kscans

Chapter 246 - The Siege of Miglutt and the Events at the Government Building

The government building stood atop a hill about fifty meters high. On its south side was a wide stone staircase, about twenty meters across, flanked by stone pillars at regular intervals. In addition, there were four switchback-style ramps, one for each cardinal direction. From the shadow of a nearby building, Riley and I scouted the southern staircase. The road leading from it was also wide, stretching toward a distant, triumphal arch-like structure. At both the top and bottom of the stairs, about twenty soldiers stood guard.

"So? Should we go?"

Riley grinned, extending her claws. The sound, however, echoed more than I expected. I quickly grabbed her by the collar and pulled her deeper into the shadows.

"'Should we go?!' What are you planning to do against that many?"

"Huh? Then what's your plan?"

Riley shot back. I cautiously peeked out to check our surroundings. The soldiers didn't seem to have noticed us. The hill was covered in trees, and while the slope was steep, it didn't look impossible to climb. But it was completely undeveloped terrain. The sound of stepping on dry leaves, slipping, or grabbing a branch and shaking the trees would give us away instantly.

"A frontal assault is our only option. You take the top ten, I'll take the bottom ten. Let's decide."

For some reason, Riley looked thrilled.

"Stop joking around,"

I said flatly. She just shrugged.

"What? You scared?"

"Yeah, I'm scared."

Riley's brow furrowed as she looked at me.

"Hey, hey, don't say that with a face like that... They're just heavily armored soldiers like the ones from before. I don't think it'll be that hard to break through."

"We don't know the situation inside the government building. If we run into more soldiers in there, we'll be caught in a pincer attack."

The smoke that had been rising from the building had mostly subsided, revealing marble walls blackened with soot. It looked like a demonic, ominous cavern.

"Don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll protect you."

Riley clapped me on the shoulder with a grin.

"Stop it. I'm not going to sacrifice you."

But I couldn't think of any other way. The site where Laciel had destroyed the Great Temple was now a crater, and climbing that cliff would leave us completely exposed to anyone watching.

"Guess we wait for nightfall..."

I muttered with a sigh. But the more time we wasted, the worse the situation seemed to get. It was just as Irysalie had said; the takeover was probably complete. We couldn't use the chaos as cover to sneak in. We just couldn't do this with only the two of us. Levante was probably with Marina, but I had no idea where they were hiding. I thought of Cecily and Aira, but if they were somewhere safe, I didn't want to drag them into this. The only other significant fighting force we could count on was Avea's group at the Mateo Trading Company, and Kalpana's Wandering People.

I didn't want to involve any of them. But our options for breaking this stalemate were limited.

"Do you want to get into the government building?"

Startled by a voice from behind, Riley and I spun around. Irysalie was standing there. While I stood gaping, Riley moved in a blur, pressing the tips of her claws against the woman's throat. Irysalie glanced down for a moment before turning her gaze back to me.

"How did you know where I was?"

I demanded. She smiled faintly and tapped her own wrist with her fingertips.

"This bracelet..."

I looked at the metal band wrapped around my own wrist, then scanned our surroundings. She was alone. Riley, still holding her claws to Irysalie's throat, glanced back and forth between us.

"Who is this woman?"

"An enemy."

"What?"

Riley's voice was filled with confusion.

"You pressed your claws to her throat because you thought she was an enemy, didn't you?!"

"But this woman smells like you. And the scent that was on you before..."

She was sharp. I cursed inwardly. Famu also had a sense of smell far superior to any human's. Maybe it was a beastman trait. I should probably wash that scent off before I saw Famu again. As I was thinking, Irysalie started to walk. The claws grazed her neck, drawing a trickle of blood, but she paid it no mind.

"Hey!"

Before I could stop her, she strode out into the street. Then she turned back to us.

"You should follow me,"

she said with a slight lift of her chin and a smile.

The soldiers were apparently familiar with Irysalie. As soon as they saw her, they lowered their spear tips and bowed their heads. Riley and I followed her up the stone steps.

"This land was originally a lush forest,"

Irysalie said, pausing halfway up the stairs to look back. I stopped and turned as well. Here and there, embers still glowed within the city. Beyond it, a great plain stretched to the horizon. That same plain now continued all the way to the city of Heilon, bringing with it a bountiful harvest and concealing the kingdom of the Earth Dragon Race in its depths. Irysalie gestured for us to keep moving and started climbing again. The steps were higher than they looked, but they were spaced far apart, perhaps to prevent people from tumbling down. There were also landings at regular intervals.

"The Leafkraut family used to rule this land. Then, an elf adventurer named Mama Marmi Mam Star Union came to visit. Her companions included a human, a dwarf, a dog-eared person... and a cat-eared person, I believe? In any case, she settled here with her strange group of followers. And they built a fortress on this land."

"Wait, are you talking about Okita Soji?"

"This was long before that."

