The hooded man, likely a Dark Elf. The instant I discerned his identity, killing intent surged from the Dark Elf, and simultaneously, the surrounding Cruz people drew their weapons and attacked.
One-edged longswords and slender spears. The weapons they wielded were no longer for mere self-defense; they were clearly intended for killing people.
“Uraaah!”
The burly Cruz man who spoke first lunged at me with a cutlass. I deflected the blade, using my cloak to entangle it, and the man, now close, opened his mouth in surprise.
“A woman… who are you?”
“Who are you people? Why attack just for mentioning Dark Elf?”
“…Shut up, just die already.”
I released the entangled blade that the man was trying to pull free with brute force, kicked him away to create distance, and the Dark Elf, watching from behind, let out an irritated voice.
“Don’t make a scene. Kill her quickly.”
Even though it was a place where people were unlikely to notice, making a commotion would attract attention.
As I thought, these guys were here for a reason. If this hooded man was one of the Dark Elves who had disappeared from town, there was a possibility of involvement with the Evil Race.
But there was no time to consider that, and at the Dark Elf’s words, the remaining four Cruz people attacked.
“Daah!”
One of the men thrust out a flexible, slender spear. Like their other weapons, this type of weapon was most effective against ordinary people, not against monsters or armored soldiers.
The moment the spear was thrust out, I expanded my cloak as if inflating it, and as the spearhead pierced the empty space beneath the cloak, I stepped forward and thrust a sharp Hidden Weapon, produced from the “Shadow” in my palm, into the spearman’s throat, reaching his medulla oblongata.
Against a large number of opponents, there’s a tactic of inflicting only injuries to deprive them of combat power and make them a hindrance. But with this few people, it was faster to kill them.
Assuming the first Cruz man was Rank 3, the remaining Cruz people had combat power around 200… around the upper Rank 2. I had no use for mere soldiers. Now that they had drawn their weapons, there was no reason to show mercy. If I wanted to make someone talk, having two superiors was enough.
Thud…!
From the shadow of the collapsing spearman, I swung down the ball-shaped Pendulum I had launched upward, crushing the skull of the man with the two-handed cutlass who had been observing the situation.
“Y-you bastard, how dare you!”
Seeing his companions fall one after another, the man who had been kicked and was sitting on his rear, his dark skin turning reddish-black, brandished his cutlass.
“Wait, something’s wrong with her!”
“Shut up, pointy-eared bastard! Don’t give me orders!”
Ignoring the Dark Elf’s attempt to stop him, the man attacked again.
Apparently, the Cruz people and the Dark Elf, even if they were allies, were not comrades.
I restrained the remaining two Cruz people with my gaze, decided to use the first man as a source of information, and while deflecting his blade with my Black Knife, I slipped in and punched the man’s face with my elbow.
“Gugoh!?”
The man, scattering blood from his nose and mouth, stumbled back several meters and knelt down.
“…Y-you bitch.”
He was a tough one, but he shouldn’t be able to move for a while.
Just as I was about to finish off the rest, I saw the blood-soaked man grin, and I heard the Dark Elf chanting a spell with rhyming “sounds.”
“Hah, you’re gonna die…”
“—【Fire Arrow】—”
Four 【Fire Arrows】 were simultaneously fired from the Dark Elf, and having noticed the rhyming of the spell, I jumped aside to evade them.
A high-level technique of casting multiple of the same Magic simultaneously. But only one was fired at me; the other three 【Fire Arrows】 struck the other three, who had been focused on me, from behind.
“Guaah!?”
Even a Level 1 【Fire Arrow】 would be fatal if received in a vital spot from behind. The man, who had been confident of victory by exploiting my opening, was shot in the back of the head and collapsed while looking at me with an incredulous expression, engulfed in flames.
“Tch.”
The Dark Elf, who had killed his Cruz companions, clicked his tongue and turned his back.
He probably changed his objective to silencing them, feeling that his chances of winning with mere soldiers were slim. I also turned my skirt and threw my knife, but I was a moment too late, and the Dark Elf was blocked by the building in the alley he had jumped into.
I immediately followed. But the Dark Elf who should have entered the alley was nowhere to be seen, and when I searched for his presence with detection, I caught a glimpse of the hem of his cloak disappearing onto the roof of a two-story building.
I also hooked my Blade Scythe Style Pendulum onto the edge of the roof and rushed up the wall in one go, and the moment I climbed onto the roof, a 【Fire Arrow】 came flying. But that was something I had done when escaping, so I was prepared.
