Chapter 288 - Chapter 287: Isolation of the Royal Guards
Pipi-pipi... Chichi-chichi....
The chirping of small birds can be heard.
I notice that my vision is dyed white.
(Ah... it's morning.)
With a hazy consciousness, I think such a thing.
When Mika opened his eyelids, an unfamiliar ceiling came into view.
Stretching out his legs, he sat up with a jerk.
"...Where is this?"
He scratched his head with a pori-pori sound.
Pushing aside the blanket that had been placed over him, he got off the bed.
"It hurts... it hurts..."
A bed with no straw or anything spread on it.
His body was stiff.
Looking around the room, a communication device was placed on the table in the center.
Touching his waist with slow movements, the communication device that should have been there was missing.
It seems that communication device belonged to Mika.
While attaching the communication device to its proper position, he turned his gaze toward the outside of the window.
The sky was beginning to whiten.
"Oh, you've woken up."
"Yaroibarov-san."
While Mika was looking outside, Yaroibarov entered through the open door.
"Um, this place is..."
"It's an inn in District 7. It's closed. Don't you remember?"
Receiving a clue, he remembered a little.
Yes, he had moved in a panic.
"...It seems I fell asleep without noticing."
"You were tired, weren't you? It seems yesterday was quite something."
Yaroibarov said, raising one eyebrow.
"Yesterday..."
Mika muttered, connecting his memories bit by bit.
The destruction of Wyedges, the battle with Hibujiza at the front lines, the restoration of Kelnirus, and the downfall of Cranzard.
(............Rosalinde.)
She had come to inform Mika of the organization's movements, risking danger.
(I see... so all of that happened yesterday.)
As Mika organized his thoughts, Yaroibarov placed bread and smoked meat, etc., on the table.
"Listen while you eat. I want to explain what happened after the monk rested."
Told by Yaroibarov, Mika nodded.
And so, he began eating with tremendous momentum.
"Ah... should I explain? Should we put it off?"
Yaroibarov, concerned by Mika's incredible eating habits, spoke.
"Hmph-hmph-hmph-hmph-hmph-hmph (Please explain). Chomp-chomp..."
Yaroibarov, with a bitter smile, began the explanation.
"First, orders were issued to all Kingdom Army units. Emergency summons to the capital."
Mika chewed while blinking his eyes.
"Uh-huh (All)?"
"All of them."
Chomp-chomp...
"Uh-huh (Front lines)?"
"All of them."
Gulp.
"............"
Swallowing the food in his mouth, he considered the meaning of the order.
"Are you withdrawing the Kingdom Army from the front lines!? There are still twenty million people there!?"
"That is the order."
So, does that mean to support the front lines with only the Domain Armies?
Mika raised his voice in surprise, but Yaroibarov answered calmly.
"Luckily, the communication device you made is in Tsudazen's possession. In other words, the orders are being transmitted via the fast horse network."
In other words, there is a time lag of about two days before it reaches the front lines.
"We don't want to change the hiding place (Yasa) that many times, but Tsudazen has moved to another location. To a place where the communication device can be used."
There, it seems he contacted the field army commanders at the front lines and told them about the orders beforehand.
To persuade them to ignore the orders even if they arrive and stay at the front lines.
"I thought it was bad not to consult with the monk, but I decided to tell Tsudazen about the 'Cursed Child' (Imprecatori). The current King is not a King. He is different inside."
It would be hard to believe at first glance.
However, since they are issuing other unreasonable orders one after another, it seems they were able to make them recognize that His Majesty is losing his mind.
"And regarding the public execution of the Crown Prince..."
It seems the location where it will be held has been found.
Yaroibarov told him with a grimace.
"Church grounds?"
"Yes. The largest square in the capital is at the church."
It seems there was a time long ago when they publicly burned heretics.
It wasn't just the country that used executions as a show.
The church also seemed to have such a history.
"They are seizing that square and urgently setting up execution platforms. All materials and personnel for the reconstruction of the capital are being diverted there."
"What kind of thing is this..."
As Mika groaned, Yaroibarov tried to erase his expression.
"That's not all."
"............What is it?"
He could only feel a bad premonition now.
"Do you think the church complied obediently?"
When Yaroibarov said that, Mika's face stiffened.
He shook his head slightly, unwillingly.
"No way...!"
When Mika muttered that, Yaroibarov nodded heavily.
"Church officials who resisted were dragged away one by one. Some were beheaded."
Mika covered his ears and hung his head as if he didn't want to hear anymore.
"Ozendorwa has joined the Fifth Knights Order to suppress the damage as much as possible. He should be back soon, but..."