Marma was Marmi's ancestor, but they were elves who were said to live for over a thousand years. Perhaps it wasn't such a distant ancestor after all. We passed between the rows of stone pillars and approached the government building. The smell of smoke and the thick, coppery scent of blood wafted from the open doors. Irysalie entered the building without a second thought. Riley, walking beside me, pinched her nose and looked at me with a wrinkled brow.

"Are you really going in there?"

"Yeah, I need to see what's happened."

We stepped inside the building. The space was vast. The high ceiling, dozens of meters above, was where Laciel had brought me when we descended before. On the floor below, the bodies of the dead were laid out like dolls at regular intervals. Most of them weren't wearing armor. They must have been members of the Senate, or people who worked in the government building. Riley and I gasped and stood frozen in place.

"The bodies of the family heads aren't here. They're in the back,"

Irysalie said, turning to urge us forward.

"This is temporary. We'll burn them after we've identified them."

At her words, Riley looked at me again. Even for her, a battle-hardened warrior, a sight like this must have been a first. I, too, felt a renewed sense of what war truly was, but I felt more detached than when I fought the Men in Black mummies or the pirates. Come to think of it, I hadn't even flinched when Riley stabbed that soldier earlier. Perhaps I was becoming desensitized to seeing people die so easily. I followed her in silence.

Irysalie stopped in front of a stone statue. It was of a cat-eared girl with long hair.

"She is the founder of the church in this region. The cat-eared girl I mentioned earlier."

There was no particular emotion in Irysalie's voice.

"...She wasn't human?"

"Until the current empire's influence grew stronger, there was no particular discrimination based on race for priests. To hide that fact, she was moved from the cathedral to this location. Thanks to that, she was spared the goddess's wrath."

We passed the statue and approached a door in the back. Two guards stood there, but upon seeing her, they immediately opened it. We proceeded deeper inside.

"The dog-eared man Marma brought with her was an incredibly strong warrior. No, he was undefeated not just in battle, but in every political conflict as well. With his strong backing, the Star Union family, who inherited Marma's blood, replaced the Leafkraut family as one of the Four Regent Families ruling this land."

There, Irysalie chuckled as if remembering something.

"Come to think of it, Marma was a daughter who had been exiled from the Great Forest."

Another set of guards stood at a door at the end of the hall. Unlike the others, these two were lightly armored. They were elves with long ears. They didn't automatically open the door when they saw Irysalie. When she glared at them, the guards exchanged a look.

"Even for you, we cannot allow you to pass."

Irysalie scoffed at their words.

"Whose influence do you think is making this rebellion a success?"

"Isn't that man behind you the otherworld hero, Mash?"

I was somewhat surprised that my name was known even to common soldiers like these.

"I have no intention of answering. Let us through."

The guards, seemingly overwhelmed by Irysalie's forceful words, opened the door. She gave a nod as if in greeting and proceeded inside. It was a cylindrical room made of stone, perhaps twenty meters wide. The ceiling was high. In the center was a raised platform, like an altar.

"Who are you?"

My voice echoed through the room, multiplying as it spread. As if confirming the acoustics, Irysalie looked up at the ceiling. It too was made of white marble. The room was devoid of any decorations like frescoes.

"You know of the Great Forest, don't you?"

I nodded. It was the forest at the western edge of the world where the elf elders lived. On our voyage to this city, our Levante party had met Marmi, who was on her way back from a visit to the Great Forest.

"I am here on the will of the elders."

"So you're saying the elf elders and the Leafkraut family have joined forces to bring down the Star Union family? Why would those from the far west meddle in the politics of a remote city like this?"

I had thought this was a civic coup, but it was also part of a larger civil war among the elves.

"Because you, Mash, came to this city and changed the situation, of course."

She pointed to the top of the pedestal. I looked up to see a circular stone tablet, twice my height, resting there. Carved into it was the face of an old man, his features contorted in a furious glare. A hole, large enough for an arm to fit through, was carved where his mouth should be.

"What is this...?"

"A sacred implement used in the secret rites of the dog-eared tribe. Isn't this what you were looking for, Mash? The stone tablet, the staff, and the Jar of Holy Oil from inside the Ark."

I stared at the stone tablet, breathless.

"This... is it? I was certainly looking for the two tablets of lore from my world... But the priest in Nieren said it was a 'mirror'."

I had thought the 'two' referred to a combination of the tablet Akitsuki Uta possessed and Famu's special skill, Yata no Kagami. We had been searching for Isaac, who had taken the mirror from Uta's coffin. Irysalie didn't answer my question. Instead, she brandished a single sword that had been placed in front of the tablet. An inscription, like a crest, was carved into its shining blade.

'Our Lord God is the One and Only, Without Form, Void Yet Spirit-Filled.'

It was the same sword that Akitsuki Uta had held, the same one Laciel had given to Mizuki.

"We, too, are collecting these sacred implements."

"For what purpose?"

"To seal away the calamity you will bring about."

