Chapter 139: In front of the variant

“Will it really go well?”

In a small voice, I voiced out my surprise at the situation that was proceeding in a favorable manner.

In foreign problems, I would use power to force the situation into an advantageous direction for me and resolve it.

Even when I decided to do it, I still felt opposition.

Because you know, the war potential we have may not be in a country scale, but it is totally outside the boundaries of what one small-scale company has.

I feel like we would be able to eliminate a mercenary group, and even if we are faced with an army, in the worst case, we could manage to escape.

Tomoe, Mio and, depending on the situation, Shiki as well, are existences that can be called a one-man army.

If we used surprise attacks, I feel like we would be able to overwhelm a certain amount of troops.

Truly the definition of being a match for a thousand.

Gathering all our forces, we wouldn’t even surpass the thousand. This may sound like self-praise, but the races in Asora are quite strong.

Counting them as part of our power, I will move them as a company.

As long as nothing extreme happens, I feel like we won’t fail.

Now that I think about it, training the Forest Onis and having them sell medicine in the villages around the mountains was possible because they have been trained in the military arts and made them follow a pathless course.

I didn’t find that strange at all, and yet, I am facing away from my own power. It is truly a contradicting story.

That’s why even if I have opposition towards it, I get used to it.

This is not Japan.

I feel like this will become my number one excuse inside me.

I turn my eyes towards the spectator seats.

There, the Limia group is looking at the fight on the stage.

With this, just by providing them safety, I will be able to create a debt towards the people that have a high-standing in the countries.

There’s the chance that I will be able to turn the pressure of the people who complained and stood behind the guild, against them.

A smile naturally appears from my mouth.

“Well then, I should get going as well” (Makoto)

I pass through the mist towards the place they are.

Even so, why did Tomoe leave the short katana with me?

Well, it does help as a sub-weapon when using a long sword, and there are times when it can be used as a throwing weapon as well but… even so, thinking about it in terms of etiquette, it would be better to not leave a short sword to someone else.

I look at the katana that for some reason has been made as a weapon with the ability to teleport.

It felt like Root was also conspiring with her, so there must be some reason behind it.

It might be to hide the power of teleportation, but with how it flowed, just by changing the target of the power from Tomoe to the short katana, it won’t hide the reality of it.

Just why did those two change the teleportation power from person to object?

I still don’t understand it yet.

With that fuzziness inside of me, I look at the short katana in my hands.

Could it be, she still doesn’t know the meaning of having two swords as a samurai?

After I calm down a bit, let’s try talking about this.

If they are doing this knowingly, I won’t say much about it.

If the meaning of it is different from my own thinking, that’s fine too.

If she told me that it was just a trifle of hers, I can’t do much about it. I will just let her do as she wishes.

Trying to probe into it could lead into her just telling me that’s just her hobby, so if she herself is having fun with it, that’s for the best.

[Sorry for the wait]

“Don’t worry, that was a splendid teleportation. Our country prides in being the hyuman race’s number one in teleportation technique, but this is my first time seeing this kind of point-to-point spell. I would like to take some time after this to hear about it in detail, but right now I have to overlook that fight. No matter the result” (King)

“…”

Since I was pondering, I arrived a bit late, so I apologized to the Limia King.

I did think that there was no room to worry about it, and as expected, he easily let it go.

It seems the King is already prepared for anything that happens to the Ilumgand variant.

The Hopelace Head trembled at the words of the king and bit his lips though. Considering the situation, I am somehow aware of Ilumgand’s fate already.

It is the variant that even Shiki said would be hard to turn back to normal.

The chance of them returning Ilumgand to normal with their limited hyuman knowledge is incredibly low.

“I can’t feel a will anymore. He is really rampaging like a mamono” (Prince)

Hm.

The prince huh.

I could feel pity from his words.

Royalty and a high noble.

Both of them probably knew each other, so it can’t be helped.

