Arc 7, Chapter 105 "Apex Chaos (Part 2)"
He presses his fists to the ground and stands up, overworking his knees, which are almost shaking.
The heavy thuds, the blows resonate to the core of the body, and the internal organs scream as if they have been stirred up.
Lacerations and bruises could be healed by forcefully relying on the power of the earth to suck up from the sole of the foot. However, the unknown techniques used by the opponent overtook such rough protection.
His attitude is abhorrent and his nature is hateful, but his enemy is one of the strongest in the empire.
The technique, perfected through training beyond human knowledge, played mercilessly on the foolish Garfiel.
However, we cannot cite lack of experience or age as an excuse.
For Garfiel, who is incapable of anything dexterous, all that is required is victory. He can't choose any other answer, and above all--,
"I can't stand to be standin' next to ya."
Garfiel grits his teeth and looks up, his throat growling.
His gaze remained fixed on the front, but his awareness was not on the unquestionable enemy, but on the man standing beside him, his personal "enemy".
"I am sure that you are a virtuous man. Your competitive spirit is a virtue, but in this case, it would make more sense to direct it at the old man over there, rather than at me."
"It's 'Cagricon on the Shelf'. Don't be talkin' sense to me. You're the one who made the wrong move a long time ago."
TL's note: i have no idea what cagricon (カグリコン) is so i will edit later when my 2 brain cells work again
"That was a year and a half ago now...... except for the ones you know about, which I admit are far from it."
A man who shrugs his thin shoulders and replies with no less of a mouth - Roswaal.
With his make-up removed and his jokey clown costume removed, he retains the air of a proper nobleman, even if it is to conceal his true identity.
It is a masterful disguise, however distorted its roots may be.
It is true that without the advice of such a hateful Roswaal, he would have risked his life.
Because he is aware of this, a fever of anger rises from the pit of Garfiel's stomach.
On the other hand--,
"--Well, it's a bit hard to ignooore the fact that he's been in a fight with a Shinobi before."
The man who muttered this was an old man of small stature who could easily be mistaken for a dwarf tribe.
Waving the sleeve of his right arm, which is missing from the wrist, and looking as if he were a good-natured old man, it is hard to see how frightening this old man is.
Garfiel painfully experienced that this was part of the Shinobi's jutsu-technique.
Everything about them, their gestures, their words and actions, even their feeble appearance, are tools to bring death to their opponents - the Shinobi use everything in their existence as a weapon to kill their targets.
The monstrous old man, the chieftain of the Shinobi, is staring at Garfiel and the others - or rather, at Roswaal. He is not blaming them for the rudeness of their intrusion into the one-on-one battlefield, but is more concerned about something else.
--To the statement that he had fought with the Shinobi and howled so.
"If you fight with a mabeast, you basically lose your life, right? If you fail to kill them in return, the village is notified and the next one is sent until the other one is dead. But why are you still alive?"
"It's a little complicated around here. Apparently, the Shinobi I met also had their own problems. I don't know if that's the right word, but they were an Omitted Shinobi."
"Omitted Shinobi......"
Olbart whispered as he stroked his long white eyebrows with his fingers.
Garfiel does not remember the words that Roswaal uttered. In the first place, a Shinobi is a role model whose existence is rumored to exist, but whose actual existence is doubtful.
Naturally, no one knew what it was really like. He had never even heard of an Omitted Shinobi.
"The Shinobi who left his village, he hasn't been let out for a while, has he?"
But instead of denying the unfamiliar words, Orwalt is frank only about the content.
It sounds as if he is aware of the situation in the village, the situation of Shinobi, and everything else, which is probably true. He grasps what is in his hands, not out of obligation, but as a way of life.
That is the way to get rid of the Shinobis called Olbart Dunkelkenn - and that is the way to get rid of the Shinobis--.
"I don't know how long you mean by 'a while', but it may be outside that range. After all, I met Shinobi nearly 40 years ago."
"Aah?"
The shrug of Roswaal's shoulders is answered by the questioning voice of Olbart, the "Bad Old Man".
The same question arose for Garfiel. Rather, he take his hat off to his guts, as it is highly likely that everything he has said so far is just a random remark.
He never bothered to ask Roswaal's age, but he was around 30 at most - not like Emilia or Beatrice. He was not even born forty years ago.
It's a ridiculous prank to pull on Olbart at the last minute--,
"--Shasuke and Raizo, right? The missing Shinobi you're talking about."
"Hoh."
"The only ones left 40 or 50 years ago and still alive are their brothers. The others have been exterminated and there are no candidates."
Olbart persevered with what Garfiel dismissed as a prank. While Garfiel was blindsided by this, Roswaal closed one eye.
The yellow one's eyes bewitched, looking back at Olbart.
"Now, am I obligated to answer if it's a hit or not?"
"Not really. It's also important to keep a hold on your opponent's mind in the midst of a paper-thin killing match...... you might have a talent for Shinobi."
"I appreciate the compliment, but I decline it. The talent I want and the path I want to take have been decided long before 40 years."
"Kakakakka! Oh, yeah, right. --Well, I'll be damned."
Roswaal, shaking his head, wears Olbart's praise on his sleeve.
He laughed in a manner that made me not care about it, and right after that, Olbart's figure became hazy. In the blink of an eye, the distance between the two disappeared. The old man's legs leapt and struck at the target's neck.
That is--,
"--"
With a slight breeze on his neck, Garfiel choked.
A deadly shock is scattered at the nape of his neck, just touching the skin. Olbart's kick was released, and it was almost stopped.
"The way the conversation is going right now, you're going after him, not me."
"Reduce the number of enemies. And the more you reduce them, the better. Isn't that the rule?"
Olbart's kick, with its unimaginable leg strength and sharpness, would have hit even Garfiel's well-trained neck.
What kept that reckless comparison from becoming a reality was a dagger of a distinctive shape that was interrupted between the neck and the kicking leg - no, not a blade, but a gem with a part to strike.
The "Sai" was an unheralded weapon used in Western Kararagi, and it was the first time Garfiel had seen one.
It saved Garfiel's life.
Along with the humiliating fact that the owner is Roswaal, and this is the second rescue in a row.
"Oh, ohhhhhh!"
