Evileye nodded at Narberal’s assertion.
Ainz brought a fist down on Narberal’s head without thinking.
“My teammate has her opinion, but you two say differently… I imagine we must be about equal strength.”
“That’s the mature thing to say. Meanwhile our teammate, well…she hasn’t grown physically—or mentally.”
“You keep on—!”
“Okay, that’s enough. Do you mind not shaming our colleague? That’s an order from your leader. I doubt there will be any big changes to our strategy, so why don’t you go visit Tia and Gagaran, Tina?”
“Will do.”
The two dead members had already been brought back to life. Ainz regretted not being able to witness the resurrection, but he was satisfied with the information he learned about the process.
“By the way, can you use dark energy on the demon we’re up against?”
“…Dark energy?”
Confused, Evileye answered Lakyus, who was also perplexed, “Yeah, I heard from Gagaran. That Demonic Sword Killineiram you have radiates enough energy at full power to swallow up a whole kingdom, right?”
Lakyus’s eyes popped wide open. “L-let’s talk about that later! We have more important things to discuss right now!”
Demonic Sword? Wait a minute… I’ve heard that name somewhere before—not in Yggdrasil but here in this world… Oh yeah! Ninya! She said something about how it gave off dark energy. But could it really…? A whole country?! That might be an exaggeration, but even if it came close…
Ainz gathered that she was blushing out of anger, and that her panic was probably caution after having had her ace move revealed.
As all eyes were on Lakyus, there came a knock at the door, and two men entered without waiting for an answer.
“Brother! And Marquis Raeven.”
Reacting to Renner’s voice, everyone bowed slightly.
It was Ainz’s second time meeting this pair.
The first time had been just a little while ago, when he’d entered the castle. That was when the request got changed from guarding against the Eight Fingers to subduing Jaldabaoth. He was also asked to cooperate with the adventurers who Renner had gathered for that purpose.
After a brief hello, they said they needed to talk to the princess, so Ainz and the others were going to leave the room. They’d already decided on a rough plan, and the idea to look for Sebas had been shot down, since they had neither the time nor means to find him. Lakyus would take charge of everything else on the ground.
“Well then, everyone. I shall pray to the gods that each and every one of you makes it back… Everything depends on you all… Actually, it’s more correct to say it depends on Sir Momon. I hope for good luck during your fight.” Renner bowed her head, and Ainz and the others acknowledged her on their way out.
Remaining were Marquis Raeven, the second prince Zanac Valléon Igana Ryle Vaiself, and Renner.
The moment Climb left the room, Renner’s face fell slack, and her blue eyes took on the hue of a frozen lake in winter.
The change, intense enough to be called dramatic, gave Zanac the chills. He said, “I heard the details from the back…” The room they were in was built with an eavesdropping room adjacent to it. The two of them had been listening from there. “But there was one question that didn’t get answered. Why are you forming a line with the guards? …You’re just sacrificing them?”
Guards were weak. They were most likely no hardier than the lowest-rank adventurers. If they were attacked, they’d be completely crushed, no doubt about it.
“They’re food.”
That was the answer the pair had expected.
“One of the adventurers mentioned this, but it will be dangerous if the lower-level demons under Jaldabaoth’s command spread into the town; we’ll prepare a place for them to eat nearby so they concentrate there.” She laughed, adding that full stomachs should dampen their urge to kill.
Surprisingly few things in the world finish neat and clean. There would always be victims; statesmen had to act in ways that created as few as possible. Renner was a paragon of that viewpoint.
But the creatures called humans always had emotional objections.
“There’s no better way? Something that wouldn’t put the guards in harm’s way?”
“If there is, what do you propose then, brother?”
He clammed up.
He didn’t have any ideas better than Renner’s. He had ideas, but none of them cut it. All he could do was acknowledge that her plan was the best one they had for the moment.
The marquis averted his eyes from the prince who had fallen silent. Then he asked a question. “May I also ask something? Why did you give Climb such a dangerous mission?”
“The same reason my brother is going to patrol the city with your personal troops.”
Zanac was planning to make rounds in the capital to give people the sense that someone from the royal family cared about the commoners. Then later, they would spread gossip that the elder prince had hidden in the castle to stay safe. The goal was to build up Zanac’s reputation while tearing down his brother’s.
So if her reasoning was the same, perhaps Renner wanted to better her renown by sending her right-hand man on a dangerous mission to rescue people? But considering how she said she felt about Climb, the marquis still didn’t understand.
She must have realized Raeven still had questions. She continued, “Climb might die, but in that case, Lakyus can simply cast a resurrection spell on him for me, don’t you think? It takes more than a little gold to perform a resurrection, but I have that much, so it’s no problem. And then who will look after Climb, all weakened after having his life force sapped by the spell? Who would complain if I nursed the boy who fell in battle after following my orders and was brought back to life?”
“I see. That makes sense. Thank you. But what if—”
“—Lakyus dies, right?”
The marquis bowed his head to communicate, As you so wisely perceive, and Renner explained.
