312 309. Fanatics.txt (1/2)

Midnight.

The gleam of daytime has been lost, and Fouzeyards Castle is immersed in darkness.

Hoosiers Castle is made up of a cluster of multiple towers, of which there are five main ones.

There is a fifty-story high tower in the center of the grounds, and four towers that are nestled in the north, south, east, and west of the castle. Generally, these five towers are collectively known as ”Hoozeyer's Castle,” but they are divided into the Central Great Tower, the Great Eastern Tower, the Western Great Tower, the Southern Great Tower and the Northern Great Tower, as the workers inside call them. There are also two towers, the Middle Tower and the Small Tower, which are connected to each other by a bridge, which shows how intricate and complicated Hoosiers Castle is.

And in each of the great towers of the castle, a large number of knights walk side by side through the dark corridors as if they were painted with coal tar. The knights of Fouzeyards were famous for their work ethic, but at this time of night, they were losing their focus on the stones.

Even though it was late at night, it was already well past noon. Even if they had made up their minds to work through the night, this was the time when their fever was starting to cool down.

Some of the knights guarding Hoozeyards Castle are on the verge of dropping their eyelids and prowling around with narrowed eyes.

Of course, I'm not talking about all of them. There are some knights who still keep their eyes bright, never let down their guard, and seem to enjoy guarding the castle.

It's Elmiraad Siddharth, the heir of a great Lauravian nobleman.

Now, as a knight specializing in magic in the service of the Fuzzy Yards, he was in the process of investigating the magic stone line that suddenly stopped.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well. That seal that seemed to be frozen was too memorable.

Through his own magic power, he finished activating all the spare 'magic stone lines' (lines) in the castle. The wards that inhibit magic above a certain output were also re-stretched. However, my heart leaps with excitement at the thought that this thing will be easily broken through, and I can't get rid of my taut smile.

The enemy that will come is powerful. This is a man with one foot in the miracle itself, beyond the great heroes and even legends.

Even if this Hoosier's Castle is the greatest fortress in history, including the entire world, it is impossible to stop it.

While smiling with confidence in that, Elmirad smiles, he rebuilds the knights' security network in accordance with the restored ”magic stone line” because work is work.

Right now, there are less than ten knights that Elmirad can direct at his disposal. Although it's the same Southern Union, he's a foreign country - a knight of the Lauravian nation. The number of people that the Hooziyaz State can entrust to its care is limited.

However, without worrying about the small number of people, Elmirad finished instructing each member with his accustomed procedure, and walked down the corridor of the middle of the central great tower of Fouzeyaz Castle--the outer edge of the hollow of the twenty-two floors.

The corridor is decorated with expensive carpets and furnishings that are wasted, and candlesticks that glow with magic stones are lavishly arranged. Elmirad walks with one of the knights he knows, looking at the hollow that seems to suck in the night to his left.

He is a knight who is the so-called second in command of Elmirad's team.

He turns to his superior officer, who smiles thinly but clearly, and asks curiously.

''That Sir Siddharq, aside from the guards, aren't there a few ...... knights?　There's a chance that the person who kidnapped our saint will strike again, right?　And yet, the total number of mobilizations does not reach one hundred. Even though it's a night, this is ......

The second-in-command man felt uncomfortable about this day.

Around the evening, the missing Fuzzyards saint Nosfi returned, and the castle's alert level was hurriedly raised.

The movement of the castle from then on was strange. Even though it was an unusual situation, there was an air of fluency about the superiors. There was supposed to be an attack, but the higher ups were only taking their time in dealing with it. Many of the terminal knights, who were not informed of the details, were confused.

''Yeah, there aren't many of them. This time the attackers are our relatives - no, they are like our sponsors, so the 'Senate' is deliberately cutting corners. ...... Well, don't worry. The actual guards are more than just numbers.

What, a sponsor?　What does that mean: ......?

Elmirad lightly revealed the substance of the security network this time to his men.

Part of it was that he was being honest due to Nosfy's magic, but part of it was that he liked this second-in-command.

Elmirad didn't answer the question, but continued the conversation.

'As I recall, you came from quite a house, didn't you?

'What?　Yeah, well ....... Not as much as the Siddharths, but ......

So you must be a pretty good person to be here now, right?

I'm sorry, are you a good person ......?

'He helps the weak and frustrates the strong. He's a monk and an inflexible justice of the peace. That's why they put him under my command during my madness. If you were a knight who could talk, you would surely be assigned to a higher level of security.

Elmirad assessed the deputy with a mixture of self-deprecation and sarcasm, suggesting a security person they couldn't keep track of.

The deputy contorted his face at the word 'mad', but pretended not to hear it and asked.

'Is it higher ......?　Does that mean above the forty floors where the royals live?

''No, more than forty-six floors to be exact. The area where the 'Senate' is staying should have a strength of over a hundred knights.

'Forty-six floors and up: ....... As I recall, the saint is now on the forty-fifth floor: ......

Yeah, I know. But it's like this. It's our job to protect Master Nosfi, and the knights' job to protect the 'Senate' is just to protect the 'Senate'.

...... I see.

It's not particularly strange.

Privileged people are provided with as much security as they are privileged to have. The second-in-command didn't complain about it, but his expression showed his frustration.

Elmirad laughed that it was really promising, and the deputy pretended not to see it too, and continued his question.

'So, Lord Siddharq, are these bandits really coming ......?　It's been a long time since I relaunched the ”Magic Stone Line (Line)”: ......

He'll be here. I'll come for my daughter and I'll take her back against the same Hoosiers who have been torturing their daughter for years.

'What ......?　Daughter, is it ......?

The deputy hurriedly confirms the fact that he was returned with more astonishment than before.

