Chapter 28: Suppression
It was an eleven-day journey by carriage to Falsan of Alden Territory, where Ebert Alden had barricaded himself. Kaito’s role as a guard for Hyalda and Fiene was indispensable. He contacted Kaito at the Egdra Hotel to request a round trip escort to Falsan. Kaito accepted immediately but confirmed whether there were any guards besides the Hamawal family, and if the Royal Army was absent.
The next morning, instead of the usual formation, they set out towards Falsan with a carriage indicating the rank of Viscount, accompanied by twenty knights and twenty adventurers. The plan was to camp every night, departing at dawn and preparing camp by dusk. Hyalda’s container house featured walls that could be converted into bunk beds, ensuring comfort for the knights.
My own Camp House was added to the mix, where I, Hyaru, and Fi would stay. The adventurers set up camp and kept watch under a tarp extended from Hyalda’s container house. Meals were all simple and convenient, taken from the Magic Pouch and my storage, allowing everyone to enjoy warm food. Instead of the planned eleven days, we arrived at Falsan in just eight.
Upon reaching the mansion where Ebert Alden was holed up, we found around four hundred soldiers from the Royal Army leisurely blocking the entrances. The fortifications were impressive, with walls and a castle gate, surrounded by a moat, making it seem easy to defend with only the main and back gates accessible.
I called over the captain of the occupying force and showed him the letter from His Majesty to inquire about the situation. The barricaded individuals were demanding the release of Count Noel Alden and assurances regarding their territory. As the occupying forces approached, magic attacks and arrows flew, but they did not seem to be launching aggressive assaults. I learned that the bridge leading to the gate was blocked with timber, indicating that a large-scale military confrontation was not imminent.
Hyalda and Fi casually called out to me, and my relaxed adventurer demeanor drew curious glances. Since my employer was the Viscount, there were no reprimands directed at me.
“Kaito, what do you think?”
“Hyalda, let’s do a round to check the surroundings first. And it depends on the weather, doesn’t it? Excuse me, Captain, what phase is the moon tonight?”
“Huh, the moon?”
I pointed to the sky; this captain had a good character.
“Yes, depending on the moon’s condition, we can act at night.”
“Sorry, I haven’t been paying attention to that…”
When I asked how far the enemy’s magic and arrows could reach, I was told about sixty meters for arrows, which could fly further but lacked power, meaning they wouldn’t do much damage unless they hit bare skin. The magic was said to be fire magic, but it was noted to have considerable power. I had heard that Ebert Alden’s mana grade was 110, yet his range seemed surprisingly short. Perhaps he was untrained or didn’t know how to use his mana effectively.
As I observed the area from outside the arrow’s range, I noticed a 1.5-meter-wide dog run surrounding the walls. The walls were about 120 to 130 meters on each side and stood eight meters tall. Neither side seemed eager to attack, resulting in a rather lax watch.
Curious about how things would unfold at night, I decided to wait. I wanted to scout around the castle gate before the moon rose, so I donned a hooded camouflage adventurer outfit, which limited my visibility. Hyaru watched with interest as I wore a hood that left only my eyes visible, obscuring the rest of my face and neck. I decided to show Hyaru and Fi, and when I moved slightly into the starlight, they were surprised to see how little of me was visible. They remarked that I was nearly invisible, even in the dim light.
I told them I would be back shortly and crept toward the obstacles in front of the castle gate, hiding in a spot that allowed a negotiator to pass through while observing the castle walls. I sensed a presence lurking in the shadows—smaller than a beast, but filled with a piercing malice.
Judging it too dangerous, I turned to retreat when suddenly, the area behind me lit up. With a loud bang, I was thrown back. I was wearing clothes imbued with magic defense, impact resistance, and anti-cutting spells, yet my face stung, and I quickly conjured a shield to protect my back and slipped into the shadows.
It seemed I had been ambushed. My face hurt, and one eye was blurry, so I sprinted toward Hyalda and the others. The moment the area behind me lit up, I stepped aside, changing my trajectory as a Fireball flew past me. It had considerable power, but it was slower than Fi’s spells, making it easy to dodge. After evading a third attack, the onslaught ceased, but I turned to see several figures atop the castle wall.
“Kaito, are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, but it stings. Don’t move! Cleanse and restore!“
The pain subsided, and my vision returned. I checked my surroundings with the eye that had been injured and confirmed I was back to normal.
“Thanks, Fi. You saved me.”
“It seems we were ambushed. Also, the range of their magic feels slightly longer than ours.”
