Chapter 65 – War Pigs (1/2)

The one-armed soldier, discovering the entrance to the capital city, was only slightly relieved after running for around 30 minutes.

Locating the man, dashing on the highway with a frantic look, the guards of Adolamelk were flustered.

“S-Stop! Stop!” (Guard)

“Help me! I’m being chased by an enemy!” (Soldier)

Crying while clinging to the guard, the soldier obviously wore the uniform of regular soldier from Horant. The guards immediately tried to lead him to the guardroom.

However, the soldier with the one arm exclaims this to be out of the question.

“Those guys, who came from Orsongrande, will soon be here! I have to contact Yugu-sama at the castle at once!” (Soldier)

A single soldier, with a ghastly facial expression, hurried towards the castle.

The moment the one-armed soldier became at least relieved that he was able to pass on the message, he heard the voice from his back he didn’t want to hear the most.

“Thanks for your hard work. Aren’t you splendidly fast at running?” (Hifumi)

As the soldier timidly turned his head around in a motion similar to a robot with no oil in its joints, he saw the figure of the laughing and smiling Hifumi approaching from his back.

During the time he was unable to stand up due to fear, the surrounding scenery enters his visual field.

On both sides of Hifumi the guards lay in their own blood. While the pools of blood are gradually broadening, the guards aren’t even twitching anymore.

“I guess it isn’t that easy to run away. Although you have been so close to it.” (Hifumi)

As he swung the katana he held in his hands, blood was scattered on the ground with a sound of splatting.

“Uwa…” (Soldier)

His voice of surprise was interrupted by the cutting of his throat.

“Well then, it’s fine if I go to the castle next… oh!” (Hifumi)

When he confirmed the spires of the castle visible from the gate, he saw around 10 magicians heading towards his location from the direction of the castle.

“This time it’s a magician-only unit, huh?” (Hifumi)

While saying this, Hifumi had already started dashing towards them.

Noticing their target approaching itself, the magicians are chanting in a hurry. They barely managed to get done with the casting of the spells before they have entered Hifumi’s attack range. Mixing fire and wind, they become fireballs clad in gathered wind blades. The fireballs approach Hifumi while emitting high temperature.

Hifumi laughs daringly without even easing up on his running speed at all.

At the last moment, just when the fireballs were imminent right in front of him, Hifumi lowered his body with a jerk and passed under the hot and blazing fireballs.

Merely a few strains of his hair was burned and the same mere amount was cut off by wind blades.

Even so, without changing his expression, Hifumi, making a large step, ran through the space between the magicians.

In an instant, as he swung his drawn katana mercilessly, he reaped four heads.

The magicians, who opened their eyes in shock, are delayed for a moment as their comrade’s heads fell off like rain.

And even during that time, being completely unable to do anything at short-range, the remaining magicians turned one-by-one into rust on the blade of the katana.

“Alright, next is the castle.” (Hifumi)

As he lowers the drawn katana, Hifumi runs in order to start his one-man castle siege.

☺☻☺

Currently 5 fully armoured soldiers are standing in front of Yugu’s eyes.

This is the room for the soldiers on standby within the castle.

All of the soldiers, lining up, are looking in a different direction. Their yellow, dirty sets of teeth, which had spaces in-between, where you didn’t know just how many teeth there were left, are visible through the partly opened mouths.

They are the soldiers, who were enhanced against their will using them as experimental bodies for the magic tools and magic portions under the leadership of Veldore.

Most of the experimental bodies ended up “broken”, but somehow 5 bodies, which could be adjusted to listen to orders, have been gathered.

“I see. It would seem they’re already within the castle. If it’s this many, it will likely be enough to deal with them.” (Yugu)

An enhanced soldier possesses a strength that can fight around 10 soldiers. They have been clad in a heavy, metal armour, which had a weight a normal person wouldn’t be able to move if they put it on.

If the plan proceeded smoothly, their number should be plenty.

“For the time being, don’t die until it reaches a conclusion once the king is seized.” (Yugu)

The contents of Yugu’s suggestion to Veldore was the simple idea to let the enemies invade on purpose and have them killed alongside the king.

Even if the invaders don’t reach the king, with just the fact that enemies invaded the castle, we will be able to handle it in some way, he judged.

At that moment, a soldier under Yugu rushed into the room.

“Yugu-sama! The enemy is breaking though the castle gate!” (Soldier)

“… Quite fast, aren’t they?” (Yugu)

Going by Yugu’s estimation, they would come into contact with the enemy at earliest today evening. Though he predicted that it would likely be during the day tomorrow.

Currently there are also many unrelated parties besides the prince faction, created by Yugu, remaining. It’s very probable that they would see the enhanced soldiers.

“There’s no other way. While dealing with the general mobilisation of the currently available magicians, have the servants and the nobles, including the folks of our faction as well, exit from the back under the name of evacuation.” (Yugu)

When hearing the announcement that the enhanced soldiers would move once a fixed period of time passed, the soldier, who came as messenger, leaves the room to execute the command.

“Well, if they were to be seen, we will have the witnesses disappear during the battle.” (Yugu)

For the sake of telling Veldore the state of affairs, Yugu also left the room while the enhanced soldiers remained there on standby.

There was something Yugu hadn’t confirmed and the messenger didn’t tell him either.

It’s that there’s only one intruder and that this intruder had annihilated the city’s soldiers all by himself.

And, that the location of the remaining enemies, who should originally be around 10, was unknown. Veldore’s and Yugu’s aim greatly derailed.

☺☻☺

Once it reached the point that screams from the direction of the castle were audible, the citizens of Adolamelk ended up completely frightened. The fleeing people and the people headed for their homes showed a look of confusion as Hifumi passed them headed in the opposite direction.

There are many citizens in the capital with most of them showing a gloomy expression. Compared to other cities, there are likely especially many wealthy people. Those, who had gathered a large family fortune, can even be seen moving while being protected by guards.

The situation of the coming and going carriages and wagons evolved into a serious congestion on the streets, but that made it rather easy for Origa’s group to move without standing out.

“Now then, going by the information obtained by Hifumi-sama, the research institute should be right next to the royal castle. Let’s hurry.” (Origa)

The Fokalore territorial soldiers desperately chased after Origa, who was advancing with a visibly wild excitement due to the having been entrusted a great task by Hifumi, while pulling the wagons.

As they approached the royal castle, the number of people became sparse. At the time they finally arrived in front of the research institute, no one could be found in the vicinity.

From the direction of the castle, where Hifumi apparently raged to his heart’s content, screams were still occasionally audible.

Did they went there as reinforcements? Even the guards, who were expected to be here, are nowhere to be found.

Although the wooden gate, that leads onto the grounds, was closed, it easily opened after being pushed lightly.

Origa checks out the interior with wind magic through a slightly opened gap of the door.

Having completely gotten accustomed to use echolocation, she located the two people, being within the grounds while holding weapons, with her probing.

Given that they were lining up in just the right way, she slit their throats by deploying wind blades without the slightest hint of hesitation.

“I will have the people, who are a hindrance to my orders I received from Hifumi-sama, die.” (Origa)

Quickly stepping into the grounds, Origa’s group, who left the only two lookouts behind, has discovered a building with sturdy-looking gate that was secured by a bolt from the outside.

“What’s this about?” (Origa)

One of the soldier from Fokalore murmured due to Origa’s question,

“The circumstances that it is secured from the outside means that someone has been locked up inside? Or it has been only closed from the outside as it is a storehouse?” (Soldier)

“We won’t know unless we make sure, right? If it’s a storehouse, it’s possible that we might find our objective there.” (Origa)