Chapter 105
Chapter 105
The Right Place at the Right Time (1)
“Ah. This feels unpleasant.”
We had originally planned to rest for a day at an inn, but Winter, who had been talking with Soloven Rahorakti, turned pale.
After hearing that 300 people had died in the battle and that the form of the Fiendbeast had strangely changed, she immediately boarded the train.
“It doesn’t smell. It’s fine.”
Aro, who was sitting on top of my head, said that. It wasn’t simply that kind of problem—it was because of modern hygiene awareness.
“By the way. What’s a Fiendbeast?”
At Aro’s question from above my head, I was momentarily at a loss for words. Winter had seen it in person with me, but Aro hadn’t.
“A chimera? An artificial lifeform that viciously and brutally hates other living beings?”
Winter, who heard my explanation, nodded.
“What else?”
“It’s tough? In this case, it’s more accurate to say it’s tenacious. I saw it withstand several attacks from you and Bereninche.”
“…Even the Lightning Spike of Anaye?”
Aro, who listened to Winter’s calm explanation, was shocked.
Having personally seen the Lightning Spike of Anaye that split the sky, Aro couldn’t believe there existed a monster that could endure something like that.
“I fired one shot. Bereninche, who’s stronger than me, fired five.”
“That’s even scarier.”
At my continued explanation, Aro shuddered. That it endured five hits stronger than that Lightning Spike of Anaye.
“They’re like Dokkebi-like brutes. We should wipe them out completely.”
Aro fell into thought with a serious expression. The words she muttered absentmindedly were clearly heard by the others.
“What is a Dokkebi?”
Winter, who wasn’t familiar with the Far East, asked Aro. Aro gently stroked her snout as she considered her words.
“Something like a Fiendbeast, I guess. Big, sturdy, and violent. It uses a large spiked club and has black skin.”
As Aro spoke and Winter listened, both of them suddenly looked at me.
“If it doesn’t like something, it beats and kills it—a goblin with gleaming eyes.”
“I don’t like that. Sounds like you want to get hit.”
Seeing their narrowing gazes, I pulled out my backpack. On the side of it hung a club similar to the weapon used by a Dokkebi.
Only then did Aro and Winter avert their eyes.
“So right now, the desert side is fighting the Fiendbeasts?”
“More precisely, it’s the organization that created the Fiendbeasts. It seems they’ve persuaded the eldest son of the Kargula Family.”
“Tsk tsk. What an idiot.”
Aro harshly evaluated the eldest son of the Kargula Family, whom she had never even met.
I also actively agreed with Aro’s words. The eldest son of the Kargula Family was in a situation similar to mine.
“To dabble in evil sorcery.”
Aro continued as if lamenting it. I quietly closed my eyes.
The talented second son, the first son who gets compared. The eldest son of the Kargula Family and I shared that in common.
“I don’t understand it either.”
I had no attachment to my family. I had even less desire to possess it. That was why I couldn’t understand the choice of the eldest son of the Kargula Family.
***
“You’ve arrived.”
We reached the train station. Since there was only one station in the desert, someone was waiting for us even without notice.
The assassin who had assisted Rama Kargula when we met him greeted us with a grave expression.
“The situation isn’t favorable, so could you hurry a bit?”
At the seemingly earnest request, we nodded. We mounted the prepared desert ostriches and immediately moved out.
Aro, who had naturally tried to come to my side, was handed over to Winter. It was a decision made because I didn’t know what might happen.
“What’s the detailed situation?”
“As expected, it’s not good. If we include the fourth battle we’re currently fighting, there are few injured, but many dead.”
Sticking close behind the assassin leading the front, I asked. The assassin let out a small sigh and continued.
“Explain the circumstances. How you encountered the Fiendbeasts.”
The assassin I had met regarding Rama Kargula had been quite blunt, but the one I met today was a little different.
She answered my question without resistance.
“When you came to Rama-nim, there was a battle involving the desert tribe.”
If it was the desert tribe, it was the same group as the one I encountered on the train—the ones connected to the Earth Dragon and the one who took Canis Ulbushis’s crystal bracelet.
“The desert tribe discovered something strange contaminating an oasis in the desert and sent out a search party, but all contact was lost. We were on our way to confirm that.”
“Then that movement would officially be when the Fiendbeasts were first discovered.”
“That’s right.”
At the mention of Contamination, I frowned. The Fiendbeasts created by Magus had several variations.
Aside from the insanely durable one I encountered at the Academy, there were many other types. Among them were ones that absorbed the vitality of nature and spread Contamination.
“There should have been an Earth Dragon too. Is the damage severe?”
“You seem to know quite a bit. Have you encountered one before?”
“On the train.”
“I see.”
No matter if it was Fiendbeasts or Magus, the story changed if there was an Earth Dragon accompanying the desert tribe.
That creature, comparable to a spiritual being of the Far East, was powerful enough to be considered a field boss.
“It’s still a young one, and it couldn’t withstand the Contamination emitted by the monsters.”
The Fiendbeasts that spread Contamination weren’t particularly strong individually. Even if it was young, I thought an Earth Dragon might have stood a chance.
“Half of the Kargula Family’s forces are at the villa.”
“Half?”
“There’s a secret organization that created those monsters, and the eldest son has been persuaded by them. Along with him, the troops have also been tainted by Contamination.”
Tsk. I furrowed my brow deeply. The Empire had many clans, most of them ancient enough to have preserved their own distinct cultures.
Among them, the desert soldiers had an impressive reputation. They were especially skilled with bows and arrows and were said to be invincible within the desert.
“There are about 20 elites and 200 desert soldiers.”
“At least the numbers aren’t too large.”
It was fortunate that the numbers were relatively small. Considering the presence of Fiendbeasts and members of Magus, it would be fair to assume they were about twice as strong.