“… Raidou”

The Hopelace Head suddenly talks to me.

In those eyes, he showed clear hostility.

I didn’t do much to his son though.

I was only stopping bullying after all.

When I meet with the people of Limia again, there’s also the choice of talking and clearing the misunderstanding.

Well, it will all depend if he is willing to, so I don’t know if it will be possible.

[What is it?]

“I heard that your store handles a high number of medicines”

Or more like, you investigated it.

[Yes, most of my merchandize is medicine]

“Is there no elixir in there that can turn my son back?”

[Sorry, but this is my first time seeing such a transformation as well, so the chances of my medicine curing him is low. With just a glance, I can tell that it is using the hyuman body as a catalyst and it seems to be quite the complex spell formula. To return him to normal, it would be as hard as returning a dish back to ingredients]

Using Shiki’s words as reference, I give a response.

“!!”

Hopelace didn’t say any words, but his face showed several different emotions creating a complex expression.

Anger, sorrow, regret… Obviously, I couldn’t see any positive emotions in it.

Witnessing his son about to be defeated, as a father, it is a given that he would feel that way though.

“What a splendid way of fighting. They are able to properly fight against Ilumgand, who was easily able to defeat the Purple Coats that are boasted by the Academy as being able to use all elements” (King)

I think using all elements and dividing the elements between all are two completely different things though.

“But it looks like they are having a hard time. As expected, maybe this was too much for students” (Prince)

The King and the Prince are looking at the fight in a relatively calm manner.

“Raidou, the two there giving out instructions, are they related to you?” (King)

The Limia King sharply notices Mio and Shiki.

[Yes. One of them is helping me out in my classes, his name is Shiki. The other one serves mostly as my bodyguard, Mio. Both of them are employees that have been with me since long ago and I rely on them]

“It seems they are not fighting though?” (King)

[I wanted the students to fight themselves. If the situation turns bad, I told them to back the students up, but in basis, I am having them give instructions in the fight. Also-]

“My son is not a stepping stone for your students!!”

The sudden shout at my side made me stop my words.

I thought he would come saying that, so I was about to give an explanation. How hasty.

[Also, since they were students learning in the same academy, I had a small hope that maybe they would be able to return Ilumgand-sama back to his sense. It seems for some reason that person hates me, so I thought that if our company people stood on the stage, the hope would grow dimmer]

“Kugh!!”

Hopelace, who was lining up the next complain, shuts up after my excuse.

These were words I originally thought of if I was asked by people like the Limia King or the Academy Principal, but I suppose it is okay to have him hear as well.

“Hoh~, you were that thoughtful towards a noble of our country. That consideration makes me happy. Right, Hopelace?” (King)

At the latter half, the harsh eyes of the King turn towards Hopelace.

I can feel that his aim is to have Hopelace apologize.

No well, there’s no real need to.

[It is just a plan where I am leaving it to the hands of my students. There’s no need to thank me for it]

While getting the better of the trembling Hopelace, I turn to the king and lower my head.

Also, from what I see, Jin and the others have no leeway to worry about anything.

“At any rate, it is going back and forth. I can’t see who would win” (Prince)

The prince speaks.

“Joshua, you can’t tell either huh” (King)

“Yeah, but I don’t understand something. Why are they only using fire element? Also, for all of them to be able to use the fire element is strange” (Prince)

Looks like they don’t have much knowledge regarding that area.

The specialty of the royalty and the nobles is, as expected, politics after all huh.

“Fumu. Raidou, can you explain this? If you are able to, please” (King)

But is it okay for me to be answering this?

There are two knights there after all.

Shouldn’t he ask them their opinion first?

Leaving aside the part about the fire element, the knights should have their own opinions about Ilumgand.

“Raidou, I don’t mind. Please explain” (King)

Thinking that, I turned my eyes towards the knights. Maybe the King understood what I was thinking, he ordered again.