“During the more dangerous second sortie, I’ve arranged for an issue to come up. The head of the adventurers’ guild said she doesn’t want to lose someone who can use resurrection magic, either, so she readily promised to cooperate.”
“You planned everything out, huh, sis?”
“Yes.” She beamed, and Zanac shivered. Even Marquis Raeven could barely suppress the chill that went up his spine.
Chapter 11 | The Final Battle of the Disturbance
1
5 Late Fire Moon (September) 2:30 AM
The roaring flames didn’t give off any heat; they were like illusions. The adventurers at the head of the line exchanged glances with their teammates before mustering the courage to take a step into the towering wall of fire.
The support unit from the shrines had cast a defensive spell on them, which reduced fire damage, so the reason they held their breath must have been because they were worried about their lungs burning.
We told them this fire wouldn’t hurt them, though…, Lakyus grumbled in her head as she watched over them from the rear. Then she considered the fire wall.
It doesn’t do any harm, so it’s fine was too simplistic a way of thinking. If the demon’s aim wasn’t to cause damage, then they needed to figure out what effects it did have and why it was made.
Times like this when all the thinking in the world doesn’t get you an answer, it’s better to just give up… Was it Evileye who was saying I should use my head for more important things? Or my uncle?
They passed through the magic fire like a mere mirage. The flames had no heat, nor did they present any resistance.
Lakyus scanned the adventurers walking with tense looks on their faces.
The plan was to form a line, but inside the city it was virtually impossible to make a neat line, so with four orichalcum-rank teams as linchpins, all the adventurers split into four groups. To someone with a bird’s-eye view, it would have looked like fo
ur amoebas spreading out.
As long as the orichalcum-rank adventurers were acting as anchors, they had to be good models for the others. But even they’re nervous. Really, she would have liked them to conceal their fear and inspire courage in the other adventurers. I guess I have to be the one to take the lead?
If she stood at the head of the line, morale would probably improve, too, but right now, she didn’t have friends she could rely on by her side. She may have been adamantite rank, but that didn’t mean that a single Rose could equal an entire orichalcum team. That was why she’d asked them to serve as the vanguard.
It would probably bother them if the one who asked them to go was to butt in…but…at some point I should probably get out there and lead, Lakyus concluded and crossed through the wall of flames.
A silent world stretched out before them. Apart from the fact that some buildings had collapsed and there was no sign of any people, the city streets were just the same as before.
“Where did the residents go? It doesn’t smell like blood. Are they holed up in their houses?”
“That can’t be. Look, the doors are kicked in. They must have been taken somewhere.”
“There might be demons lurking in the empty houses. Should we go through each one? It’ll take a while.”
“We should play it safe and contact Lakyus for orders.”
“Then I’ll do that right aw—”
“That won’t be necessary.”
The consulting adventurers turned around, drawn by the voice from behind. They must have been surprised to see Lakyus reach the head of the line with perfect timing, and their eyes widened.
“The iron and copper adventurers will stay behind to search the houses. And please have one mythril team stay to supervise them. Everyone else should keep spreading out and advance. Any objections?”
They shook their heads.
“Then please proceed.”
Lakyus joined the orichalcum adventurers and advanced along the street. It was eerily quiet, to the point where one would never guess people had been living there until a few hours previously.
“…By the way, I wonder if Mr. Momon is all right.”
Considering they were leaving everything up to him, she understood their concern. “I’m sure he’s fine. Evileye said he’s even stronger than her. The only problem is the enemy mastermind, Jaldabaoth, who might be his equal. I wonder how tough that demon really is…”
The expressions of all the adventurers in earshot grew dark.
“Oh, sorry. Don’t worry. We just have to do what we can. That’s good enough.”
“Yes, that’s right. As adventurers, it’s a bit frustrating, but let’s console ourselves knowing that everyone will leverage their strengths. Okay, everybody, let’s do this!”
“Right, let’s go.”
Lakyus walked out front with the orichalcum-rank adventurers.
In one hand, she gripped Demonic Sword Killineiram. Said to have been cut from the night sky, the blade twinkled like the stars.
They hadn’t walked very far when they heard the faint sound of explosions in the distance. The lower-ranking adventurers jumped, and the middle-ranking ones started preparing themselves for action. The high-ranking ones vigilantly scanned the area. The most elite among them stared ahead. As everyone reacted in their various ways, Lakyus also turned a penetrating glare forward.
“I guess that group is seeing some action, huh?”
It didn’t seem like the squad Tina was in.
“As long as we’re advancing at the same pace, we should be expecting an intercepting party soon, too.”
“What about from above?”
“We have communications personnel up there as planned, but we didn’t spare any who could attack.”
“That’s fine. Lots of demons can fly. It’d be bad if they flew into the city, so it’s better for us to advance along the ground to draw their attention.”
“So we’re going ahead with the original plan for now?”
“Yes. Hmm…? Hey, did you hear that?” she asked an arcane caster.
The caster replied, “With no visual confirmation, I’m not sure, but it sounds like a hellhound. Their special ability is Fire Breath. Probably around difficulty fifteen.”
