Evil-Cleansing Ceremony
All is for the sake of freeing our god sealed within the moon. We shall raze the earth our god so loved and send its people to hell. No doubt such grave sins will be punished with utter destruction, body and soul. But even then, my resolve will not waver. I will see our great god freed from the fetters of the foolish false idols.
“It’s more crowded than I expected.”
On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Satou was at the site prepared for the Evil-Cleansing Ceremony in the royal capital, under the pretext of being Baron Muno’s guardian knight. Despite this claim, he wore no armor nor even a sword. Dressed in formal noble clothing, he looked more like a high-ranking civil official than a bodyguard.
“Sure is.”
“How are you two always this carefree?”
Viscount Nina sighed at Baron Muno and Satou, who seemed perfectly relaxed despite the fact that they’d been separated from their guide.
“Not to worry. We know where the lords’ seats are.”
However, many areas had been marked off-limits for the ceremony, forcing them to take one detour after another.
“Lord Satou!”
Satou turned around at the sound of his name and saw Princess Sistina waving at him with a smile.
Athena the Sakura Protector, who usually accompanied the princess, was currently accompanying the Shiga Thirty-Three Staves.
“Lord Satou, you won’t believe it. The Holy Sakura Tree has produced buds.”
“Congratulations. I’m glad to hear it.”
“Hee-hee, it’s all thanks to your help, Lord Satou.”
The princess’s uncharacteristically sweet demeanor caught onlookers by surprise, and they began whispering gossip among themselves.
Without missing a beat, Satou introduced the princess to Viscount Nina and loudly explained that he’d been helping the princess with an investigation, to clear up any misunderstandings.
“Lord Satou, over there!” The princess’s blissful expression suddenly tensed up. “That weaselman is here.”
“Ah, Mr. Homimudory of the Sahbe Company.”
Satou calmly identified the person the princess was pointing at.
It seemed strange to the two of them that someone who had seemed so suspicious in relation to the red-rope monster incidents would be present at the Evil-Cleansing Ceremony.
“Your Highness, it seems he is here as a subcontractor of the Ghookuts Company, who were hired to furnish the ceremony.”
The princess’s lady-in-waiting relayed information she said she’d gotten from one of the workers.
“No need to worry. I will keep an eye on Mr. Homimudory, and members of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen are here to protect important persons as well. Even if red-rope monsters did show up, they’d be taken care of in no time.”
Satou reassured the concerned-looking princess.
He was right: Three members of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, the Shiga Thirty-Three Staves, and many Holy Knights and high-ranking priests from each temple were all here and ready for combat. They should be more than capable of handling almost any opponent that might appear without Satou himself needing to interfere. I could always lend a hand if need be, Satou thought.
Two of the Shiga Eight who were not present, Heim the Weedy and Ryuona the Grasscutter, were patrolling the royal capital’s lower area and the nobles’ district.
“I suppose we’ll be fine as long as you’re here, Lord Satou.”
“I shall do my best to live up to your faith in me, Your Highness.”
Satou smiled politely at the princess, who seemed to have cheered up.
“Your Highness, we should proceed to the royal seats.”
The lady-in-waiting prompted the princess, noticing that people were beginning to make their way to their seats.
“Baron Muno, pardon my intrusion. Until later, Lord Satou.”
The baron bowed to the apologetic princess, and he and Satou headed for the seats set aside for the territory lords.
Meanwhile, as Satou was waiting in the lords’ seats for the ceremony to begin, his wards…
“So sweeepy…?”
“Pochi’s pooped, sir.”
Tama and Pochi were sprawled out in the living room after their private lessons.
“If the two of you keep that up, you might get even more private lessons, you know…” Arisa grinned wickedly.
“Nyuuu!”
“P-Pochi is being good, sir!”
Tama and Pochi quickly jumped up and adopted proper posture.
Arisa promptly fell to the floor laughing; realizing they’d been toyed with, Tama and Pochi huffed at her.
“Nyuuu…”
“Very mean, sir!”
“Ah-ha-ha, sorry, sorry.” Arisa turned to the rest of the group. “So what’s everyone doing today?”
“Concert hall.”
“Mia, I am interested in the children’s choir, I request.”
Knowing that Mia was directing the children’s choir at the concert hall, Nana asked to come along.
“Wanna come?”
“Thank you for granting permission, I respond.”
Mia’s face crinkled in a smile, and Nana clutched the elf’s hand in both of hers, celebrating even as her own face remained expressionless.
“So Mia and Nana are going to the concert hall. Are you sculpting, Tama?”
“Aye.”
Tama nodded and took the artist costume Arisa made for her out of her Fairy Pack, putting it on.
“And you’re still writing, Pochi?”
“Pochi is in a bit of a stump, sir.”
“Oh dear, really? They say it’s best to take a break or get some inspiration when that happens.” Arisa ignored Pochi’s botched take on the word slump and gave her advice.
“Implantation, sir?”
“That’s right, just stick a story into your brain and—wait, no! Like reading a picture book or watching performances in the park we went to before.”
Unable to ignore her mistake a second time, Arisa took pity and did a little one-man comedy routine before she continued to give advice.
“I’ve learned all our picture books by heart, sir. I’ll go see park performances, sir!”
Pochi raised her hand politely before stating her plans.
“Sounds good. What about you, Lulu? More osechi cooking?”
“Yes, that’s the plan. But I need some ingredients and spices for the recipes we got yesterday, so I’ll have to go shopping first.”
“It’d be dangerous to go alone. You should bring a maid with you.”
“Ah-ha-ha, I’ll be fine. You worry too much, Arisa.”
Lulu smiled brightly.
She may have been helpless before, but now her self-defense skills were strong enough to fend off a surprise attack from a lesser demon. There weren’t many people in the royal capital who would pose a threat to her.
“Are you sure? Well, at least bring your shield bracelet and a magic handgun.”
“Mm-hmm, I will.”
Lulu rolled up her sleeve to show her shield bracelet and took out the magic handgun—a magic gun Satou had acquired in the spoils from the Valley of Dragons—from her Fairy Pack.
“Liza, are you training in the secret base from yesterday?”
“No, I’ll be patrolling the royal capital to see if any red-rope monsters appear, since master is at the royal castle today.”
Liza kept her voice low so that Tama and Pochi wouldn’t hear.
She likely didn’t want to discourage them from devoting their time to their hobbies.
“Are you taking care of the same business as yesterday, Arisa?”
“Yep, I’m going to finish up some accounting at Baron Muno’s place, then go to the Echigoya Company.”
Arisa was already walking to the carriage as she spoke.
“Wait a minute, Arisa.”
Liza called out and stopped her.
“Ah, I knew it. You’ve forgotten to put on your soul shell garland.”
“Huh? Oh, goodness, you’re right. I forgot to put it back on after I changed. Thank you, Liza.”
Arisa took the soul shell garland out of her Fairy Pack.
This was an item Satou had acquired for her, an artifact to protect against her soul vessel breaking from overuse of her Unique Skills.
“I’ve got to make sure I wear it all the time. After all, it’s proof of master’s love, like an engagement ring.”
Satou would likely have objected if he heard this, but Mia was the only one to protest with a little “Mrr.” The rest of the group all just watched her warmly.
“All right, I’m off for now! Liza, be sure to get in touch if you see anything strange.”
“Yes, of course.”
The carriage set out with everyone aboard to take them to their respective destinations, except for Liza, who intended to patrol the royal capital on foot.
“Wow, this is quite a lineup.”
Viscount Nina of the Muno Barony looked around the lords’ seats and whistled quietly.
The seats were separated by territory; each section contained up to four people, usually a combination of a territory leader, the leader’s spouse or child, a civil official, and a guardian knight.
Duke Vistall, who had been the target of an assassination attempt just days prior, was guarded by the Scarlet Nobleman Jelil, a candidate for the Shiga Eight, with many more guards on standby behind them.
Baron Muno was the only lord without an immediately obvious guardian knight.
“It sure is.”
“What an impressive sight.”
Sitting next to Baron Muno, Satou nodded in agreement.
Normally, he would be standing behind him as a guard, but the person who guided them to their seats mistook Satou for a civil official and seated him as such.
This put Viscount Nina, who should normally have been in that seat, in the spouse’s seat instead.
She tried to move to the civil official’s seat at first, only to give in to the undeniable difference in comfort between the two chairs and end up settling into the spouse’s seat.
“Satou, you should’ve at least worn some armor, since you’re here as a guardian knight. You must own armor, right?”
“I’m not a big fan of armor. It’s too heavy.”
If any of the nearby knights heard Satou, they probably would have goggled at him.
Luckily, the lords’ seats were soundproofed with a Wind Magic barrier, preventing the comment from reaching anyone else. The maids who had been assigned to each territory were stationed outside the barrier unless they were called on.
