Chapter 284 - Chapter 283: Sudden Turn
Ozendorwa stood guard with a sword in hand, watching the very rear of the crowd surging against the protective wall.
Mika was crouching at his feet, struggling desperately against something.
"...Guh... Ugh...!"
Mika had seemed energetic right after dispelling Hibujiza, but the backlash began immediately.
Ozendorwa, who had been informed in advance about this backlash, was on full alert to protect Mika.
Ozendorwa cast a quick glance at Mika.
Seeing that pitiful figure crouching and trembling slightly, he grimaced.
Normally, he is not yet of an age to be on the battlefield.
Yet, the Kingdom has no choice but to rely on that immense power.
Even though he is still a child.
At that thought, Ozendorwa felt his own powerlessness keenly.
Mika bears a burden too heavy for his small body, and expectations far too large.
And yet, Mika does not lose his brightness. Ozendorwa could not help but feel reverence for him.
Even an adult would not be strange if crushed by such pressure.
Mika laments his own shortcomings compared to Ozendorwa and Yaroibarov, but first of all, that is strange.
He is still a student.
Normally, he would still be a greenhorn.
A rookie nobody.
And yet, that is perfectly normal.
And yet, he stands shoulder to shoulder with the Knight Commander and A-rank adventurers.
Why doesn't this boy realize how amazing what he is doing is?
As Ozendorwa pondered these thoughts while on guard, Mika, still crouching, took a deep breath.
"Are you alright?"
Mika, addressed, remained silent as he slowly raised his body.
His expression was still pained.
He took another deep breath and opened his eyes.
"...Sorry to keep you waiting. I am fine now."
Brushing the dust from the hem of his robe, Mika stood up.
"You looked much more painful than I was told..."
"Is that so? Well, this is about what it is."
Mika smiled, but pain still seeped into his expression.
Drops of sweat like pearls floated on his forehead.
"Facing a monster is a bit tough for someone like me, a normal human, isn't it?"
Ozendorwa made a complicated face at Mika's shrug.
"...Normal? A bit?"
"Yes, that's right. Is there something wrong?"
Mika glanced sideways at Ozendorwa, who seemed to want to say something.
Seeing this, Ozendorwa said nothing, merely nodding slightly while keeping his complicated expression.
"By the way, Mika-kun. I have something I want to ask."
"Something to ask? What is it?"
As Mika rotated his shoulders and asked, Ozendorwa pointed at the crowd.
"While you were dispelling the curses, I saw something like black steam coming from these people. It's hard to see unless you look closely."
"Black steam...?"
Mika made a suspicious face but approached the crowd.
He touched the back of one person and tilted his head.
Then, he lightly lifted himself and touched the neck again.
"Auto-Dispel."
Muttering that, he touched the neck of the person next to him.
Then, he muttered "Auto-Dispel" again.
Mika returned to stand before Ozendorwa.
"Indeed, they are cursed. Though they are very weak ones."
"So, that was the curse after all."
At Mika's conclusion, Ozendorwa nodded with a stern expression.
"Fee, could you visualize it for me a little? Just around here."
When Mika said that, Fee flashed brightly.
Once the light faded, just as Ozendorwa had said, black steam rose from each and every person in the crowd.
Seeing this, Mika muttered.
"............They were being controlled. That's what it means, right?"
"So that's how it is?"
But Mika crossed his arms and thought for a moment.
"But, it's not that strong of a curse, is it? I can't imagine someone being controlled so perfectly by something like this... Especially with so many people."
Saying that, Mika looked at the crowd.
People, people, people as far as the eye could see.
Even though many collapsed along the way, they had moved four million people toward the Daburandoru Plains.
Including the execution aspect, he had no idea what was happening or how.
Mika tightened his expression and looked at Ozendorwa.
"Let's leave these ones for now. There is still work to be done."
Ozendorwa nodded.
"We were going to plug the protective wall, weren't we?"
"Yes."
Mika grabbed Ozendorwa and jumped up immediately.
Ozendorwa looked down at the crowd and proposed to Mika.
"Efficiency will drop, but in a situation like this, we should plug the place in the worst condition first."
It might involve going back and forth, but Ozendorwa said they should plug the places that seem about to collapse first.
"If the priority is clear, then plug it exactly as such."
At Ozendorwa's words, Mika nodded.
"If there are two places that seem about to collapse, put me down in one. You, Mika-kun, plug the other one first."
