Wednesday, November 6, 2019

ICFTL | Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? The royal capital battle Ch. 3

The Royal Capital Battle 3

Author’s note: Shun's point of view


「Ah, Shun. When did you raise such a chivalrous Drake?」

We are currently soaring through the sky, riding on the Drake's back.

「Well, they weren’t a Drake until recently, but when we formed a contract through the “Summoning” skill, they evolved before I knew it」

A huge white Drake that keeps their composure, even when we’re all riding on their back.

The Drake was originally a Peroat, a monster that looks similar to a lizard. Even though they’re called a monster, they’re about the size of my palm, so pretty harmless. And thanks to the “Creature Training” skill, the predecessor of the “Summoning” skill. They evolved into a low-rank Drake pretty fast, and after I became the “Hero” they became an even higher-ranked one.

Additionally, they’re a rare Light Drake.

「Is it because of the “Hero” title?」
「Must be」

I think that my “Hero” title didn’t only affect me, it also affected my summoned monsters.
And since I have tamed several, they all evolved as well.
「You cheater, it’s not fair」
「You didn’t have to say that in Japanese」

Although, they’re not exactly wrong.

「We should activate "Stealth" and "Camouflage" now」

Everyone erases their presence on my signal.
I activate "Camouflage" and disappear into the night sky.
If we then erase the sound we make with "Silence", we shouldn't be able to be seen or heard from the ground.

As soon as I finish thinking that, I quickly construct a magic circle and shoot it downwards, towards the street of the Royal Capital that just came into view.

「Eh?!!! Hya!?!!」

Two magic projectiles collide at point-blank range and explode.

「Shun!」
「We’re being sniped! Our opponent is a powerful mage!」
「Shooting magic so accurately when we’re this high up!!! That’s impossible!!!!」

We are flying well above 1000 meters.
If they were any normal magicians, their magic wouldn’t have been able to reach this far.

Before I can activate "Clairvoyance", and I look for the sniper.
I see an old man standing majestically on top of one of the castle's walls.
I can see him constructing a magic circle.
It was such an advanced construction, I couldn’t help but unintentionally mutter some words of praise...

「A second shot is incoming!!!」
.
I shout while gripping the Drake's reins tightly.

I dodge the magic flying at us by a hair’s width.
Although Drake's has the "Imperial Scale" skill that nullifies most magic damage, I can't rely on it too much.

Now that we have already been spotted, there’s no point in trying to be stealthy.

「I’m going to go faster! Hold on tight!」

I pull on the reins and dive toward the ground, all while avoiding and intercepting the old man’s magic.

Suddenly, I overhear something with “Telepathy”

[Ah, crap. we can't win]
[Wha-!? But Teacher!?]
[Stop complaining. We shall retreat]

It was probably a trap, but I can’t detect anyone in the castle, not even that old man with all of his magical power.
They must have escaped using “Long-Distance Teleport”.

「Eh, is it over?」
I said stunned.
「It looks like the attacks have stopped」
「A-Ah. It looks like they retreated because they figured they can't win?」
「They withdrew way too quickly. The likelihood that this is a trap is high」
「When I overheard them using “Telepathy” it didn’t seem like they were setting up a trap」
「Either way, let's proceed with caution」
「Understood」

We proceed carefully and manage to infiltrate the castle easily.

「Did they really retreat?」
「I think so」

This is kind of a let-down.
I dismiss my summoned Light Drake and enter the castle quietly.

[Sensei, where's Leston-niisama's present location?]
[He's at the south spire]
[Understood]

We all use “Telepathy” to communicate, as we advance carefully. The silence filling the castle is eerie, so far we haven’t come across any other people.
[It's strange]
[This is most definitely a trap]

We are on the lookout for traps as we advance through the castle.
But, we easily arrive at the South Spire, where Leston-niisama is confined, without encountering anything. The problem now is that there are two presences next to Nii-sama.
I activate "Clairvoyance", and look inside the Spire.

[There are two people beside Nii-sama. It's Anna and Clevea]
[What else do you see?]
[Their expressions look blank. I think that they have been brainwashed]
[Shun, you said you had a plan, but will it hold up with three brainwashed people instead of one?]
[I can manage somehow]
[We could still be attacked, so don’t let your guard down]
[Ok, I will head in first]

The tension rises as Hyrinth signals with his hand and rushes in.
And I follow right after him.
Hyrinth stiffens his shield, prepared.
As soon as we rush in, all three people attempt to kill themselves.
Hyrinth tries to stop them, but he doesn’t make it in time.
Without hesitation, they use thick needles to pierce their eyes to destroy their brains.
The needles penetrated the eyes without much resistance, but this world’s defensive skills should protect even soft tissue, like the eyes. While your sense of touch remains the same, it should still be difficult to damage, so the needles must have some other properties.

「Dammit!!!」

Hyrinth drops his sword and shield and catches the three collapsing bodies before they hit the ground.

「Shun! Hurry! use your recovery magic!!!」  

It’s too late, Hyrinth already knew that.
 But I still follow his words and attempt to use recovery magic.

I know that Katia and Sensei have worried expressions behind my back.
But, there's no need to worry.

I pull the needle out from their eyes, and I start constructing a special type of recovery magic.

The destroyed parts from their bodies start regenerating.
At the same time, their hearts start beating again.
The souls that were about to be lost are restored.

I hear the Voice of God.
《Skill proficiency reached. Skill 『Taboo LV6』 has become 『Taboo LV9』》

Even though I’m the only one who heard it, my heart almost sank to the floor.

I knew that Sensei has "Taboo" as well.
Because I also have a Ruler skill.
The 「Mercy」 skill.

It can resurrect the dead. The price is, whenever I resurrect someone, my level of “Taboo” increases.
That’s why I can’t criticize Sensei because I’m also a “Taboo” holder.

I signal Hyrinth and the others to lift Nii-sama and the others, then we escape from the castle.


*************************


「Sorry. The actual Hero is more powerful than I thought, so I ran away」

「I don't mind. They should be in despair over witnessing the death of their loved ones. Kukuku」

「Ah. So that's why you left the castle unguarded」

「I knew that Naive idiot would come running to save his precious friends. But I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to see him crying. My real goal was something else anyway」

「Good grief. Even though I just came back, you sure are working this old man to the bone」

「If you have a problem with it, I can force you to anyway. The reason why I haven’t brainwashed you yet is because someone as strong as you would take considerable time and effort. It might be hard, but it’s not impossible, you know?」

「I understand. That's why I'm doing my job properly」

「That's fine. Then, let's depart to destroy the Elf Village. Ahahahaha!」

Seriously, retiring might be better.


Translator: Esper
Proofreader: Lain
Quality Control: Lain

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