49 - My Home After a Long Time
The personnel heading toward the cave that served as the forward base consisted of twenty knights, five mages, and four underlings. Along with the three Heroes and Ray, that was everyone. There were also mages who had preceded them to the main camp, and they had joined the formation. This was a larger scale operation than Ray had expected.
Ray concluded that he would not be the only one conducting the search. If everyone here had been prepared specifically to eliminate him, it meant that not only the Royal Knights but also the Mage Corps were involved. At that point, it could no longer be a mere succession struggle. Even if high-ranking nobles had their preferences, Ray thought that if both the Royal Knights and the Mage Corps supported one person, the matter would normally be settled.
In reality, this line of thinking was correct, even so, the Royal Knights and the Mage Corps would never support the same person. The rift between the two was that deep.
Naturally, moving with such a large group slowed their pace. Furthermore, some of the mages were inferior to the underlings in terms of physical stamina.
They took frequent breaks, and each time, they spent a great deal of nervous energy on perimeter security. Ray watched, wondering if they shouldn't be more nervous during the times they weren't resting, but the stopping of the march and the deployment of sentries seemed to be a set routine, the knights appeared to be moving simply by following a manual.
In Ray's memory, it had taken about three weeks to get from the cave through the forest. The road they were traveling did not look particularly overgrown compared to that time. In fact, they hadn't done any actual trailblazing so far.
One of the knights seemed pleased, thinking they would arrive in about the same amount of time, but Ray's thought was that it would take about the same amount of time.
Kamiira had said they could get through the forest in ten days. Ray felt that even now, while perhaps not exactly ten, he could do something close to it. Spending wasted time was nothing but agony for Ray.
He even entertained the irreverent thought that it would be a good way to kill boredom and test his skills if some magic beasts appeared, but so far, not a single magic beast had been seen.
As a trial, he tried to shake off the group and move ahead, but not only did the knights pursue him, he also felt presences in the surrounding forest. Ray realized that people from the intelligence department were surrounding them. It was as he imagined, but it was still troublesome.
Resigning himself to the fact that he had no choice but to behave until they reached the cave, he stopped making conspicuous moves and simply followed the march indifferently.
Change visited those tedious days after the march had passed its halfway point.
"All personnel, prepare for combat! Hurry!"
The voice of the knight acting as commander echoed. Upon receiving the order, the knights quickly began to form a battle array. Ten in the vanguard to protect the mages and underlings, with ten more lined up behind them. Several of the mages had already begun their incantations.
What appeared were jet-black magic beasts resembling wolves. They were beasts Ray had seen before. Those beasts were coming toward them in a pack. Through the gaps in the trees, there were approximately ten of them. Depending on how one viewed that number, it was debatable, but at the very least, the knights were braced without letting their guard down.
Magic fired by a mage from the rear of the array flew forward. Water spears brilliantly pierced two of the magic beasts running in front. With the momentum of their charge, the beasts struck by the magic rolled across the ground and crashed into the line of vanguard knights. The vanguard was thrown into significant disarray, but without showing agitation, they slashed at the following beasts.
Even so, it was still a bit pathetic.
"Do you perhaps... have no experience fighting magic beasts?"
Ray's voice muttered this, not directed at anyone in particular. A knight answered him in an irritated tone.
"Our duty is to protect the country from enemy nations."
Ray understood that he was saying fighting magic beasts was not the job of knights. In other words, he admitted they had either never fought them or were not accustomed to it.
Indeed, the vanguard knights seemed to be struggling against magic beasts that were fewer in number than themselves.
"What about magical support?"
"...It's already a melee. Magic cannot be used."
"Will the Heroes not fight?"
"...What exactly are you trying to say?"
The knight said this, but he was likely angry because he knew exactly what Ray was trying to say.
"Nothing..."
"That is training. They are still young knights, and we have them participate to forge them."
The words that followed were an excuse. However, even if they were young knights, Ray wondered if it was acceptable for them to struggle against magic beasts, which were among the weaker types in the forest.
