CH 102

Maou's arrival

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The dinner party that lasted until late at night was a really fun time.

I didn't know that sitting around a table with a large group could be so much fun.

In Japan, the dining table at my house was, including my mother, grandmother, and my father when he came home, four people as the largest group, when my father was there, I remember eating while being nervous.

I don't have a memory of everyone smiling like this dinner party.

But I found that I can have a good time depending on myself.

For that reason, I have to create an environment where they can have a good time.

The biggest issue I have is the return of my classmates to Japan.

Once that is resolved, compensation, etc. To be honest, I don't even care if I earn it.

The only way I can think of to get all my classmates back to Japan is to be able to bring them back with my shadow movement, or to perform a summoning ceremony in Japan to bring them back.

The bottleneck of using shadow movement is that I lack knowledge about dark magic, so I don't know how to approach it.

It seems that there are fewer people who can handle the dark attribute compared to the light attribute, and many of them are a mystery.

According to Klaus-san, the guild master at the guild headquarters seems to be a person with a deep knowledge of dark magic, and it seems likely that he will visit Volzard for my promotion to S-rank, the trend is confirmed, if they don't come, I'll have to go see them and ask them to teach me.

As for how to use the summoning technique, I will be able to get information from Camilla about the technique.

Based on that information, I have to think about what kind of arrangement I should add to the technique, but I also need to find out if the technique can be activated on Earth in the first place.

I don't think I can succeed without doing any experiments, so it seems necessary to think about the method of experimentation.

I can't do the analysis of the technique by myself, so I guess I'll have to ask the teachers and classmates for support.

When Meisa-chan was put to bed after the dinner party, Reinhardt and the others, who had finished subjugating the Minotaurs, returned.

[ Nobody got hurt? ]

[ Everyone finished the subjugation without getting hurt. ]

Reinhardt has a satisfied expression, probably because he's been able to act violently after a long time.

[ Fred, are you done collecting? ]

[ Perfectly ... 184 in all, horns and magic stones collected ... ]

When I dived into the shadow space, horns and magic stones were piled up.

Also, I'll pet Art and the others in turn.

Anyway, the most important thing is that everyone returned safely.

[ Is that the only place where the river wall was destroyed? ]

[ That's right, the others were dealt with before they reached the river wall. ]

[ How were the knights of Resenburg? ]

[ We saluted when Basten and I returned, and they returned the salute even though they were confused. ]

[ They feel reluctant to admit that you're an ally, but they don't think of you as en enemy either ... is it that kind of feeling? ]

[ I guess so. However, if they think about having to deal with that many Minotaurs on their own, they should understand the value of our work. ]

If they want to defeat the Minotaurs safely, they'll need five knights to deal with each, so in order to deal with this horde, they'll need more than 900 knights by simple calculation.

Lastock only has about 110 knights, partly because they don't want to provoke the Second Prince's faction.

If you just look at the numbers, it wouldn't be strange if they were wiped out.

[ The rest is up to Camilla to explain, but that's not something to worry about. ]

[ Probably, as a result of the negotiations, a cooperative stance was taken ... The fact that she pledged allegiance to Kent-sama, she can't confide to them. ]

[ Well, there's also the pride as a Princess, so it will be like that. ]

Even on the night I negotiated with her for the first time, the knights saw her fainting, and she still hasn't lost their support, so the relationship she's built up so far is probably a strong proof.

I've decided to take a break, too, in consideration of the successes of my genus.

The next day, after breakfast, I decided to go see the situation at Lastock.

To confirm the traces of last night's battle and to get information about the summoning technique from Camilla.

The corpses of the Minotaurs, whose horns and magic stones were collected, were cut up by Zae and tossed into the river.

Restoration of the broken river wall has already begun in one place, and people who can use earth-attribute magic are working to harden the river wall in other places.

"I was just wondering, if they just strengthen the river wall, if they can cross the river upstream or downstream, won't they be attacked all at once?"

[ Certainly, there is that possibility. ]

"Then, wouldn't it be better to surround the city of Lastock with a moat or a wall?"