Satou wasn’t even carrying his beloved fairy sword, although Viscount Nina refrained from pointing this out.
“Well, I suppose it’s highly unlikely you’ll have to fight anyway, with all the guards around here.”
Viscount Nina doubted Satou would have to get involved unless a demon attacked or something.
“I see there are a few lords who are young or female, too.”
Most of the territory lords were men in their thirties or older, but the lord of Kageus County to the west of Seiryuu County was a beautiful but cruel-looking woman in her thirties.
The young boy without the lord title was likely the heir of Lessau County, which had lost its previous lord in a demon attack.
“That young one’s around your age. Poor kid. He was supposed to be married to Princess Sistina about a year ago, until he lost his mother. The wedding was delayed a year for mourning…then he lost his father, too, in that demon attack, and the marriage was called off as well.”
He had failed at laying the proper groundwork before the kingdom meeting; instead of earning the support of the other lords and high-ranking nobles, he made enemies who thought he should be demoted to viscount or even suggested that other family members had more right to the throne, Viscount Nina went on.
“Sounds rough,” Satou remarked, then appeared to lose interest in the young lord.
Viscount Nina was prepared to advise him not to sympathize too much, but at this unexpectedly neutral response, she was left to look around the ceremony hall instead.
“The priests sure are taking a while to get ready.”
Realizing that they were a quarter-chime behind schedule—about thirty minutes—Viscount Nina waved a maid over to ask how things were progressing.
The maid asked her to wait a moment and left the nobles’ seats, then sent a younger maid who was on standby to find out. The young maid soon returned and accompanied the older maid to report back to Viscount Nina.
“It appears that the head priest and priestess of Parion Temple both complained of feeling ill, and finding replacements for them took some time. Parion Temple extends their apologies and thanks to everyone for sparing a few extra moments from their busy schedules.”
“I see. And is that handsome fellow over there one of their replacements?”
Viscount Nina jerked her chin to indicate Cardinal Hozzunas of the Parion Province.
“Yes!” the young maid piped up in a squeaky voice. “The esteemed Cardinal Hozzunas himself will be a splendid substitute!”
She must have been a fan of the attractive cardinal.
“Contain yourself, will you? You’re in front of a lord.”
“I-I’m terribly sorry.”
The older maid scolded the younger for being rude in front of the baron.
“It’s fine,” Baron Muno said reassuringly, then thanked the maids for finding out about the delay.
“Looks like they’re about to get started.”
The Holy Grail was placed in the center of the magic circle drawn on the floor, and Holy Chalices at each point of the pentagram that surrounded it. One of them was the Holy Chalice that Ms. Somienna of Vistall Duchy had transported.
The court mages—the Shiga Thirty-Three Staves—were positioned around the perimeter of the circle, while the king stood at an altar nearby.
On the king’s left was the head of the Shiga Thirty-Three Staves, holding a Holy Staff passed down from the ancestral king; on his right was Juleburg, the head of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, holding the Holy Sword Claidheamh Soluis unsheathed. Diagonally in front of the king was Reilus of the Shiga Eight, Holy Shield at the ready, while a line of priests stood behind him.
“So the priests stand behind the king?” Satou asked.
“Yeah, that’s the tradition,” Viscount Nina explained. “This is my first time attending the ceremony, too, but it’s been the king’s job to oversee this festival since the days of the ancestral king. The priests don’t play their part until closer to the end.”
Baron Muno, who was here for the first time as well, nodded along at Viscount Nina’s explanation.
“The ceremony will now begin.”
The king raised a sapphire scepter that appeared to be a part of the City Core.
“Head mage, the chant.”
“Shiga Thirty-Three Staves, let us commence the synchronized chant.”
The head imperial mage began directing the Shiga Thirty-Three Staves.
As their magic rose, the dragon scale powder that made up the lines of the magic circle began to flicker faintly with light.
“Power of the kingdom, fill this place.”
The king’s scepter shone blue, and magic from the City Core flowed into the magic circle, turning the blue glow from a faint flicker to a blinding flash.
Eventually, the blazing light settled and stabilized in the circle, while the six holy vessels were filled with magic in the form of pale red water.
“Gather, labors of our people.”
Wind began to blow clockwise around the air above the magic circle.
“Gather, disgraces of our people.”
The wind grew fiercer; ladies held their hair in place, while the maids fought to hold down their skirts.
Anyone with “Miasma Vision” likely saw the miasma begin to flow in from throughout the royal capital—even the area around it—and create a swirling vortex.
“Gather, all manners of evil.”
Each time the king spoke the word gather, the pale red liquid in the holy vessels slowly darkened.
As they watched, several maids and officials began to feel ill and were escorted out.
The barrier around the magic circle prevented the miasma gathering in the holy vessels from leaking outside, but since it still had to pass through the room to gather densely in the chalices and grail, those with weaker constitutions were still affected by its presence.
And they were not the only ones who felt the swiftly gathering miasma’s effects.
Meanwhile, at a workshop some distance away from the royal castle…
“Teacher, did you see her latest work?”
“Donuts Frolicking with Clouds, was it? A strange motif, but it has a remarkable charm that entrances the viewer.”
The sculptor walked with a senior pupil, observing his other students at work.
As always, loud clanging echoed throughout the grounds as the artists worked hard at their sculptures.
“Nyuuu?”
Tama, who was intently focused on her own sculpture, raised her head as she sensed a change in the air.
“Something’s weeeird…?”
“Hmm? You mean the strong winds and a slightly unpleasant feeling?” a nearby sculptor asked.
“Aye.” Tama nodded.
“That’s ’cause it’s New Year’s Eve.”
“Yeah, they’re doing the Evil-Cleansing Ceremony in the castle.”
“Not weeeird…?”
“Nah, it happens every year. Don’t worry, just focus on your sculpture.”
“Aye.”
Reassured by the adults that everything was fine, Tama nodded and resumed her work.
Thus, it was a little while longer before anyone realized something was wrong.
“So it’s begun…”
In a near-deserted park in the royal capital, a man gazed at the royal castle towering in the distance.
As he turned to his companions, the trees rustled behind him, and the birds roosting there all took to the skies at once.
“Yes, the beginning of the end.”
“The advent of the true god is upon us.”
“Our time in obscurity shall end, and a new era shall rise.”
“Yes, our dearest wishes will finally bear fruit.”
The men in hooded robes all echoed equally sinister sentiments after the first.
Crows cawed ominously as if in celebration, and the stray dogs began howling to hide their fear.
“““All shall belong to…”””
The men began to shout as one, raising staffs inlaid with curse stones, their sunken eyes glinting darkly.
“““…the Wind of Freedom!”””
The people who had been watching them suspiciously all hurried away, as if they wanted nothing to do with it.
“Ah, New Year’s Eve really is perfect for this kind of thing.”
“Indeed. The ominous winds from the Evil-Cleansing Ceremony make a great atmosphere.”
“Maybe we should have added some words like demon lord and destruction…”
Dropping the dramatic poses, the men began chatting pleasantly about meaningless details.
If Satou had witnessed this, he would have no doubt deemed it fitting for their reputation as a casual occult fan club.
“Phew. Good work, gentlemen.”
The man who appeared to be the leader lowered his hood, wiping away nonexistent sweat with his sleeve.
“…Hmm? What’s that sound?”
Noticing a clattering noise, the man looked around.
“Look! The manhole cover!”
Just as a different man pointed at it, the nearby manhole cover suddenly went flying off, and out climbed a large newt covered in red patterns—a red-rope monster.
“I-it’s a monster!”
“One of those red-rope things?”
“Heed my call, and let the dead arise from—”
“Idiot! This is no time for games! Let’s get out of here!”
The newt’s tongue darted out, and its eyes swiveled toward the men.
“Oh, crap.”
“W-we’re gonna get eaten!”
“Ruuuuun!”
Tossing their staffs aside, the men tripped over themselves as they bolted away.
The dog-size newt moved toward not the men but the staffs, greedily devouring the curse stones attached to them.
And that was only the beginning.
On one of the streets of the royal capital’s business district, a squadron of guards on patrol found some red-rope monsters that had emerged from a sewage drain.
“Yuo and Udo, help evacuate the area—everyone else, fight with me to keep the monsters contained! Don’t let a single one break through and attack any citizens!”
At the squad captain’s order, the soldiers readied their spears and snapped into action.
There were about five mutant cricket monsters before them that had crawled out of the sewers, their antennae waving as they searched the area.
One of the cricket monsters started attacking the soldiers.
“They’re stronger than I expected…”
“Yeah, this is worse than what the reports we got at the station described.”
They were armed more heavily than usual, but the guards’ equipment was meant for keeping the peace and fighting criminals. It was going to be a hard fight against monsters that outclassed them, and the squad captain sensed that they would have to be prepared to take serious losses in the process.
“Send up a signal flare. Call for backup from the guards.”