“—【Magic Shield (Shield)】—”
The 【Magic Shield】 I created immediately deflected the 【Fire Arrow】.
“What!?”
The Dark Elf, shocked by that, hurriedly tried to jump to another building, but by that time, I had finished the next configuration.
“—【Phantom Pain】—”
“Gyaaa!?”
The Dark Elf, his feet faltering from the sudden intense Pain, fell from the roof.
Following after him, I also jumped off the roof, and the Dark Elf, who seemed to have broken his leg, glared at me with his black-skinned face, the hood having fallen off, while enduring the Phantom Pain.
“Why… do you know that Magic? 【Magic Shield (Shield)】 is something only a few of us…”
“So, you are from the Evil Race after all.”
The 【Magic Shield (Shield)】 I use was taught to my master (Serejula), a former Evil Race Army ‘War Demon,’ by her own master. If so, the only ones who would know it are Evil Race from my master’s homeland.
“…Kuh.”
The Dark Elf man, having unintentionally leaked information, fell silent. But that attitude confirmed it.
There was a risk that my use of my master’s Magic would reveal her survival to the Evil Race, but either way, many of my tactics and Martial Arts originated from the Evil Race, so it was too late to worry about that.
If they were enemies who shouldn’t know, I could just eliminate them. Before that, I tried to take out the Blade Scythe Style Pendulum to find out what they were plotting, the Dark Elf man glared at me while sweating profusely, but suddenly lost his expression as if he had resigned himself, and bit down on the ornament of the pendant he was wearing around his neck.
“Guoo…”
“Tch.”
The man, spitting out a large amount of blood, fell face down. …Suicide by poison, huh? He seemed to have killed himself before I could extract any information, but what was the reason for hiding it so much?
Probably the ornament itself was a crystal of poison, or a small glass bottle containing poison. But… if he committed suicide immediately without even retaliating, there was a possibility that a very large plan was underway within the Evil Race.
I went out into the street and searched for signs, and found several places with people like this Dark Elf and the Cruz people. I couldn’t deal with all of them. It would be pointless to try to get information if they were just going to kill themselves. Even if I tried to tell Jesha, she would probably have already departed.
The mass outbreak of Monsters. The Earth Dragon (Dragon) on the move. The relationship between the Leesan Syndicate and the Evil Race… There wasn’t enough time to investigate all of that, and it was probably already underway.
“…Not enough information.”
It was a matter of concern, but I had something more important to prioritize. For now, I ran towards Elena’s base to fulfill my role.
“Why are you in a place like this!”
On the way to the base, Camille encountered a single Monster.
A humanoid giant easily exceeding two meters in height, with skin as hard as rock. Two horns growing from a distorted, human-like head… this Monster, with skin the color of sand that blended into the dust, was a type of ‘Ogre’ that inhabited this land.
Ogres were powerful Monsters, with even the common species ranging from the upper Rank 3 to the lower Rank 4, and the Ogres inhabiting this region were supposed to be in the depths of the ancient Lace Veil ruins.
Very rarely, a few Ogres would leave the ruins in groups, but Camille encountered only one. Probably, like that Armored Dragon, it was an individual that had strayed out of the ruins, driven by something.
“Guooooooo!!”
Ogres were man-eaters. This individual, apparently starving, let out a joyous roar at finally finding Bait. It was already a powerful Monster, but to make matters worse, the Ogre possessed a rusty Greatsword with a broken blade, which it had found somewhere.
“…………”
Camille, judging that combat was unavoidable, erased his expression and drew his two Demon Swords.
In terms of ability, they were almost evenly matched. But more than that danger, he couldn’t allow this man-eating Monster to approach the base where Ron and the others were.
“Gaa…”
Seeing Camille’s changed atmosphere, the Ogre changed its view of the human species in front of it from ‘meat’ to ‘enemy.’
“Guooo!!”
“Haa!!”
Clang!!
The broken Greatsword and the Demon Sword collided, scattering sparks of Mana.
The blade of the Greatsword chipped from the collision, but Camille was blown away by the difference in Status.
But Camille, making the most of the Demon Sword’s characteristics, even used its power to counterattack. He spun around, using the Demon Sword on the opposite side of the attack to slash at the Ogre’s arm.
Gishi…!
“Gaaaaaaah!”
