapons? Or were these things part of its body from the start? Either way...
“Now you’ve gone and touched my blood.”
The longspear that had wounded my cheek was still embedded in the creature’s chest. There was a bit of my blood on the blade. It was a very small amount, as the weapon had only nicked me, but it was enough.
Attack your owner with all you’ve got. Also, release the curse on me.
The spear had the audacity to resist me a little, which meant that it was filled with quite a serious grudge indeed. However, such token resistance was futile, and the weapon soon fell under my control.
Good, the cut on my cheek has healed.
“■ ■...?!”
After becoming faithful to me, the longspear flew out from the monster’s body and stopped in midair with its blade pointed at its former owner. Due to what I assumed was the power of the curse, it could apparently move itself at will.
Ah, I’ve read about this in a book before! It’s called a poltergeist!
“That’s the first one.”
I unleashed a Gloom Lance at my opponent at the same time the longspear shot forward. In response, the monster once again stuck an arm inside its body and pulled out a huge tower shield that clearly couldn’t have fit inside it normally. It must have had a skill similar to Clotho’s Storage.
The two attacks smashed against the metal to little effect. There was the face of an ogre on the shield that made it look as if it had in fact eaten them both.
I wiped off the blood that was still on my face and flicked it to the already blood-soaked ground.
Fwoom!
The instant the monster lowered the shield, something whizzed through the air towards me. In the split second it flew past, I caught a glimpse of a thoroughly rusted dagger that was, again, obviously cursed. Without letting up, my opponent continued shooting cursed weapons at me like they were bullets. The strength of the projectiles seemed to vary, with some embedding themselves into the far wall and some shattering upon impact.
I ran in a circle around the perimeter of the room and deflected whatever came near me. The creature itself was moving slowly due to Quagmire Boots, but the spell did not seem to have any effect on the weapons being shot from it.
If that’s the case, it might be better for me to close in and get in some good hits instead of slowly whittling it down from afar—
“■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■!”
“What?!”
My Danger Detection went off like an alarm as the creature suddenly appeared right in front of my face.
How’d that happen? I thought I’d stunted its speed. Wait, no, if the sound of the wind and the speed of the bullets was due to Green Magic, that means it can increase its own Agility stat like Kelvin does!
The monster using a tactic similar to the man I loved irritated me a little. No, my real irritation was with myself for assuming at the start of the fight that this thing only had power going for it.
“Jin Scrimmage!”
I hastily applied Jin Scrimmage to my right arm, and Arondight changed shape accordingly. Unlike before, the monster was now so fast that I couldn’t dodge its greatsword in time. I had no choice but to parry it directly with my arm. As I did, I heard a sound and saw cracks running through my black claw.
“■ ■ ■ ■!”
The monster’s back bulged, then two new arms burst out, one holding a scimitar and the other a mace. The sudden thickening of the black aura in the air let me know instinctively that these weapons were imbued with grudges that were much more powerful than any of the others.
“Ugh!”
We became locked in a dance of death. I pushed my nerves to the limit, parrying with Jin Scrimmage when necessary. Any time there was the slightest opening, I slipped in punches with my left hand, but it always ended up being blocked by the shield.
Eventually, as we continued the exchange...
Pang!
The spell on my right arm fell apart. Which reminds me, Kelvin destroyed Viktor’s Jin Scrimmage by using cursed weapons.
Seemingly considering it an opportunity, the monster flexed its arm and swung its greatsword as hard as it could.
“How ironic...indeed!”
Even so, I wasn’t truly backed into a corner. I used my left hand to grab the incoming sword and stopped it in its tracks. Of course, the weapon dug deep into the palm of my hand and an intense, scalding pain shot through my arm. In exchange, however, the blood that flowed out of my wound covered the greatsword in much larger amounts than what I had gotten onto the spear at the start. It took no time at all for the sword to become mine.
“■ ■ ■, ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■!”
For the first time, I saw the expression on the monster’s face change. Its eyes widened to an incredible degree as it stared at me. In that moment, a chill ran through my body. The meaning behind the previously unintelligible words seemed to force their way directly into my brain.
It’s...trying to control me? And it’s ordering me t—
Crack!
I unconsciously tightened my hold so hard that I shattered the sword. What sounded like grudge-filled screams rang out, but I couldn’t have cared less at the moment.
I get it... You tried to use Charm Eye on me. But my blood runs throughout my entire body. Did you really think you could control me when I am in absolute control of myself? I heard about you from Kelvin one time when we were in bed. You’re the piece of trash who attempted to bewitch Efil, aren’t you? Kelvin’s regret over letting you escape eats at him every day. That alone is unforgivable, and yet you dared to give me such an outrageous command?!
“Me? Your sex sl— Ha ha ha...”
Seemingly having mistaken my temporary stillness for being Charmed, the monster let go of its greatsword and approached me. Slowly, step by step.
Bonk.
“■ ■?”
Father’s blessing activated around me, preventing the creature from getting any closer. It looked confused by what had happened. Then it dropped its shield and tried to push through, but the barrier refused to budge.
“Ha ha... HA HA HA...!”
The fact that my father’s blessing had activated meant that...well, it could only have meant one thing: this piece of filth was, whether consciously or instinctually, thinking of laying hands on me and defiling me. The audacity of it left me speechless. I was sure that had been its intention back with Efil at the Village of Elves as well.
“So you want... You want to ‘have fun’ with me? Looks like...”
My vision turned red. A deep, deep red, the same color as the blood oozing down my left hand.
Now I finally understand how Kelvin felt back then. I truly have my father to thank for today. After all...
“You must want every last particle of your being to be erased from existence.”
The only person who’s allowed to do something like that with me is Kelvin!
◇ ◇ ◇
When Gerard, Boga, Dan, and his subordinates reached the courtyard between the Steel Knight Order Headquarters and the palace proper, they clashed with the Magic Knight Order, which had been lying in wait with cursed weapons in hand.
“Hmph! Hah!”
Gerard, from his position at the front, blocked thrusts from five female knights at once and, with one swing, sent their weapons flying in various directions, with some even embedding themselves deep in the palace wall.
All five knights abruptly collapsed on the spot, unconscious.
“Carry out the ones who are down! Just in case, tie them up properly, as custom dictates!”
“Yes, sir!” the soldiers of the Steel Knight Order replied, but the majority of them also thought, “What custom?”
After clashing with the members of the Magic Knight Order several times, Gerard and Dan had figured out that—either because the brainwashing from Clive’s Charm Eye had weakened or because it had been overwritten by the power of the cursed weapons—the knights could be taken out of the fight simply by being robbed of their equipment. These were all young, beautiful women who had been brainwashed through no fault of their own. The soldiers of the Steel Knight Order had, to varying degrees, admired them previously and felt somewhat reluctant to kill them if it could be avoided. Consequently, there was only one viable course of action.
“There’s no need to kill them! Simply knock the weapons out of their hands! If you do so, they will be freed from their curses!” Dan shouted.
Gerard added, “And be extra careful not to come into contact with the weapons yourselves or you’ll become just like them!”
“Yes, sir!”
Naturally, this command did wonders for raising the troops’ morale.
“Ugh, w-we’re losing in strength?!”
“Don’t let your guard down! They are much stronger than before! Work with each other!”
In spite of the boost to their morale, however, the soldiers of the Steel Knight Order were struggling against the members of the Magic Knight Order, who were being buffed by the cursed weapons they were wielding. And not only were they physically stronger—they had power almost on par with Kelvin’s golems—they were also casting spells one rank higher than usual. As it was the curse that was forcibly moving their bodies, they showed no signs of tiring either.
At the same moment, a group of magic knights in the back all finished chanting their spells.
“Gerard-dono!”
“I see it!”
A barrage of Rank A fireballs suddenly flew into the sky, aiming for the dynamically shifting battlefront. Before the spells could get too far, however, the two older men charged forward, snapping, smashing, and destroying the cursed weapons of those in their way.
“HAAAAH!”
With black demon sword and white holy sword in hand, Gerard and Dan cut down all the incoming magic projectiles with such flawless teamwork, it was as if they were comrades who had been fighting beside each other for decades. The particles of magic residue were absorbed by Dainsleif as Chalice healed its wielder back to full health.
“I’m completely recovered!”
“Great! Moving on!”
The Rank A Red Magic spells that had been meant to attack them only ended up bolstering the two hardened warriors. Through their efforts, the front line was pushing forward, but the Magic Knight Order was returning the assault in full force. The overwhelming enemy numbers, as well as the other side’s desire to avoid killing them, was making the fight drag on.
“There’s no helping it. Boga!”
“Roar!”
Boga nodded to signal his acknowledgment; then he began sucking in so much air that his stomach started to bulge. Up until then, the rock dragon had been using his great size to make inroads into the enemy lines along with Dan and Gerard, so he was currently in the middle of the enemy force. Now that he was occupied, he had become completely motionless and defenseless, but the firm defense mounted by the two veteran knights sufficed to keep his assailants at bay.
“It’s about time,” Gerard murmured before turning around and shouting, “EVERYONE, PLUG YOUR EARS! HERE COMES THE BREATH!”
Boga’s mouth opened wide. “RRRRROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRR!”
What the dragon unleashed was a Sound Breath, an attack that amplified his own voice multiple times and generated a soundwave that radiated out in all directions, stunning everyone within earshot.
“N-Now is...the chance to...charge!”
“Y-Yes...sir...”
“Grr, grr.”
Both allies and enemies had taken damage, but thanks to the warning, the Steel Knight Order came out of it in slightly better condition than the Magic Knight Order did. The former quickly took advantage of that disparity to destroy as many cursed weapons as they could, but they failed to target every one of their opponents before the magic knights farthest away from Boga managed to recover.
“Hrm, look at how many are still remaining. It’d be one thing to cut them down, but breaking just their weapons is breaking my back. Can’t I just destroy them all?”
“Gerard-san, please settle this peacefully!” cried the soldiers nearby.
“You didn’t all have to gang up on me...”
“But Gerard-dono is right that we can’t afford to waste anymore time h— Hold on.”
Just as the members of the Steel Knight Order were dogpiling on Gerard, something changed within the Magic Knight Order. Specifically, all of their cursed weapons flew out of their hands and floated into the air. The now disarmed female knights collapsed as one, unconscious.
“They’re...retreating?” someone asked incredulously as the assortment of weapons started flying towards the main palace all at once. They moved in a straight, steady line, like moths drawn to a flame, towards the location of an inordinately powerful presence.
“What is this dark and intense killing intent coming from the palace? Is this the resurrected Demon Lord? As I feared, it just might be His Majesty after all. Gerard-dono, Boga, I’m heading for the palace immediately. I’m sorry, but would you lend me your strength?”
“O-Of course. I’m right behind you.”
“Men, take this time to tie up the members of the Magic Knight Order. Their lieutenant general...”
As Dan barked orders at his subordinates, Gerard mused over the burst of killing intent he had just felt.
That was from Sera, wasn’t it? And she’s completely furious. She’s not answering my messages either. What are you doing, lass? Hm, I’m sure they’ve already noticed, but let’s give my king and Princess a heads up as well.
“Grrr...” rumbled Boga in a somewhat worried tone.
“Don’t worry about that lass. You really should worry more about her opponent. Truly.”
◇ ◇ ◇
The previously resplendent banquet hall was now wrecked beyond recognition. The wall between the room and the outside corridor had been nearly dismantled, and the chandeliers lay in ruins on the floor. Huge cracks ran through the marble, which seemed at risk of giving way at any moment.
The monstrosity that Clive had become was now on its knees. The numerous weapons that had once been Stored within his blackened body had impaled him after switching loyalties. Dark blood ran in rivulets.
“That’s number 133. How many more do you have, hm?” Sera asked from where she was hovering in the air and looking down at her opponent, a whole swarm of weapons that had come from Clive’s body floating around her. Her eyes were stained blood red, the sign of a demon’s rage. She was also wreathed in a spell of the same color—the Rank S version of Jin Scrimmage: Blood Scrimmage.
Ever since she had activated this spell, Sera had completely dominated Clive. Whenever a cursed weapon touched her, it fell under her control instead of harming her. In the same way, whenever Clive threw a punch at her, he would lose control of his body starting from that fist. Both going on the offensive and staying on the defensive led to the same result of him being controlled. By now, the beast had lost the ability to use his left arm twice, his right arm thrice, and each leg once. Every time it happened, the monster simply cut off the affected limb and grew it back, but his regeneration powers were not infinite, and his HP was steadily being whittled down by the endless barrage of stolen weapons.
“Hades’s Sanguine Army.”
Lumps of flesh submerged within the sea of blood suddenly swelled up and took on humanoid shapes. Although the blood had come from the guests who had filled the venue not long before, once Sera laced it with her own, her blood merely assimilated the rest, making all of it hers. Clive had only just learned of her power, but the cost of this realization had been the loss of both his legs.
“I only got eight? You’re a bit voracious! You only left enough for me to make a handful of these.”
Sera distributed weapons to each of the blood-red skeletons that had risen. They slowly approached Clive, dragging their cursed blades along the ground.
“■ ■ ■ ■———!”
The strange wail that Clive let out was promptly followed by his back bulging up once again before six disfigured limbs burst out, each holding a blunt weapon. The beast now looked like what Kelvin would have described as a cheap knock-off of an Asura statue. Even residents of this world, unfamiliar with the reference, would have associated it with a statue of some evil deity. What made it look like a knock-off was that every single part—aside from the face—was swollen to hideous proportions, making the overall form look entirely unbalanced.
The blood-red skeletons that Sera had created in response to Clive’s transformation into an even more monstrous form now charged forward as they came into being, showing no signs of fear or hesitation. They were filled with nothing but fury and absolute obedience to her.
“■ ■ ■!”
Both Clive and Sera’s army of skeletons were equipped with cursed weapons. Every swing was accompanied by an earsplitting screech, and every clash caused an explosion of grudge-filled energy. In light of their respective appearances, it looked like a fight between true monsters—not just typical “monsters” like slimes but rather those that nightmares were made of.
The clang of metal on metal rang out relentlessly, and both sides appeared evenly matched in strength. However, Sera was hardly one to stand back and watch.
“You shouldn’t take your eyes off your opponent during a fight,” she admonished him, easily closing the distance between Clive, who had been dedicating all his mental faculties to staving off the skeletons, and herself.
With smooth movements, Sera landed yet another punch on her opponent for the nth time that day. While he had been able to use his arm to block the blows so far, Clive failed to react fast enough this time and took the punch on the chin. Bone was crushed, flesh was torn, and his body hit the far wall with a terrific crash.
“It’s about time I got control of the lower half of your face—I was getting sick and tired of that dreadful voice of yours.”
With his chin completely pulverized, the monstrous ex-general was clearly in no shape to make any sounds. Even so, his incredible regenerative ability had already begun re-forming his mutilated jaw.
Seeing that, Sera put her hands together and said cutely, as if making a request, “I command you to shut up.” However, her smile did not reach her eyes. Now, even when Clive’s face recovered, he would remain unable to make a peep.
“GRAAAAH!” the skeletons howled as they closed in on their enemy, who was lying defenseless on the floor. They stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, and stabbed repeatedly with the intensity of people avenging their own deaths. Clive wanted to scream, but his mouth remained firmly locked as spurts of black blood fountained out.
“Goodness, just how much did the previous owners of these weapons hate you? Even I didn’t think it’d be this bad.”
In his frenzy, Clive somehow managed to move one of his arms. The weapon in his hand happened to score a clean hit on one of the skeletons, causing it to explode in a shower of blood.
“Oh, you really shouldn’t have done that.”
The hammer that had delivered the attack was now completely covered in red. Clive hadn’t felt any resistance when the blow landed. It was almost as if what had happened to the skeleton was meant to be.
BOOM!
The reddened weapon exploded, taking the beast’s arm clean off. In spite of having taken the form of a skeleton, the blood it had been made of still belonged to Sera. Essentially, these skeletons were nothing more than traps to get her blood onto her target.
Thunk.
Before Clive had time to be surprised, a greatsword—one among many now under the demon’s control—ran his forehead straight through.
“Look at you, still alive after being hit with all these curses. Do you have Curse Resistance? Surviving your skull being bisected must mean your vitality is quite impressive as well. Oh, wait, I see. Your head isn’t actually important to you, is it? I’m sorry, I totally misunderstood. Guess we’ll have to look for your actual weak point now!”
The skeletons, under Sera’s command, resumed their stabbing assault, making sure to aim for a different part of Clive’s body each time. At this point, the demon’s goal seemed less to kill her foe and more to torment him. A switch seemed to have been flipped inside her—she had become sadism personified.
While she was choosing which of the floating weapons to use next, a telepathic message reached her despite the block she had put up.
::Sera.::
::What?! O-Oh, Kelvin!::
It was her lover. The moment she heard his voice, the red receded from her eyes and gathered in her cheeks in a blush instead. Her line to him had been the only one that she had left open.
::Is something wrong? You seem distracted.::
::Oh n-nothing, I’m totally fine. Ha ha ha...::
::Gerard told me there are a large number of weapons flying towards your position. Do you know anything about that?::
::Ah.::
::Dude...::
Sera had been so engrossed in her fight that she had stopped paying attention to her surroundings. Only after it was pointed out to her did she finally notice the situation she was in, prompting a somewhat remonstrative interjection from Kelvin.
::Uh... Tee-hee!::
::Don’t you ‘tee-hee’ me! Normally, I’d let you off the hook for that cute laugh, but today is—::
::Oh, sorry! Looks like the weapons are closing in! Gotta go! Thanks, Kelvin!::
::Hold on, I’m not do—::
Sera cut off the conversation and, with a cool head now, looked outside. What she saw was a whole cloud of weapons heading straight for the banquet hall where she was. Specifically, towards Clive’s body.
One of the skeletons approached Sera, kneeled, and groaned, “Raaaah.”
“I see, so he still won’t die. In that case...all of you, give me your MP.”
As commanded, the seven remaining skeletons reverted to pure blood, and every last drop of MP within the weapons under her control gathered around her fists. While this was going on, cursed weapons zipped through the room and flew into Clive’s body in rapid succession. With every new weapon, his rate of recovery increased and his MP ballooned.
Sera sighed. “What in the world came over me? Your body has an undying curse on it, right? Not that I sympathize.”
Clive stood up as his right arm transformed into a misshapen, ten-meter-long sword that seemed to be a fusion of every curse he’d been hit with—numbering more than a thousand in total. He swung the weapon without hesitation, not caring in the least how much damage it dealt to the room.
