CH 233

More information is coming in as the enemy draws closer.

The First Hero, as predicted, had an army with him.

However, the number of ships meant that there should be no more than a thousand of them.

Whether this is favorable or unfavorable remains unclear as a single beast of Elysium is a force greater than a large army. In reality, the valiant generals of Ashtalia had all been killed by a single beast.

Even if their numbers are few, they're plenty dangerous.

「Makina」

『Yes, Souya-san, what is it?』

I had gone up to the roof of my home and was looking out over the city walls to the plain, which would be the location of the battle.

「How much progress has been made?」

『Makina has managed to enlist the help of the Demon King and the goblins. On the condition that their involvement is only behind the scenes though』

「That's more than enough. I'm grateful to have such powerful people supporting me from the shadows」

In the worst case, even if the curse consumes the plain, the Demon King should be able to purify it. With the goblins' help, it would be easy to eliminate any and all evidence.

『Makina has, reluctantly Makina must add, been working with the older model to develop a plan based on simulations involving over two hundred different scenarios. As soon as we have more information on the enemy, we'll further refine the details of that plan』

「I'll leave that to the two of you」

『Leave it to us. This is the end of Makina's report~』

Makina's side is settled, next is……

「Yukikaze」

『Yes, team member Souya?』

「………………How is His Majesty?」

『He's making quite a bit of trouble』

「He's causing quite a stir after all, huh?」

Early in the morning, when I was accompanying Geto-san to the fish wholesaler, I heard that there was a big fight at a bar the previous night.

Apparently, a large red-haired man had single-handedly defeated twenty-six adventurers.

The adventurers were all sent to the healing temple.

The red-haired man had leisurely drank until dawn, and then disappeared into the city after also paying for the drinks of those he had beaten.

It's just before noon now, and I had already caught wind of six incidents just like that one.

His Majesty's looks are conspicuous.

His appearance also stands out.

His gallant personality is also distinctive.

But the most notable thing about him is his strength and the fact that he is "by himself".

This is the city of adventurers.

Everyone wants to recruit strong people into their party, even if they have to shell out a lot of money to get them to join.

And rumors spread very quickly in this city.

『We’re currently in the middle of the twelfth brawl. He's sending the adventurers fighting him flying. One got blasted through a wall, another got embedded into the floor, and yet another went through the ceiling. He’s taking care of all of them with a single blow, indeed. Team member Souya, it's really impressive that you managed to endure one of his punches~』

「Yeah, thanks」

Ahh, I know what His Majesty has in mind now.

My condolences, King Lemuria.

Soon, His Majesty will reveal his true identity. Perhaps he will start introducing himself as Ashtalia. No, even if he doesn't, someone might make the connection that he's someone from the Myriad Kings' armies.

Regardless of how it comes out, it's only a matter of time.

Someone involved with the Myriad Kings is practically announcing to the world that he is in Lemuria.

What happens then?

King Lemuria will have to decide. Which side he's going to take, that is.

With the hero on his way here, if he makes an enemy of His Majesty, he will turn the entire new Vindoobunikuru army against him. The two sons who he had used to set the groundwork for him will be suspected of being his spies.

No, his sons might even turn on him. In less than a year, Lemuria will be destroyed.

Having said that, if he overlooks His Majesty's actions, it will be taken as a sign of rebellion against Elysium.

「He's got to pick one or the other」

『Indeed』

The Myriad Kings hate scheming enemies. They believe that showing one's valor is a matter of pride for a warrior, and that meeting in the field of battle is a virtue for both friend and foe. However, those Myriad Kings have a saying that goes like this.

It's the enemies they hate that they thoroughly crush and use scorched-earth tactics against. They do this to show their enemies how foolish it is to challenge the Myriad Kings to an honorless battle.

It's a way of thinking that exemplifies the Myriad Kings, the paragons of meritocracy.

「Hmm? Huh」

『Is something the matter?』

Since the destruction of the knight order in the north, the Gilster Knight Order stationed in the nearby port to the west had smelled something fishy with Lemuria and had sent out many spies.

If anything were to happen, the nearby port would be blockaded and the goods that Lemuria's merchants had stored at the port would be confiscated.

That would be painful.

It would be a huge financial blow, and losing the ships would be even more painful.

If a conflict breaks out with the knight order and they escape out to sea, with no way to pursue them, the battle will only drag on and on. There's nothing more exhausting for the people than a protracted war. King Lemuria would certainly want to avoid this.

If that's the case………………huh?

「Hey, Yukikaze」

『What is it, indeed?』

「Isn't it bad no matter which side he chooses?」

『Yes, that's right, indeed. But such is war, isn't it?』

Is that how it is?

It's not so clear cut, I guess

「Contact the Zavua and Eruomea merchant companies and tell them to move their goods out of the port. Also, tell them to send their ships to the archipelago and put their crews on leave until further notice」

『Makina already sent them instructions to that effect yesterday』

「That so?」

She sure is well prepared.

