12-4. Journey to the Royal Capital 4

12-4. Journey to the Royal Capital (4)

Satou's here. It seems stubborn people exist no matter the era of the world. I respect people who live dirtily when it's a matter of life and death, but please stop struggling in order to avoid responsibility.

◇

I release the spirit light that I have sealed.

That line sounds like something said from the mouth of a chuunibyou patient, but I can't help it since it's the truth. When I release the suppressed spirit light, spirits from the surrounding and the ground surface gather to me with dreadful speed.

There's no need for me to hold back since only Mia and me have the Spirit Seer skill in this airship.

"Satou?"

I nod at Mia who's asking me.

I hold Mia's arm that she's held up. Apparently, she's guessed my intention.

"H-hey!"

Arisa is going to ask us while panicking about something, but it seems she's understood what we're trying to do after hearing Mia who's started chanting a spell of spirit magic.

"Geh, that spell is very bad. Pochi, Tama, let's hurry! Mia will take all the spotlight if it keeps up!"

"I don't really understand, but let's hurry nodesu!"

"Agreement accepted~?"

Arisa dashes to the deck with Pochi and Tama on both flanks.

"Nana and Lulu, I'm sorry, but please stay here and keep Karina-sama and the others from going out to the deck."

"Yes, Master."

"U-um. D-do we not need the Accelerated Cannon?"

"Un, the monsters this time are all small fish, so it's going to end with Mia's magic."

Lulu's come asking, but the damage on the surface would be terrible if she uses the Accelerated Cannon.

I tell so to Lulu who looks anxious, and then I go to the deck while carrying Mia with princess carry.

I decided to pretend that I didn't hear Karina-sama who had her arms pinned behind her back by Lulu shouted "Release me".

◇

On the deck, the Mithril explorers who are strangely in high spirits are waiting for the Lance Beetles that are approaching from afar.

It seems the birdkins unit that have been deployed earlier isn't for intercepting the Lance Beetles, they're going to suppress the tamers at the castle fort.

That should be the correct decision considering the fighting force on the airship.

"Coming~?"

"They're small and fast nodesu."

"Aim well you two."

The beastkin girls intercept the three cannon balls shot by the Cannon Toads flying between the Lance Beetles with a shuriken, a long toothpick, and a javelin.

"Au, even though it hit..."

"Le~ave the rest to me!"

The long toothpick thrown by Pochi was broken by the cannon ball due to the difference in mass.

And then the fire balls shot by Arisa and several people with fire wands wrap the cannon ball up. The cannon ball that's been scratched by Pochi's toothpick is scattered away by the fire balls.

"Arisa. I need you to do something."

"Okkey~, doesn't seem like I'll get to show off, so you want me to encourage everyone with my beautiful voice?"

"No, let's leave that for when the next opportunity arises--"

I ask Arisa to do more important mission than dealing with the small fish. Incidentally, I also instructed Tama do a Ninja errand. Pochi and Liza are to protect us.

Mia who was chanting the spell with utmost effort during those conversations finally completes it.

"...■■■ Magic Wind King Creation (Create Garuda)"

An artificial spirit that looks like a birdman with half-transparent golden body, wearing a shining crown appears.

It's a being of the same rank as the one that Aze-san had summoned once, Behemoth.

I use [Magic Power Transfer] to recover Mia who has lost most of her magic power.

"Ooh, what is that?"

"Is it a new enemy?!"

"Shield! Protect our friends!　■■■ Diamond Shield Activate!"

The Mithril explorers who are surprised with the sudden appearance of the artificial spirit have changed their aim to Garuda, so I solve the misunderstanding and apologize in a hurry.

I nod to Mia who's looking at me and permit her to attack the Lance Beetles.

"Annihilate."

Abiding Mia's words, Garuda spreads its wings in stillness while ignoring the aerodynamic force, the tip of the feathers on its wings transform like it's CG-morphing and then they extend toward the Lance Beetles, attacking them.

Several golden feathers become long and thin like threads and extend, piercing the Lance Beetles like it's wrapping them, and then cut them into small pieces.

"Tremendous...."

"That's the summoning magic that defeated the floormaster huh."

Some questionable misunderstanding are mixed in among the comments.

Sorry but accompanying them is for later.

Right when the birdkin unit has arrived at the fort, an Anomalocaris-like monster called Flying Centipede breaks open the fort's gate from the inside, showing itself.

Unlike the tamed monsters earlier, this one isn't tamed.

It was just a sleeping monster that had [Sleeping] status. Just how did they bring it into the fort....

"Mia."

"Nn."

Garuda who's received Mia's order attacks the Flying Centiped as quick as a bird of prey.

The flying centipede that's preparing to attack the birdkins on the surrounding sway its wings and rise in the air in a swimming-like motion.

"I've fought that monster before, and it has a long-range attack called 『Mystic Ray』. We should be fine, but it can be dangerous for the airship, so keep it from getting close."

I've never actually fought the Flying Centipede. I've made it like that since the source of information is the map.

I'm fine with Mia, but we're in a situation where there are explorers around us.

"Use it?"

"No, just use the golden feathers to torment it."

"Nn."

Mia was talking about the trump card that greater artificial spirits posses.

In case of Garuda, it's a big-scale technique called [Tempest], but on top of having power, it's too showy so I refrained from doing it.

I'll leave the best part to the magicians who are chanting spells with all their might.

"Can you lift and make it stand still in the air higher than the airship."

"Will do."

