Surely there’s no way a weak human like you can escape me!
If I use a spell to slow down time, I can catch up before he hits the ground. She made a prompt judgment and cast a spell. “Time Accelerator!”
As the world turned viscous, Shalltear moved to the spot the man had jumped from. When she looked down, she saw a slowly descending human. While this spell was active, it wasn’t possible to harm anyone, but one could, for example, get down to the street first and ambush them.
That’ll be good. Since I’ll be down there anyway, I’ll open my arms and catch him. Being embraced by a voluptuous beauty like me should make that human happy.
Smiling as she imagined his expression, she moved to descend before her spell ran out. That was when she realized there was more than one human.
Who are they?
It was someone in white full plate armor and a man who seemed like a thief.
Brain landed on the street and looked up. Shalltear wasn’t there.
She’s not chasing me?! Or is she giving herself a handicap like she did last time?
He hadn’t run because he believed he could get away. He just thought that he could buy more time for Climb and the thief as they escaped if he was down low rather than up high.
Everything he was doing was so those two could escape. That was why he’d begun this chase.
But just as he was about to start running, he saw something he couldn’t believe. Climb and the thief were there waving him over.
What the—?!
He felt like his head was going to start steaming, mostly from anger—and panic.
With a desperate expression, Brain went to them as fast as he could and, grabbing them by the scruff of their necks, set off running. It would have been much faster to run normally, but Brain was too out of sorts to realize that.
He ran as best he could, turning around again and again to make sure Shalltear wasn’t chasing them, and then slammed Climb up against a wall. He hadn’t controlled his strength well, so Climb bounced off and sunk to the ground.
“Why?! Why didn’t you go?!” His emotion was violent, but he mobilized what little reason he had in order to not yell.
“W-well, because…”
He grabbed Climb as he was staggering to his feet. “Because what, huh?! Are you gonna tell me you were worried or something?! I told you to go!”
“Wait, wait, wait, wait. I don’t know what happened back there, but you didn’t explain yourself well enough. This isn’t only Climb’s fault!”
Hearing the thief’s remarks, Brain began to regain his composure. The thief was right—he hadn’t said enough. He breathed deeply in and out. “…Sorry, Climb. I guess I went a little nuts there.”
“Oh no, I’m the one who should be apologizing. I shouldn’t have disregarded what you said.”
“No, this was my fault. I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper.”
“Hey, Mr. Unglaus. What the hell happened? We haven’t known each other long, but that wasn’t you just now. You were acting like…I’m not sure how to put this, but like a rookie who had just picked up a sword.”
“It’s too dangerous to stop here. Let’s talk on the move. For now, I’ll just say that I found a monster as strong as Sebas.”
The three of them walked with caution. It was only luck that Brain hadn’t run into one of Jaldabaoth’s subordinates when he’d fled haphazardly. If they expected to continue to have that kind of luck, they’d be in for trouble.
“But…you’re unharmed, so…did you win by a landslide…or did you settle things by negotiating?”
“No. I used my katana and…yes, I cut her fingernail.”
The moment he put it into words, he was filled with an impossible amount of joy. Yes, I cut the fingernail of that absolute monster Shalltear Bloodfallen.
“I cut her fingernail,” Brain repeated. He nearly lost himself in the glee welling up from the bottom of his heart and had to hold it back. Still, he couldn’t keep his voice from shaking with emotion.
“I—I see… You cut her fingernail… W-well, you did do it with a katana, so that is pretty awesome…” The shaken thief’s voice also trembled.
“…You cut the fingernail of someone as strong as Sir Sebas, huh? So yeah, that is pretty awesome…I think?”
“Y—? Yeah, wouldn’t expect less from Brain Unglaus!”
Brain desperately held back a goofy grin as he bathed in their praise. Then he shook his head to clear away the emotions. “Climb, I won’t treat you like a kid anymore. You get it because you’ve seen Sir Sebas, right? There are plenty of guys stronger than me. Momon from Raven Black is probably in the same realm as Sir Sebas. That’s why I want you to remember this. When I say run, you run. If you stay, you’ll only be in the way. Promise you’ll follow my orders without question.”
“U-understood.”
“Okay, then. You work for the princess, right? That’s why you were able to withstand Sebas’s murderous aura. So don’t mix up your priorities!” Brain patted Climb on the shoulder and cast his eyes back in the direction he ran from.
Why isn’t she coming after me? There must be some reason. I don’t even know why she was here… Don’t tell me she’s here for something in the warehouse district… Then he remembered what Renner had said. Could she be looking for the same item as Jaldabaoth? That would mean…he’s working for her?!
If a monster as ultra-powerful as Shalltear was here, the correct course of action was to give up on their objective and run away. But could he convince Climb of that? Climb had just agreed to follow his orders, so if he said to retreat, Climb would probably comply.
Is that a good thing?
It wasn’t wrong to run, if he wanted to keep Climb alive. But there are times a person has to choose to stand for something more important than their life. Climb was already under orders from Renner to basically die, so maybe this was one of those times?
