kscans

Chapter 258 - The Siege of Miglutt, Clovis, and Yuuki

We were heading toward the entrance of the Crystal Palace, the heart of Crystal Garden. The last vestiges of night clung to the sky, but the darkness was gradually fading as the eastern horizon began to whiten. A thin mist covering the ground grew thicker, as if to highlight the coming dawn, and it swirled and crept along the stone-paved streets. Mo was rubbing her eyes.

"You sleepy, Mo?"

"…Mm, I'm okay. What about you, Mash?" At her question, I tried opening and closing my hands. My mind was clear, and I didn't feel tired, but my feet felt floaty. It was as if I were walking on the mist itself, not the cobblestones, and the ground felt far away. If I lay down, I'd probably fall asleep instantly.

"…Your eyes are red."

"Are they? Yours are a little red, too." After Mo and I both rubbed our eyes with the backs of our hands, I glanced over at Myra.

"I'm fine as well. If it comes to it…" Myra gripped her mace tightly. I wondered if it was an unconscious gesture. Her expression seemed to soften, and she looked as if she were smiling. Was she already so tired she was going crazy? I'd been through a lot while we were separated. I'm sure she'd been through things she hadn't told me about, too. Was this a sign of her resolve, or was she at the limit of her strength? I started to worry.

"Hey, are you planning to keep yourself awake by hitting something with that? You might never wake up again!"

"N-no, that's not it! Please don't imagine strange things!" Myra's face turned red as she denied it, relaxing her grip on the mace. As I thought, she was also at the peak of exhaustion.

"More importantly, I'm worried about the church. I wonder what's happening with Maryanne's One-Land army and the Air-Ally forces." Myra looked toward the hill where the government office stood. I followed her gaze. The government building atop the hill was still shrouded in darkness, untouched by the faint light of dawn. We had no way of knowing the military's movements. But they wouldn't just stay put forever. Our goal had been to create a diversion, but I felt we had been a little too quiet. Looking back, we should have made a scene, checked their reaction, and then escaped, but we had too many people with us. The desire to avoid even a single injury had won out. I wondered if the liberation of the church was going well. With that thought, I glanced at Hyakka, who was walking with the members of New World. She, too, must have been at her limit after a series of battles. I'd had Takamura fall back to the rear with Doris to rest, and I felt it would be best to let Hyakka rest for a while, too, just like him.

"What is it?" Hyakka noticed my gaze and answered a bit bluntly.

"'What is it?' What's with you?"

"Hmph, what's with my 'what's with you'… Don't go wastin' my energy!" Hyakka sighed and lowered her gaze to the path.

"Just a little further. Yuuki's at the entrance to the Crystal Palace. I've got a feeling." She was here to defeat Yuuki, the man who killed her friends. Because of that, her usual good nature and approachability had vanished, replaced by a raw, prickly edge. It made her seem reckless.

"Hyakka…"

"I said, what is it?"

"This isn't over once you fight Yuuki, you know. After that, you have to live on as my sex slave."

"Are you an idiot? Who's gonna be your sex slave?! …But, if you really like me that much, Mash, I guess I wouldn't mind."

"Really? I'll tie you up, blindfold you, gag you, and drag you around until you're sopping wet and…"

"Hey! Stop with the weird fantasies, it's embarrassing!" Hyakka cut me off, lightly tapping my chest with the back of her hand before letting out a deep sigh. Her reaction was weak, probably due to her fatigue. I glanced at Chihiro walking beside her, but he just stared back with a tense expression. He'd always been quiet around me, so I couldn't tell if this was just more of the same. As I was about to check on the others, Myra pressed her shoulder against my arm.

"Mash, it's good that you're worried about everyone else, but you look the most tired of all." Hearing that, I recalled how I'd almost never cared about other people back in my original world. Had I changed without even realizing it? The thought scared me a little.

