Chapter 19: The One Who Rules the “Kin of Twilight” 10
After leaving the warehouse, we headed to the training grounds within the Marquis Manor.
Soldiers were already lined up on the training grounds. There were about 100 of them, and they seemed to be converts from adventurers. Most of them were D-Rank or lower, but of course, the general leading the territorial army was A-Rank, and there were several B-Rank officers as well. Of course, this wasn’t the entire army of the Marquis territory, the rest were regular soldiers.
They had already been informed about who we were, and as we walked to the front of the formation, many intense gazes were directed at us.
The young Lien called out to a middle-aged man who seemed to be the general.
From what I could hear, it seemed that they hadn’t been informed about the investigation related to the “Candlestick of the Netherworld” beforehand. However, it couldn’t be helped since a surprise investigation was necessary. When we told them that we would start the investigation, the general said, “Please do,” and stepped back.
Fortunately, none of the soldiers caught Freinir’s “Saint’s Eye” Skill or Larni’s nose. We also looked around the barracks, but didn’t find anything particularly suspicious.
“Soushi-sama, I sense a slightly suspicious presence over there,” Freinir said, looking up at me as we were returning to the Marquis’s mansion, passing by the side of the training grounds.
Freinir was pointing to a corner of the large training grounds, where the earth was piled up like an embankment.
“Let’s investigate. Sohgran-sama, what is that?”
“I believe it’s probably soil for making sandbags,” he said.
As we talked, we moved to the front of the mound, which was a magical target.
“Ah, Soushi, I can faintly smell those guys here. Something might be buried,” Larni said, twitching her nose, so it seemed there was no mistake.
Following the young Lien’s instructions, about ten soldiers came and began digging up the spot Larni had pointed out with shovels.
“Lord, it seems there’s something here!”
“Dig carefully. It might be a dangerous Magic Tool.”
The suspicious object was soon unearthed by the soldiers.
It was indeed a stone slab. It was about the size of an office desk’s top. A magic circle-like design was drawn on its surface, and it looked like it was used to summon something.
“Frei, do you think this is a stone slab for summoning Undead?”
“Yes, Soushi-sama. I feel the same power as something that summons Undead. And… this stone slab seems to be already activated.”
“What…?”
Looking at it, the center of the magic circle drawn on the surface of the stone slab was indeed faintly glowing. However, it didn’t look like it would activate immediately.
“Should we destroy it…?”
As I said that, Geshura approached with a rustling sound.
“This is much more advanced than the one in the warehouse earlier. If possible, I’d like to take it back as it is and do some research.”
“Well, even if you say that…”
Ignoring my confusion, Geshura touched the surface of the stone slab and nodded repeatedly.
“As Frei says, this Magic Tool seems to be already activated. Probably, if we channel magical power into it, it will perform a set action.”
“You don’t know what will happen?”
“Not exactly… oh, there are letters written here. ‘Dullahan Summon, 4 bodies,’ it says.”
Dullahan, the headless armored knights that appeared in the Royal Capital of the Vermilian Kingdom. They were A-Rank boss-class monsters, so if four of them suddenly appeared here, it would cause terrible damage.
“The ‘Candlestick of the Netherworld’ never does anything good. But if it’s Dullahan, it might be faster to summon them and defeat them.”
“Ah, I agree! It’s perfect for a warm-up!”
“That’s right, we didn’t participate in the Martial Arts Tournament, and I feel like fighting a little,” Larni and Sfenia replied casually, and the other members nodded in agreement. Only Sakurahime looked a little surprised at first, saying, “Eh…?” but quickly agreed, “That is so.”
“Sohgran-sama, it seems this stone slab has already been activated, so I’d like to deliberately activate it and defeat the monsters that appear. Is that alright?”
“W-well, if Count Okuno says so…” the young Lien replied with a bewildered expression.
“Then let’s do it. Excuse me, but please step back over there. I think it’s better if the soldiers protect you.”
“O-okay.”
The young Lien and the soldiers retreated towards the barracks, and I placed the stone slab in the middle of the training grounds.
The members of “Soul’s Guidance” were all ready. I also took out “The Equalizer” and “Immovable Fortress Wall”.
“Let’s begin.”
As Geshura held her hand over the stone slab, the magic circle on its surface began to emit a strong light, and soon four large magic circles appeared on the surrounding ground.
Shortly after, Dullahan—headless armored knights riding horses, holding their helmets under their left arms and red spears in their right hands—appeared.
The soldiers who were watching from a distance let out screams. If they were former adventurers, they would know how dangerous Dullahan were.
“Alright, let’s clean this up. I’ll take one, so I’ll leave the rest to you.”
I watched as the members split into three teams and went to engage, then I blew away the one in front of me with a single “Shockwave”.