Episode 27: The Final Task
As usual, I flicked my pipe to shake off the blood.
My hand trembled slightly.
The weighty thud of severing a Stella-Class body left a lingering numbness in my hand.
It felt like hitting a concrete ground with an iron pipe.
On the other hand, I also possess a body like Barbat’s.
No, to say that I have an even more robust body than his, should I call it reassuring or terrifying?
“He’s not still alive, is he?”
I stared at the corpse of Barbat, the first Stella-Class I had killed.
Since he was a persistent fellow, I tapped the temple of his severed head with the tip of my pipe.
“Haa… haa… Okay, he’s dead.”
I was breathing a little heavily.
This was probably a mix of relief and elation.
Somewhere deep down, I must have been intimidated by the existence of Stella-Class beings.
Until now, I had been half-doubtful whether I could really fight when it came down to it, whether I could actually take a life.
“Minashiro-sama… congratulations on defeating the Usurper’s kin.”
“Getrude, is that you?”
“Minashiro-sama, a victory cry!”
“Ah, right, that’s what I should do.”
Getrude offered words of praise, but her expression was somewhat stiff.
Well, I guess I got a little too carried away.
I gave a wry smile, anticipating a lecture.
“Sharka de Ortenos has… defeated the enemy general, Barbat!”
“Oooooooooh!”
The military officials roared with cheers.
Yes, this is completely like a Sengoku warlord.
“Minashiro-sama… your orders?”
“Hmm, right.”
No sooner said than done, as they say.
Before me, there were still remnants of the Naia Army, mainly consisting of a thousand Satella-Class soldiers.
I couldn’t just let them become bandits around the border.
“Everyone, annihilate the remnants of Naia! Take the commander and a few other important-looking figures alive!”
I used “Amplification” to project my voice and issued orders to the military officials.
“Uooooooooh!”
The Naia Army, having lost its general, was now just a disorganized rabble.
Before my five hundred cavalrymen, enhanced with “Maten,” they were as fragile as paper.
“B-Barbat-sama…”
“Damn it! How dare you do that to Barbat-sama!”
“R-Run away!”
The morale of the Naia Army remnants had collapsed.
◇◇◇◇
I pondered a bit while watching the military officials clash with the Naia remnants.
“I somehow managed to achieve my goal.”
The one-on-one duel with Barbat was a series of unexpected events, and although I didn’t struggle, there were a few moments where I felt rushed.
It was a tough first battle against a Stella-Class, but that made it a learning experience.
Perhaps it was good that my opponent was Barbat, who I could kill without reservation.
“Still, what exactly was that last strike?”
The technique I unleashed in desperation when Barbat was closing in.
I never imagined that a strike with an absurd amount of Magical Power poured into it would actually snap a Star Tool.
In the first place, how can a blunt weapon like a pipe produce a slashing attack?
“Another mystery has been added.”
The dazzling and fantastical Magical Power that erupted from the tip was clearly on a different level from the red of Body Enhancement Magic or the colors of other elemental magic.
And Barbat’s last words.
“So… you were a Demonbane Warrior after all.”
—Demonbane Warrior
Barbat was constantly concerned about my Magical Power Capacity.
It’s natural to think that it’s related to that.
After all, I have no choice but to learn about it one by one.
If no one knows, I might as well look it up at the academy.
More than that…
“I guess my new technique needs a name after all.”
I have to come up with a cool name just for me, like “Intimidation Orb.”
Since I’m probably the only one using it in this world anyway, it can be something extremely embarrassing.
Star Cleaver, Sparkle Attack, Glitter Blade, Annihilation Nebula Slash…
…No, wait.
If I ever have a son or daughter and have to pass on this technique as a secret, what would my children think?
Me: “My son, the time has finally come to teach you the Sparkle Attack.”
Son: “…”
Oh, is this bad?
I can’t give it a bad name.
My naming sense is extremely fatal.
I’ll have to say the technique’s name while blushing during the transmission.
Well, jokes aside.
“Well, it’s about time I faced it. — I guess I’ll start my last task too.”
While watching the military officials crush the Naia Army remnants, I reactivated “Detection Magic.”
I sent out a Magical Power Wave to identify Magic Users in the vicinity.
And as expected, there was still a Stella-Class ten kilometers to the south.
“To think he’s still there, he’s taking his sweet time.”
I guess I’ll call him Stella-Class A for now.
Thanks to Barbat’s desperate fight this time, I ended up showing some cards that I didn’t need to show.
Since Stella-Class A is a Stella-Class whose allegiance is unknown, I’m not naive enough to leave him alone.
My grandfather is worried, but since the possibility of Barbat heading to Fort Ronchant has been eliminated, he should at least remain in a stalemate for now.
In other words, now is the best time to find out the identity of Stella-Class A.
“I guess I have no choice, I’ll work overtime for the first time in twelve years.”
I whistled to call my beloved horse.
“Neigh.”
“Easy, easy, I’m asking you for one more job, Dolly-chan.”
I jumped onto my beloved horse Dolly-chan’s back.
Just as I was about to give Dolly-chan instructions, Getrude stood in my way.
“Minashiro-sama, where are you planning to go?”
Faced with Getrude, who looked like a Hannya mask with red veins bulging from “Doping (Maten),” I felt a cold sweat run down my back.