kscans

Chapter 58 - Conquering Good Fortune

Tina and I confronted the leader of the group.

Originally, we had no intention of fighting.

Given our position as spies, we didn't want to stand out.

But the situation wouldn't allow it.

A riot with no end in sight. A town we couldn't escape. It was pointless to just stand by and watch.

Above all, leaving things to others just didn't sit right with either of us.

The leader scoffed. "Hmph. To think a man and woman would come to me of their own accord. Now I don't have to think of an excuse for my followers. Still, you are a beautiful woman. How about it? If you return the power to my god right now, I will use my devotion and loyalty to ask him to spare your life. Then, you will become my woman."

"I refuse," Tina replied. "First of all, I have no memory of stealing power from any god. And I would rather die than become the woman of a scoundrel like you."

Tina’s tone was one of utter disgust.

The leader was taken aback. "What?! How dare you insult me! You are nothing but a heretic who defies God! It seems words are wasted on a fool!"

The leader shouted, but he didn't move from his spot.

Of course he didn't. No matter how protected by luck he was, he wouldn't attack if he had no skill himself. So far, this was more or less as I had expected.

In that case, I would try attacking from my side.

I poured magic into the ring on my right hand.

"Flame Bullet!"

A ball of fire shot out from my right palm.

It was a straight shot toward the leader. I thought it would hit.

But suddenly, a huge sign fell from the sky.

It fell right into the path of the fireball, which hit it and set it ablaze. The leader was unharmed. Furthermore, hooded group members closed in on me from the left and right.

There were twenty of them in total.

"Fuhahahahaha!" the leader roared. "Do you see now?! Do you understand how much I am beloved by God?! You heretics!"

He shouted, his face filled with the smile of one who was certain of victory.

But I spread my hands to the left and right.

"Flame Wall!"

I simultaneously created walls of fire on both sides.

The approaching group members came to a sudden halt before the walls that had appeared out of nowhere. They came no closer.

The leader saw this, but still wore a smile of certain victory. It was proof that he was completely off his guard.

I paid him no mind.

"Sea of Flame!"

I spread the flames in a thin film, creating a barrier that surrounded the leader.

Though it was a thin film, it was still fire. Touching it would result in more than just a burn. Faced with an attack from all sides, the leader did nothing but stand there. Normally, this would have been the end of it. But the bright sky rapidly clouded over, and rain began to fall in torrents. It was a heavier downpour than usual, and its force extinguished the sea of flames that had surrounded him. And as if to confirm that the fire was out, the rain stopped.

Soaking wet, the leader declared, "Fuhahahaha! Being too beloved is also a problem, I see. To think I can even control the weather… a truly wonderful thing, even if I do say so myself! Now then, what kind of trick will you try next against me, the one who is absolutely adored? Heretic?"

The leader’s voice was filled with mockery.

That voice really got on my nerves.

I was used to hearing voices like that at my company, but that didn't make it any less irritating. But I couldn't get emotional here. If I didn't stay calm, I wouldn't win.

Fighting an opponent protected by a strange power with nothing but passion was a recipe for disaster. I took a deep breath.

Then, I turned to Tina.

"Can you do it?"

At my single question, Tina nodded.

I was grateful she understood.

Tina touched the tip of her sword to the ground.

"Water Control Sword."

At her words, the rainwater on the ground began to gather around the leader, forming a puddle.

Seeing this, the leader asked in a mocking tone, "What’s this? What are you trying to do?"

I ignored him and placed my palm on the puddle on the ground.

I poured my magic into it.

"Thunder Shock Water!"

I activated lightning magic.

The lightning discharged only within the puddle.

Naturally, the leader, who was standing in it, cried out, "Ababababababababa!" as he was electrocuted.

Seeing this, I was certain my theory was correct.

The leader’s luck only activated against attacks directed at him. The knights yesterday and today had charged straight at him and were thwarted by his luck. So, I figured that an indirect attack might get through.

As proof, though not exactly, the heavy rain from before had poured down on the leader.

If his protection prevented anything from touching his body, it should have been adjusted to keep even the rain off him. But that hadn’t happened.

If that was the case, I thought that if I directed my lightning not at the leader, but at the water, it might hit him. My attack wasn’t aimed at him. It wouldn’t be thwarted by his luck.

I had discussed this plan with Tina beforehand. If I created a sea of fire, there was a high chance he would be saved by a water-related coincidence.

Fire is extinguished by water. It’s common sense.

Using that, Tina would use her water magic to create a puddle around the leader. Then, I would use my lightning magic on the water. An indirect hit on the leader. That was the plan.