“Mind your footing.”
Abruptly, one of Clive’s feet was pulled out from under him, and the slash flew wide, the blade burying itself in the ceiling. A red line was wrapped around the monster’s ankle, reaching out from within the sea of blood. Sera had prepared this one last trap using Bloodbending while her opponent had been lying on the ground.
Before Clive had time to process what had happened, Sera closed in. “Crucifixion!”
The blood-red crucifix was even more vivid and shone even brighter than the one she had generated when fighting Melfina. Clive, who had just finished a big swing and lost his balance, had no way of stopping her. He certainly tried by generating eyes all over his body to fire Charm Eye in every direction, but all that did was evoke a disgusted “Ugh, gross!” from the girl across from him.
The amount of damage the Crucifixion spell dealt was based on both how much MP Sera had gathered and how much she had bled. This time, she had bled much less than during her match with Melfina, and her wound was already gone thanks to Auto Healing, but the red flash of light was still more than enough to completely erase the monster’s body and purify the cursed energy it contained.
The effects of Clive’s brainwashing disappeared in an instant, and all of his victims regained control of their minds. The part of the enormous sword that had been beyond the range of Crucifixion stabbed through the floor and fell down to the level below.
An unconscious “Ah” escaped Sera’s mouth as she realized the broken blade had fallen close to Kelvin’s position, the only location she had not been able to read earlier on.
“Hmm...should I have wounded him a bit more first?” she murmured, retrieving an MP potion from her mini Clotho clone and leaping through the gaping hole in the floor, in pursuit of the cursed sword fragment.
◇ ◇ ◇
After Master and the others entered the palace, Hak, Mdo, and I dedicated ourselves to providing cover fire and disrupting the enemy’s movements. I was calling Dahak by “Hak-chan” because he really wanted a nickname that was similar to Clotho’s. Mdofarak also wanted a similar nickname, although in her case, she could only look at me with sparkling eyes while waiting for Rion to help convey her words. I could not understand why, but everyone seemed to have softer looks on their faces after eating something I made for them.
My sincerest apologies; I’ve gotten off topic. So, I was high up in the sky above Trycen Castle, far beyond the range of the enemy’s bows and magic. This did not dissuade them from trying, but all the arrows simply reached the tops of their trajectories, then fell back down.
“Shit! I can’t reach them with my bow even from the top of the watchtower here! We’re just sitting ducks at this rate. What are the mages doing at a time like this?!”
“We just got word from the chief manager that they’re all occupied with getting the barrier back up. Dude, we’ve got no time. I think our position’s already been compromised. Let’s shift our location quickly!”
“H-Hold on, there’s a muscular something climbing up!”
“Climbing...as in up the wall?! Holy shit, you’re right! And it’s fucking fast!”
“Sh-Shoot it! Hurry!”
At ground level, Goldiana was doing a wonderful job of being a decoy. I could clearly see everything, as it was all happening outdoors. I briefly summed up the situation for Master through the Network, who quickly responded. I converted his instructions into easy-to-understand illustrations and passed it all on to Hak and Mdo.
When fighting alongside Goldiana, our roles ended up being more focused on providing support rather than raw firepower. Even now, Hak was growing thick and sturdy ivy onto the walls of the watchtower to make it easier to climb up.
“Prettia-chan’s so pretty and gallant...”
Admittedly, Hak’s attention might have been a touch biased, but I took his feelings into account and decided to overlook it as any good maid would.
We’d want to cheer on his romance, of course. There is no problem—Mdo-chan and I can handle covering the others. But wait a moment... Would supporting Hak-chan equate to getting in the way of Gerard-san’s romance? Goldiana-sama did say, “Gerard-sama and I share a mutual love!” Whatever shall I do?
::Efil, can you drop a few explosions on the locations I marked on the map? Those are places I’ve confirmed Princess Shutola isn’t at. The flashier, the better.::
::Efil-nee! I’ve got a few also!::
No, no, I must focus.
I watched as eight new marks appeared on the map, indicating locations that Master and Rion wanted me to attack. The two of them were making their way to the top of the palace by different routes. It was taking them quite some time since, even though each individual opponent wasn’t particularly strong, the enemy numbers were quite befitting of the palace of a Demon Lord. And that was why our cover fire was needed.
“Mdo-chan, please take care of these three points. I’ll do the rest myself.”
“ROAR!”
Mdo was not used to communicating over the Network, so while she could see the map directly, I still verbalized my instructions for her. As the horns on each of her three heads started glowing, I lifted my bow and loaded it with five magical arrows.
We finished charging our attacks and unleashed them in unison. All eight locations exploded at the same time, generating thick billows of smoke that rose into the air.
Perfect. I hit all my targets without deviating a millimeter, all with exactly the right amount of explosive strength. After all, Master wouldn’t be able to save Shutola-sama if the entire building came crumbling down. My goal is, ultimately, only to thin out the enemy forces.
“Rawr...” Mdo’s yellow head crooned, drooping ruefully.
“Looks like you were a little off-target. But it’s not by much. I’ll speak to Master for you, so how about we practice together someday?”
“Rawr!”
To my relief, Mdo cheered right back up. As I spoke to her, I fired off an arrow to make up for the target she had missed.
That should suffice to help her save face, right?
::I’m sorry, Master. I was slightly late in bombing one of the locations.::
::No worries. It was enough to clear them out. I know I can always count on you.::
::Thank you, Efil-nee! I’m going to speed through right now!::
Looks like I successfully made up for Mdo-chan’s mistake. Phew. Let’s see...Gerard-san and Boga-chan have also managed to break through the front and will be reaching Goldiana-sama’s position soon. As for Sera-san—
“Hak-chan, Mdo-chan!”
“Rawr?”
“I’m gonna seal that passage,” the ancient dragon mumbled, “just like that, and now grow a few stalks that spread hallucinogenic poison. Ohhh, I just saw a glimpse of Prettia-chan’s thighs!”
He seems very occupied. Maybe I should try reaching him directly through telepathy.
::Hak-chan!::
::WHOA! Y-Yes, sister! What can I do for you? Ma’am!::
Oh dear, I gave him a fright. Considering the urgency of the situation, I ended up raising my voice a little. And now Mdo-chan’s looking at me with a confused expression too.
“An enemy is approaching us, Hak-chan. Be on your guard.”
“Whoa, you’re right. They still have someone capable enough to reach us this high in the sky?”
Good, Hak-chan can see him too. But we both know someone who fits the bill, don’t we?
“Wait, is that Tristan?!”
“Grrrrrr...”
Upon recognizing the approaching general, the two dragons who had been part of the Dragon Knight Order grew blatantly hostile.
Do they hate him that much?
During Master’s prior encounter with Tristan, he had managed to take a peek at the general’s Status and the Status of one of his Followers. Just like Master, Tristan was a Summoner—what’s more, he was a unique one who possessed a means of Summoning himself in a way that was effectively the same as teleportation. Normally, this contained potential for an effective surprise attack, but we had taken countermeasures this time. In fact, it was a slight mystery to me why he was coming to us now of his own accord.
“He’s here, sister!”
The enemy general reached us, riding on a strange, purple bird. “Look what we have here! A cute maid! How do you do? My name—”
As he had long since entered my range, I decided to shoot him. He seemed eager to introduce himself, but I had no intention of making his acquaintance. I tried to keep my motions as controlled and suppressed as possible as I quickly raised Penumbra and fired several shots at his heart in rapid succession.
“—is Tristan. The pleasure’s all mine.”
My arrows were all deflected by a huge, mechanical monster that Tristan suddenly Summoned in front of himself. If I were to describe it, I would say it looked like a golem with only the top half of its body. It had two eccentric-looking arms floating in midair and a torso that looked like an upside-down quadrangular pyramid with a head mounted on top. Every inch of the Follower’s body sparkled with reflected moonlight. This creature perfectly fit the description of the one that Master had seen in the Forest of Crests.
“That forward personality of yours is quite a surprise given your exquisite fea—”
“Pyrohydra.”
All eight heads spat Flame Breaths at the man before my eyes at once, brightly illuminating the night sky with the light of their attacks. Since we are fighting high up, maybe it would be better to separate the dragons.
“—tures.”
Each head’s target has been set. Sending half for the bird and half for the golem seems about right.
::Um, sister, he’s kind of in the middle of his speech...::
::We have no obligation to hear him out. Azgrad-sama warned me that this general has a remarkable gift for cajolery and that the best way to deal with him is to attack him straight off. For all we know, he is attempting to buy time for something.::
::I-I suppose you have a point. Mdofarak, let’s do this! Oh wait, you still can’t use the Network properly.::
Looks like Hak-chan and Mdo-chan are both ready to start anytime.
“I see. Someone’s done a good job training you. Would you be interested in working for me?”
“No, thank you.”
As I respectfully declined the offer, I cast Flame Rampart behind the enemy to seal off his escape and sent all eight pyrohydra dragons surging forward.
Oh dear, I forgot to report to everyone through the Network.
::Efil here. I am now entering battle with the enemy general Tristan in the airspace above the palace, along with Dahak and Mdofarak.::
◇ ◇ ◇
“RRROOOOAAAARRRR!”
Explosions sounding like the roars of dragons went off as torrents of flame rushed at Tristan and the monsters under his control, illuminating the night sky with the brightness of a sun. The Flame Rampart that Efil had deployed barred him from both retreating and descending. Despite only being a Rank C spell, the wall of fire burned so hot that even Tristan felt threatened by it.
This much power from a Rank C spell? I can’t see her Status because it’s Concealed, but she’s definitely got even more MP than Clive. And as if that’s not enough, that skill of hers with the bow! Goodness, what’s an average Joe like me supposed to do against a monster like that?
The only path left was forward, but he was facing a whole horde of dragons with their maws opened wide. Their speed exceeded even that of the strange, purple bird he was riding (Hound Guillemot), meaning he could not outfly them.
In spite of that, he did not seem particularly alarmed. In a calm voice, he commanded, “Do it, Tyrant Mirror.”
With a mechanical whirr, the body of the golem in front of him opened up from the bottom vertex of its upside-down quadrangular pyramid torso until the flat of its reflective surfaces faced Efil directly and began rotating at high speed. Tyrant Mirror was now essentially a reflective shield that stood in the way of the flame dragons.
Soon enough, the two sides clashed.
::The dragons were repel— No, they were reflected.::
There wasn’t a single scratch on the mirrors that had withstood the fierce onslaught. Not only had the raging fire failed to damage the shield of mirrors, it had been entirely reflected. The pyrohydras did not seem to have taken damage, and the force of their momentum remained the same, albeit with their directions reversed.
This was why Efil thought of them as being “reflected” instead of “repelled.” She had also secretly fired a Blaze Arrow from within the shadow of the dragons, but even that attack, despite being specialized for penetration, ended up rebounding back at her. She had been able to immediately fire a second shot to counter it, because she had half expected that to happen, but it would have made for a nasty surprise otherwise.
She directed the pyrohydras to circle around the golem.
“Dear oh dear, how terrifying. Even a graze and I would have been turned to charcoal. All things considered—”
Tristan’s overly dramatic mannerisms and style of speech often proved effective at provoking those he faced. Efil, however, remained largely unaffected. In fact, she had ceased to even consider him a conversation partner.
::According to Master’s intel, that golem possesses a Unique Skill called Specular Reflection. As I suspected, it really does reflect magic.::
::It’s such an underhanded skill!::
::There is no being underhanded or not. Even Master believes in using all available means in battle.::
::Of course, of course! It’s a splendid strategy!::
Kelvin had shared everything he knew about Tristan with his companions beforehand. First, he suspected that Tristan’s unique Summoning technique was made possible using Specular Reflection, a Unique Skill belonging to Tyrant Mirror.
::As Master explained, Tristan must be reflecting his cast of Summoning so that, instead of a Follower, he is Summoning himself at a location of his choice. This effectively enables him to teleport short distances. Seeing as the monster Tristan was riding also disappeared when he escaped from Master—meaning it was Unsummoned—he must be capable of reverting the skill to make it susceptible to magic at will.::
::Which means physical combat is the only way! Though at this height, it’s gonna be hard for me to use my abilities.::
::And stay wary of surprise attacks using his Summoning power. Considering his Magic stat and how much MP he has, he shouldn’t be able to use it too many times, and his range should be quite limited, but it never hurts to be careful::
Tristan’s stats were excellent compared to the average resident of this world but were significantly inferior to those of Efil and Kelvin. In short, he was only a local prodigy. His Summoning skill was Rank C, so he had very few Follower slots, and the stats buffs they received from him were nominal.
In spite of that, he had managed to take Kelvin by surprise in the Forest of Crests and steal Clive from under his nose. It was an impossible feat considering how limited the range of his magic should have been. Suspicious, Kelvin had decided to examine the location where Tristan had appeared. And sure enough, he’d found stakes pounded into the ground all over the forest, hidden beneath the fallen leaves.
Through Analyze Eye, Kelvin discovered that these stakes were magic items that created a field to expand the owner’s magical range. Although there were limitations—they required periodic recharging with the owner’s MP and would lose their effectiveness when removed from the ground—Tristan had been able to bring the entire forest into his magical range by installing the items ahead of time. That was how he had slipped past Kelvin’s detection skills.
Earlier, Sera had found the exact same kind of stake near the front gate of the castle, which meant it was safe to assume that Tristan had installed them all throughout the area as well.
::It works in our favor that we are fighting in the sky. This high up, we do not have to worry about the effects of his magic stakes.:: As the stakes only worked while in the ground, they were a non-factor during their current encounter.
After transferring herself to the head of a pyrohydra, Efil passed along the details of the instantaneous conversation that had just taken place between her and Kelvin to Mdofarak, instructing her to fall back.
“Am I not going to get an answer?” the general asked. “Not even one? Oh, you’re pulling Mdofarak back?”
The weakest member of Efil’s team was the three-headed dragon. Although she had managed to become an ancient dragon, a classification for one of the most powerful beings in this world, her power level fell short of Dahak’s and Efil’s. As a countermeasure against Tristan using his Summoning to launch a surprise attack, Efil had Mdofarak retreat beyond what she thought to be the range of his magic. She also didn’t want to risk Mdofarak getting caught up in what was going to happen next.
“Milliard Burning Birds.”
“It’s almost refreshing how thoroughly you’re ignoring me,” Tristan continued in a calm tone in spite of the drop of sweat trickling down his face.
::Hak-chan, be careful not to touch any of it, all right?::
::Uh, yeah, no need to tell me twice.::
A wriggling wall of flame suddenly sprang into being and surrounded the battle zone. The true form of this spell was a moving mass of fire birds. Although each bird was only around the size of a crow, they numbered in the thousands. It was a brute force approach that relied on the idea of strength in numbers.
::We will finish him off directly. It does not matter if this attack fails to work against the golem as long as it is effective against the Summoner himself. Hak-chan, Mdo-chan, match my timing.::
::So, we’re using brute force! That I understand!::
As the birds circled around, their perimeter shrank steadily, much like a contracting red tornado. The only thing remaining for those within its eye was the promise of death. Although Tyrant Mirror was doing its best as a shield, the birds that it reflected came right back over and over, even as others closed in from every direction. There was simply no way for one monster to counter the spell in its entirety.
To make matters worse, breath attacks of various colors, purposely adjusted to cover a wider area of effect at the expense of destructive intensity, continued blasting in through the walls of the tornado. Numerous birds and several breaths successfully slipped past the protection of the mirror shield and landed on Tristan, enveloping him in a vortex of destruction.
::He has disappeared... Oh, I have found him again. I’ve marked his position on the map.::
As soon as Efil saw Tristan and Hound Guillemot vanish from within the deadly trap, she sent all eight flame dragons out searching for him. When one of them found him again and reacted, she immediately uploaded the information to the Network. All of the dragons present, including the other pyrohydras, turned to look in the direction indicated. As soon as he teleported, Tristan found numerous jaws opened wide, already in the middle of charging up breath attacks.
With a wry smile, he thought, Oof, this is not easy. I feel like I’m playing a card game with my hand fully revealed the whole time. I think I’ve bought enough time now, right? But since I’m at it...
Tristan turned to meet Efil’s gaze. “Did you expect this?”
A faint light glowed behind the maid’s back. She spotted a balloon-like monster the size of her hand from the corner of her eye. A Follower!
“Explode, incendiary bug.”
Before Efil could even turn around, the insect had already started to swell in size. Without delay, it burst in a blinding flash of light that accompanied an explosion so huge it completely tore apart the flame dragon the elf was riding on. The fragments plunging down towards the ground spoke to the sheer destructiveness of what had just happened.
“SISTER!”
One corner of Tristan’s mouth crept up in a satisfied smirk. “As I thought, little old me is simply no match for you all,” he muttered as blood dribbled out from the other corner. There was a small hole in the left side of his chest where his heart was located, and Hound Guillemort’s forehead and neck bore similar holes. The general’s mount had died instantly.
“Cough... You managed to...dodge and shoot three arrows...all at once? Spectacular...”
Gravity took hold of both Tristan and the creature below him. They plummeted and splattered against the ground, reduced to nothing more than vivid red stains.
“Phew. What a relief I’m the one he targeted.”
“Wait, since when have you been there?!”
Dahak turned to look at his own back in astonishment. There stood Efil, seeming none the worse for wear other than a little charring on a corner of her skirt hem. Her sweat-soaked hands were holding Merciless, the bow she used for covert attacks.
“Don’t let your guard down just yet, Hak-chan. The golem is still— Hm?”
◇ ◇ ◇
After leaving the members of the Magic Knight Order, who had finally been freed from their brainwashing, to his subordinates, General Dan rushed towards the main palace with Gerard, Boga, and one hundred golem knights.
As they passed through the garden, they could hear screams and the sounds of battle coming from up ahead, even though the action was not yet in view. Clearly, Goldiana was still working hard to provide a distraction.
At the same time, something appeared to be taking place high up in the sky.
“That bright fire likely means Efil and the dragons have encountered a rather powerful enemy,” Gerard noted.
“That high up?” Dan asked. “Sky battles are usually the realm of the Magic Knight Order, but we just incapacitated all of them. And I can’t think of anyone particularly notable among the remaining garrison of the Dragon Knight Order...”
“Well, I said ‘powerful,’ but honestly, I’m not worried. That lass has got it under control. Let us focus on our own fight.”
“There’s the main entrance to the palace,” Dan shouted before doing a double take. “I suppose that’s a Rank S adventurer for you. It looks like Goldiana-dono has taken care of most of them by himself.”
