Chapter 322
In FBO, Boldorinde's hiding spot was completely random.But that was in the game. I didn't think he'd be hiding in a physically impossible location in this world, but even so, I found this way of hiding unusual.
Thanks to the spirits' tracking, we've pinpointed Boldorinde's location.So, after properly preparing our equipment and seeing the main force depart from the royal capital, we teleported from the capital using a Pendulum of Teleportation.
"Ah, they're here.""Yeah. So, how's the situation over there?""I'd like to say 'no change,' but... I think they've probably noticed your movements and have started to act."
The destination we moved to was a cave prepared as a temporary base.It required traversing a harsh path through dense woods and passing through monster territories.
Precisely because of that, it could make one think no people were around.
At this base, we rendezvoused with Sharia and Judess from the Entertainers, who had been dispatched as an advance team.They were dressed in their usual phantom thief-like outfits and had been monitoring the location where Boldorinde was hiding.
I checked just to be sure that they weren't... *undressed*, but fortunately, given the emergency, everyone was properly equipped.
"We *can* read the mood, you know.""That's a relief."
I smiled back at Judess, who had understood the meaning behind my gaze.
"Any signs of the target fleeing?""None. Several groups of merchants brought in weapons and food, but none of those merchants have come back out either.""We have everyone watching the surroundings. We won't let even a single rat escape."
Even though Boldorinde's lookouts are probably lurking in the surrounding forest, the Entertainers are hiding without neutralizing them, ready to be noticed at the right time.As the one who taught them their infiltration methods, I'd give them full marks.
"And their estimated arrival time?""Using every connection we have, we're gathering Griffons and Wyverns. They're currently moving and will execute an airdrop upon arrival. The encirclement should be complete by dusk.""So we just keep watch until then to make sure he doesn't escape?"
What they were watching was an old ruin familiar to me.
"I knew he was connected to the Evil God Cult, but hiding as a priest... he's really become desperate, hasn't he?"
To be precise, it was a former ruin. Unlike a normal ruin, it had become a sort of town with tents and shacks erected haphazardly.Whether living conditions were properly arranged or everything was plundered from elsewhere, the impression was foremost that of a sloppily built scoundrels' den.
For a man of ducal status to flee into such a place, it's no wonder Judess looked disgusted and shrugged his shoulders.We know from the spirits' investigation that Azidahaka is within these ruins.
Entering such a place dressed as an Evil God Cult priest is tantamount to declaring a break with the kingdom.
"So? The enemy is numerous. No matter how many elites we prepare, if it turns into a chaotic melee and he escapes, it's meaningless. What's the plan for that?""As for escape routes, the spirits are covering them, and ostensibly, the Temple Knights, who are here for 'training,' are also providing cover. We'll deal with teleportation magic countermeasures later. The main thing is we need to delay Boldorinde's decision to abandon this large force."
In Ms. Lotus's reports, there was one about when they stormed Boldorinde's mansion.Including the servants, the place was completely empty.
All sellable assets had been taken, and not a single document remained.That means he anticipated Ms. Lotus's movements beforehand and prepared for evacuation.
"Abandon that entire army? He must know he has no way out if he doesn't win here.""For Boldorinde, the bandits and knights here are just replaceable pawns. As long as his favored shadow organization remains intact, he thinks he can rebuild."
His thorough preparation and high wariness were troublesome even in FBO.We'd locate his hideout, think 'Alright, let's crush him with our level advantage,' assault it with the strongest party, reach what seemed like the boss room, and find... no one there.
Thinking we had the wrong room, we'd search every room, but he wouldn't show up.
"For him, fleeing is not a disgrace. The real problem would be dying and failing to achieve his goal."
I strained my eyes to look at the ruins from afar, but even with stat-enhanced vision, finding Boldorinde was impossible, of course.
The high points of the ruins, now completely a den of villains, were equipped not only with archers but probably also ballistae repurposed from the walls of Hokushi Castle.
A moat had been dug and filled with water.
The drawbridge, the only way in or out, was guarded by gate soldiers, and all movement was constantly monitored.
Seriously, he even brought engineers and is fully intent on holing up in these ruins.
"Then why did he flee to a place like this? If that's the case, wouldn't intercepting in Hokushi have given him the advantage of terrain? He had allies there and could secure supplies. Using the fortress near the royal capital would have made fighting much easier.""You've hit on a good point, Judess-kun. I award you a *zabuton* cushion.""And where am I supposed to put that?"
However, Judess is right; this land is unsuitable for intercepting a large army.
Even if repaired, it's originally a weathered ruin.Its durability is low, and it doesn't offer much height.
It might work as a hideout, but it's completely unsuitable for a siege defense.
Having my casually offered cushion rejected, I reluctantly offered it to Nel standing nearby. She accepted it and hugged it.While a somewhat heartwarming air flowed, I explained Boldorinde's intentions to a puzzled Judess.
