Hell Mode: Volume 7, page 19
By the time the report had reached the royal castle that day, the situation had become known throughout the country, causing quite a ruckus. Later that day, the captain had used a magic tool to contact the capital city of the Republic of Carlonea, Mitpoi, but he had not received a reply.
After about a day or so without a response, the royal family decided to send some diplomats to the republic to investigate. The next day, the diplomats departed from the fortified city of Kurumei, which was only about two days north of the current fortress. Kurumei was home to about a hundred thousand people, and like the trio of fortresses on the riverbank where the captain, his men, and Keel’s team were today, it had been built following the republic becoming independent. The main army Captain Myuhan had mentioned earlier was also stationed there.
Two days after their departure, the diplomats had passed through this fortress and crossed the stone bridge—the one that Krena had destroyed during the battle with the monsters—for the opposite bank.
“From the fortress on the opposite bank, it takes more than five days to travel by carriage to the capital, Mitpoi. While we waited for the diplomats to arrive, we were keeping contact with Mitpoi via magic tools.”
Captain Myuhan’s story was more detailed than Keel had expected, and it seemed like it would be quite some time before he got the information he wanted. He would have preferred that the captain kept it brief and only touched on important points, but he was the one who had asked the captain to explain in detail. Trying to keep an ear out for only the details he was concerned about was harder than he had expected.
“And then what happened?”
“The diplomats returned. That was two days ago. They said in a panic that the first village after passing through the fortress on the opposite bank was being attacked by monsters.”
The diplomats had gone straight past the fortress and headed back to Kurumei. The fortified city had a resident general who was the commander in chief of the royal army, so they were going to request him to dispatch the main army.
Meanwhile, Captain Myuhan, who had remained at the fortress, had dispatched messengers to the east and west fortresses to prepare for the monster attack.
“A general? But aren’t you in charge here?” Keel inquired.
“That’s correct, but to be more precise, I’m one of the people responsible for protecting this fortress. I’m just a regimental commander.” Keel remembered the man’s ornate helmet. Was that the sign of the regimental commander?
“That’s why you said that the main army wasn’t ready earlier.”
“Indeed. That’s why it’s nothing short of a miracle that we survived today’s battle.”
“By the way, I heard that you’re on bad terms with the republic on the other side of the river. Have you been to war with them since they became independent?”
“There hasn’t been a war since the other side declared independence and founded their nation. This is all little more than a skirmish, which is why we have so few people at this fortress. Hmm?” Captain Myuhan suddenly looked startled by something.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“No. No, it can’t be.”
“Please let me know if you have picked up on something,” Keel said, urging Captain Myuhan to continue. “It might be related to the current situation.”
“Actually, a few years ago, the Republic of Carlonea asked us to sign an agreement to mutually reduce the number of soldiers here.”
After becoming independent, the two countries had spent several years building fortresses and strengthening their defenses against one another. They had spent three or four years doing that before the republic had decided that it wanted to reduce the number of soldiers permanently stationed at the fortress. It had also suggested that the kingdom do the same.
At the time, the republic had had over 10,000 soldiers posted at the fortress across the river. However, after more than four years without either side attacking or being attacked, its leaders had grown tired of them glaring at each other. In addition, none of this was cheap; expenses for this meaningless feud had only accumulated. They had thought that it would be best to limit the number of people with Talents stationed there and place general-level commanders in the rear. In order to make that happen, they had wanted the Kingdom of Calvarna to carry out a similar reduction in military forces.
Under normal circumstances, such a proposal would never have worked out. Silently reducing their own numbers would have been one thing, but they had revealed what they were doing and then suggested that the other side follow suit. This had been the perfect opportunity for Calvarna to launch an attack. They had simply needed to wait until the republic had reduced its forces as agreed upon. Had the republic been lying about the reduction of soldiers, Calvarna would have just needed a backup plan in place to pivot to. As such, it had been an unprecedented proposal, with some of the ministers who participated in the discussions having said that Carlonea was crazy.
“Sounds like it was too good to be true. But what ultimately happened?”
“As you can imagine, we agreed to the pact.”
The deciding factor had been money. Lessening the number of soldiers at the fortress by a certain amount through the offer of severance pay to those who wanted them would make it possible to reduce expenses in the long run. With fewer people there, less food and fuel would need to be sent and transportation costs would go down. For those reasons, the royal family had decided to sign the agreement.
“If that pact led to today’s crisis...” Captain Myuhan groaned, now seeming to truly grasp the seriousness of the situation.
Suddenly, they were interrupted by the shouts of soldiers resounding throughout the room.
“Nooo! What is this power?!”
“Hngh!”
“You’re amazing, Krena!”
“Look! She’s raising him with one arm!”
Keel saw Krena holding a soldier who was significantly taller than her up in the air with only a single open hand under his back. The soldier flailed about, but Krena deftly balanced him on her palm to keep him from falling.
“H-Hey, Krena...” Keel was at a loss for words.
