277-271 Monitor

★★★　

The time went back a bit, and Lionel and the others watched the light emitted from the airship pierce the mountains.

''It's moderately tremendous power. Even if you deploy many layers of Luciel-sama's sanctuary wards, it will be difficult to completely prevent it from happening.''

It's not developed for human beings. This will give us a bit of a check on the evil-doers if they do show up, won't it?

Smiling at Lionel's words, Doran replied happily.

''Yeah. If it's the Empire's pride and joy, the Pterodactyls might be able to annihilate them with a single blow.''

Ha-ha. Well, if it's only powerful, it might not be. But because of the problem of accuracy and magic consumption, if you don't use it carefully, the amphibian will become a mere target in the sky.　

"Master Dolan is a great man.

'I'm a technician, so I'm not interested in war. Except when the Horde is threatened and our people are hurt. Isn't this where you come in, Mister Lionel?

Yes, sir. Yes. I'm going to perform my last duty as Imperial General. Your Highness Albert, it is time for you to join me and Your Majesty in transitioning to the fort built by the Imperial Army below.

However, Imperial officials, including Albert, were frozen in amazement at the sheer force of the main gun fired from the airship.

Lionel understood that he must have imagined that thing was going to be shot at the Empire.

But there was no time to spare, so he mimicked the Kashiwate that Luciel had used earlier to draw attention to him and told him the same thing again when he drew attention to himself.

Then he learned that the emperor's transition could only take two people with him at the same time, so first Lionel and Gladys transitioned, followed by Alberto and Melfina, then Lysak and the slavers, and then Nadia transitioned to the imperial stronghold, as she was Lydia and her bodyguard who could use magic.

It seemed that the emperor's magic power was almost depleted due to the successive transitions, and while making him drink a low-grade magic potion, Lionel and the others looked at the state of the fort, and it was in a terrible state.

Although it was confirmed from the air that fire was rising from all over the place, even Lionel, who has experienced war, was frowning at the situation.

''There seems to be several signs, but this is...''

''Lionel-sama, it's the demons coming this way. The spirits are making a lot of noise, so there's no doubt about it.

'You may be crazy, but you don't seem to be fighting each other. We'll go into all hands on deck. Gladys, you take care of His Majesty and His Highness.

"Ha. Father.

Immediately after that, three soldiers who had been transformed into demons showed up.

It was Lydia who moved before Lionel could give them instructions.

[Water Spirit, feed on my magical power and rain numerous ice blades on the evil ones.

When he called out to the spirits with his own words, a sharp blade made of numerous ice cubes appeared in the air, and it rained down on the approaching demon clans all at once.

In the midst of the ice blade raining down, some demons broke through it, but before you know it, Nadia's figure was in her path, and when she held up her sword, she started chanting.

''Wind Dragon, under the blessing of the Dragon God, lend me that power for a time.

When the chanting ended, Nadia, who was clothed in green magic power, turned into the wind, and in the next moment, she was cutting down the demon race.

''........Father, do all of the Sage Lord's followers have such power that they can't even bite a soldier who has turned into a demon race?''

Gladys was astonished at the fact that two girls younger than her had killed the soldiers who had turned into demons in the blink of an eye.

''........That's right. They are all training to properly develop their strength and protect people because they are followers of Luciel-sama, not the St. Surul Cooperative Kingdom or the Healer's Guild.

Lionel nodded and instructed him to look for survivors and beat the retreating gong as he searched for signs of a new demon race that hadn't come up due to his lack of cue.

★★★　

Somehow, the Empire's retreat seemed to have gained some confidence from the Rubruk Kingdom Army, but it was also thanks to Lord Wisdom, who was running alongside Ferenowar's diagonal.

If he hadn't been acquainted with Lord Wisdom, he would still be looked at with suspicion.

And when we came to the fort where the Rubruk Kingdom Army is based, Forenoire and I decided not to enter the fort, but to wait for the higher-ups leading the Rubruk Kingdom Army outside the fort.

I don't think they'll attack us, but we can't deny the possibility that some of them will hold a grudge against us for interfering with the war we've been waging for so many years from the side.

According to Sir Wisdom, a number of generals who belonged to the Rubruk Kingdom Army have passed away, and Sir Wisdom doesn't know if this war will be a truce or not.

I heard from a slaver in Yenis that Sir Wisdom himself lost his father on the battlefield, so there is no doubt that he still holds a considerable grudge.

But Sir Wisdom had mentioned that he would leave everything to the judgment of his superiors when he came to the fort.

So I decided to go into a bit of a tangent.

'Is that because you are a nobleman and a military man?

''Of course that's part of it. But I have also killed many people. I've slaughtered Imperial soldiers with the power instilled in me by the Empire.

Lord Wisdom said that he ran around the battlefield with that body he met in Nerdal.

He said that he had saved the kingdom's army many times with the power of the demon race, not the human race.

''Since you killed people in the war, did you decide to fight for your country rather than your personal feelings?

''I am sure the negative spiral created by the killing of the two countries will not disappear anytime soon. That's why we wait for a decision from the king at home, who is not a soldier.

I can only hope that that king is a wise king.

