CHAPTER 30

Olga Fortress

“Men! The time has come! The Hero and goddess are here to save the world!”

The azure-haired knight raises her sword into the air and yells to her allies, who are completely fatigued from battle.

“Now, on your feet! We must invade their nest!”

However, she is the only one filled with such passion. A white-bearded, elderly soldier advises:

“Madam Rosalie! Please calm down! We need to return to the fortress and regroup!”

“Are you mad?! The time has come to avenge our fallen comrades!”

“Please, open your eyes! The only soldiers left are exhausted! They are in no shape to fight!”

Rosalie looks around at the wounded warriors. Then, as if she has finally come to face reality, she groans before falling into a deep silence.

“We have lost many men, so I understand your eagerness to exact your vengeance. However, the Hero has only just arrived. I feel it would be rude to immediately drag him off like that…”

Rosalie turns her gaze to Seiya and me. Although different from Seiya’s, her eyes bear sharp insight as well. After a few moments, Rosalie nods softly, seeming calm.

“You’re right, Carlo. Let’s return to the fortress. There, we will hold a meeting with the Hero and come up with a plan to get rid of the flies.”

The elderly soldier looks relieved, but Rosalie almost immediately reiterates her unyielding determination.

“However, after the meeting, we will head to the enemy’s territory! Today! Do I make myself clear?”

Rosalie spins around in an exaggerated manner, then strides alone toward the fortress.

As Carlo lets out a sigh, I turn to him and ask:

“Um… About that knight…Rosalie… Who is she?”

“She is the captain of the guard for the Olga Fortress.”

Elulu’s face instantly lights up.

“She’s a captain! A female captain…! She has wonderful azure hair, she’s tall, and she’s so beautiful!”

Elulu’s right. Rosalie has a certain dignified charm about her.

“She is beautiful, isn’t she? Not only her appearance but she has this certain…mysterious aura.”

We chat with Carlo as we walk to the fortress. The soldiers behind us converse while sluggishly moving forward as well. That’s when…

“What are you doing?! There’s no time! Hurry!”

Rosalie looses a terrible roar as she waits up ahead. Thereupon, everyone zips their lips and picks up the pace until they reach the fortress…

Mash is awestruck the moment we cross under the gate attached to the outer wall.

“This place is huge…!”

Olga Fortress looks almost no different than a giant castle. There are watchtowers, wells for prolonged battles, and storage areas for food. Carlo cheerfully grins.

“Olga Fortress was originally used as a station on the border, after all. Along with its robust outer wall, there are also archers placed at the top of the fortress. In addition, there are living quarters that can house a few hundred soldiers.”

While the elderly soldier speaks proudly of the fortress, Seiya simply lets out a “hmph.”

“Doesn’t look like it’ll be hard for the enemy to break through, judging by what just happened outside, though.”

“Y-yes, you are correct. Currently, we have no way of defending ourselves against Beel Bub’s flying army.”

“Carlo, won’t the empire itself be in danger if the flies get past the border?”

“Their objective is to lure out the Hero. Therefore, they will not go any farther than this border. In the remote chance they do decide to go to the empire of Roseguard, the imperial mage of lightning, Flashika, will be there. Lightning spells are very effective against flying enemies.”

“Oh, so there’s a powerful mage stationed in the empire itself. In that case, why don’t we call him over here?”

“Flashika is the only person in the empire who can use high-level lightning magic. If he comes to the fortress, then the imperial capital will lose its greatest defense against airborne assault. We cannot afford to have him leave.”

While following Carlo to the meeting room, Seiya argues:

“Even if this mage is as powerful as you say, I’d bet that the Demon Lord’s army could easily crush your empire if they wanted to.”

Ack… He just says whatever’s on his mind, doesn’t he?

But when thinking back about how powerful the two generals Seiya fought were, I can’t help but feel that he’s right. However, Carlo replies with absolute calm:

“The empire will not fall.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because Roseguard has the Warmaster on our side.”

“The ‘Warmaster’?”

Mash suddenly chimes in.

“Oh, I’ve heard about him! He’s Roseguard’s emperor and the strongest warrior in the world! They say his sword can cut through the heavens and slice open the planet!”

“I doubt it. If that were true, then you wouldn’t need me to save the world. They’re baseless rumors. They were probably circulated to give people the illusion that their country is safe.”

Carlo softly shakes his head in response to Seiya’s analysis.

“Not at all. Other than the Hero, the emperor is undoubtedly the strongest warrior in the world. The empire will not waver as long as he rules Roseguard.”

Wh-what confidence…! The Warmaster must be really strong!

“However, just like with Flashika, the emperor has his reasons for not leaving the capital.”

Just when I want to ask Carlo what that reason is, he starts walking into the building in the center of the fortress.

“We’re here. This is the meeting room where we come up with battle strategies. I believe Madam Rosalie is already waiting inside.”

The moment the elderly knight opens the door, I hear the bitter voices of a man and a woman arguing.

“Madam Rosalie! How many times do I have to tell you not to go to the front line of battle! You are the next successor to the throne!”

