Chapter 52 – Fear Revived
It’s 12th day of Shinyou month, the sky is already dyed red and soon the night woulde.
While thinking that I rush along the highway.
The destination is not Irz Vige, but Daedalus.
“I thought I would reach it before sun sets, but it looks like it’s still far.”
I feel bad for Lily who is clinging on my neck while inside the hood of robe. But no matter what, I want to know about the situation of Daedalus.
Ignoring the orders for no public crossing, I am heading towards Daedalus. If the worst case happens and I’m spotted by any of the Daedalus soldiers it can’t be helped if I’m thrown in jail.
The biggest reason for taking such a big risk for going to Daedalus is the uneasy feeling swirling inside my heart.
I’m not convinced about the groundless uneasy feeling, but I still couldn’t ignore it.
If Daedalus was defeated by the human army, then the whole Pandora continent will be engulfed in war.
Surely, many people willugh at my thinking, regarding it as delusion.
However, I know the what actions an ‘invader’ takes due to my knowledge in previous world. Furthermore, I know the cruelty of the people wearing cross uniforms through this body.
This world with magic is not some sort of fairytale story. I was summoned here against my will and was set up in experiments equivalent to torture and was also forced to fight against fellow experimental subjects too.
If those bastards invade in great numbers, then the Pandora continent will go through the path that I’ve learned from history lessons.
In brief, the peaceful life I have built in Irz Vige is in danger.
In the first ce, I came to Pandora Continent to run away from the cross uniform bastards, even if they are not here following me their searching range will be expanded eventually.
Therefore, to prevent the danger to me, my livelihood, and Pandora too, I came to the conclusion to go to Daedalus.
I really am feeling bad for taking Lily, more than half the reason she’s here is for my own self-protection.
Of course, I tried sending her to Irz Vige when we left the Enkul Vige, but Lily being stubborn didn’t nod at my words.
Definitely, Lily got a feeling that I’m in going to a dangerous ce, so she might have chose to follow me.
I’ve made a decision already, to let Lily escape if we both get caught in a dire situation.
“－－That is Daedalus, huh?”
Though the surroundings are dark, my reinforced eyes catch a glimpse of the rumoured big castle walls of Daedalus far in the distance.
And so, I left the highway and started crossing through the forest.
I’m most likely to be discovered if I keep on walking on the highway, so it’s better to continue until Daedalus while sneaking.
The Riol Vige I passed some hours ago had its doorspletely shut and was quiet.
But, what about Daedalus?
From what I can see, there are no signs of destroyed castle walls.
Was it not a big scale castle siege war? Or is the opposite side of the castle wall broken?
I rush through the forest while holding my breath with my thoughts in a confusion.
“Great, It so bigーー”
Finally I came close to the Daedalus castle walls.
The wall standing majestically in front me can make someone think about a precipitous cliff.
The trees of forest are stopped where I’m standing. There is nothing to hide myself in between the walls and me.
If there was a tall tree I can invade by climbing it, or if there were big bushes I can approach while being unnoticed. It is natural to have those ideas when there is nothing in front of castle walls.
The problem is, how to reach the walls without being noticed.
Come to think of it, the first ce I infiltrated the port town had low security that’s why I was transported easily.
I had already been predicted that it won’t be as easy as the previous time but......
“I don’t see a single person.”
From the looks of it, there doesn’t seem to be a single soldier present here.
Thirty metres above there is a passage present on the top of wall, but there is no sign of patrolling soldiers, of course the same can be said for the outside circumference of walls.
Perhaps even though they are patrolling it’s not like they can monitor each and every section of outer wall.
If it’s like that it’s not much of a big deal to approach the walls, and to climb the 30 metres walls is an easy feat for this body along with ck magic.
Now the problem left is,
“The barrier, huh. It’s my first time seeing a genuine one.”
Unlike the shield, a barrier is a defensive magic thatpletely covers the target and can be maintained 24×7 hours a day.
It blocks all the attacks from outside and monitors the presence the of intruders within a fixed region and various other functions...
The only barrier I have and know of is Efreet, aka『Mosquito Repellent』, which deploys a barrier of me to keep mosquitoes away.
And at the present time, there is arge scale barrier standing with Daedalus as its origin.
It’s not a shining bright light, rather it’s colorless and transparent, but even me who is standing 500 metres away from it can feel the strong magical pressure it exerts.
