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I suddenly could imbue magic on my chains while we were dealing with the approaching undead.

I imbue magic into my chains unconsciously on the regular, so I managed to notice immediately when the effects of the magic seal stone were gone.

Someone destroyed the magic seal stone.

The ones who can do that in this country are either Rakura or Yasutet who were going to regroup with Ritial and the others.

The undead are easier to deal with than the army of the Scarlet Demon Lord.

Blue excels in necromancy and Melia is a holy knight who has purification magic in her battle style.

And they were no enemies of the Illegitimate that are led by Ritial.

“Looks like they are not within the range of the detection magic anymore. Molari, I would like you to head to the supply storage with Ekdoik and the others. There’s a high chance Rakura or Yasutet will be there. I will take responsibility to evacuate Prince Nuphsa together with the Blue Demon Lord.” (Ritial)

We moved to the supplies storage using the teleportation magic of Molari with those words of Ritial.

Ritial must have given this order because he read my desire to meet up with Rakura.

Blue and Melia looked a bit dissatisfied, but we can’t leave Prince Nuphsa to a world wanted person, so they ended up having to go with him.

“…This is the limit. Further ahead is still within the range of the magic seal stone, so I can’t connect to it.” (Molari)

“It on the other hand means that there’s no mistake it is ahead of here.” (Ekdoik)

I can see the supply storage ahead.

This is a zone where we can’t use magic again. We have to be careful.

Molari must understand this as well, her guard towards her surroundings increased.

“Good grief. Why do I have to leave the side of Ritial-sama and help you search for someone like your little sister?” (Molari)

“Isn’t your objective to retrieve Yasutet?” (Ekdoik)

“Even less of a desire then. It is fine to leave someone like that be.” (Molari)

Yasutet… He would always think of Molari first, to the point that he even took an action that was detrimental to Ritial for her sake, and yet…

There were a number of undead stabbed onto the walls on our way to the supply storage, and a few more when we entered the facility.

Rakura can’t pull off such a feat of strength.

In that case, the other possibility is Yasutet.

We moved further in and reached the entrance of the supply storage and…there was Yasutet stabbing something that looked like a pillar countless times while his whole body was covered in blood.

“Uwa, gory.” (Molari)

“—Molari, huh. Also…you met up with Ritial-sama.” (Yasutet)

“That’s…a beast undead?” (Ekdoik)

Yasutet didn’t stop his hands even when looking back.

The beast undead was trying to regenerate beneath the feet of Yasutet, but was being continuously minced.

The whole body of Yasutet is dyed in bright red. Most of it is not his blood and also pieces of meat that flew onto him, but his own wounds are also pretty bad.

As for the wounds on his arms and legs, there’s torn meat, and there’s even places where I could see the bone.

Despite all that, he is still concentrating on his task most likely thanks to his talent as an Illegitimate.

“I can’t skewer it with just a pillar. I can only buy time by continuously beating it up like this.” (Yasutet)

“Buy time… Does that mean someone is inside?” (Ekdoik)

“Yeah, Rakura should be destroying the magic seal stone, but…does the two of you coming here mean that you teleported nearby?” (Yasutet)

I heard that name and hurried inside the supplies storage.

Yasutet was keeping the beast undead in place, so he doesn’t know about the state inside.

The destruction of the magic seal stone may have been successful, but it doesn’t mean there’s no other undead inside.

It didn’t take long to find Rakura. I saw her back within the dredges of what must have been quite the giant magic seal stone.

“Are you okay, Rakura?!” (Ekdoik)

The shout I let out was erased by the sound of clashing that happened close to Rakura.

That sound just now was from a barrier hitting the pieces of magic seal stone… No, that’s weird.

Even if they are broken, there’s still a number of magic seal stones of decent size around.

It shouldn’t be possible to form spells in this situation.

Once the somewhat big magic seal stone in front broke, Rakura began to stagger her way to the side. She placed her hands in front and as if she couldn’t see…!

“Rakura!” (Ekdoik)

I approached Rakura and turned her around, and that’s when I understood everything that Rakura was doing here.

Both eyes of Rakura were bleeding, and they were already not fulfilling their original purpose.

But I can tell that she is using the True Eyes of Blindness from the mana I can feel.

She is not being eroded by the power of a devil like the time with Mom, but she is placing quite the burden on her eyes.

“Hefeh?! T-That voice…Ekdoik-niisan?!” (Rakura)

“…You have seriously overexerted yourself here.” (Ekdoik)

She judged that it would be harder for the effects of the magic seal stone to affect her if she were to form it inside her eyes, so she formed barriers there and smashed it onto the magic seal stone.

When I talked to Comrade about these eyes, he said it would be possible in theory, but…it is purely in theory.

