kscans

Chapter 298 - The Battle for the Fortress and a Short Respite

As I drank the liquid poured into my mouth, the sensation of soft lips pulled away. I tried to hug them, not wanting to let go, but my hands were held back.

"Everyone is watching."

Myra's voice rained down on me.

"It's just Famu and the others, right?"

As I said that and opened my eyes, I saw Myra's face looking down at me. Reflected in her dark eyes was my own dazed, half-lidded face. Does she really like such a pathetic guy? I wondered. As I tried to sit up, she supported my back. Looking around, I saw a mountain stream and heard the sound of a babbling brook. We were supposed to be on the mountainside overlooking the fortress, but it seemed we had come down to its base. I looked up at the mountain where we had been; the summit, which should have been covered in trees, was now just exposed brown earth.

"The giant...?"

"I believe we defeated it," Myra answered, sounding uncertain. The fact that I had passed out before seeing the outcome meant that Laciel must have left before the giant was truly defeated.

I scratched my head. I hadn't done a thing, and the battle was decided while I was asleep. What a cushy position.

I stood up and looked around. Famu, Mizuki, and Marmi were nowhere to be seen. I was about to ask where they went when I noticed Nephi lying at my feet, tied up.

"What on earth happened?"

She was even gagged. But the sloppy way the rope was tied bothered me. I was also dissatisfied that the rope didn't pass through her crotch. I retied her ropes to better accentuate the swell of her chest—the result of Aira's and my research into the most beautiful ways to display breasts with rope.

"Is this some kind of hobby of yours?"

"Mmph, mmph!"

Nephi seemed to want to say something, so I felt sorry for her and removed the gag. But her jaw seemed to be dislocated, as her mouth remained open. The cloth that had been in her mouth was soaked with her saliva. Looking dazed and vacant, she was more provocative than when she had her usual faintly smiling, bewitching aura.

"Hey, gags are for advanced hobbyists. We're not there yet."

"Like I would do this to myself!" she shot back, as if my words had snapped her back to reality. It was the first time I'd seen her raise her voice.

"So, whose hobby is it that has you tied up?" I shifted my gaze to Myra. Just then, a soldier from the dog-eared race appeared from behind her. The familiar bearded man saw me and bowed his head.

"To think you would defeat the Mountain God that even Okita Soji couldn't. As expected."

It was Trusar, captain of the One-Land family's Royal Guard.

"I didn't do anything. I was just sleeping."

"If you say that, then all commanding officers do nothing."

I thought he was being sarcastic, but I couldn't detect any of it in his dead-serious expression.

"Why are you here, Trusar?"

The civil unrest in Miglutt had subsided, and Maryanne of the One-Land family had effectively seized control of the city. However, despite enjoying popular support, her political inexperience and fragile power base were sources of concern. For that reason, she should have given up on wiping out the Crimson Brigade, who had aided the insurrection, and gathered her forces around herself.

"We knew you would be coming to this fortress, Lord Mash."

Just as he said, after visiting Famu's village, we had informed them that we would pass through this fortress on our way to the Demon Kingdom. That's why Maryanne had dispatched a unit to monitor it.

"It didn't have to be you, though, right?" He was one of the few allies Maryanne truly trusted. But Trusar shook his head.

"Lady Maryanne was concerned that you would stir up some trouble in this land, Lord Mash. That is why she decided to dispatch me and the knights here." He stared at me intently.

"The same goes for us. Even if it's a common-law marriage, we cannot allow Lady Maryanne to become a widow before she bears a child." So her subordinates had their own worries. Even without such pressure, I intended to return to Miglutt eventually.

"Were you watching the fortress even before we arrived?"

Trusar nodded.

"A short while ago, a large number of mercenaries fled the fortress. We captured and interrogated them, and they were saying strange things about monsters pouring out from inside. Indeed, we engaged in combat with monsters shortly after."

"What about the ones you captured?" Trusar silently pointed at the ground. To them, the Crimson Brigade were the murderers of their brethren and criminals who had incited civil war. They were likely no longer alive. Trusar's knights must have annihilated the mercenaries and monsters fleeing the fortress, and we had encountered the mercenaries who had slipped through their net.

"And your men?"

"The road to the fortress has been destroyed by a landslide. I have them creating a new route." Trusar gestured with his thumb towards the mountain behind him. Looking up, I saw the scar of a massive landslide, exposing the brown mountainside. The fortress was visible above it, though from here I couldn't tell if what I was seeing were stone ramparts or the castle walls.

"Famu and the others too?" Myra was the one who nodded at my words. For now, I understood the situation.

"So, why is Nephi tied up?"

"You should know, Lord Mash. This woman was in Clovis Leafkraut's party. There's a warrant out for her. We will take her back to Miglutt to face proper judgment."

"What?!" I looked at Nephi in surprise. She seemed resigned, staring silently at the ground. I couldn't read her expression at all. Next, I looked at Myra. She furrowed her brow and returned a troubled gaze.

"Let her go. I've asked her to be our guide to the Demon Kingdom."