The difference in defensive ability with that 『Mosquito Repellent』is like that of heaven and earth.
Due to this powerful barrier there are no other soldiers except for at the main gate, probably.
The magic used by this barrier is white magic. It seems impossible to invade through just brute strength as my ck magic has extremely badpatibility with the white magic
But however, the current me is not alone, I have a reliable partner!
“Lily can you open a hole in that barrier?”
“UnーーI can!”
The white magic used by Sariel and the light magic used by Lily havepletely different origins.
The light magic also acts a counter for my ck magic like the white magic, whereas it is also ssified as a color magic.
But still, they are both different. If it’s Lily who has goodpatibility with her magic and excels at controlling it too she can pierce a hole through the powerful barrier.
“Well the, Let’s goーー”
I grab Lily under one arm and run the 500 metres at full speed.
Being coupled with the ck clothes I doubt I will be found out. Please God don’t let me found out.
I don’t know whether my prayer was heard or it was inevitable but I safely reached the walls.
And though it can’t be seen through naked eyes, there is a barrier standing.
It might be a barrier that restricts physical intrusion, or it can be like the one ce on the treasure box which gives out electric shocks.
Until I know it’s nature, It’s a bad idea to touch it.
Even though I know letting Lily touch such a thing is SO SINFUL, but here I can’t do anything other than relying on her powers.
“I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yeah!”
Lily touches the invisible barrier with her both hands.
From the point of contact, the white light ripples as if a rock has been thrown onto water’s surface.
“Nhーー”
Lily’s two pairs of seven coloured wings sometimes p and her white lit body fickers.
I feel for Lily who is seriously trying to pierce through the barrier, but this glittering light is unreasonably standing out.
It doesn’t matter if there are no soldiers here, but in this dark night the shining Lily can be spotted from 100 metres away rather easily.
The only thing I can do to help her not be spotted is just covering her with my robe.
It’s pretty nerve-wracking, but I still wait in silence for itspletion.
How much time had passed? Maybe not even 3 minutes have passed but due to nervousness it’s feeling twice the length, then suddenly Lily speaks.
“It’s open!”
Not the meaning of 「It’s painful」but rather「it’s open」she said. [TN: In Japanese “Aita” means it’s open and “Ah itta” means painful. Both sound simr that’s why author is deliberately exining it.]
Upon looking in front of Lily, there is an faintly shining circle drawn in empty air.
The circle is big enough for me pass easily, When I pass my hand through it I don’t feel anything out of ce.
Looks like she’s seeded in piercing the barrier.
“You did well, Leave the rest to me.”
I pat at Lily’s head, while she rejoices like a puppy.
I would also want to leave everything and keep on patting her, but there’s not time for that.
Putting Lily once again in the hood, I jump through the circle in the castle ward.
“Let’s go in one shot.”
Compared from the time Iboriously climbed the walls of the port city, my magic skills have also improved.
After all, I conquered a cliff of 100 metres to just invade the nest of a Garuda, If I use the rock climbing magic skill I used at that time, this 30 metre stone wall is just a child asking to be climbed.
To look cool in front of Lily who worked hard to open a hole in wall, I activate the magic while doing a signature pose.
“Anchor release!”
From the palms of both hands, a ck wire flies out along the wall.
The wire with a harpoon like object at its tip sinks deep at the top of the wall.
At that time the rear of the wire starts to coil around the hand, hips, thighs, and the sole of my feet.
It’s alright with just coiling around hands, but it’ll help in more bnce while climbing if there is a back support.
“Let’s go.”
After listening Lily’s reply, I retract the wire at once.
While being pulled by wire, I rushed up the vertical wall in one spurt.
This “anchor” is the same famous wire action that sometimes appears in action games. It is also called as ‘hookshot’ or ’grappling beam’. In short it is using a wire to move on a vertical surface like ‘TARZAN’. [TN: AIYAIYAIYAIAYIA. pfft]
My ck magic can materialize simple objects like bullets and much more, and also excels at controlling them. If there is a really good imagination, then making a retractable wire is easy.
Using this “anchor” climbing a wall of 30 metres is as same as running on t ground.
In several seconds I climbed the wall andnd near the passage.
“No one is he......re?”
There really is not person near the passage.