[ If it were a strong rampart like Volzard, it would be better, but if it was half-baked, it would hinder the residents from evacuating, I don't think they can protect it in the current situation with limited personnel. ]

If it is judged that the river wall cannot be protected, it seems that Lastock's response at the moment is to besiege themselves in a sturdy building, but last night's raid didn't seem to have enough time to instruct the people to evacuate. Even if they had already evacuated, the Minotaurs would have knocked down the walls of the building.

"Somehow, it feels like it's going backwards ..."

[ Probably, Lastock prioritized the cultivation of farmland and relied on the river to deal with monsters. ]

Lastock must have given priority to people who lost their farmland due to desertification in the western part of Resenburg, and who had moved to the city for the purpose of pioneering.

However, the defense is too weak as it is, and if a larger group of monsters comes, it seems that the city will be overrun with a single swarm.

"Hmm ... I wonder if there's a way to protect the residents more reliably ..."

[ It would be a realistic method to use the garrison as a fortress and invite the residents to protect them. ]

If they don't have enough people to protect the entire city, and if they can't defend themselves with just the walls of the buildings, they can protect the residents with a fort that can be defended by the knights they have now.

"I see. But even if they build a fort, will the residents be able to evacuate in time when a maximum outbreak occurs?"

[ That's where the problem lies. Even in last night's attack, it seems that the evacuation guidance of the residents was not taken care of. ]

"If Reinhardt-tachi weren't there, the river wall would have been broken through, and if that happened, the city of Lastock might have been wiped out?"

[ In any case, the lack of preparation cannot be denied. ]

From Camilla's point of view, support from the royal capital may be coming, and it may be calculated that if the defense of the river wall is strenghthened, it can be protected, but since there is no prospect of such support, there is no choice but to strengthen the defense with the existing force.

If so, it may be necessary to review the countermeasures themselves from the ground up, but the biggest problem seems to be whethere it will be in time.

When I went to the garrison commander's office to hear her thoughts, the knights were questioning Camilla.

"I can't believe it. Are you telling me to trust the people who attacked Camilla-sama?"

"As you guys have seen, the Maou's followers are powerful."

"Are you saying that we are unreliable?"

Camilla is being interrogated by Levic and Gert, who visited Volzard as envoys, and Paul, who abused Funayama.(TN:Paul also was there with the messengers ...)

Apparently, the contents of their story seems to be about Reinhardt and the others, and Levic seems to be protesting with his face flushed.

"That's not right. Right now, if we are hostile to the Maou, we might be attacked by a maximum outbreak of monsters while fighting his followers. Can you oppose him over a practical matter?"

"But, doesn't it look like we knights are being protected?"

"Wouldn't it be nice if that would limit our damage?"

"What is that Maou plotting? He wouldn't lend a hand to something that doesn't bring any benefits, would he?"

"The purpose of the Maou is information about the summoning technique."

"No way, you're not going to tell him the secrets of the royal family, are you?"

"I'm going to tell him."

Camilla replied in a calm tone to Levic who was a little excited.

Judging from this situation, I feel like I can trust the information about the summoning technique that Camilla is giving me.

The one who objected to Camilla's determination was the smart Gert.

"No, Camilla-sama, if you teach them the summoning technique, they might call more allies from their original world. What would you do if they increased their numbers, prepared their army, and attacked Resenburg?"

"Then, what should I do? The deadline for giving information about the summoning technique is today."

"Let's spread false information. There's no way monkeys can understand the summoning technique anyway."

Even though Reinhardt was about to kill him during the rescue operation, Paul still seems to underestimate us.

"What is he going to do if the information turns out to be false? The Maou will become your enemy."

"It's okay. If they're looking for information on the technique, they can't go against us who have the correct information. Make use of the information as bait for the monkeys, you just have to lead them around by the jaw."

"No. It's too risky. With that method, as long as I'm alive, he won't care if everyone in the city is killed."

I thought she was going to take advantage of Paul's cunning, but Camilla flatly refused and seems to stick to the policy of telling me the information.

All four of them are so absorbed in their own story that they are completely neglectful of their surroundings.

It looks like it's going to be a long story, to let's sit on the sofa and wait with Mart and the others to mofumofu.

"If we give him the information on the summoning technique, won't the Maou become our enemy?"

"No, as long as we don't take hostile action, it's fine."

