Seirei Gensouki, page 8
That was how Lucci and Ven saw the situation—that is, until Hel and Ifritah joined the fray.
“Whoa?!”
“It’s damn fast!”
Hel and Ifritah freely ran around the front of the mansion. The mercenaries might have been able to evade the attacks if there were only one of them. The physical body enhancements of their enchanted swords allowed them to react to the movements in time.
But with two spirits moving at once, they were helpless. If one of them had their attack evaded, the other would just wait for the right timing to make a follow-up attack. The two beasts moved in perfect synchronization, hunting the men down skillfully.
The mercenary men were instantly thrown into disarray. Three of them had already been hit by a charging attack and were now incapable of combat.
Satsuki and Latifa knew they’d just get in the way if they moved too much, and any spells had a risk of hitting Hel and Ifritah, so they left the combat entirely up to them. Instead, they were able to focus on protecting the princesses. However, that didn’t mean they were spared from facing Lucci or Ven.
“Be careful of that man with the black sword! That sword can release a wave of dark energy strong enough to swallow up Ifritah’s flames! It also has other abilities—the blade of the sword was stabbed into Alma’s back while she was facing him. It was as if it teleported!” Celia yelled from the other side of the magic wall, warning Satsuki and Latifa of Lucci’s sword.
The blade teleported...? Could it be...?
Unaware of the identities of the spirits, Christina had been greatly confused by Ifritah and Hel’s appearance. But after hearing Celia’s explanation, she felt a sense of déjà vu from Lucci’s sword. It was the same sword that Rio had struggled against when he saved them from Lucius.
Christina gasped. “Th-That black sword is the sword that Lucius used! It was able to slash at us from a fairly long distance away! The blade disappears from the body and reappears wherever the darkness is. The sword’s wielder can teleport in the same way, so watch out for any darkness around you!”
She quickly shared all the information she knew about it. Things would take a turn for the worse for them if Lucci used that ability here.
“Wh-What?!”
“That’s terrifying!”
“Hmm.”
It was quite the troublesome ability. The ones who reacted with the most caution were Latifa, Satsuki, Vanessa, and Louise’s knights within the barrier. They looked all around themselves, searching for any darkness. The most likely targets for Lucius’s sword weren’t the two mid-class spirits moving about, but the groups stuck unable to move. But they didn’t find any darkness.
“Tch...” Lucci shot a resentful glare at Celia, then Christina. His enchanted sword’s ability had been accurately exposed by the two of them.
An ability like that would have caught one of us by now, but he’s barely used it. Why...?
Celia considered the reasons. Perhaps Lucci lacked the magic essence to bring out the sword’s ability, or perhaps...
“He hasn’t teleported himself during this battle! And he only teleported the blade once, to stab Alma in the back... He might not be able to use the sword’s ability very well yet! There have been plenty of opportunities to take, yet he didn’t.”
That was the more likely reason. And in reality—
Shit...
Lucci frowned at the pinpoint analysis. He was unable to use the enchanted sword as freely as Lucius had been when he was alive.
In fact, he was moving to evade Hel and Ifritah’s attacks right now when he could have just teleported away to gain distance. If their goal was to take a hostage, he could have teleported inside Celia’s magic barrier or behind Christina and Flora at any time.
“Seems like that’s the truth.”
“Yes, but it’s best not to let our guards down...”
Satsuki and Latifa’s expressions relaxed a little. But just then—
“Wraaah!”
Just as Celia’s side gained reassuring reinforcements in the form of Hel and Ifritah, Lucci’s side gained unexpected reinforcements of their own. It was the remaining revenants on the grounds. There were a few dozen of them left. Without a sideward glance, the revenants charged straight for Hel and Ifritah.
“Wh-What are those things?!”
Satsuki had been inside the safe room earlier, so she was seeing them for the first time. They had humanoid forms, but their shocking appearances were clearly inhuman.
“They’re the monsters that fell on the castle! Their movements are quick and they can’t be killed without hitting their heads or hearts, so be careful!” Celia called out, providing her with more information. Celia, Sara, and Alma’s fine teamwork had rapidly eliminated the revenants around the mansion, but there had still been many remaining in the other areas of the castle.
On top of that, Arein’s group was still in the air, bombing them with attacks and dragging out the battle within the castle walls.
Reiss’s monsters, huh? Honestly, there’s so much that we don’t know about him and his monsters, but... Arein thought, definitely grateful for the help right now. Lucci and the others were similarly shocked by the unexpected reinforcements, but they had guessed it was Reiss who had sent them and smirked.
“Ha, perfect timing! The monsters can take it out on each other!”
“Use this chance to capture the hostages!”
Lucci decided to use the opportunity to ignore Hel and Ifritah. Ven and his men responded accordingly right away.
“Grah!”
“Grr!”
Hel and Ifritah tried to mow down the approaching revenants with their breaths of ice and fire, but their hardened skin was resistant to the elements. It was also possible that they couldn’t feel the pain. Whether their bodies were frozen or burnt, they advanced without a care.
Meanwhile, the majority of the remaining mercenaries—including Ven—headed towards Satsuki and the others by the mansion. There were ten of them in total.