The gates to the palace stood wide open, with signs of soldiers having rushed outside—probably the palace guards who had responded to Goldiana’s sudden assault. Judging from the way they were lying in heaps all over the place, they had clearly failed to intercept the intruder. They were unconscious, not dead, but their pale faces hinted at them having endured some incredibly traumatic experience before blacking out.
What happened to them? Gerard wondered as a twinge of unease shot through his chest. For all the veteran soldier’s life experiences, the unknown still remained a source of fear, even if that unknown was an ally.
“Perhaps I should leave a few golems here as lookouts. Just in case.”
“That sounds like a good idea. But...is something the matter, Gerard-dono? You seem somewhat unwell.”
“Oh, no, I am—”
Just as Gerard was about to refute Dan’s comment, an enormous explosion went off in the sky above the palace. The location was almost exactly where Efil’s flames had been visible earlier. The two old knights’ heads jerked upwards in unison.
“What happened?!”
“It’s—”
A huge ball of fire spread across the sky. It was hard to tell whether it had been caused by magic or something else, but there was no doubting its intensity.
As if confirming everyone’s worst fears, Dahak shouted into the Network, ::Sister Efil’s disappeared!::
Very few sentences were as effective at agitating Kelvin’s entire party. Gerard immediately sent Efil a telepathic message in an attempt to confirm her safety. He did not want to dwell on the worst-case scenario, but he had difficulty imagining any other outcome in light of the severity of the detonation he had just witnessed.
Suddenly, Efil’s calm voice came over the Network. ::Efil reporting in. I’ve just finished my battle.::
Gerard heaved a sigh of relief. ::I think I just lost a few years of my life from fright.::
::That big explosion surprised me, Efil-nee! Are Hak-chan and Mdo-chan also okay?::
::Uh, yes, m’lady. I’m fine aside from my heart almost stopping from shock. Heck, I’m the most surprised after having it go off right next to me! I totally saw sister Efil disappear in the explosion!::
::Dahak, you mind helping me test out a new spell I’ve just developed?:: asked Kelvin. ::We can do it after this. Colette’s here too, so you don’t have to worry about anything.::
::What are you saying, brother?!::
Clearly, everyone had been quite alarmed. Expressions of relief flooded the Network all at once.
::I apologize for worrying everyone. We have killed an enemy general and we ourselves are unharmed. However, there is one slight matter of concern. The general we defeated, Tristan, had a Follower that we have lost sight of. It is the same one that Master mentioned having seen when he encountered Tristan in the Forest of Crests.::
::The one he was riding? Melfina, if a Summoner dies, what happens to his or her Followers?::
::At the moment of death, all Contracts are nullified. As in, all Followers would revert from being magical entities to physical beings. Any individuals within the Summoner’s magic pool would be forcibly expelled. Don’t worry, Followers wouldn’t die with their Summoner. Oh, but you’re not allowed to die, all right, honey? Absolutely not.::
::It’s not like I have any plans to, so calm down. Argh, stop it! Stop shaking me! Ahem. In that case, where would the monster have gone? I recall it being pretty large. It’s not like it can hide indoors.::
Tyrant Mirror was large enough for Tristan to ride on. And although the palace was huge, it did not have enough space for such a golem to duck inside fast enough to escape Efil’s Farsight.
::I’m still checking from the sky, but I cannot find any traces of it.::
::One possibility is that it was Summoned someplace else by the general through the magical stakes around the castle in the split second before he died.::
::I think Mel-nee’s guess seems likely, but it might be a good idea for Sera-nee to try searching for it using her senses just in case the monster’s lying in wait somewhere and preparing for a surprise attack.::
::That sounds reasonable. Sera-san, may I ask this of you? Um...Sera-san?::
No answer from Sera was forthcoming. She had apparently closed off the Network on her side.
::Which reminds me, I haven’t heard Sera-nee’s voice for quite a while. I wonder what’s happened?::
::Hmm, you’re right. She hasn’t said anything since Gerard’s report. All right, I’ll try reaching her myself.::
::I shall search around the area, my king. I just happen to be available. We’ve whittled down the enemy forces enough that the allied troops should be able to handle things on their own.::
::All right, then you take care of the search, Gerard. Efil, please continue providing cover fire and keep a sharp eye out.::
::Yes, Master.::
As there was no way to see each other through the Network, no one knew that Gerard was pumping a fist in celebration of this arrangement.
If I go to the heart of the palace, there is a very high chance of coming across him. So let’s focus our search on the area around the walls. And I’m doing this for the sake of one of my grandchildren. I’m killing two birds with one stone!
In addition to Ruka and Rion, Gerard considered Efil to be one of his grandchildren as well—a natural development as a result of having looked out for her ever since she had joined the party. And of course, he was glad of any excuse to avoid meeting his natural enemy.
::Rawr.::
::Mm? You wish to come with me, Boga? Very well, let’s go.::
The telepathic conversation came to an end once everyone’s objectives had been confirmed. As it had taken place at high speed, only several seconds had actually passed.
“Gerard-dono, I’m sorry to interrupt your transition from shock to relief to sudden joy, but are you sure you are all right? Forgive my bluntness, but you seem quite mentally unstable...”
As a result of his emotional roller coaster, Gerard had ended up looking rather odd from Dan’s perspective.
“Ga ha ha! You ended up seeing me in a somewhat embarrassing state. But no worries—I am fully recovered!”
“I...suppose you do seem to be. I am relieved that you are fully motivated again.”
“Thank you for your concern, Dan-dono. However, an urgent matter has come up that I must attend to. As such, I’m afraid Boga and I must go our own way.”
After Gerard provided Dan with a brief explanation, the two decided that half of the golems would continue to follow the general in his press towards the palace while the other half would accompany Gerard and Boga on their search around the perimeter.
“I wish you godspeed, Dan-dono!”
“And you as well, Gerard-dono! I will have that rematch with you at full strength when we next meet!”
Gerard adroitly leaped onto Boga’s back and, following his gut, headed in the direction of the Mixed Monster Order Headquarters.
◇ ◇ ◇
A small figure scuttled along the wall of the Mixed Monster Order Headquarters, west of the main palace. His short stature of roughly 140 cm, his extremely muscular build, and the long beard flowing from his chin were all the characteristic traits of a dwarf. However, he was wearing excessively elegant clothing that seemed to generate a somewhat peculiar atmosphere.
The name of this dwarf was Jildora. He was the mysterious stranger who had become Trycen’s royal merchant when Tristan was inaugurated as a general, providing the country with countless weapons, armor, magical items, and objects of questionable origin.
After leaving Tristan, Jildora had made his way out of Trycen Castle by a route that lay in the shadow of a branch fortress, out of sight of the palace’s center.
“Tristan, that fool. He’s gone and lost, even though I lent him Tyrant Mirror. How pathetic.”
At Jildora’s feet was a stake in the ground, next to which stood Tristan’s Follower, Tyrant Mirror. It was entirely motionless, with its arms hanging limply on either side. The impression it gave off was similar to that of an appliance that had run out of batteries.
“Then again, I suppose he did well enough for a human. Looks like he just wasn’t quite there yet. Well, maybe it was for the best.” Jildora reached towards the wall with his right hand. “And at least he did earn me the bare minimum of time needed. I can take my—”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Jildora clicked his tongue upon being addressed by a voice from behind. The hand that had been about to touch the wall was promptly redirected towards Tyrant Mirror.
Whirrrr.
The golem’s arm moved up just in time to stop an attack from a greatsword. Jildora’s sharp eyes took in the form of a Dark Knight wielding a blade the color of night.
“What?!” Gerard had swung his sword expecting to cut straight through the monster, but it was his own body that ended up flying backwards.
Efil mentioned this thing reflects magical attacks—could it be it does the same for physical attacks as well?
As soon as he landed, Gerard adopted a battle-ready pose with his greatsword and studied the golem that Jildora was hiding behind. Although the monster seemed to match the description Efil had given, it was already displaying characteristics that seemed at odds with what she had reported.
“Change of plans,” Jildora declared. “I’m going to have you take part in my experiment.”
A massive figure appeared in front of Gerard out of nowhere, blocking the moonlight and casting a huge shadow over a significant portion of the castle. Its head, which towered over the walls, seemed to be looking down on the entire world.
Did it come from a Storage skill or a magic item? Either way, the capacity to store something so gigantic is quite rare. This is almost on par with Clotho’s true body size, isn’t it?
Not only was the colossal humanoid bigger than Boga, it seemed to rival even the size of the main palace itself. Its surface was not made of stone or dirt but rather something in a metallic blue sheen, and its mechanical design seemed anachronistic. Tyrant Mirror was mounted on its chest in the form of a shield, although it was hard to tell if that was its original purpose.
“Since I’ve been spotted, there’s no point in hiding. Blue Rage and I will be expecting good battle data from you, little ant.” Jildora’s voice came from the chest area of the golem, likely indicating that he himself was located within the massive figure.
“Ha ha ha... GAH HAH HAH! Very well, I shall endeavor to provide you with what you need!”
Those in Kelvin’s party considered a sudden encounter with a powerful foe to be a stroke of luck. During Kelvin’s numerous practice matches with his companions, an amount of his disposition had rubbed off on them. In some ways, it could be considered a side effect of having become a battle junkie so powerful that even the army of a powerful country was lacking as an opponent.
::Mayday, mayday, mayday. I might be a touch out of my depth. Just the slightest bit, truly. Anyone who can come and help, please do so.::
Characteristically, Gerard maintained the presence of mind to follow standard procedure in spite of his excitement.
Steam jetted out from various parts of the golem’s body. The heavy hiss seemed to serve as a gong that signaled the start of their fight, with Jildora immediately springing into action. With every step he took, the ground shook, and the structures within the compound rattled. Not to be outdone, Gerard, who had just finished requesting reinforcements, rushed forward as well.
“Hmph!”
The Dark Knight swung his sword, generating a flying slice—the most powerful Agito he was capable of—that parted the sky with its passage. The golem stretched out its left hand and, in a movement that seemed deceptively slow due to the monster’s sheer size, intercepted the attack.
“You sure are tough!”
With a loud, metallic clang, the slash left a large dent in the creature’s arm. However, that was far from enough to take it out of commission.
“You took the words right out of my mouth. I hadn’t expected you to damage the armor so much. It’s supposed to be tougher than a castle wall, but I see now that I might have to revisit its design once more.”
Despite having been forced back half a step, the golem flung its right arm towards the ground where Gerard was standing. The approaching blow had the equivalent power of Parth’s famous clock tower being uprooted and thrown. Although simple, the attack covered an enormous area, leaving the knight no choice but to stand and take it head-on.
“Hnggg... HAAAAHHHHH!”
Although Dreadnought, the Rank S shield that Gerard had managed to incorporate into his body through the Self Modification skill, remained undamaged by the clash, the rest of his armor screamed with the strain. As he was about to be blown away, shield and all, he managed to stab Dainsleif into the ground to cancel out the momentum of the blow. Even Gerard himself couldn’t have said how far he’d been pushed back. His legs were buried in the flagstones that paved the ground, his greaves red-hot from the friction generated.
“And now this.”
“What?!”
A gap opened up in the fist that Gerard was pushing against and spat out a stream of searing fire. The temperature was so hot that even a slight graze would have given any normal fighter third-degree burns, and the knight was bathed in it for a prolonged period of time. However, the veteran warrior did not seem particularly fazed by it, much to Jildora’s puzzlement.
It didn’t work? thought the dwarf.
Gerard internally heaved a sigh of relief at his physical form merely being an empty suit of armor. Of course, the cape that Efil had given him, Crimson Mantle, contributed greatly by adding its powerful fire resistance. Although he had engaged in this battle with the intention of helping the half-elf out, it seemed she had assisted him instead. Truthfully, either option brought this “grandpa” equal joy.
“Heave...HO!” he shouted as he mustered all his strength and flung the golem’s arm back, causing it to lose its balance. As the monster stumbled, Gerard unleashed Gekou as a counterattack. The flying slash flew parallel to the ground and landed on one of the golem’s toes, dealing the same amount of damage that Agito had done earlier.
In other words, not enough to make a difference.
I feel like I’m just barely hanging on, he thought. Which means the longer this drags on, the more disadvantaged I’ll be.
The golem stood back up, seeming completely unaffected by the damage done to its foot.
Slowly piling on superficial wounds isn’t a good strategy here. Instead, I should aim for a single weak point. The part of the chest where my enemy’s voice is coming from would be a good start...if only it wasn’t protected by that mirror creature from earlier. What should I do?
While Gerard racked his brains as hard as he could, a third person approached them at top speed. Indeed, it was the very reinforcements he had been hoping for. This individual clearly had no intention of being stealthy. Both Gerard and Jildora turned to look at the trail of destruction and the cloud of dust that was rapidly drawing closer.
Eventually, the newcomer leaped out of the cloud of debris and landed on top of the tallest building around.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Gerard-sama! This sweet flower blooming in the moonlight, Goldiana Prettiana-chan, is now here at your service!”
“Why are you the first one here?!”
For some reason, an ally without access to the Network had shown up before his own party members. Needless to say, Gerard had not been considering Goldiana at all when he’d sent out his request at the start of the fight.
“My sixth sense led me to you!” His own intuition was to blame, then. “There’s no logic to it, dearie. That’s right, you can actually call it the power of lo—”
Ratatatata!
Bullets of light shot out from the golem’s fingertips, riddling the building under the large adventurer’s feet with holes.
“Projectile attacks from its fingertips!” cried Gerard. “Now, that’s a feature I’m familiar with. The concept is similar to what my king’s golems can do.”
“Gosh, Gerard-sama, aren’t you a bit too calm?! Your heroine’s in a pinch here!”
“You won’t die from something of that degr— Wait, ‘heroine’?”
Goldiana landed right next to Gerard as if standing so close was the most natural thing in the world. Seeing as his beloved pink dress remained entirely undamaged, he must have perfectly dodged every attack.
“Ah, so you are the Rank S adventurer Goldiana Prettiana,” Jildora’s voice boomed. “Honestly, I would have preferred a subject who uses a different fighting style.”
“Oh my, what a smooth and manly voice. But are you sure you’re in a position to be choosy about the members of the team you’re facing?”
“Goldiana-dono,” Gerard warned, “that golem is capable of emitting extremely hot air. Be careful of that when you approach.”
“Hot air? Then I’ll be fine—I’m already enveloped in fiery hotness from head to toe.”
“I-I see. I’ll take your word for it. Ah, hold on, what happened to being a decoy?”
“No biggie! Reinforcements have arrived through the teleportation gate in the palace, so my job there is done! Now it’s time for me to express my love as best I can!”
“I...see.”
There was a stark contrast between Goldiana, who was becoming increasingly excited, and Gerard, who seemed to be on the verge of attaining some sort of enlightenment. Their motivations were at extreme odds on the spectrum, but there was no doubt they both possessed overwhelming strength. Gerard couldn’t have asked for better backup.
“Are you two done catching up? You may finish your conversation in the next world.”
“Oh my, were you waiting for us? What a gentleman! I don’t mind being assaulted from the back, you know?”
“My aim is not to erase you; what matters to me is the process rather than the end result. And nothing’s changed just because there are now two of you doing the same thing,” the dwarf scoffed, using the golem to point at his opponents.
“We can’t back off now that you’ve gone and said that,” Gerard replied. “However, one correction, if I may. We don’t only have two on our side.”
The ground suddenly gave way under the golem’s feet as Boga’s powerful claws began pulling the monster underground. The enormous creature lost its balance and fell, a victim of its own weight, and was buried up to its knees in no time at all.
With perfect coordination, numerous figures in black appeared, perched atop the surrounding buildings. They held fifty Gatling guns between them.
“FIRE!!!”
As Gerard and Goldiana rushed forward, so many streaks of light were fired at the golem that it was as if all the stars in the sky had turned into meteors and were falling towards the surface. Each shot was only capable of slightly charring the metallic blue armor, but through sheer numbers, they were steadily chipping away at the plates on the golem one by one. Simply ignoring the attacks was not an option for the monster. And to make matters worse, its movements had become greatly restricted by having its feet stuck in the ground.
Humanoid golems the size of actual humans, Jildora observed, looking around. And the specs of each are rather high. Where on earth did this many come from? I didn’t sense their presence until they revealed themselves.
In point of fact, all fifty golems following Gerard had been returned to Clotho’s Storage first. Then tiny Clotho clones had snuck close and released them at just the right moment for the perfect surprise attack.
“I suppose I would be interested in bringing a few of those back with me to serve as samples. I hope at least a few of them manage to remain in good enough condition after the fight is over.”
In response to Gerard and Goldiana’s swift approach, the gigantic monster brandished its right arm in a mowing attack, knocking over everything in its path. Even after pulverizing several of Kelvin’s golems, it showed no signs of losing its momentum. At this point, the Mixed Monster Order’s headquarters had been reduced to a truly wretched state.
::Boga!::
In response to Gerard’s telepathic call, the large rock dragon burst up from the ground behind Jildora’s golem, leaping much higher than his bulk would suggest was possible. Then, with his tremendous weight, he dove straight at the creature’s left shoulder, causing its center of gravity to shift to the left so that its right arm struck nothing but empty air.
“You!”
“ROAAARRRRR!”
From his position on the monster’s back, Boga attempted to crush the golem’s head with his powerful jaws. The creature’s single eye turned to glare at the dragon as metallic screams emanated from the strained armor, which seemed to be holding, albeit barely.
::Boga, keep it trapped there!::
At Dahak’s command, the composition of the ground changed in a flash and Blue Rage began sinking even farther into the now quagmire-like surface.
::That’s Mud Bind, the spell I learned directly from Brother! Sink into the ground, you big hunk of metal!::
Dahak had arrived after chasing Goldiana...to help back up Gerard, of course. Once he got close enough, he dove sharply and landed right on top of Blue Rage to press it down even more. The sight of the two dragons and one giant golem struggling against each other was reminiscent of a kaiju movie.
Almost all black dragons preferred using Black Magic, having an affinity for it that was almost genetic. Dahak too possessed the skill but only at Rank F—he had acquired it more for the sake of having it than anything else. But he was most proficient at Green Magic. There were dragons who learned multiple types of magic, but they still normally prioritized the development of their natural element. Dahak was in the minority. If asked, however, he would have said, “This is the best way to improve myself!”
Due to the spell Dahak had cast, the ground beneath Blue Rage’s feet had turned into a bottomless quagmire. The golem steadily sank into the ground under the combined weight of the ancient dragons.