“I-I thought that maybe it would be easier for everyone if they were as small as possible…! Ah, right! Ekdoik-niisan, is Yasutet-san okay?! He is outside—” (Rakura)

“He was injured, but there’s no risk of death.” (Ekdoik)

“T-That’s a relief…” (Rakura)

“That much is enough. Let’s move away from here quickly.” (Ekdoik)

“Wawa?!” (Rakura)

Rakura is in a state where there’s no strength in her body and could collapse at any moment.

The consumption of mana as well as the burden on her eyes is close to reaching its limit.

It would be difficult for her to move on her own, so I carried Rakura out of the supplies storage.

“U-Uhm, am I not heavy?” (Rakura)

“Heavier than Blue, but lighter than Melia who has armor on. Melia would be lighter without armor though. That said, it is heavy within human reasoning, so don’t worry about it. But it is not like you have muscle, so it would be better to refrain from eating between meals.” (Ekdoik)

“Ah, he has no tact at all… I knew already though.” (Rakura)

Yasutet had cloth covering his wounds, and Molari was putting rubble on top of the dredges of the beast undead.

We may not be able to incapacitate it considering its regeneration rate, but it should be able to buy time until we get away from here.

“You were alright, huh. We have safely reduced the range of the magic seal stone. Let’s get out of here quickly… Are your eyes fine?” (Yasutet)

“Every single one of you has some nasty injuries that might show up in nightmares.” (Molari)

“Considering the fact that you were placing a burden on your eyes the whole time until the effects of the magic seal stone were gone, it would be better to heal that quickly.” (Ekdoik)

“…Molari, take Rakura-san out with teleportation.” (Yasutet)

“Don’t order me. You are also seriously injured because you didn’t stop your bleeding.” (Molari)

“No issues. I can join the battle once I do emergency treatment in a place where I can use magic.” (Yasutet)

“Listen here…” (Molari)

“Ritial-sama said I am supposed to take on a new mission in the case we end up cooperating with the resident of Yugura’s planet. I am simply executing that.” (Yasutet)

Molari glared at Yasutet for a few seconds, but she eventually clicked her tongue, walked over to me, and received Rakura who I was carrying.

“Uwa, your chest is heavy.” (Molari)

“This person too?!” (Rakura)

“Oi, Ekdoik, help out in the healing of Yasutet. I will get this person to a place where she can get the fastest healing possible.” (Molari)

“I leave that to you. Also, I count on you with Rakura.” (Ekdoik)

Molari left the place without responding.

She is the one who can reach the desired location faster than anyone as long as she moves to a place where she can use magic.

After I saw that off, Yasutet slowly walked here.

“Ekdoik…-san, sorry, but can you lend me a shoulder?” (Yasutet)

“A-Alright…” (Ekdoik)

Yasutet entrusted almost all his weight on me when I lend him my shoulder.

There’s barely any strength on Yasutet just like Rakura.

He defeated that beast undead with only his body in a situation where he couldn’t use magic.

He must have exhausted himself a lot there.

“Sorry about that. Those eyes of Rakura-san… She must have pushed herself quite a lot. It is basically as if I was the one who injured her.” (Yasutet)

“I have no intention of blaming you. Even I can tell that was the best choice by looking at the situation.” (Ekdoik)

It wouldn’t be impossible for Yasutet to destroy that magic seal stone with his own strength, but that would require Rakura to hold back the beast undead.

The result of that would have been even more tragic than the present without doubt.

I am grateful that things ended up with just this much. I can’t begrudge him for it.

“Molari may have a bad attitude, but she does her job properly. I can assure you of that.” (Yasutet)

“I have no intention of doubting that, but is it true that you got a new mission from Ritial?” (Ekdoik)

“…There’s not much effect on Molari even if one or two people are added if she gets serious. It is true that I have a mission.” (Yasutet)

“I see… Then, I will help you out until you recover.” (Ekdoik)

“I have heard about your healing techniques, Ekdoik-san. I am grateful for your cooperation.” (Yasutet)

“You can call me with just Ekdoik. I feel like I can get along with you as elder brothers having it rough.” (Ekdoik)

“…Okay. But I think Rakura-san is normal though. Compared to Molari…” (Yasutet)

“No, she pesters Comrade a lot in her own way…” (Ekdoik)

I move while carrying Yasutet without forgetting to be wary about my surroundings.

The undead continued to struggle, aiming for our lives.

◇◇

“This is…the last one!”

Ilias is strong when she can fight in perfect form.

It is different from the time with Arcreal. There wasn’t even any factor to struggle against the dinosaur undead.

The dinosaur undead tried to concentrate their attacks on me, but Ilias took distance with me, spun quickly, and sliced the head off of the enemy.

She had a grasp of the location of the enemies even when surrounded, and managed to protect me with overwhelming power.