[As you can see, Ilumgand-sama has transformed into that giant body. And well, mainly because the battle has gone for a long period of time, I can tell that the variant’s characteristic is mostly in the magic factor]

“Magic huh” (King)

[Yes. The current Ilumgand-sama possesses a firm resistance towards earth, water and wind; all elements except fire]

Detailed explanations of absorption, resistance, and nullification; in this case, let’s just not do it.

“To three elements you say” (King)

[Luckily, the students there are all trained to use several elements, so they are able to fight him with the only element that is effective against him. I think non-elemental magic will also work, but the efficacy gained compared to the consumption of magic power is bad, so I think their decision was proper]

“Everyone… is able to use several elements? Then you are having them learn elements other than the one they were born with?” (Prince)

When the prince talks in a courteous manner, instead of a prince, he sounds more like a butler.

I am a part of the lower class, so I think he should be acting like the other high-class people.

[Yes, that’s why they are able to provide a decent fight]

“Then why can’t they push him back?” (Prince)

[I think the main reason would be that the element restriction is limiting their options. The fire element originally possesses few restraining skills, and it is more suited for attack and self-enhancement. On top of that, Ilumgand-sama is absorbing the magic power of his teammates and the hyumans around. Because his maximum magic power is increasing, the debuffing magic is not working at all. Moreover, his wounds are regenerating to a certain degree, so if they don’t finish it with a big attack, there’s the danger of prolonging the fight]

While I was doing the explanation, the Hopelace Head suddenly makes a bitter voice.

I look at the stage.

I didn’t see it, but it seems they have dealt a big attack.

His arms are torn off from the shoulder down, and the giant is on his knees.

Arms?

Are they still fighting in order to incapacitate him instead of defeating him?

Looks like Mio decided that she gave enough advice, she is just looking at the fight without participating.

Shiki seems to be preparing for healing just in case and watching the progress of the battle.

Looks like the seven are quite fatigued. To the point that I am able to see it even from where I am.

From what I can tell, they are in a level where it is already hard for them to aim for incapacitation.

[Looks like the battle has progressed slightly. Though, it seems like their voice doesn’t reach him, and they don’t have the resolve to bring him down]

In terms of stamina, Ilumgand is the one in advantage.

Also…

While I was thinking about something that was bothering me, the thing I was anxious about happened.

The regeneration of Ilumgand’s arms.

Aaah~

This will probably break their spirit.

“What, the arms he lost are!”

“Regenerating…”

“Ilum…”

Hm?

Before Jin and the others got shaken by the situation, one of the people there took the initiative and rushed with sword in hand.

Misura.

Is he eager because he didn’t have much spotlight in the team battles?

But to enter in this timing and bring up the spirit is a good idea.

In a situation where their stamina is being chipped away, it would be bad for them to lose their willpower.

He must be tired as well, but it seems he is able to properly deflect the pitiful great sword that has been absorbed into Ilumgand’s right arm.

The battle has begun once again, to the point where they have to give him another big attack.

Thanks to Misura’s initiative, they have somehow managed to step it up.

(Waka-sama)

Shiki?

What is it? Is there a problem?

Thankfully, right now everyone of Limia is looking at the stage.

I have some room to talk with Shiki in thought transmission.

(What? A problem?) (Makoto)

(Yes. About two) (Shiki)

(Let’s hear it) (Makoto)

(First, about this variant. It seems that it will be impossible for the students to incapacitate it with pain. Moreover, the fact that he was a former student is making them unable to show their original battle power, so…) (Shiki)

(They probably won’t be able to beat it?) (Makoto)

(… Yes. If it’s just defeating him, they have already marked the medulla oblongata that seems to be his weak point, but it might be difficult) (Shiki)

(I see. When it seems like it is totally impossible, Shiki, shift with them and incapacitate him. And the other one?) (Makoto)

(It seems another one of those has entered here. There’s the danger that it might head to the spectator seats, so be cautious) (Shiki)

(Oh, I see. Thanks, I will be careful) (Makoto)

It seems nothing special happened in the middle of our transmission, and I was able to safely finish the thought transmission with Shiki.