"I cannot. She was a member of the Prophet's party. Unlike Sameim, she played a central and active role in the rebellion that took place in Miglutt. Besides, what do you think your transmigrator companions will think when they learn you tried to let this woman escape?" I had no answer to that. It was true that Hyakka and the others might not forgive her. But even though she hadn't lifted a finger, I couldn't just hand her over as a criminal anymore.

"If you need a guide to the Demon Kingdom, we have several spies deployed. We can assign one to you." Trusar added, driving his point home. Nephi remained silent.

"Please! Just until the Demon Kingdom. She's a valuable asset in a fight. We'd be in trouble without her."

"If you're short on fighting power, then I shall accompany you. Lady Maryanne would be able to carry out her duties with more peace of mind as well."

"Nephi has helped us on our way to this fortress. Please!" I bowed my head to Trusar. He must have known this would happen. Trusar let out a deep sigh. He then leaned his head forward and brought his mouth to my ear.

"I can tell. That woman will betray you." With that, he turned and left. I watched his back and let out a sigh of my own. My eyes met Nephi's. On her lips was that same, unreadable smile. I aimed a light kick at her chest. The tip of my foot met its soft texture. She let out a small, moan-like gasp and rolled over to turn her back to me. I crouched down and untied her ropes.

"To think a womanizer like you would bow his head..."

"It was for you! Reflect on your actions! You could have at least tried to defend yourself!" Nephi just chuckled softly and turned only her face toward me.

"Any unnecessary resistance would have just complicated things. Besides, Mash. I believed that you would surely save me."

"Liar!" In frustration, I started groping her chest.

The sun was already setting behind the western mountains. Evening was approaching. But we couldn't rest with the fortress right before us. We were climbing the route the knights had forged. Trusar's knightly order numbered a hundred in total. Leaving behind support troops, nearly seventy of them followed us. Levante walked near the front.

While they were building the route, there had been no response from the fortress. We had no idea what the situation inside was, but it was possible the Crimson Brigade had been wiped out. Furthermore, there had been no sign of Jinma, who was thought to be their leader.

I climbed, following Mizuki who walked ahead. Her rear was right at my eye level. A beautiful curve extended from her narrow waist. From there, healthy legs stretched out, climbing the mountain with a light step.

"Aren't you tired, Mizuki?"

"I am, but this isn't the time to complain, is it?" The battle with the giant had relied almost entirely on her strength. There was no way she wasn't exhausted.

"Did Laciel drop you?" Mizuki turned around and held down the hem of her skirt. It seemed she'd realized I was talking to her backside.

"She did! It hurt a lot." I didn't know from how high she was dropped, but the fact that she could get away with just that comment meant Laciel must have adjusted the height. Or perhaps her special skill, Super Save, which let her avoid fatal blows, had activated. If so, that meant she could probably jump off a cliff and not die. Come to think of it, the special skills she had chosen were all self-reliant, whereas the ones I'd chosen were all about giving up on self-reliance. You could say it was a reflection of her high self-esteem.

"What are you thinking about while staring at my butt at a time like this?!" Mizuki scolded me.

As we continued, the slope became gentler, and my line of sight shifted to Mizuki's waist, and then to the area around her shoulder blades. Her clothes were damp with sweat and clung to her skin, revealing its color underneath. As I walked while staring at that, she stopped, and I walked right into her.

"What have you been doing this whole time?" Mizuki chided me. It was true that ever since Myra woke me up with the mana potion, my concentration had been scattered.

Holding my nose, I peered over her shoulder. The gray, dull castle walls were dyed red by the setting sun. But that light was weakening, and they were starting to turn the color of black ink.

We reached the fortress gate. The door was closed, but the surrounding walls had crumbled to a height that could be climbed over. The buildings beyond were also visible, but they were severely collapsed.

"It looks like a ruin..."

"It was a ruin to begin with," Mizuki retorted coldly. I thought about groping her butt in retaliation but decided against it, as she would probably get mad at me for not concentrating again. I then noticed Mizuki was staring at me.

"Mash, are you really feeling tired..."

"I'm my usual self, aren't I?" I let out a light breath and checked my internal mana, but it seemed I hadn't recovered enough. I felt like the usual mana potion wasn't working.

"Don't push yourself, okay?" Just as she said that, the knights who had finished positioning themselves around the walls lit their torches. The walls, which had begun to darken, were once again dyed red. Still, there was no response from within. It was utterly silent. Trusar raised his arm to signal the charge.

"Wait."

I stopped him without thinking.

"The fortress itself might have turned into a dungeon." I remembered being swallowed by the pirate ship that had turned into a dungeon in Frucht with Myra. The view from the outside was different from the scene that unfolded within.

"If that's the case, it's dangerous for all of us to go in. We might get separated." Famu and Marmi agreed with me. Come to think of it, I remembered them talking about getting trapped in a mansion that had turned into a dungeon. Famu relayed that experience to Trusar.

"Then what should we do?" Trusar asked us.

"First, Levante will go in," Famu answered with a matter-of-fact expression, looking at me.

"Master, let's go!" Her brave voice echoed.