kscans

Chapter 248 - The Siege of Miglutt and the Road to the Mateo Trading Company

I was worried about Rinko and Airi, but to avoid combat, we didn't stop by Crystal Garden, instead heading for the Mateo Trading Company through the area that had been controlled by the Star Union family. The fighting in this district seemed to have been limited. Clovis's soldiers had surrounded and taken the Star Union mansion, which had ended the battle there. The only other major damage was our house being burned down. Now, Clovis's forces were directed towards the southern region controlled by the One-Land family. As a result, there were no burned or destroyed houses here. However, the residents, fearing they would be caught in the fighting, were nowhere to be seen. As we walked down the empty streets, I sometimes felt eyes on us from within the buildings. When I would glance in that direction, the observer would disappear into the depths of the building. It didn't seem like we were being followed. The pain from my fall was coming back. The health potion hadn't fully healed me. Augustus, on my back, was heavy. I wished he would wake up soon and walk on his own two feet.

"Mash..."

As I leaned over, hands on my knees, Elisha reached out a hand to my chest. Her healing magic took effect, and I felt a little better.

"Please let me heal you properly."

"I want to meet up with the others first."

As I straightened up and started walking again, Elisha just watched me silently, her hands back at her chest.

"Is it really safe around here? This one is an enemy, isn't she?"

Riley muttered, glaring at Irysalie.

"My goal is to stop the influence of the otherworld heroes on this world. If Mash does nothing, then half of that goal will be achieved. The other half is to take possession of and seal the contents of the Ark that were brought to this world: the tablet, the staff, and the Jar of Holy Oil."

"That's no excuse to plunge this city into war! If it was something personal, you should have just told Mash directly. He'll listen to anything a woman says."

Riley stopped and grabbed Irysalie by the chest. Irysalie offered no resistance, just stared back at her with a cold smile on her lips.

"Hey, stop it."

I had nothing but distrust and anger for Irysalie, but this was no time for fighting. Besides, I was also starting to worry about Riley's recent assessment of me. But bringing that up now would only complicate things, so I kept quiet. I'd make her pay for it later, in bed. Riley clicked her tongue and shoved Irysalie away. When I prompted them with a nod, they started walking again.

"Why me? There are other transmigrators. Some of them have even become your allies, haven't they?"

"To be precise, it's you and Mizuki,"

Irysalie said. I tilted my head in confusion.

"I don't get it. It seems like it would be the same for any other transmigrator..."

"Have you ever heard the word 'Linker'?"

It was a word Petra had used when Clovis told me the elven myth. There was a clan in the world that heard the words of the gods and acted according to them. Just as the humans had the People of Light, the elves, demons, and dwarves also had such beings. Now that I thought about it, the 'People of Light' were the 'Wandering People' themselves. And Petra had said that the Leafkraut family was a clan of Linkers. They had a pact with the ancient Fifty Gods, and it was possible that some of them, like Kalpana's grandmother of the Wandering People, could receive the words of the gods.

"Are you saying that Mizuki and I have the role of Linkers among the transmigrators?"

Irysalie smiled.

"Exactly. Think about it. The otherworld heroes are usually chosen as a pair with a strong bond. But the two summoned by Lady Laciel have a weak connection. That's why they try to build a strong relationship in this world."

"You think my relationship with Mizuki is weak?"

It was true that the other transmigrators had strong pre-existing relationships: Hyakka and her group were siblings, Shizuka and Toratsuna were lovers, Rinko and Airi were an idol duo. When I really thought about it, Mizuki and I had no such connection. Our first meeting was when I was mistaken for a pervert and we were arguing, right before we were summoned to the goddess's temple. Our bond was formed after that.

"Yuki was closer to Mizuki than you were in the world before you were summoned, wasn't he?"

"Mizuki is closer to me than..."

Those were the words I least wanted to hear. I believed that Mizuki wouldn't leave me. But I didn't know why she would choose me. I felt like I hadn't heard her true feelings. I knew Irysalie was trying to get under my skin. But I couldn't help but try to read the meaning behind her smile.

"Clovis believes that Yuki can replace Mash."

"No way... [Goddess Summon]?"

Yuki's special skill, Void Treasury, allowed him to possess up to three special skills from defeated enemies. I hadn't been defeated, but when I escaped into the World of the Jar of Holy Oil during my fight with them, my connection to this world had been severed for a time. Perhaps that had counted as a death. Normally, there was only one user of a special skill, but it seemed that wasn't a strict rule. He had also used Emma's special skill. Emma had been killed by Yuki, but her clone had survived. And both Yuki and the clone could use the same special skill. Just as we were about to enter the One-Land family's territory, a group of soldiers appeared before us.

I could tell from their armor that they were Clovis's men. Irysalie stopped us from reaching for our weapons and went to face the soldiers.

"She's not going to betray us, is she...?"

Riley muttered, glaring at Irysalie's back. She had lowered her stance, ready to fight at a moment's notice. Watching her, I thought to myself that Irysalie had never been our ally in the first place, but it seemed better not to say that to her.

"Mash, do you understand what Irysalie is trying to do?"

Elisha, too, was gripping her long staff, her expression grim as she watched Irysalie's back.

"She wants Yuki to replace me. I took it to mean that I should do nothing?"