“Guh...”
Satsuki swung her spear to create a storm wind to push them back. But Ven and his men dispersed to the sides, allowing six of their ten to escape the attack.
“Now’s the time! The five of you, go!” Louise shouted from within Celia’s barrier.
They had aimed for the exact moment Satsuki activated her Divine Arms. Celia opened a cavity at the rear of the barrier, allowing five of the knights inside to begin charging. She then closed the holes at both ends of the barrier, preventing anyone from entering at all.
“Haaah!”
The knights mercilessly struck their swords at the stomachs of the mercenaries that had been knocked off-balance by Satsuki’s wind. A strike in the wrong spot could be fatal, but they spared them from a direct kill in hopes of interrogating any captured men later.
At any rate, four of the mercenaries were taken out in one go. The knights remained calm in the face of their difference in abilities, stubbornly waiting for a chance at victory.
On the other hand, there were still a large number of revenants remaining, clinging to Hel and Ifritah as they tried to shake them off.
“Force your way through! Advance at all costs!”
Ven and the remaining five mercenaries spared no thought for their fallen comrades, moving to surround Satsuki’s group. They were met by Satsuki, Latifa, and Vanessa.
They were outnumbered enough for the situation to be grim... Or so they thought.
“I won’t let you!” Sara leaped out of the window, slipping past Charlotte to kick away the mercenary that had been approaching her. The other two knights that had been inside the mansion arrived moments later.
“Sara!” Her appearance made Latifa rejoice.
“Sorry I’m late! We’ve taken care of the enemies inside.”
However, the situation was still uncertain. It was easy to have tunnel vision on a battlefield with so many people jumbled together, and ambushes could lie in wait where one least expected it. The ambush in this case was Lucci; he was missing from the mercenaries that attacked Satsuki’s group.
“Wait! Where did the man with the black sword go?!”
Satsuki was the one to finally notice his absence, pushing back Ven’s sword with her spear and questioning the people around her in a fluster.
“I’m over here!” Lucci called out himself.
There, standing inside of Celia’s magic barrier, were Celia, the unconscious Alma, Miharu, Louise, and another knight—and Lucci. He had used his fellow mercenaries and the revenants as a decoy while he headed for the barrier. Celia had sealed all the exits of the dome to make it impossible to infiltrate, yet Lucci was beside them. This meant...
“Ngh, he really can teleport!”
Louise, who had been on guard inside the barrier, was first to slash at Lucci.
“With enough time to prepare and across a short enough distance, that is!” Lucci replied, giving a compact swing of his sword.
“Kgh—Aah!”
Louise was blown back, sword and all. Her body struck the inside of the barrier, and she slumped down on the ground. Lucci’s enchanted sword had boosted his physical strength too much for her to handle.
“Captain!”
“Whoa, there.”
Only one knight remained. She swung her sword immediately after Lucci was done swinging, but he swiftly blocked the blade.
“Gotta take out the trash first, right?!”
Lucci believed the knight was the only obstacle left and moved to eliminate her first. However...
“I’m sorry!”
Miharu held her palms out at him and released a blast of wind. The way she apologized while doing so was an expression of her personality.
She managed to avoid hitting the knight, but that was because of her current limits in attacking rather than any intentional adjustment.
“Oof...”
The unexpected strike sent Lucci hitting the wall this time.
“Photon Projectilis. Nice one, Miharu!”
With her instantaneous judgment, Celia canceled the magic barrier and chanted a magic spell. She was trying to land a rapid-fire follow-up attack on his rolling body.
“That hurt, you little brat!”
“Gah!”
“Urk...”
Lucci was desperate too. Getting hit by someone he had been underestimating angered him greatly, and he yelled while he rolled to evade the bullets of light. At the same time, he swept Celia and the knight off their feet, making them topple off-balance.
“Go to sleep forever!”
“Gwah!”
Getting to his feet, Lucci used his left hand to backfist the knight’s face and knock her out.
“You’ve done it now, haven’t you?!”
“Oww...” He stomped on Celia’s back with all his might as she tried to get up.
“Celia!”
“Don’t move, woman! The rest of you freeze as well, or I’ll crush this brat’s body.”
He must have been especially wary of Miharu, who attacked without chanting her spells. He pointed his sword at her throat while warning Satsuki and the others by the mansion.
“Guh...” Satsuki and Sara pressed their lips together in frustration, grinding their teeth.
“Looks like this battle is over,” Ven sneered, distancing himself from Satsuki. The other mercenaries also backed away.
“Tch, what a mess.” Lucci checked the status of his unharmed comrades and clicked his tongue.
They had sent a total of twenty mercenaries to the mansion and its surroundings, but only seven were left standing, including Lucci and Ven. Sara had defeated the men inside the building, and most of the men outside were picked off by Hel and Ifritah.
“First, let’s have those knights move towards the mansion.”
“...”
At Lucci’s order, the five knights that had left the barrier reluctantly dragged their feet over to Satsuki and the others.
“And who do the monsters belong to? Let’s have them removed promptly.”
Lucci made his next demand, glancing at Hel and Ifritah. He didn’t know who they served, so he looked around at all their faces.