"How can you say that? Camilla-sama, do you believe in the Maou rather than trusting us?"

"Of course, I trust you guys too. But considering the current situation ..."

"It is a disgrace to the Resenburg knights to join hands with such an unknown person."

"Yes, we should protect Lastock on our own."

"If you trust the monkeys, they will just take advantage of you."

Gert and Paul agreed with Levic's words, which seemed to interrupt Camilla's words.

Somehow, I'm getting irritated by all the talk with no actual results.

"You're saying things with high spirits, but do you think you were able to defeat the Minotaurs yesterday by yourselves?"

When I called out to them, the three of them turned around as if they were flipped, and put their hands on their respective swords.

"You, just when ..."

"Bastard, from that time ..."

Three skeletons are lined up behind me, and Gert, who engaged in one-on-one combat with Fred, looks at me as if to shoot me dead.

Paul, who had skewered me and was about to be killed by Reinhardt, was also wide-eyed.

"Maou-sama, thank you for last night."

"Yeah, so, can you answer my question, do you think you could have repelled the Minotaurs by yourselves?"

"Of course! Don't underestimate the Resenburg knights!"

Levic answered with a roar, but the color of tension is floating on his face.

Come to think of it, Fred had played a role in putting Levic and the others to sleep in the second battle.

"I'll tell you, we were the ones who proceeded with the constuction of the river wall so quickly, provided the materials for that, and in the first place, I was the one who informed you that the herd of Minotaurs was approaching, but even so, can you still say that you are able to protect everyone on your own?"

"What ..."

They didn't seem to have expected that I announced that the Minotaurs were approaching, so the three of them turned to look at Camilla to make sure.

"Camilla-sama ..."

"What Maou-sama said is true. He also provided us with the materials and informed us of the approach of the Minotaurs."

The three of them looked at me with a frustrated look, as I acted out a relaxed pose while mofuing Mart.

Wouldn't it be nice to face off while mofuing your pet like a villain?

"It's not like we have forgiven you guys for treating us unjustly, but you can't protect Lastock on your own, and we don't want innocent residents to suffer. Camilla even said that she would sacrifice herself to protect the people, but are you going to protect the pride of the knights even if it means sacrificing the people?"

"You! Don't get carried away just because we're being silent ..."

"Stop!"

Camilla stopped Levic, who was about to pull out his sword, then got up from her seat and walked over to me and knelt down.

"Camilla-sama, for someone like that ..."

"Shut up! We can't expect any support from the royal capital. If a maximum outbreak occurs in this situation, Lastock will definitely be destroyed. Not only that, but if the damage spreads to the eastern part of Resenburg, there will be serious grain shortages and food crises, and if things go wrong, the country may perish!"

The three of them looked as if they had been struck by lightning when Camilla spoke while still on her knees.

"Maou-sama, please continue to help us in order to protect Lastock, no, Resenburg."

"So, what about these three? Do you need my cooperation? Or do you not need it?"

Gert was the first among the three to bend his knees.

"Thinking calmly, we couldn't get through last night's situation alone."

Hearing Gert's words, Paul reluctantly fell to his knees, but perhaps he wasn't satisfied with the fact that the human he had impaled was still alive, and he looked at me like he'd seen a ghost.

Levic was hesitant unti the end, but when the others all bent their knees, he couldn't resist and dropped to his knees on the spot.

"I will continue to lend my strength, but there are three conditions for that."

Hearing the terms of cooperation, Levic blatantly frowned.

"The first is to transform this garrison into a fort."

"A fort ... is it?"

Camilla tilted her head, and when I told Reinhardt's analysis of Lastock's lack of personnel and lack of defense, Gert, who was kneeling behind her, nodded.

"I will have my genus help you as a labor force. Build a wall, excavate a moat, draw water from the river, and make this a fortress. On top of that, as a second condition, make a plan to evacuate the residents."

"Do you have an evacuation plan?"

"Even if you use this place as a fortress, it is too far from the edge of the city, and if you leave it to the residents to voluntarily evacuate, there is a risk that it will not be in time. Take measures such as arranging a certain carriage in advance."

"Understood."

"Finally, the third condition ... use the pride of a Resenburg knight to protect the people."

Hearing the third condition, Levic's eyes widened.