Sensing Ray's feelings acutely, the knight spoke to him again.
"You may fight if you wish?"
"...I suppose so. Shall I?"
"Are you serious?"
"The time spent having this exchange—"
Before he could finish the sentence, Ray ran toward the rear of the array. What the knight saw as he hurriedly looked back was the figure of Ray, using his sword to slice off the head of a magic beast that had leaped from above.
"Above! There are more!"
At Ray's voice, they turned their gaze upward this time. At the end of those gazes were several magic beasts on the branches, about to leap.
"Above! Intercept them!"
But by the time the commander's order was issued, the magic beasts had already attacked the mages from above. In close-quarters combat, the mages had no means to resist. One after another, the mages were wounded by the claws of the beasts they tried to shake off, falling to the ground, only to be attacked by other beasts.
The knights did not just stand by and watch. They fought back, swinging their swords at the attacking beasts. However, there were simply too many magic beasts. It was a pack of beasts that might have reached thirty. One person had to face three beasts. It wasn't impossible, but while they were slaughtering one beast, the mages and underlings who had allowed them to close in were being attacked.
The only thing barely sustaining this situation was the power of the healing magic cast by Hinata. Grains of light rained down incessantly upon the wounded.
But as it stood, it was like repeating a torture of being wounded, then healed, then wounded again. The means to break the situation...
Clearly existed, but they didn't move at all.
Fumiya, who should have been the most powerful, prioritized protecting Hinata and Akemi and did not actively go to slay the beasts. He dealt with the beasts that approached him, but otherwise, he only performed long-range attacks with something like magic swords released from his blade.
Ray believed that if they actively joined the attack, the matter would end in an instant, but the knight did not instruct Fumiya to do so, and Ray simply watched in silence.
Just as those words suggested, Ray, the other person who could likely break the current situation, was just watching.
Impressive. Using that much healing magic, and her mana doesn't run out?
Ray was impressed, watching Hinata.
What is that? I wonder if it can be blocked with a sword?
Then again, Ray observed Fumiya's magic sword with interest.
Same as Fumiya. He swung his sword at the beasts coming toward him, but completely ignored everything else. Moreover, he was thorough enough to subtly kill his presence so that the beasts would not approach.
Ray's true feeling was that it would be great if everyone, including the spies around them, were wiped out.
Of course, things wouldn't go that conveniently.
"Storm Attack!!"
Just as the knights simultaneously distanced themselves from the beasts in accordance with the command, Akemi's magic was released. It seemed they had finally managed to use a proper coordination.
What Akemi released was wind-attribute magic reminiscent of a tornado. The fresh blood of the magic beasts caught in the magic danced in the air. Along with severed legs.
That's a brutal spell.
Ray shuddered, thinking of the carnage after the magic dissipated. In Ray's eyes, he could see the corpses of mages and underlings killed by the beasts being swept up as well.
Well, the power is impressive. I wonder if her aptitude is wind-attribute magic?
This was the first time Ray had seen Akemi's magic. More accurately, he hadn't even known that Akemi could use magic.
That would make Fumiya a magic swordsman, Hinata a light-attribute mage acting as the healer, and Akemi a wind-attribute mage acting as the attacker. He was impressed by how well-balanced they were.
Come to think of it, Ray didn't know how the three of them had been summoned. They were technically in the position of friends, but he realized once again that such a consciousness had already vanished.
By the time the beasts attacking the rear were dealt with, the vanguard knights had also pulled back.
The casualties were two knights, three mages, and all the underlings. The remaining mages suffered injuries that could not be healed by healing magic. It was devastating damage.
This damage seemed to have a great impact on the group, to the point where talk of returning to the main camp at the foot of the mountain surfaced.
"Feel free to withdraw if you wish."
Ray could not allow such a thing.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. If you are returning to the main camp, please do as you please."
"...You don't intend to follow?"
"Naturally. At this rate, there's no telling when the search can even begin."
