CH 219

Cheat Magician (Hazure Hantei) Chapter 219

Whiff

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With the New Year just around the corner, the nights in the mountains north of Resenburg were freezing cold.

The snow that seemed to have fallen a few days ago dyed the surroundings white, and even the moon floating in the sky looked cold and bright.

Even though it was such a cold night, the bonfires were burning brightly in the mountain village of Shiron, and many knights were keeping an eye on security.

Three days after the last attack, if the pace so far was maintained, an attack using the Undead was expected, so the knights dispatched from the royal capital were strengthening their defenses, but anyway, it was cold.

Even if you had suitable cold protection equipment, if you stood still, it would get cold from your feet and your toes would start to hurt.

Many knights gathered near the bonfire and repeatedly stamped their feet.

I peered at such scenes from the shadow space.

Fortunately, the cold didn't invade this space, perhaps because the image was just reflected.

In villages other than Shiron, royal knights and territory knights were assigned to strengthen their defenses, and Kobold units were dispatched to those villages to monitor them.

Even if another village was attacked, I planned to rush there via the shadow space.

"They're not readily making an appearance, huh."

[ Because of this temperature, the other party may be hesitating to attack. ]

"But, as long as there is a possibility of an attack, we have no choice but to strengthen our defenses."

[ That's right. Even if it ends in vain, showing the attitude of protecting will lead to the trust of the people. ]

No official announcement had yet been made about the King's death, but rumors were starting to spread.

At the same time, there were rumors that Camilla would become the next King, and whether or not such a policy would be implemented would have a great impact on future expectations.

"Basten, what is the reputation in the city like?"

[ Yes, there are rumors that the Undead attacks are the work of the Maou. On the other hand, positive opinions spread about the swift dispatch of the knights. Until now, it seemed that even if something happened, there was almost no treatment from the kingdom. ]

"Then, did Havre's aim whiff and rather just raise Camilla's stock?"

[ Right now, that's the situation. ]

"As expected, I wonder if Havre is in a stalemate situation?"

[ Maybe so, but don't let your guard down. ]

"That's right, let's tighten our minds."

I continued to wait near Shiron, where the chances of an attack were the highest, but nothing happened even after midnight.

I went to Barshania this morning, after returning to Volzard, used the repatriation technique to do the return work, dealt with the accident, and after that, I traveled to Shiron.

Since I used shadow movement to move around, it didn't cause fatigue, but the fatigue from moving around all day would gradually come to the fore.

In the shadow space, I was sitting on a convenient box, but if I let my guard down, I would nod off.

[ Kent-sama, wouldn't it be better if you took a little rest? ]

"Yup, but, I don't know when the attack will come."

[ In that case, it would be better if you could take a rest now. ]

"I see, then, let me lie down for a while, wake me up if there's movement."

[ Understood. ]

I leaned against Nero's belly with the intention of taking a short nap until the attack happened, and I was instantly lulled into sleep.

Mart and the others were with me, so I didn't have to worry about catching a cold.

Just like that, I fell asleep soundly and didn't wake up until Reinhardt woke me up.

[ Kent-sama, Kent-sama ... ]

"Uu, Uu~n ... Reinhardt? Hah, I see, the Undead have arrived, right?"

[ Nope, it's already dawn, but it seems that no villages were attacked by the Undead. ]

"Ehh, is that so?"

[ Yes, we have expanded the area to confirm that no raids have taken place, but so far we have not received any reports of raids. ]

"I don't know why ... Is it because security was done, after all?"

[ That possibility is high, but it is also possible that the other magician was not in a good physical condition. ]

"Right, it's highly likely that they're using a booster."

Judging from the number of undead used in the two raids so far, it was thought that Havre's dark-attribute magician was using boosters to supplement their magical power while causing the incidents.

I also have experience using boosters, but since I couldn't move my body for three days, it was a heavy burden both physically and mentally.

They did that twice in quick succession, so it's no surprise that they're sick.

"Then, are they aiming to attack during this New Year's Eve period?"

[ Considering the effect of the attack, there is a good chance of that. ]

"Really, they're not considerate about bothering other people ..."

[ It can be said that Havre is cornered, but if you think about it from his point of view, it seems like a natural strategy. ]

If you were to compare the current situation to baseball, would it be like being behind by 10 points and only going on the offensive in the bottom of the 9th inning.

From Havre's point of view, anything could happen, for instance, causing a brawl and forcing the opposing pitcher to leave.

From Camilla's point of view, the victory was almost in her hands, so she would want to reduce her exhaustion as much as possible and prepare for the upcoming battle.

Having said that, it was not like the victory or defeat had been decided yet, so there was no guarantee that something like the attempted assassination of Camilla the other day wouldn't happen.

"Aiming for the New Year's Eve period it is ... Hey, Reinhardt."

[ What is it. ]

"What is the royal capital Aldaros like at the beginning of the year?"

[ The royal capital, is it? The royal capital ... ]

Reinhardt folded his arms and sank into thought.

Maybe he had the same worries as me.

[ Kent-sama, if it's the same as usual, it might be a bit bad. ]

"A bit bad you say, is there something wrong?"

[ Yes, part of the royal castle will be open to the public at noon on the first day of the year. ]

"By being open, do you mean citizens can freely enter the royal castle?"

[ That's right. ]

Was that like Japan's Imperial Palace's New Year congratulatory visit to the Imperial Palace, if so, it depended on security, but the possibility of terrorists entering could not be ruled out.

If a riot broke out in the royal castle that had been visited by a large number of citizens, a large number of knights would be needed to deal with it, but those knights had been dispatched to deal with the Undead attacks.

"Yup, I feel like that's the winner. Let's go back to the royal castle for now."

While keeping the Kobold Corps in each village, Basten for Shiron, and Fred for Kuujo, I moved to the royal castle of Aldaros.

Camilla had finished her morning workout and was in the middle of bathing, so I decided to wait on the sofa in the living room.

Eeh, i, it's not like I'm going to peek at her, it's true ...

"M, Maou-sama, good morning."

"Yup, morning. You'll get the news soon, but there was no raid."

"Is that true ..."

Camilla, who came back dressed in her usual knightly garb, was surprised to find me there, and then her eyes widened further when she heard that there had been no attack.

"Camilla, on the first day of the New Year tomorrow, part of the royal castle will be open to the public, right?"

"Yes, as an annual event, we freely allow access to a section of the front yard to the citizens ... No way, the target is the royal castle ..."

After asking the maid in the room to prepare some tea, Camilla sat down to face me, and after listening to the story, she realized the possibility of an attack on the royal castle.

"I think that possibility is high, but is the security system perfect?"

"I have ordered security to be carried out as usual, but ..."

"Does that mean they're prepared to be attacked?"

"No, we haven't seen anyone cause a disturbance so far, so I think it's just a form of security."

"Do you have enough personnel to turn it into something that can respond to an attack?"

"I don't know. However, if a large-scale raid were to take place, there would be a shortage of personnel."

"We still have time. Let's review the security system immediately."

"Maou-sama, have you finished breakfast?"

"No, I just woke up from a nap ..."

"Then, I'll have some breakfast prepared, so why don't you bathe while you're at it?"

"Ah~ ... I'll accept your offer and do that."

I succumbed to the temptation of the large bathtub in the royal castle and ended up enjoying a morning bath with Mart and the others.

While making Mart and the others full of bubbles, we rubbed together, and I was washed in reverse with a fluffy sponge.

When I returned to the living room while wiping my head with a towel, I saw the Knight Commander in addition to Camilla.

"Good morning, Knight Commander."

"If it isn't Maou-sama, did you have fun last night?"

"Haa, I was on standby near Shiron last night."

"That is ... I apologize for not knowing."

"Last night, did you hear there were no Undead attacks?"

"Yes, I heard from Camilla-sama. In addition, I didn't consider the possibility of an attack on the royal castle."

"What about personnel?"

"To be honest, I think it's not enough to take all possible measures ..."

As someone who guarded the royal castle, I couldn't help but say that it was a little sloppy, but it was the result of being forced to do double-sided operations with undead countermeasures, so it couldn't be helped.

"Is it possible to allocate the knights assigned to Undead countermeasures here?"

"It's possible if we only consider the number of people, but we won't be able to move from Shiron or Kuujo in time."

"If I remember correctly, Shiron and Kuujo have 200 knights each, right?"

"Yes, that's right. If we can at least call back half of them, we can strengthen our defense ..."

"Okay. Those two hundred people will be repatriated here, so write an order."

"Huh? What did you just say?"

"I will use the repatriation technique to send people from Shiron and Kuujo back to the royal castle, so please write an order to follow my instructions."