But Hilmera’s expression didn’t change despite showing such results.

Her anger towards me is unchanged, but there’s no disadvantage for her when it comes to the general situation.

“As expected. Even though I only aimed for the weak Envoy-sama. You could have struggled a bit more. Why can a knight of Taizu use purification magic in the first place?” (Hilmera)

“It is simply that someone from the Yugura Church was a benefactor of mine.” (Ilias)

“You don’t need to answer me honestly. I have absolutely no interest in you after all.” (Hilmera)

Ilias would normally make a complicated expression here, but she is most likely bothered by how unfazed Hilmera is.

For Hilmera, the very act of resisting is a winning condition.

She will rampage as the mastermind and won’t stop her massacre until the very end.

She is trying to fulfill her role as the source of everything.

Her objective is killing time, but that’s the same for us.

There’s enough time, but let’s connect things with words before Hilmera notices.

“Hilmera, it seems like you think it has ended with a satisfying result, but is that true? You most likely unleashed the undead on the city and targeted the life of Prince Nuphsa who was evacuating the citizens. But that aim was way too unclear. The chances of succeeding were low.”

“That’s right. It would have been great if that hateful man died, but it is not like everything goes according to plan.” (Hilmera)

“Right. That’s why the undead army you sent to the evacuation spot that you were actually aiming for will fail as well.”

“…”

She is calm and composed.

That’s why she must have had some sort of plan when she released the dinosaur undead in the city.

It is not in the off-chance of killing Nuphsa who is evacuating the people.

“The reason why you released special undead in the city was to target Nuphsa. There’s no doubt about that. But the core of that action was to limit the movements of Nuphsa himself. No matter how good of a commander he is, it would be difficult to protect a place he is not in with precision. You predicted where Nuphsa would evacuate the people to and tried to send undead there.”

Nuphsa will become an obstruction she can’t avoid if she is going to be making Washekt a king.

No matter how much Hilmera rampages, she won’t be able to make Washekt the king as long as she doesn’t do something about this current situation where most of the citizens support Nuphsa over Washekt.

But what would happen if the evacuation led by Nuphsa ends up doing the opposite?

An army of undead show up where they evacuate to.

Most of the soldiers are not there and there’s no proper facilities, so if they were to get hit with a second wave, the casualties will be tremendous.

Most of the citizens will not think too deeply about it, but they will judge the worth of things by the results.

Nuphsa will end up being seen as an incompetent prince that used the soldiers to guide them by force to a dangerous location.

Rather than leaving the future of the country to such a prince, they would have no choice but to put their hopes on Washekt who returned alive from this hell together with the current king of Serende even if they were captured.

“This should be the first time you have seen these ones after coming to the castle. Did you manage to make countermeasures?” (Hilmera)

“I reached that conclusion in itself before I reached this castle. I considered the possibility of you targeting the evacuation spot from the very beginning. I had the Purple Demon Lord and her subordinates on standby in the evacuation spot. The undead pose no problems when there’s no obstruction from the magic seal stone.”

Blue is not there, but we have Daruagestia and the other forces from Blue who couldn’t be sent to the city.

Belard, who we were using as a messenger and scout, was originally a subordinate of Purple.

They should be able to coordinate between devils in a satisfactory manner.

It is simply a precaution I took that coincidentally matched, but it goes without saying that it benefits me more if I make her think I read her completely.

“…I see. But you can’t block the attack itself, right? I will just take it positively as me succeeding in controlling the impression at least.” (Hilmera)

She is most likely pretty conflicted internally.

But she can’t step back now that she has stepped too far in.

In that case, she will continue being the stubborn villain…

It should be about time. Let’s do thi—

“Aah, that’s a relief. You still have your head attached, Hilmera-sama.”

My body reacts to that voice.

Aah, they are here.

I wanted to stop Hilmera as me if possible.

But I was certain they would come.

It is not like I thought it would be fate or something. I comprehended it.

“Murshto…”

Murshto was there.

He has the same face as the times when I talked with him. He was looking here like a child that’s purely happy to meet me.

“You are late. You are the only pawn I have left, you know?” (Hilmera)

“They were all opponents I had a hard time fighting against. I got here late after changing my armor.” (Murshto)

“Come here without changing…” (Hilmera)

“It is my last stage, so I would like to look good at least.” (Murshto)

Murshto walked to the window and opened the curtain that’s several times taller than him.

The cityscape of Serende with the night sky dyed in red could be seen ahead of that big window.