The Ogre’s face twisted into what looked like a smile as it received Camille’s attack. The Demon Sword’s blade had indeed caught the Ogre’s arm, but it couldn’t deeply cut through the Ogre’s skin, which was said to be as hard as rock.
“…Tch.”
Camille didn’t force the attack and immediately created some distance.
It wasn’t just hardness. Their practical experience was likely different. Just as there was a gap between Camille and Aria in terms of practical experience despite being the same rank, he had to admit that this Ogre, with its combat strength nearing 1000, surpassed Camille in practical experience.
Camille did have a way to bridge the gap in practical experience. However, it would take a little time, and doing it in front of this Ogre would be quite a gamble.
“!?”
Ginn!
At that moment, something like an arrow flew from somewhere and bounced off the Ogre’s skin.
A small figure in a cloak suddenly jumped out from behind the rocks, quickly reloading a crossbow and firing arrows in rapid succession while circling around.
“Gugaaaaaaaah!!”
The Ogre roared in anger at the sudden intruder, deflecting the arrows with its broken Greatsword. But as if taking advantage of that opening, another intruder appeared, striking the Ogre’s head from behind with something like a club.
“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
Even the mighty Ogre staggered slightly, directing its enraged attention toward the intruders. The intruders’ combat strength was only around Rank 3. It was doubtful whether they could defeat this Ogre with their abilities, but their intrusion created an opening for Camille to use his “trump card.”
“—【Release】—”
With a special activation phrase, the seal was released from the two Demon Swords Camille possessed.
The accumulated “experience” from the Demon Swords flowed back into Camille. Enduring the nausea of having his brain invaded, Camille leaped forward, executing the “technique” engraved on the Demon Swords.
“—【Dancing Ripper】—”
“Gwoooooooooooooh!?”
Using the two daggers, he unleashed a furious eight-hit combo while spinning like a dance.
Caught in a whirlwind of sword strikes like a Cyclone, the Ogre had its rocky skin shredded, collapsing onto the parched earth and splattering its blood.
“…Tch.”
Camille groaned, feeling pain in both arms from the sudden exertion of power.
The Demon Sword’s ability was “accumulation of experience,” and within that was engraved the Rank 5 Dagger Arts Combat Art 【Dancing Ripper】. Not only Combat Arts but also techniques were engraved, but if someone of a lower rank used them, the backlash would naturally be felt in the body.
“…Are you alright?”
“Kadri…? Iseru?”
Camille looked at the Cruz man and Dark Elf father and daughter, who had removed their cloaks to reveal their faces.
Kadri and Iseru, having their names called, smiled faintly, approached Camille, knelt on the spot, and lowered their heads.
“We have come to welcome you… Camille-sama.”
“Aria…”
Elena muttered softly as she looked out the window of the crumbling watchtower.
She was always worried about Aria, but she trusted her more than anyone else in the world. But today, the ominous feeling in her chest wouldn’t go away.
Elena didn’t have a power like a 【Divine Protection (Gift)】. Even now, her Fire Attribute had been removed, making her a Triple Attribute, but she was originally a Quad Attribute Magician. Her own rank was only 3, but Elena’s Mana Control, having possessed four attributes, had reached Level 4.
【Elena Claydale (First Princess)】【Race: Human Female】【Rank 3】
【Mana Capacity: 250/250】【HP: 135/135】
【Strength: 7】【Durability: 8】【Agility: 12】【Dexterity: 8】
【Light Magic Lv.3】【Water Magic Lv.3】【Fire Magic Lv.0】【Wind Magic Lv.3】
【Non-Attribute Magic Lv.1】【Utility Magic x5】【Mana Control Lv.4】
【Intimidation Lv.2】【Poison Resistance Lv.1】
【Simple Appraisal】
【Overall Combat Strength: 480 (Magic Attack Power: 576)】
Perhaps noticing the changes in the Mana Particles filling the atmosphere, Elena unconsciously directed a stern gaze toward the ancient ruins that could be seen faintly in the distance from the window.
“Do you see something, Rena?”
“…Are you taking a break? Ron.”
Elena responded with a smile that kept a certain distance as Ron came down from the rooftop where he had been repairing the Hot Air Balloon.
Both Elena and Ron knew that their names were aliases. Ron was probably a noble from some country, and he must have realized that Elena was also a noble.
Elena had come to trust their character since she started interacting with them. However, she couldn’t trust someone whose name she didn’t know as a noble.