“Hmm, so the lizards the Dragon Knight Order is so proud of are here to challenge me...” Jildora murmured.
Once again, the golem expelled super-heated gas from all over its body, enveloping not only Boga and Dahak but all of the Mixed Monster Order’s headquarters.
“Argghhhh... Don’t you underestimate us ‘lizards’! Boga, don’t you dare let go! Give as good as you get!”
“RRRAAWWRRRR!”
The gas seared the dragons’ hides, filling the air with a burning smell. Yet even as the knight golems that had been keeping up their barrage collapsed one after another, Boga and Dahak stubbornly clung to Blue Rage, focusing solely on pushing it down.
“Dragons may have a higher resistance to heat than humans, but they still feel the pain! I’m coming to help you now, sweeties!” Goldiana shouted as he and Gerard closed in on the monster.
Although the bottom half of the giant was already in the ground, it was resisting being pressed down any farther by pushing itself up with its arms.
“Goldiana-dono, the air in this area is heavy with gas. Can you handle it?”
“Oh, sweetie, your concern makes me so very happy! But look, I don’t have a single mark on m— Oh no, don’t look! My favorite dress is burning up!”
Even as he rushed forward, Goldiana crossed his arms over his chest as if to hide where some of the fabric had caught on fire. The way his cheeks flushed with embarrassment was very much in the manner of a young maiden, but the only thing his arms were bashfully covering were massive muscles glistening with rivulets of sweat. The sight was alarming on various levels. The only silver lining was that Dahak was too occupied to notice.
Realizing that Goldiana didn’t seem to mind being on fire from head to toe, Gerard couldn’t help but wonder, Uh, is he actually living flesh and blood? He mentioned being enveloped in, uh, fiery hotness just now, but he’s still human, right?
For now, the Dark Knight decided to stop pursuing that train of thought and focus on the battle taking place before his eyes. He and Goldiana were heading for one of Blue Rage’s arms, which was towering high up in the sky. Their goal was to destroy it so that the golem would lose its support and sink back into the ground. Its arm was still violently spewing burning gas, but it was ineffective against the two warriors. A pink aura sprang up around Goldiana’s tightly clenched fists as Demon Sword Dainsleif expanded to a massive size.
“Reflection.”
With Jildora’s utterance, Tyrant Mirror, from where it was lodged in the middle of Blue Rage’s chest, gleamed with a strange light.
“Whoa?!”
“Rawr!”
“Ack!”
“Oh my!”
Dahak and Boga, who had been grappling with the golem, suddenly found themselves thrown into the air even as Goldiana and Gerard, who had been about to deliver their most powerful blows, were blasted away in the opposite direction the instant their attacks made contact.
::This is the same effect as when sister Efil’s flames were reflected!::
::Is it because of the mirror in its chest?! Heavens, the effect extends to its entire body?!::
Everyone was thrown quite a distance by the unexpected counterattack. Blue Rage took advantage of the opening to push itself up out of the quagmire. Slowly but steadily, its feet resurfaced.
“You are all putting up more resistance than expected. I’m afraid I’ve had to activate my trump card.”
“So, that was your trump card,” said a girl’s voice, accompanied by loud booms high up in the sky.
A moment later, red arrows fell onto Blue Rage’s head like rain. An explosion rang out every time an arrow landed, with the shockwaves pushing the golem back down into the muck.
“Where did y—”
“If it is a trump card, then I assume you can’t use it too many times?”
The speaker was Efil, and the booms came from her unleashing a shower of arrows tipped with crimson flames from Penumbra. The unrelenting barrage quickly evolved into a squall of chaos and death. Although the golem remained unharmed thanks to Tyrant Mirror’s skill, Specular Reflection, it was soon back to being as deep in the mire as it had been before, and continued to be pushed down even more.
“I simply have to do the same—”
CRACK!
The sound of cracking glass rang out loud and clear, emanating from Blue Rage’s chest. A single arrow had managed to pierce Tyrant Mirror and was now embedded deep within.
“As expected, your monster can only reflect a single kind of damage at any given moment.”
“That is...correct.”
Efil had mixed a physical arrow retrieved from Storage in with the magical fire arrows that she had shot. And this was no ordinary arrow but a throwaway Rank S weapon forged by Kelvin. He had given it to her in case she ever encountered a powerful opponent who was resistant to fire, and she had determined this to be an appropriate occasion on which to use it. Cracks radiated out across Tyrant Mirror’s body from the point of entry until both monster and arrow shattered into pieces.
“You managed to penetrate Tyrant Mirror, which had the same armor as Blue Rage. What’s more, you did it in one shot and without using any skills. That was a good arrow.”
“Your compliment...brings me no honor.”
All the pyrohydras circling Efil abruptly changed directions and rushed at Blue Rage in unison. At the same time, a mass of vegetation sprouted from the area surrounding the quagmire, rapidly growing in size and entangling the giant. If the quagmire was a jail cell, these trees were Mother Nature’s cage.
::Gah, it’s way too hot here! Sister Efil, get ’im!::
Due partly to the heat being emanated by Blue Rage and partly for other reasons, it was only now that Dahak had managed to activate his Unique Skill, Gemmation. The branches creaked loudly as they tightened their hold on the golem, trapping both of its arms.
“Hmm, that ability is nice too.”
But Blue Rage still possessed other forms of attack. Its single eye gleamed, then fired a compressed laser beam as its fingertips opened up to spit out a barrage of bullets made of light. The laser erased every pyrohydra it came into contact with even as the light bullets doggedly pursued Efil. She shot down every last projectile, gaining and losing ground in quick succession. Crimson and white clashed repeatedly, up, down, and every which way in a dizzying display.
“That’s enough...”
“From you!”
Gerard drove his enlarged greatsword deep into Blue Rage’s chest as Goldiana’s fist pulverized its head, laser eye and all. The golem finally stopped moving as the whirr of a machine powering down was heard.
◇ ◇ ◇
Clank! Clank! Creeeaak.
“Honestly, that’s kind of frightening,” Gerard mumbled as he watched Goldiana wrest open the door on Blue Rage’s back that led to the control area. He cleared his throat and asked in a louder voice, “How is it inside?”
“Surprisingly cramped,” his fellow warrior replied. “I’m afraid it’s empty, though I do see signs of someone having been here. Maybe there’s another escape route somewhere.”
“So he got away,” Efil sighed.
Boga let out a soft, disconsolate rumble.
Once Blue Rage had stopped moving, Gerard and the others had immediately begun their search for the dwarf who had presumably been controlling it. But he was no longer inside the golem.
Seeing everyone’s looks of disappointment, Dahak said reassuringly, “Actually, I think it should be fine. I secretly sprouted a plant in there that releases a very lethal poison. It doesn’t act immediately, but it is the most incurable one I know of. That’s why I had trouble growing other plants just now.”
“Oh my, you are good, Dahak-chan!” Goldiana exclaimed. “I see you in a whole new light!”
“W-Well, it was a piece of cake for me, yep!” the dragon replied, extremely flustered.
“Who was he?” Efil asked pensively. “You said he’s a merchant for Trycen’s royalty, right, Hak-chan?”
“I don’t know the details, but there’s no doubt it was the dwarf who sold them the god-awful collar they used on me. That’s all I picked up from Azgrad’s idle gossip.”
“Mysterious items and now this enormous golem,” Gerard murmured, rubbing his chin. “Any chance he’s a Rank S adventurer?”
Goldiana shook his head. “None. I’ve never heard of a dwarf like him.”
“I mean, I feel like I heard his name mentioned once. What was it again? Ugh, if only I had been listening properly at the time,” Dahak grumbled. He crossed his arms and frowned, thinking deeply, before suddenly starting. “I remember now! His name was Jildora!”
◇ ◇ ◇
The headquarters of the Magic Knight Order, located in the back of Trycen Castle, was currently as silent as a grave. Every last member of the order had, under the influence of the cursed weapons they were holding, rushed out to the front of the castle to intercept Gerard and Dan’s advance. Now freed from their brainwashing, they were under the watch of the Steel Knight Order. Consequently, the area should have been completely vacant. And yet there were figures moving inside.
“Ugh, this is really tiring. You’re so heavy!”
“This body is that of a dwarf, after all. Not much I can do about it.”
One of those figures was Jildora. The other, the one complaining, was currently sprinting as they carried the dwarf under their arm. Their face was hidden within a deep hood and they had a seemingly androgynous figure and voice, making it difficult to determine even their sex.
“Uh, Creator, there are green spots on your skin.”
“Oh, this? Mm, chances are I was poisoned. Judging by the symptoms, this is from a highly toxic plant from the underground world where the demons live. It’s a place chock-full of hazardous substances said to be capable of killing even angels—”
“Hold on, and you made me carry you?!” Black Hood exclaimed in alarm, throwing him away as far as possible.
The dwarf landed on his feet with a heavy thud as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
“Don’t worry; it’s not contagious. And you used your Unique Skill while saving me, didn’t you? Which means you didn’t come into contact with the poison yourself. You just phased through it, poison and all. I, however, am probably beyond curing. Given how far it’s progressed, I’ll be dead soon.”
“How are you so calm about it?”
The spots on Jildora’s skin were spreading even while their conversation continued, each rapidly growing in size.
“I’ve done research on this sort of thing before. These spots will eventually cover every inch of my skin and begin to swell. At that point, the agony will be so severe that any normal person would die, but if he or she actually managed to survive that phase, the spots will begin bursting—”
“At this rate, that’s exactly what’ll happen to you, right? We don’t have time to be standing around here like this.”
“Fair point. Does your presence mean you’ve already located your objective, Assassin?”
“Do you even have to ask? Here, follow me. We’re through here.”
“You...have certainly lived up to your name yet again.”
Black Hood brought Jildora to the entrance of the Magic Knight Order Headquarters. There was nobody around; only corpses. All of the bodies wore platinum armor and bore a single deep cut across their necks. In light of the fact that they all had swords in their hands and their surroundings were in disarray, it was clear they had done battle there.
“What’s all this? I was under the impression you were good enough to finish off this many without them even realizing it.”
“I got bored ’cause you were taking your sweet time, Creator. I’m the one who should be complaining. Why’d you start fighting when you were supposed to quietly slip away? And you were even losing.”
“The poison’s circulating. Hurry it up.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
The two figures passed through the corpse-littered doorway, making their way to the quarters assigned to the general of the Magic Knight Order.
“Tristan said this is the best place to hide something because he set up a barrier around the room.”
“Ahh, so this is where he forcibly Evolved that good-for-nothing.”
“Well, that’s a bit harsh, maybe. Clive-kun did have the aptitude, but admittedly, he was the most useless out of everyone Selector ever chose. Oh, right, but what’re we going to do about Tristan? It doesn’t really matter that Clive-kun is dead, but Tristan was just admitted as the newest member of our group. Are we gonna get in trouble because he died?”
“He hasn’t been reincarnated yet. In any case, he would have been useless the way he was. Conversely, this could be a blessing in disguise. Arbitrator’s resurrection abilities aren’t fully developed yet, but it should be enough to suffice until our Lady awakes.”
“You know Arbitrator gets mad whenever you talk about our Lady like that. She’s usually really nice, but she gets super scary when she’s mad!”
“You think that only because you’re still immature, Assassin.”
“Yeah, yeah. All hail the almighty Creator of the Third Seat.”
Black Hood pushed the door open. There was one man currently bound within the room where Clive had undergone his excruciating process of transformation. In an ironic twist, he was lying in the very bed where Clive had indulged in lascivious ecstasy with the very members of the Magic Knight Order who had then turned around and tortured him.
“Ah, the lieutenant general of the Steel Knight Order. Not a bad choice.”
“I’d appreciate a few more words of appreciation, considering how hard I worked for this. Um, your name is Jin D’Alba, right?”
Hearing his name, Jin yanked at his bonds. But the only thing he could do was glare daggers at Jildora as his restraints were magic items that blocked his abilities. Without physical strength on par with Azgrad’s or Dan’s, there was no way for him to break free without help.
“He’s an idiot who’s practically a walking sense of justice, but his body is young and healthy. I’ll be able to use it for quite a while,” Jildora commented as he grabbed Jin’s head with his large hands.
“I’ve heard the rumors, but this is my first time seeing you use Eternal Return in person.”
“Free him.”
“You sure?”
“It’ll be over in no time.”
As Jildora finished speaking, Jin found his restraints reduced to shreds. The cuts seemed to indicate that an edged weapon had been used, but his eyes had failed to catch any movement. And before he had any more time to wonder, his consciousness faded away. No longer could he feel Jildora’s hand on his head. No longer could he muster any thoughts. No longer was his body...his.
Thud.
The dwarf that had been Jildora collapsed to the ground.
“I’d kind of imagined it would be flashier or something. That was pretty plain,” Black Hood commented, looking not at the dwarf on the ground now but at Jin. Well, former Jin—currently Jildora.
“Ha ha ha,” Jildora chuckled as he got up off the bed. His mouth was twisted into a grin that Jin himself had never shown before.
“Well, you’re in a good mood for having been on the verge of death. Do you like this new body that much?”
“Oh, this? No, that’s not it. I just realized that I met my own child for the first time in over a decade. Fate is ironic and mysterious indeed.”
“Whoa, you remember something from that long ago?”
“I can’t forget, not when she looks so much like the woman who bore her. Turns out I was in the wrong for writing her off as a failed subject and abandoning her so quickly. I should consider setting up a plan for a long-term study of her development.”
“Jildoraaaa! You’re talking to yourself again. This dwarf is still alive.”
Jildora shot the dwarf a disinterested look.
“Ugh... Wh-What is...this pain? Where am...I?”
“Looks like he is indeed.”
“What?! You’re from...just now!”
“It might have been a split second for you, but it’s already been decades for me. It’s a pity, as I did have things I still wanted to do as you, but no matter. I don’t need your body anymore, so you can have it back. Do as you like.”
“What are y— ARH!”
“Whoa, he looks like he’s in so much pain.”
The dwarf’s body had turned completely green and there were numerous prominent swellings.
“Farewell, so-called Father of Mechanics. Rest assured all the knowledge and techniques you’ve amassed in your lifetime will live on in me.”
“W-Wait!”
“Mm, this body is in great condition. It’s almost time for the Demon Lord to move. We’re leaving now, Assassin.”
“Sure thing. There’s, like, a secret passage here, so let’s take it. Wait, have I forgotten anything?”
As explosions went off behind them, Jildora—now in Jin’s body—and Black Hood left the headquarters of the Magic Knight Order behind. From that day onward, no one ever saw Trycen’s mystery merchant again.
◇ ◇ ◇
Just how long have I been running and cutting enemies down?
I felt like it had been quite a while since I’d leaped off Dahak’s back. After using Fly to enter the hole in the palace wall that Efil had opened for me, I’d immediately darted off, aiming for the top floor of the structure.
I continued pushing forward all while searching for Trycen’s princess with the help of Sera’s additions to the map. However, with this being Trycen’s royal palace, naturally there were a ton of guards. It took me significant effort to knock them all out of my way while making sure I didn’t damage the outer walls too much. I checked the places where the princess seemed most likely to be—her quarters, for example—but had yet to find her. I got my hopes up a little after discovering the complicated lock and the high-tier barrier on her door, but all I found inside were a lot of bear plushies and heaps of cute trinkets.
Don’t tell me the lock and barrier were to hide all this... Nah, there’s no way.
The impression I got from her room seemed quite different from what I’d imagined the general of an army’s intelligence branch would be like. In any case, I eventually came to the conclusion that this princess was most likely on the top floor of the palace, the only place that Sera had not been able to map. I continued to keep an eye out but focused more on making my way upwards, at times requesting cover fire from Efil.
Just when I’d found a secret route leading straight to the royal audience hall, I picked up on an enormous presence outside the palace.
Uh, Melfina, did I make the wrong choice? The presence currently outside...wouldn’t happen to be stronger than the Demon Lord, right?
::Of course not. I think. Maybe?::
That last one was definitely a question! Mel-sensei, you’re not instilling confidence in me here! I didn’t get to fight the white wolf that Sera and the rest had so much fun with. If I end up getting the short end of the stick and miss out on fighting the Demon Lord too, I’m seriously going to cry!
::The fact that there are so many individuals this powerful is in itself out of the ordinary. Look sharp, honey; the passage you’re in is opening up.::
As Melfina had cautioned, I soon found myself on a spacious terrace that commanded a stunning view of not only the castle compound but the entire capital. This section, which was only a short distance from the top floor, was probably where King Zel looked out over his country from. East of the palace proper, near the headquarters of the Mixed Monster Order, was an enormous blue golem currently engaged in a tussle with Dahak and Boga.
I feel my thirst for battle and my passion for golem-making both being triggered! Ugh, my tears... No, hold on. Thinking about it calmly, what is with that golem?! And why’s it here?
::Kel-nii?::
I received a telepathic message from Rion and checked the map to see that she was climbing up the passage that opened up to the opposite end of the terrace I was on. I quickly sent Efil a message asking her to deal with the giant golem.
“Oh, it really is Kel-nii!” my younger sister shouted joyfully as she rounded the corner and came into view. She was followed closely by her partner, Alex, and was holding Colette in her arms. The Oracle was gasping for air. They had reached the same location by a different route.
Although she had Alex to protect her, I was still extremely proud of Rion for catching up with me while carrying someone the whole way.
Still, is Colette all right? She’s making really weird sounds.
“Looks like we ended up rendezvousing by accident.”
“Mh-hm! Colette managed to get the teleportation gate working. I was there when Azucchi, Huba, and Rosalia arrived, and they were followed by reinforcements from Deramis. The enemy soldiers were really confused when they saw them, which was enough for Prettia-chan to shift from being a decoy to freely attacking wherever she wanted. I was scouring the palace in search of powerful opponents, but...”
“You concluded the top floor was the only place left to look.”
“Ah ha ha... It looks like I was a bit late on the uptake, though.”
Rion seemed slightly down, so I gave her a few pats to cheer her up. Then the two of us looked at the grand staircase that led to the top floor of the palace. It was located right in the middle of the two passages that Rion and I had each taken and, according to our map, was the only way to the top floor. At the moment, we had yet to see any movement from the enemy’s side here.
“Why’d you bring Colette along? We can’t let her get hurt in the crossfire when we actually face the Demon Lord. And more importantly...she looks really sick, doesn’t she?”
“I-I am fine, Kelvin-sama. I already feel much better after letting everything out once. My mental state is in perfect condition.”