At the moment of his humiliation, Garfiel's right arm launches up, killing the wind.
Naturally, the target was the old man, who remained in the air with his kicking leg stopped on its axis. With no escape route in the air, he must smash through his torso to disable him from fighting.
"Woops."
However, just before the powerful arm hit him, Olbart ducked with an unusually skillful body movement and leapt diagonally downward with only his toes hooked on Roswaal's Sai.
Olbart dodges a fist shot at him, and he crawls on the ground to pull out of the distance. Immediately, Garfiel stepped in to follow up--,
"Let's just calm down."
"Gah!"
The body that was going to jump into the water was pulled backward at the waist, and the start of the dive was thwarted.
If you look, you will see that Roswaal had hooked the end of his sai on the waist of Garfiel's dress. He wondered what he meant by that, and just as he was about to bite him, he realized his intention.
The black blade was just under Garfiel's nose as it spun across the street.
"--"
"The moment it leaves, it's a flying blade thrown backward and into a blind spot. It was just a small trick to make him spin and turn, but Shinobi is a treasure house of this kind of technique. And besides, the opponent is the pinnacle of this path."
"If you are at the top of a small range, people will point at you and laugh at you. The top of the Shinobi is nothing to brag about."
Unconcerned about the strike's futility, Olbart closes one eye and looks at him warily.
Garfiel again bit his teeth in humiliation at the exchange between both of them that left him out of it. Not once, but twice, and even three times, Roswaal saved his life.
In the fight against Kafma, there was a response that overcame one wall.
Nevertheless, he is unable to do anything about those who are kicking him out of his fight with Kafma. This is not good for Garfiel himself, nor for Kafma, who lost the battle--.
"--Garfiel, do not misjudge the kind of strength."
"Ah......?"
"You are strong. That's why your opponent tries to avoid fighting in your ring. Once you realize that this is the trick to achieve this, most of the weakness you have will disappear."
The other sai is pulled out by Roswaal, who says this to Garfiel, who clenches his fist.
With a short strike weapon in each hand, he was trying to maintain the appearance of a warrior, not the court mage Garfiel knew him to be.
There is a moment of confusion, and the intention is belatedly understood by Garfiel.
Roswaal has to abide by the bind of not being able to use magic in this situation.
If magic is used, there is a risk that Roswaal's true identity will be revealed from there. If this happens, this could develop into a battle between the kingdom and the empire, rather than a civil war in the empire.
In other words--,
"All I can do is stop to cover you...... You are the key to the battle against the Imperial One General, Garfiel."
"----"
"I also know for a fact that we're not compatible. You are straightforward and honest. If that is the case, I will stand in to fill that deficiency. I am......."
"--He's gotta bad temper."
Roswaal chuckles at Garfiel, who takes the butt of the other's words and continues to do so.
"Yes, I have a bad temper. I can count on you, can't I?"
"Ha! Keep sayin' it."
Garfiel returned the wink to Roswaal and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
He wiped off the blood that was still flowing from the blow, and exhaled deeply. From the rumbling sky, the presence of scorching heat and extreme cold, each no less threatening than the other, is transmitted.
Just the thought of these tingling sensations being directed at my fellow human beings is enough to numb his entire body.
But--,
"Only for now."
If they don't focus on this enemy, in front of them, there will be no next time, and no next time after that.
"......Now it's two for one, and it's getting messy."
Garfiel takes a deep breath, and Olbart sighs at the sight of him. And Garfiel raised his eyebrows at the old man's words, "Aah?"
What a crazy thing to say. It pisses him off, but if it's two against one, it's been that way since Roswaal showed up.
"But if you have two opponents, you can't talk about two against one."
The question Garfiel had was answered by Olbart, bending his head.
The old monster fingered his long white eyebrows.
"The two of you are working together, and for the first time, two against one...... what would have been two cocky young guys just a few minutes ago has become a nuisance."
"Then, realizing the odds are against you, why don't you surrender?"
"Kakakakka! Fleeing from the enemy or abandoning the battle is the lowest form of cowardice. Besides..."
"Besides?"
Olbart shows his teeth by popping the plucked white eyebrows with his fingers.
The old man with the small frame, despite his smile, had a great deal of fight in his body.
"I'm not going to lose two to one."
Instantly, the old man's smile becomes hazy and his figure disappears from view again.
Not only right and left, but also the sky and under the ground are options in the case of this "bad-ass old man". The choice of these possibilities made Garfiel nervous--,
"--Inseam."
At the prompting of an audible voice, Garfiel pulls back halfway.
A moment later, his eyes met those of a monstrous old man rising up from under the earth.
"Oh, ahhhhh!!"
Olbart jumps to his knees as the full force of the blow swings down.
Garfiel's fist is slammed into the old man's knee like a piece of dead wood.
Shockwaves ripple through the earth, causing it to crack and propagate spectacular destruction.
For the first time, a direct hit, and a real one at that, the fight to the death with Shinobi began.
△▼△▼△▼△
--Heroes come late.
There is such a certain promise, but Subaru did not like that.
Strictly speaking, it is correct to say that he was transported to another world, and in the process of experiencing various events in this world, he came to think, "Screw it."
"If it were a game, or a comic book, or a story, it might be fine."
If the events take place in a fictional world, such a development is necessary to liven things up.
However, for Subaru, who actually lives in this world of turmoil, the sooner a hero or heroic figure who can bring a conflict to a conclusion, or a person who is capable of transcending human knowledge appears on the scene, the better.
It is best if the hero shows up the fastest and pulls out the root of the problem as fast as possible.
If people say it's not narratively interesting, that's okay, because it's not a story. We can discuss fun or not fun only when we have the presence of mind to do so.
"But it's pathetic that we're the slowest to arrive!"
Swaying on the back of a bright red gale horse, Subaru looks to the front and is frustrated.
The battle surrounding the imperial capital that will decide the course of the empire. It is hard to say who to complain to, but for now, Subaru is furious at his own nomadism.
He thought he hated it and hated it, but he did the same thing with the heroes who came in late.
And to top it all off--,
"It's just like the heroes who are always late to the party to be the most successful!"
The heroes who come in late are the most active because he is sure that the heroes themselves regret being late immensely.