The captain decided it was wiser to call in knights who excelled at fighting monsters than to push his men beyond their limits.
“Signal flare firing now!”
The assistant captain shot the signal flare.
His eyes followed it into the sky above the royal capital, only to widen when he saw signal flares rising from several other places as well.
This wasn’t the only place where monsters had appeared, it seemed.
Nor were the red-rope monsters the only trouble brewing in the royal capital.
“Get back! The golem is moving!”
At the residence of a high-ranking noble, the rideable golem they had just recently acquired from the Sahbe Company suddenly began moving, knocking over boxes in the warehouse as it walked out toward the yard.
“Who’s in the cockpit?!”
“No one at all!”
“Damn weasels! They sold us a defective product!”
The people scurried about in a panic, running from the golem.
From below, the cockpit looked as if it was being controlled by an invisible man, the levers and pedals moving on their own.
If anyone with a high-level “Analyze” skill had been present, they likely would have realized that the golem was being possessed.
The imp that had taken over the golem cackled down at the people fleeing below.
“<Is everything going smoothly?>”
In a dark room, men with hoods hiding their faces conversed quietly in a foreign language.
“<The monsters we speed-grew with the Monster Seeds have emerged aboveground in the planned order, spreading fear and injuries among the masses.>”
These speed-grown monsters were what the people of the royal capital had come to refer to as the “red-rope” monsters.
The men here were the ones responsible for the red-rope incidents.
“<I confess I was perturbed when the authorities seized our activation key magic tools, but it never would have occurred to me to use the slaves as disposable tools in place of the flutes.>”
“<It was less than ideal, of course. But by spreading the activation-inducing drug among the slaves, we can still produce speed-grown monsters from the creatures that were fed Monster Seeds.>” The man grimaced. “<Though the area of effect will be significantly smaller.>”
Between magic tools that sent out signal waves and animals that were fed drugs, it was obvious that the former would work on a much larger scale.
Indeed, there were far fewer red-rope monsters than they had first imagined.
“<And the summoned imps?>”
“<Yes, they have been ordered to cause chaos in the royal capital and left to their own devices. The three imps that remain under the summoner’s command have possessed the alpha monsters of territories neighboring the royal capital and are on their way here at haste.>”
“<Three? I thought we sent out four of them?>”
“<The one that was supposed to possess the hydra could not find the planned target and took over a different monster instead, only to be defeated by a passing woman warrior who appeared to be of the orangescale tribe.>”
“<Hmm, how unlucky… But no matter. As long as we have the manticore and chaos wyvern, that should be more than enough to create a diversion.>”
The map spread out on the table was littered with pawns representing battles between monsters and Shigan forces, their positions changing by the moment. This magic device, reminiscent of Satou’s map ability, was an artifact created in the era of the Flue Kingdom.
“<The royal capital air defenses have been driven away, correct?>”
“<Well, you see…>”
Sharp eyes glared at the stammering man from underneath a hood.
“<The members we had bribed were unfortunately demoted after the recent attack on Duke Vistall’s home…>”
The man remembered hearing that beetle monsters carrying giant boulders had invaded the royal capital and destroyed Duke Vistall’s manor.
Evidently, there were air defense soldiers who had been bribed by others, not just them.
“<But there is nothing to worry about. By the time the manticore and others arrive, they will no doubt be scattered around the city dealing with the flies and bats and the like. We have already sent assassins to the watch tower and lookout posts in the south. The only snag is that by the time the Wyvern Riders learn of this…>”
“<It will already be too late.>”
“<Exactly, sir.>”
“<Then let us take one more countermeasure. Place another imp under the summoner’s control and have it possess a wyvern in their barracks. If there is chaos at their base, it will surely delay their departure.>”
“<An excellent idea. I shall make the arrangements at once.>”
There were several barriers around the wyvern stable, but surely there were ways to surpass those. The man did not bother touching on that point as he left the room.
“<Just a little longer…>”
The other man bowed his head and looked at the map.
His eyes were fixed on the piece that indicated their lord, who was now in the royal castle.
“Damn it, my steel sword broke.”
“Tch, my spear, too.”
The guards were locked in an intense battle with the mutant crickets.
“It’s no good, damn it. We’re barely making a dent.”
“Don’t strike them head-on! Focus on defense! Buy time and wait for reinforcements!”
As the squad captain barked orders, he thought back to the information from the reports they’d gotten at the station. “The red-rope monsters averaged around level 10, stronger than other monsters of the same level, with glowing-red magic barriers.”
The guards’ levels ranged from 5 to 10, with an average around 7. Up against a level-10 monster, they could just barely hold their own with full equipment and the hard work of the entire squad.
But these monsters had barriers strong enough to deflect a skilled swordsman’s blow.
Simply put, it was a nightmare scenario. Every last member of the squad was bleeding somewhere or other, injured by the feelers or claws of the mutant crickets.
But just as the situation was getting dire, a beacon of hope arrived.
Ten or so knights who had seen the signal flare came galloping over from the other side of the street.
“We’re here to help! Leave the monsters to us!”
“Roger that! Thank you, knights!”
The knight captain readied his mithril alloy lance and charged straight at one of the monsters.
Red barriers formed in front of the monster to block the attack, but unlike the guards’ swords, the lance didn’t shatter.
After a moment’s struggle, the red barrier broke like glass.
But the resistance was still enough to deflect the captain’s lance from driving through the monster, grazing fruitlessly along its side instead.
“So these are the red ropes!”
The knight captain’s momentum carried him past the monster’s side.
The other knights began their charge after their leader.
Most of them broke the barriers like their captain had, or just chipped away at them, but the vice-captain who charged the monster whose barrier had already been broken was able to run it through with his lance and bring it down.
“We can do this! Once the barriers are broken, they’re just like normal monsters!”
The other knights cheered at their captain’s shout and turned their horses around for another charge.
“Sir Knight! Watch out!”
Just as the guard yelled, nearly half the knights were blown away, horses and all.
The mutant crickets, which had been fighting with their feelers and front legs until then, had suddenly started charging at the mounted knights in a body slam.
“I’ve never seen monsters with such jumping power, even with ‘Body Strengthening.’”
The knights who had been knocked aside tossed down their spears and drew their swords, charging the monsters on foot.
The knight captain’s attacks were especially remarkable.
“The Champion’s Sword from His Majesty really is something. It can even cut through these red-rope monsters’ barriers like butter!”
A few knights looked on enviously at their captain’s sword.
Champion’s Swords—mithril-plated forged Magic Swords given to the Shiga Kingdom by Nanashi the Hero—were the envy of knights everywhere.
“You alive?”
“I’m fine. Just ashamed to have been knocked down by a monster like that.”
The knights who had been thrown to the ground by the monsters stood up as the vice-captain called out to them.
“Damn, they’re still alive after a blow like that?”
“Them knights are on another level.”
The guards gaped at the knights who were standing up unfazed.
Their tough armor and trained muscles had protected them from any casualties.
“Do-do-do… Don-don-donuts…”
At the sculptor’s workshop, Tama was tapping out a peculiar rhythm as she carved.
“Gaaaah!”
Suddenly, someone screamed in the courtyard.
Tama whirled around just as something moved past her.
CRUNCH, CLATTER, CLANG… Sounds of destruction made her quickly turn back to see her sculpture broken before her eyes.
“My sculpture…”
Falling to her knees, Tama touched a fragment of her destroyed statue, in tears.
She had been putting her heart and soul into this new statue. She’d found the perfect inspiration and devoted herself to carving it out perfectly.
And now it was destroyed.
Tama was filled with rage.
GWEEECHKOO.
A monster howled from the other side of the yard.
“Found the culpriiit…?”
Tama disappeared, then reappeared in front of the monster.
“Feel Tama’s wraaath…?”
GWECHKO?
Looking confused, the frog-like red-rope monster shot out its curled tongue toward Tama’s face.
The cat-eared girl vanished again, and the long tongue was cut off at the base, flying into the air.
GZWEGHOOOOO.
The monster howled in pain, blood spraying from the stump of its tongue.
Then its upper half slid off to one side.
Beyond it, Tama landed with her hand held out to one side.
“Once again, I’ve cut a worthless objeeect…”
Tama recited an anime line Arisa had taught her.
The red light faded from Tama’s hand as her anger calmed. Evidently, she had used “Spellblade” in her own body to slice the monster in half with her bare hand.
“Whoooa, you beat it empty-handed.”
“So you’re great at fighting, too, not just sculpting.”
Tama turned around, the praise from grown-ups cheering her up.
“Ninjas are strongest bare-haaanded…?” Tama paused. “That’s what Arisa saaaid.”
At this point, most things were Arisa’s fault.
Around the same time that Tama’s statue was destroyed…
Red-rope monsters also appeared in the peaceful park where Pochi was enjoying a kamishibai performance.
