12-21. A Long Royal Capital Night 2

12-21. A Long Royal Capital Night (2)

Satou's here. There are many quiet things the moment before a dammed up river that's about to produce flash flood exceeds it limit. However, in hindsight, I noticed that there were many omens.

◇

I get past Julberg-shi and step forward in front of the knight leader who has visited, the former lost thieves king, Rudaman.

"Heya, Rudaman. Did you change your job from crime slave?"

"--Tsk, Pendragon the 『Woundless』 huh. So you were a candidate of Shiga Eight Swords too.... No wonder I can't see any injured person in this catastrophe."

Even though I approached him sociably, Rudaman clicked his tongue with a warped face.

By the way, the reason why there's no one injured is because there were people who can use healing magic among the servants, and I distributed some magic potions.

Rudaman casually raises his hand above his head, and then swings it forward.

At the same time, every member of the 12th knight order begins to take battle actions.

Men who have great shields make a wall, the fire spears that peek among the gaps between them shoot out [Fire Bolts].

I can even hear spell-chanting behind them.

Rudaman lowered his posture and then tried to run past me, but I trip his leg, making him fall.

However, Rudaman skillfully does forward roll and swings his axe toward the empty-handed Julberg-shi.

Julberg-shi is taking an evasive action to evade the axe, but it seems there's still some lingering effect of the magic sword, his movements is way duller than usual.

However, the frenzied edge never reaches him.

Liza breaks in while holding a red magic edge spear.

I nimbly throw the debris below my feet toward the [Fire Bolts] that come flying, grasping them by only reading the movement on the radar.

Looking at the trajectories of the fire bolts, looks like they're aiming for Jizon to seal his mouth.

They're probably also trying to exterminate the holy knights who have unequipped their armors for healing, and the samurai-san of Shiga Eight Swords together.

"……　■■■　『Light Boost』"

Jeril who has used light magic for physical reinforcement rushes toward the rebels to deal with them.

He seemed to have seen Rudaman in the Labyrinth City too, he started to chant the spell in the report of when Liza arrested Rudaman.

Jeril jumps over the shield-users on the frontline, and tramples down the wand-users who have fire wands.

At the same time, the spell-chanting of the rebels on the back stopped too. Apparently, the two Shiga Eight Swords who were chasing after the tamed monsters attacked from behind them.

The two are high level warriors, they dispose the rebels who assumed to be the 12th knight order unit.

"Impossible, we were equal back then...."

"It is the result of Master's education and training."

Liza indifferently warded Rudaman who was saying so in vexation.

During that occasion, suspicious movements of some luminous points are reflected on the radar.

They're in the garden of the neighboring mansion bordering this mansion.

Apparently, there are five criminal guild people standing by. They were probably laying low in order to assassinate people during the chaos.

Looks like they've missed the opportunity to come out since the fight here ended too quick.

I'll leave other people to deal with these guys.

I look around, since Ms. Ryouna the [Mower] of Shiga Eight Swords looks bored, I decide to cast it onto her.

"Ryouna-sama, I'd like you to hear something--"

After telling her that I felt some suspicious presences on the border of the neighboring mansion, she quickly agreed to go investigate while smiling ferociously.

Looks like Julberg-shi and Heim-shi of Shiga Eight Swords are going to interrogate the captured rebels.

I'll leave that to them, I'll do the thing that only I can do.

I leave only the rebels who assumed to be the 12th knight order, and the people of [Light of Liberty] to be shown on the map, and check them.

Among the [Light of Liberty] people, the three high-leveled ones are hiding in the mansion together in the noble mansion, but the people who are less than level 10s are acting together with the 12th knight order.

--No, they're not together.

I enlarge the map and see that the members of [Light of Liberty] are in the underground tunnel. All members of the 12th knight order are standing by on the entrance of the tunnel.

I tell the surrounding that I'm going for nature's call and go into the shadow of the garden, and look the members in turn with [Clairvoyance].

It seems the members are quickly moving toward an exit of the underground tunnel.