He had been told before, but District 5, where the church is located, shouldn't be under the jurisdiction of the Fifth Knights Order.
Still, it seems Ozendorwa is running around to do whatever he can.
Yaroibarov stood up and stood next to Mika.
And so, he vigorously stroked Mika's hanging head.
"Eat no matter what, no matter how forced. ............It's going to be a tough battle."
At those words, Mika clenched his teeth and nodded.
The ones guarding the Royal Castle they are heading to are allies.
They are only being deceived by the one who has possessed the King.
■■■■■■
While Mika was resting, it seems a guerrilla war was conducted to reduce the number of Royal Knights stationed at the Royal Castle.
It seems the Assassin Guild and the Thieves' Guild carried it out jointly, using sleeping drugs and paralytic drugs to take down the knights.
It is a strategy to repeatedly attack from a long distance while blending into the night darkness to force exhaustion.
"Of course, there must be stockpiles of antidotes. They destroyed the storage warehouses first."
It seems they are reducing the numbers by raiding the warehouses and delaying recovery.
"Tsudazen's messengers are also causing confusion among the three Kingdom Army units stationed near the capital."
Issuing orders repeatedly in the name of the Minister of Military Affairs for waiting and moving.
It seems they are issuing contradictory orders with time delays frequently.
"You are making them doubt the credibility of orders from the King and the new ministers, right?"
"Yes. Fortunately, the Kingdom Army headquarters is under Tsudazen's control. It seems they are pretending to follow the new Minister of Military Affairs and conducting a delaying operation."
Normally, orders to military commanders are issued in the name of the Minister of Military Affairs.
Yet, inconsistent orders are being issued one after another.
Moreover, even in the name of His Majesty the King, which is rarely issued normally, or the name of the newly appointed minister.
It becomes impossible to judge which is the real order.
Even if a confused garrison commander sends a fast horse for confirmation, the Fifth Knights Order also had orders issued in Tsudazen's name.
"There is a high possibility that enemy sabotage is being conducted targeting our army's confusion."
"Do not pass any military personnel other than those from the Kingdom Army headquarters into the capital. Tell them to confirm the situation and issue new orders from here."
To enforce these orders, it seems Ozendorwa went directly to the gates of the Second Wall and gave strict commands.
"If it goes well, the situation will be such that we only need to deal with the Royal Guards holed up in the Royal Castle."
Yes, Yaroibarov curled the corner of his mouth.
Just preventing the intervention of the Kingdom Army is a relief.
He wanted to reduce the situation of fighting against allies as much as possible.
Thanks to that, a huge mess is progressing here and there...
Mika's face became blank, and he refused to think about the cleanup.
And so, Yusubart and Efmont, who had withdrawn because night had broken, appeared.
The Assassin Guild and the Thieves' Guild suffered some casualties, but it seems everyone withdrew safely.
"I've never climbed the Royal Castle before, but it was quite interesting."
Yes, Delivery smiled.
It seems the agile ones attacked from the upper floors and temporarily subdued the Royal Knights with drugs, achieving great success.
It seems reinforcements rushed over immediately, though.
"............Didn't anyone work hard on their job, Efmont-san?"
When Mika looked at him with a suspicious gaze, Delivery averted his eyes.
Mika let out a huge sigh.
"It's fine if it's cutlery or candlesticks, but if you stole national treasures, there will be punishment later, you know?"
"We wouldn't raid the treasury, of course. Rest assured about that."
"Seals are no good either."
"I know. Geez, you have no trust in me."
Watching such a back-and-forth between Mika and Delivery, Yusubart let out a bitter smile.
"Well, if anything happens, just tell us. The Assassin Guild (us) will crack down on it."
"Hey, hey, we really didn't do anything. We just took a little pocket money."
"So you did do it, didn't you?"
Mika made a face as if he was exasperated.
But the story was that this would make about thirty percent of them unable to fight properly.
"If there is time, I would like to continue grinding them down like this."
"Isn't that fine? Just make the Crown Prince give up."
"That's a bit........... To quell the chaos, it's best to have the Crown Prince, isn't it? The Kingdom Army can't be suppressed forever either."
"Well, that's true."
Mika looked at Yusubart and Delivery.
"Thank you very much. Yusubart-san. Efmont-san. Leave the rest to us."
"Yes, we're counting on you. 'Dispeller' (Dispeller)."
"We're crossing a dangerous bridge too. Seriously, we're counting on you."
Mika nodded firmly to the two.