No, it's just that I'm a slow learner. There's going to be a fierce battle in three days. I can't imagine how hellish the landscape below will become.

I'm still wet behind the ears.

I need to get my act together.

「Souya」

And then, with a soft scraping of claws, something light landed on my shoulder. I felt fluffy fur against my cheek.

「Misuranika-sama」

What had climbed onto my shoulder was a fluffy gray cat. When I stroked her neck, she pressed her forehead against my temple.

「There's movement in the city. The king has issued some sort of royal order」

「Royal order?」

「The spies all over the city are on the move. There’s going to be a bloodbath out there tonight」

Does he intend to kill His Majesty? Even if he isn't seriously considering it, he made his move far too quickly.

「Misuranika-sama, can you share some words of wisdom?」

「You seek wisdom regarding misdeeds?」

「I need it rather badly」

My god should be wise in such matters.

「It's simple. The older a person gets, the more set in his ways he becomes. Trying to change an entrenched mindset is akin to stripping away flesh and blood from bone」

「King Lemuria’s mindset………」

The mindset of an archetypal scheming ruler, huh? That’s―――――

「Oh, Souya, look at that」

「Eh?」

My thoughts were interrupted.

Following Misuranika-sama's gaze, I made out a group of horsemen riding across the plains.

It was a strange group of black-clad riders.

「Yukikaze, can you analyze what I'm seeing?」

『Roger, Yukikaze will attempt to identify them based on their physique』

I cranked the telephoto function of my glasses up to the max and zoomed in on the black-clad group.

For some reason, the small figure leading the group seemed familiar to me. The same for the tall figure a little to the small figure's side.

「Could it be………」

『The person leading them is Debra, Lemuria's captain of the guard. Behind him are people from Heures Forest. Team member Souya, it's Shimeon-sama, your brother-in-law』

「It's as I suspected, huh?」

The horsemen were heading west.

Ahead of them lay Heures Forest, and beyond that, the port.

「Misuranika-sama, looking at it in the simplest terms, they're planning to crush the knight order, aren't they?」

「Yes, I'm sure you're right」

「Does that mean that King Lemuria is aligning himself with the Myriad Kings?」

「Well, I wonder about that」

A smirk spread across the cat's face.

「He would never have placed his two sons in the service of the Myriad Kings without having done his due diligence, is what I'll say」

「So, his plan is to turn against Elysium while simultaneously exploiting the Myriad Kings」

Trying to get the best of both worlds sounds like something King Lemuria would think of.

「Souya, a man's roots, unlike a plant's, are very simple」

「………………Roots, huh?」

At his core(roots), he thinks like an adventurer. If that's the case, what he cares about isn’t winning, but not losing. It's a way of fighting that prioritizes survival.

In this particular situation, what does survival mean?

That he wants to cut ties with Elysium and align himself with the Myriad Kings and the new Vindoobunikuru army is a certainty. However, now is not the right time for that. And yet, he has dispatched his forces to destroy the knight order.

If I picture this in the most favorable, optimistic, idealistic, and fanciful way, it would mean that "King Lemuria is willing to help us defeat the First Hero", but this is definitely not the case.

It's based on nothing but my intuition, but I can emphatically dismiss that notion with every fiber of my being.

That baldy will never help in defeating the hero.

He doesn't have any thoughts of paying the hero back for the defeat he suffered at the hero's hand or for making his party member sacrifice himself.

If there's an enemy that has handed him a crushing defeat, he will avoid fighting that enemy again.

If it's possible for him to run away, he won't fight unless he really can't help it.

That's how adventurers are.

And when they have a good chance of winning, they'll do everything to ensure that they do. It's the height of foolishness to go into a fight unprepared.

………………Oh, I see it now. That frigging baldy.

「Misuranika-sama, I think I've sort of figured it out」

「Is that so?」

The cat got off my shoulder and walked gracefully along the edge of the city walls.

「Souya, be sure not to forget what I said to you previously」

「What you said?」

She has said so much to me that I don't know what she's referring to.

「You'll know when the time comes. Sadly, there's nothing I can do to stop you now. Do as you wish, accomplishing what must be accomplished and killing what must be killed. I'm sure you will find the answer beyond this obsession」

Misuranika-sama jumped off the city walls.

「Wha」

I was startled for a moment, but the cat landed lithely on the roof of a building. With a flourish of her tail, she descended into the alleyway and disappeared into the city like a gust of wind.

She's a fickle god.

I imagine that she's also fickle about where she's going.

Do I have anything to do with wherever it is she's headed? I don't know. There are too many things I don't understand.

It can’t be helped.

I'll hone my weapons and……

「Wait, I guess」

For the next move.