We arrived at the plaza where the entrance to the Crystal Palace was located. The mist had thickened into a fog, blanketing the square and obscuring our vision. There was no one in sight. The light of the sunrise was beginning to dimly filter through the fog, seeming to cast a deep silence over the entire plaza. I thought I saw a figure on the peak of the stone pyramid-shaped pedestal in the center. I narrowed my eyes, focusing my gaze. A gentle breeze stirred, momentarily clearing the fog. In that brief instant, I saw Clovis, his long black hair flowing in the wind. Standing next to him was Yuuki. They looked as if they were standing on the clouds. The damp, chilly air brushed against my skin. The fog quickly enveloped the pedestal again, but the two figures did not disappear. A demon woman and a gaunt man appeared, flanking them. The four shadows flickered, backlit by the morning sun. I remembered confronting Clovis in this very spot one night, when I was chasing Sameim. Now, we were on the opposite side.

"Yuuki!" Hyakka screamed. The members of New World all raised their weapons in unison.

"Hyakka, there should be another transmigrator putting up a defensive barrier."

"I know!" Hyakka gritted her teeth, looking up at Yuuki and the others. We couldn't see it from here, but a barrier created by the special skill of a girl named Oi would deflect any of our long-range attacks or magic. Chihiro's special skill, Shirasayairi no Ken, might be able to cut through the barrier with his sword's aura, but if I waited a little longer, I'd be able to use Goddess Summon. I wanted to stall for as long as possible.

"I don't see Mizuki…" Yuuki muttered, his brow furrowed in puzzlement. Then he drew his greatsword.

"Perfect timing. You can all die here." His dark, suppressed voice echoed across the plaza. Spurred by his words, Myra and Mo also readied their weapons.

"Wait!" I raised my arm as if to calm the tension, looking around before glancing up at Clovis and his group.

"Zeno is dead. The battle for Miglutt is your loss. Surrender." My eyes widened slightly at my words.

"You defeated Zeno?"

"Spontaneous human combustion. He just burst into flames and died!" It was a lie, of course. But I couldn't afford to make unnecessary enemies here. I wanted to reason with them through calm conversation, so I tried to brush it off with a random excuse, but Myra and Mo shot me looks with one eyebrow raised. I cursed inwardly. They, of course, knew the truth.

"…Very well. However, that is no reason for us to surrender." I remembered that Zeno was Clovis's nephew, but his reaction was cold.

"Your thinking might be different, but Yuuki, you said you were going to use the power of the three sacred artifacts in this world to 'rule this world, connect it to the original world, and dominate everything,' right? But you couldn't even gather the artifacts, and you can't even conquer a small city like this. What you're thinking is just childish madness." My words made Yuuki's eyes sharpen as he glared at me, but Clovis extended a hand as if to restrain his anger.

"Talking like the war is over… you're quite the hasty man. The battle has not yet ended." From the flat tone of Clovis's voice, I couldn't tell if he was serious or just trying to bluff his way through.

"Yuuki, do you know that transmigrators who come to this world can only live for ten years? It's the same for the ones who came with you. You told Mizuki you've been in this world for six years, right? No matter what you wish for, you'll die in four years, still clutching that dream."

"And you're no different, are you? But Clovis, the Linker, can handle the three sacred artifacts. My destiny will change," Yuuki retorted.

"The three sacred artifacts were brought to this world, but not a single person has ever been able to use them. Even the gods couldn't handle them and destroyed them. What makes you think Clovis can?" I shifted my gaze from Yuuki to Clovis. He just looked down at me like a Noh mask.

"I am the keeper of a divine oracle. I cannot entrust the future of this world to outsiders summoned by five goddesses. This world belongs to us, the ones who live in it."

"And this civil war is your solution? How many residents of this world do you think have been hurt?"

"A necessary sacrifice. It is not your place to interfere." Taking his words, I turned my gaze back to Yuuki.

"He can't even gather the sacred artifacts, just throw this city into chaos. This is the limit of that man's ability. At least I can send you all back to your original world."

"What did you say?!" "What was that?!" The surprised shouts came from Yuuki and, of course, Hyakka.

"You were hiding somethin' like that?" Hyakka said, her voice accusatory.