“Monsterrrrrrs!”
“R-r-r-run awaaaaay!”
The people trembled and ran around in panic at the sight of the monsters.
This included the children watching the performance with Pochi.
“Wh-what should we do, Ms. Pochi?”
“Don’t worry, sir. Pochi’s here, sir.”
As the other kids collapsed to the ground or clung to each other, Pochi calmly stood up.
“B-but even the grown-ups can’t beat them!”
The children pointed at the adults who were being batted around by the monsters.
Meanwhile, the storyteller was desperately gathering up the performance tools of the trade he’d dropped in surprise.
“It’s okay, sir. You should leave with Mr. Storyteller, sir.”
Pochi patted the worried child’s head and produced her katana from her Fairy Pack.
The people the monsters were chasing were battered, but fortunately none had died.
“Pochi’s day off is over, sir. Time to fight, sir.”
She loosened her katana in its scabbard as she walked up the monster, then stopped within a close distance for a quick-drawn strike.
“One-Hit Kill, si—oh, oh no, it’s stuck, sir!”
As Pochi strained too hard and failed to draw her sword, the mutant cricket charged at her.
Then the monster was slashed in two by an attack from above.
“Are you all right?”
The person who’d saved Pochi rested a broadsword on his shoulder as he spoke.
“Mr. Heim, sir! Thank you, sir. Pochi’s all right, sir!”
“That’s good. Help me out, then.”
Heim the Weedy, the seventh seat of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, glared at the new monsters emerging from the park’s pond.
“There are more of them than I expected. Don’t let any monsters near the noncombatants.”
“Yes, sir!”
Pochi put away her katana, which she still hadn’t quite gotten the hang of, and pulled out her familiar magic short sword instead. Running after Heim, she brought down any monsters that escaped his broadsword in a flurry of movement.
Her contributions were so impressive that it made her earlier failure seem like a lie.
“It’s ’cause that sword wasn’t pruned in battle, sir.”
As she cut down monsters with ease, she mumbled something that almost sounded like an excuse.
No one was there to comment on her bungling of the phrase battle proof.
“I shall protect the larvae, I report.”
Her sword and shield at the ready, Nana stood in the concert hall, protecting the children’s choir from the swarm of monsters closing in on the stage.
“Miss Nana!” one of the boys cried out. “They’re coming from the wings, too!”
Nana had only come along to observe while Mia directed the children’s choir, but as she translated the short-spoken Mia’s insufficient instructions, the children started calling her “Miss.”
“Activate Flexible Shield, I declare.”
Nana produced transparent shields with her Foundation ability and positioned them to protect the wings.
“Miss Nana! Miss Mia woke up!”
“Mrr?”
Mia had gotten squashed by the panicking children when the monsters appeared, briefly knocking her senseless.
“Mia, emergency, I report. Requesting backup.”
Although Nana’s expression didn’t change, it was clear that the monsters might break through her defenses at any moment.
“Mm, Balloon Kyuubouchou.”
Mia activated a lesser Water Magic spell with a quick chant, knocking back the monster swarm.
“Activate ‘Shield Bash,’ I declare.”
As soon as Mia thinned their numbers, Nana mowed down the monsters that were trying to pass by her shield.
“ … Stream Shelter Ryuusui Kekkai.”
In turn, Nana’s moves bought enough time for Mia to cast an intermediate barrier spell.
This was likely a result of their finely tuned group coordination from fighting together in the labyrinth.
“Mia, can you use Spirit Magic or attack magic while maintaining the barrier? I inquire.”
“Easy.”
Mia flashed a smug smile and a victory sign at Nana, then began a long chant.
Partway through, fly- and bat-like monsters came crashing through the ceiling to attack, but Nana easily brought them down with spears and swords.
“…… Create Garuda Fuureiou Souzou.”
A glittering golden bird appeared in front of Mia.
It spread its wings and floated in the concert hall with the presence of a powerful star.
“Do it.”
On Mia’s short command, the Garuda’s golden feathers shot off from its wings and began wiping out all the red-rope monsters.
“Wowzers, Miss Mia!”
“Elves are amazing.”
“That gold bird is so cool!”
As the children heaped Mia with praise, Nana gave off a tangible air of disappointment, despite her expression remaining blank.
“Y-you were cool, too, Miss Nana.”
“Yeah, for real! You protected us all!”
“Thank you, Miss Nana!”
“Larvae…”
Nana’s aura shifted to one of deep emotion as the children wisely patched things up.
“Thank you, too, Miss Mia!”
“Mm.”
Mia nodded placidly.
There were still monsters left to defeat, but it was likely only a matter of time before those, too, were gone.
“A mosquito swarm? If so, those insects are a bit too large.”
While Tama, Pochi, and the others were encountering monsters, Liza, too, had discovered something strange in the giant reservoir of the water purification plant.
The people nearby seemed to have spotted the same thing, pointing at the dark red swarm of insects swirling around above the water’s surface surrounded by a fence.
On the other side was a pipe connecting to the rest of the purification plant.
“Red insects… No, those are monsters.” Liza drew her beloved Cricket Spear from her Fairy Pack. “This would be easier if Lulu or Arisa were here…”
Liza didn’t have much in the way of antiair attacks. She pulled out her emergency signal tool and pressed the MONSTERS SPOTTED button.
I’m sure Arisa or master will take care of the rest.
As Liza thought to herself, she charged her spear with “Spellblade.”
“Those aren’t just bugs! They’re monsters!”
An onlooker’s shout drew the insects to chase the crowd of bystanders, who started to flee.
As the cloudlike swarm of insects closed in, a red ball of light tore through them.
It was Liza’s “Spellblade Shot,” meant to attract their attention.
“Monsters! Come at me, if you do not fear my spear!”
She used the “Taunt” skill on her shout, luring the monsters over to her.
“Oh no! The monsters went after the lady with the tail!”
“Run for it, lady! There’s too many for you to take on alone!”
Before their cries were through, the human head–size fly monsters started shooting at Liza like bullets.
Liza’s posture didn’t waver, even as the tidal wave of fly monsters bore down on her.
A thrust, a sweep, another thrust.
Her spear movements were standard enough, but unleashed at unbelievable speed.
Each time Liza’s arm flashed, the number of monster corpses around her grew.
“That whole dark red avalanche…”
“She’s taking it apart with her spear…”
“Who in the world is that lady?”
The onlookers were so amazed by the sight that they stopped to watch, their flight forgotten.
“A spear user…with a tail…” One of the onlookers muttered to himself, finally hitting upon the answer. “I know! That’s Liza of the Black Spear!”
“The strongest spear user ever, who even defeated Juleburg the Unstoppable!”
Just as the men started exclaiming, a dark shadow flew out from the pipe. It was a giant bat monster, its wingspan more than thirty feet across.
It whirled through the air as if chasing the flies, then began to dive toward Liza.
“Look out!”
“It’s coming from above you!”
Liza already had her spear pointed toward the sky.
She must have sensed the bat’s surprise attack from the way the flies were fleeing in all directions.
“First flies and now a bat…”
As she muttered this, Liza thrust her spear upward, piercing the bat that dove down toward her from mouth to stomach.
Liza’s guard was still up when she heard the chime of Tactical Talk activating, followed by Arisa’s voice.
“Can you hear me, everyone? More red-rope monsters have appeared in the capital.”
Looking up at the colorful signal flares bursting into the sky one after another, Liza realized that this wasn’t the only place where something was amiss.
She pulled out a throwing spear from her Fairy Pack, taking down a fleeing fly as she listened to Arisa.
“I have our instructions from master. Take out the maps we handed out, and remember that the locations are marked in code…”
Looking at her own map from her Fairy Pack, Liza began sprinting toward her designated area.
Shortly before Liza pressed the EMERGENCY ALERT button…
As Satou and company watched, the Evil-Cleansing Ceremony was approaching its finale.
Inky black liquid filled the holy vessels, like miasma given physical form, and the Shiga Thirty-Three Staves had stepped back from their positions around the magic circle, replaced by the clergy members from each of the temples.
Just then, the emergency communication tool in Satou’s pocket vibrated to indicate an alert.
As Satou reached to check who the message was from, Arisa contacted him with Telephone.
“Master, Liza and some of the others have run into red-rope monsters. Things seem to be safe so far where I am, near Baron Muno’s mansion.”
The three beastfolk girls had all sent out emergency signals.
“I’ve got a report from Lulu in the food market, too. She hasn’t seen any red-ropes herself, but there are a bunch of signal flares in the sky!”
Arisa seemed to be using Telephone to talk to Lulu at the same time.
Satou opened his map and investigated the distribution of the monsters that had appeared in the royal capital.
“They’ve shown up in more than thirty different areas. Mostly shopping districts, markets, theaters, parks, that sort of thing. The land monsters don’t have a wide range of movement, but there are flying monsters like insects and bats that have spread over a considerable area.”