In the meantime, the heroes feel more than enough pain that their friends, the people they have to protect, or someone they don't want to lose has been through a hard and painful time. So.
It was only then that Subaru learned the rationale for the subsequent struggles of the heroes who had not made it to the battlefield in time from the beginning. --He knew that they, too, had blamed themselves.
"Let's do it, Beatrice!"
"El Shamak!"
With this understanding, the shadow magic of the girl who is held in Subaru's chest is unleashed - one after another, the black clouds that are created in the air cover the heads of the imperial soldiers who are lined up in the room.
It is not just that it takes away their vision and reduces their ability to fight. It is not the sight that is taken away from the soldiers who wear the cloud on their heads, but the strength to fight.
""Ohhhh, ryaa--!!""
A line of Imperial soldiers, with clouds over their heads and motionless, is crushed by a blow from the Pleiades group, which rushes in with a craven fighting style.
Take their defenseless weapons, take their armor, break any of their limbs and leave them there, that is the basic tactic of the warband, and the way they fight reflects the intentions of their boss, Subaru.
He has not made a strong decision to be unkillable.
Still, he chose a method that would result in as few human deaths as possible. It was best to do so for Natsuki Subaru's peace of mind, and at the same time--,
"--I hate the Vollachia Empire."
They were angry at the empire for forcing them to fight, to kill each other, to be warriors.
"Schwarz, we are reaching the city walls. We need to decide whether we should continue on into the Imperial City, or go to the other top to provide cover."
Gustav Morello shakes the ground and goes on a rampage with his extraordinarily huge body.
He is the governor of the "Gladiator Island" and the indispensable brain of the Pleiades group, wielding four thick, strong arms and displaying tremendous combat power to keep the approaching imperial soldiers at bay.
As Subaru is struck by his powerful arm, and is overtaken over his head by the soldiers flying lightly, he looks at the walls that are closing in on him - the star-shaped walls surrounding the city, the fourth apex of which is in his field of vision.
To take the top of each, though, that is the condition for gaining the upper hand in this offensive.
"What do you think, Mr. Gustav! Should we attack him or should we attack him more!"
"I don't judge this position. I will only present possible advantages and disadvantages. --If we enter the imperial capital and reach the Crystal Palace, we can accelerate the settlement. If we go to the other tops to provide support, we can reduce the damage to both sides with the help of our main staff. That's all."
"That's annoying! Annoying but......"
While Gustav is dependable in keeping his cool even in the midst of a fight, he hates his personality, which does not help him make decisions in these situations.
However, presenting the possibilities does not force them to choose what to choose.
It is because Gustav has continued to hold such a line that the Pleiades group has remained united and has not fallen apart.
If there is one more reason for such an attitude of Gustav and another for the unity of the group--,
"Mr. Gustav! Take the flag-bearer, Hiain and the half and cover the other battles! Weitz! Take the other half by half and hold here! You got it!"
Subaru, entrusted with the decision here, must exercise it properly.
"--I understand your day job."
"I'm on it, brother! We're in the same boat!"
"Of course we're in the same boat, lizard......! You ask, I'll listen......"
Hearing Subaru's decision, the named faces respond one after another.
The option presented by Gustav, the extravagant decision to take both. And that, too, has to be done by dividing the forces into their respective battlefields--,
"--We can do it!"
Subaru's declaration is evident in the even greater enthusiasm of the members of the group.
That is why they are the friends who fought together from that hellish island and arrived here.
"Schwarz, what about us?!"
"It's a no-brainer! We're going to make a grand entry over the wall just like that!"
Idola asks as he grips the reins of the gale horse and rides alongside Subaru.
Subaru answered the obvious answer with authority and pointed to the ramparts in front of him. Then, with his eyes fixed on the imposing wall, he opened his mouth and said,
"Get him, Tanza! You're our only hope!"
"--Master Schwarz, you're on a roll."
A small shadow agilely jumped out from right beside Subaru's call.
Lifting the hem of her kimono, Tanza dashingly kicks the ground and heads for the ramparts. She is an indispensable member of the Pleiades group, having come to share the road with Subaru through a strange fate.
Because she is the strongest attacker in the Pleiades group.
"--Haaa!!"
Flying like a bullet, Tanza spun in mid-air and her clogged feet pierced the castle walls.
A beat, and shortly thereafter, the robust castle wall was smashed down, and Tanza's figure penetrated beyond it. The shockwave creates a crack, the fourth apex of the castle wall, and the crack spreads across its entirety.
"Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep goooooing--!!"
""Ohhh--!!""
Then, with Subaru's order, the momentum of the Pleiades group crashed directly into the point where Tanza struck the first blow.
It was no longer an attack by an individual group member, but rather a blow from a single creature, the Pleiades group, and even the walls of the Imperial City of Lupgana, which boasted of its strength, could not stand a chance.
"----"
With a roar and a terrific dust storm, the ramparts are opened by force.
Subaru was gut-punched at the overwhelming sight, and in his arms, Beatrice opened her round eyes wide.
"That wall is too...... plain and extraordinary, I suppose."
"--That's the Pleiades group."
Tanza, who answers Beatrice's horrified mutterings, descends from the dust.
She is a girl who hardly moves her face as she dusts off the dust that stains her kimono, but on this occasion she seems to be just a little proud of herself.
Even though she doesn't show much camaraderie, she is aware that she is a member of the Pleiades group. Otherwise, she would not be affected by the "Unity Power".
However, Beatrice did not seem to like Tanza's attitude.
"You've got a cocky face, in fact......!"
"I was born with this face, even if you call me cocky."
"You have a different look, I suppose! You can make expressions, in fact!"
"Uuh, aah, uuh!"
Looking down at Tanza, who was looking very clear, Beatrice, who was on horseback, blushed. Then, as if taking Beatrice's side, Louis, who was clinging to her back, began to make a fuss.
At the frenzy of these girls, Subaru said, "Wait, wait, calm down!"
"Don't fight! We're a team! We're friends! We are 'one'!"
"Wan......?"
"Understood, Master Schwarz."
"Mhm, I suppose."
Beatrice tilts her head at the unfamiliar sound, and Tanza bows at the familiar sound.