'I would prefer to see a world where, if possible, the human race would compete for things rather than fight with each other.

''There certainly seems to be a lot of things to compete with, such as academics, magic, magic tools, and martial arts, so it would be nice if such a world could come.

Lord Wisdom is easy to talk to because he's quick to understand.

I'm sure he's a pacifist by nature, too....

''I'm sure it will come. If Sir Wisdom can change things little by little from the Kingdom of Rubruk and I from Yenis.

''........Luciel-sama is still a strange person. Even though you have that much power and that much warfare around you, it seems that what you are thinking about is not domination, but freedom, equality, and that is what you want to live for.

'It's not that big of a deal. I just want to live in peace.

'Peacefully, sir ... when the war is truly over, would you like to come to the Kingdom of Rubruk once?

To the Kingdom of Rubruk?

'Yes. Ours is a country with a thriving fishing and forestry industry, and it is the birthplace of that magical independent city of Nerdal.

The fishing industry, does it have an ocean?

'Yes. Unfortunately, you can't taste it in other countries because it's raw, but the seafood is very good.

If you have seafood, I'd love to go there in secret.

'That would be of great interest to me. Ah, yes. Speaking of forestry, isn't the Kingdom of Rubruk where the current elven village is located?

'Yes. Well, not only in our country, but they say we live in a big forest...

I feel a little alarmed, but I don't think it's a problem.

'I still see. I've been hired as an employee at the (supposedly) Luciel Chamber of Commerce, which I run, and I wanted to let you return to your hometown if the opportunity arose.''

Did you live with the elves as well?

''Yes. Isn't the same true of the Kingdom of Rubruk?

'No, I can't say it out loud, but I'm under the impression that they are business partners. The elves don't seem to be very interested in the human race, and they only try to socialize with them on a minimal basis.

'Really?　Come to think of it, all the soldiers around you seem to be exclusively human?

The Royal Army does not send non-human sub-humans to the battlefield. The price for that is, if you can call it that, technical cooperation and the provision of technology to increase national strength.

Minimal association is providing technology........

Maybe that's the reason for the estrangement from other species.

Either way, it's a country that doesn't seem to have many problems.

To the extent that I'd like to go there once........

But I've been talking to Lord Wisdom for a long time, and there doesn't seem to be anyone here who has more command authority than him.

I can see from looking around that he's trusted, but I guess he's not just a knighthood, but a higher-ranking figure in the king's army in terms of ability.

''Even so, it occurred to me once again, Lord Wisdom has risen a lot.

At my words, Lord Wisdom opened his mouth with a slightly simmering expression.

'I was able to rise in the ranks entirely because of Lady Luciel. It's because of the healing I've received at Nerdal.

'Well, you were talking about your achievements earlier, weren't you?

It is true that I could have been knighted for my achievements. But the moxie-wielding, moxibustion-inducing, prosthetic-limbed person I am today could not be knighted.

That must have been ... hard work, but you're in the upper echelons of management now, aren't you?

I'm not sure I understand his pain, and if treating Lord Wisdom in Nerdal turned his life around, it seems good that it did.

But maybe that's what the tears in that moment meant.

'Yes. It's all thanks to Luciel-sama that I was able to achieve my current position and take a wife. So please be assured of that. It is not because I am bound by my oath, but I swear that I will not voluntarily antagonize or create a disadvantageous situation with Luciel-sama.

That's really nice to hear, but since it's the Kingdom Army, I feel like I can be a little more flexible.

It wouldn't happen unless he moved quite vigorously........the kingdom.

I don't know if it's a commoner, but an ordination to a nobleman's marriage is not something that can be dealt with by personal discretion.......

The engagement was already done. It's just that I don't even know if I'm a person, so the treatment was essential to get me to marry her. And now that I was fully human again, I was allowed to marry her and was ordained.

'If that treatment paved the way for Lord Wisdom's future, I'm glad I was able to help.

''No, I will wait here. My friends are watching us upstairs, and there's a chance that the demons might move in.

Okay. Then I'll pull the top brass over here somehow.

Please.

They had been having such an exchange just now.

'And yet, Lord Wisdom never asked you a word about the airship. He didn't even ask me why I came from the Empire...''

It's almost as if we've been spied upon.

Was Forenoire on to something?

'Didn't Forenoire feel anything?'

'No. I haven't been out there all the time, and if I was malicious, or if I was seen in a place where there were a lot of people around or something, I wouldn't be able to notice it. You'd know that if you were out there all the time.

Is that a command to keep them out all the time?　I'll think about it if they at least humanize me, but considering I haven't humanized them before, I guess that's impossible.

''........Shall I have Kefin and the others come from the amphibian as an escort now?''

'Don't worry about that. Doesn't Luciel have the best partner in the world?

He's very manly, but Forenoire is called sister by the dark spirits, so I guess she's a big sister?

I'm really counting on you, sister (Anego).

I'll take care of it. But just in case, you better be ready to threaten us from the air.

Yes, sir.

Following Forenoire's advice, I immediately contacted Dolan and the others with my magic ball and prepared to attack the fort at any time, when the upper echelons of the Rubruk Kingdom's army finally showed up.