“I like the scenery from here, so I wanted to show it to you someday. Aah, it was a small wish of mine, but I am glad I managed to fulfill it.” (Murshto)

“Murshto…you have no intention of stopping Princess Hilmera, right?” (Ilias)

“That’s a weird thing to ask, Ilias. I am the sword of Hilmera-sama. The one who slices down the things that stand in front of her.” (Murshto)

“Isn’t it the duty of the ones who serve to correct their master if they are walking the wrong path?” (Ilias)

“I don’t think she is wrong. I do think it is stupid, and it is an action that makes me question her sanity, but this is something that Hilmera-sama did because she wanted to. I am here not for Hilmera Serende, but the individual called Hilmera.” (Murshto)

Murshto is that kind of person.

If the master he has decided to protect is walking the path of destruction, he will walk together with them, and will try to forge on that will of theirs.

Even if Hilmera is cut down by Ilias right here and now, I am sure he would have directed words of appreciation with a smile still on his face.

“It is not like you came here out of duty though? I won’t be giving you any orders anymore.” (Hilmera)

“Haha, you must be sulking because things didn’t go as planned more than you thought. But I don’t think this path…is that bad.” (Murshto)

“Right. It is the first time I have done something so irreversible, but there’s a decent degree of accomplishment to it.” (Hilmera)

“That’s great to hear. Then, it is my turn next.” (Murshto)

Murshto drew his sword and faced this way.

Ilias stood at the front as if responding and readied her sword.

“Is there a point in fighting?” (Ilias)

“There is. If there’s none for you, I can at least provide one.” (Murshto)

“Provide it?” (Ilias)

Murshto threw something.

The thing that made a metallic sound was a scrap of some sort. But that piece of metal had a familiar shape, and it is plastered in the blood and flesh of the person.

Ilias and I soon realized this is from the gauntlet of Wolfe.

“You—!” (Ilias)

“Ilias, Wolfe is not dead!”

I stopped Ilias, who was on the verge of rushing in, with a loud shout.

Murshto is trying to provoke Ilias. I have to calm her down no matter what that provocation is.

“Heeh, isn’t that a way too idealistic desire? Or do you have a basis for that assumption?” (Murshto)

“I do. Murshto, it is most likely true that you encountered Wolfe, fought her, and injured her greatly. But you haven’t killed Wolfe. You couldn’t. If you had, you would have cut off the head of Wolfe without hesitation. And then, you would have shown up with an even more refreshed expression than your current one.”

Wolfe is an obstacle that Murshto would have wanted to kill in terms of strength and position.

He wouldn’t have hidden the sense of achievement if he had actually succeeded.

“…That’s true. Someone got in the way just before I could finish her. She got away. But an arm of hers blew up, so won’t she die if she doesn’t get treated fast enough?” (Murshto)

“…!”

It is because my standing is me that I can be more calm than Ilias, but it is not the case for me.

My pulse is accelerating after facing Murshto and hearing about Wolfe.

Switching here is not logical.

If my me side were to face Murshto, I would end up getting hurt greatly.

I should be taking such roles as it has until now.

But there’s no way I can stay farsighted even in moments like this one!

“Is that how attached you are to me? Killing is not a hobby of mine. Don’t drag me into it, Murshto.”

“…Haha, but you understand me. That’s why you comprehend what I wish for, right?” (Murshto)

“I may understand you, but I have absolutely no intention of fulfilling it.”

The reason Murshto likes me is because of my unstable way of being. It must be about how dangerous that balance is.

It is like how a young boy would fall in love with a frail girl. That doesn’t feel bad.

Well, I do think ‘who are you calling a frail girl, you idiot’ though.

“Yeah, I like you with that warped and frail heart of yours. I love you. That’s why I want to break you before someone else does.” (Murshto)

“Don’t steer the future of someone else on the assumption that it will break. It is because I want to live that I am diligently living on even when in tatters and a mess with a weakling mentality.”

This is the first time in my life that I have been directed this much love coupled with killing intent.

I would have only felt fear in that madness if it were at my time when I was living on Earth.

But I felt something different aside from fear most likely because I have gotten used to this world.

I have no intention at all of accepting this and being killed, but I did feel like I should face those pure feelings of his. It is unnecessary courage.

“Your heart won’t last if you are protected by that woman, you know? I will prove it to you right now.” (Murshto)

“Ilias, he is picking a fight with you.”

“…I have a lot to say about that, but…Murshto, no matter what kind of determination you have, I have decided to protect him. I have no intention of tagging along with your validation of madness.” (Ilias)

The desire to finish this mayhem, the feelings of Murshto, the anger of injuring Wolfe; there’s no way I have the leeway to organize it all properly.

Let’s just think about it in a simple fashion.

Murshto is an enemy. That’s why he must be defeated.

I am the one who cornered him to this degree, so I have the responsibility to stop him.

—

Author: Rakura and Molari will also be complaining about each other’s brothers. Both sides are questionable.

The protagonist looks as if he is facing this positively, but he is pissed enough to throw away the possibility of persuasion and going ‘come at me!’.

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