I check the direction they're going, but there's no particular magic tool facility or something.

The slimes are wriggling on top of the sewage, but they're not changing or anything.

When I turn my view forward the underground tunnel, I see a new corpse.

I tried searching for corpses in the tunnel and found many. Every corpse has been stabbed excessively with sharp things, and died with an anguished expression.

Attracted by the smell of the blood, slimes, insects, and rats have gathered, those are cruel scenes.

Every corpse is wearing shabby clothes like they're either people of the slum or slaves.

Their ages and genders are all over the place, there's no distinctive similarity between them. It seems they were beaten beforehand, there are many with black bruises.

Right at then, a [Telephone] from Arisa comes.

"What's wrong, did something happen there too?"

『T-there too you said, did anything happen? Are you injured?』

I tell Arisa whom I've carelessly made worried to don't worry, and urge her to continue.

"The two of us are fine, leaving that aside, what's happened."

『There's a letter from Sera in the castle. The Chamberlain who brought it said 『ASAP』, what do you want to do?』

--From Sera-san?

"Arisa, immediately open it and read it."

『Eh? Is it alright? Wait a minute. Okay, I'm reading it--"Nightmare visits the Royal Capital, Black Calamity alight from the heaven."』

This is why prophecies are....

Please make it easier to understand.

There shouldn't be a prophecy of a demon lord appearing in the Royal Capital, so I guess it's probably a greater demon or something along the line.

However, it's not from underground. It's from the sky huh.

--Please let the development be not like a troublesome inflation battle manga, like "This time the enemy is a God."

I could have fallen behind if I didn't hear the oracle. I have to thank Sera somehow after this matter is over.

It wasn't written that it would be today, but the sign seems quite dangerous. I don't want to make this become something that I'd regret later because I'm being too carefree.

We should be prepared enough so that we can cope with anything that might happen.

"Arisa, tell everyone to arm themselves. I don't know what's going to appear today, so use the best equipment."

『By best equipment, you mean you permit the use of hidden equipment?』

"Yeah, please. Be sure to equip masks or something to hide your identity okay."

『Okkey!』

Alright, now it should be fine as long as multiple demon lords don't attack.

◇

I tell Julberg-shi that I'm going back to the mansion to fetch my equipment and leave the place.

The maids I saved were thanking me with sparkling eyes, but it wasn't the time to ogle them, so I only greeted them back plainly and left.

After returning to the mansion, I changed into Kuro and headed to Echigoya to finish my business there.

Liza had gone to the room where everyone was to put on her equipment.

"Tifaliza, please get the command room in the top floor ready to use. Is the manager here?"

"Certainly. I think the manager is in her own office."

I take the manager and go to the underground vault.

"It should be fine with this much space."

I collect all the goods besides the ones for battle inside the underground vault into my Storage through Item Box.

I also gathered battle-use goods in one corner of the room.

"U-um, Kuro-sama, just what is?"

"In case of emergency, shelter the neighboring citizens in this underground vault. I'll entrust you with the right to command the golems in this room."

After saying that to the manager, I give her the [Command Rod] for giving order to the Orichalcum Golem.

This place should hold even against advanced magic, as long as it's only one volley.

◇

I change into Nanashi and teleport to the royal castle in order to report, though I think they knew already.

This time I'm not teleporting to the Forbidden Library, but to an arbor of the royal garden nearby the king's office.

The king has offered me to exclusively use this place for teleporting in.

I go to the king's office, and see the king and the prime minister having a meeting about something.

"Your Majesty, sorry for coming without warning, is it alright?"

"If it isn't Nanashi-sama."

So he already knows. It's good since the talk advances fast though.

The prime minister who's standing beside the king gets the other civil officials to withdraw.

"Is it by any chance, about the incident at Julberg-shi's mansion?"

"Heya, Prime Minister. There's that matter too, but I have another info--"

I tell them that the 12th knight order is acting together with the demon lord believers, [Light of Liberty], and the ones who attacked Julberg-shi's mansion from the sky are [Light of Liberty]'s members.