Subaru's reaction is that his knowledge of the swordsmith's isolated island made the difference, but the atmosphere is such that it is likely to spark Beatrice's anger more and more, and she bends her lips.
But rather than Subaru moving to intercede there--,
"Prepare yourselves--!"
"Huh?"
A lone Imperial soldier, creeping up amidst the dust created by the collapsed walls, raised his voice, raised his sword, and aimed it at Subaru on horseback.
Even if it is hard to believe, it is obvious to the enemy soldiers who were facing him that it is Subaru who is leading this group. It is the style of the empire not to underestimate even children if they know they cannot be underestimated.
Therefore, the soldier's sword was aimed at the wrong target and was sucked into Subaru--,
"Uagh!"
Instantly, the force holding Subaru from behind becomes stronger, and a moment later his vision changes.
What happened was simple and straightforward: in the blink of an eye, the gale horse moved - no, shifted - from the point where it had been standing just before.
"Wh-what's with the......? Wah--"
Idola, who is holding the reins, gapes involuntarily as his internal organs are stirred by the sudden transition. Subaru also feels familiar with it, it is a different ability possessed by Louis on his back.
And then--,
"Shamak."
"Na?! Kh.....gah?!"
Beatrice, chanting shortly, covers the imperial soldier with a cloud, and Tanza's kick to the surface of the water boldly mows down the soldier's leg, which has stopped moving, knocking her to the ground and knocking him out.
A moment of coordination, which they achieved, and they exchanged glances on and off their horses,
"Well done."
"You're not doing so bad yourself."
And so on, and the acrimonious atmosphere that had prevailed earlier turned around, and in this way they acknowledged each other.
"Well, it's good to see little girls getting to know each other. You know, ......Louis! Don't do it out of the blue, you just turned the contents of Idola upside down! You saved his life, though!"
"Aah, uh!"
"Yeah, good answer! Idola takes a deep breath! Because maybe this won't be the first and last time."
"L-let's make an effort......"
With the power of Louis's transition, they can avoid at least one unforeseen contingency.
If necessary, they will not hesitate to have Idola use it, no matter how much he wants to throw up.
"In the first place, I wouldn't have been able to stand two or three in a row either...... Mr. Gustav! Hiain! Weitz!"
At Subaru's call, who has regained his composure, the faces in front of the collapsed wall look back at him. One by one, they looked into the eyes of familiar faces, looking firmly into theirs.
"I'm counting on you!"
"I'm just doing my job, and you should do the same."
"Yes! Pleiades group, making a triumphant and majestic return by forceeeee!"
"Schwarz, I will defend this place to the death....... Go take the throne......!"
Leaving Gustav and the others heading for another battlefield, Weitz and the others stopping to defend the collapsed walls to the death, and the reliable men at their posts, Subaru pokes Idola in the chest with the back of his head.
Idola, riding a gale horse as if holding Subaru in his arms, was head-butted by that head-butt,
"Then we'll get in. Looks like we're the first ones in."
Laughing bravely, Idola rides his galloping horse over the wreckage of the city walls and into the urban area. Swaying on the same horse, Subaru also enters the imperial city of Lupgana.
The cityscape of the imperial capital, hidden inside the high walls, was one that could not be seen in its entirety from the outside, but it was that of a methodical, orderly and disciplined arrangement of buildings.
"The city's representatives would have to be really nervous to do that."
If the person in question had been listening, he might have argued that he could not even be responsible for building a city that was built hundreds of years ago.
So, with a one-sided impression, the Pleiades group avalanches into the imperial capital.
The goal is--,
"Subaru! What should I do, I suppose?"
"What do you wish to do, Mr. Schwarz?"
"Uagh! Awh, aa, uuh!"
"Of course I'm going to the Crystal Palace in the Imperial City! I'm going to say hello right in front of the Emperor, who's sitting on top of it!"
Subaru is asked this question by the girls all at once, and he responds to them collectively.
Beatrice, Tanza, and Louis nodded in reply to Subaru's answer, and only Idola, who had to watch closely, muttered quietly.
"With four children on the battlefield...... I guess I didn't have the talent of a warrior after all."
Yes, the impression of a miller's son.
△▼△▼△▼△
--The same time that the Pleiades group led by Natsuki Subaru broke down the city walls and finally made the first ride to the imperial capital, Lupgana.
"I didn't expect him to be so insistent."
A group of rebels who plan to besiege the imperial capital and overthrow the very foundations of the empire - the Crystal Palace, which all of them have designated as their destination and are burning their lives to reach it.
The throne room is the highest and most prestigious room in the castle. A flag with a wolf pierced by a sword flies on the wall behind it, and in a room with a blood-red carpet, there is the throne, in which all the authority of this empire is concentrated, and the emperor sitting on it.
Young, intelligent, and as ruthlessly beautiful as a sharpened blade, the emperor did not change his color even as the hordes of those who pointed their swords at his throat rushed to him.
As he himself said in his own words, even though the situation exceeded his expectations.
But--,
"What is the length of the ten or twenty threads that you have stretched out?"
"----"
It is too irreverent a word to be spoken in the throne room to an emperor seated on his throne.
However, there is no sight of the loyal retainer who condemns him or the soldier who beheads the rude man, and the room echoes with the sound of the intruder's unreflective shoes stamping on the carpet.
There is one more puzzling thing about the throne room without such a thing that should be there.
A fact that would have raised an eyebrow if there had been another in the room. - or perhaps they couldn't even frown.
Because in order to recognize that fact, you need to have enough evidence to step into the inhibited perception.
A gift from an ancient emperor to a tribe with whom he had once shared a friendship.
The masks, which resemble the most fearsome beings in this world, the "Oni Tribe" created to kill them, make them avert their eyes with awe from the facts hidden behind them.
Therefore, it is not easy to recognize that the voice tone of the person wearing the demon mask is exactly the same as that of the emperor.
Then, a presence with the same tone of voice as the emperor appears before the emperor of Vollachia, walking majestically through the throne room as if he were his own.
It is--,
"I'm not so moved as I thought I would be. --Even looking up from below at the throne from which I was chased away..."
It was the triumphant return of the rightful emperor, who had once had no choice but to leave and return to his throne.