“There’s no damage in the noble district?”
“Only places where lots of lesser noble homes are packed close together, where people were having garden parties, and so on.”
“Huh… It’s strange that they wouldn’t attack the royal castle.”
The places where the monsters had appeared seemed to follow a pattern.
There were no monsters in range of Satou’s radar.
“Think it might be a diversion?” Arisa asked.
“Most likely.”
As they spoke, Satou saw a messenger run up to the prime minister, gasping for breath.
Word about the red-rope monster appearances must have been coming in.
“Then their real target…”
“Yeah, it’s probably here.”
Satou felt an unease he couldn’t quite describe at the much-too-obvious tactic.
“You stay there, master. You can give us directions on where to go, like an armchair detective. We’ll take care of the trash mobs.” Arisa’s voice was cheerful.
“All right. I’ll let you guys handle it. Connect me to everyone with Tactical Talk, please.”
“Okey-dokey!”
“It looks like something’s going on. I’ll go see what I can find out.”
While Arisa reconnected the spell, Satou excused himself to Viscount Nina and Baron Muno, discretely placed a seal slate for the Return spell in a nearby arbor, and moved to another part of the castle.
I’m sure Arisa and the others can take care of the big outbreaks. I’ll clean up some of the ones that have spread out individually, just to be safe.
Satou selected Remote Arrow from his magic menu, opened his map, and began locking on to flying monsters that had spread across a wide area, monsters that were gaining the upper hand over soldiers, and so on. Three volleys shot into the air, for a total of 360 magic arrows, and started decimating the monsters.
He didn’t send any to places with crowds of people or especially intense battles.
If he tried to shoot at monsters in the middle of a melee, he worried that he might accidentally kill someone who got between the targeted monster and the Remote Arrow. Satou’s attack magic was more dangerous to the average person than any monster.
For these cases, he used the nonlethal spell Remote Stun instead. It wouldn’t be enough to defeat the red-rope monsters with their high defenses, but it should at least buy valuable time for the people dealing with them to escape or get into a better position.
Once he finished sending out support fire, he returned to the arbor from before, then went back to the lords’ seats.
“Master, I had everyone get their maps out. Your directions?”
“There are three large monsters approaching the royal castle, but you can ignore those. We’ve got the Shiga Thirty-Three Staves here who can shoot them down from a distance, not to mention three Shiga Eight Swordsmen and Jelil. Don’t worry.”
When none of the group objected, Satou went on to direct them to places that needed more backup, telling them to hurry.
“Master, did you give directions to the Echigoya Company already?”
“Yes, of course.”
There were several powerful defense golems at the Echigoya main location and its two factories, so Satou had given orders to open them up as evacuation shelters for nearby citizens.
Once he’d finished giving immediate orders, he told Viscount Nina and Baron Muno about the appearance of red-rope monsters.
“I see…so that’s what all the chaos is about,” Viscount Nina said. “Looks like our ritual is in the final stage now anyway.”
In the center of the ceremony hall, the inky liquid in the Holy Chalices was being poured into the Holy Grail to collect it all in one place.
The priests and priestesses began the chant for the cleansing Ritual Magic.
The liquid in the Holy Grail wriggled like a slime, attempting to escape the vessel, but the blue light the king commanded kept it in check.
Finally, the Ritual Magic was invoked, and the dark liquid shrank a little.
Evidently, the spell would be repeated several more times until all the black liquid in the Holy Grail was gone.
It looked like it would still take a while before that happened, though.
Satou expanded his map window, focusing on the movements of the points of light.
“Sorry, I’ve got to go—something urgent came up. I think you’ll be safe here, but be sure to lock the doors and stay inside after I go, just in case.”
Arisa bounded out of the study in Baron Muno’s mansion and told the first maids she ran into, Erina and the newbie, that she was leaving.
“Gotcha.”
“Did something happen?”
Just as the pair responded, an alarm bell rang out to announce a state of emergency.
“Took them long enough to sound the alarms,” Arisa muttered as she ran down the hall.
Most likely, the person who was supposed to ring the bells had hesitated out of fear of disrupting the Evil-Cleansing Ceremony happening in the royal castle.
“Arisa! Whatever is happening, pray tell?!”
“B…uh, Lady Karina!”
Lady Karina came running out of her room after hearing the alarm.
Arisa almost said her internal nickname for Lady Karina of “boob-lady” out loud, managing to catch herself just in time.
“Arisa! Two monsters are approaching Muno Castle from the sewers.”
Satou’s voice came in through Tactical Talk.
At almost the same moment, there was a crashing sound and a scream from the house next door.
“Lady Karina! Monsters detected!”
“Understood, Mr. Raka!”
Lady Karina’s Intelligent Artifact Raka gave her the alert, and she promptly jumped out the window still wearing a dress, leaping across the wall that separated the neighboring house. Behind her, the noblewoman in charge of teaching Lady Karina manners screamed in rage and despair, but Lady Karina didn’t appear to notice.
“Ms. Erina, Lady Karina went next door.”
“Newbie, the ladder! Grab the ladder; we’re goin’ after her!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Lady Karina’s two guardian maids ran to the shed.
“Master, Karina ran off to intercept those monsters.”
“Let her take care of it, then. You go meet up with Lulu right away.”
“Okey-dokey!”
Since the maids were no longer watching, Arisa used Space Magic to teleport to their royal capital manor, then used Clairvoyance to confirm her destination before teleporting near Lulu.
“Luluuu!”
“Arisa!”
Lulu turned around, surrounded by smiling vendors and customers.
Beyond the crowd, amid foods that had been scattered everywhere, were the corpses of several monsters that had been shot in the vitals by a magic gun or had their necks broken.
“Looks like you’re already on top of things.”
“Well, master took care of about half of them.”
Lulu explained Satou’s Remote Arrow barrage to Arisa, who hadn’t seen it.
“Wow. That’s our master for you.”
Arisa used Space Magic to confirm that there were no more monsters in the area before taking Lulu’s hand and running down a back alley.
“Thank you, miss!”
“Come back anytime! I’ll give ya a big discount!”
“Thanks for saving us, black-haired lady!”
The people Lulu had saved called out their thanks as she ran away.
Once they were out of sight, Arisa teleported atop an aqueduct with Lulu in tow.
“There’s more of them than I expected.”
According to Satou, the birdfolk soldiers of the royal capital air defense were in a fierce airborne battle with red-rope monsters; the Wyvern Riders had been delayed by some kind of trouble and were on their way to intercept the large monsters coming toward the royal castle, slowing down their response to the monsters that were flying around above the royal capital like they owned the place.
Satou’s Remote Arrows had exterminated a significant number of them, but plenty of monsters still remained.
“Lulu, defeat all the monsters you can see. Did you get master’s permission to use the Fireburst Gun and laser gun?”
“Yes, I’m on it.”
Lulu nodded at Arisa, already taking the Fireburst Gun out of her Fairy Pack and aiming at the monsters.
“I’ll take them down!”
She began shooting down any and all monsters within a thousand-foot radius, each shot landing a certain kill.
“Well, I can’t let you have all the fun.”
Arisa blasted a swarm of fly monsters to bits with the Fire Magic spell Fire Storm, then used Blast Shot on a bat that burst through the first round of flames, turning it into ash before it could reach her.
When the two of them finished taking out all the enemies in their sight, Satou’s voice echoed in their ears.
“Arisa, go get Mia, please. There’s no one around her.”
“Okey-dokey.”
“Nana, once the guards are there to defend the concert hall, head to the point I specified before.”
“Yes, master.”
“Mia, use pseudo-spirits to wipe out the monsters on the ground.”
“Mm.”
Arisa and Lulu were to meet up with Mia, then restore public order in the royal capital from a high place with a good view.
“We have orders from Lord Kuro. We are to cease business operations for the day and evacuate any nearby citizens into our headquarters. Store employees will put away all products on display and clear an area for shelter. We’ll open up space from the basement storehouse to the fourth floor.”
In the Echigoya Company headquarters, the manager Eluterina was briskly taking charge.
“Manager, should we send a contractor over to factory manager Polina to let her know?”
“No need. Lord Kuro has already gotten in touch with Polina.”
“Understood. I’ll begin preparation for the evacuation procedures, then.”
“Please do.”
Tifaleeza called for a few of the other executive staff members and began assigning employees to help with guiding citizens, making physical preparations, and so on.
“Manager, where are we supposed to put all our products?”
“Just shove them into our personal rooms. As long as it’s not the office or the kitchen, anywhere is fine.”
Before the frantic work was even finished, evacuees began coming inside.
Relief filled the citizens’ faces as they saw the powerful-looking golems protecting the entrance.
“Red-ropes! There’s red-rope monsters!”
As a man came running in bellowing, the golems surged forward, and the heavy doors closed.
