Inside the Gates of Avangarde Castle
“Ahh! This guy is strong! Luke! Keep your guard up, okay?! Kya-ha!”
“Y-yes, I understand!”
“You’re better than I expected!”
Eeks had begun battling against the knight and Luke, while Tiferia was locked in a tense stare-off with a bishop named Tenkei.
“Is he not going to attack?”
“I thought he would want to. Is there something advantageous for you around here?”
“Hehe, how scary…”
As she said, Tiferia wasn’t making a move against Tenkei. I thought she could easily break through with her diverse skills, but then I remembered that Tenkei is among the top ranks of the Comet Wolf Brigade. If even his subordinates were despicable, he must be even worse.
“Why do I have to do this? Hey, Kurinka!”
“Stop complaining. We’re the only ones who can use magic to help the injured.”
“If it were me, I could end this fight in two seconds! What is this?”
“What do you mean by ‘what is this’…?”
“Alright, it’s over. Everyone, move.”
“W-what?”
The injuries of the many soldiers and adventurers had completely vanished. I could tell it was due to Imagination Magic, but this was on par with Kurinka’s skills. The evidence was clear as she struggled to hide her confusion, her face resembling a frightened little animal for the first time in ages.
“My wounds…!”
“I couldn’t walk just a moment ago…”
“W-what kind of magic did you use?! Even the Merciful Angel Yuyu couldn’t heal this many people in an instant!”
“Who is that?”
Elmera looked at everyone with a bored expression. It seemed that her surprise outweighed her gratitude, and she didn’t like that.
“Anyway, thank you! You saved us! Now we can go after the bandits…”
“You know you can’t win against them, right? If you get hurt again, I won’t heal you.”
“Y-yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Honestly, everyone is so… huh?”
Mi was tugging at Elmera’s pinky, pulling on it gently. It was rare for that shy girl to approach anyone other than her older sisters.
“Th-thank you…”
“O-oh?”
Elmera, taken aback by the gratitude from someone smaller than her, couldn’t treat her coldly. She scratched her head, trying to play it off.
“It’s unusual… for Mi to approach someone herself…”
“If she had seen the massacre earlier, she definitely wouldn’t have acted like this…”
“Mai!”
“Oh, my apologies…”
Ai wouldn’t allow anyone to insult those who had helped them. It was indeed a massacre, and I questioned it myself. If I had been shown such a situation at that age, I would have definitely been haunted by nightmares. Just recently, I had been dreaming of my village burning down, so maybe Mi wasn’t the odd one out. Or perhaps I was just weak.
“Um, Lua-chan. Am I… unnecessary?”
“You’re not unnecessary! It’s just that Elmera is the strange one, so don’t worry about it!”
“I don’t want to hear that from you.”
I felt a sharp sting from her words, but I brushed it off. It felt like the soldiers were silently saying the same thing to me.
East Avenue of Avangarde, Towards the Port
“So what am I supposed to do?”
“Find out the Comet Wolf Brigade’s intentions and locate their leader.”
“Isn’t that something Elmera’s Imagination Magic could do in one shot…?”
“She’s expanded her range to outside the royal capital, but it’s still no use.”
I didn’t bother asking what range she was talking about. Asking about Imagination Magic, which could do almost anything, was pointless. More importantly, we had something crucial to focus on. According to Eeks, if the Comet Wolf Brigade was plotting something, their leader was likely involved. That meant we had to find that leader.
Those three were probably just stalling for time, so defeating them here wouldn’t mean anything if we didn’t uncover their true intentions. But if even Elmera couldn’t find out, I felt like we were at a dead end.
“By the way, what kind of person is the leader? Kurinka, do you know?”
“Um… not really…”
There was nothing we could do. Eeks had only suggested something unreasonable after learning about Elmera’s Imagination Magic. He assumed that if it could do anything, it could handle that too. But Imagination Magic couldn’t create something that Elmera couldn’t imagine.
“Hmm, there’s one thing that comes to mind…”
“Kyah!”