"There are roughly two reasons. One is undoubtedly Azidahaka. He probably didn't feel safe leaving the sealed site solely to bandits. The second involves Boldorinde's magic tool.""A magic tool? Is it a pretty dangerous one?"
In the FBO storyline, there were frequent depictions of Boldorinde's obsession with Azidahaka.At first, I thought he was fascinated by its immense power, but that was a big mistake.
"In terms of danger... if you have countermeasures, it's not that dangerous. But without countermeasures, it's a pretty dangerous magic tool."
Boldorinde is the head of a ducal house spanning generations. Naturally, he has the right to use his power to buy various things.The body double magic tool was also acquired by his ancestors and passed down through the generations.Among the magic tools acquired after becoming the head of the ducal house is a chain-like magic tool called 'Dromi.'
Its model is one of the two failed chains created before the famous Gleipnir, which successfully bound Fenrir.
Since its model was a chain created to seal the mighty Fenrir, it falls short of Gleipnir, but it's still a quite convenient magic tool for tamers, capable of instantly restraining ordinary monsters, and it's also an effective item for restraining players.
"It's incredibly heavy, requiring a minimum of 300 in the Strength stat just to swing it, and it needs 400 Magic Power to use as a magic tool, making its usability terrible. On top of that, if the target has binding resistance, it just becomes a blunt weapon, so you can imagine its performance."
It's because of this magic tool that he believes he can commandeer Azidahaka and acts accordingly. This 'Dromi' magic tool can completely control monsters up to Class 7, and can even allow limited control over Class 8 monsters.
However, its limit is Class 8. For monsters beyond that, its performance is utterly insufficient.It's the type of item that lets you dominate until the early part of the endgame, but becomes useless by the mid-to-late endgame.
But, well, players only learned that after analyzing the magic tool and understanding its performance.
The flavor text for the Dromi item reads: '*A chain forged by ancient artisans to seal and command demons. Even dragons shall kneel and become your strength.*'Being an ancient artifact, its investigation wasn't perfect, and due to its relatively high performance, he overestimated its capabilities.
"But even such a magic tool can easily restrain not just Wyverns, but even Thunder Dragons. It's because he has this that Boldorinde believes he can control Azidahaka."
His reason for holing up in the ruins is simple and clear: to secure his maximum combat strength right there.If he obtains Azidahaka, he can pull off a major reversal.
He schemed in the shadows, discarded allies, and bought time for this purpose.
"How do you know what he's thinking, Liberta? You know, don't you?"
It's a simplistic way of thinking, combining the trifecta of 'unreasonable,' 'reckless,' and 'futile.'
Fundamentally, Boldorinde holds the powerful position of a ducal house.If he had used that skillfully, employing his signature covert operations and schemes, he might have even become King through a political marriage with the royal family.But he didn't.There's a clear reason for this.
"That's due to the history of the Boldorinde family. The Boldorindes are descendants of an ancestor who failed to become a Hero."
The forces setting up the encirclement haven't arrived yet.There's no alert from the spirits about any abnormalities.There might be time to answer Sharia's question. I began to recount the history of the Boldorinde family from my memories.
"A long, long time ago, in an era of warring states before this continent was unified under one kingdom, there was a party of commoner adventurers: Rendel, Edelgard, Marchias, Marduk, and Boldorinde."
That era was said to be a time without a king.Well, individual states had kings, but there was no outstanding figure capable of uniting them into a single nation.
People were consumed by war to expand their territories, blood was shed continuously, and the Southern Continent became increasingly cursed.
Soldiers who gained power by slaying monsters invaded other countries. Those other countries also gained power by slaying monsters, repelled the invaders, and then plundered from the invading nation.
Repeating this cycle, when the land's curse reached deep underground, an egg sleeping there hatched.
"That's... don't tell me?""No, it wasn't Azidahaka."
Nel thought it might be the great war of the past mentioned by the Spirit King, but I shook my head, denying it; it was a different monster.
One could say this monster was the catalyst for this kingdom's history.You could fight this monster in FBO too, but that was a battle set in the past.
"However, it was undoubtedly a powerful monster for the people of that time. A formidable monster that pushed the humans of this continent to the brink of extinction. It was severe enough to make them pale-faced, stop their wars, and unite."Humanity must have been in quite a bind.A monstrous entity appearing right when they were exhausted from war.It wasn't a time to prioritize profit.
So, how did they defeat such a monster?The truth is, they defeated it by accumulating small amounts of damage at the cost of immense sacrifice.
"Countless people died. So many died that the once-unknown first king, Rendel, ended up being called the strongest."
Originally, the nations should have pooled their total strength and fought sooner, but human cost-benefit calculations held them back.
One could say it couldn't be helped; the feeling of 'it's still okay' worsened the war situation.
"But the humans of this continent defeated that monster. At the cost of immense sacrifice.""That's the story of the kingdom's founding history. Even I know that. What we want to know is the reason *why* Boldorinde took such actions.""Ah, that is..."
I couldn't help but smile wryly at the malice born from that emotion.