He didn’t know exactly how the boy Climb—just Climb—had lived or why he’d devoted himself to the Golden Princess. Still, he didn’t feel it would be right for an outsider to change his will to follow Princess Renner’s orders.
Brain grabbed the thief and asked, taking care that Climb couldn’t hear, “Hey, is it okay to take Climb with us any farther? I wonder if it wouldn’t be better for him to return safely, even if he can’t fulfill his mission?”
“…You’re a nice guy.”
“Cut the pointless brownnosing. And I think you’re the nice guy, volunteering for this super-dangerous job.”
The thief grinned, blushing, and glanced at the boy who seemed curious as to what they were talking about.
“I guess, how do I put this…? This kid giving his all reminds me of my lost past… In other words, I’ve grown fond of him during the short time we’ve been together. Anyhow, I think I have a general understanding of what you’re thinking. You’re not wrong, but…” The thief’s eyes gleamed with a piercing strength. “This is how he’s chosen to live. Someone else shouldn’t distort that.”
Brain’s breath caught.
“I like that kid. Maybe it’s because we survived a deadly battle together, but when I look into his eyes, I can pretty much read his feelings for the princess. He’s unbelievable. He’s got a reckless, ridiculous wish. That’s exactly why, as a thief…I want to let him aim for the most valuable treasure in the kingdom.”
“…Yeah. He might die, but he decided it himself.” Brain’s resolve solidified. “Then let’s hurry on. There’s no telling when Shalltear will come after us.”
2
5 Late Fire Moon (September) 3:38 AM
The last of the adventurers slipped by the barricade and withdrew to the rear. This group of guards had orders to defend this position with their lives until the adventurers had recovered from their wounds.
The gap in the barricade—the space that had been opened to let the adventurers through—was immediately barred with lumber.
There was no one any farther ahead of
them. In other words, this was the front line.
Looking behind them, they saw the ragged figures of the retreating adventurers. Their armor was covered with fresh gashes and burns. It had also been dyed with splotches of blood.
Beyond them, the wall of flames blazed. They’d come a little over 160 yards into enemy territory. Though they were in their familiar capital, things felt off. It was like they’d entered some alternate, surreal world.
The buildings in the area had all collapsed. The guards were manning the barricade they’d built with the time the adventurers bought for them, but although it had seemed like the ultimate obstruction a little while ago, it was starting to look incredibly flimsy. Like it would fall with hardly any effort at all.
“It’s okay. The monsters didn’t chase after the adventurers. The enemy isn’t planning on attacking. They want to fortify their defenses, just like us. We’re fine. We won’t get attacked.”
Someone else said the same thing again. In order to distract themselves from the extreme anxiety, they repeated it over and over like a prayer out of a desire to return home alive.
There were forty-five guards defending this barricade. They carried long spears and wore leather armor. One of the men had a helmet on. This was Bona Ingre, one of several captains.
He may have been called a “captain of the guard,” but he was no different from an ordinary guard. He didn’t have a particularly superior physique nor was he a terribly quick thinker. The younger guards were probably stronger. The truth is, he’d acquired the rank only because he was forty and had been a guard for so long that when a position opened up and no one else was suitable, he slipped into it.
His face was pale, and he was gripping his spear so hard his knuckles had turned white. His legs were shaking. The reason he didn’t shift his gaze was probably because looking around was scarier. He seemed so unreliable that the anxiety of the other guards grew.
But this was the first time he’d ever risked his life in battle, so it probably couldn’t be helped.
Yes, the kingdom went to the Katze Plain each year for the war with the empire, but the role of the guards was to defend the city, so they weren’t dispatched to the front. For that reason, the job was the most desired one for citizens who didn’t want to go to war. But now…
Up until now, he might have gotten into some verbal scuffles with drunkards, but he only rarely had to jump in to stop a knife fight, so he had never experienced a more frightening situation than that very moment. The only reason he could resist the urge to run away was that he was sure he wouldn’t be forgiven for deserting.
Even if they were lenient, the whole reason he was exempt from fighting in the war with the empire was his duty to protect the city; if he couldn’t do that, they would definitely force him to go to the front next time.
“If I get out of this alive, I’m going to quit being a guard,” Bona grumbled.
Several guards near him agreed.
“Do you remember what the adventurers were saying?”
“You mean that they encountered hellhounds, greater hellhounds, gazer devils, and demon swarms?”
“Yeah. Does anyone have an idea what kind of monsters those are? Like, maybe if they have any weak points or if there are things that work well against them?”
There was no response. Everyone just looked at one another.
Noticing their discontent and their undisguised looks that said, This guy’s useless, he turned his anger elsewhere. “Shit! The adventurers should have given us more details!”
The adventurers who had given the guards the monster information had been heavily injured and in the middle of a desperate retreat. For that reason, it had been all they could do to just give the names; they didn’t have the time or energy to describe appearances or attack methods.