You do not have permission to view link
Log in or register now.
He presses his fists to the ground and stands up, overworking his knees, which are almost shaking.
The heavy thuds, the blows resonate to the core of the body, and the internal organs scream as if they have been stirred up.
Lacerations and bruises could be healed by forcefully relying on the power of the earth to suck up from the sole of the foot. However, the unknown techniques used by the opponent overtook such rough protection.
His attitude is abhorrent and his nature is hateful, but his enemy is one of the strongest in the empire.
The technique, perfected through training beyond human knowledge, played mercilessly on the foolish Garfiel.
However, we cannot cite lack of experience or age as an excuse.
For Garfiel, who is incapable of anything dexterous, all that is required is victory. He can't choose any other answer, and above all--,
"I can't stand to be standin' next to ya."
Garfiel grits his teeth and looks up, his throat growling.
His gaze remained fixed on the front, but his awareness was not on the unquestionable enemy, but on the man standing beside him, his personal "enemy".
"I am sure that you are a virtuous man. Your competitive spirit is a virtue, but in this case, it would make more sense to direct it at the old man over there, rather than at me."
"It's 'Cagricon on the Shelf'. Don't be talkin' sense to me. You're the one who made the wrong move a long time ago."
TL's note: i have no idea what cagricon (カグリコン) is so i will edit later when my 2 brain cells work again
"That was a year and a half ago now...... except for the ones you know about, which I admit are far from it."
A man who shrugs his thin shoulders and replies with no less of a mouth - Roswaal.
With his make-up removed and his jokey clown costume removed, he retains the air of a proper nobleman, even if it is to conceal his true identity.
It is a masterful disguise, however distorted its roots may be.
It is true that without the advice of such a hateful Roswaal, he would have risked his life.
Because he is aware of this, a fever of anger rises from the pit of Garfiel's stomach.
On the other hand--,
"--Well, it's a bit hard to ignooore the fact that he's been in a fight with a Shinobi before."
The man who muttered this was an old man of small stature who could easily be mistaken for a dwarf tribe.
Waving the sleeve of his right arm, which is missing from the wrist, and looking as if he were a good-natured old man, it is hard to see how frightening this old man is.
Garfiel painfully experienced that this was part of the Shinobi's jutsu-technique.
Everything about them, their gestures, their words and actions, even their feeble appearance, are tools to bring death to their opponents - the Shinobi use everything in their existence as a weapon to kill their targets.
The monstrous old man, the chieftain of the Shinobi, is staring at Garfiel and the others - or rather, at Roswaal. He is not blaming them for the rudeness of their intrusion into the one-on-one battlefield, but is more concerned about something else.
--To the statement that he had fought with the Shinobi and howled so.
"If you fight with a mabeast, you basically lose your life, right? If you fail to kill them in return, the village is notified and the next one is sent until the other one is dead. But why are you still alive?"
"It's a little complicated around here. Apparently, the Shinobi I met also had their own problems. I don't know if that's the right word, but they were an Omitted Shinobi."
"Omitted Shinobi......"
Olbart whispered as he stroked his long white eyebrows with his fingers.
Garfiel does not remember the words that Roswaal uttered. In the first place, a Shinobi is a role model whose existence is rumored to exist, but whose actual existence is doubtful.
Naturally, no one knew what it was really like. He had never even heard of an Omitted Shinobi.
"The Shinobi who left his village, he hasn't been let out for a while, has he?"
But instead of denying the unfamiliar words, Orwalt is frank only about the content.
It sounds as if he is aware of the situation in the village, the situation of Shinobi, and everything else, which is probably true. He grasps what is in his hands, not out of obligation, but as a way of life.
That is the way to get rid of the Shinobis called Olbart Dunkelkenn - and that is the way to get rid of the Shinobis--.
"I don't know how long you mean by 'a while', but it may be outside that range. After all, I met Shinobi nearly 40 years ago."
"Aah?"
The shrug of Roswaal's shoulders is answered by the questioning voice of Olbart, the "Bad Old Man".
The same question arose for Garfiel. Rather, he take his hat off to his guts, as it is highly likely that everything he has said so far is just a random remark.
He never bothered to ask Roswaal's age, but he was around 30 at most - not like Emilia or Beatrice. He was not even born forty years ago.
It's a ridiculous prank to pull on Olbart at the last minute--,
"--Shasuke and Raizo, right? The missing Shinobi you're talking about."
"Hoh."
"The only ones left 40 or 50 years ago and still alive are their brothers. The others have been exterminated and there are no candidates."
Olbart persevered with what Garfiel dismissed as a prank. While Garfiel was blindsided by this, Roswaal closed one eye.
The yellow one's eyes bewitched, looking back at Olbart.
"Now, am I obligated to answer if it's a hit or not?"
"Not really. It's also important to keep a hold on your opponent's mind in the midst of a paper-thin killing match...... you might have a talent for Shinobi."
"I appreciate the compliment, but I decline it. The talent I want and the path I want to take have been decided long before 40 years."
"Kakakakka! Oh, yeah, right. --Well, I'll be damned."
Roswaal, shaking his head, wears Olbart's praise on his sleeve.
He laughed in a manner that made me not care about it, and right after that, Olbart's figure became hazy. In the blink of an eye, the distance between the two disappeared. The old man's legs leapt and struck at the target's neck.
That is--,
"--"
With a slight breeze on his neck, Garfiel choked.
A deadly shock is scattered at the nape of his neck, just touching the skin. Olbart's kick was released, and it was almost stopped.
"The way the conversation is going right now, you're going after him, not me."
"Reduce the number of enemies. And the more you reduce them, the better. Isn't that the rule?"
Olbart's kick, with its unimaginable leg strength and sharpness, would have hit even Garfiel's well-trained neck.
What kept that reckless comparison from becoming a reality was a dagger of a distinctive shape that was interrupted between the neck and the kicking leg - no, not a blade, but a gem with a part to strike.
The "Sai" was an unheralded weapon used in Western Kararagi, and it was the first time Garfiel had seen one.
It saved Garfiel's life.
Along with the humiliating fact that the owner is Roswaal, and this is the second rescue in a row.
"Oh, ohhhhhh!"
