Chapter 73 - The Defense of Nielen and My Impatient Hero
The three of us walked west through the city. The sun had already begun its descent. The battle had been raging for a long time. There were no Big Hoppers flying over our heads. Compared to this morning, it seemed the number of monsters in the city had been significantly reduced. I wondered if the Wandering People had fought hard.
Hyakka, her ponytail swinging, caught up to us.
"I went to the church, and they said you'd headed for the west wall."
So she followed us. Chihiro and the other members of her group were all with her.
"I've been through hell because of you!"
I lodged my complaint with Hyakka immediately.
"What're you talkin' about? This ain't my fault!"
Hyakka shot back.
"I knew it. We should have just pretended we didn't know anything and left town."
"You're kiddin', right? You talk big for someone who could never do somethin' like that."
Hyakka said, acting like she knew everything.
"Well, whatever. I'm still getting that kiss you promised, you know."
"W-wait a sec. That'd be my first kiss. No way."
Hyakka faltered.
"If you don't want it to be your first kiss, then go kiss Fam right now. After that, you can kiss me."
Hyakka's gaze darted between Fam and Cecily, as if pleading for help.
"You two are Mash's girlfriends, right? Are you really gonna let him do this to another girl?"
"Master, I will not kiss anyone other than my master," Fam replied.
"Of course it's not okay, but... it's Mash, so..."
And then Cecily gave her answer.
"So, what did you do with Mii and his group?"
"Threw 'em in a cell."
"They're transfer-students. They have special skills, you know."
He had shouted something about a Pile Rain. A skill like that would make a jailbreak easy.
"It's fine. It's that kind of prison."
Hyakka answered. Was this the power of the crystal core? I recalled the conversation between Mii and Maira. Come to think of it, I remembered them saying it also disabled storage abilities.
"The Men in Black will be judged by the laws of this city. Well, whether the sentence is light or heavy, it'll probably be death."
"I see..."
I nodded. I noticed Fam peering into my face and couldn't help but look away. I never wanted to see the faces of Mii and Kei again. But they had managed to survive. Couldn't I at least do something to help their two slaves? I didn't know about Doris, but Fang would probably reject any help I offered.
"There's a chance Isaac might go to rescue them, and it's possible that whoever was sheltering them might try to set them free."
I voiced a possibility that had just occurred to me.
"A solo rescue mission is impossible. Even in this situation, there are still guards. Besides, even if the Governor was their patron, there'd be a riot if he freed people who've done this much damage."
"I'd like to think so."
I replied to Hyakka. Should I try to track down Isaac? But too much time had passed. And in a city this chaotic, it would be difficult now.
"So, where're ya headed?"
"You know where. The west wall. I want to get to a place with a clear view of the battlefield. Can you come with me and arrange for me to get up a side tower?"
"What are ya plannin' to do?" Hyakka asked.
"Maira is watching over me from the great beyond. Just as she wished, I'm going to become a hero and save this city."
At my words, Fam and Cecily stopped in their tracks. It seemed they realized what I was about to do.
"Master, my sister is not dead. Besides, I thought you didn't want to do anything to attract more attention?"
Did she get the idiom? From the great beyond.
"...Mash. You should reconsider. You can reduce the number of casualties, but this won't do you any good. You'll just attract other transfer-students. It's better to let the city handle its own problems."
The two of them, usually so eager for a fight, were showing a rare reluctance.
"It's fine. They look down on us. That's why jokers like the Men in Black think they can pick a fight. So I'm going to take this chance to utterly crush them and make an example of them."
Though I wouldn't be the one doing the crushing.
The closer we got to the side tower, the more frequently we encountered Big Hoppers. Not that we had to do anything. There weren't nearly as many as there were during the battle in front of the church, and the members of Hyakka's group dealt with them. The destructive power of the battleaxe wielded by Moos of the Bovine Race and the hand-to-hand combat of Korne of the Rhinoceros Race was immense. All we had to do was walk behind them. The area around the tower was littered with the corpses of monsters. No, not just corpses. Some were lying on the ground, their legs and antennae still twitching. I kept my distance as I walked, just in case one of them suddenly got up and attacked. We reached the western edge of the city. The city wall had been breached in several places. The Big Hoppers must have charged it. The power to break through a stone wall was a terrifying threat. From atop the wall, I could hear shouts that sounded like roars, the clang of metal, and the sporadic sound of crossbows cutting through the air. The battle seemed to be taking place on and just outside the city wall.
"We're here. Now what?"
"Just like I said. I can't see the whole situation from down here. I want to get to the top of the tower."
"You ask for a lot."
As Hyakka spoke, Chihiro went ahead and entered the side tower.
"Just wait a sec. Chihiro went to talk to them."
"You have connections with the knights?"
"We've been livin' here for a year, ya know. We've handled a few big quests, too."
I nodded at Hyakka's reply, but I couldn't imagine myself getting friendly with the city's authorities even if I spent a year here. In fact, I was confident I'd be on bad terms with them. As I was thinking this, my eyes met Cecily's.
"What?"
She looked annoyed, even though I hadn't said a word.
"You're the type to start a fight with the city's leaders instead of getting friendly with them, too."
"It's weirder for a commoner to have connections with nobles. Even if they did, they'd just be treated as pawns."
Now that she mentioned it, she was right. My recent string of encounters with other transfer-students had skewed my perspective. This wasn't my original world. There were clear class distinctions here. After a short wait, Chihiro poked her head out of the tower's entrance and beckoned us over.
