Episode 37: To Bangwall Fort
Aquila called himself one of the “Twelve Valiants.”
If he’s the eleventh in the sequence, that means there are ten more above him.
Plus, he hinted at the existence of a leader.
“…This is going to be a long road.”
Considering he used Puppet Magic, a type I’m unfamiliar with, there’s no doubt he was a powerful figure in the coalition.
Unlike Barbat, who was purely talented in combat, Aquila reliably aimed to kill with underhanded tactics like poison, befitting a Hero.
However, once his Puppet Magic was sealed, he didn’t put up much of a fight.
He probably displayed unmatched strength against nobles other than me, but he was fragile once his trump card was nullified.
Conversely, it’s good that he was taken down here.
When Aquila was annihilated, the air vibrated with a “beeenn” sound.
It felt like Aquila’s Magical Power dissolved into the air and vanished high into the sky.
In this world, there’s a saying: “After decaying, a Stella returns to the stars.”
The former “Stella” probably refers to Stella-Class beings, and the latter “stars” could mean “this star” or “the earth” in a transient sense, or, religiously speaking, it could be interpreted as reincarnation into a new “Stella-Class” being.
The corpse of a Stella-Class being possesses immense Magical Power, so decomposition is slow, and it remains beautiful for a while.
I don’t know who coined the phrase, but it’s a witty and insightful expression of the universal death of Stella-Class beings.
Speaking of which, what should I do with Barbat’s corpse? Getrude and the others might put it on display.
Honestly, I don’t like degrading corpses.
From a value system that considers mourning the dead a virtue, I can’t help but feel aversion to the opposite act of desecrating the dead.
However, completely obliterating the corpse like Aquila is also problematic.
“Should I have at least left the head?”
Now that I’ve obliterated him, there’s no way to prove his death.
Even if I say I killed Aquila, if I can’t prove it, they’ll just say, “Who the heck is that?”
Suddenly, the Poison Throwing Knife Aquila threw caught my eye.
“I’ll take this back. It seems to be a Star Tool, after all.”
Star Tools are weapons made from special rare metals.
Processing them can only be done by specialized craftsmen, so the means of obtaining them are limited.
This time, it will serve as proof of subjugation, and selling it would fetch a decent price, so it’s essential to collect it as spoils of war.
However, carrying dozens of them back would be a struggle, and they’re also coated with poison.
After racking my brain a bit, I came up with a good idea.
(Like dried persimmons, I’ll tie them together with a string and drag them back.)
It’s not a very noble-like thing to do, but no one’s watching.
“I wonder if there’s any string I can tie them with… string, string… ah.”
Dolly-chan’s long tail hair caught my eye.
I’ll borrow a bit and use it as a string.
“Dolly-chan, I’m going to take some of your tail hair.”
“Goooon?”
Snip.
Since I don’t have scissors, I tear off a tuft of Dolly-chan’s tail hair.
“GOOOOOOOON!”
Dolly-chan became furious.
Suddenly pulling out her hair was a bad idea, apparently.
Dolly-chan started rampaging as if she had regained her wild instincts.
“Easy, easy, I’m sorry, Dolly-cha… buheee!”
I was kicked by her hind legs and sent flying through the air.
◇◇◇◇
It was difficult to get Dolly-chan to forgive me after that.
I used Healing Magic to restore her tail hair and massaged her with Magical Power, like at a dog grooming salon, and finally managed to get her forgiveness.
Etiquette is important, even with your beloved horse.
“Heeheeheein.”
“I’m sorry, I’ll never do that again.”
Currently, I’m heading towards Bangwall as originally planned.
I had Dolly-chan return to her original form.
It would attract too much attention if she remained as Lightning Dolly-chan.
“Oh, I can see it, Bangwall Fort.”
Bangwall Fort is located in the Kingdom of Naia, about 150 kilometers east of Ortenatris.
It’s situated on the west side of the Elhoro River, which flows along the western edge of the Kingdom of Naia, and has existed since ancient times as a defense against Ortenos, known for being impregnable.
“Minashiro-sama! I’m glad you’re safe!”
Getrude, having confirmed my presence, approaches me.
“Ah, it seems Getrude and the others have successfully surrounded it.”
“Yes, it seems there are no Stella-Class beings inside the fort. More importantly, Minashiro-sama, what are those masses of knives…?”
“Spoils of war. Don’t worry about it.”
“…So, you managed to defeat it, a Stella-Class being.”
Getrude’s eyes narrow.
She seems extremely curious about its identity.
“Yes, but that’s a story for later. I want to focus on capturing the fort now. Getrude, do you have any plans?”
I have no experience in capturing forts, so I intend to leave everything to Getrude.
“I have two requests for Minashiro-sama. One is to grant Maten to everyone. We, strengthened by the enhancement, will simultaneously invade the fort and suppress the interior. And the other is—”
“Of course, the opening strike, right?”
Getrude grins at my words and nods silently.