CH 79

—[There are signs of an invasion operation by the Imperial Army in the hilly Ryukyus region north of Kainis.]

It was three weeks after the attack by Lent and his men that the news reached the Royal Castle. We, the SS, Dantha and Hibiki, were summoned to the throne room.

“…The war is finally starting.”

The king said tiredly, and a heavy air descended on the throne room.

“For the past three weeks, we have done everything in our power to avoid war. But it seems we have been unable to turn the tide. Forgive us.”

“What do you say, Your Majesty? It is not your fault, Your Majesty. It is all the arrogance of the Empire.”

Morgan-San shakes his head in dismay.

“All of our messengers have been turned away at the door, and they have only presented us with a one-sided conditional offer [to hand over Ark the Brave], which is beyond rude. If the kingdom were to accept this, it would be tantamount to unconditional surrender. It will only make the Empire take advantage of us even more. Your Majesty’s decision to persistently try to have an opportunity to negotiate is not mistaken.”

Princess Leia, standing next to her, also nodded.

“Our kingdom’s efforts will be known to the neighbouring countries. That alone should be enough for us to consider that one of our initial objectives has been fulfilled. More than that, Father, now we must think about the future.”

“…Mm. That’s right.”

“Now, there is a reason why I have summoned you like this. It seems that one of the Seven Warriors is in their army.”

At the king’s words, we looked at each other, but no one looked that surprised.

… Well, it’s like I knew it, you know. It’s not hard to imagine that if there’s a cheat character, they’ll use it. And that we’re probably the only ones who have the strength to fight them.

“So, Father, these seven warriors, who are they…?”

“Mm. Considering the reported appearance and the characteristics Hibiki-dono told me, I think they are probably ” “Gun Warrior “.

“Gun Warrior…?”

Nina tilted her head.

“That’s a thing, isn’t it, Your Majesty? Some kind of light arrow? The one that shoots something like that, right?”

“Mm. That should be it.”

Nodding at Nina’s ambiguous question, the king turns to Hibiki.

“So, was it? Hibiki-dono.”

“Ah, yes. Yes – well, it’s not an arrow of light, but a beam.”

“Mm… sorry. I can’t quite imagine what that {beam} is.”

Everyone except Hibiki is laughing bitterly.

It’s no wonder, there is no concept of ray beams in this world, so it can’t be helped. It’s been a long time ago, but when Hibiki taught me about the unique skills of each warrior and their characteristics, I remember well that only the characteristics of this gun’s warriors were not conveyed to me at all.

I remember that it was hard to think of a bunch of light being gathered together and showing tremendous power. If you were born in Japan, it would be easy to get an image of it, like the {Kamehameha wave}…

“Hmmm, I wish I could come up with a good analogy…”

Hibiki thought as she folded her arms, and her expression brightened as if she suddenly remembered something.

“That there, Your Majesty, when Gustav was fighting Nanjou before, there was a skill you pulled out at the end, wasn’t there? Do you remember it?”

“Ah, mmm. That real thunderbolt-like blow?”

“Yes, yes! That’s the one. The gun fighter can fire attacks like that indefinitely.”

“What…?”

The king opened his mouth.

“That lightning-like strike… infinitely?”

“That’s right~. But perhaps the Gun Warrior is stronger when it comes to power. I heard that the Gun Warrior has the {strongest} attack power among the Seven Warriors.”

Hibiki says matter-of-factly.

“They can make a huge hole in the ground with a single shot, and as I recall, if there are multiple cannons to fire, they can fire that many at once. Also, there’s talk that they can fly with the power of the beams… I mean, have I told the same thing before regarding this information?”

“…Mm. I heard about it through Leia.”

The king presses his forehead, as if he has a headache.

“So you’re saying that if we leave the Gun Warriors unattended, more attacks than Gustav’s [Thunder Shadow] will rain down on the Royal Army’s heads unceasingly…”

At these words, the other members of the group all become quiet, as if they have also formed a concrete image of the attack methods of the Gun Warriors.

“…Impossible, there is no way to prevent it. No soldier, no matter how well-trained, can defeat falling lightning.”

The king nodded deeply at Nina’s words.

“Mm. That must be admitted. But that doesn’t mean you can just let yourself be beaten.”

The king turned to me as he said this.

“Gustav, I’m thinking of asking you to play a major role this time as well.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I’m always sorry. Gustav, I need you to stop the Gun Warrior. If he is allowed to move freely on the battlefield, the kingdom is sure to lose.

“I will do my utmost.”

…Well, I knew this would happen. I’m the only one who can stand on equal terms with the Seven Warriors in terms of level at the moment.

“Your Majesty, I would like to take Spera-san with me to the battlefield, is that alright?”

“Mm? Yes, of course. If I may ask, is Sper-Dono somehow the key to this war?”

“No, it’s simply that I can’t fly by myself.”

…As expected, if the attack doesn’t hit, there’s no way to deal with it.

“Eh? Gustav, what about me?”

“Niña, this time you’re staying at the royal castle.”

“Why?”

I pat the head of Niña, who bites down.

“I want to leave one member of the SS as the princess’s escort. We’ve discussed the evacuation route inside the castle and the evacuation point outside the castle over the past three weeks, but I’m still worried that not a single member of the SS will remain in the castle.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Anyway, no. This time, stand by. Standby also means that you’ll be mobilised in case of an emergency. You’ll have to be ready at the castle for that.”

Nina was about to open her mouth to say something back when I folded my words, but…

“Nina-san.”

Princess Leia, who probably read my mind, took that hand of Niña’s.

“I also ask you to do me a favour. Please, can you stay inside the Royal Castle?”

“Even Leia…”

Nina let out one big breath as if to relax.

“All right… all I have to do is to stand by, right?”

She folded, saying.

“Thanks for the help, Nina.”

“Hmph! Call me before you get in a pinch!”

With their talk settled, the king finally said

“Gustav, after the war, I promise to reward you for your exploits. It will be a hard battle, but please, I ask you to take the territory of Kainis.”

I nodded deeply at his words.

“I may have to make another wish regarding the knighthood.”

“Huh, when it’s the wish of the man who settled the war with the Empire, no one will argue.”

Then, as soon as he left the throne room.

“Gustav-Sama!”

The princess comes to me with a very worried look on her face.

“When will you leave for Kainis?”

“Yes, today. I’ve never been to this town before with Spera, so I can only teleport to the town on the way…”

“I see…”

The princess wraps my hands in the palms of my hands.

“Please, be safe.”

“Yes. I will definitely come back in good health.”

“Please, it is a promise.”

Tightly, we clasped each other’s hands.

“…The lord of Kainis is my childhood friend.”

“Eh?”

“She is a very talented commander with a very good and humane heart, and she is also a very strong person herself. I am sure that she will be of great help to you, Gustav-Sama.”

“Ah… I see.”

At the sound of my voice, which leaked out unintentionally, the princess tilts her head with a scowling face.

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”

We parted ways, vaguely misdirecting the moment.

I returned to my room to prepare for my trip to Kainis. As I pack up my things, I think about the town of Kainis, which, come to think of it, I haven’t set foot in since I was reborn in this world.

…But you never know what life is like, do you? I never thought that the day would come when I would be able to make a connection like this.

Chaika von Schoenbrumann, Count of Kainis.

She is Princess Leia’s childhood friend, a count with a large territory in the northern part of the kingdom, including the town of Kainis, and above all, she is the last heroine of {Let’s Go Crush the Demon King.}, a heavily armed knight character.