At the moment of his humiliation, Garfiel's right arm launches up, killing the wind.
Naturally, the target was the old man, who remained in the air with his kicking leg stopped on its axis. With no escape route in the air, he must smash through his torso to disable him from fighting.
"Woops."
However, just before the powerful arm hit him, Olbart ducked with an unusually skillful body movement and leapt diagonally downward with only his toes hooked on Roswaal's Sai.
Olbart dodges a fist shot at him, and he crawls on the ground to pull out of the distance. Immediately, Garfiel stepped in to follow up--,
"Let's just calm down."
"Gah!"
The body that was going to jump into the water was pulled backward at the waist, and the start of the dive was thwarted.
If you look, you will see that Roswaal had hooked the end of his sai on the waist of Garfiel's dress. He wondered what he meant by that, and just as he was about to bite him, he realized his intention.
The black blade was just under Garfiel's nose as it spun across the street.
"--"
"The moment it leaves, it's a flying blade thrown backward and into a blind spot. It was just a small trick to make him spin and turn, but Shinobi is a treasure house of this kind of technique. And besides, the opponent is the pinnacle of this path."
"If you are at the top of a small range, people will point at you and laugh at you. The top of the Shinobi is nothing to brag about."
Unconcerned about the strike's futility, Olbart closes one eye and looks at him warily.
Garfiel again bit his teeth in humiliation at the exchange between both of them that left him out of it. Not once, but twice, and even three times, Roswaal saved his life.
In the fight against Kafma, there was a response that overcame one wall.
Nevertheless, he is unable to do anything about those who are kicking him out of his fight with Kafma. This is not good for Garfiel himself, nor for Kafma, who lost the battle--.
"--Garfiel, do not misjudge the kind of strength."
"Ah......?"
"You are strong. That's why your opponent tries to avoid fighting in your ring. Once you realize that this is the trick to achieve this, most of the weakness you have will disappear."
The other sai is pulled out by Roswaal, who says this to Garfiel, who clenches his fist.
With a short strike weapon in each hand, he was trying to maintain the appearance of a warrior, not the court mage Garfiel knew him to be.
There is a moment of confusion, and the intention is belatedly understood by Garfiel.
Roswaal has to abide by the bind of not being able to use magic in this situation.
If magic is used, there is a risk that Roswaal's true identity will be revealed from there. If this happens, this could develop into a battle between the kingdom and the empire, rather than a civil war in the empire.
In other words--,
"All I can do is stop to cover you...... You are the key to the battle against the Imperial One General, Garfiel."
"----"
"I also know for a fact that we're not compatible. You are straightforward and honest. If that is the case, I will stand in to fill that deficiency. I am......."
"--He's gotta bad temper."
Roswaal chuckles at Garfiel, who takes the butt of the other's words and continues to do so.
"Yes, I have a bad temper. I can count on you, can't I?"
"Ha! Keep sayin' it."
Garfiel returned the wink to Roswaal and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
He wiped off the blood that was still flowing from the blow, and exhaled deeply. From the rumbling sky, the presence of scorching heat and extreme cold, each no less threatening than the other, is transmitted.
Just the thought of these tingling sensations being directed at my fellow human beings is enough to numb his entire body.
But--,
"Only for now."
If they don't focus on this enemy, in front of them, there will be no next time, and no next time after that.
"......Now it's two for one, and it's getting messy."
Garfiel takes a deep breath, and Olbart sighs at the sight of him. And Garfiel raised his eyebrows at the old man's words, "Aah?"
What a crazy thing to say. It pisses him off, but if it's two against one, it's been that way since Roswaal showed up.
"But if you have two opponents, you can't talk about two against one."
The question Garfiel had was answered by Olbart, bending his head.
The old monster fingered his long white eyebrows.
"The two of you are working together, and for the first time, two against one...... what would have been two cocky young guys just a few minutes ago has become a nuisance."
"Then, realizing the odds are against you, why don't you surrender?"
"Kakakakka! Fleeing from the enemy or abandoning the battle is the lowest form of cowardice. Besides..."
"Besides?"
Olbart shows his teeth by popping the plucked white eyebrows with his fingers.
The old man with the small frame, despite his smile, had a great deal of fight in his body.
"I'm not going to lose two to one."
Instantly, the old man's smile becomes hazy and his figure disappears from view again.
Not only right and left, but also the sky and under the ground are options in the case of this "bad-ass old man". The choice of these possibilities made Garfiel nervous--,
"--Inseam."
At the prompting of an audible voice, Garfiel pulls back halfway.
A moment later, his eyes met those of a monstrous old man rising up from under the earth.
"Oh, ahhhhh!!"
Olbart jumps to his knees as the full force of the blow swings down.
Garfiel's fist is slammed into the old man's knee like a piece of dead wood.
Shockwaves ripple through the earth, causing it to crack and propagate spectacular destruction.
For the first time, a direct hit, and a real one at that, the fight to the death with Shinobi began.
△▼△▼△▼△
--Heroes come late.
There is such a certain promise, but Subaru did not like that.
Strictly speaking, it is correct to say that he was transported to another world, and in the process of experiencing various events in this world, he came to think, "Screw it."
"If it were a game, or a comic book, or a story, it might be fine."
If the events take place in a fictional world, such a development is necessary to liven things up.
However, for Subaru, who actually lives in this world of turmoil, the sooner a hero or heroic figure who can bring a conflict to a conclusion, or a person who is capable of transcending human knowledge appears on the scene, the better.
It is best if the hero shows up the fastest and pulls out the root of the problem as fast as possible.
If people say it's not narratively interesting, that's okay, because it's not a story. We can discuss fun or not fun only when we have the presence of mind to do so.
"But it's pathetic that we're the slowest to arrive!"
Swaying on the back of a bright red gale horse, Subaru looks to the front and is frustrated.
The battle surrounding the imperial capital that will decide the course of the empire. It is hard to say who to complain to, but for now, Subaru is furious at his own nomadism.
He thought he hated it and hated it, but he did the same thing with the heroes who came in late.
And to top it all off--,
"It's just like the heroes who are always late to the party to be the most successful!"
The heroes who come in late are the most active because he is sure that the heroes themselves regret being late immensely.
