kscans

Chapter 56 - Riot.

The next day, we finished breakfast and left the inn.

We were strolling through town to see if there were any useful tools to be found in this country.

As we did, we saw that group gathered in the plaza.

I thought it was another speech, but something was off.

There was an air of fighting spirit, or maybe killing intent, about them.

A little curious, I decided to watch from the concealment of a street corner. Tina agreed.

A short while later, the leader appeared on the platform.

"My comrades! The time has come! Last night, God descended before me. And he said this: ‘The man and woman who stole my power are in this town.’ And, ‘When you have captured them, I will grant you my power.’ This is a command from God!"

"Ooooh," the followers murmured in awe. One of them spoke up.

"May I ask a question?"

The leader nodded, and the follower continued.

"What do this man and woman look like?"

It was a natural question. The leader replied.

"I asked that as well. But God said, ‘This is also a trial,’ and would not tell me. However, as a reward for my devotion, he gave me a hint. ‘They are not among the followers.’ In other words, they are a male-female pair other than us. Therefore, we will now capture these two foolish rebels who have defied God with our own hands! When we have captured the targets, God will descend upon this very spot! Is everyone ready?"

At his words, the followers each took up a weapon.

"Very well," the leader declared. "The heretic hunt begins now!"

His cry was met with a roar from the followers.

Then, the followers turned and charged out as one.

They began to capture any man and woman they saw. They used bows and arrows to disable those who tried to run. Adventurers fought back with their weapons. Some targeted pairs, while others targeted lone individuals. In short, they were attacking anyone and everyone without distinction.

It was a riot.

The word was a fitting description for the chaos that had erupted.

Beside me, Tina said, "We’ve stumbled into quite a situation. We should get out of here as soon as possible."

I agreed with her.

There was no way the Holy Knights would stand by during such a major disturbance. They would surely be dispatched to suppress it. In that case, there was nothing for us to do.

With that in mind, we started to move.

"There they are! A man and a woman!"

Multiple voices shouted from behind us.

Five hooded figures were heading our way. They held two-meter-long staves and brought them down in a wide swing. But an amateur’s staff technique is often wild and, on top of that, slow. I simply sidestepped to the right and threw a right punch at one of their faces. It was a clean hit. The hooded man collapsed on the spot.

However, the other four attacked without hesitation. I was about to fight them with my bare hands when Tina came to my side. It seemed she intended to fight bare-handed as well.

Two against four. They had the numbers, but we had the combat experience.

In an instant, the four of them were kissing the ground.

We had defeated them easily, without even getting winded. But I wasn’t optimistic. It didn’t matter how many we defeated here. There was no way out of this other than to take down the one who started it all.

"Tina," I said, "do you think we need to do something about that man to get out of this town safely?"

"That would be the best option," Tina replied. "But it would not be wise for us to make a big move right now. Considering our position, taking the lead would be a bad move. Let’s leave this to the Holy Knights. We can act if they are unable to handle it."

I quietly nodded at her conclusion. What Tina said was entirely reasonable. With that decided, we proceeded with caution.

Meanwhile, at a tool shop in the Saint’s Church.

Princess Olivia’s party, which had arrived in town the previous evening, had spent the night at a decent inn and were now strolling through the streets.

Sightseeing under the pretext of finding Shinsuke and Tina.

While Olivia was admiring some unfamiliar tools in the shop, Glad and Sakura waited at the entrance.

As the princess’s guards, they could not allow any suspicious individuals to approach.

As he stood guard in front of the shop, Glad said, "I’m exhausted by Olivia-sama’s decisions. I can’t tell if they’re good or bad."

Beside him, Sakura admonished him. "Glad-san, please be more careful with your words. Even if you’re speaking quietly enough that Olivia-sama can’t hear, it’s not something you should say."

Glad quickly covered his mouth with his hand. One must never speak ill of one’s lord, no matter the circumstances. That was the rule. Just then, he saw residents running about with panicked expressions.

"What’s going on? It’s awfully noisy," he wondered.

"I wonder," Sakura replied. "Could it be that bandits have invaded?"

It was a rather serious suggestion. It was then that they saw hooded figures attacking the townspeople.

