Chapter 201 : Stigma Liberation (4)
Stigma Liberation (4)
It took quite a long time to reach the Imperial Court's capital.
If you considered the Chaos Dragon's flying speed—so fast it could reach outer space in just twenty seconds—calling it a long time was a bit strange.
But the problem wasn't the speed.
This time, Louis felt it painfully clearly.
A sense of distance, direction, control of speed—without mastery over all of this, flying was impossible.
He also came to realize just how impressive real air force pilots were, constantly having these experiences.
For Louis, who didn't have even the seed of such senses, flying was nothing short of a disaster.
What would have happened if passengers had boarded a plane piloted by Louis sitting at the controls?
'I don't even want to imagine it.'
Louis, who had been darting all over the place, ended up crashing into yet another mountain this time.
"Young master... Did you crash again?"
"How many times is that now?"
"I'm so sick of it—sick and tired!"
By now, Louis was crashing so often that the team members weren't even surprised anymore.
All they wondered was, when would they finally reach their destination? Other than that, they just didn't care what Louis hit anymore.
"We've arrived."
"What?"
"Finally... finally...!"
In that instant, the team members encountered information they could hardly believe.
"We really made it!!"
"What are you talking about?"
Given that Louis had spent the whole time getting into accidents while flying about, they couldn't trust that information.
But after scanning their surroundings and seeing the panoramic view of the Imperial Court's capital, they realized it wasn't a lie.
"Huh? It really is the capital."
"Really? Where, where?"
"Ooooooooo! Finally...!"
All the team members wore expressions of deep emotion.
"We finally made it!!"
After several trial-and-error attempts, they had finally reached their destination, and the team members were overjoyed.
"We're alive! We survived!"
Pram and Victor even shed actual tears.
Their appearance was like castaways, finally encountering a rescue boat after being stranded on a desert island thanks to a foolish pilot.
"I finally feel alive."
"We won't have to get airsick because of the young master anymore!"
"I've never seen such idiot driving in my life!"
At the same time as their joy, they began cursing the pilot.
"Let's see if we ever ride anything the young master drives again!"
"I won't even ride a carriage driven by the young master now!"
"Yeah! Now, whenever the young master grabs something, I'll get so anxious I could die."
Louis, now being criticized by the children he'd raised until now, couldn't retort at all.
"Sorry, everyone."
He had lost track of how many times he'd gotten lost while flying around.
For Rio, who had no resistance to motion sickness, things had probably been even worse.
"This was a first for me."
"A first for what?"
"The first time I actually wanted to kill the young master, that's what."
"...."
If even Rio, who clung to Louis like a madwoman, said something like that, that said it all.
As Pram released the barrier she had put up as a safety measure, the team all disembarked from Louis's body at once.
They were just about to refresh themselves with the fresh air when someone was discovered at Louis's feet.
"Ah... Right, these people were here, too."
The team were not the only ones who had traveled with Louis's flapping(?).
Kaid and Yugwang, who had asked to be brought along, collapsed to the ground the moment the barrier was released.
"Young master, these people have been knocked out cold this whole time."
Unlike the resilient special task force members, Kaid and Yugwang had already fainted with foam at their mouths.
"What should we do?"
"Just leave them here. For now, we..."
Louis said, sensing the many a presence all around them.
"We need to deal with our guests first."
Knights led by the royal family and all sorts of nobles were surrounding the special task force.
The malice and fear in their approach, swords drawn, was obvious.
****
"Where exactly have you been all this time?"
"Here and there."
"And where is that?"
"I'm not sure myself."
After finally reaching the capital safely, Louis immediately headed near the Imperial Castle and recounted everything that had happened to Silia.
"But Louis, are you all right in the head?"
"Pram's with me up top."
Pram, sitting on Louis's head, blushed and replied.
"As long as I'm by the young master's side, there's no problem at all!"
Thankfully, since World Tree Pram had been nearby, there had been no rampage in the Chaos Dragon state.
The torture spell that kept Louis's sanity was, in fact, the power of the World Tree, so having Pram beside him was akin to being constantly subjected to that torture.
"By the way, is it true the stigma on your body disappeared?"
"Yes. Ever since that black liquid was poured all over me."
"Then we should try branding you again..."
"It wouldn't matter. I'm already under the same treatment as the current torture spell."
Louis pointed at Pram as he spoke.
Up until now, the torture spell had been an essential factor for Louis, together with Pram.
It maintained his sanity and returned him to his original form when he transformed into a dragon.
'So even if I get rebranded and put under torture again...'
"It means I can't return to my original form."
He'd already taken all possible measures, but nothing changed.
And that was why it was strange; if the spell worked, he should have always been able to return to normal after becoming a dragon.
[That black liquid you were doused in—could you tell me what it was?]
At that moment, Mirianne, hanging from Silia's waist, spoke.
[You said the stigma disappeared after you were hit with it.]
"Yes. I've been like this since then."
[That's probably a drug made by a great devil called Eramon. When you got hit with it, did you notice any strange smell?]
"A strange smell?"
Louis recalled what it had smelled like when he was doused with that black rain.
