Chapter 61: I Lost My Temper Over the Absurdity
“What…?”
The Princess and Prince widened their eyes in surprise at my words.
“Summoning is… kidnapping? What are you talking about?”
“Even if you summoned some unknown barbarian, how does that equate to kidnapping?”
Huh? Is this guy for real? He’s seriously lacking in basic human morals.
“What do you mean by ‘barbarian’? They’re clearly citizens of a proper nation!”
“Hmm. Let’s assume they are citizens of some country… But can that country issue a protest?”
“That’s impossible. But thinking you can do whatever you want just because no one complains is, in itself, barbaric.”
After all, this is an Otherworld. While distance can be traversed, crossing worlds is another matter entirely.
“…Hmph, it’s the barbarians who bark the loudest.”
“Why are we the only ones targeted? It seems like you’re using the other classmates as slaves…”
“Fufu, that was unexpected for me as well. I never thought Rio Yuzuki would follow us.”
“A Teleportation Device to the Forest of Enchantment? So, you weren’t alone?”
Hmm? The Forest of Enchantment? What does that mean? Is being sent there related to why we’re being targeted?
“Yes, that’s correct, dear brother.”
“Oh? Is that so… But if it’s for two people, it might become even more powerful.”
I don’t get it at all.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
An indignant Rio interjected, but the royal brats merely smirked at us. The Princess should have no means to counter, but does the Prince and his entourage have some way to escape this situation?
“You still have that thing, don’t you?”
“Yes, judging by the reaction, it seems they still possess it.”
What is “that thing”? …Oh, that!
Realizing this, I pulled out the brooch adorned with the royal crest from the Dimensional Box.
“It seems the effect is indeed in play.”
“Yes. So if we kill them, the effect will surely activate.”
“Fuhaha, you look utterly confused. Allow me to explain it in a way even you barbarians can understand.”
This guy’s way of speaking is so annoying. Can’t he just explain normally?
“If you pass through that Teleportation Device, you’ll be cursed by the brooch?”
“Indeed. You still possess it, after all. If you were to discard it, you wouldn’t be tracked down. However, if you were to leave the country, it would become difficult for us to send pursuers after you.”
And when cursed by the brooch, it seems that all the life force and magic power of a living being accumulates within it upon death. They intend to use that power to defeat the Demon King.
“I see… So that’s why we’re being targeted.”
“Due to the curse, you’ll be weakened and find it difficult to stray far from this castle, your base. But I never expected you to invade the castle.”
Haha, so that was unexpected for them. Well, it’s true that it would cause quite a stir if bandits entered the castle.
By the way, does this curse actually weaken us…? I have no awareness of it, but perhaps it’s thanks to the Skill that boosts growth rates.
“What now? Knowing the reason behind being hunted by the kingdom, do you despair?”
Ah, so that’s how it is… We’re the barbarians. That’s why the other classmates are treated as slaves without a second thought.
While I don’t sympathize with how my classmates looked down on us, I do feel pity for their treatment as slaves.
I placed my hands on my hips and gazed up at the sky.
Taking a deep breath, I exhaled in one go.
When I returned my gaze, the Princess had moved closer to the Prince, distancing herself from us. Regardless, the Magic Disruption Field is already in place, and I’ve set up a Gravity Field in front of the passage leading to the exit, so they can’t escape.
“Even if you know the reason… you shall die. —Go!”
“““Yes!”””
The knights, who had been silent until now, responded in unison. Upon closer inspection, their armor and decorations were far more luxurious than those of the knights I had fought earlier. They exuded a greater amount of magic power, and while they seemed stronger, that was only in comparison.
“What the hell…!”
Rio was seething with indignation at the absurdity of the royal family’s words. Honestly, I’m at my limit too. I want to blow them all away, but I might be a bit low on magic power.
“Rio.”
“What is it?”
“Could you lend me some magic power?”
“Sure.”
As the knights drew their swords and began to close in on us, I held Rio’s hand and received her magic power. A comforting flow of magic coursed through me, but the knights might reach us before long.
“Eh?”
I wrapped my arms around Rio’s back, stood on my tiptoes, and pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing her.
“Mmm!”
As my tongue slipped into her mouth, a delightful torrent of magic surged within me. The more I entwined my tongue with hers, the more intense the flow became, causing her knees to weaken.
Supporting her waist, I finally released her lips.
“Ah…”
As I set Rio back down, she looked a bit reluctant, so I gave her another light kiss.
“Let’s finish this quickly so we can continue.”
With her cheeks flushed, Rio nodded and turned her sharp gaze toward the encircling knights.
“I won’t forgive you anymore. I’ll blow this entire country away!”
“Ha! It seems the final farewell has concluded. You should be grateful for my mercy.”
“Dual Bind!”
While he leisurely spoke, I unleashed the magic power I had been gathering. It was a composite spell of the dark magic Dark Bind and the earth magic Earth Bind. It would drain their stamina while solidifying the generated earth to its maximum hardness to restrain them.
“What!?”
I expended a massive amount of magic power to cast the spell. Conveniently, a thundercloud was forming, so I would make use of it. I heated the ground to create steam and cooled the air above to generate ice particles. The updraft intensified, and static electricity sparked from the collisions of the ice particles. I further amplified the power by conjuring lightning with my magic.
Before I knew it, raindrops began to fall. The ice particles, unable to be supported by the updraft, mixed with the rain. The sky began to swirl, and thunder roared.
I had never infused so much magic power into a single spell before. The outcome had completely slipped from my mind.
I wonder if I’m ready now.
“What’s happening!?”
What’s happening? Just wait and see. Brace yourselves.
I raised my right hand to the sky, pointing upwards. While leaving some magic power in reserve, I poured all my remaining magic into my arm and swung it down.
“Thunderbolt!”
With the Command Word, lightning rained down, bathing the area in blinding light. Simultaneously, a deafening thunderclap echoed through the air.