The man collapsed, covered in blood, and a staff member with healing magic immediately began treating him.
The clanging and crashing of the monsters and golems fighting outside was audible through the walls.
“Mommy, are the monsters gonna eat us?”
“Don’t worry, dear. I promise I’ll protect you.”
A mother held her frightened child to her chest.
The other evacuees all looked shaken to some extent as well.
“No need to worry.”
Speaking calmly, Tifaleeza addressed the evacuees and pointed at the row of executive staff members lined up along the vaulted second-floor corridor.
“All hands, fire!”
On the manager’s command, the girls all used attack magic or enchanted staffs to annihilate the red-rope monsters.
While they didn’t have much combat experience, the girls had been leveled up in a safe place enough to be capable of strong attacks. It helped that the manager’s strategy was built around their strengths.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city…
“Liza, take a right at the intersection up ahead. You’ll see knights fighting some giant mutant rats.”
Sprinting through the streets at breakneck speed, Liza skidded around the turn like a speed skater and headed past the intersection.
“Targets spotted. Engaging now.”
Leaving a trail of red light in her wake, Liza blew past the knights like a gust of wind, impaling the rat monsters as she went.
“Targets destroyed. Next target spotted.”
“Go for it. After that, there are more monsters on the other side of that building at the end of the street. The soldiers there are in trouble.”
“Understood!”
Doubling up on the “Body Strengthening” skill, Liza’s running speed increased even more as she eradicated two giant mutant rats that were devouring a corpse.
“Helix Spear Attack!”
Liza crashed through the building before her to launch a surprise attack on the rat monsters on the other side.
As the rubble flew through the air, Liza’s spear pierced one giant mutant rat’s heart, sending shock waves through to the other side.
By the time the other giant mutant rat whirled around to face her, Liza’s spear was already piercing through its jaw.
“The next target is three blocks away. You don’t have much magic left—be sure to drink a mana recovery potion and a nutritional supplement potion.”
Obeying Satou’s directions, Liza pulled the magic potions out of the pouch at her waist and drained them, then sped off toward her next destination.
“Damn…”
“Was that one of the Shiga Eight?”
“Had to be, right?”
“Never knew a person could get that strong…”
As the guards looked on in admiration, Liza vanished in a cloud of dust.
“Pochi, head to the street three blocks ahead with Sir Heim.”
“Yes, sir. Mr. Heim! The next enemy’s this way, sir!”
“Are you talking to someone?”
As he ran alongside Pochi, Heim asked something he’d been wondering about.
“N-not at all, sir. Pochi’s not talking to anyone, sir. It’s just Pochi’s maidenly instincts tingling, sir.”
“Dunno what that means, but apparently it works.”
Hearing the sounds of battle up ahead, Heim gave up on questioning Pochi and used “Body Strengthening” to close the distance in moments. Pochi’s short legs pumped frantically to keep up with Heim.
“I’m Heim of the Shiga Eight! Here to help!”
Arriving at the scene first, Heim shouted to the knights and guards who were struggling.
“Sir Heim!”
“We’ve got backup from the Shiga Eight!”
The despair fell away from the men’s faces, replaced with the light of hope.
“Pochi is Pochi, sir! Pochi’s here to help, too, sir!”
Pochi attempted to imitate Heim, introducing herself as she jumped into the fray.
“It’s too dangerous, little girl!”
“Stay back!” the men exclaimed with concern as Pochi followed Heim.
But their warnings soon gave way to stunned silence as they saw Pochi swing her Spellblade-infused sword to slice up monsters one after another.
Seeing that her swordsmanship was virtually on par with Heim’s, the men’s concerns turned to cheers.
“Pochi, once you’re done there, go to the park up ahead.”
“Yes, sir!”
“You sure you’re not talking to someone?” Heim asked again doubtfully.
“O-of course, sir. Pochi’s maidenly instincts are just shining, sir.”
Heim seemed to be enjoying Pochi’s reactions more than actually trying to get the truth out of her. Her secret was safe for the time being.
“I am here to help, I report.”
“Ms. Nana!”
Arriving in front of the Echigoya factory, Nana called out to the manager Polina, who was guarding the entrance.
Many workers from the neighborhood were gathered on the factory grounds, including kids who appeared to be students at the royal academy.
“There are monsters causing trouble in the factory next door,” Polina explained to Nana as she led the way toward the wall around the perimeter.
“Hey, it’s the blonde booby lady who hangs out with the young master.”
“Her name’s Ms. Nana, you dummy. Ms. Nanaaaa!”
Louna, the executive who rode around on a stone fox, and the redheaded Neru, who was carrying a Wind Rod, waved to Nana.
Merina, another executive staff member, was there with Louna to observe.
The girls were around level 30 thanks to level grinding on captive-bred monsters, with various magic skills. Now, they were stationed alongside the defense golems at the border with the other factory.
“I was just bringin’ over a delivery from the café, and someone handed me a Wind Rod and everything. It’s a waste of my cute uniform, I tell ya!”
“Maid outfits are perfect for battle, I report.”
Neru and Nana began chatting about maid outfits.
“Nana, have everyone get back. There’s a monster coming.”
“Monsters incoming. Back away from the wall, I request.”
Shortly after Nana’s warning, monsters burst through the wall.
“Stupid crickets! Fight me if you do not wish to be called toilet bugs, I declare!”
Nana’s shout, infused with the “Taunt” skill, drew the monsters’ ire toward her.
Her Magic Sword and shield massacred one monster after another.
“I’m gonna join in, too!”
“We can’t let this newcomer show us up.”
Neru’s Wind Rod knocked back a mutant cricket, and Louna’s Earth Magic spell Toss Stone impaled the cricket from below, while Merina fired the Lightning Magic spell Thunderbolt.
“Geh, our magic bounced off!”
“So that’s the red-rope effect?!”
“We’ve gotta get rid of those barriers!”
“Leave it to me, I declare!”
Nana’s forehead protector hid the glow on her forehead as she used her Foundation ability Break Magic to destroy the barriers protecting the red-rope monsters.
“Now, I report.”
At her prompting, the girls used their spells, this time successfully destroying the monsters.
Around the same time…
“Nin-niiin…”
Tama, decked out in her pink ninja outfit, jumped from roof to roof as she raced toward a voice crying for aid.
“Someone help! My mom is trapped under rubble!”
“Okeeey…”
Just as she helped the trapped person out from under the rubble…
“My daughter’s still on the second floor!”
“Sir, you mustn’t—you’ll be burned alive if you go back in! Wait for a Water Magic user to arrive, I beg you!”
Next was a person trapped in a burning building…
“On my waaay…?”
Dousing herself in water, Tama sped up the wall and in through the smoking second-floor window.
“I’m baaack…?”
She soon returned with a young girl in her arms.
“Aah, Cina!”
“Father!”
Waving to the father and daughter as they embraced, the cat-eared girl set off in search of others who needed help.
Tama the Cat Ninja would never allow tragedy to strike on her watch.
Such miracles were occurring throughout the royal capital all at once, but even this remarkable group of girls could only save so many.
There were some soldiers and knights still fighting hard without their help.
“That’s finally the last of ’em…”
The bedraggled men helped each other up, wrapping bandages around the worst of their injuries.
Even the relatively well-off knights couldn’t afford to drink magic potions lightly.
“Yeah, we barely took down those crickets. Don’t think we woulda made it if one of those rats showed up.”
“Yeah, maybe if we had a Champion’s Sword like the captain. Our steel swords and lances wouldn’t be much good…”
These words might have sounded pathetic, but in truth, the soldiers and knights who first encountered the giant mutant rat had faced heavy losses.
Even the reports said it was the strongest of the red-rope monsters: Even with several royal knights surrounding it, they had been unable to defeat it until Ryuona the Grasscutter of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen happened to arrive and defeated it.
“Eeeeeek!”
A high-pitched scream rang out from one of the adjacent alleys.
“Shit, must be a monster that got away.”
“Guess we got no time to rest.”
The knights ran toward the alleyway.
What they found there was not the mutant cricket they expected but the back of an enormous rat-like creature—a giant mutant rat.
The twitching appendage sticking out of its mouth appeared to be the leg of a mutant cricket that had gotten away from the knights.
The girl whose scream had attracted their attention was trapped under the rat’s paw. She was out cold and motionless.
“Damn it, speak of the devil…”
“We can’t just run away, though.”
“Damn right. I swear on the pride of the kingdom knights, we’ll save that girl.”
“Yaaaaah! Pick on someone your own size, you beast!”
The knights ran up to the giant mutant rat, taunting it from behind with every ounce of courage left in their souls.
The rat, which was starting to sniff the girl, turned its attention to the men.
Its wicked eyes stared down at the knights, who swallowed, now fearful for their own lives.
Yet even as they trembled, their determination as knights and men kept their feet planted firmly in place.