In spite of her claims, however, Colette stumbled around like a newborn calf once Rion let her down. To circumvent any unfortunate incidents, I cast Bright Heal and Relief on her just in case. It wasn’t as if she was low on MP, so she didn’t need an MP potion.
Now hold on—why’re you getting a nosebleed right after I healed you?!
“Um, I brought Colette with me because she said she can handle the princess. So she’s a safety guarantee, I guess.”
“What do you mean by that?” Would she be verbally convincing the princess or something?
“There is no need to worry about me. I am currently in my very best condition!”
It doesn’t seem that way to me. I mean, if you’re going to say that, can’t you at least stop the nosebleed first?
“Honey, it’ll be fine. Colette is strong under pressure.”
“WHOA?!”
The sudden voice right next to my ear gave me a start. Melfina had materialized leaning against my back with her chin resting on my shoulder.
::The cover story we gave Colette is that we’re married, right? We’ve got to do something to give credence to that claim.::
No normal couple would do this in public!
I resumed our conversation after getting Melfina off my back. “Ahem. Well, I’ll take Mel’s word for it. Colette, I’m counting on you.”
“Colette, your religious piety is faithful and true. I know this better than anyone else. And I know I can rely on you.”
“Yay for you, Colette! Both Kel-nii and Mel-nee gave you permission to come with us! We’ll get to use the strategy we talked about!”
Rion hugged Colette from the back, looking as delighted as she would have been about any personal achievement. The Oracle’s expression, which had been filled with fatigue just a moment before, now looked entirely serious. I got the impression that Colette was thinking something weird like, “Is this...a triangle of bliss?!” but I chose to write it off as my imagination.
During that time, another presence emerged from the same passage that Rion had taken.
“Hm? Is that Kelvin-dono I see?”
General Dan? Whoa, this guy’s pretty fast too.
“Are you here in pursuit of the princess, General?”
“To be exact, I am in pursuit of both Shutola-sama and His Majesty, the king. I came up here thinking it was the most likely place for them to be, but I met only token resistance along the way. Did I make the wrong assumption?”
Oh no, you’re entirely right. The reason you didn’t meet much resistance is because Rion cleared the way for you.
As the three of us proceeded to catch each other up on the situation, Colette stepped up to Dan, her aura very different from before.
“You are General Dan D’Alba of the Steel Knight Order, I take it?”
“Yes I am, but wh— Wait, Colette Deramilius-dono, the Oracle of Deramis?! What is Deramis’s second-in-command doing here on the front lines?!”
“Special circumstances that I shall not delve into at the moment have brought me here. What I wanted to speak to you about, General Dan, is how to rescue Princess Shutola.”
“Specifically?”
Colette, who had suddenly donned her mask as the Oracle, launched into a full negotiation with the general. She managed to masterfully spin ominous words like “brainwashing” and “kidnapping victim” into her speech in a way that prompted him to lean forward attentively.
“So, the crux of it would be that secret technique of yours. Are you sure this plan will work, Colette-dono?”
“I swear on my name as the Oracle that, if we have your help, General, we will succeed. Can we count on your cooperation?”
“Since you sound so sure, very well; my sword is yours, Colette-dono.”
The negotiations had been a success.
“Thank you, Gramps!”
“G-Gramps?! Being called that feels kind of embarrassing.”
“Um...do you not want me to call you that?”
“I...suppose it’s fine.”
Colette had managed to secure the help she needed and Rion had successfully made another “friend.” If Gerard were here, he might have been green with Gerardsy! Never mind. That was nothing. Don’t read my mind, Melfina!
“Mel-sama, Kelvin-sama, allow me to explain the plan that Rion-sama and I worked out together. May I have a bit of your time?”
◇ ◇ ◇
The air was filled with heavy rumbling as the double doors to the highest floor opened. The first person to step through them was Dan.
It was not his first time there. The somewhat dimly lit and extremely spacious hall at the very top of the palace was only used for truly special occasions. Even members of the royal family were not allowed access without the king’s express permission. It was the closest thing Trycen had to a holy site. Not even Dan, holding one of the highest positions of authority in the army, could easily get inside.
However, there was one thing the old veteran could, with certainty, say was out of place: the magic circle drawn in what appeared to be soot that covered the entire floor. His instincts cried out, warning him of the danger.
Despite that, there was something else he could not tear his eyes away from.
“Shutola-sama...”
Standing in the middle of the hideous magic circle was Shutola Trycen, General of the Black Ops, Princess of Trycen, and the very person he had been searching for. The blonde hair she had inherited from her mother fluttered slightly. She looked dressed up as if on her way to a party. Although she was absolutely stunning in her gothic lolita-like dress, its mismatch with the teddy bear in her arms and the strange atmosphere induced by the magic circle cast an uncanny shade over the scene.
“Ah, here I was wondering who it would be! You’re so late, Dan! The ceremony’s about to start!”
The general was so taken by surprise that he did not know how to answer. Shutola’s tone wasn’t the calm and ladylike one he was used to, but rather one from much earlier, back when she was still a child who said whatever came to mind.
“I apologize, Shutola-sama. However, may I ask what this ceremony you are talking about is?”
“Do you even have to ask? My marriage to daddy, of course!”
Once again, Dan found himself at a loss for words. It wasn’t entirely unheard of for young daughters to dream of marrying their fathers, especially if they grew up under the care of one who particularly inspired respect and did a good job of expressing his love for his family. Case in point, Shutola herself had gone through such a phase. However, that was far in the past. Now, at eighteen years of age, she had long since come to terms with reality. She had even clawed her way up to being the general of one of the branches of the Trycenian forces. As such, Dan was extremely perplexed by her words.
“Until now, he only ever smiled and changed the topic when I brought it up, but he suddenly said ‘yes’ today! I don’t quite get it, but he said he’d love me! I’m so happy, I feel like I’m on cloud nine!”
“Today...”
In other words, it had happened either after Dan and the Steel Knight Order had returned to the capital or started their assault on the castle with Kelvin’s group. If Tristan was to be believed, King Zel had done something to Shutola, and the end result was her current state. The natural implication was that the king was no longer in his right mind.
“But look at you, Dan! It’s such an important occasion, and not only are you late, you showed up wearing dirty armor!”
“Shutola-sama, this—”
“That’s enough, General,” Colette interrupted, joining him in the hall. “She’s clearly been brainwashed.”
The moment Shutola saw the Oracle, her eyes sparkled. “You came for my big day too, Colette-chan?! I’m so happy! The last time we saw each other was at that dinner party, wasn’t it?”
“Shutola, you’re...”
“You know what, Colette-chan? Lunoir-chan and Ashley disappeared somewhere. We’re friends but they didn’t even say anything to me...”
Colette studied Shutola quietly. She knew the reason that Lunoir Victoria and Ashley Brize—who now went by the names Sylvia and Ema, respectively—had left Trycen, after asking them in person during the dinner party hosted in Parth. It wasn’t clear whether Shutola knew the reason as well, but it seemed obvious that her current memories were quite jumbled.
How long has it been since we called each other “Colette-chan” and “Shutola-chan”? And the teddy bear she’s holding is the one I gave her as a present back then, isn’t it?
The words “age regression” came to mind.
“But it’s fine! He was late, but Dan still made it, and you’ve come all the way from Deramis. Esteemed brother Azgrad isn’t here yet, but I’m sure he’ll arrive just before it starts. Whenever big brother Tabura bullied me, he always came to my rescue. Huh... Colette-chan, did you get bigger? And you’re so pretty now!”
“I think the same of you, Shutola.”
“Aww, you mean it?” The princess spread her arms and twirled as if showing herself off. She showed no signs of doubting her current situation, likely due to the brainwashing she had undergone.
“Where is King Zel?”
“Daddy is in the back, busy preparing the venue for the ceremony! But he doesn’t want anyone getting in his way, so I can’t let you pass until he says it’s okay!”
Colette took a step forward. “I’m truly sorry, but we have an urgent matter with King Zel. Would you please step aside?”
“YOU CAN’T!” Shutola screamed.
In response, the magic circle sprang to life, emanating a terrifying pressure. Even though they were indoors, a fierce gust sprang up and blasted Dan and Colette backwards.
“You can’t! You just can’t! You have to do what daddy says! If I’m not a good girl, daddy will hate me!”
“Shutola...”
Shadowy monsters emerged from the circle, which seemed to be growing in power in proportion to the intensity of her emotions. The number of monsters increased unchecked as she stood in place, trembling.
“I can’t forgive anyone who tries to get in daddy’s way. Not even you, Colette-chan,” the princess swore, her eyes glazed over with madness.
“I’m afraid there’s no avoiding this after all,” Colette replied sadly. “General Dan!”
“Understood! Shutola-sama, I’m very sorry, but please take a nap!”
“I DON’T WANT TO!”
The old knight darted between the monsters, which were still taking form, and reached out for her arm. Just before he managed to reach her, however, another figure leaped out from behind her and blocked him.
“You too, Satella?”
The woman clad in black now standing before them was Satella, the lieutenant general of the Black Ops. Like the princess, her eyes were devoid of sanity.
“Please take care of them, Satella!”
“As you wish, Your Highness. I will now remove the intruders.” Satella’s short sword was drawn from its sheath, accompanied by a blast of killing intent.
Dan reached for the greatsword on his back and shouted, “Colette-dono!”
“Thank you for buying me time!”
A pale bluish-white barrier sprang up around the black magic circle, perfectly containing Colette, Dan, Shutola, Satella, and the emerging monsters.
“What...is this?”
“It’s a secret technique passed down through generations of the Oracles of Deramis. Neither you nor Satella can pass through this barrier.”
This spell was different from the one she had cast for Kelvin and Sylvia’s fight. It was the highest-tier version—not only did it prevent attacks generated inside from leaking out, it gave her complete control over who was allowed to step across.
“I can break through it!” Shutola insisted stubbornly, directing the monsters under her control to attack the barrier while Dan and Satella kept each other busy. But the spell held firm and remained unharmed.
“Judging by how hard they’re hitting, these monsters all seem to be Rank A. We should be fine,” Colette murmured as she produced an MP potion and gulped it down.
Shutola stomped her foot angrily. “Then I’ll just defeat you, Colette-chan!”
The crowd of monsters turned and began rushing towards the Oracle. But three white magic circles appeared in front of her.
“My apologies, Your Highness, but I cannot allow anyone to pass through,” Captain Cliff of the Holy Order of Knights declared as he slaughtered the closest enemies the instant he appeared. Stone sculptures—a lion and an angel—towered on either side of him.
“Cliff, Mystic Cougar, and Angel Statue, keep me safe.”
“As you command!”
Cliff brought his sword up, the lion roared, and the angel floated upwards. Seeing Colette’s subordinates preparing for battle, Shutola tightened her grip on the teddy bear.
But these three were not her only unexpected visitors.
“Colette, I’m leaving the princess to you!”
“Good luck, Gramps Dan!”
Two people zipped through the room at incredible speed and ran past them and into the passage beyond like gusts of wind, words of encouragement on their lips.
“Thirty minutes! I swear I will keep this barrier up for at least that long! I wish you both godspeed!” Colette replied.
“That’ll be enough!” the two figures shouted back in unison.
Then they were gone, leaving behind only Colette’s swelling excitement and Shutola’s rising distress.
“I said you can’t! You’re not allowed to go inside!”
Colette’s aim was to save Shutola. Locking her up inside a barrier wasn’t the most orthodox definition of “saving” someone, but it did prove effective at cutting her off from the Demon Lord. Even if the building were to collapse, she would remain safe inside the barrier.
In short, it was an emergency shelter for her to remain within until the Demon Lord was defeated. The real reason Dan had rushed so close was to protect Shutola in case the shadowy monsters turned around and attacked her. He was more than powerful enough to handle Satella while fighting the monsters approaching his back.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to forget about the marriage ceremony,” Colette said firmly. “But I’ll play with you here instead. This barrier is extremely draining, yet I’ve never felt better—I can drink as many potions as I need to! Don’t worry, I will free you from your insanity with my own insanity—my religious piety! To that end, Shutola-chan, let’s play again. Just like we used to.”
◇ ◇ ◇
Dragon roars reverberated through the air on the left side of Trycen Castle where the headquarters of the Dragon Knight Order were located. Here, at this fortress above a ravine, where thousands of dragons nested, the dragon knight garrison was fighting alongside Sabato and his party. The beastkin had parted ways with Gerard and Dan after they’d broken through the front gate and headed here instead.
“A dragon’s coming for you, Goma! Do your best to incapacitate it without killing it!”
“You don’t have to remind me! The main force of the Dragon Knight Order is on our side now, right?!”
Goma ducked underneath both the clawed swipe from the approaching beast and the thrust unleashed by the soldier on its back. The dragon knight clicked his tongue at having missed, then immediately took a dropkick to the face that sent him flying far away.
The dragon that was left behind shot a worried glance at its partner, but it only had a moment to be concerned. With flowing motions, Goma chained her dropkick into an ax kick that landed squarely on the dragon’s forehead and knocked it out straightaway.
“Beautifully executed, Goma-sama!”
“I can handle myself, so go help Guin, Akgas. I know these are only their leftovers, but there are still a few adult dragons mixed in with the whelps and subdragons. When Guin’s alone—”
“I so can’t hold on much longer! Save me, Akgas-san!”
“When will he man up?” Akgas sighed even as he headed over to deal with the dragons that were chasing Guin around.
There were very few left among the troops of the Dragon Knight Order. However, a beast—or a dragon, in this case—was most dangerous when wounded. The beastkin knew not to let down their guard just yet.
“Curse you, beastkin! That’s enough lies from you!”
“This is the time to prove yourselves, men! Surround the enemy!”
“Gah, they’re not listening, no matter how many times we try to explain it to them,” Sabato complained. “This is getting annoying. Still, I suppose we’re having an easier time of it than they are...”
The beastkin shot a quick glance at the eastern sky, where a figure massive enough to reach the clouds was currently fighting two enormous dragons. It was not a fight that he and his companions could approach much less participate in. However, not being able to do so meant failing to surpass his father, the great Beast King. It was a goal that he would have to reach one day, but the path would be long and treacherous indeed.
“Don’t look away in the middle of battle!” Goma chided him. “And did you really think they’d obediently lay down their arms if you shouted at them? No surprise they became wary of you!”
“Why, though?! All I did was tell them Azgrad had changed sides. Stop making that fist! If you want to punch someone, hit the enemy, not me!”
“Rather than getting stronger, you should probably work on your stupidity first.”
“You say that, but I’m doing my best with what little brains I have.”
“Yes, I know you are. That’s the problem.”
“Heads up! Incoming.”
Sabato was pointing to an area of the sky where a white dragon emanating a markedly different aura was approaching. The other flying beasts and their knights looked extremely surprised, indicating that even they had not expected this new arrival. However, as Rank A adventurers, both Goma and Sabato could tell that this dragon one was far more powerful than they themselves were.
“Heh heh, opportunities really do hit you out of the blue. Goma! If we defeat that dragon, do you think we can finally reach Rank S?”
“Don’t be overcon—” She stopped short. “Hold on...”
“What’s this? You getting fainthearted? That’s not like you at all! If you aren’t charging in, then I’m—mmmphh!”
Just as Sabato made to lunge forward, Goma’s backfist sent him crashing into the wall of the fortress.
“Cough, cough, cough. Dude, can you not?! Hello, ongoing battle h—”
“Shush! Looks like this fight is over.”
Sabato continued to protest as he wobbled to his feet, aching all over, but instead of being worried about him, Goma urged him to hurry with a death glare. He thought it somewhat unreasonable but still obliged. After studying the approaching dragon in the sky a while longer, he understood her urgency.
“All of you, stop fighting the Gaunians!”
“General Azgrad?!”
The voice that had shouted the command from the dragon’s back was that of Azgrad, who as far as the Trycenians knew, had gone missing after departing for the front lines. The soldiers fell into total confusion.
“You’re...back safe and sound, General!”
“But, General, these people are intruders—”
“SILENCE! I don’t have time to explain! Just shut up and follow me!”
The high-handed reply that made even Sabato’s attempts seem patient left the men below speechless.
“I’ll answer your questions later. YOUR ANSWER?”
“SIR, YES, SIR!”
“Good!”
Rosalia made a conscious effort not to let her reaction to Azgrad bringing his men together through sheer force of will show on her face.
“Couldn’t you have explained things to them in a more reasonable manner?”
“That’s Shutola’s ballgame, not mine. I get things done my way.”
“I...suppose you have been like that ever since you were young. All right, we’re here.” She abruptly dropped to land in front of Sabato and his party.
“Yo! You guys the adventurers Kelvin mentioned?” Azgrad asked lightly. “Wait, you’re Sabato and Goma. Uh, why does Sabato look more beat up than the rest of you?”
“That’s because this barbar—iaaannnnn!”
“Please pay him no mind. Actually, let me rephrase that: please ignore him. So, you’ll be backing us up, Prince Azgrad? Uh...to attack your own castle?”
“Well, a bunch of stuff happened. I’ve got a whole lotta subordinates who can’t stand being in someone’s debt. And I’m kinda just, well, along for the ride.”
“In other words, you’re as fond of fighting as ever.”
“I won’t deny that. But hey, thanks for not killing my men and their dragons. That said, we have no time right now. Can you leave the quarreling for—”
A bluish-white light shot up into the sky. Azgrad, Rosalia, Goma, and the newly recovered Sabato turned and saw that it had originated from the top of the castle. Sabato and his companions, who had seen Kelvin’s promotion match in person, recognized the sight immediately.
“That’s the Oracle’s barrier, isn’t it? It looks just like the one from the exhibition match in Parth,” Sabato exclaimed.
“It’s certainly the secret technique of the Oracle of Deramis,” Goma agreed. “But...”
Azgrad clenched his fist. “What is this overwhelming dark aura? Why is it coming from you, you shitty old man?!”
A malevolent power had ballooned up and over the main palace, threatening to swallow up the holy barrier cast by Colette.
◇ ◇ ◇
With the Oracle’s help, Kelvin and Rion managed to pass by Shutola and climb to the roof of Trycen Castle, which was a large, circular space. The princess had mentioned something about preparing for a ceremony, but there wasn’t a hint of anything celebratory there. All they found was the cold, smooth floor and a grandiose throne that faced outwards, commanding a view of the city below.
Seated on that throne was Zel Trycen.
“Pretty dominating setup you’ve got here, Your Majesty.”
“You must be Grim Reaper.”
The royal seat was positioned so that its back was facing the entrance of the passage that Kelvin and Rion had emerged from. Naturally, that meant Zel was not looking at them. Even so, he showed no indication of shifting from his current pose, sitting with his head propped up and his elbow on the armrest.