It was harsh to blame them for that. It was a failure of the commanders that, due to the lack of coordination between the guards and adventurers, information had not been shared efficiently, and the guards had to man the defensive line completely uninformed. And actually, not all the guard groups were operating without any idea of what was coming. Some units in the same conditions had gotten information.
Those groups sent a handful of members to help transport the adventurers to the rear, during which they could ask the details of the situation.
The reason this company hadn’t done that was probably because Bona, the leader, hadn’t come up with such a plan and also because he thought it would be outrageous to reduce the number of guards defending the barricade.
“They’re probably getting paid more than us, so they should try harder and actually risk their lives!”
A few people agreed as Bona jeered.
“We’ll risk our lives, too! So they should keep fighting, not retreat, right?” Bona asked the guards in the area. Oblivious to the cold stares from the guards standing farther away, he and the people around him shouted their complaints about the adventurers.
“Here they come!” called one guard who had remained on watch without shifting his gaze an inch.
Bona looked nauseated.
Everyone saw the demons walking toward them down the street.
The one at the head of the line was like a cross between a frog and a human. Its skin was a jaundiced color and gleamed with something mucus-like. Here and there on its hugely swollen body were faces, like the impressions of human heads forced against the skin from the inside.
Its straight mouth seemed big enough to eat a person whole, and when it opened, an unusually long tongue licked the air.
Hellhounds accompanied the froggy monster as if waiting for a meal.
And in the back were humanoids who appeared as though all their skin had been ripped off and were instead coated in a slimy black liquid.
Fifteen hounds, one fat demon, and six skinless demons that had been flayed.
“There’re too many of them!” Bona boomed. “We can’t do this! Run!”
“Shut the hell up!” someone screamed at him. “Can you be quiet for one damn second?!”
Bona gave a little shriek, but the guard who had yelled at him ignored it and turned to face the others with a tense expression. “Listen up! All you have to do is thrust with your spears! It’s not our job to kill them! We just have to buy time! It’s okay! We can live through this!”
At the words live through this a few guards gathered, and then a few more.
“Okay, let’s do this!”
Faces frozen in fear, they fanned out and held up their spears.
“You, too!”
Someone dragged Bona over to his appointed position. They couldn’t afford to let him stand around uselessly.
The hounds howled and tore into the barricade, trying to snap it apart. They crunched through the lumber with shocking speed. The guards thrust their spears into the gaps.
Here and there they heard a hound’s short yelp. Even the ones who hadn’t been stabbed moved away from the barricade in confusion. Then they paced around, growling deep in their throats as they took in the situation.
Having calmed down a bit, the guards jabbed with their spears any time a hound approached. When they did, it would immediately go away.
The guards’ faces brightened.
The way the demons in the back just grinned creepily and didn’t make a move was worrying, but if time kept passing like this, that was fine. It wasn’t as if they were there to defeat the demons.
“Wh-what?!” one of the guards cried out in terror at the scene taking place before him.
The hounds all formed ranks, lining up abreast just past the reach of the spears.
This behavior, different from the reckless charge from before, made the guards nervous. If they could’ve had some detailed knowledge about the monsters, they might have had a different way to cope, but as it was, all they could do was thrust their spears between the gaps in the barricade beams. They didn’t have any specific ways to respond to their opponents’ actions.
As they stoo
d with their spears, ready to thrust, the hounds opened their mouths—so wide their jaws appeared to detach. The red in the back of their throats wasn’t just the color of their oral cavities.
All at once, the crimson flames licked the barricade. The guards’ entire field of vision turned red as if the whole barricade had burst into flames.
It was an intense degree of firepower but too short to completely burn up the barricade. The same could not be said of the guards who’d been standing by behind it.
Screams. Some had charred their eyes while others had inhaled the flames, burning both their esophagus and lungs. They fell to the ground. The only ones who survived were the ones who’d been on the edges; all the guards in center positions had taken direct hits and breathed their last.
“I—I can’t take this anymore!”
It was on the tips of everyone’s tongues, and the first one to say it was Bona. His subsequent actions were speedy. He cast away his spear and threw off his helmet. Having made himself a little lighter, he bolted.
The remaining guards were stunned. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t considered the possibility of him fleeing, but to be so magnificently abandoned left them speechless.
Bona ran at a speed that suggested that humans grew faster the more trapped they felt. They watched him go, mouths gaping.
However, his escape came to an end when a demon fell down on him.
The demon with the bloated body flew despite its lack of wings and dropped heavily onto Bona. It sounded like dry twigs snapping.
They heard a voice sniffling in pain. Although the demon could have killed him easily, it chose not to. From the demon’s next move, they knew it was not out of mercy.
It lifted Bona into the air.
Then it opened its mouth and gobbled him up. Its already swollen stomach didn’t expand to accommodate him, but there was one significant change. Among the faces pressed into its body, a new one appeared.
It was hard to tell, but it appeared to be Bona’s.
The guards couldn’t move behind the barricade as they listened to it breaking down.
The Men of the Kingdom Part II Page 23