Hel and Ifritah were currently being clung to by revenants, sealing their movements. Both of them were struggling to shake them off, but the revenants hung on with their teeth and nails, making it extremely difficult to do so.
But conversely, that also meant Hel and Ifritah had suppressed the revenants from any other action. If the two of them disappeared now, dozens of revenants would be released at once.
“Wha— If we removed them now, those monsters would be freed!” Satsuki shouted.
“I don’t care about that,” Lucci snorted.
“No, wait. Just leave them like that,” said Ven.
“What? Why?”
“That monster reappeared after being defeated. It’d be a pain if that happened again. If we leave them this way, we can at least see their positions.”
“I see...” Lucci nodded in acceptance, convinced by Ven’s reason.
“But don’t try any funny tricks. Order them to be docile, let themselves be attacked, and let the monsters have their way.”
“Wh...”
As Hel’s contract partner, Sara trembled with rage. Spirits felt pain in their material form just like any other living being. As someone who worshiped spirits, their ability to regenerate their bodies in spirit form didn’t mean she was fine with leaving them in pain.
However, Miharu and Celia would be in danger if she didn’t comply. Alma and Louise were also unconscious beside them. She had no choice but to endure the situation.
“Fine. This black-haired woman and sorcerer brat should be more than enough. Let’s get going. Retreat!” Lucci called Ven and the others back to him.
“W-Wait a minute! We have your comrades held hostage as well!” Satsuki cried, looking at the mercenaries lying on the ground. She probably thought they’d be able to negotiate a hostage exchange.
“Ha. Do what you want with them. We all came here prepared.” Lucci was uninterested in the offer. They must have all agreed in advance, as Ven and the other men showed no objection either.
“Why...” Satsuki muttered in a daze. Weren’t they here for revenge on Rio, who killed their commander? If they could feel that much rage at having their comrade killed, they should feel the same rage for their comrades sacrificed here. It was illogical.
In fact, they weren’t acting out of logic. One of their own was hurt, so they would repay that pain and then some. If they got hurt in the process, they’d just make sure to add that pain on in the end. That was all it meant to them.
They wouldn’t allow themselves to be one-sidedly bested. They couldn’t allow it, which was why they had to harass the other side in return. They weren’t moving logically, but emotionally.
“You keep an eye on this one.” Lucci removed his foot from Celia and grabbed her by the clothes. He then threw her towards Ven and the others, who were approaching gradually.
“Aah!” Celia rolled on the ground helplessly. Then, Lucci’s gaze turned to Miharu.
“Too bad for you, eh? Your connection to that bastard is what led to your abduction. You and that sorcerer crawling there are about to experience a world of regret for that connection, but if you’re gonna resent someone, make sure to resent him, yeah?” he sneered crudely.
“Eek...” Miharu trembled, but she desperately clenched her fists to suppress her fear.
“W-Wait! I’m the hero! If you’re going to take someone, take me!”
“I-I’m his little sister!”
Satsuki and Latifa offered themselves to protect Miharu and Celia. They were followed by Sara and Flora, who were more emotionally driven than not.
“Ha! Who would keep this many liabilities by their side with the threat of retaliation looming over their head? That bastard sure is a fool. But that just proves how it’s his fault you’re being abducted. We’ll give you plenty of reasons to resent him, don’t worry,” Ven, annoyed by their attitudes, said mockingly, spitting his malice at the girls.
“Ngh...” Satsuki grimaced.
I see... Haruto knew this could happen. That’s why he tried to distance himself from Miharu at the banquet...
Her expression turned bitter. She felt terribly panicked at the thought of things going exactly as Rio feared, when—
“Y-You’re wrong!” Miharu shouted.
“Huh?”
“Haruto tried to distance himself from me. But I said I wanted to stay with him anyway! That’s why it’s not his fault!”
Miharu faced Lucci and his men without any fear. In a rare show of both volume and emotion, she tried to stand up for Rio.
“That’s right... That’s why we have to be the ones to fight. I don’t want to have Haruto protect me all the time—I’m not going to be a burden!”
From her position on the ground, Celia used both arms to struggle up weakly. She squeezed out her voice to convey her determination.
“Tch, what a damn drag... So what?! No matter how much you struggle, reality won’t change!”
“Hey! Enough already, Lucci.” Ven called for Lucci to hold back his raging tantrum.
“What?!”
“Leave the rest for after the abduction. Arein’s squad is struggling with their burden. We gotta get going.”
Lucci looked up to see Arein’s squad holding back the castle’s aerial knights even now.
“Fine... But this one attacked me without chanting a spell earlier. It’d be a pain to have her awake while moving, so I’m going to put her to sleep first. It’ll also be a thank-you for earlier.”
Lucci had nodded reluctantly, but he was fast to change his mind. He removed his sword tip from Miharu’s neck and swung the flat side of the blade at her face.
“Eek...!” Miharu squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact. However, what she heard next wasn’t the sound of a sword hitting her face...
“My sincere apologies for the delay.”
...but the sound of clashing metal and the gentle voice of an older man. Miharu opened her eyes timidly.