Irysalie thrust the blade into the mouth of the stone tablet. The tablet emitted a blinding light, then began to shrink, its form changing. Soon, it took the shape of a bronze mirror that could be held in both hands. To be precise, its gleam was not that of bronze, but of some other metal. I couldn't tell what the mirror was made of, but its luster was like orichalcum, similar to gold. Eventually, the light converged into the mirror itself. A faint smile on her lips, Irysalie lifted the mirror. She smiled at her own reflection.

"You mean you started this whole mess just to get your hands on this thing? Was it worth building a mountain of corpses at the entrance for this?"

Hearing my words, Irysalie laughed even louder.

"How rude. I am trying to stop the conflict among you otherworld heroes, and even trying to leave you with a child. Do you have any idea how many mountains of corpses you otherworld heroes have built? The number of people killed by the transmigrators from a hundred years ago far exceeds the number of bodies here. And considering the calamity that is yet to come, I am actually keeping the casualties to a minimum."

We were on the move again, led by Irysalie. We were now walking through a basement, down a set of stairs. There were bloodstains everywhere, evidence of a fierce battle. Riley, walking beside me, leaned in close.

"Hey, this woman is insane. It would be better for this city if we just killed her here."

"And then what? We have no way of escaping from here,"

I replied. Riley clicked her tongue.

"We can figure that out after we kill her."

Whether she couldn't hear us or was pretending not to, she kept walking forward. The smell of blood that had assailed my nose when we entered the government building was growing stronger again. When she finally stopped, there were two mounds on the stone floor, each covered with a cloth. The mounds were unmistakably human-shaped. And beyond them was a jail cell, where an elf was hanging from chains, suspended from the ceiling. Even through his clothes, I could see countless cuts and stab wounds, the blood from which had formed a pool at his feet.

"Augustus!"

I rushed forward and shouted, but he hung limp, his head bowed, and did not reply. I rattled the iron bars again and again, but there was no response. As I was about to shake them more violently, Riley grabbed my arm.

"Calm down. Weren't you looking for a woman?"

I didn't know how to answer. I just glared at Irysalie. She dropped her gaze to the two mounds on the floor.

"The heads of each house. We will cut off their heads and display them in the city."

I fell to my knees, breathless. With a trembling hand, I pulled back one of the cloths. The form of an old dwarf was revealed.

"No... Katarzyna... Sky-Lot..."

I held my hand to Katarzyna's mouth. He wasn't breathing. I had a message for him from his granddaughter, Petra. But I could never deliver it now. And I was supposed to learn the dwarf legends from him. But I would never hear anything from him again. My whole body trembled, and tears streamed down my cheeks. Forgetting to wipe them away, I reached for the second cloth. My sense of depth was gone; I couldn't seem to grasp it. For some reason, it felt impossibly far away. I wished my hand would never reach it. I didn't want to know. I wanted to keep reaching forever. But my hand had already grasped the cloth. I was terrified to lift it. But I had to know. That's why I had come here. My chest tightened. My head throbbed. It felt as if the blood had stopped flowing in my veins. I had forgotten to breathe. I could feel my body growing cold. I steeled myself and lifted the cloth. I stared at the face lying there, and my eyes widened. It was a man.

"Seim... One-Land...?"

It was Maryanne's uncle, the man who had controlled the One-Land family until just the other day. It wasn't Maryanne who had been killed. I let out a long sigh of relief, but Augustus didn't look like he was alive, and Katarzyna and Seim were dead too. A storm of complex emotions raged in my mind, turning my thoughts to mush.

"So Zeno failed to kill the dog-eared tribe's leader... Seim is still the de facto ruler, but Maryanne is loved by the people. This could get a little tricky,"

Irysalie murmured, peering over my shoulder.

"Don't you dare! Is that all you have to say after killing someone?!"

I swung my elbow at her face. She dodged it with a swift movement. I pursued her, throwing a punch at her face. But she dodged that blow just as easily and drove her knee into my stomach. A sharp pain shot through me, and the contents of my stomach surged up. I fought down the nausea, crouching on the ground. Irysalie made no move to follow up, just looked down at me with cold eyes.

"You—"

I started to shout, when her mouth fell open and her eyes widened in shock. Riley's claws protruded from Irysalie's chest.

"Kah..."

Blood trickled from Irysalie's chest and mouth.

"I just got to this city, so I don't know the whole situation. But I didn't like your face or the way you talk. I should have killed you from the start."

As Riley pulled her claws out, Irysalie crumpled to the ground. The mirror rolled across the floor, lost momentum, tilted, and then spun faster before wobbling to a stop. Riley picked up the mirror and handed it to me.

"You're done identifying the bodies you wanted, right? This place gives me the creeps. Let's get out of here."

I leaned on Riley's shoulder and stood up.

"Wait, we have to rescue Augustus!"

"Give it up. We don't have time to rescue him. And we can't carry him while we escape. He'll just slow us down."

"If I abandon him and run, I'll never be able to face Marina and Mo again."

Hearing my words, Riley sighed.

"All that ever comes out of your mouth is some woman's name!"