In the meantime, the heroes feel more than enough pain that their friends, the people they have to protect, or someone they don't want to lose has been through a hard and painful time. So.
It was only then that Subaru learned the rationale for the subsequent struggles of the heroes who had not made it to the battlefield in time from the beginning. --He knew that they, too, had blamed themselves.
"Let's do it, Beatrice!"
"El Shamak!"
With this understanding, the shadow magic of the girl who is held in Subaru's chest is unleashed - one after another, the black clouds that are created in the air cover the heads of the imperial soldiers who are lined up in the room.
It is not just that it takes away their vision and reduces their ability to fight. It is not the sight that is taken away from the soldiers who wear the cloud on their heads, but the strength to fight.
""Ohhhh, ryaa--!!""
A line of Imperial soldiers, with clouds over their heads and motionless, is crushed by a blow from the Pleiades group, which rushes in with a craven fighting style.
Take their defenseless weapons, take their armor, break any of their limbs and leave them there, that is the basic tactic of the warband, and the way they fight reflects the intentions of their boss, Subaru.
He has not made a strong decision to be unkillable.
Still, he chose a method that would result in as few human deaths as possible. It was best to do so for Natsuki Subaru's peace of mind, and at the same time--,
"--I hate the Vollachia Empire."
They were angry at the empire for forcing them to fight, to kill each other, to be warriors.
"Schwarz, we are reaching the city walls. We need to decide whether we should continue on into the Imperial City, or go to the other top to provide cover."
Gustav Morello shakes the ground and goes on a rampage with his extraordinarily huge body.
He is the governor of the "Gladiator Island" and the indispensable brain of the Pleiades group, wielding four thick, strong arms and displaying tremendous combat power to keep the approaching imperial soldiers at bay.
As Subaru is struck by his powerful arm, and is overtaken over his head by the soldiers flying lightly, he looks at the walls that are closing in on him - the star-shaped walls surrounding the city, the fourth apex of which is in his field of vision.
To take the top of each, though, that is the condition for gaining the upper hand in this offensive.
"What do you think, Mr. Gustav! Should we attack him or should we attack him more!"
"I don't judge this position. I will only present possible advantages and disadvantages. --If we enter the imperial capital and reach the Crystal Palace, we can accelerate the settlement. If we go to the other tops to provide support, we can reduce the damage to both sides with the help of our main staff. That's all."
"That's annoying! Annoying but......"
While Gustav is dependable in keeping his cool even in the midst of a fight, he hates his personality, which does not help him make decisions in these situations.
However, presenting the possibilities does not force them to choose what to choose.
It is because Gustav has continued to hold such a line that the Pleiades group has remained united and has not fallen apart.
If there is one more reason for such an attitude of Gustav and another for the unity of the group--,
"Mr. Gustav! Take the flag-bearer, Hiain and the half and cover the other battles! Weitz! Take the other half by half and hold here! You got it!"
Subaru, entrusted with the decision here, must exercise it properly.
"--I understand your day job."
"I'm on it, brother! We're in the same boat!"
"Of course we're in the same boat, lizard......! You ask, I'll listen......"
Hearing Subaru's decision, the named faces respond one after another.
The option presented by Gustav, the extravagant decision to take both. And that, too, has to be done by dividing the forces into their respective battlefields--,
"--We can do it!"
Subaru's declaration is evident in the even greater enthusiasm of the members of the group.
That is why they are the friends who fought together from that hellish island and arrived here.
"Schwarz, what about us?!"
"It's a no-brainer! We're going to make a grand entry over the wall just like that!"
Idola asks as he grips the reins of the gale horse and rides alongside Subaru.
Subaru answered the obvious answer with authority and pointed to the ramparts in front of him. Then, with his eyes fixed on the imposing wall, he opened his mouth and said,
"Get him, Tanza! You're our only hope!"
"--Master Schwarz, you're on a roll."
A small shadow agilely jumped out from right beside Subaru's call.
Lifting the hem of her kimono, Tanza dashingly kicks the ground and heads for the ramparts. She is an indispensable member of the Pleiades group, having come to share the road with Subaru through a strange fate.
Because she is the strongest attacker in the Pleiades group.
"--Haaa!!"
Flying like a bullet, Tanza spun in mid-air and her clogged feet pierced the castle walls.
A beat, and shortly thereafter, the robust castle wall was smashed down, and Tanza's figure penetrated beyond it. The shockwave creates a crack, the fourth apex of the castle wall, and the crack spreads across its entirety.
"Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep goooooing--!!"
""Ohhh--!!""
Then, with Subaru's order, the momentum of the Pleiades group crashed directly into the point where Tanza struck the first blow.
It was no longer an attack by an individual group member, but rather a blow from a single creature, the Pleiades group, and even the walls of the Imperial City of Lupgana, which boasted of its strength, could not stand a chance.
"----"
With a roar and a terrific dust storm, the ramparts are opened by force.
Subaru was gut-punched at the overwhelming sight, and in his arms, Beatrice opened her round eyes wide.
"That wall is too...... plain and extraordinary, I suppose."
"--That's the Pleiades group."
Tanza, who answers Beatrice's horrified mutterings, descends from the dust.
She is a girl who hardly moves her face as she dusts off the dust that stains her kimono, but on this occasion she seems to be just a little proud of herself.
Even though she doesn't show much camaraderie, she is aware that she is a member of the Pleiades group. Otherwise, she would not be affected by the "Unity Power".
However, Beatrice did not seem to like Tanza's attitude.
"You've got a cocky face, in fact......!"
"I was born with this face, even if you call me cocky."
"You have a different look, I suppose! You can make expressions, in fact!"
"Uuh, aah, uuh!"
Looking down at Tanza, who was looking very clear, Beatrice, who was on horseback, blushed. Then, as if taking Beatrice's side, Louis, who was clinging to her back, began to make a fuss.
At the frenzy of these girls, Subaru said, "Wait, wait, calm down!"
"Don't fight! We're a team! We're friends! We are 'one'!"
"Wan......?"
"Understood, Master Schwarz."
"Mhm, I suppose."
Beatrice tilts her head at the unfamiliar sound, and Tanza bows at the familiar sound.