“Difficulty, hmm… By the way, what do you reckon the difficulty ratings are for Jaldabaoth and that bug maid?”
Lakyus wondered what to do. If she replied honestly, it would probably do a heavy number on their morale. But if she gave them misinformation and they mistakenly assumed they could face these enemies head-on, that would be a problem, too. After much indecision, she finally gave a straight answer.
“One hundred and fifty.”
“Huh?”
All the adventurers in hearing range had the same look on their faces.
“That’s my guess for the bug maid’s minimum rating, one hundred fifty. Jaldabaoth would have to be over two hundred.”
“What?!”
Everyone besides Lakyus was left speechless. Of course they were. The difficulty rating of monsters that elite orichalcum adventurers usually fought was already around eighty. People said they could somehow deal with monsters up to fifteen points higher than that, but doubling that was just a joke. Not only that, but—
“Wait a minute! So Mr. Momon is going up against difficulty two hundred?!”
“That’s right. That’s why we’d only be in the way.”
“There’s no point even talking about that realm! Two hundred…you must be kidding! Are all adamantite-rank adventurers that strong?”
“Ha. The best we could do is probably ninety.”
“Then there’s no way we can win this!”
Lakyus averted her eyes from the gasping adventurers.
She wasn’t lying. But it wasn’t the truth, either. She could manage only around ninety, but Evileye could handle over one hundred and fifty. That was how Lakyus had estimated the ratings for the bug maid and Jaldabaoth. That power was why Evileye wasn’t a part of the perimeter defense.
She’d gone into a special resting period in order to swiftly recoup her magical energy. Once recovered, she would accompany Momon to Jaldabaoth’s location and support him so he could fight the demon one-on-one. They anticipated the reappearance of the bug maid, so it had been decided that Evileye would fight her.
As Lakyus considered all this, she sensed the atmosphere around her worsening. Their will to fight had bottomed out to the point where she could even hear some saying it would be better to abandon the capital and make a run for it.
It was just as she’d expected. Anyone would feel that way. Even Lakyus had had her doubts when she originally heard the details from Evileye.
“You heard what Evileye said, right? Momon fought Jaldabaoth on equal or better footing. That’s why Momon’s handling the demon and we’re working to turn things even slightly to his advantage.”
“E-even if we leave Jaldabaoth up to Momon, what if the bug maid shows up?”
“The Blue Roses will fight her. Evileye has a special item that will let her switch places with us. She has a way to gain the upper hand against the bug maid, so she can shake off the ability gap and secure victory.”
Everyone oohed and aahed, and their morale rose to its previous level.
Perfect timing.
From up ahead came the sounds of beast howls and running feet.
“Here they come. Now we form the line. When you go down a side street, make sure the ones with the higher-ranking plates go first! I’ll take this one!”
The beasts came galloping down the road. They resembled large dogs, but their eyes were filled with nightmarish evil, and instead of spit, they drooled fire.
Hellhounds—fifteen of them. Lakyus stood in their way, readying Demonic Sword Killineiram in a two-handed hold.
“Don’t underestimate me, demon scum!”
With a prayer to the god of water, Lakyus cut down the hellhounds leaping at her in a single stroke of her sword.
&nbs
p; Skillfully wielding Floating Swords, which doubled as her shield, she evaded the hounds springing toward her from the side. The ones snapping at her ankles, she kicked away.
Six of the hellhounds beset Lakyus alone. The others scattered to other adventurers in the area.
Weaker adventurers faced a single hound each. Their stronger peers took on more, and the number of monsters steadily decreased. By the time Lakyus had finished killing her six, the battles in the area had been settled.
“Anyone hurt?”
“We’re okay, Miss Lakyus!”
It couldn’t be said that they’d all made it through unscathed, but no one had suffered any serious injuries.
They were off on the right foot, considering they needed to conserve magical energy.
“We’re advancing! For right now, we’re pushing up about fifty yards! Pass it on down the line!”
Like an echo in the mountains, she heard the words advancing fifty yards repeating on all sides. Lakyus brandished her sword and stepped forward to take point.
5 Late Fire Moon (September) 2:41 AM
Three people jogged down the deserted streets, selecting particularly dark, narrow ones.
It was Climb, Brain, and the former orichalcum-rank thief who had joined them during the raid on Zero’s base.
Marquis Raeven’s house soldiers were all patrolling the city along with Prince Zanac. If any demons appeared outside the siege perimeter, they would subdue them. According to Marquis Raeven, the reason he’d lent them such a powerful man was that the thief had requested to participate himself. Apparently he’d volunteered in order to return the favor for the treatment of his wounds, as well as when Climb caught him after taking a hit from Zero.
There was most likely one other reason: Marquis Raeven probably wanted Renner to feel indebted to him.
Since the thief had led them on routes where they wouldn’t encounter demons, they hadn’t met a single enemy.
Would they have even made it this far without him?
They were confident they could handle demons that relied on strength and speed, but the moment magic or special powers came into play, their chances grew slim. For a party makeup that depended on steel for both attacking and defending, handling any nonphysical combat would be nearly impossible.
The Men of the Kingdom Part II Page 21