A girl running towards us tripped and fell. In the process, her pointed hat fell off, revealing her gray hair. Somehow, she looked familiar.
“Are you okay? Can you stand?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Wait, is that Truppo?”
“Lua… Lua…”
She was trying to pull up her robe, which was wrapped around her like a scarf, desperately trying to hide her face. Her flushed cheeks and breathlessness indicated something was off. She seemed to be struggling to find her words.
“Truppo-chan, I’m glad you’re safe during all this…”
“I came… the Leopardess Guild… is…”
“The Leopardess Guild?! Amane and the others are here too!”
“That’s… that’s the thing…”
“What’s wrong with her? She’s not being very clear…”
“Help… at the port… attacked by enemies…! I can’t do anything…”
Before Elmera could start teasing her, Truppo began to cry big tears. I picked up her hat and placed it back on her head, trying to calm her down so I could listen to what she had to say. Apparently, Lars was with her, and they were being attacked by the Comet Wolf Brigade at the port. I thought Amane and the others wouldn’t easily be defeated, but it seemed the enemies were quite formidable. Truppo had been running to call for help, just as Amane had instructed.
“Th-the second squad… the former leader of Ryuzan Inn…”
“Ryuzan Inn…! Lua-chan, we need to hurry!”
Kurinka seemed to have grasped something, but I still didn’t quite understand. However, there was no time to waste. I couldn’t leave Truppo here, so I picked her up and started running.
“Lua…?!”
“I won’t drop you, so just hold on tight.”
“…Okay.”
Truppo was fidgeting, and I had thought from the first time we met that she was a strange girl.
Avangarde Port
“You took your time. We just finished.”
The first thing I saw was Amane. She was being held by a man in a black coat, her head gripped tightly, dangling like a rag doll. She was covered in blood and might have already lost consciousness. Randa, Melissa, and even that Azuma’s Eikichi were all burned and blistered as if they had been scorched by something. The most tragic sight was the countless bodies sprawled across the port, including members of the Leopardess Guild, soldiers, adventurers, and even Bottom. Lars had soiled himself in fear.
“Ah… Lua, sis…”
“Lua-chan, I need to help everyone…”
“Hmm, about half of them are dead.”
Lars managed to squeeze out a voice, while Elmera spoke as if she were admiring a scenic view, declaring something utterly hopeless. The sight of those who had fallen, who I thought were already incapacitated, suddenly rising shocked even the thieves. They widened their eyes, and their lips moved as if they were murmuring something.
“…There’s someone using strange magic.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Even if they wake up, they can’t move. So don’t interfere, okay?”
“Even if I did, I wouldn’t come out unscathed.”
“I know that. Lua-chan, that guy is pretty strong, isn’t he?”
“Yeah. He might even be stronger than Tiferia and the others…”
Excluding the likes of Lord Daigami and the Dragon God, he was by far the strongest among the monsters I had encountered. I wasn’t sure if he could defeat the Demon Lord, but he could certainly hold his own against Bathram. That was my assessment.
It was strange, though. Why was someone like him with the Comet Wolf Brigade? More importantly, it was rare for Elmera to praise someone. She didn’t mock him; she genuinely acknowledged his strength.
“Let Amane go.”
Without hesitation, I grabbed the leader’s wrist.
“Lua-neechan! Don’t touch him!”
“Huh…?”
“It’s too late now.”
A sharp pain shot through my wrist. It felt like something was crushing it, the force digging deep into my bones. I instinctively let go of the man and stepped back, rubbing my wrist. It had almost broken, and what was even stranger was that I couldn’t muster any strength in my hand.
“It hurts…!”
“Lua-chan! What happened?!”
“He did something to me… look, it’s almost broken.”
“Whoa! No! That hurts! Go away!”
With Kurinka’s unclear incantation, the pain in my wrist subsided. It was just a regular healing spell, but she held my hand with an unnecessary amount of affection. The man watched us without looking down on us or laughing, his expression completely neutral.
“An unexpected amount of power. But it was easier to claim as my own than I thought.”
“Aah… with this, even Lua-neechan can’t win… it’s all over now…”
“Lars, what do you mean?”