The inside of the tower was thick with the smell of blood and sweat. There were several soldiers lying motionless. Others were crouched over, breathing heavily, or groaning while pressing on their wounds. Some were being tended to by priests—likely dispatched from the church. A man who appeared to be in charge of this place glanced at Hyakka. She nodded in response. We made our way past the soldiers lying on the floor and climbed the spiral staircase.
"I'm surprised they let us through."
"I told them I was bringing the hero of Richelle, sent by Lady Racshell."
Chihiro answered.
"And they believed a story like that?"
"That woman Maira, the one Mash called his wife. I don't know her well, but she was called the saint of Richelle, right?"
I see. So the information had spread from the church. We finally emerged onto the top of the tower. The scene before me was completely different from the one I had seen just the other day.
The arrows fired by the crossbowmen were sparse. Many of the crossbows lay abandoned. They were running out of ammunition. There was what looked like a catapult, but no one was near it. Soldiers were fighting on top of the side towers and the city walls. Some were even fighting outside the walls. It had devolved into a melee. They must have been utterly exhausted. It looked like there were less than fifty of them in total. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call the situation catastrophic. And yet, the soldiers fought on. They couldn't retreat.
"I'd run," I muttered, watching the scene unfold.
"Master, your words and your actions are contradicting each other."
Fam held her sword at the ready, scanning our surroundings. A soldier lay fallen nearby. He seemed to be wearing more ornate armor than the others. Probably the commander.
"It's okay. He's still alive."
Hyakka knelt down and cast a healing spell. The man coughed violently and then sat up. So she could use healing magic. Chihiro also began tending to a fallen soldier nearby. Moos and Korne stood guard around them, protecting the two. Outside the city wall, an iron-barred cage had been placed. The bars were bent, likely from numerous impacts. Inside had been the pink Big Hopper. It was now mangled beyond recognition. The regular Big Hoppers were swarming around it. How many were left? It still looked like there were over a hundred of them. They had completely misjudged the enemy's numbers. Several ladders had been placed against the wall, allowing people to climb down. Only humans could use them so it wasn't a problem, but it looked strange. It was time to end this tragedy and bring this battle to a close. I raised my hand to the sky.
"Goddess Summon!"
As I cried out, the surroundings were enveloped in light. From within the radiance, a goddess appeared, sitting upon a spear that floated in midair. She looked down at the swarm of monsters with a cool expression, brushing back her long, golden hair. Even that simple gesture was beautiful. The soldiers' movements ceased. They stared at the descended Racshell, letting out wordless gasps. Those gasps turned into cheers. The sound became a single roar that echoed through the city, spreading to its people. A great shout came back from within the city walls, like an echo.
"I-is this... the real thing... from the rumors?"
Hyakka was stunned. Beside her, Chihiro's mouth hung open.
Ignoring the reactions around her, Racshell descended to my side.
"I am a goddess, you know. Aren't you using me a little too conveniently? Please don't call me for enemies of this level~."
Same old Racshell.
"I'll work you until those breasts of yours are flat."
"That's sexual harassment~."
Racshell puffed out her cheeks.
"Shut up. You've got a bad reputation with me and Mizuki, you know. Why won't you tell us what you want us to do?"
"What do you mean, calling your lover noisy!" Racshell exclaimed.
"...Are you trying to change the subject again? That's not what I want an answer to. I can manage, but Mizuki wants to go home. I'll help you achieve your wish."
At those words, Racshell's expression clouded over. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she said something. But I couldn't hear a thing.
"Did you hear that?"
I asked Fam. She shook her head.
"Master, Lady Racshell..."
Just as Fam began to speak, a sharp headache assaulted me. Mana depletion? The timing was too soon. It felt as though my mana had been completely drained the moment Racshell spoke. In this situation, I couldn't let her leave before she did anything.
"Well, whatever. There are no limits today. Go all out."
I told Racshell.
"The little bugs are very angry~. You brutally murdered their queen, then put her in a cage where she couldn't move and left her exposed. I have truly felt their sorrow. Let us turn this city to ash."
At her words, the faces of Hyakka and the commander twitched.
"Hey, it's the other way around. Can't you hear the voices of the soldiers protecting this city? I feel bad for the bugs. But this is the fault of the transfer-student your ally summoned. In other words, this is your own doing."
I figured she was joking, but I warned her just in case.
"I suppose it can't be helped. Mash, I shall grant your wish."
Racshell soared into the sky and raised her right hand. Seeing this, the soldiers erupted into cheers once again. It wasn't just their voices; a massive roar reached us from within the city. She swung her arm down as if answering their cries. In that instant, just like I'd seen in the arena in Richelle, a volley of thousands, tens of thousands of arrows rained down. Each arrow precisely pierced a monster, felling it. The rain of arrows poured down on the monsters on the wall, outside the wall, and even those inside the city. As I watched the spectacle, my vision began to narrow. My body swayed. It was just like before. I felt intoxicated. I couldn't remember what I had been thinking or feeling just moments ago. Everything seemed trivial. Cecily was saying something. Shouting, it seemed. Racshell was looking down at me, saying something too. I couldn't hear her. My mana was running out. Fam rushed to support my body, wrapping her arms around me. Fam, my beloved Fam. I was glad I could protect you again this time. I want you to stay with me forever.
"Master, I am always with you. I will be with you forever."
Only her voice came through clearly. Had I been speaking my thoughts aloud? I didn't know. My consciousness was fading.
Thank you for reading. To everyone who has liked, bookmarked, and rated this story, thank you very much. It encourages me. I'll do my best. Thank you for pointing out typos.