153 The next one to fall down.

The Quama soldiers surrounding Jestaff's compound, it was just reported that the stolen weapons were found in the Quama's arsenal.

Needless to say, we don't know who planted it. It's a terrible thing some people do.

But you managed to trap Jestaphan as easily as you could breathe.

"It's that smoothness that makes me question your character, Master Shosho.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

I've been staking out the mansion for a while now, and I've been twisting my brain to come up with a plan based on Gillista's report.

"All hands!　Secure the perimeter of the villa and take Lord Heliodora into custody!

Out of the corner of my eye, a voice shouted, "King Zenotta! I've asked you to lead the soldiers this time.

Jestaff is not a man who will give up his goal just because of a little loss of reputation.

On the contrary, he'll at least try to escape and regain his footing.

That's why I asked King Zenotta to raise an army like this, as if he were going to make a big capture.

Now, if I'm reading this correctly, it's time to go to .......

"Sir, we have confirmed the use of detection magic around the house. It seems that the magic seal stone on Ilias-san's sword has neutralized it.

"It's definitely Harkdok who would use such a wide area detection spell under these circumstances. Ilias, stay where you are. He'll probably come at you again. Lakra and Ecdysium, tighten your focus.

The bandits who were rampaging in Taze were also using their detection spells by avoiding the area where the magic seal stone was kept.

If Harkdock is skilled in detection magic, he will avoid the Iliad this time and thoroughly detect the surroundings.

"Here it comes!

"Rather than avoiding me, you've only used it to avoid the area around my sword. Terrible accuracy.

This time, though, it seems to have been canceled out by the magic seal stone attached to my knife.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

I'm not sure what to make of this.

What's your direction?

In this direction.

It's just that it seems to be coming from an oddly low position.

Mm, ......, that's a good point.

"Which means, it looks like Hark-dog is in the basement. A house this big should have a basement or two. I'll bet Jestaff is down there too.

"Basement. But in this situation, if we stay in the basement, there's a chance we'll fail to escape, isn't there?

It's hard to imagine a siege. If you're hiding, it's unlikely that Jestaff would let Harkdok use his detection magic.

Then he would be in the basement to escape.

Just as I was thinking this, a smiling King Zenotta came running towards me.

"Looks like it worked!　It looks like we've got Jestaff under control!

"No, Jestaff is in the basement of the mansion. I think there's a way out of there.

What the hell, ...... can't you predict which way he'll go?

You can't predict which way they're going to go!" "If Jae's staff chooses to go that way, it's probably a pathway built in the past. It's not like you can read the minds of people from the past.

If he could do that easily, he would have chosen the path of an archaeologist.

King Zenotta's smile became increasingly troubled. He has a busy face.

He took out the map he had prepared and spread it out on the floor.

"Then what are you going to do?

"This is an enlarged map of the area around Jestiff's house. The basement should be around here, under one of the rooms in order. It's hard to imagine that the underground passage leads to the outside of this country. It would have to pass through the past Heliodora estate and end up at one of the properties still owned by Jestaff. And each one of them is roughly divided into exactly four directions.

"So which one of the four ...... sides of the house is that?

"I don't know, so I'm going to search in all directions at once. Ilias, dig in the ground outside the compound to the north, Wolfe to the south, Lakra to the east, and Ekuduk to the west.

You're digging now?

There's no need to dig carefully. Do it with flair.

North and south are still alleyways, but east and west are adjacent to houses.

I'm sorry, but you'll have to take out the whole building. King Zenotta will pay for it as much as he can.

"Oh, yes. I'll pay!

The four of us have the means to blow it up rather than digging ...... into the ground.

If you don't see any underground passages, you can just dig. Sorry about the people around you.

Gillista and Mikus will search the house from the ground and go to the basement. When you find it, Gillista, break down the basement walls in all directions and dig. Gillista, report back to me when you find him, and Mikus, stay ahead of him and try to track down Jestiff without fighting. Then get to work. I'll go with Ilias.

I'm off!

Yes, sir!

Okay, I got it. I'll do my best!

Each one runs off. Only Ecdysius was called out and sent off with additional instructions.

Well, I guess we'll have to start working with the Iliad, too, .......

Hey, Iliad.

What's the hurry?

Yes, but can't we at least carry him carefully when he's out in the open?

A grown man being carried on Iliad's shoulders, after all.

King Zenotta is looking at me with a look of 'Wow, seriously?

"You can't use one hand if you hold it with both hands, can you?

"Yes, but no, not anymore. Let's get a move on.

We're in a hurry.

There were six of us by the basement and not enough time to gather more.

So I left one of them to tell the rest of the people in the house, and the remaining five plus seven of us went into the basement.

Let's hurry!

Wait, let's close the entrance first. He'll get to the basement in no time. You used detection magic.

You're right!　I'm sorry!

It was necessary. Don't worry about it. Just push this brick on the inside. ......

My brother pushes a part of the wall and the entrance we came in through closes with a clunk.