“Dedrov can… absorb the energy of whatever he touches… It’s not about physical ability or strength; he steals energy… that’s what…”
“Shut up.”
“Ahhhhhh!”
Dedrov tightened his grip on Amane’s head and, as if discarding trash, hurled her far away.
“Don’t worry, Lua-chan. Everyone’s been healed.”
“But no one is getting back up?!”
“That’s probably because that guy drained their energy. Well, it’s more like their life force, or something like that. It’s like the will to do anything, you know? Something like that.”
“Impressive. That girl over there is unfathomable; I would love to invite her to the Comet Wolf Brigade.”
“Don’t be stupid! What are you even saying?”
With a flourish of his coat, Dedrov approached confidently. Wait a minute, if what Elmera and Amane said is true, then no attack would work on him. I might be able to defeat him with the Sonic Ripper, but if I fail, it could be dangerous. I underestimated this; I never expected someone like him to be part of the Comet Wolf Brigade.
“I heard you were strong, but this is all you can do? Just as I thought. Underestimating your opponent and easily stepping into range… such childish folly. It seems you haven’t fought anyone equal to or stronger than you for a long time. This arrogance is the result.”
“Ugh!”
“But this power is remarkable. I never encountered such destructive energy even at my peak.”
Frustrated and unable to retort, I could only bite my tongue. It resulted in a strange sound escaping me, but Dedrov waved his left hand nonchalantly. In that instant, the warehouses that had been standing in a row began to collapse one after another. I could only be astonished; it was as if he had unleashed a Sonic Ripper.
“Yes, I like this. Rejoice, for this power will aid in the overthrow of the monarchy. It is far too much for a child who merely swings power without conviction.”
His expressionless, angular face radiated confidence. The coat billowing in the wind seemed to emphasize Dedrov’s presence even more.
“Yikes! Is that… could it be Lua-chan’s?”
“Yeah… I converted my power into energy and unleashed it. And as for me…”
My arms felt weak. It seemed that what he said about having my energy drained was true. No, to be precise, it felt like the very will to exert strength in my arms had been taken away. Anyway, if even Elmera didn’t understand it, there’s no way I could.
But the bigger problem was whether the Sonic Ripper would even work on him. I wouldn’t mind killing him; I need that kind of determination to defeat him. At the very least, I understood that he was not an opponent I could take lightly.
“You’re thinking that long-range attacks won’t work on him, aren’t you?”
“Uh…”
“I’ll tell you it’s futile.”
“D-Dedrov-sama! You don’t need to step in! We’ll take care of them!”
“W-We’ll defeat them… Ah, it’s so cold…”
A man with a body like a ball and another resembling a withered tree stood before Dedrov. The fatter one was sweating profusely, while the thinner one kept rubbing his body, complaining about the cold. He was only wearing a pair of underpants, which made me want to say, “Well, of course.”
“What are these guys?”
“These two have undergone extreme physical modifications for the sake of the Comet Wolf Brigade. Their loyalty is to be praised even more than their strength. Don’t underestimate them.”
“Hmph, so in other words, they’re weaklings.”
“You said it! I like your style! After I subdue you, I’ll lick every hole you have! Hah hah!”
“It’s too cold! So cold!”
In the end, they were the kind of people I found repulsive. Even as those two disgusting individuals lunged at us, Elmera yawned.
“Alright, it’s over.”
“Ugh… Aaaah…”
Before the two could reach Elmera, they suddenly writhed in agony and fell still. I could tell she had done something with her Imagination Magic, but she was still frightening. Looking down coldly at the two, I couldn’t tell which version of her was the real one.
“I don’t know much about physical modifications, but if you’re that fat, your triglycerides will stick to your liver and you’ll die, you know? Well, you did die. And being too skinny is bad too; if you don’t have enough muscle to support your head, this is what happens. Consider it a lesson!”
The fatter one coughed up blood, while the thinner one lay crumpled, clearly crushed. In the end, I never got to see how those two would fight. But they were definitely not weak. They had faced the Leopardess Guild and the kingdom’s soldiers all on their own. They were on a different level than Bunarg, whom I had defeated. They were supposed to have achieved significant results from their physical modifications.