Perhaps he thought I would ask for money or something.

"There is no point in having knights alone in a place where there are no people. I won't tell you not to hate me. Even so, if you want to protect the people, move me and use me, even if it means bending your knees. Gert, you should take the lead in creating an evacuation plan. Levic, you should assist Gert. Paul, you have a sharp eye, fill in the holes the two of them don't notice."

They probably didn't think their names were known.

The three of them looked at each other in surprise.

"We don't have much time left, so let's move!"

"Yes!"

Gert and the others stodd up as if they were repelled, and rushed out of the commander's room.

"Reinhardt, can you enclose the garrison by building a river wall?"

[ Understood. Let's turn this garrison into an impregnable fortress. ]

Reinhardt, who gleefully slipped into the shadows, may overdo it again today, but I just want him to stop waking me up before dawn.

"Thank you, Maou-sama."

"Did you inform the royal capital about the Minotaurs?"

"Yes, I sent a fast horse last night."

"Have you notified the neighboring towns?"

"Yes, I'm running news separately from those heading to the royal capital."

"Then, let me ask you about the summoning technique."

"Understood."

Camilla stood up and walked over to the map on the wall, unscrewing it and flipping it up.

When she pulls a small knob, a part of the wall opens to reveal a hidden cupboard.

She probably never opened it after finishing the summoning ceremony.

With that, it can't be helped that Fred couldn't find it even if he looked for it.

"This is what I have transcribed from the lore handed down to the royal family."

Summoning formulae are incomparably more complicated than the magic circles that are used for water or fire.

"Did you know that the patterns used in the magic circle are ancient characters, Maou-sama?"

"Ancient characters ...?"

"Yes, the patterns drawn on the magic circle are said to be ancient characters found in the underground ruins of the royal castle."

Camilla told me to take a closer look at the magic circle, but I had no idea what was written.

When we were brought to this world, we acquired knowledge of words as well as magic through the summoning technique.

I can understand spoken words without relying on an interpreter, and I can read and write.

If the patterns written on the magic circle are ancient characters, it's not strange to be unable to read or write them.

"If it's really letters, I feel like we can read it ... is it really letters?"

"Yes, there's no mistake about that."

It seems that the magic circle used for summoning has been kept secret, but scholars have been researching the other characters for many years.

There is a hypothesis that these characters were left behind by people who came from another world, but they look different from Mayan characters, which are considered mysterious characters on Earth, Egyptian hieroglyphs, or Tie characters.

However, even if it was a hieroglyph, I can't read it.

"The magic circles that are currently in use are a combination of the letters that we learned from that research and the circle that is used to activate it."

In other words, the magic circle that emits water uses 'water + activate', and the magic circle that sets fire uses 'fire + activate'.

Certainly, the pattern drawn on the camp paper I saw at the magic tool shop was much simpler than the summoning technique.

"So, what's written in this summoning technique?"

"This is a rough guess, but I think it's probably written about calling the target person from a distant place and giving them magic and communication ..."

"You think ... you said you arranged it, didn't you?"

"Yes, I rewrote the age, gender, and number of people by comparing the ancient characters that are currently being analyzed with the Maou's lore handed down in the royal family."

"Eh, wait a miute, which part of this formula do you know?"

"It seems that this is the description that activates it, and the description about the person that is summoned is here."

The part that Camilla pointed out is just a small part, less than 5% of the whole.

"Eh ... what about the rest?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know."

"Eeeehhh ... Did we get summoned with such a rough arrangement?"

"I, I'm truly sorry."

According to royal lore, a healthy twenty-five-year-old man was summoned.

It seems that the arrangement that Camilla made was simply changing the age of the person to be summoned from 25 to 15, erasing the description of being male, and rewriting the number of people from 1 to 200.

In other words, Camilla deciphered only the number and the description of the man in regards to the formula.

"Which world is it from? How does it work?"

At my question, Camilla silently shook her head.

"What were you going to do if two hundred outrageous monsters came out with such a random arrangement?"

"At that time, even if it cost me and the knights our lives ..."

"That's too irresponsible ... seriously ..."

"I'm truly very sorry."

The sight of Camilla hunching her shoulders and shrinking was a bit funny, but I couldn't afford to laugh.