“I estimate it to be around eighty meters, but at this distance, I can dodge it. The speed is slow, and since it was night, I managed to change direction after the area behind me lit up.”
“Good thing we had magic defense, impact resistance, and anti-cutting spells. Now we know that even if Fi or I get hit by magic attacks, we can withstand them.”
“Yes, yes, I confirmed that firsthand. But they did say heavy objects could crush us.”
“Kaito, let’s rest for today.”
We set up the Camp House near the last point of impact, enjoying a delicious meal and a nightcap before drifting off to sleep. I woke up refreshed, but the memory of the magic attack lingered in my mind. I vowed to return the favor with interest. I can be quite vindictive, Ebert, you scoundrel.
We all agreed that surrender was unlikely. If they surrendered, they would likely face exile; after all, they had defied the Royal Family by barricading themselves, which could warrant a death sentence. While we were prepared to attack by destroying the gates, if they chose to surrender, that would be acceptable. However, if they continued to resist, we decided they would have to die.
I volunteered to destroy the gates, as I was the only Earth Magic user capable of reaching them! I conjured a three-meter-diameter hemisphere, cutting off the back half and attaching wheels to the bottom to create a mobile barrier. With two soldiers pushing it, we approached the main gate but stopped thirty meters short, crafting stakes beneath the outward-opening gate to prevent it from opening.
Secret Technique: Remote Magic Castle Gate Stopper, sort of. After securing the back gate in the same manner, I created numerous shields to allow us to approach the castle gate without exposing ourselves, though the passage ended up resembling a kamaboko-shaped corridor.
It was clear that they understood the gravity of the situation, as they began to attack vigorously. However, we remained unharmed behind the shields and the kamaboko-shaped passage. Ebert relentlessly unleashed magic attacks, but they had no effect, and we easily withstood the assaults from other magic users.
From the outside, the castle gate looked like it had been hollowed out like pumice stone. I had prepared it to crumble, ensuring they couldn’t break out.
To avoid being seen by the soldiers of the Royal Army, I waited at the castle gate with Hyalda and Fi early in the morning. From a distance of twenty meters, we smashed the gateposts on either side, and with a thunderous roar, the gate collapsed. I could see the soldiers panicking, and I peered through a narrow opening to observe the interior, searching for Ebert.
Among the fourteen or fifteen figures that appeared to be magic users, one stood out as distinctly noble.
“Hyalda, there’s someone well-dressed over there; could that be Ebert?”
“He seems to be accompanied by a group of magic users, so it’s likely Ebert.”
“Let’s provoke him with some weak magic attacks that can only reach about forty meters.”
Understanding my intent, Fi unleashed a feeble spell reminiscent of what she had shown at the Magic Tournament. Hyalda followed suit, casting a softball-sized Ice Bullet that shattered upon hitting the ground.
“You both have improved!”
“Thanks to our master’s teachings.”
“Right, that unreasonable master teaches us how to slack off in magic!”
“Well then, shall we pretend to run out of mana?”
“Do you think it will work?”
“Depends on Ebert’s intelligence, but if he’s throwing a tantrum here, he can’t be that clever.”
“True. He’s acting tough while laughing at the rolling ice.”
“Oh, he’s pointing and laughing. Remembering the Magic Tournament is making me angry. Hyalda, you go left, and I’ll go right.”
“Both of you aim for the lower half, if possible.”
“Leave it to me, Hyalda. Now!”
“Gyah!” “Uwaah… why is this happening?” “Stop it!” They were all shouting various things, but it was just their own foolishness that got them caught.
Though everyone was rolling around, it seemed they weren’t dead. I ran with Hyaru and Fi toward Ebert and the others. Only Ebert, trembling, was in need of Healing Magic, so I asked Fi to use her spells to mend his injuries.
With Ebert bound behind his back, I dragged him outside the gate and tossed him onto the ground. As a rescue party rushed in, Hyaru and Fi took them down without hesitation. After knocking down a dozen or so, it seemed the rest finally decided to give up.
“Alright, Ebert-chan, Daddy is waiting, so let’s head to the Royal Capital!”
I dragged Ebert over to the Royal Army’s unit and urged them to charge forward, leaving the rest to them. As long as the mastermind and the magic unit were taken care of, there shouldn’t be any major issues, so I encouraged them to crush the enemy.
Watching the Royal Army engage in battle, I figured it was only a matter of time before they subdued the opposition, so I decided to take Ebert home first.