“I’m asking just in case, but do you have any intention of surrendering? We’ve immobilized pretty much all the soldiers inside the palace and all your precious knight orders are temporarily out of commission. You’re the only one left.”
“Surrender? Ha ha ha, what an amusing suggestion. My pawns did entertain me somewhat, but never once did I pin my hopes on them. As long as I remain standing... Ah, no, Shutola is indispensable as well. She will need to bear my children to create the perfect lineage: those who carry the blood of one who has awakened to true power.”
Zel chuckled as he stood, then turned to look at Kelvin and Rion. His eyes were completely black, without a shred of humanity remaining.
“I shall kill you and your little friends here, followed immediately by the Heroes of Deramis. Then I shall have my beloved Shutola bear my child. Grim Reaper, this is the day this world learns what it means to be ruled by terror. Everything shall be destroyed, trampled, and obliterated by my demonic forces!”
“Oh, we don’t need the speech, thanks.”
Stab!
“Hm?”
An azure lance that was still rotating suddenly protruded from the Trycenian king’s chest. It was, of course, Holy Lance Luminary—Melfina’s weapon.
“Purge, Luminary.”
The attack was meant to be a complete surprise, as Melfina had emerged from a concealed magic circle behind the king’s back. With a high-pitched whine, the lance continued to spin until the azure brilliance it gave off had expanded to envelope the entire figure of the king.
Holy Lance Luminary possessed the ability to purge any and all malice from a target. Although it didn’t deal direct damage during that process, the lance of the gods could completely alter someone’s personality, turning the most malicious individual into an altruist. Since gods and goddesses weren’t supposed to unduly affect the mortal realm, there were many restrictions on the use of such a weapon. Or at least, there were supposed to be, but Melfina had unleashed it with everything she had.
“This magic signature... Who are you?!”
“Oh my, looks like you’ve already fully awakened.”
Melfina pulled her lance back out and leaped to Kelvin’s side. As she did so, the light surrounding Zel quickly dissipated.
::Honey, I’m sorry, but he’s too far gone. He’s completed his transformation into the Demon Lord.::
::No, it’s fine. Thank you for checking. Now we can tell General Dan that we did try. So, we know for sure this guy is the Demon Lord now.::
Kelvin was staring straight at the words “Mara Pisuna” in the Skills category of Zel’s Status.
◇ ◇ ◇
What was a Demon Lord? Even the goddess Melfina could not answer that question precisely. Or to be exact, she probably knew the answer, but part of the restrictions placed on her artificial body forbade her from sharing information that was deemed confidential by the gods.
So I summarized for myself everything that I knew so far:
Periodically, someone became a Demon Lord. Without exception, these people all possessed the Mara Pisuna skill and the power to destroy the entire world, and they were filled with malice.
When there were signs that the next Demon Lord would be appearing soon, the Oracle of Deramis would receive a visit from and be blessed by the Goddess of Reincarnation. The Oracle would then summon Heroes from another world—whether a single person or a group—who would invariably go on to defeat the Demon Lord. The most recent Demon Lord had been Sera’s father, Gustav.
Whenever someone became a Demon Lord, they would use everything at their disposal to plunge the world into chaos. Those powerful in battle would do so on their own, those holding political authority would mobilize their nations, and those with financial influence would seek to topple society as a whole.
The Mara Pisuna skill protected all Demon Lords from any attack and could be nullified only when the Demon Lord was assaulted by a party that included an otherworlder.
Upon successfully defeating the Demon Lord of the age, the Hero or Heroes would be presented the option of returning to their own world or living out the rest of their lives in this one. Those who chose to stay would be guaranteed appropriate remuneration and social status, but even those who returned home would receive a reward within the framework of their own world—in my case, that meant something appropriate for modern Japan. Apparently, the gods intended it to be a form of reparations for suddenly yanking someone out of their own life and burdening them with an immense undertaking.
In my case, well...the fight itself was the reward. Then again, I hadn’t even been summoned as a Hero—if anything, the reward was more pertinent to Rion than me. And according to what she had shared with me before, my sister had no intention whatsoever of returning to modern Japan.
Your big brother is relieved to hear it, Rion.
::Can you see the Demon Lord’s Status, Kel-nii?::
Oh, oops, that train of thought under Parallel Processing took a pretty big detour. And now Rion is checking in.
Yep, I’m uploading it to the Network now, I replied telepathically.
I had been so absorbed by the sight of the Demon Lord’s first Unique Skill that I only now took a better look at the rest of his Status.
Zel Trycen (58 y/o, Male, Human (Demon Lord), Ruler)
Level: 41
Title: King of Trycen
HP: 2,285/2,285 (+2,000)
MP: 2,320/2,320 (+2,000)
Strength: 1,151 (+1,000)
Endurance: 1,127 (+1,000)
Agility: 1,098 (+1,000)
Magic: 1,160 (+1,000)
Luck: 1,155 (+1,000)
Skills: Mara Pisuna (Unique Skill), Royal Decree (Unique Skill), Sword Mastery (Rank B), Black Magic (Rank D), Army Command (Rank C), Nerves of Steel (Rank D), Companionship (Rank D), Negotiation (Rank C), Conversation (Rank B)
Passive Effects: Mara Pisuna/Demon Lordification, Concealment (Rank A)
The stats buffs he’s receiving from the Mara Pisuna skill are absolutely off the charts—it’s like he got a whole Clotho added onto his base numbers. It’s not to the point where we can’t handle it, but it would definitely be too much for the Heroes. Zel’s skills and base stats seem reasonable for someone of his level who’s so-so at fighting. If I had to comment, I would point out that more than half of his skills aren’t even battle-oriented. In other words, his original build is not specced to be a one-man army. A damn shame, really.
What really caught my attention was Zel’s second Unique Skill. It seemed to be the most likely culprit for the brainwashed state of Shutola and Trycen’s soldiers.
“Shall we get this banquet underway? For starters, all of you, kill yourselves.”
While speaking, the king drew his magnificently ornamented sword. I felt my right hand respond slightly to his “kill yourselves” command, but then the Goddess’s Ring I was wearing resisted, after which I felt no other effects. I used telepathy to confirm that Rion and Melfina had also felt something strange in their weapon-holding hands for a fraction of a second.
A look of surprise came over the Demon Lord’s face.
All right, clearly Royal Decree is the ability to control other people with his words!
::Whoa, that means if it wasn’t for these rings that Mel-nee made us, we would have killed ourselves just now? Talk about a close one!::
::Even I’m surprised to see that what I made as a countermeasure against Clive has proved useful here.::
My thoughts raced. If he can control people just by speaking, that is definitely a terrifying power. Judging from the atmosphere around the soldiers and citizens of Trycen, this works in a very different way from Clive’s Charm Eye. The victims still possess their sense of self yet are not conscious of being controlled. I can’t imagine a more perfect skill for mobilizing a country and pulling its strings. Hmm...would it help if we used earplugs? Yeah, I’m serious. After all, we can communicate just fine through the Network. Oh wait, Clotho doesn’t have any earplugs in Storage. We’ve never encountered a situation where we needed them before. I mean, it would be a crime to wear them in bed.
::Although the rings can resist Zel’s control to a certain degree, we’re still affected for a split second, right?:: Melfina commented. ::That split second could prove fatal.::
::What an annoying skill, huh? But there’s only one thing to do, then!:: Rion answered, clearly thinking along the same lines as me.
We could not afford to take too long, as Colette was working hard to hold Shutola back with her barrier even now. Knowing her, she would keep at it even if it required her to push herself beyond her limits and discard her dignity as a woman. It made me both happy and pained that she was willing to go so far for us. We had to finish up here as soon as possible so that the worst-case scenario would not come to pass.
Yep, let’s charge straight into close-quarters combat!
::Lightning attacks are what I’m good at!::
::We shall finish him off without giving him time to say another word!::
With everyone in agreement, the three of us charged forward with scythe, double swords, and lance in hand, respectively—Rion and I from the front, and Melfina from the back.
Zel’s Agility stat was quite a threat at 1,098, but it paled in comparison to Rion’s and Mel’s base stats as well as my own after casting Sonic Acceleration. We rushed towards him faster than wind—no, faster than even electrical impulses.
“Kne—”
Not a word from you!
Reaching him first, I swung Boreas Death Scythe in an upward slash to interrupt Zel’s second attempt to use Royal Decree. Analyze Eye informed me that the sword he was holding had been passed down through the Trycenian royal family for generations. He attempted to block my attack with it, but that was a bad choice. Of course, his weapon was Rank S, so his decision made sense...under normal circumstances. Against my scythe, however, it was a different story.
“Ugh!”
My weapon bisected the royal sword before going on to amputate Zel’s right arm near the elbow. He looked astonished by the fact that he had gotten hurt but recovered almost immediately. Even before his severed arm hit the floor, he had leaped to the side of the roof farthest from us, even going to the trouble of throwing up a smokescreen using Black Magic. However, a mere Rank D spell was nothing to my two companions.
::Star-Studded Stage!::
::Lightning Enhancement!::
Melfina’s chantless White Magic spell generated countless dazzling stars that rose up into the sky and instantaneously shredded the veil of night. At the same time, Rion, who had become as fast as lightning, circled around Zel, with Demon Sword Caladbolg and one Black Sword Aklama held at the ready. As he was still in the middle of his leap, the king was off balance. The only thing he could do was again use Royal Decree.
“Sle—”
Needless to say, Rion did not allow him to finish. The blade, charged with crackling energy, slashed across Zel’s back, followed quickly by Aklama stabbing deeply into his left leg and nailing it to the floor, effectively halting his movements. The furiously sparkling electrical charge spread out from the king’s back to cover his entire body, robbing him of the ability to speak.
Good job, Rion. All yours, Melfina.
::Luminary, shift to Holy Extermination Form. Charge MP.::
Once again, Melfina’s lance began rotating at high speed. An even more furious-sounding whine than last time filled the air, accompanied by a bluish-white light that quickly grew blinding. This was Luminary’s second ability. If the previous function was to eliminate evil in the mind, this was meant to erase a target entirely so that not even a speck of dust remained.
Rion had already gotten out of the path of this superweapon hailing from the era of the gods. Zel, in contrast, was still paralyzed.
Go for it!
::Luminary Burst!::
Light gathered at the tip of Mel’s weapon, then blasted out as a thick beam that pierced Zel, erased him, and purified his very existence. Visually, the attack seemed quite similar to Clotho’s Mortality Beam, but the damage it dealt was on a whole other level. The strike of divine punishment—in the literal sense of the word, considering who had used it—extended far into the distance. After what felt like ages, the beam finally shrank and disappeared.
Did we get him?!
::Honey, did you have to go and jinx it?::
I mean, this is the Demon Lord we’re talking about. The fun can’t be over this easily. Everything so far has just been the opening skirmish, right?
::I understand what you’re saying, but...::
::Kel-nii, up there!::
“Kneel.”
Just as I received Rion’s message, a Royal Decree reached our ears from on high. We felt the soles of our feet press into the ground for less than a second. When we looked up, we found what was remaining of Zel—his head, one shoulder, and a barely connected left arm—floating in the air.
Seriously? How high is your vitality stat that you’re still alive in that state?
“Do not move. It’s a pity; you would have defeated me if you’d had several seconds more. Unfortunately, your time is up.”
Is he waiting for something?
::Kelvin! A part of Clive is heading your way! He’s faster than I expected!::
My thoughts were interrupted by a telepathic message from Sera. I checked the map and found her approaching our location at incredible speed—she would likely reach us in a few seconds. However, there was something else flying ahead of her: a disfigured object that looked like some sort of blade.
That’s...Clive?
“Do not interfere. Husk of the fool who was Clive, now is the time for you to truly serve me.”
Before I could react, the incoming projectile pierced Zel’s forehead, then swelled up as if it were jelly and swallowed the entirety of what was left of his body. It continued squirming and expanding until the bulging mass formed a somewhat humanoid shape.
::Aww, I was too late!::
Sera landed with a crash that sounded far heavier than her light body would normally generate, biting her bottom lip in frustration. I glanced over and realized she was covered head to toe in Crimson Scrimmage, a new, original spell that she had developed by incorporating Blood Dominion into Jin Scrimmage. It was essentially armor made of blood, giving her the appearance of a terrifying classic demon as described in the legends. She had come up with the move after Evolving to Demon Blood Lord and gaining Bloodbending as a Unique Skill. She rarely used it even in our practice matches.
Was your fight so difficult that you had to bring that out, Sera? You sounded kind of stressed in your message just now too.
::Huh? Uh...yeah! I can’t believe how heated it got. But enough of that. The Demon Lord’s more important now!::
Can’t argue with that.
I kind of felt like Sera was changing the subject, but as she’d said, the Demon Lord did take priority. I put the fact that she had also let a tough opponent slip through her fingers out of my head.
Demon Lord, Demon Lord, Demon Lord.
::Sera-nee, what was that thing? You and Zel mentioned a name?:: Rion asked as she pulled Aklama out of the floor. The blade had been in the line of fire of the Luminary Burst that Melfina had unleashed—it had been keeping Zel nailed down—but had remained unscathed due to its toughness. Part of that was probably due to the fact that Luminary Burst’s damage was mainly effective against that which is evil and impure, but even so, the other Rank S weapons that Rion possessed might not have survived.
The secret ingredient is, of course, my familial love for my little sister.
::Mm, it’s sort of like...the remainder of the Clive guy, the one Kelvin couldn’t finish off that time. I destroyed his body, but the cursed blade that was part of him got away. That’s what you just saw.::
So I didn’t mishear! Sera, are you all right?! Did that pervert try to do anything bad to you?! Did he look at you with lewd eyes?!
::Don’t worry, my father’s blessing protected me. And I had Mel’s ring too.::
I see... That’s a relief to hear...
I mentally bowed down to Sera’s father. Thank you, dad whose face I don’t know! Wait, but if his blessing activated, that means... Oh, right.
::Aha ha, you’re such a worrywart, Kel-nii. Anyway, what do you mean by the cursed blade being a part of him, Sera-nee?::
::Um, it’s hard to describe. Let me just show you guys how he looked when I fought him.::
As she spoke, an image of a very grotesque Clive appeared through the Network. Oof, that’s gross.
He looks quite different from how I remember him. Though that nauseating face is still the same.
::Honey, this...::
Oh, do you know what this is? Teach us, Melfina-sensei!
::It’s a deviant subspecies of human called cursekin. Some people incorrectly believe this is one of the paths of Evolution for humans, but as it involves inundating a person with curses, it cannot be considered a natural one. Its existence was discovered long, long ago when battle slaves were equipped with cursed weapons. Looking at this, however, we aren’t talking about just one or two curses. How did Trycen gather this many?::
According to the explanation from our trustworthy teacher, Clive had, through an absolutely insane method, strengthened himself to the point where he was almost as powerful as Sera.
Sure, he was a pervert who would do and say absolutely ridiculous things, but was he really the kind of guy who would sacrifice himself and go this far?
::Honey, the Demon Lord is about to make his move.::
Gotcha. Everyone, share anything you notice about him while fighting.
After merging with Clive, Zel’s appearance had completely transformed, as if he were in a whole new body. When he had been human, he had carried the dignity of a king that had instilled fearful awe in the beholder. Now, he was nothing like that. He towered over us like a giant, and his skin had turned black like a night that threatened to devour all. Although he wasn’t quite on the level of Gigant Lord, the monster Rion had fought in the Forest of Crests, his current size was more than enough of a threat in this limited space. On his head were sinister horns that seemed to pierce the sky, and he was wearing armor that was emanating a very unsettling aura...
Well, there would be no end if every part of him were to be described in full, so in an effort to sum it all up in a single term: Demon Lord. Now his appearance truly lived up to the title of a being who could shake the world and threatened to bring it to its knees.
“Ha ha... HA HA HA! NeveR HaD I ImagineD ThaT I WoulD Be ReborN In SucH GlorY!”
Zel laughed fearlessly, looking around in his brand new form. His voice was filled with strength, so much so that it was triggering my Danger Detection. I strongly suspected his words were laced with magic.
“HmM, LookS LikE ThaT FooL’s SkillS AlL DroppeD QuitE A BiT FroM HiS UnnaturaL EvolutioN. ThougH In ExchangE, He DiD GaiN A FeW OtherS... No MatteR, This ShalL ServE.”
There we go. He’s successfully transformed into his second form. This is a must-have in Demon Lord fights, of course. All right, let’s take a look at his new Status!
Zel Trycen (58 y/o, Male, Cursekin (Demon Lord), Ruler)
Level: 132
Title: He Who Brings Destruction
HP: 5,660/5,660 (+2,000)
MP: 3,291/3,291 (+2,000) (+369)
Strength: 2,617 (+1,000)
Endurance: 2,293 (+1,000)
Agility: 2,032 (+1,000)
Magic: 1,480 (+1,000)
Luck: 1,156 (+1,000)
Skills: Mara Pisuna (Unique Skill), Royal Decree (Unique Skill), Charm Eye (Unique Skill), Cursed Item Creation (Unique Skill), Sword Mastery (Rank B), Green Magic (Rank C), Black Magic (Rank D), Analyze Eye (Rank D), Magic Detection (Rank D), Concealment (Rank D), Army Command (Rank C), Nerves of Steel (Rank D), Companionship (Rank D), Negotiation (Rank C), Conversation (Rank B), Storage (Rank A), Auto Healing (Rank A), Spirit (Rank C)
Passive Effects: Mara Pisuna/Demon Lordification, Concealment (Rank A)
I had to suppress my urge to raise both my hands in celebration. We finally had an opponent with stats over two thousand—I didn’t care that it was from buffs, since what mattered was the effective numbers. Of course, I promptly uploaded the information to the Network. Everyone else had to see this guy’s Status too.
Sera glared at him, murmuring, ::I think he probably absorbed all of Clive’s stats and skills. I didn’t see Clive’s Status myself, but this generally matches what I observed while I was fighting him.::
Seriously? Guys, take a good look at Sera’s battle footage. Zel might come at us with similar moves.
Clive’s fighting style had been centered around using Green Magic and close combat with cursed weapons. He was probably also the source of the new Unique Skills that Zel had gained.
“NoW, BolD AdventurerS. I HaD NoT ExpecteD YoU To HavE A HerO AmonG YouR NumberS AnD To CorneR Me So FaR. NoW, HoweveR, I Am YouR GriM ReapeR. BeholD ThiS PoweR ThaT SeetheS WitH ME! I Am ThE MosT PowerfuL DemoN LorD In AlL HistorY! MUA HA HA HA!”