While paying utmost attention, I looked towards the Daedalus city below the walls.
Below is a very vast street of houses and shops. It’s so big that many Irz viges can fit in it.
And the walls are covering it whole. It’s a tremendously big city.
If it’s a normal person they would have gone to bed by this time of night. In the corner of what is apparently a residential area are some houses with lights on whereas as red-light district seeming area is full of bright lights.
Even among them, the most noticeably shining is the castle of Daedulus.
The castle is covered by walls. From here the ground and the first floor of castle cannot be seen.
Even so, there is light glittering from there which is shining on the veryrge castle in the dark night.
Looking at that, I start to heave a sigh at its majestess .
But, the moment I saw the g hanging from the castle, I gulped down the sigh I was going to release.
“That is the......the cruciform symbol......”
The g there was not the national g of Daedalus with the dark emblem imitating King Gaevinal but it was the g with an emblem of cruciform symbol which seemed to me like annoying madness.
“It’s a lie, right......That means the human army, are them.”
If I look closely, inside the city there are various sizes of the same g hanging.
This scene was frankly saying the fact that Daedalus has been upied by the Crusaders.
“Tsk, Damn Itーー”
It’s the worst, it’s a nightmare, the worst case scenario I thought has turned into a reality.
I found out that the cruciform symboled g is not hoisted by a cult of humans, but is the national g of Syncrea Republic.
Slowly, depairs starts spreading inside my heart.
Those bastards, Those damn bastards really did came to Pandora Continent in great numbers.
The fact that they have upied Daedalus can only mean that there is no other force that can oppose them.
A big country like Daedalus is easily captured in a blink of an eye.
These bastards are nning to conquer the whole Pandora Continent, and do that not so far in future.
What should I do? Should I fight? Or escape?
“Damn......”
The Dragon King who is more powerful than me was defeated even when he was leading an army. They’re not the enemy I can fight against. Even in the world of magic it’s impossible for an individual to win against a whole country.
So should I really run? But to where? Is there anyce these bastards won’te?
Damn it, shit, no matter how much I think nothing goodes to mind.
No matter what I think, I can only imagine these bastardsing towards me with their cross in their hands.
What should I doーー
Kurono!!”
“ーー!?”
Lily jumps at my chest and tightly hugs me.
“It’s alright, Lily will save Kurono. Even if bad guyse, I will protect you!”
Lily spurts some tremendous lines. Even though I didn’t say any words, Lily who can read a person’s mind feels my uneasy feeling.
“......”
I cuddle Lily who is clinging onto me.
The faint warmth I feel at my hands and chest brings me back to my sanity and removes the uneasy feeling.
Argh, damn It, I showed an uncool side of me to Lily.
“Lily, I’m alright.”
That’s right. Now I’m not alone and I can’t only think about myself only from now on.
Just like Lily said she’d protect me, I will also have to protect Lily.
I definitely won’t let those bastards take away my peaceful life once again.
“It’s dangerous being here, let’s leave.”
“Yeah.”
Due to the restriction on information spreading, the news of Daedalus upation is still not reached to any other vige.
If I don’t do anything, these bastards will attack all the viges within Daedalus territory.
It’s impossible for me to resist until the bitter end, but I can escape from here.
If it’s no good to run within Daedalus territory, I can only run to other countries.
Well, the problem is whether the enemy nation Spada’s city state army will let me in or not. If they don’t I’ve got no choice but to do an illegal immigration.
First I need to tell this info to the nearest vige, No, I don’t even know if they will hear my story who is only a rank 1 adventurer. The only route for me here is to talk to Vige Head of Irz vige to exert influence on other viges.
I once again start racking my mind for what to do from now on. Just as soon I started to make an anchor for going down the wall.
“ーーWhat might you be doing here?”
I heard a voice!... Spidey sixth sense alert!!!!
A voice of refreshing and beautiful little girl.
Before even thinking that the voice is familiar, a face of certain person rose up in my mind in an instant.
When I turn back to look, there stood the girl not any different from what I imagined.
A beautiful girl with tinum long hair, along with a pair of two big red eyes, wearing a vestment with cruciform symbol.
The girl, who showed me overwhelming power and the origin of my overwhelming fear is....
“......Sariel.”
There stood the strongest person I know of, 7th Apostle Sariel.