■■■■■■
Mika decided to join forces with Ozendorwa and head to the Royal Castle with the three of them, Yaroibarov.
The three of them gathered in an empty back alley.
"Ozendorwa-san, are you really okay without resting?"
He confirmed with Ozendorwa, who had been running around the capital all night, but Ozendorwa nodded firmly.
"I also got a little rest after Mika-kun rested. I rested a little in the middle of the night too. I wasn't moving non-stop, so you don't need to worry so much."
Indeed, judging by his expression, he doesn't seem that exhausted.
Yaroibarov vigorously stroked Mika, who was worried about Ozendorwa.
"Killing this guy (Ozendorwa) won't make him die. More importantly, can you really fly carrying both of you?"
Yaroibarov, who had flown once during the attack on the capital, seemed a little uneasy.
"The maximum number of people so far is ten, right? Well, it was for a very short time."
While talking like that, Yaroibarov took out a halberd made of "Copper-type Rare Metal (Orichalcum)" from the Magic Bag.
Ozendorwa also took out a sword made of "Copper-type Rare Metal (Orichalcum)" in the same way.
And then, Mika and Ozendorwa looked at Yaroibarov with suspicious gazes.
"............Isn't that strange?"
"Yes, it is."
Yaroibarov's halberd easily exceeded three meters.
And the size of commercially available Magic Bags is up to two meters.
It was clearly an illegally modified magic tool.
"Mika-kun, this guy (Yaroibarov) is probably one of their hands. Let's punish him."
"Yes, indeed."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait a minute! T-this bag is not a commercial product!"
"You confessed."
When Mika touched the Holy Sword Namakura-sama hung at his waist, Yaroibarov's face became genuinely panicked.
"I-I had it made for me!"
"By whom?"
"..............."
Yaroibarov shifted his gaze with a tsutsu-tsutsu motion.
Ozendorwa let out a sigh.
"As I thought, let's do it first."
"Yes, indeed."
Yaroibarov's face twisted.
Mika and Ozendorwa lowered their waists and took a stance, but Yaroibarov remained silent.
A tense atmosphere that stopped breathing.
But soon, Mika let out a sigh.
"Haa... judging by that look, it's either Adelriese-san or Nozzemueller-san, right?"
"Well, that's probably it."
"Bwah!"
Yaroibarov, who seemed to have been holding his breath, breathed out with a sound.
"...You guys are bad for my heart!"
"It's because you're carrying such a confusing bag (thing)."
Ozendorwa said to Yaroibarov, who seemed to have genuinely shortened his lifespan.
"There's no helping it! It won't fit in a normal one!"
"But I heard before that modifications aren't allowed."
When Mika said that, Yaroibarov made a bitter face and fell silent.
Probably, he couldn't leak information.
He inferred that he had it made under such an agreement.
Well, it would be difficult to carry such a ridiculously large halberd around, indeed.
However, Magic Bags should be military secrets...
"Geez... you're so troublesome."
Mika took out a rappelling rope from the Magic Bag.
He had Ozendorwa hold the middle of the rappelling rope and Yaroibarov hold the end.
"Please hold on tight."
When Mika said that, the two nodded with serious expressions.
"Then, let's go. 'Absorb Wing'. 'Blast'."
Mika ejected four 'Blast's diagonally downward.
To avoid hitting Ozendorwa and the others with 'Blast'.
Mika slowly ascended and gradually accelerated.
And so, he soared up to the sky in one go.
"Gu!?"
"Guhhh!"
Ascending with increasing speed, Yaroibarov and Ozendorwa groaned.
For now, they rose to about one thousand meters and slowed down.
By the time they reached here, they would almost certainly not be visible from the ground.
From there, they descended in one go.
That said, it wasn't free fall.
They ejected four 'Blast's to adjust the falling speed and position.
What Mika and the others aimed for was the entrance to the Royal Castle.
They deliberately descended in front of the waiting Royal Knights.
Probably, the King is in the Audience Chamber or his living quarters.
Since they are in the sky, it is of course possible to board directly.
But that method was not chosen.
Because they would lose the ability to hold back.
The battle with the 'Cursed Child' (Imprecatori).
There have been three 'Cursed Children' (Imprecatori) fought so far.
The one who released the Chimera used things like Mika's 'Thousand Edge' and 'Blast'.
The tanned woman rained down giant rocks.
Hibujiza used something like [Explosive Flame].
What would happen if they got the Royal Knights involved in such battles?
It might be a futile struggle, but they should strike first and render them combat ineffective as much as possible.
For that purpose, they would cause a commotion and lure the Royal Knights.