“What about our side?”
“Currently, 120 from the desert tribe, 100 from the Rahorakti Forces, and about 200 under Rama-nim.”
Roughly a twofold difference in manpower. At this point, it was almost enough to question the capability of Rama, who was leading the troops.
“The losses in the war of attrition are significant. More importantly, the villa is protected by a magic Barrier, making it difficult for us to break through.”
The factor that overturned such a difference in forces was, as expected, a mage. Judging by the situation, it seemed a Magus mage had deployed a fairly powerful Barrier.
“A Barrier, huh. One that blocks physical attacks?”
“More precisely, it repels them. The desert tribe said they would bring a mage, but……”
The assassin trailed off. She also knew how unlikely that was.
“That’ll be difficult. Those stubborn types.”
“Exactly.”
At my words, the assassin let out the biggest sigh I had seen so far.
Desert tribe mages were especially rare, and their status was exceptional. As a result, they held high positions, and people like that didn’t differ much no matter where you went.
“So we need a mage—”
“Stop!”
Before I could even finish speaking, the assassin shouted.
The two accompanying assassins, Winter, and I all stopped our desert ostriches at the command. Winter, still clumsy at controlling hers, went far ahead before finally stopping.
“S-sorry. It’s a bit difficult.”
Winter awkwardly apologized and quickly returned to our rear. The assassin didn’t pay her any attention and kept staring forward.
“What is it?”
“A mirage.”
The word that came from the assassin’s mouth was familiar. One of the magical phenomena of the desert.
That troublesome and dangerous thing was blocking our path. In the direction the assassin was staring, the space wavered as if heat haze was rising.
“You’ve got good eyes.”
I sincerely admired her. When I went to the Giant’s Tomb, I hadn’t even realized I had been caught in a mirage.
Even if I had good eyesight, there was no way I could detect something as transparent as that heat-haze-like mirage without focusing on it.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just go around it?”
“We don’t know the extent of the mirage. If we’re unlucky, we might have to make a huge detour.”
The assassin responded skeptically to my suggestion. I turned back and looked at Winter.
“Winter, try ringing the Silent Bell.”
“Ah! Yes!”
At my words, Winter waved the flag. The Silent Bell hanging from it swayed with the movement and let out a clear chime.
The Silent Bell, which hadn’t rung until now, finally began to release its voice in response to Winter’s will.
“…What is this?”
“It’s an item from our Religious Order. It has the effect of clearing the mind. It worked on mirages as well.”
“I see.”
The anxiety faded from the assassin’s face as she looked at Winter with curiosity. Receiving her gaze, Winter made an awkward expression.
At my continued explanation, the assassin rolled her eyes in thought.
“Can it block it completely?”
“Completely would be difficult, I think.”
On the way to the Giant’s Tomb, most of those present were members of the Religious Order, so the effect worked fully.
In Canis Ulbushis’s case, I knew she had used magic for additional protection. But here, without a mage, it was hard to expect a perfect effect.
“Um, what’s going on?”
Winter, who hadn’t heard our conversation from up ahead, approached and asked. I gave a brief explanation.
“Ah. A mirage. That’s troublesome.”
Having not suffered much from mirages, Winter only gave that level of reaction.
Since she had little reason to feel any more inconvenience than that, I let it pass. The assassin carefully pondered a method.
“Ten-minute break.”
Lacking confidence in the Silent Bell, the assassin wanted some time to think. At her words, we dismounted from the desert ostriches.
“So the Silent Bell just stays attached to the flag?”
“That’s what I was told. I didn’t attach it myself. When I connected the Holy Brush and the Nuckle, it turned into a long spear, and at some point, the Silent Bell was attached.”
While giving water to our respective desert ostriches, I asked what I was curious about.
“What’s its name?”
“Ah. They call it the Flag of Ark. According to the Administrator of the Sanctuary, an item like this existed long ago, and it was something directly used by a famous saint called ‘Ark’s Chalice.’”
Hearing the name Flag of Ark didn’t bring anything specific to mind. I knew of a few flag-type weapons, but none seemed particularly related.
“What about its effects?”
“It boosts courage and increases the range of buff skills.”
After hearing the flag’s abilities from Winter, I noticed something strange. The explanation coming from her mouth felt oddly familiar.
“…And?”
“Um, what was it. They said it can create the Gate of Valhalla?”
After hearing that, I let out a hollow laugh. The flag Winter was holding was the weapon called ‘Holy Flag’ in the game.
It was the weapon I mainly used while playing Davide Duhein, an extreme support character—the last character who got completely crushed by Bereninche Duhein.
“Hey. I found a way.”
I immediately led Winter to the assassin. The assassin looked at us with puzzled eyes.
Ignoring Winter’s flustered gaze, I pushed her forward. Caught between me and the assassin, Winter fidgeted nervously.
“A way?”
“Yeah. Stay here. We’ll open a portal.”
“A portal? You mean that lost magic?”
At the assassin’s surprised question, I nodded cheerfully.
The greatest ability of the Holy Flag—namely, the Flag of Ark—was the power to create a portal. In the game, after defeating a mercenary who carried it and taking the weapon, everything became far more convenient.
“You’re not joking, right?”
“Of course not.”
Its ability was to create a portal connecting a place I had previously been to and the place I was currently standing.
In the game, it was merely a tool for convenience, but now that this was reality, it was something on an entirely different level.
“Our Religious Order’s pride will take care of everything.”
I burst into hearty laughter for the first time in a while. Seeing me suddenly laughing as if cheering, the group’s expressions turned strange.
Only Winter had trembling eyes among them. I slipped my hands under her arms and lifted her high into the air.
“Uwaaaak!”
Winter’s bizarre scream rang out, but I couldn’t stop my joy.