"Do you intend to support it alone!?"
Surely, that isn't too much of a stretch?
Mika asked back in surprise, but Ozendorwa showed a ferocious smile.
"I came all this way specifically, and you took all the good parts for yourself, Mika-kun. It's a bit frustrating."
He declared it cheerfully.
It was a very nice, sparkling smile.
This is scary.
It seems he still holds a grudge about having his sword dodged by Hibujiza.
He looks like a calm and composed type, but is he actually someone whose blood boils in a fire?
(...Well, in the midst of such a chaotic cauldron, a Knight Commander cannot be someone who gets lost.)
If necessary, he suppresses any chaos with brute force.
Only someone with that kind of resolve would be entrusted with the security of the capital.
So, being appointed Knight Commander at such a young age was no accident, was it?
Approaching the protective wall, Mika took out his communicator.
"Communication Command Room! This section is cleared! Where should we plug?"
When Mika called out, a reply came after a short pause.
"Apostle-sama! Please proceed from Two-Two! The Kingdom Army was breached just before!"
Hearing that, Mika clicked his tongue.
It seems a place has already collapsed.
"Is everyone else alright?"
"Still, somehow...!"
"Understood! Heading to Two-Two!"
Mika put the communicator into his Magic Bag.
At that moment, Ozendorwa pointed to the other side of the protective wall.
"Mika-kun, put me down there."
The place he pointed to was the front of the crowd, having crossed the protective wall and broken through the Kingdom Army's encirclement.
"Push them back and re-establish the broken encirclement of the Kingdom Army."
Wow.
The fact that he can say something like that seriously is amazing.
But there is no time to hesitate.
"Please. I think it will take about an hour to repair the wall."
"That's too fast. If it's that fast, we might not make it in time to re-establish it."
He had expected to be told to hurry up, but never expected to be told it was too fast.
As Mika widened his eyes, the designated location approached.
"Well then, see you later."
"Yes!"
As Mika lowered his altitude, Ozendorwa let go and jumped down.
At the moment of landing, he rolled over, bounced up, and instantly slashed the front of the crowd.
He continued to slash the crowd coming one after another, completely stopping the flow.
While slashing and killing, he moved toward the surging crowd himself.
Behind Ozendorwa was nothing but corpses, a battle style like a demon god.
Even while fighting so terribly, he still seemed to have plenty of room to spare.
"............This isn't just a Reinforced Knight, is it?"
Mika had plotted to make Basal the ultimate form of a Reinforced Knight, but he changed his mind.
This is impossible.
No matter that they are just a crowd, anyone who can advance while slashing at this pace is a genuine monster.
Without [Physical Enhancement], this makes no sense at all.
As expected, he is indeed capable of fighting on equal footing with Yaroibarov.
"Oh my. I have to hurry over here too."
He couldn't help but stare, but unless Mika plugs the protective wall, the crowd will continue to surge.
He feels like watching with a beer in hand, but he knows he'll be scolded later if he gets caught.
Mika hurriedly returned to the protective wall and started the repair work.
He arranged only the lower stones to stop the inflow of the crowd for now.
Then he built the upper layer and moved to another hole.
For now, he left it to Ozendorwa to deal with the crowd that had already flowed in.
After plugging hole after hole until all were sealed, Mika also joined the extermination of the crowd that had crossed the protective wall.
"Uooooooohhhhhhh!"
"Burn the filthy kingdom!"
He executed the crowd shouting with fire.
He burned them with Fire Breath.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!?"
"It's hot, hot, hot!?"
They are probably being controlled by a curse, but well, please give up.
Whatever the reason, there is no reason for us to accommodate those who have gone mad.
"Follow the Apostle!"
"Ooh!!!"
The Kingdom Army, which had been pushed back by the crowd, rallied and pushed forward.
They drove them back to the repaired protective wall and exterminated them one by one.
"Alright, I'll leave this place to you!"
"Ha! Thank you very much, Apostle-sama!"
"You saved us, Apostle!"
Mika re-established the Kingdom Army, which was about to collapse in parts, and moved to support another location.
Once the inflow is stopped, extermination will just be a matter of time.
After that, the most important thing is to reduce the number of injured soldiers as much as possible.
On the way to another location, he found Ozendorwa.
This was the worst situation, but it seems he managed to re-establish it beautifully.