Let's see what the king of adventurers has up his sleeve.

In the morning, there were brawls involving a mysterious large man that culminated in a record-setting slugfest with all of Gladvain's kin involved.

However, before anyone knew it, it somehow evolved into a hand-to-hand fighting tournament. The one who got his fist raised at the end was, of course, His Majesty.

However, the fervor of the fights cooled off rapidly after lunch.

That was because of the horrific incident that had occurred in the port near Lemuria.

The Gilster Knight Order stationed there by Elysium was attacked and wiped out by a mysterious group of black-clad men.

At the same time, Lemuria experienced a spate of assaults and murders.

One after another, people connected to the merchant companies of the center continent were set upon by "thugs". Bizarrely, among the countless casualties of these assaults, there were a large number of unidentifiable bodies.

And one of those casualties was the military policeman dispatched from the center continent.

For some reason, he and two of the Margrave's guards had killed each other in a fight.

When evening came,

A maid working at the castle discovered that the Margrave had committed suicide.

In just one day, every bit of the center continent's influence had been eradicated from Lemuria.

「It's impressive」

『That's true. He must have planned this out very meticulously』

Since yesterday, both Makinas had bug drones deployed all over the city to gather information.

「Makina………err, Five?」

『Yes, what is it?』

「You didn't share any details with the human Yukikaze, right?」

『Yes, Makina did as you ordered. It's something that Yukikaze-chan doesn't need to know about, so Makina chalked it all up to the alternate world being a dangerous place』

「Usual Makina, about the policeman……」

『Yes, Makina-Usual Makina here』

「I heard he was found dead together with the Margrave's guards, but is that some kind of cover-up?」

『No, there were signs that the blade wound that proved fatal was inflicted while he was still alive. It's the same for the two guards' wounds. Based on the angle of the wounds and the signs of struggle present, it's safe to say that the guards and the military policeman did fight each other』

We had drifted apart of late, but the dead policeman had helped me a fair bit.

When I was new to the alternate world, he interceded for me with the merchant company as a neutral party. Later, when I had a dispute with a merchant from the center continent, he had mediated matters impartially.

We had eaten together.

We had poured alcohol for each other.

He was a serious man who was good at his job.

Because of his serious nature, he refused to take bribes and was shipped off to this remote region because he had drawn the ire of nobles and the Popes. Since then, he had learned to do things in moderation.

In all likelihood, the Margrave's two guards had been bought off by King Lemuria.

And they had asked him which side he would take.

He hadn't betrayed his country.

Even though he was relegated to the middle of nowhere, he had remained loyal, not letting his core(roots) be corrupted and not changing his beliefs.

I admire his resoluteness.

Just as I had thought, he was the type of guy who got things done in a pinch.

「What happened to the body of the policeman?」

『It was taken to the castle. His body will be cremated with the others tomorrow』

「In that case――――――no, it's nothing」

I swallowed back the hypocritical thought of, "I should at least give him a burial" that had arose because I knew he had no immediate family.

No one can wage war without throwing away their decency.

I have to change gears in my mind.

I need to move on to a "kill or be killed" mindset. That's how I've fought in the past and how I always will. And then, my everyday life will return. Looking at the final outcome, this battle is no different than any other.

Yes, it's the same.

It will be the same.

As per the tenets of the god of misdeeds, Misuranika, the dark fire.

Accomplish what must be accomplished.

Gaining what can be gained, seizing what can be seized.

And be willing to even plot against kings and slay heroes.

『Team member Souya, His Majesty Ashtalia wishes to see you』

「Understood」

The communication that I had been waiting for finally came. His Majesty must have gotten impatient.

I put on my katana and cloak, then donned my pointy hat. I grabbed my cane-sword as I walked out of my room.

「Oh, Onii-chan, where are you going?」

「I have some stuff to attend to」

I ran into Ea in the hallway. She was wearing an apron, but since she was only wearing hot pants and something resembling a bra, it looked like she was wearing an apron and nothing else.

「So, where are you going?」

For some reason, there was tension in her voice.

「………Gladvain-sama's dormitory」

「That's a lie, right? You're going to where the guy Maria brought is, aren't you?」

「No, I'm not lying. His Majesty is at Gladvain-sama's dormitory」

「I’m going too」

「You can’t」

「Why?」

「You know how dangerous things got yesterday, right? You should stay home for the time being」

After violent incidents like that, there will be a rise in looting and secondary killings. I had used that as a pretext to order Ea and Rana to stay home.

The real reason I had done so is because their brother was involved in the attack on the knight order yesterday.

Because of that, there's no doubt that their father, an ally of King Lemuria, was also involved. It would be a bad idea to make any inopportune moves at this time.

「Both Onee-chan and I can at least protect ourselves though」

「I know, but I need you two to behave and stay home for three days」

「………………Got it. I don't want to」

Ahh, it's been a while since I've seen her like this.