"Then she should just stay with the transmigrator named Yuki. But she's not thinking that way, which is why she's with you. I also don't understand why she's trying to kill the otherworld heroes besides you and Mizuki. If she's going to bring up the story of the Linkers, then the otherworld heroes are the very ones who have come to this land by the will of the gods. Furthermore, she is a delegate from the Great Forest, the elder of the elven race. Originally, she should be a third party with no connection to either the Star Union or Clovis families. So why is she siding with the Clovis family and inciting a civil war like this?"

At Elisha's question, I too turned my gaze to Irysalie. She seemed to be questioning the soldiers.

"I have no idea about my own situation. As for the elves' circumstances, the Star Union family didn't seem very well-liked..."

My voice trailed off. Did Irysalie even know the whole story? As I was thinking, Irysalie returned. The soldiers hadn't been chasing us; they had hurried away, and the danger of a fight had passed.

"It seems Marina hasn't been captured. The whereabouts of Mash's companions are also unknown. They are probably together. Also, the Sky-Lot family has surrendered and handed over their mansion. On the other hand, the battle with the One-Land family is at a stalemate. The remnants of the Star Union and Sky-Lot families have joined them. They will temporarily withdraw their troops, reorganize, and then launch a pincer attack from both sides with the Air-Ally family. That will end this battle."

I listened in a daze as she calmly described the situation. The rule of Miglutt by the Four Regent Families was on the verge of collapsing in a single day.

"What about the transmigrators, Rinko and Hyakka's group..."

"I don't have detailed information on that, but I heard that several were killed in Crystal Garden."

Could that be Rinko's group? I had heard there were other transmigrators besides them, but I had no way of knowing. I realized that Irysalie was staring intently at my eyes.

"Mash, don't you want to end this fight?"

"What can I do?"

I replied, my voice tinged with self-deprecation.

"An envoy was sent to the One-Land family to urge their surrender during this temporary ceasefire, but there has been no reply. It seems they are determined to fight to the end. You should be able to appeal directly to the head of the One-Land family, Maryanne."

"That's ridiculous! You want me to go and tell Maryanne to surrender?"

"You hate fighting, don't you? And you care about that woman, don't you?"

"But..."

I clenched my fists. Maryanne was important to me. But I couldn't imagine my words would have any effect in a situation like this. The weight of their history of ruling Miglutt rested heavily on their shoulders. If they could so easily abandon that and change their course, a conflict like this would never have happened in the first place. Of course, I strongly wanted to see her. But I didn't know what to say to her in this situation.

"The outcome is already decided. It's impossible for the One-Land family to turn the tide of the battle from here. Even if she wishes to continue the war, it will only increase the number of casualties without changing the result."

"Is there no thought of you guys pulling back your troops? At least you don't seem interested in the outcome of this battle. Your only concern is the transmigrator hunt going on in the middle of it, right?"

At my words, Irysalie smiled. It was an unpleasant smile. I felt like she was looking down on me.

"That's right. But unfortunately, the ones who started this war are Zeno Leafkraut, Clovis Leafkraut, and Istvan Air-Ally. I can't stop them."

"Aren't you the elves' overseer from the Great Forest?"

"They have their own objectives."

I glared at her, but she just continued to smile, as if deflecting my gaze.

"Hey, we don't have time to stand around here arguing. Let's head to the Mateo Trading Company during the ceasefire,"

Riley said, cutting in between us.

The One-Land family's territory was different from the other districts; signs of fighting were visible everywhere. There were houses with burned-out ceilings and houses with holes in their walls from the impact of magic. Although the bodies had been cleared away, you could see broken arrows, bloodstains, and abandoned, broken weapons. The smell of burning, dust, and something like mold hung in the air. We also saw barricades made from household furniture in various places. Witnessing such a scene brought home the reality of the war, and my desire for Levante's safety grew even stronger. From behind the barricades, armed residents watched our passage.

"The Mateo Trading Company is just around that corner..."

Finally, I'd be able to put down Augustus, who I'd been carrying on my back. With that thought, I walked down the street. The shop had a courtyard for temporarily storing goods and bringing in carriages. A caravan of covered wagons was lined up there. Amidst the hustle and bustle of people, I spotted a female warrior in a bikini-style armor.

"Avea!"

I shouted and ran towards her. She turned around, then her eyes darted around, searching behind me. Her gaze stopped on Augustus on my back, and she snorted.

"This brings back memories. Aren't Famu and the others with you?"

I had thought they might be here, but her words shattered that hope.

"...We got separated. What's with the carriages?"

"Oh, since there's a lull in the fighting, we're sending a caravan out to Heilon now."

The wagons being prepared were the same ones we had taken from Heilon to this city.

"That's a sudden departure. Are you going too, Avea?"

"We were planning to gather a few more goods before the caravan left, but it's the fault of those idiots who started a war out of nowhere. I need to stay and protect the young mistress, so I'm remaining here."

"Are Claire and Mercedes staying here?"

"No, we're closing the shop and leaving the city with the caravan. The Wandering People are here, right? I was going to ask if they could take us in until the fighting dies down, but since you're here, that makes things easier."

Just then, I caught sight of Claire, her small white wings fluttering, talking with Yanan, Doris, and Takamura's group. When she saw me, her eyes lit up, and she came running.