There are still crowds remaining, but since the encirclement is complete, this place will also be a matter of time.
Mika took out his communicator.
"Communication Command Room. What is the situation?"
"The casualties are somewhat large, but it seems the encirclement of the inflowing crowds is complete at all locations."
The crowd on the other side of the protective wall seems to be surging against the wall even though all holes are plugged.
Longbowmen, archers, and mages are fully operational and fighting back, but even so, they show no signs of retreating.
It seems they are acting like Berserkers from the first day.
"Do they intend to really pile corpses on corpses and cross the protective wall?"
"We don't know..."
Do they need to be exterminated for real for the war to end?
It would be enough if they just ran back.
"How many people are in the crowd on the other side of the protective wall?"
"There have only been sporadic battles in the past few days, so it hasn't changed much. ...It seems they haven't dropped below twenty million yet."
Hearing that, Mika made a dejected face.
"...What are these guys doing for food?"
"We don't know the current supply situation, but they are likely eating normally in the morning and evening."
"Still doing the soup kitchen?"
"Yes. ...We can only confirm from a distance."
Can they secure food for a crowd of twenty million people like that?
It's not just food.
Water is also needed, and the chill in the mornings and evenings is quite severe.
With bodies left unattended in such a terrible environment, it wouldn't be strange for an epidemic to spread soon.
"The war started on the day of the moon last week, so it's been exactly a week."
If the food runs out, they seem like they will be wiped out immediately, but...
"Apostle-sama. Are you alright?"
When Mika seemed to be lost in thought, it seemed the communicator operator had changed.
"This is the Strategy Room. Thank you for your support."
"No, that was the plan from the beginning."
It might be the first time the Strategy Room is speaking directly.
"Sorry, but we have some consultation regarding the future. Could you come here? The Minister wants to speak."
"Regarding the future?"
The plan after this is either transporting relief supplies to Wyedges or...
However, as for the front line, Mika leaving probably won't be approved.
It's late, but my short vacation is over...
(Both are urgent situations. But the front line must take priority, I suppose.)
Relief and reconstruction for Wyedges are important, but in a situation where only one can be chosen, the battlefield will surely take priority.
"Understood. We have a plan here, so I will head there now."
"Thank you very much."
After ending the communication, Mika looked at the scene on the ground.
Ozendorwa was still fighting at the forefront even though the encirclement of the crowd was complete.
He is too enthusiastic.
Mika descended close to the ground and slashed the crowd around Ozendorwa with Air Cutter.
Ozendorwa, who had his intended target slashed without him doing anything, looked around suspiciously.
Mika gestured with his hands to "retreat".
Seeing this, Ozendorwa nodded.
"Did you get to slash to your heart's content?"
Ozendorwa, who had come out of the Kingdom Army's encirclement, was addressed.
"It wasn't very satisfying. No real resistance."
Ozendorwa answered while brushing off his sword and returning it to its sheath.
Well, from Ozendorwa's perspective, such a crowd is no different from a scarecrow.
He must have slashed thousands of people alone.
"Shall we go slash a bit more? I am being called to the Kingdom Army's garrison, so I will head there."
"No, that is enough. The formation is re-established, and my duty is over."
Saying that, Ozendorwa grabbed Mika.
Mika headed toward Ozendorwa and the Kingdom Army's garrison.
"It's been a while since I was at a front-line garrison."
Upon landing in the garrison grounds, Ozendorwa looked around.
"Did you stay here before? With this unit."
"No, I have never been with a front-line unit. Knights like me, who are so refined, are often placed near nobles."
"............I see."
Mika let it pass without pressing further.
Since he seems to be from a noble family, his manners must be perfect.
In that sense, it is certainly not a mistake.
"So, when you came before... was it an inspection? Or accompanying a noble?"
He asked, but Ozendorwa shook his head.
"There was a fool who couldn't be handled, so I was asked to beat him down. He had decent skills and wasn't a bad person at heart. He is currently with Shesbarno."
"........................."
Now that he mentions it, there were rumors that he was gathering troublesome knights from all over the Kingdom.
Could it be that he is being called to punish them?
As far as Mika knows, he doesn't seem to have strayed far from the capital.
He probably came to finish things off as a side job.
When Mika entered the building, Ozendorwa followed behind.
As they walked down the corridor, they occasionally saw people looking at them in shock.
Mika turned around while walking and looked at Ozendorwa.