Hmph~, one more is coming here huh.

Even if their mechanism is the same, their powers might be different.

I have to be in a distance where I can protect this people at any moment.

I am not sure if we will be able to cure Ilumgand, so I don’t know if there’s a point in incapacitating him though.

I just thought that it would be easier to talk with the Hopelace Head if his son is not dead.

!!

Suddenly, the tension around us increased.

For a second I thought that the battle situation changed again, but when I looked, there was no real change.

The Limia King and the Hopelace Head are in the place closest to the stage, the railings of the spectator seats.

And a step behind them, there’s Prince Joshua.

But that composition moved.

“King, please step back!”

One of the knights shouts and the two knights unsheathe their weapons and run to the back.

They were probably using perception magic to watch their surroundings.

At the place where they were running to there was nothing visible, but in a place quite a bit far from here, at the exit corridor of the spectator seats, the shadow of a gray colored variant appears.

Uwa~, its appearance is quite different.

Its change is so big that it doesn’t even look humanoid anymore.

A person that has developed in an abnormal way.

It has two legs, and more than half of its top is not composed of torso, arms, and then head.

It is only the head.

And its mouth is sticking out like the beak of a bird, and yet, it has fangs.

It still has quite the distance, but despite this, its mouth is so big that I can tell that there’s fangs in it.

On top of that, compared to a person, its eyes were more like those of a horse, big black eyes positioned on the sides of the face.

Saying it bluntly, it is disgusting.

In place of hair, its head has several tentacles undulating on it. It doubled its disgusting level.

The knights ran to fight against the monster probably to avoid fighting close to the king.

I see. I can agree with that.

In that case, I will step a bit forward and…

“GYAAAAA!!”

Hah?

There should still be quite a good amount of space between them, and despite this, what’s going on?

The knight’s scream made me doubt my eyes.

It seems that thing already reached them.

Those stupidly big legs are not for decoration.

It must have made a dash with tremendous instantaneous power.

Looking at the ashen colored variant that cut the knight’s body along with the armor to a thousand pieces and created a red spray and screams, for some reason, I associated it with a bullet.

Another scream overlaps.

I don’t know if it’s because it caught him off-guard, or because his skills are not that big of a deal – I will leave it as if it’s the former – but anyways, it didn’t take long before the other knight screamed as well.

The undulating tentacles turned sharp and pierced through the body of the knight.

The torso area, where the armor was the thickest, wasn’t pierced by the tentacles, but every other part was.

Neck, thighs, joints; areas where the armor doesn’t protect, and places where it can’t be protected because of its construction were pierced through.

It is probably fatal.

The place they were fighting was in an area I couldn’t reach in time, so I was unable to protect them.

I could use [Sakai] to heal them, but if I do so, that variant would also enter in its range.

Also, if I loosen my magic power suppression, what I am hiding might be discovered.

Tch.

But I definitely can protect these three.

It may not be the best option, but I have to deal with it.

Taking a crouching start stance with only its legs, it places strength in them. The variant turns its beak-shaped mouth towards me.

Ah, this is not a dash.

I was somehow able to tell that.

It seems my comparison was correct.

That thing shoots its body like a bullet and heads to our location in a straight line.

Okay, let’s stop it and defeat it.

When I was about to stop it and made a step forward, for some reason, a shadow passes beside me.

!!

Prince Joshua?!

“Father, please run!” (Prince)

Unsheathing a glittering thin sword that I would only think of as a decoration, the prince rushes to the variant in order to protect the king!

Ah!

Is he an idiot?!

This is bad.

Having the prince wounded would be extremely bad.

Right.

Even if I am not tense, that doesn’t mean the surroundings aren’t either.