Since it seems that the captured tamers killed themselves before they could be interrogated, the prime minister is surprised when he hears this info.

Furthermore, I tell them that the [Light of Liberty]'s members were killing the poor in the Royal Capita's underground tunnel, they were possibly doing some kind of ritual.

"As expected of Nanashi-sama. We also have something we wish to tell you--"

The thing Prime Minister said was largely the same as Sera's oracle.

It wasn't only from Sera, many temples in the Royal Capital reported something similar too it seems.

However, a slightly different prophecy came from just Parion temple's elder miko; "The calamity exists under the sakura tree."

Fumu, by under the sakura tree it means the royal castle's one I guess?

"Then, if the Royal Capital is attacked by greater demons or a giant monster that can't be handled by the royal army, please announce to the people to quickly protect themselves by taking shelter or the like okay. I'll defeat it as quick as possible so there will be no victim. There might be casualties if they carelessly got themselves involved."

"At your will. Prime Minister, how much is the remaining magic power of the 『City Core』."

"The declining mana supply from Source has been getting better for the past several days, so, leaving aside the wide area ritual magic, there should be no problem if it's only for the Royal Capital's protection."

After I told so to the king, he confirmed some information to the prime minister.

...Or rather, what's [City Core]?

Is it something like [Dungeon Core]?

Well, I guess I can ask that later.

"Then, please act in a way that would keep victims from appearing okay."

I tell them so and leave the royal castle.

◇

Even though it's not even 30 minutes after the attack on Julberg-shi's mansion, three monsters with red rope-like patterns like from before have appeared in the Royal Capital.

The difference is that every monster is weak at only level 10-20s.

Due to that, the patrolling knights exterminate them efficiently.

After getting back to my mansion, I change my tone to Kuro and tell [Porina] in the workshop with [Telephone] magic to evacuate to the underground shelter.

"Yes, I understand. What should I do with the workshop's facilities?"

"Leave the facilities. Evacuate the workshop's workers together with their family to the shelter. If there's still room in the shelter, I don't mind if Porina accepts the neighboring people too by your judgment."

I forgot to contact Nell, but Porina would probably tell her.

Aoi boy and Prof. Rotation are in Echigoya's laboratory together, so they probably would evacuate with the other employees.

Continuing on, I also contact the orcs underground with [Telephone] magic.

This time I've changed my tone to Nanashi. Switching it during emergency is annoying.

"Ri Fuu, demons might come attacking Royal Capital. Evacuate to a safe place if there's one. If the teleport gate is usable, that one is better."

『Don't be unreasonable. It takes three days for the teleport gate to activate.』

So teleport gates have that kind of restriction.

『Moreover, there's no place safer than where we are now y'know. Otherwise, we couldn't have brought up the children.』

"Then can you put barricade on the entrance to the village? For about three days at the longest."

『Okay. We can't refuse Nanashi. Is there anything we can help?』

I look at the map, and check the places where the sacrifice-like corpses are located.

There are two places like that nearby Ri Fuu. I guess I'll ask them to help me.

"--Can I?"

『Leave it to us. There's a Heraruon priest too, so we can perform purification ritual.』

I thanked the reliable Ri Fuu and cut the telephone.

When the incident has been settled, I'll treat him to some liquor and dishes.

◇

Right when I cut the call--

Some odd discomforting sense welled up from below my feet.

"Nyu!"

Tama who feels the same odd sense raises her tails up, and run up my body.

It's ticklishly painful when you're wearing armor like this, so please stop it.

"Something feels icky nodesu."

"Satou."

It seems Pochi and Mia feel the odd sense too.

I quickly open the map.

Red luminous points appear one after another in the Royal Capital.

Looking at their statuses, every one of them is probably the red rope-pattern monster.

"Look! Outside the window!"

"Master, a magic circle-like thing has appeared in the sky, so I report."

Arisa and Nana report, I look out the window.

A gigantic magic circle that covers the whole Royal Capital has appeared.

Apparently, the incident has gone into full swing.

--I guess I'll become Nanashi and go crush it quickly.