Garuda that howls in accordance to Mia's instruction stitches the Flying Centipede, stopping its track dead in the air.

The Flying Centipede was shooting some suspicious serrated rays once in a while, but it never reached here even once since it was wrapped in Garuda's golden feathers.

And then the magicians have finished chanting.

In reality, the Flying Centipede has lost 60% of its health, and it's going to end in 2-3 minutes even if we leave it alone, but let's turn the last part over to them since it's conscious.

"Sir Pendragon. The preparation is complete. Please make that summon beast fall back."

"There's no problem. Shoot it along with the summon beast."

I answered so to the explorers guarding the magicians.

An artificial spirit will just turn back into small spirits even if its health becomes zero.

"....■■■ Long-range Flame Spears"

Several spears of swirling flame drill through the Flying Centipede.

Garuda seems to have resistance against fire, the flame disappears the moment it touches Garuda.

"....■■ Holy Pile"

"....■■■■ Divine Hammer"

Slightly later, a huge blue stake pierces the Flying Centipede, and then a shining hammer that appears beside it crushes the monster into pieces.

The deck is wrapped in shouts of joy.

Lady Karina who has finally been released jumps in, but there's already no enemy for her.

Seeing her stamping her feet in frustration is a sight for sore eyes, but I wish she stops since that's not mature.

I ask Nana who has appeared a bit later to do some business.

Mia beside me sends Garuda home.

Since the artificial spirit was created, I had thought that it should be called cancellation instead, but it was [Sending Home] since the non-elemental spirits that had been dissolved were returning to where they came from.

Aze-san was rarely talking about it passionately.

That kind of Aze-san was rare and nice.

Maybe because I'm thinking such thing, Mia's mood has slightly worsened.

"Mwu."

"Good work Mia."

I give Mia some appreciation and try to release her from the princess carry state, but it doesn't seem like she'll get down.

"Mia?"

"I'm tired."

It can't be helped then.

Arisa is also often like this after she's used unique skill, doing this once in a while is alright.

◇

I mislead other people into thinking that the Garuda summon is the secret skill of the elves.

The magicians who have heard the spirit magic chanting mentioned, "It's different from Sebelkea-dono's magic, but the phoneme is similar with the spell from the ancient document", which helped reinforced the story.

I make them promise to let me see that ancient document when we get back to the Labyrinth City of course.

The compensation for that is the Face Tree's branches that I have stocked a lot in the storage.

Apparently it seems to be a material for making wands.

Now then, leaving aside those trivial things, let's get back to our present situation.

One of the gun turret is dead, but there's no more obstacle for the sailing of the ship. The people inside the airship who have been injured are healed by Mia and the other healing magicians, and they've gone back to normal.

Several of the birdkins who searched the fort seemed to have died, but they were able to arrest the majority of the perpetrators.

Several people seems to have escaped, but there's no problem on that front.

Duke Bishtal who's in front of me is yelling toward me and the ship's captain while I'm doing such escapism.

Apparently, he cannot consent to the fact that his retainers have schemed to take his life.

He was playing dumb and said that he didn't know his retainers who were arrested by the birdkin unit, and claimed that it was a trap devised by Duke Oyugock, his political opponent, since they were in the hunting mansion of Marquis Lloyd, Duke Oyugock's subordinate.

"Masita, we're back~"

"Masuta, we have successfully accomplished your command."

Shiro and Crow entered the Royal Suite while flying around.

Nana entered the room with the evidence on her hand before Duke Bishtal could verbally abuse the two.

"Master, we have arrested the thief who was trying to escape."

Nana throws the man she's brought to the floor.

It's the person Shiro and Crow have arrested from my request to Nana earlier.

The two got their flight capability reinforced with Nana's force arte and then arrested the man with my guidance via [Telephone].

Of course, just these two alone would have been dangerous, so the one who actually arrested and restrained the man was Tama who was brought to the ground with Arisa's space magic.

"Ge-Gelf.... Who? That man is!"

The Duke was very surprised to see him he involuntarily muttered his name, but it seems the only one who's heard it was me with the Ear Straining skill.

This man's identity is of a considerably upper rank even among the Duke's subordinates. His title is [Advisor of Young Nobleman].

--That means the Duke's own child instigated this.

I really don't want to get involved in this kind of muddled story.

"This man seems to be the mastermind who was trying to escape from the crime site. Is he an acquaintance of Lord Duke?"

"I don't know this person."

Just as I've expected, he's feigning ignorance, so I push the man to the Captain.

"Is it alright to leave this man to you Captain?"

"Umu, you can entrust him to me."

I watch the duke's state while patting Shiro's and Crow's head.

He looks indignant, but he doesn't seem to be a fool who would take the direct action in this place.

He might try to get rid of the man during the brief time until we arrive at the Royal Capital, but I'll obstruct it stealthily.

The stake is too high for the Duke since that'd mean he has exposed the national airship, the Mithril explorers who are important fighting forces during emergency, and the direct descendant of a lord--Lady Karina--to danger in his family feud.

I'm not interested as to how he can recover from that, but please don't bear grudge toward us who don't have anything to do with it.

In the end, I ended up having to stealthily repulse the assassins hired by the Duke three times. Leaving it to Ninja Tama would be too conspicuous, so I made use of Magic Hands and Mia's artificial spirit, [Elemental Rats].

I feel like I can hear the grinding teeth of the Duke who received the failure report.

Without being concerned with such a human, the airship we're riding has finally entered the airport located in the Royal Capital's outskirt.