If I ever get a house of my own, I'll definitely install one of these.

Use detection magic. It's okay, there are no gaps, so no magic is leaking out.

The detection spell from the outside won't reach here.

We're safe now!

Don't worry. The key to survival is to stay alert until the end.

Yes!

The passage is dark, even with the lights of the magic stone. It's too dark to run at full speed.

I kill my voice and hurry to walk. Oh, this tension is hard!

The remaining people in the house have been instructed to put up some resistance. But you don't have to die, he reminded them.

The Quama soldiers and our private army were evenly matched in strength. It's impossible to ask them to surrender when things get bad.

Some of us will die, but if Jestaphan's brother can escape, we win this phase.

There are a few nobles around Quama's country who support him. If we can get to them, we can make up for lost time.

Brother, stop!

"Stop!

I'm not sure what to do. The people around me quickly responded to my action and moved back.

At the same time, the ceiling of the passageway explodes, raining debris and dirt down on the place where we were just a moment ago.

Just in time!　Thank you, Honnou-sama!

What's going on?　They're after us, aren't they?　I'm not sure what to do.

I'm sorry, but I've got too much momentum. ...... But it looks like this one was a hit.

On top of the pile of rubble in the aisle is a Yugoslavian priestess.

It's a woman, and she looks kind of helpless.

I guess I don't need to ask about the "pursuer ......". I mean, this is an underground passage!

I dug it.

You dug it?　There's supposed to be someone else's house in this direction!

I dug it all up. I've already apologized.

You're insane!

I think so too!

She's the type of woman who's being forced to do things by that guy. I pity her a little.

Check the perimeter. The ceiling of the passageway is collapsing, but there's little light coming through.

Probably someone's house up there, blew out its floor, dug up the dirt and found this passage.

Fortunately, the earth that should be above your head has not filled the passage. He must have used earth magic or something to move the dirt into the house. It's still possible to go on.

But the means by which they destroyed the stone ceiling, that's a bit of a concern.

All we could make out was a few sharp cuts. But she doesn't have a weapon.

Wind magic?　It'd be a pain in the ass to shoot her in this narrow corridor, but I don't think so.

I got the results of the detection spell I was casting at the same time. It's definitely the cleric with the strange magic near that guy.

He's the only one around. Ecdysium and the others are splitting up and digging in other directions, sorry about the neighbors who got caught up!

The new thing I've learned through careful detection is that the degree to which the other guy's magic is refined is abysmal.

The magic power of a skilled magician is soft, but this guy's magic power is almost water.

The speed from construction to activation is probably unbelievable. It's not just luck that got him here in such a short time digging in the ground.

While we're assessing the situation, our people are coming forward.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

Everyone jump!

I jumped up until I was attached to the ceiling with my brother.

The others tried to fly as well, but they were too late.

In my vision, I saw five of my friends' legs cut off, and they fell to the ground according to the natural order of things.

What had looked like an advantageous situation was instantly transformed into a screaming mess.

I thought that if I cut off both of his legs, he wouldn't be able to escape. ......

I lock eyes with the woman. I kicked the ceiling, kicked the wall, kept my distance from the woman, and went back to the ground to drop my brother.

You can't let your brother go first while you're engaged. If that woman aims at you, she'll cut off your legs in an instant.

"Brother, I'm sorry, but I need you to watch my back.

...... can you do it?

Well, I'll see what I can do.

We can't move forward unless we take that woman down. Then we have no choice but to do it.

To be honest, she must be a very skilled opponent, with more experience than me.

But at least I know what she's going to do, and her instincts have been quiet since a while ago.

That means he's just about beatable. Maybe.

One deep breath, one turn of the whirling club.

This is my pre-battle ritual, my way of concentrating.

"......

Hey girl, why didn't you give chase?

Well, if you fight me single-handedly, and then I defeat you, Mr. Jestiff will be safe, right?

If I had fought while protecting my brother, he would have had an easier time defeating me.

I don't think it's possible to capture Mr. Jestaff unharmed while fighting you.

Well, thank you.

This woman is going to capture my brother, but she doesn't want to kill him.

She wants to get him unharmed if she can. And she knows it'll be easier if she beats me.

And he's proud that he's not going to lose to me one-on-one.

But that's a fair assessment. No need to be annoyed, just swallow the humiliation, me.

You're in no position to thank me.

Still. You put me in a hopeful situation. I'm grateful.

Could you step back a bit, ......?　I'd be doing him a disservice if I dragged him into this.

With those words, my brother took a few steps back. You mean he's going to get involved even at this distance?

I've already figured out that's how it works.

I jump lightly and recheck my physical condition. It's before lunch, so I'm hungry.

Well, that's good for my stomach.

I'll use my locator spell to get a better feel for the whole battle.

Hark-dog.

My name is Rakhra Sarf.

The gaze of the woman who introduced herself as Lacla, the seriousness of it, honestly sent chills down my spine.

The people lying on the ground right now were the ones I didn't have to kill. So I handled them without hesitation.

But this woman has a slightly higher opinion of me.

I'm not trying to fight her without killing her. If she's still alive when I kill her, I'll do it without killing her.

I can't take too much time. I don't know if I can win even against Lakra in front of me. If Ecdysium and that lady knight join us, I won't be able to handle them alone.

I'm going to ...... kill this woman quickly.

I'll be there.

You'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this.

That's Mr. Harkdock in front of you.

I tried to cut off everyone's legs and did the fastest warded amputation I could.

But only Mr. Harkdock avoided the attack, and he was holding a person.

Obviously, he evaded before the warding was activated.

He can evade my fastest attack. That's all the time I had left to make a move.

But the movement itself is easy enough to follow. It's much slower than Duvraeus, who I've fought before.

If the first blow is avoided, the second and third shots should be enough to catch it. ......

I'll go!

You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

It's pretty fast, but it's definitely human.

He aims for the center of his body to make it difficult to evade, and launches a ward right next to him.

He avoids the attack by leaning forward, but he cannot move quickly from that position.

The next time, aim a horizontal ward even lower--

"Don't make me shoot you!

When I tried to deploy my wards, they were blocked.

He jumped straight into the air and swung a whirlwind club.

!

A defensive ward is deployed to prevent the attack.

He immediately releases it and fires a wind spell while flying backwards.

Mr. Harkdock carefully parries it with his whirlwind club.

Oh, so that's what he's ...... doing.

"Lacula. It seems your specialty is warding magic. You can use it to defend yourself, but you can also use it to attack, using its deployment speed to send slashes flying. Defensive wards are activated on the spot, so it's not a problem. In the event that you're not sure what to do, you'll be able to ask your doctor.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

It's honestly amazing that you can expand your magic at the same rate for long distances. But the magic that is being deployed is just magic itself. It can be easily shaken by hitting it with something else. Like my detection magic, for example.

So, when he was about to build the second strike, he activated his detection magic more intensely and pushed my magic away with his magic power.

You can't deploy a ward where there is no magic. So I couldn't follow up.

In order to attack with the wards, I needed to get somewhat closer to my opponent who had superior physical abilities.

I tried to use wind magic as a test, but it was also shot down without any problem.

If you can accurately detect invisible wards and wind, this is very bad.

In this case, you'll have to use the ...... thing.

It's quite hard on the eyes, so you can't use it as often as you'd like, but you can use ...... "Blind Eye".

"......?　I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one.　It's not the end of the world.

No!

The magic that exists within your own eyes, and the wards that you construct with that magic.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

And yet, once again, Mr. Harkdock evaded it before it could be activated.

You're not going to kick me in the nuts, are you ......? That's what you call a backhand.

The fact that you were able to evade the blow means that you did so on ...... instinct alone.

"Yeah, because Instinct, who had been sitting idly by, suddenly kicked in.

This is not the first time that this attack has been avoided. Mr. Duvvreoris also avoided a fatal wound by acting on reflex, surrendering to the appeal of his death-avoiding instinct.

Mr. Harkdock's reaction now is the same as Mr. DuVreoli's at that time.

No, more than that. Mr. Duvraeoli's reaction was simultaneous with the activation, but his instincts kicked in before the activation.

It's as if he can foresee the future. ....... No, now is not the time to be thinking about that.

Mr. Harkdock's instincts allow him to avoid the attacks of the Blind Eye. But he can't detect the magic that's being deployed.

So if I use it continuously, I should be able to outrun his physical abilities and hit him!

I can see the heat in his eyes. The blood vessels in his eyes are pulsating, ready to burst.

But I need to deploy more, to make sure I get a second shot. ......!

It's time for me to decide!

That's my line. You've shown me your moves. I'll decide in the next one or two!

Without hesitation, Mr. Harkdock rushes towards you.

In response, he uses his "blind eye" to ward off the attack, and then leans forward to avoid it as before.

"That attack is really scary!

"But next time...?

You'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this sort of thing.

But the action taken by Mr. Harkdock unexpectedly prevented the activation of the wardrobe.

Mr. Harkdock slumped further and crawled to the ground.

Surrounding him were his ...... companions, their legs severed and unable to move.

If you attack vertically or horizontally, deploying wards, you will engulf them and ......!

I know. It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a problem with this. The height of the follow-up attack after I evaded it earlier just barely avoided these guys.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

Before I can move, Mr. Harkdock leaps from his stance right into my face.

I check the whirling cudgel he's raised and deploy a defensive ward, his attack power can't break this ward!

Once the attack is blocked, I release the warding and follow up with a follow-up attack!

"Sorry. I'm not sure what to do.

I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure what to do with it.

Feint!　There was no lifting of the wards, in preparation for the next blow--

"(What?)

The wards shattered. My vision darkens, a strong impact centered on my abdomen. Your body feels like it's floating.

What, no, it's more like, oh, maybe not.

The pain came with the feeling of being slammed into the ground repeatedly, but I lost consciousness before I could suffer through the pain.