"But, after taking this much damage—"
"There was supposed to be a deadline for this mission, wasn't there?"
"That is... But it is dangerous to proceed further like this."
"That is why I'm saying feel free to return."
"However, then we will be unable to deliver you to the base."
"Listen. After I reach the forward base, I'll be exploring the forest alone anyway. This just makes it happen a bit sooner. There is no problem at all."
In reality, there was no problem for Ray. The problem lay with those around him.
"No, as one who has accepted the escort mission, I cannot do that."
"Then please come along."
"I cannot guarantee safety."
"There's no way you could guarantee safety. Where do you think we are?"
"But, however—"
The knight was persistent. However, Ray felt a sense of incongruity with this persistence. The thought occurred to him that they might not be clinging to him for the purpose of assassination.
"We'll go with you."
Fumiya interrupted the conversation here.
"The Hero..."
"It'll be safe if we're together."
Ray didn't think so at all, but prioritizing haste, he stopped himself from speaking. For once, it would be helpful for Ray if Fumiya's selfishness prevailed.
"...What can three people do?"
"We can do anything. After all, we are the Heroes."
...Are they not getting along?
This was a new discovery for Ray. No matter how he heard the conversation between the knight and Fumiya, it didn't sound friendly. If this didn't stem from the knight's personal feelings...
The relationship between the Heroes and the Royal Knights is bad. Does that mean there's no connection behind the scenes? Then what is this shared hostility toward me? Are they misunderstanding something? Is it the other party, or is it me?
He lacked enough information to find an answer. That was all Ray could understand for now.
"...Understood. Then we shall withdraw for now. Let us reunite at the destination."
You've got to be kidding.
An unexpected abandonment of the mission. He had hoped it would happen, but he hadn't thought the knights would actually withdraw. It might be Ray's escort or assassination, but there was something more important to the knights. Enough to make them decide to abandon the mission. The Knight Commander of the Royal Knights was likely involved in this.
After sorting the luggage and securing their own shares, the knights truly descended the mountain.
"Fumiya..."
"It's fine."
"But..."
"It's okay. Three of us are enough."
Fumiya gave a persuasion that didn't feel grounded in any evidence to the anxious Hinata.
Ignoring the two, Ray searched through the luggage the knights had left behind for the bags containing food and chose one. The contents were raw potatoes. Adding other ingredients from different bags, Ray shouldered the bag and began to move along the path leading to the cave.
"H-Hey!"
"...What?"
"Don't just go ahead on your own."
"...Isn't it just a matter of going straight along this made path until the cave?"
"It is, but—"
"Then there's no problem."
After that, he ran through the forest at full speed. He could hear Fumiya shouting in the distance, but that didn't matter. If he had to say, there were presences following them other than the three, but he could make any excuse for that.
For now, Ray did not intend to hide his presence. There was no change to the first destination.
◇◇◇
Using it as a test of his strength, Ray moved while pushing himself quite hard. His sleep time was one or two hours. Even then, without any particular preparation for camping, he slept with his back against a nearby tree. For meals, he just gnawed on bread he had saved while running. He took almost no breaks other than sleep.
Even if magic beasts appeared, he basically ignored them. He only dealt with them when he couldn't shake them off. In any case, he moved with only one thought, to get ahead as quickly as possible.
In terms of the itinerary, he should have arrived in nearly half the scheduled time. It was a speed that surpassed Kamiira, but in Ray's case, he had traveled through somewhat maintained areas, so they couldn't be compared simply. Nor was there a need to compare.
In any case, Ray reached the cave with an extraordinary speed. The scenery that hadn't changed since that time spread before his eyes... or so he hoped.
Ray had been unconscious when he was taken from the cave, so he hadn't known. It seemed a very fierce battle had taken place, holes likely caused by magic were open here and there in the plaza before him, and the entrance to the cave was half-collapsed.
What washed over Ray's heart was not nostalgia, but deep sadness.