"Repatriation technique ... Is such a thing really possible ... Ooohhh!"

When I used the repatriation technique to move the breakfast plate in front of me, the Knight Commander showed a startled expression.

"As you wish. I will write an order to change the layout."

"So, how do you plan to change the security system of the royal castle?"

"About that, it's unprecedented ..."

"In that case, we have no choice but to think about it again. The problem is, how do you keep the raiders from entering the royal castle, and in case they're let in by accident, how, in these two cases, can you minimize the damage."

In the security system so far, even if the knight watched over while people entered, it seemed that inspections such as baggage inspections had not been done at all.

It seemed that even inside the royal castle, the knights were stationed in places where the citizens might be lost and guided them.

Therefore, this time, we would set up two checkpoints, one at the bridge across the water moat and one in front of it, and thoroughly inspect any suspicious items such as weapons brought in.

"I have never seen the royal castle open to the public, but there will be quite a few people, right?"

"Yes, the chance to set foot inside the royal castle is only at the beginning of the year, so many citizens will come."

"Then, in order to avoid confusion, we have to use staff other than knights so that the inspection can be carried out smoothly."

"Even so, I think that confusion is inevitable ..."

"In that case, let's explain the reason to the people gathered and let them understand that the purpose of the inspection is to ensure the safety of the citizens."

"I respectfully obey."

As for the interior of the royal castle, we would build walls to prevent people from entering places other than those necessary.

It was sort of like a barricade, but it seemed surprising to Camilla, who had thought that everything would be dealt with by arranging knights.

"Are we going to build a wall?"

"If you use earth-attribute magic, it shouldn't be a big job, so you can remove it when you're done."

"I see, so on the day of the event, it would be fine to block the entrances and exits to unnecessary buildings, right?"

"Right, right, if that's the case, the number of knights to be placed can be reduced, and even if you want to set something up, it will take time to enter the building, so it will be easily detected. If you specify the locations, I'll let my genus help as well."

"Thank you very much."

In addition to this, while thinking about Japanese event security, making the flow of people one-way, creating a flow line to the toilet, while eating breakfast, we worked out how to deal with emergencies, how to assign backup personnel, and so on.

In the first place, in Japan, even if you made a fuss at an event, you would only be detained by the security staff, but it would not be surprising if they were executed on the spot in Resenburg, so it didn't seem to be expected that the general public would go on a rampage.

"I see, there is a difference in the way of thinking about security between the world of Maou-sama and Resenburg. No, thanks to you, we can build a perfect system."

"Then, Knight Commander, all that's left to do is repatriate the knights."

"Yes, I will prepare the order, so please wait for a while."

When the Knight Commander left the room, although there was a person in charge of serving, Camilla and I were faced with each other.

"Umm, Maou-sama, what are your plans for New Year's Eve ..."

"This evening, I will attend a party hosted by Klaus-san, the Lord of Volzard. Before that, I have to go to Japan to pick up Yuika's family, and tomorrow evening I have to show up at the banquet in Barshania."

"Is that so ..."

Camilla seemed satisfied with the story of Klaus-san's party, but when she heard Yuika's family and Barshania's name, her expression clouded over.

"I will ask Hart to stand by near Camilla, and depending on the situation of the attack, I will come to support you."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, if a commotion occurs while a large number of citizens have gathered, it's conceivable that many people will be injured, so it's obvious that it's better not to happen, but if it does happen, I will spare no effort in cooperating."

"Thank you very much, Maou-sama."

Camilla quickly left her seat, came around the table, knelt next to the chair I was sitting on, and bowed her head.

"Maou-sama, I intend to inform the citizens of my father's abdication and my succession to the throne on the first day of the year. I thought it was premature in the situation where Havre Calvine has not yet been captured, but I decided that if the situation where the throne is uncertain continues for a long time, the course of the kingdom will not be decided. However, to be honest, I feel a great deal of anxiety as to whether I will be able to fulfill my duties as King. I will give my all and pledge allegiance. I would like to ask you from the bottom of my heart for your support."

As she raised her lowered head, Camilla's face showed both determination and the anxiety of a great responsibility.

Staring at her moist eyes, which swayed as if seeking her salvation, I was hugging Camilla when I came to my senses.

"Maou-sama, I yearn for you ..."

In response to the whispers of a hot breath in my ears, we hugged each other with all our strength as if to fuse our existences.