They would likely cause some injuries, but nothing that would endanger their lives.
The reason they went up to the sky was to avoid colliding with the knight squadrons guarding District 1.
The knight squadrons guarding District 1 are not the Fifth Knights Order, so Ozendorwa cannot command them.
It is unknown whether they will side with the King or with the Crown Prince and the Minister of Military Affairs.
They might be able to persuade them, but if they fail, they would need to knock them down entirely.
To avoid such unnecessary clashes, they decided to board the Royal Castle from the sky.
Inside the city walls, in front of the Royal Castle, there is a wide space.
It is wide enough for carriages to run freely, and about two hundred Royal Knights were there.
"We're going right in the middle!"
As Mika lowered his altitude and said that, Yaroibarov and Ozendorwa nodded.
And so, when the altitude dropped below twenty meters, Yaroibarov swung his body like a pendulum and jumped down.
"Doryaaaaaaah!"
He landed at a position far off from the Royal Knights waiting directly below.
And so, he spun his halberd around and charged fiercely at the Royal Knights.
Yaroibarov, being careful not to hit the Royal Knights with the blade of his halberd, blew them away.
Ozendorwa also jumped far to the side in the same way, shifting the expected landing point significantly.
Ozendorwa, hitting them with the flat of his sword, also blew away the Royal Knights.
Mika let go of the rappelling rope and headed for the castle gate.
The Royal Knights guarding the gate pointed their swords, but Mika remained suspended in the air.
"Iron Wall."
He sent a large amount of mana to the ground inside the gate.
Doshaaaaaaa!
The 'Iron Wall' that rose from the ground blocked the gate.
With this, large-scale reinforcements would be cut off.
He flew along the city wall and blocked the other gates in the same manner.
There is a large gate to the south as the main gate on the city wall.
And there are small gates to the north and east and west.
If these are blocked, there is no need to worry about the knights inside the Royal Castle.
When Mika returned after blocking all the castle gates, half of the Royal Knights were stretched out.
Mika took Namakura-sama in his hand and slipped into the midst of the Royal Knights.
"Dasshaaaaaaaraaaaaaaah!"
Mika lightly struck the knights' sword-holding hands with Namakura-sama.
Lightly speaking, it is based on Mika's standard of forty times reinforcement.
"Guah!?"
"Gyah!"
Knights whose dominant hand's back of the hand or wrist were lightly fractured dropped their swords.
Even so, there were knights who picked up their swords with their non-dominant hand and challenged.
Mika frowned and made a slightly troubled face.
Glancing at Yaroibarov and Ozendorwa, the two skillfully took out the knights' consciousness.
(Should I cause a concussion?)
The so-called method of targeting the chin is probably the major one.
However, doing it to a moving opponent is difficult, and more importantly, doing it with Mika's reinforced power is a bit dangerous.
(Carefully... carefully.)
Mika dodged the sword of the approaching knight and stroked the chin with Namakura-sama.
Then, the knight collapsed right there.
"Oh, this works!"
When Mika raised a voice of joy, Yaroibarov and Ozendorwa had faces saying "Oops."
Why?
And so, the three of them subdued them in the blink of an eye.
The knights who were guarding the gates also came, and they were defeated one by one.
"Well, then shall we go inside?"
"Yes."
"Be careful. It wouldn't be strange if the 'Cursed Child' (Imprecatori) appeared suddenly."
The three of them nodded to each other and entered the Royal Castle.
There are stairs in front of the entrance, but in front of them, Royal Knights had formed a defensive formation with shields.
"Fireeeeeee!"
When the commander gave the order, dozens of arrows flew.
"Uhi!?"
Mika hid behind Yaroibarov with a pyuu sound.
Yaroibarov skillfully spun his halberd around and knocked down the arrows.
"...Monk. You can dodge yourself, you know."
Yaroibarov muttered exasperatedly at Mika, who was using him as a shield.
"That's why I dodged."
In Mika's mind, the current action was almost synonymous with hiding behind a pillar.
While having such a conversation, Mika used 'Low Gravity' to confuse the Royal Knights with three-dimensional maneuvering.
"Guhaah!?"
The knights guarding the front of the stairs were suddenly turned around by Mika and received a pincer attack from Yaroibarov and Ozendorwa from the front.
After finishing the suppression of the entrance, Mika and the others went up to the second floor.
But, just before Mika finished climbing to the second floor, he stopped his feet.
The corridor ahead, visible from the middle of the stairs.
"............As I thought, you've come, Mika-kun."
There, Cleiria's older brother.
Ixel Leventein was waiting there.