“I see, they use terrifying magic…”
“You might be acting all cool, but deep down, you’re wondering what to do, right? Hahaha!”
I didn’t want Elmera to be the only one to shine, but I wanted to defeat Dedrov. What he pointed out earlier was not wrong; it was a result of my own carelessness. Therefore, I absolutely could not forgive myself for this.
“Sigh, I’m lacking the tension I had back in the Abyss Cave.”
I slapped my face with both hands to wake myself up. I wasn’t actually sleepy, but it felt like I had been.
“Elmera, I’m going to take him down, so step aside.”
“Huh? You think you can just take the glory…?”
“Just do it.”
“Yikes… well then…”
Barely managing to tease me, Elmera stepped back. I unleashed all my killing intent at Dedrov, but even against the aura that could make a Kaiser Dragon flee, he didn’t change his expression. He simply stared at me calmly.
“Thanks for earlier. Because of you, I realized something important.”
“…Are you satisfied?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you truly content living a life where you, with such power, have to be considerate of the little bugs around you?”
“Wait… I don’t understand.”
“If you wanted to, you could do anything. If there are people you dislike, you could kill them, and you could obtain whatever you desire. Yet you live according to the rotten laws laid down by the monarchy. Being complicit in such a kingdom is proof enough. You are the most incomprehensible type of human I have ever encountered.”
Even when he said that expressionlessly, I couldn’t understand. I had never thought about such things before. I just wanted to destroy everything I disliked and do as I pleased.
“That kind of thing can’t be allowed.”
“Who says it can’t? Is it the soldiers trying to be popular with the law? The incompetent royalty? With that kind of power, you could crush them. Why don’t you do it?”
“I would never do that! Why is it always people like the Comet Wolf Brigade, the Demon Lord Army, and the Demon Race? Why can’t we all just get along?!”
Why? Why? Those were the questions I wanted to ask. I couldn’t understand. What on earth was he talking about?
“Powerful humans are used by the weak and incompetent, and at times, they are incited. The incompetent pigs devour the weak, while behind the scenes, they drown in alcohol and women every night. I cannot comprehend why you accept your current position.”
I had nothing to say. No, I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say to something I couldn’t understand any further. I could do whatever I wanted; I had never thought about that.
“The stronger should lead the world. This is how the future should be. Yes… now is the time for revolution.”
Dedrov closed the distance, thrusting out his right fist in preparation. If the stronger should lead the world, then if I win, I would be the one to lead.
“Then I’ll defeat you. I’ll take down you, who is selfish and incomprehensible. Then I can lead, right?”
“Exactly.”
For some reason, Dedrov grinned ominously. In response, I would fight him with my fists. There was no way I would do that.
“Draw your sword.”
Disballade. Now that I think about it, this might be the first time I’ve drawn it against a human. It’s not that I couldn’t win without it; it was simply a matter of not letting my guard down anymore. Perhaps he was wary of this sword, as a frown creased Dedrov’s brow.
◆ Shin Report ◆
I see! Leaving the main body to the Ikustas, Lua and the others will search for the leader.
That’s a good idea!
Not really.
Lua should take down the main body first and then search.
Is there a better plan than this?
No, there isn’t.
I have to give Shin advice; otherwise, they really can’t do anything.
But Shin chooses to remain silent.
By letting his heart become a devil, he encourages their growth.
Yes, yes, Shin has become an adult once again!
So, what about Dedrov?
I understand what he’s saying.
If Shin were as strong as Lua, he could do whatever he wanted.
For example, he could break into a candy store and steal candy!
He could beat up arrogant Lua or Elmera!
It’s normal to be swayed by greed.
People like Lua are the exceptions.
Well, Shin is currently in the tool bag of the Kurinkagawa.
Feel free to fight as you please.
I’m so sleepy.
Ahh, my energy is being drained!
If it’s been drained, then there’s nothing I can do; I might as well sleep.