But reality is cruel.
The knights were knocked aside with a single swing of the rat’s tail.
As blood trickled into his eyes, one of the knights looked up to see the giant mutant rat lifting the girl toward its mouth.
“Shit, I can’t move… Come on, damn you! Fight for just a little longer!”
The man cursed, trying to rouse his battered body into action.
“Wow, what a brave young man. You shouldn’t push yourself so hard, though.”
As the knight’s vision faded, a young woman dressed like a barmaid and holding a broom appeared before him.
“I’ll take care of this. You just rest for a little longer, okay?”
The young woman admonished the knight like someone scolding a child, spinning the broom in her hands.
She was apparently planning to fight the monster with only a broom.
“R-run for it… A broom won’t do anything against that thing…”
He tried to warn her that a little bit of magic or martial arts wouldn’t be nearly enough to drive off such a powerful beast.
“It’s fiiine, don’t worryyyy.”
The barmaid flashed the knight a peace sign. Her face was covered with a recognition-inhibiting veil like the kind worn by nobles traveling incognito.
“Come at me!”
The giant mutant rat snapped its tail toward the barmaid like a whip, but she easily parried it with the broom.
Angered, the rat tossed the unconscious girl aside and swiped at the barmaid with the same paw.
The barmaid with the broom dodged the attack with a light hop. At the same time, invisible hands lifted the unconscious victim and gently deposited her in front of the knight.
“Take care of her, okay?”
As she spoke, she brought the handle of her broom up to knock the monster on the chin.
The enormous creature’s head cracked backward as if it had been struck by a giant’s hammer.
“Wh…that’s impossible!”
The knight stammered incredulously at the unlikely sight, like something out of a hero legend or perhaps a comedy.
“Hmm. It’s got a barrier like someone who’s overdosed on demonic potion.”
With a wave of the girl’s hand, the red barrier protecting the rat monster broke instantly.
No one else who witnessed this would realize she had used a chant-less Break Magic spell.
“There, this should do it!”
The barmaid struck the monster’s chin three more times with the broom, and it crashed into a nearby house, reducing the building to dust and rubble.
“Whoops. Am I gonna get sued for that?”
As the girl uttered such out-of-place concerns, the knights began dragging their wounded bodies to their feet, readying their weapons toward the monster.
True knights could never allow a young girl to do all the fighting for them.
Their blazing eyes made that much clear.
“Glad to see the spirit of the Shiga Kingdom knights still burns strong, all these years later.”
The barmaid crossed her arms and nodded wisely.
Even half-buried under the rubble, the monster was still swinging its tail around wildly, preventing the knights from getting any closer.
Sparks flew each time the tail clashed against a knight’s sword or shield.
“All right, I’ve got a special treat for you guys. Check it out—I have the power!”
She struck a heroic pose, but no one commented.
The barmaid raised her broom, and the knights’ swords all began to glow.
If anyone present had the “Analyze” skill, they would have seen that she had used the advanced Practical Magic spell Divine Blade.
“And here’s a bonus!”
This time, the knights themselves were all bathed in light.
Their wounds began to close, and strength and courage filled their bodies. This was another advanced Practical Magic spell, Hero Play, which had long since been lost to time.
“The rat’s back up! Prepare to attack!”
The giant mutant rat dragged itself out from the rubble and swung its tail, but the knights dodged with ease.
“I see it! I can see where the tail is going!”
As the rat whipped its tail again, one of the knights blocked it with a glowing sword.
Where before it had sent up sparks each time it clashed with a blade, this time the tail was lopped off the second it touched the sword.
“What?!”
The knight who had cut the tail off stared at his own sword in surprise.
Seeing this, another knight charged up to the rat monster from one of its blind spots and thrust with his longsword.
Again, the red-rope pattern across the rat’s body flashed and formed a barrier—which broke instantly with another wave of the girl’s arm.
The knights attacked the rat one after another.
“Mito, stop playing around.”
“Ah, Sky. What do you mean, playing?”
A girl with long silver hair and sharp eyes jumped down from the roof to land in front of the so-called barmaid—Mito.
Like Mito, she wore a recognition-inhibiting veil that covered the lower half of her face, but all of the knights who were present confirmed that her features underneath the veil were beautiful.
“Done with the flying monsters already?”
“A skilled sharpshooter and a Fire Magic user brought them all down before I even got there.” She looked a little sulky about it. “Mito, look at that.”
The silver-haired girl called Sky pointed up with a slim, pale finger.
Looking up as well, the knights saw three enormous monsters flying above the royal capital.
“Ooh, big ones.”
“Shall I call in my real body?” Sky asked.
“Mm, let’s not. I think the real you would cause more damage here than just leaving them be.”
“That’s an unfair assessment.”
“I think it’s an extremely fair assessment.”
Mito jumped her way up a nearby wall onto the roof, while the silver-haired beauty followed with bat-like wings.
“Looks like they’re headed toward the royal castle.”
“Hmm. Perhaps our help will not be needed, then?”
“Nah, probably not. I think they’ve got Claidheamh Soluis and Gjallarhorn, and probably a Holy Swordsman and a few of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen’s successors, too.”
“Shall we keep watch from close by, then?”
“Yeah. We can step in if things get dicey.”
“You’re so overprotective.”
“Ah-ha-ha, don’t be silly…”
The two women jumped from rooftop to rooftop, heading toward the royal castle.
“I’m concerned…”
Baron Muno’s kindly features were clouded with worry.
Another priest performing the cleansing on the Holy Grail had been sent to the rear.
Three of them were now in a state of overdose from using too many magic recovery potions, and two had been hit by high-concentration miasma, for a total of five priests that had been forced to tap out and be replaced.
The only two who remained from the beginning were Cardinal Hozzunas and an elderly level-50 priest.
“…What’s wrong?”
Viscount Nina looked at Satou, who had suddenly jerked his head up.
“Something’s coming.”
Just as he spoke, a different alarm bell rang out.
A shadow too big to be a wyvern appeared, circling overhead.
“Is it an alpha wyvern?” Viscount Nina asked.
“It’s called a ‘chaos wyvern,’ apparently.”
Satou’s AR display said that it was level 60.
“I-it’s coming! We’re under attack!”
Baron Muno pointed up at the sky.
The chaos wyvern dove toward the ceremony site, crashing into the barrier that the prime minister had created with the City Core.
The barrier cracked, and a powerful gust of wind blew away the Wind Magic sound barriers surrounding the lords’ seats.
“Pierce—Blue Butterfly Gun!”
The magic gun user of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen, Helmina, was the first to fire.
“““Spirits of the royal capital, destroy our enemy!”””
Several City Core lights flashed from the lords’ seats, firing at the chaos wyvern as it crashed down with the splinters of the barrier and piercing the magic that protected the monster.
“I suppose that is the best we can do with borrowed power.”
“It looks stronger than a hydra.”
Count Seiryuu and Count Kuhanou glared at the wyvern as it tumbled along the ground, shrieking.
“Duke Vistall, Baron Muno, we should step in, too.”
“Hmph, as if we need to be told by the likes of you.”
“O-of course!”
The young heir to Count Lessau hadn’t joined the battle, either, but he didn’t have control over their City Core yet, leaving him to cower behind the protection of his knights.
While most of the ministers had pieces of the City Core as well, only the minister of the military, Marquis Kelten, and the vice-minister, Count Boppan, were able to join the lords in the attack.
The imperial knights guarded the VIPs who were observing the ritual, while the Holy Knights surrounded the chaos wyvern.
“Shiga Thirty-Three Staves! Use synchronized sorcery! Don’t let the time the lords bought us go to waste!”
“““Yes, sir!”””
The mages began a long chant at the head imperial mage’s command.
“Hya-haaaa! This one’s miiiiine!”
With a depraved bellow, a scantily clad woman charged up to the chaos wyvern.
“It’s Ryuona the Grasscutter from the Shiga Eight Swordsmen!” someone exclaimed.
“Take thiiiiis! Death Guillotine!”
A giant scythe of blazing red Spellblade carved an arc through the air and struck the enormous wyvern’s neck.
At first, it looked like the neck had been lopped off in one blow, but a clawed wing blocked the brunt of the attack.
“Tch, this thing moves fast for such a big lug.”
Ryuona jumped back.
“You there, kid! Yeah, you! The one who fought Mr. Gouen for an even match! Help me out!”
When Satou hesitated at Ryuona’s demand, Viscount Nina prodded him on.
“Go on, we’ll be fine. The other lords will protect the baron and me.”
“All right. I’ll be back.”
“Use this, friend of the witch!”
As Satou started forward empty-handed, Count Kuhanou tossed him the ceremonial mithril blade hanging at his waist.
“Thank you!”
Satou drew the stylish blade and fought the chaos wyvern alongside Ryuona.