“Whoa! Not even Sarge stands a chance against her!”
“H-How could I?!”
Laughter erupted from the soldiers. The man the group referred to as “Sarge,” whom Krena was balancing, was looking on in astonishment, and Krena set him down on the floor. “Who’s next?”
This was met with more laughter. Apparently, the sparring match had started while Keel and Captain Myuhan were talking, and once it had, the innocent Krena and the brawny soldiers could not be stopped. Keel quickly gave up and spoke to Captain Myuhan again.
“By the way, what is the history behind the independence of the Republic of Carlonea?”
“It all started when Mitpoi, then the largest city in the southern region of our country, complained to the royal family,” the captain answered.
The capital of the Kingdom of Calvarna had always been—and still was—in the north, and only the northern territories had received tax incentives, as they were the ones that had delivered food and fuel, as well as managed exports. Mitpoi, the largest city in the south, had filed a lawsuit on behalf of the southern part of the country, as the southern territories across the river had remained unchanged.
“The beginning of the matter was economic dissatisfaction. Did something happen to cause it?” Keel asked, trying to dig deeper into the source of the conflict.
“It seems as if there was a priest of some kind of new religion giving advice behind the scenes, stating that all should be equal under the eyes of God. As a result, the resentment in the southern part of the country intensified. Their dissatisfaction with the royal family reached a boiling point, and they finally went so far as to declare independence. The ministers and royal family tried to reach an amicable solution with the south, but their efforts were in vain, and war broke out. I had only just joined the army when this happened, so I remember it well.”
“A new religion, you say. Was it by chance the Church of Gushara?”
“I’m pretty sure it was something like that. You don’t think...?”
“Yes. Apparently, the Church of Gushara is somehow connected with the Demon Lord Army’s strategy.”
Keel told the astonished Captain Myuhan as much as he knew about what they had experienced in Teomenia, as well as about the conditions that had led to the outbreak and spread of the daemonic incarnations and how to deal with them.
“That’s why we have prepared medicines that can prevent daemonic incarnations. Also, I have some beans that can keep daemonic incarnations and monsters away, so I would like to begin by planting them along the riverbank. Doing so will create a line of defense to keep them at bay. I was hoping you and the soldiers here could assist with that.”
“In that case, I’ll be more than happy to assist. I’ll talk to the other captains as well, but I’m sure they’ll all readily agree.”
Watching Captain Myuhan’s reaction, Keel felt that Krena’s straightforward personality and the politeness with which he tried to deal with the fortress’s soldiers would likely win them their cooperation.
“Also, I would like to acquire a map of this country—or rather, of the Republic of Carlonea. There may still be people across the river who can be saved.”
“Ah, a map?” Captain Myuhan frowned.
“Is that a problem? I just need to know the location of the main towns and villages.”
“No, I promised to repay you for your assistance. I promise to get you a map. However, to be honest with you, the only map we have in this fortress at the moment has information on it that we cannot share with a foreign nation. If only we had an old map from before their independence, I would have given it to you immediately. Or I can consult with the general when he arrives in two or three days. How does that sound?”
“No, time is of the essence. Could you at least show me the map that you have?”
“Well...”
However, Keel pressed on in spite of Captain Myuhan’s reluctance. People’s lives were at stake, and he could not wait two or three days.
“You can keep an eye on me as I look at the map. If that’s not possible, then at least let me write down the rough locations of the towns and villages.”
“Hmm.” Captain Myuhan folded his arms and looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought.
“Oh, there you are,” Merus said.
“Huh? And you are...?”
The angel suddenly appeared in the dining room. Apparently, the defensive line of Summons and monsters was now complete. He waltzed calmly into the room, gliding across the floor as he approached Keel and Captain Myuhan.
Captain Myuhan seemed to recall having seen images of Merus many times in the churches and temples he had been going to since childhood.
“So, did you get the information? And what is Krena doing?”
Keel looked around before answering. Unsurprisingly, Captain Myuhan and the other soldiers who were present were all staring at Merus with blank expressions. They looked as though they had never expected that an angel would appear in front of them.
“Huh? Is that First Angel Merus? What’s he doing here? I don’t get it.” The moment one of the soldiers said that, everyone in the room except for Keel and Krena dropped themselves to the floor in unison. Even the sweating Captain Myuhan prostrated himself, doing so with such force that it seemed as if he had slammed his face into the floor.
The messengers of Elmea, the God of Creation, and the angels who conveyed the word of God to the people were far more noble than any mortal king. In fact, this was a sight he had probably never expected to see while he was still alive, which made the situation all the more confusing. Or perhaps he thought it was too intense of an experience to have confirmed the existence of angels and could not bear to face one directly. Keel felt similarly from his own experiences.
“So, did you get the map? We’ll head to the Republic of Carlonea tomorrow.”
“We were talking about that just now. They apparently can’t give us a map, so we were exploring other options.”
“What did you say?”
“I said they can’t give us a map. That’s why—”
“Huh? You won’t give us a map?” Krena asked.