He went up to the entrance of the cave and peered inside. The lights that had illuminated the cave were extinguished, and the inside was quite dark. He proceeded inside, climbing over the debris blocking the entrance.
A short distance from the entrance was the dining area. Even in the darkness, Ray could see the table the four of them had used, miserably overturned. Several of the chairs had lost their original shape.
Further inside were the bedrooms. He entered with a slight pounding in his chest. These were rooms he had never entered while living here.
Two large beds. Kamiira, Kai, and Kara had slept here as a trio. There was no trace of those days anywhere. Dressers were also placed there, but everything had been pulled out, looking as if thieves had broken in. In reality, it was like being attacked by robbers.
Next to that was Rui's room. It was the same size with one bed. Because there were fewer beds, the room felt spacious. Other than that, it was the same as the room next door. He could see the aftermath of it being thoroughly ransacked.
It wasn't that he had forgotten. Even so, the anger that had faded somewhere began to bubble up inside Ray.
Further inside was Ray's room. And the room where Kamiira had died. When he pushed the iron bars, a displeasing metallic screeching sound rang out.
Entering the room, he stared fixedly at the floor. Even as he knelt and strained his eyes at the spot where Kamiira had fallen, no traces remained.
Still, Ray remained crouched in that spot, motionless. The tears he couldn't shed back then flowed down his cheeks and fell to the floor.
Ray continued to cry for a long time, but suddenly stood up and left the room. He headed for the water source in the back. Reaching the water source, he left his dirty hands immersed in the water and stared blankly into space.
This too was a place with unforgettable memories. He remembered himself being thrilled by Kamiira's naked body. It should have been a happy memory, but now only sadness welled up.
"...Shall I begin now?"
Immersing himself in memories would only make it painful. Ray intended to spend a few days here, but he decided to take action immediately. There was a limit to the time he could be alone. It was better to finish things quickly.
He stood up and proceeded further inside. It was the room where Shiro had been. Pushing aside the straw that served as Shiro's bed in the back, he exposed the floor.
After confirming it was the correct spot by comparing it with the location in his head, he placed his palm on the floor. A light faintly emerged. What was drawn was a magic circle.
The light from the floor intensified to the point where he couldn't keep his eyes open. When the light subsided and he opened his eyes, a hole had opened in the floor, and stairs leading underground were visible.
It opened... How did it... to me...
Naturally, this knowledge belonged to Kamiira. According to that knowledge, this magic circle should only react to Kamiira and the Master, but he also had the knowledge that he himself would be fine, contrary to that.
It had likely been transferred from Kamiira in some form, but Ray did not know the method.
Deciding to think about this later, Ray descended underground.
...It was safe.
Seeing many books lined up neatly without appearing to have been ransacked, Ray felt relieved. If the Kingdom had found this place, the plan would have been for naught.
Searching through Kamiira's memories, Ray took several books from the shelves and began to concentrate on verifying the contents.
He silently searched for the place where the things he wanted to know were written.
After several books, he was finally able to find the intended one. All that remained was to put the knowledge obtained from it into practice. He reached for the Collar of Subordination still fitted around his neck. Concentrating his consciousness and using mana, he read into the magic circle engraved on the Collar of Subordination. The first lock was released, and the second was no problem. Now only the final lock remained.
It was a replica after all. It was only of this level. As expected, in the way of magic, the human race falls far short of the demon race.
...Are you alive?
...You, if I were dead, you'd be dead too, right?
No, lately I've felt that might not be the case.
...I somewhat agree on that. Ah, I feel lighter. Freedom is great.
Is that how it feels?
Yeah, it's like a noisy teacher nagging and complaining. Because it's so persistent, you lose the will to resist and want to become a yes-man. Something like that.
That's not the image I had...
To explain it simply. So, what's the situation?
Ah, about that—
The other self, who had been resisting the Collar of Subordination all this time, was liberated. Ray explained the things that had happened so far to that other self. For the sake of their future actions.