“That’s exactly why I stand on the front! True warriors do not fear battle! Just like my father, I will stand before the soldiers, fight, and raise the morale of our army!”

“Then at least bring me, your assistant Bhat, with you! How would I ever explain myself to the emperor if something were to happen to you?!”

I finally understand why I felt Rosalie was different when I hear her argue with the muscular warrior Bhat. She is the daughter of Roseguard’s emperor and will become the empress who rules over Roseguard after her father passes away. No wonder her aura is different than the rest. At any rate, she appears to be quite the tomboy, perhaps due to looking up to her father. After Carlo clears his throat by the door, Rosalie and a few dozen others take seats at the round table before looking this way.

“Everyone, the Hero and his allies have arrived.”

Carlo bows deeply to us.

“I will be on my way, then.”

“Thank you, Carlo!”

After Elulu and I thank him, he gently smiles back as he closes the door on his way out. I look ahead once more when…

“Oh…! So this is the Hero and his allies who have come to save us!”

“So that’s the Hero! Simply awe-inspiring!”

Everyone in the room stares at us as if they are overcome with emotion. Seiya’s aura is no less impressive than Rosalie’s. Tall with refined features, anybody could sense there was something special about him.

After being guided to the empty seats around the table, Seiya, Mash, Elulu, and I sit side by side together. I look at each of the people sitting at the round table. Everyone seems to be someone important, which I guess is something you would expect at a meeting to discuss strategy like this. There’s the muscle-bound warrior Bhat with whom Rosalie was just arguing, a mage with a robe decorated with the empire’s emblems, and even an elderly person with a staff. High-ranking officials must have come to Olga Fortress because the successor to the throne is here as well.

Rosalie nudges the slim mage, who then speaks up in a high pitch.

“I would like to begin our meeting with the Hero! Our objective is to defeat the flies!”

But at that very moment, the Hero interjects in a well-projected voice.

“Wait. Before that, I want to ensure my safety.”

“…What?”

“This place is dangerous.”

I can feel the tension among the gathered imperial officials—including Rosalie. Before long, an old man with a beard, who could pass for a sage, asks:

“Hero…what exactly do you mean?”

“One of the Demon Lord’s henchmen is probably in disguise and hiding among us.”

“A-are you sure?!”

Those few words from the Hero cause a commotion at the table.

“Well…it’s a possibility at least.”

“O-oh, you were talking about a hypothetical situation…”

Everyone sighs in relief after hearing Seiya clarify things. I poke Seiya in the arm.

“Hey, Seiya, it’s okay. I don’t sense the presence of any monsters here.”

“Hmm… I see. So the Demon Lord’s army isn’t here. However…,” Seiya continues with a solemn expression. “There’s probably an explosive somewhere in the room.”

“A-are you sure?!”

Their relief is short-lived. The officials start panicking again. However…

“Well…it’s a possibility at least.”

Everyone sighs in relief upon hearing that utterance. But Seiya then looks up at the corner of the room with a piercing gaze.

“Both things I said just now were merely speculation. What I really wanted to discuss…is up there. Someone is secretly listening in on our meeting.”

“A-are you sure?!”

Rosalie’s expression instantly changes as if the third time is the charm.

“Hurry! Go investigate the ceiling!”

A couple dozen soldiers head out under Rosalie’s orders.

…Ten minutes later.

“We have returned from our investigation! All twenty-three soldiers searched every inch of the area over this room, but we didn’t find even one speck of dust!”

After the soldier leaves the room, Rosalie and the other officials stare at Seiya with bated breath.

“Well…it was a possibility.”

BAM! All of a sudden, Rosalie violently slams her hand against the table.

“Enough! We will be here all night if we persistently worry about every possibility!”

Rosalie’s face turns bright red as she tells Seiya off in my place.

…Yep. She kind of sounded like a young girl there. It looks like she normally tries to lower her voice to project a certain image. But, well, judging by her appearance, she actually does appear to be around twenty years old—give or take a year.

As if she noticed me watching her with a hint of joy in my eyes, Rosalie reverts to her previous tone and raises her voice to overcompensate.

“W-we don’t need a meeting to discuss strategy! All the Hero and I need to do is take the lead and infiltrate the enemy’s base!”

“Madam Rosalie! That is far too dangerous.”

While the imperial officials try to persuade her to reconsider, Seiya firmly nods in a favorable manner.

“I agree.”

Thereupon, Rosalie sends Seiya a fiery gaze as if having changed her opinion of him.

“The Hero feels the same way I do! Perfect! Then there is no time to waste! We must prepare to attack!”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I was agreeing that we don’t need a meeting to discuss strategy because I’ve already decided what I’m going to do.”

“A-and what is that?”

A deep silence reigns over the meeting room, and everyone waits for the Hero’s next words with apprehension. A few moments go by before Seiya makes his plans clear as can be.

“I’m leaving.”

“““What?”””

“I am going to return to the unified spirit world and train until I learn a skill that rivals the enemy’s. Now if you will excuse me.”

Mash, Elulu, and I are already used to how Seiya does things, but…

“““Whaaaaaat?!”””

Rosalie and the others turn black in the face as they scream.