The creature’s laughter showed no signs of abating. Uh, is it just me or did his personality change drastically after merging with Clive?
“The strongest in history, you say! You think that’s a title you can take on just by joining with that self-claimed protagonist?”
“HA HA HA, VerY WelL, I ShalL TelL YoU ThiS As A PartinG GifT. WhaT I NeedeD WaS NoT ClivE HimselF, BuT HiS VesseL. WhY ElsE Do YoU ThinK I KepT HiM ArounD? ThE MalicE FroM HiS BodY CarryinG A CountlesS NumbeR of CurseS BecamE CrystallizeD IntO A SinglE SworD. HiS FilthY MinD WaS NothinG BuT A HindrancE, BuT HiS BodY—ThE BodY Of An OtherworldeR—Is TrulY PricelesS. In OtheR WordS, ClivE WaS ThE SeedbeD FoR ThE ForginG Of A WeapoN ThaT Is TrulY WorthY Of Me. AnD ThaT WeapoN Is...”
He brought his right hand up and stabbed the part of his chest where his heart was supposed to be. Strangely, there was no blood. He seemed to grab hold of something, then pulled it out.
It was a longsword scaled to his current size—clearly unfit to be wielded by any normal human. And even if the issue of size were to be resolved, the wielder’s mind would be instantly crushed by the thousands of curses emanating from the blade.
“ThiS MaD SworD ClivE. HA HA HA, ThE NamE Is As DistastefuL As YoU WerE! HoweveR, I AcknowledgE YouR LoyaltY In PresentinG Me WitH NoT OnlY YouR SworD, BuT YouR PoweR As WelL! YoU HavE DonE WelL, ClivE!”
“Tempest Barrier,” I murmured, casting the Rank S Green Magic spell I’d learned from Clive through the abilities of my robe, Astarte’s Embrace.
A tornado sprang up around the roof, threatening to mince anything and anyone it came into contact with.
“WhaT Is ThE MeaninG Of ThiS? WhY HavE YoU SealeD YouR OwN PatH Of RetreaT? AnD WhY ArE YoU SmilinG? HavE YoU GonE InsanE?”
“Hey, thanks for all the exposition just now. I had a personal grudge against Clive, you know. I swore to myself that I would finish him off the next time I met him, but Sera got to him first, and he’s now gone. So I can’t fulfill that dream of mine anymore. But lo and behold, I found a replacement. I mean, practically half of you is Clive, right, O Mighty Demon Lord?”
“YoU DarE InsulT Me?!”
Learning from past mistakes is important. For the sake of relieving my frustrations and for the sake of ending this war...buddy, you’re not leaving here alive!
“Sonic Acceleration!”
Just before we dove back into the battle, I buffed all my companions with the Green Magic spell that doubled their Agility stats and renewed the cast on myself. Thanks to Parallel Processing, I managed to activate all four casts simultaneously and in such a short time that it was practically chantless. And now the wind was on our side.
Doing it did cost almost as much MP as using a Rank S spell, but our opponent was an absolute juggernaut with 2,032 in Agility. If I hadn’t cast it, he would have beaten us all in speed, with Melfina being the only one capable of keeping up.
“PerisH.”
A mere fraction of a second after I finished applying Sonic Acceleration to our team, the Demon Lord closed in on us. He lifted Mad Sword Clive up high and swung it down, drawing a trail of cursed energy that scattered all around. Rion and Sera darted to the left and right, respectively, while Melfina materialized her wings—a sign that she was getting serious—and flew away, employing evasive maneuvers.
Even I, with the lowest Agility stat in our group, managed to dodge somehow. However, if we allowed Clive to directly strike the floor, the castle itself would take massive damage. Colette, Dan, and Shutola were still on the floor directly below. I knew they were protected by Colette’s barrier, but I didn’t want to risk it. I also knew I would die if I took the attack head-on.
It would be a gamble, but should I aim for Zel’s blade with a flying Boreas Death Scythe?
::Honey, I made it in time. The others are safe now. I got them.::
Upon receiving Mel’s words of reassurance, I immediately mustered all my speed to dodge the falling sword. I didn’t even stop to think about it. Melfina said she’d gotten them, and that was all I needed to hear. I had complete trust in her.
“Hmph!”
Clive slammed into the castle floor, sending fragments of stone flying everywhere. But stone wasn’t the only thing that it had collided with—there was also a sheet of roses and briars made of ice that were covering the entire surface where we had stood. The flying shards stabbed the Demon Lord’s body in such numbers that any lesser monster would have been filled with holes. His skin, however, was made of much tougher stuff.
You’re a lifesaver, Melfina!
::It really was a close one. Clearly, this is going to be more trouble than the previous round.::
A countless number of briars not only covered the rooftop but also the entire outside wall of the palace. What Melfina had used was a Rank S Blue Magic spell by the name of Celsius Briar. This ultimate defensive measure involved completely enveloping a target with briars, which both protected the subject and dealt damage to any assailants. At face value, it sounded exactly like Frozen Vajra Briar, but in addition to being effective over a much larger area, Celsius Briar boasted far higher durability and was capable of differentiating between friend and foe. The ice briars never stopped growing, meaning that any damage it suffered would be repaired immediately. As long as Mel’s MP lasted, removing the roses from the rooftop would be nigh impossible.
Of course, her MP was not infinite, and she had just cast a Rank S spell. What’s more, the spell’s fuel efficiency was quite bad—the larger it grew, the more MP it drained. But that wasn’t a problem in our case.
::Gulp, gulp, gulp... I’m back to full!::
The solution was simple: just chug down a potion in a single breath. Normally, drinking a potion to recover MP in the middle of a battle was considered a bad idea, as it meant being entirely defenseless for a period of time. And if one wasn’t careful, it could also lead to a terrible tragedy like that which had befallen the Oracle of Deramis not long ago.
But Melfina—and perhaps also Sylvia, another Rank S adventurer I knew—was capable of instantaneously drinking a near limitless number of potions. It was a feat achievable only by true gluttons—those who had attained the Hearty Eating skill at Rank S. They could down the absolutely revolting elixir like it was a delicacy.
To complement that, Melfina had a mini Clotho hiding inside her light armor, and the stock of potions in the slime’s Storage far exceeded that of any wealthy merchant. Thanks to the synergy of this pairing, Melfina had access to even more MP than I did.
“YoU InsolenT...”
In fact, Celsius Briar had been deployed before I’d even cast Tempest Barrier. If not, the palace would have been obliterated as soon as Tempest Barrier had gone up. Melfina had actually cast Celsius Briar before we’d even breached the room where Shutola was.
After Rion and I had joined up and Colette had explained her plan to set up the barrier, Melfina had offered to freeze the outer wall of the castle “so that we’ll have a double layer of protection.” The reason, she went on to explain, was to alleviate the load on Colette and to guarantee that the building would withstand attacks not only from Shutola, but also from the Demon Lord. The religious fanatic had started almost hyperventilating, exclaiming, “A collaboration with Melfina-sama?!” But that was par for the course.
After we had finished discussing our strategy, Melfina had planted the seed right there on the terrace. It had rapidly expanded to envelop the castle’s exterior but had only reached the roof in the nick of time. I was worried that the Demon Lord would catch on after having obtained Magic Detection from his fusion with Clive, but apparently he was still unfamiliar with all his new skills.
Unfortunately, it looks like Celsius Briar by itself isn’t enough to stop him.
Not only were the briars already recovering from Zel’s attack, they were also wrapping themselves around the Demon Lord’s legs and Mad Sword Clive as if in revenge. Yet he still seemed to have no trouble moving about and brandishing his weapon. The wounds that the briars were dealing to his feet were healing almost immediately, likely due to the Auto Healing skill that Zel had gained from the late general. The damage from the icicles earlier was similarly gone, demonstrating that piling on minor attacks would be the wrong strategy to use here. Zel had a large HP pool, and his recovery rate was proportionally high.
::But he’s definitely slower than before! The briars are having an effect!:: Rion readjusted her grip on Aklama and rushed forward.
::Don’t let your guard down! He still has Green Ma—::
“StoP.”
We all froze. It was only for one or two seconds—no, maybe even less—but the intensity of what we were feeling was many times what it had been before Zel’s transformation, and it was clear that Royal Decree had finally affected us in a major way. The Goddess’s Rings on our fingers vibrated furiously as if attempting to deal with something beyond their capabilities. What was supposed to be a short period of time felt like eons. Every single thought in Parallel Processing screamed, “Move, move, move!” at me, but it was the Demon Lord who moved first.
::Aha, makes sense it’d be me...::
His target was the one who, having charged first, was now closest to him: Rion. The briars tried their best to entangle him, but his speed remained unaffected. I took a peek at his Status and found the words “Sonic Boots” under the Passive Effects field.
::Right, this did happen in the battle footage that Sera-nee shared. Um, sorry!::
::You dummy, Rion!:: Sera yelled. ::Move already, legs!::
The buff from Sonic Boots was apparently canceling out the debuff from the briars. In the blink of an eye, Zel was standing in front of Rion. At this rate, the three of us wouldn’t make it in time.
“FirsT OnE DowN!”
“ARF!” (I won’t let you!)
Alex suddenly leaped out from within Rion’s shadow with Lethal Opiate Sword in his mouth. He parried the attack and, at the same time, manipulated the shadows around him to grab his partner and throw her beyond the range of the Demon Lord’s attack. Zel’s swing faltered a bit in light of this new development, but it was still far too powerful for the wolf to handle.
Alex was blown backwards, with Lethal slipping from his mouth and flying through the air.
“UgH?!”
A flash of lightning shot past the wolf, grabbed Lethal before it hit the ground, accelerated even faster using Sky Walk, and brandished it alongside Aklama to launch a barrage of slashes at the Demon Lord’s head. At the same time...
::Well done, Alex!:: Sera praised the wolf as she landed a blood-drenched fist on Zel’s flank, sending him flying into the air.
The pair’s efforts successfully prevented the Demon Lord from dealing Alex a finishing blow.
::He did catch us off guard. But no more,:: Melfina declared in a displeased tone, thrusting Holy Lance Luminary towards our opponent’s heart.
Attacks fell like rain on the Demon Lord’s vitals, but he showed no sign of falling. I very much wanted to join the others, but I had something else I needed to do first.
After using wind to cushion Alex’s fall...
“Di—!”
I cast Silent Whisper around Zel’s mouth to prevent him from using Royal Decree again. He had seen that the ability could finally affect us and had therefore tried to use it again, but now his voice would no longer reach anyone’s ears. Needless to say, he looked extremely astonished at being unable to hear himself anymore.
Now you can’t rely on the easy way out. This is no time to look confused—you’d better think of a new move, and soon. I don’t think the girls are going to wait for you.
::Arf...?:: (What happened...to Rion?)
::Thanks to you, she’s fine. In fact, she’s already back in the thick of it.::
Our big dog had taken quite a bit of damage—it wasn’t fatal, though, thankfully—so I gave his head a quick pat and filled his HP back up with White Magic. For good measure, I also cast a curse-dispelling spell on him. And since Rion was now holding Lethal, I took Caladbolg out of Storage—I’d asked Clotho to retrieve it with a clone when Rion dropped it earlier—for him to use instead. Lastly, while I was at it, I buffed him with Sonic Acceleration too.
There ya go, buddy. Now let’s go and get back at him!
::Arf!:: (You bet!)
◇ ◇ ◇
“(YoU ImpertinenT AntS!)”
Countless pitch-black spears practically dripping with curses abruptly shot out from all over Zel’s body. None of them even came close to scratching the girls, though, as Clive had already revealed this trick to Sera earlier. Rion not only dodged those coming her way, she reduced them to dust with blasts of lightning.
Now that he could no longer use Royal Decree, Zel had no choice but to actually engage Sera, Rion, and Melfina in direct combat. All of his shallow wounds healed nearly instantaneously, but the damage that he had suffered while attempting to pursue Alex remained, preventing him from regaining the upper hand.
::His skin’s so tough!:: Rion complained. ::Aklama is kind of effective, but Lethal can’t damage him aside from pinpoint attacks on vital areas! And if I use Thunderclap Edge, it registers as elemental damage, so Lethal’s ability doesn’t activate.::
She was deftly using Sky Walk to zip all around the air—sometimes even using Covert Action—in a bid to constantly keep the Demon Lord distracted. She held Lethal in her right hand and Aklama in her left and slashed at Zel with every pass she made, but she was finding it difficult to so much as scratch his skin let alone inflict any major wounds. Aklama was tough enough to get through his defenses somehow, but the other blade wasn’t doing anything at all.
::I should be able to get to him using Lethal through his eyes and mouth, but—::
::That’s no reason for you to rush in by yourself again! It’s dangerous!::
::Sera’s right! It’s too early for you to consider yourself a master!::
::Ugh, I don’t really have a comeback after what just happened...::
Rion had landed several attacks on the Demon Lord’s head using Lethal after grabbing it from Alex. Although most of her blows had simply bounced off his black skin, she did land one stab in his eye. Thanks to that, he had lost his sense of taste. However, he had very likely caught on to her tactics, and the members of the older sister squad had determined that attempting another attack requiring her to be so up close and personal would be far too risky. Although Rion hated being treated like a child, she had no grounds to protest this time.
::Why are you insisting on using Lethal? Aklama comes in a pair, right?:: Sera asked.
Rion replied in a somewhat pouty tone, ::But I want to get revenge for Alex with the same sword...::
::So stubborn,:: Sera sighed. ::Mel, are you done recharging for another Luminary Burst?::
::My MP is full, but it’s going to be some time before my lance can handle another one,:: the goddess replied.
Steam was evaporating from the length of her weapon, indicating that she was already using Blue Magic to forcibly cool it down.
::All right, let us know. Zel’s regeneration is way too fast, so our only hope of killing him is to hit him with one big burst of damage.::
::So, we just have to hang on until then!::
::At least I’ve already seized control of a part of his body with Blood Dominion.::
Sera and Mel were doing a great job of fighting in concert with each other. Meanwhile, Zel had noticed that something was off. Ever since Sera had landed her blow, his waist seemed to have gained a will of its own and was actively working against him, turning in the wrong direction whenever he swung his sword. He was struggling to generate the force to both attack and defend.
::The core is crucial for all physical movements, after all! Anyone who can’t control their waist won’t be able to muster even half their usual power!::
::Nice job, Sera-nee! So, can I rush in now?::
::Oh no you don’t!::
::No rushing, Rion!::
::Ugh, I figured you’d say that...::
The attacks from all three working together fell with both unrelenting ferocity and unparalleled precision. Although Zel had bolstered his own Agility with Sonic Boots, the ice shackles from Celsius Briar still clung to his legs. There was no way for him to perfectly detect everything flying at him.
“(My BodY Is WarninG Me ThaT ThE RedheaD Is ThE MosT DangerouS. Hm? Is ClivE PerhapS...?)”
The Demon Lord started prioritizing Sera’s attacks.
“(HeH HeH HeH. WomaN, WhaT HavE YoU DonE To ClivE To MakE HiM ReacT So?)”
The Mad Sword started twisting itself, repeatedly altering its trajectory while closing in on Sera. It was the blade that was doing all the contortions, and unfortunately, it was not under Blood Dominion’s influence. Rion and Melfina gave their best effort at distracting it, but Clive ignored them, accelerating at an incredible rate.
“I can’t tell what you’re saying when your mouth is just flapping uselessly!” Sera shouted as her Blood Scrimmage-clad fist clashed against the blade that had extended so far it now looked like a spear.
The resulting shockwave spread out in all directions across the rooftop, making Rion back up several steps in the air and forcing Melfina to drop her center of gravity in order to maintain her footing. The tip of the extended blade let out a metallic screech as it pressed downwards with incredible weight, forcing Sera’s feet through the layer of icy briars where they became buried within.
“(MaD SworD ClivE Is An AccumulatioN Of CurseS! EveN I CannoT TelL WhaT YoU WoulD Be AfflicteD WitH If YoU ToucH ItS BladE CarelesslY!)”
“As I said, I—RAH—have no idea what you’re saying!” Sera finally succeeded in smashing the point of Mad Sword Clive up into the air, even managing to get a bit of her blood on it. In the end, she was the one who had been victorious in the exchange. However...
Ting.
Clive must have scraped her Clip of Camouflage as, right at that moment, it lost its abilities, and all the characteristics that marked Sera as a demon—her horns, wings, and tail—ceased to be invisible and could now be seen with the naked eye.
“(AfteR A HerO AnD An AngeL, NoW A DemoN ToO! GriM ReapeR, YoU SurE HavE An InterestinG EntouragE!)”
::How dare you—::
Glory Sanctuary.
“(HnG?!)”
A white magic circle as wide as the rooftop appeared, centered around the Demon Lord. It quickly turned into three floating rings that tightened around him, robbing him of the ability to move. Immediately afterwards, two blades slashed down. My Boreas Death Scythe sliced off his right arm, sword and all, while Alex used Caladbolg, which was crackling loudly with charged-up energy, to gouge out a huge portion of his left arm.
Sera, don’t let him get to you. Getting all worked up over it won’t do you any favors in battle, right?
I placed a hand on her head, casting a curse-dispelling spell while I was at it. The hair clip seemed to regain its powers, as her horns and other demonic parts faded back out of sight.
She pursed her lips a little. ::It’s going to take me quite a while to seize control of that sword with the small amount of blood I got onto it. Should I just kick it off the roof? It feels disgusting to have around.::
That sounds like a waste. Clotho, can you grab it please?
We had no need for the arm that was still attached to the sword, so I used Impact to blast it off, doing so in such a way that it flew directly into Tempest Barrier. Mad Sword Clive went straight into my buddy’s Storage to be purified and reforged at a later date. That way, we would gain a pure Clive, although on second thought, I wasn’t sure I even wanted a pure version of him, but I decided to leave that for some other time.
Only half a minute or so had elapsed before Alex and I rejoined the battle, but it had been a very eventful half-minute indeed.
“(A HigH-TiereD BindinG SpelL. GriM ReapeR, JusT HoW MucH MP Do YoU HavE?)”
Damn, his left arm’s already grown back? Yeah, we’re going to need one big attack. Anything less is going to be worthless.
::Kel-nii, you’ve been using pretty draining spells since the start of the fight. Are you okay on MP?::
::Don’t worry, Rion. I lent Honey my ace.::
::What ace is that?::
Melfina’s very special skill was, in fact, currently residing in my left Skill Eater gauntlet, and its name was...Hearty Eating! With this, I too could use as much MP as I needed!