The last time we had argued, it was over whether or not we should get married. That argument remains unresolved to this day, but how do I get out of this one, I wonder?

「Here's the deal. Ea, I'll buy some accessories for―――――」

「I don't want any. I've decided that I'm going to stick to you all day today~」

「Ha ha ha」

That's a problem. It's extremely troubling.

I can't bring my sister to a meeting about war.

「Just kidding. I was just pulling your leg. Why don't you just do what you want? Go on then, go」

My sister changed her tune abruptly. Waving her hand, she shooed me away.

My sister's heart is as fickle as April weather.

「Oh, okay. Well, I'm off. Do you want any souvenirs or anything?」

「I don't want any. But……」

The moment I passed by her, Ea grabbed me.

「What's wrong?」

There was more physical contact than usual.

「Just so you know, I won't blindly trust you like Onee-chan and Lanseal」

「………Okay」

I think it's better that way.

「And I don't want to go back to my old life」

「Yeah, that's understandable」

It seems that even my plucky sister had a hard time living in the back alleys.

「It's gonna be okay, Ea. Even if I die, my wealth will go to you and――――――」

「That's not what I meant!」

I got yelled at.

I must have stepped on a landmine or something.

「That's not what I meant……… I can make money on my own. It's not about money. Onii-chan, if you're gone, the life everyone has now will collapse completely. Are you aware of that?」

「Don't worry. I know」

I know.

I swallowed back the words I was about to say a second time.

I'm well aware.

It's just, it appears that my sister, who has a keen sense of intuition, has noticed the root of the problem.

「Tsk」

She clicked her tongue and punched me in the shoulder.

「That hurt, Ea」

「If you break your promise, I'll kill you, got it?」

「The thing about marrying you when I reach the 56th floor, huh?」

「That one too, but this is this!」

I haven't forgotten.

「Like I said, don't worry」

「Can I really?」

「Yeah. Trust me」

「I do trust you, Onii-chan, but I can't trust you completely because of your way of life. So swear to me that you'll never betray my trust」

「Yeah, I swear. I won't betray your trust, Ea」

Sure, I'll swear to it.

Even if I have to swear to the gods or the devil.

But whether my body will follow through on it is another matter. Like King Lemuria, I can't change my roots. But I do have the will to do so.

But I can't know until the time comes whether I’ll be able to tame it or it will break free of its chains.

「………………」

My sister still had an unsatisfied look on her face.

「It'll be fine. I'll be home in time for dinner today」

「"Today"? I knew it, you've got something planned for some other day」

Y, yeah.

She sure is astute. If I say too much, I'll give the game away.

「Haaaaa」

Ea let out a deep sigh.

「If you're coming back today, then I'll leave it at that for now」

She folded. At the end of the day, she's a good-natured sister who understands me well.

「Just get going and come home as soon as you can, got it?」

「Yeah」

When my sister reached out to hug me, I hugged her back.

Her body temperature was a little low. I could smell the scents of flour, honey, nuts, and lemon.

『………………』

The hug was kind of long.

After about three minutes, she gave me a light tap on the back to signal that it was over.

When Ea pulled back……

「Mm~」

She went, offering her lips to me with her eyes closed.

「Ah」

This is troubling.

Just when I was feeling troubled, I saw Rana and Lanseal coming up the stairs.

They must have come to check on Ea, who was slow in returning.

（This is, well, troubling to me）

（Okay, got it）

I communicated with Rana through eye contact.

Rana used hand signs to convey my intentions to Lanseal, then――――――

「Ea, it's far too early for you to be doing something like that」

「Sister-sama, if you ask me, pestering your brother for a kiss is a little inappropriate」

「Nuh-uh! What are you two doing? L, let go of me!」

『Yeah, yeah~』

With Rana carrying her upper body and Lanseal carrying her lower body, she was taken away.

Down to the living area they went, where I heard the three of them start whispering back and forth intently.

「Well then, I'm off」

The lines following his mention of the tenets? It’s the words of Misuranika-sama’s contract that Souya swore to way back in volume 1 and has reappeared here and there since. I’ve actually gone back and revised the lines somewhat throughout the story as I’ve gotten a better understanding of them. Interestingly, they’re not always said the exact same every time. And there’s sort of an implied “by” between the “accomplish” line and the “gain & seize” lines.

Interestingly(to me), “as fickle as April weather” is “as fickle as autumn weather” in Japanese. Makes sense, as different places have different times of the year that have more unpredictable weather.

RIP, military policeman-san. We never got to know your name, but you were a good guy. Souya didn’t mention it, but he had also done his absolute best to not ship Souya off to the center continent and had attended his wedding too.

Well, King Lemuria was pretty ruthless, huh? What does this mean going forward and why does His Majesty want to meet Souya now? Stay tuned!