“Huh?!” Captain Myuhan, who had been listening to Merus and Keel discuss the situation, was taken aback when Krena suddenly spoke to him.
“There’s not much that can be done about it. The general who has the authority to decide what to do about the map won’t be here for another few days. So instead...”
“Who is this general?” Merus asked.
“Hmm?”
“Who is it that’s saying they can’t give us the map? I’ll talk to them directly.”
Keel moved his gaze back to Captain Myuhan, who was trembling, his face still pressed into the floor. He did not know what to do besides make himself look smaller and hope that he would not have to suffer the wrath of an angel.
At that point, Keel decided that it was up to him to convince Merus.
“Listen, Merus. They can’t give us a map, but they can let me copy it down. We can leave tomorrow with no issues.” When Keel finished speaking, Merus held his gaze.
“All right. Do as you wish,” he said, and with it, he disappeared just as suddenly as he had appeared.
“Okay. See you tomorrow,” Krena replied in parting, albeit a little too late.
As soon as she had finished speaking, the soldiers raised their heads in unison. Keel, seeing the surprise, fear, and confusion on their faces, understood why Merus was reluctant to appear in public. And why Allen had included him in his team.
“Well, Krena. You’ve eaten a lot. Now it’s time to get some rest.”
“Yeah! It was really delicious!”
Krena nodded vigorously and lazily headed out of the dining room. Simultaneously, Keel turned to Captain Myuhan.
“Please get some rest. We will make a copy of the map tonight,” the captain said.
Captain Myuhan’s solemn expression as he spoke caused Keel to hold back on making any further comments about letting him be involved in copying the map. He felt bad and wanted to apologize for the burden he was putting on him.
Chapter 11: Team Allen: Journey to the Kingdom of Crevelle
It had been three days since Allen split up the party into three teams. He, Cecil, and Dogora were riding on a Deputized Bird B and heading west. By using the Deputize skill, the griffin had become larger than normal, giving them more than enough space for all three to ride on the one Summon. Allen was also utilizing the extra space to hold some soil that he was using to create more healing items.
For the past three days, he had been constantly Summoning Grass Cs to generate Potherbs. He used Quick Summoning to Create, Synthesize, and activate the Abilities of the Summons while Cecil and Dogora tossed the completed Potherbs into Storage via his grimoire, which was sitting right next to them. They were able to do all this from the back of their Bird B.
Were he only interested in movement speed, Allen could have used Bird A’s buff, Flight, to soar through the sky on his own. However, not only would that consume more MP, but he also wanted to increase his stock of Potherbs and other items as much as possible.
Using his Spirit A and Merus, whom he had split between the other two teams, Allen kept an eye on how things were going.
On the eastern side of the continent, where Sophie’s team had headed, the pillar of light seemed to end in an oasis town that had been built near the dark elf village of Fabraaze several decades earlier. Something suspicious seemed to have been involved in the founding of the city, and Allen was convinced that the Demon Lord Army wanted to turn the city’s inhabitants into daemonic incarnations.
Meanwhile, Keel and his team, who had headed to the southern reaches of the continent, had not yet arrived at the pillar of light’s source. Allen believed, however, that the daemonic incarnations in that region were coming from a country that had gained independence around twenty years prior. The Church of Gushara seemed to have been involved in it becoming sovereign.
The various points of origin for the pillars of light seemed to overlap with places at which some important event that was ultimately favorable to the current situation had occurred. Assuming that was the case, it was nearly all the evidence Allen needed to confirm that this was a long-term plan that had been set up across the continent. Working off of that assumption, Allen started to think that there might be other plans like it waiting to be put in motion in other parts of the continent, but that they simply did not know about them yet. Were that to be the case, he would not have enough Potherbs to handle the situation.
Taking a look around, Allen noticed that the sun was now setting behind them. Dogora spoke up, voting to call it a day. “It’s getting dark. We should set up camp soon.”
“You’re right.” Cecil agreed with Dogora, so Allen had their Bird B descend. In doing so, a large swamp came into view, prompting him to a detour in search of a dry spot. It seemed that there were many water sources in the area, and the river split into many tributaries and small creeks. The wetlands had treeless marshes scattered throughout.
Before long, Allen found a place next to a forest that seemed to have been dried out by the afternoon sun. He landed the Bird B and checked the ground with his feet, confirming that it was not muddy.
“I wonder if this area is still all right.”
Along with some firewood and a fire-starting magic tool, he took an insect-repelling magic tool out of Storage. When a magic stone was attached to it, an incense-like smoke would come out, driving away all manner of bugs. For the past two days, the team had been moving between the forest area and the swamp area, so he had purposely teleported to the Empire of Baukis to pick up something that could deal with insects.
Of course, the insect repellent would do nothing to prevent monsters from approaching, but that could be dealt with using some Gold Beans and leaving an Insect A on guard duty. That allowed all three members of the team to sleep through the night without the need for a lookout.
