CH 138

Chapter 138 – Four Heavenly Beastmasters

“You… there are a lot of hurons here, you know?! Representatives of other countries, civilians too!” (Ze’ev)

“If they sow the seeds for disaster, we’ll just nip them in the bud.” (King Dragia)

“Are you seriously saying that…? That’s just manslaughter, isn’t it?” (Ze’ev)

“Well, of course. If we let the hurons regain their footing, the Empire will go back to the way it was… and another guy like Vodara will appear. The lineage of the Empire must be eradicated. That goes without saying for anyone else who clings to the Empire!” (King Dragia)

“The lineage of the Empire…! Are you also planning to kill Prince Nike, who’s under house arrest? He’s only 9 years old, you know?” (Ze’ev)

“I’ll even become a demon if that’s what it takes to ensure peace for us garbels.” (King Dragia)

“King Dragia…” (Ze’ev)

In the midst of such an intense, critical moment, there was a knock at the door.

“King Dragia! An urgent report!”

A nervous, pressing voice could be heard outside the room.

“Speak!” (King Dragia)

“Please pardon my intrusion!” the voice said, and the door opened, revealing one of King Dragia’s subordinates on the other side.

“Report! There are intruders currently launching an attack on the palace!” (Subordinate)

““What?!””

Ze’ev and King Dragia exclaimed in unison, unable to stay silent.

“….! King Dragia, the window!” (Ze’ev)

“W-What in the world is going on? You said we were under attack?” (King Dragia)

“Yes. The entire palace is now covered in mysterious plants, which have blocked all of the doors, windows, and other escape routes!” (Subordinate)

“Plants?” (King Dragia)

“It’s most likely a skill. I imagine that only a skill would be able to have that level of power.” (Ze’ev)

“But Ze’ev, there shouldn’t be anyone in the imperial capital who has the ability to control plants.” (King Dragia)

“…Yeah, I’d reckon. I don’t think the Empire would have kept this level of power in hiding. If they had something like that up their sleeves, Vodara would have already made use of it.” (Ze’ev)

“Precisely. The same goes for us.” (King Dragia)

The allied forces would have also borrowed that kind of power if they could.

“If I had to guess, I would say that a third party knew that we had toppled the Empire, and they’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to launch an attack.” (King Dragia)

“If that were the case, I don’t think they would’ve waited a month. If it were me, I would’ve attacked before we were able to recover our combat strength and take the Empire out of our hands.” (Ze’ev)

“Hmm… Certainly, your viewpoint is correct. Do you think their goal is to take the Empire from our possession?” (King Dragia)

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. It’s probably just to tie up our movements.” (Ze’ev)

“Hmph, you or I could easily break through something like this.” (King Dragia)

“…! Wait a second! I hear something!” (Ze’ev)

Ze’ev strained his ears, hearing a voice that was indeed out of place.

“…Singing? Who would sing in a situation like this…Ah!? Why did you collapse all of a sudden?” (Ze’ev)

King Dragia rushed over to check on the collapsed subordinate.

“…He’s asleep?” (King Dragia)

Much to his surprise, he found that his subordinate had no external injuries. On the contrary, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

“Hey, wake up! Hey!” (King Dragia)

King Dragia patted him repeatedly on the cheek to wake him up, but the subordinate didn’t rouse from his slumber no matter how much he poked and prodded, causing him to frown deeply.

“This song… It’s no ordinary song. This is probably also…” (Ze’ev)

“It’s an enemy attack.” (King Dragia)

“Let’s get out of this room for now.” (Ze’ev)

Ze’ev led the way out of the room toward the central foyer, where they found the patrolling soldiers and maids collapsed on the ground, just like that previous subordinate.

“I knew it. Every single one of them is asleep. The exits are also being blocked by plants, which have even managed to find their way in here.” (Ze’ev)

The large door that sealed off the entrance had been destroyed, and there were plants extending across the walls and floor.

“Plants and song… Both of them are rare powers.” (King Dragia)

“This ain’t the time to be impressed. It seems this song has the effect of putting the listener to sleep.” (Ze’ev)

“But it doesn’t seem to work on us, does it?” (King Dragia)

“It probably doesn’t work on people with strong forces of will. And the proof of that is—Hey, you guys are there, aren’t you? Hurry up and come out!” (Ze’ev)

“Urakio of the East.”

“Tanbu of the South.”

“Meykhri of the West.”

“Ouza of the North.”

Each of the figures identified themselves one after the other.

““““We, the Four Heavenly Beastmasters, have arrived!””””

These four were the pride of the kingdom of Agnidora, whom King Dragia praised as being their strongest fighting force.

“Ah, you all were unharmed too, huh?” (King Dragia)

“As you can see, those who have powerful vessels can shrug off the effects of this song.” (Ouza)

“So it seems. Ouza, what is the situation?” King Dragia asked Ouza, the half-lion half-humanoid warrior who gave off the powerful aura of a seasoned warrior.

“At your command. Based on our observations of the inside of the palace, the plant attacks seem to be concentrated mainly on the buildings where people were gathered. Right, Urakio?” (Ouza)

“………” (Urakio)

“Ouza-san, Urakio is sleeping, you know~”

The one who replied in a flippant manner was Tanbu, the half-monkey half-humanoid warrior.

On the other hand, Urakio, who looked like a boy crossed with a sheep, was fast asleep, his head wobbling back and forth as a snot bubble expanded and contracted with his every breath. And to top things off, he had a pillow in his arms.

“Sigh… Sorry about this, King Dragia. Hey, Urakio! You better wake up! Or I’ll have your entire pillow collection destroyed!” (Ouza)

“―H-Huh?! I won’t let anyone lay a finger on my pillows!” Urakio shouted the moment his eyes shot open. But when he realized how many people were staring at him, he covered his face with his pillow.

“Wuuu… Don’t stare at me that much…” Urakio said with a bashful look on his face.

“Sigh… Urakio, hurry up and get on with what you need to report.” (Ouza)

“Okaaay… You’re so demanding, Ouza-san. But… it’s my duty… so… I need to do my best. U-Uhh, you see… From what I’ve gathered, I don’t think the intruders’ goal is to take the palace itself or the Empire.” (Urakio)

“Hmm. What do you mean, Urakio?” (King Dragia)

“Well, you see, there’s one building that hasn’t been attacked by plants.” (Urakio)

“Which building is that?” (King Dragia)

“The Tower of Affection, in the northeast.” (Urakio)

“The Tower of Affection, you said? Why is that place…? Ah! Could that be the intruders’ aim?!” (King Dragia)

King Dragia suddenly seemed to think of something, and his face turned grim.

“―No way, they’re planning to go for Nike?!” (King Dragia)

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