The plan was a success.

The discharge stopped, and the leader, slightly charred, collapsed. His body was trembling, so he was still alive.

Seeing this, the believers muttered, "No way… the leader… the one beloved by God… lost…"

The surrounding hooded group members heard this, looked at each other, and then ran away.

They had no intention of helping him. This made it clear that he had built his group with luck and a silver tongue.

If he had true charisma, they would have helped him even if he lost.

Because that person would be important to them.

But it seemed the leader was not an important person to them.

"The rest is up to the Holy Knights," I said. "If they announce the leader’s capture, the riot will naturally die down. After all, the one who started it has been defeated."

"You’re right," Tina agreed. "And our being here will only cause more trouble. Let’s leave quickly."

I nodded in agreement.

We didn’t want to get any more involved than we already had.

We decided to hide somewhere until things cooled down.

And so, the cause of the riot was eliminated.

And this battle was witnessed by four different parties from four different places.

On the princess’s side:

After watching Shinsuke’s battle, Olivia said, "Hmm, to think there was such a way of fighting. As expected, those two are never boring to watch."

Olivia was in a good mood. Her two guards, after watching, were considering if they could use such a fighting style themselves.

On the princess knight’s side:

Altorine was supposed to rush to the scene as soon as she saw the two citizens fighting, but she had been ambushed by a group from the rear and was dealing with them.

After taking care of them, she was about to head over, but the man in samurai armor touched the ground and activated lightning magic. The attack hit the hooded leader, and he fell.

Seeing this, she wondered, "To think they could defeat that man of luck… who are those two?"

The knights near her shook their heads in response to her question.

The other knights did the same.

As Altorine was lost in thought, the two of them quickly left the scene. She immediately went to the plaza and touched the fallen leader. He had a pulse. He was alive.

And being this close, nothing happened. His luck was gone. She ordered the knights to arrest the leader.

"Now, we will focus all our forces on suppressing the riot," she said. "Seeing their leader captured will quell them. Get to it at once."

At her command, the knights began to act.

Altorine looked in the direction the two had gone, determined to find out who they were.

On Rumby the Fateweaver’s side:

Watching the battle from above, she hummed with her arms crossed.

"Hmm. To break through luck with a method like that… I’ve never seen that before. Oh well. I had plenty of fun, and I’ve inflicted bad luck on the rioters. Now then♪ What should I do next~♪"

As she was thinking, a voice came from behind her.

"How about we start by holding a meeting and having you report."

At this, Rumby slowly turned her head.

There, floating in the air, was a boy.

Rumby knew who this person was.

Bamhal the Dragon King.

Rumby’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

Bamhal approached her.

"Let’s go."

With that single phrase, he grabbed Rumby, and they were enveloped in a black mist and disappeared.

Another side:

Watching the battle from a back alley was the woman with short, golden hair. The one who had explained about the group after Shinsuke and the others had entered the town.

"Not bad," she said. "As expected of A-rank adventurers from the Kingdom. Their skill is a given, but their strategy was simply magnificent. I wouldn’t want to make an enemy of them."

As she was observing, a resentful voice came from behind her.

"Fooouuund yoooou~~~."

When she turned around, there stood a female knight with blonde twin-tails, long sleeves, a blue breastplate, long trousers, and blue greaves. She wore blue gauntlets on both hands and a blue coat that reached her ankles. Her face was young and dignified, in her late twenties. On her back was a trident.

Seeing the knight, she said, "Oh my~~. Boo-chan~~~."

At her feigned smile, the knight replied, "‘Oh my~~. Boo-chan~~~’ is not the right response! You just ran off! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"

She said it with a very angry face.

After shouting for a bit, she took a deep breath.

"And please stop calling me that. I have a perfectly fine name, Bradamante."

The knight, Bradamante, declared with her chest puffed out.

"What’s the big deal? We’re childhood friends. Don’t sweat the small stuff~♪"

She was completely unrepentant.

Realizing that saying anything more would be pointless, Bradamante sighed. "Haaah. Anyway, we’re going back now. The riot seems to be dying down, but it’s still going on. And it would be a problem if you stayed any longer. The king will be at his wit’s end."

"Alright, alright," she replied. "I’ve seen what I wanted to see, and my ride is here. I’ll go home quietly."

Hearing this, Bradamante said, "Then let’s return to the Republic, Prince Lustolfo."

She, or rather he, nodded and decided to return to the Republic.

And so, the incident at the Church was resolved.