Slime Reincarnation

Yesterday had involved quite the grand fire illusion. ...Eh, was it really okay to burn down a mansion for an illusion, you ask? Well, it couldn’t be helped, that’s just what it took to save Flauzea.

Needless to say, Irina had gone off the deep end seeing Flauzea, someone we’d secretly brought back to hide at the Coluna Frontier Count’s residence, a woman with a fragile, delicate beauty who also carried the alluring air of a widow. Luciana chan had gotten a grip on my throat too, and Fileontina had somehow produced a whip from somewhere.

...We’re not even married yet, but aren’t my wife candidates just a little too dangerous? I somehow managed to clear up the misunderstanding that Flauzea was a new wife or my mistress, explaining that she was someone whose heart had been wounded by losing her husband. Then, when I mentioned that since the capital’s residents believed her dead, she couldn’t let anyone know she was alive and shouldn’t leave the estate, it stirred up another round of chaos.

...What am I even supposed to do here. As I sat there slumped in despair, Rina patted my head gently. ...An angel had appeared.

"Alright, today’s going to be dangerous."

"What’s dangerous?"

Fenberg asked.

"Based on information from the chick corps, Marquis Kirue is scheduled to return to the capital from his territory today, and there’s a plot to ambush him within the capital and have him killed."

"Wh, what!? Is that really true!?"

"Yeah, they’ve finally resorted to a truly drastic measure. Kill off Marquis Kirue, who’s been arguing the honest position, and pin all the blame on Krelia, captain of the capital guard. If a marquis is actually killed inside the capital itself, that’s an unthinkable scandal."

"Th, that’s true, but..."

"And what’s troublesome is that they’re apparently planning to stir up diversions too. Near the north, south, east, and west outer gates of the capital, from what I understand, though what exactly they’re planning to do is still unclear."

"H, how do you intend to deal with this?"

"How, you ask... I can’t have the capital guard split off to handle the diversions. It wouldn’t do for me to be the one repelling the attackers against Marquis Kirue either. We absolutely need it on record that Krelia repelled them herself."

"Can Captain Krelia’s forces alone really repel an attack on Marquis Kirue?"

"That’s what worries me, so Logan and I will be heading over to help capture the attackers targeting Marquis Kirue."

"Then what about the diversions?"

"I’ll have the Four Heavenly Kings among Logan’s subordinates lead their own men to each gate. Beyond that, I’ll write a letter to Commander Gracia of the knight order. Though for something as small as a drunken brawl, I can’t exactly deploy the wolf fangs. It depends on how large a diversion the enemy has planned."

"Is there anything we can help with?"

Irina looked at me with a serious expression.

"That’s right, please make use of our strength as well."

Fileontina clenched her fists, showing her determination.

"But I’m forbidding all of you from leaving this house tomorrow. Protect everyone at the Coluna Frontier Count’s household. I’ll station Gerdon in front of the residence too. Most of the wolf fangs will be deployed elsewhere. I’ll leave some of the chicks here at the residence, but since both the wolf fangs and the chicks will be spread out across the capital, this residence will only have Gerdon for defense. I don’t expect anything to happen here, but just in case. Stay inside, and if anything happens, contact the chicks."

"...Will you be alright, Yabe?"

Irina asked, sounding worried.

"I’ll be fine. I’ve got Logan with me too."

I said this, forcing a smile.

"Now then, I’ll write a letter to Commander Gracia, so please arrange for a messenger to deliver it to the castle. I’m going to bring Krelia some more sasumata."

With that, I left the Coluna Frontier Count’s residence.

"Mashter! Rina will be waiting for your shpeedy return!"

I waved back, smiling at Rina’s cheerful send off, even though she probably didn’t fully understand what was going on.

"Hey there, old man, is that thing ready?"

I stopped by Goldin the blacksmith’s workshop.

"Yeah, it’s done. You sure work people hard, though. Fitting custom leather saddles, stirrups, and a specialized grip was quite a job."

"Appreciate it. This should help keep the capital safe."

"That’s awfully dramatic sounding."

"Once this is all over safely, I’ll come back with some drinks to report how it went."

"...Be careful out there. And make sure it’s the good stuff."

"Leave it to me."

I gave him a thumbs up and left the workshop.

"...I’m sorry, to think you’d bring this many sasumata for us..."

Krelia Spelcio, captain of the capital guard, bowed her head, eyes welling up.

"No budget’s come through at all, and every weapon workshop I’ve reached out to has refused to even discuss it... I can’t help but feel my own lack of power keenly."

Hmm, the sabotage against Krelia really was severe.

"By the way, I’ve picked up information that there’s a plot to assassinate Marquis Kirue."

"Wh, what!?"

"The location is the street right before entering the noble district from the main road. About fifty attackers, armed with bows and swords, and apparently some mages too."

"Th, that kind of force... my own unit is only twenty strong... I’ll need to consult my brother about this..."

"Come on, Krelia. You’re the captain responsible for protecting this capital, aren’t you? Get your head in the game. I’ll lend a hand."

I pushed back against Krelia’s anxious expression.