I had expected this to be a drawn-out encounter from the start, so although there was nothing to be done about the terrible taste of the potions, I was capable of downing them in the blink of an eye. It was actually a pretty impressive skill.
“(MuA Ha Ha! It MatterS NoT, As I WilL BreaK OuT Of FlimsY BondS SucH As ThesE In No TimE At AlL!)”
I had no idea what Zel was saying but prayed that it was something along the lines of “I still have two more transformations!” At this point, Glory Sanctuary was down to a single ring. We had to get going and bring things to an end while the buff the spell provided us was still in effect.
Mel, you ready?
::Anytime, honey.::
Good. Rion, go on and charge in!
::Can I really?! Can Alex come with me?!::
Sure thing. Go from the front.
::Kelvin?!::
::Honey?!::
I understood their worries, but I also understood Rion’s desire for payback given what Zel had done to Alex.
It’s fine, I’ll handle anything that happens. Rion and Alex, you two do this. Then Sera, you move like this, I instructed them, marking up the map on the Network with the information.
::Oh, all right, fine. But make sure you take care of her!::
Ma’am, yes, ma’am! And Mel, you got this?
::I’m honestly surprised you can be so blithe even in a situation like this. Just promise me you’ll protect Rion properly, understand?::
Okay, I’m aware that I go a bit too far myself sometimes, but you two are pretty overprotective of her too, don’t you think?
Of course, making the impossible possible was my motto. So now that we were all on the same page, without further ado!
::Let’s do this, Alex!::
::Arf!:: (Yep!)
Rion and Alex, both buffed with Lightning Enhancement, shot forward, leaving trails of lightning in their wakes.
“(HerE I WaS, BracinG MyselF, WheN It TurnS OuT To Be MerelY MorE Of ThE SamE. HavE YoU NoT LearneD ThaT AlL AttackS ArE MeaninglesS AgainsT Me? AiR PressurE!)”
Oh no you don’t. Here’s Air Pressure from me in reverse.
Zel’s Green Magic was only at Rank C, but he had such overwhelming stats that his cast of Air Pressure was as powerful as a serious cast from me. Conversely, that meant I could actually deal with it if I genuinely tried, so I cast my own Air Pressure in the opposite direction, effectively canceling it out.
During this time, Rion and Alex had gotten within melee range. The latter tore the Demon Lord’s skin open using electrical damage dealt with the heavily charged Caladbolg, then the former followed up by tracing the wound and gouging it even further with Lethal. This happened more than four times in total, finally robbing our opponent of all five of his senses.
::Hmph!::
The next to spring into action was Sera, who had repositioned herself at Zel’s side. She unleashed a barrage of punches, all of them properly thrown from the waist. In no time at all, the Demon Lord’s armor cracked, shattered, and disappeared. As he had lost his sense of touch, he couldn’t even feel the pain from what was happening. The rain of blows—each one normally powerful enough to kill—continued unchecked, slowly pushing his gigantic form into the air before sending him flying straight into Tempest Barrier, still immobile due to Glory Sanctuary.
“(I CannoT SeE AnythinG. I CannoT HeaR AnythinG! As FoR ThE FloW Of MagiC... I Do FeeL A GigantiC WalL Of MagiC RushinG Up BehinD Me. No, It’S RotatinG RapidlY. ThiS MusT Be ThE TornadO! MuA Ha Ha, I GeT It NoW! TheiR PlaN Is To ThroW Me IntO ThE TornadO ThaT MinceS EverythinG ThaT ComeS IntO ContacT WitH It. HoweveR, ThaT AlonE—)”
“That alone probably still won’t do the job. So that’s where—”
“—we come in.”
Just as the Demon Lord’s body reached Tempest Barrier, Melfina’s wings burst wide open, glowing with a dazzling blue light as she unleashed a full-power Luminary Burst. In the same instant, I spammed Radiance Crossfire as many times as I could with my remaining MP. I actually wanted to unleash flying Boreas Death Scythes as well, but unfortunately, that would have severed Tempest Barrier.
It’ll all be for nothing if we let him get away. Self-control. Self-control.
“Hey, Zel, it’s too bad you obviously had no idea how to properly make use of your bolstered stats. You don’t actually know how to fight and had no time to get used to all the new skills you acquired. Also, you’ve never fought me before... Well, I suppose that last one can’t really be helped. So, yeah, keep all those things in mind for your next life. Oh, wait, I forgot, he can’t hear anything.”
If you’d been more familiar with Green Magic, there are quite a few ways you could have countered Silent Whisper, I thought. You totally dropped the ball there, buddy.
Zel crashed into the roaring tornado back-first. We watched as the razor-sharp wind attempted to dice him into nothing as the cannon-like blast of holy light destroyed his body from the front. His cells underwent destruction and regeneration in a continuous cycle, but the cumulative effect was plain to see.
“(AAAARGH! Am I...Am I GoinG To Be DestroyeD?! ThougH I Do NoT FeeL ThE PaiN, ThE RapiD DraininG Of My MagiC InformS Me Of ThE CrisiS I Am In! ThiS CannoT BEEEEEEEE!)”
Oh, his regeneration is increasing. He’s trying to make a stand! Can I really get my hopes up for a third phase?!
“Honey, your thoughts are written on your face.”
“I’m sure even God would forgive me at a time like this! And doesn’t being a good wife mean loving those parts of your husband too?! I’m sure such a wife would even have a bowl of homemade miso soup cooked and ready for him the next day!”
“H-Honey?! Are you seriously proposing at a time like this?!” Melfina, who was normally even more tenacious than me at taking things at her own pace, was now as red as a tomato.
Wait, uh... Huh? I was just bantering with her like we always do, but...did she interpret my words in a weird way?
“I did say I was expecting a novel and surprising proposal, but doing it in this particular moment is a bit too novel!”
Oh my god, she really did misunderstand! She took my joke about making miso soup at face value as a marriage proposal!
Before my eyes, Melfina’s wings grew even more blindingly bright and, strangely enough, Luminary Burst suddenly grew even thicker and more powerful. The sound of energy surging through the lance grew louder in proportion.
“(I Am...ThE DemoN LorD WhO...BringS DestructioN...To ThiS WorlD...)”
“But actually, I... I do love you tooooo!” Melfina cried.
The Demon Lord disappeared into the torrent of light. The first task that I had completed with Melfina was nothing less than the subjugation of a Demon Lord.
◇ ◇ ◇
Tabura, brother of Shutola and third prince of Trycen, had been sneaking about the palace proper with his underlings while numerous pockets of fighting were going on throughout the compound.
“Your Highness, isn’t fishing through His Majesty’s private quarters going too far?”
“I-I think so too, Your Highness. Our heads will literally fly if we’re discovered here!”
“Shut it! The united army has cornered us. There’s no recovering from this! When the country falls, do you know what they’ll do to a prince like me?! Dammit, Shutola’s such a useless bitch! If she had only listened to my advice, things wouldn’t have gone so wrong! Jean, Alba, gather everything that looks expensive! It shouldn’t be hard—everything here should be worth a lot. I’ll get out of this country and head for the Western Continent! I’m too important to meet my end in a place like this!”
“But how will we escape the compound? There are enemies at the front gate—”
“Idiot! That’s why we have a secret passageway in the headquarters of the Magic Knight Order! We just have to reach it using our fighting spirit and we’ll be home free! So you can stop worrying and just focus on moving your hands!”
Both subordinates thought, “Uh, fighting spirit?” but only responded out loud with “Yes, sir!” They obediently began picking out what they thought could be sold off for good prices.
After a few minutes, Jean found a certain book on one of the shelves. “Um, Your Highness, what do you think of this?”
“Huh? It’s just a stupid, ugly book. Why’re you... No, hold on...this is...” Tabura trailed off as he stroked the front cover. The farther down his fingers went, the more his face twisted into a mad smirk. “So this is where father gained his power from. Ha ha ha... MUA HA HA! With this in hand, even I—”
“Nuh-uh, that’s not for you,” said a voice from behind him, giving him a jump scare. “Hi! Good evening.”
“Wh-Who are you?! Jean! Alba!” The prince whirled around and found a black-hooded form leaning against the doorway. He couldn’t see their face and therefore had no idea who it was, but now that they’d seen him in his father’s quarters, they needed to die. So he called for his subordinates...then shivered in terror.
“Ah, sorry. They both looked so open to being attacked that I couldn’t help myself.”
Red blood was spreading like a river across the carpet. The owners of that blood had been disassembled into numerous parts, still wearing the same expressions they’d had while speaking with Tabura. The lack of fear or pain on their faces seemed to suggest they had both been wholly unaware of their demise.
But Tabura currently had bigger things to worry about. A far greater threat than anything he had ever faced was slowly but steadily approaching him.
“Aha ha ha, I’m sorry for the sudden intrusion. But still, I admit I’m a bit hurt. Did you really forget my face?”
“I...can’t see your face.”
“Oh, right. My hood’s in the way.”
Black Hood showed Tabura their face for a split second. However, recognition did not dawn in his eyes.
“So, you really don’t remember. That’s too bad. I guess maybe there’s no helping it—it was a few years ago. I was still just a child back when you killed me.”
“What ar—”
Tabura’s words cut off because he physically could not continue speaking anymore. His view rotated once, twice, then several times more until he could no longer tell up from down. But the last thing he saw, he saw very clearly: it was the sight of his own headless body crashing to the floor.
“I was your slave once, Prince Tabura. Then I died before these abilities blossomed within me. I didn’t know who my parents were, and every day was hell back then. It was dirty, it was smelly, and it was painful. Now, though, I’m actually thankful to you. After all, here I am, resurrected and better than ever. Oh, my Lady! Or so the others might say—that’s not quite my character, ha ha. But all that being said...” Black Hood stepped onto Tabura’s face. “At least have the decency to remember the women you raped, you pig.”
The head was kicked forcefully, and it violently burst apart upon colliding with the far wall, reduced to nothing more than a splatter. No one could have guessed it had once been Prince Tabura.
“Well then, time to get what I came for. Phew, I was this close to being scolded by Arbitrator,” Black Hood murmured as she picked up the book from the floor and cheerfully stuffed it down the front of her clothes. “Still, what a surprise it was having the Demon Lord taken down so quickly. This one was actually supposed to be the strongest in history, but oh well. Mission accomplished for Assassin of the Eighth Seat. Time to go home!”
In the blink of an eye, Black Hood disappeared without a sound. The only things remaining in the king’s private quarters were corpses.
◇ ◇ ◇
Having finished its duties, the wall of raging wind, Tempest Barrier, dissipated as the icy tendrils of Celsius Briar, which had covered the entire surface of the castle, also vanished in a glow of blue light.
We had won the fight. Thanks to Melfina’s full-powered Luminary Burst, Demon Lord Zel had been so thoroughly obliterated that not a single particle of him remained. Everyone who had been brainwashed by Zel had regained control of their minds and, several hours after our victory, our allies had finished suppressing the remainder of the Trycenian forces in the castle.
There was a lot of confusion all around, but Azgrad and Dan did their best to bring everyone up to speed. Personally, I thought it was less their words and more the intense pressure they were emitting that cowed everyone into acceptance. The two were probably more focused on preventing Trycen’s image from going even further down the drain, but to the locals, it was like getting kicked while they were down.
Still, both the Steel Knight Order and the Dragon Knight Order were cooperating, and they had the aid of the forces from other countries that had come through the teleportation gate. I didn’t expect it to take long for some semblance of order to be restored.
It was hard to tell what would become of Trycen now. It was a Demon Lord that had caused the conflict, and the people of his nation had simply been unwittingly controlled. In a way, they were victims themselves. Now that their king was dead, the question of who would take responsibility arose.
I had faith that things would fall into place somehow with Colette, the Beast King, and Queen Tsubaki putting their heads together. In any case, it wasn’t a matter for me, a mere adventurer, to bother with. No, let me rephrase that: I was in no state to get involved with anything at the moment.
“YEEEAAAHHHHHHH!”
Cheers from the united army went up in various places throughout the castle again and again. Normally, I would have preferred to be in their midst, celebrating a good fight and sharing the joy all around. However, what I was actually doing was kneeling on the ground in the seiza pose. Allow me to repeat: I was kneeling in the seiza pose.
To make matters worse, this was smack-dab in the middle of a garden very close to the gate of the palace proper. Although I wasn’t in as much pain as I normally would be—the grass was really soft and well-kept—I was drawing a lot of attention. People rushing about busily gave me a conspicuously wide berth as they went about their business, doing whatever needed to be done after the storming of a castle.
I wonder what they’re thinking, looking at me on my knees. Nothing bad, I hope. I can imagine some of them going, “What’s he doing during such a serious time?” But really, stop shooting looks my way as you go by!
I saw a man from the Holy Order of Knights stop a passing Dragon Knight Order member while looking at me. I instinctively directed my ears their way.
“Uh, those people have been in there a while now, right? What’re they doing?”
“Oh, did you just arrive? That’s the Rank S adventurer who killed the Demon Lord, Kelvin-san, and his party members.”
“What?! I’d imagined someone more...muscular. You sure?”
“As you can see, he looks like an affable young man. But I’ve heard he changes completely while in battle. I didn’t see it myself, but my commander fought him, and he said he got done in before he could even lift a finger. And that’s coming from a man who can fight Rank S monsters when mounted on his dragon, all right? Rank S adventurers are just cut from a different cloth from the rest of us.”
“That Rank S adventurer is currently sitting seiza-style and prostrating himself in front of a smoking hot redheaded beauty with an unbelievably cute blue-haired girl clinging to him. What kind of situation is this?”
“Well, that redheaded beauty is his lover, and—”
“Unforgivable.”
“What? Oh, I...guess so?” The holy knight’s retort came so fast that the dragon knight faltered slightly.
Please stop directing killing intent at me.
“Uh, do you have a grudge against him or something?”
“Well, if you can keep this between us... There are absolutely absurd rumors going around that Colette-sama, the Oracle we holy knights look up to and revere, the paragon of both intelligence and beauty adored by all Deramisians, fell in love.”
“That’s news to me. What of it?”
“The man she supposedly fell for...is him. This Rank S adventurer named Kelvin.”
“The Oracle loves Kelvin-san? Nah, man, there’s no way. You can’t trust rumors, you know.”
“Yeeeaaaah. Mm. Yep, you’re probably right! Rumors are just rumors! Man, if anything happened to Colette-sama, the believers of Rinne just might cause a riot. There are quite a few rather unsavory fellows who joined our faith not out of love for the goddess Melfina but for Colette-sama.”
“Ha ha, like you, for example?”
“That’s ri— Dude, what are you making me say?!”
The two men exchanged mock blows and then threw their arms around each other’s shoulders in an expression of blossoming friendship.
I’m glad something’s going well for someone. But I shudder to imagine what would happen if the Deramisians learned about Colette’s religious fanatic side. I bet a large percentage of the higher-ups in the country would brand me an enemy. To which I say, if you’re over Level 50, just name the time and place, and I’ll be there!
“Sorry, man, I kinda interrupted you.”
“Hey, no biggie. So, where was I again? Oh, right, I was explaining why Kelvin-san is in this situation. Uh, so he apparently proposed to that blue-haired girl in the middle of their fight against the Demon Lord, right in front of his lover’s eyes.”
“Hold on...come again?”
“That’s exactly how I reacted. But it’s the truth, apparently. He shouted his proposal so loudly that a guy in my order who happened to be nearby heard it in person. The story is spreading like wildfire right now. I myself heard it from one of my friends.”
Wait, what?
“Well, tell me!”
“Ahem. ‘A world threatened by a Demon Lord does not suit you. That is why I will kill him. When the world is at peace again, will you walk the path of life with me?’ Gasp. ‘Oh, nothing would make me happier. I do love you tooooo!’”
“Damn, I’m getting embarrassed just hearing it.”
Now hold on a goddamn minute, I never said any of that! It was a more traditional Japanese proposal! Everything aside from that last line is just dramatization! Thinking about it now, the area where we were fighting was surrounded by Tempest Barrier—there’s no way anyone heard us clearly! Did the guy who was close by fill in the blanks with his imagination?!
“I know how you feel. Even I got itchy all over when I first heard it. Then he actually defeated the Demon Lord and made good on his promise. But as I said...well, his red-haired lover was there too.”
“I see. Now I get what’s happening. In other words...”
“Yep, his life is still in danger. Pft.”
I can hear you over there!
“Kelvin, are you listening to me?!”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m listening. Of course I’m listening.”
Naturally, I had also been hanging on to every single word coming out of Sera’s mouth. This was exactly the situation Parallel Processing was meant for. Yep.
“So, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“Even I’m confused right now!”
“Oh, honeyyyy!”
Melfina had attached herself to my arm, obstinately refusing to let go. She was repeatedly rubbing her cheeks against me, paying zero attention to the stares we were drawing. The only other times I ever saw her with such a blissful expression on her face were when she was eating or sleeping.
Uh, wait... So I do see it pretty often, actually.
Sera was looking down at me, her legs spread and arms crossed menacingly. Although she was emitting an incredible pressure, the fact that her eyes weren’t red meant that she wasn’t truly angry.
I think. I...hope?
“Why did you propose to Mel in the middle of the battle?! Couldn’t you have done it in a safer place? You did it for me in bed! Something like that would’ve been fine! What would you have done if she’d been distracted and gotten hurt?!”
Wait, that’s what you’re angry about?
“Um...you aren’t mad that I proposed to Mel?”
“Why would I be? I said it before, didn’t I? It’s fine as long as there’s real love involved. The fact that Mel loves you is no secret; not with how she acts all the time.”
“You do have a point.” After all, no girl would repeatedly crawl into the bed of a guy she doesn’t like.
“That’s right, Sera! Good job seeing through the hidden intentions behind my actions!”
What made you think now is a good time to play mysterious, you hopeless goddess?!
“Since Efil and Sera had progressed further than me in their relationships with you, I was holding myself back. But now that I’ve been proposed to, I consider all of us to be on an equal playing field. I won’t hold back anymore, so brace yourself, honey!”
“Of course I’m... But...” What is this terrible fever I’ve been feeling since we fought the Demon Lord? Am I coming down with something?
“KELVIN?!”
“Honey—”
Sera and Melfina’s voices seemed to fade into the distance.
This is why I said I was in no state to get involved with anyone at the moment...
I faintly registered someone catching my collapsing body before I lost consciousness entirely.