Since he'd been in dragon form, he easily remembered the scent of the liquid.
"It definitely had devil blood in it."
[And what else?]
"As soon as I smelled it, I felt intoxicated."
[Intoxicated, huh? Then, could it be that guy?]
Frederick interjected, sounding astonished.
[The Great Devil Goramon. In the ancient demon records I read in life, it was written that guy possessed the ability to control all monsters. If it was a drug with his power, it might explain your current state.]
[Moreover, with the demon realm expanding, their influence is growing more active. It's not surprising if things like this happen now.]
Of course, it was only speculation, as none of the heroes in their lifetimes had met a great devil in person.
[It seems we should interrogate this Eramon devil further.]
[She should still be tied up at your mansion. And now she can't use her brainwashing power—so this works out well.]
"We can interrogate her later. For now..."
Just as Silia said, handling the current situation was more important.
Right in front of the Imperial Castle, countless nobles were glaring at the special task force and the royal family.
"Do you know what's happening in the empire right now?"
"Roughly, yes. My current state has already been exposed."
On the notice board at the center of the capital, the recording of Louis transforming into a dragon was still playing.
Until now, Louis had buried countless lives with such record-keeping magitech devices—but now he was at risk of being buried by one himself.
"Who could have known we'd be done in by something like that?"
"But judging by the atmosphere, that's not the only problem, is it?"
"You're right. People have learned about both your power, as well as that of Rio and Pram."
But if only Louis showed up in the footage, how did they learn about the others?
"How did they find out?"
"I'm wondering the same."
With all the special task force's secrets now exposed, Louis felt empty inside.
The crowd's reaction was all too predictable. He could hear it now, in fact.
"Blood Sword Technique... Just hearing the name gives me chills."
"It's certainly the same swordsmanship used by the Demon King during the demonkin war!"
"My parents and grandparent were victims of that power. It is a force that must not exist!"
The nobles' opinions were almost unanimous.
Their cries to destroy that wicked power reached Louis's ears precisely.
'I get it.'
According to this continent's history, these nobles had all suffered greatly during the demonkin war.
Many lost friends, some lost family—PTSD was inevitable.
The true culprit behind the war was the Demon King, and it was natural to tremble at the Blood Sword Technique the Demon King used.
'Come to think of it, the Blood Sword Technique was said to be the power that activates the great devils' rituals, wasn't it?'
If that information was correct, then the power was indeed one that must never exist.
It could lead the continent to destruction—no wonder it was the "evil" route.
"Those monsters must be eliminated immediately!"
"Why in the world did you, even as the special task force, hide them under that title?!"
"If you cannot explain this, not even His Majesty will go unpunished!"
In a flash, the imperial family became the target of all the nobles' resentment.
No matter how great the royal family's strength, a coup by the united nobles would inflict massive damage.
That, more than anything, risked overthrowing the nation itself, so the Emperor wore a troubled expression.
"Father."
"It's alright. All of this is the fault of my own incompetence."
The Emperor looked at Orbel, who was handcuffed and held by knights.
Though Orbel was a wretch discarded by Hartmon, his life was surprisingly tenacious. The Emperor felt regret as he looked at him.
"I was unable to instill royal strength in my son, so that child's ambition led him to contract with a great devil. And the ones who stopped him were those friends who bear a power that must not exist."
The special task force were the Emperor's benefactors.
To leave walking disasters unchecked was wrong, but to repay kindness with enmity was also wrong.
Standing at that crossroads, the Emperor had chosen the former.
Both choices were wrong either way, but he did not regret his decision.
"I shall respect everyone's opinion. The weight of the crime of hiding the successors of the Blood Sword Technique and other disastrous beings under the name special task force is beyond measure."
At that declaration, the nobles' jeers paused briefly.
"No matter how much they have accomplished as the special task force, saving the empire countless times, the fact remains they possess dangerous powers. In the end, they are beings that must not exist—I agree."
"But may I ask why you left them alive until now?"
Calmer now, the nobles questioned the Emperor.
They no longer pressed him aggressively, but their expressions were unchanged.
"So you're saying I kept them alive..."
"Yes. At least please tell us the reason you did not execute them."
"Execute them... ha ha...!"
Suddenly the Emperor laughed, and the nobles frowned.
Asked for an answer, why was he laughing?
"That is quite an amusing question."
"What do you mean?"
"But what if it is impossible to kill them?"
Impossible to kill?
How could it be impossible for the royal family to kill a few people?
Even if they weren't human, with the royal family's power, they could have been killed a hundred times over by physical or social means.
"Whoa, whoa~ I'll take over from here."
At that moment, Louis stepped forward in his enormous form before the nobles.
"This monster...!"
Immediately, the knights defending the nobles pointed swords wreathed in aura at Louis.
Louis asked the knights and nobles:
"Everyone~ You all want to kill us, right?"
Was he really asking because he didn't know?
"If only we die, peace will come to the world. That's what the prophecy says, isn't it? Isn't that right?"
Since everyone already knew this, the nobles let out dry laughs.
"In that case, who among you can kill us? Raise your hand!"
But at that question, everyone's expressions hardened.