"Sir Yabe..."

Krelia looked at me, eyes glistening.

"Logan, ready?"

"Yes, sir!"

Outside the station, Logan stood equipped with a saddle, alongside twenty wolf fang tribe members, all lined up.

"Th... this is!?"

"Captain Krelia, I’ll grant you permission to ride Logan, my personal aide. As for the rest of your subordinates, please have them mount the twenty wolf fangs. It’s going to be a busy day, since until Marquis Kirue’s ambush this evening, I want everyone out sweeping the capital, clearing out thugs. That’s exactly why you’ll be riding the wolf fangs."

"R, right! Somehow I feel like we just have to go for it now!"

"Alright, everyone mount up. Let’s move!"

"YEAH!!"

And with that, the elite of the capital guard, led by Krelia, spent the day being tossed about by the wolf fangs’ furious speed while cutting down and capturing the thugs springing up throughout the capital.

BOOM!

An explosion echoed out. Looking over, a magical beast was rampaging near the eastern outer gate.

"Hmm, to think they’d go this far... where on earth did those magical beasts even come from?"

People fled in panic while guards and adventurers scrambled to prepare a counterattack.

"Lord Thunder Fang, how should we handle this?"

"Let’s watch a moment. In a large town where people live, magical beasts don’t just naturally spring up like this. There has to be a cause somewhere."

"Yes, sir!"

At the northern outer gate, several large magical beasts were rampaging as well.

"Wild Shape? Beasts that large don’t just appear out of nowhere. Someone’s released monsters that were sealed away somewhere."

"Lord Ice Fang, what should we do?"

"Chick, are you there?"

"Yes, sir!"

"There should be a human somewhere controlling these beasts. Find them. Until then, we’ll buy time by hunting the beasts."

"Yes, sir!"

"Let’s move!"

"Understood!"

Ice Fang and his subordinates leapt into the main street all at once.

"Kyaaa!"

At the western outer gate, a small girl, too slow to escape, had fallen. Behind her, a goblin swinging a crude wooden club closed in. But then,

Slash!

A gust of wind blew through, and Wind Fang appeared before the girl, the goblin’s head already taken.

"Wow... did the wolf save me?"

At the little girl’s question, Wind Fang gave a small nod.

"Thank you, kind wolf!"

As Wind Fang watched the girl run off, he turned to look at the goblins swarming in relentlessly.

"At this rate, ordinary citizens will get hurt... eliminate them."

"Yes, sir!"

His subordinates instantly became a raging storm of wind, tearing the goblins apart.

"The enemy seems to be holding nothing back, more than expected..."

Wind Fang stared down the main street.

"Yeehaw! Finally my turn to shine!"

A flash of light tore down the main street. Garbo, in his first battle, was completely fired up.

"Lord Garbo! Are you sure about charging in without even scouting first?"

"Anything that runs is just a regular beast! Anything that doesn’t run is a trained one!"

Under Garbo’s raw power, even the large orcs and ogres pouring out endlessly were smashed to pieces.

"No, seriously, is this alright? He’s going full throttle out there."

His subordinates were slightly taken aback by Garbo’s enthusiasm.

Some time had passed since magical beasts began rampaging near each of the capital’s outer gates. A request had already gone out to the royal castle for the kingdom’s knight order to deploy, since the capital guard alone clearly couldn’t handle it. Thanks to Yabe’s arrangement, with the Four Heavenly Kings of the wolf fang tribe stationed at each of the gates, the beasts were being wiped out before any ordinary citizens got hurt. Even so, there was no denying the capital was in a state of major chaos.

"Marquis Kirue’s carriage should be arriving on this street soon. Beyond this slope is the noble district. We’re positioned at the top of the slope, but... is this the right spot?"

"The moment Marquis Kirue’s carriage comes under attack, we move in to rescue him. One decisive strike from the top of the slope, all at once. That’s exactly why everyone’s mounted on the wolf fangs in the first place."

"Right! We’re ready."

I hovered in the air using Fly High. Krelia waited beside me, mounted on Logan. Behind her, twenty members of her personal guard, each mounted on a wolf fang.

Riots and disturbances were breaking out all across the capital. The sound of magic exploding, buildings collapsing, swords clashing, all of it could be heard at times. But thanks to the razor sharp focus of the elite gathered here, none of that noise reached us. And then, the sound of horse hooves pulling a carriage reached our ears.

"I’ve been meaning to ask, Krelia. With looks and character as fine as yours, do you have a boyfriend?"

Krelia glanced sideways at me.

"Hmph."

And then Marquis Kirue’s carriage came into view. In that instant, attackers hidden among the surrounding buildings launched their assault all at once. The carriage seemed to be shielded by magic, deflecting both spell attacks and arrows. The attackers pressed forward regardless, as if this too had been anticipated.

"My lover is... hmph, this capital itself! Everyone, charge! Follow me!!"

With a roar, the capital guard, mounted on Logan and the wolf fang tribe, capable of blistering speed, launched their charge against the attackers.

And so began the true battle between the capital’s assailants and its defenders.