''Oh, actually, the bandit who's about to come back is the saintly lady's parent.

There's nothing to hide, and Elmirad seems to enjoy teaching his favorite subordinates.

It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one. The blood of two outstanding boys and girls was crossed with the blood of a certain talented boy and girl, and she was inscribed with a magic formula while she was born, brainwashed repeatedly, and became an artificial saint. Naturally, the person whose blood was used without permission must be angry. I'm sure they're going to change their blood and come back for their daughter from now on.

I've scratched out quite a bit and explained the cause, but that still only adds to the deputy's confusion.

'That's a pretty terrible story ....... Is it true ......?'

They may claim to be a holy knightly state on the surface, but in reality they are just that. The current god of the Eastern Frontier, Rastiara Huseyers, was born in a similar vein.

'Such a ....... It's too .......

The deputy's voice trembled with indignation as the dirty parts of the country were suddenly revealed to him.

He must have been born into a prestigious nobleman and seen a lot of the dirty world, but he was still indignant without letting the flames fade.

A talent. A talent for righteous indignation.

It was enough of a personality to make Elmirad's mouth lighten.

'You have a really good character ....... I can teach you a lot of things about such an early death.'

It was a way to pass the time until the enemy attacked, but it was also an important ritual.

Elmiraad understands in a calm corner of his mind that he has a short time to be 'honest'. That's why he wanted to spit out what he was going to spit out during the present time. I believe that this will help my true self, who will not be as honest as I am anymore, to get it out here.

I believe that, and I will talk about it.

As you know, when you go into the depths of the world, malice will always follow you. Competitions of injustice in the deprivation of rights and interests. -- Among them, you should be especially careful with the 'Senate'. They are the old men who keep hiding the 'Saint Tiara's Will' and 'True History' and chase the mundane dream of 'Immortality'. Furthermore, they keep the technology of the 'Magical Stone Line' and the 'Magical Stone People' secret and have not fully disclosed it to the public. As I recall, they haven't disclosed most of the knowledge from a thousand years ago, such as the chanting that they learned from the Northern Vizier. Probably, in the area where the Senate is located, the flexible knights (・・・・・・・・・) who have been ”demonized” know ”chanting” that we don't know about, and they will use it to fight without regard to the ”cost” of the chanting. If you are too slow, the knights will assassinate you, so be seriously careful.

Nah ......!!!

The deputy was so surprised by the outlandish story that he couldn't even respond.

Elmirad knew that not even half of the story got through to the deputy, but he still continued to speak eloquently.

'The world inexplicably has been realistically taken for granted ....... It's a world without too many dreams ....... Truly dreamless .......

As he spoke, Elmirad recalled one story he had been told not long ago.

It was when he was transferred from the war zone to the Great Holy City due to the armistice.

It was when his duties as head of the four great Southern Union noble families of the Siddharq family had come to an end, and at the same time he had completed his first participation in the war.

That day, on the occasion of receiving a reward from the state, I was introduced to Nosfi, the ”Stealer of the Reason of Light”, and he cast a spell on me. That magic itself was not a problem. To be clear, the chemistry with Nosphy was not good in a good way.

However, the second 'reason-stealing thing' that would follow was a problem.

The story I heard that day under the blood-soaked World Tree in the depths of the forbidden ground of Hoozeyards Castle.

Recalling the story of Fafner Helvilshain, ”The One Who Steals the Blood's Reason,” he monologues quickly to mimic him, while getting emotionally involved with him.

...... Everywhere there are mistakes, and good people are deceived and fooled by them. The young people who believe in righteousness are weeded out and only the wicked old men survive. You know this too, don't you?　The disparity between the aristocrats is so great that the awareness of discrimination is ever-present. At any given time, slavery will only grow and new discrimination will be added to the system. Knowing this, the ”Senate” continues to wage a war that could have been eradicated. Calling for misfortune in an obvious war will water down the demand for desire and the number of slaves. The last war really made me realize that. The treatment of the increasing number of 'witch turns' in recent years has been unjustified, and the lesser-used and stronger people have been left in the dark. The North and the South are not at war with each other. It was simply a matter of the strong and the weak being sorted out by the strong. The world, once cleaned up by the great men of a thousand years ago, was again rotting away day by day. Gradually a dark cloud is gathering over the world. ...... It's a really sad story. There was a time when I wanted to destroy the unreasonableness of the world and remake the world ....... This still left me with a strong desire to be a hero ......, and I even dreamed of doing something that would change the world one day. Can you understand this feeling ......?

Listening to Elmiraad's monologue, the lieutenant is reminded of a rumor about the castle.

It is said that the head of the Siddharth family, who played an important role in the recently truce North-South Border War, became somewhat insane after that time.

The story conveys a madness that he and others can only admit to being crazy. But there's also more that comes across. The righteous indignation that is even bluer than my own that never fades - it was definitely there.

The second in command, who felt the same aspiration, was confused by the madness, but wanted to hear more of his story and urged him to continue.

'......That's a bit understandable,' he said. ...... But even for Lord Siddharth, that dream is in the past tense.

'Past tense: ....... No, it's not. The dream is still going on. But I was told by someone who was very practical. The real way to save the world. That's not my role--

But the rest of the story is never told.

Here, Elmirad's narrative stops abruptly.

''--!　This!

Like a cat-like animal, Elmirad bounced his body and looked around.

In the shifting vision of her eyes, the corridor hadn't changed at all. However, her senses as a wizard told her brain that the world was being repainted.

In an instant, the entire corridor was filled with new magic power. Even though I didn't feel the touch of water, it was the sensation of being hit by a great flood and trapped in a sea of magic power.