"Is something wrong?"
"............N-no, nothing at all..."
Ozendorwa certainly noticed.
And yet, this feigned ignorance.
He must have done something.
Something so reckless that it would make the front-line troops recoil.
Mika stopped asking for details and quietly headed to the Communication Command Room.
"Apostle-sama, thank you for your hard work!"
"I came because I was called."
"Yes! This way, please!"
The soldier in the Communication Command Room exited the room and entered the adjacent Strategy Room.
Mika followed him.
The Strategy Room was in a rather chaotic state.
Knights and soldiers came and went endlessly, and orders flew about wildly.
The soldier from the Communication Command Room saluted the old knight in the back and spoke.
That old knight is the commander of this army sector.
When the old knight's gaze shifted from the soldier to Mika, he was startled.
"O-Ozendorwa!? Why are you here!?"
This level of surprise.
Something must have happened...
"I heard that a dangerous person we were pursuing appeared on the battlefield. I came to exterminate him."
"...The wanted man from before?"
At the old knight's confirmation, Ozendorwa nodded silently.
The old knight, seeing that Ozendorwa was with Mika, probably guessed the situation.
He did not pursue it deeply.
"So, how was it? Did you defeat him?"
"Yes, Mika-kun dealt the final blow completely."
"I see."
The old knight's expression relaxed slightly.
"However, for a target that Ozendorwa came out specifically to defeat to be beaten... The Apostle's strength is real."
He said it as if impressed.
Hearing the old knight's words, Ozendorwa raised one eyebrow.
"I don't know what you are misunderstanding, but if Mika-kun gets serious, even I cannot match his swordsmanship."
"............Huh?"
The old knight's face went slack.
No, no, no, that phrasing is misleading.
"There is no way I can match you in swordsmanship! I am just forcing you down with [Physical Enhancement]!"
If you enhance it by tens of times, swordsmanship doesn't matter anymore.
He protested thinking that, but the old knight looked even more bewildered.
"What?"
When Ozendorwa spoke, the old knight's expression suddenly snapped back to reality.
For some reason, sweat flowed down his cheek.
"I-it's amazing..."
"Right?"
Wait, something is odd?
He denied it, but why did the old knight back away?
I don't understand...
Despite that moment, the discussion proceeded.
"I'm sorry, Mika-kun, but it would be better if you waited for a while."
At Ozendorwa's words, the old knight nodded.
"But, if so, then Ozendorwa-san..."
Since we forcibly brought him here, I want to see him off properly.
Thinking that, Mika looked up at Ozendorwa, who smiled broadly.
"You don't need to worry about me. If we use the fast horse net, it will take two days, right? That shouldn't be a problem."
Even without Ozendorwa, the executives of the Fifth Knights Order will manage somehow.
Ozendorwa smiled, saying he had trained them to be able to do that.
"You must not get the priorities wrong. The most important thing right now is to support the front line. I want to stay if I can."
When Ozendorwa said that, the old knight's face twisted.
What is it?
Do these two have some sort of grudge?
"W-well, Apostle-sama. I will inform the Minister of Military Affairs that this matter has been resolved safely. I will also inform him that Ozendorwa will return by fast horse."
Persuaded by the two, Mika reluctantly agreed with a complicated expression.
Seeing this, the old knight reached for the black telephone on the desk.
But before the old knight's hand could reach it, the black telephone rang loudly.
"...What is this noisy sound?"
Ozendorwa grimaced.
"We set the volume high so the ringing tone can be heard even in the noise."
Mika calmly manifested Big Ear and kept a cool face.
The old knight picked up the handset and put it to his ear.
"Your Excellency. Just as I was contacting you—"
But the old knight's face froze in the middle of the sentence.
"Impossible!? Such... is it true!?"
At that unusual atmosphere, Mika and Ozendorwa exchanged glances.
They wanted to ask what happened, but they could not interfere with the direct line to the Minister of Military Affairs.
"Yes... yes... Understood. ...I will send someone immediately. Your Excellency, please keep your composure."
After cutting the call, the old knight placed the handset back on the black telephone.
His face had lost all color, and his expression was blank.
"What happened?"
When Ozendorwa spoke, the old knight slowly raised his head.
But his gaze did not seem to be looking at Mika, nor at Ozendorwa.
His gaze wandered into the void as the old knight muttered.
"Your Highness... has been captured."