"No. It was just an idea that came to me when I learned about your special skill. Your 'Prince Charming' skill… it allows you to sense the location of your target and head there, even if you don't know where it is, right?" Hyakka bit her lip, mulling over my words.

"Don't tell me you're gonna order it to take us to the original world? But we're completely cut off from there. And it doesn't work over long distances."

"We're not completely cut off. We're connected through the 'World of the Jar of Holy Oil.' And the reason you can't travel long distances is just because your own magic power limits the range. There are ways to replenish that."

"But we can only go to the dungeons created there… Wait, no way!" Hyakka's eyes widened. It seemed she, too, had realized the potential of Toratsuna's special skill, the 'Yasakani no Magatama.' Using his ability to alter dungeons, we could access the outside.

"The World of the Jar of Holy Oil is like outer space; there's no air. But with Laciel, we can travel."

"Ah… so Chihiro and I can go back…" Hyakka pressed a trembling fist to her chest, as if savoring my words. Her eyes were wavering. It looked as if she was torn between this world and her original one. I couldn't remember if we had ever talked about her wanting to go back, but seeing her reaction now, it was clear she still had lingering attachments.

"But we don't know which timeline we'd go to."

"That's already been decided. The timeline we can return to is the one from which we were transported."

"Is that so…" Hyakka looked down, a complicated expression on her face.

"From the past until now, every single transmigrator has been transported to this world from the same day, at the same time." I turned my gaze to Yuuki.

"If even a fraction of a second passes in that world after you return, you'll never be able to come back here again. That's why ruling both this world and the original one is impossible."

"That's not true. If we gather the three sacred artifacts and activate the Ark, it should be possible to travel between worlds," Clovis answered instead. His voice was as cold and emotionless as ever.

"Have you tested it? Was it the Fifty Gods who told you that?"

"The Ark is what connected your world and this one in the first place."

"If that's the case, then I have even more reason not to let you proceed. For the sake of my original world, I will stop you." I drew my katana and pointed the tip at Clovis.

"Stop me…? Don't make me laugh." Clovis sneered. Just then, a gust of wind blew in, and the fog completely obscured our vision. When it cleared, another group of adventurers had appeared alongside the members of Messiah.

"You lot, kill the ones with the Kansai-accented woman. We'll kill the man." The man who seemed to be the leader, tall in stature, nodded at the words.

"Are you sure? The enemy isn't just them. They have a considerable number of troops in hiding."

"In that case, another group…" Clovis muttered, and another party of six appeared.

"You don't need to join the attack, but… if they interfere in our fight, dispose of them." Before he could finish, Clovis and his group began to descend the stairs.

"Hyakka, be careful! The only ones who can tell your Kansai accent apart are other transmigrators!"

"I know. And Mash, if you really care about me, you better not die here." Hearing Hyakka's reply, I turned my gaze back to Clovis and his group.

"That's dirty! Hyakka's group is six-on-six, but there are only three of us!"

"You're the one who challenged us to a fight," Clovis said, pointing his rapier at me.

"Tch…" Carried by the situation, I readied my katana. Myra stood beside me and raised her mace. I glanced behind me to see Mo with her wand raised, preparing a spell.

"I surrender. If I ask you to let me join you, will you forgive me?" I asked, addressing neither Clovis nor Yuuki in particular.

"After all that taunting, you're getting scared now?" Yuuki sneered, raising his greatsword. Just then, someone from behind me shot an arrow at him. Yuuki deflected the attack with the flat of his blade, a high-pitched metallic clang echoing out. The projectile spun through the air and embedded itself in the cobblestones between me and Yuuki. What I thought was an arrow was a kunai. A dog-eared girl strode forward and pulled it out.

"Master. My apologies for being late. As a member of Levante, I will fight alongside you." She must have run all the way here. Her voice was slightly strained. Famu pointed the tip of her kunai at Yuuki. Then, Mizuki, who had approached without me noticing, stood beside Famu and drew her sword.

"Famu, Mizuki!" My excited voice rang out.

"Hey, why didn't you call us when all this was happening?" a chiding voice called from behind me. I slowly turned to see Cecily and Aira standing on either side of Mo.