Seeing this, the Scarlet Nobleman Jelil requested to join the fray as well, but Duke Vistall ordered him to focus on defending his lord.
“We’ve got more company!”
Count Zetts looked up at the sky and shouted.
One was a level-50 sky-running tiger monster called an “airwalk tiger,” while the other was a level-52 manticore, a beast with the head of an old man, the body of a lion, and the wings of a bat.
“The chant is finished!” the head imperial mage shouted. “…Inferno!”
A crimson vortex, amplified many times over by the synchronized sorcery, engulfed the two monsters in fire.
The airwalk tiger managed to leap out of the flames, though its hind legs were singed almost into ash, sending it tumbling to the ground.
The Holy Knights surrounded it at once and finished it off even as it shot off wind blades.
“Impressive for mere humans.” The manticore spoke in the Ancient Language, smoke rising off its body as it landed. “But carrying on a chant for so long is akin to asking your target to dodge it.”
As the manticore sneered, Helmina’s bullet hit the side of its face.
BAWOOOOOWN.
The manticore sprayed out icicles in a counterattack, aiming at Helmina and the royals.
“Not on my watch!”
Reilus of the Shiga Eight Swordsmen protected the king with his Holy Shield.
The lords were guarded by their City Core barriers, but since the king was aiding with the ceremony, he entrusted his protection to his men.
“Juleburg, I grant you permission to leave my side. Defeat the monster.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
Juleburg handed Claidheamh Soluis off to the king’s page and accepted his trusty spear from Helmina.
“We priests can handle this part, Your Majesty,” Cardinal Hozzunas said to the king. “Please use your power to protect yourself.”
The cardinal’s forehead was bleeding; he must have been hit by one of the manticore’s icicles.
“Much appreciated. I shall take you up on your offer.”
When the king stopped providing assistance to the Evil-Cleansing Ceremony, the sticky black liquid lashed against the sides of the Holy Grail, trying to overflow.
“You’re not getting away.”
His hands glowing, the cardinal grabbed the liquid and pushed it back into the vessel.
The other priests and priestesses exclaimed in shock.
“It’s too dangerous, Your Grace! It will sap your life force and drain you dry!”
“Please, worry not for my sake. We must not let the ritual be interrupted.”
The cardinal smiled, his white teeth sparkling.
But a vein was popping on his forehead as he grappled with the miasma, and his arms were being dyed jet-black.
“Great spirit of the royal capital, King Seterarik of Shiga asks your aid. Binding chains of justice, constrict my enemy! Restrain Enemy!”
The king used the power of the City Core to bind the manticore to the ground.
“Reilus, you too. Join Juleburg and destroy that monster.”
“No, Sire, my job is to protect you.” Reilus blocked a desperate volley of icicles from the manticore with his Holy Shield. “Besides, Sir Juleburg has more than enough backup.”
Having defeated the chaos wyvern, Ryuona the Grasscutter and Pendragon the Untouchable were fighting the manticore alongside Juleburg the Unstoppable.
“Impressive. Ryuona is faring well, too, but none can match that man’s spear skills.”
“Agreed. Although I must say, Sir Pendragon’s contributions loom large to me as well.”
Upon Reilus’s comment, the king looked more closely at the battle.
“I see. He’s hindering the manticore’s evasive attempts and letting Juleburg and Ryuona attack it, while blocking its attacks toward the two of them so they don’t get hurt.”
True to his nickname of “Untouchable,” Satou was darting around without a scratch, despite being on the front lines.
At the tender age of fifteen, the boy had a frightfully promising future, the king thought.
“Quit struggling already!” Ryuona shouted. “We need wind! Get this fog out of here!”
The manticore had covered the area in cold fog.
While everyone waited for someone to scatter the fog, with no one actually producing the required Wind Magic, something was happening near the Holy Grail.
“The miasma has been condensed enough. Let us forgo the rest and begin the purification at once.”
The priest who was directing the ceremony spoke to the cardinal.
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
“What do you mean, the purification won’t be necessary?!”
The cardinal only smiled at the dubious priest.
“But, Your Grace…if we stop now, the miasma we gathered from the area will fill the royal capital, and the citizens will fall sick from serious miasma poisoning!”
“I fail to see the problem.”
The other priests stared in disbelief at the cardinal’s callous words.
“What are you saying? The children at the orphanages you visit and the elderly of the slums will be the first to fall, you realize?”
“Survival of the fittest is the way of the world. I only regret that I cannot see them suffer with my own eyes.”
“Has all this contact with dense miasma affected your mind? Call for backup; the cardinal is—”
“My mind is not so weak as to be reshaped by miasma, I assure you.”
The cardinal stopped the priest who was calling for a relief squad.
“Then why…? A renowned holy man like yourself who serves the Goddess Parion would never…”
“How repulsive. The thought of serving such false idols makes me sick.” The cardinal’s smile vanished, replaced with an intense glare. “I serve only one god. I am but an apostle, here to call the true god back to us.”
“False idols… The true god… You’re a demon lord worshipper?!”
Just as the priest realized the cardinal’s true nature, the manticore’s fog spread and covered the area.
“Divine intervention, indeed.”
The cardinal flicked his fingers, and the inky black liquid that filled the Holy Grail rushed toward the priests who were blinded by the fog.
Their faces covered in the sticky slime, the priests were dragged into the Holy Grail. In seconds, their life force was sapped out of them, turning them to agonized husks.
“Now, time for the finishing touch.”
Standing in the center of the Holy Grail, the cardinal spread his arms like an actor on a stage.
As if on cue, several crystals rose out of the dense black liquid and floated in the air around him.
“O black crystals, heed me and grant my desire.”
The cardinal grasped the crystals—the Evil Philosophia—and swallowed the largest piece in one gulp.
“NGAAAAAAAH!”
The cardinal clutched his head and chest in intense pain.
The turban-like cloth wrapped around his head fell away, revealing a tuft of violet hair for just a moment.
“O Lord, the one true god. Our tragic god who was sealed away in the moon by the evil plotting of the foolish false idols.”
His voice quavered as he prayed to the sky.
Ripples of dark violet light ran down the cardinal’s body, forming a magic circle of the same color at his feet.
“Let this fragment of thy body serve as a medium to free thee for a moment from thy fetters. Use the fragment that dwells within me as thy guide to manifest on this earth.”
As he reached up to the sky, a multitude of magic circles appeared and covered the royal castle—no, the entire royal capital.
“Sky, look at that!”
An enormous magic circle had appeared, the royal castle at its center.
“That magic circle… Oh no. This is really bad!”
The silver-haired girl who had been watching the battle at the castle from the top of a faraway steeple turned, concern showing on her sagacious face for the first time.
“I-is that what I think it is?”
“Yeah. It sure is.”
Even Mito, who was normally so carefree, looked tense as she stared back at Sky, who’d reached the same conclusion.
“I’m transferring to my real self. Please look after this body.”
After she declared this with a sorrowful expression, the beautiful girl suddenly crumpled like a toy that had run out of batteries.
Mito caught her before she hit the ground.
“………Connection lost. Master has logged out. Restoring avatar control authority. Shifting to autonomous mode. Mito, your command?”
In Mito’s arms, the collapsed Sky began reciting what sounded like system messages in a monotone voice.
“Whew. Is Sky going to make it in time, or is the royal capital going to be destroyed…?”
Mito changed out of her barmaid outfit and replaced it with a robe from her “Inventory.”
“At any rate, you can help out, too. Um, what’s your name again?”
“I am a semi-autonomous dragon’s-blood homunculus,” the being who had been called Sky responded. “I do not have a designated name.”
In other words, she was a homunculus that had been possessed by the being known as Sky until a few moments ago.
“Well, since you’re a homunculus, I’ll call you ‘Homu-Homu (temp.)’ for now.”
“Name order received from Sub-Master Mito. This device is now designated as ‘Homu-Homu (temp.).’”
Once she gave the homunculus a name at random, Mito stuck her hand into the still-open “Inventory” and pulled out some equipment.
“I don’t have my Holy Staff or Holy Husk Mobile Armor…”
Equipped with a long staff and an angelic robe, Mito hopped from one spire to the next with Homu-Homu in tow.
“Guess that means I’m only half as strong as I was back when I was king. And even at the time, I only managed because the dragon god showed up… Ugh, enough whining!” Mito smacked herself on the cheek. “The summoning’s not over yet! I wasn’t fast enough to stop it last time, but I’ll manage this time no matter what it takes.”
Psyching herself back up, Mito launched into the air toward the royal castle.
“Homu-Homu, back me up, please.”
“Order confirmed. Guarding Mito.”
Mito kept pushing forward—almost as if she knew the person she’d been waiting for was just up ahead.
“I can’t let this slow me down. Especially not before I get to see Ichirou!”
Mito sped through the sky.
It was up to her to prevent catastrophe.
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