Subaru's reaction is that his knowledge of the swordsmith's isolated island made the difference, but the atmosphere is such that it is likely to spark Beatrice's anger more and more, and she bends her lips.
But rather than Subaru moving to intercede there--,
"Prepare yourselves--!"
"Huh?"
A lone Imperial soldier, creeping up amidst the dust created by the collapsed walls, raised his voice, raised his sword, and aimed it at Subaru on horseback.
Even if it is hard to believe, it is obvious to the enemy soldiers who were facing him that it is Subaru who is leading this group. It is the style of the empire not to underestimate even children if they know they cannot be underestimated.
Therefore, the soldier's sword was aimed at the wrong target and was sucked into Subaru--,
"Uagh!"
Instantly, the force holding Subaru from behind becomes stronger, and a moment later his vision changes.
What happened was simple and straightforward: in the blink of an eye, the gale horse moved - no, shifted - from the point where it had been standing just before.
"Wh-what's with the......? Wah--"
Idola, who is holding the reins, gapes involuntarily as his internal organs are stirred by the sudden transition. Subaru also feels familiar with it, it is a different ability possessed by Louis on his back.
And then--,
"Shamak."
"Na?! Kh.....gah?!"
Beatrice, chanting shortly, covers the imperial soldier with a cloud, and Tanza's kick to the surface of the water boldly mows down the soldier's leg, which has stopped moving, knocking her to the ground and knocking him out.
A moment of coordination, which they achieved, and they exchanged glances on and off their horses,
"Well done."
"You're not doing so bad yourself."
And so on, and the acrimonious atmosphere that had prevailed earlier turned around, and in this way they acknowledged each other.
"Well, it's good to see little girls getting to know each other. You know, ......Louis! Don't do it out of the blue, you just turned the contents of Idola upside down! You saved his life, though!"
"Aah, uh!"
"Yeah, good answer! Idola takes a deep breath! Because maybe this won't be the first and last time."
"L-let's make an effort......"
With the power of Louis's transition, they can avoid at least one unforeseen contingency.
If necessary, they will not hesitate to have Idola use it, no matter how much he wants to throw up.
"In the first place, I wouldn't have been able to stand two or three in a row either...... Mr. Gustav! Hiain! Weitz!"
At Subaru's call, who has regained his composure, the faces in front of the collapsed wall look back at him. One by one, they looked into the eyes of familiar faces, looking firmly into theirs.
"I'm counting on you!"
"I'm just doing my job, and you should do the same."
"Yes! Pleiades group, making a triumphant and majestic return by forceeeee!"
"Schwarz, I will defend this place to the death....... Go take the throne......!"
Leaving Gustav and the others heading for another battlefield, Weitz and the others stopping to defend the collapsed walls to the death, and the reliable men at their posts, Subaru pokes Idola in the chest with the back of his head.
Idola, riding a gale horse as if holding Subaru in his arms, was head-butted by that head-butt,
"Then we'll get in. Looks like we're the first ones in."
Laughing bravely, Idola rides his galloping horse over the wreckage of the city walls and into the urban area. Swaying on the same horse, Subaru also enters the imperial city of Lupgana.
The cityscape of the imperial capital, hidden inside the high walls, was one that could not be seen in its entirety from the outside, but it was that of a methodical, orderly and disciplined arrangement of buildings.
"The city's representatives would have to be really nervous to do that."
If the person in question had been listening, he might have argued that he could not even be responsible for building a city that was built hundreds of years ago.
So, with a one-sided impression, the Pleiades group avalanches into the imperial capital.
The goal is--,
"Subaru! What should I do, I suppose?"
"What do you wish to do, Mr. Schwarz?"
"Uagh! Awh, aa, uuh!"
"Of course I'm going to the Crystal Palace in the Imperial City! I'm going to say hello right in front of the Emperor, who's sitting on top of it!"
Subaru is asked this question by the girls all at once, and he responds to them collectively.
Beatrice, Tanza, and Louis nodded in reply to Subaru's answer, and only Idola, who had to watch closely, muttered quietly.
"With four children on the battlefield...... I guess I didn't have the talent of a warrior after all."
Yes, the impression of a miller's son.
△▼△▼△▼△
--The same time that the Pleiades group led by Natsuki Subaru broke down the city walls and finally made the first ride to the imperial capital, Lupgana.
"I didn't expect him to be so insistent."
A group of rebels who plan to besiege the imperial capital and overthrow the very foundations of the empire - the Crystal Palace, which all of them have designated as their destination and are burning their lives to reach it.
The throne room is the highest and most prestigious room in the castle. A flag with a wolf pierced by a sword flies on the wall behind it, and in a room with a blood-red carpet, there is the throne, in which all the authority of this empire is concentrated, and the emperor sitting on it.
Young, intelligent, and as ruthlessly beautiful as a sharpened blade, the emperor did not change his color even as the hordes of those who pointed their swords at his throat rushed to him.
As he himself said in his own words, even though the situation exceeded his expectations.
But--,
"What is the length of the ten or twenty threads that you have stretched out?"
"----"
It is too irreverent a word to be spoken in the throne room to an emperor seated on his throne.
However, there is no sight of the loyal retainer who condemns him or the soldier who beheads the rude man, and the room echoes with the sound of the intruder's unreflective shoes stamping on the carpet.
There is one more puzzling thing about the throne room without such a thing that should be there.
A fact that would have raised an eyebrow if there had been another in the room. - or perhaps they couldn't even frown.
Because in order to recognize that fact, you need to have enough evidence to step into the inhibited perception.
A gift from an ancient emperor to a tribe with whom he had once shared a friendship.
The masks, which resemble the most fearsome beings in this world, the "Oni Tribe" created to kill them, make them avert their eyes with awe from the facts hidden behind them.
Therefore, it is not easy to recognize that the voice tone of the person wearing the demon mask is exactly the same as that of the emperor.
Then, a presence with the same tone of voice as the emperor appears before the emperor of Vollachia, walking majestically through the throne room as if he were his own.
It is--,
"I'm not so moved as I thought I would be. --Even looking up from below at the throne from which I was chased away..."
It was the triumphant return of the rightful emperor, who had once had no choice but to leave and return to his throne.
Last edited:
