CH 117

[Vigo’s Riddle]

After arriving at the tunnel, a group of people running from the village comes into my eyes.

It looks like we made it in time.

We arrived before the other party.

I can see three Abyss Walkers carrying the director and co, and another two Abyss Walkers escorting a person in cloak.

“Stop! Release the hostages!” (Frick)

The escorting Abyss Walkers point cylindrical objects in their hands at me standing to block the road to the tunnel.

“Don’t shoot. If you hit the tunnel and it collapse, we won’t be able to leave!”

The person leading the Abyss Walkers stops them from attacking by raising his hand.

The voice sounds familiar.

This voice… it’s the voice of Vigo, the butler at Alfine’s mansion.

It can’t be, right?

Because he’s wearing his cloak low over his eyes, I can’t even see the shape of his face.

I purposefully call the name to trick the other party into confirming it.

“You are, the butler at Alfine’s place, Vigo, aren’t you?” (Frick)

Without answering my question, the man in cloak gives instructions to an Abyss Walker, having it point its cylindrical weapon at the director and sensei.

“If you move, the hostages will lose their lives. If you surrender, you’ll save their lives at least.”

He doesn’t answer my question, but now I’m sure.

As I thought, he’s Vigo.

So he’s a comrade of those lot controlling Abyss Walkers, huh…

If I remember correctly, he should have been introduced to Alfine by Gile, the commander of the Royal Guard Knights.

I heard he returned to Gile’s house after Alfine herself ran away.

If Gile and Vigo are connected, then that would mean that the group at Inbahanes and the Radcliffe family do have a deep connection, huh.

“Why are you helping Gile? Did you attack the village in order to find Alfine’s whereabouts?” (Frick)

“You don’t need to know the unnecessary things. Would you put down your weapons and surrender, or would you let the hostages die and annihilate us, quickly choose.” (Vigo)

Vigo doesn’t show any intentions to answer my question and calls us for surrender, just like the man who led the monsters from before.

“We won’t surrender. Quickly release Cinzia-sama and the director and his wife!” (Frick)

“You don’t need to negotiate pointlessly. Besides, in terms of force, I think our side have the upper hand. I’ll ask one more time. Are you willing to surrender?” (Vigo)

“Never!” (Frick)

Vigo mutters something at the device attached on his ear, before red lights appear at our feet.

Promptly, I cover Noelia and push her down to the ground.

The next moment, the ground at the place we were at explodes.

“Vigo-sama, I’m sorry, Frick and Noelia——”

When I turn toward the voice, the young man from before is rushing toward us.

He has caught up, huh.

To think we’d be caught in between…

“Moron! Where’s your mask! Put it on right away!” (Vigo)

“I’m sorry, it’s broken. I have… no more spare.”

“Dammit, get back to the base immediately! I will join up with you there! Just leave Frick and Noelia for now! You should go first.” (Vigo)

Vigo become impatient seeing the young man.

For him to be that impatient… why?

With the young man here, his force should’ve become overwhelmingly superior.

“No, we can’t let this opportunity go! If I could save our compatriots with my life, I will sacrifice it with pleasure!”

The young man pays no heed to Vigo’s instructions and urges the monsters he brought with him.

The monsters are coming at us.

It seems that the opponents aren’t intending to make it a long-distance battle.

We can take advantage of it to cover the enemies’ sight, and taking that opportunity, we can cut in between Vigo and the Abyss Walkers and rescue the hostages.

I signal Noelia with my eyes.

Noelia seems to have the same idea as me, as she nods.

When I give her a signal, Dayle casts Illusion Mist, covering the surrounding area with white mist.

“Be clad in mine mana and take the same appearance as mine. Avatar.” (Frick)

While the clones that are created out of the ground rush out of the mist, I run up to Vigo.

On the other hand, Noelia attacks the Abyss Walker carrying Cinzia’s main body, the full-body armor, with Gravity Hole; the Abyss Walker, unable to bear the weight, throws the armor away.

“Cinzia-sama, I will share my magic power with you now.” (Noelia)

After Noelia ran up to the armor thrown by Abyss Walker and touch it, it begins absorb magic power and emits a faint light.

“I’m back! Iya, a disciple with a lot of magic power sure is a must have. Now then, I need to pay back the favor you guys gave to my disciples and friends.” (Cinzia)

Cinzia, who has recovered her magic power, creates new golems, before having them rush to attack the Abyss Walkers escorting Vigo.

The escorts are forced to defend themselves against Cinzia’s golems.

“Cinzia-sama, please don’t overdo it. It’d be troubling if you run out of magic power again.” (Frick)

“Frick, don’t treat me like an old lady—! I’ll have you know that I’m still bursting with youth and energy!” (Cinzia)

Receiving Cinzia’s support, I swing the Flame Sword at escorting Abyss Walkers, staggering them.

Aiming at that opening, the ivy grasses of Noelia’s ivy bind succeed in restraining Vigo’s body.

“Nh! Your target was me all along, huh!” (Vigo)

“My bad, but we got you now! Order the Abyss Walkers to release the hostages! Also, tell your comrade over there not to stop resisting!” (Frick)

With him being restrained by the ivy grasses, I remove his cloak, and the face of Vigo I was familiar with appears.

I thrust Dayle’s blade before his throat.

“Vigo, I’ll have you talk about what you’re scheming to do by using Abyss Walkers on this occasion.” (Frick)

The white mist eventually clears up, when the young man see that Vigo got detained, he halts the monsters from attacking.

“Finn-dono… no, it is Frick-dono now, huh. Do you really want to know? There are things you would be happier not knowing in this world, you know.” (Vigo)

The detained Vigo asks me a question that sounds like a riddle.

Things you would be happier not knowing, what did he mean by that?

It would be dangerous if the enhanced Abyss Walkers were to be controlled by people and becoming rampant in the kingdom, right?

I can’t figure out the meaning of Vigo’s question.

“The talk would make Alfine-dono and Noelia-dono over there to grieve, but even so, are you still going to ask my purpose?” (Vigo)

I see Vigo’s expression distorts like a person consumed by madness.

Looking at that expression, I feel chilly, but I don’t move Dayle that is thrusted before his throat.

“Do you think I’d be fooled by that sort of bluff!” (Frick)

“If you know it, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Isn’t that right? Cinzia-dono?” (Vigo)

Vigo throw an incomprehensible question at the full-body armor Cinzia.

“What the hell are you talking about? I have no idea. Rather than that, it’s for your best interest to quickly release my friends and let yourself be captured obediently, you know? Or should I shut your mouth along with your life, I wonder?” (Cinzia)

“I am afraid I cannot follow your suggestion!” (Vigo)

The moment Vigo replies, a strong impact is transmitted to my left arm.

The attacks are coming from the monsters.

My Wind Barrier and Protect Guard are blown into pieces, but even so, it seems they couldn’t completely offset them, as a splinter grazes my left arm, tearing it.

[Master!] (Dayle)

“Frick-sama!” (Noelia)

Dayle and Noelia screams seeing the wound, but it’s just a shallow wound.

The Abyss Walkers, who meanwhile have rushed to Vigo, burn off the ivy grasses with the red light coming out of their cylinders, releasing the restraint.

“The monsters are coming! Brace yourselves!” (Cinzia)

With the release of Vigo, we are once again brought into melee with the monsters and Abyss Walkers.

“Frick is wounded. Defeat him immediately! Genociders, concentrate your attacks on him!”

The monsters concentrate their attacks on me without giving me time to recover, ignoring the clones that cannot be fatally injured.

The amount of my bleeding is not a bid deal, but my left arm is weakened, so I have no choice but to defend with one hand.

“Blood! Secure the blood!”

I hear the young man giving instructions to the monsters.

What do they want with my blood?

There are too many things I don’t understand about these guys.

The density of the attacks increases, I eventually cannot dodge anymore and end up getting pinned by the injured monster.

“Alright! We caught him! I’ll collect his blood right away, so don’t let him go!”

The man rushes over to my side as though rolling over, before pulling a sharp knife out of his pouch, and widens the wound on my left arm further.

“Guh, stop!” (Frick)

“Noisy. Just shut up, sample!”

“Guah!” (Frick)

Because the man rough use of the knife, the arteries in my arm get torn, spewing a large amount of blood.

The man fills the spilled blood into something that looks like a bottle with utmost effort.

“With this… I’m sure, I’m sure, our compatriots will be saved.”

The eyes of the man looking at the blood spilling from my arm are filled with madness.

“Frick-sama! I-I will save you now!” (Noelia)

“Noelia, we’d be done if we were to look away now! No need to worry, Frick is sturdy, so I’m sure he’s gonna be fine!” (Cinzia)

Noelia and Cinzia are locked in battle with Abyss Walkers, huh.

Where’s Dimol, then?

Not being able to move because I’m being pinned by the monster, I concentrate my eyes at the situation of the surroundings, before spotting Dimol swooping down from the sky.

“Kueeee!”

Dimol plunges at the young man fully concentrating on collecting my blood, pushes him down to the ground and stabs him with his sharp beak.

“Guaaaahhhh, me eyeeeeee! It got eateeeeen!”

In response to the man’s cry, the movement of the monsters slows down.

However, they don’t seem like they’re going to protect the man as before.

“Genociders, the blood collection is done! Ignore me, and kill Frick! Vigo-sama, I will entrust the rest to you!”

The man pushed down by Dimol throws the bottle filled my blood to Vigo; after he stated his will, Dimol’s claws tear up his body, ending his life.

“I told you not to overdo it… you fool. Frick-dono… you’ve dealt with my compatriots more than once… I will definitely have you take responsibility for this sin.” (Vigo)

I can see anger dwelling in Vigo’s eyes looking at me.

I shudder at the excessively dreadful killing intent.

“I have achieved my minimum objectives. This time, I will draw back with this. Frick-dono, I think we will meet again soon, but until then, I bid you farewell.” (Vigo)

After carefully putting the bottle he received from the young man in his breast pocket, Vigo gives instructions to the uninjured monsters and Abyss Walkers, and quickly disappears into the tunnel, bringing the director and his wife.

“W-waaaait!” (Frick)

While being pinned down by the injured monster, I can do nothing but see them off.

Dammit, the director and sensei are kidnapped.

What the hell is his purpose in abducting them?

Besides, does my blood have any significance?

“Frick-sama, the monster is!?” (Noelia)

“Frick, that’s definitely bad news! Barrier! Put up a barrier! Noelia too, quickly put up a barrier!” (Cinzia)

[Master, this is dangerous—!] (Dayle)

I can hear Cinzia and Noelia, frustrated for not being able to chase after Vigo, make a racket sounding as though telling me to put up a barrier with flustered looks.

I come to myself at their voices, before turning my eyes to the monster pinning me down.

The monster is emitting a dazzling pale light from its body; with a bad premonition flitting through my mind, I follow what they said and deploy the strongest barriers I could cast in range as wide as my magic power allows.

The next moment, an explosive light breaks out of the monster’s body, and my line of sight gets dyed in white, before the surroundings gets mowed down by the blast and shockwaves.