"A riot?" Glad said. "Aren’t those hoods from that group that’s been active recently, ‘The Man Beloved by God’?"

"It seems so," Sakura replied. "But this is no time for idle chatter! We must protect the princess!"

Sakura’s voice was filled with panic.

But a shout came from behind them.

"There they are! A man and a woman!"

Three hooded figures were heading their way.

Glad instinctively raised his shield and mace. Beside him, Sakura readied her spear. When they were within striking distance, Glad asked, "I have a question. We only arrived in this town for the first time yesterday. Why are you targeting us?"

"It is the will of God," one of the hooded men replied concisely. "There is no other reason."

Glad realized that further conversation would be pointless. Their atmosphere was abnormal.

"Sakura, I’m counting on you to protect Olivia-sama," Glad said.

Sakura nodded.

Glad faced the three hooded men alone.

The result was Glad’s overwhelming victory.

Of course it was. He blocked all their attacks and beat them to a pulp with his mace.

Olivia and Sakura came out of the shop, and Glad said to them, "Olivia-sama, it’s dangerous here. I don’t know why, but a riot has broken out. We must escape at once."

"That will be impossible," Olivia replied. "I was listening from inside the shop. They seem to be looking for a man and a woman. The fact that they’re attacking indiscriminately gives the impression that they don’t know who their specific target is. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be committing such senseless violence. In that case, we should assume that not only the entrances, but all the gates leading out of town are sealed. Rather than escape, we should secure our safety. Sakura and I will barricade ourselves in a house somewhere. Glad, you will investigate the town, find the cause of this, and report back. It will be easier for you to move alone, won’t it?"

She gave her instructions with sound judgment.

Glad was convinced that Olivia-sama’s proposal was reasonable. It was true that there were too many of them to investigate while protecting Olivia-sama. No matter how amateurish they were, if they came in numbers, there was a high chance that Olivia-sama would be harmed.

If he were alone, he could fight and investigate without reservation. Glad thought to himself that Olivia-sama was truly an amazing person.

"I understand," Glad said. "I, Glad, will live up to the princess’s expectations."

He knelt and made his declaration. Olivia nodded in response. The three of them set out to find a safe house.

At the Saint’s Church, Holy Knight headquarters.

There stood a female knight.

She had short, golden hair and blue eyes. Though she appeared to be in her early twenties, her face was dignified. She wore a white cape, a silver breastplate adorned with golden embroidery in the pattern of a blue star, a miniskirt, black tights, and blue greaves that reached from her ankles to her knees. At her left hip was a sword with a green hilt and a blue scabbard, also embroidered with a golden blue star. She had more of the impression of a princess knight than a regular knight.

A knight approached this princess knight in a great hurry.

"Captain Altorine! This is terrible!"

The princess knight, Altorine, replied, "What is it? What has you in such a panic?"

The knight caught his breath and said, "A riot has broken out in the town! That group, ‘The Man Beloved by God,’ has suddenly taken up arms and is attacking people!"

"What?!" Altorine exclaimed. "What’s the cause?"

"Sir! According to the guards, they’re looking for a man and a woman, something about a trial from God… it seems to be a very confusing situation."

Altorine thought for a moment before replying. "You, go back to the town and give instructions to the guards. Do not fight the group, but prioritize the safety of the citizens. If they attack, focus on defense. If we attack rashly, the damage will be greater. I will gather the knights and head to the scene immediately."

"Sir! Immediately!" the knight nodded and ran off.

As Altorine headed to the knights’ barracks, she thought to herself that whatever the reason, it had been only a matter of time before they resorted to violence. Until now, it had only been speeches, but if that didn’t work, they would turn to violence. It was a typical pattern for those who only thought of themselves. But she saw this as an opportunity.

Until now, the higher-ups had insisted on a wait-and-see approach, so she hadn’t been able to intervene actively. But with a riot, she had no choice but to act.

With that thought, she was determined to put an end to it.

While people from all walks of life were acting on their own positions and agendas,

High above.

A small point of light hovered in a position where it could see the entire town.

"Just a little nudge and all this commotion… Humans really are so much fuuun~♪"

With a smile that could be an angel’s or a demon’s, Rumby the Fateweaver looked down with joy at the scene below.