(We’re in the same boat, though…)
Elena couldn’t help but feel self-deprecating, thinking that deliberately keeping a distance in their relationship was a noble’s habit, but it was troublesome. Aria didn’t fully trust them either, but seeing how attached the children were to them, she trusted them enough to leave Elena in their care (with ulterior motives).
Elena wouldn’t have considered staying with them if it weren’t for those young children and Chako, who took care of them.
Naturally, Elena thought that Ron and Camille were also wary of them to some extent…
“Ah… is there anything you need? Desert life must be tough, right?”
“Yes. I’m fine… but?”
Elena had been feeling that Ron’s attitude had softened recently, especially after she started showing him how she took care of the children.
It wasn’t as drastic as Camille’s softening toward Aria, but perhaps her credibility had increased by showing him her true self with the children.
(The children are adorable, after all…)
Elena hadn’t intended to show her true self, but while the slightly older Dark Elf Noi was shy and didn’t approach her much, the two Dwarf and Beastkin toddlers, Lana and Nal, clung to Elena as if they were attached to her.
However… that high level of affection could sometimes be a problem.
“…Rena onee-chan.”
“Oh, what’s wrong? Lana.”
Lana, a still four-year-old girl, came up the stairs with a tearful face. Elena thought she was still napping, but Chako, who had gone to work in the fields, hadn’t returned yet.
“Did you have a bad Dream?”
“No, it’s different… Nal went outside.”
“…Eh?”
Nal was only three years old. He was a boy and a Beastkin, so he was much more active than a human toddler, but he was still too young to go out alone.
“Where did Nal go? How long has he been gone?”
Elena asked softly, trying to hide her anxiety while meeting Lana’s gaze, and Lana bit her lower lip, looking like she was about to cry.
“Well, Nal went to pick herbs…”
“Herbs…?”
“It’s my fault. I told him that there’s a strange-smelling, bright red grass in the rocky area.”
“Ah…”
Elena remembered with those words.
Red grass. It had another name, but it was a succulent plant that grew in specific locations in the desert. Unlike the ones eaten in this region, it could be used as one of the ingredients to make Superior Potions if processed in a special way.
Unlike the Death Route that bloomed in areas with Miasma, it was relatively easy to collect because you didn’t have to go all the way to the ruins. Nal had probably overheard Aria and Camille talking about gathering materials and realized that the red grass was lacking.
And Nal, young as he was, thought about what he could do and acted.
Instead of just sitting and waiting because he was young, he searched for something he could do and acted for the sake of everyone here.
“I’m sorry…”
“Lana…”
Elena hugged Lana, who had started to cry. It wasn’t her fault at all. But if Nal got hurt, it would leave a scar on her heart.
“Rena, I’ll go look for him.”
“Ron!”
Ron, who had been listening to the story, said that with his usual light smile gone.
The two combatants would gather materials, sell the Superior Potions for money, and collect repair materials to fix the Hot Air Balloon. That was what the older members, including Elena and Ron, had decided.
He probably felt responsible for carelessly talking about it in front of the children, thinking they were still young.
Ron might be feeling an indescribable anxiety, just like Elena.
“…………”
Nal’s actions. Ron’s sense of responsibility. Elena thought as she watched them.
Elena and Aria had no responsibility to the children. It was Ron and Camille who decided to save the children, unable to abandon them. Elena and Aria’s goal was to inform their home country of their survival and return, and other matters were secondary.
But was that really the right thing to do…?
Elena’s return to her country would prevent the nobles from splitting, and she believed that even if there were sacrifices for that, they would be necessary.
Elena had to return, even if it meant cutting off everything else.
But how much must I discard? To prioritize achieving my goals, how much must I be willing to sacrifice?
A king is a solitary figure. Among the things to be discarded is even “oneself.”
I, who decided to abandon even myself for the sake of my people, while everyone here is desperately struggling, doing everything they can, even using young children to survive, is it truly right for a “Queen” to simply sit and wait?
How am I any different from that brother of mine, who merely sits and waits for the throne to come to him?
I will save the children. I will save everyone here. And then, I will accomplish my own goals. Who would follow such a shallow “Queen” who can’t even manage that much?
“Ron, I will go as well.”
Elena’s actions may not befit royalty, but she has begun to walk her path as “Queen” not by someone else’s decree, but by her own will.
And what is Camille’s true identity? How will Ron be involved in the story?
From here on, the story will unfold in a chaotic flurry.
Next time, will Elena be able to find Nal?