Even so, this prince-sama is quite…

If I weren’t here, who knows what would have happened.

(Sorry Shiki. Wounded people or maybe casualties have appeared. I want you to come here and provide medical treatment. Mio can stay there, I leave the babysitting to you, Mio. I count on you, don’t let the students die) (Makoto)

Those two knights… it is probably too late.

But if it’s Shiki, maybe he will be able to heal them.

Since I didn’t have the leeway, I just leave those orders to Shiki and Mio without making an actual conversation.

From here, I can’t tell if the knights are breathing or not, even so, from what I see, those are definitely fatal wounds.

It doesn’t seem like there are other enemies, so if I just hold this one down it will be okay.

I hurriedly chase after the prince.

The variant is fast as expected.

At this rate… I won’t make it.

My body can’t just suddenly go from zero to max speed.

In an instant I understood that I wouldn’t be able to make it, so I make an ‘invisible arm’ with magic power in the space between the prince and the variant, to protect him.

I have [Sakai] to conceal it, so it should be invisible.

If he gets wounded he can still be healed, but if possible, I want him to leave unscathed.

My magic power catches the variant when it was reaching its highest speed.

Just like that, I swing the ‘arm’ and throw the variant to separate it from the prince.

While relieved by the fact that I made it in time, I carry Prince Joshua and escape from that place. I jump into an area where that thing’s vision won’t reach the prince.

Damn it. I have separated slightly from the king.

I threw it away, so it won’t come with another attack so soon but, I have to defeat it quickly.

[Prince, it was a sudden development, so please forgive me for my rudeness. I will deal with that thing]

Writing all of that at once, I began to wonder what the mysterious sensation in my hand was.

Eh?

“?!!”

When I look down, I see the stiffened face of Prince Joshua.

Maybe because of the shock of a while ago, or because it got stuck somewhere along the way; a part of his clothes were quite torn off and…

My hand is on top of that…

No way, this is, breast?

Eh?

My brain is in turmoil.

“… I will explain the circumstances later. Right now, please protect father” (Prince?)

Dyed in bashfulness, he, no, her? I heard her low voice.

I hurriedly separate my hand from her body.

Unable to hide all of my confusion, I correct my posture as if springing away.

Right.

I feel like I have done something quite bad, but right now the priority is taking out that thing.

Great, looks like that thing is still dizzy.

I restrain it with [Brid] and shorten the distance.

What I used was a non-elemental [Brid].

Chantless and no element. I did plan on winning with that, but it didn’t turn into a fatal wound.

However, it was plenty enough to hold it back.

Thanks to that, I was able to shorten the distance plenty enough. I clad magic power into my right hand and punch the side of its face.

The variant, that was send flying away with my punch, hit several seats and rails on the way and was bounded by it.

Great.

With this, the Limia king should be in a safe position.

Non-elemental spells have a tendency of having less firepower compared to the elemental spells of the same level, but from what I saw just now, a [Brid] is plenty enough to defeat it.

I do a quick aria, and making a gesture as if preparing a bow, I shoot out a white arrow.

The [Brid] that hit right on its beak didn’t pierce immediately and sends the whole variant to the back, weaving its way in a part of the spectators’ seat.

That’s because I reduced the piercing power on purpose.

I don’t know what it might do, so I thought it would be better to have distance.

But it seems my worries were unnecessary.

The variant swelled as if bubbles were popping up from inside it, and after, it scattered in all directions and died.

Ah, I was worried for a second there.

I see that Shiki has begun the treatment of one of the knights and I sigh once.

Looks like at least one of them will be saved.

I finished one job now.

… About the prince, I hope it doesn’t turn into a new trouble. But well, don’t think that will be possible.

If it was just the fight it would be so simple…

I try not to make eye contact with the prince and bring her to where the king is.

While I was thinking all this, I heard a scream incomparable to the ones before.

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